Happy Lammas Everyone! Today is the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox and has been traditionally celebrated as the first of the three fall festivals (Lammas, Fall Equinox, and Halloween). I was brought up without being a part of any set religion. So, I celebrated the major US Holidays and those of my religious friends. Now that I am a mom, I am trying hard to incorporate traditions and festivals into our lives. I really like the idea of festivals and holidays that help us remember the turning of the seasons and get us a little closer to the earth. So, yesterday, in celebration of Lammas, we made bread from scratch, and today we canned some tomatoes. (Bread was traditionally made on Lammas because the first harvest of grain was usually done around this time; and canning was getting into full swing.) Here’s a picture of the beautiful tomatoes and some pesto that we made from left over basil. Mmmmmm, Mmmmm, good!

Sorry for the silence lately. I just haven’t felt like sitting in front of a computer. I have been having too much fun reading The Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. It was a little slow to start, but once I got into it I couldn’t put the books down!

Still trying to get a good working picture of my solar deydrator, but it’s been raining everyday here!

Have any of you heard of “exercise induced asthma“? Well, I was diagnosed (branded) with this when I was 13 and tried to run track. I could handle the 50 yard dash and that was about it. Anything more and my throat started closing up. My doctor at the time said many kids had it, particularly in the mountains of NC, and many of them grew out of it as they got older. So, I waited, and tried different sports. I wanted to be fit and be one of those girls that could prove herself through athletics…I was Xena Warrior Princess in the making. But, whatever I tried to do, I was hindered by this thing that caused my throat to close anytime my heart rate went up. I tried to tell myself that it was all in my head and I was just branded when I was young…’everyone feels their throat get tight, but since no one ever told them it was a problem, they just keep on going’. Well, I’m !*@#*&^% sick of it!! All I want is to be active with my family! I wanted to go on a simple bike ride with Toby and K today, but I couldn’t even do that!! We went about 2 miles (maybe!) and I had to go home! Any hill and I would be wheezing. I tried to tell myself, “get over it Maria! You’re just pretending ’cause you don’t want to sweat” or “you just don’t want people to see how much you suck at this. Just keep pushing it and it will pass! You can peddle a stupid bike! JUST GO!” But, the next thing I know, I am fighting to take off my helmet because I feel like I am drowning! I hate this!! People seem to have so much fun biking, running, playing ultimate frisbee, whatever!! I don’t want K to miss out on any of this stuff because mom’s got whimpy lungs! And I don’t want to miss out on any of this stuff either!!

I think I am going to go eat some ice cream! If I am going to have to be an un-athletic lump, then I might as well enjoy it!!

As I got into my car yesterday, I noticed a green bug near the trunk. I figured it would fly away when the car started moving. I didn’t think about it again until an hour later when I got back in the car (after running some errands and driving at speeds up to 60 MPH!). It was now on the windshield! Well, this time, I really figured it would fly away when the car started moving, since the wind was in its face. But, as I started getting up speed, it settled in and held on as tight as it could! Before I got on the highway, I even pulled off the road to try to get buggy to move! But, no dice! So, I started up again, this time a little more concerned for my green friend that might be pavement food if it couldn’t hold on until we got home. So, I started driving a little slower and paying more attention to buggles than I really should have. I pulled over again and tried to pick him up and bring him inside! But all he did was turn a little (I couldn’t get a good hold of him…well, I was a little too squeamish to try!). So, I got back in the car and started cheering bugglesby on!! “We’ve only got four more miles! Come on, you can do it!! We’re past the worst part now, hold on tight!!” I must have looked pretty stupid bouncing around in the car, cheering on this bug on my windshield while driving at least 10 below the speed limit. But, I figured, after all that effort, the poor thing needed to get back home and have a good meal and sleep a little!! And I couldn’t give up on him! (You’ve all seen “A Bug’s Life”, right?) So, we finally made it home…tired and worn out! I didn’t know what kind of bug it was, so I brought it out some spinach hoping it would like a good green leaf. After doing a little searching, I discovered that my friend is a female Katydid (with amazing muscle power!).

So, since we are on the subject of bugs that I can’t identify…I found this crawling up our window screen the other day!! Anyone have any idea what it is?? It looked like a type of catepillar, but stuck on it’s back half was either a curled up leaf, or part of a pine cone, or something….really wierd!! (sorry for the blurry pic.)

OK, for those of you who are still with me, the pictures are getting better!! I took this outside the house yesterday morning…

OK, this is for all of you who endured the bug pictures!! This is Max, taking full advantage of the sun coming through the skylights!! He’s so deprived!

So, today I heard on the radio that New Jersey is now the 5th state in the union to recognize same-sex domestic partnership. That means that in only the past 8 months 1/10th of the union has voiced that homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals to make their committed relationships legal and to have the benefits that go along with that legal committment. So, President Bush has decided that we need a new amendment to the constitution that over rides these state laws. He said if judges are making inappropriate choices and forcing their views on the people of the US by making same-sex domestic partnership legal, we have to step up and amend the constitution. Wait, isn’t that just George forcing his own views on me?? And, isn’t the voice and views of the people the reason why these states are changing their laws in the first place?? Plus, it doesn’t matter what his view is of the ‘sanctity’ and ‘holiness’ of marriage. Because, if he gets his religious views out of the way (seperation of church and state, right??) what’s left is whether a committed couple (gay or straight) should be able to legally recognize their union. That’s what it is…a piece of paper that says we can now share health insurance, bank accounts and responsibility in each others lives. So what exactly does the Prez. have to lose by allowing this? So many politicians (many of whom have mistresses) talk about the need in America to preserve the nuclear family. Baloney!! How many of you know anyone in a “normal” nulcear relationship anymore? What’s “normal” now is whatever you want it to be…single parents, married with kids, married without kids, divorced, step parents and yes, gay relationships. And I would much rather my daughter learn to accept love where she finds it and love well, than to ever stay in any un-loving relationship just because her government says that she is wrong to love in any way but the way they deem constitutional. That’s my rant…I’ll get off of my soap box now.
PS. in a couple of days, congress will vote on an amendment to the constitution to permanently deny marriage equality to same-sex couples. Please voice your opinion before it is too late.

Well, today we became parents to “Shellby” the turtle for the day. Our little turtle friend returned to the back yard and was found by our dog again! Only this time Suki did some damage. She chewed off part of the back shell and Shellby was bleeding. So, we brought her in and cleaned the wounds (I used a homeopathic that I was given after giving birth. It is supposed to be good for injury). Then I put on a triple antibiotic. We put her in a big tupperware bin with some food (fruit) and water. I found a turtle forum where everyone agreed that we should get her to the vet ASAP. The only problem is, it’s the 4th of July and no one is open. Long story short, I ended up learning about a wildlife rescue while at a festival this afternoon. The Piedmont Wildlife Center takes in native animals for rehabilitation and was more than happy to help out Shellby. They didn’t even ask for money. (I gave them some anyway! What a great cause! And it is totally run by volunteers.) So, now, Shellby has a case number and I can check up on her early next week to see how she is doing. Once she has recovered, she will be released in an area with some of her box turtle friends, away from cars and dogs, and hopefully have a happy, healthy future. 🙂

OK, the baby is sleeping, the husband is out with the guys. It is time for me to catch up on my blogging. The past few weeks have been hectic. Since moving, my husband has started working from home. So, I spend my days being mom to K, playing with her and entertaining her while she is awake. And when she is asleep, I run frantically through the house trying to get things accomplished. There are so many projects to be done…paint the baby’s room, get the composter going, plant an herb garden, plan out the house renovation, blah, blah, blah. Still, we have found a great house on a beautiful, peaceful piece of property. After living in the middle of the city, I hope I won’t feel too isolated out here. We will just have to have lots of parties to get people over!

As with many of you, Toby and I are feeling a bit of frustration with our current government. So, to relieve some of that frustration, Toby has started a political T-shirt business through Cafepress. It’s called Politicotton. Check it out! We have lots more ideas, we just have to get them designed. So, keep checking.

I’ve been told that with all the research I do on a daily basis (just for the hell of it), I should start a blog and publish some of my findings. So, here I am.

Yesterday, I found a large string on my floor. Atleast, I thought it was a string until I tried to pick it up with my toes. That’s when it wiggled and I screamed and we were both unhappy. I picked the thing up and plopped it in the sink so I could have a better look at it. It was about 7 inches long, had a triangle shaped head, and left a trail like a slug. I’m not generally squemish about worms, but this one was freaking me out. Toby (husband) came in and said it looked like a tapeworm. eehhck!! Great, my one year old has just figured out how to crawl and is putting everything in her mouth. Now one of my pets has butt worms!! Gross!! (Sorry for the imagery, but it really is that disgusting!) Anyway, I have done a little research and, to my relief, discovered that what we had in our house (as it is now down the toilet) was a “Planarian”…a nonsegmented flatworm, that is not parasitic. Still a bit freaky, but no threat to my family. Here is a link with lots of info and this one has some great pictures not for the faint of heart.

Thanks for logging on!