simple saturday update

Tonight we will be changing our clocks to... Spring Forward!

I hope this doesn't mean cycling to work in the dark...but I am so looking forward to the longer evening hours of light. And they will be just in time for some evening gardening sessions, as I am almost, almost done with this term! And will soon have a two-week break before entering into the time-warp of the Integrated Practicum next term, a lot to tackle while working full time.

That sounded more complainy than I intended. It will be a lot of work, yet manageable, and it's so exciting to be this close to the end of the nursing program tunnel. All the past years of working hard and juggling multiple responsilities have given me the confidence to know that I can accomplish this.

Moving on: it has been an interesting week.

Highlights:

• One of the best things: I received a package from a very special friend (she knows who she is) that was full of such thoughtful items, the kind that bring a little sparkle and luxury to the day. Among them were a beautiful vegetarian cookbook that I am looking forward to using (Plenty), some very me clothing pieces that I have worn daily since getting the package, some dark chocolate that quickly disappeared...and a lovely note.

             I have to admit, I feel a little shy, knowing now that she has been reading this blog.

• Sunny days. Blue sky. Warming soil. Birdsong. The scent of daphne. Lunchtime walks by the river (actually, along the same paths I used to walk with my friend many years ago. I walk by our old apartment, as funky as ever and now painted bright marigold yellow).

• Projects and papers drawing to a close. Thank. Goodness.

• Housekeeping. I think the last big session was on my last academic break, around the time that we painted in December. It was time.

Iffiness:

• I cut my hair, and didn't know when to stop. It started with a trim, then a little more, then a little more. It is now a 20's style bob (A-line in the back, like Christopher Robin). I don't think it is very flattering. But the good thing is that it will grow.

• I am not having much success with blood draws. I think the anxiety from not being successful carries into the next try. I just know that I can be really good at this with enough practice. I enjoy skills that require manual dexterity and "feel". I only have a few co-workers who don't mind being guinea pigs, though (a surprising number of nurses are anxious about being on the receiving end of a needle). They're patient, but I'm not sure how often they'll let me poke them before they get tired of it.

• Another nurse, a friend, has decided to move on at work. I have learned a lot from her, really enjoy working with her, and will miss her calm, wise presence greatly. This also leaves my program extremely understaffed. What should be a four or five nurse team will be down to two. And I'm inexperienced, not yet trained in several areas. Why this mass exodus, you may ask? Well. Let's chalk it up to interesting interpersonal dynamics.

 What about you? How was your week?

galette des rois

Yesterday we celebrated epiphany with a King's Cake party (les galettes des rois).
Friends and neighbors came for for a relaxed and simple gathering.
We shared savory treats, sparkling apple cider, strong coffee, Mexican wedding cakes and anise biscotti.
Minou made a marvelous creation out of homemade puff pastry and frangipane, an almond cream. He hid a token (or febvre) inside to designate the finder King or Queen for the Day. Initially he put an almond, since he couldn't find the tokens (and suspected me unjustly of decluttering them, but later recovered them in a drawer).

There was even a second Galette that I didn't get a picture of. P'tit Minou Deux and his friend C. each found half of the almond that was hidden in Minou's galette--sliced in two during the cake cutting. Then C. also found the token from the second cake, a ceramic baguette. Since C. was then doubly king (or prince), he was crowned with the purple glitter crown. This caused S., almost aged three and dressed already in a beautiful princess gown, to break into tears since she wanted to be crowned!

Luckily, her maman (who had made the delicious second galette) had had the foresight to bring a second crown for S., but it was the beginning of the end of the gathering, as they departed for naptime.

simple saturday

So I have been feeling a little "blah" these days, not sure why.
Trying to scale back expectations of myself and others to help cope.
And there's nothing like jogging for a pick-me-up. Or coffee.
I'm indulging in both. Makes me nicer to be around.

It does feel good to go up in the Attic though.
My task for the day is to paint, paint, paint.
It's drywalled, primed, floored, and signed off by the City.
Its empty, white, and spacious. Soon to be whiter. Soon to be slept in.
I can look down on the trees below.
Finally, a space for myself again, a retreat.

Tonight we are going to a traditionally very fun Solstice party at the home of friends and neighbors.
There will be good food, a talent show with surprises in store, and a wild White Elephant gift exchange. We have scored oddly enjoyable items in the past (50's jello cookbook, World Music CDs, terrible tequila...)  Not sure if Mamie will go, the lights and crowd and language barrier are all stressful for her. We'll see.

The only problem is, I have decluttered so much, what can we take for the White Elephant?
P'tit Minou Un said "There's nothing left!"
I'm sure I can find something. I'll let you know.

we've got windows

Look! Up in the sky! It's so exciting....

The windows are here!

We are going to feel like birds in the trees from our attic perch.

And now...

The first one is in!

(Minou had to look away as our friend W. gesticulated and leaned way up there...I'm thankful that he isn't the one climbing that high ladder. Our friend's wife came to lunch mid-day and even she didn't like to see W. up there, comfortable as he is 30 feet in the air).

Do you have any home projects going on these days?

we ate cake

What do you do to celebrate a friend's birthday?
It doesn't take a lot of money...I prefer the pleasure of spending some time together.
My long-time friend J. (we were roommates in Beijing many, many moons ago) had a birthday recently.
Somehow it's all too easy to let months go by without getting in touch.
So we set to baking, then loaded up the car and drove north for a visit.
Here is what her birthday cake looked like on leaving home:

It was beautiful...and edible. But you can probably guess what happened. Both the nasturtiums and calendula wilted during the drive. I didn't take an "after" picture; I took the sad looking flowers off as soon as possible. Luckily I had prepared a plan B:



The almonds and chocolate chips actually added a lot to the texture.

We had a great overnight visit (though we missed p'tit minou un who opted to stay home--older teens can do that sometimes). We went for a walk and saw a "street lending library" where p'tit minou deux scored a vintage cookbook, we played with the lost then found kitten, we talked, we ate delicious enchiladas, and we went to the zoo the following day.
It was a good time with good friends.
Amazing how the little ones grow (her son is seven now).
And the cake was so good that we made it again for Grammy Minou's birthday, with even more chocolate chips. Mmmm...

sunny day

• The rain is gone for now and I have a day at home during the week.
• Minou is upstairs drawing and pricing an attic renovation, from storage to sleeping loft.
• An architect must follow code, and Minou is a man of principles. We will have a permit.
• That attic was once full--and is now almost empty. Sigh of relief.
• My good friend and longtime former neighbor stopped by for coffee and sunflowers.
• She gifted me with a huge bowl of orange garden cherry tomatoes, and a bag of chard and kale for the simmering Italian potato-leek-bean-tomato soup on the stove.
• She is feeling more settled in her new home. And while I wish it were nearer to our home, I'm glad.
• I made whole wheat blueberry-apple muffins for the boys' after-school-and-ballet snack.
• First mammogram this morning: not painful at all. Whew!
• how was your day?

community

I had some sad yet happy news this last weekend. You know that feeling, when something good happens for a friend, and of course you are glad for them yet sad about the implications for yourself?

Some very, very good friends who are also neighbors are moving away. Away being a whole two miles away, not even across town--just a hop, skip, and a jump over to a different school zone, which will allow their son (who I held as a babe in arms) to attend the same excellent middle school as p'tit minou 2 (who can go there because his language immersion program tracks there) and eventually to the high school p'tit minou 2 attends (also because of the French program tracking in). It's an investment for them--they will keep and rent their current home, and live in the new home.

But I don't want them to move! It's a very special thing, to have friends who feel like family and live two blocks away up the hill. K. has always had the lovely habit of popping over (maybe from her years living in Latin America) for coffee, or to borrow sugar, or to bring us a piece of something delicious that she just baked. She also has a very unique and thoughtful perspective on the world. W. and Minou work in related fields and always have a lot to talk about. We all always have a lot to talk about. Travelling, art, languages, books, building, green architecture, politics, gardening, running, movies, food, friends, chickens, spirituality, child-raising...so many interconnections. We have gone trick-or-treating at Halloween, sledded down the hill on every snowy day, had countless potlucks, watched hundreds of movies, and celebrated many solstices together. We have picked a lot of strawberries, blueberries, and apples.

Their son C. has grown up along with the p'tit minous. He's eaten peanut butter sandwiches at our kitchen table for the last 10 years. He also has the lovely habit (maybe from his mom) of popping over, usually just at the moment when we need some distraction, asking if anyone wants to play.

Oh my gosh, I am going to miss them.

And it has me thinking about community. Of course, our friendship will persist. We will have to work at it with a little more intentionality--setting up times to see each other, rather than the spontaneous Saturday "let's combine what we have in our kitchens & get together" dinners.

But the value of creating community--if you live someplace where it is a part of the fabric of your life--realize how lucky this is. It develops over time. If it isn't there, think about the ways to nurture it, as we will now need to make more effort to do.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So a day before my boys prepare to fly home...I fly away.

Leaving our newly scrubbed home and not newly scrubbed menagerie in capable hands.

I'm very excited to be heading to the Bay Area for the wedding of a very dear friend.
And so excited at the opportunity to spend some quality (maybe even leisurely?) time with her and another wonderful friend, the person I've known longest in my life outside of family. Not just to dash in for the wedding, but hopefully to pamper C. a little, walk in the city, stay up late talking with K. and C., and help take care of whatever last minute details may arise.

In the meantime...whoo-hoo! I'm off call, and can leave my phone in another part of the house without worry or fear. Not to mention having more than a 3-minute conversation.
Or a glass of wine.

And my sartorial jitters (my wardrobe runs more toward ratty gardening gear and casual business/professional togs than formal wear) were soothed by the unconditional generosity of another very dear friend H., who overnight Fed-Exed me two gorgeous little black dresses and some elegant jewelry as wedding guest clothing options.

I feel very, very blessed with friends. I am not always the best at keeping in touch from a distance, but these individuals (and many others) live in my heart. Always.

As do those three boys/men that will soon be continent hop-scotching back to me.
From southern France, to Paris, to Dublin, to NYC, to San Francisco, then back on home to our little corner of the Pacific Northwest. I can't wait to hold and squeeze them (resistance is futile!) for a long, long time.

Week, Weekend

Happy weekend, everyone! I really enjoy and feel grateful for the time to relax and pursue home projects. I am happy to say that my home feels clean and organized due to a little company's-coming inspiration this past week. I'm not sure why I need that, but it's effective.

I find myself posting less as the summer goes along. I'm not sure if it's from being busier or...lacking some inspiration with my family gone? I have settled into a groove (and am now sleeping just fine, thank you) but I am so, so, so excited that I will have them back with me in just two short weeks. I would say that I can't wait, but I need the time to prepare! G1 was asking me on the phone if I could have some of his American favorite foods ready for their arrival. Of course! For those vegetarian boys, favorites include tofu dogs and veggie burgers... not standard fare in France. With the garden and berries and fruit trees all producing a lot right now, I have also been trying to harvest, bag, bake, and freeze all I can. (blackberries, zucchini bread, plums for jam and pies...)

This week I....

• photographed a lovely calendula heart, which I can't take credit for noticing

• had something delivered for a mystery project

• had to pull this cute yet sneaky dog off the bed multiple times in the night

(why did I ever let him sleep with me?!)

                                                       

finally said goodbye to the comfy, dusty, old red couch (and then felt sad)

had a great dinner and ice cream with some very good friends and my mom, and viewed their work-in-progress bathroom remodel, which they are general contracting theimselves (and which Minou designed!!)

No, that's not their bathroom! Just a temporary solution and place to enjoy the full moon.

 

had the pleasure of a dear friend passing through town and getting to catch up with her

absorbed some challenging news at work

hosted a small dinner gathering

Started to watch this TV series from the library and was predictably hooked (the colors!)

How about you? Tell one thing about your week or weekend!

Swap, Meet

My neighbor M. (she of the goddess garden sanctuary) proposed a weekly trade of eggs for bounty from her garden, and I was DELIGHTED to agree! I just saw this movie (after being on the library reserve list for close to nine months) and it renewed my commitment to eating more fresh local food. Not only is trading a great way to eat super-locally (forget about a 100-mile radius, this is a 2-block radius), but as M. noted, it's a great way to get to know each other better. Most of us have fairly busy lives these days, and between working, mothering /caring for family, and maintaining the garden, it can be difficult to prioritize socializing, especially developing new relationships. That's why this is such a lovely arrangement--we can swap and meet.

We had fun looking around the garden and I loved sampling. M. was happy to share some of everything she had growing, which is a lot! Just being in this green-thumbed woman's garden inspires my inner gardener to start imagining, dreaming, digging, and planting. I'm not sure that this was quite a fair trade this week though--just look at all this glorious garden bounty I brought home!

garlic--elephant and regular

strawberries, cherries, snap peas

greens (tuscan kale and collards) and curious Jamsie

bouquet of snapdragons, foxglove, nasturtiums, chives, thyme, oregano & parsley

clustered garden beauty

Have a great weekend!

Gifted

When I visited my friend Sara a few weeks ago, I was admiring her many quilt creations that were displayed around the house. Looking at one led to looking at another, and she pulled out one that had been stored in her sewing room/office on a shelf for a while.

This picture was taken in a not-too-bright room, so it doesn't really do the colors in the quilt justice. It is gorgeous! Thinking about the planning and coordination that goes into selecting the fabrics, colors, and design boggles my mind--as well as the skill and sheer time involved in making the piece.

After I had admired it vociferously for a few minutes, she casually said "It's just been sitting on a shelf. I don't want it. I'll give it to you. Happy birthday. Happy graduation!"

Wow! I had to make sure that she knew that angling wasn't the intent of my admiration...she reassured me that she did, and that she loves to surprise her friends with gifts of her work.

I LOVE this quilt! I still haven't hung it up yet, since the wall where I'm imaginging putting it for maximum effect is part of the stairwell and a little bit technically challenging (I think I need to borrow a painter's ladder).

Let's give thanks today for artistic gifts...both given and received!

Artist's abode

Interesting arrangements everywhere

Lucky

A trip to Corvallis this weekend made me realize how lucky and blessed I am.
Lucky....to live in Oregon. Behold the beauty of a city park mere minutes from downtown.

Blessed...with good friends who are amazing, kind, open individuals with whom I can talk to about anything and feel acceptance and interest, not judgement. The good friend of many years I went to visit, Sara, is one of these special friends. She is warm, funny, beautiful, talented, and generous. I had a great time. Hugs and thank you, Sara! I love you!

Solstice

Happy second day of summer!
Last night was the Summer Solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year. In the photo below, it's almost 9:45 pm. The sky was gorgeous, streaked with deep rose.

The view was taken looking down the hill from our lovely neighbors K. & S.. They invited everyone up to their back porch to eat lemon pound cake and drink gin & tonics, a collaborative affair. I brought the gin, they made fruit salad and purchased tonic, another K. made the cake). And because K. is British, of course we also had to have tea. This event was thrown together hastily the night before but it was representative of the spirit of friendship and sharing that reigns in this neck of the woods. I love it! And realize how lucky we are.

"After all," K, said, "If tragedy ever strikes, it's your doorbells I'm going to be ringing in the middle of the night!"

I hope that tragedy never comes, but in the meantime I'm so glad to be able to have the kind of friends living nearby who like to celebrate the seasons and trade vegetables, cups of coffee, and catfood, as needed.

K. & S. described their meeting in Geneva and a few of their round-the-world engagement adventures...involving an air lift to the Nepalese British consulate

K's amazing lemon poundcake

K. the baker with her family

I came home with a sunflower seed in a pot and two garden-grown spaghetti squash that have been stored in a root cellar all winter...still good!

I baked them and had one for dinner tonight.

How about you? Do you have neighbors? Are they friendly? 

Friendly Friday

I have to say how much I appreciate the good friends who are reaching out right now. S. invited me to a concert by this singer a few hours away this weekend, which sounded fun and exciting. I needed time at home though; I am just craving time to reflect and renew right now after the last week of goodbyes, busyness, work, and extended highway driving. We planned a "gal's weekend" get-together a little further in the future for hiking and hanging out. I'm looking forward to it!

On Friday, I went to some good  friends' home who live in the neighborhood for dinner and a movie. We had delicious spanakopita, salad, olives, wine and lemon poundcake....yum. While their son C. (who turned 10 last week) was off playing up the street, we started to watch this movie, but when he came home his concerned parents felt it might not be appropriate due to the well-known deli scene. Although he gallantly offered "It's OK, I can just go play Legos in my room," we switched to this film, recommended by a nurse-practitioner I work with (who has a teen daughter). It was sweet, and K. and I agreed that as mothers of boys, it's not the type of movie we might normally rent or borrow, but we all enjoyed it. I've watched a large number of Colin Firth films lately. I was impressed that C.  recognized Colin Forth as Mr. Darcy from this mini-series.

K. & I with her older son E.,

a talented mural artist about whom we will someday say

"We knew him when..."

Celebration

So often, I feel like I just let the big moments in my life go by unmarked. Milestones, achievements, pass by without the recognition they deserve. At least in our family, we have spent many years struggling and striving toward goals, but don't always take enough time to celebrate those accomplishments and occasions when they arrive. Here's an example: in the last few years, Minou has obtained an architecture license and I completed nursing school. Neither was an easy feat, but somehow we neglected to have a party. On to the next thing we were working towards. And two more recent examples: a 15-year wedding anniversary (well, we did open a bottle of wine and share dessert) and G1 finishing middle school with flying colors--I'm so proud of all his hard work and effort.

So I decided it was time to stop that trend and host a get-together for my 40th! It was a lot of fun. And a good friend in the neighborhood, who I've known since he was a babe in arms, happened to turn 10 the same day. We blew out the candles together. I know, it looks like I'm monopolizing the cake.

C. & I blowing out candles

The elegant woman in green sandals also celebrated her birthday...

G2 eating chocolate cake

Ruth's Raspberries

Our good friend and neighbor Auntie R. has created a magical forest of a yard and garden.

Recently, she showed me where her raspberries had escaped their little garden space and were spreading.

She told me to dig up and take as many as I wanted that were outside the bounds of the fenced garden.
I took her at her word!

I've been wanting a raspberry bed--they are my favorite summer berry.
But again, it wasn't in the budget right now. It was on my list of things to save for, and I'd been planning to get bare root canes next early spring. I had thought that they needed full sun, and was planning a spot to dig up a new bed next to the fence separating our yard from our front neighbors'. However, these plants seemed to be doing really well in their shady woodland with just a few hours of direct sunlight per day. And the Territorial seed catalog didn't say they needed full sun--just rich, well-drained soil. So this morning I went shovel in hand and dug up quite a few escapee canes. I put them in our shadiest raised beds, where nothing we've planted has done too well so far (except finally the wisteria). They do get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, mostly morning sun. I substantially amended the soil in those beds with all that great compost last weekend, so hopefully they will be happy there. And I'm so happy to have this beautiful new raspberry patch, complete with history (they came from R.'s old house & garden). And for free!

Hooray for sharing! Thank you, Auntie R.