This is the okra, suddenly tall and strong with new little okras growing on it. :)

The second crop of pattypan squash!

Even the cucumber, which had died down to nothing is back with a vengeance...look at all those blooms!

This isn't my garden, of course, but it will be going in to the garden in the near future. I am finally harvesting the worm compostings. What you're looking at is "black gold" on the right - the worm castings, and fresh new worm bedding on the left (wet strips of newspaper with a handful of sand tossed in). The idea is that the worms, who are located in the castings on the right at the moment, will move to the fresh new bedding (they eat the paper and the sand is the grit that helps them digest food), leaving me with a big pile of castings that I can just scoop out and package up (to save for when I need it). I don't think you can really tell from this picture, but the castings go more than halfway up the bin, and the new bedding is only a quarter of the way up. Yay! Lots of food for my plants! :)

No pictures of Leif today - sorry!

Hopefully, I'll get some shots this weekend to put up!

Happy weekending!

Happy 4th!

Leif took many stickers and stuck them on his belly. He was so proud, pointing out what was what...the one in the middle he pointed to and said, "Cyuter" which is how he says computer. Silly lad.

Pointing out the "cyuter" for us.

Searching for the next one to show off.

A typical meal round these here parts: Steamed Crab, Crab Cake, and a steamed veggie. Yum. I've been working on perfecting crabcakes and have discovered that they get better and better the more I take out. :)

Leif took a haircut the other day while Daddy was out on errands. He cried and wailed the whole time, "I want my Daddy!" which is precisely what he was moaning in this picture in between the sobs (see the tears?) Eventually, when Daddy DID come home, Leif ran to him to proudly show off his haircut. :)

Life has been busy here of late. We spend a good deal of time brainstorming (for new job ideas), applying for jobs (a job in itself!) and wondering what we should do next.

Lately, we've decided to change gears a bit, and that has launched us in to a new adventure. While it is really too much to go in to here, suffice to say that we're revamping resumes and re-tooling in the hopes of landing where we want to be. After a year of this, I would think that we're a bit smarter at this by now. But there are no guarantees in life, are there? That is a phrase, by the by, that has come to have a new and very strong meaning to us.

Anyway, we're hopeful that our luck will soon be turning, and in the meantime, we're happy as little fat bugs in a rug.

In other news, the garden has taken the worst of this summer heat, and the squash all withered away into nothingness. I never got to harvest any of the pattypan squash, much to my chagrin, but the yellow squash were great. But the garden has been, as we knew it would be, a late experiment and learning experience in gardening in this um, interesting climate. I'm armed with a bit of knowledge I didn't have earlier this year, and next year, I'll be starting a wee bit earlier (as in months!) to get my garden growing.

The tomatoes are still producing - in fact, I'd say they just hit their peak this past week. I harvested some 20 tomatoes, although all were very small in stature. Their flesh is bright red and MmmMmm yummalicious!

The onions all died (from heat) and the cabbages are still there, but they won't come to much...they haven't really gotten around to forming proper heads. Their growth seems to have been severely stunted by the heat (and by the attack of the cabbage worms!) Next year, though, I have some tricks up my sleeve for those cabbage worms.

The Basil has done wonderfully, and is still producing mightily. So has the lemon balm, although I've yet to really use it. The mint went well, and I used most of it to make batches of mint tea. If there is any left by the time the cold comes, I'll make some mint jelly. If there isn't, I'll raid DaMomma's stash ;)

The eggplant has produced some sweet little baby eggplants that I can hardly stand to eat they're so cute. So far I have two fully grown and harvested, and one still growing on the plant. These are my first harvested eggplants! Last year, my little eggplant rotted on the vine while growing. It was ver' sad. So, I'm looking up recipes that use a little bit of eggplant for my three this year.

In between all the applications, doctors (yay! I finally went - nearly two and a half years since my last visit!) and general living, I've been decluttering the house like a fiend. I threw out a trash bag full of stained and worn out clothes, have another to go to Goodwill, and yet another to consign. I've gone through nearly two heaping laundry baskets full of magazines, cutting out the articles I wanted, and taking the rest to recycling. I've gone through Leif's books and toys and am sending them off to where they might be used. I went through three big kitchen drawer cabinets (essentially, three junk drawers) and decluttered them, putting them back together all wonderfully organized. I've gone through boxes of old paperwork, saving some but shredding the rest. I've gone through our library, purging out the books that I bought once intending to read, but every time I try to start them, I'm disenchanted and put them down. I'm trading 'em in for something I'll use. I've been working on cleaning off my old computer and transferring files, but that has been a bit of a stickler - I need a cable that I don't have (and can't easily come by round these here parts). In short, there are few places in my house that haven't been touched by my decluttering hand. I've learned to declutter when I feel the urge...if I delay, I generally get hit with a cloud of sentimentality that doesn't let me let go of anything.

How did I manage all that, you ask? Well, some long nights working late were part of it, when I couldn't sleep. And Leif taking longer naps also played a large part. And oddly, I'm still on a roll. I've been doing this for weeks now, and while I'd normally fizz out after a day or two, I'm still in high gear. I can't wait for the next time we head to town (and who knows when that will be - aside from my Dr.'s appointment this past Thursday, we haven't left since Father's Day, and before that, who knows?) so that I can trade it my books, take my bags of clothes to donate, and finally get rid of all the clutter!

After all that is taken care of, it is on to photographs and ephemera. Joy. And then cameras, too. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Leif has been good through all of this, generally not undoing too much of what I do (thank goodness). Jason and Leif found a ball at the playground the other day, and so now we play kickball in the yard, which is fun.

Anyway, I'm yammering on and on, and everyone is snoring for sure by now, so I'm going to bid adieu and go snore myself. (Just kidding, I'm not a snorer).

Happy Nights and Happy Day of Independence.

Globes of Many Sorts

Some tomatoes from the garden and the market finish ripening on the windowsill.

Lately, our view has looked like this as big thunderstorms roil through. Each morning we wake up to dark skies that soon start to grumble. By afternoon, the sun is out and shining, and when we lay in bed at night, we get to watch the lightning ricocheting through the clouds. Quite the show. We love to watch the storms blow in over the water, making it dark and frothy while the rain skates over it. Absolutely beautiful! I love days like this! So it is lots of fun that almost every day is like this of late!

Here, Leif is pointin to Brazil. Grandmom sent him an old National Geographic that focused on Brazil, so we have been learning about Brazil, esp. where it is located in the world!

Here he is pointing to Cape Canaveral, where the Space Shuttle takes off. He's been rather obsessed with space ships (since we can sometimes see the launch from our house). Aunt Caryn gave him a space ship for Christmas, and he loves it.

One night, Jason hit the button on the space ship, which says, "Ground Control to Space Ship One, prepare for lift off...." then proceeds to count down with an echo."FIVE, Five fivefive, FOUR, Four fourfour, THREE, Three, threethree, TWO, Two twotwo, One, One oneone" and then makes the sound of a space ship taking off. While this is all going, Leif gets on the launchpad (the floor next to his crib), and Jason grabs him by the waist. When the countdown starts, he starts shaking Leify softly, which grows as the countdown progresses, until at the sound of the spaceship taking off, he lifts Leify straight up into the air, and then down inside his crib. Leif LOVES it, and it has now become part of his night time routine. He always gets "launched" in to his crib. He loves it when he goes really high, "I went up to the fan!" he'll say excitedly as he pulls his little blankie up to his chin. And soon after that, he is sound asleep. :)

Another cute Leify story before I get back to work:

In their daily morning routine, Jason and Leif run errands downtown (the post office!), then go on a little adventure to the airport, playground or birdwatching for a short bit (or all three), while Momma works at home doing things that can't be done with a little "Un-Do-er" on the loose.

The other day, after the post office, they were heading out to the airport when Jason spotted something rather large in the water. They pulled over, got out of the car and walked to the little bridge to take a look. At first they thought it was dolphin, but it was too fat and had different fins. Then they realized what it was: A Manatee! All excited with the realization of what it was, Jason was pointing it out to Leif, "Look, Leif, Look!" and Leif took up the excitement, pointing and shouting, "CRAB!" Sure enough, skittling along near the lumbering manatee was a blue crab. Jason laughed: here he was pointing out something he'd never seen in the wild, and Leif was ignoring it to point out something he sees (and eats) regularly. He did tell Grandmom on the phone later, though, that the manatee had a funny face. :)

Oh, and another quick story:

A while back, Jason was walking through our bedroom to go check on Leif, who was napping (supposedly). As he was uberquietly tiptoeing toward Leif's room, he heard Leif musing to himself out loud, "Is it Mommy....................or is it Daddy?"

:)

Have a happy, stormy day!

Dusting

Leif dusting the bookshelves with his little Leif-sized lambswool duster. I had my big duster out, and he helped me dust ALL of the bookshelves - I did the top shelves, he did the bottom. What a good boy! And yes, we are the Cheesiest Family that ever lived, in case you were wondering. Can't you tell from that smile?

He particularly liked dusting back behind the books.

A quick Leif story before I exeunt:

Lately, he has been using all sorts of tricks to get out of his crib once we've put him there for the night. Generally, it is something like, "Mommy! Daddy! I have to go potty!" or "I need a drink!" but the other night he gave us a good laugh when he called out, "Mommy! Daddy! I need to floss!"

:)

Happy days.

Leif in a Basket

Peek-a-Boo! Leif loves to play in these baskets - he pretends that they're crab traps, and he is the crab...he gets in the trap, plays for a while, and then, opens the cover and is free! He also loves jack-in-the-boxes, and gets delightedly scared one pops up, and he likes to recreate that pop up in the "trap" which is what he is doing here.

Sometimes he smiles at me, and it makes my day.

But then I wonder if he is just working me. I think he is. But I don't mind.

He sure has fun with other crabs in the trap!

Outside, the thunder is rolling in, grring and growling. Inside, it smells like the wonderful smells of home: I'm making chicken stock (and chicken enchiladas) and the smell of chicken broth and spices is quite lovely. And there are three little uns driving little cars all around the house. Izzy plays leader to the two boys: "Come on, boys, let's play little ponies!" and they're still too young to not want to play ponies. They all run around the house until they're breathless, and then they come in all clamoring for juice.

I know I haven't blogged in a while (a week, has it been?) but I've been busy with a big project - which happens to be topsecret at this point. I'm rather slow with it, so between it and washing Leif's incredible amount of wet undies, I'm whooped!

I've been trying to get my camera right again, too. At Andrew and Ally's wedding, my finger slipped on my camera and knocked something (I don't know what) out of whack. Now, the focus is always off a smidge. I used to know this sort of thing, how to fix it and all, but this has me boggled. I've reset all the settings, popped the lens on and off, but still, I get these odd readings and blurriness on the camera. One of these days, I'll get it all under control, but until then, we'll be suffering through some unfocused and slightly blue shots.

Anyway, I hear the enchiladas calling, so off I go. A merry thunderstorm to you all! :)

Bits of Summer Days

Willie, Izzy, and Leif enjoy ice cream cones on the back stoop.

Aren't they sweet? (The kids, not the cones!)

(The following was started last week, and finished today. I'm slow.)

So, we are halfway through the year, it seems, give or take a few weeks. Today is the first official day of Summer for the kiddos in school, and of course, it was filled with thunder and lightning. Nevertheless, we saw young kids out walking downtown, tossing cast nets off the rocks on the beach into the water, and scooting around on bikes. Ah, summer.

Our days have been filled of late with a plethora of mini-projects: The other day, I ground my own beef (for the first time). Yesterday, Jason hauled my newly refinished armoire into the house (all by himself, mind you!) and I spent the evening giddily moving boxes of crafting items from Leif’s closet into the living room, where I sorted, organized, and stowed it all away neatly in the armoire. The other day, we stopped at a local botanical garden and picked up a dozen very tall, thick, sturdy bamboo poles on the cheap for our garden. In our new shoes, we walk around the neighborhood in the evening, admiring neighbors’ gardens, and ever on the watch for items of use we might find on the way (like prickly pear cactus for jellies, large sticks for staking tomatoes and other uses in the garden).

I spend a good deal of time discovering new ways (to me) of gardening. I’ve suddenly become entranced by any new tidbit of information that will help me – I glean tips from magazine articles on topics that have nothing really to do with gardening, and many that do. Or books, online, neighbors, pretty much anywhere I can. I’ve become a gardening fool! And a crafting fool as well.

I’ve refinished frames for my wall, made pinecone birdfeeders with the kids (Caryn’s and Leif), and have been hunting down projects to become my first sewing victims. I have a few projects in mind already, so now I need to get the materials I need, and voila, I’ll be on my sewing way. Jason discovered that there is a local(ish) place that will start offering classes in mid-September on quilting, and it is really inexpensive. You have to have basic knowledge of sewing, so I have the summer to practice with my little projects and then, hopefully, I will start the quilting class in the Fall. How exciting!

Our worms have produced a grand amount of castings, so I need to harvest that. I’m rather nervous to do it (because I don’t want to harvest the castings improperly). I’m hoping that soon, we’ll have to set up another bin for more worms. They multiply rather quickly, and I’ve noticed the soil moves a lot more than it did before – I’m guessing that means more worms. It would be great if there ARE more worms…currently, they can’t keep up with our output from the kitchen, so it will be wonderful when they can! I’m very excited to put the castings on my tomatoes – it is the best food they could get! I love the cycle of it – our food scraps and old checks/shreddable paperwork that would otherwise go to a landfill feed the worms, who in turn produce worm castings, which is food for the garden to help it grow. We pick the veggies in the garden, eat it, then the scraps from that go right back in to the worm bin and the cycle continues. Beauty, eh?

A quick story before I bid Adieu:

Willie is here today, and they are sitting next to me in a big chair, being silly together. Leif is pressing his head against Willie’s head, and telling me, “We have three heads.”
“Oh, do you?” I ask, laughing.
“Willie has two, “ he continues, pointing to Willie’s head (singular, mind you).
Leif taps his own noggin, “I have one.”
What Goobers.

Tomorrow we’re goin’ blueberry pickin’!
Have a good’un!

(More photos below - keep scrolling!)

A bird flies through threatening skies. I don't know why, but I've always had a cloud fascination. At first, it was just looking at them, matching them up in cloud books, and learning about them. Then, when I got into photography (lawd, ever so long ago!) I'd always shoot random clouds that I found interesting. The pictures, well, to most people they're boring, I suppose. But to me, they're always beautiful and wondrous to look at :)

Leif eats an ice cream cone in the hot summer sun.

More clouds. Wow! I love 'em!

Sunrise. WHY was I up to see this? Dunno.

Red sky in morning, sailors take warning!

Aren't the colors pretty?

Rain falls in the distance from stormy skies.

More stormy skies.

Banjo-playin' fool. :)

Learning on Daddy's banjo. He's been very interested in the banjo lately, and is quite defensive if anyone takes his banjo away from him.

Let the Harvest Begin!

These are the first two squash I've harvested from the garden. I've gotten one more since I took this, and there are loads more on the way! There are also lots of little green tomatoes, lots of little white scallop squash, and the cabbages are getting cabbagier. The eggplants have lovely purple flowers on them, and even the peppers are starting to bud! The cucumbers have loads of flowers, but I haven't seen any little cucumbers growing yet (honestly, I haven't looked too hard, either!)

I think I'm addicted. I added more items to my list of plants I want to grow, and my list is now close to a hundred things I want to grow (that doesn't include the varieties of each, like Tomatoes are listed as one thing, but there are dozens of tomatoes I want to grow!) Most are regular garden items, but there are more than just a few oddities dotting the list. Some are large trees, some are small bushes, some are teeny tiny plants, but ALL are practical and useful (and generally edible). Looks like I need more land! :)

New Kicks!

A view of our new kicks before we take them on their maiden walk. Jason's feet on top, mine on bottom. We each got a new pair, which may not be a big deal to anyone else, but it is a HUGE deal to us. Jason's only pair had worn out years ago, and I hadn't bought a new pair since I was in college. Yikes. But, we want to take a lot more walks, especially since they are putting in sidewalks as we speak in the 'hood! :)

Leif, of course, didn't want to be left out of the picture, so he stuck his foot in. :)

Monsters and Little Boys

Willie and Leify look at little pills turning into monsters in the warm water. They were a birthday present from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Kevin (for his 2nd birthday) but I've been saving them for when he might appreciate them more. They're so cool - we all had fun!

A closer examination of the blue and yellow monsters.

Two full grown monsters and two still in the pill stage get a pokin' from Leif.