tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66921012328518882492011-11-20T16:13:37.526-05:00<i>"She lives in a house full of flowers..."</i>Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.comBlogger1641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-62614676412338079282011-11-20T16:13:00.000-05:002011-11-20T16:13:37.570-05:00

My Vecmamma died last Friday. I was by her side, singing a folk song with my sister. If we had known we would be accompanying her last breaths, maybe we would not have chosen Āvu, āvu baltas kājas. But it was a fine-enough song to sing her then, an old story of a girl dressing her feet in white and weaving herself a wreath of roses that would be taken by the wind into the sea. It is the song my

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-42513201713268550762011-04-20T23:57:00.001-04:002011-04-21T00:00:54.177-04:00

Our long winter has turned into almost-summer. Now we are opening most of our windows, keeping just a few shades drawn, and living outside as we can. Marija asks to go outside all the time and often gets upset if I tell her to stay in.But she came in to dye Easter eggs today, lured in by the other kids who came to dye with us. I enjoy teaching people how to dye the Latvian way, with onion skins,

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-582294803730890672011-03-19T22:05:00.004-04:002011-03-19T22:16:29.866-04:00

To celebrate the name day and saint day of my favorite Joe, I made some naan for dinner and some honey-glazed pumpkin scones for dessert. The food took me some time, especially the naan: making dough, rolling it out, putting it in the pan, flipping it over... I am apparently no longer afraid of recipes requiring a spatula.Lately I've been more conscious of the way I can use food to show my love.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-86121572157112518272011-03-08T14:47:00.006-05:002011-03-08T15:00:09.336-05:00

This is just a bit of my mundane little life, but now I've become the coordinator for my moms' club event called Cooking Club. I think it should really be called Eating Club... once a month or less often, we gather at someone's house with food to eat and talk and maybe share recipes. Some bring their children, so we have playing... lessons on sharing... tense moments in which we dig dirt from the

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-60619461319374108302011-02-07T15:12:00.000-05:002011-02-07T15:12:50.825-05:00

Lately I've found life pretty lovely and a bit overwhelming. And I wonder if Marija will wake from this long nap, currently being conducted in my lap, in time for me to change her and pick up the living room before we have visitors. Meanwhile, I am typing with one hand to get ready for Latvian school, looking forward to another Sunday of teaching children who understand God in the simplest terms.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-64964711709127481312010-11-04T12:29:00.003-04:002010-11-04T12:32:51.865-04:00

Dear Vecmamma,I hope you are doing well! Pak pak pak -- it is raining today! I can't go on a walk outside with my little girl -- we'll have to put on some music and dance around the house!I love you!Kisses,DainaWhen we were visiting yesterday, my baby tried to give my Vecmamma some kisses. She doesn't know how to make the kissing sound, but she put her face up to Vecmamma's face, mouth open --

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-83059292982874390452010-11-01T21:35:00.003-04:002010-11-01T21:48:55.091-04:00

My baby had a busy day.She learned to catch!She really played with sand for the first time. And she learned to use a shovel! But she is still learning that it is easier to carry sand when the shovel has its scoop up. And she got, for the first time, two timeouts in one day (in one hour, actually). What a lot of tears.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-74909928306022915792010-10-31T14:05:00.006-04:002010-10-31T14:12:50.622-04:00

Joe has some new carving gouges and some practice, so this year's pumpkin is a lot better than that other one. Robert Smith from The CureLights out for full effectThe way it looks when Joe accidentally jiggles the cameraNow we are hanging out in plainclothes, and soon I will put some candy and a bowl near the door. Happy autumn!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-81324763452001591892010-10-29T12:29:00.000-04:002010-10-29T12:30:50.764-04:00

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-30762280790054244642010-10-28T13:08:00.005-04:002010-10-28T13:14:43.993-04:00

My days are full lately. Some days my heart is singing at all the wonder in this house and around it. Some days I want to call Joe on the phone just to say "help!" Many days I want to sing and call "help" both, though not usually at the same time. I needed someplace to put this, so here it is: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-57479142302723665452010-10-02T13:18:00.003-04:002010-10-02T13:21:59.921-04:00

The camera batteries were out, so I will have to remember: little blonde Marija in a yellow shirt and overalls, standing among all the orange pumpkins at the parking lot, patting her favorites with her hands. Blue skies and a happy baby...

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-10513120519471101572010-07-12T08:50:00.006-04:002010-07-12T09:02:06.290-04:00

I had thought I might want to rent a movie this weekend, but when I really thought about it, I realized I'd rather read and go on a nice walk with Marija and Joe.So after we spent Saturday trying to fix up bikes and water heaters and the like (does anyone know why a water heater would mysteriously stop leaking?), we went to church Sunday and I read a couple articles and we ate Joe's strawberry

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-70646911015021832952010-07-04T22:52:00.001-04:002010-07-04T22:56:09.936-04:00

After a visit to see my parents and Vecmamma and Selin, Joe and I drove back down to see the fireworks in Waldorf. We got there early, so we parked in the perfect spot, on the side of the road between two scenic little lakes. Joe stayed in the car with the sleeping baby while I walked to see the ducks. Later we sat in the grass and read about how to build your own log cabin on the cheap. The

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-39192844171124435352010-07-03T16:49:00.000-04:002010-07-03T16:51:26.361-04:00

I was pretty excited when I found out the caterpillars returned to our dill plants this year, but even those cool striped creatures pale in comparison with this three-inch-long garden discovery:I haven't seen anything like it, but I guessed it was one of the tomato hornworm caterpillars I've heard about, since it was on the tomatoes, it's a caterpillar, and it has a little horn. I checked into it

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-56664489657249871462010-06-23T21:19:00.003-04:002010-06-23T21:25:43.865-04:00

Happy Jāņi!We are not jumping over any bonfires this year, nor eating Jāņi cheese, nor even singing līgo songs with Marija -- she fell asleep on time for once! (Maybe I will sing once she's in bed.) Did you know it is difficult to get a baby to wear a flower wreath and sit still for a photo?

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-70888175654234315332010-04-18T11:07:00.002-04:002010-04-18T11:09:36.016-04:00

Here is an interesting article on crack babies -- who are growing up now. I have thought a lot about what makes a child who he is... and I guess there are no real answers except "a lot of things."

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-89664134859626980172010-04-14T21:21:00.003-04:002010-04-14T21:33:25.953-04:00

Marija and I were back at the Lutheran church again tonight, where we are becoming regulars on Wednesdays. But the pastor was a different one this time, an older one with a longer beard. He came up to meet me before church and suggested I bring Marija up for a children's blessing during Communion, and I said I would, and when it was time he called everyone up to pray and invited us again

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-2056445044541651382010-04-02T09:27:00.003-04:002010-04-14T21:19:57.304-04:00

It's Good Friday today, so mothers' group won't be meeting in the basement of the Catholic church, where a handful of mothers and their older children usually pray the Rosary as I meditate quietly and the young ones play. Last week, though, a mother had printed booklets with the Stations of the Cross and led everyone in meditations on Christ's journey to Cavalry. We weren't sure we would get

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-85827070709611867492010-03-10T22:05:00.003-05:002010-03-10T22:09:35.246-05:00

Joe took Marija for an hour tonight while I went to Communion service at the Lutheran church in town. He thought it might be good for us to practice being apart. We figured it would be harder on me than on her.But I came home and he said she had missed me. It was about bedtime, and she couldn't get to sleep. There were spurts of crying, he said, though he had managed to calm her somewhat with her

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-13151366722405041192010-03-01T09:24:00.002-05:002010-04-14T21:20:54.653-04:00

Good things are growing here -- in me, though not of my making. Each season puts things in a better order. Little flowers can bloom here.I don't have easy words to share it, but that might be okay...

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-5183119217260497522010-02-27T22:21:00.000-05:002010-02-27T22:22:03.994-05:00

When I arrived at my parent's house with the baby yesterday afternoon, I was greeted by a smiling dad who said he was just getting ready for TGIF. Soon, the coffee table was draped in a white table cloth, set with wine glasses stuffed with pretty napkins.I've never been home for a TGIF before, a tradition that started sometime after I got married. My dad, now retired, spends part of the week

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-27305097972215138052010-02-04T16:21:00.003-05:002010-02-06T08:55:49.774-05:00

Thanks to the woman who let me cut ahead just a little in the 40-minute-long line at the grocery store after my baby started to scream from weariness.Thanks also to her and the cashier and other folks nearby for making small talk while efficiently handling groceries. They helped distract us both and reminded me that the world wasn't ending. I thought I was really calm despite her crying, but

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-7182198051937470242010-01-25T09:10:00.002-05:002010-01-25T09:16:42.106-05:00

You all know how I'm afraid of tornadoes? Woke up last night to rain and wind and my first thought was, "IS IT A TORNADO?" Lying awake, heart pounding, I concluded that no, no tornado -- just lots of rain and, oh, also wind strong enough to rip the neighbor's piece of flapping siding off his house and toss it into our backyard.When I finally slept I dreamt of real tornadoes.And now do I deliver

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-9910832079859894702010-01-24T11:38:00.003-05:002010-01-24T11:50:39.764-05:00

One of my favorite things about being grown up is that I get a lot of mail now, though it is only sometimes the right kind of mail. I used to get the mail from the mailbox when I was younger, and as I brought down the hill and into the front door, my grandmother would ask me if there were any love letters. There mostly weren't, though, just bills for my parents and advertisements.My grandmother

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-46248783644050618322009-12-09T16:52:00.002-05:002009-12-09T16:53:17.134-05:00

I have been worrying a bit lately about my stockpile of stuff. It is on a shelf in our home, where I've lined up our very favorite shampoos and toothpastes and things bought for free with coupons -- or sometimes I was even paid to buy them! And it is nice to have things on hand so I know we won't run out before the next sale. But I have been thinking of things like sufficiency in Christ, the

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-76394499110187945032009-11-21T08:23:00.003-05:002009-11-21T08:32:33.898-05:00

I have a kitchen full of unwashed dishes. Some have been in their piles since Thursday.But Joe is working today, so we won't be able to wash them side by side this morning or afternoon, one handling the soap and the other wiping down counters, or making faces at the baby, or sweeping, or putting on good songs. And though the neighbor kids came over yesterday and filled the house with paper

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-33064952592697440482009-11-18T10:23:00.002-05:002009-11-18T10:25:59.632-05:00

I'd been dreading yesterday's dentist appointment for days, and not because I harbor any fear of getting my teeth scraped with metal implements (though it might make more sense than fearing tornadoes), but because I would be getting my teeth scraped with little Marija looking on. I've taken her shopping and to church and to other people's houses and I've learned that even though I can plan things

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-7429214300954718532009-11-16T10:06:00.003-05:002009-11-16T10:20:11.836-05:00

It was beautiful yesterday, so Joe and I took the baby to a park in the afternoon. It might become one of our favorite spots: Gilbert Run Park, just a pretty drive away. There was a long lake with woods around it, and we took Marija in her stroller. She stared up at the trees and we realized we hadn't taken her into the woods before. What kind of parents are we... she's more than two months old!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-1332868696382594692009-11-06T16:59:00.001-05:002009-11-06T17:00:12.278-05:00

Marija turns two months old in just a few hours, wow. There is a lot of time just changing diapers and such, but there is more and more time spent playing, and always new discoveries, like noticing the red spot on her tongue or realizing her eyes are lightening to look more like Joe's or my sisters'. Her likes: milk, naps, being held upright, rattles, stroller rides, car rides, being sung to,

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-39075162829200018942009-11-02T11:58:00.000-05:002009-11-02T11:58:00.272-05:00

Things Joe and I are currently managing just fine: cooking/eating, taking care of Marija, laundry, dishes, taking things in from the garden (a handful of raspberries every other day!), occasional walks, even sleeping (well enough most days).Things we often don't manage nowadays: keeping the house clean, watering the plants and most other things.Times I have been able to sit through church since

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-44842885579543133342009-10-28T11:35:00.002-04:002009-10-28T11:42:45.416-04:00

I've heard motherhood can bring on a new efficiency. I don't know whether this is true overall, but I am suddenly able to down a glass of water like Joe always could, "glug glug glug" and it's gone. And the other day, Joe was telling a story while on his second slice of homemade pizza when he realized I was cramming my fourth slice down my throat -- meaning I'd just eaten half a pizza in a minute

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-81816537219859713542009-09-27T10:28:00.004-04:002009-09-27T10:34:00.614-04:00

Our home's soundtrack lately:Having funWith no moneyLittle smileOn his faceDon't you loveThe little baby?Don't you want to make itStay up late?"Stay Up Late," by the Talking HeadsWe actually don't want the baby to stay up late... at all... but it is fun to dance around to the song. If you want to hear it, it's here with some random unrelated video clips.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-68791737485397272112009-09-20T17:59:00.001-04:002009-09-26T14:17:15.296-04:00

Marija Kristina, born September 7 at 4:34 a.m.AsleepThe birth went well -- and very quickly. We have had many jokes about our Labor Day labor. And in the days since, people have shown her and us so much love... it's amazing.I love herThings are going really well. She and I have been learning a lot, I think. Joe, too. I knew he'd be a great dad, but I'm still awed as I watch him with his little

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-5196847770309213262009-09-05T19:39:00.000-04:002009-09-05T19:39:38.100-04:00

Some of our tomato cropWe've finally been harvesting our tomatoes... they make a really great sauce, but are best just fresh from the garden. I think they are better than candy. I felt like stretching my legs today, so I tried mowing the lawn a bit, but I can't do it very well anymore, so I gave that chore back to Joe pretty quickly. I look like I've swallowed a basketball.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-89873747207192585652009-08-31T14:14:00.000-04:002009-08-31T14:15:31.466-04:00

It has been more than a week now, but it is so strange I wanted to mention: I ran into a Latvian right here in La Plata!It is a long story, but I was stopping by the American Legion building in town, which is under construction. He was one of a couple construction workers who gave me a word as I went by, and his accent sounded so familiar I asked where he might be from. "America," he said, in a

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-80920454356426875472009-08-30T20:29:00.000-04:002009-08-30T20:29:13.217-04:00

About those caterpillars... I think they may not leave much dill for me and Joe after all.They look as if they have doubled in size in the last two days. There are seven of them, and though they spend a lot of their time sitting still, a few were eating as I watched today. They can eat well over an inch of dill a minute! At that rate they have totally stripped one of the plants and have moved on

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-46440899936136621872009-08-30T19:26:00.000-04:002009-08-30T19:26:26.209-04:00

The inside of our church, Sacred Heart in La PlataSometimes when I'm in church, I think of the love I get from Joe, or from Rose, or from some other friend or family member. There are some people who love so well that their love is sweet to receive even when you don't deserve it, even when you wish you could love them back better than you know how. And when I think on that human love, it seems

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-28514253648852970582009-08-28T13:34:00.004-04:002009-08-28T13:46:54.667-04:00

This is not as important as babies, but...I do believe our dillbed has become home to some black swallowtail caterpillars.I think it's handsomeI counted about a half-dozen, as well as some skins they left from when they molted! They make beautiful butterflies, and we should still have plenty of dill left over for our cucumber salads.In other garden news, I had to tear out the squash plant (

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-58140460749068381542009-08-27T12:37:00.002-04:002009-08-27T12:45:14.881-04:00

I was going to write about my life, but then I found out that my friend Heather, my heretofore partner in pregnancy, has just today given birth to a beautiful baby girl!Nothing else seems nearly as important. And I am now a bit more impatient to meet this baby in me!Good thing I got some fabric in the mail today. Sewing and planting my spinach bed will at least keep me busy for now.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-70127878185530251392009-08-23T08:31:00.002-04:002009-08-23T08:37:04.612-04:00

People who are really looking forward to meeting the baby are becoming disappointed when I actually make it to previously scheduled social engagements. This has happened to me twice in the last two days."Darn it!" they say. "You're not in labor!""That's okay with me," I say. "I can wait." "I know, but I'm impatient!"I smile because it is funny and comes from love.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-21912124174571391512009-08-22T11:31:00.001-04:002009-08-22T11:31:25.635-04:00

Look! Look! I made that bassinet skirt and liner! A kind woman from freecycle came over to teach me how.It used to be two thift-store sheets and some thread and lace, and now it's pretty!Bedroom ready for babyThings are changing.It's been a week since I rearranged my dresser to make room for baby clothes and things, but I keep opening this drawer expecting to find my socks and being surprised to

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-34677322070561024412009-08-21T07:45:00.000-04:002009-08-21T09:28:09.741-04:00

Joe left for work extra early again this morning, and after he did I lay down a while and read, hoping I'd fall back asleep. But I only floated along the edge awhile, my heart pounding faster than it needs to for napping, so I gave up and turned over and prayed for some dear people I know. And I heard the house make little knocks and cracks where the rising sun was warming it, like it was coming

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-63376922386438627112009-08-19T08:19:00.003-04:002009-08-19T08:50:09.869-04:00

I slept lightly because I was thinking of sewing and childbirth. But Joe and I were up well before dawn, since he had to leave for work extra early this morning. Then he came back -- he had a flat tire, he said, and was taking my car. I went out with a bad feeling and noticed that he actually had two flat tires. Very, very flat tires.He rushed to get things together for work and I said I'd take a

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-61911928658050865112009-08-17T15:22:00.003-04:002009-08-17T15:41:20.837-04:00

At the doctor's office...Me: "I don't mind if the baby holds on a little longer. I'm sewing something for it." Doctor: "How far along are you?" Me: "About halfway." Doctor: "...You might want to work on it tonight!" I am living in suspense. Certain signs point to labor coming soon and quickly, and I am glad I packed the hospital bag this weekend. But even aside from that, it is so strange not

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-37198357702214541792009-08-14T09:37:00.003-04:002009-08-14T09:38:40.744-04:00

Is it bad that I take comfort in reading about the gardening failures of others? I think my squash plants have a problem caused by irregular watering and a problem cause by wet weather... at the same time!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-20901832182056281582009-08-13T13:49:00.004-04:002009-08-13T13:54:08.582-04:00

There are baby clothes in our laundry closet, little pajamas with their feet hanging down and tiny socks laid out to dry.There is a rocking chair in the bedroom! Joe brought it home just yesterday. There is teddy bear with a bear with a diaper on it sitting by the stairs.There is a lot left undone. But things are beginning to take shape in a new way already.It is still very quiet in this home,

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-1762068344063221752009-08-11T08:13:00.002-04:002009-08-11T08:33:02.871-04:00

I don't usually know the songs the nuns sing at church in the morning, but I knew this one!O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,Thy power throughout the universe displayed.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-83800726803332635722009-08-10T08:15:00.002-04:002009-08-11T08:33:18.253-04:00

There was mist on the way to church and geese in the field along the way. The windows at the monastery chapel are open when it's hot, to let some air in, so you can hear the nuns and the cicadas singing at the same time.I'm back before 8:15 a.m., already feeling hot and craving lemonade.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-89806101806262551292009-07-27T21:19:00.003-04:002009-07-27T21:23:14.778-04:00

One more happy thing...We've had some violet leaves to eat, a bit of spinach, and some dill, but today we have something new from the garden: A squash! I'm so happy! It will be dinner!(If I'd done a better job at all this gardening, we'd have had lots of squash by now. Oh well... we should still have a harvest, if a late one, and I know a lot more for next year!)

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-43168952007082404272009-07-27T21:14:00.000-04:002009-07-27T21:15:24.430-04:00

I walked all the way to the library today, about a mile away, and back again. It was the first time in a while I took a walk so long -- but Joe is away, and I had some free time in the cool of evening. So I went out, pretty aware of my very pregnant walk. I have had a few people claim it is actually a waddle, but I'm not so sure...Walking around the neighborhood in the evening is stressful

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-81882923015951535982009-07-27T21:04:00.001-04:002009-07-27T21:04:48.841-04:00

So one advantage to having an awesome sister-in-law who is also an accomplished civil engineer: we have a street named after our family! It's in a neighborhood she helped plan in Brandywine, just a little ways north of us in southern Prince George's County, and we finally found it Sunday. That's some signJoe giving directionsThe excitable one"Hiding"Yay!Everyone had their blinds closed against

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-52523227037164310532009-07-20T14:40:00.001-04:002009-07-20T14:40:48.883-04:00

It's something beautiful.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-60537949507887026172009-07-16T14:37:00.005-04:002009-07-16T14:49:57.849-04:00

We don't have many convenience foods at our house anymore, I've noticed.We buy a few for sure, like the pink lemonade mix we drink down so often in the summer. We have a bunch of canned soups hidden away in a cupboard in the "sick stash," which was handy last week when we got colds and could just pop open a can of chicken soup for Joe's dinner. I had ramen with an egg in it.But I eat a lot less

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-46216386765327613702009-07-15T09:44:00.003-04:002009-07-15T10:06:43.256-04:00

Maybe this interests me because it reminds me of the state-run ethnic mixing the Soviet Union did in Latvia and elsewhere, but I think it's interesting in any case: an article about China's not-entirely-voluntary (it seems) program to integrate Uighurs into the Han population.A part that caught my attention: Bi Wenqing, deputy head of the Shufu county office that oversees the Xinjiang labor

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-30368540999951652702009-07-10T08:30:00.001-04:002009-07-10T15:44:09.038-04:00

I think I may be nesting.So far, I haven't had the near-superhuman bursts of energy that some other mothers say keep them up all night so they can rearrange closets and scrub all their floors with a toothbrush. But this building nervous wanting to do things -- cleaning things, preparing-for-the-baby things -- it is a bit out of the ordinary even for a binge-cleaner like me. I wouldn't mind being

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-35091036925796586342009-07-05T18:53:00.000-04:002009-07-05T18:53:06.872-04:00

When Joe was out of town again, I did some work around the house and on errands, but I also saw my family and took a trip up to Harrisburg to see the American MusicFest with Rose.People contra dancing (I joined in!) A train passing directly over the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra concertThe Pennsylvania CapitolSaturday I went to the La Plata 4th of July celebration and watermelon bash. There was

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-40522027315098688092009-06-30T18:13:00.002-04:002009-06-30T19:33:03.725-04:00

I just put away the last of the felts I'd had hanging around since Latvian school ended some weeks ago.I wonder when I will use them again.One of the reasons I didn't get a job right after moving to La Plata was so I could keep doing these other things I feel called to do: visiting my grandmother a lot and helping a bit with her care, teaching the beautiful children at Latvian church about God

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-60013442214905210642009-06-29T22:42:00.003-04:002009-06-29T22:45:03.952-04:00

This time, the snake in the yard was a bright green thread of a thing hiding under the ledge by the front door. It's the exact kind of snake I would like for a pet, actually, and after I got over my initial yelp of surprise I was tempted to pick it up (but didn't).

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-37998460192828407822009-06-28T19:16:00.001-04:002009-06-28T19:46:21.633-04:00

Joe's in San Diego again, and it's funny how quickly I can fall back into the patterns I had before we were married: going to church alone, wandering a park afterwards, sleeping and waking at strange times. For a little while it's almost like being unmarried again -- and then he calls me or I start planning the next few days, and so many of our thoughts and plans circle around each other. And

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-15980036731004632912009-06-26T16:54:00.001-04:002009-06-26T16:57:03.619-04:00

At the age of ninety-seven, my grandmother is starting to get confused about who I am sometimes. She still knows her granddaughter Daina, though sometimes she forgets that Daina has already left college and even married that boy my grandmother likes so much... it's just that she doesn't always realize that I'm that granddaughter. A few times now, she's mistaken me for my mother, especially if I

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-50921003616491758782009-06-21T21:56:00.005-04:002009-06-21T22:16:05.551-04:00

This time of year, the orange daylilies bloom in clumps along the side of the road. You can find them in Maryland -- some right here in La Plata, even -- but it was in Michigan, I think, when the long swaths of bloom caught my dad's attention some years ago. My dad is an enthusiastic gardener, and maybe he appreciated how the lilies can grow even under the shady fringes of woods along the back

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-9011967575011286812009-06-13T18:05:00.001-04:002009-06-30T19:33:44.057-04:00

There are seals in San Diego. They have taken over a children's beach in La Jolla, a little ways north of downtown. They are fast as fish in the water, but they look pretty lazy on land!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-81891968428593501382009-06-13T17:13:00.005-04:002009-06-13T17:40:48.509-04:00

Here are some pictures of pregnant me with Joe in San Diego. He was there for three weeks on business, so we had time to explore together on the weekends. It was great.I look considerably rounder in real life, for some reason... so if you really want to see what I look like, you'll have to come visit!I think this is a cypressThe Pacific Ocean in La JollaPools and tidepoolsSandstone + ocean =

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-59185747587970296942009-06-12T18:39:00.001-04:002009-06-12T18:40:20.598-04:00

Oh wow. What a loving woman.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-49909499440919038952009-06-11T21:08:00.001-04:002009-06-11T21:14:00.154-04:00

So I know only a few people in the neighborhood... more of them keep to themselves or to other circles. And I am starting to be okay with that.That's because I finally DO have a few neighbors I know. The yard sale was the turning point, actually. It gave us an excuse to chat with people, learn (and re-learn) a few names. I had a really good feeling about the family from almost right across the

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-70148027563656745782009-05-26T16:36:00.000-04:002009-05-26T16:37:04.707-04:00

We had ... (counting on my fingers) ... 17 people over at our house on Sunday for one of Joe's family potlucks. Everyone brought too much good food and the house was full of conversation. Nieces and nephews ran around our yard and played in a raucous game of Go Fish! in the living room. Just about every dish in our house was dirty by the end of the night, in addition to a small stack of paper

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-2559348159341601492009-05-22T15:54:00.003-04:002009-05-22T15:57:36.978-04:00

Just listed 30-some items on Freecyle, hoping someone wants the things we no longer want (mostly yardsale leftovers). This usually ends with no one wanting the stuff we were using just recently, which I always take somewhat personally. But maybe things will go differently this time!Meanwhile, here is my favorite freecycle post in a long time:Wanted - couple of hens - any areaI have a little

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-61788739949257787852009-05-21T16:25:00.004-04:002009-05-21T16:38:26.433-04:00

I was talking to my mom about my garden this morning and feeling pretty hopeful. Even though a few of the plants I planted had died, I'd planted other ones in their place and figured I'd learned lessons for next year.What I forgot was to go out and shade some of my seedlings from the sun. This is not something that's usually necessary, but I didn't get my wimpy seedlings very used to the sun, and

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-59993909746575864952009-05-21T08:34:00.003-04:002009-05-21T08:42:23.766-04:00

Oh, this made me laugh.But if I was his mom and knew about half those things, I'd about die of fright.How am I ever going to stand having kids?I myself have survived many a ride around the block in the back of a pickup truck. But unlike my sisters, I was a bit scared all the time. I'm such a wimp.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-30324553707531752992009-05-19T15:38:00.004-04:002009-05-19T15:51:05.502-04:00

Going out to mow the lawn a little while ago, I stopped with my toes at the screen door as a four-foot-long snake slithered past. Eep!Wildlife doesn't scare me generally, but snakes that big do make my heart pound a bit, especially if I'm not expecting them.It looked like a black rat snake (that is, black), but I'm really not sure what it was. In any case, it's not poisonous and probably

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-54487019043870077942009-05-15T22:05:00.003-04:002009-05-15T22:10:42.228-04:00

It looks like we have a hummingbird living next door, with its nest is at the top of a sweet gum tree. It likes to sit on  the top of a tall, bare branch, surveying the neighborhood and making the occasional loop-de-loop. 

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-72528561470182522402009-05-15T08:19:00.000-04:002009-05-15T08:19:26.491-04:00

Apparently, if you miss daily Mass about... oh... four days in a row, some of the people who know you are regulars will not only start to wonder where you are, but they will talk it over at length with the others and, upon your return, ask where have you been!Joe had early meetings every day this week but today, so we didn't go -- not so strange for me, more unusual for him. Our absence was

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-77026684306912020582009-05-14T17:40:00.000-04:002009-05-14T17:41:03.400-04:00

This week I discovered Viena Diena, the online home of a project in which hundreds of photographers took pictures of one day in Latvia. Actually, they took pictures of two days -- August 31, 1987 and the anniversary 20 years later.The pictures taken not even 22 years ago seem like a different world. I mean, I was alive then, playing with my My Little Ponies on my parents' carpet, but these are

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-87855720511875229502009-05-13T12:05:00.006-04:002009-05-13T12:22:11.585-04:00

Joe and I were at my parents' house on Saturday, taking care of the dog and my grandmother while everyone else was gone. Joe played his guitar while my grandmother listened and I played my kokle, and Vecmamma even played a little herself, just picking at the strings.In the evening, we went to  Mass near there, like we used to. A tiny little baby was being baptized, and after it received the holy

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-30474596398026864322009-05-12T16:00:00.000-04:002009-05-13T12:21:36.062-04:00

Our neighbor mowed our front lawn and even swept the grass from the walk! What a great feeling.I am capable of mowing the lawn, but not at the same time I'm working in the garden (with many breaks). So that was actually really helpful.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-46427179068843286372009-05-07T11:42:00.004-04:002009-05-07T12:01:04.111-04:00

This article fascinated me on a couple levels:Gilbert wrote about a study that showed people’s happiness with their lives and correlated that information with their salary. What did he find? $40,000 is a truly magic number. Below that number, people were much less happy with their lives - people with a household income of $20K or $30K were generally less happy with their state of living than

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-36202970868130174882009-05-06T13:53:00.003-04:002009-05-06T13:57:54.047-04:00

This may be my favorite article on cooking ever, because it is about life as much as it is about cooking.Today I am smiling because not only do I suspect my capon will be defrosted in time to roast it for dinner, but because there was asparagus to go with it at the farmer's market. Mmm mmm mm.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-87389568256458775402009-05-04T14:27:00.003-04:002009-05-04T14:33:34.055-04:00

Hah! I thought the guy coming to install our new thermostat might be quiet, but it turns out he's a HUGE fan of The Cure, and he figured out that someone else in our house was, too. (What, the multiple Cure albums in the tape holder by the thermostat and the hand-drawn picture of Robert Smith on our coffee table gave it away?) I actually learned things about The Cure I didn't know. I didn't know

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-49188996751573652222009-05-04T14:02:00.000-04:002009-05-04T14:47:40.350-04:00

Though it does not comment on any matters of international importance, this is one of the greatest things I've read in a while.And I enjoyed the very last part of Answer Man's Sunday column.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-32583082341853095912009-05-04T12:26:00.004-04:002009-05-04T12:48:36.026-04:00

I guess it is a good thing the gardens I wanted to take my mom to for an early Mother's Day trip were closed for renovations. I planned a fun afternoon at the Baltimore Art Museum and it ended up being well-suited for yesterday's cold and rainy weather. Joe came, too! Now he is suggesting we take my mom to museums for Mother's Day every year, hee. We'll see.The destination was a surprise from my

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-74561318754455462442009-05-02T15:18:00.007-04:002009-05-02T16:30:19.351-04:00

Our yard sale take: $27.61 in cash and changeminus $5.12 spent on posterboard to make signsplus introductions to several neighborsencounters with a couple moreand a cookout invitation. I'm pretty pleased. We also got rid of a couple boxes worth of things, and the rest are dusted off, boxed up and ready to sell or donate elsewhere. Alas, though, we STILL have our enormous white elephant of a spare

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-22104521529380221812009-04-20T16:53:00.004-04:002009-04-20T17:06:17.927-04:00

Last night I had a tornado dream. They have come often since at least early high school, when I started keeping track. But this was truly one of the worst, with a sudden bad ending in a building without a basement, the kind of ending that leaves me lying awake with my heart beating hard. The feelings of the dream followed me a way into the morning, as sometimes happens.Now I hear the area's under

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-561923385288834932009-04-20T13:09:00.005-04:002009-04-20T13:16:45.558-04:00

Rainy days make me sleepy. I went to Mass with Joe this morning and then slept through most of it, oops.On the way, I was feeling crummy and watching the rain come over the windshield and thinking about how I'll need to fight off the urge to nap while I finish my Bible study lesson today. "It'll be hard to study the Bible in this weather," I said. "You could just study inside," Joe said.And if

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-14791657219628966812009-04-20T12:50:00.007-04:002009-04-20T13:06:36.317-04:00

On Saturday, we came back from church and Joe immediately went to check on the pizza dough he'd set to rise. "It is risen!" he said triumphantly. And a pause, and "It is risen indeed!" It was the best pizza dough.I am glad because when I was reviewing the Easter story with the little kids at Latvian school yesterday and asked whether Jesus was a ghost or really alive, they answered surely, "

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-24870623763596138932009-04-13T20:04:00.000-04:002009-04-13T20:04:27.278-04:00

The Lord has indeed risen, Alleluia! Glory and kingship be His forever. It seems like everyone else has so many good things to say about Christ's resurrection this time of year, but I feel oddly incapable of joining in. Joe and I went to church Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and then for the Easter service Sunday morning, and even as I sang from the pews or the chairs in the Friendship

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-26205594305498403162009-04-09T10:39:00.002-04:002009-04-09T10:44:01.820-04:00

Now my spinach is growing up and the sunny days make me want to find all the outdoor chores I can. Apparently Thomas Jefferson felt a bit of the same way: On Jefferson developing the American garden, from The Washington PostAnd here is a really interesting article on a man's repentance, also from the Post. What I wonder about the most is his wife and their marriage, which is so little discussed.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-661142089252167032009-04-06T19:23:00.004-04:002009-04-06T19:26:44.366-04:00

Peter's commentary on our cherry trees blooming so much later than their neighbors: "The little girl trees haven't learned what their aunts are doing yet."They are sweet cherries, by the way. In a year or two, once they are bearing a few fruits, one should have yellow cherries with pink cheeks, and the other should have deep, dark red cherries.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-72002293255675527892009-04-06T19:23:00.000-04:002009-04-06T19:23:29.367-04:00

After a few weeks of cherry blossoms all over La Plata, the little treelings in our backyard finally burst their first buds. I have meant to write about the cherry trees since Peter came over to help me plant them in the fall. They were wedding presents, and once we had them growing up among the grass in the backyard, the yard started to feel like a place worth being.Fall is a good time to plant

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-49073944284735745852009-04-03T08:29:00.004-04:002009-04-03T08:43:39.449-04:00

Oh yeah, did you hear about the somewhat-mysterious light and accompanying boom that terrified the residents of Norfolk? We could see it from our neighborhood! We were almost home from visiting Joe's family and I (the driver) was pretty startled to see what looked like a strange sort of orange firework, or perhaps a meteor, coming down above the trees.  Joe saw it, too, though he took it in

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-88727142014722011602009-04-02T13:06:00.004-04:002009-04-03T08:45:57.952-04:00

Hey, it's my keyboard!I believe that, while I worked at the Dispatch, I got more comments on this keyboard than I did on the actual quality of my work.It had been used before me by a co-worker with wrist problems until she switched to a position that required less typing and more keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard sat unused until I asked if I could maybe use it, and everyone said yes, please,

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-47688912027598084152009-04-02T09:21:00.001-04:002009-04-02T09:22:59.996-04:00

For April Fool's Day I tried to convince Joe I made him a Veggie Meat Experiment for dinner, but he didn't fall too hard for it before he saw his soup and turkey melt (like a tuna melt). I had just the soup, yum.Then we were talking about times I've been fooled before, including the time Steffie had us all on LiveJournal thinking she was pregnant -- classic. Joe said I could tell people that

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-22622675011662722502009-03-30T09:04:00.003-04:002009-03-30T09:11:13.859-04:00

If you don't mind tapping your feet a bit, you can listen in here and tap along with me: The thing that entrances me about this video, besides the way the song builds, is the bass player, who apparently has a tiny baby in her backpack. My favorite comment from the YouTube page: "I'm guessing the baby is going to grow up to be a musician."

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-88994270181347267512009-03-30T08:39:00.008-04:002009-04-02T09:29:42.019-04:00

At the monastery on weekdays, there are daffodils and cherry blossoms, and it is shawl weather again. Today Sandy was wearing something light red with sparkles.At Mass on Sunday, we noticed a number of little girls in new pink jackets, and a few older women, too!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-12682383497069785752009-03-13T09:46:00.002-04:002009-03-13T09:46:34.563-04:00

And today there is snow covering the backyard.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-43212695434850253032009-03-12T12:22:00.001-04:002009-03-12T12:23:59.641-04:00

I asked the internet how many tomato plants it takes to feed a family. The numbers recommended for a family of four range from 6 plants to 24. Ack.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-74247263602604406672009-03-12T12:07:00.002-04:002009-03-12T12:17:45.033-04:00

I've spent much of the morning planning this year's garden. It is not a big yard, but I got down to mapping it out, and there's a lot of plantable space. More than I can probably plant this year, actually! I hear the way to do it is to expand the garden a bit each year, and that does seem the most manageable way, but oh, I wish I could just fill the yard with flowers and fruits and vegetables.A

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-35813332535257069812009-03-12T09:15:00.004-04:002009-03-12T09:32:28.252-04:00

When I worked at the Dispatch, writing obituaries was one of my favorite things. People are so interesting. But aside from the few "glory obits" we ran -- the long staff-written pieces usually reserved for community leaders and accident victims -- there weren't many obits worth reading. Most of the paid ones (those in tiny type in the back of the local section) were written like mad libs: [Name]

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-39378703976869711662009-03-11T15:30:00.003-04:002009-03-11T15:31:44.969-04:00

The weeds in the backyard have purple blossoms now.

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-73736151970135568812009-02-26T16:51:00.001-05:002009-02-26T16:52:11.191-05:00

I saw some robins the other day.Now the ice-cream man is circling the neighborhood.He is making me hungry!

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692101232851888249.post-77969431161410709182009-02-19T17:39:00.004-05:002009-02-19T17:45:06.916-05:00

Some of you will have heard this story before, but I was reminded again by this post about helping strangers.People say it is usually a bad idea to give cash to strangers, and I think that is often true. It is easy to be scammed and often better to point people to charities with screening procedures, or perhaps to hand out granola bars. (I'm planning to keep some in my car to offer to people with

Dainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10134477521029271481noreply@blogger.com3