October Egg Tally

Shaggy vs. Atticus

This Shaggy the Dog costume was gifted to us from our naybo, Jill D.  She delivered it many, many months prior and it lived hidden in my closet (for fear of daily nagging to wear it to school, the movies, the grocery store, dinner, the beach, etc.).  Finally, the time had come to unveil the thrifted score and show it to G.  My dog-obsessed kid was elated and wanted to wear it for his school parade, naturally.  However, he didn't factor the squelching heat of the October day into the equation and he quickly lost his staying power.  The dog costume over-heated him and he was down for the count, as you can see above.

As night fell, he decided to go with the other costume he had that was also a gift from a friend (how well do my friends know him?) and he was a horse, of course.  This costume fit perfectly and was already  broken in from many attended festivals and photography sessions in our yard.  Plus, it was a lot cooler to wear in the evening.  He had his fortune read at the Jenner Community Halloween-Day of the Dead Party, participated in a costume contest, received copious amounts of candy from our four neighboring homes and was content to go home early from the festivities all doped up from the sugar-buzz inflicted at the par-tay.

It's tiring being a dog AND a horse in one day.  It just is.

H-OWL-OWEEN

Yep, I'm bragging. This fine, fine silver owl pumpkin won first place at the annual pumpkin carving contest that we attend in Santa Rosa. I think it's the cutest one I've ever done (and believe me, I do like to win pumpkin carving contests). One year, I won $250 at the law firm I was working at for submitting a pumpkin with holes drilled all over it. I copied it from the pre-incarcerated Martha Stewart. It was a good thing.

Pomegranate War!

Tomales Barn Dance

Another wonderful small town dance happened and we were one of the first families to arrive. They had a band and a square dance caller, as well as homemade pumpkin soup and fresh-squeezed lemonade. The decorations were corn stalks and pumpkins/gourds and white twinkle lights. Absolutely beautiful.

The Barn Dance was promoted along with Bill McKibben's International Day of Climate Action. On October 24th, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world (including the Tomales Barn Dance), people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. Over 19,000 photos from the day of the 350 event have been submitted so far!

See them all on Flickr »

We have since learned a bit more about the 350.org website and what we can do to help raise awareness. However, on the night of the dance, all Grady cared about was dancing the night away with Anna from Hand's Full Farm. He also learned how to promenade, dosey-doe and swing his partner round-and-round. As you can tell, we're on the dance hall circuit lately and are looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. Ladies: Watch out for a little boy in a blue hat ~ he's on fire and not taking no for an answer.

Run Like A Girl

This weekend was the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco (or half marathon, if you're me and my friends). My BFF and her posse of gal pals flew up from Southern California and I met up with them for a little pre-race champagne at the Bubble Lounge and late-night dancing at Harry Denton's Starlight Room well into the wee hours of the morning. We rounded it out by staying in bed until noon on Saturday. Okay, NOW we're ready to walk 13.1 miles!

Communing with 20,000+ people is always an energizing experience. All of the women walking/running in our group were excited for the event and it was especially momentous for me to do this with my best friend, Kacy. We've been involved with the Avon Walks for Breast Cancer and the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walks, but never participated in an event at the same time. We walked, talked, jogged and crossed the finish line holding hands.

Oh, and we posed for a few photos along the way. We completed 13.1 miles in approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes. No world records were set, but it was an absolute honor and privilege to walk-the-walk with my oldest and dearest friend. Grady and Steve were at the finish line rooting us on and it brought tears to my eyes to see G on top of his dad's shoulders flashing me the peace sign with his fingers! We said our good-byes and hobbled home to rest our bodies...until next year.

Singing in the Rain!

:: Rain coat & slicker boots dusted off. Check.

:: Elmer Fudd hat purchased. Check.

:: Winter garden planted. Check.

:: Tomatoes ripening on the window sill. Check.

:: Eggs gathered. Check.

:: Summer. A very recent, happy memory. Check.

Yep. Our first big storm of the season is rolling in and I feel almost giddy about it. I just love inclement weather. I think I would have been a really good storm chaser (ha!). Everyone is talking about when it will hit, where it will hit, how much rain we'll get, if we will flood (since we always seem to flood on Highway One). A good storm always makes me want to cook, put on my fuzzy socks, curl up with a good book and a warm throw blanket, take a hot bath, drink a glass of yummy red wine, use my crock pot, light some candles, bake cookies...I could go on and on. Oh, I think I just did. Well, anyhoo, enjoy your first storm if and when it hits your neck of the woods. I know I will. Hell, the power might even go out! That will really make my day! I know, I need to get out more.

Chair Fetish 101

I have a confession to make. I have a chair fetish. Oh, yeah. Big time. In my house I have 10 chairs, 4 stools and one big ottoman. I have a step-stool in the kitchen, as well as a couple of benches in my entry way and laundry room. Apparently, I want to make sure you sit down somewhere, hell, anywhere in my house.

Out on the yard/garden I have a grand total of 9 chairs, three benches and six chairs in Grady's playhouse. I also have a few chairs up in our garage/attic. I know. I know. I know.

I've also relocated a chair that we reupholstered many years ago to my friend/naybo's house. I wanted to try and separate myself from the chair, but didn't want it to go too far away. I should seek treatment, right?

Well, it doesn't stop me from looking at more chairs every chance I get and here are a few of my new fantasy chairs...

This canary print armless chair from Target is amazing! I definitely would trade one of my current four-legged numbers for this one. Only $299. Practically free, right?

This is the Curves Hourglass Chair in Oyster and has such great lines. I don't need it, but isn't it cool? Only $249.

This is the Gerber Upholstered Chair - Surf and I dig the color. All of this mid-century modern design is so in right now and I really appreciate the style and form/function. $299 for all this loveliness.

I just need a chair adoption to happen at my house, so that I can bring in more chair orphans. Anyone?

Flashback: 10.06.01

Married for eight years? Whoa. I know. Big deal, huh? Well, it is a big deal to me. I love anniversaries (almost as much as I love birthdays). So, here's what I don't want to forget...

Picnic at Schoolhouse Beach

:: Sharing a bottle of beautiful 2006 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

:: Watching the sun dip into the ocean

What a wonderful way to spend our eighth wedding anniversary. We spent our first anniversary here on this very beach, sharing a bottle of champagne and watching the sun fade into the ocean. I had just found out I was pregnant (so the champagne was just sipped by me) and we were looking forward to our lives here on the Sonoma Coast. It all seems so long ago.

On our honeymoon (three weeks post 9-11), we decided to quit our jobs, sell our home in San Jose, put most of our belongings in storage and buy a wine shop and live in the apartment underneath it. Bodega Bay would be our home. The townspeople would become our extended family. We would get involved in all sorts of community service work. We would make lifelong friends. We would have this wonderful baby boy and he would receive so much love from everyone he met. We would change our ways. We surely would. We would see the world differently - as a married couple; as new parents; as wanna-be environmentalists; and, as citizens in this small town that we sought out and came to be fully immersed in.

As we sat on the beach watching our son play with every single dog that he encountered and chat it up with each and every person he met, I was comforted in the choices we made eight years ago - to each other, to our soon-to-be community and, ultimately, to our amazing, gregarious, friendly, nature-lovin' child.

Happy Anniversary SL.

Urban Farming Tutorial

I just finished reading this lovely book by Miss Novella Carpenter and wanted to share the love. If you like memoirs (like I do), want to change the way you eat and learn about a woman who thoughtfully grew and raised her own food in a very urban setting, then this is the book for you.

Our friend photographed the author and documented same on her blog: Between a Handshake and Two Kisses. Check it out.

Dance Fever

Okay, here's the warning: This is a video of Grady at the most recent community dance at the Bodega Bay Grange. As you will see, it was not well-attended. However, Grady LOVED it and danced with every woman in his line of vision. I want you to carefully notice the blind woman with a cane at the beginning of this video. She takes off running shortly after I start filming, but she danced her ass off during the course of the evening. No one said a thing, but I was pretty impressed with her rhythm, moves and general don't-give-a-damned-attitude while she expressed herself on the dance floor. The only thing I told Grady was to be mindful of her and try not to knock her over with his fancy footwork. No injuries to report.

Testing, Testing: 1, 2, 3

We got a new camera and I've been experimenting a bit with it. I had been using a handy-dandy point and shoot digital camera (that I keep in my purse and because it's so lightweight, I use it a bunch) and it has served me well for years. However, when my man decided to invest in a new camera - I was not really on the bandwagon. Let me qualify that: I was not excited about spending the extra money on an unnecessary, large ticket item. Well, that all changed once I saw the quality of images that were coming out of that thang! I'm still messing around with it, but it has been really cool to have and if it will help to capture our lives in a more authentic manner, then I guess I have to get behind it.

I captured the above images while I was waiting for guests to arrive a few weeks ago. I can like it.

Good Morning Gorgeous

Somehow, I managed to rise before the sun. Not a usual occurrence around my household, but it did happen. I even had the wherewithal to capture it...before I had coffee! I really should do this more often.