Tuesday, May 27, 2008

So long Axel




How quickly things can change! The last post featured photos from our garden which were taken just yesterday. Well. Today I discovered that two of the chickens had gotten out and had a feast. They didn't get to the cherries, or the artichoke, but other plants were not so lucky. I think most everything will come back eventually, but this is not the first time this has happened and it led to a decision. Our family will be decreasing by three. We have been feeling lately that the chickens need more space and grass than we can provide them right now and clearly they feel the same. So it's free to a good home for Axel, Slash and Duff, and I can't say I'm too sad. It's been fun but I am ready to have a good garden.

The Garden in late May

In order: artichoke!, trying to keep the birds from the cherries, brussel sprout, beets, carrots and calendula.




Monday, May 26, 2008

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

In which we discover crayons

and learn a few things. For example, that Cooper, Hiram and Unity are more interested in holding and trying to bite the crayons then in actually coloring. Ah well, they'll learn.




Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ends and odds

Look at that long hair! Hanging with Dan and Felix at Bradner Gardens. Lounging at Madison Beach with parents.





Saturday, May 17, 2008

Monday, May 12, 2008

one more shot from the wedding

My friend Revel took this shot- she's a real photographer, cantcha tell?

Rachel and John's wedding

On Sunday we attended the wedding of Rachel and John, two folks I know from Real Change. They had planned to be outside in a park, but with some rain we transformed the food court at Seattle Center into wedding land. Here some photos from the event-most everyone there is connected to Real Change in some way so it was a fun celebration.










Sunday, May 11, 2008

Birthday Surprise

So at my birthday party last night, Megan took me out on the porch and covered my eyes. And there was Bruin, unexpectedly visiting from the Bay! What an awesome birthday present!




Pacific Science Center




Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Birthday Polly!


Happy Birthday Polly! We love you and your excellent mothering technique!

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Love lives on

In my family, on my mom's side we have some sayings, symbols and traditions. Rainbows and Ginko trees are our symbols, layered with years of stories and meanings. And one of the things we say is "love lives on." May 9th is my Grandma Rene's birthday and while she is no longer with us, I wanted to write about this loving matriarch of our family and how her legacy still lives with us.
She was born Maurine Eleanor in Granville North Dakota in 1911. She and her fraternal twin Margaret were the youngest of six children. This was a time when not many people had twins and in their small town, she and her sister attracted attention for it. She studied to become a teacher but didn't enjoy it and ended up working the switchboard at a department store. She met her husband Robert Oswald there. He was home from the war where he had faithfully written to his parents every day about how much he wanted to find a wife but despaired that he was getting too old. Bob and Maurine were married in 1947 and had five children in five years. (My mother Cynthia is the middle one.)

One event in their lives that really demonstrates both my grandparents true natures was the birth of their second child, Robert Walker. He was born with Downs Syndrome, and at that time the professional recommendation for all Downs Syndrome children was a lifetime of institutionalization. My grandparents refused this view, and welcomed my Uncle Bob as part of their family. I can see this spirit of love and inclusiveness manifesting in various ways in the lives of all my aunts and cousins, as well as my own parents and brother.

My Grandma loved music and sewing and she LOVED children. She enjoyed spending time with her family, including her many grandchildren and she was thrilled to meet her first great-grandchild. She lived to be 88 years old, and her twin sister died just a few weeks after. Grandma Rene stays with us in her stories and her songs, and in our family. This year to honor her birthday, my aunts, my cousins, my mom, my brother and I decided we would all make pecan pie, one of her favorite dishes. Even though we are in different states, we know we'll be celebrating the woman who kept us all together.

In loving memory: Maurine Eleanor Stinson Lewis.

Top photo: the twins
Second photo: Maurine and Bob and their five kids. (Can you find Grandma Cindy?)
Third photo: Grandma Rene and her grandkids. (Can you find Polly?)


Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy happy birthday Christopher! We love you!


Sunday, May 04, 2008