No Appointment Necessary

I saw today a “Minor Surgery Center” the sign read, “No Appointment Necessary”. . Does that mean I can just walk in and say, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about getting my tonsils out, I’ve got an extra three hours with nothing pressing, can you fit me in?”

Bad Coffee Shop Behavior

Yesterday I went to a local coffee shop to work on a project.  As I got out of my car I noticed an older lady getting out of her car too,  you know how you can just tell that you are in a race with a person?  She was racing me to get in the door and get the “good chairs”, little did she know that I had my computer and didn’t want the “good chairs”.  I did have a flash of “petulance” run through me and thought, “maybe I will sit in the chairs”. . just to annoy her.  It was so obvious what she wanted and the vibes she was sending me NOT to sit there.  

I didn’t sit on the “good chairs”.  She got her chairs.  All was well. . . 

UNTIL a young woman came in to study her nursing.  The nurse got her coffee saw four empty ”good chairs” around where the lady was sitting and took one.  I could see it all from my table.  The Bad Behavior Lady started to bristle.  Everything about BBL was seething that this young woman would dare to sit in her chairs.  Mind you, BBL hadn’t made an effort to save any chairs, and she wasn’t saying, “you know, I am waiting for a friend”. . she was just silently boiling.   (So much fun to watch the whole thing develop, it was fascinating!) So the nurse got herself settled, in a chair across from the lady and was just cracking open her book with BBL’s friend walked in.  ”I TRIED to save a chair” she loudly announced to her friend and STORMED off across the coffee shop.  The nurse was stunned (she hadn’t noticed BBL body language)

It was Bad Coffee Shop Behavior if I have ever seen it.  BBL could have saved a good chair by putting a section of the newspaper down, she could have politely said something to the nurse. . .not talking and acting like a five-year old was probably not the best option. 

 

Isn’t people watching fun??

Friday Quick Takes. . .

*  Spring is in the air.  There are many great things about living in So. Cal. . . . the nice weather all year comes to mind.  Yet, I always missed the change of seasons.  It’s been great fun this year to watch spring slowly come.   The delight in seeing bright yellow and purple crocus spring up in small patches is amazing.  Small signs of hope.  Another thing I love is hearing the birds come back.  The call of a red-wing blackbird signals spring to me, and we live in a place where the birds love to come.  

*Yesterday Nana, Papa, Reid and I went to a Nature Center.  We had such a great time.  We found windows to watch fish (Reid told them all “Hi”). . at one point we went up a small rise to a creek and came face to face with a Blue Heron.  There were Canadian Geese flying over and one on a little creek bed below the walk way.  At one point Reid bend down with his hands on his knees to peer through the walk-way rails at a water-fall.   The Nature Center opens into a park (That my brother and I use to play at when we were little, it was a short walk from our Nana & Bampys house.  Reid LOVED the slide. He went down one that we all thought was awfully tall, but he took it on and LOVED it. . Leaving the park we found a squirrel sitting in the crook of a tree munching on a taco chip. . .Reid loved it all. 

* I’ve been thinking the past few days about “Group Think” and how it plays into so much of all we do.  I am reading a book about organizational transformation and they author said one of the signs of a healthy organization is their ability to acknowledge and authentic about “group think” that happens in their organization.  It made me think about the Church and how much “group think” happens there (quite a lot I think) 

* Little boys love “outside”. . or my little boy loves outside.  We were outside before 9:00 this morning, he would go outside at 6:30 when he wakes up, in his pajamas if I would let him!! All this outside makes me glad I invested in an iTouch. .. I can check my e-mail, do a yoga video, play solitaire or any of three other games I find highly addictive while Reid is “outside”. . . The yoga is a bit hard, I have to admit. . . just when I get into a pose, Reid comes and wants to show me something, try it himself, or run off with my iTouch.   Still it keeps me entertained while he is “outside”. 

* I’ve been loving Facebook.  In the past few weeks I’ve connect with a number of high school friends.  There were only 13 people in my class, several of us started kindergartern together and graduated together.   We were friends whether we wanted to be or not, there is an attachment that we had.  It’s been so much fun to find people and see where life has taken them!

 

* I hope when he’s older, he won’t mind this bath picture.  What a cutie!!

 

Mr. Handsome

 

* Jello-pudding finger painting. . . not so much of a hit. . 

 

Get this stuff OFF my hands!!

Friday, Friday

One blogger I read does something she calls “7 Quick Takes” every Friday.  I’ll try that to revive my blogging . . . 

 

1.  I  have been fascinated the last couple of days by Bernie Madoff.  What a story. How does something like that happen?  It just seems like such a powerful example of greed gone made.  I feel for the investors who lost everything in some cases.  And for the man himself. . .how does something like that start, how did he live with himself. . what did he tell himself .  . what about his family. .. what does a man who is 70 years old looking at 150 years in jail do?  

2. We went to the park yesterday.  One of the fun things about our neighborhood is there are parks hidden all over.  A few weeks ago we found one up the hill from our house, that is surrounded by a white picket fence and TWO slides just the perfect size for little boys.  Yesterday as we arrived there were two other mothers of little boys playing, and soon after another mother of boys arrived.  There were a couple of girls in tow, but it seemed like they were only along for the ride.  Our little guy loved, LOVED all the action.  The dog was a source of much glee.  The little guy a few months older than him who was digging in the dirt was a point of much curiosity. . . I could see his little brain working, “you mean you can DIG in the dirt?  I never thought of that.. . hmm” and when the bigger boys arrived with their bursting energy and began chasing the dog around the park Reid could hardly STAND it. . I was glad the bigger boys were somewhat watching out for my little guy because he for sure thought he needed to be in the middle of that action. . I feel like now that spring is starting to spring I’ll be meeting a lot more boy mama’s . . it seems little guys “need” to be outside.   The two mama’s of two little guys each said, “We spend EVERY afternoon in one of the parks”.

3. I realized I have very few pictures of me and my little guy. . . Todd snapped one before church a few weeks ago. . . .

Me and my buddy. . .

 

4.  I started “Stroller Strides”.  It’s an exercise class for mama’s and their stroller tots.  It’s been so much fun (and such a good workout).  They meet every morning at the mall (until it’s above 40 in the morning, then they move outside to several different local parks). We can only make it two or three mornings a week.  I’m always glad to go.  It’s quite the site. . a stroller brigade of mama’s walking and then parking outside of different stores and doing some crazy exercise routine while singing nursery rhymes. . but hey, it works!

5. I finished last night, “Leaving Church” by Barbara Brown Taylor.  An excellent book.  I love, love, love to read a good writer, and she is!  I finished it last night, and ordered it this morning.  The one I read is a library book and as I sat down to write down a few of my favorite passages I realized that I would be coping the entire book. . . As a collector of words and good thoughts, it’s just a book that I “need” in my library.  

6. Farm Fresh Eggs are the best ever.  We joined a food co-op that delivers farm grown food to Boise every other week.  I order eggs raised on the high mountain prairie that I grew up on, and the eggs have taste! delicious!!

7. Reid has this growing habit, that I try and encourage, and find slightly mysterious at the same time (mysterious because I’m not naturally given to this. . Todd on the other hand is. . so he gets this from his daddy) . . he puts things away when he is done (not everything mind you. . but when he comes in from outside. . he’ll take his hat off and walk over the drawer that we keep it in and try and put it in, he has a nice collection of rubber duckys (Thanks Great Auntie A) that are his playmates in the bath.  I know when he is done because he carefully lines them up on the rim of the tub.) We put shoes in a basket by the door. . sometimes he even takes his shoes off and puts them in the basket. . .now if he would only start doing that with all his toys!!

Good Habits. .

Reid loves to help.  I have to remind myself that this is a good thing and encourage this new found helper!

Looking at these pictures, you would think that I clean a lot, cause he certainly has it down. . . 

 

This morning I was cleaning some windows.  I gave him an empty spray bottle and a rag.  He “cleaned” every window and surface he could find.

He also loves to unload the dishwasher.  He carefully hands me every spoon and fork (he does every once in a while pretend to take a bit off of them!).  He has started handing me bowls and plates, I have to be quick on my toes, so far nothing has broken, and I want to encourage good habits!!

“Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things-you must cultivate a taste for them.” Benjamin Disraeli

fresh bread

Mom asked me if I was still blogging.  ”Sort of”.  It’s so hard to find the time in my life right now.  I have a little guy who loves to be outside or otherwise completely active.   . . So, keep checking, some days (like today) you might find something new!

I discovered the best, best, best cookbook several weeks ago.  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I was so excited about the book and all the amazon reviews I read, I ordered it.  (My library had a waiting list of 27 people, I couldn’t wait until 2011!!)  All who’ve tried the bread are glad I didn’t wait to buy the book.   

It’s the easiest, and best tasting & texture bread that I’ve ever made. . . 

 

The dough after 2 hours. .

 

rising. . .

My first loaf. .

I haven’t bought a loaf of bread from the store since I bought the book.  I’ve made white and whole-wheat, free-form “artisan” bread, and using a loaf pan.  It’s yummy.  The best part is that one batch is good for three loaves of bread, and the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it gets.  I have a loaf that is going in the oven in a few minutes, it’s week old dough, and the sour-dough, airy texture is going to make a great dinner.  I even used the bread as “rolls” for french-dip sandwiches (that was a yummy dinner!) 

If you are looking for a healthy, slightly obsessive new hobby. . I highly recommend getting the book!!

Specialists in Living. . .

I found a good book (several actually) at the used bookstore yesterday.

In Simple Abundance By Sarah Ban Breathnach she quotes an October 1932 quotes in Ladies Home Journal.  So timely for Janurary 2009. . . 

“The return of good times is not wholly a matter of money. There is a prosperity of living which is quite as important as prosperity of the pocketbook.  It is not enough to be willing to make the best of things as they are.  Resignation will get us nowhere.  We must build what amounts to a new country.  We must revive the ideals of the founders.  We must learn the new values of money.  It is a time for pioneering-to create a new security for the home and the family. . . Where we were specialists in spending, we are becoming specialists in living.

 

 

If not a specialist in living, a specialist in playing for sure!

 

New Stages. . .

I find it hard to blog  find the time to blog these days.  The little guy is into everything these days and just keeps me on my toes.. . .

He watches and copies what he sees:

Daddy shovels snow, Reid shovels snow!

 

He tries to help:

I give him an empty squirt bottle just like mine and off we go!

 

He is silly:

snow angel without the snow. . .

He wants to feed himself. . . 

 

He is not always so tidy. . .

He makes messes while feeding himself. . . 

messy boy. . .

 Sometimes he’s just pretty cute:

and is thoughtful too. . .

so forgive the long pauses in my posts. . . we’re just busy!

Thinking Local

Over the past year Todd and I have become more aware of  ”buying local”.   Some might say that we watch too many documentaries.  There were two that had a major impact over the past year:

• King of Corn.  In this film two recent college grads go to Iowa and rent one acre of farm-land and grow corn.  They follow their one acre of corn for a whole year, it’s pretty astounding to see the results.  The second one 
• The Real Dirt on Farmer John is about a very excentric farmer in Illinois who started a wildly successful CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  

From these two documentaries we got turned onto Michael Pollan.   One presentations of Pollan’s we both listened to (see i-tunes and Michael Pollan to find and listen yourself) made the point that with every food choice we make we are casting a vote for food.  So when we choose local, perhaps organic, we are “voting” for less carbon, less pesticides, and support of the local economy.  I think about that every time I go to the grocery store.  How is the way I shop reflecting what I value?  Careful about asking this question, because it will change the way you shop, and eat! (well it has, and is, for us!)

So as 2009 begins we are working to make as many local decision as we can about the food we eat.  I started in the produce section several months ago.   You know those little stickers on fruit.  I actually read them.  I’ve given up buying Apples from Chili, or Oranges from South America.  Apples is most painful!  I LOVE  apples.  But,  I’ve found that apples in season are better than ones out of season and local grown organic  apples have a lot more flavor.  

We’ve actually found it much easier to buy local with our move to Idaho.  We joined our local food Co-Op, which sells almost all organic, natural and local products.  We also joined our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Starting in April or May we’ll get a share of the food (veggies and fruit) grown, literally out our back door.  We can’t wait!  

Over the next few weeks I plan to share a bit more about some of the things we’ve found on our journey of being informed and thoughtful  food consumers.   Stay tuned!

 

 

What better reason to buy local apples?

 

We hope your Christmas was merry and bright. . . .

under the mistletoe

 

Silly Crowe Cousins (I could take him. . he's got nothing on me!)

 

reflecting on Christmas. . .

 

Look, it's Santa!

Wow! Presents!

 

a walk in the snow. . .