Pink Coyote

Old World Wyrm

This is a hornworm, found on one of our fresno pepper plants, which for years I thought was called a tomato worm.  I think because when I was very small I saw one on a tomato plant and it made a giant impression on me.  That is my dad's thumb in the photo; the monster was at least 4" long.  I think they're so pretty, but they are so destructive and can eat through dozens of leaves in a day.  Sometimes little eggs attach to the backs of these worms, laid by a braconid wasp. The larvae feed on and eventually munch the horny host to death.  They grow into beneficial wasps as adults and prey on many other pests. 

The dark side of gardening!

I feel myself making a seasonal transition, one in which I want to create more with my hands.  Between gardening, writing, housemomming and massaging, my hands are already taking a beating!  What do I have to lose?

The Artiste

I have no idea where he gets it from.

...love the furrow that seems to say, "Don't bother me while I'm working."

Little Swimmer

We enrolled Miles in swim lessons when he was 18 months old because we thought it would bond him to water early, help him overcome water fears and be useful should he ever fall into a water hole or swimming pool. The first few were a bit rough, but he made progress each time, enough so that we continued to show up on Saturday mornings. His daddy is the aqueous Pisces in the family, so it makes sense that they take the lessons together.  As you can see above, he is totally comfortable getting his head wet and he even goes underwater with ease.

Here he is jumping off of a big foam hippo into dad's arms.  This is supposed to teach the babies that there is an edge to water, that they can't just step out and feel support under their feet.  He's been to eight sessions and this is most animated he has been with this exercise.  Each time he goes he enjoys it more than the last!

He and daddy are very proud of the work they've done together.  The series is over and we think we'll enroll him again, maybe in the Fall, to keep his gills fresh.

Mother's Day

         A boy.                                    A tree.                     A trailer.

         What more could a mother ask for when all is divine?

Quick Fix

Sleepyhead roars awake rocking in style. 

I spent the weekend at a myofascial release workshop near Pasadena-my body is having quite the detox effect.  Anyone doing a cleanse or fast may want to compliment their efforts with this book and ball.  It's a bit of a dorky, homemade looking outfit, but the stretches are photographed clearly and it works amazingly well. 

Myofascial is different from rolfing, it involves stretching the connective tissue that holds everything together (and runs inside and outside of muscles, et al) and holding it for 2 to 20 minutes until the tissue releases.  Thank goodness it hurts a lot less.  MFR is totally the missing link for me, in physical healing work.  It so comprehensively addresses the whole body.  I'm hooked.

I had many stubborn parts that didn't want to let go (me?), and hurt really badly!  But after 14 hours of stretching (!), I feel like a wet noodle on acid.  MFR is used to treat just about every bodily ailment you can think of-I can't wait to introduce some of my moaning-in-chronic-pain clients to it.

Oi! Oi!

Privacy Please

My son is cracking me up.  Yesterday his book pick off of my shelf was "You Grow Girl" by Gayla Trail.  He took it all over the house with him, pausing to sit and flip through the pages, seeming to admire that it contains  illustrations, as well as real photos.  Today he is still on about it.  He has brought it to me to read, but only for a minute.  He mostly wants to enjoy it alone.  He opens it to the back flap and looks at Gayla's picture and points, making soft sounds.  I think he's in love!  I'm giddy that he wants to cart around a gardening book.  I'm going to go see if she has tee shirts in his size.

This quote keeps falling on my path and I want to pay attention to what it means for me:

"Be who you are
and say what you feel
because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind."
~Dr. Seuss

Miles got the attention of the yoga instructor at Mommy and Me Yoga yesterday as he perfected his downward facing dog.  This picture was taken when he was in the early stages of working on his form.  I don't know if he picked it up from me or if babies just love this pose!  You can see more adorable yogis in this really cute book.

I traded cd's with a friend last night and scored Neko Case's record Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which I spun all the way home.  Her musical poetry has a way of triggering so many buried emotions in me, sometimes stirring the loneliness at my core.  I love the artwork on the packaging, too.  Tracks Maybe Sparrow and Star Witness stand out.

Today is about moving slowly and thoughtfully, as a shadow looms. 

Big Cheese

What a charmer he already is.

I want to send a huge I MISS YOU out to my regular stops to say that I am yearning to connect in your world.  Alas, the adjustment back into the working world is taking me more time than moving to a new town! 

I want to know how you take care of yourselves during transition.  I need help creating self-care when it is the last thing on my mind.  Please tell me what works for you!

Under the Weather

Tractor boy and the rest of the Campbells are sick sicky tonite. 

Will return when sinuses and lungs clear.  Please send steamy, hot eucalyptus thoughts to a very unhappy baby boy.

Oh, M'Darlins

Valentino Numero Uno. Dessert. Thanks to the Incredible Jen. This is the man of all my dreams come true. A Halloween teethed self-portrait keeps me smiling and the mice away. I love a man who can multi-task.

Strawberries in Winter

Miles and I drove out to a family farm ten miles up the road (a piece) this afternoon to buy some sweet navel oranges and see if, by chance, they might be harvesting any other surprise goodies this time of year. We were overjoyed to find ninety-nine cent avocados grown on the property that made better guacamole than those I remember from last summer! I bought a giant bagful. There were tomatoes, strawberries, grapefruit, kumquats and honey to be had.

I heard a woman complaining in line that she was visiting from Michigan and that they hardly get fresh grown produce, and most certainly not in the winter. Cha-ching! I counted that blessing immediately. Living in the fertile San Joaquin Valley of California where I was raised means access to even more fresh food than I've been used to since I moved away 17 years ago. I'll need to keep a catalog of blessings so that when the 110 degree global warming July arrives, I'll be able to stave off the inner moanings that will scream, "WHY did I move back here!?"

We came home to unusually sunny and warm weather and ate our booty on the new back porch of the House that Dad Built. You can see that Miles loves strawberries. He missed them last summer because strawberries are apparently a scary, possible allergen that we were told to avoid until he reached a year old. He's home free now.

Missing all of my regular stops and looking forward to getting back in the swing when the dust settles here.