Saturday, July 31, 2010

Pastures: Working for the (Wo)man

After our attendance at the Marine Mammal Center's seal release in Bodega Bay, Grady set out to learn more about the animals that need to be adopted from the MMC.  We got online, read a great deal about their program and he had his sights set on adopting Astro, a steller sea lion.  Only problem was that he needed to earn $30.

With the recent decline in our chicken population (we're down to three!), his egg earning money had dwindled.  I put a post on Facebook and my very kind friends rallied and hired him to perform a few jobs for $10 each.  He was to advertise for our local coffee/ice cream shop and spread the word about their lovely organic ice cream.  He was also going to assist a friend in training her new puppy.  Lastly, he was hired to give a presentation at his former preschool about his fundraising drive and the marine mammals that live at the center.
He gathered all of his information, created a magnetic board with brochures attached and cute pictures.  He printed out information on Astro to share with the kids.  He held a question and answer session with the teachers and little ones.  He was a super star.  When we left the school he said he was "nervous and proud".  Of course you were sweetie.  I was too.

He held up his end of the bargain and we drove down to the MMC in Sausalito.  We were greeted by the awesome volunteers and they showered him with kind words and commended him for his hard work.  He left with a certificate of adoption, a book, a stuffed sea lion & new socks.  He hit the jackpot today and he spent all of his hard-earned money at the MMC, which helps to support the MMC's mission.

G has such a love for animals and I have such an admiration for his tenacity and steadfastness.  As soon as we arrived home, he promptly asked if he could put up a display of all things Marine Mammal Center, with a variety of marine mammals, brochures, books, toys, cards, certificates and artwork created by him.

Good job little man.  You made me such a proud mama.  You are excellent.

Glass Full

On this last day of the month, I wanted to reflect on what a full and wonderful month it has been.  Every little bit has been so very summery, if you will.  So I'm going to do a little list of life's happenings and help myself to remember these special days of summer.

::  Fireworks
::  Road Trip
::  Impromptu Dinner Parties
::  Hunter-Gatherer Camp
::  BBQ's with friends
::  Golf & Tennis Camp
::  Homemade lime curd
::  Farmer's Market
::  Roadside Beauty (Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Dill & Sweet Peas)
::  Hay Fields
::  Netflix marathons
::  Library visits
::  Dandelion fields
::  Tending the garden
::  Birthday Parties
::  Marine Mammal Center Seal Release
::  Visits to Pastures Preschool
::  G's summer jobs
::  Local Art Gallery Exhibits
::  Visits from old friends
::  Rose Wednesdays
::  Picking blackberries!
::  Reading in the garden
::  Playdates that last for hours and hours
::  Homemade popsicles
::  Harvesting garlic from our garden for the first time
::  Swim lessons
::  Booked our trip to Paris!
::  Lazy mornings with coffee & my guys
::  Sleeping in.  Yes, definitely, sleeping in.

The list could go on and on, but I'm feeling nostalgic this morning and lucky to have the life I have.  This blog serves me as a daily (or weekly) kind of meditation.  To capture a moment or two in my life and document it.  It's fine to share, but it's really for me.  To help me stay the course and keep navigating my life in a positive direction.  I had thoughts about discontinuing this blog and keeping things to myself, but that's simply not who I am.  I am an open-book-heart-on-my-sleeve-kind-of-gal and that's not going to change.  This feels good to jot a little something down and use it to remind me of all of the beauty and friendship I have around me.

What is beautiful in your world?

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Netflix vs. Library


So if there was a competition between Netflix and the Library in my house (humor me - I'm a wee bit competitive), then the Library would win.  Hands down.  I have a lot of love for the Marin Bookmobile and my favorite librarian, Terry.  She puts my book requests at the top of the queue and delivers them without fail every other Wednesday.  I've learned that because we are in a small, rural town - our requests take precedence over "in town" card-carrying library cardholders and get on that sweet bookmobile headed my way pronto.  What service, huh?

Netflix is also a huge convenience for us, but I've had a hard time finding the time (believe it or not) to even watch movies this summer.  By the time the day's fun is over, dinner, evening rituals with Grady and all of that good stuff - I just don't feel like watching television.  This is a huge departure for me.  When we did away with our cable/satellite in February, I was worried that I would have serious trash t.v. withdrawal.  Turned out that I did miss my Grey's Anatomy and a few other quirky shows, but I barely can find the time to fit in a Netflix movie.  Yes, it's true.

I just read a magazine article that said 1,672 hours of television is what the average American watches each year.  What the heck?  That's disgusting.  What's interesting is that most people tell me we hardly ever watch t.v.  Uh, yeah right.  I don't believe you.  If you have cable and/or satellite, I'm pretty sure you watch more than you think.  I was in that camp and can't believe how much time I wasted watching junk on t.v.  Some of it mindless and a small amount informative.  However, I do read a lot on the computer, but I can't download videos or t.v. shows, due to our lovely slow satellite connection to the internet (another quaint thing about living in the country!) and I've lived to tell the tale.

All in all, I'm so happy we cancelled our satellite.  Life is quieter and a whole lot better for our family.  Grady reads a few hours every day.  The printed word is easily available to him.  His bookshelves are full.  The chair in our kitchen stacks his recent library selections, so it's easy for him to grab what he needs.  We spend afternoons at the library in Sebastopol perusing the shelves and then heading over to the bookstore for more inspiration.

One caveat to all this written word love, if you hear anything new about Dr. McDreamy, please do fill me in.  I'm only human.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Making Hay


I've lived here in Valley Ford for almost four years and somehow the business of making hay escaped me.  The view from my kitchen window is of the Moody Ranch and we've taken family pictures in their massive mustard field, so I should have known they would eventually cut and bale the hay.  I have been watching it for weeks and think it is absolutely beautiful.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Swimming Lessons

Swim lessons were a huge success.  G only attended a few half hour sessions, but it boosted his confidence and he loved jumping in the big pool and making a splash.  The Bodega Elementary School PTA helps fund this wonderful program for the children in this area and the instructor, Sandy Horn, has been leading this charge for years.  She is tireless and so great with the little ones.  

G said that this has been the best part of Summer so far.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Marine Mammal Center Seal Release


We were invited to the Marine Mammal Center's Seal Release at Scotty's Beach in Bodega Bay.  There were eight sea lions released and it was such a great sight to see.  It inspired Grady to come home, get online and find a seal to adopt.  He has his eye on Astro and he is going to get a few jobs and earn the $30 it will take to set the adoption in motion.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summer Sleeping In

The guys went out of town for a few days and that meant I could catch up on my reading, sleeping, movie-watching, gardening and projects left previously undone.  It is so rare that I get to spend 24 hours straight all to myself and I thoroughly enjoyed my four days of solitude.    

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Secret Agent Boy


Secret Codes are being created and lots of notes are being typed up around here.  Top Secret.  Shhhhh.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Independence Day

This year's fireworks show was held on July 3rd and it's my fifth year being involved with this event.  It was crystal clear, slightly windy and the show was 18-1/2 minutes of absolute bliss!  The Press Democrat Online wrote a small article about the show and you can read about that here.

I'm always so exhausted after this show.  My friends rallied and helped with the security, as well as clean up the next day.  It definitely does take a village.  Ours is awesome.

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