snow march

i went to bed to this

and woke to this

you have to understand, this much snow is a BIG deal around here. the trees crumble under its weight. the roads become impassible. and then thousands of people lose power.

our power went out sometime in the wee hours of wednesday morning, and has remained thus. we are on day three of camping around the woodstove and cooking on the front porch (i am currently spending some time in town to enjoy the luxuries of internet and espresso). 

in the era of wild storms and extended power outages, i am so grateful for woodstove, axe & saw, campstove, cooler, shortwave radio, some candles, and a bathtub full of water. oh and woolens!

the first day was all fun. . . 

when the milk was still good, so was the hot chocolate

but now that we are day three of no power, it's getting irksome. we are all grumpy. it's weird to be so close to powered up homes and businesses, yet feel so isolated. life goes on as usual, yet nothing is normal. tristan has been waking up extra early, immediately excited about feeding the woodstove and seeing the snow. we're tired. yet i am acutely aware that this is nothing compared to the suffering that goes on across the planet due to earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, war, and famine. we are extremely fortunate and have lots of canned food.

above, just one of many similar scenes on the roads in our area. notice the downed line on the right. 

and in the photo below, notice the tree leaning on the power line to the left. there is a whole row of trees resting on the power line just a few yards beyond.  

homes with trees on them

branches that have snapped off, tree after tree after tree

how do you cope with lack of electricity and water? 

what are your favorite and least favorite aspects of a power outage?

weekend round up

today started off with this baked dish (again) and these biscuits. eggs from my friend's chickens. locally roasted coffee. 

later tashi and i went to the paramount to see the princess bride,  viewed often, but never before on a big screen. it was good fun. i will definitely see more films there. affordable popcorn. tasty coffee. and a beautiful historic theater.

tomorrow evening i have this to look forward to!!!! i may be a mellow girl, but i do love rock & roll dissonance!

and then snow? we shall see what mid-week brings! in the mean time, some firewood gathering is in order! as well as some granola baking, breakfast bar making, and my first attempt at no-knead bread.

mighty fine

i've been working a temp job on saturdays, and meeting with doula clients often on weekends, but this past weekend was uncommitted for the first time in quite a while. so i was able to spend some quality time with my peoples. in a blink, monday arrived. but there are some highlights to savor.

i found some organic blueberries on sale at the new fresh market. that store is full of tasty temptations. we had the blueberries on sunday morning with oatmeal pancakes, which are probably the best pancakes on earth.

tristan asked that i take this photo of him making a silly face.

he's picked up tashi's love of calvin and hobbes.  it's fun to hear him cackling at it.

on sunday afternoon we had a lovely hike and small picnic at chris greene lake. what a beautiful day! 

i didn't go too overboard on oscar dinner this year, but i did make shrimp and grits for the first time ever, a little nod to our louisiana hushpuppy. no matter what you think of beasts of the southern wild you can't deny her outstanding performance.

alas, it was a somewhat disappointing oscar ceremony. but the grits, the grits were mighty fine.

what was fine about your weekend?

first day of preschool

that's our big boy, ready for his first day of preschool. while he told us he didn't want to go there, really that he wouldn't, he was exceptionally cooperative about getting ready to leave the house. departure is not his forte, i must say, but underneath all the contrary sentiments, i think he was quite excited. 

big wet white snowflakes started to fall as we drove away from our hamlet, and the tears fell as well. not from him, who was expressing amazement at the snow. but from me. the growing certainly does happen all too quickly. and when you start to let go you wonder if you didn't hold on enough. 

 

we were of the first to arrive this morning, and tristan immediately took some toys down from the shelf, making himself at home in this new magical space. he will spend just two days a week in this sweet  preschool, where the seasons are celebrated, where the toys inspire the imagination, where there are crafts to be made, stories to enjoy, bunnies to feed, and a very regal cat to watch over everything.

i stole one more moment after i stepped outside, and gazed back in at the children and their wonderful teacher, gathered around their task of painting. yes, this will be good. another adult to help our boy unfurl, to share in the task of offering up attention, guidance, and rhythm. and more friends to sort out relations with. there were no tears as i walked away, not from him, not from me. just a sense of wonder as we take the next step on our journey.

when i picked him up he said he didn't want to leave, yet readily went to the door, walked the path to the car, and climbed in. departure is not his forte, i must say, but underneath all the contrary sentiments, i think he was quite excited to be heading home again, and quite willing to offer up some small glimpses of his day.

he said he had fun, but not too much fun. he told me that his teacher read a chapter of the borrowers to them at rest time, that he didn't nap, but he did close his eyes for a while, and he liked that. as we drove back to our hamlet in the hills, he told me he just wanted to turn around and go back to his school. and as he dropped into a deep sleep in the car seat, sandwich in hand, he told me his day was stupid. so many contradictions in this little person who loves life, who loves to laugh and play and explore, but who also knows that being agreeable might mean giving up a little bit of his desire for self determination. it's tricky business, that.

but i'm pretty sure he'll figure it out. and maybe a little time in separate spaces, a little time for perspective, for reflection, a little time for work, will help me to figure it out as well.