Happy 3 Kings Day

Well, Here is a New Year's resolution- I will not wait for an entire MONTH before writing! I was absolutely aghast when I noted that is had been an entire month since I last "spoke". All those great ideas and thoughts of the moment lost into eternity- almost a tragedy.

But worry not, I am back. It has been a busy last month as you know because  I have been able to be with most everyone who reads this missive. Still there is always something to tell. It is the especially rainy season in the Northwest and cold to boot but I will head out today to groom rabbits and take good care of animal shelters before the next storm. I am also busy, wanting to spin and weave for 4 blankets in the next 5-6 weeks. I have lots of reorganizing and restructuring to do before the garden season is on me. So I will be rushing around for the next 2 months like the chickens without their heads cut off.

The chickens are busy as well. They have dug through the garden and turned it over much like a real tractor. I am taking it all in stride and deciding it must be the time to start from scratch because they certainly are not discriminating between  perennials and annuals. Maybe the perennials will shoot back up in March when my tractors move to their spring space.

Today I made the hotel reservation in Cambria where we will meet Ralph and Judy in February. It is part of David's Christmas gift but one that is am much for me as for him. We fly in to San Fransisco and will rent a car for a week with the hope of popping up to see Kyrsa and Dave in Healdsburg on the before leg and Colin in Susan after the coast. It will just be for a short overnight hello but still fun to see their homes and lives in California, since David has not had a chance to do that.

The holiday were great and filled the last month with visiting, gifting and sharing. I am left with great memories and lots of gifts that spark those memories when ever I need a little energy boost. I realize what a energetic, giving and fun group of people I call my friends and family and am inspired to meet their examples- then I get off my "seat" and start that next project. (I have to start WATCHING my language since Erin had me listening to Savage Love podcasts for her interview preparations!) I do have lots and lots of ideas for new changes and creations but I need to keep reminding myself to enjoy what I am doing now without feeling anxious about moving on to the next idea.

I am happy to say I am able to move on to the next book now! I finally finished "Never Let Me Go" by Kazu Ishiguro. It was well written with an interesting premise but slow and slightly removed, in my humble opinion. I have read now 3 of this authors novels. They are strongly written but not compelling reading. In the end they are thought provoking but in a rather morbid and isolated way. I think I may have finally had enough. On to Peggy Guggenheim- a particular heroine of mine! Crazy and rich is really my dream-life combination.

For now, I must head out to clean my own rabbit hutch and feed my own goats. Crazy but NOT rich- at least half of the dream. Happy Three Kings Day to everyone. We still have the Holiday with us and can remember to give gifts everyday in our action, in our words and in our creative energy. What we give away with love and joy always comes back in multiples. Give lots and receive back the surprises with grace.

Love,
Mama Llama

Christmas is coming

It is true, Christmas is coming and there is never as much time for the season as we all want but still we must try to enjoy what there is. Anita was in Kingston to start the Christmas activities, so while I made wreaths, she made caramels and party mix. Only little elves live here.

An "elf" suggested I put my Christmas letter on the blog but since anyone who sees the blog has already received the letter, it seemed redundant. Instead I while share some thoughts that come to mind as  I decorate the house and the tree.

Of course, "Home Alone" is playing and next I will watch "Holiday Inn". As I place decorations and hang Christmas needlework, I think about a young friend and her two toddlers. They will have a "Solstice Tree"  and celebrate with friends coming over for the day. The young parents grew up with the traditional Christmas activities but feel strongly about sustainability so will not cut down a real tree. They are also passionate about not adding to the marketing and financial irresponsibility of "Santa", so are trying to stay away from the tradition of gifts. Of course I was appalled, at first, but as I thought about the choices, I realized that happiness is in what we create and enjoy. This young family will be remarkable and very happy because they are seriously involved in their children and in creating a happy family.

Still, the  message of Christmas kept nagging at  me. Not the typical message  Barb and Dave enjoyed at the Lynwood Church musical- stop rushing around and find the real meaning of life in Christ and in the people around you. We all know what happened to Ray Milan! But the reminder that Christmas is most fun with children around to surprise. Why is that?

Maybe Christmas is important, in the cold and dark of winter, because it removes us from "reality". It allows adults to reconnect with fantasy and play, the important  parts of the season. And that is the reminder I want to send into the new year! There is no "realistic" answer to life. Reality is the moment we are living and how we choose to live it. Choosing to live without play and imagination and dreams is our own decision but not a "more realistic" one. The future is not "realistic", it is unknown. Let us try to dream good, happy moments into our futures this year and not let the possibility of unhappiness dictate our choices. That is not more realistic but just allowing  fear of unhappiness to direct our path. Give yourself the Christmas gift of believing in your own happiness and your own dreams, no matter how improbable they seem in the dark of winter. Run through the snow and sled down the hill believing that there will not be a ice wall but instead a pile of soft snow at the bottom. Take the walk in the snow, go down the steep hill and taste the snow on your tongue all year long and make the your decisions, knowing they will be full of the fantasy and joy that you bring to them. That is the reality that Christmas lets us remember each year.

BRRR...!

That was Monday- and after two days and counting of temperatures in the teens, the novelty is wearing off. Remember back in the olden days when the pond froze and the water pipes froze and the rabbit bottles froze and the goat water buckets froze. Yes, it is all back again. I did forestall the frozen pipes by spotting the freeze at the very beginning. With a propane heater in the pump house the water began to flow again and it has been trickling down the sink ever after. We are looking at overnight temperatures around 15 again tonight but Thanksgiving should be our turn-around hope. It is predicted to be almost 40 during the day and the beginning of a warming trend with rain following.

Tulin Rd is an accident happening, as usual. Yesterday there were 4 cars at one time ditched along the curves. They seem to be towed out and we even heard the gravel truck last night so maybe we WILL be able to drive to the ferry on Thursday. Fortunately I have all my ingredients at ready. The sauce is made and noodles are on the schedule for today, along with bread sticks for hor d'ouevres and dinner rolls. So, we are enjoying and old fashion holiday here in Kingston. The only thing missing is a kitchen full of hoodlums helping to cook a "pioneer meal" because school has been canceled, including "Indian pudding".

Have fun and stay warm, eat well and know I am sending you all hugs and kisses.
Love,
Mama Llama

Winter Surprises

The sauce is simmering on the stove, ready for Thanksgiving noodles.

The apple bread is baking, using the last of the damaged apples from the garden.

There are spices in the pot simmering on the wood stove and as I head outside ...

Happy Week before Thanksgiving!

                                                   

The Big Time

Well, after years of taking an independent stand in the face of fashion dictates, I have finally been recognized by the fashion world. Witness the Dossier Journal Style posting for November 19 if you will. 
http://dossierjournal.com/style/  Who are those good looking, fashion forward stars?

Sorry, I can't make this stand up straight!

Aside from my presence in the media, the world around Kingston is wet and cold. I have been busy doing what, I don't know, but time is passing, preparations are being made and winter is coming, along with the holidays. I have had a few sad moments because my sweet little QT died this week. I nursed her through a bought of scours and the last few weeks she seemed on the mend, eating with a great appetite both hay and grain. This week I came back from school and found her dead outside her shed. She was a real sweety but I think she has had some  serious internal health problems that finally overwhelmed her. At least I feel like she was happy and cared for when she died.

With Thanksgiving just a short week away, it is time to realize how lucky we all are. Despite our little complaints and our bigger problems, we have people to love and support us. We have a warm home and enough food to feel satisfied too much of the time.  Most important, we have faith in the future and faith in ourselves.

With all this wealth as part of our daily experience, it is hard not to become a little "let them eat cake" like in our awareness of others. I take an example from a recent day in the high school "math-for-daily-life" class. We all hear the repeated complaints about the failure of our schools to educate our students for the lives they need to lead. Why don't teacher demand more discipline? Why don't students care more and reach farther? Why don't parents support teachers and encourage excellence in their children's academic performance?  As hard as it is for those of us who are so very fortune to accept, there are many students who seem perfectly normal, average and able but are truly unable to learn anything beyond basic math. This may be because of their physical limitations or it may be their emotional disabilities but the reality is the same. Despite effort and encouragement there are limits on the complexity of information that can be understood and held for future experiences.

As I saw this reality repeated throughout the day, the need for safety nets and survival structures was brought to my mind. I am not suggesting wheel chairs and wagons to carry people through their lives, but crutches and railings that help people find a safe path to travel through their life with success and self-worth. Workers at the local convenience store,  greeters at Walmart, maintenance staff in the schools and hosts of other citizens offer important work to our society. The do the best job they can and they still have to pay rent, buy groceries and buy medicine when their children are sick. It is not in our best interest or societies that the hard work and long hours of these people leave them living below the poverty level and on the edge of survival.

We all look to local Food Banks, Goodwill, and Salvation Army missions to help those in need. We generously donate what we feel possible to help in these efforts. But the real offer of generosity and empathy will come when we require a social structure that offers basic health care and living wages to all of our citizens. The multitude of non-profit  organizations striving to meet the needs of poverty, illiteracy and illness only show the great failure in the structure we call our government, for only the government can provide an Interstate structure allowing all of our citizens to travel through life secure AND  productive.

And Thank God I live in a government where I can constantly proclaim my words of wisdom to the world!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I send my hugs and kisses out to you.
Love,
Mama Llama

Happy November

Halloween is over and All Saints Day too (Nov. 1 is a big Catholic Day). It is just the beginning of the holiday season. We have turkey and and sugar cookies ahead! It is always a big surprise when the holiday season arrives with speed that mystifies. I always imagine there will be loads of time between summer and New Years- but where does it all go?

Still, here we are in November and I can not complain. Along with some days of fall storms and pelting rain, we have enjoyed days of crisp sunshine, sometimes with as much warmth as July. The animals are all fitted out for the coming winter days. The chickens have a light in the hen house, the rabbits are closed in from the rain and, for the moment, the goats seem healthy after a bought of illness the last couple of weeks.

This week I ran into Home Depot to get a couple of bags of top soil for my new garden in the front lawn (it is now planted with garlic which I hope will repel the deer- mine are probably Italian deer!) While in the Home Depot I spotted a GE Profile 909 electric range, recently advertised at $1100. It is black and stainless steel with a glass top, 5 burners with a fast-boil element, a convection  oven with a special "meat probe" for roasting and "most important" was only $399. It is now in my kitchen and it works! I made coffee this morning and dinner this evening so the experiment begins. Now I can cook the holidays in with ease.

Aside from the big purchase, not much news in Kingston. The elections are over but the media seems to have realized it is really cheap to fill their minutes with "pundits" who are on staff and can bombard us with their opinions. As a result I am still listening to books on tape while I spin. The most recent is a book by Jean Kwok- Girl in Translation: a story of immigration from Hong Kong to New York and the New York garment district. It is an excellent reality check. What is defined as survival and hard work is relative to personal experience and can certainly not be transferred from generation to generation because all of the elements change. Lesson learned-we are very fortunate and should be on the look out for those who might not be. Maybe we can help?

Now that day-light savings time is upon us, I look forward to early evenings reading with a cup of tea. That is at least until wreaths want to be made and holiday decorations demand attention. The renters moved out this weekend and will be cleaned out soon but I am putting the A-frame rental project on hold until after Christmas.Who knows, I may win the lottery by then and decide to change it into a weaving studio. Not much else to say for now. I hope you are all well and enjoying the fall. Good luck with work, with school, with projects all and have a great November!

Love,
Mama Llama

THE Luckiest Person in the World

WOW- Or in the the vocabulary of today OMG. What a great weekend I had and I hope everyone else did too. I am home now in the quiet of stormy winds and rain but I can still hear the voices and laughter of everyone in my ears. There are no words to say how much fun it was to be together at the most special place to us- Canon Beach. I don't know where to begin.

Although I suspected we might be meeting in Oregon, I was not sure until we were in the car driving down the road. I know my family is a tricky bunch and they could always be leaving a false trail. The setting for a family enclave was perfect-The Inn at Arch Cape. Little cabins circled around with fireplaces, kitchens, cozy beds and a beach cove for walking. Windy October storms where the icing on the cake.

My family is so amazing and generous and loving I don't even know where to start or what to highlight. Just being together with EVERYONE was really the best. Great food in our cozy spaces together; getting up to share coffee and walk on the beach; playing games in front of television sports, great food and great wine- it is like putting all the year of holidays into on weekend...and I even got presents (which was totally too much!)

As I look at the wonderful book of memories and adventures, I can't help but worry that I will now be accountable for ALL of my words. It really is not fair, as I have left such a trail of them with the full and heartfelt believe that no one would notice. Now I see they might be hiding somewhere in corners, waiting to catch me out. From know on I will have to be cautious in parceling out my epiphanies. Still, I recently heard someone say that we are defined by our choices. I believe this is true but I also believe there is great luck in where we are set down to begin life. I got very, very lucky on all counts. Thank you to all my family and the universe that put us all together -you are the very best part of living.

A good time gone by

It is the beginning of a new week but I can't start it out before saying a fond farewell to the week past. You are going to have to image the great time because I have misplaced my camera so the great pictures will come later.Sitting in front of my loom finishing a blanket for my Bainbridge group, I  look up to appreciate the last vase of tiny rose buds with lavender picked before the rain began to fall in torrents. It is a good moment to look back on the week of road tripping, wine drinking and great food.

Kyrsa and I left Seattle in the rain and sped down I-5 with a truck packed tighter than either of us imagined possible. We stopped for a last coffee at Javista to energize the long drive to Medford. It was 7 plus hours which always feels like a long time sitting but we made it to our great little bed and breakfast between Jacksonville and Medford. It was across the road from the "for sale" organic farm Colin and Susan and I looked at when we were driving through the area. After setting up in a great little cottage, we headed to Jacksonville for a great dinner at the "Inn". We sat outdoors in the late evening and enjoyed feeling like we were on vacation- which I was! Such a nice evening really took the tension out of driving, although the trip back to the b&b added some excitement when a deer landed directly in front of the truck. Fortunately Kyrsa reacted quickly and we were still driving at in-town speed, so our journey was NOT marred by auto repair time.

After a great breakfast of waffles and strawberries, we headed south taking the back road to Grants Pass and on down 199 to 101. The road is gorgeous, windy and dramatic. That means slow as well but the traffic was light, for which we were thankful. We made it through the mountains gasping for a rest stop and coffee by the time we hit Crescent City. It was great to see the places and remember the drive with Colin and Susan just a short time earlier. It was still as great- maybe better for the extra memories. We pulled into Healdsburg around 6, tired and glad to be out of the truck. Dave had wine chilled and dinner ready for us- so as the evening set,  we drank wine on the porch and listened to the crickets chirp over the Russian River; another successful road trip!

Kyrsa and I  arrived Saturday evening and my flight out was Tuesday evening  which left a couple of days to explore the area Kyrsa and Dave will be calling home. It is a beautiful area! We drove through the beautiful vineyards, stopped at amazing wineries and learned more about wine that I ever expected to know. One of the most interesting wineries and vineyards was the Berzinger winery. It is a "biodynamic" winery which I know all about because I was recently on the agro-tour with Susan. The Berzinger Winery has:#1 great wines and #2 an interesting business plan using a diversified growing model that includes sheep, cows, chickens, cover crops and mulching. It is also a gorgeous spot for tasting and picnicking in the Glen Ellen Valley. On Sunday evening Dave and Kyrsa gave me a wonderful treat. The took me to dinner at the Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen- an extraordinary restaurant. We had a great meal with unusual offerings including ricotta ravioli dressed with watermelon in tomato bisque, a wonderfully flavored chicken over fresh corn polenta, cream corn soup dressed with truffle butter, duck confite and more! 

As well as wineries, Kyrsa and I checked out shops and towns throughout the area. In Sonoma we found a great consignment store and some good prices on kitchen goods (although there was NOT a Williams and Sonoma store). In Santa Rosa we found some great used furniture and outdoor/garden  shops as well as a wonderful spice shop where they have millions of spices and blended spices in small amounts or large. You can taste every spice there from the sample bottles and the prices are very reasonable. Of course we both left with a few to try out at home. That purchase encouraged me to redo my spice containers when I returned home. If my food doesn't taste good, it is not for the lack of spices to season it!!

Kyrsa and Dave have all the challenges of moving to a new area, finding a home and a place in the community, while dealing with a home in Seattle. It will be a challenging year but at least they can do it all from a beautiful, sunny area and maybe even get to see Colin and Susan a little bit.  

So, good by to the sunshine of California and hello to the rainy gray of Seattle. Fall is here, the garden needs to be cleaned and readied for winter and there are lots of indoor projects calling me."To everything there is a season..."  Have a wonderful week filled with miracles or at least unexpected good times.

Love you,
Mama Llama

As It Looks Right Now

Autumn is here and as everyone who reads this knows, we are as likely to see our national bird in the sky over Tulin Road as we are to see it on currency. Still, Today was a really treat. On the run into town to pick up preserving supplies, I spied an young eagle sitting on the edge of the water, down at the slough. I pulled into the park and just watched him watch the world for several minutes until the youngster flew off into the backwoods to see if it offered better hunting. What a nice reminder of the beauty in our region.

Today we are reminded of why green surrounds us all year long- the veil of rain. With warm temperatures, I am off to gather art items for a printing project and a gluing  project -pictures later depending upon the success rate. Right now, a little proof of yesterdays efforts to stock pile the small fall garden harvest which is weighted heavily on the side of zucchini and chard. Yesterday I made pickles, relish and bread from the bountiful zucchini and still there are 4 medium large squash in my refrigerator. I also made a green tomato cake which was possitively reviewed by friends but only marginally successful in my book. I also made a great potato-chard ravioli. The filling will became gnocchi tonight. After all that time in the kitchen, today is a day for fun projects and maybe a walk on the beach if the rain stops.

But before I sign off, I will pass on a new study result. We all acknowledge that studies will say whatever the author want us to hear but this one I like. It seems that hugs, hand holding and other affectionate touching release chemicals in the body that reduce anxiety and stress! SO- do yourself a favor.Give all you friends and lovers hugs and  neck rubs. Shake hands when you meet people and endeavor to create positive physical bridges to improve your own health and reduce your levels of stress. There you have it- just like drinking wine and eating chocolate...it is all healthy living.

Have a great week ahead and live healthfully.

Love ,
Mama Llama

Happy Birthday!!

A day to celebrate the 60th birthday of a little lady with a huge heart, who makes every day brighter and everyone's life more than a little bit richer.

A huge toast to MOM! We love you more than words can say!