Ya know those plastic mesh bags that veggies sometimes come in?
They make excellent recycled dish scrubbies. Knotted at one end, stuffed with more balled up plastic mesh veggie bags, knotted at the other end. Cute and useful. We can’t remember exactly where we got the idea, but we’re 90% sure it came from Mr. and Mrs. Homegrown, the writers of Root Simple.
playing at Balcones District Park this morning:
“I see a airplane!”
playing with rocks under the live oaks:
Growing in our fall garden, Hill Country Red Okra:
Nathan took the pretty photo yesterday morning.
Ben got to go back to the Co-op today, in the Younger 4s classroom, after more than a month of asking when he could. He proudly chose a special clothing ensemble for the morning, which included a green John Deere ‘Dirt Rocks’ t-shirt, blue camo shorts and orange crocs. When I took him to his new classroom, he entered and began playing without looking back; I was the one who was verklempt.
Madeleine also joined the Co-op this year, as part of the Older 2s class. She didn’t feel completely comfortable with me leaving today. She played outside, played with cars and playdough, but really spent most of her morning eating vanilla yogurt with new friends.
I’ve already been working hard for Co-op, serving as VP of Administration on the Board of Directors this year. My main accomplishment so far is having successfully organized our community’s fall orientation for parents. Nearly 70 families attended. There was yummy food. T-shirts were sold. Tuition was collected. Forms and handbooks were updated, copied and distributed. Health and teaching staff talks were given, with slides, fulfilling part of our school’s state licensing requirements. Folks were briefed about fundraising efforts coming up. Whew. I’m so happy and proud to have been trusted with the job of making it happen.
I’ll confess, though, that I’m looking forward to a little coasting time as a co-op board member now. Organizing Orientation has been like a full-time job over the past couple of weeks, in addition to caring for the children and the house full time and doing a small amount of doula work. As my good friend Holly turned fellow Co-opper observed, “It’s like you’re a project manager, only everyone’s a volunteer, so you can’t be a bitch.” Indeed.
I’m hoping to do lots of cooking this fall, to spend more time in our garden and to go camping and hiking as a family, now that the temps are finally dropping. I’m also hoping to attend a few more births before year’s end. Aside from attending board meetings and parent coffees, my board member responsibilities won’t (in theory) ramp back up until the Spring, when the Co-op conducts its annual survey of participating families.
Fall is hands down my favorite time of year. Have a happy one, dear readers.
It’s surreal here in ATX today. The air is hazy with smoke. The smell is strong, strong enough that it’s uncomfortable for many folks to stay outside for long.
Bastrop State Park, around 30 miles SE of our home, is burned.
One article I read today stated that 130,000 acres have burned across the state. Hundreds have lost homes.
Yesterday a wildfire began less than a mile away from our house. It was smoky, and ash was falling on our front lawn at one point. Luckily the fire was extinguished before it could do much damage, and we did not need to evacuate our neighborhood.
I’ve never really had to think about what I would take with me, other than our persons, if there were some kind of disaster and we needed to leave quickly. It’s unsettling. Time to stop joking about that go bag, and actually pack one.
Surreal, this summer that Texas burns.
At least once every few weeks or so, I crave these. An easy pot full of Vit A, Vit C, calcium and chlorophyll.
No, leafy greens are not even remotely in season here. Pretty much nothing is, since we’re on our record-breaking, drought-loving 73rd consecutive day of triple-digit temps here in ATX. But I make a mean pot of greens. I can’t help it.
This recipe is adapted from one on Eclaire. I’m calling it Left-over Pizza Packet Greens here, because I always seem to use the contents of a left-over packet of crushed red pepper, from the last time we ordered pizza, to make this dish.
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches collard or turnip greens, washed, stemmed and chopped
3 C veggie broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Heat olive oil and butter together in a medium pot until butter is melted. Add onion and cook until softened, but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Add greens and saute another 2 minutes, stirring.
Pour veggie broth into the pot, bring to a simmer, and cover. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until greens are softened and turning dark green. Add tomatoes and salt, and simmer another 5 minutes.
Don’t overcook these, and they won’t be at all bitter, like those other greens you’ve had that you didn’t like. (When I say simmer, I mean simmer, not hard boil.) Maddie chows down whenever I make this dish. Even Ben will eat greens this way, which is saying something. Enjoy!
If you’re the grown-up, you sit behind the couch and watch for “the show,”
which consists every time of two small pairs of wiggling feet sticking above the couch, and nothing else. It’s called “two kids upside down!” <insert hysterious giggling here> 
Where did they go? Yesterday marked the completion of Ben’s first 4 journeys around the sun.
On Saturday we celebrated with friends and family at our neighborhood pool. Swimming, hot dogs and fruit for lunch, vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting for dessert. We even got a break on the heat Saturday morning, with some cloud cover and a pleasant breeze. Perfect.
Ben is growing tall and into all limbs like his dada. His eyes are deep grey-blue, also his dada’s eyes. He’s serious and sensitive much of the time. He’s currently very interested in nutrition; he asks often whether the foods we’re eating are healthy and is interested in what effects they have on the body. He thinks about the food we have, and he sometimes observes out loud that not everyone is lucky, that not everyone has good food. He wants to know what the men begging on street corners want, when we see them, and why they don’t already have it.
Lately Ben asks questions about death, too. He misses our dog Sam and understands that he died. He knows that my grandfather died, and that the grandparents of a beloved babysitter died, too. Late Saturday night he got out of bed to ask us, “When am I going to die?” And, tearfully, “How can someone die when their family is still real?” Oh, my boy, good questions. I’ll hold you.
Even with these deep thoughts, he’s four, and his favorite jokes are still about poop and pee.
Ben has dimples when he grins, and he sticks his tongue between his teeth, just outside his lips, when he’s really concentrating on something. This is inherited from my dad, I think. He’s currently passionate about playing board games and working jigsaw puzzles. He continues to love to cook; he’s upset when we cook without him. He likes playing in mud in the backyard, gardening with us, using tools, swimming and playing in bouncy castles. He loves trains and cars and animals (especially donkeys) and balls and dinos. He loves helping with household chores and wants to know how much longer until he’s 5.
I couldn’t be prouder or more in love with the person he is today, and I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to keep journeying with him, as he continues to discover the world and himself. I’m so grateful he came to be with us. <3
We provided altar decorations for Plum Blossom childrens’ sangha this afternoon:
A dish of cedar elm leaves and twigs. A few flowers from my patio rose. A piece of meteorite that was gifted to Nathan by a co-worker.
