Apparently, I am a Landlord

I have a new tenant. She is the nicest one I have had so far.

There is a bird's next in the shrub by the front corner of my house. It has been there for about 8 years. Each winter it degrades a bit, but then a new mommy bird spruces it up and sets up her spot to sit on her eggs for the spring. Usually it is a red-breasted robin.

I love that the nest is inhabited annually. The fact that we haven't completely pushed nature out by our noise and pollution encourages me.

When I have peeked in on the progress of the nest in previous Springs, the mommy robin has dive bombed me, squawking and flapping, thinking I am a threat to her babes. But not this year.

The mom in the nest this year—a beautiful mourning dove, I think—is so sweet and trusting it makes my heart ache. Look at her sweet face. I love the tiny rim of light blue that rings her eyes. I can't wait to meet her babes.

Taking Me to the Edge

Thirteen years ago today I became a mom. At 12:16 a.m. on May 20, 1997 I wasn't a mom. Then some cosmic switch was flipped and at 12:17 a.m. I was a mom. I had no idea what I was in for.

I was never one of those little girls obsessed with dollies who dreamed of being a mom. Quite frankly I just couldn't picture it. Yet my God had other plans for me; first Paulie came into my life, and then together we created Turner.

There is something extraordinary about your first born. They are the one that takes you from the "before" version of you to the "after" version of you. I can't imagine my first child being anyone else but Turner. He is my limit-testing, boundary-pushing, curious, energetic, sensitive, talkative, goofy, and so-so-so loving big boy. He loves to figure things out...from how to make a bird house out of tape to helping his dad assemble or repair anything (often figuring out just the solution to make it all work perfectly). He has an emotional depth well beyond his years (and quite frankly not often found in his gender) that makes him an extraordinary friend, brother, son, grandson, etc.

The challenge of parenting Turner is often the joy of parenting him. I find that when I am in the process of helping him to become his best self, I am at my best. It is a rare and precious gift he gives me.

So this one is for my Big T on his big day...Happy 13th birthday buddy. Thanks for taking me to the interesting edges of life on a daily basis. I love you more than my tongue can tell!

—Mom

Earth Day 2010

Celebrate and respect the joy and beauty of our Earth, today and everyday.





















rain kissed closed tulip













sun drenched open tulips

Beachcombing

Our 7th annual April beach day at Hammonasset was wonderful. Nearly 25 of us hung out, played and enjoyed the crisp ocean breezes all afternoon. I bribed the kids to leave the beach with a promise of a stop at DQ! I always look forward to combing the beach in search of nature's treasures. This year was no exception. However, my finds broke my heart.

After walking less than half a mile down the beach, our trash bag was more than half full. I wanted to shout, "Really? We're not beyond littering? People really still do that?!!!" But nobody would have heard me as the waves rolled on and on.

Once my emotionalism had passed, I started to itemize what was in the trash bag. In addition to a month-old half-rotten flip flop (and this is on a state beach that gets routinely groomed) and more cigarette butts than I could count, the predominant items found on the beach were pieces of Dunkin Donuts coffee cups. Soooooo depressing to me. As we head into Earth Day, consider bringing your re-usable coffee cup when you buy your coffee at your favorite local coffee house. And if you do purchase coffee in a disposable container, I implore you to recycle the cardboard wrappers and iced coffee cups (most are 1s).

The Easiest Beef Barley Soup on the Planet

2-3 lbs of stew beef
1 can of diced tomatoes
1.5 cups of shredded carrots (my boys won't eat big bits!)
4-5 cups water
1 packet of McCormick Hearty Beef Stew spices
1.5-2 cups of uncooked barley

Throw all of the above ingredients except the barley in the slow cooker for about 6 hours on low. Add the barley and let it cook for another 2 hours on low (total cooking time is 8 hrs).

It was staggeringly tasty!

Single Stream Recycling

I am having a deep and satisfying relationship with my new single stream recycling bin. A little odd perhaps, but totally true. I have spent the last two years developing systems for sorting different categories of recyclables and schlepping various items to myriad locations. Our previous garbage company (Nu Life) would only do curbside recycling for certain plastics (1s and 2s), metal cans, corrugated cardboard, and newspaper. Other junk mail had to be sorted separately and hand delivered to the recycling center. Hard plastics (3s-7s) don't have an in-town alternative. I would sort all my 5s on their own as I knew that Whole Foods, there's one near my office, had a free service for recycling 5s that returns the material into tooth brush handles.

Well, the super-dee-duper good news is that All Waste bought out our old company and they offer single stream recycling for everything. It has made my life so much better...I have less sorting to do and less is going in the trash can. My word of advice for today: it really matters who you hire to be your garbage company.

Asparagus and Rhubarb

Spring has sprung in my backyard. After a 48-hour window where Paul and I were bailing water out of our basement because spring rain had swelled the water table above the foundation of our house, I was beyond thrilled to find that mother nature was still taking care of the growing cycle of the fruits and veggies that annually appear in my backyard. They are a beautiful sight that made me almost cry. The bright red nub of rhubarb made my taste buds squirt and the purply-pink finger of asparagus is as pretty to me as the periwinkle that surrounds the trunk of the maple tree on my front lawn. And now I am off to a little league scrimmage. Yes! Spring has sprung.