friend kidly

Man, I am not looking forward to this election year. I’m not registered as a Republican or Democrat so am unable to vote in the primaries which is unfortunate because that’s where all of the fun candidates are. Once it’s time to vote for the Pres we’ll only have watered down moderates to choose from. I am decidedly undecided at this point, the men I do favor don’t stand a chance come election time so I’m a bit pessimistic right now. Have no fear, that will all change when it comes down to the wire and a vote must be cast. I will then back the best man for the job…(notice the blatant use of man).

And, I really want to get this alphabet thing done with so here goes…

V is for Vanilla, my favorite flavor of ice cream. W is for Whatchamacallit, a fun word to say. X and Y…really? I don’t have much to say about Xylophones and Yaks. How about Z is for Zed, the other way to pronounce the letter Z. Why did we change this and when? Was it really that hard to say Zed?

Done and done!

Which pretty much sums up the state I’m in as of late. Over the last weekend we worked through Charlotte’s first cold which consisted of a couple sleepless nights, lots of nursing and constant nose flushing…which baby girls hates with a passion. Needless to say, once her cold cleared up I caught one myself. It’s left me feeling very lethargic as if all of the iron has left my body. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal but Charlotte’s top two teeth are making their way to the surface and she is not happy about it and constantly needs me for comfort. Poor little one…I wish I had more energy during this time.

Oh, Charlotte turned 8 months old earlier this week and if you want to see something cute check out our flickr account.

Well, this post is about all I can squeeze out of my mind grapes for now. I’m signing off to attend to a sad teething baby…

Okay, I could make this post about something meaningful like Charlotte saying her first word (dada) or about the Halloween costume I plan on sewing…but this subject has thrown by the wayside for far too long.

S is for Steve Guttenberg…what the heck happened to you Steve??? I mean, he seemed to have a really good career going for him but once 1990 hit he disappeared. Steve had it all, boyish good looks that the ladies admired and the men didn’t feel intimidated by; he generally played good guy characters and he usually got the girl. And let’s face it, he was freakin’ hilarious. This just shows the decline in Hollywood when a great thespian like Steve is discarded and no longer heard from. Make a come back Steve, we miss you!

Oh wait, maybe S should be for Sarcasm.

This past week my dear husband headed up to the Eastern Sierras for a well deserved camping/fishing trip with his father, brother and brother’s friends, along with our good friend DJ. His trip happened to correspond with my mother’s birthday, so instead of hanging around here and baby wrangling on my own, Charlotte and I retreated up to my parent’s home in the mountains. This was baby girl’s first overnight trip and she did quite well. We got to spend 4 days and 4 nights being pampered and cared for which I thoroughly enjoyed. But most importantly Charlotte got to bond with her Nannaw…my mom.

Our days away from home were very relaxing. We didn’t get in the car once and walked to “town” when we wanted to get out. The air up there had an autumnal crispness which we welcomed with sweaters and a hat for Charlotte.

My mother and I spent time looking through pictures from my childhood sorting out the ones that she wanted to keep and passing the rest on to me. I also made out with a large laundry basked full of fabric, mostly of the quilting variety dating back from my childhood or before; 28 years or older…does that qualify as vintage?

Anyway, it’s safe to surmise that this past week was a good one for us, warm memories were created Happy birthday Mommy, I love you and thank the Lord you’re my mom.

There is very little I can do while baby girl is napping, being on the computer is one of those things.  We live in such a small space that heavy cleaning is out of the question because she will wake up.  I often find myself walking around wondering what I can get done and ultimately planting myself in front of the monitor.  This usually includes browser shopping and sometimes pining away for things I don’t need and can’t afford.  Don’t get me wrong, I do read, knit, pray, and do other things while she’s sleeping but during her marathon afternoon nap I am once again drawn to the computer.  I’m glad she’s busy during her awake time because if allowed I could probably waste a lot of time on this thing.  I think the computer for me is like the TV for others.  Although I like to think that I visit sites that are informative and uplifting so it’s not a complete vice.

Just so happens that Charlotte is napping while I am writing this post and the house is peaceful and dark from the overcast weather.  Husband ran out to get a fishing license and supplies for his upcoming fishing trip…lucky duck.  So I guess I’ll occupy my time browsing the interweb, keeping things quiet till nap time is over.

Good timing for the letter P because I found a recipe for pumpkin bread from Martha that was worth a try. What I like best about it is the obvious pumpkin taste. It seems that many pumpkin bread recipes hide the pumpkin by burying it with too much sweetness or spice. This was good but I still think my mom’s recipe is better. Hers calls for a few more ingredients which make the bread a bit more unique tasting…in a good way.

I was going to save a bit of the pumpkin puree for Charlotte to taste but completely forgot. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to make something else that requires pumpkin :).

Things I observed this past week:

My daughter going from a crawling to sitting position for the first time.

A violet colored bird flying across the street in pursuit of a bug.

A withered and sagging potted plant reviving overnight after a good watering and some cooler weather.

Leaves falling from the trees at the arboretum. Looking around at the other plants, the ducks, and the turtles one would assume that summer was in full force but somehow the trees knew otherwise.

A nation remember and once again mourn the loss of thousands of innocent people in a horrific act of ignorance…

What did you observe?

If you haven’t tuned in already, let me recommend one of my favorite shows ever. Nature, on PBS, is always informative, attractive to watch and a fun way to see places you’ll probably never get to visit in person. The latest episode takes us to Croatia to visit the “Land of the Falling Lakes”.

Along with spotlighting unusual wildlife such as the Olm, this episode also reveals how water turns to stone…travertine specifically. So, if you’ve ever wondered how the material of your mom’s counters was formed be sure to check out this beautiful episode of Nature…

I’m talkin’ bout flea market…just kidding.

I’m actually referring to the global market economy we find ourselves living in these days. So global in fact that the WTO has the authority to penalize our government for subsidizing it’s own farmers. Yes, that’s correct this organization can dictate whether or not the most powerful government in the world can provide assistance to it’s own citizens. Not long ago Brazil successfully sued the US for providing subsidies to US cotton farmers. Brazil complained that they were unable to compete with the lower priced govt. subsidized American cotton crops which in turn amounted to unfair trading practices. The WTO ruled in favor of Brazil over the US.

How did an organization that derived from dealing specifically in trade agreements come to have this kind of power? Maybe I’m daft but shouldn’t our goverment be able to subsidize our farmers in order to keep US farming from going extinct? Should we as citizens be outraged at this type of ruling? Unfortunately I don’t have answers to the myriad of questions that arise from this situation. Could be that I need to stop thinking like an American and more like an Earth citizen??? But, what I do know is that it makes me sad to think of American farms going under because they can no longer compete in a global market.

Oh, and if this post leads you to believe that I am 100% supportive of government subsidies, I am not. I can’t think of anything our government does that I’m 100% behind. This post is merely about the global market we live in and the effect it has on the US. That being said, please feel free to share your thoughts on this matter.

I have somewhat of an infatuation with tin lamps…actually, lamps in general. Above are just a few of the lamps in my collection. Because we live in such a small space I am forced to store the others. A small apartment would look awfully funny with a bunch of lamps crammed into each corner, don’t you think? I found each of these at various antique or thrift stores. The first one is over Charlotte’s co-sleeper, the next her changing table, the third is on the computer desk and the last travels where it is needed.

I believe my Mom is to thank for my love of the lamp. She is an avid collector of vintage Aladin lamps, so much so that she has made the decision to collect only lamps of ivory color from now on. I guess you can have too many lamps. Vintage lamps are fun to collect but can be frustrating if when you get home you discover the electrical wiring or fixtures need some work. It’s always best to plug them in at the store to make sure they are in working order and if not, try to barter down the price.

By the way, the green lamp on the computer desk was the first in my collection and is still my favorite. Unfortunately, the shade was scratched in one of our moves…just the price you pay when you’re a vagabond, I guess.