Currently The Giver By Lois Lowry see related

Pickles anyone? I got extras!

This kid kills me...just sayin.

Ok so we got brussels which are looking good despite some leaf damage from the dreaded beetles. Leeks behind looking good, bronze fennel that you can't see here, cukes of every size, shape and color, broccoli which didn't do well-not blight but damaged from the rain. Back to some neem oil at the base of the crops methinks.

Today is a whirlwind of baking for our camping trip to the Cape. So far two batches of big pumpkin muffins, one loaf of banana pumpkin bread, and I haven't gotten to the couple dozen pancakes. Everything gets frozen so we can just pick it up and eat them whenever.  Also to bring- a couple Stonyfield containers of cherry toms form the garden as well as some pickles, and some cukes of course. I think I'm going to harvest the cabbage today and shred it. I'm also bringing some bagged, washed herbs to throw in with the eggs and meat. My plan is to make a couple cold salads as well. Tomato, basil and mozz salad, as well as rice noodle black bean salad.

I also have a dozen loads of laundy to get done, some to hang out. I have swimsuits to clean.

I need to pack the camper with our bins of bug sprays, sunscreen, lighters, pots, kettles, etc etc etc

Han and Em have Drs appts in Norwich at 1:30pm

I need to go to Job Lots to get some tiki torches and snacks.

*sigh*

Avery has decided to play football. It's against my mama's intuition but I'm letting her because she wants it and needs to try it. She's been a rough kind of kid since day one. The kind of kid you would liken to a big Golden Retriever that jumps on you and knocks you over. She doesn't get how strong she is and she often hurts the others-sometimes without even realizing it. I am worried that she will get hurt, worried that I've always had a "suck it up" attitude with her because she is tough-built like a tank and STRONG. I love that she wants to do it knowing she'll be the only girl and that doesn't bother her-she thinks it looks fun and wants to try it. Her father is a bit of a caveman. He loves to be rough, loves football, teaches her to hunt for her own food, wants the kids to be able to survive whatever the circumstances (and I often think to be more prepared when we finally decide to go completely off grid somehow. ha ha!) Alternative fuels, no factory farmed mistreated meats, natural, whole, organic and no one to tell me they are going to taint my food supply!

When all is said and done-I want the kids to be truly themselves without my hang ups attached-although I fully admit to being one who wears my feelings on my sleeve. Hence this conversation "But honey, we do yoga-not football!" Who knows maybe she'll hate it!! It certainly helps that one of the coaches is wonderful and knows us from soccer. He has a daughter who has played so I feel good about that. I did make sure to tell him that this is strictly trial for us. We'll see. What I know is that our relationship is difficult right now. She's been impossible from the moment she wakes up until bed. Very hard to please, wants "things", can't just chill and is always the root of the issues between the kids fighting. She drives me nuts. At night I want to smack her, not hug her and I defintely don't want to hang out and read our book. I just want her to go to sleep and leave me alone! I hate feeling like this with her.

Han is ever the dreamer. We just finished the Giver-Lois Lowry and it was powerful she loved it and was thinking about it for days coming to me with new questions. I just finished Schooled which was also very good. She's lovely and helpful with the littles and cleaning up the house and often rearranges for me. We've bonded this summer and I hope school treats her well.

Em and Max -littles-disastrous duo-mass destruction in their wake. Em mostly just tries to keep up with the big girls now and Max trails behind. Mostly though Max wants to climb countertops and find the sharpest knife he can (an oyster shucker for God's sakes) or he want to tear at my shirt demanding "BOOBIE!" or he wants to bite his sisters or pinch or throw a train at someone. Hell on wheels. Thankfully he wanders easily outside during the days-riding his tractor around the property-fixing things, picking little green blueberries and tomatos (oy!) helping with the garden or swinging and sliding. He doesn't venture too near to the pond but I have my eye on him and the others all day long. We've drilled into them that the pond is for fishing and feeding fish and duscks. The snappers we've hauled out of there this summer would grab a limb of one of those kids and do damage. We've had a turtle relocation program this summer-haul 'em in with hot dogs and put them in a nice rubbermaid container to be relocated to the Q river.

Anyhow time for work~

Currently Paul's Boutique (20th Anniversary Edition) By Beastie Boys see related

Garden pics, kid pics, ramblings....

My garden is just awesome this year. We've already done some pickling-cukes and dilly beans and both are delicious. I've had lovely bok choy, snap peas, broccoli, carrots, radishes, spinach, mixed greens...herbs....fennel, dill, pineapple sage that is taking over the world, lime basil, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, cilantro, bee balm, anise. The tomatoes will be delicious from the looks of things-roma, cherry and big boys. We have two rows of sweet corn, red cabbage, brussels, leeks, onions, garlic. Beans are done. Pumpkins, squash and three kinds of cukes. A labor of love to be sure but nothing beats homegrown organic.

We've been so busy! 4H camp, swimming, hiking, camping, gardens, fishing ,painting the homestead, all that good stuff. Been to the beach quite a bit and our fav swimming hole of course.

E has had some troubles adjusting to this new corporate gig. He hates it. I'm just happy we have a job after almost losing everything but I think he's very stressed. He's been very cranky, very irritable and very tired. All I can think is here we go again. So many years of his struggling to find the right spot and finding fault with every job he's had somehow. It just wears me down. I want to tell him to suck it up and do what he has to do. I don't think he'll ever be happy and that makes me sad. I've told him so many times that he alone is responsible for his happiness-not the job, not me, nor the kids. In a way I feel all of these lessons haven't been learned. What does he keep searching for?

Time to put some babies to bed...

Love and light~

Currently Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time By Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin see related

Garden goodies and more...

For some reason I've had a helluva time uploading pics. I can't seem to get them uploaded now with this new camera and it's driving me crazy! My garden is bursting with all of the rain we've had here in New England. The bok choy, the spinach, broccoli, snap peas....Oh it's all so yummy. My herbs are beautiful and bushy. My pineapple sage is taking over the world (I love it chopped and sauteed in turkey burgers) A new addition is lime basil which is good in salads and anywhere else really. I tilled a strip on the other side of the pond over in the back field and we've got some giant sunflowers growing. I wanted to do the sunflower house for the kids but this will have to do.

I'm breathing a giant sigh of relief that summer is here and I envision blissful days gardening, kids fishing and catching turtles and frogs. Just mellow.

E has started a new job working for the global headquarters of a big company in Hartford. So far so good and I feel so thankful. I have a whole new level of humility from surviving this past year. We're stronger, I'm stronger. I feel good. I feel focused and I'm loving my family and friends. Everyday is a blessing-truly.

Currently Our Endless Numbered Days By Iron & Wine see related

Ugh...suburban helllllll.......

A walmart and PTO and organized sports rant...beware the anger is flowing this morning!!! Bear in mind, I come from a Waldorf background and whatever you personally feel about that is fine. We Waldorf kids like to take things slow and easy. Like, don't push your 3 yr old to learn to read OK? She's not ready! I'm pulling my kid out of preschool because they don't want to keep her back (budget cuts) and I feel she isn't ready-socially not even so much academically. I'm sorry, but my child will not suffer because of your budget cuts. How about pay to play sports?? There have to be other ways to work the budget-education needs to come first! And the older kids? Let them be kids for Gods sakes. Walking into the middle school and seeing fifth grade girls with makeup on and a cellphone is not what I consider being a kid. What are these parents thinking? When my children come home from school they play outside, they play with the turtles and frogs out by the pond, they help us in the garden, they play on the swingset, they turn the compost, they haul sticks with the tractor. Ya know? They don't come home and watch five hours of TV and plug into the computer or their DSs and call their boyfriends on their cellphones. Why the rush to grow up? There is a mother here who has two girls, twins. She is apparently training them to be Olympic figure skaters. They're 9. They get up at 5am to go practice two hours before school. Practice all week and then competitions of some kind on the weekends. ????? Now, I realize that by putting my children into a public school environment that things will be different than homeschoolers or alternative schoolers. But that doesn't mean I like it. I think the majority of the women I've met here are catty and delusional. I'm sorry but it's true. I've made very few real connections (Thank God for LLL) and it makes me so sad. I've tried to attend PTO meetings and functions because I want to be involved and have a say in my children's futures, but it's run by a clique and they are less than friendly to outsiders. I've pissed of many people with my outspoken politics and honestly I don't have to agree with everyone, really it's OK to have differences and to discuss them as adults. The town selectman has put people on these boards- Economic Development, Board of Finances, Planning and Zoning, that will directly profit from this monstrous 160,000 sq ft big box store. Do you know that Walmart repeatedly violates environmental code and just pays the $5million fine and then turns around to do it again? We taxpayers bleed money to cover health insurance for these employees because they don't earn fair wages and they aren't covered by Walmart's insurance policies. It's ludicrous. I've been on the property where they plan to build.There are vernal pools, there are osprey nests, there are bricks with slave fingerprints on them from the 1600's. This is not historic property??? Come on people-WAKE UP!! It's called a concrete jungle and you live in one. It doesn't have to be this way.

Orgainzed sports...my girls play soccer. The program is run by a corrupt bunch of hooligans who could care less about building our kids up. It's all about the competetion and who can run fastest and who has the footwork and who is a friend of the coach's family and blah blah blah. I can't fucking stand it! I'm so sick of these people! Where are all the good people? Are there any here because I sure as hell can't find them. When we get together with firends, we like to have a couple homegrown beers with a fire in the pit, kids running around nekkid and happy, free. When these women get together with friends they go out to bars and clubs dressed up like hookers and hitting on men (married women) until 4 am. What the hell?

Anyway, rant over. I'm sorry-I had to get that out. I'm having a hard time here lately, can you tell?

Currently Zen Ties By Jon J Muth see related

No words, just pics.

OK a couple words. Spring. Is. *ALMOST*. Here.