life on the farm

is not 'kinda laid back.' i'm not sure why john denver claimed it to be.
we worked hard yesterday: transplanting, weeding, tending, repotting, & harvesting. there was no laid backification (real word) going on. instead there was back outification (also real word.) i just never learn.

my plan is to get the exsisting beds filled, so i can focus on building the new ones - in which 'focus' means sitting on a bench with an iced tea, watching manlyman build the new beds. all that's left to that end are tomatoes & cucumbers. i have some teeny seedlings planted, but i think i am going to cheat, & buy some big plants to extend the season. we loves us our 'maters & cukes.

today is the luncheon to celebrate the completion of our 100s! thehobbit is so excited, that he got dressed at 7am, & has been talking about it non-stop since. noooooon-stop. he loves the formalness of the word luncheon. it lends a certain air to the day... which; knowing his penchant for dressing to the occasion; would mean he was dressed in his fancies. right? were you to assume this, you too would be wrong. he who dresses fancy to use the toilet, decided this was a perfect occasion to wear normal people clothing - tan cargo pants, dark gray long sleeved shirt, taupe fleece vest. as a matter of fact, he's been dressing this way for about a week now. his way of being different? dressing like actual people who live in this time, & are not going to the opera?
*edited to add: before we left, thehobbit removed the fuzzy vest, added a short sleeved dress shirt, & a black tie.

& that brings today's babble to a close. happy thursday :-)
~peace.

here comes peter cottontail..

hopping down the belfry-trail!

i was torn this morn: do i share with you yesterday's drama of the water heater breaking then replaced with one that was too big, the landlord having a diabetes event in my laundryroom, the whatchamacallit that turns the water on to the entire house breaking, & their plumber away until monday, thus leaving us hooked to rubelin's water via a very long hose?
or do i share the easter fun, & leave you in blissfull ignorance of the rest? i decided to share easter fun!! (see how i shared both, making it seem that i only meant to share one all the while?)

i meant to take a photo of the table set to surprise thehobbit, but um i sort of forgot today was easter until i heard him squealing with delight in the other room. i also meant to take a photo of my very first knitted bunny!!!! except he turned out looking like he'd survived being stepped upon by a giant, & never did heal properly. in true hobbity fashion, he was proclaimed the most perfect bunny in all bunnydom. i do love that sweet boy of mine.


this is thehobbit wearing the ties from the easter bunny, & showing one of the teeeeeny wooden animals that led the way to the baskets. they are the sweetest little toys, & the wheels do work! bunny, alligator, pig, & elephant - an odd menagerie. (the felt eggs were a huge hit!)

um he just drove into the room wearing: black slacks, dark green dress shirt, white tie, black wool overcoat (it's already warm enough for shorts,) & a black derby... wanting to know when i was going to get dressed. ha! as we're going nowhere, & none are coming to visit, i have no desire to get into my fancies. you & i both know that i shall - those huge brown eyes, with those freakylong black lashes - pleading with me... sigh.

i'm off to get dressed in my easter best. i wonder if i can get away with putting a fancy skirt on over my jams...

~peace.

more of the same

i don't wish to harp on this; but i am not enjoying the never-ending pestilence. i shall spare you further bitching about it. before i do, i need to ask: why do i start feeling much better, then wake the next day miserable, then ooh look! i'm feeling pretty decent, oh no wait, i'm actually a wretched puddle of goo, etc... why?

not much has been getting done of late. i did manage a bit of planting & tending on sunday. the sun felt lovely on my back whilst i worked. one of the woes of this pestilence has been feeling constantly cold, so this little heat wave has been much appreciated.

yesterday we were at our tuesday book-craft gig. the heat left us all feeling slow & lazy. this resulted in the shorties being a bit out of sorts, but we mamas enjoyed it to no end. relished it in fact!

it was also book club night! sadly only two of us were able to attend, so it was turned into a craft & coffee night. before i had to head home (early due to pestilence) i managed to knit thehobbit a mini scarf for valentine's day. i used the remainder of yarn from my scarf, so we'll match. he will be thrilled by the matching! i made the scarf short, sort of a funky cravat if you will. this way he can use it for dress-up as well.

speaking of dress-up... today thehobbit is wearing (over actual regular clothes) a brown, fuzzy fleece vest (zipped literally to the chin) with a black belt over it, a hands-free headset on his head, and a large, plastic bowl over that. i'm guessing it's a space helmet. he has a small bowl on a doll's head as well. they have turned a bench, two yoga blocks, & a doll cradle into a spaceship. i've no idea where they are headed, but they look to be having great fun on their way.

i hope your day is great fun as well.
~peace.

one long week

wow. that's it really... wow. manlyman is due home tonight, & not a moment too soon. i adore my little hobbity boy, but wow. he's a really easy kid, so i don't feel overwhelmed having no second parent all week. what's driving me to drink is how much he misses his daddyo. it's been like living with a wee manic-depressive. one moment he's having a grand time, & the next he's seriously pissy or sad. just boom! wild.

hahahaha! the lunatic in question just walked through the room wearing jams, non-matching socks, winter coat with the hood up, harry potter glasses, & using a baton as a cane. he was mumbling something in an aussie accent that i didn't catch. at least this aspect of his personality is still intact.

the potions corner of thehobbit's nook:


last night i finally mastered the first knitting stitch! i wish you could have seen me... sitting alone, watching my brit-coms, & grinning like a loon. each time i completed another row, i stopped to admire my work. i only have 7 whatchamacallits per row, so i haven't a clue what i shall do with it. if i don't frame it; which is entirely possible; it will most likely end up a scarf for one of thehobbit's many dolls/animals.

speaking of knitting... yesterday at hogwarts, the kids made knitting needles. that morning thehobbit announced that he did not want to make needles, because he had no intention of learning to knit. after a few hours knitting imaginary things with minipaper, he announced he wanted to knit, so i should let him know when auntiesoap's class was to be. funny kid. btw, when i say announce, i really do mean just that. he'll walk into the room, say his bit, then walk out again.

another glimpse into the world of hobbit fashion:


have i shown that pic already? most likely. i'm afraid my swisscheese brain is in full cheese-mode these days.

time for me to get cleaning. it's amazing how messy a house can get when one person is away on holiday, & the other two aren't picking up after themselves. i should like to ignore the mess, & spend the day outside instead, but i keep tripping over things, & have run out of clean bowls. by bowls i mean all dishes. it's not pretty.

have a happy saturday!

how much sleep does one really need?

i feel like a guinea pig in a sleep-deprivation study. manlyman left yesterday for his annual artist retreat (read: bob hope golf classic.) neither thehobbit nor i was able to sleep much without him here. the poor little hobbit was so miserable, that when he did fall asleep, it was with his face & pillow covered in tears. just about broke my heart. yes reader, we are mushy for our manlyman.
every time i would get to sleep, thehobbit would wake, & need something. then; to enhance the study; he got up before the dawn.

to avoid the week painfully dragging, i've packed our schedule with all the activities i could find. if we don't get any sleep tonight though, it may be more painful than i'd anticipated. a nap perhaps? is it wrong to desperately crave a nap early in the morning?

a glimpse into the world of hobbity fashion:

here we have the famous leopard hat, & the too-small uniform shirt. fancy, no?

before manlyman left on his holiday, he tackled the larger issues on the farm. most of the weeds are gone, the ground around the raised beds is free of growth, & that bleeping ivy is no longer creeping out into the lawn. he only has the back fourth of the yard left to tend!
i don't think i mentioned that the growth around the beds was up to my knees. you can imagine that made tending the plants a little difficult. after he got that under control, i was able to weed the beds, & even pull some delicious carrots for our salad! mmm. later this week i hope to get some things transplanted, & start more seeds.

enough babbling for today. we have a few things to take care of at home, then we're off for errands, & a new adventure.... a japanese dollar store! we recently learned that our beloved dollar store in little tokyo is no longer there. i hope this one is at least as fabulous! i'll let you know.
have a lovely day, & if you're able to nap, sleep a little for me please.
~peace.

manlyman took us on a spur-of-the-moment adventure sunday night! in the pouring rain, we drove out to hollywood for dinner! thehobbit requested that daddyo dress fancy with him, & my sweet manlyman obliged. he is such an amazing father. happily i wasn't asked. i love dressing fancy, but it was pouring, & i was cold. i would have, had he asked, but whew.

we finally found ties for kids! let me be more specific; ties that are affordable for kids. a local shop had silk ones on sale, so we were able to get thehobbit 2! he chose a black regular tie, & a striped clip-on. sadly, no gryffindor-looking ones, nor bowties were to be had.

this morning he woke (before the dawn,) & got dressed. i have to say that he looks utterly adorable in a tie. now if he'd only wear the 'new' dress shirts that fit him, instead of the old one. i know he loves it so, but it's two sizes too small! i imagine eventually it will split, or turn to dust, then he'll have to wear another. now all that's left are vests, & sweater vests... thrift shopping!

today is tuesday, you know what that means... book-craft day with his best minis, & mama-only night with a few of mine! this tuesday is ultra special, for it's bookclub night! it began years ago, as a large group of homeschooling mamas who met monthly to discuss classic books. over the years it's gotten smaller, but it's still going strong. tonight we're choosing the books for the year ahead. it's exciting... creating the list, looking forward to what we shall be reading. yes i know - i am a bookdork.

one part of the bookclub i like is that we all have a say in what gets chosen. there have been books i didn't want to read, & disliked every moment as i read them. however, there have been ones i was loathe to read, & found that i enjoyed them very much: this, this, & this! ok that last one i destested, but it was amazing, & worth reading. i usually go for shakespeare, austen, & the other usual suspects, so to have to go out of my tastes, & into another's has been a wonderful experience (usually) for me. thus far i've been unable to get them to agree to the faery queene, and the canterbury tales. i just may have to tackle those on my own.

well i see i've babbled on for ages. the roots growing from my arse to the stool are telling me it's time to get on with my day. plus, we need to read a chapter before we head out. one of the things that's wonderful about his book-craft is that i get to read to him. he's long been able to read on his own, so having an official 'together' book keeps that alive. i still enjoy being read to, so perhaps it's not something he'll outgrow. we shall see.

have a glorious day! make sure you craft something, or meet with a friend. better yet... do both!
~peace.

mama babble

how i wish you could see what i see! thehobbit is on the floor, with his arms folded beneath his head, his legs crossed, & up against the tv cabinet. he's watching this, & wearing quite the morning ensemble: multi-colored, striped knee-socks, white jam bottoms with black, vintage televisions all over them (jam legs tucked into socks,) a green m*a*s*h tshirt, hogwarts robe, daddyo's slippers, & glittered, 2008 sunglasses.
(update: done with tv, he has added the leopard-print cowboy hat.)

i meant to tell you of this the other day. moon sand is thehobbit's latest obsession. he learned of it through his love of infomercials, & has longed for it ever since. i try to keep his toys, & craft supplies all-natural, but this time i could not turn him down. i had finally agreed to the coveted, not natural model magic, told a relative he wanted it... but he received regular clay instead. fine by me, but he wanted a clay that was already soft, & squishy when he took it out (& he liked how clean it was.) when we tried to exchange it, that store no longer carried tubs of model magic. wee, hobbity sadness shone from his eyes... then he saw the above, & squealed! how could i say no?

i have to admit it's brilliant! it feels like damp sand, with the strength of clay. he can mold, & remold it, & it never dries. it isn't actually wet, if you were wondering. it scores a 10 with thehobbit, & a 6 with me; i don't like that it's not natural.

one last hobbit-related thing today... i'm desperate for a vegetarian marshmallow recipe. i've found many, but thehobbit can eat neither soy, nor corn products. if you come across one, please let me know. i don't know how many more campouts he can handle, sans roasted marshmallows.

i'm off to rest my weary head; i slept poorly, & woke with a wretched migrane. i'd love to hear about toys/products that your shorties adore.

~peace.

ha!

i did not succumb to the urge to craft yesterday! you were sure i would; but you were mistaken. have you so little faith in me?! i think i am a bit insulted by that.
list? what list? oh that list... well no. no, i didn't get everything to-done. but! let's focus instead on the fact that i did not craft, as you; oh faithless one; believed i would. moving on...

i went out for a fancy, mamas' dinner last night! wonderful conversation, & delicious food, followed by more conversation (fire-side) at a coffee house. i don't know what i'd do without my regular mamas-only outings... nor without my mamas. that time to connect, to laugh, to talk, to just be; it's so necessary. i honestly don't know how i managed for so long without these weekly outings.

no more time for babbling; today is hogwarts! the holiday break had sounded like a good idea; back in september; but thehobbit has been miserable without his saturday classes. the moment he popped from bed this morn, he was in his uniform! not the usual, andy griffith uniform of late... hogwarts is black slacks, white dress shirt, & sweater vest with gryffindor stripes. let us not confuse the various uniforms! if he hears we did, the next thing you know, he'd be dressed in the other uniform, & writing us tickets.

have a beautiful day!
~peace.

happy new year!

our night was great fun! we dressed in our fancies, & had dinner at home. even manlyman got into the spirit, & i must say he looks dashing in a top hat & cravat. thehobbit goes to bed pretty early still, so we rang in the new year with rio de janiero. as the clock struck 12 (6) we went outside, & threw a zillion snaps at the pavement. then back inside for a family concert. we had thehobbit on cigar box/drum & guitar, manlyman on other guitar & wooden pizza cutter/clacker, & yours truly on plastic microphone. we really should go on tour ;-)

today was quiet in our belfry. manlyman had to work, so thehobbit & i watched the parade, played in the backyard for a bit, then built a fort in the bigroom. a damask fort at that!

i felt a strong urge to create today. after i cursed silently at my knitting needles, i felted myself an acorn necklace! i think it is utterly sweet, & of course have yet to take a photo of it. i will though, i will! next i braved my new rotary cutter. that didn't go as pleasantly. don't get me wrong; it cut like a dream. it's just that... well let us say that i'm thankful for manlyman & bandages, & leave off there, shall we?

that's it really. nothing wild, nothing profound. another year gone, & tomorrow our lives return to normal.

i hope you were able to spend your day in a way that made you smile. ~peace.

looking back, ahead, & inward

i cannot believe we've come to the end of another year. one year ago today i was worrying what 2007 would bring. thehobbit was scheduled for surgery in january, & all that could go wrong never left my mind.
today i sit in wonder, looking back at everything that we've been through since. it seems at once so long ago, & just yesterday. my memories of that frightening time will never leave me... but that's good. it keeps me aware of how fragile life is, & how truly blessed i am.

2007 brought me more joy than i could imagine possible. i got to meet & chat with jane goodall, i turned a few dreams into reality, & was able to drive to oregon to see family. i watched my beautiful hobbit get healthy, & grow, grow some more, find 2 amazing bestest friends, & grow again. i saw my manlyman discover who he is, & what that means. i also looked around me... found that buddies had become close friends, & close friends had become family. so blessed.

my front yard, looking up

*deep sigh* thus ends my deep, meaningful post. thehobbit walked through the room, making it impossible to remain serious. he is wearing (over his uniform,) an invisibility cloak, leopard print cowboy hat, glittery 2008-shaped sunglasses, wooden sword in hand. the wildest part of all of that, is that he doesn't dress 'creatively' for attention. for him it's just what he does, just who he is. if we ever comment, he'll rush off to change into 'normal' clothes... so we try to never bat an eye.

same tree, different view

thank you all for starting this blog journey with me. i joke that i have just the one reader, but many have told me, or written to me, that they've been reading. i cannot tell you what a warm feeling that gives me. of course you know i shall not give up the only reader bit.

my hope is that this year brought you more joys than sorrows, & that you find love, peace, & happiness in the year to come.

blessed be.