a day of reflection

note to self

i am her mother

early in the morning on mother's day, tashi said she would do what ever i wanted to do with the day. she said, "i'll even go shopping with you!" tashi often hates shopping. and she doesn't understand that much of my shopping is driven by necessity. but still, i thought i'd seize the moment!

and so after a lazy morning of collaging, and a delicious indian buffet lunch, we went to marshall's, hall of bargains. it was worth it just for this photo. it wasn't until tashi took the hat off that i saw it was priced at $84. goodness. so much for bargains.

we both scored a couple of flouncy summer dresses though. and lots of laughs.

the blessings of motherhood come in an infinite variety of forms: a clay pot created in secret and presented with pride, a flamboyant pink hat atop a priceless smile, a hand that fills mine on the lonely road, the tactile memory of nursing. . . and nursing. . . and nursing, a head on my shoulder as i read a fantastical story, the sweetest of all sleeping breaths, poems about horses and doves, the most unconditional of all loves.

i am eternally grateful.

out & about

dan has been away since wednesday, attending a conference in brussels, belgium. tashi and i miss him of course, but we've been having a nice mother daughter bonding session. i've had to arrive late to work and leave early from work for tashi's school drop off and pick up, and i've loved it. dan usually does all this running around as his work day starts later and is more flexible. i so miss being more involved in tashi's day; i can't describe the ache it fills me with.

today we've been out and about.

we went to a "meet the midwives" picnic put on by birth matters in belmont park. i am starting up a doula practice and am meeting members of the birth community in charlottesville. it's very exciting. the picnic food was delicious and there were so many nice people in attendance.

we also went to the festival of cultures where we ate more good food, made crafts, listened to music and watched some great dancers.





after the festival we took a walk on the downtown mall and discovered the john lennon exhibit.



this is a special three day exhibit featuring a huge collection of his drawings, paintings and hand written lyrics that yoko ono has released to the public. apparently, shortly before lennon was murdered, he and yoko visited charlottesville and were considering buying a summer home here. she remembered this recently with fondness, and decided to open the exhibit here. it was really special looking at his romantic, peace loving and often whimsical works, and listening to his music cranked in the background. tashi took a special interest in the line of drawings he made for sean.

she liked "a walrus wading" best.



i liked "a horse laughing".



(we purchased a book)



when we came home there was a surprise waiting outside the door. thanks my love!



happy mother's day to the true creators of the world.

and remember this, the original intention behind mother's day:

"The original Mother’s Day proclamation was penned in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe, the renowned author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The holiday began as a bold cry by mothers for all mothers to rise up against war following the carnage of the U.S. Civil War. It began with, 'Arise then, women of this day! Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and Patience.'”

Devendra Banhart - I Feel Just Like A Child (Live Taratata)

from my womb to my tomb i guess i'll always be a little child

wild blessings, a photo essay

we live in town, a twenty minute walk from uva, surrounded by student housing, just minutes from fried chicken, german beer, a plethora of mechanics and gas pumps. i often long to be out in the country, surrounded by acreage and woods. but for being in town i think we've got it pretty good.

the back yard with its wild borders



a great place to unwind after a long day




indeed




luna in perspective



trail to the fire ring



guarded by angels



a rose that i rescued from the encroaching scrub



hello iris



just keep on swingin'

saturday figure drawing session

hooray for saturday, even if it's damp, cold and grey.

tashi and i visited the farmer's market bright and early, where i picked up some more seedlings, including organic basil. then we went to the bookstore to pick up a book for tashi's friend who is having a birthday party later. while at the bookstore we found a figure drawing kit on the sale rack, so we decided to buy it. when we got home we went right to work.

the birthday party will be an over night camp-out at a lake in the blue ridge. parents are invited too. so despite the crummy weather, we're going to gather up our gear and head out for a night of fun in the woods.

see you all tomorrow!

strings & things

tonight was music night at tashi's school. the school has a great music program and it was a pleasure to take it all in. tashi's class performed twinkle little star on their violins, their first song after their first five weeks of learning strings. they did great!

it's a busy time. i haven't been making much of anything. i haven't even been making my collage a week. i have to get back to that, at least. my sewing machine has things piled on top of it, and my work room is full of messes. it's time for "to do" lists and summer goals.

and then we took a bike ride

down a dirt road to a pretty place.

sunnyday

it's been a fabulous sunday thus far. after homefries, turkey bacon and flax-yogurt- berry-smoothies, there was apple cake with caramel frosting.



and then there was the vintage book about san francisco, which tashi read to us.



and there were more seedlings, purchased at the farmer's market yesterday, planted today.

sunflowers, cosmos, calendula and nasturtium planted along the house. this trough was full of rocks, dead leaves and onion grass before.



the beginnings of tashi's fairy garden. an old pumpkin, hardened through a winter at the yard's edge. more calendula. and some scarlet phlox (not shown).



dappled shade with lupin and bachelor buttons.



a carpet of cherry blossoms.



lemon verbena, an ally.



morning glory in an old chinese medicine teapot.



i garden very spontaneously and without much planning. the results are mixed. i would like to plant many more medicinal herbs. there were far more dandelions and violets this spring. joy! i haven't quite found the place for a vegetable garden. much of our yard looks like this.



and within that wonderful, wild, chaotic mess, is a whole lot of this.



i don't have a good relationship with poison ivy and have had many uncomfortable months infected by it. in fact, i've a feeling it's just a matter of days before it appears on my skin after the game of hide and seek i played with tashi yesterday. i so would like to make these wild corners of our yard safely accessible. and would like to landscape some of the space with useful plants. but the battle with poison ivy is one i dread and fear.

in the mean time, here is our guard cat. he runs through the poison ivy freely and with glee. and passes it on to me.

cowday

it's a lunchblog update. today's meal is palak paneer with brown rice. followed by a donut. yes, indeed, a donut. there was a box of fresh donuts in the main office, and i just couldn't resist.

right now the decemberists are playing on pandora. and the sun is trying to break through the clouds. i think it might be a very nice weekend.

i am featuring the cow picture because of the dream i had last night. i dreamt that goji berries somehow had a psychotropic affect and i was enjoying this experience on a gorgeous farm. there were cows and horses all around. despite the clean, open conditions of the farm and the luscious tree line skirting the edge, i could sense an intense suffering amongst the animals. free range or not, they were there for the sole purpose of meeting human demand. it was such a conflicting experience, so much beauty and so much suffering. i woke up with the word samsara on my tongue.

so i am featuring the picture of the cow because it is such a beautiful cow, but it is tagged as some ranch owner's possession.

cows and goji berries and idylic farms aside, there is some serious change in the works. i'll let you know once the wheel spins and i'm on the other side!

dogwood festival

yesterday was another remarkable spring day. we treated tashi to an afternoon at the dogwood festival. carnivals are always a bit surreal. i was really blown away by this beehive hairdo.



dan and tashi were in car #1 of the zipper. definitely the wildest ride tashi's ever been on.



i resisted the urge for funnel cake. tashi didn't even ask for cotton candy. i'd say the day was a success.

tea time

it's a gorgeous spring weekend in our parts. such a relief. yesterday we had tea time on the deck. that is my lovely tea pot from lemba village in cyprus.



tashi wasn't feeling well so spent all day at home. she and dan gave me permission to go to a matinee. i saw the namesake, directed by mira nair. i had read the book last fall and while i was somewhat disappointed with the book, i knew it would make a good movie. and indeed it was good.




loki had a nice spring day too.

on the other side of wednesday

this morning we watched tashi's class play about moses (third grade in waldorf school focuses on jewish stories and tradition). tashi played miriam. she was so good. and oh so beautiful.

it was a fine start to a rather unremarkable day.

a friend sent this link. hold onto your seat. it is mind bending.

tomorrow evening robert randolph and the family band are playing for * free * at the charlottesville pavilion! wow!

dark day

it's a dark day in virginia. the clouds are gathering. the wind is blowing. the electricity is flickering. the tree limbs are falling.

when i came home i found the chimney shield in the middle of our walkway. it sure is an ugly thing.



and the sun umbrella had blown off the deck.



and the hammock had twigs in it.



well, just a little twig. but it's a nice hammock isn't it?

the darkest saddest news is that some nutter killed over 30 students with a gun at virginia tech. that is pure sorrow. and it is a grave reminder that this many people die violently every day in iraq. i hold our government accountable. i despise guns. it should not be this easy for anyone to obtain a gun.



my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones.