swimming in the luxuries of home

ahhh... vacation. Ive grown lazy and been sleeping in until 10. With the rain, we have spent our weekend indoors watching movies and lounging. The Yule tide lads have begun making thier appearances and have aided us in these idle pursuits with gifts of blankets and a board game called CAMP. Its all about forest and animal facts. Did you know a group of unicorn is called.. a blessing? I think that was a joke but maybe not. Did you know a group of owls is called a parliament (wha?) That one I know is true. The lads also delivered an air pistol. They have not broken anything this year (We have kept them well fed) though they have made quite a bit of noise every night.

These last few days, I have also made it a point of getting to the beach every day. If for nothing but taking a look see. I can't begin to say how much I miss my daily sojourns to the seaside. My toes in the sand, the roar of crashing waves rumbling up through shoeless feet, body trembles, heart lifts,  mind drifts. mmmmmm.. I need to do this more often.

One one of these trips to the ocean I had Splash along. We were walking down this back road. off to the side, a yard full of dogs yapping wildly as they are prone to do. Another couple walking a dog. Tiny white teacup of a thing. Splash, reminded of flounder, wanted to play and in attempting to greet the other dog slipped out of his collar. The woman was panicked and did nothing but stand there and scream.  I apologized and leashed Splash with no problem but the woman was mortified despite the fact that her pup was in no way harmed just startled. She glared at me as if to say "You and your dog are monsters! The cops should lock you up for scaring fefe so!"  I wish I could have explained why splash acted as he did and why she needed to calm down but they had turned and were walking quickly away stabbing glares shot over shoulder to try and shame/blame me. My big dog was in no way going to devour her little dog despite her thoughts to the contrary. Her response is funny but human. We have no way of understanding why things happen that are outside of our control yet we make assumptions as to the cause and we lay blame when the reality is there is none to lay. As horrified as her face/stance and demeanor indicated, this woman will be pissed way into next week. And for what? One friendly dog became a little too friendly. Hardly anything to ruin your vacation over.

Recently sticky pistons left for a week for work during which time he ran out of some important meds. His prescription was also up so he was off of them for a few days. This is not a pleasant experience however when he went in for a check up he indicated that he wished to see if he could get off of them. Who wants to be a slave to a bottle? The dr. cut back his dose in half. This has been interesting. Because of his previous withdraw his body took to the 1/2 dose quickly. His discomfort abated. This has allowed him to have a good view of how the medication works. On the lower dosage his mind is racing. His senses are hyperactive. He is overloaded with stimulation. Overloading to the point of almost going haywire. And this is at half a dose. Without the meds at all the overactive data sensory imputs stimulation is just to much for the boy to handle. Overestimation equals angst and irritation.. gives him an itchy trigger finger. His current dose is just enough to stave off  most of the annoyance but he still fills completely overwhelmed with information. So much so he is going to go back to his regular dosage. Fascinating how our brain chemistry functions.

What else? Not to much. Christmas is upon us. As my mom came here for Thanksgiving, she was headed to my brothers for this holiday and so this is our first Christmas at home in I don't know how long. Makes the season feel a little incomplete.. but a lot more peaceful! I wish her and my family in Washington the best.

New foods! My CSA has been bringing beets and chard and leeks and bok choy. Ive been getting to make all sorts of new dishes... most of them pretty good!!

All My Love... Mom!

Here Comes the Sun!.. or.. Yule, what is it?

Many modern scholars, anthropologists, and historians indicate that mid winter or Winter Solstice celebrations date back to at least 2400 BCE and have been an important part in indigenous European traditions and cultures since that at least that time. (They speculate such traditions reach far deeper in time based on root word linguistics and such) These traditions differed slightly from location to location but had common characteristics. The reconstruction of the native ancestral faith the celebration known as Yule  (it is unlikely that such celebrations were called by this name in earlier times) is really a culmination of traditions and practices from many different branches of the same ancient tree.

I consider Yule Tide  the most important Holiday within our faith. It is a time of reflection and connection. Many of the customs that I grew up with celebrating Christmas actually began as winter solstice rites (Yule trees, caroling, Yule logs, mistletoe, and others). Perhaps most the most important aspect of this seasonal celebration has to do with the importance of bonding with family. During this 12 day period, we honor many Gods and Goddesses. In our faith we believe that they, as well as the spirits of the earth and of our ancestors all join us for these celebrations.   Together we form the spirit of our future generations and so they too are also with us.

The first night of Yule and the last night are the most important ones to me and the ones I will talk about specifically although each night has its own significance and activities.

The first  celebration of Yule is Mothers Night. This is a night that is sacred to the Ancestral Mothers. The line of women that stretch from the first woman to the last and includes Mother Earth. We recognize women of strength and courage. We recognize those who bear life. Mothers Night happens the night before the solstice. This is the time a new year is born. The sun is renewed and long winter nights begin to grow longer. Celebrations this night center around the lady of the house symbolically cleaning  and seasonally decorating the home. She invites both the living and the dead to join the party and bestows blessings and gifts upon family and friends. Earlier tonight I opened the house to neighbors provided hot drinks and gave out homemade cold remedies. Later the  family through the yule log on the fire and I will tend the flame until the sun comes up. A nightlong vigil. A time to connect to the spirit of the mothers and offer  joint blessings for our future.

During the night we will be visited by the Yule Tide Lads. These little guys are an adopted Icelandic custom. They are mischievous elves that bring gifts in exchange for food and shelter. They tear through the house, throw food out of the cupboards and make a racket while they are here. We never know what they are going to break. They are a little chaotic but we welcome them anyway. So over twelve days each night they bring a gift. Like a board game or clothes or something needed.

Anyway, that is a quick sum up. Ill tell about new years when we get to it.

Hail the Mothers! Much love to you mom!!

Summertime rolls...

... through my mind like a hot trade wind caught up in my sails.. like long tubular swells cresting off white hot sandy beaches. Daydreams that I have been crowding out now find their way behind my brow. School comes to  a break just as I turn my eye to the horizon and welcome the sun and all the possibilities of the new year.

Its Yule.

I say that.. announce that we are celebrating Yule..  to me it is enough. I understand what I mean by it but most people look at me puzzled and some downright quizzical.. A very rare few, the young or teachers mostly, ask me,  "What does that mean?"  I usually can't answer it. Not because I don't understand enough to explain but this explanation requires more of a lecture than any quick pat answer. It requires thought and heart. And so this year when asked .. what is Yule?.. I simply said Ill explain on my blog. And I will. Tonight is Mothers Night. The first night of our 12 night long celebration. Ill be up all night and will put my my efforts to explanations  later on. For now I have kids to baby sit, a Yule Log to make, cookies to make, a fire to get crackin, and a door to throw open to  neighbors and friends to help us invite the spirit of the season in this evening.

Ive been buried under a lot of work but have managed to get it all done, as such I have not posted about the Surfrider Party. Whew. It was a lot of work. But it was a success. Not overwhelmingly but all told. I found some great volunteers. We turned a small profit. We gained 27 members. There were maybe 75 people there. Honored Alison as Volunteer of the Year. A step up from last year. Here are some pics:

The Blurry Beer Crew .. kept everyone well lubricated.

The DJ.. Rocked the House!

The Spread

Volunteer of the Year!!

X. One of our Happy Hostesses!

Our Opening Act!

kitchen and beach crew

Ending the Night on a great note!

There are tons of party pics
but that gives you a quick behind the scenes. Link to the lot
to come. Once I post up. Now back to work!

How the motor hums..

As we quickly approach the Fundraiser Event, I begin to ease back. Still at high speed but no longer needing to gain momentum. Ill be coasting down the other side of this mountain in no time. Like a bullet. To do list fall off the list one by one. Almost all that remains to be done is the execution. And I play hostess well.

Speaking of playing hostess, Monday night some Kindred came through from Grande Rapids. The Howards share our faith and were some of the first people we raised a horn with when we lived in that hot awful valley. Those days are long gone but despite our various and distant lives we have kept in loose contact. Enough to know our values and world views remain generally in sync as well as generally knowing they are healthy and well. As luck would have it the Howards returned to the valley and decided to visit the aquarium and took us up on our open door policy. The father is a leather worker who produces pieces which show significant amounts of artistry. The mother is a midwife and is expecting her fourth in April or so. Their three children range in age from 2 to 8 and played together with ours as well as distant cousins being brought together for a family reunion. The Howard's children do not have the ability to play in their front yard at their home as the children have been approached for drug deals while out front before. The enjoyed the freedom. Mom enjoyed the use of a real bed and found herself drifting off heavily and quickly. All told there was ax throwing, Dr. Who watching and conversation ranging from all levels of homesteading to the failings of sex education and our culture in the empowerment of women and other vaginal based topics. And there was feasting! From what I had lying around, I whipped up butternut squash soup, spaghetti, krispy kale, and apple crisp for dinner. It was a pleasure to open out house to such good folk.

Prior to company, the weekend was super active. Greg returned Friday from a week in Seattle. We slid into Saturday with me disappearing for a great many hours to flyer the entire length of coast from Zumbdowski beach in Moss to Marina Dunes with news of the upcoming party. Then the family split up 2x2 to attend various birthday parties. Little Tree Climber and I found ourselves taking off for Watsonville for a online school mate who moved to the US when she was almost two from Russia. Her parents are both Scientists. The mom is involved in studying holistic methods of curing cancer. We discussed how she is running into opposition from the pharmaceutical juggernauts. The father is involved in research at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquatic Research Institute) It was pleasant discussing their work as well as finding commonalities which we could relate on the same footing. It turns out that they are Zena fans. So much so that they go to the conventions in LA yearly.

After that Little Tree Climber and I ran off to Salinas to watch a youth filled production of "The best Christmas Pagent Ever" put on by a childrens theater. The only one I know of in our area. The play was supurb! I am aiming to put the kids into some acting around the beginning of next school year.

P.S. Mom... In your mendery .. contact theater groups for costume work.

Whereas Saturday brought fevered and flavored activity, Sunday brought nothing but trouble. Sticky pistons applied a little to much elbow grease to some work he was doing on the  car and .. well.. basically tore part of the engine off with his bare hands. How bad the damage is and what needs to happen to correct it is as yet unknown but it doesn't look good. Maybe he should not be called sticky pistons but rather "Ratchet the Hatchet"

As if that wasn't enough, the  kitty knocked the kids laptop off a ledge and did a number to it... 2 weeks after the warranty expired. This is a bit of a bother with regard to school as one might imagine. We are working our way through finding a solution but even if I replace the laptop I am running into another challenge. Our Internet connection has begun locking out the number of devices we can connect to it at any one time thus limiting our ability to function. That issue too will have to wait until Winter break to be addressed. 5 more days of school!! Then we are celebrating Yule. School is out on the first day of our celebrations. Once school is done I will be prepping for all that.

Speaking of technology, my son just got his first email account. He has taken to it far more aggressively than his sister. Hes pursued addresses for everyone he knows and utilizes the chat function often.. Im not complaining.

10:25 AM Son: i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:} <3 span="span">

10:26 AM me: And I love you!! <3 span="span">

10:28 AM Son: :>}

This is rainbow war paint! And with that I return to the work at hand! 

seeing the light..

Last night I was feeling rather down, the flu playing havoc on my body and a lack of sleep and energy not to mention the weight of duty bearing down.  All of this leading me to the great existential question “ do all the things I do in an attempt to make the world better really amount to anything? “  Ultimately I came to the final conclusion that maybe not (On the whole, Humanity is Fu$#ed  up) but I home school and I volunteer and I do what I do for others and the world because I must follow my heart.  Always.  Otherwise apathy wins and we all lose.  

This morning when I got up and began my usual wake up routine.  I'm a wordy sort.. well on paper anyway..  and so part of my routine it to check my word of the day ap.  as well as comb through the new words listed in a slang dictionary for fun words to spice up my vocabulary. Not that I usually find any, most are not words Id use in polite company.  Anyway, in my perusal I found the following definition which, oddly enough, was almost perfectly suited to my nocturnal reflections and warmed up my mood considerably.

Love

The meaning of life and reason for everything because there can be no benefit (no significant purpose) where there is nothing to exist for. Often confused for the feelings that arouse it, love only exists when it actually does something, and can only be as deep as the sacrifice it makes. It is better than the feelings and commitment because those things can die, but actually loving a person means choosing them anyway, which will always leave a base for the feelings and commitment to return. Love is not to be confused with: loneliness - a need to be validated by someone else, lust - a strong passion for sexual release, pride - a self prioritizing and self justifying ego, jealousy - wanting to control another person or thing, or, feeling good, because warm, fuzzy feelings can come from drinking alcohol and broken families know alcohol is definitely not love. Love wants what is best, and so, it does what is best for someone, which often keeps it left out of most marriages because most people will only marry a person who gives them what they want rather than someone who does what is best for them. There is a fine line between love and hate because the only difference between love and hate are the sides on which they stand; "To love good is to hate evil." In the end, love never fails; it is the basis for everything we do and all of our reasons. Love wins.

"I did not scold him for his mistake because I love my son more than the things he breaks."

"Greater love has none than this, that he lay down his life for his friend."

"Why do I spend time with my kids? I love them, that is why."

Thanks for calling the Food Network Hotline. Billing is nine-ninety-five for each sixty-second period. To accept, say "crème fraîche."

I've never had Creme Fraiche before. Come to think of it I have never had a 7 course meal  before (have I? nothing comes directly to mind)... let alone one that was entirely vegetarian... at least not before this past weekend that is. Check the menu.

All ingredients fresh and local. The chef arriving from Big Sur to "pop in" and create a dinner at Happy Girl Kitchen... a local lunch diner which provides local organic and fresh vegan, gluten free, and vegetarian soups sandwiches and baked goods as well as canned and pickled items for retail sale. Bread and pickeled veggies didn't make the menu but were served as well ..hence the 7 courses.  The food, which just kept rolling right out, was not overly seasoned. The natural flavors of the veg's were paired well with each other and allowed to mingle in ways on my tongue that were subtle and balanced. I will admit that it did not cater to my spicy curry loving palate but it did not offend it either. And I was pleasantly surprised with each and every bite. 

Sticky Pistons and I did not dine alone. Making the evening even more enjoyable was the company of three brand new friends and one newish but already dear friend.. the lovely and darling d. who I have worked with at Surfrider for almost a year but whom Sticky Pistons has only crossed paths with on rare occasion.  It was a seasonal celebration of the winter harvest and a moment of community and thanksgiving. Good times!

In other news...

It has been raining and pouring but we have not let that get us down. We have been singing in the rain and making retractable headed turtles out of legos. 

As I was going through my pics I stumbled on this one which didn't make the thanksgiving day upload... Had to share.

Other events and going on.. Earlier last week the kids and I joined Sticky Pistons and Mark, an old business aquaintence  of his for dinner at Roys on 17 mile drive. This is one of the most upscale resorts on the peninsula and the kids were dressed in their best the minute they rolled out of bed in anticipation of the fine dining experience. Of course the service was wonderful and the food superb.  Marks company however could make even the modest meal be well enjoyed. Mark has known Sticky  from the time he worked at Kraft. He is a sales rep/service tech for some of the industrial equipment that is standard in many manufacturing plants and he has watched Greg rise through the ranks and come into his own. They have maintained a friendly, mutually respectful and yet professional working relationship through it all  Mark has taken the family to dinner on a number of occasions when he passes through and so has become a friend of the family's as well. 

And yet in other arenas.. I miss Hockey! But what can you do?! Perhaps its time to get my little dude back in the game. Yesterday he mentioned to me (on his own) that he wants to go back. None of the other sports we have tried have really spoken to him although he does like our times at the pool. Anyway,  Ill need to get him new gear as he sure has grown since he first started out on blades. He is going to be a big man. 

The week ahead looks to be chalk full of work and the fighting off of sniffles. And so it begins! 

Love you Mom!