Interminably boring

I have been following politics.... the economy.... so I have not been really writing here. I don't want to revisit this period when it is over so I will decline to even bother with it. The campaign is nasty, full of lies and posturing. People want Obama to bring his own "bam" in retaliation to the smoke and mirrors emanating from the McCain camp, but I am wanting candidates who can focus on what we (as a country) need. I don't have patience for anything else. Flash and vim, leave it home please. Tell me how you're going to fix it. Fix it.

I have been studying the great depression-- the causes are identical to what is happening now-- but I have been focusing on what they did to survive it, get past it, on individual family bases. I am trying to identify whether my family will just struggle, or will be Hooverville candidates. So yes, I am not writing much about that. While these things occupy my mind, my husband and I are focusing on making the children's world stay the same. The children- who are studying phonics and Egyptians and geography. Who climb rock walls, swim laps and paint pictures of giant farting dinosaurs.

How grateful am I that we practice voluntary simplicity? That we refuse to buy new cars because ours are "old?" It may not be voluntary after a while, and I am grateful we were already looking at sustainability out of principle. In many ways, that makes us prepared ahead of the curve.

We love our kids, just like everyone else. Make it. Make it. That's all it is lately with me. Make it.

The treehouse is finished!

N-man on the Trex deck. In the window of the door, you can see a sign G made: "Nature Camp"

Proud P-Daddy!

Excited D-meister

Working vinyl sash window

This is my son's way of saying he wants me to make him strawberry kefir.

Tie-dye monster!

Busted! Making off with the last of the shrimp scampi.

Am I really only three years old?

Funnies

Wrung out

If you've ever hand washed anything you know you can wring a piece of fabric until it is almost dry. I feel like I have been doing that to myself. It's been great, don't get me wrong, to live this much but I am so tired. I am ready for the moody blue of winter to come in and still us somewhat.

Canning more peaches this week.

Took the kids on a 5 hours jaunt to the zoo with the C-family, where we were treated to some funny sights. There's little more amusing to me than watching an ancient porcupine (at one show I think they said he was 12) lumbering down a sidewalk without his leash. They got to see a polar bear really showing off his tasty treat, as he kept bringing his bucket closer and closer to the window through which they peered. And finally-- the walrus. One of the walrus females hauled up to the viewing net where the kids were just hanging on, and she doused them completely through. After gazing at her handiwork for about thirty seconds, she filled her mouth with pool water again and just let fly. The viewing area was as wet as if a man had thrown a twenty gallon bucket of water onto the kids. It was FUNNY and I was so glad the kids were laughing as hard as we were.

We started "school" this week, which for us just means paying a bit better attention. I have been working on phonics with G-girl and lettering with the small one. N-man has been picking words out more and more. We did a bio-sheet on walruses after their zoo escapade, and have started talking morning walks to energize us for the day.

I've returned to a way of eating I really used to like, in part because it worked so well for me, but after two weeks at even it's strictest "setting," this plan is failing me. I am not sure what is going on but I don't think I am going to last. Despite mindful attentiveness at times, steady exercise for months and even months where I ate whatever I wanted, I have held steady at the same (fat) weight for the last year (it's September right?) and I am beginning to despair. Nothing I do for the good or bad seems to be changing my weight or appearance. SO I am just going to choose to eat for health and suck up the ugly, I guess.

Probably the most important post of my year

After much soul-searching, I have decided upon a huge course of action. It's mired in conflict and hope, in energy and forgiveness. It's the most important undertaking I have ever considered.

Just.... this is better explained here: