Shameless Product Placement

Alma wanted a Seesaw t-shirt too.  I took my Seesaw t-shirt plus two tired out t-shirts, used a dress that fits her well as a pattern, and made us our own little walking billboard. A dusk photo shoot on our very very mini back porch ensued. 

The Tasks of Superheroes

Thanks to iphone apps and the convenience of Hawaii being three hours behind and Philadelphia three hours ahead, there is only a brief period of time in which NPR is not playing in my house. It is my primary source of news and information but I also just like the calm monotone voice sounds and Ratatat interludes.

However, it has gotten a bit more complicated now that Alma's ears are more preceptive and her brain more understanding. I do censor what she hears to some extent. For example, I didn't listen to NPR at all around her immediately after the Sandy Hook shooting or the Boston Marathon Bombing. But, the news is full of all kinds of things both big and small in their terribleness and it is not always clear what is appropriate for her to hear and what is not. She does this thing where she will pick up on one word that is said and say it back in a loud and disbelieving voice, as though the word were the funniest thing she has ever heard. Tonight I was listening to Marketplace and she said, "Mom! Money Laundry!!!! That's silly!"

During the coverage of the recent tornado, it became clear that she was not only repeating key words but understanding some of the context. Tornado is a terribly funny word to say over and over again. After she was done with that, she said, "The big tornado knocked down the whole city. Did people die?" I explained that the tornado was really big and people got hurt, some so badly that their bodies stopped working. Immediately, she responded, "When I am big, I'm gonna be Superman and then I'll fly really fast and push that tornado away and then no one will be hurt." She then ran out of the room and put on her cape and mask and flew around the house tackling imaginary tornadoes and cats.

I want to bottle that hope, that ingenuity. I want to capture the feeling that whatever is wrong is smaller than her, seal it in an age resistent container, and save it for her for that moment when life suddenly has a growth spurt and gnashes its terrible teeth. I want felt and craft glue and imagination to always save the day. I know that it can't, but I WANT it. I WANT it.

Day Trip of Beautiful

This town is a town made for day trips. Conveniently, my friend Kindra is a friend made for road trips.   Kindra, Alma, and I took a trip down route one to Big Sur a few weeks ago. Kindra was up for stopping and exploring everything and anything and that is exactly what we did.


The drive down route one is a thing of mystery and beauty filled with vistas and rocks and cliffs to explore. Also, apparently, dead trees for posing.

I found Swanton Berry Farm a few weeks previously and had been dreaming about the blackberry pie ever since. Its filled with kitch and all things delicious. It made the perfect lunch stop. Yes, pie is a perfectly respectable lunch.

    We found three amazing beaches. Each one was epic and would have made for a good day by themselves. All three made for something else all together. 

 

 So, when are you coming to visit?

The one that doesn't get a title (except this one)

I dropped my parents off at the airport about 25 minutes ago. It was the last goodbye of a month and a half of visitors and by far the hardest. Nothing feels like it is going right at this moment. For reasons that would take a long and frustrating explanation, I still have no job and no prospect of a job. I have no friends here. I have no family outside of Alma and Adam here. I feel like I have no ground under my feet.

This place is beautiful but it still feels like I am on vacation and I am desperate to go home. I will figure out how to move on from this feeling. I will.