giddy-yup!

Posted on March 30, 2009 - Filed Under adventures, kiddo life | 1 Comment

Look what Sophie did today! No ropes!

She’s riding free for the first time and TROTTING. That’s a long way from her first day, when just sitting on the horse was a big deal.
Here she is coming around the rail again, all confidence and that little smile that says she’s holding it all in until she [...]

I love my job

Posted on March 29, 2009 - Filed Under kiddo life | 1 Comment

Last night, after much flopping, and adjusting, and pulling of covers, Sophie and I finally settled down to sleep. Ahhhhh….
And just as I’m relaxing into a half hour snooze with her (I usually get back after she’s dropped off) Sophie’s little voice comes out of the dark saying, “Mommy, can I have drink of water?”
Groan. [...]

the healing powers of chocolate

Posted on March 28, 2009 - Filed Under kiddo life | 1 Comment

It’s been raining and raining and we’ve all been inside, a lot, maybe too much. So, yesterday afternoon, the kids were fighting and I was crabby and let’s just say none of us were being very kind. My answer to these situations is usually the same, a Monty Python, And now for something…completely different.
“Hey, kids, [...]

slow news is good news

Posted on March 27, 2009 - Filed Under geeklife, goats, honeymilk farm, mayalife | Leave a Comment

Well, first, I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to me expressing get well wishes or offering suggestions about my pitiful ears! It’s one thing to see the page-hit numbers on the blog report, but quite another to attach names and personalities to some of said numbers! Y’all are terrific!
And in answer to your many [...]

some principles of recycled building

Posted on March 25, 2009 - Filed Under alternative building | 5 Comments

We build with junk. Or, rather, Paul builds with junk, and I (1) complain about the mess in the yard, and (2) enjoy the results of his hard work. It’s called ‘consulting’ and it is integral to the creative process. First you put your hands on your hips, and then you point at things….
But I’m [...]

seeing through kiddo eyes

Posted on March 21, 2009 - Filed Under kiddo life | Leave a Comment

Luc, 3, riding in the grocery cart the other day, thoughtfully said, “You know, Mommy. Everyone has boogies.” Which is true, but might not be obvious in the boogie-intolerant culture we live in.
Sophie, 5, was watching an episode of Spiderman yesterday, a chase scene, Spiderman flinging himself and a blond babe through the city, while [...]

say it isn’t so

Posted on March 20, 2009 - Filed Under mayalife | 3 Comments

Somewhere along the line I’ve gotten an evil case of tinnitus. It totally sucks. I notice it most at night, trying to sleep in the quiet yurt—quiet except for the whistle inside my head that I can not shut off. It makes me want to run screaming from the room, which helps, because I can’t [...]

writing without pencil sharpening

Posted on March 18, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 2 Comments

I was talking with a few writers the other day about ‘pencil sharpening,’ that is, all the stuff writers do when they sit down to work, before they actually write. Of course, these days, why sharpen a boring pencil when you can surf the internet, peruse a favorite forum, read a blog, or check your [...]

luc the merciful

Posted on March 12, 2009 - Filed Under kiddo life | 2 Comments

Luc (3 years old): Sophie took my ginger snap.
Me: [Making lunch] Shall I smite her?
Luc: [serious expression] What is smite?
Me: It’s when you flatten someone, just totally wipe them out, then maybe eat their bones on toast. Usually a god or a goddess does it.
Luc: Oh. [Ponders this.] How do you smite?
Me: Well, lightening is [...]

three wearable computers, SF comes true

Posted on March 12, 2009 - Filed Under geeklife, reviews | Leave a Comment

My recent experiences with my new ipod touch have demonstrated to me how satisfying and convenient it is to have the information and solutions of a wifi computer with me, all the time, in my pocket. But, even with it’s sexy design, hunching over a 3.5 screen ain’t ideal. The information is there, but the [...]