sad but true

When I voted for Obama I felt I was voting for the guy who voted against the war.
Now I realize I instead voted for the guy who promised to go into Afghanistan during his campaign.
Joan Walsh (who often drives me crazy) gets it right in this article.
She writes..."I'm deeply disappointed, saddened even, but I don't feel betrayed. Obama has governed like the centrist he told us and showed us he is..."
Yeah, but I really hoped, even up to right before the speech that he would say that he changed his mind and just couldn't do it. Yes, I knew he wasn't as liberal as the right says he is but I somehow thought he would never do this, being a nobel peace prize winner and all. Damn. My big mistake. His big mistake.
So sad and miserable, this decision.

Read the article.

;(

Thanksgiving in Idyllwild

It started like this...


And turned, overnight, to this....


We had a great dinner but missed nana!(This is "THE
Official Thanksgiving Dinner Photo")

We went to the meadow, played games, read a lot, made an indoor cabin hammock
went to see "New Moon" at the Rustic Theatre with Mac and ate a LOT of everything
but the best was the split pea soup.
And here are two videos for Baby Feee! Wish you were here!


And now we are SOOOOOOOO ready for Christmas.

Zombie Christmas

Cami knows how to start Christmas off right with a book called
"Zombies: A book of Zombie Christmas Carols".
Our very favorite...


"Deck the Halls with Parts of Wally,
Fa la la la la la la la la la
'Tis the season for brains by golly
Fa la la la la la la la la la la la

Chew we now our friends gray matter,
Fa la la la la la la la la la
Wear old clothes 'cause fresh brains splatter,
Fa la la la la la la la la la"

etc etc etc.

Emmett and I cracked up and up.

Thankful.

We are off to Idyllwild while we get our house tented for termites. What a humongous pain in the butt this has been. Nana is staying close to home with the cats and it should all be over by Sunday. The final straw happened when squiggly termite larvae fell on Silas and me while we napped. Yes, when I woke up there were hundreds of maggots on the bed. Nasty.
And if you think you hear chewing or licking sounds in your walls and wonder "do termites make sounds?", the answer is YES!!
Anyway, after all this we should have busy but smooth holiday sailing with the usual Plum Pottery Student Sale and the house full of 1/2 completed Christmas present projects. I love this time of year no matter how crazy it gets...and even when I say I don't love it, I really do!

We have come up with a thankful list over the past month that is surely incomplete but you should know that if you are reading this YOU are in there deeply!! That means YOU and your babies too!!
We are thankful for...
family, BOOKS, nature, converse hightops, maps, fudge mint cookies, barbeque sauce, music, christmas, mashed potatoes, SEEDLINGS, butterflies, snuggly jams, hotels that take pets, candles, the end to termites, zarina, RAIN, school, days off from school, day shifts, good HEALTH, 'weener dogs', color, long tree swings, the ocean, forest pansy redbuds (like the one above!), time spent together, ELEPHANTS....and all that is YES!







(May you all be happy
and healthy and have
love in your lives
and heart sight!)

Emmett Ripping on the Piano

And a brief peek at Silas' new haircut!

3rd Grade and 7th Grade

These pictures slay me.
And, yes....after much deliberation Emmett decided to wear
the same hat as last year.
(8 years old and 11 years old.)

Good-bye Tree and Grass...

Our smaller, not-altogether-healthy front yard tree came down yesterday and we pulled up more of the grass to make room for another garden space.
This was step one and we don't expect to proceed with step two for a while...but the guys we got to take down the tree were just so quick. In the plans are a path and more retaining bricks like the other side and hopefully some fruit, herbs and vegetables as well as more drought tolerant plants.
We will see how this works with conserving water. We may have to pour all of our shower water out the window to pay for it!

We were able to cut much of the tree into firewood, stumps for sitting and stepping stones.

And Silas will be happy. He loves the dirt piles. Guess what he like to do now?...

"I am King Silas!"

Challenge the lying "Deficit Weenies"

READ THIS ARTICLE NOW and spread the word each and every time you hear
that ridiculous argument about the deficit.

Why I Love Our School!

Last night we went to Emmett's 3rd grade classroom for the celebration of the kid's service projects. Each student had to somehow make the world a better place and there were so many great projects. Really wonderful. (Check out this video by Bidane !!!)
But then to top it all off they decided, with the inspirational direction of Merrill and Dmitry and help from Allison Bell, to make their "project completion party" into another service project.
For $10 each of us received a handmade pottery bowl made by the kids, classroom made vegetable soup and salad (lettuce, radishes and herbs picked that morning from the school garden) and fresh bread AND then delicious apple bars (made by Cindy, Dmitry's wife) with apples picked by the kids on the field trip they went on last week.
And all the proceeds go to Food Not Bombs.
Wow.
It was a delicious meal...and one the kids deserved more than any other as they grew it, nurtured it, and put thought and love into it.
There were over 100 people there!
It felt like thanksgiving to me.
It was just awesome.
These kids get the best here...they just do.