Ready Or Not

There is something in the air...can you feel it?  Most everyone is talking about it... although not all are thrilled!  The forecast is calling for SNOW tomorrow. Dun dun dunnnnnn!

Ready or not...here comes winter! 

It seemed that Fall had a tight grip on our little valley and just wouldn't let go.    

We have been soaking up the last colors of fall before they fade away into the many months of cold ahead.

The burning bushes in our front yard have exploded into crimson flames.

If you were waiting to get out and enjoy the Fall weather...you are most likely too late.  For I can hear Old Man Winter wildly throwing raindrops at my window and my toes are already cold!

A Fond Farmers Farewell

I can hardly believe it, but it's time to say farewell to our local little Farmer's market.  I don't know what we are going to do with our Saturday mornings...well until ski season...then we'll be busy!

 The winter vegetables have all been harvested and are tucked away for yummy soups and stews to warm the cold months ahead.

The Garlick Press is especially fond of this farmer's garlic selection.  He has varieties like Italian garlic and Red garlic.  

And sadly...there will be no more "Hip Mama's Lemonade"...blended with sweet cantalope or watermelon or freshly squeezed lime...with a lovely mint leaf!

And dear Flower Lady who makes a fresh bouquet of flowers special for us each week.  Early in the market season she asked us what we were doing with the bouquet we bought each week...we told her they were for our Jocie girl at the cemetery...it's getting easier to answer those questions.  Now she anticipates our arrival and gathers her favorites into a bundle that we'll love.  We will miss Flower Lady this winter...she is so colorful standing barefoot around her buckets of gorgeous blooms. 

 Papa looks like he is dodging the paparazzi or something.

Vibrant wool yarns spun from freshly shorn sheep woollen, makes me wish I was a knitter...like I need another addictive hobby...somebody stop me!

And just like that it's time to put the Farmer's Market to bed...sweet dreams...we will be dreaming of your Spring Peas and Tender Lettuce until next year.

Olivia Says So

This past lovely October weekend, things were discussed...important things...and decisions were made.  This grandmother needed a name, and not just any name, a name that will roll off this baby's tongue like a warm bottle of Similac.  Olivia came to visit for the weekend so luckily we had plenty of moments to soak up her pinkness.

We have been trying on several different names to see how they fit...like Mimi. That Grandpa guy informed us that in the Maori language it was not such a pleasant thing. The lawyer girl insists I embrace the name Damma...too bad you are in LA, Lawyer Girl and can't argue your case for that name.  Friends with an Italian background suggested Nona Lisa...think Mona Lisa...cute, but Mona Lisa looks way too serious all the time.  Since I love the movie "Gone With The Wind", Olivia and I discussed the name Mammy...

"I said I is gwoin' to Atlanta wit you and gwoin' I is."

"Yes'm you is, you's gonna eat every mouthful of this"

"I is told ya and told ya that you can always tell a lady by the way she eats in front of folks like a bird and I ain't aimin' for you to go to Mr. John Wilkes and eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog!"

I could go on for hours with quotes from this movie.

Oh Olivia likes that one! 

But still not quite right...the name needs to be just perfect!  Olivia and I sit down for a sofa discussion...she has a plethora of fabulous fashionable outfits...this one came all the way from the fashion capital of the world...New York City!

Baby girl is not afraid to dress it down either...as seen in her favorite pair of jeans.  

The Momma Girl (Cass) thinks the name Grandma Lisa is just fine.

The man we keep referring to as Grandpa, suddenly informed us one day that he would no longer answer to the title Grandpa...he will officially go by Papa.  Not one of us argued with Papa on that one. 

Sadly, the weekend was coming to a close and over breakfast Olivia and I were discussing what a delightful time we had together. How fun it was to pick out her first pumpkin.  And then it just came out "Nana loves you Olivia."  Papa (the guy formerly called Grandpa) informs everyone that Nana means grandmother in Maori.  Papa should know, he spent 2 years in New Zealand a while back. Papa approves!

Olivia breaks from her breakfast bottle to give me a giant pink smile. 

Nana it is...Olivia said so. 

Oh, Nana loves Olivia, from her delicate soft fingers...

to her cute as a button, belly button...

all the way down to her pudgy pink piggies!



And for those critics who don't like the choice Olivia and I made...well fiddle-dee-dee as Rhett Butler says

"Frankly my dear... I don't give a bleep (tiny ears are present)!

Details of Her Day

Last Friday was the 3rd annual Jiggy Day Celebration.  Faced with a lifetime of October 8th's without her sister, Cass first envisioned this day as a celebration instead of a heartbreak.  She wanted her future children to one day be able to love and appreciate Aunt Jiggy and her legacy.

Jiggy Day generally begins early at Angie's Restaurant for breakfast with the girlfriends.  This year we had a couple girlfriends missing who weren't allowed to skip cheer practice on game day (we missed you Lindsay and Maren).  Dean also had to be out of town on business...very sad for us all.

All kinds of nonsense generally ensues when these girls all gather together.  They are such a treat to be around.  They can always make me smile.  

I can't imagine being their innocent young age and being plunged into such a heartbreaking circumstance losing a close friend.  I adore each one of them and the unique relationship we have developed.  I watch them closely, constantly, and love them deeply for what they have had to experience.  They amaze me!

This is Sir Francis Bacon (which also happens to be the name of an awesome set of powder skis made by Line). We had a great time making him out of balls of butter scooped off our French Toast. 

We never discuss what we will wear on this day, but we always end up in our Jiggy t-shirts.  The girls sometimes call me Mama G and I wear the name proudly!

I like to give them something fun and spontaneous to celebrate the day.  Last year it was a giant container of animal crackers, because they always left me animal crackers hidden all over my house.  This year it was a jar of Laffy Taffy to remind them of all the times she made them laugh.  

This was Olivia's first Jiggy Day and we couldn't wait to share it with her.  Cass prepared Olivia with stories about her Aunt Jiggy.  They started off their day with candy for breakfast...well just Cass.  Dione celebrated in Los Angeles with Cini Minis for breakfast and in Philadelphia Dean drank 2 Diet Cokes for breakfast in her honor.

On Jiggy Day, red shoes are a must!  Together, Olivia and I proudly show off our red shoes.

The cemetery is so peaceful for our family, it is a vital part of our healing... and has been since the beginning.  Cass was eager to bring Olivia to the cemetery for the first time and explain to her baby girl how our family feels about this special place.   

Olivia brought a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers to honor her Aunt Jiggy.

  

We never know what items will show up at the cemetery or who brings them... from beautiful flowers and cupcakes to Diet Cokes and Butterfinger candy bars!  And check out those balloons you can almost see them from space!  We delight in all of it...right down to the Little Mermaid Pez dispenser.

At the end of the day I take one more trip to the cemetery...to sit and absorb the details of the day.  The crows fill the air with their piercing song. The sky has been cloudy and rainy most of the day.  As I start to drive away, the skies part and a streaming ray of light pierces through the gray clouds illuminating the ground below.  That familiar sting resonates behind my eyes, for I know she is near. 

My Observations on 10.10.10

I awoke on 10.10.10 at 7:10 this morning expecting to do something spectacular to document this unique occurrence.  After all, 10.10.10 will not happen again in my lifetime.  I tried to convince the teenager and the hubby that we should think of something amazing!  Neither one of them showed even the slightest interest in my quest.  So I decided to make 10 observations that struck me during the day.

The List...

1. According to the math nerd husband 10.10.10 is 42 in binary code.
2. According to the teenager, 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.  He has evidently been watching way too much of "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy".
3. Taking a walk on a cool-ish warm October afternoon you can smell a Sunday pot roast cooking in just about every other home you walk by.
4. Izzy is the biggest mooch of a pooch I have ever seen.  She can smell food being prepared from any corner of the house or yard.
5. Fall is my favorite time of year...unless it happens to be winter or spring or summer.
6. I should receive an award for bravery.  After nearly stepping on a ridiculously huge rattlesnake last week while walking the Deer Fence trail, today I walked that trail again without freaking out...well mostly not freaking out.
7. My days of watching chick flicks are over since I am outnumbered by males in the house 2:1.  Now I watch things like The Simpsons.
8. I am an excellent homemade roll baker.
9. My uniform cuteness test to predict the outcome of an NFL or college football game (see #7 above) works about 75% of the time.
10. The men in this house LOVE desert but aren't interested in anything fun for 10.10.10.