greenclogs

lucky us

Radio silence again - it's typical with a newborn, right? I think the primary cause for my absence here is that we've had visitors nearly nonstop for the last few weeks, which has been great, but keeps me from a) holing up in the craft room during naps and b) taking time away to blog. 

Most of our guests have been grandparents, but a very special friend snuck in between two sets of them. 

 

Jade came for the weekend and we had such a wonderful time. She and I met just like the old friends we are (through the power of the Intertubes) even though this was the first time we've been in the same place at the same time. She's just as funny and warm and wonderful in person as she is on your computer screen. Annika cried when she left and has been begging us to move to Austin ever since. She seems to think that she can make Jade's kids into her posse, which is a scary thought indeed. Jade also brought with her a HUGE suitcase full of outgrown baby clothes, so between that and a wonderful (soon to be blogged) box from Chris, little Kit has enough clothes to wear something new every day for at least the next 2 months. I'm so grateful for their generosity. 

We largely just hung out and chatted and took turns snuggling the baby, but on Sunday, we drove her up to see the pretty part of Arizona. 

Slide Rock State Park in Sedona AZ 

We took a field trip to Sedona, where she waded in (freezing) Oak Creek with Annika, ate lunch on patio overlooking the creek, admired the red rocks and spires, and spent some time at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. 

We sent her home with a suitcase full of outgrown clothes for Makena and a big bag of lemons and a lot of love. I hope she enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed her. 

Oh, and the gratuitous baby Kit photo. She's 4 weeks old already!

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rainy Monday

I know I shouldn't complain, since rain in Phoenix should always be viewed as a gift. But really, we've had a lot of rain in the last month. Two days a week of rain, during the time that's usually the best time of year here, when it's in the 70's and beautiful. This is the time of year that we hold on to while we're suffering through the summer heat, the time that makes living here (sort of ) worthwhile. 

So we will ignore the gloom and show you some pretty pictures from our trip to Tucson a week ago. I'm way behind. 

We spent the morning at Saguaro National Park on the west side of Tucson. The park is split into two sections that are separated by the city of Tucson. Next time we'll go east. We went looking for the Petroglyph trail, and ended up on what Lindsay called the Indiana Jones ride through the park in our decidedly not 4 wheel drive Eurovan. Whoops! We ended up at a smaller nature trail that I could comfortably walk with my ever expanding girth. I'm always amazed at the variety of plant life that we find in the desert when we take time to look. We'll try to go one more time next month (baby permitting) when the wildflowers bloom. One benefit of our ample rainfall should be a glorious wildflower season. 

We spent the rest of the day in Tucson with Lindsay, who was kind enough to give up her sleep-in and watch TV Friday to hang out with us all day. We had a nice lunch and wandered around Fourth Ave while enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Hopefully we'll be heading back soon. 

sticky sweet

Today is a glorious day. It is the opening day of peach picking season. Since we moved here from Seattle, I have pined for the fresh stone fruits. Lemons and grapefruit have their charms, but oh, for the peaches and nectarines, the plums, the cherries. It took me over 3 years to discover that peaches actually grow here. Three years, people. I have suffered for no good reason, other than my own ignorance. But no longer. 

We found an adorable little farm in Mesa (adorable except for those trucks in the back) that sits on the edge of the country and newish strip malls and apartment buildings. As Phoenix grew way too fast over the last several years, the orchards in the southeast valley have been gobbled up by residential and low density retail development, making it difficult to buy truly local food. Luckily, a few stalwart farmers have stuck around. 

We were greeted by all sorts of livestock - chickens and goats, cows and ducks, and this sweet donkey. there was a "pizza garden" in the shape of a pie, with tomatoes, peppers, onions, wheat, and a cow for the cheese, each in its own wedge. 

But we were there for the peaches. 

The trees are dwarf, so there was no climbing involved (thankfully, since I was wearing a dress). We were quickly enveloped in the heady scent of the peaches as we carefully selected our bounty. 

There may have been some on-site quality control. 

And luckily, the new spring harvest dress is the same color as peach juice, so those drips are hardly noticeable. Really. More on the dress tomorrow. 

Tired kids took a break on the teeter totter. We visited the little farmers market and bought strawberries and overripe bananas for banana bread and artichokes for dinner. We drove home discussing peach pie, peach salsa, peach chutney, peach cobbler, peach ice cream. 

What would you do with 15 lbs. of peaches?

farm girl out in the field

Here in Phoenix, we have some odd harvest patterns. Because of the extreme summer heat, we most successfully grow things from November through June. It's just too darned hot here for any of us, plants or animals or humans, to do much other than sit in the shade fanning ourselves, trying not to wilt away or shrivel up. Because of this, our county fair is in April. And yes, we went on Thursday. 

The day started, as all good days should, with a trip to Matt's Big Breakfast with our friends who came down from Flagstaff. 

We moved on to the fair after filling up on eggs and the yummiest hashbrowns in the world. 

Gabrielle and I quickly steered the kids past the rides, past the food, past the games, and into the exhibition halls. First up was a demonstration farm where the kids could try their hand at some farming tasks (without all those pesky smells of real animals).

Next door, was a more realistic depiction of a farm with live chickens, turkeys, baby pigs and calves. 

Gabrielle taught us how to make the right noises at the turkey tom so he would puff up his plumage and gobble at us. Annika spent a very long time showing off her new skill to all the other kids that came along. 

The animals being shown in the fair were all raised by youth in the county, either through 4-H chapters, or on their own. We loved seeing them all dressed up, getting ready to show their livestock. 

The favorite place, of course, was the chicken and bunny hall. Because who doesn't love chickens and bunnies? Our favorite was a black & white and totally neurotic Polish hen who was bobbing and weaving so quickly in her little pen that all the photographs turned out as a blur of grey. However, this lady was more than happy to pose for us. We'll be adding two of these lovelies to our flock in the fall, once it cools off again. 

The most important thing we learned at the fair?

It's best followed by ice cream.

More on what (who) we purchased at the fair later in the week. Stay tuned!

green week :: 3

bees and lemon blossoms (click to see larger)

My favorite time of year in Phoenix is the end of lemon season (and not because I'm tired of lemons - far from it!). As we stretch up off the ladder to pick the last of the fruit, we see these beautiful pink buds forming at the ends of the leaves. And as the buds open into blossoms, the whole neighborhood is awash in the scent of citrus trees - the orange, the lemon, the grapefruit, the lime. The intoxicating smell will follow us for just two weeks or so, sometimes elusive and caught while stepping out of the car or turning a corner, and sometimes overwhelming and heady as we sit on the back patio in the late evening and talk. 

At this moment, I can believe that this is the best place in the world to live. I just need to close my eyes and breathe it in.

Just don't ask me that question in August. 

farm visit

On Thursday we tagged along with Jeff to Flagstaff. He went to work and we visited Gabrielle and her boys and her snow and her farm animals. Annika pines to move to Flagstaff and live right next door to Gabrielle, so she was very very very excited. Add in the remaining foot of snow in their yard and you have Annika's head ready to explode. She hasn't seen snow since we moved to Arizona and doesn't remember it from Seattle, since she was a wee one. Photos? Okay! Unlike our trip to Tucson, I remembered my camera. 

ready for milking action

off she goes!

one jar filled (we are so bringing our own jars next time to bring some home.

getting the next goat ready

sometimes help is required

moving on to snowballs - hey Gunnar? where did you go?

working together on a snowman. he's in short sleeves because it's 55 degrees outside. 

the gang in the snow

Needless to say, Annika is busy preparing for our move. She's just waiting for the neighbors to sell next year. Let's hope that Jeff's employer agrees, or we'll have one very unhappy girl. 

Pine

After our wild adventures at the swimming hole and a much less squirrelly drive back up the side of the mountain, we went back to the house and rested a bit. There was an auction of chairs painted by artists going on in Pine, so we piled a couple of kids into the car and headed down the road a few miles.

We found the better way to drive around on the local roads.

When we walked up to the auction site, we discovered that the entry fee was $12 a person and $60 was more than we were willing to spend to look at fancy chairs and eat questionable appetizers so we moseyed on down the road to the Honey Stand.

This was nothing like the honey at the local grocery store. There were several different kinds of honey, ranging from pale golden to a deep reddish brown in color, which is the honey that comes from pecan blossoms.

It was delicious - full of deep, rich flavor. We ended up opting for the big jar to the right of it - the local Pine Wildflower honey, which was also so much more complex in flavor than your everyday clover honey. Last night we ate it on cornbread with our ribs. mmmm....

We headed back to the cabin in the woods for a night out on the deck watching the bats swoop by and prepared to head back home to our last week of summer before school starts next week. This week is that much sweeter with our fun weekend memories and honey drizzled on our toast.

And wishing we were still sitting here, resting for a spell.

opening day

Yesterday marked the beginning of swimming season chez Jackson. While Jeff steamed a mess o' mussels for my birthday dinner, the kids decided (okay, were convinced by me) that the pool was warm enough for a try. It's really not, but they're so happy to be in there that they just don't care.

Today, they came home from school, ran to their rooms, and ran right back out to the pool. True to their characters, Gunnar carefully inched his way into the brisk water while Annika headed for the deep end and dove right in. Jeff joined them with a quick dive, a "BRRR!!!" and a quick swim back to the steps. The pool is not quite ready for us old folks. I am so grateful that we can add the pool back into the fun repertoire for a few months - it provides a much needed diversion for all of us.

Charlie was quite fascinated by the pool activity, and thankfully did not join them in the pool. Instead he let me take cute pictures of him. He's getting so big so quickly!

Back to baby sweater knitting - I'm about 3/4 done with it so I should have something to show on Friday. Then, I think the sewing machine is calling. Patchwork? A dress for Annika? Hmm....

field trip

Today I spent the day with five 9 and 10 year old boys at the Natural History Museum in Mesa. We hadn't been there before (I missed chaperoning Annika's trip when Gunnar had the crud last month) and were so impressed by everything we saw.

We saw happy dinosaurs playing tag. 

Vintage pottery. Quite vintage - 1200 years old!

Little clay figures. Not quite as cool as Fimo ninja peas, but almost.

small fossils and big fossils. We think the big one would look nice on the wall in the living room.

We also saw beauiful stones and saw the history of moviemaking in Arizona and panned for gold and pretended to be in jail (it was the real thing moved to that building and watched a flash flood on the hokey Dinosaur Mountain. And I didn't lose a single kid. Later we went to the park to eat lunch and I saw this.

Fall is finally here in Phoenix! The leaves are turning color just in time for the Solstice. It's so very wrong.

Oh, and for those of you who are concerned about my taking a break from my gift list, a sweater sleeve traveled with me and grew 10 inches. Still on track!

harvest time

Fig tree, taken by Gunnar

You can always tell when I've been too busy to pick up the camera for fun, since I let Gunnar be my photographer. He went out in the back yard the other day and photographed the newly blooming and fruiting trees and shrubs. Arizona is a strange place to come to from somewhere else, because November and December are a time to plant a garden and grow vegetables. The citrus trees fruit and so do the fig trees. Soon our back yard will be heavy with the scent of orange blossoms and ripened figs. We'll sit outside in the evening, in front of the fire and just breathe in the night air. Now is the time when we're rewarded for suffering through the burning summers, looking outdoors longingly from our air conditioned rooms. The farmer's market is full of bounty that will come home tomorrow for our Thanksgiving meal. While it's hard to remember why we live here in the August heat, November is when I'm thankful again for our daily sunshine and our warm afternoons followed by crisp evenings.

I think I'll look back at this post next August and remember that the cooler days do come. And I'll be grateful.