Monday, August 30, 2010

Judgements


I'm human...and judgemental. There have been a few occasions lately where I have judged a book by it's cover and have been pleasantly reminded of my erroneous ways. One such occurrence took place the other day as I was heading to the park. Luna decided not to take her morning nap, so I threw her in the car (not literally, but I felt like it at the time) to go to Manito Park. She fell asleep just as I arrived, such is the fate of parenthood, so I stopped by a bakery a neighbor told us about. As I parked out front a woman exited her car looking as if she thought she was in LA instead of Spokane. She was an attractive older woman with a mini-dress on and high heels, way out of my Bellingham-tennis shoe-loving league. I judged. What is she wearing? Who does she think she is? Come on...this is Spokane! I ran inside to buy a coffee while keeping an eye on the car to make sure no one kidnapped Luna. The woman asked if I was in line, I told her my situation and she asked what car was mine and directed her 11 year old to sit outside and watch my child/car until I got back. How amazingly nice! She told me she had 3 kids and understood the situation completely. What a wonderful smack in the face. Aside from the lesson learned, it also reminds me of the fact that it takes a village. We are all in the same boat and could all use a helping hand once and awhile. Gig is reading a book about sex that read about in Savage Love in The Stranger (how I miss drinking margaritas at Casa Que Pasa while reading The Stranger). At this point he would quickly correct me by saying that it's about community, not sex..but the word sex is actually in the title. Anyhow, he is feeling like he lacks community. The book discusses how when we were hunter/gatherers, people relied on one another, they lacked the sense of ownership of their things, their woman, their land. With agriculture came a more distant society, you owned your land, your children, your women, your tractor. Their was less of a community and more of a sense of fending for yourself. I believe the American culture continues to further this sense of separatism. We were trying to define our own community which is sorely lacking. We have a few neighbors that I feel watch out for us and we trade goodies over the fence (salmon from Anne Marie, Tortillas from Dan....yep, they get zucchini in return). I feel a true sense of family with my dear friend Steph, but she's in Vermont. Gig and I do tend to keep to ourselves, we have always enjoyed a few good friends than a slew of acquaintances, but do we have community? We've never seen ourselves as having many friends, but I remember how in awe I was after having Luna and people came out of the woodwork to provide us with meals and a helping hand. I don't think a community has to be dear friends, I just think it requires a mutual concern for humankind. Once again, "it takes a village". I am hoping to foster this kind of community here in Spokane. Oh, cute pictures from the park:


Friday, August 27, 2010

Home grown



In case you didn't know, I have dreams of growing most all of my own food. We've had quite a few dinners this summer made entirely from our own vegAdd Imagegies and eggs...potato, bean, zucchini salad; last night was potato crusted quiche with sauteed kale and chard on the side. Yum! I wonder sometimes about the superfluousness of cooking it all into some extravagent feast that I spend an hour making and 5 minutes eating (if that, because I eat far too fast). Helen and Scott Nearing (read: The Good Life) just threw the veggies on the table whole instead of mixing them into a salad. Time and energy saved..and it's all the same to your stomach in the long run. Luna and I just harvested a few pounds of red potatoes, as well as the neverending piles of zucchini. I've had the misfortune of a virus in the garden this year which limited the number of pole beans and snap peas, as well as my tomatoes are rotting on the bottom. It's so disappointing. Gardening is pretty similar to life, you can do everything right, but fate still lends it's hand for the good or bad.
Don't ask why this picture is sideways..I'm too tired to figure it out.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Updated cuteness...please don't vomit.







Free Range



We've been letting the chickens free range it in the backyard. Surprisingly, Tinker hasn't ate a single one! Luna seems to be more of the danger to them. Or me, if they don't keep out of my tomato plants. It's relaxing to sit back and watch the chicks roam. A neighborhood kid brings friends over daily to watch, and occasionally chase them. Make note: if you come to visit, you will leave with chicken poop on your shoes. We are getting 4 eggs a day now. I've been trading veggies for 18 eggs a week from some folks from craigslist, but now with our chicks laying as well, we are over run with eggs. We've been eating combinations of eggs and zucchini for most meals and dessert.


Whitey is still alive...and crowing. I always thought roosters only crowed in the morning, but whitey seems to do it throughout the day. I was awoken at 5:15 this morning by his crow, which I love, but not sure if the neighbors do? He's turning into quite a beautiful bird, we hate to see him go, but we must keep peace with the neighbors...and the law.





New Addition


I won a piano! This piano was given away in a raffle at work that I was probably the only one that entered. It needs repairs that would cost more than it's worth, but we still jumped at the chance. It needs a tuning, but we'll live with it's other imperfections. It's beautiful, with actual ivory keys. I'm sure hundreds of people have played this piano in it's lifetime. Luna is loving it and we all look forward to learning to play.