Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Goodnight Moon, Hello Little One
Today, I actually saw the baby kicking for the first time! Jason and I have been taking turns reading the bedtime story Goodnight Moon to the baby for the past few weeks. Jason reads in the morning, and I usually read at night. This morning, after Jason left for work, the baby was particularly active. Knowing the little one was awake for certain, I decided to read the story again. The kicks became far more prominent, and I could see my belly move each time I felt a kick! It was incredible! The baby was actually responding to my voice, so I read the story three more times...very surreal, and needless to say, I'm on a Mama-high right now! I posted a link to an animated reading of Goodnight Moon in the sidebar, in case anyone's feeling nostalgic...
Monday, October 12, 2009
Steak, Bacon, and Beer
Matt and Andrew just spent a few days here in the Sierras with us. It was an official "Guy's Weekend" so I did my best to stay out of the way. (To my credit, I did not once remind anyone to eat vegetables, but I did call Angela at one point for a little play-by-play and feminine perspective!)
It was great to see Matt and Andrew, and they were awesome house guests, as always. I know Jason loved having a few days with the guys. From the sidelines, I'd say they had a relaxing weekend. Two rounds of golf, a camping trip, a steak dinner, three packages of bacon, and of course, a few good brews...'nuff said!
Camping at Utica Lake
It was great to see Matt and Andrew, and they were awesome house guests, as always. I know Jason loved having a few days with the guys. From the sidelines, I'd say they had a relaxing weekend. Two rounds of golf, a camping trip, a steak dinner, three packages of bacon, and of course, a few good brews...'nuff said!
And they say women always pack too much! (Sorry guys, couldn't resist!)
Camping at Utica Lake
Gardening Shame
While we were in San Francisco, we missed the first snowfall at our house. It was a mere dusting that melted almost immediately, but it was a serious reminder that winter is literally on our doorstep.
The garden typically has a tired and haggard appearance in early autumn. As I look out the window, I realize it looks down right pathetic this year. For the first time ever, I allowed the critters to triumph. I raised the flag of surrender over a month ago and abandoned the garden to take on the far easier task of deconstructing the guest bedroom to convert it into a nursery for the baby. Had I not this diversion, the story would have had a different ending. The battle would still be raging, and I would be a sad shadow of a woman-a crazed lunatic rooting around in the soil, muttering to myself, pausing only occasionally to unleash violent, curse-laden tirades against the gophers and other rodents molesting the garden.
I needed a far more peaceful summer this year, and by the grace of the Great Mother, there is still a fair amount of plants standing in the garden, albeit hanging on for dear life, and they do now require my attention to prepare them for winter.
Although there were a few hopeful green tomatoes and peppers hanging on the vine, I cleared the entire veggie garden just before our trip to the city. With the exception of a few asters and our native California fuchsias which are still in bloom, all of the herbaceous perennials have been cut back. I've collected seed from all of the annuals, and the spent plants have been transferred to the compost pile.
I still need to mulch all of the roses and tender perennials that are in the ground, and the big job ahead is moving all of the plants in ceramic pots into the garage for the winter. The ceramic will crack with the freezing and thawing of snow, and the majority of the plants I have growing in those containers are not winter hardy. (I just can't let go of some of my tropical favorites!)
I'm actually looking forward to an early winter so that I can hide my shame under a thick blanket of snow...Will someone please remind me of this next spring when I'm begging the snow to melt, and I'm obsessively sprouting seeds prematurely, eager for another season of gardening to begin?
Eastern Redbud 'Forest Pansy'
The garden typically has a tired and haggard appearance in early autumn. As I look out the window, I realize it looks down right pathetic this year. For the first time ever, I allowed the critters to triumph. I raised the flag of surrender over a month ago and abandoned the garden to take on the far easier task of deconstructing the guest bedroom to convert it into a nursery for the baby. Had I not this diversion, the story would have had a different ending. The battle would still be raging, and I would be a sad shadow of a woman-a crazed lunatic rooting around in the soil, muttering to myself, pausing only occasionally to unleash violent, curse-laden tirades against the gophers and other rodents molesting the garden.
I needed a far more peaceful summer this year, and by the grace of the Great Mother, there is still a fair amount of plants standing in the garden, albeit hanging on for dear life, and they do now require my attention to prepare them for winter.
Although there were a few hopeful green tomatoes and peppers hanging on the vine, I cleared the entire veggie garden just before our trip to the city. With the exception of a few asters and our native California fuchsias which are still in bloom, all of the herbaceous perennials have been cut back. I've collected seed from all of the annuals, and the spent plants have been transferred to the compost pile.
I still need to mulch all of the roses and tender perennials that are in the ground, and the big job ahead is moving all of the plants in ceramic pots into the garage for the winter. The ceramic will crack with the freezing and thawing of snow, and the majority of the plants I have growing in those containers are not winter hardy. (I just can't let go of some of my tropical favorites!)
I'm actually looking forward to an early winter so that I can hide my shame under a thick blanket of snow...Will someone please remind me of this next spring when I'm begging the snow to melt, and I'm obsessively sprouting seeds prematurely, eager for another season of gardening to begin?
A persistent rose blossom...
Eastern Redbud 'Forest Pansy'
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Fiddles, Banjos, and Thai Food
Jason and I just completed our fourth pilgrimage to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This was the 9th annual HSB festival, and for better or worse, the event has become more popular than ever! (We skipped last year to go instead on a camping trip/fall foliage tour of the Eastern Sierra...)
The three day festival is free, and the musical line-up is unbelievable, so it draws insanely huge crowds. It was estimated that over 500,000 people attended this year! (There were reports of a few Woodstock flashbacks!) In years past, the crowd was overwhelmingly friendly and down-to-earth, but we did encounter a few rude folk for the first time ever this year. There was a small handful of people who were clearly there because it's the hip place to be, and they weren't at all interested in the musicians. I'm a purist when it comes to good music, so I was rather annoyed and a bit disappointed by this aspect. Overall, the crowd was kind and enthusiastic, and the music was incredible, which more than compensated for the cramped conditions and a few impolite neighbors...
There are six stages and over 80 bands at the festival. The musical line-up includes traditional folk, gospel, indie-rock, blues, neo-folk, and of course, good old-fashioned, true-bluegrass! We usually claim a spot at the main stage, The Banjo Stage, and take turns circulating the other venues so that we can catch as many acts as possible. This year the crowd was too big to navigate through quickly and easily, so we planted ourselves under the big banjo and enjoyed two full days of mostly serious bluegrass. (with a little Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show tossed in for good measure!)
Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show performing "The Weight"
We were much closer to the stage on Day Two. This is the legendary Earl Scruggs, still picking a mean banjo at the age of 86!
We also had a fun visit with Cathy and Ken, aka Nana Cathy and Grandpa Kenny, who were kind enough to let us stay with them during the festival. (By the way, Ken makes a fierce steak fajita dinner! Yum! Cathy kept us well supplied with homemade toffee cookies for snacking at the festival! Thanks again, guys!) We rounded out the weekend shopping for maternity clothes, and of course, a trip to the city isn't complete without at least one meal at a thai food restaurant. (in my book, anyway!) It was a great weekend! We had our fill of good food and music...Nice to get a little taste of the city, but always lovely to return to our cozy little home in the woods!
The three day festival is free, and the musical line-up is unbelievable, so it draws insanely huge crowds. It was estimated that over 500,000 people attended this year! (There were reports of a few Woodstock flashbacks!) In years past, the crowd was overwhelmingly friendly and down-to-earth, but we did encounter a few rude folk for the first time ever this year. There was a small handful of people who were clearly there because it's the hip place to be, and they weren't at all interested in the musicians. I'm a purist when it comes to good music, so I was rather annoyed and a bit disappointed by this aspect. Overall, the crowd was kind and enthusiastic, and the music was incredible, which more than compensated for the cramped conditions and a few impolite neighbors...
There are six stages and over 80 bands at the festival. The musical line-up includes traditional folk, gospel, indie-rock, blues, neo-folk, and of course, good old-fashioned, true-bluegrass! We usually claim a spot at the main stage, The Banjo Stage, and take turns circulating the other venues so that we can catch as many acts as possible. This year the crowd was too big to navigate through quickly and easily, so we planted ourselves under the big banjo and enjoyed two full days of mostly serious bluegrass. (with a little Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show tossed in for good measure!)
Day One at The Banjo Stage.
We decided the baby loves bluegrass music, too. I usually only feel movement late at night or early in the morning, but there was a party going on in my belly all day long! (unless the kicks were in protest, and we're actually having a child who loves rap or death metal...YIKES!)
We decided the baby loves bluegrass music, too. I usually only feel movement late at night or early in the morning, but there was a party going on in my belly all day long! (unless the kicks were in protest, and we're actually having a child who loves rap or death metal...YIKES!)
Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Old Crow Medicine Show performing "The Weight"
We were much closer to the stage on Day Two. This is the legendary Earl Scruggs, still picking a mean banjo at the age of 86!
A sea of bluegrass fans at the main stage...Hippies and hillbillies as far as the eye could see! (including those of us whose spirits are touched with a little bit of both) Something about fiddles, banjos, and that high lonesome sound speaks to the heart of a wide ranging audience!
We also had a fun visit with Cathy and Ken, aka Nana Cathy and Grandpa Kenny, who were kind enough to let us stay with them during the festival. (By the way, Ken makes a fierce steak fajita dinner! Yum! Cathy kept us well supplied with homemade toffee cookies for snacking at the festival! Thanks again, guys!) We rounded out the weekend shopping for maternity clothes, and of course, a trip to the city isn't complete without at least one meal at a thai food restaurant. (in my book, anyway!) It was a great weekend! We had our fill of good food and music...Nice to get a little taste of the city, but always lovely to return to our cozy little home in the woods!
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