More posts forthcoming, but to hold you over for now, here is something clever and beautiful.
And here is something that I miss.
This land is your land, this land is my land August 15, 2009
…and now it is also the land of my dear Swiss friends, who are taking a three month road trip in their Shasta RV, starting in Boston, ending in California and then, so sadly, of to Switzerland never to return. =(
I had a wonderful three years living in community with Joel, Daniela and their four kids, and I’m a little shaky on my feet at having to do it without them. I love them all, but I feel a special bond with the youngest, T, whose accidental bathtub birth I missed by ten minutes. It happened like this. Another housemate, B, posted on facebook that Daniela was having the baby that night, and I called her, but she said she was just in early labor and that it could be days. Still, I had a feeling that I should be there, and was planning on heading over after I finished a couple of emails. Twenty minutes later,another housemate, M, called me to say the baby had just been born while Daniela was taking a bath. Apparently she had something like three contractions, and Joel couldn’t finish dialing the number of the midwife before T was out. M, a doctor but by no means an obstetrician, “caught” T, the oldest son cut the umbilical cord (which they clipped with a bag-clip from the kitchen) and B, who is studying to be an Anglican priest, said a blessing over her. Voila, instant baby, no need to hire outside help. Definitely one of the high points of living in community.
Cutest bathtub baby ever
For those of you who know the Roth-Naters, they are keeping a blog of their journey. http://roth-nater.blogspot.com/
The Spanish Plains are actually quite arid. July 21, 2009
I love the rain. I know, I know, everyone else is complaining about it, but to me it’s worth a hundred scented candles, a Zen garden, water fountain and plinky-plonky music all combined. So peaceful. Especially when it’s around 65 degrees and there’s a gentle breeze coming through my window. Add Coldplay’s Prospekt March and the anticipation of a home-cooked meal with some of my favorite people, and the day seems perfect. Well, maybe if I were right in the middle of a really good book…
Plug of the day: My friend Sarah — incidentally my brother’s best friend’s wife, just to confuse you — is an amazing mural painter. Look:
Sarah’s on the Northshore (is that one word or two?) and is, I believe, accepting commissions. Leave a note if you’re interested and I’ll let her know.
Summer in Zacatecas July 13, 2009
The inimitable Leemings are in Mexico for six weeks this summer. Ben is studying Classical Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs. Susi and the four kids are exploring, adventuring and helping to teach English at the local school. And Ben is blogging.
Click on Maggie to read about their adventures.
