Staycation update

Well, the first day of our staycation was not a vacation at all. It was hard work. We uncluttered the house, cleaned up the yard, cleaned up the deck, refilled the birdfeeders, did laundry, paid bills, and generally put our affairs in order. It’s all the things and more that we’ve been meaning to do for a while, but didn’t find the time or energy to do. By the end of the day, my back was hurting, but things were in much better shape.

We hosted a sleepover guest for my daughter. That did force us to order pizza for dinner. At least after all that work, we didn’t have to cook and clean up the kitchen after dinner.

Our daughter Zoe is turning ten years old on August 3. Where has that time gone? As dutiful parents, we have been trying to organize a birthday party for her. She wanted a sleep over with all her friends, and a traditional birthday party with streamers and balloons, and naturally a big cake.

Alas, most of her friends are actually away on real vacations. My guess is that the bad economy hasn’t hit the well-heeled crowd of Chapel Hill, NC. So, we’re taking her available friends throughout the week for smaller get-togethers. Last night, we had a sleepover, today a visit to Kanki, a local Japanese restaurant, tomorrow a trip to the museum, a trip to the water park, plan to see a movie later in the week, and maybe another sleep over. Phew! A weeklong birthday is more work and more fun for all.

Happy (week-long) Birthday, Zoe!

Flying solo at the library

Last night, my kind husband brought the kids to their swimming lesson. They take swimming on Monday and Wednesday night at our neighborhood pool. I went on Monday, dragged my visiting mother along, and we sweated for over an hour. During swim lessons, nobody else is allowed in the pool.

With this nice bit of freedom, I went to the Chapel Hill library BY MYSELF for only the second time since we moved here four years ago. Going to the library solo is such a gift. I was able to browse, look up several books that I've been meaning to read, and actually read at the library. I returned all but three books, extended the three that are outstanding, paid off our overdue fees, and replaced my card with the nifty key-chain version. It's amazing what simple pleasures there are to be had.

Soccer Mom

Owen and Zoe have joined the local soccer team. They have caught on pretty well with the basics of the game.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Well, I am now officially a Soccer Mom. We have the house in the suburbs. We have the mini-van. We have the two soccer playing kids.

Owen's Diner

 

There's a little cute diner in Chapel Hill called Owen's 501 Diner. It's located on the 501 highway. We point it out to our Owen as we drive by. And, a few weeks ago we all went there for lunch. Now our Owen calls it "my diner." Every time we pass by it he says, "Mom, I want to go to my diner."

Some people think diners are greasy spoons. As America evolves into a place with a Subway franchise (28678 Restaurants In 86 Countries) in every strip mall, unique places like diners are few and far between. Give me a diner any day over the usual sprawl. To me, a diner is a welcome sight. You don't know what you miss until they're gone.

Recently, I was surprised to see the Englewood Diner in a movie scene. The diner used to be located in my neighborhood in Dorchester, Mass. When I worked at a local community newspaper, I used to sell ads to the owner of the diner. It was adorable. I used to visit it a couple times a year. The movie was featured in The Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks, Jude Law, and Paul Newman. While listening to the director's commentary, I was interested to learn that the Englewood Diner had been purchased on EBay for $20,000.

So, when I get a bit homesick, I can pop in the Perdition DVD and remember my favorite diner. It is nice to see the Englewood Diner forever captured on film, but I'd rather be able to have their home-made corn beef hash and poached eggs.

BIG boys and their BIG toys

 

Owen is delirious with joy. And, he has a new summer haircut that when wet is spikey. He looks so grown up. He is also moving into the danger zone for toys:



He recently received this big present. It's a big hit. These sort of things are very popular in our neighborhood. I'm pretty sure that they are not a good thing. I think this is where the moms and the dads part company.

I see trips to the emergency room. My husband sees his childhood. And, I know, I know, they should be wearing helmets.

On a side note, we had amazing weather for the past couple days. It is notable how much the weather affects my mood. I'm going to have to pay more attention to this.

Carrboro Farmers' Market

Today we visited the Carrboro Farmer's Market.

We bought garden plants, cut flowers, cheese, eggs and pork. Zoe and Owen were thrilled with the pussy willows. We just had to buy a bunch of them. I remember loving pussy willows when I was a kid. I remember stroking their fuzzy tips. They grew in a neighbor's yard. We were always excited when they bloomed in the early spring.

I grew up a city kid. We used to take drives to the country to pick apples or buy pumpkins. We didn't know or understand about locally-raised produce or local farms. Our food came from the supermarket in plastic bags.

Now, I appreciate local produce and crafts. I try to visit the market with my kids at least once a month. And, we go on the farm tour, and try to grow some herbs and vegetables. It's all a part of why we moved here to improve the quality of our life.

My Thanksgiving

I also didn't get a chance to express my gratitude, so here's my thanks:

First, my husband-- a man I am blessed to have in my life. My children-- I am so lucky to have both of them. As the circle widens: I am thankful for my parents and siblings. I miss them all the time. And, I'm grateful for our old and new friends, and our growing community.

On a global level, I thank the courageous people who work for peace and social justice, those who work to protect our civil rights and liberties, and those who help the powerless.

I'm thanful for the simple pleasures of life. I stop and smell the roses now.

I am thankful for those of you who read Dot Com Family and provide comments and encouragement. So, thank you. Thank you very much.

Kalil's 8th birthday party

Yesterday was Kalil's birthday party. We had a wonderful time. The weather was amazing, and the party was perfect.

There was a Pokemon theme to the party. The kids all had a great time. I brought Owen who played beautifully with Kalil's baby sister.

After the party, we took Kalil home for a playdate. That gave his family some time to tidy up and hopefully kick back for a few minutes.

Owen on his hot wheel -- YouTUBE

I'm a little late to this party, but happy to join in. My new digital camera has rough video capabilities. This is my first shot.
What do you think?

Halloween is in the air

 

We hung up our Halloween decorations today. It's a bit early, but not too bad. Of course, I saw Xmas trees for sale at Lowes, so I don't feel too early.

It's been cool and rainy so it feels like fall. We are seeing the leaves change colors and start to fall.

I love the cool crisp days. You can enjoy the outdoors without dying from the heat. 

Simple Pleasures of Childhood

  

Health and wellbeing

I'm on the long road to recovery. I am nearly ready to join a 12-step group on my issues with the medical establishment.

I'm still fighting the infection and the newly-discovered, compounding problem of poison ivy exposure. This was the confusing thing about the diagnosis. I had a skin virus, then a bad allergic reaction and finally a staph infection on top. A triple whammy. I had to get I.V. antibiotics at the E.R. and now I'm on three ointments and four prescription drugs. Not bad for a simple day in the garden.

My dermatologist told me that my rash was about as bad as she had ever seen. The only worse case involved a state trouper who wrestled with a felon in a bed of poison ivy. She said in a quaint southern way, "You are best done with gardening." And, "You have no business gardening ever again." When I protested, she responded, "OK, you may try again in full body armor."

I love to garden nearly as much as I like to knit and read. I have struggled with gardening down south learning new skills and discovering new techniques. I'm going to have to knit a lot more. This is going to take some time to sink in.

Sunflowers

 


Our front yard is a bloom with sunflowers. Zoe and I planted them together in June.

They are very easy to grow, fun and cheerful. We were pleased to find many of them in bloom after we returned from Boston.

The deer have decapitated many of them, the bees and butterflies are visiting them, and now the birds are pecking out the seeds as they dry. They must be tasty! 

Toadstools

 


After a lot of rain, these popped up in our grass. 

Gardening down south

I'm an avid organic gardener. But, my gardening history has been limited to the Boston area. I've been trying to learn how to garden down south. The soil is so different. The climate is so much warmer. The bugs are very different. And the critters are just too much.

In my urban garden in Boston, I didn't have a lot of sun. Six hours a day was typical. We had a lot of shady spots since I had 100+ year old trees on my property. We couldn't plant tomatoes until Memorial Day. Here it's blazing hot and sunny with small, newly-planted trees. We do have a lovely grove of trees behind the house that may have been there for a while, but they are really a buffer between me and the power lines.

The soil in Boston was acidic, but friable. Over the years, with my organic gardening methods, I made the soil in my beds beautiful. Here is hard red clay. It's impossible to dig this soil without breaking your tools or you back.

We lived in the city. Now we live in the country. There were critters--racoons, skunks, and squirrels. Here we have rabbits and deer. I haven't seen any racoons or smelled any skunks. The rabbits and deer are more adorable. They will eat anything pretty or delicious.

The best part is discovering that there is so much to learn in gardening. Move a couple hundred miles, and you are in a whole new world. I remember a quote from Thomas Jefferson who said "Though an old man I am but a young gardener." Thanks, Tom, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Swinging on the hammock

Despite the HEAVY pollen, we've enjoyed the spring. The rope hammock in the back yard is a big hit. The kids love to hang out on it. And, even I use it once in a while.