MDM*intake

So. I've officially been telecommuting and homeschooling for two weeks. My mission has been to be prepared, not planned. It appears as though this simple approach was the best choice I could have made.

On the work front, I'm keeping track of all my projects diligently with a neat to-do list, arranging schedules so that I can get to meetings and communicating efficiently with all my awesome coworkers. On the homeschooling front, we're enjoying a decompressing "de-schooling" period, stumbled onto a fun homeschoolers gym class at the Y and are realizing just how many in-real-life learning opportunities happen every single day.

We're also still struggling a bit to find that work/school/home and family/alone time balance, we've gotten on each other's nerves once or 30 times and we're a little bit more disorganized that I'd like us to be.

But, overall, the good keeps getting gooder and the bad is so far straightening itself out. I feel incredibly blessed that I was able to do this for my family. Especially for Sir Azrielle McPurrsons, aka Tubby, Tub, Tubblies. How did he LIVE WITHOUT ME during the days?!

With May looming, the anticipation of our CSA subscription and our own garden planting (that's some of the seedlings, above) is killing me a little bit. I just adore the simplicity of going out to one's backyard or to the farmer's stand up the street to pick up meal ingredients for the week. In stark contrast to that simple is best philosophy, some recent why-is-food-so-complicated discussions:

1. I just got this email from my sister:

OK, to two of my favorite label readers…I’m munching on some yummy Grape Tomatoes for a snack and this is what I read:

“Coated with food grade vegetable, petroleum, beeswax and/or lac-Resin based wax or resin to maintain freshness.”

So – either I have petroleum on my tomatoes or my tomatoes aren’t even vegan since beeswax or lac resin which is from the secretion of the lac bug are both animal byproducts.

I’m still going to eat my tomatoes, but how t weird could our food get?

So, two things. First: I immediately responded, "Yet another reason to purchase your food from local farms," to which she said, "They are local -- Four Seasons Produce in Ephrata." Dang. And Second: Wtf? Tomatoes, a natural whole plant food, not suitable for a vegan? Has anyone heard of such a thing? I know to avoid shiny apples and waxy cucumbers, but grape tomatoes?

2. On MotheringDotCommune, someone posted a link to this document titled, Guidelines for Feeding Broiler Litter to Beef Cattle. Apparently, feeding cows corn isn't cheap enough, as farmers have been recommended to add this collection of chicken "bedding material, manure, wasted feed and feathers" to their diets. Hilariously, there is quite an emphasis on using the correct mixture of dry materials with the bedding as feed in order to avoid mold. You know, so the cows won't get sick.

3. In vitro meat. I am not even kidding.

Seriously. At what point did our food become so complicated and weird?

One of my 43Things is to kick ass at work. This particular goal has become more important recently as I'm preparing to move to a four-day-per-week telecommuting schedule. My new hours will begin next week, and so have been on a mission to get my desk cleared and to-do list to-done ;) I’m really excited to start this new phase, even though I have no idea what to expect. In fact, I believe that it’s somewhat because of the unknown that I’m excited.

Against my Virgo nature, I’ve decidedly not gone the way of plans and schedules, and instead have embraced the change as it’s been occurring. I know that if I stay on top of things by simply keeping track of my to-do list in a notebook, this transition will be fine. This is not the time to tie myself down to complicating tracking systems or always-on-call expectations. Simple is best. Right, kah ;)

And by reminding myself of that and the fact that I will be in the office at least one day a week, I’ve been able to actually experience this transition as it unfolds another layer each day.

Go, me!

Amen, sister. Here's to happiness :)

Last winter and early spring, after my first year with a CSA, I determined that my goal for the upcoming growing season was to put a concentrated effort into food preservation. I felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of food we were given at each pickup, and having absolutely no previous knowledge of canning, freezing and drying food, each week was a kind of trial by fire with researching, buying freezer bags, trying to remember what needed to be blanched, what should be shredded, what couldn't be jarred, etc. That, on top of my eyes being larger than my family's collective bellies (sure, we can eat two pounds of greens, sixteen tomatoes a bunch of basil and a twelve summer squash in six days!), meant that a little bit too much of our bounty ended up as compost fodder.

I had tried my hand at canning a jar of tomatoes the previous summer, mostly as an experiment, but it was enough to instill confidence that I could do it on a larger scale. I also knew from previous experience, that during the height of growing season, when I'd be bringing home gobs and gobs of veggies from Blooming Glen on top of harvesting our own garden, I needed to leave my pickup day open. Taking a couple hours on that day to sort through the produce, make a decision as to what I'd be likely to use before the next week and immediately preserving the rest was something that I'd have to commit to, as well.

Overall, I'd say I did pretty well. I had several canning days at my dads, during which we canned straight-up-'maters, spaghetti sauce, salsa and applesauce. I committed to memory what veggies didn't need blanching and would therefore be the quickest to get into the freezer. I I learned how to dry herbs. I stocked up on freezer bags and even received a FoodSaver as an early birthday gift, making preservation that much easier.

Yes, last season, I was a produce-preserving queen. How I loved stacking jars of tomatoes and applesauce on the cellar shelves, lining them up like little soldiers, their brass rings gleaming like a sergeant's stars. Putting onions and potatoes to bed, covered with cloth and tucked into a quiet corner. I'll even admit to "checking in" my preserved veggies and fruit, opening the freezer door simply to admire the piles of vacuum-packed bags, each filled with bright green broccoli, vibrant red peppers and glowing orange butternut squash. As one might imagine, this attachment to preserved food has a predictable downside: I don't actually want to use anything.

I realize this is a problem, especially now, on the cusp of a new CSA and garden season. I've begun to force myself to plan meals around the food we have stocked. Most recently, I added some spicy vegan sausage to a sauce made with the tomatoes, thyme, basil, onions and peppers pictured above, and served it with rice. The meal was fresh and fabulous -- a fact that I'm hoping to parlay into more using of the preserved food in my house. Fingers crossed!

> Cross-posted at www.farmtophilly.com.

Hello mikaela danielle!

Your Quit Date is: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 12:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free: 118 days, 16 hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 356
Lifetime Saved: 2 days, 17 hours
Money Saved: $110.13

Hard to believe it was four months ago :)

My sister and I had a birthday brunch for our dad. It was fun, stress-free (thanks to The List and Jase), colorful, yummy and filled my house with love. If only all Sundays could be so lovely :)




The details, menu list and more photos are on the flick'r album. Happy birthday, Daddy-O! <3 <3 <3

At the bottom of my street, there are tracks that run a freight line.

When we were little and heard the whistle, my sister and I would grab pennies, nickels and even quarters if we were desperate enough, and run down the street at top speed, hoping to place them on the tracks before the train came by. I loved the feeling of the smooth, warm, flattened metal on my fingers.

Today, I still have the urge to run down and check out the gigantic machines as the roll by. Only now, I bring my son instead of my sister.



The sound and size of these trains are truly unreal.

It's also nice to get a little graffiti fix. Of course, there are the usual throw ups, but occasionally, I'll see something that catches my eye -- a little something clever, creative, different or just really good. This time, we saw some sweet death skulls. Rawk.

When my family first moved here over 20 years ago, they ran SEPTA on these lines, too. Now the train station is a little restaurant called The Caboose Grille. At least weekly, I wish they'd bring the R5 back. What the world need now, is more public transportation, right? :)

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/flipflop.asp

Big surprise here, right? Cheap shoes bought at Wal-Mart were poorly manufactured, resulting in chemical burns to several wearers. That's terrible for the consumers and luckily no one has lost limb or life. I think we're kind of missing the point here, though.

The real question is, do we actually think that we can buy a pair of shoes for $2.44 with no repercussions?

Really?

Please.

If I am spending less than three dollars for flip flops, I can bet someone somewhere is paying the true cost for me. It's only news in this case because consumers in the USA are suffering, not just some nameless foreign worker.

So, this woman's feet are burned, now imagine the burns the workers who manufactured the shoes must've received. And the pollutants caused by that manufacturing. And the energy used to package, ship and distribute the flip flops. All so we could save a few dollars on some plastic shoes?

And why the hell are we wearing plastic shoes to begin with? I'm pretty sure that we've all received the memo on plastic, right? The one that says plastic is not so good for oh, any living anything on the planet? Human, bird, tree, ocean or otherwise?

Do we really think that a company can turn a profit humanely and safely by designing, producing, distributing and then selling shoes for TWO FREAKING DOLLARS?

Really?

Whether or not these flip flops caused physical injury to the end user is so not the point. Even if they hadn't, the damages and costs associated with their creation, sale and disposal are the same.

Externalized cost. Embodied energy. Think before you consume, http://www.storyofstuff.com/!

Such a pretty drive to work today...


It took me an extra hour to get into the office because I couldn't stop pulling over and snapping photographs. Everything was beginning to melt so big drops of water were falling on and all around me. Hearing and feeling rain, having the sensation of rain, without actual rain was pretty wild. And made me smile fabulously :)

I have the best coworkers on earth. This fact was most recently proven by the fact that I found these pictures in my email inbox early this morning.

Avery's art teacher is my coworker's wife, (got that?) which means that AC's latest art project, Rico the Sock Monkey, came for a visit to the office :)

The football-, lacrosse-, basketball-playing skateboarder:



The goes-with-me-everywhere, loves-to-visit girl:


Sigh. They're the best! :)

I have a couple thoughts regarding the whole momma thing...

One, my monster shaved his head:


Two, he's now in fifth grade and wearing deodorant.

I think these things, along with the gf, can be connected, yes?

Eep. I am so not ready for this.

May I have my child back?

Please?

There are a bunch of photographs in flick'r land (from L, Jamie and me) from my birthday weekend, but I'll post a few that I think sum things up pretty well.

My birthday actually officially began when L came into town on Thursday.

Seriously.

She flew all the way from Portland to celebrate. I don't even know what to say. She's pretty incredible :) Jason offered to give us some bff time and stayed away for the night, so L and BG (via phone) were the first to welcome me to 30, at midnight.

The next day, L and I volunteered in the snack stand at AC's football game then headed to my mom's, The momma held the traditional family birthday dinner, for which I chose vegan tacos as the meal. The birthday person always gets to make the food choice and my decision is completely predictable. It's been tacos since like, 1985 or something. Mom always kicks ass at preparing dinner, but this year she *tewtally* raised the bar with a homemade vegan lemon cake, including real lemon icing. As if that weren't enough, she covered the table with a Crayola color book cloth and cups of crayons. It's like she KNOWS ME.

Brookie, John, Brenden, momma, Mike, Jason, Avery and Zakrey and I set out to eat 30 tacos, and I'm pretty sure we managed. Later that night, L and I attempted to complete my origami bird project. We didn't finish, but we had fun anyway.

Saturday, L and I picked up BG who flew in from Raleigh. When we got back to Souderton, we headed over to the Univest Grand Prix with Avery, and made plans to meet my mom, sister and Jason there.


We weren't gone long when I got a text from Jason, saying that a friend stopped over. Within a couple minutes, he texted me again saying that a couple other friends stopped over with their kids. It seemed that everyone was out for the race and considering we only live a block away from the main area, everyone was stopping by. Fun! We headed back home where I thought we'd hang out for a bit, then head back out.


But, once we got home, more people started showing up (including my dad's chiropractor?) and a reverse surprise party unfolded. It was so, so fun and I was completely surprised. There was much blanket-sitting, Strongbow-drinking, and good time-having going on.


And, apparently, Justin got in BIG trouble.


Um. I don't think he cares?

Also, I lit the candles to my own cake. But that was okay because it allowed me complete control over a chocolate covered strawberry chocolate sheet cake from Vegan Treats. Zomg!


My pops made the most yummy food, including his rockin' world famous tabouli, and everyone brought a donation for The OneWay Gallery to benefit the Waterkeeper Alliance. Jason, Avery and I became aware of this group when we visited the gallery in August and saw Magmo the Destroyer's brilliant SAVE OCEAN exhibition. I can't say enough about the art and its mission. Please, visit the links! Oh, and I also got some donations for my camera fund :)

Chris Le played his computer (formerly known as "spun some records") and we kicked it old school style, dancing around the living room. Around midnight, a few of us headed to the Reliance to dance to sneakers-in-a-dryer horrible music. We took one for the team and made the best of it.


L and BG left the next day and Jason and I bummed around the house, cleaned up and ate leftover tacos and cake. I'm not sure if I ever apologized for getting upset with him on Friday night. He showed up late to the birthday dinner at my mom's house. Of course, I didn't know he was running around getting things ready for Saturday. Oops. Thanks baby - and Laura - for everything :)

Now, in case having the most amazing friends and family IN THE WORLD wasn't enough, when I got back to work, there was this:


That was on Tuesday. My coworkers are notoriously late with my gift each year and so when I came back from a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, there was this:

Inside of which was this:


That, is a recycled wine barrel rain barrel from Master Garden Products. I am not even kidding. My coworkers friends are really quite phenomenal, are they not? Of course, they topped it all off with a homemade vegan coffee cake and a sweet card.

So that's it. The big three-oh is OVER. I'm here! And it's been great!

And I'm exhausted!

I just cannot believe how lucky and blessed and completely overwhelmed I feel. I've been blown away by the awesomeness of the people around me. And really, isn't that the best gift anyone could ever have? :)

So, uh.

Avery has a girlfriend.

...

?!

I have a thing for white flowers. I love them for their contrast against their greens, for their crisp style, for their starkness and honesty, for their simple elegance, for their light.

It's interesting because elsewhere in my life, white does not play much of a role. I'm inclined to wear black and earth tones, I've painted my home in bold colors and I famously inject brightly-colored veggies into my (already vibrant green) guacamole.

But white flowers, especially little ones, just get to me. And it hasn't always been that way; only in the past year or so. I seek them out, and one of my three gardens is white flowers only. Is that peculiar? It wasn't planned, it just kind of happened, almost without my knowing.


I mean, who knew I was such an elitist?

Looking back, I think it may have begun with the purchase and subsequent repainting of the house. Black had always been my favorite, but it's certainly not useful when considering room and trim colors. With the bright color palate I chose, and trim and baseboards well beyond refinishing to original wood, white seemed to be the solitary paint chip left. Maybe that's where white began worming its way into my visions?

I suppose it started slowly, this favoritism with white flowers, as most habits and crushes do. This seems different though, as I am a very conscious person. I combat my inner Virgo perfectionist by deliberately, but slyly making a decision, then quietly integrating new priorities into my daily life. Otherwise, I get so caught up in the organizing and planning and plotting and mapping, that I never actually do what I had intended in the first place, as it all gets too overwhelming and seemingly impossible.

Oddly, I didn't make an aware decision to plant white flowers, I just found myself doing it, and on trips to nurseries, dismissing suggestions of plants that produced other-colored petals. The two plants at the top of my list? A white rhododendron and a white bleeding heart.


(I know moms aren't supposed to have a favorite, the obviously, the bleeding heart has a special place in my - er, heart.)

Which brings me here, now. Clearly with an objective to surround myself with pretty white flowers, but also with a "how did I get here" question on my face. And what does any clever do when pondering the meanings and subtleties of life? Turn to the internet, of course!

In my searches, I found this insanely creative and fun website about colors, http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/#. Please do investigate :)

Other tidbits upon which I stumbled:

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity. --http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Strictly speaking, white is not a color, but the manifestation of the presence of all color - the complete energy of light. It stands for wholeness and completion. In many cultures it represents openness and truth. White has a cold quality. It can provide clarity as its energy is complete. White has purification vibrations and can be used to clear blocks from your path. It holds the potential to move toward every other color and this makes it a good choice for new beginnings, and development in any direction.
Put some white in your life when you want: * to clear clutter and obstacles away * to start a fresh beginning * to bring about mental clarity * purification of thoughts or actions
-- http://crystal-cure.com/white.html

Meaning of the color white: How the color white effects us mentally and physically * aids mental clarity * encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles * evokes purification of thoughts or actions * enables fresh beginnings -- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1063/144/