culling

cull [v.] to take the best part of.

Some days are so full of wondrous life and blog-worthy moments that there just isn't time to record them.

Some days are so full of darkening details, sickness and sorrow, and necessary busyness that there is no time (or strength) to record any of it.

We have had a lot of both lately.

As I type, we are somewhere in the desert between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, returning home after a much-needed Thanksgiving vacation with Gabriel's family in California. A vacation that almost didn't happen because of a nasty virus that had me still in bed when we had already planned to be at the beach. But we made it, and it was worth the long drive, even for a shortened visit, and even though we will still be driving until tomorrow.

This next week will be right back into the thick of reality. Monday morning, i will be back at work since I am still filling in as the kitchen manager at Brighthaven, River is getting tubes in his ears on Wednesday, and Forest flies out on Thursday because of the ever-developing family drama. And Gabriel will be gone on business all week. Yes, right back into the thick of reality.

Yet we have still had some great moments these past few weeks: nearly 2 weeks with Molly and Andres, Halloween at the Tulsa Zoo, a much-longed for visit with Crystal, Simone, and Everett, and Linda's baby shower. Those pictures are all piled on my hard drive, waiting for attention.

Finding the time for everything is just not possible right now, which is much easier for me to write than the daily practice of actually letting go of some things.

But reexamining priorities is always a good thing. So is letting go of expectations, like our plans to move. It seems as if we are still supposed to be in Arkansas. At least for now. We are adjusting to that idea.

A little over a week ago now, Gabriel tended to some necessary business with our backyard hens. One of them, a Rhode Island Red, had been afflicted with terrible diarrhea for over a month. I kept expecting to find her dead, but then another hen came down with it. All of my research pointed to the same conclusion: we had to cull the flock, killing the two sick hens in order to save our other ladies.

Gabe chopped off their heads, and Liam watched. Well, he wanted to see the first one and then opted out of witnessing the second. He was so matter of fact about it, coming into the house and announcing "Daddy is cutting up our sick chickens." I asked him if it was sad. He said yes, but didn't seem traumatized in any way. Facts of life, I suppose.

But it was hard on Gabe, the slaughtering.

And to add to that day's sadness, a strong gust of wind cracked the trunk of the maple tree we had grown from a seedling since we bought our house nearly 8 years ago. Cutting it to the ground was even more of a loss to my poor husband than the death of our chickens.

Sometimes being the grown up means doing the terribly difficult things that have to be done. And he did. I am so proud of him.

Sometimes some things have to go in order for life to go on. This blog isn't one of those things. I still need it as a record and an outlet. But as long as I am still working, I will be pressed for time to actually use this space. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer. I am ready for things to calm down again, but in the meantime, I am trying to be grateful for this crazy season.

the skunk and the owl

while Forest was here

:: at the Tulsa Zoo ::

River persuaded Uncle FoFo to walk his favorite way.

We took a ride on the train.

Liam took a (very short) ride on Auntie Linda's back.

:: Lunch at Elote ::

Sharing some tunes with their meal.

:: at Lokomotion ::

So many flashing lights! And music! And games! And tickets!

First game of miniature golf. He hammered that ball, literally.

Liam keeps asking when Uncle FoFo is going to come back for another visit, and River was grinning at these pictures while I was working on uploading them this afternoon. My boys love their Uncle. I love him too, even if he is so very much a teenager right now.

He is still our FoFo. 

sometimes felt happens

Trying to focus on the 7 loads of laundry that Gabriel washed, dried, folded, and put away while I was gone this morning.

And trying not to cry over my favorite hat, handknit from gorgeous alpaca yarn. The yarn I found in the French Quarter on our New Orleans trip several years ago. The hat that is reduced to less than half it's wearable size. Sniff.

whirlwind weeks

Yep, I am still here. Our days have been going by at a crazy pace, even though I haven't recorded any of it here. And the spare moments have not motivated me to blog about it all. Sorry, Crystal.

In the past few weeks:

•  Forest was here for a week. We went to Tulsa and the zoo, ate at Steak n' Shake, and went to Locomotion for some mini golf and go-carts (I hate go-carts, but I love my brother). Lots of pictures to share...
• We went to Little Rock for River's post-op follow-up with the urologist. The entire appointment lasted only a matter of minutes. The surgeon asked about recovery while I undressed River, gave him a quick look, and said we would not need any further visits unless another complication came up (none are expected). And since Gabe took the day off from work to drive all the way to Little Rock, we made a day of it and rode the trolley downtown, played on the most amazing playground near the River Market, had some lunch, and the kids slept nearly the entire drive home. It was a great day.
• I have been working Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the past 2 weeks. And that's the main reason I haven't been blogging. Brighthaven, the childcare and pre-school where my mom is the assistant director, abruptly lost their kitchen manager and needed some help until they can fill the position. The boys get to come along and spend the day at the center with their respective age groups. This arrangement is fantastic for Liam . He loves going to school, and everytime I see him, he has a huge grin on his face. When I deliver the meals to his class, he proudly announces That's my mom, and all of the kids beam at me like I am a celebrity or something. River, on the other hand, tolerates the day. His teacher is perfect for him: sweet, mild-mannered, and very nurturing. He loves her. And he enjoys playing with the plastic noise-making toys. But, he misses me and I always have to get someone else to deliver the meals or slide the cart through the door like a phantom so he doesn't see me. It's hard to watch someone else comfort my baby. But it's not likely to last much longer. And in the meantime, we aren't complaining about the extra paycheck...
• Last night was the first hard freeze of the season. Down into the 20's. I picked all of the basil and green tomatoes, and now I have to figure out what to do with it all. I already have too many jars of pesto in my freezer. And my fig tree is covered in the first-ever fruits that have yet to ripen. I'm afraid they may be  a lost cause for the year, despite the protective sheets Gabe and I wrapped around the plant.  

• 
• Notice the suspiciously iphone-esque picture of my fig tree? That's because I finally got one, and I love it. The technology is amazing (it's a 4s and I am a very lucky girl). I had to promise a portion of my monthly bib-sewing income to cover the data package, but it is totally worth it.
• And River has an appointment with yet another specialist. This time, we are going to see an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor at Children's in Little Rock since he has a number of other medical issues, he is already an established patient on their campus, and we have met the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for the year. This will all be on the insurance company's tab, thank you very much. At least until Janury. But in the meantime, we are hoping to figure out what is ging on with his chronic ear infections (he's got another double whammy right now and is just miserable), and we are hoping that might explain why he still isn't really talking.

I think that's all the updates for now. I will try to do better about posting more regularly. I've got a ton of pictures languishing on my hard drive, and a bunch that I have yet to transfer from my camera. And I still have managed plenty of sewing, gardening, and woodworking. And Gabe has been hard at work finishing up a deck rail that, of course, turned into a much larger project and a fort for the boys besides. Like I said, we've been busy.

there's a baby in there

That's right. Auntie Linda is having a baby. A boy baby. A little cousin around New Years.

We can hardly wait to meet him.

these boys love their ladies

Earlier in the summer, pink lilies popped up all over town. Along sidewalks, in alleys, scattered throughout neighborhood yards. These are often called surprise lilies since it's always a surprise when they emerge from the soil.

But they also have another name: naked ladies, referring to their leaf-less stem and base. That's what Gabe's Great Grandma Dotha called them, and that's what I told Liam to call them, too.

source

We went on plenty of walks, finding those naked ladies everywhere. Now, whenever he sees a lily, he calls it a lady.

He is especially taken with the water ladies in our pond. So taken that he picks every bloom the minute it opens. We're still working on our flower etiquette. 

He picked one each for him and River a few days ago, and next thing I knew, they were posing for portraits with their ladies.

A little strange? Yes. but I was not going to pass up them actually hamming it up for the camera. And I didn't even get upset when he ended up in the basil patch. Click.

There was still plenty of silliness. The ladies are great for brotherly love pats.

Liam was feeling extra lovey and gave River a hug, who thought he was getting a kiss...

But most of the loving was given to the flowers. They're saying ahhhh while snuggling their flowers.

More flowery hugs.

What can I say. He just loves his ladies.