Flora and more

Ah!  I'm here, I promise!  So so much has happened over the last few weeks I feel a little bewildered as to how I got here.  It went a little something like....flu for a week, new job, arlo ear infection, and now...oh my....I got a rabbit!  As one can imagine there are not many photos of the above...actually none.  The flu (or whatever horrible something took over my body) was pretty ugly.  I didn't end up noticing the early signs of Arlo's ear infection because I just thought he had the flu along with me....poor guys ear ruptured (not pretty).  And the whole job things sort of just happened really fast - I'm a weekend morning baker at a local bakery.  So far, I'm loving being in a kitchen again - learning new techniques, using my hands to create lots lot yummy treats...and am hoping to work up enough of a sweat while rolling out croissant dough to burn all the calories I inevitably ingest.  Yes.  Croissants.   It feels good to sneak out in the wee hours of the morning, listen to NPR on my commute, and work outside of the house.

Oh and that rabbit...  I have a lot to say about fiber, knitting, and spinning...enough for another post.  But it has, over the past few months, brought me back to life a bit.  Moving sucks, no need to rehash that, but getting my hands moving again has really helped.  For a while I have been toying with the idea of a duel purpose rabbit - pet & fiber source - and have been just waiting for the right opportunity.  It came unexpectedly yesterday and we are so excited to have this fuzzy gal.  She really is a hoot and I am over the moon excited to spin up some ultra soft angora!!!

a Sunday morning

A morning spent transplanting a few plants outdoors, planting seeds and onion sets, transporting the meat pullets to their outdoor coop, and basking in all that is good this spring.  The leaves are unfurling their sweet fuzzy peach skinned leaves and we relish in all the pinks and purples from the fruit trees.  Under the swinging pendulum of all that is family life, on that day and in that moment the tide was calm and we were able to breath.  It felt so good.

Our time here has been short and I ask myself several times a day what exactly was the purpose of us being plucked from a place our hearts felt so connected.  Whether or not I'd like to admit it - here we are - finding inspiration, resilience, growth, and purpose.  I think both Aaron and I can honestly say we aren't exactly where we thought we would be, but somedays we can admit that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.....for the moment.

a little of this and that

My camera and brain seemed to have disconnected a bit this weekend and I'm sad to say I didn't snap one photo over the holiday weekend - it was an Easter-Aaron birthday eggsravaganza....!!  It was fun...but wow...it was tiring and I'm happy it is over!!  Here are a few of the sweeter moments from the prior week.

morning yoga

a fifth bowl of oatmeal devoured by arlo 

maple looking for leftovers

sweet pants dad!

Aaron (in those super awesome waders he is sporting) took the kids and a few other homeschool families out for one of his water quality surveys he does with the National Park Service.  They all got their hands on some sort of aquatic insect, checked out a beaver dam, and inevitably got their pants and sleeves wet.

cake pans full of crayfish and caddisfly larvae

crane fly larvae 

a smiling baby

and this lovely lazy cat (who is so much more friendly post snip snip)

Spring and her constituents

A week ago Spring graced us with her presence and signs of her are all around.  Seedling trays brimming with soil, big garden dreams, a batch of chicks awaiting us at the post office, a whole day spent in bathing suits to play in the rain and then subsequently sun bathe in the steamy weather that followed, garage projects completed, windows open and the birds chirping.  Arlo is moving back and forth from a real crawl to what we call the froggy hop (i'll try to upload a video...its hysterical) and simultaneously trying to cruise from surface to surface (with lots of falls in the mean time...).   Isabelle is still enamored by her new independence in the kitchen and Owen is happy to goof off close by.  We will take the gift of this "early" spring and send warm thoughts to family north....

yours and mine

There is something pretty special happening each and everyday with this girl of mine.  I have had the privilege to watch her grow from a quiet and reserved toddler to a wonderfully brave child.  My heart skips a beat when she talks to the librarian or doesn't hesitate to jump on a tractor with a new friend.  It wasn't that long ago that we were seeking professional help for our preschooler who refused to talk in preschool (for a year).  Her hurdles have felt so personal or like I have failed at being a mom.  Now, in retrospect...I wish I could have had the ease to know everything was going to be ok (even though that was told to me over and over).  I have not always been so graceful and patient with Isabelle (and I can guarantee that isn't dramatically going to change in the near future...we will still butt heads) and can feel filled with disappointment and shame at times.   Ever so slowly I am acknowledging her journey is not my journey, I am only a willing participant.  It is HER journey.  And even more slowly - at a snails pace - I am forgiving myself, letting go of the shame, and enjoying my journey more and more. 

You might be gone...but I can still smell ya

Its true.  Grampy leaves his mark with the scent of oils...cyprus, rose, lavender, some sort of mint and many more I'm sure I'm missing.  We walk into the bedroom, where he and my mom slept this weekend, and a familiar tingle hits my nose.  I've been breathing that smell in heavy after a much anticipated weekend went a little different than planned.  A weekend that was boasting plans to DC or maybe the mountains was left behind and instead we took it slow, hung around the fire, and just were.  The big plans were saved for a different visit and in so many ways, I am so grateful that all the plans just didn't pan out.  Sometimes the best plan is to have no plan at all.  To sit and just carry on with nothing out of the ordinary....accept maybe the pints of Ben & Jerry's.... to hang in sweat pants all day...force your mom to drink fluids...and to find laughter.

My mom isn't feeling well, to say the very least, and in the past I have asked for positive and healing thoughts for myself...this time they will be for my mom.  We are all hoping for some answers over the next few weeks, for her to find comfort, and most importantly for her to be taken care of.  Because let's get real...she doesn't know how to do this because her whole life has been dedicated to caring for all of us.  And she might get mad at me for drawing attention to her and her not feeling 100%.  But I'm ok with that, if you are mad it means you have a little fight in you....and I expect nothing less.  I hope you get bombarded with positive, healing energy from all those that undoubtably love you....and I hope your eyes roll every time the phone rings and it is someone calling to check in on you.

kitty love

There is something so sweet about about a kitten in a basket.  Poor Maple's peaceful moment was abruptly ended by me bringing attention to her whereabouts....first me and my dreadful camera, then Arlo, and finally Banjo joined in.  No sleep for the weary here....