Thursday, January 31, 2008

Observations

In a town like this, you wouldn't think it would be that hard to find a nice, clean park to take the kids to play, but it is. Most parks near us are dirty, populated by cussing, pot smoking tweens and teens... beyond us there are parks that are large and busy, so much so that I often lose sight of one of the kids and freak out. Some have many exits and it's hard to keep track of who is coming and who is going (and I'm not just referring to the kids).

Today I found a nice, clean park. It is small and has just one entry/exit, but enough room for the kids to run. It has a lovely large piece of play ground equipment and four swings, with a large bathroom facility, and a covered area to eat. Pretty much anything you could want... what else? Car parking, and lots of trees. I'm very excited, because even though it's not really walking distance, it is close, and I wouldn't feel so intimidated by the idea I might not be able to keep track of the kids.

After we went to the park, we went to get ice cream. That was really fun.

Something odd happened there.

Two very elderly ladies came in and at one point they went to the bathroom. Now they were either sisters or friends, I couldn't tell, but one was definitely not in good shape... the younger one was elderley anyway, but the older one was... well... old. She could barely move but to shuffle, and seemed to be in pain... Anyway, they went to the restroom after we were done, and as we sat and had our ice cream, I realized they hadn't come out yet. I have wondered if one or both were in some kind of distress and should I go in there to check? when they came out of the bathroom. The younger one seemed very patient and careful, and then I realized that the older one hanging heavily on her arm was almost blind, and trying to feel her way. She adjusted her grip on the younger one's arm, and I was so moved I thought, "Now I hope that if I get to be that old, I have a friend who is that patient and kind with me, who will hold my hand if I get blind, and wait for me if I am slow." I marveled at the graciousness of the younger one and hoped that I could learn to be that gentle and loving.
So when the younger one looked up and caught my eye, I tried to give her an encouraging smile. And guess what?

She rolled her eyes at me!

I was floored. Then I found myself praying, "I hope that if I get to be that old, I have a friend who isn't burdened by having to be gracious and patient with me." And, "Dear God, please, please give me the kind of love for others that is the same, whether they're looking or not."

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Friday, January 18, 2008

Go Rent This Movie - Now!

I don't do this often, but you must, must, must see this film:

Once

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Things are Changing

We've been making changes towards a way of living more focused on good stewardship, and while it certainly is a process, we've made some headway I think.

New Year's Directions for 2008:

Consume less, more careful meal planning, using what we have, buying what we need (except our earthquake kit).
Reexamine what in our house is "disposable" and replace it if possible with cloth. (Already done with diapers).
Make more from scratch, including kids clothes, bread, and other items.
Find out if there is a way with our set up to catch the water from the washing machine and use that to water our grass/plants/vegetables instead of new water.
Go buy two acres of land somewhere, with goats to keep the grass down and move towards solar power and some of our own fruit trees, vegetable garden, swap and trade with other hobby farms for needs, sell goat wool for cash...

Ok, so the last one is a pipe dream. But hey, a girl's gotta dream.


Her new fluffy butt in Loveybums

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Things I Love

From time to time I put links to interesting sites - artists, music, interesting things. I like doing that - sharing what I like.

But I'm going to start a Things I Love section on the side, showing you some of my favourite sites, reflecting what I'm currently interested in. I will probably do a post that will reflect why I'm putting the link there.

Fun? I hope so! Let's begin.

I've been inspired to start trying to sew some clothes for my girls, not because we're poor and it's cheaper (like it was in my mother's generation) but because I can't find the clothes I want in the stores at prices I want to pay. So, I'm going to give it a whirl. I was inspired by this page. Check out the girls dresses.

I was also delighted by this page because they sell prints by Ida Pearle. I have one of her bags (birthday present from R early on) and a couple of her cards. She does the most beautiful work. We asked about her doing our wedding announcements, but couldn't afford her, she's too famous :) Beautiful huh?

Anyway, enjoy the sites as I share the love!

Monday, January 14, 2008

A Most Excellent Adventure Part One - Goodbye, Aeroplanes, Beagles, and Hello

It felt wrong to leave R behind at the airport. My mother and I limped slowly down the line, and I cried, and couldn't look at him, and then couldn't bear not to, and then couldn't look again. But he stood there, waving, watching... we spoke silent words, kisses, thoughts, his face blurry through my tears. Always smiling. He knew of the great tearing, the great wrong that we did being apart when we should be together. I mustered up my courage to make sure the girls didn't see, so they wouldn't be upset, and soldiered on.
Just to catch a plane... There were issues with our seating assignment and little did we know they were just the beginning. They classify an infant as someone younger than two years of age. They fly free if they're on your lap. They have a kind of bed/crib thing in the bulkheads, but the weight restraint on that is about 24lbs. Needless to say Immi couldn't use it. The other issue with the bulkhead seats is that the arm rests on them don't move up and so it's hard to put toddlers there because they can't stretch out on you... so we requested no bulk head seats because I have two toddlers who couldn't make use of the cribby things. Then some bright spark with the airline does the flight manifesto and thinks "Oh, this poor lady with an "infant" doesn't have a bulk head seat, let's switch her." Fortunately, they were able to switch us on the flight over so the kids actually managed to sleep (somewhere around 3am in the morning their time, but sleep is sleep).
We landed in Australia, and my brave mother was collecting our luggage while I tried to manage two now hyperactive toddlers.

Next thing you know a beagle is sitting down next to my leg.

For those of you who don't know, if, when you are in an Australian International Airport, a beagle sits down next to you, you're in trouble with customs. These beagles are highly trained sniffer-outers, and can detect all kinds of things that are illegal to bring into the country (fruit, meat, drugs) through their nose. Anyway, attached to the beagle by a short leash was a very grumpy looking gentleman who was quite getting in the way of my line of sight as I tried to restrain the ever bouying spirits of my two girls, and who clearly didn't know I'd had about 1 hr sleep in the last 24 hrs.
"Ma'am, have you had any fruit?"
My brain was confused. Why did he care what I'd eaten on the plane? Did I look ill?
"Er, do you mean in the last 24 hrs? Amelie, SIT DOWN!"
Grumpy: "No, I mean have you had any fruit on you?
"On me? AMELIE!"
Grumpier: "In your handbag. Apples... Oranges."
I take a look at my tiny handbag bulging with kids gear and old receipts. "IMMI! Come here! Why would I put an apple in my bag?"
Grumpiest: "Ma'am, have you had any fruit IN you handbag RECENTLY!"
Me: (puzzled) No.
Beagle: Thank you, Ma'am.
Ok, it wasn't the beagle, but it should have been.
Later on I realized that at breakfast on the plane, Imogen had spilled orange juice on my leg. My handbag had been hanging right near the spot and the dog had been right all along.

We ended up getting all our gear and waiting and waiting for the strollers to come over by the oversized baggage department. Ahead of me was several members of a band, who were quite overjoyed to find their gear had made it through unscathed. We had to go through customs while Mum (who is very thorough) declared everything she thought might be remotely close to illegal (wood frames, food etc). It's better to be save than sorry because Australia is pretty strict about that stuff. I showed the customs lady the cookies I'd brought for the kids. Then she looked straight at me. "Do you have any jerky?"
There was something weird about the way she asked me. Like a drug addict looking for a fix. A jerky fix.
"No, just these cookies for the kids."
"No... beef jerky?"
"No...." she was really starting to weird me out.
She eyed me suspiciously, and looked away. And then as if she was trying to catch me out, she looked back at me really quick, "So, no beef jerky then?"
I shook my head, "Sorry, just the cookies."

So we made it through the plane flight, the baggage claim and sitting beagle, the jerky junkie at customs check, and with our trollys piled high with bags and kids and strollers, we headed out those fabulous opaque glass block walls that make you look like you're about to enter into the worlds biggest bathroom and.....

We were met by my Dad, my sister Nae, and her fiance Mike. The first thing that struck me was how much older and more mature my sister looked - and how skinny!! Mike and my Dad looked the same. They were very happy to see Amelie and meet Imogen, although both my girls were zoning.

Let me just say this, when you land in Australia there is this smell... most Australian's can't smell it... but it's very unique. It's a kind of fresh smell, like clean sunshine. My mother swears it's the Eucalyptus, and I think she's right. It's the smell of eucalyptus and sunshine, and it's one of the two scents I know as "home". (The other being cinnamon in the fall - the smell of America.)

So I again smelled that smell that told me I was back, that everything was familiar, and I felt embraced... by eucalyptus and sunshine at least. But I didn't realize how wrong I was.

Friday, January 11, 2008

A Most Excellent Adventure - Prologue

I'm going to write you all about Australia. It seems only fair I should share everything about where I have been. I'm working right now on the first installment. Aren't you excited? I am.

So tonight... tonight I was calm, which was unusual after the last few days have been... I felt so wrung out. And then sometime, I think after I got the girls up... I just relaxed.

There was laundry to do, so I sat on the washer and watched the girls dance around the garage to the midi-like sounds of a broken baby bouncer. I made bubble and squeak for dinner, and I thought, as Sufjan played in the background, that it is very, very satisfying when two toddlers ask for seconds and then thirds. Although I realized after the third helping all Immi wanted to do was eat dollops of sour cream. Hmmm.... nope, still satisfying.

Curious George was for dessert - the movie, not the tv show. The girls went to bed easily, with lots of tickles and kisses. I thought about wanting more... children and kisses. I started writing, Immi woke again and I wondered if it would be another peaceful night shattered by hysteria, but it wasn't. I sat and rocked her in the dark, wondering how many times I'll get to do that before she's too big.

And now I've been watching movies. "Evening" and a Sundance film festival one that I can't remember the name of but that I like. I'll have to wait until it ends and let you know, so...

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

My header picture is asleep...

and is leaning to the left. I don't know why. If you're a crack with html codes, wanna shoot me an email and let me know how to center it all again?? I'll credit you :)

It feels like I've been asleep...

for a very long time. A deep kind of "America" sleep, and I've just woken up.

Sorry for the long absence. It was not intentional. I'm currently uploading photos so I'll have evidence of my travels.

I've missed you all. Truly.