Too much of a good thing?

A tree heavy with fruit + several days of rain + super soft soil = uprooted tree.

I went out the back door this morning carrying August, dogs following, to get the stroller so we could all go for a run. As I was strapping and leashing everybody up, John opened the kitchen window and pointed to the big empty space over the back gate. Where just yesterday evening there was a giant mass of tree and leaves and figs, now there was just cloudy sky.

"D'oh!" said August, pointing at the empty space.

I had been feeling good about this tree, all of the sweet, slightly exotic homegrown fruit. Enjoying autumn, our own little harvest. I had told several neighbors to stop by and pick some figs for themselves. I was planning at least one more batch of preserves.

And now the tree is down, lying on its side. I wondered, is there symbolism in this sudden crash? I didn't know what the lesson might be, until it struck me later in the day: the tree is me!

Seriously - I have been going non-stop for weeks. Months. Giving, nursing, working, etc, etc 24/7. With hand pain. Not sleeping. If I'm not careful I just might collapse.

After the run I made one last harvest, collecting the last of the ripe fruit (now at least I could reach the ones on the top branches).

We talked about what to make -- figgy pudding? Too bad it isn't Christmas. We talked about whether to cut up the tree, or try to prop it back up, to save it.

In the afternoon, John made pizza dough (D'oh!) with August. He took him outside in the Ergo to enjoy the sun and inspect the tree.

And I took a much needed nap.

Pain and productivity

Thanks to pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel pain in my right hand (it's hormonal - I had it after August was born, then it went away, and now he's a year old and it's back with a vengeance) I've been very productive in the early morning hours.

When I wake up at 2 or 3 am and can't get back to sleep because of the aching/burning/tingling/throbbing in my hand and fingers, I get out of bed, careful not to wake the babe, shake my arm, stretch, do some random yoga moves, then head down to the kitchen.

And make fig preserves. Or muffins. Or beans and quinoa and squash and sweet potatoes, to stock up for the week.

The fig preserves were a canning first for me. We have a fig tree in our yard that is full of ripe fruit and I harvested three colanders full. I went to Freddie's to buy a canning kettle with wire rack, and a jar grabber, but they didn't have either. So I just got some jars and improvised. I used a pasta pot with insert to boil the jars, and burned my fingers when I pulled out the jars, but it all turned out -- the lids sealed! I didn't know that little "pop" sound would be so satisfying. It's a bit addictive. After I had filled and sealed and stored nine jars of fig preserves, I started looking around the kitchen for other things to can.

Barb, Sierra and Jesse are coming to visit next weekend (John's b-day weekend) and we're going to go to a pumpkin patch. Maybe we'll buy a bunch of good apples and make some applesauce.

As for the hand pain, I made a dr appt for this coming Thursday. Of course regular medicine is covered under my insurance. But what I really want is acupuncture - I am sure that is the cure I need, I feel better just thinking about it - and insurance doesn't cover that. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay for it, though. Because if I don't, our entire pantry will soon be full of sleepless 3am preserves.

Recent pics

Lunch:


Going to the park:


Helping to unload the dishwasher - lips pursed for his signature "pfft" motorboat sound:

Wild Child

Yesterday I went to visit the boy at daycare around lunch time, as usual. All of a sudden, my sweet little baby is gone and there's a wild toddler in his place. He was laughing, lunging, rolling, grabbing, biting (playfully, but still) There was a sweet chubby little girl there, younger than him, and he kept trying to pull her pig tail.

He loves the dog door - I caught him crawling out the other day, and last night he dropped a bottle of cholula (stolen from the open fridge, his other favorite thing) out the door.

He's really into kicking his legs. He'll kick them in the stroller while laughing at the dogs (and I'll reach over and tickle him). And he likes to lie back in the bath (with me holding him) and kick the water.

He is definitely a fun-loving little guy. A little joker. And even though he is fast becoming a little boy, there are still many sweet baby moments. Like right now, as I write this, he is asleep on the bed cuddled with papa. And last night, watching the US Open final, we were playing on the floor and he crawled into my lap to snuggle and nurse.

In a couple weeks he will be one. I remember his birth so clearly, it seems like it was yesterday. And I have some friends and colleagues who recently had babies, and seeing the photos and videos - the wrinkled faces and newborn snuffling sounds - brings it all back.

We're having a bbq on Oct 3 to celebrate the big day (we'll get home from a DC trip the night of Oct 1, so I figure it will be good to have a nice quiet recovery day on the 2nd, his b-day, then have people over on the 3rd) - need to get the invitations out today!

Almost walking

Where did the summer go? We have settled in to our house in Portland, which is starting more and more to feel like home. We've had some good trips this summer -- to Montana, North Carolina, and Seattle to visit family and friends. Our little boy is growing every day and is very close to walking. He'll cruise around the coffee table, push chairs, and balance on his feet without holding on to anything. Any day now...

He loves bath time - especially in the claw foot tub with the elaborate chrome fixtures. He loves blueberries, and any kind of fruit (peaches, bananas, watermelon) and pizza crusts.

His main word is "Da" -- can be said once, or in a chain. A high-pitched "Da" tends to mean, "oh wow, look at that." For a while (the whole week we were in NC) he was blowing air through his lips making motorboat sounds, but that phase seems to have passed.

Today is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We went for a run, did a finger painting for grandpa's birthday card, made oatmeal cookies, danced to Greg Brown and watched some US Open. While baking cookies, August played on the dishwasher (guaranteed to keep him occupied for a half hour). I used the last of the vanilla so I screwed the cap back on and gave it to A to play with. He loved it. A little while later I looked down and he had brown all over his face. The cap had come off and he'd been sucking on the bottle. Is there alcohol in vanilla? Oh well, there wasn't much in there, just the dregs. Now he smells like a cookie.

Foosball!

Getting rid of Steve

Steve was the former inhabitant of our house. He was quite a character, always seemed alternately stoned or amped up on something. Every time we walked into the house he and his girlfriend (another story) were burning tons of incense. They also had potent home fragrance thingies plugged in to electrical outlets all over the place. So we thought they were trying to cover up the fact that they were smoking pot (not like we really would have cared).

Our first order of business upon moving in was to clean and air out the house, getting rid of the 'essence of Steve.' We hired cleaners, which was the best $200 I've ever spent. We threw out the air fresheners, opened the windows, but the smell still lingered. "Steve" represented all that was stinky and sketchy and contaminated.

Then I got a nasty sinus infection, and soon our whole family was coughing and hacking and stuffy. We wondered if our sickness had to do with the mysterious house smell. So I called Michelle, who runs EcoRemedi here in Portland. Cool woman - among other things, she produces 'healthy home' TV shows.

We wanted Michelle to test our indoor air quality, and she came over with a nifty device that records all kinds of data-- allergens, VOC's (volatile organic compounds), chemicals, mold, etc -- over the course of several days. While we were at it, we also tested for radon.

The verdict -- we have high levels of radon, and need to do some ventilation in our basement to remedy that problem. So glad we tested, because radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

As for the air quality, which was our original concern...we're still waiting for the results. Hope to know today or tomorrow.

All of this -- moving into a new house, dealing with these issues, concerned about the health of our little babe -- has made me even more determined than I was before to create a pure environment in our home. I don't work in absolutes -- I can't say I'll completely banish plastic toys or processed food or disposable diapers or conventional cleaning products, etc, etc. But every choice I make takes me further away from those things, and closer to alternatives that are natural, healthier, and what I instinctively feel are better for our family.

Good riddance, Steve.