Crazy, Happy Summer Day

Today I took 3 kids to the local beach.  They had a sleep over the night before and didn't pass out until after I did.  Not surprisingly, we didn't get on the road until after 12.  After stopping by Rite Aid to pick up a beach chair for me, we hit the road.  It's only about 30 minutes to the beach from my place, but we made the most of it.  All the windows were down.  The kids stuck their heads out the windows like happy puppies.  We had the Metallica blasting.  Jake screaming "Master, Master.  Master of Puppets is pulling your strings".  Awesome.  Sometimes I just love being the adult who can let the kids be themselves.  They're yelling?  So what!  The music's loud and it's not bugging me!  In fact, the hype is contagious and I'm singing and screaming along with them, with a big smile on my face as the cool ocean breeze fills the truck.

We took 3 boogie boards, 2 umbrellas, lunch and snacks.  And it turns out, they weren't too old for the random bag of beach toys we brought along.  I have long since ceased worrying about claiming all the toys at the end of the day.  What they find and bring home comes home.  What doesn't, makes the next kid happy.  Whatever!

Our usual parking spaces were filled. I had already given thanks for the perfect spot before we got to the beach, so I didn't stress out, just kept on driving.  (This works.  Try it sometime.)  We cruised along and discovered a section of the beach that wasn't overcrowded, was by a restroom and a lifeguard stand.  We pulled up around the block and there was a pay lot, almost empty.  See?  3 bucks later, we loaded ourselves down with the necessary gear and set off for the perfect site.  To the right of us were some huge rocks, perfect for climbing, sunning on, and creating a "house".  "I sleep in the kitchen." said Emily, as she sprawled out like a happy cat in the sunshine.  "My bed sleeps 7!" claimed Jake.  It was indeed a huge rock. 

I had the perfect day.  The waves weren't too huge.  The kids stayed in sight.  They got along almost the whole time.  (My mantra for today was "I invite Peace in my life".  I breathed it in and out mentally and was really into the happy moments, of which there were many.  I had a book to peruse while the kids were out of the water and digging or climbing.  My dad recently visited and left a copy of T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton.  I don't usually read mysteries, but I read A is for Alibi earlier this year and really dug the main character, Kinsey Milhone.  I was happy to start another, even if I had skipped 19 books in the meantime. 

A few hours into the day, E called, wondering if he should start a new job for the day, or call it quits and come join us.  I encouraged him to get his butt to the beach.  Forget that he didn't have his board shorts or surfboard, that man needed to get his feet wet and decompress at the waterside. Within the hour, he was there, with his shirt off and pockets emptied of valuables, standing knee deep and watching the kids boogie board.  Heaven.

The walk back to the truck seemed twice as long, with tired kids hauling the oh-so-heavy stuff.  True, the toys were filled with sand and the boards were probably water-logged, but mostly the were pooped from the water and sun.  Anyway, we put on some "scary" stories from my ipod and it kept them quiet and satisfied, munching cheese-itz and relaxing on the way home. 

A fabulous day.  It may be my last beach trip before going back to work.  If so, I am satisfied.

Thanks for listening.

Mom's Day 2010

So today is my 10th Mother's Day. I count the one in which I was pregnant, because I remember being included in the celebration with the mom's in my family. It was one of my first memories of my mom celebrating an occasion with my in-law family. I know Erik's Grandma Thompson was there, and I think my Grandma Boyd was too. I received some cards. I smiled from the joy of the inclusion into that society known as Motherhood.

I am still smiling.

This morning, after eating some delicious breakfast created by Erik, (and did I mention he did all the dishes, too?) listening to Jake pound on the piano behind me and screech his hyperness into audible existence, I smiled. Erik and I gave up on conversation, walking into a different room to finish planning our day. Of course, our crazy-haired-bursting-with-life child followed.

Today we are headed to Home Depot to spend my gift certificate on 5-gallon buckets and soil for tomatoes. I am really into the idea of growing tomato plants this year. Our soil is rock-hard and houses gophers that love to eat roots, so I decided to follow some online instructions on how to grow them out of buckets. I also want to get some lettuce plants.

When I was a child, I preferred reading over helping my mom and step-dad in the garden. A few times, I would show interest and my mom would show me how to plant the fragile little flower plants into the plot in front of the house. After a few minutes, however, whatever I was reading would call me loudly and I would escape within its pages.

Gardening has been a hit and miss process for me since becoming an adult. When we lived in the San Bernardino Mountains, we didn't bother planting anything in the ground. My mother-in-law had little success and we were busy spending our time doing other things. In Ocean Beach, we belonged to a community garden for a summer. I spent hours weeding and planting and watering in the strangely-vibed community garden, rife with emotional unhappiness between the self-proclaimed leader and its other members. I grew fava beans, then had no idea what to do with them. My favorite success there were the gorgeous iris's that bloomed. Our plot was originally for 4 of us, but I spent the majority of time there.

When we moved to Fallbrook, there was already a garden plot, lined with chicken wire and wooden boards around the edges. These precautions did not stop the gophers, however, and they were happy to eat my chard and lettuces as soon as they got a chance. I give up easily sometimes and this was one of those times.

Last summer, however, a friend and co-worker, Julie, e-mailed the staff of the school where I was the librarian and offered seedlings to anyone who was willing to go to her house with dirt and containers. I couldn't resist. She gave me tomatoes, bell-peppers, watermelon, cantelopes, and other stuff. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought some baskets and other cheap planting containers. I lined the baskets with some weed-cloth we had on hand and filled them with soil. I was pleasantly amazed by the sense of excitement I felt when pulling in the driveway and seeing my container garden working. I was a faithful waterer. To be honest, however, not much produce was yielded from my labors. My neighbor, Carla, let me have a few extra jalepeno plants, which thrived, and my potted orange tree produced fruit for the first time ever, due to the watering.

I was inspired, however, and this year I pulled out those Dollar Tree containers again and planted flowers. Instant gratification, as they were not from seeds. I also have 6 strawberry plants blossoming. And a few sunflower seeds sprouted and have been transplanted from the recycled trays in which they started life to random other pots shared with plants where they are welcome. And did I mention the tomato seedlings? I am not the type to carefully plant one seed in each little pocket in the container. I sprinkled gobs of them all over the surface of whatever funky plastic container I had on hand, and lo and behold, they sprouted! Lots of them sprouted. Thus, the interest in growing them upside down out of buckets. I had seen the commercials for the kits one can buy, and figured cheap people like me have figured out how to do it without buying the kits. The beauty of online searching came in handy, like it so often does, and I printed out some ideas. So. Off to Home Depot.

My other big plan today is to go to the beach. I scored a huge bag of rolls from a wedding we attended a few weeks ago, and after eating as many as we could, and they started tasting stale, I laid them out to dry. The seagulls will love them and I always love being at the beach. Jake thinks he will go in the water and we will allow him to, but I am not fooled into thinking that it will be warm. I have already told him that I have no intention of anything but my feet getting wet.

So, now I am the only one not ready to go. Gonna remedy this and fill you all in on the rest of our day later. Thanks for listening!