Borealis: SIX - Competition: ZERO

One of my goals is to provide my little (and big) guys with wholesome, luscious desserts that blow the competition out of the water.

The competition being, of course, being the bank and post office, where they hand out endless quantities of candy, the allure of anti-nutrient laden pre-processed desserts and candies we, as a society, are surrounded with, and the void of desserts and treats made with refined sugars and flours.

I want them to taste the junk and recognize it for what it really is. Junk. A blackhole of cumulative ill health. And because my own palate is set for more savory than sweet, my previous tactics have involved avoidance and a lot of complaining. BUT. Since I am feeding three other people in addition to myself, I have decided instead to beat the competition silly with my mouth-watering sweet treats.

My arsenal thus far:

• Baked apples, stuffed with cinnamon-spiced walnuts and raisins, sweetened with maple syrup, and drizzled plentifully with fresh cream
• Chocolatey-Coconutty-Almondy-JOY - an amazing chocolately treat made with coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa powder, chopped almonds, and shredded unsweetened coconut. Sweetened with 1 TBSP maple syrup.
• Baked Custard - sweetened with honey, luscious
• Tapioca Pudding - honey again, and the boys love the "balls" a.k.a. tapioca pearls
• Homemade Jello - made from fruit juice and unflavored gelatin
• Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroons - pure bliss

We made the macaroons this weekend, thanks to inspiration from my friend's post over at Night Swimming. Yowzas!!! They were so amazingly delicious. And really simple to make. She, in turn, got the recipe from Cookus Interuptus. (Which looks like an amazing site in itself.)

A few years ago, my goal was to avoid refined sugar and flours completely - but I just wasn't sure how to do that and still satisfy the all-too-human sweet tooth. Now I am learning that it is entirely possible. Not only possible, but wonderfully delicious and knocking-our-socks-off.

I'm going to lay the competition out flat.

They're so funny

"Did you know that Bob Sponge-ish is really made of cheese...?"
--Diego, while looking at the SpongeBob SquarePants soap dispenser at the library

"Dada, look! I'm a men!"
--Diego, holding his new printing calculator from the thrift store

"Hi Bunny Mama! Hehehe...I called you Bunny Mama."
--Truen, at breakfast

"I yike your neck-yis, Mama. Pwetty."
--Truen, sitting in my lap and facing me

Dada: "Why aren't you guys in the tub?"
Truen: "Because I'm too yittle."
(They're always escaping and running around nakey.)

The ENFP in me

I have a lot going on right now, which is some ways is very fun. In other ways, not so much -- like feeling like I am ignoring my children, or scrambling to get food ready hours later than I should.

So here's what I'm up to:

1) Working on a proposal for our small town's City Council meeting next Tuesday.

For what? A USDA Rural Development program that provides funding specifically for rural libraries through low-interest loans and grants! Yesssss.

There is even an empty storefront in town that is move-in ready and more than four times the size of our current library with room to grow (the entire upstairs could be remodeled). If one can even wrap their mind around it, the size of our current library is probably . . . 1000 square feet? Maybe less? And one-third is taken up by the bathroom and storage rooms. I know. Insane. It used to be the City Office.

All we need to do is convince our City Council that this is a good move for the entire town. Obvious, duh - but we are expecting the worst.

2) Following South Dakota's legislative season, specifically the Midwife and Birth Center bills.

The GREAT news is that two of the three bills have been "passed to the floor", meaning that the entire senate will have the chance to debate and vote on the bills. In years previous (since 1994, actually), the bills have never even made it out of committee in either the house or senate.

The third bill, SB107, presented this morning "as amended", is proposing a state-sponsored task force to get everyone at a round-table discussion about Certified Professional Midwives (CPM) in South Dakota and then draft legislation that works for everyone. Bills for CPMs licensure have been unremittingly batted down for over a decade now, so CPM advocates are changing their tactics, hoping they can finally work something out.

Predictably, all the medical lobby and Secretary of the Dept of Health were adamantly opposed to the bill "as amended", saying, literally, that there is no common ground [between the Dept. of Health and CPM advocates], the small number of homebirths in SD "aren't worth the cost" [of the task force], and that "There is no place for the CPM in the care of women and children in South Dakota".

The entire testimony can be heard at SDPB's STATEHOUSE. Scroll down and find "18th Legislative Day" and click on "02/10/2010 Complete Meeting" - the midwife bills start at 35 minutes and goes until the end.

EDIT: If you have trouble getting it to play on Realplayer, like I did, go with Option 2 on the SDPB's Help Site. It worked for me.

If you have any interest, it would be worth listening to. Especially the wicked opposition to the legal right of 26 other states (and counting): access to a Certified Professional Midwife. On a broader spectrum, I have learned a lot about how government works through listening to the committee meetings and the House in session.

3) Helping a friend start a thrift store in our small town.

She had the building anyway, so, logistically, it has simply been a matter of re-organizing and gathering stuff to sell. She is also aligning herself in a rotational basis with all area non-profits, giving them a percentage of her profits every quarter.

It has been interesting. She didn't know much about thrift stores, so we scoped the thrift shop my MIL volunteers at - then brainstormed prices, lay-out, and general rules. Since then, I've served as cheerleader, supplier (raiding our house for stuff to thrift), and zealous dumpster diver.

Love it. Dumpster diving comes natural to me! I've been finding treasures in other peoples garbage since I was little. And will tell you: I've been absolutely appalled at what is in our town's dumpster for rural residents. The dumpster is free, I might add, in a campaign to prevent garbage burning, a dirty habit of rural residents passed down through the generations.

Here has what I have found - in PERFECT condition, mind you.

1. Dollhouse, complete with all dolls
2. Barbie backpack with rollers and pull-handle
3. Dora floaty-suit for a little one at the beach
4. Graco toy stroller
5. Child's sleeping bag
6. A bag of clean socks and bras
7. Stuffed pig
8. Barbie horse trailer
9. Several bric-a-brac figurines and candles
10. Wall mirror

South Dakota's midwife-related bills

For those with the interest and time, you can listen to the Midwife and Birth Center bills for the state of South Dakota being discussed in the Health and Human Services committees, for both the House and Senate. It will be fascinating (seriously).

South Dakota Legislature - 2010 Session Committees

Schedule:

• HB1123 - Birth Center Bill - Rm 412 - Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 7:45am - House Health and Human Services Committee
• SB96 & SB107 - Registration & Licensure Bill - Rm 412 - Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 7:45am - Senate Health and Human Services Committee
• HB1230 - Decriminalization Bill (Tentative) - Rm 412 - Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 7:45am - House Health and Human Services Committee

Punctuated with, "Really?" and "Yeah, that's a good one!"

Mama: "What would you want to name our new baby when we have one?"
Truen: "Mmmmm...Joey!"
Diego: "Colorado!"
Truen: "Puppy Dog!"
Diego: "No, I know what we can name her - Pretty Piggy."
Truen: "Baby Teebo!"
Diego: "No wait, you haven't heard this one before - Pretty Penny!"

p.s. NOT PREGNANT

For the record

I quit reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
I just couldn't hack it anymore.

One of my letters to the editor

I will be very curious to hear the medical lobbyist’s arguments against the Midwife and Birth Center bills in the Health and Human Services committee hearing this year – SB107 and HB1183.

Last year, a medical lobbyist used a hospital-based statistic to “prove” why babies should be born in the hospital, not at home. His misuse of statistical data was downright deceptive, saying that over 25% of all babies born have “serious birthing complications”.

I beg to differ. If he were shedding light on hospital-based statistics in the US, and thus, why many women are choosing homebirths, he would have been more on target.

The truth of the matter is that the national c-section rate is over 30% and climbing; but Certified Professional Midwives, the midwives who specialize in homebirth, have a c-section rate of 3.7%. To help put these numbers in perspective, the optimal c-section rate recommended by the World Health Organization is 5-10%.

It is a moot point to apply the 25% “serious birthing complications”, a.k.a. - the 30% national c-section rate - to Certified Professional Midwives. Any individual can do the math and see that for a normal, low-risk pregnancy, a midwife-attended homebirth is actually the safer choice under current conditions.

My hope is that the legislators on the HHS committee will have done their homework and worked hard to see the truth vs. shady half-truths and slanderous misconceptions that the medical lobby would like them to believe.

Not everyone wants to have a homebirth, and that is okay; but South Dakota deserves access to Certified Professional Midwives.

Can't. stop. dancing.

World Invaders by Pluton and the Humanoids

This song is at the tippity-top of the charts of what makes me want to get down and boogie. Seriously. I cannot stop.

I love two year olds

Seriously, I think I might be crazy about them. They're so funny, adorable, loving, and hardly have any morning breath at all.

Especially my little Pumpkin . . . how can he be so cute?!

As he we snuggled down into sleep last night, I heard him whisper-singing, "No more monkeys jumping in the bed!" and "Twinkle-twinkle yittle starw". He has also been singing, "And one for the yittle boy who yives dow-n the yane" and, my favorite, "Pop! goes the wea-soh".

I could just eat him up. And I do -- then he yells, "Kisses are yucky!" and tries to wipe them off his face, smiling and giggling all the while. Then I have to smooch him more. ♥

Certified Professional Midwives

It's that time of year again . . . South Dakota's legislative season. This little beauty was created by for Massachusetts folk by two Massachusetts groups advocating midwifery. (They have legislation going forward this year as well.)

The twelve minutes are well worth your time. This video is extremely well-done; it provides an astute and concise synopsis of the medical model of birth in the US today and why we need midwives.

EDITED to say: Unfortunately, this vid was pulled off YouTube the very next day. Saaaaaad. It was so good.

As far as access to Certified Professional Midwives across the nation goes, here is the state-by-state break-down, with thanks to the national organizing force, The Big Push for Midwives.

In South Dakota this year, instead of a CPM licensure bill, midwifery advocates will be introducing a decriminalization bill. The idea is that in these tough economic times, a licensure bill wouldn't have a chance - but that a bill allowing Certified Professional Midwives to practice without fear of prosecution and jail-time* is better suited.

*Think that's nuts? Me too. And it's true... My midwife is a South Dakotan and has served jail time. That was before she moved her practice across the state border to MN; now she serves her SD clients across the border at Safe Houses.

Like a little chipmunk

An increasing trend from the last few weeks --

***

Truen: "Mama . . . Mama . . . Mama . . ."
Mama: "Yes?"
Truen (grinning): "Gumbawlths!"

***

Truen: "Mama . . . Mama . . ! "
Mama: "Yeah...?"
Truen (eyes shining): "Gumbawlths!"

***

Truen: "Mama . . . Mama . . . Mama . . ."
Mama: "Yeahhhhh?"
Truen (happily): "Gumbawlths!"
Mama: "Ohhhhhh, are you thinking about gumballs?"
Truen: "Yeah! They'rrrrrew taaaaaathsty!"

***

This little guy is obsessed.

Howling

AhhhhhwoooooooOOO!!!

I've been slogging through A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for an entire month now and I don't know how much more I can take. On one hand, it has given me a variety of ideas to contemplate (poverty, cruelty); but for the most part, I simply dread picking it up each and every time, to go through more of the drudgery of nothing happening, ever. It just drones on and on and on.

(I'm going to stick with it, though. I will see this book through, if it takes me forever and a day!)

Blah.

I also just finished reading The Secret Garden aloud to Diego. We both enjoyed the book until the middle-end when it became a tedious job just to get through. It went on and on and on; reading it aloud became a tongue-twister with the seemingly endless sentences and the verbal jumping-jacks required by the almost constant conversation in the "broad Yorkshire" dialect. It was enough to do me in!

And this was one of my favorite books from childhood...

Diego liked it, though; and even when his attention went a little hazy, he would ask questions or make comments that made me realize he was sticking with me. And so I lumbered on. And on. And on. And on and on and on.

I'm having a bit of a depression in my zest and enjoyment for reading. It's mind-numbing. I feel like my head is concave.

But just one look at this and my brain melts back into a malleable unit. I love these little fellers.

My little boys . . . such good daddies to their baby Ewoks

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

Because the truth will change your eating habits.

Two articles, check it:

The first, from the NY Times, an article about the processing of fatty beef trimmings, once used for pet food, which are now used in fast food restaurants and the school lunch system -- treated with ammonia.

The second, an eco-mag called Grist offers public commentary for the layman, the running column so appropriately entitled, "The Cheapskate's Dilemma".

In the end,
Eat real, whole, unadulterated food and cultivate wellness.

Stream of Connie

I'm going to spit out my thoughts in list form, as I have no time for anything more thorough.

• After 12, no . . . 14?! Oh man. After 14 years living in the Midwest, I have finally come to appreciate the snowy winter months. I am absolutely relishing it this year, in fact.
• This might have something to do getting to be home all the time; or perhaps living rurally, where the snow actually stays white and looks pretty.
• I was always so disheartened by how dirty the snow was in the city. And the salty-filth covered cars and buses. Disgusting.
• But I think the biggest influence is living seasonally, in rhythm with our garden. Winter is a time for rest and relaxation, not working outside until it gets dark at 10:00 PM, eating the evening meal, and then collapsing into bed.
• Though I think a lot of our warm-weather labor is due to "setting up shop" with young children and half-of-the-whole being gone 50 hours a week vs. slavery to a garden patch. We have a lot going on over here!
• Writing in list-form is very lazy. I see that . . . as I could be developing all this into much more interesting and fleshed-out thoughts.
• But for a Mama with less than an hour to herself each day, if I'm lucky, this is gonna hafta' do!
• I felt myself becoming semi-unavailable today. It was like my mind was shutting my little guys out; I just needed a break and some distance. Thankfully, they played very well by themselves while I was one-room-over.
• And then I found a book shoved into the VCR. (Hee! I'm pretty sure Diego was pretending he was the mama and taking care of little Truen. I heard him say something like, "And now I am going to play a movie for you!")
• Yes, we do have a VCR. We use it, too. When our old one conked out, Squeeze's dad tracked us down a used one because 1) ours couldn't be repaired, and 2) VCRs alone aren't sold anymore.
• I have found some wonderful VHS tapes at thrift stores -the old 1980's cartoon of Charlotte's Web and Raymond Brigg's The Snowman being the best of the best.
• We don't have a record player, but purchasing a Hi-Fi is on our agenda. Same idea: think of all the wonderful children's records we could get for 25 cents!
• Both Squeeze and I have fondness in our memories for watching records spin. There is just something so intriguing about sound coming out of a needle placed on a giant revolving disc with lines scritched into it.
• Speaking of memory: Diego's new thing is to ask us to tell him stories about "when we were a little girl and boy" every single night as we are snuggling down into sleep. The light goes off, and he's on it: requesting demandingly, "Okay, tell me a story!"
• It has been fun to recall various aspects of our youth -- and also very enlightening. I have been learning new insights into Squeeze's life and who he is and was. I love him all the more, just thinking about him as a little boy. He spent so much time by himself, inventing games and stories.
• Of our boys, Truen is the one who can handle being on his own. He enjoys it, and will even play little ditties on his own while all of us are, say, snuggling in bed or sitting on the couch talking.
• I don't think Diego has ever chosen to be alone longer than the books he was drawn into lasted, or the bursts of creative play that come right after breakfast or when we get home after being out.
• Sound familiar, anyone?!

2009 Booklist: Completed

• The Boxcar Children - Gertrude Chandler Warner (Read Aloud)
• The Family Under the Bridge - Natalie Savage Carlson (Read Aloud)
• The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
• Crocodile Gene and His Friends - Eduard Uspenski (Read Aloud)
• The Orchard: A Memoir - Adele Crockett Robertson
• Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (Read Aloud)
• The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements - Sandor Ellix Katz
• Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life - Pamela Smith Hill
• Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From and Why We Need to Get It Back - Ann Vileisis
• By the Shores of Silver Lake - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Read Aloud)
• The More With Less Cookbook - Doris Janzen Longacre
• Birth Order and You: How Your Sex and Position in the Family Afftects Your Personality and Relationships - Richardson & Richardson
• Garden of Eating: A Produce-dominated Diet and Cookbook - Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz
• On the Banks of Plum Creek - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Read Aloud)
• Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Read Aloud)
• Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis - Kim Todd
• Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Read Aloud)
• The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices - Xinran
• Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods - Sandor Ellix Katz
• Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder (Read Aloud)
• Fundamentals of Homeschooling: Notes on Successful Family Living - Ann Lahrson-Fisher
• The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections - Amanda Blake Soule
• Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three - Paula Polk Lillard, Lynn Lillard Jessen
• Skinny Bitch - Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin
• Real Food: What to Eat and Why - Nina Planck
• Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India - Madhur Jaffrey
• Food is Your Best Medicine - Harvey Bieler, MD
• Dr. Jensen's Better Bowel Care: A Complete Program for Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management - Bernard Jensen
• French Women Don't Get Fat - Mireille Guiliano
• Your Vital Child: The Ultimate Resource for Using Food, Vitamins, Herbs, and Other Natural Methods to Make Your Children the Healthiest They Can Be - Mark and Angela Stengler, N.D.s
• The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling - Rachel Gathercole
• Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers - Edited by Kathryn Kysar
• Allergy and Candida Cooking: Understanding and Implementing Plans for Healing - Sondra Lewis
• Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence - David Keirsey
• Books That Build Character: A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories - Kilpatrick, Wolfe, Wolfe
• What is the What? - Dave Eggers
• The Self-sufficient Life and How To Live It: The Complete Back-to-basics Guide - John Seymour
• The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth - Bill Holm
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows
• No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies - Naomi Klein
• The Contrary Farmer - Gene Logsdon

Blizzardy

Our frosted mailbox

the day before Christmas Eve

We have been out of commission this past week due to some nasty malware. During this time we were snowed in for four days over Christmas (it was lovely), enjoyed our four-day mini-vacation, and happily bunkered down during the frigid snowy-blowy days.

Happy New Year, or as the Swedes say, GOTT NYTT ÅR!

And then I ran quickly for a pen

Diego said the funniest thing this afternoon. His eyes were wide and his voice full of wonder; I could tell he was really pondering the conundrum as it came out.

"Is my body magic . . . ? Because . . . . . . .
. . . . . How does my body make a poop?!"

I dropped everything and scrambled for my daybook, wrote the quote down exactly because I always forget the precise wording, which is so crucial, then proceeded to explain as best I could, from chewing right on down to the colon. (It was brief, mind you.)

Without missing a beat, he immediately responded, "Oh" and then, "Now let's read The Secret Garden!"

And so we did. He is just wild about it, loving the mystery and intrigue. We just started today and read while Truen napped; unbelievably, we got to page 62 before Squeeze got home from work.

Sixty-two pages! He just kept on asking for more, and I obliged. (I enjoyed every single minute of it, too - The Secret Garden is a favorite from childhood.)

I think I'm growing a book lover . . . eeeeek! How exciting!

Scrum-diddley

I have two recipes to share with you this evening, both of which my family has been enjoying thoroughly. They're out of my most favorite cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

By the by, the cabbage recipe is for you, Ash. I expect a full report once you've tried it, what you think, how you like it, etc. And that's an order!


GINGERED CABBAGE

• 2 TBSP butter (I use lard)
• 1 head cabbage, about 1 1/2 lbs, cored and chopped
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 TBSP peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
• Juice of 1 lime (I just splash it in from the bottle . . . not fresh, I know)

- Place the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat (a 12 inch cast-iron pan is perfect for this, but go w/ medium heat instead). When the butter melts, add the cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes.

- When the cabbage is limp but not mushy, add the garlic, salt & pepper, and cook another 2 minutes, stirring.

- Add the ginger and cook another minute. Drizzle with the lime juice and serve.

Yo! Delicious. It is especially fabulous with fried eggs for breakfast, but would be a good side in just about any meal. Out of the boys, little Truen especially enjoys it. "Mo' cabbisge," he says. Diego eats it, but with a lot of complaining about how he hates cabbage beforehand.

EGG NOG

• 5-6 eggs at room temp., separated
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups milk or cream or combination thereof
• 1/2 cup rum (optional)
• Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

- Beat the yolks with the maple syrup until well blended. Stir in the vanilla and the milk and rum if desired

- Beat the egg whites and fold them in thoroughly. (You need not be too gentle; they should lighten the drink but not be discernable.) Top with grated nutmeg and serve.

This recipe is adapted from the original in the cookbook, because 1) I don't use refined sugar, and 2) I found that I like my egg nog much thicker ----> thus, more eggs.

We have the good fortune of having eggs from our own chickens, so I have no qualms about consuming them raw. I would feel the same freedom if I was buying eggs from a small farm/farmer/co-op. The milk I use is also full-fat and raw, that is, unpasteurized - so delicious.

A friend who was here last week said, "This tastes like a custard smoothie!" Yes, indeed. One could argue is that is the perfect tide-over snack or finish-'em-off dessert, full of all that good fat and protein. And sa-weet.

------------------------------------------------------------

I would also like to comment here: I have talked about my old-fashioned hand-mixer before, the one we got from our old neighbor in Minneapolis, Wilburn. But I just have to exclaim about it again. I can't resist . . . I adore it for more than its beauty and intrigue.

It is so easy to use! I like it better than an electric mixer! It is easier to clean! It's fun! Kids like it! It is as quick as a flash, with no assembly required! I recommend it to anyone -- pick one up the next time you're at a thrift store!

Seriously, it's the best. I'm starting to get a little suspicious about all this electric stuff. Ultimately, it seems so unnecessary . . . just . . . superfluous. Like electric can openers . . . really??? Really.

(Whew . . . got that outta my system . . .)

And it's hard to hold a candle / In the cold November rain . . .

November Rain came on iTunes this evening . . . and honestly . . . I felt like I was 15 years old again. Isn't it amazing how a song (or any sound, really, or a scent or conversation) can transport you back in time?

My first-and-only "slow-dance" of my teenage years was to November Rain at the Homecoming dance my freshmen year of highschool. All nine miserable minutes and twelve exrutiating seconds of it. That was the same Homecoming where I hid in a side-room to avoid being tailed by another boy who I knew was going to ask me to slow-dance. (I was so scared . . . I just couldn't handle things like that at that point in my life.)

And I didn't return to another school dance until the middle of my junior year when I couldn't resist the fun anymore. I dealt with the slow-dancing dilemma by running around and pinching butts or snapping bras during the slow songs. I'm sure people looooooved me.

Another big song at that point in my life was Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. And you know it was all the grandeuer and drama that pulled me in . . .

Getting over the fear of fever

I ran into this great article today, put out there by the Canadian organization Vaccination Risk Awareness Network.

I myself was fearful of fever when Diego was a baby, mostly because I was frightened that it would get "too high" and cause brain damage or kill him. Ultimately, I didn't really understand its purpose. And, honestly, out of pure inexperience, I was heavily influenced by conventional "wisdom". (I am so thankful to have broken out of that mold . . .)

Just like labor, let's work with our body instead of against it. Fever has a purpose. Fever is our friend.

Check it:

As loving and caring parents, we naturally want to help our children feel better when the inevitable fevers, flus, colds and various illnesses arise in childhood. Many will reach for popular over-the-counter remedies to suppress fever and alleviate symptoms in the belief that these products are reliable, effective, and safe. But how safe are they really? And what are the risks when fever is suppressed and symptoms masked? Does fever have a critical function in fighting sickness that we have lost sight of?

There is plenty of scientific evidence validating the benefits of fever in fighting viral/bacterial inflammations and it’s important role in the healing process. Fever increases survival rate during infectious diseases – basic information that has yet to reach the majority of people who remain misinformed and misled by pharmaceutical and medical propaganda which still shamelessly advocates the use of antipyretic drugs at the first sign of fever. The myth that untreated fevers will lead to seizures and brain damage is perpetuated ad nauseum. Fever is maligned, misunderstood and seen as an enemy to be feared rather than an ally that signals the immune system gearing up for action.

Mini-list

• It's official: my favorite vegetable is cabbage. So versatile, so delicious. I could eat it every day, in every way. (I probably do.)
• The days here have been in the negative digits and wonderfully sunny. I had forgotten what a lovely place our sunroom is in the winter months. I keep the heat at 60 F during the day, but bask in the mid-70's in mid-afternoon in sunroom. De-lightful.
• I made egg nog for a mama-and-kiddie Christmas party we had at our house yesterday afternoon. For the record, I like more eggs than milk; the thicker the drink, the better. Yo, it is so tasty. And I'm still trying to avoid dairy . . . oh dear.
• I ironed a tablecloth for the said Christmas party yesterday. We were recipients of Squeeze's grandma's old wooden ironing board this past year. Before that, we were sufficing (or not, because we NEVER iron) with a rinky-dink tabletop version that a roommate in college left behind one year. So, honestly, with this big, beautiful old-fashioned wooden ironing board, with an old-fashioned fabric-cord iron, I ironed the tablecloth in bliss, realizing that I may, in fact, really enjoy ironing. There was just something about the heat, the hiss of the steam, and watching the wrinkles disappear. I really enjoyed it. Seriously.

What?! Saturday again???

Seriously, I don't know where the time goes. I thought I just posted!

Today we are having a cozy day at home. It is delightful. Squeeze put up the wooden snow fence along our driveway. The wind whips any plowing obsolete within hours or, if we're lucky, days; so it will be very nice to not have to worry about that this year. Two years into this gig . . . we've finally learned.

I finished Persepolis this morning while Truen snoozed on my booz [bosom]. Wow . . . what a book . . . what an inside into the life of a child and her family during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. I found it to be very thought-provoking and moving. This was also my first graphic novel; I wasn't sure what to expect, but the story in this genre proved to be very compelling.

Now we are decorating for Christmas. The boys are bouncing merrily off the walls. And I am going to make real egg nog. Nummmmmmm . . .

No joke

When I was a kid I used to wonder if we were all cartoons and if we were, why couldn't I see the lines around my body?

Knock-your-socks-off cornbread

We have been enjoying the most delicious cornbread EVER. Baked in a cast-iron skillet, the texture is scrumptiously crumbly, and the flavor is more similar to roasted corn vs. the cake-like or, conversely, hard-as-a-rock "essence of cornbread" that I am used to. It is divine! We have been groaning in delight about it for days.

The recipe is a "little more work" than the average cornbread recipe, but mostly in the fact that one has to plan ahead. But since that is the direction I am moving within the realm of the kitchen, it doesn't phase me. I am actually beginning to think it is easier.

It involves soaking the cornmeal in [pickling] lime water for 7 hours -- the flour in buttermilk or yogurt for 24 hours. Other than that, no different. Not more work, just a different approach to food preparation -- one that I am growing to love.

Soaking cornmeal with lime is a traditional practice, one that releases the full spectrum of B-vitamins; and arguably, fuller flavor as well. Soaking flour dissolves the phytic acid, rendering it more digestible, unlocks the full nutritional qualities, and adds to the light-fluffiness of a baked good. (Baking powder is unneccessary, thank you ma'am!)

Before making the recipe, one has to make the lime water.

LIME WATER

• 1 quart canning jar
• 1/2 inch pickling lime
• Filtered water to the top
• Shake jar
• Let sit overnight
• The resultant clear liquid is your lime water
• Pour carefully when using
• Store at a semi-cool temp

Pickling lime is caustic, so handle carefully.

Once that is taken care of, you're good to go. Even better, instead of mixing up a batch 3 days before making a pan of cornbread, simply keep a jar of lime water on hand. That way, planning can take place a mere 1 day prior to the actual meal vs. several days.

[hee-hee . . . I realize how utterly outrageous that sounds to someone who isn't used to cooking this way . . . it must seem so looney]

The recipe is adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Truly, this cookbook has been a radical influence on my understanding of food: as nourishment vs. hunger-filler, traditional ways of preparation, vital nutritional fats, etc. It has given me a sense of direction, not to mention form and substance, to my whole foods gut instinct. (Which is, basically, "If it doesn't occur in nature, or you can't create it in your own kitchen, don't eat it.") And because traditional diets are based on seasonal and local food resources, this is emphasized throughout the book. I really appreciate that.

CORN BREAD

• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups lime water
• 1/2 cup spelt flour*
• 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup melted butter

~ Stir in flour and buttermilk or yogurt and let stand in a warm place for 24 hours. (Those will milk allergies may use 1 1/2 cups water plus 2 TBSP whey, lemon juice or vinegar in place of undiluted buttermilk or yogurt.)

~ Soak cornmeal in lime water for approx. 7 hours.

~ When it comes time to make your cornbread, blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into a buttered and floured 9X13 inch pyrex pan (or even better . . . a 12 inch cast-iron skillet). Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. (FYI: it cooks much quicker in cast-iron)

ENJOY!

*The recipe calls for 1/2 cup spelt/wheat/kamut flour and 1/2 cup unbleached white flour, but I accidentally used only the 1/2 cup spelt/whole wheat twice and LOVED the way it turned out.

Quite thrilling

We will be doubling our garden space this next growing season.

This weekend, we chose a new location - lots of sun with good, dark soil - and our neighbor came over with his skid steer today and broke up the dirt in preparation for next year's planting.

We follow quasi-lasagna gardening methods, but don't have enough compost/cover to start out the recommended way. So, we dig. Or, as it was, the bobcat dug.

Squeeze also assembled make-shift cold frames this weekend made from straw bales and old windows. Our nebulous gardening ambitions are starting to come to fruition.

It is so exciting!

My brother, Bison Brent

My brother was here today, bringing furniture and boxes of books for storage, getting ready to move to Avon, CO this weekend -- four-turned-fourteen hours away from us.

He has lived in the Twin Cities for three years now, in school, studying theology; but now is done and moving on. His plans are to read himself into stupor (whatever he wants!) and work at a steakhouse called The Dusty Boot to pay off his student loans ASAP. From there . . . who knows.

I am really going to miss seeing him regularly; but it will be interesting to see what kinds of things he does next.

Snuggling with Uncle Brent

First snow of the season

Ahhhyes, very amused with ourselves

Mrarrrr

Here, alive, crabby.

That is how I feel today. I think I need a breather?

Squeeze is going to be home for four days in a row this week, thanks to Thanksgiving. (Thanksgiving Break . . . like in school?) I'm really looking forward to it. I want to just melt into one big glop of happy family and feel the freedom of loosening the shackles of the 40 hour work week. I can't wait.

Other than that, we are helping our friends prepare for a move to Portland to live closer to their children and new grandbaby. These guys. I am happy for them, knowing they will be living near the people they love the most, particularly during their twilight years; but I am very sad for our little family. We are going to miss them dreadfully. They close on their house in mid-December and then it will be adios.

The silver lining is that we are, yet again, recipients of a lifetime's worth of stuff. Things we will use -- a car battery charger, yard/garden tools, furniture, books, decorations, plants, kitchen stuff, etc. -- things that they won't be bringing with them due drastic down-sizing. It is comforting, because we will use it and always be able to think of them when we do so.

[This is also how it worked with our lovely neighbor in Minneapolis, Wilburn. He UNLOADED what-seemed-like his entire house on us, and I use things that were his almost every day. It makes me think of him and I like that.]

I'm still really going to miss them, though. And just like Wilburn, they'll join the ranks of my letter-writing rotation. But it just won't be the same . . . They both had such a gentle and calming presence. I really enjoyed them. We all really enjoyed them. Sad . . .

Two quotes

Squeeze: "What's going on, Do?"
Truen: "Don't know, Dada . . ."

- - - - - - - - - -

Diego: "Mama, I am hicking-up!"
Me: "Hicking-up?"
Diego: "Yeah! Hic!"

For the record

I've got a cow tongue boiling in a pot on the stove.

Right now.
In a pot.
And it turned white.

I have an old fear-and-avoidance of cow's tongue, since I was 5 years old, when I saw my aunt pulling it, long and drippy and bumpy, out of a pot of boiling water at my parents' house when she was out for a visit. As legend has it, I had "always liked it before" but wouldn't touch it once I saw it in its whole form.

Therefore, I was reasonably nervous when Diego asked, "What is that?" when I pulled the tongue out of its wrapping today. I made a quick decision and bit the bullet, saying, "It is meat -- the tongue of a cow" and it didn't even phase the ol' boy. He just ran around saying, "Meat! Meat! Cow meat for dinner!"

Okaaaay . . .

Thank goodness he was alright with it. He's only one year younger than I was when I could no longer hack it. My mom was raised on/around farms; she grew up eating organ meat and tongue, so it was definitely something I had "had before". Before seeing it, that is.

But, shoot. I have two in the freezer. I need to use them. And my picky sister tried cow tongue last year (that the same aunt prepared) and said it was good, so I thought I should go for the gold and get over it.

Here's the recipe I'm going to use: Delicious Beef Tongue Tacos

The only thing I'm really not looking forward to is peeling off the skin. Eeeeeegh . . . it gives me the willies. We shall see.

:: 9:00 PM UPDATE ::
Peeling the skin off wasn't so bad; unpleasant, but do-able. I shredded the meat, then chopped what I couldn't shred. The boys yummed it down, Diego said, "Yummmm . . . cow's tongue is tasty!"; I liked it well enough, but faced the familiar old mental block; Squeeze said he didn't care to ever eat it again, though I believe it to be more with the fact that it was a cow's tongue vs. taste or texture.

We did it! One down, one to go.

I'd do it again.

Circular rotation

Truen's three favorite questions right now are --

1. "Wha' daaaaat?"
2. "Wha' 'appennned?"
3. "Whyyyyyy, Maaaammmaaa?"

Etc.

Because I never have enough time to write a well-thought-out, revised-to-my-standards post these days, I'm going to make a list of my current thoughts and activities.

I would like to post more often than I actually do, but such is life.

In stream of consciousness style . . .

• We just started reading By the Shores of Silver Lake this afternoon before naptime. In the second chapter, Jack the beloved bulldog dies - and I could barely read through my tears. Diego simply patted me and asked, "Are you going to be okay, Mama?" His sweetness is my weakness. Oh . . . and my tender heart.
• Speaking of crying . . . we butchered our cockerels two (or was that three?) weekends ago. Ourselves. All of Squeeze's family came for the event and we took care of 15 chickens in 2 hours, start to finish. We put them in killing cones, upside-down, and cut their throats. Watching the lifeblood pour from them was sobering, to say the least. I do believe I was also the only one to cry, out of 8 adults and 12 children. I only watched the first round of four and then I never went back to the killing cones. I didn't want to see it again. We then scalded, plucked, eviscerated, and put them on ice. Dealing with whole chickens is very familiar to me, so that part was cake. The killing? Not so much.
• Questions it brought to my mind: This is how we get our food? What would it be like to watch a more intelligent animal, like a pig, being butchered? How do I ultimately feel about the reality of eating meat? What thoughts (if that is even possible) were going through their minds?
• The butchering experience made me even more committed to locally produced foods.
• We saved all the hearts, livers, gizzards, and feet -- the first three I will grind up and incorporate into meatloaf, for I am not brave enough to do otherwise (yet). The feet, I will put into chicken stock - they make it extra-rich and gelatin-y. Very delicious (mineral-licious, too).
• I am revelling in darkness by 6:00 PM. I have honestly never looked forward to the winter months like I am now. In fact, I used to dread them (post-college, in the drudgery of work-life). Why? Because, finally . . . we can't work outside. We can actually relax and hang out together, enjoying each other's company. The evening meal is at a reasonable time -- 7:00-ish vs. 9:30-ish. It is delightful and I am SO GLAD I have many more months to go. You can quote me on that when I'm complaining about being stuck inside come February.
• We are [finally] watching old seasons of The Office and I'm telling you, I think that show was written for and by people in their 30's. And I get every single sci-fi nerd joke they toss out: Dumbledore Calrissian? Yeah, I know him.

Heartstrings

This is a terrific post, written by Carrien at She Laughs at the Days. She gets right down to the marrow of what haunts my mind on a semi-regular basis. How much can I give? Is needing time for myself selfish? How can I waste these precious moments?

Etc.

Please, proceed.

Blahblahblah

I was just going to post on how I noticed this morning that I am most pleased with life when I am intellectually or emotionally stimulated, but then it stuck in my craw that this is how everyone must operate and that stating this on the internet would be painfully over-obvious and silly.

And so on and so forth.
I wonder?

Mwrah

Where does the time go?

-- Little Trubies turned two the week before last --

Happy LATE Birthday lil' Pumpkin

Two days old

Two years old

(Sorry for the blurry picture, but I scanned the entire month of October and I couldn't find one good picture. They were all smeared or he was en route with his back turned. Does that say TWO, or what?!)

From one mama to another: book recommendations

My friend Suzy Popchicks (not her real name) asked me if I had any book recommendations for a potentially-pregnant lady. Wellllll, yes. Of course, I took it over-seriously and hashed out an entire list of recommendations.

BABIES & PARENTING:

1. Natural Family Living: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Parenting - Peggy O'Mara: It has been awhile since I looked at this book, but I appreciated it for its "natural" and holistic look at parenting - from childbirth and nursing to night waking and first foods. She also talks about "alternative medicine", which not many parenting books cover. I especially appreciated that at the time.
2. The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two - Dr. Sears: As an overview to babies and parenting, I thought this book was very good. Helpful and extremely thorough.
3. The Happiest Baby on the Block - Harvey Karp: There were a few things that I didn't agree with in this book (an example: the author claims that babies should never be nursed lying down - pshaw, what a laugh!) but overall, I found it very insightful. Both my boys, but especially Diego, loved being swaddled as babies - it really calmed them down. The 5 S's - Swaddling, Side/Stomach Positions, Shushing, Swinging, Sucking - helped me gain a greater understanding of how to soothe my babies. I didn't have it from experience, but I learned quickly with a jumpstart from the information in this book.

HEALTH & WELLNESS:

1. Vaccinations: The Thoughtful Parents' Guide - Aviva-Jill Romm: Out of everything, this is the book I wish I would have read before giving birth. Vaccinations are heralded as all-important in our society. But the truth is, there are a lot of extremely complicated factors that go into the decision to vaccinate. Contrary to how vaccinations are presented, you, the parent, actually have a choice in this matter: whether to forgo, go with a delayed schedule, or pick and choose what is right for your child based on your own research. You will be pressed from the very start to begin vaccinations (I'm not kidding: it will be immediate. It starts with the Hepatitis B vaccine the day or day after the babe is born in a hospital-based birth). Romm's book was the most balanced presentation of the history of vaccinations, pros and cons, and most importantly, the choices we have as parents. In my opinion, it is best to go into the decision to vaccinate with eyes wide open.
2. Naturally Healthy Babies and Children - Aviva-Jill Romm: I reference this book regularly. It really helped qualm my fears of, "What do I do when...?" It has an A-Z listing of ailments with practical advice on how to deal with it. I cleared the only ear infection we have ever had in this household (a double, at that) with garlic oil and hot compresses. A fever needs to be assisted, not quelled; and so on and so forth. It has empowered me to take my children's health in my own hands, with a great sense of peace.

PRE-PREGNANCY, HEALTH & NUTRITION:

1. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats - Sally Fallon: If only for the general nutritional overview at the very beginning, this book would be very good to check out. For the first time in my life, a nutritional paradigm made sense to me -- I feel like it gave direction to my already-existent "whole foods" outlook. Plus, with little ones, you are entirely responsible for their health and well-being. Kids don't have to live on chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese (and other "food-like substances"). Introduce them to a wide variety as wee ones and they'll eat what you eat. The "kid's menu" at most slow-fast food restaurants? Total junk.
2. Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health - Toni Weschler: If you haven't already learned about all your female reproductive organs and how they work, do it now. It is fascinating. I was angered (though 'anguished' might be a more apt term) by learning "everything" at the ripe age of 31. Things would have made so much more sense if I had "only known". Sheesh.
3. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - Gwen Gotsch: I haven't actually read this book, but have heard a lot about it. I imagine it is a very good introduction to breastfeeding for the otherwise uninitiated.
4. PUSHED: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care - Jennifer Block: This book is fascinating and particularly important for those who don't feel "quite right" about the current medicalized model of birth. I had inklings before my first babe, but didn't have any direction or true experience until I was thrust into it. I honestly don't know if it would have resonated with me pre-babies, but when I read it in the spring of 2008, it struck many-a-chord. A very important read. I was unimpressed with her comparison of birthing rights with access to abortion at the very end, but otherwise her observations throughout the whole of the book are extremely astute.

Root Cellar 2009

From top to bottom:

Squeeze's homemade wine, tomatoes under paper

grape jam, tomato sauce, salsa, fermented veg

(salsa, cukes, sauerkraut, pickled beets)

apples, apple sauce

apples

Another view

Top shelf:

tomato soup, tomato sauce, misc.,

another wine rack

A view from the back:

carrots, cabbages

potatoes

Wenk's Yellow Hots (hanging)

And a bonus shot:

Our basement wood burner,

which is hooked to the forced-air heating system

Notice the straw-filled nest in the window

(Squeeze loves his kitties)

* * *

The basement has a chute to toss the wood down

vs. hauling it in and down the stairs

The square piece of wood is packing wood (oak!) --

a business Squeeze goes to discards it almost every week

MAY 2016 EDIT:

This post gets a lot of hits. (Hooray for root cellars!) (They are the greatest.) Click on the years below to see more recent pictures of our root cellar.  It has gained in stature quite a bit in the last seven years.  Though I see I haven't posted pictures since 2013.  Goodness.  That was the year that I really caught my stride.

2011

2012

2013

My food preservation notes. (Though now I would put almost everything in the freezer section over to the dehydrator.) (I love-love-love my dehydrator.)

What I've been up to

• Reading to myself.
• Reading aloud to Diego -- the Little House books (we are Farmer Boy right now, which is the 3rd book) and I am enjoying it as much as he is! Squeeze even listens and relates it back to his remembrances of the television show. Trubies usually nurses or runs around and plays while we read.
• Attempting to keep myself in the groove of forced organization and scheduled tasks. It is getting harder, though I am committed to sticking with it.
• Enjoying snuggling at nap and bed times.
• Organizing two Friends of the Library fundraisers two weekends in a row. My organizational skills - which come naturally in part, but which I was also able to cultivate during my 6 years at Wells Fargo - come in very handy for mobilizing volunteers and all the ensuing details of fundraising. I'm proud of myself.
• We've raised $2,000 in less than a year -- not too shabby.

And now, to my books.

Robot pumpkins unite!

The boys were thrilled to carve pumpkins this year

Squeeze's pumpkin was yet another

--- ROBOT ---

(getting his bum tweaked)

Mrrrrrrrrreeeeee!

Beep

Boop

Bop

ggg ggg ggg

I think mine looks rather quaint and happy-go-lucky

Which, in turn, makes me smile

Truen has been talking in his sleep --

• "Food ready, Mama?"
• "More raisins . . . more raisins . . ."

From the middle of nowhere, straight from my burning heart

The pain of a new idea is one of the greatest pains in human nature...after all, your favorite notions may be wrong, your firmest beliefs ill-founded.

~Walter Bagehot

This quote struck me square in the forehead this past summer. How true. I have noticed it in my own life, observed it in others, and can sense the undercurrent of it running throughout society.

But honestly, we all base our opinions on what we know from how have lived: the people we know, how we grew up, what we have experienced, and the environment we are surrounded by - be it social, physical, or intellectual. Is it any wonder that, collectively, we have strayed so far from "ideal"? Nay, that there has never been an Ideal.

We are all so different - even in our sameness, i.e. "culture". No one will ever agree. I don't believe it is possible to be on the same page. We must all agree to disagree and simply respect human life for what it is: valuable. Everyone else is as special as I am. As you are.

So why is this so hard to reconcile? The world is too big.

Deo for my BO

I actually had time last night to do a non-food and non-kid related activity:

I made my own deodorant.

I've been using this particular deo for the last year; it was a gift from my SIL. When it ran out, I wanted more. The recipe is very simple. (While making it, I felt amazed and actually thought to myself, "Lookie at what I have time to do!")

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
5 TBSP coconut oil
essential oil to scent to your liking (I used lavender)

• Mix the baking soda and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• Add the coconut oil and mash until well blended
• Add the essential oil and continue to mash
• Store in a covered glass container

And there you go -- deo for your BO.

Snapshots from the Harvest

• Vats of applesauce
• Scads of potatoes (115 lbs) - the fingerling, La Ratte!
• Tomatoes up the wazoo - sauce, salsa, soup
• Green tomatoes under paper in the root cellar
• Shelling the dried beans from the dried-up pods
• Sore wrists and fingers, work-worn
• Shorter days and a frenzied pace to get everything done before cold weather
• 9:00 pm evening meals
• 5 quarts of salsa fermenting on the counter
• Tru-babes potty-training all the while (it is going so well)
• Sweet Diego helping, and being of actual assistance, on the potato dig - so sincere and happy in his efforts (with the added joy of finding worms)
• A slowly-filling root cellar, the scales balanced with a steadily-emptying garden
• The feeling of true anticipation for winter -- snowed in with nothing to do
• Looking at the root cellar and feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride
• Happy, the end (not really)
• 1 more month to go!

Queen Victorious

After a pleasant work day with a friend - with an evening break for berry-picking - 60 lbs of tomatoes and a variety of peppers and garlic and onions became 16 quarts of salsssssssa and 3 quarts spicy tomato juice. It pretty much rules.

Needless to say, I am very pleased with myself.
Now . . . shower, and bed.

But it was so fun

Did I really just spend over an hour perusing Facebook while my children were sleeping when I should have been hanging laundry, making breakfast, and prepping for salsa-making?

Oh yes, I did. And that, my friends, is why I only go on Facebook once a month. It becomes my own personal black hole.

Harumph!

I don't know how he does it

Some how, some way, this little turkey wakes up an hour and a half into his nap, pretty much on the dot. On the dot. How?? But the better question . . . why???

There are no 2-3 hour naps for this kid (which is what Diego always did, and I see how wonderful that is now). It's an hour and a half -- one-point-five. He sometimes goes back to sleep if I snuggle with him, but not always.

And it has been that way from the start.

I wish that blessed nap was longer --

Good thing he's so cute.

♥ Trubies ♥

Megajam

The stats:

• 20 lbs of Concord grapes, now grape jam (done with Pomona's Universal Pectin with 1/4 of the amount of sweetener, so you can actually taste the grape-y-ness of the grapes - totally tubular)
• 10 more pounds of grapes, waiting to join their jammy-brethren
• 60 lbs of tomatoes, now 15 quarts of tomato sauce
• 30 lbs more tomatoes sitting in the kitchen, waiting to become tomato soup to go with our grilled cheese sandwiches this winter
• After that, salsssssssa
• 4 trays of apple leather in the dehydrator, drying
• 1 gallon of apple wine fermenting
• 10 lbs crab apples picked
• 100-ish? lbs of apples picked
• 6 guomi bushes discovered, loaded with berries (1 pint picked before twilight, mosquitoes and a crabbing 2 year old put a stop to the festivities)
• 1/2 pint raspberries picked
• 1/2 pint dessert gooseberries picked
• (All the fruit was picked from our neighbor's place: the Polish beekeeping bare-footed 82 year old beauty queen, Walentyne . . .)

Yessssssssssssssss. It is so satisfying.

Jamming

My cousins' cousin plays the upright bass in this stringband, Pert' Near Sandstone. I've been listening to them the last week and this here is my favorite song. It's terrific, and hearkens back to a period of time in my and Squeeze's relationship that felt very much like this. (We just couldn't get enough of each other, though.) ♥

Oh, and I spent 12 hours in the kitchen yesterday processing and canning 8 quarts of Barbara Kingsolver's tomato sauce (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) and 5-ish pints of grape jam (picked at our neighbor's place, the beekeeper). It started out as 30 lbs of German Pink tomatoes and 10 lbs of Concord grapes at 2:00 PM. I went to bed at 2:30-ish AM, but it was well worth my efforts. Delish.

Where I've been these past two weeks

My brother and SIL were here all last week, with Meeeeeeeellllviiiiiiin; with another brother and cousin here last weekend. Their visits overlapped on Saturday. It was pleasant visiting and good quality-time with my kinfolk.

Other than all that, I've been up to my eyeballs in grapes, tomatoes and apples - converting into jam and sauces - and we have started the process of bare-buns potty training with Little Truen. He is taking it very well, extremely responsive and totally pumped about his new Star Chart.

We've been crazy-busy. Now look at some pictures.

Melvin, obsessing at the Prairie Preserve

Andrew and Brenda about to disembark

The boys were not cooperating
(but snuggles o'plenty after the picture)

Looking off into the wild blue . . . corn

Heartening

Two interesting links:

First off, check out this story about a preemie born unexpectedly at 24 weeks due to an infection of the womb. She had an irregular heartbeat, wasn't breathing, and was placed on her mother's chest to die -- but she didn't -- her mom's skin-on-skin snuggle brought her back. No joke!

Secondly, check out this Etsy shop, Star of the East. Dreamy.

Understatement of the year: the most amazing sky ever

These pictures were taken well over a month ago; but, in spite of their age, are well-worth posting. The sky was the most spectacular shades of blue and purple and red. The texture of the clouds made it seem as if you could eat them, and all the earth was tinted red. (Baby Truen, playing in a puddle in the driveway, was an orangey-pink, both hair and skin.)

Every part of the upper atmosphere - north, south, east, west, and every combination of direction - was different, and wonderous. It was an incredible sight; all we could do was stare upwards and try to take it all in.

House jargon

Diego says,

"Skeeter Bikes", instead of Speeder Bikes
"Damana", instead of banana
"Audweady", instead of already
"Imn't", instead of I'm not


Truen says,

"Nuggle", for snuggle
"Buh-doh", for butter
"Bruh-doh", for brother
"Wey-si", for raisin
"Manana", for banana

And I'm okay with that

Aside from being a little flummoxed about my un-announcement, I truly am okay with not being pregnant. A few people have asked me if I'm okay . . .

And, yes - I'm fine. A bit perplexed with a dash of embarrassment, but I'm good. Though I was starting to get excited about the idea of a new baby and the thrill that goes along with it, I really did want more space between Two and Three.

As for the future, we shall see . . .

This happens all the time, right...?

So, in light of my last post, albeit rather dramatic . . . ahem . . . I'd like to un-announce my pregnancy.

Yes, that is correct. The friggin' doofus that I am, I'd like to un-announce my pregnancy. Take back. Renege. Recant. Withdraw. Retract. Un-announce.

Un-un-un-un.

Unbelievable. So yes, while most everyone thinks I'm happily humming through my twelfth week of pregnancy, I am here to say, officially, that I am, in fact, NOT pregnant.

I thought I was.

Yes, I thought I was, but I am not.

How is this possible? What it does explain is my lack of extreme exhaustion and need to eat like an overworked team of oxen. What it doesn't explain is the strange tightening of my waistband, the ever-present need to pee, sore nipples, and why I hadn't had my period since the end of May. Shoot, I just figured every pregnancy was different.

Things this past week were starting to feel a little goofy, like, shouldn't my belly be a little bigger than this? . . . and why am I not tired at all? . . . and most alarming, . . . blood. So we decided it was time to take a pregnancy test. [Ahem, a first for this time 'round . . . coughcough . . . mmmmph]

Negative.

So, ladies, please: un-congratulate me. I am NOT pregnant. What I AM, however, is a complete and total nincompoop. This whole deal was announced to my entire family while I was home (too-good-to-be-true, everyone-in-the-same-place-at-the-same-time) and then, doorknob that I am, to the entire internet via my blog. Yes, I thought I was, but I am not.

Most definitely not.

Un-un-un-un.

Don't do the math, it doesn't add up

9 years married +

13 years together +

11 weeks NOT pregnant =

TOTAL DWEEB

Happy Anniversary!

Checking in

Head on over to my SIL's blog, "Rock Garden" for an in-depth photo montage from some big family events. That sibs picture just cracks me up!

Secondly, I'm re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-obsessed with the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. Go! Take the test and report back in the comments. I'm very curious to hear your results.

Once you get your letter combo, i.e. ISFJ or ENTJ, google it and click on "Portrait of..." Make sure you click on the Relationship section.

Muy interesante.

Sibs

Two girls, three boys

The girls in "bookend" position in birth order

Brown-eyed boys - Blue-eyed girls

e/infp, enfp, istp, infp, infp

(an astounding ratio)

24, 31, 30, 21, 26

Love 'em

Scenes from my brother's wedding

This one's for the boys

KT, tell Luuuuuuke; and Amy, tell RC.  Shooooot, Dist - if you're looking at this, tell T. Spence, too.  (I don't think Runyan ever cared, but maybe he did.) 

I trimmed the old pits (with scissors) upon their suggestion, and I must say - I like the new look. 

Think bunny tails vs. Wookie.

Chillin' in the heat

It is downright sweltering in Western WA.  Seriously. 

Haaaaaaaaaaaat.

I don't have much else to say other than that.  We've been spending a lot of time with grandma and grandpa, great-grandma, and the great-aunts.  Think, "Gwamma, will you play Star Wars guys with me?" or, "Gwampaaaaa!" [insert frenzied snuggling here] and, "Gweat-Gwamma, I founds lots 'n lots of moths outside last night!" etc. That, and being serenaded by, "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad" by my grandma.  

[For Ashlik: "woof-woof, boom-boom - merry christmas, happy new year"]

Tru-babes [or "Do", as Diego calls him] has started a few new tricks, like throwing and hitting.  Think lots of, "Maaaamaaaa...Do hit me!"  Oh dear...  It doesn't help that Diego can be heard, on the presumed-sly, saying, "Do!  Hit me!"  Too tantalizing.

We are getting the house ready for my brother's wedding next weekend.  The ceremony and reception is going to be right here, at my parents' place.  It should be lovely.  I am really looking forward to it.  And my new(ish) SIL.  Awwww, shucks.  What a gal.  I'm quite fond.  I just went to her bachelorette party last night and watched her "pin the junk on the hunk"; though she was the last to go, and, instead, pinned her junk on another previously-pinned-junk.  Ha!  It was fun to see her outside of a family event.  I learned quite a bit of interesting tidbits about my brother, too.  (Another HA!)  It was fun.

And now, adieu. 

Glazed

Here I sit, enjoying the silence, with my mom asleep behind me and my boys sawing logs above me, and my lover 1,300 miles away.  And all I can do is stare.  My mind is blank.  

zzzzzzzzzzzz

G'night!

Here we are...

At home, in Western WA

"More later"