Living-Deliberately.com

• While Red Fox left our chickens alone when they free roamed a bit last weekend, he is not to be trusted. He eventually found the game of “chase the chicken” to be too tempting to pass by. Chickens are all safe and accounted for and Red Fox is not on my list of “favorites” today by a long shot.
• I really, really, really, really, REALLY need to make sure the gas ignites when I turn a burner on. Today I turned it on and went outside to do yard work while the kids watched a movie. An HOUR later I smelled gas outside. Either it never ignited or it blew out or something but the house was full of gas. I don’t know how in the world the kids were okay….. we spent the next few hours outside and got pizza for supper. I still can’t beleive what a close call it was.

Raw Milk is a bit of a hot button politically these days, and one point that is worth making is that there are TWO kinds of “raw” milk.

There is milk that is raw (unpasturized) that is going to go through the process and so is handled as such. It is much more reckless process because “pasturization covers a multitude of sins”.

Then there is raw milk that is intended to be healthfully and safely consumed as a superior product by the homesteader or consumer. It is handled with care and as such, can not be hounded with the same “dangerous reputation” that milk in a commercial dairy from an overstimulated, riddled-with-mastitis-and-antibiotic, and probably dirty cow, has.

Here’s a great article that explains some of the finer differences.

We had what felt like a pretty good flow to today; a feeling of settling into normal life. So here’s a glimpse into what a “normal” day looks like around here:

6:40 Baby has been semi-awake and nursing for a half hour or so. David has been up and getting dressed for work. He nudges my shoulder to wake me. Contemplate dream in which I was suddenly a very LARGE pear shaped woman with a bulbous behind.
6:50 I”m still in jammies but I”ve got contacts, brushed hair and teeth, and I’m downstairs ready to make breakfast. Water on to boil for coffee, soaked oats ready for the cooking pot. Get the gas on and reach for the coffee beans. Inhale deeply. feed the workin’ cats.
7:15 Baby’s climbing into high chair, W is awake and looking for a daddy hug. David is ironing his shirt. I’ve got hot oatmeal topped with honey, pecans, cinnamon, peaches, and cream, and cups of coffee and milk. Just as I’m about to sit down with “the early men”, Celia comes down. She’s been making her bed and brushing her hair. She comes down fully dressed and ready. I make her plate. Remember to take meat out to thaw.
7:30 We’re all done with breakfast but for coffee. David is antsy to get out the door. I beg him to finish his cup with me as he worked until 11 the previous night and a few more mintues won’t hurt anything.

7:45 Dad’s gone. I start cleaning up. Andrew comes down and is ready for his plate. He wants a tall glass of milk with it; the first of many for the day.

Clean the kitchen, start a load of wash. Head upstairs to make my bed, get dressed, check email, blog, and other stuff. Books on ebay doing pretty well. Kids are watching Alice in Wonderland, of which they’ve quickly memorized most all the lines. The silly ones anyway
8:30 Call mom, check on fabric for painting later this week. Scold Fly for stinking up my front porch. Take Giant Baby upstairs so for a bath and a nurse. He falls asleep so I lay him down for the second morning nap of the week. Wonder if he’s getting sick.
9:00 the mail goes. Consider again the satalite or cable debate. Attempt to call but sis beeps in and that’s better. Have a fun convo with sis about the soon-to-be-here Baby Ruth and the paraphanalia I’m sending her way. Imagine her decorated house with baby gear and giggle with glee. Imagine Baby Ruth and feel strong urge to pinch someone’s cheeks.

9:30 call The Dish Network. Make appointment for friday, the same time the cable guy is suposed to come. Get tangled in the hidden costs, deals, and plans they have. Come away completely confused and feeling like I’m getting taken for a ride. Cut half a honeydew for snack time.
10:00 transfer load of wash. Start meatloaf. Argue with Andrew over having mashed potatoes or not (he wants them but won’t help make them; I don’t want them and would rather save them for chowder, so we’re having rice instead if it’s up to me). Baby’s up and Celia is blessedly willing to play with him for a bit.
10:45 Call David and tell him to push lunch back a bit because meatloaf takes a long time. Check email. See that they left off the free DVR on our deal and call them back. It’s “free” but it costs 5 something more a month to “program” it. Tell ‘em nevermind. Make ketchup and lacto-ferment ala Nourishing Traditions.
11:00-11:45 Haul boxes from storage out of van from yesterday and empty closet upstairs for rearranging later. Cycle laundry. Tidy living room. Unpack games and puzzles and arrange in cabinet. Stack cardboard outside for flattening into lasange bed fodder later.

12:15 Make rice and warm up Mrs. Louise’s canned green beans (old landlord’s wife). Get scraps out to chickens and remind Andrew to refill their water. Have Celia take load of other scraps to the compost bin. Nurse Giant Baby.

12:45 Make plates as David walks in. Sit down and have lunch. Talk about cable versus satalite and try not to get a headache while he does the math over an 18 month period. Wonder why the girl who works on his team gets “sick” so much and wish she were more reliable for him.

1:10 David’s out the door again. Clean the kitchen, wash the dishes, sweep the floor. Transfer another load of wash. Referree a fight over the games on the computer between the big 3. Try to talk W into a better mood than “storm cloud”. Put Missy back outside for the hundreth time. Rescue Sam the kitten from a well-meaning Rowan. Call sister back and tell her about two other baby items that I hope she has room for in her car. Change Huncky Monkey’s diaper and put him back down for a nap.

1:30 rearrange closet to accomodate half of it becoming a craft/sewing space when I have the time to build the counter. Put the finished pages of the kids’ albums into the sets Cathy brought me a few weeks ago. Unpack one box of hanging stuff for our closet. Remind kids of computer time limits. Move the miscellaneous curtain hanging stuff out of my closet and into the storage shed.

2:30 call Dish Network back and get the plan that is more basic but has no contract and requires an installation fee. Getting a rebate costs more per year; a hidden “catch” in thier offer. They still beat cable out for the best price. Check email and blog responses on friend’s blogs. Compare a few clam chowder recipes to make own recipe for tonight’s dinner.
3:00 sit down and work on lesson plans for the Culture Through Time class I”m teaching at our homeschool group this fall. It’s a look at what has been considered “beauty” by cultures throughout time. I”m very excited about it! The first two time periods compare their history with what was going on in the bible at the time; I’m teaching in costume, and we’re having food and art projects too. Very hands on and I can’t wait. The kids are having a “circus” in the driveway with stuffed animals and the cardboard boxes I made available.

3:50 realize frantically how much time has passed and pack the books up! Throw previously chopped onions into butter and pot on stove to get the soup going. Tell Celia to get Phat Baby up and all the kids to change into their soccer clothes. Peel and chop potatoes and mince garlic. Add stock. While it’s boiling, take a shower, shave legs, get dressed. Remind kids that they need not wear cleets that are too small. Change baby’s diaper, throw them in the car, look at ominously grey sky. Run back in to turn off stove and boiling potatoes. Cover and let sit and head out to car just as the thunder claps and the first big raindrops fall. It’s 4:28

4:40 No rain in town. drop off Celia’s library book in the book drop. Head to the bank and make a deposit. Pass out the dum dum suckers to the kids that the tellers always load them up with (2 each this time!). Drive over to the soccer field under fat drops of rain scattered far apart. Notice other parents in cars; no one has gotten out yet. Call D to see when he’ll be home tonight. Hooray! He thinks it will be ealier tonight!

5:00 No more rain but still distant thunder. Practice is off but sign ups are still on, so I fill out 3 identical forms. Am amazed Peggy still remembers my name; that doesn’t happen often with a name like mine and new intros. Get the scoop on practice times and games (few Saturdays at all, Yippee!) and phone tree stuff. Load back up and head to Darnell’s for milk and soup crackers.

5:45 round the corner for home and glimpse the mists between the hills and trees. Pull up and see motley crew of pets under the cardboard boxes the kids left out. Finish the clam chowder; let simmer. Remind kids to tidy downstairs and bedroom. Type some of this post.

6:00 kids have decided they are interested in watching Gosford Park. It will sail over their heads but it’s challenging dialog so I go ahead and let them try. Baby and I have soup; it’s nice to have a few moments of quiet. He wants to be in lap for dinner and he feels good in my arms. Dad comes home; the three of us have dinner. He calls the older two; I make their bowls and down some Tylonol for my headache.

6:30 clean kitchen. set nuts to soak for toasting tomorrow. Send Celia to the compost pile and Andrew to the chicken coop with scraps. Soak whole wheat flour in buttermilk for tomorrow’s waffles (I have a half/half thing going with unbleached white that is working well and fulfills the NT soaking grain idea). Listen to David reading Pat the Bunny to baby and playing with him for a bit before bed. Mentially thank Tisha again for her tip on trash cans; I’m so glad I don’t have to contend with that nasty can anymore!
7:00 baby changed and nursed and in bed. W and Dad wrestling. Older two getting their school stuff together. David gets them going in the living room; I work with W at the table in the kitchen. Fold laundry while he practices his handwriting and giggle when he says, “Wow! That’s a good ‘A’! I totally rock!” Work on First Language Lessons with him and fold more wash while he does Cuisinairre rods. Direct him to feed the workin’ cats their nighttime plate. Read a chapter of A Bear Called Paddington with him in my lap. He feels good too.

8:00 give Andrew ear drops and Tylonol for his lake-water ear ache. Come upstairs to type more on this. Listen while David is still working with older two down in the living room; I think they are working on their first play.

8:20 I hear them saying “In-tell-ec-tual” so it must be spelling they are working on. Again, I’m thankful they are learning from him cuz he spels so mutch beter than I do! Down to pick up W’s puzzle off the floor and various sipper cups from Sweet Baby throughout the day. Tell W to brush his teeth and get to bed but he stalls for a bit talking to Dad, who welcomes a few more moments with him.
8:45 popcorn time and a people mag. W comes down: “I heard someone walking in my room but no one was there.” It’s another stalling attempt in an effort to get a handful of popcorn. David scoots him out this time. Read about Invincable and Fast Food Nation (the movie!) that’s coming out and mentally add them to my Netflix queue. FFN doesn’t even open until November….

9:05 kids are done with school. We sit and munch some popcorn together and then they’re up to bed. Andrew takes the heating pad with him. David and I chat a bit and then he works for about 45 on his presentation for tomorrow. The kids are listening to Story of the World as they drift off. It’s 10 pm and I’ll read a bit more, he’ll work a bit more, and when lights go out in about 20 minutes we’ll talk until our words get heavy and jumbled and we find ourselves drifting off to sleep.

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So there’s our day. If you read through all of it, then wow! And that was pretty normal. Few tears, no accidents, 3 meals spent together around the table. All in all, not bad at all.

Maybe we should re-name her “Mama Bear”.

Red Fox has taken to a fun game of “tag” with the cats lately. He rears down and jumps playfully and “dares” a cat or kitten to swat. Then they tear off in a circle, with Red Fox loosing every single time because cats have claws ;-). Stupid ugly dog won’t learn.

What’s great to see though is what Missy does every single time Red Fox wants to play this particular game. She’ll leap out of a sound sleep, back fur flared and tail like a bottle brush, to tear into Red Fox with a defensive vengance.

Somehow, Red Fox never figures out that he’ll have TWO angry cats to “play” with. Missy is Momma to most of them and protective like I’ve never seen another cat be.

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I’ve decided to read through the New Testament. I sort of considered gathering different books that were written on the topic of devoted or true christianity. Then decided that I”d rather get it “from the horse’s mouth” so to speak and wouldn’t mess with other people’s inflections and interpretations.

Turns out the Sermon on the Mount is not such an easy thing to read. I was able to confirm, per yesterday’s hunch on Dr. H’s site, that there is no indication that it took place on a Sunday. And things are hunky dory though the be-attitudes, the salt and light stuff, and Christ coming to fulfill the law.

And then he goes into a different pattern of speech. Impassioned….inflammatory? Harsh sounding. Where to divide between reality and metaphor? All through the parts about anger/murder and lust/adultry, I squirmed, wondering….seriously wondering if this was “exaggeration” or not. And then he goes into divorce and I wonder if he’s shifted into being literal again (if he ever left it). The part on retaliation is interesting too: voices in my head argue with it and wonder how far to take “door mat” behavior and sanctioned abuse.

And then we get to the thought-provoking clincher in chapter 5: For He makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?…And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?

And I thought to myself: Fantastic! That is exactly one thing that has been bothering me! We (and I mean ME) as spoiled American christians living in a very cooshy world don’t look any different than one another, or from non-christians, and one reason is that we (me) refuse to show real love, care, or give time, ear to anyone who doesn’t give it back. We’re fine with our buddies, our friends, but what if they’re:

• ugly?
• hyper?
• poor?
• not as well read?
• have something to say we don’t like?
• live differently than we understand?
• do something we don’t agree with?
• chew tobacco, have no teeth, and live on welfare?
• live in a McMansion, use daycare, and lease their cars?

I’ve lived for years just pretending these people don’t exist or factor into my life. And maybe that’s a big part of my problem. I’ve had no reward because I’ve had no love. No willingness to step out of my modern selfish being and extend myself a bit into territory that I can’t control. I’m not that surprised: I’ve struggled with arrogance for a very, very long time. Now just to figure out what to do with it.

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Yesterday we trekked to Maryville for a cub scout swim night and picnic. Seeking to retreive my Nina CD’s from Dr. H and Smallworld at a convenient time, I “dropped by”. Discovered yet again the effect of country life on my tongue (can I EVER stop talking so fast and so much?!), had a few sore laughs (rope swings and thirty-something year old bodies don’t always mix so well), and left my child behind.

Yup. There I was, just chewing ice and enjoying my Dave Ramsey fix on the radio, and halfway out to the picnic, when Sarah called and asked me if I knew why she was calling.

NO WHEATON!!

Sheesh. At least it wasn’t Walmart, but a friend who loves me and didn’t report me to CPS for neglect. For their part, W and his friend D had a blast, having “pulled one over” on mom and gained a few extra moments to play.  And David, who had a truly awful day at work, at least didn’t have to add the baggage of having forgotten his kid somewhere.

Andrew just said, “I don’t know why you didn’t notice mom. It was so QUIET in the car.” Well if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black…..

Says Andrew, who has genentic reflux:

“Sometimes it’s a really good thing to have reflux Mom. Like when you eat too much ice cream too fast and need to get it back up so it can warm up a bit first.”

Dr. H has a good post on this today.

Yesterday, I read this on Chris’s blog, which links to a wonderfully encouraging and challenging article by the internet monk, and agreed whole-heartedly, having been there/done that. Like Chris said, it would have been great to see that 15 years ago. But I was also left wondering….what about the opposite problem? What if someone is hungry for the sacred, and feels an almost overwhelming joy and relief while in a worship service on sabbath mornings, but is burned and drifting during the week? Where anything less than true worship that is focused and intentional and deliberate would make her feel like she was about to completely fall away?

A break from church is the worst thing possible in that case, it would seem. At least from this vantage point.

I went to bed last night much-desiring our church’s service. Our liturgy is very focused, from beginning to end. I tear up almost weekly when our pastor says, “Now lift up your heads and hear the good news!” with true enthusiasm. We raise our hands to sing the Gloria Patri, we sing Mollet’s Lord’s Prayer, we have delicious bread and wine at the table. But I knew that today was our day to visit another church near here, in search of local fellowship, and so I went to bed feeling vulnerable, like the balm I needed for another week may be in jeoprody.

I didn’t sleep well. I woke up crabby and wanting things quiet. My kids woke up ready to rumble. And we were late.

I’d never been to a Lutheran service before. The liturgy was similar but even more formal. I loved the trinitarian archecture, the choir being in the back, the wood beams and rafters, the chanted response. The prelude was calm and someone lit candles, bowing slightly before the crucifix on the table.

And then….

Now, let me just give a disclaimer first. What happened next probably happens in 95% percent of American churches so I don’t want to make it sound like this was the only place I’ve ever seen it. Far from it; I grew up with it.

Then the white haired minister in robes broke away from the sacred, our hearts prepared to worship, to GIVE THE ANNOUNCEMENTS. Yes, there we sat, all ready for the confession, the invocation, the gloria….and we hear about someone’s bumps and scrapes, what’s coming up in the next week, and a congregant stood to volunteer more information.

No distraction my toddler could make would be more distracting from the point at hand. I want to WORSHIP. I feel like my entire christianity hangs on it right now. Don’t give me announcements!!! Sigh.

We went on, thankfully with a beautiful and purposeful service. I spent a portion of the sermon outside with Giant Baby, as we were uncertain how welcoming they were with the sounds of little congregants. Several greeted and visited with us after the service; the goal of meeting other christians in town for fellowship accomplished. The church and grounds brought up images of Mitford (books by Jan Karon); it’s very pretty and tree lined and historic.

After years of wanting a church that seemed to “get it right”, this year we have been members of one. There is not a thing about our Lord’s Day services that I would change or want different; they are God-focused, not people focused. They don’t divert from the goal at hand. There are no performances. Our children can be part of worship with us. They don’t guilt us into spending hours upon hours apart as a family, diverted into different activities. I didn’t move out here intending to break away from our church in any way; I’m kicking and digging in my heels in refusal at having to do it.

It’s not a reflection of where we went today or what else is out there. Maybe it’s like feeling thirsty and knowing where the water fountain is.

The Children’s Hour

Poem lyrics of The Children’s Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,
That is known as the Children’s Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O’er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

Today we mowed grass and planted lemony mint, we swam beneath a sycamore tree and swung off a rope swing. We had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. We argued and laughed and shouted and whispered. The kids are working on this poem for school and they read it at the picnic table while the dog whimpered for bits of chicken salad at our feet. It was a day for keeping forever, bumps and bruises and sunburn and all.

The Tomato Head.

First things first. Last week when my friend Cathy was in town, we met for lunch at The Tomato Head restaurant (link above). While it was chaotic with my four kiddos and a busy lunch crowd, I still managed to store away a fairly careful inventory of the goodies on her sandwich, which was much better than my still-spectacular spinach burrito. Tonight we had a version of the sandwich for dinner, and while I didn’t hit it perfectly (I know now from the website that I forgot the cheese and spinach), I did score a winner with the family!

The Lucy:

Whole wheat buns

hummous (I made mine with Great Northern beans tonight because I was out of chickpeas and it was still great!)

grated carrot, fresh spinach leaves

crispy walnuts (see Nourishing Traditions)

sauted (in coconut oil these are delcious) sliced red bell pepper, portabella mushroom, and red onion

montery jack cheese

Assemble and heat to melt the cheese if you want. Serve with tortilla chips.

Doing my family’s grocery shopping is going to require a health food store at least twice a month and that is too often to trek into Knoxville without something else to tack on. So the hunt was on for a closer store. I found it, thanks to a recommendation from my new aquaintance Karen.

The Epicurean is a tiny little store tucked in an older and uneven building across from the hospital in Oak Ridge. It’s just exactly my kind of place; there is a good chocolate selection as soon as you walk into the door! There is a pretty large inventory of homeopathics and health care stuff and a few rambling rooms of groceries. And the CHEESE!  “Cheese Grommit! I’m just crackers about cheese!” mimicks Celia. He’s got a beautiful case of cheese selections, including a white stilton laced with blueberries that I had to pry myself away from so as not to dismantle my nearly-sacred budget.

I was able to get my bulk grains and Good Earth tea and dehydrated, unrefined cane juice (I use that instead of white sugar and in much smaller quantities). Household supplies came from Walmart (growl), produce came from French’s Produce market (very, very friendly staff but the produce needs to be better and so I will still search), meat and dairy came from Kroger.

We came home to one deranged dog, one Red Fox, who barked and yipped hysterically to see us and who insists he lives here, and the family of cats. Poor, poor Missy. She’s the little black Momma to Baby Grey, and adoptive mother to Sam who was dumped at the post office. The Orange and Whites, all FOUR of them, much too old to be considered “kittens” anymore, were all nursing on that poor cat. She was sitting there with four big cats and 2 kittens kneading her belly and just pleading with me with huge green eyes to get them off. Her milk bag has been rather large lately with the good food she gets at our house and now I see, from the vigorous stimulation of so many hungry mouths. I should probably call her Ms. Joad…it’s like these once-starving cats took a chapter of Stienback and decided since she had milk, why not? Poor cat.

Tonight’s dinner: Lucy Sandwiches. More on that in the next post.

Friday:

BK: smoothies and dutch baby pancakes

LN: Garlic Chicken and Linguine, green beans, zuchinni, and chocolate cake (this was orgionally for dinner but our guests had to cancel; back to bigger lunch, lighter dinner)

DN: Roman Lentil soup and biscuits

Saturday:

BK: pancakes and sausage

LN: had planned the fair but since we already did that, probably Lucy sandwiches redu

DN: curried chicken salad, avacado, fruit, and chips

Sunday:

BK: Eggs Benedict

LN: picnic out; probably bread, cheese, fruit, sausage, and cookies

DN: leftovers; CORD (Clean Out Refride Dinner)

Monday:

BK: Toast with cream cheese, berries, and honey

LN: Chicken and Eggplant Parmesean with pasta and salad

DN: Cub Scout Family Picnic

Tuesday:

BK: Porridge with nuts and berries

LN: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, sauted veggies

DN: Clam Chowder

Wednesday:

BK: waffles

LN: beans and rice, cornbread, veggies

DN: Layered Mexcican casserole

Thursday:

BK: porridge with nuts and berries

LN: Cajun Chicken with linguine, veggies, and salad

DN: Minestrone

I’m making a sourdough starter this week and will be adding in products from it next week when it’s good and ripe. I found a great health food store closer to home today but spent most of the day thoroughly disgusted with a nearly 10% sales tax on food in this state and the exhorbitant price of food in general. It seems everything I buy went up across the board.

is that how it goes? Anyway, it’s stuck in my head.

Today was beautiful. Simply gorgeous. Days of rain have gone away and left us with a high blue sky and soft breeze. I had 3 loads of wash on the line, plus a load of sheets, and the air smelled sweet.

I realized that people around here (and places north) have a real freedom to rejoice in summer. They really know in their bones it won’t last forever!! I think with Florida temps, I always kind of was afraid it would never relent, and some years, we really did have warm winters and no fall. A day like today would never happen in Florida in August; maybe in October. And I’d have relished it every bit! It’s unbelieveable to have it here now!

When hubby came home for lunch (mung beans and rice, freezer pickles, scrambled eggs and tomatoes; it’s the day before groceries LOL), he announced we were going to the county fair tonight! We’d planned it for the weekend but tonight was family night and admission was free.  Those stinkers asked me every 15 minutes for the rest of the day if it was time to go yet and we actually left a half an hour early just so I wouldn’t have to hear it one more time!

And what fun it was! The exhibit hall had jams and jellies and cakes and pies and plants and veggies and huge watermelons with their ribbons proudly attatched. I spoke with a lady who attends a church we plan to visit and who knows tons about the 4-H group and she told me a bunch of stuff for contact info plus told me about the soccer sign ups next week! I”m so glad we havent’ missed them! Cramming it into the budget will be interesting but it’s a great way for the kids to get to know some people up here. Only Andrew is old enough for their 4-H group but we met the man who heads the ag program and he told us about the homeschoolers club they have.

From there we met Dad and got their hands stamped. Unlimited rides for 12 bucks. You would have thought we gave them the world! And I almost disolved in tears watching them: three redheaded kiddos laughing their heads off, total joy and delight on their faces as they were spun around a zillion different ways, hung upside down, and rotated high up in the air in the ferris wheel. Wheaton was just barely tall enough to get on the rides; good thing his hair was spiked tonight! And the admission guy stamped the Giant Baby’s hand for free so he got to ride the baby rides with Wheatie. Mostly, he just wanted to eat ice.

They all shared a funnel cake and then it was back on the rides for round two. David and I people watched. We saw the girls who want to be Miss Morgan County fair with thier faces full of make up. We saw 14 and half  year old girls with too much eye liner and big hair giggling and following 16 year old boys. We saw said 16 year old boys swagger with more bravado than they could really sustain. Some things never really change!

But wait! There’s more!!! Blogless Leigh told me just this morning about “tractor pulling” and lo and behold guess what night it was at the fair?! ATV PULLING! Boy Howdy!! What kind of fun is that! (yes, I’m snickering, but honest and true, the crowd was pretty large and the Giant Baby couldn’t get enough!) The object is to see a four-wheeler pull a big trailer so many feet into loose dirt. They measure and compete. It’s serious stuff. This is actually  where I broke away to go pick up eggs and bread for tomorrow’s breakfast and let Daddy bring the chickens home. We’d been warned though: Do NOT go to the fair on Fridays! That’s MUD BOGGIN’ NIGHT. Thousands turn up for that and it’s “unreal”. ’nuff for me!

I got our vittles and as I walked out of the store, I was greeted with mountains bathed in  the pink light of a spectacular sunset. My favorite thing about Wartburg: the mountains are right in your face. The sky was streaked with pink and blue and the sun was sending up sharp, angled rays, like the ones little kids draw on their landscapes. The ride home held pastures and hills shrouded in faerie light. It’s almost chilly at night lately and it was just eerily beautiful.

And I’ve come to the conclusion: country life might be humorous and it may take some adjustments to get used to how things are done. It’s very easy to loftily imagine these people too backward to keep up in today’s modern pace. But that’s the point. They aren’t trying to keep up! There’s a peacefulness out here, a tranquility that can’t be bottled and sent elsewhere. It’s worth a few differences, a few changes. Somewhere amid mud boggin and big hair and stores still full of VHS there’s  simplicity that’s almost a secret.

A year ago I sat in a traffic jam and imagined a place like this. How delightful to know that it’s real and that little old me gets to live in it.

and Going Local. Read it here.

And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anaïs Nin

Super annoying: weight loss product ads that use as a “before” picture a new mom holding a young baby, and as an “after” picture, the same woman with a little time, a more flattering outfit, and oh yeah…the use of their product.

Just another subtle suggestion that women should be able to pop out babies and then look like little hotties again. That showing the signs of motherhood on one’s body is somehow a bad thing. That it’s abnormal and unacceptable for her belly to show the soft signs that an entire new person grew there. That, rather than rejoice in the beautiful little new life on her lap, she (and society) should focus instead on fitting into old jeans or an immodest bathing suit.

It’s a crime I tell ya. A crime.