procrastinating

Long time no blogging. I haven't felt much like talking about my life. Somehow September is better. Some summer photos above, mostly in our living room. Beach shot is in Wellfleet.
I love having bees. They are completely mysterious. I'm slowly starting to recognize the components of the hive, the bees in the various stages of life, the different types of larvae. I have had a few bee dilemmas which are still completely mysterious. Right now I'm hemming and hawing over whether to 'requeen' the hive. The old queen is old and may not make it through the winter, which means the hive won't make it as a whole. But requeening may fail, in which case there will be no queen and no time to put another new one in before the weather gets too cold and the bees retreat into the center of the hive in a giant ball.
I've been stung a couple times, once on the nose. That was funny.
My favorite part of my weekly summer life was my work trade at Sunrise Farm, a CSA in White River. The farm is beautiful, and I love spending time with the farmers and talking about bees, climate, and other fun topics. We're getting meat from them (an 1/8 cow in the freezer now, and chickens on the way) and a half lamb from friends.
It's incredibly beautiful here. For the first time, I've started thinking seriously about staying long term. We are going to go back in May, but maybe in a couple years we would come back.... I think this second winter is a good idea, a good way to see if I can do it. It's a great place for Clementine. At least until she starts school.

also- you are all invited for summer visits

Who knows if any of you read this blog, but I want to make clear that we have room for guests and live in a beautiful place. Summer in Vermont has reason to be famous. Come and visit!

little update

My little brother is back in the country. I just spoke with him while he drove from Marin to Emeryville to look at an apartment. He sounds good; he's turned into a meditator and all around happier person, it sounds like. Mom is here napping with Clem while I try to focus and churn out -- I mean thoughtfully write-- a few more of the bazillion Umbra columns I intend to write before my editor has a baby.
Spring has come here. In the last two weeks the snow has all but disappeared and the following animals have suddenly reappeared: blackbirds, goldfinches, ducks, Canada Geese, spring peepers, other frogs that sound like a horde of mini ducks, woodchucks, caterpillars, ants, flies, wasps, salamanders. In addition, our lives have suddenly changed for the better. Jason finished inking the second book of Berlin, after two non-stop years of stress, and this change means he has a little free time now. So, we see eachother and talk to eachother more, and actually spend substantial time on little family adventures. It's less lonely for me. Plus the good weather has changed my daily mood from desperate to cheerful.
Next week I go to Seattle for four days, to check on my house and garden like a fiend. Plus try to do yoga every day and take care of some errands, and see friends. I await the trip, which I anticipate will be emotionally intense. How I miss the Quad and the peri-Quad, View de Belle, sushi, my pool, everything familiar. All my peeps, mostly.
The big news is that I have just received my father's bees. The photo in this post is Dad loading the bee hive into his car for transport North to our house. His father started keeping bees in 1949, when he was posted in England during the war. Grandpa kept bees when he got back to Boston and had hives until his allergies got too bad; dad has kept bees for 40 years. I'm very honored to take up the task, and the bees are settling in this week in our windy windy outer yard. The bee suit barely rates as a family heirloom. Its been eaten by mice and hence is no longer bee proof.
More photos of Clem to come, after Jason gets home and I retrieve my purse from under the seat of the car, where I hid it yesterday before I went jogging.

able to go outside again!

All hail Perkins!

Here is a new photo just in honor of being back in touch with Lorenzo Benzini, bike racer extraordinaire. Also, a photo in honor of Deborah Lowe's fabulously manageable haircut. And! Perkins for life! Julie Derrevere Friended me on Facebook today so soon I get to hear from her too. Perkins 319 Forever.

Today I practically finished off a 25# bag of flour; only two cups left. I bought the bag in early January. I have made almost all of our household bread for two solid months! I had to report this, because I have done barely anything substantial outside of daily life for the entire winter.
I'm using the no-knead recipe from 'Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.'

Other news... I took Clem on the Toboggon this afternoon. She was nonplussed. I saw a fisher on our hill last month. We have serious squirrels scampering in our ceiling. I found a good yoga school half-hour from here. Clem is weaned and pretty much napping on her own now. She is having developmental therapy, because of a speech 'delay', although how much of a delay it is depends on who you talk with. It's free, so we aren't complaining. Jason is continuing to be stress ball of Berlin haste and teaching and we're all very sick of it. Not of Jason, of the stress.
I can't wait for spring. It is very far off. The photo is the snow at the end of my parents' driveway at the beginning of the month, and the photo makes the pile look half its actual height.

Get Your Toddler to Carry her Weight Around the House

Clementine showing grandpa how to bake bread; Clementine doing our laundry; Clementine starting the car; Clementine stacking wood; Clementine inspecting the Plow Truck, Clementine writing Ask Umbra