Farmer Ty and other things

A while ago, I suggested to Ty that he consider becoming a farmer, what with his eternal energy and all.  I can see him sprinting between fields to check on his crops, speed-pulling carrots, easily keeping up with the tractor's transplanting machine.

And he has totally taken to the idea.  He frequently talks of how he and I will farm together: He wants to drive the tractor; I get to ride our horse.  "Perfect!"  Consequently, he is really interested in all of the seeds that have been arriving and the few that I have started.  He touches the heating mat several times a day (only to be touching something that I normally wouldn't allow, for sure), just "to see if it's still hot."  Each morning he turns on the growing lights and says, "Good morning, plants," doing the opposite each evening.  I love it!  I love him!

In other news,

I have figured out a great progression of activities for counting, which really helps include the twins.

Lots of love-turned-wrestling... Mita says that she loves to wrestle now and wants to marry Bradley, "the strong wrestling man"... of eleven years.  :)

When I came around the corner yesterday, there was G, on a stool, writing on the calendar: "Girum and MamA, lunch."  He wanted us to make a special lunch for PapA and put it in his backpack for Rob to take to work.  He decided what to make, took out all of the ingredients (including tea and a dessert) and even peeled the potatoes, which I then cooked to spicy deliciousness.  Fun!

Seriously studying

Ordering the letters up to our current focus, the sandpaper letter, copying, reading syllables

Can you decipher it?

Harvest Monday: Hope

So, I detest Winter.  Seriously.  I have done my time in the cold and I want out.  I desperately search for signs of life in the frozen tundra all through January and February, gasping for hope.

And look what I found!  In the fall, I planted a few very hardy greens, just to see what would happen.  I did not protect them at all.  The last time there was a bit of a thaw, I was so happy to see the Belle Isle Cress, green and happy.  So, last evening, in my frantic search for life, I took a wooden spoon out to the garden and dug through the snow...

...to find the cress, still green and happy under its white blanket.  And I harvested it.  It was only enough to garnish two black bean burgers, but it was enough to make me happy.  

And then the sprouts... I am growing about a jarful a week, which is not enough.  We usually just eat them like wild animals, taking advantage of nutrients when they can get them: We gather around the plate and eat them by the handful.

Finally in my world of gardening, the children's breakfast table has been displaced by the seed starting rack.  Wahoo!  In the past, I have used it in the basement, with so-so results; so this year we've moved the monstrosity up to the kitchen, whence I expect much improved seedlings.  Oo, and Berto harvested a full bucket of perfect worm castings to mix in with my seedling starter mix!  I shall begin with the onions next week.

Speaking of onions, if anyone has any advice, I would love it.  I have never been able to grow a full-size onion.  What do I need to do for success?

Check out Daphne's Dandelions to see what others are harvesting!

P.S. Here is another bright spot for me:

Laundry on the line in January, evaporating to dryness... Why do freeze-dried clothes smell oh-so-good?  It must be the memories... yes, memories of Crimea, for sure.

Out of the mouth of Girumy

For the record, G, at the age of 5 years, is very fond of saying the following:

"I like to do HARD (very emphasized) work!"  Today, he donned a bike helmet, sunglasses and a stethoscope while he schlepped parts of the seed starting rack upstairs.  Each time he came up, he would pant loudly and reiterate that he loves HARD work.  "Great!" say I.  Truman would be so proud.

"I just can't stop thinking on you."  He says this influenced-by-Spanish phrase to me, with a loving look in his eyes, several times every day.

"I just wish that I could marry you."  I have explained and explained why this cannot be, but he keeps coming up with more ideas of how it might work out.  Too sweet.

"That's delarious!"  (delirious x hilarious)

"Let's cancel it!"  He has been saying this very frequently, ever since we had to cancel an order of injera due to my sickness a couple of weeks ago.

Can you say raggle-taggle?!

By the way, meet Herman!

Thank God for the Domes!

Sunning ourselves in the desert!

Hanging out in the adobe hut

G, at work

Rob is brave and so scared all at once

I seriously disagree!

"Men have oftener suffered from the mockery of a place too smiling for their reason than from the oppression of surroundings over-sadly tinged."   -The Return of the Native

За меня!

I have done it!  I have finally read, and even enjoyed, Anna Karenina.  It has taken the failure of the past 15 years to push me and my nostalgia for Russian culture to pull me, but I have done it!

За меня!

Guess what Sophie-Ona likes

Amazing!

Girum, in Amharic, means "amazing."  And I have just been blessed to experience his amazing-ness!

For the past five or so days, I have been knocked-out, sick.  Horrible stuff.  Honestly, it was nearly as bad as the aftermath of chemotherapy.  For one of those days, Rob was at church playing drums.  For another, he was at work.  I thought that I was on my own, but... not really.

The amazing Girumy came in to me, several times throughout the nights of feverish sweating, to pray over me and kiss me.  The kid would just come in, put his hands on me, pray, kiss me and go back to bed.  In a few hours, he'd be back, doing the same thing.  Amazing!

The child prepared and served five meals for himself and his siblings, whilst I was writhing in discomfort.  I mean, they had fruit and graham crackers for every one of those meals, but... who cares?  I didn't have to move and the kids were satisfied.  Amazing!

On one of my innumerable trips back and forth to my bed, I saw that Girumy and Ty were sweeping the house.  G said, "MamA!  We're doing the work so that you can rest!"  Amazing!

Thank you, God, for this blessing!