Letters from Home

Next we’ll have some grits

I’ve been reading late into the night. I decided to give a contemporary literature another try. I read The Help (Am I the last one on earth to do this?) and it drew me in with its female friendships and I will admit, the gossip. However, I realized by page 100 that I was reading nothing new: married women are portrayed as fools; men of both races are incompetent; mother-daughter relationships are mainly confrontational; single women are ultimately more free and happy. (I’m not defending spouse abuse.) To me, this book felt very raw and emotionally manipulative. This was supposedly a civil rights book, but it was nearly lost in its feminist propaganda. I’m more a fan of Phyllis Schlafly than Gloria Steinem. Please, I’m not accepting dissenting opinions on this. I know better than to open the Pandora’s box labeled, “Define and Defend your views on Feminism.”

I had a hard time finding “truth” in this book because the author demonized one race and idealized the other. I kept waiting for a functional white family. People aren’t so easily categorized and nowhere in this UNIVERSE do 24-year olds hold this much power in society. But her black characters were delightful. As a white chick, the lingo didn’t feel fake to me.

This book was highly influential in our menu planning this week. We had fried chicken… twice. I made potato salad and biscuits, too. Thank you.

Stunning picture

Thanks, Susan for sharing so many family photos with us. I really loved the ones of Violet and Joe. Looking at this picture makes me want to have my photograph taken more often in the hopes that somebody will remember me as young and not just an oldie.

When was the last time you had your photo taken with your sweetheart?

When was the last time you sat outside together like this?

Sigh. We’re due for some of that.

Protected: Sahuarita Saga Volume 5, issue 1

Siblings

The sibling wars are going strong here. I think we’re in need of outdoor play. We live the equivalent of a snowed-in winter during the heat of summer. We’re not active enough. Some of us are grumpy because of illness and some of us are experiencing growing pains.

Despite the sibling wars, I am very grateful for the sibling factor in our lives. Mark has a brother to keep him company after I kiss him good night. The boys have someone with whom they can throw dirt clods in the backyard (desert entertainment), and built-in participants for dead man on the trampoline. Mark has a peaceful retreat in Paige’s room and Lego Hero Factory wars are more fun with a lot of robots.

I am grateful for my own siblings and the good memories of them inviting my Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake dolls to join their GI Joe games. I am grateful for echoes of little boy voices acting out David and Goliath, memories of a little brother in a coon skin cap singing Davey Crockett, and images of little sisters strapped to the baby seat on the back of my bike so I could take them places.

Having siblings helped me to develop loyalty and a very deep love, despite the fighting that happens when little people live together.

Birding in Madera Canyon

Our friend Nina took us on another birding adventure to improve our skills. Timothy and Paige have studied birds recently in science, but each goes about it a different way. Paige enjoys sketching them. Timothy takes time to learn anatomy, range, behavior, and markings. He is distinguishing himself as quite a little birder.

He is good at finding and identifying birds. Wow.

We saw many hummingbirds as we sat on the porch of a small bed and breakfast in Madera Canyon.

We’re deep in contemplation and relaxation. We’re also feeling relief from the intense heat down in the valley.

Naughty but adorable squirrel.

I think this is a Lesser Goldfinch. I’ll have to ask Timothy.

House Finch.

Daniel took all of these pictures. He enjoys photography. Timothy and Mark carry binoculars; Paige carries her sketch book; Daniel carries the camera.

Mark found *another* walking stick for his collection. It was a good day!

Young Women

I’m going to regret posting this silly photo, but all well. Thirteen was a time to try purple eye shadow and have a best friend. I’ve been thinking about those years and the people who helped me move beyond the purple eye shadow stage. Among the heroes were Tina Day, Robin Baker, and Paige Crawley. My mom was the biggest influence in my life, but these women came next. They modeled righteous womanhood; they taught me by their example. They opened their homes, shared their talents, and loved us. They were my Young Women leaders from church.

I’ll just write it here because I can’t hardly speak it without feeling my throat close and my eyes flood with tears. I’m the new Young Women President. I’ve waited 16 years to work with the Young Women (ages 12-18) and I mean to enjoy it.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

I hope your Labor Day weekend is happy. Are you going to have a barbecue with family? Will you take a drive to the mountains? This picture is of my mom and me. Sarah, do you see your reflection in this picture?

Of all the seasons, I love autumn best. Labor Day signals my brain to start thinking in jewel tones. Cozy thoughts such as pie making and plans for homemade Christmas gifts (So what if I never actually make them!) give me hope for happy times during the next few months.

My week has been stressful. I was summoned for jury duty and I was excused. I prepared and taught a science lab to 35 kids on Friday. I made calls for church and prepared a monthly newsletter. I fixed our broken washer this morning… I think. I used up almost a ream of paper making copies. I worked on a website for a homeschool group. We dissected a frog. We raced homemade boats. We swam, we danced, we drove. We read, we built, we solved.

I prepared comfort food all week. I just felt like I needed it. Have you had a busy week leading up to Labor Day? Maybe the contrast of such a busy week will make Labor Day seem more restful. I hope so…for both of us.

Oh, a tiny horned lizard!

Timothy found one, too, but it was much bigger.

Daniel whittled.

Paige was great at tent setup and cleanup. Yes, she IS that incredible.

Everything was packed and ready to go, but we lingered. The pleasant temperatures, the pines, and the company kept us there. Just ignore that odd expression on my face.