life according to pasquale

summer 2009

2009-07-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

happy family

LOVING the hose - every day!

darling, sweet, happy boy

some lovely beets we grew

Chioggias = beautiful + delicious!

little monkey man

2009-05-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

thanks to cousin Charlie for the hand-me-down monkey suit!
it was a hit at Mario's surprise clown party...

hopping & dancing with dada

2009-03-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

sorry, i can't rotate this video...
but you can still see Pasquale's sweet smile and feel his happiness.

February :: swinging + standing

2009-02-27T08:42:00.001-08:00

pasquale's first birthday

2009-02-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

you can see some photos and video of the party on flickr

:: a few of my favorite things ::

2009-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

pasquale is closing in on one year in the world.

he loves life, mama's milk, horsing around with daddy, hikes in the forest, toys with wheels, blocks and laughing.

he has a very sophisticated palate, usually open to eating anything and everything.
a few of his favorites include:
.green lentils.
.sauteed collards, onions and carrots with ginger.
.raisin, molasses bran muffins.
.bananas.apples.pears.mango.coconut.papaya.
.curry (LOVES it).
.roasted red pepper hummus.
.olives and capers.
.smoked salmon (LOVES it).
.goat gouda cheese.
.strawberry soy yogurt.
.blueberries.
.almond butter on seaweed rice cakes.
.chocolate (daddy's fault).
.beer - just a taste off the fingers or a lick off the lip (daddys' fault).

walking practice

2009-01-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

cutting board gymnastics videos

2009-01-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

the adoration

2009-01-04T13:21:00.001-08:00

my friend, heather, gave me a copy of this poem. so sweet...

The Adoration
by Adrie Kusserow
(borrowed from THE SUN, Oct. 2008)

It's morning.
I pull you from the crib
all warm and yeasty,
your hair stuck up like two soft horns,
you beaming brighter than a headlight
in anticipation of the nip.

Silly boy,
tender pink niblet,
luscious little beast,
water nut, love blossom,
Panis bulbosa, lactata nippiana.

And so begin
the verbal fevers
of my love smitten Tourette's,
speaking in tongues
wild with metaphor,
swinging from branch to branch of simile,
rooting about for words
to match your roundness, your just succulency,
your sheer plump thigh-liness.

All morning I groom you with tiny love-names.
I am a cat, you are my kitten, cowlicked
with locution. I am a sound nymph
tickling you with alliteration, a Swedish masseuse
rubbing you with vowels.
Who would have known my love
would rise up so fiercely, hover
delirious in small bits of sound,
all day the adjectives landing and relanding,
determined to match your infinite perfection,
my sweet boy, my sweet boy.

pasquale in a pot during the snowstorm

2008-12-15T10:43:00.001-08:00

inspecting the potato, just like mama

fun with a cipolini

pasquale loves delicata

Pasquale @ 10 months

2008-12-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

Pasquale just got his first tooth . a bottom one . on his left . yes, his friends already have many teeth like fellow 10-month-old Everett that's working on his fifth . but it's not a competition . so don't be all judgmental

photos by Alessandro Squitti

Florida Trip

2008-11-20T16:38:00.000-08:00

bath time!

2008-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

super cutie!

new do

2008-10-10T12:53:00.001-07:00

pickling

2008-10-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

finally got around to pickling some carrots and hot peppers from Gathering Together Farm. I'm excited to taste them! The recipe I used was made up by my chef brother-in-law. I tried some he made about a year ago which were a perfect balance of hot + sweet.

1 part apple cider vinegar
1.5 part sugar (i used turbinado sugar)
3 parts water
anise seed
coriander seed
black peppercorns
add all of them above to a stockpot, bring to boil and let simmer a few minutes. then strain and add to quart-size mason jars filled with sliced carrots, hot peppers, shallots, etc. yum!

pasquale was my helper.

kauai and wedding

2008-09-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

boat ride along the beautiful Na Pali coast
(lane, mandy and john)

cool palm with red stem (called Sealing Wax)

Pasquale at Chris and Todd's "lawn party" wedding in Portland

Sam and Pasquale on a swing at Chris and Todd's sweet wedding

Breathtaking Na Pali coast

Sushi dinner for Sam's birthday (that's Taris and it was his birthday too)

John and Sam on the Na Pali coast hike

John.Mandy.Lane.Sam

Sam's OP shorts from Salvation Army (perfect for Hawaii!)

trip to vancouver to meet the cousins

2008-08-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

more food making

2008-08-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

McNeil Point hike

2008-08-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

making baby food

2008-08-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

katie and i making baby food
for the boys' first solids

we cooked the fruits and veggies down with a little water,
then pureed and strained before freezing
(note little Everett on the back!)
so nice they are now big enough to be on our backs,
since it's really hard to do things like this with them in the front.

the fruits: (L to R) peaches, plums, pears

the veggies: (top to bottom)
carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash

time for tasting the pears

cute spoons: bamboo and a little bunny spoon a friend
gave me from her children

sweet bunny (from Juanita)!

E trying the pears

P trying the pears

SUCCESS!!!

vancouver island

2008-08-04T09:21:00.001-07:00

...happy about his first swim......interested in getting wet......liking the water...

...upset about the cold Canadian water
(warm water baby like his mama)...

...happy to be dry and warm again...

Pasquale and Alfons

Dale, Lane, Pasquale, Alfons, Marianne and Sigrid

Marianne and Barry

Rick Zundorf

Heather and Pasquale

funny boy

2008-07-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

lil talker

2008-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

kewpie

2008-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

i made a huge mistake by machine washing a doll my Nana made for me decades ago. the doll was perfect for Pasquale - all cloth with a sweet round head and big hand-painted eyes. it looked a lot like him and he was enthralled by it - particularly the eyes. alas, the thin material ripped during the washing and when i removed it from the machine i found the stuffing exploded out of head! so disappointing! i am going to ask the talented alison to fix it up for us. while searching online for photos of any similar dolls (i could not find any), i noticed a striking similarity between Kewpie dolls and Pasquale in the shape of his head, eyes, cheeks and chin.....

pasquale loves his feet!

2008-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

visitors

2008-07-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

our brother-in-law's cousin, adam, and his girlfriend, andrea,
are in town from austin, tx.
they came over for dinner last night...

another video

2008-07-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

video

2008-07-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

playing in his new chair

2008-07-19T11:16:00.001-07:00

the cousins

2008-07-14T14:25:00.001-07:00

cousin charlie is visiting again - he will be 2 in september

new sounds

2008-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

the first "baaa" sounds

the shoe fiasco

2008-07-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

tummy time for Pasquale

Our friend Jeff works at Nike and gave P these high top sneakers.
I have never put shoes on P before.
It was really difficult - basically it did not work.
Samantha found this hilarious!

...sweet boy...

sweet P

2008-07-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Pasquale took a long bath today

and got really wrinkly toes

really, really wrinkly toes

he has beautiful eyes

and loves milk

a lot

he's trying to sit up alone

here he is in one of his noni's dresses

and bath time again

camping

2008-07-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

first camping trip at HouseRock between Sweet Home and Sisters

first taste of food : banana

chillin' in the heat

5 months old

2008-07-03T10:10:00.001-07:00

...here's some at 5 months...

it's hard to keep up with this blog sometimes....
these 2 are from when Pasquale was 4 months old

rockin' out with his little sqeaky pirate toy

Carri and Hux

2008-07-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

these are a bit old, but i wanted to post them for the cool graininess in this disposable camera (photos by Samantha)

dress up!

2008-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Pasquale is a sport about me dressing him up.
Here's his Kentucky Fried Chicken sleeveless tank Mario got for him in Thailand (weird!)

Here's another Thailand special - the bib that says "CANDY"
the shorts with suspenders were 25 cents at a thrift store in Homosassa, FLA

Cutie in overalls from another thrift store and flip flops from his friend, Gunnar

Carrot hat and trying to walk

Trip to California

2008-06-24T17:12:00.001-07:00

first father's day dinner
Father's Day dinner: hiding behind the napkinSchoolhouse Beach with Lee
Cool pebbles - the entire beach was like this!

Hanging with Howard and Babykins

Chillin' with Uncle Howard

Kristen, Alessandro and baby Isabella (she's hard to see)

Pasquale and Kris

Howard's backyard
Dinner in the backyard

Lane and Jerry in the backyard

Mr. Happy

sweet pasquale (photo would not rotate..WTH?)

breastfeeding in a parking lot (happens often)

Kris and Ali at Franciscan Winery

Jerry, the hip uncle

Pasquale and Sam sleeping in the heat

Pasquale's tummy time on Howard's bed

Pasquale being adored by Mama and Kris

Lee and P

P learning to sit up

my mind back on farming

2008-06-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

After experiencing the brain-numbing effects of childbirth, I am starting to think about ag issues again. During Pasquale's unusually long nap this afternoon, I spent a bit of time catching up on the happenings....

As usual, Frank Morton is a major badass! Check out his response to the Roundup-Ready beets issue.

And, now finally, inside the mind of the amazing organic seed advocate Matthew Dillon.

Also, I just discovered an interesting blog entitled Diary of a Young Farmer by Zoe Bradbury that once worked at Sauvie Island Organics.

old photos that resemble Pasquale

2008-05-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

most of these B&W photos of me resemble Pasquale...

trip to the coast

2008-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

red overalls

2008-05-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Trip to Florida

2008-05-01T17:39:00.001-07:00

Pasquale and I had a wonderful time in sunny Florida!

Sorry to those of you that we missed catching up with.

Two weeks sounds like a long time, but it flew by.

Some highlights for Pasquale included:

Cruising around the orange grove with Grammy and Noni
(and Chi Cha and Winston),
watering young citrus and avocado trees
Hanging with Pappy after his knee replacement surgery

Meeting Uncle Ezra

Finding the gator in the pond

Taking walks with Grammy to enjoy the fresh air
and all the interesting sights and sounds Florida has to offer

Hanging out in the hammock with Grammy

Learning the sounds of the many peacocks on the propertyMeeting the relatives
Attending the basket class
the doe!

Meeting the amazing Gunnar (and his sweet mama)!!

charlie's visit

2008-04-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last week, Pasquale got to meet his cousin Charlie. As seen in the photo below, they were both a bit suspicious of one another initially....

But they warmed up to the idea.....

First, Charlie measured their height difference to establish who was boss....
Then Charlie let loose with some affectionate nose honking (learned from his Daddy)...

And some serious kissing action, complete with a loud "Mwah!"

Soon, they were the best of buds...
All of this excitement led to a nap for Pasquale with his new little pirate twin from his Nana...

thanks!

2008-04-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

piggy shirt from Kristen, vintage blankie from Alison and John
and monster from Henry, handmade by his mama

lovebug shirt from cousins Livvy, Heather and Gabe

Pasquale has received so many wonderful gifts from family and friends.
thank you to everyone for keeping him clothed, warmed and entertained!!

class reunion

2008-04-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

the couples from our "birthing from within" class had a reunion last night. the girls (Lola and Scarlett) are 5 months old (3 days apart) and the boys (Everett and Pasquale) are 2 months old (6 days apart)...

(from left Everett, Scarlett, Pasquale, Lola)

Pasquale and Everett

8 weeks

2008-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

well, i have not written anything in quite some time. being a mama is beyond a full-time job and it's so hard to find the time to accomplish simple things i took for granted not so long ago....

pasquale is now 8 weeks and becoming a ton of fun. he spends a lot of time smiling and laughing (as you can see from all the videos). he has discovered his hands are mighty tasty, constantly cramming them in his mouth. he is working hard on finding the thumb consistently.

he is a sweet baby. he loves people and they seem to love him. the weather will be nicer this week, so we will be able to adventure out more than usual. he enjoys hikes in forest park and the outdoors in general.

easter

2008-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

good friday videos

2008-03-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

baby stuff

2008-03-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

it's crazy how much cute baby stuff is out there nowadays!

i like to look at etsy for groovy handmade stuff like these adorable western shirts made by a woman in Austin - Ramonster. I just bought little Pasquale a cute sun hat from her for his big trip to visit the family in sunny Florida.

6 weeks old

2008-03-15T14:05:00.001-07:00

smiles for mama

2008-03-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

little gondola driver

2008-03-09T11:23:00.001-07:00

funny little boy

2008-03-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

another video

2008-03-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

learning to smile

2008-03-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

a video for Grandma + Pappy

...FIRST SMILES...

...nap time...

4 weeks

2008-03-02T20:34:00.001-08:00

Pasquale is one month now and has a receding hairline!

...in the sling with Daddy...

...a snack in the park...

2 weeks

2008-02-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Pasquale celebrates two weeks of life outside the womb. He is doing really well - a very healthy little boy. Lisa, our midwife, came over last week for his one-week checkup and he had already re-gained the normal post-delivery weight loss and was up to 8 lbs. 11 oz.

Sam has been off work the past 2 weeks, but unfortunately will be going back to the office on Monday. We work hard together to keep up with all the breastfeeding, diaper changes, spit-up wipe up, making meals, laundry, etc. Sam has been taking wonderful care of me while I build blood and rest. FYI, Lisa also tested my blood and my hemoglobin level went up to 9.25 from 7.0 in one week! That is speedy! I'm taking lots of iron, Chinese herbs (dong quai), teas, etc. to get myself back into the groove.

Also, my midwife's assistant was kind enough to dry and grind my placenta, so I can encapsulate and take them in pill form which I feel is working very well to ward off postpartum depression, anxiety, blues, etc. You can read more about this at Placenta Benefits. I highly recommend looking into this - postpartum depression is serious and quite overwhelming. It's not something you ever want to have, especially when you have a little baby to care for.

...Pasquale loving the bath...
...Pasquale loves the sunshine...
...the boys...

More first days for Pasquale...

2008-02-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Pasquale's here

2008-02-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting this. The last two days are a blur. Lane’s water broke at 12:45 Saturday morning just after going to bed. Contractions started soon after. Lane talked to Lisa (midwife) and they decided she should be in Corvallis sooner than later. By the time we got in the car contractions were five minutes apart.

We rested in Lisa’s backyard cottage during the early morning hours, but not too long because contractions were soon only two minutes apart and picking up in intensity. At 6:00am Lisa came back to check on us and was somewhat surprised that ‘active labor’ had begun. By 10:00am Lane was smoothly transitioning into a pushing labor (where contractions are accompanied by uncontrollable pushing urges). Lane asked for a physical check of her uterus that revealed full dilation. Things were going well.

Three hours of intense pushing through numerous laboring positions and the baby was still an index finger-tip away from crowning. Lisa informed us that we were moving beyond average ‘pushing labor’ time, and suggested the hospital as a potential resource (forceps/vacuum extraction). Physical exhaustion and painful hemorrhoids were not enough to dissuade Lane. We decided to go one more hour before revisiting the issue. Lane’s strength and determination brought me to tears several times in that last hour. I have never experienced a situation of such intensity and focus.

Still no crowning. We left for the hospital at 4:20pm with Lane continuing to manage waves of pushing contractions. The folks at check-in quickly had Lane in a maternity ward bed and examined by the doctor. The baby had ascended on the drive over and Lane’s uterus was fatigued. The doctor instantly recommended a c-section and Lisa agreed. The O.R. team was quickly assembled, but the anesthesiologist was dealing with another patient’s complications.

We waited almost an hour before Lane was administered the lower body-numbing ‘spinal’; a welcome relief given that during that hour contractions came continuously one after the next with little strength available to feed the accompanying push urges. Once in the operating room things moved very fast. Plenty of the usual doctor-nurse banter. Lane was shielded from the chest down by a small curtain. I held her hand and talked to her as the team cut her open and removed the baby. “It’s a boy!” was surreal. They showed me Pasquale and what a cone head!!

The pediatrician cleaned him and put him in my arms. Lane said a quick hello before I was led to the nursery for measurements. The hospital folks let me hold or touch Pasquale the entire time (8 lbs – 8 oz, 21.5 in. long, and 13.75 in. around the head). Meanwhile, Lane’s uterus was removed from its cavity, sewn, and replaced, but was hemorrhaging because there was no muscle strength remaining to contract the organ. Thankfully, through a combination of compression and administered pitocin, blood loss was stopped at 1.3 liters (much more than the average for c-sections).

I met Lane in our maternity room and placed Pasquale in her arms. He breast-fed immediately. Lane is well after six bags of intravenous fluid, one bag of blood-thickening starch, two bags of antibiotics, some kind of contraction aiding pills and a few percocets. She should be able to walk on her own tomorrow, but according the doctor may not pick up more than her toothbrush or her baby for the next two weeks. They make a smallish incision for the cesarean in order to mimic a real birthing experience for the baby. Lane is experiencing intense pain on the edges of the incision where some tearing must have occurred.

Pasquale is great. It is worth noting that throughout labor (at Lisa’s and beyond), we were able to monitor Pasquale’s heart rate. During large contractions the rate would dip to low hundreds, then Lane would take a few deep breaths and the rate would jump up to mid one-forties, almost immediately. What a little badass. Did you see that cone head? The force it took to compress his head must have been incredible. Towards the end, at the hospital when contractions were constant, the heart rate started dropping to high twenties and thirties. We are grateful for a medical team and procedure that allowed baby and momma to get through the experience safely.

The official ruling is ‘failure to descend’. The doctor and Lisa agree that the baby was just too big for Lane’s pelvis. (Seems odd to us that an animal (lane) would grow a baby too big for natural birthing, but then the doctors and Lisa remind us that there were plenty of not so favorable outcomes in previous centuries. We sure are happy we have a healthy, happy Pasquale to take care of. We hope to be out of the hospital and home by Wednesday evening. The energy of friends and family was and is felt by all.

into the wild

2008-01-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

i don't remember this quote catching my attention when i read "into the wild" several years ago, but it most definitely did when i watched the movie during my pregnancy as i consider the strength i will need to summon during my labor....

"And I know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head..."
— Bear Meat by Primo Levi

new hizzie

2008-01-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

cool old school sink in the kitchen

headboard a la alison

baby room

re-covered chairs

a little messy, but what the hell...

birth blessing

2008-01-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, my wonderful friends threw a Birth Blessing Way for me. Blessing ways are traditional to Navajos who mark the transition a woman makes when she moves from maiden to mother. This rite of passage is the second ‘blood rite’ for a woman, the first being her first menstruation. It is a time of receiving for the mother to be, a time where she is nurtured and honored by her community of women.

The Blessing Way ceremony acknowledges the commitment and energy involved in being a mother and gives her a time where all the energy is available for her to receive. This ceremony can be given to a woman each time she has a child, as with each child comes a new level of commitment and surrender. The key is for the ‘mother to be’ to allow herself to receive and ‘fill her cup’ as deeply as possible. The blessing way is also a powerful way to assist in the mother’s preparation for birth. It gives other mothers present in the circle the opportunity to share experiences. Often it is a time when the ‘mother to be’ can express any fears or worries in a safe and sacred setting and receive the support she needs.

Here's a couple things we did over the course of the ceremony aside from general pampering (massage and henna design on the belly)...

Bead Ceremony – Each woman is asked to bring a bead for a blessing necklace. At some time during the ceremony a bowl is handed around the circle and each woman gives her bead and a blessing for mother and baby. At the end of the ceremony one of the women threads the beads together and gives the necklace to the mother to have with her during the birth. This gives the mother to be a connection to all her women friends when she is birthing.

Binding of the wrists – The woman running the ritual brings a real of wool or fine thread. This is bound around each woman’s left wrist by the woman who sits to the left of her, as each woman binds the thread on the other woman’s wrist she says ‘ from women we were born into this circle, from women we were born unto this earth’.

This ritual is symbolic of the thread that connects us all as women. It also keeps each women tuned into the birthing mother as she leads up to her time. When she goes into labour, all women in her circle are contacted through the phone tree and each woman breaks the thread and sends a blessing for an easy birth.

moving back to portland!

2007-12-23T15:47:00.001-08:00

yep, Sam got a great job with an engineering consulting firm involved in green building projects! we are happily spending the holiday season packing our house in Corvallis, preparing to move into a super cool pad in the St Johns neighborhood in north Portland. This hood is close to several parks, lakes, a swimming pool, a cute downtown and many other highlights. It's not as developed as other neighborhoods in Portland, so it's a nice transition from the small college town we have been living in the past 2 years into city life. But the hood has an organic coffee shop, a good Thai restaurant, two theaters, a few pubs, a Mexican grocery store, and a vegan cafe just to name a few. Sam's office is in downtown Portland, a nice bike commute away. plus, when you drive into town to see us you get to travel over this cool bridge....

8 months

2007-12-13T17:03:00.001-08:00

The belly is BIG!

zombie baby + mama

2007-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

depending on how you look at it, being pregnant can narrow or expand halloween costume options. being that this may be the only time i have the opportunity, sam and i decided to go all out with a creeping theme....

bitten by a zombie, the baby and i become zombies ourselves.
(in case you were not aware, baby zombies burst out of the belly!)

to replicate this hilarious costume...
(1) find a life-like baby doll (if new, you may want to bathe it since it may reek of weird, perfumed plastic)

(2) cut off the body parts you wish to use as the "bursting out" parts, then drill holes for sewing into a shirt

(3) sew doll parts into a shirt

(4) apply lip liner to yours and the doll's eyes, around the edges of the shirt where the doll is bursting out and anywhere else you feel like it and you're done!

halloween cookies

2007-10-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

during a visit with the new neighbors this weekend, sam watched football (fla vs. ga) while samantha and i decorated sugar cookies our hostess prepared and provided along with colorful candies to create halloween motifs. we thought we were pretty terrible at applying orange icing to pumpkin-shaped cookies (even complete with green tendrils), until we decided to give the cookies a "halloween costume" of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

behold the eggs, bacon and toast cookie...

the sushi lunch special cookie...

and the chicken dinner cookie.....

samantha

2007-10-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

My friend Samantha has finally moved here from Florida! I am super estactic to say the least! She took these belly shots with PhotoBooth on her Mac laptop which has very groovy features.

the light is beginning to change

2007-10-16T17:58:00.001-07:00

for my mom
and grandmother...

the pupa

2007-10-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

To the right is a recent photo of the pupa!

Tomorrow, I will be 26 weeks pregnant, which marks the beginning of the third trimester! Thus far, I have really enjoyed this experience and the transition into motherhood feels very natural and, surprisingly, already rewarding.

Sam and I feel very confident in our decisions about how to proceed with our birthing and parenthood plans. We are nearing the end of our 6-week "Birthing from Within" childbirth class, which is being taught by a local doula who also happens to be our midwife's assistant. During the class we have learned a great deal about labor (including the importance of all those amazing hormones), facing your inner fears, emptying your mind, childbirth as a rite of passage, pain-coping practices, how to care for your newborn and what to expect postpartum.

Recently, we have been reading a couple incredible books, including Natural Family Living that are very much aligned with our child-raising philosophy and have started making all sorts of decisions about everything from sleeping with the baby to choosing from the incredible myriad of slings on the market. Luckily, so far we agree on everything when it comes to our ideas on raising our child--really!

As far as all that baby gear, we are lucky to be receiving all sorts of items from Sam's siblings (including car seat, bathtub, tons of clothes!). It seems a baby really does not need much more than a few basics (skin-to-skin contact, warmth, breast milk, loving parents), so we are not planning on buying much.

pregnant!

2007-10-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

yes, Sam and i are expecting a bambino! we became aware of this on May 16 and since have been really bad about documenting the changes and physical growth of the situation. as Sam has now completed his mechanical engineering degree and i am wrapping up harvest for the season, we will attempt to commit more time to the task of photo documentation and written anecdotes for our long-distance family and friends to enjoy.

we are planning a home birth and have a wonderful midwife, Lisa Lehrer. check out this link to a recent newspaper article about her practice. we are really enjoying building a close relationship with Lisa which will be extremely beneficial during labor and afterward.

we have decided not to find out the sex, but if my Sicilian grandmother is correct, it's all about the full moon. as i had very regular menstrual cycles (every 28 days, like clockwork with the new moon), i ovulated around the full moon each month (which is how women traditionally experienced their meses).

In the days before electricity, women's bodies were influenced by the amount of moonlight we saw. Just as sunlight and moonlight affect plants and animals, our hormones were triggered by levels of moonlight. And, all women cycled together. Today, with artificial light everywhere, day and night, our cycles no longer correspond to the moon.

So, the baby was probably conceived just before the full moon at the beginning of May which means (according to Grandma), the baby will be a girl if it arrives before the full moon due date of January 22 or a boy if after that date.

we have chosen names:
Ezra Pasquale (he would go by "Pasquale")
Giuseppina Eulalia (she would go by "Josephine" or "Pina")

Giuseppina (pronounced "gee-sah-pee-na") is my Sicilian grandmother's name and Italian for Josephine (which is also my mother's middle name). Eulalia is Sam's Portuguese great-grandmother's name and the name of his grandmother's first born, who sadly died days after birth. There are a couple Spanish Saints (Barcelona and Merida) with this name.

Laura Masterson of 47th Avenue Farm

2007-05-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Laura Masterson of 47th Avenue Farm explaining the concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Laura is one of the farmers I work with; she is bright, energetic, curious and an amazing farmer! enjoy...

God Save the Queen (Bee)

2007-05-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the name that has been given to the latest, and what seems to be the most serious, die-off of honey bee colonies across the country. In CCD, the bee colony proceeds rapidly from a strong colony with many individuals to a colony with few or no surviving bees. Queens are found in collapsing colonies with a few young adult bees, lots of brood, and more than adequate food resources. No dead adult bees are found in the colony or outside in proximity to the colony. A unique aspect of CCD is that there is a significant delay in robbing of the dead colony by bees from other colonies or invasion by pest insects such as waxworm moths or small hive beetles; this suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in the hive.

These symptoms have now been reported in 24 states across the continental United States and in two Canadian provinces.

Although there is much attention being given to this situation, it is not yet clear what is causing the die-off. To better understand the cause(s) of this disease and with the hope of eventually identifying strategies to prevent further losses, a group of researchers, extension agents, and regulatory officials was formed. This group represents a diverse number of institutions including Bee Alert Technology, Inc. (a bee technology transfer company affiliated with the University of Montana), The Pennsylvania State University, the USDA/ARS, the Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Broadly this group has identified its mandate as: “Exploring the cause or causes of honey bee colony collapse and finding appropriate strategies to reduce colony loss in the future”.

The current research priorities under investigation by various members of the CCD working group, as well as other cooperators include, but is not limited to:

• Chemical residue/contamination in the wax, food stores and bees
• Known and unknown pathogens in the bees and brood
• Parasite load in the bees and brood
• Nutritional fitness of the adult bees
• Level of stress in adult bees as indicated by stress induced proteins
• Lack of genetic diversity and lineage of bees

For more information and updates:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html

dreaming of the round

2007-05-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

" 'There can be no power in a square,' Black Elk said. 'You will notice that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round.'...

Nature creates in circles and moves in circles. Atoms and galaxies are circular, and most organic things in between. The Earth is round. The wind whirls. The womb is no shoebox. Where are the corners of the egg and the sky?"

Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

i have been increasingly thinking about earthships, yurts and other non-suburban dwellings. it all started when i was a child, looking through a book my parents owned called Shelter (originally published in 1973, which now has a sequel entitled Home Work). here i was introduced to a wide variety of eclectic housing structures i had never fathomed ... not very surprising considering the cookie cutter boxes most Floridians choose for dwelling.

a few years back, i purchased these books for my husband, who had become quite interested in natural buildings. they showcase beautiful, unique shelters (including treehouses!) people all over the world refer to as 'home'. the most magnificant of these are the smooth, curvy structures; eloquently stated by tom robbins (above), the lack of right angles produces a soothing living space with an undeniable organic flow. i have been thinking so much about this, i am starting to become disturbed by every corner i find in my house. i stare at them and wonder what happens in these corners? it's an energy dead-end (though many spiders in our spare bedroom are making happy homes).

it was when my husband and i visited the STAR (Social Transformation Alternative Republic) Earthship community near Taos, New Mexico during our southwestern honeymoon adventure that i decided i HAD to live in an Earthship.

Earthships are made from materials available in virtually all human settlements around the globe. The main building element is an earth-filled tire. Using passive solar heating, ventilation and cooling, Earthships produce their own electricity, collect their own water and deal with their own sewage through food producing greenhouse technology.

Not only are they ecologically-conscious, they are completely beautiful; most look like Gaudi designed them. and when you step inside, you are engulfed by a peacefulness i cannot explain with words.

...earthship: south facing windows...

...earthship...

...earthship...

...cob home...
...yurt's hobbit door...

straw bale + clay building party

2007-04-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

this past saturday, i started helping friends, elanor and jeff of persephone farm, start a straw bale + clay wall in the upstairs of this building which will serve as living quarters for their seasonal interns. you can see the completed section thus far in the top righthand side. slow going, but hopefully we can complete it by the end of May.

the process starts by finding soil with a high clay content. unfortunately, the best spot was across a small stream which required hand shoveling into a wheelbarrel, rather than just using the new tractor with front end loader...although we did use it for transport.

the clay was then placed into buckets, hauled upstairs, then mixed with water and borax (to prevent mold growth) into slip. all you potters out there know about this...

brooke loves getting muddy during the screening process, just before it's mixed with straw, then stored under plastic to keep it out of inevitable rain until placed into the wall.

finally, a 4" layer of the straw+clay mix is added to the wall formation and pounded down to a 1" layer. It takes two people about 15 minutes to compress a 10" wide x 4' long section, but obviously it's fun in the right company (note elanor's radiant smile!)

more to come in the near future....

ah, california

2007-04-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

...such a lovely way to spend the vernal equinox.

Spring embraced us with her warm rays as we traveled south.

our first stop was Napa to visit the always fabulous, cousin Howard Lane.

our friend and Howard's roommate, Gerrich, took some time to
tour us around Anomaly... the winery he works for.

hopping back into the car, we headed further south....
....through the San Joaquin Valley
....past eerie fields & fields of grapes, pistachios & the ubiquitous almonds
....crossing over the synthetic California aqueduct multiple times

....and lush rolling hills topped with windmills, much to Sam's delight (though not reflected in this nose-dance photo)

Ten hours later, many of them spent in metro LA traffic, we arrived at Jeremy and Tricia's lovely abode in the groovy beach town of Encinitas. Towering bird of paradise, hibiscus, palms, portulaca, bromeliads and other tropical beauties, including the scrumptious loquat, adorned every inch of undeveloped earth.... it was heavenly.

September Birthdays

2007-04-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

A belated posting....
Sam and I had a nice visit in Florida during the month of multiple birthdays (Sam, Becky, Josephine, Jack and Ezra... everyone but Lane!).

Here's my sweet Sicilian grammy at her 90th birthday bash...

Sam gave himself a mullet haircut in preparation for the trip to the South. He saw his first space shuttle launch & went on a boat ride in Homosassa Springs on his birthday.

Ez & his girlfriend, Heather.

Birthday Buddies.

potato season is upon us....

2007-03-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

farmers will be planting soon.

the beds are being prepped like this one in a little valley near Canyonville.

hiya!

2007-03-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

hey there.

i'm gonna take a stab at this blogging thang.

we'll see how long it lasts.

life according to pasquale

summer 2009

little monkey man

hopping & dancing with dada

February :: swinging + standing

pasquale's first birthday

:: a few of my favorite things ::

walking practice

cutting board gymnastics videos

the adoration

pasquale in a pot during the snowstorm

Pasquale @ 10 months

Florida Trip

bath time!

new do

pickling

kauai and wedding

trip to vancouver to meet the cousins

more food making

McNeil Point hike

making baby food

vancouver island

funny boy

lil talker

kewpie

pasquale loves his feet!

visitors

another video

video

playing in his new chair

the cousins

new sounds

the shoe fiasco

sweet P

camping

5 months old

Carri and Hux

dress up!

Trip to California

my mind back on farming

old photos that resemble Pasquale

trip to the coast

red overalls

Trip to Florida

charlie's visit

thanks!

class reunion

8 weeks

easter

good friday videos

more photos and video for Grandma

baby stuff

6 weeks old

smiles for mama

little gondola driver

funny little boy

another video

learning to smile

4 weeks

2 weeks

More first days for Pasquale...

Pasquale's here

into the wild

new hizzie

birth blessing

moving back to portland!

8 months

zombie baby + mama

halloween cookies

samantha

the light is beginning to change

the pupa

pregnant!

Laura Masterson of 47th Avenue Farm

God Save the Queen (Bee)

dreaming of the round

straw bale + clay building party

ah, california

September Birthdays

potato season is upon us....