august
We’re preparing for dinner, in that August way, where first you spend 15 minutes locating the kids, then 15 minutes asking them to come inside, then another 15 de-mudding them enough to be fit for the table. The table is still full of the latest apricot project; our floor is like a modern-art representation of both everyone’s creativity and disinterest in cleaning up after themselves; and I’m double-washing the toothy salad greens (AKA: weeds; we’re between lettuce plantings) because of the spider I found in last night’s lamb’s quarters.
Soaking dandelion greens, purslane and lambs quarters.
“What do you guys want to do to help get dinner on the table?” I ask the kids.
Col: “I’ll sweep the floor.”
Rose: “I’ll dance.”
There’s a few extra people on the property lately, various friends and boyfriends of the downstairs tenants, which is fine with us, annoying (parking-wise) to some of our neighbors, and for Col and Rose, like having endless quarters to deposit in a gumball machine that never empties. “Lets go see who’s downstairs, Coley,” Rose requests 12 times a day. The downstairs folks, these unencumbered 20-something year olds, are so gracious and patient with Col and Rose. I think they see the kids as these delightful little creatures, more amusing and interesting than a figment of their last mushroom trip, which is exactly how we 40-year olds see them.
The shark Col created with the sex-poetry magnets downstairs. Rowan called me in, laughing, to come check this out. See, funnier than his latest mushroom trip.
We participated in a clay oven pizza party this week with the downstairs folks, in which there were Enough Adults to Go Around. Meaning, Dan and I puttered happily around the garden and root cellar knowing vaguely that the kids were somewhere on the property with some adult whose pie graph of patience wasn’t already 75% eaten.
Col and John tending the fire together. Also, I did eavesdrop just a little. Overheard Col telling John the story of how he *almost* accidentally superglued his fingers to a towel. John then relayed his own superglued fingers story for Col. Big friendship for this little 7-year old.
Rowan’s amazing pizza sauce, incidentally cooked in a pot that belonged to a tenant whom we lived with when we lived downstairs in our unencumbered 20’s!
Pizza going in the oven.
The garden is going into August superdrive.
The every 2-3 day tomato haul.
Buttercup squash, my favorite.
Mom, next time you’re here: kimchi!
Onions and cabbages getting along.
Gargantuan cabbage leaves, which may or may not be due to pee-fertilizer.
This photo below—of a squash tendril wrapped around a tomato—represents what I love about my garden, about this whole homestead…how well we all intermix.
And finally, Rose cut her hair all by her ownself.
Have a gorgeous, August-filled weekend!
Rachel
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I love them. Miss them. Her Fangs look very lovely. We went to Muir Beach today and took a hike along the beautiful ridge. Had to tecnu like mad afterwards, but our August dinner was frozen Annies burritos in front of the Olympics, tired kiddos and very tired parents.
tecnu? love you and miss you all!
I love them. Miss them. Her Fangs look very lovely. We went to Muir Beach today and took a hike along the beautiful ridge. Had to tecnu like mad afterwards, but our August dinner was frozen Annies burritos in front of the Olympics, tired kiddos and very tired parents.
tecnu? love you and miss you all!
omigod. i’m still laughing about the shark sex poetry. HA!! (*and* i’m in my forties…what does that say about me???) and rose did a marvelous job on the fangs…
omigod. i’m still laughing about the shark sex poetry. HA!! (*and* i’m in my forties…what does that say about me???) and rose did a marvelous job on the fangs…
Hmm, I could use some fangs, in that its-summer-too-busy-to-schedule-things-like-haircuts kind of way. Does her spa go on the road?
I know. Personal hygiene is not at the top most priority tier during busy summer. I’ll encourage Rose to post a You Tube video, but mostly I think it’s: grab hair. cut hair. done.
Hmm, I could use some fangs, in that its-summer-too-busy-to-schedule-things-like-haircuts kind of way. Does her spa go on the road?
I know. Personal hygiene is not at the top most priority tier during busy summer. I’ll encourage Rose to post a You Tube video, but mostly I think it’s: grab hair. cut hair. done.
I keep reading this post and one thing seems to stand out: the spin Rose brings to the life of your family. Icing on the cake! By the way, I need to talk to you about the secrets of growing cauliflower/broccoli. Two years now and all I get are big leaves and no veg. What’s up with that?!
omygoodness. the spin of Rosie. it’s true. Dan and I are like, “where did this girl come from?” and “thank god she’s here.”
I keep reading this post and one thing seems to stand out: the spin Rose brings to the life of your family. Icing on the cake! By the way, I need to talk to you about the secrets of growing cauliflower/broccoli. Two years now and all I get are big leaves and no veg. What’s up with that?!
omygoodness. the spin of Rosie. it’s true. Dan and I are like, “where did this girl come from?” and “thank god she’s here.”
What a lovely way to help get dinner on the table — by dancing. And what gorgeous food!!
What a lovely way to help get dinner on the table — by dancing. And what gorgeous food!!
Oh, I remember living in an apartment building near a college with our two. My oldest was 5 at the time and he remembers his adult friends :) Good times. Sometimes I miss it, living out here in the country. I would love to have close neighbors like you! And my, miss Rose, I love your fangs (and your dancing,too).
Oh, I remember living in an apartment building near a college with our two. My oldest was 5 at the time and he remembers his adult friends :) Good times. Sometimes I miss it, living out here in the country. I would love to have close neighbors like you! And my, miss Rose, I love your fangs (and your dancing,too).
I’ve had to cut myself off from non southwestern blogs because the garden pictures were pissing me off with envy. Just informing you that I’ve now decided to remove Durango from my Southwest map. Enjoy the fruits!
Kyce, Don’t leave. I’ll post warnings first on garden posts just for you.
Don’t worry, you actually keep my faith alive more than anything!
I’ve had to cut myself off from non southwestern blogs because the garden pictures were pissing me off with envy. Just informing you that I’ve now decided to remove Durango from my Southwest map. Enjoy the fruits!
Kyce, Don’t leave. I’ll post warnings first on garden posts just for you.
Don’t worry, you actually keep my faith alive more than anything!
That oven is awesome! Did you tell us about this somewhere???
Kyndale,
Little bit here: http://6512andgrowing.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/weekending/
That oven is awesome! Did you tell us about this somewhere???
Kyndale,
Little bit here: http://6512andgrowing.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/weekending/
Yeah, digging that oven, want to make my own sometime – minor culinary victory, my roommate, Chris the gardener and I teamed up to make a smoky roma salsa that won its category (tomato) at the farmer’s market today, yay! He’s a wizz at gardening and we have many lovely varieties of tomato right now. Like your garden analogy Rachel.
Smoky roma salsa? Recipe, please!
Yeah, digging that oven, want to make my own sometime – minor culinary victory, my roommate, Chris the gardener and I teamed up to make a smoky roma salsa that won its category (tomato) at the farmer’s market today, yay! He’s a wizz at gardening and we have many lovely varieties of tomato right now. Like your garden analogy Rachel.
Smoky roma salsa? Recipe, please!
So, so much to love, both in photos and stories. The photo of Rose at the bottom so carefully holding Col’s head is amazing.
Also–dandelion greens. I thought we weren’t supposed to eat them right now. Can we? I have eaten this time of year in the past, but then I read things that convinced me that we were supposed to eat them in the spring before they’ve flowered. What’s the story?
Jaimie, I haven’t ever heard anything adverse about eating dandelion greens in any season. These were new sprouts…I think it’s fine. I really do. xo
So, so much to love, both in photos and stories. The photo of Rose at the bottom so carefully holding Col’s head is amazing.
Also–dandelion greens. I thought we weren’t supposed to eat them right now. Can we? I have eaten this time of year in the past, but then I read things that convinced me that we were supposed to eat them in the spring before they’ve flowered. What’s the story?
Jaimie, I haven’t ever heard anything adverse about eating dandelion greens in any season. These were new sprouts…I think it’s fine. I really do. xo
Oh, fangs! My own daughter calls hers ribbons (I *think* from “fringe,” but I’m really not sure). Even though she’s seven, we all still refer to them as ribbons.
And, I’m perfectly okay letting her cut her own hair. I figure it’s her hair and it’ll most likely grow back. She’s only cut her own once.
(still catching up on, and thoroughly enjoying, your posts)
Oh, fangs! My own daughter calls hers ribbons (I *think* from “fringe,” but I’m really not sure). Even though she’s seven, we all still refer to them as ribbons.
And, I’m perfectly okay letting her cut her own hair. I figure it’s her hair and it’ll most likely grow back. She’s only cut her own once.
(still catching up on, and thoroughly enjoying, your posts)