Happy Friday

Thinking of my dad.

Love to you, Poppy.

Peace.

Happy Friday

Lots of candles this past week, after the blizzard that knocked out our power from Saturday 'til Tuesday.

Lots of music was made, too.

Now, the snow has mostly melted.

The girls get a chance to trick-or-treat tomorrow, 'cause the town postponed it Monday.

Gonna try to keep that music and family time going, even with electricity.

Peace.

Happy Friday

A beautiful bowl made by my sister

and

Goofy squash from my garden

Peace.

A Gorgeous Adventure

Today my ten year old daughter is doing something with her fifth grade class that is incredibly challenging for her. In helping her get to this place, I realize how often as an adult I allow myself the freedom to skip things that seem just too hard. While of course she knows that she doesn't have to face today's adventure if it's really too much for her, the way it's been framed is that she will do it. In order not to, she'll have to use the mommy-rescue-me escape hatch.

Because of her anxiety disorder and other disabilities, those of us who care for her are always aware of her challenges. Everyday there are little things in the path that most of us wouldn't even notice. For my daughter they are major obstacles. The courage that she possesses to face each day is amazing. On days like today where she is being asked to manage all of her everyday challenges, and so much more, I am able to recognize her enormous strength, how brave she really is.



On her very first day of kindergarten, years ago, she got on the school bus just like a big kid. The bus drove about twenty feet, then stopped. I said to the crowd of parents that I knew it was my daughter that caused the stop. Sure enough, she was in tears. I got on the bus and tried to convince her that she would be okay, but she didn't want to let me go. Luckily, her godfather had come to see her off that morning, too (he also took this picture of her!). He got on the bus, and by that time, the kindergartner sitting next to my daughter had begun to cry, too. So her godfather told my daughter that she had to go to school and she had to help this little boy get to school, too. And it worked. He and I got off the bus, and they drove away. I later found out that most of the kindergartner parents, including the mom of the little boy, had followed the bus to school in their cars, for a second goodbye to their kids, safe at school. I had a home daycare at the time and didn't even think of the possibility of being there at school that morning. So my daughter, scared enough to stop the school bus, managed to make it all the way through her first day of school, including another bus ride home, without her mommy by her side. Until recently, when I've thought of that story, I've focused on how scared she was to leave me. Now I see that she has always had this incredible strength and courage.

I am so proud of her and so inspired.




What challenges will you face today that seem like they're just too hard?





Peace.

Wish I were...

...here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

Missing my family and those lovely California breezes on this hot and sticky Massachusetts day.

The Muttis

My brother made three great videos for my dad's birthday today. Of course, this one is my favorite 'cause I'm in it(!), as are both my grandmas, my mom, my dad, my sister, and my daughter from when she was five months old (she'll be ten years old this summer). We both look older now than we did then!

The video opens with my dad and my sister watching my paternal grandma open birthday presents in Florida. Then, there's a beautiful sunlit scene of my dad and mom with my baby daughter. Then, it's scenes of us celebrating my mom's birthday in California, including shots of my maternal grandma. Then, back to Florida for close-ups of birthday flowers and the all-important magarita salt. Cheers.

I have been known to bark about people videoing their lives too much. I have been at more than one birthday party where they roll out the cake, everyone sings, but when they realize they didn't get a good tape of it, they do it over again. When I see something like this, though, I'm so glad someone was taping. Thanks, James!

Happy Birthday, Dad. I would never call myself daddy's little girl, in fact, we fought a lot when I was growing up. Yet through it all, you were always there for me. I love you, Poppy. A la famiglia!






Peace.

Gather the Spirit

Gather the Spirit; Harvest the Power
Our separate fires will kindle one flame
Witness the mystery of this hour
Our trials in this light appear all the same

Gather in peace, gather in thanks
Gather in sympathy now and then
Gather in hope, compassion and strength
Gather to celebrate once again

Gather the Spirit growing in all
Drawn by the moon, and fed by the sun
Winter to Spring, and Summer to Fall
The chorus of life resounding as one

Gather in peace, gather in thanks
Gather in sympathy now and then
Gather in hope, compassion and strength
Gather to celebrate once again

Sing out. Loud. It feels good.

Happy Thanksgiving.




Peace.

What? No Bacon??

We are a bacon & onion pizza family. Our local shop offers a 2-for-1 deal, and we always get bacon & onion on both pizzas. A few months ago I started making my own [full disclosure: I still buy the dough from Trader Joe's]. I've been getting better and better at it. I planned to make pizza this weekend, but somehow never made it to the country store where we buy our bacon. So what to do?

According to the package directions, take the dough out of the fridge and let it set at room temperature for twenty minutes. While that's happening, put the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450F.

Warm olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add two small chopped onions. Cook until transparent. Add 7 or 8 chopped garlic cloves and about 2 cups of chopped chard (full disclosure: I used it straight from the Trader Joe's Rainbow Chard bag]. Stir.

Add fresh ground black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, rosemary, basil, oregano. Stir and continue cooking until it smells delicious and the greens have shrunk. Add small splash of balsamic vinegar. Cook & stir until it's done sizzling. Turn off heat, but keep pan warm on the stove top.

Stretch & roll out dough(s). I made one a rectangle and put it on an oiled baking sheet (with edges). The other I made a circle on my cornmeal-sprinkled wooden pizza palette.

For cheese, I grated a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and parmi.

For sauce, I just used crushed tomatoes (no salt added) straight from the can. There was enough seasoning on the greens to flavor everything perfectly.

Assemble and bake until bubbly and golden.

Yum.


Peace.

Gratitude

Most weeks there is a night where the girls and I get to go to their godparents for supper. I am grateful for the delicious meal Jim prepares, but even more, I am grateful that these wonderful people are in our lives. When I was making the decision to be a single parent, I thought a lot about whether I would be able to handle all the challenges of parenting on my own. I didn't think about the fact that there wouldn't be anyone with whom to share the joys. These loving godparents are a gift to our family. I am grateful.

Peace.

unwrapped

photo by the 8yo

My mother makes hats. The one she sent me this year is a beauty. She also gave me these sock-a-tolas that have pom-poms and non-slip bottoms. The girls wanted me to pose with "Newshy," the 6yo's fish, so I did. They thought it was very amusing.

It was a lovely Christmas day at our house. I'll update with more photos tomorrow. Right now, I gotta get back to the shortbread with ginger that *Santa* brought me.


Update, as promised, photos from yesterday:

I put the stockings up on this trunk overnight,
in hopes that they'd be safe from mice.

Before the girls came down in the morning,
I put the stockings under the tree.

One family tradition is that we take a moment
before diving into presents to look through
the Robert Sabuda Christmas alphabet book
that Grampa gave us a few years ago.

It's always nice when someone stops mid-unwrapping to enjoy a gift. The 6yo is taking a closer look at the graphic novel, Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards, that GWPDA and David Derbes sent her. Thank you.

The 8yo joins her with a closer look at the graphic novel, Black Beauty, also from GWPDA. They are also both wearing the hats their grandma made them. Thank you.

Some new friends.

My new leaf maker.

A lovely Christmas day. We are lucky.

Peace on Earth.

Ornament Sentiment

(click on photo to enlarge)

Here are some of the memories I celebrate
when I decorate the tree.

The red bicycle was one of the first ornaments I bought myself years ago when I decided that I was putting down roots in this town, so I needed to start building traditions.

The two beautiful and delicate green ones my mother sent to me in two separate years to help me build my collection. Another year, she made the pine needle star.

The glass and gold spiderweb is from my sister, who loves Halloween as much as, and scary things even more than, I do.

My father bought the ice cream cone to represent himself on my tree, when he made his first visit with his first grandchild on Thanksgiving eight years ago (he loves "coney coneys"). It was an especially good visit for us because we often disagree about TV viewing (I don't watch. He does). His visit took place during Gore v. Bush, and we were both glued to the TV in his hotel room. I truly appreciated his greater knowledge of historical context, especially regarding all the players who participated in the drama.

The hand-painted wooden star was made and given to me by my close friend Sharon in 2000, to celebrate my daughter's first Christmas. Sharon made ornaments each year for her holiday gifts. They would become even more precious gifts to me in the coming years. Sharon had brain cancer and died 2 January 2003. My older daughter knew Sharon for two years, but was too young to hold any memories. My younger daughter was only one month old when she met her on New Year's Day 2003. Sharon was already in a coma and she died the next day. Now, each year when we decorate the tree, as we find the ornaments that Sharon gave us, the girls ask me to share stories about her.

The skelly hand was made and given to me this year by someone I've never met, someone who I count as a member of my online community. It looked beautiful when I wore it around my neck at Halloween and it looks perfect on the tree.


The other day I read that this new friend is having a hard time this season. I wanted to send her something to let her know that she is in my thoughts and to thank her again for the creative inspiration she gives me.

For Suzie.

Peace.