I'm getting lazy at this lately...Let's see what I can tell ya as far as new stuff going on here.

Over the last couple of weeks the upstairs has progressed. We knocked out a wall and covered up a door so that the movie room is closer to completion. I think it'll be nice when it's complete.

I applied to law school again. Alli and I talked it out over the past few months and this is something that I gotta do. We might not live together while I'm going, but I guess we'll see how it goes. I'm not even going to say it's gonna happen until I walk through the doors on the first day, cuz it seems like things change rapidly in our little family. Personally, I just hope to be accepted again after the abrupt withdrawal last year...

Hmmm, Not much new with the Stinker, but Alli has been pretty sicky lately. She constantly has to bundle up or run outside in to the cold cuz her homeostasis is out of whack. She gets nauseous everyday too. Man, that must suck.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Alright, we made it. AZ. Nice. Got some work in today as well for my dad.

Let's see, what can I tell ya that's new besides the new arrival that should be coming in nine months....hmmm, I guess I'll try and post some of those pics and vids I've been attempting for the past month or so....



Prebeard trim eating something tasty


Elephant oven in the making


Library beginnings and site


Homemade windmill powering RV



Bastian was "helping" me clean his room one day and found all his toys that he never really sees. So he got excited, threw on a few necklaces and ran around the house playing his harmonica.

I've been pretty lazy about writing lately because I've become accustomed to uploading an image or something to watch for your entertainment and the internet just sucks here. I have tried four times to upload a single small image of the windmill I made without success, so I quit. I love, love, love the internet, but it has a long long long ways to go. Anyway, once we get to my parents house next Monday, then I'll write a lot more.

Oliver in Alli's hat

Well, we finally reclaimed the laptop from Bastian, so that we can catch up with the world after a couple of weeks in the dark. Not that there's two weeks of interesting things to say here, so don't hold your breath too long Mom. Let's see: I built a windmill that I've attempted to hook up to the RV, which is up on top of the hill now. I'm not sure it works yet, but when it does, that will mean free power to the RV, enough to run a couple of outlets and lights.

We've also started work on the library which is about a hundred feet to the west of the RV. It overlooks the entire canyon to the west. It will be two stories and shaped like a giant mushroom when it's complete. The floors will have solar heated water running through them and lots of southern exposure for passive solar heating. Hopefully that will take care of the heating issues. This is sort of a test project to see what kind of systems we'll need in the house when we start building that. If it's not hot enough, I'm going to leave a place for a wood burning stove. I've drawn out the design of the library, maybe I'll scan it and post a picture of the draft.

Bastian is talking a lot these days. Mostly it's just gibberish, but occasionally he'll through in a real word just so we get the gist of his convoluted sentences. He had his first real babysitter last night, while Oliver, Alli and I went up to the restaurant where Alli works. Instead of working in the kitchen like she usually does, last night she played for a little over two hours. I think her set list consisted of over 30 songs. It was a really fun time as we sat there with the other local "Artists" and enjoyed the one entertaining us.

Hmmm, I've been thinking of getting a very part time job out here doing something that doesn't pay a lot but will give me some great experience and a hobby (i.e. in a glass making shop, as a gardener, or welding)

Bastian pulled my beard off: Never to fear however, I'm planning for a foot-long this round.

Bastian's new favorite thing to watch is Thomas the train, and despite my best efforts he's already watched it more times than a healthy fat kid should. Lucky for me, his next favorite thing to watch is this:

Time flies.

We made it home Monday at about 8:30.  Bastain did pretty well considering it was a day drive and all he could do to entertain his crazy self was watch movies that he's already seen at least 15 times a piece.  At one point he started crying because the boob tube had numbed his brain and he just wanted some peace and quiet....poor kid.  I guess we over did the electronic babysitter.   He did spend some time playing with all the little toys Gogo let him steal from her, which was so nice.  Thanks again mom.

Brooklynn, you're the best.  Thanks so much for everything you did while we were there.  Can't wait to everyone again for Thanksgiving.  

Bored on a Friday night:

It's been a great few days here.  Gogo has been such a tireless playmate and Brooklynn too.  Dad has given me some work to do, so that was nice as well.  Leaving Hotel Barry is going to be rough, but I'm certainly not complaining because Mayhill is a little slice of heaven.  I just wish I spent more time there.

Here is a scary video I made recently.  I did it because I wanted to put some audio on here that didn't play automatically while the site loaded, but gave ya all some insight into the beautiful rhythms that inspire one side of me.  It's nothing special, just some stuff thrown together for the audio. 

Well tonight Alli went with a friend to a show down in central Phoenix, so Bastian and I hung out with Gogo, Grandpa, Brian and Scottee with their kids, and Devin and Allison.  Aunt B was there some of the time too.  It was fun.  Grandpa fixed Mac and Cheese for all the grandkids and then we all squished imprints into Allison's water swollen legs.  That was awesome.   

Rob is out in Mississippi right now picking up a tractor....I can't wait to see it.    We're here in Phoenix to go their (Rob and Betsy's) wedding shower on Saturday (we're a little early).  

I'm beat.  

Oh yeah, last week I was Houston for a class.  It went well.  I really learned a lot.  Houston is a funny place.  They're such hicks down there....I thought Mayhill was the pooling place for backwoods, but boy was I way off....Texan's are all backwoods.   Mayhill is just the tip of the iceberg.   Before long, I'll be throwing out "Hey ya'lls" and wearing tight Wranglers....Yeeehaaaaa.

Sunday night.  I have a week long class to go to starting tomorrow that will give me the nitty gritty details about the stuff Rob and I spray called polyuria.   It's a product, kinda like that spray-in truck bed liner, only way stronger with more tinsel strength and psi strength.  

The road has been done for quite some time now.  I got excited today when I replaced the battery in the RV and it turned right over, so I decided to take it to the top.  The guy that came to give a bid on drilling us a well was right, the road is too narrow for wide vehicles (dang it!!!).  I made it 4/5 the way there.   I hit a bump in the road which jumped me violently to the right (downhill) and shoved the RV's passenger tire overboard.   If I could ever get this internet to upload before it timed out, then I'd put up a picture, but it doesn't look too promising.  

Alright, I'm the kinda guy that needs feedback, any feedback on things that I write, so please go over the site: jimmysplacetoreign.blogspot.com and read it when you get enough time.  I'm certainly not a professional, but if I've ever going to try and make money at this thing, I'm gonna need feedback.   If it just plain sucks, I'd like to know...ya know?  But, if it holds your attention and you kinda want to know where it's headed, then that would also be great to know.  

Well, I've tried several times to upload a single small image, but the internet just won't handle it for some reason.  I guess that means to videos either....I had a couple good ones to put up too darn it.

I posted chapters 2 and 3....

Bastian is just over two years old, so I thought I should try and write down some things that he might want to know when he's older, which reminds me of one:  Whenever he is thinking of something he'll go, "hmmm, let's see," and then continue that sentence as long as he's sort of spaced out working on something.  He puts his hand up to his forehead as if the sun were in his eyes and looks off into the distance saying, "see anything?"  He then looks around at all of us to make sure we're doing the same thing.  Hmmm, let's see, what else?  Oh yeah, he's got his ABC's down and absolutely gets a kick out of finding new places where his ABC magnets will stick.  He also knows his numbers up to 12 and counts on his hands as if he actually knows what it means (who knows, maybe he does).   I'd say his vocabulary is up to about 800 words and uses two word sentences.  We've been working on spelling GO lately and other two letter words, but I don't think he sees how the phonics comes into play yet.  He can name the letters, but the word doesn't mean anything to him yet.  Hmmm, what else?  He really likes playing with trucks and talking on the phone (balancing out that yin/yang), though he'll have nothing to do with Barbies yet (I guess that doesn't come until your a teenager, hahahahaha).  

Oh, see the bottom for my latest political outcry (boring)

In my opinion, and I know that it doesn't count for much more than that,  I have to say that our Republican Representatives in Washington did the right thing this morning by shooting down this bailout plan, or excuse my language, the "Recovery Plan" (oh please).  The fact that the Democrats, on the other hand, pushed for it in significant numbers troubles me, but then again, Dems are usually the ones pushing for more oversight and regulation, while Reps prefer smaller government.   In most cases, health care, education, and other social services, I do prefer the Democratic point of view, but this time, on this absolutely ridiculous idea that more debt can solve a problem of debt, just seems like the wrong idea at this point.  I would agree to more regulation, but not to the 3/4 of a trillion dollars for a few massive banks.  Of course, like always, I could be wrong.  I don't get much in the way of information out here, other than reading the Internet news (and I think we all know how reliable that can be). 

I know its boring to most, but I have to say something political again.

I'm tired, but just finished watching the presidential debate and thought I had to get my two cents out of my head so that I can sleep peacefully.  I have to admit that I went into the show with my biases, but I tried to remain open so as to be better informed for the election and I'll say that I hold McCain in higher esteem, but will still vote for Obama because of several issues that I feel are important that he represents and McCain does not.  I thought McCain represented well his understanding of the world and it's leaders.  I thought he also showed real concern and love for the country, and would make a great ambassador, but as president I think he seriously misses the point.  I think over the last 30 some odd years in the Senate should have given him ample time to learn the lessons of Washington, but he still fell for the crying wolf tactics of the current moron in power.    He kept trying to portray himself as a Reagan follower rather than a Bush man and then he kept trying to misrepresent Obama and portray him as naive.   I think these ideas failed miserably.  I can see why nearly half the country likes the guy, but we're not idiots.  We can see passed the politics.  I thought Obama did a better job than McCain at speaking to the overall "feeling" in America that we're tired of the games and are in need of some serious growing up in Washington.   I remember when I was in grade school and when I fought with my friends we ignored each other for days, well I don't expect that same thing to happen with grown men/women who are leading us.  I just think Obama speaks to the world better than McCain does and we need reconciliation right now, not 30 some odd years of unlearning.   But with that said, I like McCain.  He has served the country and I admire that, but to be 72 and still be making the same mistakes that you did when you were new-b just doesn't jive-yo.  

So this was a tag from B.  The only problem I had was that there were only three pics in the fourth folder and the next one down was a movie....so here's a movie of the Stink:

I tag Riley, Giselle, Tiff, and the Guinea Pigs

Man, It's like 8 oclock my time, but I'm out in AZ again for a job.  It'll be a quick trip, but I'm definitely missing Alli already.  Bastian I can wait to see though...Naa, he's a good kid and I kinda sorta miss him?

Let's see, we left at 8 this morning and arrived in Phx about 8 hours later.  It's weird how some drives can seem like they get shorter as you make them over and over, but this one just seems to be eight strong hours every &$(#&%* time.  I'm not ungrateful for the work though, in fact, I'm very happy to be out here to visit quickly and to earn a few bucks.  I'm sure I don't need to remind you that we do have a small home of mud to sculpt soon.    And although there will be a minimal discount for the structural materials, there will still be substantial cost to be able to live sustainably.  

You know what I thought was funny on the way over though?  That on many of these SUV's  passing by doing like 110 miles per hour, there were these bumper stickers that valiantly proclaimed (or rather demanded) "God Bess America".   I find it ironic that these drivers (and I'm certainly not perfect here, but I'm not driving around with the sticker either) can even ask God to bless these great States when they're polluting the grand country and destroying the air our grandchildren are going to breathe.   I'm not saying that you have to buy the whole climate change bit to understand my point here.  What I'm thinking is that any sane person doesn't want to have to drink polluted water, eat polluted food, nor do they want to breathe polluted air.  So I'm suggesting that perhaps they should think about taking the stickers off their giant vehicles until they can learn to meet God half way.  But who am I to judge???  I mean really, I certainly have no right to judge.  Maybe they are doing a lot in another area, say perhaps, they are feeding the homeless, clothing the naked or somethings noble like that.   I'll never know, but I still can't help thinking as they burn gasoline at twice the rate of the average traveler with their proud stickers on board, that they are living a hypocritical life.   And if you read my post a few days ago, then you'll understand completely why I'm weak.  

I woke up this morning with the weirdest thought in my head.  Since it was the first thing that I thought of and now I'm sticking it out there into the blogosphere, I'm probably gonna have to take it down eventually out of self-respect.   It seems to me that since a young age we all have this idea in our head that what we know is right and we're pretty damn stubborn about it.  I'm talking about everything from how tasty ants are as the wriggle down the esophagus to our little ideas about how love works and how we keep it in our lives.  I'm not sure why I was thinking about it, but the contrasting thought is that we all think we're so open-minded, and I think we can all agree that our own ways work for each of us, which is absolutely the opposite of openness.   If we're thinking in terms of "our ways" isn't that owning a set of principles or rules to which we do not stray because we have experience that tells us that ants do not taste good and that if I do this or that to someone they will leave my life?  To me, that suggests an amount of stubbornness, or unforgiving of a past event to either yourself or someone else.   I once read a book by a guy named Krishnamurti that suggested that true love holds no stubbornness, is open to each moment as if it were brand new, and forgives at an instant.   I can see his point, I can Jesus's point, I can see Muhammad's point, I get it.  But why don't any of us live it?  At this point in my life I think a nice balance might be as far as I can go.   Perhaps someday in the future I'll be more capable of instant forgiveness so that I'm open to new things constantly.  I can certainly see the joy that would come from that.  O, to be less stubborn.

Well if I had to guess, I would say we have about three to five days left on the road.  Whoever said you couldn't build a mountain road with a backhoe?  I'll be the first to admit that it has been a bit freaky at times because it's way tippy, but we've managed.  Rob has kept a steady pace in front of me felling trees, but he's just about finished.  He can actually turn left now and head straight over to the house that Alli and I will build.   

Alli started testing cakes today for Rob and Betsy's reception.  Mmmm mmmm goooood.  She is going to make six different cakes before and have us test each one and then make the cake out of the one that we like the best.  I love my job.  

Let's see, what's Bastian been up to other than being stinky?  Not much.  He's been a little sick lately, probably because Gogo force fed him junk food all week last week (hahahaha, I crack me up).   I think he's doing much better although he's still having a hard time coping with being two-years-old.  For some reason he still thinks that he's the center of the earth, and that throwing tantrums is the way we all get what we want.  When is he gonna realize that no one really ever gets what they want out of life, we all get what we need whether we think we like it or not.  

  

Wink, aren't I sexy?

This is Alli and I at the music stage at the Raw Food Festival.  I have to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to this event, but I had a great time and learned a ton of useful information that we'll employ back on the farm (spit).   There was some good sustainability info and older folks who had been raw for over 40 years that were spry and intelligent beyond the sagest I have met.  I'm glad we made it up there, and I owe Chris a big thanks for the ticket.

Man this week has been great so far.  I've got so much to be thankful for...I feel very fortunate.

Well, I rushed the first two chapters on to the blog at jimmysplacetoreign.blogspot.com for the book and made a lot of errors and really wasn't satisfied.  I changed it a bit, so hopefully it's somewhat little more readable.  

Ok, the first chapter to the book can be read at: http://jimmysplacetoreign.blogspot.com/

I'm not an editor, so pardon the grammar.  I've tried writing several books before, but this one seems to be a more thought out vision in my head, so I'm hoping that you all enjoy it somewhat.

I just got online to check out the costs of mason jars and got completely sidetracked.   We're in Phx right now, we arrived early this morning.  Alli did most of the driving this time, which was nice.  I read aloud the fifth Harry Potter.  Yes, I know, it's been a month and we're still on that book.  What can I say; I'm a slow reader.  It was an interesting ride over this time, because it was Bastian that had the gas instead of me, and when he wasn't sleeping he was quietly reciting the ABC's, or spelling out letters from the trucks driving by.  Night driving....gotta love it.

Boy what a sad couple of days we've had here. It's rough seeing family drive off from a place that is theirs, but they feel that cannot claim as of now. I hope that circumstances change soon, so that this land can be properly occupied. It feels too vacant without all of you. Rob, Alli, and I had to throw ourselves into our work to ease the loss we all feel. Needless to say, the road advanced considerably today and Rob actually worked all day and is now down in Alamogordo to get new chain for the big chainsaw, so that we're not held up for tomorrow's push. "Manners"(just for you dad), I love operating a backhoe, and I think Adam found a new love as well.
My favorite part of the weekend was playing Quelf with the group the first night Adam and Anya were here. The seven or eight of us laughed for about three straight hours, probably because of Wil's fake laugh. It was nice to have such a variety of people too, each adding to the diverse conversation and personal edification. Most of all though, I owe all of you so much for contributing to Bastian's life. He loves being with all of you, although I think Ella and Johnny are perhaps his favorites (more than even his parents).
If any of you haven't played this game Quelf, I highly recommend it. We played it three or four times in three days and I have to say that it is perhaps one of things I like to share most, well besides a good Tool album anyway. Speaking of music, Betsy, Alli and Jess all sang a song in different harmonies, which was spectacular. We also got Alli and Jess recorded singing one of Alli's originals. It sounds so good. I'll try and figure out a way to get it on here.
Oh, and one more thing: I've recently started a new story that I'd like to post by chapter on a different blog. It's a about a boy who has an inward ability to talk to things that normally wouldn't react to conversation. I know, I know, it doesn't sound that interesting, but perhaps what I lack in imagination will be made up simply in curiosity for the unknown. I have to admit that I'm a little hesitant to put it out there, but soon enough, soon enough, I'll have the courage to get that first chapter posted. I'll let ya know...

So here is the oven so far.  The bottles are for insulation.  The hearth with go on top of this insulated layer and then the dome.

Just to make B a little jealous, this is a picture of her cake and a poster that Alli made for her birthday.  We understand how school can be tough, so hopefully we'll see you soon B.  

This is Bastian and Ella playing an ABC game.  Lifesaver!

Well, I have to say that despite the loss that Brian, Scottee, and the rest of the family has felt over the past few days, spirits are still high and we are so happy that Adam and Anya were able to make it out this weekend.   Last night we laughed for about three straight hours playing Quelf with both sides of the family.  Then this morning we went for a wet hike up to the top of the mountain and afterwards discussed the possiblity of putting Bessy, Adam's dog, down.  She has bitten a couple of us since she's been here.  I can understand why she would want to bite me, but she took a bite out of Geenie's knee which seems odd because she is so gentle and loves animals.  I think she's just feeling out of her element and unsure about all these new people.  

Our wheatgrass flats

Our roses.  The pictures don't show them too well, but they are nice.  Coming along, anyway.

This is the ceiling I started to paint.  I'm not sure I like where it's going, so I'll probably start paint over some of it.

Here is the backhoe and the beginnings of our country road

This is the lettuce patch.  There is kale, dark and green lettuce, and spinach

Here's the wall we did behind the new wood-burning stove

This is Alli's test oven.  It came out really well and actually cooked a small loaf of bread.

This is the going to be the door for the oven we're going to build this weekend with everyone here.

This is the foundation for the new oven.  When it's finished it will be about 16 inches high inside and the outside will spill over the edges.

Today we started the road to the summit.  It's going to be a long process, but man, driving a backhoe is some fun stuff.  I'm behind on pics of the house, so I'll try and get some on here quick.

This is a great video that Alli made for her mom of Bastian.  I'm pretty sure that he has played for hours with those magnets and every time he thinks he makes a word, he runs over and pulls mom to show her.  Abstain is my favorite scramble of his name, or

 just plain stain.  

Well we're done.  I'll take some pictures and see if I can put something up here soon.

I've been thinking today that nearly everyone I know is voting for McCain and it's making me ask why.  And, if I had to say, I think it's because of the tag associated with his name, he's a Republican and if there's one thing that speaks more to people than anything else it's tradition.   To me, that's just sad.  I remember on my mission fighting tradition earnestly, so that people might find the courage to change, even if it wasn't for long, so that they might be able to experience something new and exciting.  Tradition has it's place, but when it comes to the leading officials of the country, in my mind, they better be on the front edge and willing to take risks in order to keep, at least, one step ahead of the rest.  In my view, McCain is not that man.   If you look around the world, the majority of the developed western countries all scream Barack's name for president.   I'm not sure I understand this fully, but I do know that when I was overseas and in Central America, most, if not all of the people with whom I came in contact hated Bush.  Once they found out I was American, it was the second thing they told me.  I wasn't a huge supporter of the man either, but I didn't hate him, so these revelations were always quite shocking.  After I returned home from these places I did my own research, a lot of research, and came to my own conclusions.  Bush fell completely from my favor and I became politically active on the other side.  I'm not a Democrat, I'm an Independent and I will vote for the person that more closely mirrors my ideas of progress, not tradition, and this time around it just happens to be the Dem.  Now, I'm expecting some hate mail from all of this, and possibly some "you don't know what you're talking about"s.  Well, that may be, but until you come up with an argument worth debating, then try and follow your mother's advice and say nothing at all.   Politics usually brings out the worst in people because at the core, we all want the world to be our own little utopia.  Well, with the billions of different views we all have, I think we all know that isn't going to happen, so we settle for crooked politicians to sort of lead us in our voyage, hoping for the best, but usually getting the lesser of two evils.  Man, it's unsettling, but at least I didn't write anything about religion.

I'm pooped.  We got behind a day because we decided to tile the bathroom as well, which required a new subfloor.  But, I'm happy to say that the toilet is back in, and a new mirror, cabinet, and light fixture are all hung.  Now we just need to grout the entire thing tomorrow and put the vanity back in (No, we're not grouting under the toilet...we're just too pressed in order to wait for that).   So, let's see, we did the kitchen, the wall behind the wood-burning stove, the mud room and the bathroom.  All in all Bastian has been decently patient through the entire process since some of the time certain areas were off limits while the thin set was drying.  

Now that I've sorta got a handle on this, let's try a homemade vid.

Gearing up to put down the tiles floors today in the kitchen and mud room.  Tile, though I've only done it a couple of times, is never fun stuff, but at least it's nice when it's finished.  I think I've finally figured out how to do video and pics on this bloggin' thingy, so I'm gonna post a little of us doin' what we do....

Oh yeah, we adopted a little kitty today.  He's our mouse trap.

Jimmminnneee Christmas, this uploading video stuff takes forever!

The clouds have been mocking us over the past ten days, but finally today we replenished our empty water jugs.  It's been so nice, rarely a moment over 60 degrees and because of the temp change, the turkeys have just been hanging out down in the pasture (At least I think it's because of the rain).  

Over the last couple of days, I've been putting together a list of things we'll need to buy for our little cottage up on the hill, and it's gonna be expensive.  I'll have to figure something out quick, because the backhoe will be dropped off within the next couple of days, and you know what that means....no?  Well, we'll start the road to the top.  I imagine it'll take a month, but then we're in building business.  

You know what's nice about country livin', no fast food.  In fact, there's not much junk food around and you know what's nice about that?  I'm regular.   It hasn't seemed to have helped with the gas though; I'm not sure there is anything out there that can...not even multiple doses of Bean-o.  

This morning I got up a little before six and went inside to read for a bit.  After Bastian woke up, I went out into the front yard and picked several dandelion greens for a smoothie.  Once Bastian downed his "juice", I made him some oatmeal.  You know what else is nice about country livin'?  We eat two meals a day together as a family.  

Man, I must be hungry.  All I've put in here is stuff about food.  

Rob left this morning to go visit his wife in Phoenix.  Yesterday, we all went down into "town" to visit a man about some grapes.  We also harvested some more mesquite beans to grind up for cookies.  Eventually, in about two years, I think we'll be completely, and comfortably, self-sustaining.   

Tuesday today eh?  Well, it was a day that was spent mostly with Bastian instead of working, though we did some of that too.  When he woke up from his nap we laid in the hammock for about half an hour singing songs and counting.  Then he figured out how to swing us back and forth using the pull rope and tried doing that for about another fifteen minutes laughing the entire time.  But I think he laughed the hardest today when he saw Go-go's e-card singing as a monkey.  Funny stuff mom.

I started prepping the ceiling in the guest room to paint a mural today.  It's not a large room, so I imagine that I'll have it done before everyone gets here.  I only have one goal while painting this: try to create a painting that doesn't take away from the space that is already so limited.   

Man, the turkey's are loud tonight.  There are about a flock of 4o that run through here morning and evening, but they do not even compare to the noise that the cows are making these days.  Breeding....Moooooooo

My shoes have like a quarter inch sheet of mud on them from trenching a leach field this morning, so I'm walking around stylishly in sandals and ankle socks.  My shirt, I got it for giving blood, and the headline on it says Recycle Life. I've worn these shorts for six straight days. Man, life is good.  

Bastian is wailing out in the yard right now because mom took away the phone.  Normally, it's not that big of a deal, but both of us are on the internet and for some unexplained reason the net does not work while the tele is in use.  It's definitely nap time.  

Ok, he's now in bed screaming, and I can distinctly make out through the tears a cry for friends and family.  Can't wait to see ya all!  The more the merrier, so anyone who is now just hearing about this for the first time, come on over for Labor Day and enjoy the Mayhill weather and company.  We'd love to see you! 

Yesterday we laid bamboo flooring in the "guest" bedroom.  It came out really nicely.  In fact, I'm thinking of moving out of the RV now.  Although, that would mean leaving behind the luxurious 1980's upholstery which puts me in a serious quandary; new flooring, or retro living space?  Well, I suppose I'll just have to sleep on it, literally.  

Three days ago, we added the largest member to the family, a baby brown cow.  She'll be a milk giver one o' these days.  (spit).  

Today, we went out for a short drive to find some more mesquite trees to harvest, so that we could make some more flour out of the pods.  We ended up driving 75 miles one way and while we were in the midst of picking, a rancher stopped by and told us that he had just sprayed to kill the trees a week ago.  That's 35 lbs. of pickings gone, but on the bright side, we saw what Artesia looked like and we'll never have to go back.  Down the other direction towards Alamorgordo, there are hundreds of trees just waiting for some little human hands to caress them.  

We are very excited for labor day.  I think we're going to have something like 15 extra people hanging around....that's 30 extra hands to help with our little handful who is outside in the RV right now watching Spongebob.  I know that if he knew it, he would be just as excited as we are.   

My new sweet baby - brisket!

What do you think about my little new baby brisket?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Not even sure what day it is today. I think it might be Wednesday. It was a difficult day because Bastian got up too early and then acted like it for the remaining 14 hours. I'm sure Uncle Rob ,and his friend Tom that is visiting, took the opportunity to avoid the place as much as possible because tensions were getting too high. I hate the mind games that come along with parenting. I'm just no good at evaluationg myself to know if I'm being neglectful, being too harsh, or too lenient. I mean, where's the manual? I think when Bastian was born the stork forgot to leave the blueprints man!
Anyway, enough of that. I think the real problem is that I don't feel like I accomplished anything today. I spent so much time trying to repair my frayed nerves that work just went buuuh-bye which is what really gives me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Perhaps I need a mind shift? Perhaps, I need to think more in terms of how my relationships grew instead of how much was finished on the ranch. Easier said than done.
On the very bright side, tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to spend it thinking about how I can get Gogo and Grandpa to take Bastian for the winter!

River Trip

Most of you know me as a sort of rag-a-muffin go-with-the-flow flip-flop wearing beard-o.  I took showers for granted until our latest adventure where I successfully added a 1/4 inch layer of dirt and river soot to my body over eight days floating the Green River in Utah.   Then upon arriving to our little home in Mayhill only to find the house completely drained of water, I had never felt so slimy.  To add to the days of unwashing, we had only been home for hours when we decided to pack it up and drive another 400 miles to reunite with the family in Heber, Arizona and to, thankfully, bathe ourselves at two in the morning.  Can you imagine how our car must have reeked with two grown stinking adults and a two-year-old that poops in the same seat in which he sits?  Let the good times roll...

Twenty days ago, we arrived at the put-in near Myton, Utah.  To get the negative of the trip out of the way, let me just say that the mosquitoes, the first two days, were swarming so thickly that I had over 30 bites on one calf before the first night was over.  I could be exaggerating a bit there, but really, the bugs were out en masse.

Upon arrival, Skip the Ranger came down to the boats, shared a slice of watermelon, and entertained us with his captain-like chivalry.  Bob's boat busted at the zipper seams, but Skip's optimism, and Rob's help, kept him from packing it in and driving back to Tucson.  I'm glad, it just wouldn't have been the same trip without him there.  Bob is an attorney and a photographer.  He was the first one with his camera out when a little overzealous water snake tried to swallow an entire catfish we had on the line waiting to be eaten.  I forgot that catfish had these sharp bones on the sides by their gills that, if not handled properly, would stab easily right through skin.  Needless to say, my left hand took a stab and swelled up a little.

After the three rafts were loaded, Bob pitched a tent, and the rest of us went into a little screened patio area to sleep.  The mosquitoes were swarming the patio, it was too hot to get inside a sleeping bag, and the snoring was out of control.  Sleep did not come easy that night and I eventually got up, bathed myself in repellent and stared wistfully over at Bob in his tent cozy and isolated.  

Tim and Nicole arrived late in the night, so in the morning while Bastian sat in the truck, unacclimated to the new adventure, watching a DVD, we got the final things loaded and helped Tim get his raft into the river.   This was going to be the longest day of rowing, 18 miles, so once Skip the Ranger checked our gear and signed our permit, we were off.  Wil gave us a lesson on safety and a speedy intro to rowing, which would serve as my foundation for the rest of the trip.  Alli, Bastian and I were in one boat, Wil and Rob rode together, Bob had his own, and Tim and Nicole followed us all in their raft.  A storm picked up at about midday that started pushing our raft upstream.  The rain was coming in sideways and Alli's hat went flying, so I "Forest Gumped" it into the river to go after it.  We tied up to shore thereafter for a short break while the weather pushed on through.   Later on, we found a cozy sand bank to camp on the first night and ate pasta while we all talked and got to know each other a little better.

The next morning, Tim and Nicole cooked biscuits for breakfast.  I, then, had a couple of chances to get better with the little rapids that were there before lunch where hummus pockets were served.  The food on this trip was absolutely over the top gourmet.  After dinner, we watched Bastian begin to adopt Wil as his personal idol.  

Though the name Desolation Canyon was given, this was anything but desolate.  As we rode the water we saw Beavers, billions of bugs humming collectively that gave the listener the odd sensation of being out in the middle of nowhere, but hearing airplanes.  We saw antelope, big horn sheep, a black bear, and camp was invaded almost nightly by ring tail cats.  The canyons were busy with sedimentary layers, rocks that looked as if they were teetering on their axes, and windows that would just let you see a little bit beyond those giants rack faces.  

The next morning I took a turn on the IK, which is an inflatable Kayak.  I found a new love.  One of these days I would love to take an IK packed with two days worth of gear and just go get naked somewhere remote.  That afternoon we saw some ruins that, funny enough, were built nearly ten years after the house in which we live now.  That night, Wil, Bastian, Rob, and I tried throwing rocks across the river, but were left with a considerable distance to make up.  It's a wide river?  I'm not weak?  Watching Bastian chase Wil around and dance to his hootings in the pot pans and water containers was hilarious.  They really became the entertainment for the trip.   After we ate garlic soup and lasagna, prepared by Alli, we drew pictures, played guitar and just stayed up enjoying the beautiful starry night.

For my skill level, the next day was exciting.  The rapids definitely poured over the sides a few times and doused the books were had brought aboard for Bastian and the two Harry Potter books we were reading aloud to each other.  The next day we started the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire.  We're such geeks.  Bastian tried following Wil up the side of a mountain at camp and then sat down later that night in a chair for hours and "talked" with all of us before he went to bed at 11.   

The next day, I was so hungry by lunch time that I made a sandwich out of french dip, potato chips, melting cheese, and pickles.  And if you've made it this far through this boring recount of an exciting trip, then let me just take a moment to tell you how much I love you.  You're a great person and if you ever need someone to read something boring that you wrote, then count me in!  

The last two days were easy.  If you told me that we went further than eight miles a day, then I'd probably say that you're nose was growing.  At the take out, we all got an earful from the cranky old man that figured we were robbing him of all his space and then said a really, really sad goodbye to Wil.  He was not headed back to Mayhill, and we hope that it will not be for long.  He really added life to this place and besides missing that, he made a great role model for his little follower, Bastian. 

Once lunch was over in Green River, Utah, we headed home and would have made it in good time had it not been for a double blow out on the dual-axel trailer.  We slept nervously on the freeway until morning when Discount Tire would open.  And then finally, after 24 hours of travel and with dirt and grime caked on the body, we arrived at our little slice of heaven parked up 6400 feet in the Sacramento mountains.   Man I love it here.  I can't say that enough and to leave right away was not going to be easy.  But I can honestly say that I have never had so much fun than I did, not to mention clean fun (as in shower clean), than I did at the family reunion the following days.  Yeee-haaaaaaaaa!

We got quite a lot accomplished today and it couldn't have been done if Wil and Alli hadn't skipped out on the diner gig.  Alli sprayed the popcorn ceilings with water out of a typical weed sprayer while I followed her with a six inch wall knife scraping that useless stuff off of the ceiling.  After we, including Wil, finished the two rooms' ceilings where we had redone the wood floors we moved the furniture back in and finally got 90% organized.  Wil came with me to the dump in Weed (yes, the town is actually called that, I didn't name it).  Then we repacked the bearings on Rob's trailer, sat through a storm that completely swamped our pasture, put down baseboards, ate great food that Alli made, picked up a new Energy Star fridge and moved that in, and then cleaned the house.  

The Stink just went to bed and it's almost ten.  He's such a great kid putting up with us being so busy sometimes.  During dinner he stood up on his chair and started preaching to us all in his language, arms outstretched and giving emphasis on certain syllables to let us know he was serious.  It was hilarious.  Later, while Wil was taking a shower, he was singing and Bastian decided to join in with his own little rendition.  He loves singing.  It's great.  I've always had this thing in my head that I couldn't get rid of about singing, but I'll do it for him.  He deserves to see no fear in certain things and an example of self love and confidence.  

A few of you wanted me to get cheesy on ya.  I know that the preceding paragraph wasn't exactly corny, so next time I think of something that might make mom cry, I'll put in here.

Does anyone know how to set this thing up so you can receive an email when either someone writes something new, or when you receive a comment?   I'd really like to be notified when someone puts something new up and also to respond to any comments.

The bugs are out in full force tonight.  We think it's because of the lacquer we put down on the floors today.  They are hovering around the cans by the hundreds and trying to sneak in the windows for a taste of that stinky s#@&.   Not sure why, because when I'm in the room applying that stuff, I can't wait to get out for a breath of fresh air.  So anyway, the floors are done in the living room and Bastian's room.  I cannot even describe the difference, and we forgot to take "before" photos.  But suffice it to say, we're pleased and Bastian is very lucky he has an uncle that cares so much.

Alli is has been working today down at one of the restaurants.  The owner there has hired Alli and Wil, her nephew, to work there occasionally (which has been quite frequently actually, because she is the only one there cooking and taking orders.).  At this restaurant, you can get a burger for a dollar, a bag of chips for 25 cents, and a can of soda for 50 cents.  For any of you that have a hard time with the math, that's $1.75 for an entire meal.  What's 20% of $1.75?  Oh yeah, not much, so up-selling is vital when you're being paid $3 an hour plus tips.  I'm sorry if that sounds cynical, I'm certainly not bagging it.  I think it's great that Alli and Wil are needed so badly there (and here BTW).   I know that the transition from only knowing yourself as a mother to being someone else as well is vital, so I strongly encourage her to get out and do it even though I really do miss her during the day.   

Man I just wrote something really corny and erased it.  I had to, it's just not something I should blog about.  

Man, these bugs!  I'll have to quit for now.  

It's funny how when you sit down to write on these things that you forget everything that you were just thinking about three minutes ago.  

I was sitting outside tonight watching the bat show (we have hundreds of bats living in our ceiling that fly out through the roof top at twilight), which is way cool, and it occurred to me that I forgot to mention something that might just put a grin on most of your faces.

Up in town, or rather village, there are two restaurants and a gas station.  The two diner owners hate each other, which basically puts the town in two camps.  Those that eat at diner A, and those that eat at diner B.  Of course, there are those that are smart about it and make sure that if they eat at diner B one night, that on their next visit to the village, they eat at diner A.  So two nights ago, while we were visiting diner B, one such smart individual came in for a sundae and we got to talking about how the one canyon up here literally dried up since the last fire.  The river is no longer there, so the guy suggests that we call in the Mormons.  I just stared at him blankly wondering what the hell he was talking about.   And then he explained that Mormons were known, back in the day, for being able to make water travel uphill.  "Geniuses," he said.  Man, I giggled and mentioned that I would be sure to pass the word on to my parents who would love to hear how smart they are.  Obviously, if they moved here, they would be rotating visitors of both diners A and B.

Sunday

I keep getting that feeling like someone is going to pull the carpet out from under me. I'm not anxious, but rather I'm subtlety concerned. I suppose that's normal and probably deeply ingrained after millenniums of evolution and the fear/flight mechanisms churning constantly. I'm just too grateful to be here and I'm not accustomed to having so much joy...weird.
I've been pouring over books lately about home design, passive solar, active solar, and other books that will eventually lead to the blueprints of our new little casa in the mountains. Man, I feel so fortunate. I've drawn up two designs already and I know I'll keep on revising as time goes on until the day I start digging.
Last night I hooked up the music system here and figured out how to get the amp to play the outputs of all the recording equipment. Bastian sang us a solo for about three minutes and then tonight, after he was in bed, cried once he heard Alli flip the power switch on to record without him there. He is a born vocalist, but man, nine-thirty is way past bed-time. I really love to sit and listen to her play. She has a gift and she doesn't even know it. Perhaps that is what makes it so pleasant.

We're up to 5 inches of rain over the past two days.  I decided to drive the truck down to check out the ram in the pour yesterday and ended up walking back because the truck's wheels sank in the soft orchard topsoil.  Not even low 4wd would budge it.  I have a feeling that it's going to be a couple of days before I'm able to get it out.  

Bastian loves the rain.  I'm looking out at the yard right now and it's littered with trucks and little people that drive the trucks.  He wants so badly to go off and explore this place, but Alli and I are reluctant to follow him around while it's so wet.  "I'm sorry to say Bastian, but it looks like another reading day."  I suppose I just need to get some rain gear or get wet.  

The rain has slowed to a drizzle.  The mountain across the street is just starting to peek out from behind the sheets of water and fog.  There are still clouds hovering in the valley and though the sun has just barely risen, the entire valley is in the darkest blue.  I went to the porch this morning and two hummingbirds were perched, patiently waiting for the seemingly ceaseless rain to subside for another day of eating their weight in nectar.  

Oh!  I hear a stinker.  Time to rise already?  It's rather early for the little guy to be up, so I think I'll let him stir.  It's just past six.  Last night we ran out of water at the house because we had not learned how to fill the tank with the ram.  This old ingenious mechanical device, the ram, looks a lot like a balloon, but certainly lacks the traits not having any sort of ability to float, or for that matter, leave the ground at all.  It pushes water uphill without the use of electricity, through pressure alone, and has been running maintenance free since the early 1940's.  We quickly re-taught ourselves how to use it and after about an hour, we had water and the tank was filling, which will continue to fill until all 4000 gallons over 36 hours have finished.  

He went back to sleep, which is great, because I'm still half asleep.   He is almost two, he can say a bunch of stuff, including colors, counting almost to ten, shapes, animals, and basically all of his toys.  He says please and thank you and when he's deciding what to do next he makes a long hmmm sound and puts his finger up to his mouth and taps his lips several times.  He can go through about 100 flash cards of different nouns, and "read" almost all of his 30 or so books.  Let's see...he loves Blue's Clues and does little dances with Steve, the Backyardagains, and Elmo.  I guess it's all typical kid-being-a-sponge stuff, but as parents we all think it's amazing.   Oh, and speaking of typical....his tantrums are ridiculous, but entertaining.

Monday, July 7, 20008

I love this porch.  The offering of peace amidst raging weather is beyond comforting.  But for now, it's calm and the rusted panels on the barn spelling EEEEEE show a detail that I would've surely missed in Phoenix.  Time moves slower here, not because the minute hand is lazy, but the hour hand is fortunate enough to belong to us and we sell our time to no other.  We still bust our asses though.  I do not like idleness.  It breathes and breeds.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

It rained almost an inch and a half today.  We couldn't even see the mountain across the street it was dumping sheets so furtively.  All it took was that nourishment to turn the brown grass green and glimpses of Scotland glowed brilliantly through after about two hours of dry time.  On the porch, we sat and watched the pour and a hummingbird dodged and weaved the drops to attempt a sugar rush at the feeder.  The rain was too intense for the wee thing, so it took cover in the crab apple tree hovering over the porch.  It's about seven now and it's exactly 71 degrees.  Off in the distance another storm rages, but over here there's a rainbow and countless birds calling.  An hour ago we went down to the creek and Bastian and I threw rocks into the river to attempt to slow the swift current so that tomorrow we might be able to have a little fishing hole and a brown trout dinner.  Alli walked the banks picking fresh parsley, rosemary, and mint for a tasty fresh salad to go with lunch tomorrow.  

It's Sunday, but we did do some work.  We pulled up the carpets and tack strips in Bastian's room to expose the oak floors that were probably put in about a hundred years ago.  Alli finished up cleaning the RV so that it is livable and semi-comfortable.  Bastian worked hard too.  He helped me with his little screwdriver and then played with his trucks toughening up his already calloused knees on the rough oak.  

So far, it's been everything we could've imagined.  We work together, play together, and just feel peaceful.  I can't believe we even though about putting this off for ten years or so, while I went to school and worked to pay off student loans in a ridiculous rat race that surely would have turned out a divorce, unhappiness, and greed.