Gratitude: For Family

Was I talking about gardening in that last post?

Yes, that's a nice side story,

but.

This: THIS is what it's all about! I love these people.

Our first official, homemade Family Dinner in our new home.

Cheers!

Tears. and Brightsides

I'm really supposed to be being otherwise-productive right now... Naptimes are only so long.. But I want to write this post to keep track for myself. And share a bit.

Moving is stressful. This move is stressful for us. Sealion and I exploded at each other yesterday morning (yuck. )-: ), and I left with Anjali on my back for a walk to get some fresh air. When we returned, Sealion and I resolved our issues (mostly acknowledging our stress and once again agreeing we shouldn't take offense at anything the other says before breakfast and coffee!), and I had a weeping big cry on his shoulder. He cried some, too. [And for the rest of the day, Anjali's "favorite phrase to repeat over and over and over" was "Mommy ky-ing (crying)." And then sometimes, "Papi ky."] We know the reasons we are moving to Sacramento, and feel good about our long-term goals. And even though we're not trying to re-create our Berkeley experience... it's not Berkeley... And we love Berkeley... and there is noisy construction work next door to this house in Sac... and a choir of small dogs who bark... and air conditioners that kick on and wake us in the middle of the night right outside our window... and... and... and! Boooohooooo!!!!!

After I wiped my eyes, we got in a sweet little bikeride on the awesomely bike-able, laid-back streets of Sac before Sealion had to leave for work. And visited the community garden our friend Clark has wanted us to join, right next to the industrial space he and a collective of others want to rent for a crafty-boy space ~ absolutely dreamy for Sealion.

appropriately named, eh?

The garden looked like most community gardens I've seen ~ a flat lot of delineated plots, some showing more upkeep and attention to artistic detail than others. Two folks were steadily working their plots when we rode up. The place was overflowing with the late-summer "Sac-o-tomato" tomatoes, gourds and beans, and tall- tall sunflowers bending their heads down in a sighing recognition of autumn.

A pile of mulch, bales of straw, a play area for kids, as well as a "Children's Garden" brimming with beans and gourds, and a welcoming shady area with hammock and swing and table and chairs.

Talking to the gardeners, we learned that this community garden is only a year old, with a toolshed in the making, and fruit trees just planted around the perimeter. And, optimistically, no one on the "waiting list" mentioned on the sign. We also learned that there are already chickens in the artists' colony lot next door, so it wouldn't be a stretch at all to build a coop and have a few there at the garden. (Sac is actually the only city in the whole state that doesn't allow backyard chickens ~ an effort to try to shed their "agricultural" image back in the day when it wasn't cool. It was put up for a vote to rescind, and then put off till next year, I hear. But since the community garden is in an industrially zoned area, it doesn't have to follow that law! :-) (Amazingly, our landlord in Berkeley found a family to rent the house who actually asked if they could keep the coop and the girls! So we are going to bring the two quietest ones here to Sac and put them up in Brian and Arlene's backyard in the coop that Brian has just finished. Shhh! Don't tell!) We like keeping chickens.

Well, this is quite a rambling post; none too tidy.

But my point was: feeling the dirt on my toes and the hot Sacramento sun on my back, seeing Anjali immediately content herself amidst the beans and the toy dumptrucks, envisioning a meal on the shaded table with the pleasantly chatty clucking of a new group of laying hens in the background...maybe some refreshing homegrown herbal tea...I could see myself spending time there. Finding a little bit of home. A very short bikeride away from our new place. And at least a step or two closer to our dreams.

I think it's gonna be ok.

The Matter at Hand

Huh. I think we're moving. Whatta you think? We have been immensely fortunate in having family come to help us pack boxes and move Stuff.

Amazingly, Anjali and I have just returned from a week in Maui (!) with my mom and Sealion's mom, as well as Brian and Arlene, and all of their extended family. So while we were soaking up the restorative sun, surf, and gorgeous landscape of Maui, Sealion was mostly working, and Papa and Grandpa Chris were filling boxes and making trips with the Jetta and its trailer in between Berkeley and Sacramento. Boy do I feel lucky [understatement]!

Papa filling holes in the freshly-bare wall

Our almost-two-year-old spectates

I hope that I have the time to share a little bit here about my experience of Maui and Hawaii. It left an impression. And added to my growing theory about warm-beach-centered cultures ~ any society whose abundantly overarching adornment is fresh, fragrant flowers has to view life in a special way. I like it.

But now back to the boxes. And the insistent pondering of: how did we accumulate all this Crap?!! Even though we buy as much second-hand as we can, I'm feeling quite American in the obvious Consumption that all these boxes represent. Mainly with the inspiration of Your Money or Your Life, and also with a book called The Joy of Less, I'm making some hard culling decisions. Wish me continued strength and courage in this endeavor!

Oh, how frustrated Blogger makes me!!! I hate that this is all underlined, and in my techno-ignorance I can't fix it! So I'm leaving it like this even though it irritates the bejeezus out of me!!

grrrrr!!!

An Ad

move in day ~ right around this time...three years ago.

I sent this out to the two discussion lists I subscribe to ~ the San Francisco chapter of WAPF, and SFBUN ~ the Bay Area's Unschooling group. I've gotten several responses. My landlord should be paying me. ;-)

Hello ~
We are moving from this house we have loved for three years so it's up for rent. It is a cute one-plus story house (upstairs is a finished,
liveable bedroom or office but not built with the city's strict
permits) with two br and 1 ½ bath. The kitchen is spacious. It has two
living areas, and a working fireplace, hardwood and tile floors,
French doors, and tiled bath. The house is painted a warm yellow, and
has a deck and a driveway. Our family lived here happily with a
roommate for the past year. The rent was $2900, which might be right
for someone, considering the following:
The things we are in love with about this space are its location and
its backyard. It is just a couple blocks from the "Gourmet Ghetto" (with
its 2 grocery stores, restaurants, shops, etc.), near several
well-spoken-of schools, walking distance from two of Berkeley's
farmers' markets, downtown BART, and a short bike ride to Monterey
Market and the Tuesday farmers' market. The backyard is ample and
mostly flat. It has a prolific fig tree and a few yellow and red plum
trees, a coastal oak, and a large, beautiful redwood. We have
extensively gardened this backyard, adding 4 waist-high raised beds, a
tree- shaded patio, and a reed-grass fence to enclose the garden area,
and many perennials such as rosemary and lavender, butterfly bushes,
flowers, and herbs. This yard has been perfect for having laying hens
~ we have kept up to 9 of them over the past year. There is a gated
sideyard/walkway that gets some full sun and reflected light, and a
small front yard that is 100% shaded by a pine tree, and a neighbor's
large palm. The street is quiet and low-traffic, mixed with houses and
multi-family buildings. Also, the landlord is hands-off but
responsive, and a sweetie.
We have put so much time, love, and energy into this place, we'd love
for someone to move in who appreciated it.
Send me a message with any questions.
Thanks!

Forward Movement

Bottle of wine acknowledging our move to Sacramento.

You think all these big thoughts, you dream all these big dreams, and then you still have to go to the grocery store the next day, tend to the perpetual parade of dirty dishes in the sink, and clean out the litter box (Reminds me of the Jack Kornfield Book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. I have felt pretty impatient with this whole Grand Scheme lately, so that an Everyday just feels too slow. So I'm reminding myself of the forward movement that is happening. We are doing things toward a purpose. Even though we can't see the end result at this time.

front door of our new place in Sacramento

celebration of the beginning of our lease

(I took so many photos, and none of them got every one of us perfect

[though Anjali looks adorable in every single one ;-)

and Arlene looks gorgeous in every single one

and I look absolutely goofy in every single one].

So this one will have to do).

This week Sealion has been in Southern California with Miles, taking a workshop at Calearth. They're learning how to construct Superadobe buildings ~ the kind we'll build in Baja. And from what I've gathered from our short text and phone conversations throughout the week, the comraderie, inspiration, and networking with other folks around the world doing similar projects, seems equally as important as the actual learning and doing process of constructing earth bag buildings. Not to mention all that good physical labor, fresh air and hot sun, campfires and stars to reinforce what's learned and absorbed!

photos sent to me from Sealion's phone.

building with earth bags.

shaping up.

working into the night. with christmas lights. and beer.

Now: to stuff the bags and hop on that camel!