nuggets :: redirect yourself before you wreck yourself

nuggets :: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week

I get a bit melancholy at the end of January.  We certainly didn't get our usual winter weather and the transition from December to January was less than eventful.  No major storms, flooding or power outages and I found myself a little wistful about it all.  However, I still had February...

February is my favorite month of the year.  The hills are usually such a bright, fluorescent green and the trees are bursting with plum, peach, cherry & magnolia blossoms.  Driving on Highway One is a show.  The daffodils reach skyward and happily dot the landscape around our plot of land.  And the mustard.  Oh, how I love the sea of yellow I spy on my drive to and from Tomales to pick up the boy from school.  Yes, February is my favorite month and this year we get a bonus 24 hours for Leap Year, helping to extend this lovely month another day.

nuggets.

Doran Beach, Bodega Bay, CA

I took myself to the beach on Friday with grand plans of reading and playing with my camera.  I ended up talking for over an hour on the phone with my best friend.  Our phone date got postponed earlier in the day and I'm so glad we carved out the time to catch up about life and the kids while I stared out at the sparkly, vast ocean in front of me.

I always have these grand plans of reading when I get to the beach, but the pull of the ocean and the natural beauty surrounding me makes me pause, pay attention and want to savor the experience.  I could read later.  It was a nice punctuation to my week and a great way to start the weekend.

February 2012

Emotions have been running high at our home and the boy has been challenging me at every turn about his clothing, bedtime, book choices and the like.  Struggling to get through the emotions and setting boundaries has been a bit of a challenge for me this week and I realized I needed to step back and look at what was really going on.

Control.  I had it and he wanted it.  Motherhood 101 was just about to teach me another lesson.

When I told him the Harry Potter Book #4 was off limits, he resorted to sneaking it into his backpack.  Oh, dear boy, are you new?  Did you really think you would get away with that?  I majored in sneaking during my childhood and, as my grandma used to say, this was not my first rodeo.  When I found the book and took it away from him, hot tears fell and mutterings of the meanest mom ever left his little chapped lips.  I wasn't forever banning the book but, upon the recommendation from a friend, merely postponing the emotional roller coaster and mature content of this Book #4 until the boy was a wee bit older and I could read it with him.

This book confiscation unleashed his stubborn streak and every. little. thing. became a battle he wanted to wage and win against me.  I ended up taking away books, his favorite hat and desserts.

The funny (and wonderful) thing that occurred next was that he started the Percy Jackson series and was devouring the first book.  He also got resourceful unearthed a never worn skull cap he received from his grandfather from two years ago and could care less if he gets his other favorite hat back.  He received a set of used roller blades and is mastering the art of staying vertical.

Redirect thy child.

Yes, my motherhood lesson of the week was that I had to listen to myself and not give in to the wailings of an eight year old boy.  Book #4 was off the table for now and it was my job to help open him up to new authors, experiences and hobbies.  It was a tough, tearful week and we got through it just fine in the end.

The Russian Diplomat, Mac the Knife, Former Bodega Bay Sheriff & our very own Lady Gaga wannabe

Well, it's a good thing we got through all of the hard stuff during the week because we had big, fun plans for the weekend.  We attended the third annual Bodega Bay Cabaret and it was a hoot!  I previously participated back in 2010 and channeled my inner Tammy Wynette!

Laughing it up for the crowd onstage with Natasha - Photo of me courtesy of Grady

Grady was called up by the Russian Emcee, Natasha, and was real proud of himself.  He even asked to stay for the second show and was called up again to perform, if you will.

Steve did the sound for this show, which is a community fundraiser and the acts were funny and good-natured.  This event helped to kick off a string of events leading up to the 39th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival.  This year we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Russians landing in Bodega Bay on their way to build Fort Ross.

I have a friend that loves to celebrate all of life's important occasions with a little party and some ice-cold bubbly.  She throws an annual Oscar Pajama Party every year for her girlfriends and it is not to be missed.  We donned our evening wear, a little bling and shared our definite opinions on the fashions of the night.  I left with a list of movies to put in my Netflix queue.

The warm spell from last week has left us and the clear, cold nights and frosty, crispy mornings are reinforcing the need for flannel sheets to stay on the beds a bit longer.

Daffodils are coming up all around us, so we set out to cut and display over 100 blooms this week.  Bringing that hint of spring into the house has elevated my mood and beautified my daily surroundings and it didn't cost a penny.

Grady had the opportunity to meet a wonderful woman last week that was born in 1907.  He brought her flowers and took notes while we chatted about her life.  He learned that she is an artist, loved to take photographs and her favorite color is green.  She also once held a bear cub on a train ride and was nicknamed Little White Flower by local Blackfoot Indians.  She had a horse named Fly and her father was a blacksmith.  It was a beautiful afternoon and he is going to turn his photos, words & copies of her artwork into a presentation for his third grade class.

Have you listened to the interview of Maurice Sendak by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air?  You should.  It's so good.

Live your life.
Live your life.
Live your life.
- Maurice Sendak

nuggets :: keepin' on

The thing about waiting two weeks to write a blog post is that so much has happened.  Stopping and jotting it all down in these quiet moments before bed helps to remind me of all that there is to be grateful for in this life.  My life.  Our life.

nuggets.

Nicest Friends & Neighbors Award 2012

My guys went on a road trip a few weekends ago and left me all by my lonesome at the top of Johns Street.  I had plenty to do while they were gone and so I promptly dug in and worked on various work & home projects.  I have a pretty active imagination, but usually feel really safe & secure in our home.  Notice I said usually.  

Friday night's freaky chain of events started at 1:06 am and wrapped up around 3:36 am.  For real.  My neighbors, pictured above, helped me not to lose my shit when I thought someone was in my house (call #1), then behind my house & possibly in my house through an open sliding glass window (call #2) and then trying to break down my faux front door in the boy's room (call #3).  Each and every time I called, Jill tried to calm me down and Scott got dressed and drove up here ready to investigate.  

In the end, some thing had made its way into our heater vent and was scurrying around from room to room, which sounded like some one was scurrying around from room to room. I am forever indebted to S + J and cannot for the life of me figure out what you get someone who extends this kind of friendship.  Flowers?  A thank you card?  A new flashlight?  Tequila?  Yes, probably tequila.

The reason for the guys' road trip was to celebrate this special lady's 90th birthday.  The whole family gathered and honored her well into the evening down in Newport Beach.  Here is a link to more photos from the evening (note that Grady got a hold of the camera at the end of evening and did a photo shoot with a few of his beautiful girl cousins!).  Happy Birthday, Beezer!

Trevor, Hayden, David, Steve & Grady

Steve's oldest nephew, Trevor, is joining the United States Coast Guard and this was a chance for the Hecht men to gather for a rare photo op (included in the above link).  What a handsome lot they are.  We're hoping Trevor gets transferred for training to the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Two Rock, which is just 10 minutes down Highway One from our place.

Kerrigan, Trevor, Hayden & Grady Hecht

Every year we try to gather the Hecht cousins and take a photo.  This was my one request when Steve left for the weekend.  I absolutely love it.

Watched the movie Tree of Life with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn & Jessica Chastain (she was such a great character to watch).  Have you seen it?  Beautiful cinematography and truly lovely set design.   There was a real ethereal quality to the entire film and left me pondering what it all meant, but not in that frustrating-silly-ending kind of way.  More of a thoughtful dialogue about our path or purpose while we're on this earth.  I really enjoyed it.

Anyone who knows us well also knows that we have struggled for eight years to get our kid to eat pretty much anything other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  The last few months he's made leaps and bounds by trying all sorts of things (fish, salad, beets and more).  But he's still cautious and never overindulges.

That is until last week.

The poor thing made himself ill by scarfing down three granola bars & three apple juice boxes while I was in a PTA meeting.  He felt really terrible and had to sit out during his basketball practice.  I know this isn't funny per se, but it's a first for us.  Gluttony was never one of his personality traits and after this episode, I don't think we'll see the likes of it again anytime soon.

Yes, he's still sporting shorts in the dead of winter with morning temps below 30 degrees.  He told me he wants to feel the weather and apparently he can't do that wearing pants.

This little beauty is going with me to San Francisco this weekend.  I found a photography shop on Valencia called Photobooth through The Impossible Project's website.  The owner helped me find the right film for this camera and offered to show me how to load the film properly and give it a whirl.  This small business and this owner made me want to drive 50+ miles on a Saturday just to give him the business.  Can't wait to try out my $5 thrifted Land Camera!

Batches of waffles were made for the week with the help of an assistant moonlighting as a taste tester.  By the way, my husband makes the best waffles in town.  Seriously.

2012 resolutions for the boy:

1. Read 1,000 books this year
2. Take more photographs alongside my mom when she is taking photographs
3. Get better in math 

Spent a really relaxing day at the spa at Cavallo Point last week.  Started the morning with yoga in a warm & peaceful refurbished church on the property and then sauntered over to the spa.  Warm soaking pools, steam rooms & hot tubs were the perfect antidote to the rainy day we were having.

Lunch by the fire in our bathrobes was so relaxing it almost put me to sleep.  It's funny when you just keep going and going and going and then stop.  I needed this day more than I knew and my body was just waiting for me to figure it out.

The intent was to celebrate Jill's birthday and we quietly did, but the end result was my body saying you need a time out.  I crawled into bed when I got home and pretty much didn't leave home three days.  Oh, how I needed that.

Our rain finally came.  We had an incredible storm on Sunday evening and the requisite road closures and flooding were like old friends.  Where have you been?  What took you so long?  Everyone's talking about you.  Stay awhile?  Okay, see you in a week or so.

Iggy Pop for Dad

Hearts cut out from magazines

This one is my favorite - Love, not fight.

We started making our first batch of handmade Valentine's Day cards this week.  We usually start this process at the beginning of February, but we had a lot of perusing through magazines to do + cutting out hearts + glue + sewing + stamping + possible glitter (always a possibility for glitter, right?) and typing to do.  So, phase one is complete and I just love how they are turning out.

G:  Mom, what does rococo mean?
Me:  Um, let's look it up.
Me:  Rococo - of or relating to an artistic style esp. of the 18th century marked by fanciful curved forms and elaborate ornamentation.
G:  Cool.
Me:  Where did you read that?
G:  Moomin.
Me:  Of course.

I have total and complete satisfaction with my purging and organization around here this month, says the Virgo.  I'm still trying to do at least one task a day (and usually more) and finish it.  I went through Grady's artwork from school for the last four years and finally dated all of his drawings and paintings with an old-school library date stamp.  It felt so good to catalog all of that and I've vowed to make sure I date stamp new works coming in this year.

The boy came home today playing Stairway to Heaven on his recorder.  He was so proud and announced his class will have a spring concert at the Tomales Town Hall on April 19th.  Mark your calendars.

I stopped to take this picture on the Valley Ford-Freestone road on my way to work.  I know I keep gushing about where I live, but I really do love this place the longer we live here.  The community I'm part of and the raw beauty of the natural world that surrounds me is overwhelming.  Through the lens of a camera I hope to capture what I see and have it conveyed here in this space.  I find myself constantly looking for places to pull off the road so that I can try to capture exactly what it is I'm feeling as I'm seeing it with my own eyes.

I have inherited a wonderful Canon film camera, plus extra lenses and a tripod from a dear friend who no longer has the interest in cataloging life through film.  He gifted them to me and I'm looking forward to playing around with film (so 90's right?) and seeing how that changes my viewfinder at home and out in the world.

I tied this baker's twine around my wrist on New Year's Day.  My thought behind it was to have it serve as a reminder of the intention I made for the coming year and to wear it until it falls off.

Moderation.

Yes, the month is almost over and I'm still on course.  I'm sloughing off the old, balancing new routines, mindfully working and taking care of me, my friends, my family, my crazy chickens and my community obligations.

However, I think I will cut it free on February 1st and start anew for that month.  A sort of mini-New Year each month and a quick reminder to keep on keepin' on...moderately.

Nuggets :: Firsts & Last

So many firsts this week, as we jumped into the holiday spirit and tackled crafting projects, social engagements and pausing long enough to enjoy the beauty of where we live and be reminded of our place in this world.

nuggets.

A first for all of us - building a gingerbread house.  Notice I wrote building and not baking.  Oh, no.  I knew I didn't want to tackle making it all from scratch and when the boy begged and pleaded for a kit from Trader Joe's and offered to pay for half of it, well, how could I say no?

It turns out, neither Steve or myself had ever made or decorated a gingerbread house.  Two days later, I let G and his friends devour it.  My cool mom street cred went up exponentially  that day.  Definitely adding this to our yearly holiday list of traditions.

Grady made the first basket of the game last weekend against Our Lady of Guadalupe.  It was also the first game basket he's ever made and he was so proud of himself.  He really hustles up and down the court and is slowly learning the game.  His team didn't leave with a win, but G had a small personal victory and that was a big win for us.

Highway One from Tomales to Valley Ford

Our December skies have been putting on such a show for us & the rains have not come to visit us...yet.

Highway One near Erickson Ranch

Clear, crisp, frosty mornings give way to cloud-soaked skies by the afternoon.  I think the clouds look like floating marshmallow fluff and enjoy the simple pleasure of finding random imagery in their cumulus formations with Grady on the way to and from school.

Hills in the A.M. vs. Hills in the P.M.

 The 14 mile round trip is always breathtaking, especially during the winter months.

Eucalyptus lined highway & tree silhouettes

The evening skies have been show-stoppers.  I liken their late afternoon colors to freshly spun cotton candy and find that my camera just does not do them justice.  You have to witness it firsthand, pausing long enough to say goodbye to the day and giving them a quiet standing ovation.

Grady watched his first "scary" movie with his dad last Friday night.  Something Wicked This Way Comes.  The title alone scares the heck out of me and conjured up images of a storm swept landscape, carnies and sneaky little boys.  Grady just snuggled up next to his father and told me when it was all over that the movie was about overcoming your fears.  It was also a father and son tale.  Watching G growing and morphing into such a nice young man is the best thing about my day(s).  I truly enjoy watching the father and son moments these two have been sharing lately.  They have been building things together in the workshop, playing darts, games of chess, Battleship & getting lost in the book Toby Alone (a suspenseful, social commentary) at the end of each evening.  Did I pick the right man to marry and have a kid with?  Oh, yes, indeed.

And another first this week.

Steve has been monitoring the water quality of our local Salmon Creek watershed for over four years.  He does this quietly and without much fanfare, as he does most things.  But I'm going to share with you the awesome event that he and Grady took part in this past Monday.  They helped with the reintroduction and release of 175 Coho salmon back into the fresh waters of Salmon Creek, as part of the Third Annual Coho Salmon Release along with the Army Corp of Engineers and various other local entities.  You can see a short movie Steve put together here (because he's fancy like that) and read a bit more about it here.  Grady skipped school with our blessing and helped return these 30+ pound fish to our coastal waterways.  Nature never ceases to amaze me and I'm again reminded how much I love this wild and wonderful Sonoma Coast.

Grady looks freakishly HUGE on Santa's lap this year!

Last.  This weekend we had a round of parties to attend (four in all) and we ended our party train at the Jenner Community Xmas party.  The kids fairy godmother, Cheryl, goes all out for the kiddos and this year was no exception.  The girls sang solos that brought down the house with applause, Santa brought bags of books with clementines, silly putty and crazy straws.  Little delights for such sweet little ones.

About a month ago, Grady called me out about being the Tooth Fairy.  He point blank said he thought I was the tooth fairy and that I was lying.  Ouch.  And as I firmly and adamantly denied it, I kind of felt like a big, fat, liar pants.  I got real sad thinking about him losing this childhood world of make believe and it brought into question why we (okay, I - as Steve would just assume to tell him the truth) do the things we do when it comes to holidays, fairies, bunnies and the man in the big red suit.  I came to the simple conclusion that it's about creating magic and it's not forever.  We can make it whatever we want and as soon as he finds out that all of these things are not real, well, then we can move on to newer traditions and make the magic happen for others.  I find solace in that revelation and it's propelling me through this holiday season with purpose, so that I can make this last xmas, where he still kind of believes in Santa, a special one for him.

I know the jig is up, soon.  And I'm holding on for dear life.

Happy solstice eve, everyone!

hump day nuggets :: and then there were six

hump day nuggets :: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week

It's true that I like to romanticize the fact that we live in the country and pretend that I mostly fit in.  This week was a lesson in humility and putting myself in check.  Who am I kidding?  I was born and raised a city girl and as much as I try to expand my horizons in the animal-husbandry department, I am snapped back to reality every few months and reminded of the fragility of life and my role in it.

nuggets.

:: Indian Summer.  The temperatures hit the high 90's in Valley Ford last Wednesday and it was seriously scorching at our house.  No wind and no air conditioning rendered me sleepy and useless by mid-afternoon.  Luckily, I received an email from a friend in Bodega Bay to meet her at the pool after school and I jumped at the chance.  The boys quickly jumped in and started a fierce and aggressive water polo match with a tennis ball.  Ouch.  Gave an entirely new meaning to the phrase "in your face".  Water gun warfare was next and creative diving rounded out the afternoon.

:: Production.  The hens have been laying regularly and providing us with an abundance of eggs.  G has grand plans for his egg money.  Skim board is at the top of the list, along with Star Wars Lego sets.  This wish list is constantly being updated.

:: Word.  This boy has been a reading non-stop this week.  He checks out around five books from his school library each week and ends up only reading a few of those selections.  He peruses his personal library for favorites and stacks them at the end of his bed, retrieving the next one on deck as soon as he's near the end of the one currently in his hands.  We also visit the Marin Bookmobile twice a month and he amasses more graphic novels, reference books about mammals or nature and the occasional "baby book" that is easy reading.  His teacher announced that he is now allowing the students to check out books from his classroom library and that really excited my little bibliophile.  

:: Sunflowers.  I planted these beauties late this summer from seeds that were a little wet and moldy.  I planted anyway and hoped for the best.  I got the best.

:: Yard Sale.  We had a neighborhood yard sale this weekend and I noticed late on Sunday that Grady was trying to sell his parents.  $3 each.  No refunds.  Sold as is!  Nice try, young man, nice try.  And While I don't frequent many garage sales, I sure did have a bunch of stuff I wanted to unload.  My hopes were high and quickly dashed by the end of Saturday when I surmised that I would probably not be selling most of my wares but, rather, donating them to the local thrift store.  Either way, it motivated a purge in our household and that was a good thing.  It also gave me a rare opportunity to visit with my neighbors and spend two days with my son without a long to-do list of things that needed to be done.  There were still many thing to be done, but the list went out the window this weekend.

:: The weather started to change Saturday morning and we had short, intermittent showers and then bursts of sunshine and puffy clouds.  I worked on my tan and read an entire novel this weekend, so all was not a loss.  I also got to watch Grady in action and interacting with strangers.  He was priceless and invited many people to his art show, as well as trying to sell one of our chickens for a dollar (no takers).

Game of Jenga is way better than any Playstation

:: Rain.  Well, the week ended with dark, ominous looking clouds hovering overhead.  On Monday, it rained all day.  What a difference a week makes.  As I type this, we are having a downpour.

:: Pranks.  I am only now beginning to understand the humor and shenanigans of an eight year old boy.  The potty humor, the endless knock-knock jokes and the pranks are non-stop.  The fact that he keeps planting the same snake in or near my bed every single night is serious fun.  I give him the requisite scream or squeal and he is rolling on the ground laughing until I think he's going to hurt himself.  It does not get old for him.  I actually love it, but pretend to be appalled.

Soccer season is almost over.  Grady is over it, but I loved it.

Tomato porn for your viewing pleasure

5 ounces vodka, 1/2 drop of vermouth, shaken w/ two olives.  Yes.

:: Chicken nuggets.  I know, I know, bad joke.  A lot happened to our flock this weekend and I'm sad to say we now have only six hens.  We lost Brownie, one of our oldest hens, and Miss Tricky, the egg-hider I mentioned last week, to a raccoon this past Sunday (or should I say real early Monday?).  It's a long, icky story and in the end the raccoon was accidentally locked in the hen house overnight and stuck on a pole up near the ceiling.  One of the hens was maimed and the other killed on the spot.  Steve had to finish the faceless hen off at the break of dawn and then try to figure out how to get the crazy raccoon out of the hen house.  

I'm happy to report that I had the wherewithal to call our ranching neighbors and ask for help.  I mean, let's face it, we are not chicken farmers and needed the big guns.  Literally.  Our kind neighbor came over, shot the raccoon and even took the bloody remains of all those little animals that perished with him.  He is my new hero.

What do you buy a man that kills a raccoon for you?  It's going to be a tough thank you gift for sure.

Grady immediately took to illustrating the murderous raccoon

The hen house has been reinforced and reconfigured.  Another lesson on the circle of life has been given.  My husband and neighbor showed me that I'm a wimp when it comes to raising animals on this little, wild, one acre plot of land that we own and love.  I'm having a hard time with the loss of two of my sweet little clucking hens and feel real bad that I played a part in the raccoon having access to their home.

The boy processed all of this beautifully, as children often do.  I guess I will follow his lead.

Happy hump day.