Breakfast in Bed

Flower Crack

Buy expensive flower seed and you're sure to receive some in these plastic vials, the seed carefully and systematically measured out, never a seed too many. The irony of the seed coming in vials is not lost on me. It's as if the seed distributors are well aware of my dependency on them, the addiction that guides all my decisions and haunts my every waking hour.

Yes, it is true. I am an addict. Addicted to beauty, to color, to form; to the enhancement of life through aesthetics. Always have been, always will be. When I was a little girl I would rake the shoreline for shells and, in complete innocence, seek out the tiniest ones, no larger than a centimeter across. They would be pastel hued, rainbow like (and in hindsight, much like a tree peony bloom) with a glorious, iridescent sheen from both the saltwater and the recent passing of their mollusk inhabitants, and they would be the most beautiful ones of all the shoreline despite their diminutive size.

My day would be more complete clutching the shells in my hand, knowing that I could have them close to me until my need for them dissolved and my attention moved to something else.

Granted, my sense of aesthetics has matured somewhat from when I was a little beachmonger, and I have sunk into a profession that helps fulfill my addiction....but it still never seems enough for me. I guess that is an inherent problem with a dependency on beauty and the perception of beauty. That yes, it enables a sense of clarity and exaltation that enables me to get through the day and make sense of this wild and chaotic world, but ultimately it is still external to my self and is all too momentary for true peace. Flower crack. Better watch yourself.

Our baby, growing so fast

Gratuitous pictures of Ruth Eleanor for you all. She is growing so fast and learning so much. We're getting lots of smiles, although we're still waiting on the laughter. It's coming though. Lots of aaa-goo's. She also slept for a whopping six hours last night on her first stretch. Longest stretch to date!!! Stuart had her for the evening, so whatever he did was magic. Although I think I recall him telling me they watched Jackass III together.....hmmm.

The picture with all the babies is from our birth class reunion, post partum. Turns out five of us in the class had our babies within a week and a half of each other! Ruth looks like an amazon woman next to all the other babes. Notice how she is holding up all the other babies who are leaning on her. Our anchor.

And then we must include a couple pics with Uncle Ben! He dazzles her every time they get together. She is going to take singing lessons and piano lessons from the maestro one day.

Radish pic for market

Ruth learning her vegetables!

She has all the ingredients to make a great stir-fry, she says. We went to the urologist today and it looks like she will be on a low grade antibiotic for a few months (!) as a preventative measure. The urologist is thinking (and hoping) that it is an immune system glitch that will work itself out as she gets older and develops more. If when we take her off the antibiotics she gets another, then it is most likely some anatomical abnormality that has not thus far been detected by the tests she has gone through, and she will need more tests at that point. Our poor little dumpling.

I hope to blog about the farm happenings soon! Lots of bulb plantings and planning going on.

Birthday wishes

So world, today is my birthday. It has been a great day. I woke up to my daughter smiling smiling smiling and cooing, which of course made me smile and coo back. I got some great presents, and many wonderful birthday calls. I cut my first decent bunch of anemones that are now gracing our table, sounding out their glory. Ruth got to ride my brother's tortoise, Percival, which was oh so entertaining. Stuart shaved his beard for me, so I am now able to see his beautiful face.

This past Sunday we had to go back to ER with Ruth as she had a 103 temperature. Yet another UTI. That's 3 in 10 weeks. Another round of antibiotics. Luckily she did not have to have a spinal tap this time and we did not have to be admitted. But it was a high stress day and morale has been a little low since. The doctors are telling us our case is 'interesting.' Not a good thing. We now have an appointment with a urologist in a couple weeks. So this year my birthday wish is for Ruth to not have anymore infections and for all this to be over. It's so frightening, the fragility of a small body. Yet at the same time she is so tenacious, so strong. We'll get through this. Maybe she just needs more magical tortoise rides. Her new favorite mode of transportation.

Quinoa Salad, Watermelon Radishes, 1st Anemones