healing, frogs, fish, sprouts and family

After several weeks of restless nights as Antonio seems to unravel another layer of trauma with his famous middle of the night scream, we have finally had three nights of consistently good sleep and are feeling like ourselves again. I see him healing, changing, clearing out his path so he can charge forward in his own fearless way. He seems to be coming out of the restless sleepless fog with a new sparkle in his eye and a new clarity about who he is.

After a day of teaching childbirth class, I came home to Treska, Kaya, Kiersten, Dara and Sally all ready to head up to the warm springs with the boys. Just two days ago, I scraped 6 inches of snow off of the car and so today's springtime warmth came with a huge sigh of relief. The sky was crystal clear. The frogs were chanting noisily but evaded us when we tried to find them. Butterflies flitted about. The hummingbirds buzzed on by. The water at the bottom of the arroyo was rushing.

Antonio is a fish! Miranda Canyon seems to be the perfect place for him. Having had access to the warm springs since before he was even big enough to stand in them, he has taught himself to swim! He dives under, kicks off with his feet, and can make it halfway across the spring underwater before having to come up for air. He is a self taught swimmer. It is so much fun to see a natural propensity come out like that under just the right circumstances.

Our cabbage and brocolli sprouts grew about an inch and half when we weren't looking today. Tomorrow they will make a new home in the greenhouse. I love going out to water the greenhouse! With winter paying hopefully one last visit this past week, I have taken refuge in its quiet steamy warmth. Every time a little sprout pops out it feels cause for celebration. Perhaps it brings out the midwife in me.

This week Treska and I will take a course that will certify us to use the community kitchen to process and sell food that we grow on our farm. The boys will spend the week with various friends who love them dearly and once again I am reminded how utterly fortunate I am to have the "extended family" we have here.

Blissfully Human

The last couple of days have been pure bliss as the sun finally shines springtime rays and the wind has turned to breezes. As we work on the field taking out clumps of grass that are too big to break up with a rotatiller and dig trenches to frame our greenhouse, the boys wander about in the dirt, their play turning to work turning to play. They find "treasures" of old broken glass, special rocks, bailing wire that could wreck a rotatiller if left unnoticed. Our piles of grass clumps become huge "fires" and they bring back more clumps that are "huge bags of zuchini, brocolli, onions" and much more to roast over the fires. They take turns digging the trench with us, then drive off on their shovel motorcycles to turn an upsidedown wheel barrow into a tractor. I can't help but thinking that this creative energy constantly about will help our vegetables to grow. Portions of the day go by when they are spontaneously under Kaya and Treska's dear supervision leaving Jennie and Kiersten and I to actually be productive in our work and we revel in the feeling of having a big family where everyone is cared for by all.

Kaya and Rafa started their egg business today by walking around the neighborhood together with a basketful of full egg cartons and selling to the neighbors. I take such joy in watching Kaya and Rafa bond over eggs and knowing we live in a safe place where they can have such freedom.

These last two days have left me feeling like this is exactly what I wanted for my family by starting our farming project; the chance to expose myself and my children to the kind of work and community that brings us closer to the reality of being human.

Baby Gwyn and Tia Beth visit

Tia Beth and Baby Gwyn arrived the day before yesterday. Rafa got the special job of feeding Gwyn her bottle on the way up from Albuquerque because he was the only one who could reach her in her car seat (he was next to her in his brand new booster seat). This was quite the thrill for him and he took on his responsibility with gravity. Tia Beth arrived with stinky cheese left over from her airplane snack and Rafa's great idea was to have it for dessert after dinner. The glorious qualities of stinky cheese were properly honored with song and dance, wiggles and giggles.

Waking up knowing that Baby Gwyn and Tia Beth are in the house is a true treat. So far we have gone to the warm springs, played on the tractor that is waiting to disc our field, explored the neighborhood, cooked and eaten lots of good food, started making willow easter baskets, and reveled together in the intense joys and challenges of parenting.