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.