Last Day of Summer

Dear Grady,

This is the last day of summer and tomorrow you will officially become a fourth grader.  Yes, indeed.  And while I get a little sad when you hit these milestones, I am also filled with love and great pride at the young man you are turning into.

We dressed up for a costume party...that wasn't a costume party after all.  Boy did we feel silly!

We have both been sick with summer colds and I usually try to make sure we do something fun to punctuate the end of summer, but we both weren't feeling like ourselves as you so sweetly put it.  So, we decided to get you a haircut.  You have such beautiful hair and I just love how long it is, but it's hard for you to eat at the table and play soccer because it keeps falling in your camouflage colored eyes.  You wear your trusty baseball cap to keep your hair out of your eyes.

Before Haircut

 After your haircut, we went to In-N-Out Burger for an early lunch and talked about what to do next.  You are always so easy to please, Grady.  It makes my heart swell when I hear you tell me I just want to go to the library.  When I was your age the library was my greatest love.  I would spend hours upon hours looking through the card catalog and perusing the shelves for books.  I even remember getting my first library card.

We visited the Rohnert Park Library for the first time and what a treat!  You were so impressed with this library and quickly set about stacking up Geronimo Stilton books, graphic novels, books about birds and then we searched for books on Australia (for our trip next summer).  The librarians were super helpful and you got your very own Sonoma County Library card.  You can now check out up to 30 books at a time (and you did just that!).

You sweetly shared the fact that you've read over 230 books this year with one librarian and she was so impressed with you.  She said you should wear a t-shirt that says just that I've Read 230 Books.  This summer alone you read 110 books and I am SO proud of you.  And while the summer always starts out with you wanting movies and t.v. time, you quickly settled into a routine of twice weekly trips to the library and set about reading with a vengeance.  You love books.

Last lazy day of summer breakfast :: Cheerios & a stack of books

Your favorites this summer were series of books by Geronimo & Thea Stilton, Lemony Snicket, The Magic Treehouse books & the Tin Tin graphic novels.  You read half of Harry Potter #5, as well as half of Percy Jackson #5 and stopped yourself.  You weren't ready for them yet and you knew it.

Hike behind our house

We had such a lovely time reading Wildwood this summer and I look forward to finishing up this fall.  What a wondrous, magical novel.

Your love of birds was fierce this summer.  Your Sibley's Guide was a constant companion at the breakfast table and your trusty reference when journaling the birds that you love.  Mr. Toms took you birding twice and you went owl hunting at night with your dad behind our house.  You would gift me found feathers almost every day.

When we got home today you looked in the mirror and hated your haircut.  You thought you looked like a girl.  You thought you looked like the cartoonist, Emma Capps, but I assured you that you did not.  There were lots of hot, angry, scared tears streaming down your cheeks.  New haircuts can be hard and perhaps we will do this a few days before school next year.

Looks like a young Donnie Osmond?

The night before last you went to bed in tears and told me you didn't want to get any older because it seemed scary.  It does seem a bit scary, but you have so very much to look forward to.  That's the fun part.

And then last night you came into my room and told me you felt excited.  Kind of like the night before Christmas, except you knew there would be no new b.b. gun in the morning out in the living room.  You are a funny kid.

When I asked you what your favorite part(s) of summer were you told me this:

1.  CYO Camp in Occidental;
2.  Back to school shopping with me;
3.  Going to Jack & Harry's house;
4.  Your week of fun w/ Spencer at Hansine's house; and
5.  Camping at Gerstle Cove with the Day family.

Camping with the Days 2012

I really appreciated taking this summer vacation with you.  You did so many wonderful things and had many new experiences.  I saw you grow up quite a bit this summer and settle into yourself.  Your love of reading, birding, biking and playing with Legos took center stage and you created some really beautiful new artwork in your summer journal and watercolor paintings.

Riding Middle Road Loop in Valley Ford

It was one for the record books.

I love you and look forward to this new school year.  I can't wait to see what you are interested in and where your inquisitive mind takes you this year.

Love,

Your mom

Summer :: Winding Down

1. G's swindling booth  2. smashed tree frog in the "green bin"  3.  boys jumping up and down for the bookmobile

I've been asked quite a bit lately What do you do?  Oh, that question gets me every single time.  I've tried on a few answers for size.  Well, I'm a mom.  I work part-time.  Um, I volunteer at my son's school and within our community.  I worked on a local politician's reelection campaign....Uh....

Yeah, it never comes out quite right.  It's like I'm confused by the question and answering with a question.  I'm a mom?  I work part-time?  It's lame.  I work really hard on a number of things that are important to me, my family and our community.  BUT...I've hit a wall.  I'm ready to let go of a few things, seek out new opportunities and fill my cup in other ways, as summer has shown me the way to my happiness and helped me reevaluate the way in which I spend my time.

We hit the road last week and stayed in Pismo Beach for the night.  We stayed at a little hotel right on the beach that had a pool.  We spotted hundreds of juvenile brown pelicans and lingered waterside for a few hours.

My new favorite jumping photo of G @ Pismo Beach
Road trip supplies riding shotgun

Our son is an amazing traveler.  Load him up with a bag of books and audio books on his iPod and he's set for hours and hours.

We drove through Los Angeles and took in the L.A. skyline (most of which my dad worked on back in the day).  Our friends moved to Orange and we quickly familiarized ourselves with their new home.

Olympic-sized community swimming pool, as well as a pool table in their game room.  The boys played for hours and hours each day.

I love going away, but there is nothing like coming home.  Especially, to the peace and quiet that is our home.  G set quickly about organizing his Lego collection.  I took in the grey skies, slower pace and noticed all of the llama & turkey action going on around our home this week.

Grady came down with a summer cold and then quickly passed it on to me.  It hit me like a brick.

I've been searching for over four years for a mid-century modern credenza/sideboard.  Well, the search is over.  My daily hunts on Craig's List finally paid off and the little beauty (pictured above) is now ours.  Steve may have to modify it a bit, but it fits the space and we both like it.  That fact, in and of itself, is a small miracle.

I lined the drawers with Sea Ranch Lodge project blue prints, as well as wrapped a few gifts with those same plans.  Such a fun way to repurpose those plans.  G embellished the wrapping paper with his own landscaping of bushes, trees and a few birds.

Anna's Hummingbird siting & drawing to match

The summer drawing journal is a thing of beauty.  I will treasure this little black book for many years to come.  We've settled into a rhythm of me asking Hey, will you draw me a little something?  And the boy responding with a game of What do you want me to draw? and then doing the exact opposite of what I want and trying to convince me why his idea is better.  I don't care.  I just want to see him take the time to use his talent.

The first soccer game of the season was on the calendar and I was completely bedridden with a sore throat and sinus infection.  I was going to miss it and that really bummed me out.  He got dressed and was really ready to hit the field.  His team won 4 - 1 and they have decided on the team name Angry Hippos. Yes, Angry Hippos.  They are eight and nine years old, obviously.

In a bizarre turn of events, my little man requested toast with peanut butter & avocado for breakfast.  I almost passed out.  He also declared his love of guacamole and inquired why I don't make it more often.  Okay, this is not my kid.  Really?  Seemingly overnight (or nine years...) this boy loves avocado.    A miracle.

The art wall in his room is coming along nicely and he picked every single piece of art displayed.  He loves it.

I took him back to school shopping for a new pair of skinny jeans, two long sleeved shirts and a appliqued skull hoodie.  Oh, and a new Shaun White baseball cap.  He felt cool and special.  He is.

The summer is winding down and it was such a lovely stretch of days, weeks, months.

We have been convalescing for almost a week and I'm look forward to getting out of the house, soaking up some sunshine and having one more adventure before my little man says goodbye to this summer of 2012.

Kitchen Therapy

I've received a bit of sad family news and it's put me in a funk.  Somehow that always seems to translate into wallowing in it for a day or two, a good cry and then I start cooking my kind of comfort food.  Coffee cake, granola and spaghetti & meatballs.  I cook to distraction and feed my fellas.

This kitchen of mine is not big by any means, but it houses just enough tools to get things done and the perfect amount of light to make it a joy to spend time in.  I usually like to work in silence, but this weekend I turned on vintage George Strait on the iPod and enjoyed my own self-pity and it felt pretty good.

We've gotten into the summer routine of making smoothies for breakfast and I will definitely carry this into the new school year.  We picked fresh strawberries, blackberries & peaches and froze as much as I could fit in my little freezer.

I made my first ever ceviche!  A little less lime juice & cilantro, but I would definitely make this again.

The first (and second!) batch of jam is under my belt for the season.  I must be getting more experienced, as I didn't totally stress out this year.  I made nine jars of blackberry & nine of strawberry.  All berries picked by our family.

After the steady stream of activities of June & July, we have finally settled into a slower pace for August.  I had five days of nothing on the calendar for this week.  That's just unheard of around here.  A trip to the library to fill up on new books for the weekend was just what the boy needed to jump back into reading .  He kind of hit a wall last week, but new inspiration got him over that hump.

Endless hours of Lego play and watching the Petaluma Little League head to the Little League World Series was on the agenda for this boy (and his father).

I've read a few books in the last week or so.  Memoirs.  Oh, how I love memoirs, especially when I'm self-reflecting and analyzing my life, my family, my choices to date and my future.  They give me perspective, if they're any good, and I like hearing another's story.

It's funny how the simple act of prepping, cooking & even cleaning up after a meal has this medicinal quality.  It feels like a salve to know I've given something to my guys.  I absolutely love feeding them.  It feeds me, too.

Sunday we drove over to the Erickson Ranch and picked blackberries.  It's a little early in the season, but I wanted to get started early this year.  Last year we ran out just after the New Year and Grady was appalled that I didn't have more blackberry jam for him.  He's going to need to pick his weight in blackberries if he wants year-round jam.  I'm just sayin'.

Oh how I've enjoyed our home and this entire summer.  I didn't know how much I needed to stop, slow down, pause, rest, organize, tend, read, cook & just be home.

I've been paying attention to the dead poppies, the hundreds of birds on our power lines and the white puffy cloud plumes over our valley floor and hillsides.

I'm delighted when Grady brings me a found feather and then proudly declares what kind of bird he thinks it is.  He brings these to me because I make such fanfare about his acquisition from nature.  I love his avian predilections and the sweetness of his gift.

Morning coffee.
Books.
Standing at my kitchen island.
My guys.
Chaise lawn chair.
Afternoon cocktail.
Instagram.
Summer fruit.
My friend and neighbor, Jill.

The kitchen therapy worked this week and I'm feeling better.

I just needed to spend some time with myself, doing something I love, in the place that I love to do it, for the men in my life that I love.

All better.

Week of Nothing

Summer has been really full.  I planned it that way and thought I had just the right amount of free weekends and not straying too far from home to balance it all out, but the calendar was jam-packed.  I'm not typically one of those super moms that sign their kid up for every kind of lesson, but I have to say that I channeled that mom a little bit this summer.  Oh, heck.  I wanted to pack in as many fun and different experiences as I could for Grady and our family and really soak up the summer days.

Sunday came and we all made breakfast together and slowly started the day.  This week would be different and less scheduled.  We would see what the days would hold for us.

I've tried to encourage Grady to draw something every day this summer and not have this mom-imposed assignment viewed as a punishment.  He's been into it.  Mostly drawing birds and a few Pokemon characters.  I absolutely love his creative journal and will treasure it for many years to come.

I won a private tasting, tour & lunch for four at Korbel Champagne Cellars.  I gathered up the ladies from the PTA Dream Team Board of 2009-2011 and off we went.   It felt so decadent to be spending an entire morning & afternoon touring gardens, sipping bubbly and catching up without any children to interrupt us!

Look at how happy our son is.  He tie-dyed this shirt at camp and is still sporting the redwood cross gifted to him by his counselors.  He told me he's going to wear it for the rest of his life.  Oh, my.

The Bodega Big Event is one of the sweetest events and boasts the shortest parade in California.  We spotted three Tipi Hedren impersonators at this year's event, with the youngest being my favorite.

Grady asked to watch Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and we let him.  His love of avian creatures is fierce, but the movie freaked him out just a little bit.  He was inspired to draw Peach Faced Love Birds and asked that I not pester him about the movie because he just wanted to forget about it.

Pastures Preschool (Grady's alma mater) asked him to be in the parade with them.  He modified it up by asking the School Director if he could ride his bike alongside the wee little ones.  He was so proud and thought he was oh so cool.

We hit up the Pastures Preschool Art Sale and scored three beautiful notebooks with artwork on the cover by the little under five year old artists.

Not having a lot of plans this week has been great for catching up on our reading and movie watching.  Our summer read has been Wildwood by Colin Meloy and we are enchanted by it's storyline and premise of a murder of crows abducting a one year old little boy and the sister who treks into the Impassable Wilderness just outside of Portland proper to help find him.  It's adventurous, imaginative and has a lot of really big words.  We have to read it with a small pocket dictionary, so that we can quickly look up the words and move on.

We also watched Westside Story and are set to watch The Chronicles of Narnia:: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe later today.  I've wanted G to read The Chronicles of Narnia series and even scored a set of the books at a rummage sale.  He won't even open the books.  He's totally judging them by the cover.  I've never read them, but thought it was a boyhood rite of passage.  I thought the movie might pull him in.  Usually, it's the other way around.  I ask him to please read the books first and then we can rent the movie.  I'm open to change and hope he enjoys the magical movie journey.

The hillsides are dry and crunchy this time of year and the naked ladies have just burst onto the scene.  They are always a surprise and the stalks reach skyward so quietly and then burst open with this punch of pink blooms.  This signals the end of summer.

The guys went golfing up at Sea Ranch this week and Steve let G drive the golf cart for 18 holes, as well as hit on the green.  This was their first father-son outing on a large course and I glimpsed the future of golf for these two.  I love thinking that they will continue to share this sport as time goes by.

G also slipped in a 90 minute soccer practice after golfing 18 holes.  Ah, youth.  So much energy.

So, birds have been a very big part of summer learning.  The well-worn Sibley's Guide is always at the ready and the boy brings me feathers almost daily that he collects as little presents.  I love this sweet, small, thoughtful gesture.

We spotted a barn owl a few nights ago and G has been on a nest hunt in earnest.  He spent hours yesterday inspecting the trees and decided a night walk with dad would be in order.  They had five sightings and the majestic owls swooped down over their heads and had them in awe of this silent, elusive and mysterious creature(s).  They came home energized and mildly freaked out by the night sounds of some other four-footed animals screeching in the dark of night.  I'm sure this is a childhood memory that will be burned on Grady's brain and that brings a big smile to my face.

The experience surely punctuated this lovely, quiet, restful week.

Bounty & CYO Camp

I just love when friends and neighbors leave little gifts from the season on my doorstep.  This week it was a jar full of dahlias, zucchini (large & small), delicate lettuces, basil, watermelon and a little note.  It's the bountiful summer season and my herbs are prospering here at home and it inspires me in the kitchen.  After being gone for a week and in a kitchen that wasn't my own, I was looking forward to creating my shopping list, planning menus and cooking for the guys in earnest this week.

Our refrigerator was empty and all we could muster up was a small batch of frozen pancakes that Steve had made weeks ago.  The itch to cook was big and I was went shopping, filled the fridge and made a big coffee cake to share with friends and enjoy over the next string of mornings.

At my office garden plot, I plucked my first tomato of the season from one of my plants.  It was warm and satisfying, sprinkled with a bit of salt.  I came home that same evening to pluck most of the peaches  from our tree.  Last year it didn't produce fruit and Steve pruned it back pretty well the year prior.  They were juicy and sweet.  They had to be shared and eaten fast.

The summer drawing journal has been a nice way to end each day with the boy.  He's still totally into birds and his Sibley's bird book is becoming quite worn.  He informed me on this particular night that "Mom, you are going to be so amazed with this drawing!  Don't look until I'm done." And I was.

Our neighbor Beula left Grady an envelope with a newspaper article about a legally blind Olympian who medaled in archery, as well as these three pretty feathers.  I love that she did this.

I've been reading like a fiend these last few weeks and my August book club was Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.  It was epic and haunting and made for a nice discussion.

The super exciting news this week was that my favorite librarian, Terry, got a new bookmobile and we were among her first visitors.  I just loved how every person walking into the bookmobile was so positive and excited about the new rig.  It has seating and 20% more books/media for us to check out.  Twice a month she visits Tomales and it's one of my most favorite few hours.  The camaraderie with the other avid readers and sharing of local stories, book reviews and recommendations.

This week was CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Day Camp in Occidental.  This was a first for us and I had stayed away due to the religious base I feared would be thrust upon our son.  Our dear friend (who is an Atheist) runs the camp and assured me it was stereotypical camp activities, with a basis in environmental education and only a sprinkling of religious teachings.  We signed him up and looked forward to it all summer.

The week started off with archery, ga-ga mud ball, canoeing and daily swimming.  He played board games with new friends, learned the fine art of friendship bracelet making and enjoyed camouflage day while playing predator & prey (which I'm 100% sure they would never allow in public school!).

While our son was enjoying day camp from 8 - 5 pm every day, we took the time to catch up on work projects, plan the rest of our August fun and sneak away for a picnic with Scott & Jill at Hog Island Oyster Company.  

Thursday night was the optional sleepover night at camp.  Grady wanted to do it, but was really nervous and brought himself to tears the night before the big day.  He thought he might miss me too much and didn't want to cry in front of the other campers.

We gave him a good pep talk and knew deep down he would love the experience, but gave him the option to call if he really felt uncomfortable.

Turns out he loved it.  They ate fireside, cooked copious amounts of s'mores, performed a skit in the outdoor chapel, watched a movie outside, spied on the teenage campers and slept underneath the full moon & a magnificent blanket of stars.

He didn't want to leave when we picked him up Friday afternoon and hid from us upon our arrival.  The counselors gushed about what a great, kind, funny & smart kid he is.  Words that a parent will never tire of hearing.

This week our house was really quiet and come mid-week I almost didn't know what to do with myself.    I missed him, but knew he was having the time of his life.  Instead of counting the minutes until he was home, I made coffee dates, finished a novel, made lists, cooked, finalized a few work projects, thrifted, got my hair and nails done and then I started counting the minutes on Friday afternoon.

We welcomed him home and settled in to watch the 1979 movie classic Breaking Away.  How very fitting.

Living in the country

We had our rotting garden beds removed, as well as the carpet & weeds that surrounded them (yes, carpet!).  It's this beautiful blank slate now and we have visions of a longer chicken run and a few new sound garden beds for next year's crops.

These little potatoes were harvested just before the big 'ole tractor arrived.  They are volunteers from our composting bin.  I spread the compost earlier in the year and covered with straw.  What a lovely surprise.

The views from our living room and front deck are amazing.  It's what sold us on the house.  They valley spread out below us is such a tranquil scene and I'll never tire of it.  Sissy helped me sew up the new summer bunting and Steve picked up a deck heater, so that we could enjoy the chilly summer nights alfresco.

There has been a tremendous amount of bird activity around our property this summer.  Baby birds being born, a swallow's nest taking up residence above G's art studio door and several dead birds found around the property.  We didn't bury this one, but left him for our neighborhood cats to find.  Circle of life, baby, circle of life.

This is the view of our little houses on the hill (see them up there?  to the right of the eucalyptus grove?) from Middle Road.  I've been enjoying a bit of walking/running routine lately, at the suggestion of my doctor.  It seems that when you are a woman of my age, one must eat better and exercise.  Who ever heard of such a thing?  This is the best way to start a morning.

Grady is studying watercolors with local artist, Jean Warren.  His love of animals and nature are all represented in this (unfinished) painting.

The llamas.  They are such a funny little site to see in the morning. Sometimes they walk by my bedroom window and startle me.  I'll forget they're there and then...Hello!  This beautiful, brown-eyed creature surely has a name and I just can't remember it.

Grady has been all about using tools this summer.  He's assisted his dad on many little projects and was eager to prune the overgrown honey bush underneath his bedroom window.  He selected this bush years ago from the nursery and it reminded him of something from a Dr. Seuss novel.  I agree.

I harvested about two dozen garlic bulbs this year.  I planted them late and some were a bit on the small side, but it made me proud nonetheless.

Biking on country roads has been all the rage with this young man.  He takes off and I run after him.  He's learning the rules of the road, gaining confidence and some mad endurance.  He's had a few falls and an injury or two, but he jumps back on and is ready for more.  He just shared with me that he wants to be a professional cyclist when he grows up.

With the demise of our flock earlier this spring, we have to buy our eggs from local farmers.  I just love this sign and my new egg vendor.

The clouds over Valley Ford earlier this summer went on for miles.  Little, puffy, cumulus, cotton ball-like clouds.  They danced across the vast blue sky for days and punctuated an already perfect summer landscape.