This is the story of our adventures -- every day and extraordinary; our dreams -- tiny and grand; our gardens -- ornamental and sustaining; this is the story of our journey.  We are a family of four living a mindful, simple life here in Los Angeles County.  We are green, conscious, and forward thinking.  We keep an eye on the past because some of the best things have already been done and bear repeating.  Walk and talk with us, have a glass of wine, taste a peach or a tomato, blow some bubbles and watch them drift up over the canyon ridge.  Enjoy!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Touch rocks

Yesterday Gregorie handed me a chunky-plastic-heart-shaped-jewel-y thing and said, "Can you make me a necklace?"  I was on my way to clean the bathroom and I really wanted to say, "NO!"  I looked up at those roll-y brown eyes and thought about all the plastic junk my kids have, despite my best intentions, and about how she didn't need to be "fancy" in this moment, and I said, "No."  And then she pressed that chunky-plastic-heart-shaped-jewel-y thing into my hand.  She did.  And I reeled.  Whoa.  I felt it.  I held it. And I was transported. To a moment sometime far away.  I was 4 or 5 or 6 or 8.  I don't know.  But I held something, I dunno, was it a heart or a stone or a random piece of chunky plastic?  But it felt.just.like.this.  And it was intended to be hung on a string. What was it?  I searched my memory.  But, no, I'll never know.  I just know it felt.just.like.this  in my hand. Ya, that...  I made her the necklace.  And when she sleeps, I touch the heart.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

For Kat

There are people you meet on your journey who touch your soul, become part of your being.  Then the ribbon flows on and you leave those parts, stop pressing those places, make new spaces.  The friends aren't gone, they are just not.right.here.  And sometimes it's so hard to get beyond just.right.here.  But then, once in a while, you let go of the immediate and think across the miles and the years and you want to say, "HELLO FRIEND!  Here I am!  I miss you!  How are you?????  Look at me now!"  And often when you're a mama, it's not so much "look at me" as "look what I made!"  So, for my sweet old (as in, we've known each other a while!) friend, here are my crazy, wild lovelies.  Or the last couple months of them anyway.

Ready for the hot tub.

Sleeping angels.

A girl and her car.

Gregorie Ann.

Alex John.

Bubble in bubbles.

And another. 
In the tipi.

Funky chicks.

Light Bright.

1st Grade Smarties.

Kindergarten Sweets.

Through the forest another comes laughing.

And ready for cake.

Or ice cream.

Sisterly love.

Gregorie's idea of the tooth fairy.



Hula!

Hoooola!

Pout! 

CO2 experiment.

Alex's poem.

Make lemonade!

It's all good!
Flowers for you!