musings of a practicing momma

SE Portland Creeks and Bridges

2011-08-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

(We did this walk with a few other homeschooling families yesterday.) The walk started at Westmoreland Park and went south along there until we hit the Springwater Corridor. We walked on a small part of that and then turned around to continue the walk through the very different neighborhoods in this area. Eva was relieved that we weren't going to walk all the way to Gresham and we remembered that we have actually been for a walk on at least part of the other end of the Springwater Corridor with friends of ours who live in Gresham.

One of the neighborhoods had pink flamingos in all of the yards along one section.

Eva wrote her name on the community board.

The walk ended shortly after we hit these food carts for ice cream. I loved the flowers planted in this grill.

2011 upick chronicles

2011-08-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we went to Sauvie Island to pick blueberries with friends. I have so many blueberries now I really should make some jam. We picked a few pints and then went to another farm for popsicles. (Well, we really went for snow cones, but the snow cone machine is only open on the weekends. Maybe Thursday evenings. But not Tuesday afternoons. So popsicles.)

The second farm has this converted bus with magnets that we all had fun with.

The flowers are gorgeous this time of year.

Berry fields emptying out and I loved the colors of the corn and the blue skies.

2011 upick chronicles (x2)

2011-08-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

There has been a definite shift in the angle of the light in the last week and a half and the quality of the wind, which corresponds nicely with Lammas (half way between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox). This seasonal shift has been noticeable in the berry fields as well. We picked raspberries a few days ago and then picked a pint or two each of boysenberries, marionberries, black raspberries (black caps) and sylvan blackberries today. There are still a few berries on the vines but rather than sharing space with flowers and honey bees, they are surrounded by unpicked drying berries and yellow jackets enjoying the sweetness of the season. The rows, once easy to walk through, are now overgrown.

The weather was overcast and cool when we first arrived at the upick late this morning. There were also so. many. blackbirds flocking. By the time we left, a little over an hour later, there was sunshine with fluffy cumulus clouds filling the sky.

Our upick on Wednesday was cut short by the hot dry weather. I had us there much later in the day than I normally would have, had I known how hot it was supposed to get.

Before going to the upick on Wednesday, we went to the farmers market in downtown Portland. It was a quick trip to pick up my first tomatoes of the season. It was also a reminder that peach season has begun! (After the market, we walked up to the food carts for tacos and frozen yogurt. And this it was off to the upick. A summer-food-filled day.)

picture summer- day 31 {decorate for summer}

2011-07-31T22:31:00.001-07:00

Final mosaic for the class. We were given a great project idea to make banners/ flags with our photos but I haven't had the time for that just yet!

picture summer- day 27 {getting the giggles}

2011-07-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 30 {sunset}

2011-07-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 29 {barefootin'}

2011-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 28 {spin on summer}

2011-07-29T16:50:00.001-07:00

Roses spinning.

2011 upick chronicles

2011-07-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's peak berry time right now. Today we picked boysenberries and black caps. Eva also picked some red currants and wants me to make some red currant- red raspberry sorbet with them. I'm hoping to make that in the next couple of days. The boysenberries will be both frozen and turned into jam. The weather has been gorgeous for picking.

Gorgeous rows of berries and upickers, all enjoying the sunshine and cool breezes.

I love how much smaller the black caps (black raspberries) are than the boysenberries.

I asked for a little luck today and what better place to find it than the upick.

Boysenberries are soft and plump. They have a pretty purple tint and darken as they ripen.

picture summer- day 11 {treat yourself}

2011-07-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sour cherry pie.

picture summer- day 25 {magic number}

2011-07-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sour cherry pie in four parts. (Sour cherries from my CSA. Recipe from Chez Panisse Fruit.)

picture summer- day 24 {larger than life}

2011-07-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Eva surprised me with this bunny ballerina costume. It worked for the jump shot too!

picture summer- day 23 {life is but a dream}

2011-07-27T14:52:00.001-07:00

Playing around with a blue plastic bucket, some sunshine, water and this sailboat Eva made.

Miniature wishing well.

picture summer- day 19 {jump shot}

2011-07-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 26 {silhouette of summer}

2011-07-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Working on silhouettes. Happy that the sun came out to play today.

picture summer- day 12 {simple solitude}

2011-07-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 8 {treasure hunters}

2011-07-22T19:06:00.001-07:00

picture summer- day 22 {girl, put your record on}

2011-07-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

We're jammin', jammin'
And I hope you like jammin' too.

picture summer- day 21 {spacey} again

2011-07-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Eva at the upick.

picture summer- day 21 {spacey}

2011-07-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

White cat, black berries.

picture summer- day 17 {visual interest}

2011-07-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Eva {and I} waiting at Oaks Park this weekend.

picture summer- day 18 {play time}

2011-07-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

Blueberry season!

picture summer- day 20 {order}

2011-07-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Drying red clover for winter teas.

picture inspiration- week 21 {From the Heart}

2011-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Garden Fuschia.

Sawyer

2011-07-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Our new kitten Sawyer. He's nearly 4 months and all white.

Eva and Sawyer.

picture summer- day 16 {friday lights}

2011-07-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

picture summer- day 15 {picture postcard}

2011-07-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Portland- City of Roses!

picture summer- day 14 {summer breezes} again

2011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

2011 upick chronicles

2011-07-14T19:21:00.001-07:00

Today we were back at West Union Gardens to pick black raspberries (black caps), yellow raspberries and red raspberries. We picked a little over a flat mixed of all three berries. They were all great for picking but the red raspberries were at their finest! I'm hoping to go back soon to pick some more. Eva and I made raspberry and tayberry jam with most of the berries (the ones we didn't eat) that we picked on Saturday. Eva also wants to pick currants the next time we go.

Gooseberries, which we did not pick, but which we tasted.

Yellow raspberries.

Funky VW bus also found at the upick.

Picture Inspiration- week 20 {excavation}

2011-07-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

{Coming in during the middle of this weekly class...}

Excavation- dig deep and discover what you enjoy taking photos of the most. This photo sums up quite a bit of that- my kids, {lately} Eva in her big sun hat, places we go, and {of course} the upick {and all the fruit found therein}.

picture summer- day 13 {juicy fruit}

2011-07-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Pears pairing.

picture summer- day 10 {summer memories}

2011-07-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July (more)

2011-07-09T18:27:00.001-07:00

The kids playing with sparklers on the Fourth.

2011 upick chronicles

2011-07-09T18:15:00.001-07:00

Today Eva and I went to West Union Gardens for their first day of upicking. We picked a mixed flat of tayberries and raspberries. I must say, a flat fills up so much more quickly when Eva is picking as well! The tayberries were particularly easy to pick. The raspberries were just getting started and a little picked over at that.

picture summer- day 9 {the shape of things}

2011-07-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

Berries and berry boxes.

picture summer- day 7 {so subtle}

2011-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Playing around with the changing blueberry colors, I found this guy taking shelter on a few of the pinker berries. Samuel is in the background checking out a baby garden spider.

On the way to *blue*.

I love the delicate peachy-pink of these succulent flowers, particularly with the vibrant purple in the background.

picture summer- day 6 {wide open spaces}

2011-07-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

Searching for wide open spaces in the suburbs...

picture summer- day 5 {glass of water}

2011-07-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

My cat Magoo likes to tip over all of our glasses of water...

picture summer- day 4 {summer traditions}

2011-07-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

A lonely piece of gum Samuel left on the ground after the neighborhood Fourth of July parade passed by our house.

Eva decorating her Fourth of July cake. I liked her look of concentration in this one.

Fourth of July

2011-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

This year Eva really wanted a 4th of July hat. She wore it for the parade and received many compliments from those going by in the parade.

When we bought Eva's 4th of July hat, we also bought two mini-hats for the guinea pigs, which of course they loved. Here they are as patriotic and festive pigs.

A neighbor took our picture before the parade/ Eva with the pigs. Everyone in their fancy hats.

Our neighborhood 4th of July parade passes right in front of our house.

Eva decorating her 4th of July cake. There is peach jam between the layers! Yum!

picture summer- day 3 {get centered}

2011-07-03T22:25:00.001-07:00

(Gosh- I took so many different photos for this prompt and nothing seemed quite right. {From lined up Sprite cans to little Buddha figures to guinea pigs to hats.} One thing led to another and I ended up here. Not at all what I had started out with. Or where I thought I would end up. I like how that can happen sometimes. And how at other times, I choose the first shot I take. Or how other times the photo takes itself. Or how other times I look up and it's a perfect surprise. Or how other times, nothing happens until the next day. I love all of that.)

picture summer- day 2 {splash}

2011-07-03T22:16:00.001-07:00

Water + tea + sunshine = sun tea!

(This was Choice's NW Blackberry tea. I had one package left and chose it because I remembered how the red color seeped through the water. Drinking it also reminded me how much I like berry/ fruit teas during the summer. Somewhere along the way all of my teas have become extremely practical. Sometimes this happens. Now I'm ready to swing back the other way a little bit and write blackberry tea on my grocery list for this week...)

picture summer- day 1 {here comes the sun}

2011-07-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I had so much fun with Picture Color that I decided to sign up for another class with Big Picture Classes. Picture Summer is another email-a-day class but this time self paced and with a focus on summer rather than color.

Here we go. Day 1.

picture color- day 30 {piecing it all together}

2011-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day for my Picture Color class. Mosaics were suggested as a fun way to wrap things up.

This month I realized how much I {still} like the color pink.

I took an impromptu trip to the Rose Garden today- a great finish to a color-filled month- and played around with the many colors found there.

And- I saw this amazing purple fence. I loved how the people had mainly greens and a few white flowers behind it, so that the fence really stood out. I decided, though, that if I had a purple fence, I would love to plant red, yellow and orange flowers in front of it...

picture color- day 2 {iconic color}

2011-06-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

picture color- day 1 {color of bliss}

2011-06-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 29 {sunrise, sunset}

2011-06-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, there was no visible sunrise or sunset but I caught some blue skies poking through.

picture color- day 28 {color of happy}

2011-06-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's like fireworks *and* sunshine...in Pink and Purple!

picture color- day 27 {going back in time}

2011-06-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

Instant pigs.

picture color- day 21 {ambient yellow}

2011-06-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 26 {whimsy}

2011-06-26T21:09:00.001-07:00

Eva and I looked for evidence of whimsy everywhere we went today. All over the park she pointed out color to me and each time we decided it was beautiful, but not necessarily whimsical. Finally I noticed the pony riding in her basket on her scooter and I thought- what could be more whimsical?

2011 upick chronicles

2011-06-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

More strawberry picking yesterday, this time with friends. I picked 6.8 pounds of hood strawberries and noticed that the picking had definitely slowed down from a few days before. My feeling is that a few more days of sunshine and a little more heat will help ripen them up to make for easier picking {again} next week.

picture color- day 10 {creating with color}

2011-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 25 {heavy metal}

2011-06-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

picture color- day 24 {library of color}

2011-06-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 23 {meaning of color}

2011-06-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Don't be blue. There's more parking on the upper levels.

picture color- day 22 (inspired by...)

2011-06-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to take a photo that was inspired by another photographer. I've been really enjoying Chase Jarvis's The Best Camera is the One That's With You and decided to try something out that was similar to a photo in his book. I took a few photos with his quote, "It's not always about creating pictures. It can be about finding ones that already exist," in mind. Which then led to this photo of Eva which is more about this quote, "The moniker 'creative person' makes it sound like I always know where my ideas come from. I don't." I'm really happy with it, particularly because it was a surprise and also because it was one of those decisive moment shots.

2011 upick chronicles

2011-06-22T15:25:00.001-07:00

First upick for us today. We picked (mostly rainier and some puget reliance) strawberries (13.46 pounds) at Baggenstos Farm. I love picking berries and was so pleased to be there today. Strawberry picking is nice for a few reasons, even if they aren't my favorite berries. It is early in the season and my kids aren't burned out yet from picking. It's usually not hot enough yet to be uncomfortable. It can even be overcast, like it was today. And Eva usually enjoys picking as well, so the picking goes doubly fast.

I made sure to take a few moments to enjoy being outside with the berries. I miss being in the country frequently and when I'm out at the upick, I try to remember to take a look around at the big sky and vast spaces that can feel so peaceful to me.

Now what? Eva said she doesn't want me to make very much strawberry jam this year because she doesn't really like strawberry jam, which was amusing to me because she used to be the main person who did like strawberry jam. And why I made it. (Well- let's be clear. I made it because I like making jam. But I don't like eating very much jam, so it's nice to have someone who likes it...) I guess we'll eat a ton of strawberries for now, freeze some and make a little jam. I'm hoping to pick strawberries a few more times before the raspberries kick in. Once there are raspberries (and then other berries) to pick, I find it hard to pick strawberries any more. Right now is a special time with just the strawberries out there for picking.

or something like that.

2011-06-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

if i had more community. if it were easier to make friends. if it were easier for my son to make friends. if i lived on the other side of town. or somewhere else. if i didn't have as much lawn to mow. if i were different. if i ate (or didn't eat) certain things. if i had more time to read. if i made time to read. if i had time. if the weather were different. if i got more sleep. {or something like that.}

and really, it's not that any of these things is wrong. {or that there is a wrong.} to want.

(of course not.) it's just that- right now- without them {or with them} is living, too.

and honestly, it's the balance between the two. the list at the top- and- what is. {and anything else in between.}

picture color- day 20 {corrugated color}

2011-06-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

(Fresh hamster nibble sticks.)

picture color- day 19 {color of calm}

2011-06-20T20:32:00.001-07:00

picture color- day 18 {what's your shade?}

2011-06-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

picture color- day 17 {color of light}

2011-06-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Catching the light. It was a good day for it too!

picture color- day 16 {nothing but blue skies} addendum

2011-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Favorite blue. I meant to take a photo of these yesterday for nothing but blue skies but didn't. Decided to go ahead and do it today.

{And} favorite blue jeans.

picture color- day 16 {nothing but blue skies}

2011-06-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 14 {statement of color}

2011-06-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 15 {playful pause}

2011-06-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

I was playing around with a hopscotch grid that I drew. (In pink chalk, of course.)

And Eva added some ruffles to the border. A girl after my own heart.

picture color- day 9 {texture color}

2011-06-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Eva and I had a lot of fun with this one as well. We spent quite a bit of time one afternoon checking out the textures of different colors, particularly those of the plants in and around our front yard. Then on our walk that evening. Then the next day. And the next.

I actually took this one a few days later because texture was still on both of our minds.

picture color- day 13 {ordinary colors}

2011-06-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 12 {polka dots}

2011-06-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

This was a particularly fun day. Eva and I looked everywhere for evidence of polka dots. We found our polka dotted chalk. I got the idea to include the peas while we were eating peas for lunch.

Then, while I was thinking about the polka dotted pea shot, Eva decided to go ahead and just draw me some polka dots of her own! (With the polka dotted chalk.)

picture color- day 11 {red and pink}

2011-06-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 8 {punctuation mark}

2011-06-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

Eva's dancing boots.

portland walking tour

2011-06-08T20:15:00.001-07:00

We went on a walking tour of downtown Portland today with a local homeschool group. I think one of my favorite parts was getting to try out two different echo chambers in the downtown area, one in Pioneer Courthouse Square and one further south, near the Keller Auditorium.

Both kids in the funky chair at the Center for the Performing Arts. Samuel was being timed by one of the moms and you can see by his face that something is up.

Anansi topper outside Center for the Performing Arts and the world's smallest park, measuring just 24 inches across.

Portlandia (second only to the Statue of Liberty as a large copper statue) and 19th century building with iron and grotesques (gargoyles without the water...) Apparently they used to use the different decorations on the buildings to give directions, as in- I'm in the white iron building with the grotesques sticking their tongues out...

The tour guide brought magnets so the kids could find out which of the older buildings had iron in them for decorative purposes. Portland has 20 iron buildings (down from 200), second only to New York City for cities with iron buildings.

Salmon Street Fountain and Eva looking at the Willamette and the Hawthorne Bridge.

There was a fantastic flower display in Pioneer Courthouse Square.

The kids doing crayon rubbings. (There is one block with several bricks with words and quotations etched into them. The tour guide brought crayons and paper for rubbings.)

picture color- day 7 {color me yummy}

2011-06-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Another good timing, go with the flow situation. I had wanted to make blueberry muffins two days ago. Then yesterday. Then this morning, when I woke up and read that the prompt for today's photo was color me yummy, I thought it was perfect that I hadn't yet made them and what a fun color-me-yummy-photo they would make. I wish I could say I also used the flour we got from our tour at the grist mill, but I decided at the last minute to go with my usual spelt.

I'm also happy with the lighting in this photo- finally- after taking several and then deciding to go ahead and take the muffins out into the middle of the yard to catch the fading evening sunlight.

picture color- day 6 {white on white}

2011-06-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

picture color- day 5 {comfort}

2011-06-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Symmetry

2011-06-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

symmetry- the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other.

There is a certain symmetry in a day's events, an effortless flow {if you will} that I notice sometimes when I am allowing myself to go with the flow. Things seem to line up just so, in a way that makes me pause and notice how easy things can be sometimes. During these times, for whatever reason, I've stopped pushing at myself to do what I should do or what would be better. I'm not rushing (unless, of course, that *is* the flow). And I'm paying attention to the voice that says, for instance, don't put in that last load of laundry just yet {even though that is clearly what should be done. after all, if i did that last load now, I would be that much closer to finishing the laundry. again.}

This happened today and I thought the series of events I went through (participated in) illustrates so well this type of ordinary/extraordinary flow I am thinking of-

Eva is sick. She was on the couch resting and I went into the laundry room to put the load of sheets that had just finished being washed into the dryer. I paused, thinking wistfully of being able to hang the sheets out to dry because of the recent warm weather and sunshine and then bit the bullet and put them in the dryer because I don't currently have a working clothesline large enough for the sheets and because I didn't want the sheets to mildew while they waited for me to figure one up. (Mildew being something that can happen in a very short time in Oregon. Even in the summer.)

I left the last load that was in the dryer- a mixed load of towels and dish cloths- on the floor next to the dryer and opted to not fold them just yet. Then I looked at the next load of clothes that was ready to be put into the washer, and for some reason, decided I wasn't going to wash them just yet {either}. I told myself to just finish up what was started right now and to not add to what was already going on with another load of laundry. This is something I might dismiss normally, what with the allure of being done with the laundry {again} hovering over the room. But I went with it and left the washer empty without adding another load.

And then, about an hour later, Eva started throwing up. She threw up several times, all over the carpet in the hallway. After she had finished and I had gotten her settled, I went back to clean things up and it was like it was all set up for the occasion. There were the towels, still on the floor near the dryer, just right for cleaning up (no need to have been folded...) and an empty washer just waiting for me to throw the towels into. And it was so easy. There was no extra load of laundry to deal with in the washer and there was no fishing about in drawers in the other room for towels that were folded and put away. It was symmetry, pure and simple.

Make of it what you will. I don't have the answers about why this happens except perhaps that we are meant to (without the deterministic flavor, please, but in the same sense that all beings take care of themselves in the best way they are able) take care of ourselves, which means listening to ourselves, which means that sometimes, the very best thing is to leave the last load of laundry for a different day. And sometimes it isn't.

picture color- day 4 {technicolor}

2011-06-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

I played around with Eva's hula hoops today. She has a few in different sizes and colors and I loved how they looked out in the brilliant Oregon sunshine. This one was my favorite-

Picture Color- Day 3 {Changing of the Guard}

2011-06-03T22:03:00.001-07:00

Noticing how one color shifts to another.

Picture Color

2011-06-03T18:55:00.001-07:00

So I'm doing this right now over at Big Picture Classes. And it occurred to me {a little late?} that I could post the photos here. One a day. For this month. From this class. Seems like a fun way to spend some time on my blog and outside.

Bubbles

2011-05-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

We made homemade bubbles yesterday. Finally something to do with that jar of corn syrup. Of course, if it keeps going like it's going, I'll need to buy more corn syrup to make more bubbles. Wish I could use the extra molasses that's still sitting up there as well...

Here's the recipe that came on the back of the bubble wands we just bought-
Mix together 12 cups water, 3 cups liquid soap, 3/4 cup corn syrup. And it worked! Really well, in fact. And- the same mixture is still working today!

2011-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today I leave you with flowers for Mother's Day...

2011-05-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Eva water painting in the sunshine and climbing out Japanese maple out front while I garden.

Eva climbing on the bags of mulch at Home Depot.

chacha yarn

2011-05-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

Eva picked out some funky yarn at the yarn shop a few weeks ago. (Trendsetter yarn Chacha in color 29, purple.) They had a scarf made out of it on display and Eva loved it and thought it would make an amazing purse (and then a smaller scarf with what was left over...).

I wound up the yarn on a toilet paper roll the other night and read through the instructions on exactly how to knit with this yarn because you don't knit with the actual ribbon but instead knit through holes above the ribbon. This proved to be trickier than I had thought it would be and I ripped out what I had and set it aside. I waited until I had some quiet time to myself this evening to check out the yarn again and found this youtube video to help.

Sample of Chacha. It's a little under 1 inch wide and knits up in ruffles!

weed, weeded, weeding

2011-05-01T17:12:00.001-07:00

I spent a good bit of the day weeding (i'm generally opposed to the word weeding {for myself} because it holds so many assumptions, but for the life of me I can't find another word for the job. tidying up? two words. yard work? possibly, but still two words. i'm working on it. i have resorted to using the word weeding over the last two weeks for lack of a better word and because I think it is fairly descriptive of what I have been doing, whether I like it or not...) again and am glad to see that my back and neck aren't having quite the same problem they did a few weeks ago when I first began tidying up the back garden area in earnest. I keep doing it because I really want that area cleaned up and logistically easier to care for, but I won't say I wasn't concerned my body wasn't going to be as into it as my mind seemed to be. My mind jumped at the chance. And the two of us- my mind and I- have been working on the garden area one thing at a time (i keep reminding my mind when it gets ahead of me and i feel overwhelmed with the task. one.thing.at.a.time. don't look beyond that lest i feel too overloaded to tackle any of it.)

(and why divide us all up like that- body, mind, me?- just for the fun of it. and frankly- to account for some of the disparity i experience when i try too hard to sum things up into one experience.) (and to sort of indulge that disparity a bit. i read somewhere a few years ago that one way we as a culture are dysfunctional is that we are taught we shouldn't feel more than one way at a time and as a result, we have a difficult time reconciling different and conflicting feelings....)

I'm happy with how it's going. I spent quite a bit of time with the strawberries and am pleased with how many we now have. I transplanted a few and cleaned up around most of them. I'm now trying to decide how to keep it um weeded more easily. The nursery people suggested cardboard around the plants and then dirt on top of that. It seems like that would work well with rows but my berry plants are all hodgepodge like, with very little rhyme or reason. I don't really want to go the way of hemlock mulch around them because I don't believe it really is sliver-free (and eva walks out in the garden a lot. it has to be eva-friendly.) I'm not sure which way I will end up going. One project at a time. Right now I'm working on the area in between the raised beds, covering it with newspaper (i actually bought one!) and then medium cedar chips, with rectangular pathway slabs on top of that. Eva is thrilled and mentioned how fun it will be to walk around under the sunflowers later in the summer.

I love how the purple kale has yellow flowers. It's such a nice contrast. Never fear- this kale is from last fall. There is more spring kale in the other bed. Always plenty of kale.

impromptu

2011-04-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

We ran into Indecision this morning after our plans were dashed. I had back-up plans, but for some reason they were not appealing first to one child, then to the next (after the first child finally agreed to them, and so on...), which vexed and confused me, leaving me at a loss. The kids and I went round and round with other ideas, back and forth, until I was sure I would spin right out into the atmosphere from the sheer chaos of it all. (Either quickly, because of that spinning feeling in my head, or slowly, because of that mud-like squish I felt I was walking through.) Not that not-knowing-what-to-do is a bad thing, per se. It's simply that particular type of not-knowing-what-to-do that I was feeling this morning, the kind that breeds lashing out and head spinning and desperate attempts to fill time that most probably won't work anyway. The type that require a quiet mind and {often} commitment to overcome.

So I committed to OMSI. And the kids came round with me and off we went. We haven't been in ages and we went to see- specifically- the Egypt exhibit and the shell exhibit I had heard about. I was pleased with both, I'm happy to say. I was also pleased with how everything began to fall into place once I had made my decision- lunch, the hologram exhibit (which is so rarely open when we go to OMSI I often forget about it entirely) and our trip to the serve-yourself-yogurt place near out house afterward. And tonight- lots of cooking, a chance to blog, photos to upload. Not all flowers and butterflies, to be sure, but still quite a bit less chaos than this morning.

And see- at least one child clearly enjoying herself at OMSI. And Samuel? Even he said he was glad we went, after we bought gummi space ships, of course. (Even before we bought gummi space ships, come to think of it.) Because who can resist those? And we all saw a mummy today. (Don't think it didn't get me thinking about how the Egyptians probably didn't imagine they would end up in our museums one day in the distant future...)

easter

2011-04-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

{Textures and colors from our walk this afternoon} We've had sunshine the last few days for at least part of each day with yesterday being mostly sunny all.day.long. I was surprised to wake up to rain this morning, not being someone who normally checks the weather report {with any regularity}. I guess the Easter Bunny didn't check the weather report either (either that or he was overly optimistic about how waterproof our plastic eggs were) because we lost more than a few jellybeans to water log. No one wanted the squished together jelly beans (or the chocolate eggs, for that matter) after they'd spent the night in a leaky plastic container outside. And who could resist an egg hunt outside when the weather has been so perfect?

On Friday, one of my children told one of my other children about the Easter Bunny. And each one of them spent time feeling sad {for different reasons} for a good part of that afternoon. (And one even into the evening.) I feel pretty good about my part in the matter, showing up and being present as best as I could. Explaining what I could in a way that I felt good about (the spirit of Easter and Springtime inspiring each of us to celebrate and enjoy this time of year...) I'd been thinking about this for a while now, preparing myself for what I would say but everything really is a dress rehearsal until you actually say those words out loud to your child for the first time. And I wanted it to be good and kind and gentle. And real. In it's own way.

It felt awkward at times this morning, the kids not knowing what to say about continuing the same rituals that had so obviously been altered just a few days before. It seemed they didn't know quite how to proceed at first and it took them just a bit to get in the groove. Once there, though, they seemed to enjoy themselves {as usual} and it looked like we could stumble along to find a newish way. I'm curious about the magic that I'm sure will linger.

We've been going to the farmers market regularly since it started last month-

And- I made a cheesecake {for Eva} for Easter. Imagine the cutest, sweetest puppy. Walking down the street, enjoying life and the smells and joys of a dog-filled day. That level of cuteness is exactly how delicious this cheesecake tasted.

galette inspiration

2011-04-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

So I've made 3 galettes this week, inspired by the fruit still in my freezer, the fruit starting to show up at the farmers market, and the fruit picking season, which does not seem quite as distant as it once did. I used a new recipe for pate brisee with corn meal that I found on Martha Stewart when I went searching for how to cook rhubarb in a galette. I was struck by how different each galette turned out, depending on how long I left the dough (or did not) in the refrigerator and how dry (or moist) the dough was. The first was a rhubarb-raspberry galette that turned out picture perfect. The second was blueberry and had much drier crust and therefore didn't roll out nearly as well. (Still tasted good...) And the third was peach-strawberry-blueberry. It ended up being fantastic, but was a bit concerned during the cooking process because of all of the liquid. The dough was also a little soft, due in part to me not having time to refrigerate it at all. All were equally tasty, though, regardless of their form. I'm leaning toward a savory one next, with the extra dough currently in my refrigerator. I've got some extra greens lingering that would be perfect, I think.

Here are the galettes and some chocolate covered raspberries thrown in for good measure-

Also- two recent pictures {I liked} of Samuel, age 11 (with bedroom light behind him) and Eva, age 8.

diecutdolls

2011-04-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

We got a die cut machine recently and Eva has been having the best time making paper dolls.

knit knots

2011-04-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

I'm writing this out on the patio, squinting to better see the computer screen, so that I can be-out-in and enjoy the lovely sunshine we are currently having...

I have been doing quite a bit of knitting- some satisfying, some knot-so-satisfying. I knit the Movie Star Scarf from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson for my sister {and forgot to get a photo. oh well.} (Finally, after over four months on the waiting list at the library!) I loved the first Last Minute Knitted Gifts and am finding the second one to be a lot of fun as well. (I'm trying to decide if I am going to buy this one {now} or knot.) Knitting the little loop to tuck the scarf into was thrilling- I love learning that sort of new (to me) knitting construction. It makes me want to make several more just for the thrill of that loop. (As an aside, I had made my sister a pair of fingerless gloves several years ago and she recently gave them back to me because they had stretched out quite a bit. Turns out the yarn I used had something in it silk? cotton? not sure...that gave a bit too much to be good for fingerless gloves. I ripped them out and re-used said yarn for this scarf. I blocked the scarf *severely* and you absolutely could not tell the yarn had been re-used. I'm hoping the yarn holds up better as a scarf than it did as gloves.)

I'm also currently knitting the Big Lace Scarf with a bulky cotton yarn (for Spring!) by Punta yarns in a whitish-creme color because I love my warmer creme scarf and wanted something in a similar color but a lighter weight for Spring. I'll try to remember to get a photo when I finish.

I also finished the Oatmeal Pullover, which I enjoyed knitting but which I do not enjoy wearing. I even ripped out the bottom seven inches or so and re-knit it to get the sizing better. I am finding it is still not a flattering sweater for me. What I like is the neck line. I also changed the sleeves to long sleeves because 3/4 length drive me batty. I've thought about ripping it all out and re-knitting it at a tighter gauge because the pattern is really nice but am now leaning toward an entirely different sweater. It's the kind of thing where I keep looking at patterns for bulky yarn and nothing seems quite right. And yet I have the yarn. Or rather, will have the yarn {again}, after I rip this sweater out (that I bought the yarn for....) Oh well. I'm setting it aside a bit to reconsider its use. I've thought of knitting hats and mittens and blankets with the yarn as well but feel a little sad because I like the color quite a bit for a sweater.

outside

2011-04-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

We've been able to get out and about a bit lately, what with all of that Springtime in the air and all. My only sadness is that Jack isn't able to join us for much of it. He joins me on the patio, in our backyard, for a bit of sunshine and Springish smelling, but is really needing to rest after his recent hip injury. I'm hoping that after a little more rest and some of the treatments he is receiving, he'll be able to take a short walk down the street again {soon}. I'm afraid walks in the woods are out for the time being and I have found that I have been {unconsciously?} choosing places that don't allow dogs. I used to feel sad when we went to those places without him but knew he couldn't join us anyway. Now it seems to assuage my spirit a bit. I know he can still smell the woods on me when we return. I'm sure in his good-hearted-doggieness that he understands {mostly}. While I'm sad I can't take him with us now, I am happy that I took him as often as I did in the past.

Eva by the creek and some of the first trillium of the season!

Eva checking the water at the Audubon Society for newts.

Samuel and our one brush with frog-ness on Sauvie Island. I think we missed the frogs this year. We did see several snakes, though, out basking in the sunshine with the rest of us.

Eva and Samuel at Smith and Bybee Lakes. We heard frogs here and ended up seeing dozens? hundreds? of tadpoles on one of the flooded paths. I tried to photograph them but they were having none of it. Who can blame them. The herons were also plentiful that day. We also saw two black tailed deer and a bald eagle!

Spring

2011-03-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here's what I wrote about Spring a few days ago. I think the tone in the first paragraph lacks a certain Zing! (which is why I put off posting it. trying to locate that Zing!) I was looking for to convey the most recent Spring shift in the air I was feeling. Upon rereading it, however, I wonder if the tone was perfect for that day. I'm posting it now because it seems subtly different enough from how it feels on this day, that I know that things have already shifted again, which feels good to me right now. The {seeming} lack of movement in the season had begun to feel heavy to me, as though no matter how hard I tried to open my eyes, I was still yawning and sleepy after a long and rainy nap.

"Slowly. Imperceptibly. {Until it's not.} No longer winter-moving-toward-spring, but simply spring. Spring. And soon, she will move-as we expect her to- toward summer. But until then- until then- she is spring.

Just last week, I wondered at feeling warm again and when that would feel real. Difficult to fathom when Spring's hail and sleet continued to pound the patio roof. Surely, those first flowers signaled a break. A subtle shift. And now? No longer one flower pointed out as we drive past, but several pink and white trees fully lining the boulevards, leaving me hoping. Knowing. There will be dogwoods. There will be irises. Ducklings. Subtle shifting and suddenly, a noticeably warmer day takes us for a much needed walk in the woods and we no longer wear coats. We leave our hats in the car, forgotten for now."

salad

2011-03-24T19:51:00.001-07:00

Today I finished up the last of the blueberries I dried last summer. Suffice it to say, I will definitely be drying more next summer. They take quite a bit of time in the dehydrator but are completely worth it. I still have several bags of frozen blueberries in the berry freezer and while we are enjoying them immensely, I wish I had dried a few more. Next time. The dried pears are also good, but not nearly as versatile.

My favorite way to eat the dried blueberries has been in salads, particularly the ones I have been making since the bitter spring greens have started in my CSA basket over the last month or so. Today I had dried blueberries, tangelos and pink lady apples in a salad with walnuts, carrots, scallions (the first of the season!) and our first radishes from the farmers market. All of this was chopped and tossed with fresh baby greens, also from the farmers market. I like salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on my salad. It took me a while to get used to this simple dressing, but now I love it.

I love this time of year for so many reasons, not the least of which being that I can finally stop buying the California baby greens every week for the guinea pigs. I eat mainly local, seasonal vegetables from my year round CSA, which I love and am happy and grateful to be able to do. The guinea pigs, however, really love their morning greens and unfortunately, there are a few months in Oregon when there are no local greens to be found. Even the Romaine lettuces go away. While the greens and lettuces haven't returned yet to our grocery store, they can be found in abundance at the farmers market. This last week, the pigs have been enjoying their new local fare, but request that I hold the spinach and bok choi, please. They prefer dandelions. I don't blame them. I must say, I was excited to see if I had found someone who would finally eat the spring bok choi that starts showing up this time of year. Of course, I prefer kale.

Slice of Life Tuesday

2011-03-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

{on Thursday}

This week's theme is Yellow. I'm obviously gaga for daffodils.

spring photos and one guinea pig

2011-03-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

No alphabet today. I'm barely here, just popping in to upload a few spring photos.

2011-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Bother. Yesterday was M, which I mistakenly missed. Too bad, too, because I had all kinds of M words, like Mad Men, which I am currently {thoroughly} enjoying. I woke up this morning to the realization that when I sat down to order the groceries, I had also intended to blog. I decided to wait on the grocery order, due to circumstances beyond my control and completely forgot about blogging in the meantime. I am currently waffling between a c'est la vie attitude and one that sounds more like Grrrrr...

2011-03-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Of course today, after thinking about the letter K all day yesterday, was bursting with words that start with K. I can't remember any of them now, but I definitely noticed them when I heard them. Eva has been enjoying playing Scribblenauts lately. (Hey, there's the letter L.) She plays with me and either types or writes in the words or she plays by herself and writes in words from some of the workbooks she likes. She also likes to type in just a few letters to see what comes up. I've been so surprised to see creatures like guinea pigs showing up {seemingly} randomly after she has typed in a few {random} letters. If you don't like synchronicity, perhaps you're partial to luck? Either way you look at it, they are both something good happening to you, at just the right time that can seem too good to be true and highly enriching and note-worthy (or yell-across-the-room-to-tell-someone-else-worthy, depending...)

2011-03-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

K is for Halo? Or Birthday? Or um Samuel? Hmmm...

Today was Samuel's 11th birthday. He had a big day playing Halo 3 on his new Xbox 360 (I'm so proud I know what that is!), eating cake and Thai food. (Still not a single word that starts with K....)

Blowing out kandles on his double-roll kake. I sure would like some kale.

2011-03-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

J is for jam, which I had to buy for the first time in a few years because {gasp} I actually ran out of my summer raspberry jam. Next year, I will try and remember to set aside two jars for Samuel's birthday. He likes angel food roll cakes with raspberry jam in the center each year for his birthday. I generally make two, because one cake goes quickly. This year, Eva learned how to separate eggs while we made his cakes together. She made the first cake, after figuring out the separation technique, mostly by herself, and really enjoyed sifting and folding the flour. After separating twelve more eggs for the second cake, she wandered off and I finished up the second cake. I have to say, after several years of trial and error with rolling these cakes, I have found that rolling the flat sheet while it is still hot creates a much smoother roll.

It is slightly disappointing that I didn't get to use my own jam for these cakes, because not only is my jam a better consistency for spreading, it tastes better. No matter. Samuel wanted raspberry jam so we bought raspberry jam. All we have left in the cupboard from last summer are a few jars of strawberry and marionberry, which I will probably use on Eva's roll cake that she is now requesting for her own birthday. She told me today that the marionberry jam is her favorite. So-unfortunately- I opened two jars of unmarked {marionberry} jam today. But- fortunately- I can use at least one of those jars in just ten days for Eva's birthday.

baby guinea pigs

2011-03-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

We had the good fortune to spend time with friends AND baby guinea pigs today.

And just how do guinea pigs have anything to do with the letter I? Why, because they love to sit in their plastic igloos, of course. Plus, I love them!