deep springs reunion

Summer came and went.  Now fall seems to be racing by.  We started the school year and it's more packed full of co-ops and teaching commitments than last year.  It all seemed really great on paper, but it's been a bit overwhelming to me. The kids seem to by liking everything though.

Amelia turned 16 last week which blows my mind.  She'll be going off to college in a few years and that makes me nervous, excited, sad and proud.  We've managed to challenge her with homeschooling and our plan is to take it all the way through with the help of tutors and classes at community college.  This semester she's loving her first college level English class.  It seems like just yesterday we were sitting with her while she felt like giving up on her first grade research project.  I remember it so vividly, the table we were sitting at, the thoughts going through my mind, the real pain she was feeling.  She is really an exceptional writer and I wish I could take some credit for that, but it's all her hard work and desire to express herself with words that's gotten her to where she is today.

This past weekend we went to a Deep Springs reunion which was the last camping trip we had planned for the year.  It's the 4th time we've had the privilege of being invited to experience the magic of this valley.  (Jonathan went to college here in the 80's) The first time, Amelia was tucked safely in my womb as we visited this isolated, all male college back in the summer of 1998.  She hopes to go to college here in a few years if co-education is passed.  We're crossing our fingers.

We arrived after dark on Friday night and set up camp near the dairy and promptly went to see if there were any calves.  Sure enough, Richard and Frederick, two bulls born to the dairy cows were curled up in their shelter.  They shyly came to the fence to meet us and we fell in love.  Richard was born only 7 days prior and Frederick was a month old.  They are the sweetest things ever.  

The next few days were spent exploring the farm and the college, going to talks with other alumni, hiking, eating excellent farm food, and getting to know the students.  Of course, a lot of our energy was consumed by the farm animals and wildlife.  We were after all camping near the alfalfa field where the coyotes hunt at night for rabbits and we slept under the tall, ancient trees that the owls perch in.  The first night in fact was so exciting with the chorus of the coyotes hunting that we barely slept a wink.  And, it didn't help that the air mattress failed miserably and the tent blew every which way from the strong winds.  Then the dairy boys wake up at dawn to milk the cows right next to our tent.  So, between the coyotes yelping, the dairy boys milking and the owls hooting and everything else, I felt a bit ragged in the morning.

We were pleasantly surprised however to spend time talking with some students.  Usually, they are extremely stand-offish.  Most of the year, unless they get a visitor from town, these kids are completely isolated from the outside world.  It's the isolation policy that makes this college so unique and while I understand, in the past it's been a bummer to feel like an outsider.  I really want to get to know them and learn about their studies and life at Deep Springs.  We were invited to plant garlic with them while we were there and had a really awesome conversation with one of the students.  It really made me happy to see Solomon and the him chatting it up while planting garlic. It was a really awesome change from past trips and an appreciated shift.  

Jonathan took us to see the petroglyphs near the college.  What a cool place.  It's hard to be in a bad mood (from lack of sleep) when there are so many unforgettable and special things to see. Of course a nice, (cold) shower in the basement of the main building didn't hurt.

Who had the most fun on our trip?  Zephyr of course.  He met the cows and wanted to go in and play with them which I highly discouraged him from doing.  He met a new dog friend seen above.  Her name is Annie and she belongs to one of the students.  Her mama was abandoned in the valley while pregnant with her.  She's the only one who got to stay while the others were adopted out.  Annie and Zephyr were good friends and spent many a meal begging together under the dinner table.

We had to sadly say goodbye to the valley on Monday morning and on the way home we drove up the mountain to see the oldest trees in the world.  The Bristlecones are pretty amazing trees, some here are 5,000 years old.

I'm glad to be able to write in this space again.  Amelia has this agreement with me that if she writes in her blog, I have to also.  So, you may see me here again soon.  Happy Autumn to you!

14

My daughter turned 14 today.

I crawled in bed with her this morning while she slept and tried to imagine her as a baby.  I stared at her almost adult face and sent my love to her.  When she was first born,  I would crawl in bed with her and stare at her for hours (when she was my only child and I had that luxury!), even though I should have slept myself.  But, I couldn't stop staring at my first child.  My heart had burst open with love.

I still feel that intense love for her even though she's a teen and I can tell she's pulling away from me a bit. Her and I are connected so strongly and  I am GRATEFUL

So grateful.

Happy Birthday Amelia!

♥

birthday hike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another weekend, another birthday!  Solomon is now in the double digits.  The big 1-0.

It's actually left me a bit melancholic.  I look into his bright blue eyes and try to comprehend how 10 years has gone by that I gave birth to him. Time goes by so quickly.

I wish I could hold him as a baby again but that's okay because he's still a sweet love bug.  It's just that I can't scoop him up and hold him the way I used to.  It's different but just as good.

Happy Birthday Solomon!! ♥

happy birthday and all that other stuff!

This weekend was a whirlwind.  I have to admit that I don't like being busy.  I know the kids don't either.

My husband just left for work, he kissed me goodbye and sighed, "Thank goodness the weekend is over!"

Nothing's ever cut and dry.  I struggle with obligations and doing things out of guilt.  I'm struggling with one thing in particular.   It's funny how you see something coming for years that you're kids are involved with and don't do anything about it because you're "comfortable" essentially.  Even though you've talked about it with your kids before, they don't want to do anything about it either. And the deeper you get into the activity, the deeper and more complicated those feelings twist and get tangled inside of you and your kids.

I had a talk with my daughter last night, just the two of us cuddled on the bed and we got some good things out.  There were tears...happy tears of just finally coming to a resolution.  She was scared that she would be ridiculed.  I told her that hard as it may seem, we have to do what's right for ourselves.  We have to be respectful to others but ultimately, I'm trying to teach my girl that she's strong and no one has the right to take advantage of the love she has for herself.

Having a teenager is different.  If I thought that giving birth and raising small children would make me stretch and grow as a human being, all I had to do was wait to have a teenager.  There's so much more each day to learn about ourselves and so many teaching moments that are painful and healing at the same time. 

Now, on to some purely happy things.  Amelia worked so hard on a history project with a friend for National History Day.  This was completely on her own, this project.  She loved it, which is all I wish for with my kids that they are seeking out learning experiences on their own and loving them.  She and her friend won a special award for the best project on western history.

Also, another happy thing this weekend was that my baby turned 6!  This guy of mine is the bomb.  He makes my heart sing.  I hate to clump all the other stuff in with this birthday post but then again, life isn't so clean and neat.  If you saw us this weekend, it wasn't all about him unfortunately.  He did have a crazy, jumping around, candy filled sleep-over with a friend.  And then when the dust settled, we sat down as a family and had a fabulous dinner and sang happy birthday and ate cake!  Happy Birthday Eli!!! ♥

knitting buddy

I've gotten quite far with my sweater.  Last night I finished up to the point where I needed to separate the stitches for the sleeves.  But, I decided that it was too late and I may be too tired and would make a mistake.  So, I didn't. 

Every night I sit on the floor and finish a few rows.  My sweet dog sits with me and keeps me company.  I love him so much and I can't believe he'll be 2 years old on Thursday!  Happy Birthday to my baby boy!

apple hunting

Hello....I haven't been around lately.  It felt good and necessary.  Sometimes you have to let something be for a while when other things take over....namely homeschooling.  It's taken over my life.  I need to find some balance and I was hoping to have a rhythm going by now but I don't.  Things may need to give.  Like last week when my husband had been away for two weeks for work and I needed him home so bad.  The kids needed him.  It's just no fun around here without him.  He came home a day early and saved us all.  Sweet guy.

We had our first hard frost last week.  All these lovely cosmos are now black and wilted.  I'm glad I took a picture of them in their glory.  It makes me smile to see them.  We're harvesting lots of lettuce from our garden as well as the kale, parsley, leeks and carrots.  I've been throwing bunches of each in a big pot and making broth.  I thought it would taste too green but it's been so good.  With a few pho noodles, greens and mushrooms, it's the perfect healthy meal for fall.


Okay, so when my husband got back, we headed to California for some apple picking.  I didn't think we would make it to Apple Hill this year but we did.  It was the perfect day.  I wore shorts because I try and hold out as long as I can.  I don't like to bundle up until it's totally necessary you know?

We threw the kids in the car and made it a few miles before I realized I forgot my camera and map.  Back home quickly and then back on the road for the 3 hour trip to Apple Hill. 

The kids really dig apple picking.  I mean you can't really go to Apple Hill and buy the apples in boxes can you?  Well, I guess you can and I won't judge you if that's your thing but my kids love the apple hunting.  This year I had it all planned out on the map and then when we got there we found out there was only one place that still had u-pick.  The kids listened intently on how to twist and not yank the apples from the trees and we got to work.  In all, we got 60 pounds of apples.  There were lots there to get thankfully.  Some years we literally have to hunt for them.

I also picked a couple fuyu persimmons for which I got scolded by the owners' nephew.  "Don't you see how it's marked off?"  Um, yes but persimmons are my fave.  Sorry man. Gotta watch that next time, I just couldn't help myself.

We gave the kids the canvas bags and they filled them to the brim with granny smith apples (and um two persimmons)  I wouldn't normally get these kind of apples because I'm not fond of the green tartness of them.  We didn't have a choice this time and I was quite surprised that they were so sweet.  So there you go!  I shouldn't judge an apple until I eat one straight from a tree.

 

Zephyr met his first cow.  The cows met Zephyr.  Not a big deal for either of them.   We always have to stop here and do the straw bale maze, eat lunch and go for a little walk before heading home.

And while I was away on a blog break, this girl turned 13.  Yep, I'm a parent of a teen.  Sweet girl makes it pretty easy on me.

Throwing peace and love out to you all!  I hope I can make it back here real soon!