Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day

Dear Earth,

Happy Earth Day! I know, I know - it's hard to get excited about a party people throw because your health is so bad, and then what does it get you the rest of the year? Still, I think it is nice to feel like the belle of the ball, even if only once a year.

Here's what I'm doing for you today. Only driving a little bit, just to pick up my daughter and some library books. We're having a meatless meal - a cabbage and paneer curry (which, I know, sounds really, really awful, but I swear is really, really yummy). This meal may be offset by the fact that the cabbage cannot possibly be local, for example. Cora and I will plant her Easter seeds this afternoon: radishes and multicolor carrots. A good excuse to dig in the dirt and talk about where food comes from, and maybe even let her handle a worm or two (despite the fact that while doing stickers last night she tore the head off a caterpillar). I recycled cans and paper today. I composted the grapefruit rind.

It's a lot of little things, things that in the big scheme maybe don't amount to much. And maybe they aren't even so special as some of them happen all the time anyway. Maybe you think I should have made a bigger effort today, pulled out all the stops for a day, made one really grand gesture.

But, you know me. I'm more about the day to day, the everyday, the seemingly small, the journey of small steps, the long simmer, the love.

Kisses,
Your Tenant

Friday, April 10, 2009

Updates from the world over here

Some recent photos...

Actually, I'm not sure which end is which in this photo. Or even why she is doing this. Also, I think you should know that Chris took this picture.

Cora's Easter dress, hot off the sewing machine Good Friday afternoon. Chris brought the blue fabric back from Jamaica in January '08. I have been keeping Cora from playing with that ribbon for about as long. Because I had this picture in my head and finally I had a chance to put it all together. I am especially pleased because I made up the pattern, and it worked! She must like it - she's dancing in it up on her tippy-toes. A sure sign of approval.

This is the outfit from the Cinderella/kitchen wench story of a few posts ago. You can see why Chris was thinking princess, not scullery maid.





Monday, April 6, 2009

Um...thanks?

Tonight, after a long wrangle over getting ready for bed ended with both Cora and I lying on the floor after a tearful negotiation. I suggested that we pretend we were asleep until Chris came into the room. Cora said okay and snuggled up next to me. And then she was struck by inspiration.

"Hey mommy!"
"What?"
"I the baby doggy and you the mommy doggy!"
"Okay, baby doggy, go to sleep."
She closed her eyes for about a minute, then opened them and said very solemnly, "You can lick me."

(I settled for brushing my hand on her cheek and making a slurping noise as my baby doggy snuggled closer and closed her eyes contentedly. For about 30 more seconds, and then we were on to the next imaginary scenario.)