Storm Watch :: Take 1, 2 & 3

On the heels of Thanksgiving, I just couldn't stop thinking about pie.  Yes, that pie auction did me in and my friends convinced me that I could just do a cheater version and not lament about homemade crust and the like.  I just finished Beth Howard's book Making Piece :: A memoir of love, loss & pie  and thought I'd give it a go.  One of my cans of cherries was bad, so it was a very small pie - but good nonetheless.  

We're bracing for three big storm systems that are due to come in mid-week, so I took the opportunity to pick the boy up from school and have a little fun.  Fun for him was a haircut & a trip to his favorite library in Rohnert Park.  He took off running for the children's literature section and quickly amassed 29 books that he just had to check out.  He finally reached 365 books read for the year and he isn't slowing down.

As we awaited the storms, I took to cooking & baking in my cozy kitchen.  It felt good to be prepared for the storm, with plenty of food in the fridge, books from the library & movies on deck.  I really settled in and wasn't in a hurry to do much.

We watched the clouds roll in, then the rains came down and finally the howling wind.  We were storm watchers on deck and received the early morning call canceling school on Friday!  What luck for all of us.  We had some local flooding and that, coupled with a full moon & high tides, was the magic combination for a school cancellation.  Is there anything better than an unplanned free day?  While G finished his homework, I tended to our household chores and we all stayed in our pajamas for as long we as could.

The storms here are great, as long as the power stays on & our propane tank is full.  I love the slower pace and the hunkering down.  It feels like we have a legitimate excuse to be slackers.

As the days went by and we were holed up inside, life still was going on outside.  No flooding at our house, but I received many calls from friends in Bodega Bay inquiring about the road conditions on Highway One (just south of our house).  It reminded me how very much I love being part of this small network of towns and communities.  Everyone looking out for one another.

And while it took a lot to get me out of my pajamas, I'm glad we had Steve's holiday party to nudge us out the door.  We were expecting the third storm late Saturday night, but we braved it and went to Healdsburg for a little dinner & socializing with adults.  Bishop watched G for the night and they had a Star Wars movie marathon and a sleepover.  

As Grady is approaching non-believing Santa Claus status, I found a way to help extend the magic of the season and it's all about the Advent Calendar.  I figured once he no longer believes, he can still have 24 days of surprises to look forward to.  I think this is a great way to focus on the little things about this season that I so love.  All of the "surprises" are things that don't cost anything.  The focus being time with one of his parents (or both) and/or a little xmas elving.

Steve and Grady were on Johns Street storm watch and helped clear culverts & diverted water on our lane.  They got good and muddy and Grady even added a shovel to his xmas list from Santa.  How cute is that?  The guys spent all morning in bed reading & working on their computers, too.  I love the above pictures of the both of them.  Like father, like son.

Day 2 of Advent found Grady less than enthused by my little notes.  He seemed disappointed that Day 2 was "a giant bubble bath."  Steve took him aside and explained how hard I had worked on creating something special for him to enjoy each day of this month.  That was all it took - a little pep talk from dear 'ole dad and G turned his attitude around and enjoyed the gigantic bubble bath that awaited him.  He told me how much he liked it when I washed his hair and apologized for his behavior.  Oh, he melts my heart.

After a night of ferocious high winds and rain (and no power), we awoke to blue skies & sunshine.  Grady has his first basketball game against St. Rose and they were victorious with a 22-7 win.  We rewarded ourselves by attending the annual Valley Ford Volunteer Fire Department Crab Feed and eating as much crab as humanly possible.  

This storm was good for my soul.  Lots of time to think, reflect, putter & create.  We decided to hold off on decorating for the holidays and I think that will help the mental state of our home.  Sometimes all the chaos of the season just sends our little family over the edge.  It's not that we won't get into the spirit, but I think the visual clutter & quiet expectations over what we should be doing is going to take a backseat for a week or so.  Every year we vow to take it down a notch, not overindulge in things and spend more time focusing on what really matters - family, shared meals & friends.  I feel like we're off to a good, mellow start this year.

The storms are past us now and I feel recharged and ready to take on December.  G just informed us he made Principal's Honor Roll and will have an award ceremony later this week at school.  He got straight A's and we are so proud of him.  He also has an upcoming musical performance and the much anticipated annual PTA holiday bazaar.

We will take it slow.
We will savor these moments.
We know they will go so very, very fast.