Coming up for air

There is much to catch up on here,  kind of like catching my breath after a constant stream of summer activities.  The kids cracked open their journals a few Sundays ago and discovered it had been more than six months that they had last written.  For that purpose I have a renewed interest in keeping up on this blog simply as a record for our family.  I've taken to facebook lately because it is a quick place to store a thought and photo but sometimes there is more to say...........

My parents visited us, the last time they were in Michigan was over a year ago, that was the week we signed the contract to buy the farm.  We have grown in many ways since then and it was a joy for us all to share it with my parents.  

One of the highlights from their visit was a trip to the nearby farm, garden and ice cream shop.  While the kids were licking their cones and my dad and I were inspecting pickling crocks my mom got comfortable in a rocker next to one of the owners.  They sat and chatted like old friends......we actually had to alert her when all the kids were buckled in the van and ready to go.   Now whenever we make ice cream stops the first thing I am asked from the owners is, "how is your mom?"   

My dad having spent some time on a farm in New York while he was young was thrilled to see what we are trying to do.  He kept snapping away on his Leica, shaking his head laughing......"I would never have guessed, Al".  I showed off the bees, milking, eggs and whatever vegetables we could find. And my dad confided in James that when he was young he was not too happy to be living on a farm either, he said he regretted not helping his dad more and encouraged James to be more positive about the experience.

There was much to feast on together.  For a few days it felt like the summer we got to live with them.  My mom and I had long talks and many laughs while my dad fed the kids licorice and had them goofing off beyond that which us adults could control.  I miss those days of us living just a corner away.

Soon after we also got to enjoy a visit with Paul's aunt, uncle and cousin from Wisconsin.  We gave them a 2 hour farm tour in the mid morning sun, treated them to a kale smoothie and Maryanna performed an old country song for them.  Paul's aunt gifted us with a beautiful gathering basket which we put to use immediately as there has been many gatherings, and much to be gathered.

Then cousins Julius and Zander stayed a few days with us.  They jumped right into the farm chores and Julius helped me finally master a soft and delicious goat cheese.  He laughed really hard when I told him my last attempted was spit up into by baby Charles.  Julius suggested we add basil, chives, garlic and a little more salt - we made it two times together and was gobbled up with great reviews.   

Rob and Eva also made it to Michigan this summer.  I enjoyed a full day of sewing talk and Japanese pattern instruction with Eva and her mom and sister.  Between us there were 12 children to be cared for and we still managed to make progress on a few new sewing projects (just haven't managed to finish them yet - stay tuned!).

Getting together with cousins is an instant party!  Henry especially bonded to Luke while we were in UT for the reunion so seeing him again in Michigan was another reunion.

But just like the weeds, children don't stop growing on account of a busy Summer.  Maryanna's 7th birthday snuck up on us.  In haste I ordered a pair of red clogs for her on ebay not noticing they were embroidered with the original owners initials.  There was just enough time to drop them off at a shoe repair shop to stitch a piece of leather over the initials, but there was not time for a new felt birthday crown. Instead I unpicked the six from last year and sewed on a seven.  I also sewed her a chicken gathering apron with two big pockets for eggs.

In celebration we had an impromptu gathering with neighbors.  All of her best friends around here are at least 60 and they were here hiding behind couches to shout "surprise" after she walked in the door from a trip to The Toy House with Daddy.  Maryanna was so excited about the Calico Critter set she picked out and seeing all her favorite friends and cupcakes that she peed her pants at the surprise.  But with total confidence she announced to all her guests, "I'll be right back, I just have to change".  And so she did and continues to daily with losing teeth and stepping over the gap between the "big kids" and "little kids".

And still no break in the fun, we visited to the community fair, had a tent sleep over with friends and cousins David and Kate spent the weekend with us.  The boys kept the tent up all the while and after sleeping in it for a week now James has suggested the tent could be his new bedroom, this he insists even after a soaking rainfall.



Through it all Paul has kept up with a busy travel schedule. It seems he has been gone mid week every week since the beginning of July.  Upon his last return Maryanna was near by playing with my camera and I called out "quick Maryanna, take a picture of me kissing Daddy because I'm about to get really mad at him".  Well, not so much mad at him but simply exhausted from playing the part of a one man band.

And so I made it clear that I needed a breather.

And so he made it possible for me to take off  in his truck to a girl's night out with some neighboring farm ladies.  

I also spent a whole day in bed reading, pondering and making plans for the up coming homeschool year.  I believe I swallowed enough air to jump into it.  

Men's shirt to apron

An old men's shirt was passed into my hands last week and I instantly knew what was to become of it, a new apron.  I like aprons because they are useful in collecting spills, and the pockets are handy for storing my cell phone, pocket knife and even a few small squash or cucumbers from the garden.  

The transition from shirt to apron was simple, using mainly the back half of the shirt I kept the hem intact, removed the chest pocket and sewed it back down in a new location.  I added a few tucks on each side of the waist and then cut the ties and waist band from the extra long shirt sleeves.  And for a finishing touch and to remind myself not to work too hard with this apron on I freehand stitched the phrase "Vivir bien".

Here is the before:

And here it is in action in the kitchen.  Kind of love the crooked-out of focused-action mom shots my kids catch of me.   Also kind of love that a few days of rain gave me an excuse to squeeze in some much needed sewing time (finally!).

Early Christmas

It's been a couple weeks that Paul has been teasing me about a surprise he ordered for me, "it's an early Christmas present and you're going to love it"!, he'd say.  I couldn't be sure of what it'd be but I kept making guesses, begged for clues and continually kept an eye out for the friendly delivery truck.  

At one point I thought Paul may have checked my browser history and discovered I spent some idle moments browsing through the jewelry on the Sundance catalog site, maybe he got me that necklace I kept going back to, I thought. But I had to guess again when he clued me in that the surprise was something the whole family was going to share, a cream separator?  I really want one of those.

But when the small square zazzle box showed up I knew in an instant what the surprise was going to be............a Nubian goat trucker hat!  That was also on my browser history from several weeks back.  And so it was and I'm now an official "goat lady".  

      

 I love these lady goats and I believe the feeling is mutual.

I also love that I can wear whatever the heck I feel like here on the farm, it seems I've been taking fashion cues from my 5 year old daughter and it is liberating.

Paul was right when he said it was a gift that the whole family was going to want to share.  Out of all the children Maryanna and William love the goats the  most so they were first in line to borrow the hat.

George loves the goats too, he rarely misses a milking, but it was hard to keep the hat on him long enough for a photo.  

Here's what I caught instead, him independently milking the rocking horse.  Really this should be videoed because he has the process down just right, he cleaned the pretend teats, put the first few squirts in a tiny cup and offered it to some tiny animals. Then he proceeded to milk alternating both hands and making a squirting noise with his mouth.  When he was finished he brought it over to the little wooden play kitchen and strained the milk into a little container.  

This boy is so funny he may deserve his very own youth sized Nubian goat trucker hat or T-shirt, maybe for Christmas.......or an early Christmas.

Catching up

I'm not sure it is a good idea to plant a huge garden and leave it for over two weeks mid summer.  I thought I'd get caught up on it as soon as we returned from our trip but there was a lot of laundry to catch up on and then the stomach flu hit and moved through us one person and one day at a time.  So the laundry grew faster than I could tackle it, as did the weeds (which were already plentiful and very high).

My sister Mary suggested a little weeding party so we geared up for it in boots, overalls, tractor supply shirts and gloves.  We use to run together in high school and college and in those days we'd gear up in baggy t-shirts and old running shoes, it felt like old times there in the garden sweating along side each other, talking, pacing each other, laughing and at times almost crying.  I was the one who was almost crying because I was overwhelmed, not too long into it the weeding party turned more into a pity party.  But again, just like old times Mary was by my side encouraging me, "come on Al, just 1/2 mile more", "come on Al, just finish the row of beets". I was cursing those weeds all the while and Mary admitted to feeling the same way about neglected dirty dishes and paper work, that made me feel better.    

Here is only a tiny portion of our work.



Mary is a natural in the garden, she combed through all the cabbages till it looked tidier than a flower bed.  That was enough to keep me going, maybe not as focused as Mary but I kept going.  And it was a sweaty muscle aching workout that us sisters shared.

After our wedding workout we feasted on a berry/beet/kale/carrot smoothie and prepared the rest of the vegetables for roasting.  So I can't complain, the garden is certainly producing more than just weeds!

Not all my visitors are as encouraging as Mary though, my mom simply said, "oh you don't have time for this."  And there is one neighbor who knows just the wrong thing to say at the height of noon day sun, but I don't need to mention that here.

As for Paul and the kids, they have a lot more enthusiasm now that we are bringing in daily harvests.  Still, it takes a lot of energy to keep children going in an overgrown garden.  The goat kids on the other hand take to it like trick or treating.  Here they are barely fenced in to the area that was suppose to be our strawberry patch, I love that they love those weeds!

This is Yagi assisting in some really tall lambs quarter.

And since Maryanna likes to be in charge the job of garden goat herder serves us all, at least those little kids know who's boss.  

Here's what was suppose to be the sunflower house.  The back and sides are barely in reach of the sprinklers so they are not growing evenly, and I think some birds got to the corners. Clara said "that's okay the sunflower house did not work, we can just make a weed house this year because we already have so many tall weeds everywhere."  Peter is still very impressed with the height that some of the sunflowers are gaining, "they are even way taller than Daddy!" he observed.  And I answered "yes, we are all in over our heads in this garden".

Not sure we'll ever "catch up" on this year's garden, but I cannot doubt we are making huge strides along the learning curve.  

Family Summer Evenings

It's been an extra hot summer here in Michigan.  

We live with no a/c and mostly it has not bothered us, but sometimes by the evening the stagnant heat is unbearable.  On such nights it would be crazy to fire up the stove or oven so instead of cooking dinner the family is simply offered chilled watermelon, kale/berry smoothies or a special trip to Gee's for ice cream.  

These outings usually come with very little notice just at the breaking point of over heated parents, we'll call out, "who wants to get ice cream? who wants to go swimming? get your bathing suits on and hop in the van".  Unlike trying to get out the door for church or other events the entire family is ready and in the van within minutes, maybe because these summer evening activities are simply "come as you are".

We are lucky to live just miles from a great lake and I think it is funny that I had no idea it was here until this summer, oh the hot and wasted evenings of last summer! But the kids now know the routine very well, grab a noodle, kick off the crocs, sink right in and let all the melted ice cream wash away.

It is always more fun when Daddy is along because he's in there chest deep throwing the kids, splashing and even serving as the diving board.

 

I usually just remain knee deep with baby Charles wrapped on my side, all the while squinting as I count heads and yell at the kids to not swim out so far.  

There's really nothing fancy about this lake, I've been told by a few other locals they've had the same playground equipment for nearly 30 years.  And there's really nothing fancy about our routine to get there, no road trip, reservation or exclusive membership required.  Probably what makes it so great is the simplicity and lack of planning, we go because it is simply too hot to do anything else.  And in the end I realize there is nothing I'd rather being doing any way.  Oh the joy of family summer evenings and the excuse to enjoy the seasons of life with the ones I love most.   

  

Reunioning

It is a joy to be together with family.  I come from a very large family, together with my parents, my siblings and their children there are over 100 of us, and logistically it is like parting waters to make an event and photo like this happen.  It only happens every other year but it is worth it.

I honestly cannot say we all found joy in the planning of such event though.  My mom continually  responded peaceably, and with the same sense of regret most moms get when their children are not getting along she'd say, "it is really hard to please so many people".  But somewhere along the escalating emails and phone calls leading up to the event someone simply stated:  "Come what may and love it."  So that became the reunion theme.

The night before the official reunion started my mom and dad found themselves with a house full of 50 members of their family who after traveling so far just couldn't wait to visit with them.  So my mom did her magic and in less than 30 minutes had a meal for all them!  From then on it was non-stop activities, feeding and visiting.

In the middle of it my brother Jeff asked, "so Al, are you having fun?".   My response was, "define fun."  I know it was "fun" for my children but honestly with so much action and activity I craved more intimate conversation with those who I have not seen in a couple of years.

We joked about setting up an activity like speed dating where everyone has a set time to catch up with one individual then when the buzzer sounds you move to the next person.  Jeff then said, "well, are you enjoying yourself?", of course the answer was "yes" and I then shared with him one of my favorite moment of the reunion, it is actually pictured below.  It is of my two daughters dancing with his two daughters in Oma and Opa's driveway. These girls who just days previous were as good as strangers to each others found instant connection, Maryanna and Elise, and Clara and Melissa.  While the adults were fumbling with the logistics of where to go, and when and what to wear or bring, these girls embraced each other and sang and danced as if they were a couple of lost souls who have once again found each other, it was like a soul reunion.  That was a joyful moment, enough to make the long trip worth it. 

And then there were the parties.  First at Airborne Sports where both the kids and adults jumped and bounced till we were red in the face and sore in the legs.

There were also a couple of pool parties with yummy catered food and enough children splashing in the pools to required all parents to be on guard in addition to hired life guards.    

There was also a party at the park with music, dancing, arts and crafts, games, ice blocking and giant sub sandwiches.

My brother Doug surprised everyone and arranged for a snow cone truck to show up.  There was a long line....................

and many happy children.

The family photo was taken the next day downtown next to temple square.

After James got to take off with his cousins to explore the new City Creek Center.

While the younger ones trailed around Temple Square with us parents.

Later in the afternoon my parents hosted a fancy reception for everyone at the Lion House, in the very same room I attended a reception for my grandparents when I was a child.  Lion house rolls are famous, so fluffy and delicious, and whipped honey butter makes it almost a dessert, I had three all nicely smothered.
 

By this time George had had his fill of reunioning, he independently removed his socks and shoes and found an empty space of carpet by our table and went right to sleep.  I just let him be, and with the others off in the company of their cousins I enjoyed sitting at an almost empty table with just Paul eating our rolls with plenty of whipped honey butter.

And then there was the down time, we did find bits of it.  My mom was concerned that not everyone got reunion t-shirts so she set up a silk screen station in her basement.

Down there in the basement my mom told me about her college days running for student body secretary of University of Utah.  She built a silk screen to create posters for her campaign, she said it made real crisp posters, she got her name out there and she won.

Meanwhile the kids spent most their down time passing around a handful of ipads and iphones.  They were good at taking turns and it is amazing how many eyes can hover over such a small screen.  I suppose sharing small screens makes for close cousins.

Probably my favorite activity of the reunion was bonding with my teen aged nieces.  My mom asked me to arrange and facilitate a craft for this older crowd to enjoy.  So I went to a local bead shop and got supplies for them all to make leather wrap bracelets.  With their hands kept busy the digital devices were set down and what we enjoyed was a women's circle a kin to what our shared women ancestors may have enjoyed while cooking, quilting, sewing or weaving.

I shared with them some of the wonderful, horrible, embarrassing and magical moments of my teen aged years and they shared with me their visions, goals and aspirations for the future. There was a connection and I left with the realization that we share the same blood and the significance of that.  Oh how I love these young women even more now!
  

As I do everyone who I was able to see and reconnect with.  I am so grateful to my parents for having a large family and the efforts they still make in encouraging us, despite the number of individuals and distances between us, to remain a close and connected family.

We came and we loved it!