“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”
- Ursula K. LeGuin
My thoughts on (so very soon) becoming a parent for the second time.
…And my thoughts on the fragility of life and love, reaching my heart out to all the souls and continued suffering in Japan.
We’re in the throes of a (too-fast) growth spurt… you know the ones that come and stretch your body and make you noticeably taller in just 48 hours?
(growth chart, above, by inklore)
So I’m going to be quiet today and maybe tomorrow. (Oh, but do I ever have a fabulous giveaway coming up very soon that I’m cooking up for you….) I need to readjust the car seat and find some longer pants (oooh, thank goodness for these organic board shorts we stocked up on) and buy some more cheese.
These bones and muscles need all the help they can get.
canvas growth chart by GiraffesandStuff
personalized linen and embroidery growth chart by aewilder
Adieu, my lovely spring 2010. The spring a little girl I know got her own wheels and learned to whizz around the neighborhood on her trike. When her singing voice emerged like a delicate, beautiful flower, with such earnestness. When she learned to write her own name.
Adieu to the cherry blossoms, and the sweet cherries they left to grow in their place. To chilly spring moon walks.
To watching ferns uncurl their hairy little selves.
…To watching the first bees fly around our garden. To wondering what perennial would peek out where (because we planted so many new ones last year and forgot where they all went).
… To the delicate blooms that much prefer the later spring when it’s not to blistering hot yet.
… To our first ever Maypole dancing.
You were wonderful, spring, and now I can’t wait for what lies ahead to discover.
Tonight for dinner, I thought it appropriate to make something light, delicate and fluffy as a last marker of spring. With my favorite cookbook‘s pink ribbon marking the (obviously well used) page, I put some flour, local organic ricotta, parmesan cheese and seasoning together to make the most delicate, almost cloud-like gnocchi.
A little melted butter and ground pepper… and we had cloud fluff for supper.
With some delicious local asparagus for color.
Today I thought about why exactly Earth Day means so much, and what is means to celebrate our earth and protect it at the same time.
It’s not easy to express.
Yet I’ve always found resonance in the great law of the Iroquois confederacy, which states that “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
photo via Flickr
When I gave birth to my daughter, after decades of environmental activism and education, this had a whole new, much deeper meaning. When I look into her beautiful blue green eyes, I feel deep pangs in my heart and my soul. May she and her children and grandchildren, have health… and live in a world that is not only still safe for them, but also beautiful and full of nature.
These days, as I learn about the presence of BPA (bisphenol A, a terribly toxic endocrine and hormone disruptor chemical that is dangerous even in tiny amounts) all over our ocean’s beaches (because of the plastic islands in the middle of our oceans)…
photo via Flickr
and look around to see old pressure-treated, CCA wood aging and leaching all over my neighborhood… and find out that the new food processor we bought to make her own baby food at home, and the tops of the yogurt containers and canning jars I use also have toxic chemicals in them… I WONDER.
But I hope. As deeply as I can.
organic bag from our shop (with 7 flowers for the 7 generations of the Iroquoise confederacy law)
And I take every opportunity to celebrate the earth, to teach her about nature, to make the often unpopular decisions in our family and community to stay away from toxic things and places, to demand change and that officials take responsibility, and to live more simply, more happily and more peacefully with nature.
Happy EARTH DAY to you and yours. Today and every day.
Oh, and be sure to check out the 56 Naturalkids team Etsy shops having SALES, PROMOTIONS and GIFTS WITH PURCHASE today to celebrate Earth Day!!!!!
Today I thought about why exactly Earth Day means so much, and what is means to celebrate our earth and protect it at the same time.
It’s not easy to express.
Yet I’ve always found resonance in the great law of the Iroquois confederacy, which states that “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
photo via Flickr
When I gave birth to my daughter, after decades of environmental activism and education, this had a whole new, much deeper meaning. When I look into her beautiful blue green eyes, I feel deep pangs in my heart and my soul. May she and her children and grandchildren, have health… and live in a world that is not only still safe for them, but also beautiful and full of nature.
These days, as I learn about the presence of BPA (bisphenol A, a terribly toxic endocrine and hormone disruptor chemical that is dangerous even in tiny amounts) all over our ocean’s beaches (because of the plastic islands in the middle of our oceans)…
photo via Flickr
and look around to see old pressure-treated, CCA wood aging and leaching all over my neighborhood… and find out that the new food processor we bought to make her own baby food at home, and the tops of the yogurt containers and canning jars I use also have toxic chemicals in them… I WONDER.
But I hope. As deeply as I can.
organic bag from our shop (with 7 flowers for the 7 generations of the Iroquoise confederacy law)
And I take every opportunity to celebrate the earth, to teach her about nature, to make the often unpopular decisions in our family and community to stay away from toxic things and places, to demand change and that officials take responsibility, and to live more simply, more happily and more peacefully with nature.
Happy EARTH DAY to you and yours. Today and every day.
Oh, and be sure to check out the 56 Naturalkids team Etsy shops having SALES, PROMOTIONS and GIFTS WITH PURCHASE today to celebrate Earth Day!!!!!
And be sure to check out My Sweet Greens for a fabulous week of beautiful giveaways.
