Orcas Dreams 7: Fired Up

On one of the first nice evenings we decided to burn our christmas tree for the heck of it.  Why not?  It went up in flames fast and was pretty amazing to watch, see below for the video.

I've been wanting to write another Orcas Dreams for a while now.  Life has been so busy and I've been sick for the past two weeks so my computer time has been limited.  To be honest, as of late, I've been trying to pull away from the seductive glow of my screen and reach for the growing plants and mud that are in my garden.  I am itching for spring and it is (hopefully) right around the corner.  

It is beautiful around here.  As always.  There is something really refreshing about the new growth I am witnessing.  Never before have I been so connected with the seasons as I am now.  Back in California I noticed the flowering trees and the new buds poking out of the ground, but never so much as I do now.  I am suddenly starting to hear birds and buzzing bugs around me.  Last night, for the first time since we moved here, I heard the croaking symphony of frogs that live around our house.  For somebody that is so sensitive to noise when she sleeps, I wanted so badly to keep my window open and listen their music as I drifted off to la la land.  Not so, however, it is still too cold for this girl.  

We have been planning our garden, and I'll tell ya, I'm super excited.  We've already planted peas and garlic, on the list to go into our garden is carrots, quinoa, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, chard and kale.  Next weekend we also plan to go to a bare-root tree sale to buy a bunch of fruit and nut trees, we are thinking, apple, plum, apricot, almond and maybe walnut.   Since this is our first year here we want to get planting as soon as possible. Our hope is to reap the benefits of the land we live on sooner rather than later!  I also have medicinal plants on the list, we managed to get some calendula, we already have echinacea, lavender, yarrow, comfrey and yerba beuna.  Now I'm on the look out for St. John's Wort and perhaps some mullein.  My ma would be proud.  

All this said, I can't believe it's already the middle of March.  This month has flown by and I know the summer will be here before I know it.  We have some visitors planning on coming and we are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.  I am also planning a trip to the bay area in April for my Dad's birthday.  It will be me traveling solo with the kids (not so sure about that!) and Ms. Serafin is so excited about going to some of our old haunts, i.e. Tilden Park, the zoo and the park that used to be down the street from us.  Our week will be full and fun.  

Silas gets his Hulk on!  He's so strong!

As for all of us, we are doing well overall.   This cold/flu knocked me off my ass, but thank goodness Gary is feeling better and he managed to take the kiddos off my hands for some extra (but never enough) sleep.  Speaking of the kids,  Silas is now a certifiable walker and is all over the place.  He has officially entered toddlerhood.  Ms. Serafin is asserting her independence in ways that continue to challenge and baffle me.  She is displaying so much more cognition and interest with things.  Spending time with her is a joy and I am really having fun seeing her personality develop.  I also see her struggle with trying to figure out her boundaries (as well as ours).  They are both so amazing to watch and continue to teach me about myself in so many ways.  Sigh.  Parenthood.

So that's all for now my friends.  I will leave you with a video of our "little" bonfire (picture up top).  All is good.  Peace.