Boreal Witch

Nana visited us this weekend. We had a lot of fun with her, especially Arthur. He loved having someone completely devoted to him and I think Nana was happy to oblige. They played trains and danced and had a blast.

We also told Nana that Arthur was going to be a big brother in March. I think the way that we had done it was pretty creative (I'm all about telling people big news in unusual ways). We were on our way to a friend's house and I asked Nana to read "Digger Man" to Arthur on the way. The book is about an older brother who wants to teach his younger brother about diggers. On the very last page, the older brother and the younger brother are sitting in bed together and reading a book about diggers, so I put two stickie notes on the page, one above the older brother that read, "Arthur" and the other above the younger brother that said, "Arthur's younger sibling, due Mar 2011." It took Nana a moment to figure it out, but she got really excited.

Arthur was pretty sad to see Nana go, especially when he's stuck with Mommy and Daddy who don't always get on his level and just play, play, play with him. Nana said that she'd probably come back around Christmas. Arthur will be thrilled.

Blessed be.

Robinson's been working on a project for a while. It all started earlier this summer when he and Arthur were throwing balls against the garage and trying to catch them as they fell down. Robinson had decided that he was going to make a basketball hoop.

I was a bit skeptical because he wanted to hang it from the top of the garage - a place where Arthur would not be able to reach and probably wouldn't until he was about 10.

Little did I know, Robinson was planning on making his hoop and purchasing one of the office hoops and putting it on the rungs of the ladder. It worked perfectly! Arthur loves his basketball hoop and the weather has been pretty nice lately - great for father-son bonding time.

Blessed be.

Last year, I didn't do anything with the arugula I planted. It just took up space in the garden. This year, I was determined to make something - anything - out of it.

I did some research and discovered that people actually make pesto out of arugula (which isn't very surprising since I've made pesto out of basil and spinach before), so I decided to give it a shot.

I found a Martha Stewart recipe and modified it. The resulting pesto was pretty yummy. Even Arthur enjoyed it.

Arugula Pesto
Makes about 1 cup pesto; about 2-4 servings
2 cups arugula, packed
1/4 cup walnut oil + 1/4 cup olive oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil)
2 tbs. walnuts
1/4 Parmesan cheese, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. sea salt, or more to taste

Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.

Blessed be.

Every year when the leaves begin to turn yellow our family goes on a fall drive. It's a bittersweet activity because we love seeing all of the leaves change color in the hills but it's a reminder that winter is coming (whether we like it or not).

Last year we drove and stopped at another overlook. After we got out and stretched our legs for a bit, we tried to get back in the car and Arthur didn't want to. Then we spent about 10 minutes trying to wrestle him in the car.

This year we went a different route and ended up at a scenic overlook at Washington Creek. Arthur loved it. He enjoyed touching the water (brrr - was it cold!) and throwing large rocks into the creek. He wanted to go back and forth from the creek to the waterfall. He wanted to go up and down the hill leading from the gravel pad to the creek. It makes me happy to know that he's really taking an interest in the natural world and that he will eventually learn how to take care of it as well.

He loves watching the snowshoe hares, voles, and chickadees in our yard. He loves playing outside. It's always a challenge to convince him to come in. Still, who knows? I anticipate that this boy will love and respect the outdoors, but for all I know he could become the CEO of BP or some logging company that doesn't practice environmental sustainability. I hope not. Still, anything is possible.

Blessed be.

When Robinson told me that he'd be taking Arthur with him to Valdez, I was so excited. I thought for sure I'd be able to have a nice, quiet weekend to finish cutting all my fabric scraps and maybe even get some quilting done. I have a baby quilt that has just been sitting here since May or June (I honestly can't remember), waiting to be quilted.

Then Arthur didn't go. So he and I have spent Labor Day weekend together. Being a stay-at-home mom I spend everyday with him, so a few more wouldn't really make a difference, but I will readily admit that I had many moments when I wished that I was alone. Well, just me and my sewing machine. I fantasized about taking numerous naps, eating candy without having to hide it, and maybe even getting some take-out.

Still, I did take several naps, ate candy after Arthur went to bed, and went out with a friend for Chinese, so I suppose I really did accomplish all of those things I set out to do if I was alone anyway. I even canned 11 jars of rhubarb-strawberry preserves. Perhaps now that Arthur's in bed I'll be able to work a bit more on cutting all of my fabric scraps. It's quite the job. I'm about half-way through and sometimes I feel as though I'll never finish. But I will!

Hope you had a productive (or relaxing) Labor Day weekend.

Blessed be.

I find that we go through some days thinking "What if?" It reminds me of the movie, Sliding Doors. The basic premise of the movie is "what if" the main character caught the train. How would her life be different?

I know I've asked that before in thousands of situations. What if I did this instead of that, what if I talked to this person, what if I didn't take that job, etc. Chalk everything up to a learning experience, I suppose, but it seems that certain things deserve more of a "what if" contemplation than others.

Take today's playdate, for instance. Arthur, Jade, and I were down by Bellaine Lake, throwing rocks in the water. We had just finished our walk and Arthur and I were going to get ready to go and pick up Robinson. Suddenly, Jade ran into the water.

Bellaine Lake is pretty shallow - for the first foot. After that there is a very steep drop off that you can't see because the water is so murky. Jade went running into the water, lost her footing at the drop-off and fell face first into the water. I didn't even stop to think, but ran into the water and pulled her out. She didn't even have time to swallow any of the lake water, so she was absolutely fine, just a little frightened.

As I was driving to pick up Robinson, I thought about the "what ifs." There's really no telling what might have happened had none of us been down there.

The most amazing part was that when we got to Robinson's office, Arthur told me quite clearly that we had to "tell Daddy about Jade in the water." And Arthur did, right down to me going back in the water to pull out her shoe. He even answered Robinson's questions.

Sure makes a person consider swimming lessons.

Blessed be.

My grandmother suffered a stroke the other day and has been in the hospital. She has fairly good brain activity but her brain stem has been significantly damaged, so if she were able to pull out of it, she would not have the lifestyle she did before the stroke. She probably would not be able to speak, eat, or move on her own. It seems that my aunt and my father will be making the decision to stop her ventilator when my father arrives in Wisconsin Sunday night or early Monday morning.

I keep reminding myself that Death is a natural part of Life. The two go hand in hand. Without Life, there could be no Death and without Death we wouldn't Live. Wiccans cherish Life, but we also see the importance of Death. It doesn't mean we have to like the fact that loved ones perish, but it does mean we need to understand we should be aware of our own mortality.

There are so many wonderful memories that I have of my grandmother. I tried so hard to keep in touch with her. I actually called her a few days ago and we talked (as we usually do) about nothing in particular. I visited when I could, but I wasn't able to go as often as I liked. I am thankful that I was able to see her last October when she came to Seattle, as well as in 2007 when I went to Chicago.

My sisters and I spent so many glorious summers at her farm. I remember her chasing us out of the house when we wanted to watch TV. We accompanied her to flea markets and nagged her for money so that we could by Made-in-China plastic trinkets. I loved trekking through the corn fields and trying to sneak into the barn (I always wanted to go in there, but was never able to find a way in). My sisters and I made mud pies and picked weeds in her large garden - which seemed so magical as a kid, especially since I lived in a place that didn't support large gardens - and, if we were really good, got to eat a fresh-picked tomato off the vine.

I don't know how my grandparents (on either side of the family, really) managed to take care of us for months at a time during the summers. Sometimes my sisters and I could be really naughty. But they did, every summer, for a very long time.

The thing I remember about Grandma the most is when I went to visit her in 2007. I sat across the table from her and she just stared at me with tears in her eyes. I could see her looking at me, but also at herself. Out of all of her grandchildren, I alone was blessed with her thick, wavy auburn hair. Out of my sisters, I look the most like my grandmother.

The thing to understand about Life is that the dead are not ever gone. They Live through you.

Blessed be.