wild food and furry friends

the Bounty of the Sidewalk never disappoints: free bomb couch.

little lovey in my pocket.

tyler calls this recipe "Frankenstein." i'm really happy he's interested in eating this way... strange as it seems sometimes i feel that drinking a bunch of veggie juice makes me a little complacent..as in: i've had a butt-load of healthy living food today. girl scout cookies anyone??? i'm slowly working out the kinks but i know we're moving in a really healthy direction where we don't think "we can't have that," rather we think, "we don't want that!" mindless eating/fake hunger is the trickiest part, i guess. so much of us eat for thousands of different reasons, and as a nursing mother i don't want to get too involved with food issues. i just eat when i'm hungry, i mostly eat really healthy, and i cannot wait to due a full-blown veg out detox when my little goober is done sucking my soul out. jk about the soul-sucking part.

the finished product for the mixtape swap. i'm trying to stay positive and trust that they'll find their intended homes........i've just had many returns in the past. i have a habit of putting the return address on the back, rather than the corner. deal with it.

back yard bursting blossoms.

our new love, flopsy. teddy has been enchanted.

sigh. now, generally i don't just buy animals without researching their origins to see if it was humane and ethical, and i'd always adopt....buuuuuut: one day i took the boys to lee's feed, a great local feed and exotic pet shop. they take really great care of the animals..it ain't no petco. we love looking at the birds and the clown fish and the baby rabbits. BABY RABBITS??!! i plopped down the cash and never looked back. not true, there was a lot of remorse: we need to take him back, we're not organized enough for another soul to care for! etcetc...i mean, our christmas tree is still up kind of disorganized. but we're in love. he's so sweet and playful and patient. i'm amazed at how gentle and caring teddy is with the bunny. you'd never know if you've seen him around link.

in newcastle, a little up 80 from roseville, heading to heather's house. she is a wild living expert and invites people to come and learn in a cozy community style.

wild cucumber on the fence...not edible.

eddie and the gang picking citrus to donate to food banks. their organization scouts and collects fruit from urban trees that might've gone to waste: harvest sacramento.

as the label suggests. i love all of her wild medicines. xo

heather is a forager extraordinaire...she even gathers cottonwood tree buds that the wind has blown down.

the coziest picnic potluck community afternoon.

and OH the food! this picture  does not capture the many wild foods i nomed on: pickled acorn, candied komquat, homemade marshmallow flavored with rose, foraged salsa, quinoa with nettles, orange pie, acorn bread..... mmm mmmm

there was even home brewed hard apple cider and mugwort beer.

horsey wanna party?

she doesn't mind the nettle's bite. mary and i were discussing nettles; at her place i had them for dinner for the first time and until then i had never considered foraging/cultivating them. gotta love exposure. i do still drink a nettle tea that my midwife gave me whilst pregnant, so good for you! i make a tonic almost daily with the dried leaves.

the outdoors makes the greatest classroom.

and these boys have a lot of fun playing and wandering around.

and i came home with a great new present: baby nettles.

buddies. teddy's playing with the bunny right now.

dumps like trucks; trucks trucks, guys like what; what what- sisqo, thong song. how do i tell this little plopper that he's in my spot?

something i found from not too long ago.... i think the amazing typos add to the absurdity.

 we like to go on walks. wild land (of what is called roseville) is lined with meandering creeks and old oaks and meadow fare.

"did you hear cherry blossoms are psychic? even across state lines they'll bloom at the same time..." -polka dot dot dot

resistance. with spray paint.

another teddy winner.

i'm thankful for these open spaces.....i just wish that the places i have for returning wild didn't have bike paths... ;)

winner winner: if anyone can identify this plant i will be happy. because i don't know it, and it looks rather distinctive.

hoary coffee berry has soft leaves.

sweet teddy gathers some wild fennel for bun bun.

just had to throw this in: how could i NOT take one home???

and, finally, i got to meet sofia, my friend kate's new baby girl. we went on a lovely walk. how cute are these two???

what used to be fondly referred to as the "myspace photo." she is a happy, well cared for baby and her momma makes tons of milk!

 xoxoxoxoxo

Music in the Mail.

Ty got the mail late last night and I opened this package this morning!

Anne, it's lovely, and I'm waiting for tomorrow to pump up your jams (so excited!) Best tiny little package ever, thank you so much!

Here is a glimpse of my mixing process, all shipped off as of this evening!

Xoxo

the universe provides:

look who's saying "more!"link is slowly learning some basic asl baby signs. teddy had these mastered months earlier as a baby, but he was not as mobile as link is.

take notice of the little victories.

dear readers, real and imagined: thank you for cruising through this sloppy blog with me. in theory i would like to post smaller, more succinct and congruent blogs. i am always dreaming about beautiful, interesting things. it will happen. for now i am just happy to slap some photos on. it's pretty indicative of how my world is right now. just a bit of this and that.

the tastiest dish i ever made. chilled roasted veggies drizzled with lemon and a homemade tofu parsley garlic sauce. there was something so aromatic and rustic about it.

teddy's 'before' shot. his first professional haircut.

after!

teddy always has his hands full. this room: chaos. all of this detritus will have a home once ty is done in the "library." can't wait!

clouds rolling in to blow away the newly unfurled blossoms. it seems the trees bloom earlier every year, just in time for another winter storm.

the end of a very long and satisfying day.

i drove down to san fransisco to participate in protest against the approval of the keystone pipeline. it was, in my opinion, a sating and fulfilling thing. my little boys came along too, their tinkling little voices heard. i got to meet mary. she writes an amazing blog and i was a little star struck. :)

babe alert: vintage quilted jacket out of our price range. my first sf "yard" sale. it happens right on the sidewalk! love it!

"please take a picture of me and mary. please."

he was quite tickled when i asked if i could take his photo. you know he spent all night working on it. :)

totem of collective wisdom.

bag lady reminding us what matters.

furrealz, the cutest family marching along. tooooooo stoked to be featuring ms mary on dis here blog.

swatting bubbles of peaceful protest

keeping track of everyone in the crowd.

 thank you, mary, for holding my hand in the big city and feeding me, link, and teddy with your delicious and deliberate nettles. never was there a more gracious and glowing hostess. i'm still dreaming about the space you inhibit and the creative, electric currents i felt there. xoxoxo












house time:

a blob of brown jasmine rice in a bowl of thai pumpkin coconut soup. yum yum. and a tub of melty beads. and let's not forget ty's trusty bubba keg, his favorite h2o vessel.

my mommy heart is swelling with pride whenever i see teddy writing. :) yes, he still likes the titanic.

another source of happiness: this rich, chocolatey hummus. i grow nutritious soil from our fruit and veggie scraps. the power of composting:  this recycling will nurture the food i will eat.

my dapper as fu** pants, aka my hobbit slacks.

and that, my friends, is teddy's abc's.

spying out the window...linky is working so hard on walking. it's too fun that they can play...outside....without me....even for just a few minutes.

love the color of blooming rosemary

our -one- lemon this year. i enjoyed it thoroughly.

earthworms have heeded the beckoning. so happy to have them as recycling partners.

my loves.

teddy and i occasionally ditch ty and link to go riding into the yon.

teddy really captures the moment.

fondly referred to as "the helper." if you ever need anyone to pull dishes, clothing, papers out of designated places, or to splash in toilets or eat crayons or anything left on the floor, call me. babyproofing, i said, who needs it?! he'll be supervised by me!! whoops. babyproofing...it's a thing. aka keep all bathroom doors shut.

oh, lincoln. does not use discretion when it comes to what he'll put into his mouth.

mckinley park, sactown. squirrels eating white bread.

posted article at said park, trying to keep the park animals healthy: don't give them white bread!

it's a really cool park, with a wooden play structure, small lake, and urban forest.

our marsh.

and: guess who turned 29???!!! tyler, on his birthday. we took a walk. and went to the thrift store. i was down with mastitis and malaise. sorry ty!

briars and brambles and muskrat filled creeks.

my pussy willows. so soft.

sigh. honesty: i am tired of nursing. i want physical autonomy. i want my space. some nights link has to nurse alllll night. and i am a zombie. some days he wants to nurse allll day. i don't know what i signed myself up for.

flashback! 4 months old? so cute.

xoxoxoxo