Salmon Tears

Have I really resorted to this? Walking through the grocery store with tears in my eyes just ready to over flow? How lame is this!?!

It all started when the girls and I went on the quest to find acini de pepe pasta for our Sweet and Sour Maggot Salad that we are taking to a Halloween party tomorrow. After trying both the commissary and Albertson's we headed across town to Market Street. We walked in like any other shoppers, got a cart and headed towards the natural section of lotions, medicines etc. That smell hit me and I got a lump in my throat...now you are probably thinking I am crazy (I know Jason's aunt did when I mentioned something like this in Whole Foods one time) but there is this distinct smell that only a health food store has. I wish I knew what it was so I could bottle it! Is it something in particular or is it a combination of a lot of things mixed together? Nevertheless, that smell is what took me back to Alaska in my mind. Flashes of pictures were going thru my head...Natural Pantry, Carrs...Fred Meyers...Saturday market, Mountain Mary's....ahh.... (Yes I know that at least one person reading this thinks I am crazy, another probably is laughing and if I am lucky maybe someone can relate) Is there anyone that knows what this smell is and how I can get some to bring home!? :)

After FINALLY finding the pasta, and another variation of my chai tea "(heaven forbid they keep the same brand in stock!) we headed to the torture zone otherwise known as the fish counter. The girls and I stood there ooo-ing and ah-ing over all the sights we saw. J loved the crablegs (although she won't eat them) and R was tremendously interested in the clams...I however was scanning the beautiful selection of fish for little signs that read "Wild Caught, Product of the USA and (my favorite) Alaskan!" They had puny looking halibut on sale for $14 lb and some very pretty salmon (farm raised and color added !#%+~!) but what really jumped out to me was the Alaskan wild caught Cod on sale for $3.99lb! Now I know that this fish doesn't measure up to real Alaskan fish in any way shape or form but here in Texas I have to be happy with what I can get! So, we bought enough for dinner and went off to find something to compliment it. I even broke down and bought the little package of Cajun Salmon Spread "(color added-what a crock!) to complete the Alaskan themed meal! We were walking thru all the beautiful colors of apples and their nice (at least for Texas standards) selection of organic veggies, when THEY started....the tears just came on me without warning. I promise that I wasn't wallowing in the state we are in...those days of truly hating everything associate with Texas are few and far between now and even as I stood crying in a supermarket I wasn't thinking about hate or disgust but just about how much I truly want to go home...

I think my yearning for home (AKA Alaska) gets worse this time of year because I know that the seasons are changing there and that it is so vastly different than here. I think of all the comforts that I can't have...like waking up to the silent wonder of a first snowfall, wool sweaters to cut out the wind and the festivals and bazaars that are soon to follow. And I know that in less than a year, I am going to have to leave even here, a place I have hated so much but have grown to be content, and start all over....again...

My question to whom ever may be reading this is....Are you ever really happy and in love with where you are? Having traveled around all my life, I don't know what its like to grow up in the house my parents brought me home to, graduate with the friends I went to high school with or even get job in the town I went to college...I have lots of places I have lived but only one that was really truly home. I am lucky for that I know but still heartbroken at the loss.






Sometimes I feel like Susan, Lucy, Edmond and Peter the very first time they stepped thru the wardrobe and into Narnia. There is a beauty that can't be described. Alaska is my Narnia. I have seen Eden in the water, mountains and trees of Alaska but I still wonder if it was real or just a dream...



This was the view from our deck...it's what I think of every time we watch Narnia!

A double give-a-way!!

I first saw this blog post this morning and haven't been able to stop thinking about it! It's so exciting! Downinthemeadow is having a give-a-way at Gardenmama ! I have been watching her toys for sometime now and drooling over the gnome and animals she makes! lol You really should check out the sites! I know I'm glad I did and now I'm just crossing my fingers to win!

A new community

I can't even begin to discribe how fortunate I feel to have this amazing support system thru my online communty of "friends". These aren't friends in the typical sense, I have never met them in person nor do I even know where many of them live...I do however get a view into their daily lives and for the most part share a common thread~natural parenting. I love that I get to see how they not only school their children at home but also make food that is nurishing to their bodies and toys that are awakening to their souls. When I feel like the world is a bit overwelming, I can easily find a friend that is going thru the same thing and their blogs are just the pep-talk I needed!
On top of everything else these mamas are doing they are crafting for swaps and even having give-a-ways! I am inspired by them and hope others check out their beautiful lives, children and crafts! Here is just a small sampling of the amazing blogs I check on a daily basis. My days are so much richer for having "known" them. Please check hem out!

One of the first blogs I ever read was MotheringNature and her strength is such an amazing tribute to her husband and beautiful children. She is one of my heroes...

I am inspired in a new way of learning (which is limitless) at Earthschooling

And last but not least, my favorite place for crafting ideas is WeeFolkArt

New found friends ....Check out these give-a-ways at GardenMama and SoWabiSabi !!!

Flower Children

"Hey Mom! The flower children were here and left mushrooms all over our back yard!"

I made this one!

I love hearing things like this from the girls...they really are learning about nature and using their imaginations along the way. Simple fun! It's great! No sooner had I gone out in the yard to check out the mushrooms and Janie was yelling that we needed to get our new flower children and take pictures of them with the mushrooms! So we did!

This one is from Syrendell

Isn't it great!?

They really got into posing the flower children and Janie loved getting to take pictures of them!

Here's a picture of all the treasures we got in the Flower Children swap...what a fun package to get!

The Torch has passed....

I have always been so fascinated by the Kennedy family. I can't explain it, but it's always been there. I never tire of the books and learning about their marks on history. I don't know if its because they are the closest thing we have to royalty or if it's just an honest interest in this family that has given so much for our country.
As I watch the final passing of a torch started so many years ago, my mood is somber. I have no connection to this man, and don't even share his views in politics but I have much admiration for a man that could give his life for public service. Sen Ted Kennedy has always had to live in the shadows of his famous brothers, but in reality it is him that has gotten to shine, to accomplish things in his life that they didn't and to live a full life. I try not to focus on his short comings, which have been beyond public too, but instead think of the incredible service he gave.
Today is not about politics, or being a Republican of Democrat...it's mourning the loss of someone, of a chapter, in history. I watch the groups of people on the sidelines who have been out in the sun and heat for hours and you know that they aren't all his constituents. They are simply there to pay their respects.
I hope that more people can realize that being an American isn't about being on the winning team, or part of the ruling political party. It's more so about our differences and embracing them and although we may not all agree with the politics of this Senator from Massachusetts, his views have done good for people and challenged others to fight for their views and reach their potential too...
I am so proud to be an American and thank all those, on both sides of the isle, for all they do to keep this the land of the free and the home of the brave.

A beautiful gloomy moment

For a breif and gloomy moment, all was right in my day....the thunder was booming, the sky was grey and the rain was pooring...

Verses contest

A week or so ago, one of my favorite blogs held a contest of sorts and although I didn't win, my poem is on their blog for all to see! How exciting! Now I have ordered two of their darling snails and can't wait for their arrival with the fall fairies on the first day of fall! Please check out The Waldorf Way and read the other poems that were submitted!