Spring!

The sweet peas are starting to stretch their stems up along the front of the house and the green peas are sprouting in the freshly dug veggie beds out back. Little leaves and buds are popping out on shrubs and trees and yes, the first of the daffodils are blooming in the yard. Amazing to see the determined signs of spring here in the new house and the new neighborhood.

Since we have no idea how long we will be in this house and, to be honest, we keep thinking of our stay here in terms of a year--we are savoring the seasons as they creepingly unfold. We have had our winter and now we are watching as things start to grow and fluff and leaf out along the lot here on Willow Avenue.

The garden beckons and I get out in it whenever I can assure that I can have a little quiet, uninterrupted time to get a little muddy and plant a few seeds. We are still figuring out how to garden with a yard full of dogs, cats, squirrels and other wildlife. Yesterday, I went out to find that the earliest row of lettuce I had planted had been eaten completely. A few sad stems left wilting but all the tender new sprouted leaves obviously served as a delicious feast for some creature. Meanwhile the mustard greens growing right beside the lettuce patch were left untouched. Tiger and I had a bit of a chuckle wondering what creature had delighted in the tasty treats.

So, we put up some wire across a few beds--just to try to deter dogs and cats a little, and while I was turning over the compost pile I resuscitated a couple months ago, I noticed it was warm and steamy--which means that it definitely HAS come to life and is a fully functional pile now. Very exciting.

Things are growing, the sun is shining, it is not exactly warm--but it is definitely early spring...and I am so into it!

Valentine's Day

Teri and I spent Valentine's Day on the Oregon coast--a mild day with a little drizzle inland, but while we were on the beach it was glorious and sunny. We happened to hit the beach right at high tide and got to experience crashing waves, churning foam and all sorts of dramatic natural elements as we wandered along.

What was miraculously fun for us was all the natural reminders of love we found as we traipsed along: heart-shaped shells and rocks, embracing and entangled kelp and twigs--it was if all around us, the natural world wanted to make sure we didn't miss the obviousness.

Neither Teri nor I are ones to subscribe to showers of love once a year and I like to look for heart-shaped rocks year-round but there was just no missing the call to let ourselves slip into the easiness of a glorious day yesterday. And yet, it was just a day--the rain fell on us for the beginning of the drive and then the sun opened up when we got to the beach. There was wind and drizzle and slow lines when we wandered into "Mo's" for some chowder and clam fritters. On the way home, only about 10 miles from home--Tiger's sweet little Ford Escort Sandy died a very undramatic death and we easily pulled off the main road, called for the tow truck and waited an hour as it got dark and the truck finally managed to find us. It could have been traumatic, but it was almost ordinary in its being just a typical life adventure.

Teri went to a worried place; a stressed place; and I know that she has had Sandy for a very long time--her entire time in Oregon--and it is hard NOT to immediately see dollar signs and such when these sorts of stumbles and speed bumps happen but I know we didn't get to be this age because of our inability to be resilient, creative and accept that life is ups AND downs. And if the DOWNS are completely manageable, that is something to be grateful for.

After a pleasant-enough ride from the tow-truck driver, we poured ourselves some sparkling wine, made a big plate of nachos and I insisted on some comedy to watch. An hour of hearty laughter later and things just seemed a lot more acceptable--it was a lovely, miraculous and beautiful day. I feel grateful, appreciative and still absolutely tickled to be on this grand adventure known simply as life...

Compatibilities

February marks the third month at Willow Avenue--in some ways, we feel rather settled: the boxes are unpacked, dozens of meals have been cooked in perky red kitchen; a half-dozen parties and gatherings have taken place under the pointy roof. In other ways, we are still finding our way and learning how to live together. I get a kick out of it when friends ask,"How is it going?" The truth is, it depends on which day or week the question gets asked!

What I can say is that this version of cohabitation is different from any I have done before--there are no kids to tend to and while we are both constantly touching base and interacting with our kids, it is different since no one is currently living at home. I know this is new and different for both of us--two mothers under one roof and no children.

There are also very strong veins of similarities and compatibilities that are constantly being discovered. While we are two very different people, we have similar approaches to housework, time management, socialization, etc. Neither of us is really jealous, controlling or possessive by nature so there is a great deal of space and freedom in the midst of some pretty regular closeness and most of the time it feels downright friendly.

It fascinates me to hear and see the way people come together and manage to build lives together--especially in scenes like ours where there are not set roles, gender expectations or cultural conventions to dictate who does what. We also have the benefit (or curse) of decades of experiences and learned life lessons to draw upon. I find that while I still feel rather youthful in some ways, I catch myself making very conscious decisions to approach things differently when we have disagreements, miscommunications, or simply moody moments. While I am still challenging to live with, I am not nearly as challenging as I was twenty years ago! I own up to my own stuff.

It is still early; we are still working out the details and we haven't decided WHAT to do with the "blue room" yet--but the adventure is well worth the risk...

Festivities, Play and Parties...

I love birthdays and delight in milking every bit of celebration possible out of a person's "special day." By combining my life with Teri's, I have not only partnered with a fellow Aquarius, but our birthdays are only seven days apart and she is as delighted by birthday celebrations as I am. The secret that I have discovered about birthdays is the harder you share them, the better they get!

Tiger has spent the last week opening gifts and cards and reveling in being "the birthday girl." We decided to send out a joint invite to friends and family offering up a few opportunities to celebrate with us and last night there were twenty people who joined us at PRI (Pizza Research Institute) to eat fabulous food, play, and just experience some joy. When I look at the pictures, I see so many smiles and gleeful faces that it reassures me. The economy may be in the toilet and each and every one of those people may have individual woes and problems--but when we all come together to smile and laugh...magic happens.

I have been working a great deal in the past couple weeks and trying to carve out a place for work in my new life; trying to think about work in new ways and follow my heart and soul in the direction it seems to be leading me. Teri, too, has been moving forward with some major vocation changes and it is wonderful to watch her branch out, stretch her wings and try new things. Meanwhile, I am delighted to find that we both maintain our need to play--we need to get out and go dancing, giggle with friends, offer up a hug or two and just generally keep some festivities in our life to balance out the rest.

So, on to some more play and parties--music, dancing, friends, food...Yes! (Oh, and now I get to wallow in my birthday for a few days too!)