If a tree falls on the farm...

There are infinite choices for how to spend a 3-day holiday weekend. We, however, have 3 day weekends every week so we were lucky to remember that there was a holiday. (I know, shut it - we work our arses off the rest of the week to make this happen. )

For this Memorial Day weekend we stayed home, our favorite place to be. Thus avoiding being in the being amongst the endless line of RV's as they paraded by our house headed for their 15 minutes of relaxation for the weekend. With gas prices starting to compete with any good Euro story about pricing how can they afford to fill the RV, the truck pulled behind it AND the two 4 wheelers in the bed of the truck??? I digress...

We, on the other hand, cut down 2 ancient, ailing fruit trees and one small poorly placed teenage maple next to the house. By "we" I mean Bill, while Audrey and I watched and cheered him on. This is a major change for us as each of these trees went towards protecting us from the street view - so we're now feeling a little naked, but it had to be done. Our new driveway and parking area await rock borders to hem in the half dozen truckloads of gravel that will be needed for parking, the bark mulch awaits it's home in the new garden beds, and the grapes await their arbor home that still needs to be built. None of this can be done until the stumps are ground from the trees we took out... And so on, and so on it goes with our list of projects. All a delicately balanced string of dominoes all needing just the slightest push.

Cutting down the trees meant having to deal with the debris and wood. I did my best to help while Audrey was napping but spent more time with the rake than loading the trailer. Bill, on the other hand, worked from 10 am to 4 pm without stopping, as if the perpetual motion would make it hurt less later! Not a chance. Getting old is just something we're learning to accept - but we're not going down without a fight! 6 hours and 6 trailer trips to the pasture later the job was done. No matter the rain, or the mud, or the part about putting in two days work into one. It's done - and now let the cascade of other projects begin. Not the least of which is the wrap around deck that will span the back and South sides of the house and connect with the front porch. (The side you can see in the picture.) The small maple tree was a small sacrifice for the deck! I'll also plant a new pear and apple tree after the arbor is built. Yahoo! The stone path that will lead from this arbor to the house will likely be a project for NEXT summer now that the deck has taken precedence.

My Saturday was spent mowing short the lawn in preparation for the spring over-seed. Bagging an acre full of grass cuttings was my contribution to this weekend's sore muscles. Mulching it covers the precious blank dirt too much so I bagged, and dumped, and bagged and I dumped. Today, while Bill nursed his shoulders I fertilized and seeded the new grass. (or the "good grass" as we've taken to calling it. Bad grass, very bad bad grass is the other 2.5 acres.) This is likely the last big act for the year on this "pet" project. I hope. Or it too, will be very bad grass.

Thankfully Audrey's back to her giggly, happy self after all the sick days. She has started to take a real interest in picking out her own clothes. I applaud her sense of style for sure!


We celebrated our weekend's work with a fabulous steak dinner - at home (Did we mention we've become homebodies?! ) complete with the home-made apple pie that Audrey and I made earlier this morning while Bill caught up on his sleep for the week. In addition to being able to move 3 large trees in one day he also gets up almost each and every morning with Audrey and they let me sleep for that precious extra half hour that keeps me from being face down in my dinner every night. Audrey has still not fully decided to like pie. (what's not to like about pie?!) I thought perhaps if she was involved in making it that she might change her mind. She was at least willing to try it but after a couple of bites she still gave us that funny little face that meant she didn't like it. You know the one, it's a little like the face that cats make when they don't like the way something smells. Oh well, the ice cream was a good consolation for the celebration!

And now for the rest of the news.

Mother's day seemed to be celebrated for a week around here - YAY! It started on the 3rd with my surprise early Mother's Day present. Bill took the family to the Canby Plant Sale - a massive plant extravaganza at the fairgrounds in a nearby suburb. We all had a great time - me with the money Bill had just tucked in my pocket with the send-off "knock yourself out" and Bill pulling Audrey kicked back in the garden cart livin' large. I managed to more than fill the cart with everything from dogwood trees to giant clematis blooms. A supremely fun family outing. Audrey already knows the difference between evergreen and deciduous. A couple of months ago on one of our walks around the nearby pond we gathered various evergreen branches and I described the differences. Ever since then every single night after she's tucked into bed Audrey requests the "story about the needles." "Some needles are soft, some are pokey, some are round, some are flat, some are short and some are long...." and so on. This "story" is now required before sleep can occur. She's started telling this story to her "bedtime bunny" when she puts him to sleep - which has my gardener's heart warm and green.

Mom (Grammy), Michelle (Auntie Chelle) and cousin JayCe (cousin JayCe) arrived Friday afternoon for Mother's day weekend. Now that all the adult ladies in the family are mother's the holiday packs a little more punch. We started the weekend off right by meeting at a Japanese restaurant that has the grill tables where the chefs do all the fancy tricks (you know, Beni-Hana style) with fire and knives. I think we got the rookie - but it was entertaining just the same. Bill surprised us all by being there when we arrived, even though we thought he'd have to work and leave us on our own. A very nice surprise indeed. No sooner had the chef fired up the grill when he started smearing it with copious amounts of oil. To all our surprise he sent up a grill sized flame that had Audrey out of her booster seat, in my lap, with her arms clutching my neck screaming in just under 2 seconds. She's a little easily spooked lately, to say the least, and this one was a doozy. All the other tables looked over in surprise certainly expecting to see the toddler who was screaming laying on the grill or something of that ilk given the magnitude of her reaction. It was hard not to laugh at the whole scene but I did my best since Audrey seemed genuinely traumatized. This is converse to the month before when we lit a house sized bon-fire in our pasture to eliminate 4 years worth of collecting debris. She squealed with delight when that thing went up - so this reaction at the restaurant was not what I had expected. I guess she and her dad (both Pisces) are water signs through and through. (This fire-loving Aries was in heaven with the bon-fire as all the change that had taken place over the last few years on our property was summarily piled into a huge mound and sent up in smoke.) So when the chef did the firey volcano with the pile of onion slices I was equally entertained. JayCe thought it was pretty cool too. Audrey, however, shrieked in terror.

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at the house. No exhausting trips to shop or explore - just hours of eating, reading, playing outside, napping, eating and so forth. We even managed to get a barefoot-on-the-grass play session in the afternoon. It was pretty satisfying to be able watch the kids run and play on the new lawn. It was a short trip when they had to leave on Sunday morning but it left me plenty of time to mow the lawn... Oh, how I love to mow the lawn!

Unbelievably, I laid down the night after everyone left with a tickle in my throat that indicated I might be sick. I told myself it was just allergies, but by the end of the next day it was clear that I was sick - AGAIN. We just had Audrey's latest "re-check" the day before after her SECOND round of antibiotics. She's was doing great but if I thought if I pass this bug on to her and she ends up with another ear infection I just might have a nervous breakdown. The tantrums that ensued when she was at her sickest were earth shattering. One of the days went down in Audrey history as one of the hardest ever - even worse than colic because I couldn't swing or nurse her to sleep or vacuum the house for the 50th time to calm her down. (God bless that vacuum cleaner.) By 3 pm I had to start giving her time-outs for the meltdowns. It's torture to have to punish a sick child, but I had to do something or I was going to end up in a straight-jacket. After about 6 trips to the "naughty spot" the tone shifted and she started understanding that I had drawn a definite line in the sand but getting there was no picnic.


I managed, however, to occasionally distract her with several creative projects. Top of the list was the very first ever FINGER PAINTING! Audrey's skin is unnaturally drawn to being painted ever since we took her to a Holiday party where she got her face painted like a kitty cat. This was a huge success and we've got several albums full of hand prints to work with now!

Each moment that we continued to finger paint brought more temptation to paint the face instead of the paper. I gave up trying to dissuade her because she was having some real fun. Being forever the jokester she kept trying to paint my face too. As I was busy taking pictures I decided to do that next time. She ate dinner that night with the paint still on her face as she refused a wash. It was not until the absolute end of her bath that night that she would succumb to the washrag to the face! This art foray went along way toward restoring smiles all around.

I had a show last week with my favorite cellist, Skip VonKuske. We play together occasionally at Edgefield Winery in Troutdale. He's doing a "Mother's Play" month with singer/songwriters who are now moms in honor of Mother's Day. Always a good theme from Skip. I always have so much fun with Skip. It's been a long while since I've gotten behind the guitar, almost 2 months now, and it felt really good. I guess it always feels good but the thought of booking shows and getting back in to the fray completely makes me shriek in horror. I think I am ready to consider playing once a month or so. A slow and arduous return to art.

Audrey has taken to singing little "songs" that she's constantly making up. Almost everything she does has always been on a running commentary (and now I'm putting my sock on and now Mommy puts on my shoes. Here's my pink puffy coat. It's cozy... and so on and so on) but now this same commentary is being sung. (sung to the tune of "ring around the rosy") "Whoa whao whoa I'm carrying a basket with a ball in it. Carry it around and around and around." On Mother's Day she walked around intoning "Happy Mother's Day, Happy Mother's Day, Happy Mother's Day" to the tune of happy birthday. There was a time when there were so many birthdays in a row that by the end she would wake up every day and said "Today's bunny's birthday, I'm going to make him a birthday." This last "birthday" is code for "cake." For the longest time she thought that the cake was the "birthday." She dutifully sings "Happy Birthday" to bunny after lighting his candle "for pe-tend." The next morning she wakes and says, "Mommy, today it's your birthday, and mine." And we repeat the perpetual celebration all day long! I wonder who's birthday it will be tomorrow.

I can do it!

I'm committed. I can do this...

After a year of reading all my friends (frequent) blogs and starting my own but not sticking with it, I'm ready. I've been really inspired by a fellow mom's blog whom I stumbled on just shortly after I had Audrey. I found myself commenting on her blog and my posts were becoming long enough to be a blog of their own so I knew it was time. She's hilarious and gives you the good stuff as well as the hard. I have appreciated that approach so this won't always be your average, fluffy, "isn't this a cute photo" blog. I'm hoping to make this a place for me to journal all that life presents. The good and the goo. This one will be long and just barely cover the basics however, because I'm trying to catch up.

This year, so far, has proved to be as much a wonderful challenge as the one that preceded it. Last year it was new routines, laughs, constant teething, communication issues, laughs, and the first bumps an bruises of our new walker's not so stealthy moves. This year started on the fast track with a two week mini "tour" of the Pink Floyd tribute band I sing in, The Floydian Slips. 4 shows in 12 days from Eugene to Seattle. Totally sold out every show and rocked myself silly. It was a lot of work though and when it was all done it was only mid January and I was already tired! We managed some great snow days with some excellent sledding. Such a treat! Through it all Audrey kept us laughing as usual. Such a cut-up that one.


Just a few days to recover and then directly into February's "Fire-hose of Fun." 1 wedding anniversary (ours), 3 birthdays (Mom, Audrey, & Bill - all in ONE week), and one useless Hallmark holiday (Valentine's Day). "What do you mean you didn't get Valentine's cards out" my mother teased. We headed for the beach for our anniversary weekend and got some great weather to boot.

Mid month Audrey had her "Nemo & Dory" Birthday party and that, too, was a smashing success. I focused on kids this year (what a great idea) and invited 7 others (and their parents!) to come play fishing games and "Pin the Fin" on Nemo and Dory.




I managed to make everything either blue or green when it came to the food. My only "shortcoming" this year was to go a little nuts with the blue food coloring! Who knew you only needed like 1% of what I used to get things to be that color! I'm sure the other parents were thrilled! All in all, we had a blast. (and I only blew up half as many balloons!)

The day after Audrey's second birthday she started her new daycare or "school" as they have us call it. First week was OK - but by her 3rd and final day of the week she had finally figured out that we were intending on leaving her here in this place ALL DAY LONG! The meltdowns began. More teething - molars this time. The terrible twos emerged mere seconds after her Happy Birthday song was sung, a new "stranger anxiety" had started causing more serious meltdowns and... we still haven't even made it out of February. Audrey had her very first "picture day" at school. I know it's really daycare and not school but it's still hard to believe we're there already!!

March brought the "cold from hell." First Bill got it, then Audrey got it, then Bill got sicker, and so did Audrey. I managed to get this far nearly unscathed. Then, just as Bill was getting better I got it and Audrey got her first fever laden ear infection. We got the antibiotics, they're pink and some sort of sweet flavor like bubble gum or something. I think I might have the only child who looks forward to medicines. Am I creating a future hypochondriac? We left the doctors office feeling victorious from our clean bill of health on our "re-check" after the antibiotics. I asked if we should worry about getting a lot of ear infections now that she'd had one. He said, "No, you just have to worry if they get sick again quickly after they've recovered from one." I swear to you that LESS than 48 hours later I thought Audrey felt hot and found she had a 103 fever. Great. Bill got it again too. I somehow managed to escape the second one. (yay!?) Thankfully there are no pictures of snotty noses to share.

We did manage to squeeze a trip in to Mom's house in Pendleton for Easter regardless of the illnesses. Where better to sleep it off than at Mom's house where there are doting Grammy's and Aunties to take over?! Audrey and JayCe had their first egg hunt together and the first real live chocolate passed Audrey's lips. None of us will ever be the same!! Now I often hear "Mommy, I want some Choc-lit" coming from Audrey! I knew I would have to cave sooner or later - at least we managed to wait this long! Of course most of my friends say we're Ogre's for not having given it to her by now. I've even heard stories of coaxing toddlers into cooperation using chocolate chips as a reward. However successful this might be I just can't do anything of the sort. I say she's got a lifetime of chocolate ahead of her so I don't feel terribly bad about trying to stave off the sweet tooth a little.

April arrives. Second virus. On the 6th day of it we head to the Doctors office again for a "better safe than sorry" visit since it was Friday and I had hoped to stave off at least a little bit of miserable if the ear infection cropped up again. We were sent off with a tentatively good bill of health and the advice "if she spikes another fever, bring her back." So, of course, 36 hours later, another fever. Monday morning bright and early off to the Doctor again (at least by now she'd stopped being afraid of him) to get a second round of stronger antibiotics. By now we've had sick people in the house for two solid months. Somewhere in there was my birthday - it's all a blur already. Guess what I asked for again this year? You guessed it, ROCKS. More pathways and some garden edging to come. We also managed a trip to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm for their annual "Tulip Fest" with "GeeMa Pat" (Bill's mom). It poured down rain part of the time while we were there but that just gave us beautiful mud puddles to jump in! Audrey rode the "cow train" and squealed with delight as we sped along over the bumps and around the acres and acres of blooming Tulips. Gotta love a good thrill seeker!

During the worst of the colds we did manage to use some of our pent-up house-bound energy to start some crafty projects. Audrey has really taken a liking to me sewing things for her. It started with an ingenious idea to make a couple of pillow cases out of a blanket and has manifested into things like "Hey Audrey, do you want me to make you a cape?" "Yeah!" she replies enthusiastically and "abracadabra" - you're a cape.

May has come and with it already the return of my healthy and (mostly) agreeable toddler and husband. Our new grass has filled in beautifully and we can now sit triumphantly in our lawn chairs and survey the success that has taken us years to sculpt. I'm figuring we're about 1/30th of the way through this lifetime project.

Before...

Bill managed yet another Craigslist score and we now have a working riding lawn mower again. My mother's day present from last year (the fancy new self-propelled Honda push mower) is a dream but no match for 2 acres of grass that needs mowing!

With the return of warmer weather and longer days comes our large scale landscaping planning. The rock edging and pathways I spoke of earlier will take some time to manifest and I'm hoping I can wrangle some sort of permanent irrigation system while we're at it. We've at least gotten smart enough to meet and hire some high school lads to help us with this stuff. More ailing trees will come down to be replaced with new ones in better locations and our firewood stack might just fill up with just those that we have removed over the last 3 years. We still have some drainage issues to deal with along the south side of the house so some excavation will be in order and the last remaining mud around the house will become at least gravel if not a full fledged rock patio.

Whew. There. I did it! I knew I could do it. Hopefully now that I've caught up I can do these posts more often and they can be read at a glance and not over several days! I am in the process of creating an online photo album that I will update as often as possible. We hope this all gives us an opportunity to stay in better touch with those we love.

As Tigger would say "Ta Ta For Now!"