If I were twittering, I'd twitter this

My recent switch to Tom's fennel flavored toothpaste has left me with a hankerin' for Indian food.

Spring (Almost) Broke

I should note that 4 people slept in this tent. And two of them were fully grown.



Since the topsy turvey-ness of our spring break, I'm pleased that we had a fun and productive week.

Raised vegetable bins were created (they'll be a post of their own soon enough,) a chicken coop is closer to being realized and we went camping!







Camping was at lovely Bastrop State Park. And it IS lovely for a Texas park. [Here's where my NY snobbishness shines through...] There are tall pine trees which make a lovely coolness beneath. It is almost like we are not camping in Texas. The weather was a "bottler" (so nice you wanna bottle it up and save it for a rainy day) with clear skies, warm days and a gentle breeze. The trees were starting to bud. The birds were out. Ahhh! And another family we know ended up in the same campground so the kids had instant friends to harass when the crows first cawed in the morning.






Sometimes camping has its downsides. And I just couldn't let go of one: the proximity of the campground to the HIGHWAY. The drive into the park may meander through some lovely greenery (again, have we left Texas?) but closer inspection of the map showed that our campsite is probably as close to the highway as an off-ramp McDonald's. Sure, there are trees (tall ones! lovely pines!) completely blocking the view, lights and smell of the freeway, but they weren't enough to buffer the noise. And when you are out in nature trying to get away from it all, you don't want to wonder, was that just one motorcycle? because it really sounded like three. Our friends had the added bonus of being the campsite directly underneath the streetlight (um, since when do campgrounds need streetlights?) Shortly after flashlights out (sadly no campfires to linger over during the burn ban) they had to move their tent because of the light. Thankfully they found a shadow from one of those tall pines to fall just so across their faces so they could sleep.




We had wonderful hikes and the kids were troopers and there was much swinging in our friend's hammock. One day however, Jbird and his compatriot went on a little hike with the moms while the bigger kids went on a more meaty hike with the dads. We studied the interpretive trail and wondered exactly what each little post would say if only we had the corresponding interpretive map. One stop included a picture of a covered wagon next to what might have been a well? an oven? an early urinal? It was a circular stone wall about 2ish feet high; one side had worn away and you could see down another foot or so into a depression in the ground. Rocks abounded. The boys, being ever adventurous, scaled the wall and were walking around the edge as we got closer to ponder what this structure could be. Then with a flash, J's friend took an accidental nosedive off the wall to the bottom. And yes, he had hit the rock at the bottom. [insert here myriad fears and panics about deabilitating neck-injuries, concussions, location of the nearest hospital, location of the nearest band-aid, etc.] As he is collected from the bottom and we are assessing the extent of the injuries amidst our shock, I look up to see that Jbird is now down the well with a thud.

By some fluke of aerodynamics, he has missed the large rock at the bottom with his face, but is holding his arm.


It was a long night of wondering if it was truly broken; there were no visible signs of breakage, but he was certainly not using it and he complained of pain. He was acting just like Nbear when he fractured his arm (after a much much much smaller scale fall.) It seemed in the realm of possibility that it was broken, or at the very least fractured. The doctor the next day deemed it less likely. If it wasn't better by X day we had the go ahead for x-rays. Thankfully by that day he was almost 100%, only milking the "my arm hurts" when he really really didn't want to buckle his carseat by himself. His friend is also doing well with only a bruise (albeit a nasty one) to show for it. WHEW! Add "emergency wine" to our camping pack list.

Animal Analagies all Around or Watch out nature, here we (don't) come!

photos from our last trip


Well. It is Spring Break and in a feverish moment a few weeks ago we booked a campsite at an old favorite: Lost Maples. We haven't been back since we lived in Austin the last time (the first time?) What a perfect time to go with the kids! They are old enough now to make camping a more manageable (ie, out of diapers AND potty trained.) And with Spring Break we have more time! It's so pretty there! Everyone I talked to that likes to camp had fond memories of camping there.*



But all they had left were primitive sites (ie, park the car and haul your gear down a trail to a very remote campsite. Out in nature!) Sure! Fine! Smith and I primitive camped there last time! It'll be great. A friend loaned us an extra camping backpack. We'll haul the stuff and the kids will just have to make the maybe mile? maybe 2 mile hike in. We can do this!



And then the days crept by and we made our menu and went shopping and gathered the gear into piles for each backpack.


It wasn't until last night that Smith and I finally came to the realization that we are CRAZY to haul 4 people's worth of stuff and food and WATER for 3 days to a campsite 2 miles from our car. AFTER driving 4 hours to get there. It was sounding like less and less fun. More like taking a cat camping.*

So we chickened out.

Today in lieu of driving those 4 hours, we are building a vegetable garden. Maybe we'll pitch a tent out back next to it tonight. And later this weekend? We found a place to squeeze our tent in between some RVs at Bastrop. Maybe we'll hear some nature over the white noise of generators... Our desire to camp will not be denied! But it will be modified.




* One friend shared her less-than-fond story of deciding to bring the family cat camping... you can fill in the rest of the story yourselves.

Is it still a kindness if you ask for it?

In one of the classrooms at the kid's school, they might do a "kindness" to the classroom; do something on behalf of all the other people in the class.

In our house, Smith usually makes coffee. I love it when he wakes up early and I can cruise into the kitchen and merely pour. I'm not a coffee junkie, but some days I just like the warmth of it. The smell of it. And given the amount that is often left in my cup, maybe it is still just the aroma that moves me.

After a delightful morning of yoga, I returned home and the coffee was all gone. Not a drop. I went on to make up my own breakfast, glancing at the coffee maker. And then I asked if he would make me some, even though I could tell he was DONE with breakfast and coffee and had moved on to the rest of his day.

"What kind?"
I shrugged and said it didn't really matter. And because I'm slow I only now realize that it didn't matter what kind of coffee. It was really about the act of his making coffee for me. I feel like he is taking care of me, even if he really didn't want to, and I think I needed that extra comfort this morning. So thank you beloved Smith for making it when I asked, but I think it is still a kindness. after all, you could have refused.



(and by pure coincidence, as I type this refrain from a HOLE song is playing in my ears)
Was she askin' for it?
Was she askin' nice?
Yes she was askin' for it!
Did she ask you twice?

My front porch...

Check out my house ya'll, it's the one with the marching band at the end!

The singer's (Frank Myer) son, was one of the wonderful carpenters who worked on the remodel at our old house.

Between a Rock and a Hard-Headed Person (maybe I should change the name of this blog to that...)

Apparently yesterday was my day to be the dissatisfied customer. I didn't mean to be. I finally got around to some phone calls that I had set aside for lack of time in a quiet environment. So at last! I could get around to canceling that credit card that I hadn't used in 3 years, but was somehow still open.

After the obligatory labyrinth that is the phone tree, I got to a person. She spoke very slowly. Very clearly. This would only come to irritate me later.

Me: "I would like to close my account."

Her: "I see that you have been a member with us since 1992. And your balance is $0. You have not had an active balance since 2002."

Me: "Yes. And I would like to close my account."

Her: "Were you aware that we currently offer an 0% interest rate for balance transfers. Can we transfer a balance for you at this time to help you out?"

Me: "No thank you. I would like to close my account."

Her: "We can also extend an APR of 13%. Would you like to..."

Me: "No thank you. I would like to close my account. please."

Her: "Can I ask why you are interested in closing your account at this time? Have you been dissatisfied with our service?"

Me: "No. I wishing to streamline my finances and close out this account which I am no longer using."

Her: "You have been a member in good standing since 1992, do you realize that closing this account may negatively impact your credit score?

Me: (gee. that sounds like a threat.) and now my voice is getting desperate, pleading: "I would like to close my account."

And it gets uglier from there. At some point Smith came out and hovers over me and says "Let me talk to her, I'll tell her how to close that account." And yes, I did ask for a manager. But no, that didn't help. But now. finally I can exhale and know that the stupid account is closed. Can't say that I will miss Discover's customer service after that charade!


And then.


I made a call to my pharmacy (which I love) because I am confused about pricing for some recent medications. My oldest got an antibiotic filled on Friday. It was a a 200 mg - 4 day dose. With insurance it cost me $27 and some change. The very next day, my youngest (and smaller one) had the same drug filled. It was a 100 mg - 4 day dose and it cost me $47 and some change. Hmmm. 200 mg is $27. 100 mg is $47. Half the amount of meds for twice as much? Maybe something went wrong with the keying in.

Sadly no. I was told that each price was determined by my health insurance company and they could not explain the discrepancy. [explain to me how my health insurance company sets the price for a medicine? do they really have that much bloody power?! well. yes. they do.] So you know that meant a lovely call to my health insurance company. Who doesn't love that? I was meant with the same response. She had no idea why the smaller amount of medicine would cost twice as much. She said that the pricing is determined by the manufacturer. So a cranky letter to the manufacturer is forthcoming! I can't wait to see who they blame. Stay tuned.

And Today The View from the Boy's Bedroom Window

Thank you Martha, as always, for your inspiration.

tell not what, empower how

I went to church today. A first in a long time. Maybe it was San Diego that I last went? (And that church was a treat in La Jolla, California. I don't know how quakers got that real estate, but let me tell you, THAT was a lovely place to sit and wait upon God.)

I went today because I am really trying to listen better. I am easily distracted, unfocused, pushing to the next thing I need to do or say. Even this morning, with 5 minutes left before I needed to leave, I dove into cookbooks in the pantry looking for a dinner recipe, rather than spending the last moments with the people in my family. So I felt it was time to step back and go hard core, go to my unprogrammed church to sit in silence for an hour and wait. See what there was to hear. (ha ha, my little quaker joke.)









[here's where you, yourself, would sit in silence for say, an hour or so...I'll wait.]








Than towards the end of that very quiet hour where tiny sounds and smells are magnified and time can be measured by a shift in the shadows, a man spoke about listening. (which was a little different, usually the phrase about this type of worship is about "waiting.") But he talked about listening to God and listening to people and listening to God through people. (Which is exactly why I was there! cue the angels!) And one phrase is ringing through my head from his spiel: Tell not what to do, but empower how to do. It resonates so well because that is exactly what I try to do as a parent. And what the kid's school strives to do in the teaching of them. I had never thought of that as a means to listen better to friends (the people in my life, not necessarily the religious group.)

So here I go.


(I will save my complaints about the weather (90 to 35 in a day!!) for another day, because that is totally lacking in the empowering department.)