Fireworks by PES

May the fourth be with you!!

musings, wanderings...

I'm not into facebook. I do not understand what the point of it is. My husband loves it, and checks it a lot, and yes I look over his shoulder sometimes because we have a lot of the same friends. But, first of all- it's mostly the same people always. You may have 154 "friends" but you will see the same annoying 10 people posting mostly meaningless updates about their life. Some of these are people we see all the time which makes it seem even more inane to me. I bet a teenager's facebook is much more interesting. Us thirty-somethings are unbearably boring. Rather than posting about the best or most interesting thing you saw or heard or did that day, people usually just write some sort of mindless, self-centered comment like "our driveway is covered in mulberries and I just spent an hour cleaning it up". Whoever you are, I don't care about your stupid berries. Why don't you bake a pie? Bake a pie and give it to someone you love. I do not want to keep filling my head with other's negativity. So, that- in addition to the fact that the people I want to talk to and find out what's going on in their lives, I DO in fact talk to, keeps me from joining. That and the fear that I might be found by people from my past. I have a long and checkered past and I'd like to keep it that way, thanks. It would only be a matter of time I'm sure.

That said, I've spent the better part of this hot day laying on the couch staring at the ugly nail polish on my toenails and reading books. My stomach hurts, so I've done very little today. Oh well- I don't really care about being lazy. I'm one of the people for whom incarceration would really not be much of a punishment. I wonder why that is? I've been contemplating that a lot lately, why some people are so motivated to work like little ants. Exactly what it is that they are all striving towards? I know that the idea that one day they will stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor is a farce. If they can't enjoy life now, they probably never will. Although, I guess I understand that for some people work is life and work is happiness. But, I don't really believe that as I type it. I don't actually understand it. Mostly, I just wish that said individuals did not come so judgmental. The one's around me seem to anyway. I guess that's why I don't truly believe that they're happy. It's like religion, if they really thought that theirs was the best way, would there need to be all of this convincing others to do it too? Or thinking that people who weren't like you were in some way flawed? It's such a narrow-minded point of view, to think that you can know what's best for another person. The world takes all kinds is my belief. We are a bizarre species, and I will never tire of laughing at us and our absurd behaviors.

I'm going to lay on the couch for the whole day- and I don't care. I'm reading three books and listened to three great interviews on NPR. Although I did read an article in the washington post about parents accidentally locking their children in cars and killing them, which really has colored my day poorly. The question the article was asking was should these people be considered murderers if it were an accident? Honestly, it all goes back to the sheer busy-ness of our society. Everyone of these individuals the article talked about had something else on their minds or were stressed out or having several phone conversations, etc. It may sound cruel but something tells me that if it were a briefcase full of millions of dollars, they would not have "forgotten" about it. Priorities are skewed in these cases. I can't help the fact that I'm wary of workaholics, it's just how I feel. I don't think that they are especially kind or thoughtful people. They seem not to be interested in the simple enjoyment of life. Which is a shame, but a wake up call like suffocating your own child is too much. It makes me profoundly sad. This is what we've become. It will not last I'm sure. We as a culture will have to develop an appreciation for our health, our planet and our children if we expect to thrive. These things can't really be overlooked, they're basically the stuff of which we are made.

summer

It's midnight and it's still 80 degrees outside.

On the upside, there was an amazing amount of fireflies outside this evening.

SG is going to camp- at an artists colony. She's doing music and yoga every morning and then random art projects before lunch outside. I love it- I'm jealous.

I had my first belly dancing class today. It's waaaaaaay harder than it looks. For inspiration, I watch this:

Dolphin play bubble rings

This was all the talk at my lab today...

Funny, considering that skater girl is at sea world today in san diego with my parents. I hope she gets to see this!

Spring Fever

I've got it! I'm obsessing about my garden, pulling books off the shelf, going to the library, consulting the internet. I've got a slug problem, so I need to get some iron phosphate apparently. I might try a beer trap too, although it does seem a shame to waste beer. Right now, I've got some major plans for fertilizer, staking, and more plants... if it would only stop raining!! I managed to snap some shots of the early bloomers yesterday in a moment of dryness. Above there is our chamomile which has taken off this year, we have little one's all over the place. I'm determined to dry some for teas this year. I think some homemade teas would make lovely gifts.



Our little strawberries are popping out, and the roses look fantastic this year, although they might be in need of a trim. My salad greens are great, aside from the aforementioned slimy folk. Yesterday I put in four heirloom tomatoes, and a couple eggplants and some cilantro. I've never had good luck with cilantro, but that was in hot South Carolina, maybe it'll be happier here. That is if I can keep little fingers away from it. SG and her neighbor friends love to pick the herbs. Which is fine in a few weeks, but they're far too puny right now.



I had my first salad from the garden yesterday. Buttery delicious lettuces. It's amazing how much better these greens taste. Too bad I can't remember the names of any of them. I just bought a random flat of them at my favorite garden center, piling them in with no real rhyme or reason. That's okay though- you don't have to know the names of them to know that they're good to eat. Now if I could only convince SG of that. I keep telling her that if she likes basil and mint she should also like salad. It doesn't help that she has a thing against condiments, and so won't put any dressing on them. Even I have to admit that I eat a lot more salad if there's some annie's shitake and sesame dressing in the house!



Just a note, I found out that wood mulch can actually leach nitrogen from your veg beds, which may have been why my peppers were so crummy last year. I think I'm going to scrape off the little bit left, and just use compost as mulch, or possibly straw. Which could either help with the slugs by bringing slug-eating beetles, or make them even happier. Anybody got any suggestions for good garden covering?

If you are a kindergartener in Louisville...

These are the types of activities you do to celebrate the beginning of May. Not to mention the fact that the Oaks is a holiday that you get off from school. (that's the day before Derby- and it's mostly for the teachers- kids don't generally go to the track :)



Then there's derby day itself. We always go to our friend's house one street over, who throws an incredible party every year. For this year I decided to make mint julep cupcakes, and boy were they a hit. They were long gone before the race. Also on the menu of course was benedictine, various cheese dips, fruit salad, derby pie, ham sandwiches, and an assortment of homemade goodies that other guests brought. And of course, a LOT of bourbon and mint! Fun was had by all, no winners in our family, but there were three people at the party who picked mine that bird- and the pot was $550- not too shabby! Gotta love the Derby- it's one of my favorite things about this town- all weekend you hear "happy derby!". The fancy hats and clothes, it's a blast. Plus my other good friends also make an unbelievable post derby brunch, with hangover cures of all kinds. This year, there was a quiche made with asparagus picked from their garden and fresh eggs from the chickens in their backyard, all kinds of grilled veggies, homemade biscuits and gravy, fresh berries and real whipped cream, thick bacon, and this year they added a smoothie bar. It was great. I feel much better!!



Here's to great friends and local fare, and enjoying the unique things about where you are- wherever that may be!!

The Idle Parent's Manifesto

We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work
We pledge to leave our children alone
We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from the moment they are born
We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals
We drink alcohol without guilt
We reject the inner Puritan
We don’t waste money on family days out and holidays
An idle parent is a thrifty parent
An idle parent is a creative parent
We lie in bed for as long as possible
We try not to interfere
We play in the fields and forests
We push them into the garden and shut the door so we can clean the house
We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small
Time is more important than money
Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness
Down with school
We fill the house with music and merriment
We reject health and safety guidelines
We embrace responsibility
There are many paths
More play, less work

Great advice from Tom Hodgkinson
For more on the joys of being an idle parent, check out this article on slate.com