So I blinked...

And it was a new year. Half-finished, really, like a second helping of something that was sooooooo delicious, or something you nom through because it passes the time. If you read the last post, you’ve prbably guessed that it was the latter mostly, with occasional morsels of lovely times. 

Having two kids hasn’t been that hard, and having two at such different ages hasn’t been that hard, though I expect that to change as Tristan’s needs change as he gets more and more physically capable. What’s been hard is starting all over after tasting a bit of the outside world via the GeekDad and Library Journal writing and giving myself over to a new baby, but now in a project house that wasn’t remotely unpacked, that never looks clean because worn surfaces have fused with dirt, and not having child-proofed areas. I keep comparing all the things I could give to Seamus at six, nine, twelve months, and I see what Tristan has, and the lack just kills me.

We don't need no resolution

We need a motherfucking plan. Hello my pretties. The streets await us.

It’s been too long since we took the time

 No-one’s to blame, I know time flies so quickly

But when I see you darling

It’s like we both are falling in love again

It’ll be just like starting over, starting over

-John Lennon

Sorry it’s been so long. Special message to Depression, Post-Partum; or Depression, Because it’s Tuesday or whichever this has been: FUCK RIGHT OFF.

Even slower

I looked over my shoulder as I got out of bed this morning and saw two small smiling faces and one focused one as Patrick read out loud the last chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl has been a runaway hit in our house this year, and there have been many days begun with James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Danny, the Champion of the World, and The Witches. I glanced at the clock as I walked to the bathroom. 7:30. In two weeks we’ll need to be dressed and finishing breakfast at this time in order to walk to school, and none of us have adjusted to an earlier morning. The August fog has returned after weeks of warm mornings, and yesterday I tripped over my sandals while hunting down my fleece slippers. We haven’t replaced our HVAC system or installed insulation, which means that I’m already nagging Patrick about rugs, trying to remind him that come January Tristan will be crawling, and our bedroom has only the subfloor.

In the back, the peach tree bears ovoid pale green fruit. The squirrels living in our neighbor’s oak raid the peaches once they hint toward yellow. Our attempts to catch them and shoo them away before they pick a peach has merely led to faster squirrels. I know that in the fall they will raid another neighbor’s apple tree. Only the feral calico cat who lounges in our yard and hunts finches from a blind comprised of tall grass and a rosebush keeps them from scaling the pole from which we’ve hung multiple birdfeeders. I feed this cat, as I hope someone feeds Inky, but I know that it’s most likely that Inky met her end from a car, a fight, or entrapment in a crawlspace. Last month I named the calico Cinder for her ashy tones with occasional splashes of apricot. 

The lemon tree prepares for a productive fall and winter, producing new blossoms even as it supports a large crop of green fruit. The blueberries are full of greenery, but no flowers. The grass lies decimated by our neglect, Faolan’s potty breaks, and the introduction of a kiddie pool on the hottest days. The roses have begun working on hips.

In the front, the garden lingers. Most of the herbs should weather the fall and winter, though several need re-potting already. The shrub lavenders have not taken to the yard as well as I would have hoped, but they keep setting buds as their feathery leaves curl and crisp in the sun. The raised bed successfully produced radishes and some kale, but the spinach bolted before  it got very big, as did many salad greens. The lettuces stay tiny, and both the arugula and beans seem cowed at the prospect of growing. My previous thoughts of raising winter vegetables have fled as I contemplate sheet-mulching the front lawn next month and spending the winter planning better.

Inside, I think about how to make our home homier while keeping in mind the eventual chaos of foundation work, window and woodwork restoration, and eventual remodeling of the bathroom and kitchen. I’ve found poster hangers for getting things up nicely in the boys’ room, and I am ready to begin bringing home books. I’ve begun editing my craft stashes, knowing that much will have to vanish very soon. The kitchen appliances are expressing some… reluctance toward helping me produce complex meals, so I’ve begun working on the one-pot meals again. Fabric for blankets for both boys lays piled in front mf my machine.

Tristan is working on either two or four teeth all at once, and of course we won’t know for sure until they cut through. He is sleeping better but is ver reliant upon me for good sleep, so I need to figure out how to sleep train him. Right now he’s got a good nap shedule and bedtime routine, so all that’s left is the putting him down awake bit.

Seamus is nervous about Kindergarten, and wanting to practice Starfall constantly. We may have found a babysitter/mother’s helper from one of his camps to keep him company on the big house project days. She’s energetic and experience in keeping some structure going, which I think will help him a lot. He can be left to his own devices, but it’s better if he has a framework of expectations and mealtimes.

So we poke along in these last weeks, before we meet the speed-up of the school year and the last of the good weather. There is a rocket birthday in the works, and a mythological Halloween costume, and a slew of other things between now and the rain. We should start on things soon. 

But maybe we can read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator first.

Winding down

This morning Seamus and I pulled up half of the radishes, but I think they could have all come up. They are a heritage variety and are the easiest thing we’ve tried growing after miner’s lettuce, which went crazy and burst out of the container last spring. Included in the harvest were herbs (tarragon, thyme, mint, rosemarey, sage, and lemon balm), salad greens (lettuce thinnings and a variety of spicier greens), and baby kale (Red Russian, Lacinato). I’ll dry some of the herbs and give some away if possible; the tarragon is going nuts. This Monday starts Shay’s last camp, next week we’ll look at getting some broccoli starts. I found a cluster of aphids on one kale leaf, which means I need to start spraying. I’ll do the herbs too as I found two cabbage loopers in the sage. Both species nommed my broccoli but good last time I tried growing it, so I’ll spray with neem oil early and regularly.

I made a bunch of peach puree for Tris (peel peaches, fill cuisinart, add a third of a cup of water, juice from half a Meyer lemon, puree, pour into silicone ice cube trays, freeze). All told I’ve got sixty 1-ounce cubes in four freezer bags. Not a massive amount, but enough to give him a taste of summer during our winter. There may be a few late peaches by the time he’s ready for solids, but it’s nice to have some on hand as well. I’d like to make some apricots or plums if possible, zucchini, and avocados. Fall will bring us apples, pears, squashes, and sweet potatoes, and carrots are year-round here. I’m thinking about avoiding cereals, or generally using less of them. I’ll also take advantage of a trick I read recently about adding plain potato to spinach and other greens when pureeing them, and I’ll puree our meals for him whenever applicable.

Shay’s school supply list includes slippers (kung-fu shoes), a breakable cup (Fiesta coffee mug), and a quiet time blanket (owl and squirrel print with red flannel back, some assembly required). Montessori, it’s not like public school.

Seamus wants a rocket and robot-themed party for his birthday. The cardboard procurement should probably start soon. I think we could at least pull off some large decorative robots and rockets. Have glue gun, will try stuff.

I pulled together a two week “camp” for Seamus and his friends with crafts and free play and field trips and hikes. We called it Camp Marauder, and I think I’ll do at least one camp day during Christmas break, and maybe three one-week sessions next summer. And stencil some t-shirts.

Patrick and I are finally going to de-clutter and decorate our bedroom! I’m very excited.

I'm getting the hang of this one-handed typing

So, more stuff from the junk drawer:

The garden camp has paid off in a nice little herb garden and raised bed veg garden. Our blueberry bushes took a hit with our on/off hot weather and seem to be recovering. Lesson learned: ALWAYS water when you have the time, because if you wait until the morning or evening, you will have forgotten completely. Some of the pernicious sod has come up through my weed blocker, so again, lessons learned regarding weed-blocking materials. But I think we have a good start.

The boys are both growing like mad. Seamus needs to try on a bunch of stuff before I school shop. Grandparents, please note that we’re looking at size 6. There’s some deviation here and there, but that’s a good size to look for. And he has plenty of t-shirts right now. Looking at six months and up for Tristan. I may abandon my current knitting exercise to try my hand at making things for them both!

There are 30+ pounds of peaches in my kitchen right now. I need to process them before tomorrow, which is when Camp Marauder starts. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

I want to make one of these. Tell me that isn’t awesome. If we had one right now, I could guarantee about a decade’s use from it from the kids. Worried about safety? I’m trained in Wilderness First Aid.

Right, I’m off to bake a pie.