Mundane but Good

Not much to report or blog about, just the usual. Since the earthquake in Haiti, I have had trouble coming up with a blogpost. After I saw the pictures, I immediately thought, that could have been us... that could still be us. Who knows when the big one will hit here? Anyways, I think most people have found ways to donate what they can, but I will pass this one on: the AAA (American Anthropological Association) recommended Partners in Health, a group providing (supposedly) anthropologically-informed humanitarian aid. [edited to add: my sister also recommended them, so there you go.]

We have enjoyed the fact that we have not had an earthquake and no fires this fall, and that we are all healthy and (in some sense of the word) wealthy. JT brought home Rudi the bear from his preschool - the travelling bear whose adventures are then chronicled in a journal and shared with the class. I explained to JT that I had a lot of chores I wanted to finish Friday before we could do something fun, and lo and behold... as I was nursing Tiny and then taking a shower, JT informed me that I could not come in the other rooms. And I heard all sorts of suspicious noises. When I came out, he had cleared the table of the breakfast dishes, wiped it off, swept the floor (all the crumbs were under a basket), picked up the toys in the office and the living room and made his bed. He was very proud of himself. So we went to the park and then to one of his all-time favorite places.

Meanwhile, our yard and gardens are coming along. The lemon tree has several buds and flowers, the orange tree has some new growth, and in the front, the pomegranate is budding as well. I also harvested a handful of peas and a purple radish.

We spent Sunday at Quail Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful. And then we gathered up supplies for the Wet Wallop storm - several days of rain and wind are forecasted with a possibility of 8 inches here at our house. Already today our backyard, driveway and front courtyard were mini-lakes. Hopefully the rain will begin to soak into the soil better (although we have a good bit of clay) and some of plants that are now underwater will recover...