Culture Shock...Me, Not Them.

1. Travis can walk to the 7-11 and does.

2. Martina immediately begins sleeping over at my cousin's house. She doesn't really bother to say goodbye.

3. Man in my yard petting my goat. Really.

4. Travis already has a job working at the Mason's Christmas tree lot. He's there now, unloading a semi full of trees.

5. People just drive into our place and park. We probably don't want to know what they're up to.

6. The cats are all fine. They have figured out the flow between barn and house. Gizmo, the one we held back from the gates of death as a week-old kitten cannot bear to shit outside. So she goes in the shed. Hurrah. Of the 4 cats we put in the barn, 2 stayed there. Of the 4 we put in the shed out back, 3 have stayed there. 2 of the barn cats are pretty sure they're yard cats. 1 of the yard cats has decided the barn is better. The 2 house cats are content with their status as the only two who can live inside and poop outside. No one has stolen one of our cats yet. We, also, are content.

7. 2 dogs. No fence. It's working pretty well, actually.

8. Autumn. 4 large oak trees. It's raining leaves outside like an illustration from a lovely children's book. I missed trees when we lived on our little farmette in Corapeake.

9. Content is a beautiful word.

What Ida Dragged In

Just the day before the storm this was a field with nothing in it but grass.

What do people think about when they throw this into the river? That was rhetorical. I know what they think: Nothing.

Wow.

The storm with all the attendant flooding helped purge the river.

A few weeks ago I was wondering what kind of volunteer work my 17 year old son could do. Nothing like beginning in your own back yard. We will clean up this trash, climb over the fence and clean up that trash and then we can grow some oysters.

Dear Friends and Fellow Celebrants

Christmas is coming. The commercials on television, radio and oozing through the ether make it clear: Buy. Buy now. Buy more. Back in the Olden Days, Christmas had manners. Christmas held the door for Thanksgiving and waited politely for the next day. At least. These days, however, the message is: spend, spend, spend.

Personally, I decline. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday and I spoil my children and try to do my best by my husband and other close family members. But I also try really hard to purchase gifts made by artisans, craftspeople, preferably locals. Then? Then I'm out of money.

Friends and fellow celebrants of Christmas, please understand that I may like you. It's possible that I even love you...but if you are not blood kin, please do not give me a gift. Please do not expect a gift from me. In fact, this is my gift to you: One less person to shop for. (Or seven, depending on how well you know me.) Drop by and share a glass of cheer but dude, please, please don't come bearing gifts. It's just too much.

This Morning in Chesapeake

Things are getting better all the time.

My Big Blue Friend

I've been obsessing about how we are supposed to recycle when the SPSA truck ignores us and we don't have a recycling bin and the plant is closing anyway. Today though, the City of Chesapeake delivered this lovely guy. It was a good day. The shelf by the back door was full of potential recyclables and I don't have the gumption to drive to ... where? ... to put them into a bin. Don't even know that it would be worth it to burn the fuel. But now, it's a moot point.

10 Weird Things About Me

1. Apparently, I hoard jars. I thought I was saving them for things like frozen tomatoes and bell peppers, and I *did* use some of the jars for those things but really? Really, I have shelf after shelf of jars, just sitting there, waiting to be relocated. My executive decision of the morning? Relocate every jar except the Ball Mason jars to the recycling dumpster at the dump.

2. I think my thyroid is slow. There is no other excuse for how little I consume when compared to how huge I am.

3. Contrary to popular belief, I am not on Facebook ALL of the time.

4. I am the proud owner of a scary toy monkey.

5. I avoid low-fat anything. (hmm, maybe I should refer myself to #3?)

6. Peach kefir is delicious. It would be more delicious if it were full fat.

7. I secretly believe my husband can do anything. He's like Superman, only skinny and with a Camel filter hanging out of his lip.

8. Even though my oldest child is 22 and grown and BIG, I still look at him and just well up with love and pride and wonder that he's my offspring. That feeling over our children never, ever wears off I don't suppose.

9. Each day that passes without news that becoming a grandparent is imminent, is a day I feel blessed.

10. I am exceedingly proud to think that my children are the fourth generation of my family to live in this house. Sure it's old and musty and the roof leaks and there is termite damage and there is not one square angle or straight line in the whole freaking building but the roots are deep and I think that the house, if it's possible, is happy to have us back. I know that we are happy to be here.

High Tide, almost

It dark and blurry but you get the point.