Sunday in November

It's a beautiful summer day in November, and my mommy is visiting from Oregon. She didn't pack for summer! If our schedules allowed, I think we would have gone north, to her neck of the woods, to enjoy fall color, and seasonal weather, to be with family. As it is, we are going to make some fun here, answer key questions, like: Tamales, or Bourbon Pecan Cakes? Both? She's made a wish list, things she'd like to see and do while in So Cal, and I think we've already started checking off some good ones. Ahead, we have Thanksgiving, a birthday, a parade, Posadas, a brunch, Pasadena puttering & church, menudo sunday. There's more, I'm sure. Ballet Folklorico dancers are much in demand this time of year, too, and there are the usual expectations, like mid-terms, finals, and crunch-mode at Geoff's office. My calendar has a lot of dots and stars, asterisks, and flowcharts!

The hens are still molting, and I suppose that's alright, given our wild mild climate. I brought home paper white bulbs... {Note to self: Remember to plant those!} I think the goats, poor dears, went through their annual Love Lorn Cycle, when they bleat and bleat and bleat, hoping a Mister Goat will answer their calls. We have no definitive plans about a Christmas tree, but we did find a beautiful white guava tree and we will be adding that to the orchard in the front yard. Or maybe it would be fitting to plant it near the plumeria, in the backyard.

Geoff and the boys have taken on a major overhaul of Alex and Max's room. It's time for a change, mostly due to school needs, and our ever growing interests in making and creating. Out with bunks! In with desks and the old green sofa... we are building a Lab! Workstations, and computers. Next to nothing in school can be accomplished without computers, so we are going to make an attempt to keep up with demand. I think moving into the Bird House has come in phases, and this year has been one of the most productive and fun, as we make this house more personally our own. Six years ago we moved in, now it feels like we are settling in. It's wonderful, and new.

I think this is one of those posts that probably doesn't merit publishing. There's no particular bit of news that couldn't be left unsaid, which is why I didn't mention how I cleaned the front office, or that we brought pumpkin pie to Maria's dance class for an early birthday celebration. It's just one of those times when for our own story, for the sake of marking our days, I stop and take note of what's happening, of normal things. I take great pleasure in normal things, and I never assume that any of this is our right, our entitled privilege to enjoy. We are lucky. It's true we work hard, we take care in our choices, but a great deal of what we do, what we have, is due to fortunate circumstances, to chance, and we feel deeply thankful for our good chances. The world is facing some horrific crisis, and terror. People who have worked hard, and taken care are losing everything, desperately hanging on to each other, set adrift. I cannot begin to unravel these issues, I do not have the solutions, but I hope to begin my thoughts and actions with something in mind, simply this... I care, it matters, we all deserve the pleasure and comfort of normal days and peace.