Xena one and two

fall festivities

2008-11-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

We're going to barnaby's again for thanksgiving. It's kind of a tradition, which I hope is OK with him. We made 5 pumpkin pies. Mostly John made 5 pumpkin pies but then I got drafted to make some emergency crusts. The crusts turned out very good I think - the dough was nice and elastic and easy to roll out. I think the key is cold cold butter. The pies are dark because John uses molasses. They are also as fragrant as potpurri because John loves his baking spices, especially nutmeg. The mouth numbs as you eat these pies.

Here is a picture, a classic already, of L in the pumpkins at new seasons. For comparison, also the one from last year. Not such a deer in the headlights this year.

"that guy"

2008-08-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

who wears cowboy boots and shorts to your wedding. Whatever, it's texas.

should I?

2008-08-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have some time coming to me...because L will start daycare in two weeks. What should I do? I'm thinking about starting a book club - but only inviting people on my street. Is that too crazy? I just don't like to travel.

L has a book with a goblin story. The story goes like this: Goblin gets scared by a "bump" sound coming from a cold, dark cave. He is so scared that he jumps out of his shoes and starts running. But now he hears a "pit-pat-pit-pat" behind him. So scared now that he jumps into a hole in a tree trunk and waits. Should he look out? Should he? L nods solemnly yes. Yes, he would look out! And what did he see? Nothing but his own little shoes, who followed him as he ran. He hugs his shoes and puts them on. Who's scared of an old bump anyway and he skipped away, just like that.

teething and chewing

2008-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

and the raspberries are ripe

too much

2008-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Too much!

jan and back from boulder

2008-01-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Boulder visiting the paternal gpas. Louisa had fun, basked in the attention. She also got some snow experience and a little snow scratch on her nose from falling on her face. It's hard to stop a fall when you're wearing a snowsuit.

This picture is a particularly funny one of John from his dad's archives. I remember our hippy landlady had a picture of her and her friends dressed up in old timey clothes posing similar with similar jalopy.

zombie massacre

2007-12-22T21:34:00.001-08:00

new friends

2007-12-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

I guess the fear of spiders is not as innate as we think

daddy/baby

2007-12-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

happy birthday Louisa!

look into my eyes...

2007-12-18T21:05:00.001-08:00

look deeeep into my eeyyyeeeessss .... yessss, make me some squash ... squuaaashhhh....

.....and you cannot see my boogies....they are invissiblee...

yessssssss.

a true portland baby...

2007-12-17T20:31:00.001-08:00

her eyes are the color of the Willamette River

halloween pumpkins

2007-12-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

whoops, I wore the wrong camo...cuz you can see me, right?

baths are fun

2007-12-16T19:41:00.001-08:00

with a nice view of teeth 1, 2, and 3.

the twelve cute pictures of christmas

2007-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Things have really gotten away from me, blogwise. I hereby pledge to post at least one cute picture for the next twelve days (to Christmas and those two shopping days).

This is a pic of Louisa at Barnaby's beach house for thanksgiving.

How did she get so cute?

2007-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

grind open but closing soon! shop now!

2007-10-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

OK, their hours have changed - now 11-7pm. Eight hours to shop. Open til everything's gone. Percent off sales in the future.

Also hearing that our quickymart minimall will be changing hands. To become more "upscale"! puke. So much for "the boys". Is this all a plot of Fred Meyer to make us shop there? Any other conspiracy theories out there?

grind closed!

2007-10-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

The sign says "shop now" but the store is closed. Here's another daily grind photo...

daily grind down!

2007-10-19T09:19:00.001-07:00

as in out of business as of 2 weeks from now. Shit!

100% weather

2007-10-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

I have a slight weather habit. I don't get the weather channel or stay plugged into my local weather delivery station. I am just picky and have found the perfect weather broadcasting media for me - rainbow bright and super detailed. I just checked in to it to see when the best time would be to take a walk today. Unfortunately, we're not getting out of the dark green today and our 12 hour probability of precipitation is 100%. But check out the contrast between the purple (dark and light) snow patterns in Montana and our green marbling here on the wet side. Foggy days are nice too - the yellow really stands out. And the POP12 readings are like topographical maps of clouds. Thank you NOAA. http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sectors/pacnorthwestWeek.php#tabs

We went to Arizona in March and in preparation I checked out the NOAA graphical for southeastern AZ. There were no colors. Was the website working? yes. But there was no weather there. Just the bland beige nothing that means "none". This picture shows the absence of weather. Makes you nervous doesn't it?

pursed ships

2007-10-11T16:57:00.001-07:00

I (I!) have been carrying a purse. I (I!) who once infamously (and innocently) said to my purse carrying friend, "isn't that humiliating? Carrying all that stuff (implication: that you don't need)?" When I was 18, purses (and gardening) represented all that was middle-aged and booooring. What did I have against purses? I guess I thought that carrying around enough stuff that you had to have a BAG for it seemed too encumbering.

But! Now I realize that one thing that I hate is packing up to leave the house. When it was merely finding my ID and stuffing some bills in my pockets things were easy. Now that pockets wont hold my wallet, cell phone and keys (and really, some of my clothes don't even have POCKETS!) I have become increasingly frustrated. And now that I also usually am getting together the baby stuff, man! that is hard to get used to, I can't bear finding all my shit too. So I use a purse. It's one that I'm trying out, one of my mom's. I don't really think it's "me" but I dont really have time or inclination to shop. It does have lots of pockets... Yes, it does have that.

shoes off weekend

2007-10-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

It was weirdly warm again last weekend. The door was open and dog sitting on the porch, barking at nervous people and small dogs. We waltzed around without our shoes or soxes on. Like foxes we were.

Sunday had a crockpot full of steel cut oatmeal, all-night cooked. And people over. And two kids - Elsa and Sula. The increasingly rare Lucy made an appearance and T drug her bags of clothes out of the basement and we all got some good stuff.

rememberances of things summer

2007-10-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Is this a Proustian reference? What an egghead. Although I tell you what - I've only ever read Proust when I had trouble sleeping.

Here is another picture of summer times. This one is of me and L in the neighbor's pool. One thing to be said about the weather this time of year - it is interesting. More interesting than a cloudless sky in summer. Clouds come in, clouds go out, clouds turn different colors, clouds dissipate or blow their tops.

Today was the first day of using the furnace. It's hard to be upset about this bad weather when remembering how we've lived the last five months essentially outside, or at least with windows and doors open. And does the rain feel good on your face and hands, yes, yes it does. Mostly.

cup running over

2007-09-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

The summer is over. Record rain on Friday and probably today too. This is about a month earlier than we usually start fall weather. The skiers and snowboarders are rejoicing though...thinking snow and winter fun.

I've made a list of the things that need to get done by winter - buy oil for the furnace, clean the vents out, find the winter clothes. It's a little shocking, this early fall, but I'm still coasting a little on the summer, trying to keep that easy feeling.

L and I had breakfast this morning with GLinda and Auntie Gretchen. She had fun. Meals out were a problem for awhile so we stopped going out. It's exciting to think that we can go out to eat again, without dramatics.

When it stops raining for a moment today I'm going to rush out and buzz around (did I mention I'm sick and on pseudoephidrine?). This picture is of better times on Lusted Lady Beach, Sandy River, y'all!

many and varied

2007-07-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

will this work, this blog? will I be a blogger?

oh life...

I've been alone and eating english muffin turkey melts with fresh tomatoes and basil. from the garden. and sometimes the flowers from my zucchini plants - which are...are they not?...the most gentle beautiful vegetables there are.

Speaking of beautiful vegetables, here's some more:
Lemon cucumbers the size of key limes;
Ambitious horseradish I will never eat;
The berries!;
The pepper plants finally fleshing out;
And of course the beets.

L (7 months old) ate fig and yogurt tonight and some english muffin too.

This whole post about food? I think it will stop when I stop breastfeeding. Otherwise, woo! I eat alot.

my first day

2007-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

on a blog. It seems fun....but then it's hard to even imagine who might read this. Or that writing and writing and writing might go on and then vanish in a nanosecond or something. I think I will just write to myself already - because at this point really no one is reading this. So, this is where I am today: a physical therapy appointment for some perineal massage (which gets less and less embarrassing the older my kid gets), some errands including picking up books about building porches at the library ($17.50 how did that happen?), pick up my mom and daughter from swim lessons (it's raining and they don't want to walk home), home for some leftover eating and netflix grazing (baby sleeping), take my mom to the airport (to go sailing with her boyfriend in a very small boat), UPS store to send work product overnight, DMV to register new (used) minivan, home for gardening, wine drinking, talking to husband on the phone, feeding Xena two some squash and starting this blog.