the birth moment

Every year since she was born I have woken Naiya up at the minute of her birth.  It's in the middle of the night before she wakes up one year older.  I head into her dark room and gaze at this wonder that has changed my life.  I sing her a birthday song; she wakes up, looks at me and usually just falls back to sleep.  I remember that moment she came to us and how I knew everything had changed but I had no idea what that really meant.  When she's asleep and still and so peaceful, all I see is what an incredible gift she has been.

When she's fourteen she might not appreciate this special ritual I have begun.  Or maybe she'll lay in bed straining to stay awake in anticipation of her mother's loving harassment.  Time will tell.

This year we began another pre-birthday ritual with this special poem just before we turned off the lights.

When I have snuggled into bed,

With pillows soft beneath my head,

And mommy switches off the light, 

I'll still be three years old tonight.

But from the very break of day,

Before the children rise and play,

Before the darkness turns to gold

Tomorrow, I'll be four years old.

Four kisses when I wake.

Four candles on my cake.

even in arizona

Naiya: "How do you grow a green bean?"
Mommy: "You plant a bean, a green one :)"
Naiya: "But before there was... the first bean... before there was a bean, how do you grow a bean? When there was nothing? Only earth and people and houses?"
Mommy: "How do you think the first bean grew?"
Naiya: "Did god do it?"
Mommy: "Who?"
Naiya: "God"
Mommy: "Who told you about God?"
Naiya: "You did. You said children talked to gods in churches"
Mommy: "Do you know where God is?"
Naiya: "Where?"
Mommy: "In here." (I put my hand on her heart and held it there as I looked into her eyes and stopped talking)
...long pause
(I wish I could describe the look in her eyes)
Naiya: "...And in you?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Naiya: "And in daddy?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Naiya: "And Matthew, and Kelly, and Auntie Kelli?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Naiya: "Even Uncle Erin?"
Mommy: "Even Uncle Erin."
Naiya: "Even in other places?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Naiya: "Even in Arizona?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Naiya: "In all the people?"
Mommy: "All the people."

then you must hasten to gather it in

80 pounds of potatoes.
6 massive carrots.
1 new favorite song of the girl child.

The Gardening Song by Dillon Bustin

oh my friends it's springtime again
buds are swelling of every limb
the peepers do call small birds do sing
and my thoughts return to gardening
gardening is a very fine art
bear well in mind before you start
lay up your ax your saw blade also
and take down you spade
your rake and your hoe
polish your hoe
till the blade it does shine
likewise your rake and sharpen each tine
dress up your spade with a light coat of oil
then you are ready to prepare your soil
prepare your soil with a good free will
bear well in mind what you may till
some compost and lime
are all that you need
then you are ready to plant your seed
plant your seed but none too soon
bear well in mind the phase of the moon
set out the fruit the roots and the grain
and hope it all sprouts
in the cool early rain
if the cool early rain don't drown you out
the first hot spell will bring on the drought
the midsummer sun is hotter than hell
mulch down your rows
and you water them well
water them well and thin them also
beware of weeds and beetles and crows
if you work every day then little is lost
just hope it all ripens
before the first frost
the first frost will come as sure as sin
then you must hasten to gather it in
by cartloads and bushels
by pecks and quarts
your harvest of fruit
and grain of all sorts
all sorts of peaches and apples and wheat
oats and rye and strawberries sweet
squashes and melons with colorful rinds
your harvest of vegetable
roots of all kinds
all kinds of turnips and carrots and beets
potatoes tomatoes and strong smelling leeks
cabbage and corn the beans and the hay
then you must carefully store it away
away in the cellars and lofts and bins
make cider and kraut, pickles and gin
if you do it all well
then you'll not go wrong
you will have plenty all winter long
all winter long while the cold winds blow
take down your saw and wood cutting go
if you're well fed and warm
be well content then
till warm weather comes and you say to your friends

oh my friends it's springtime again
buds are swelling on every limb
the peepers do call small birds do sing
and my thoughts return to gardening

olallie lake

View from the resort check-in and store at Olallie Lake.
Just up the road from Olallie is little Monan Lake.






We took this trip up the mountain and down a treacherous road to Olallie Lake in the first stretch of August. Ryan was up by himself for a couple of days fishing then Naiya and I joined him later in the week. There had been a fire there some years ago and the resort and cabins were closed until this year. They're rustic with no electricity and no running water but they do have wood burning stoves and two queen beds (with real mattresses) as well as cold water taps outside and a table, dresser and usable counter tops inside. We determined that these few comforts made all the difference for comfort in "outdoor" vacationing. It's sort of like camping but you can easily stand up, your feet stay somewhat clean and the beds are very cozy (unlike deflating camping mattresses). Ryan caught fish trawling from the small row boat he rented, but mostly we just relaxed and went on some really lovely hikes. It was our favorite lake of the summer.
Olallie Lake is one of Oregon's cleanest with snow melt as its main source of water. While only 40 miles from Portland, there are few signs of civilization there and in the lake itself, no motor boating or swimming are allowed.

summer harvest

This year in the garden we planted beans for the first time. What we learned is that you'd need A LOT more space to make enough beans to save them for the year. Other than that we had a bumper crop of garlic and quite a few onions as well. With the onions we learned that they have to be planted much further apart and thinned after they've started to bulb. Our tomatoes were late but some of the tastiest we've had since we've begun. We're only harvesting those now. Out on our park strip we planted 9 seed potatoes. Top side they look great and we'll be pulling them up soon. We've also already harvested blueberries, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, peas and rhubarb from our yard. In the learning curve of gardening, this year was full of spikes. Upon discovering that rhubarb returns of its own accord nearly twice the size it was last year, we'll be transplanting those two enormous plants into another area.
In other daily news, our three chickens are still thriving and we're getting enough eggs now to occasionally share with friends and neighbors. Our cats Frodo and Golem are a chipper duo (considering they're getting on up there) and, as usual, we three are a happy people. Summer blessings to you and yours.

camping

We just returned from our first camping trip of the summer. We spent four days at Suttle Lake (west of Sisters) from which we also visited Scout Lake and grandma and grandpa. I've been on a quest to find the perfect lake on which to stay. This one would have been close if not for the road across the way that we could hear at night (and also during most of the day). A little cold for swimming in too, but we managed to get in on occasion due to the warm and near perfect weather. For two of the days we had the treat of a two hour thunder storm complete with my favorite weather condition - warm wind.
There's just nothing like warm wind. Mmmmm.
Also, Scout lake is a five minute drive up the road. That one IS perfect for swimming since it's smaller. We've been there for the past three years and it's one of our favorite spots. Warm water, no motor craft and these logs floating like rafts on which anyone can hitch a ride. One can see to the bottom of the lake even in its deepest regions. And oh, what excitement!... All on her own, this time around, Naiya swam! She just lifted up her feet (while wearing her life jacket bathing suit) and started to kick and paddle! She seemed nearly as surprised as we were. We had marshmallows for breakfast and, of course, those mini cereal boxes that I remember us taking camping as kids, hot dogs for dinner and crackers and cheese and fruit all day long. It was a decadent week of sweets and swimming, root beer, fishing and sleeping under the stars.

magical garden

One day, we're thinking, we'll have more than 900 square feet of yard space and we'll fill it not only with chickens and vegetables but with bees, groves of trees, goats and mysterious and magical nooks and hideaways to explore. Until that day we're collecting the mojo in our little minds. At the Oregon Garden we found some really sweet structures and layouts including a grow box with a plexi-glass window through which one can watch the potatoes grow! What a treat for the children.