Hashem, Hannah and Flannery

Our Sunday started with a trip to Cromwell Valley Park to join the Baltimore Folk Music Society's Spring Faire. With mild 65 degree weather, it was the perfect (and cheap!) outing for me, my son and his Great Grandmother. Fiddles were going, May pole ribbons were streaming and the atmosphere was full of joy. We tried our hands at juggling and joined a madrigal song circle, too. The event was such a nice speed. E did somersaults on the lawn and we had a pleasant time.

E and his Great Grammy at the May pole.

The food left something to be desired, though the handmade crepes looked good. We needed a place to sit and rest...and somehow the lawn for great grammy didn't seem appropriate. So we headed to the Bel Loch Diner for lunch.

Entering the diner is like entering a time machine. The exterior has a funky art deco appearance. The turquoise blue seats atop the chrome bar stools lend a hip 60's retro vibe. The food is what you might expect, quick and tasty even for a vegetarian like me. The egg salad and sweet potato fries were delish!

Picture from the SouthernLiving website when the diner was featured in "Secrets of the South's Best Diners". 

What I really love about this place is the history. Great gram told me that she remembered this diner from when she and her late husband were married (it opened in 1964). I love that this old fashioned diner has been a staple in our community for over five decades.

Yeah, yeah it's charming, by now you get it. But here's where it's really like a time machine: I noticed a young guy bussing tables and I couldn't help but think that it was a boy that I taught some years before. I taught art in a local public middle school for four years and during that time I worked with over 1200 students. Needless to say I still run into them everywhere I go.

So great grammy decided to ask a waitress to grab the boy (embarrassing) so that I could find out if I was right - sure enough it was Hashem, a respectful young man that I always liked. But what happened next was just strange. Another girl came from out of the kitchen and said, "do you remember me? I'm Hannah, you were my art teacher in 6th grade." Of course! She was in my Gifted and Talented art class. She was still a meek, pretty girl with frizzy blond hair and once she said her name I knew exactly who she was.

And then a THIRD girl came from around the corner and said "do you remember me?" I thought for sure someone was pulling my leg but she said "My name is Flannery and..." and I immediately blurted out her last name. I remembered her, too! She was a studious, sweet girl now an outgoing waitress.

What were the chances that three of the diner employees were all my students almost ten years ago?

The time warp caught me completely off guard and in mommy mode. But it's brought back fond memories of my days in the classroom, teaching up to 36 students per class. Despite how hard those years were (working full-time at the school and part-time at the nature center), I stayed optimistic and tried to savor all the good times with the kids. I will always be grateful for those experiences and excited to run into more of my students as the years march on.

DIY herb spiral

It's a proverbial glorious spring day, mild weather about 70 degrees and sunny skies. In my tireless quest to make the garden beautiful and useful, there is a new addition to the yard: the herb spiral.

What's an herb spiral? Research on these herb sprials is varied and all fascinating to me, the garden geek that I am. This invention came about in the 70's as a new take on "permaculture". The concept is that the plants at the top of the spiral-shaped raised bed will get the most sun and have the driest soil. Plants on one side will be partly shaded with slightly more moist soil. The plants at the bottom will have the most moisture since water will drain down and around the spiral. Therefore, you can grow a large number of plants that have many different soil and light conditions all in one space. Other advantages include the raised soil bed which provides easy access to everything and keeps plants away from nibbling critters. (Between the groundhogs and rabbits in our yard, I'll keep my fingers crossed.)

What should you plant? Typically herbs spirals are, well, for herbs that you cook with. They are placed in easy access of a kitchen or outdoor cooking area so that they will get lots of use. But you could grow all sorts of things on the spiral. Trailing fruits and veggies would work - squash, cucumber, watermelon - any would be fun to try. Flowers would be charming here, too, though many herbs will flower. My plant list includes:

-rosemary, two varieties
-French marigold (edible)
-sundrops
-basil
-oregano
-thyme, two varieties
-chammomile, two varieties
-sage
-mint
-chives

Making it: First, mark off your circle somewhere around 5-6 feet in diameter (your call). Lay cardboard and/or landscape fabric down to kill weeds. (Avoid cardboard that may have lots of inks that could leach into edible plants.) Laying cardboard or landscape fabric is helpful especially if you're making the spiral right on top of a lawn. I used both, along with metal stakes to pin down landscape fabric.

Next you need to create the spiral. Some sources suggest that your spiral go clockwise (or counter) depending on what hemisphere you live in. Mine is clockwise starting from the center.

You can use rocks from the yard, bricks, even poured concrete if you really want to. I stacked local stone to form mine, but I also had random leftover pavers that I used at the bottom of the center spiral. Since they are hidden, I figured why not.

The goal is to make the center of the spiral about 3 feet tall. Remember, the idea is for the soil to be raised in the center, then spiral down to the lowest point at the end. This will make harvesting and weeding easy. Mine is just shy of three feet but if you're a perfectionist, grab your tape measure.

Now you're ready to add a thick layer of mulch. Again, this will help prevent weeds and also add nutrients that will break down over time. There are many different substrates you can use from this point, depending on how technical you want to be. In the truest sense, you would want to amend the soil with peat, use straw, and compost from your yard. This will create nutrient-rich soil and establish those distinctly different growing zones for permaculture described here. I used the layer of mulch, then a soil/compost mixture.

Finally, water down the soil to make sure you've filled in all the pockets. Now you are ready to plant!

Here is our new herb spiral, right by the kitchen door:

I'll repost once the plants fill in later this summer. I can't wait to start cooking!

been so long

The last time I tried to post, I got a terrible message from blogger saying that I had exceeded my limit for uploading images. YIKES! So, I am making another attempt, sans photos, because I feel like I need a blogging fix.

My golden cub is asleep on the couch as I type this. We played for a couple of hours in the yard today because it is nothing short of glorious out there. Albeit only in the 50's, it sure does feel like spring is in the air. It's crazy, earlier this week forecasters were predicting the "snowquester" to keep us all inside for days with 6-12 inches of snow in our area. Instead it was a "no-quester" as there was only a couple of very slushy inches of snow that fell. Still a day off from work which is always nice.

With the sun shining and clocks about to be spring ahead, I am excited about gardening all over again. (Happens every year!) I've already ordered my non-GMO seeds from SeedsNow.com and have been cutting milk just to start seedlings outdoors any day now. I may do something a little different with raised beds this year and rake in more of my coffee grounds to help improve the soil. I saw a great post about growing carrots in huge pots, so I'm going to try that, too.

I made tons of progress on E's natural play space last year, but there's definitely more work to be done. Last year the focus was on removing all the English ivy along with other volunteer trees and invasives. We were able to lay out the bones of the space including a sand area, living nest structure, music wall, twig fort and trellis art easel. I planted several shrubs and ferns as well, but not nearly enough to cover the whole area.

So this year, I'm at it again. I'm ready to eat, plant and play in the yard. Hurry spring, hurry!

if I had my druthers...

I love a good beach trip and you've seen the posts - we do them a lot. But the one last week was a little different.

We headed to Pawley's Island in South Carolina. Sunshine, warm ocean and natural beauty everywhere. The pier on the back of the house stretches out to a shallow inlet, tall with grasses. Snails are pasted to the reeds like postage stamps. Sand bars peak out of the water as the tide ebbs and flows. A sliver of metallic blue-gray ocean whooshes beyond the creak of porch floor boards and worn-in rockers at the front of the house.

With the first scoop of our net, E and I catch tiny shrimp. As we reach into the water to pick up shells, prickly legs retract inside them. The egrets, brown pelicans, herons and kingfishers are everywhere. I even spot a lizard basking in the sand.

Because of the changing season, we are struck by the monarchs using the coast as a highway to migrate South. In one moment I stop to count 17 butterflies flit past. There is a steady stream of orange traffic all day.

The wild beauty on Pawley's is amazing.

I hope it stays this way.

sunny day at Cylburn

We had a great visit at the Cylburn Arboretum last week. Although the gardens are more manicured than the wild things I grow and love, they are home to all kinds of creatures. It was fun to watch E try to catch butterflies, touch the flowers and taste peppers from the garden. He also loved spending time with his little buddy!

 

 

first day jitters

Two huge first days this week: my son's first day of a drop off school program and the my own preschool's opening with the most families we've ever enrolled.

I couldn't be in two places at 9 a.m. Monday morning (surprising, right?) so I had to iron out the hiccups at work in order to focus on my son. Easier said than done. The two weeks leading up to Monday were brutal on all fronts.

Despite my halo of crazy, can I just say that our son is amazing? For all the worry my husband and I had about him being left on his own, he surprised us both. There was a brief look of concern and a "where's mommy?" as a few more children entered the room when it was time to say good-bye. I told him, "I'm right here. I'm SO PROUD of you! I love you!" and my eyes filled with tears. That was my sign to get out of there fast. Daddy reassured him he'd be back to pick him up and we waved good-bye. Off we went.

Given the fact that there's only five kids in his class with two teachers, and that school only runs for a couple hours, the logical part of my brain knew he would be just fine. And he was! The best part was how proud he was of himself. "I is so proud."

I have to trust that these new experiences will have just as much value and positive effect as what we've tried to provide. But letting go is scary! Except for close family, he's never been dropped anywhere before. He stays with our sitter when we work, but even that is like staying with family since she's been with him for nearly two years. It was a total crap shoot as to how he would react to being left on his own. I know the tears may still come once he adjusts after a couple of weeks, but for now I couldn't be more relieved.

Then, still wiping my tears, I shifted gears onto my preschool's big first day. By the time I arrived I could hear the children singing and there were no parents in sight. Could it be that things went that smoothly? Thanks to the amazing teaching and admin staff, everything went off without a hitch!

The week ended on a high note when E returned back to school and still walked right in like he owned the place. I stood there dumbstruck, trying to take it all in. My baby has grown into a little boy. Already! I is so proud!

 

oh cheese

Those little wooden animals just didn't want to fit inside the the barn. "Oh jeeze! They keep falling out!" I joke. Pause. Then out of no where, unbridled laughter. "Oh cheese!" he squeals and giggles. "Oh cheese!" Don't you just love their sweet, pure laugh?

The school year is barreling closer and I'm wresting again with major mommy guilt. Say what you will about how adaptable kids are, I get it, but that doesn't take away the aches and pangs of guilt I feel most days I'm away from him.

Yes, there are days that I don't feel that ache. And then I feel guilty about that, too.

Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about my work and how much I love my job. Before having children I was always the last one out the door, staying until it was dark outside knowing full well I'd never recover all that overtime. I didn't care - there was just so much to do. I was (and still am) hyper-motivated about innovating programs and teaching. Especially as it pertains to getting messy.

Now that I've built an incredible program, brick by brick (or more accurately leaf by leaf), that same ambition grows. In fact, it's insatiable.

Given the work that I do as an educator, I feel proud. Proud of the profound and lasting effects my work has on students, families and other educators. My work also plays a great role in my own child's life when he enters our nature preschool next year. This is more than just a job. It is how I define myself and how I share my values with the community. I have an amazing career that goes beyond punching a clock, collecting a paycheck and racing like a bat out of hell when it's five.

There you have the dynamic. When I'm not with E or thinking about spending time with him and my husband, then I'm obsessing (and dreaming) about work.

With the on-going reminder of the graduate coursework I put on the shelf nine years ago, and then revisiting the idea again last fall, I continue to struggle with my work family balance. I long to further my career so that my reach goes beyond the one program I've created. I want my reach to be national. International. And I'm not far off from achieving those goals. The more I work with educators, the greater impact my vision will have.

So I'm longing to complete my Masters coursework, once and for all. Well, until I go on to pursue my Doctorate.

And then I'll go back as a feisty little old lady and get that MFA in painting.

Did I mention I completed those three painting commissions? They are finally out the door! But I digress...

The point is, I always want to thinking long term. I have a lot of career left! But this fight in me to do more with my career is always tempered with the guilt and struggle of more time away from my son. In this case, it's only three hours of class. But it's an intense three hours on top of a day away from him at work first. And that three hours means more childcare or juggling with my husband on top of our crazy opposite schedules.

How do you put the brakes on a career at the exact moment in time when momentum is at its greatest? How do you explain that urgency to people around you that can't recognize the power and potential of this ambition? How do you justify or reconcile more demands of mommy's time with an overworked husband and a toddler at home?

Ah the demands of a modern mommy. Oh cheese.