A Creative Space

We've done a good deal of room shifting lately. When we saw the reality of stuffing four teenage boys, a drum set, several large amps and music stands into the smallest room in the house,the former music room, we allowed our oldest son to take over the "man room" as his new music room. The piano was already there (along with the needed electrical outlets). Boys #3 and #4, who had shared a bedroom for many years, began to argue at bed time. It became clear that they each needed some personal space. Over the Christmas vacation, we moved one boy to a back storage room and the other "traded spaces" with his older brother. The older brother adopted an entertainment center and the cideo game console, leaving the "common room" as... storage? (Yes, needed). Better yet, the common room has become my art sudio. It's a work in progress. This weekend we moved bookshelves and set up a card table. I'm in desperate need of lighting and more shelving. But for the first time in months I designed, cut, and pasted a mixed media project. It's a baby step. It felt awkward and painful. It's fantastic to have a creative space where I can bring everything I've collected together. I can tape things to the wall and leave projects half finished without fear of them being sabatoged. 2013 is off to a great start!

Boys Will Be Boys

I have a new temp job at a local energy/fertilizer company. Many of my coworkers are guys that I grew up with, showed cows in the 4-H with, drank beer around the bonfire with...Now they are truck drivers, salesmen, office managers and supervisors. As adults they still joke around like young boys. Yesterday two men, both in their forties, went outside to shovel show. A snowball war soon commenced, followed by pushing and shoving until someone face planted into a tall snow pile. They banged on my office window to make sure I was witness to it all. Boys will be boys. For me, it's more of the same. At home I'm surrounded by perpetual aggression, silly jokes, and air quality issues. My husband asked me if I'd like to come along to a Cub Scout winter activity. A day filled with boy-centered fun, physical activity and outdoor adventure. I felt as if he'd invited me to a torture session. He even seemed perplexed at my my reply, "No, thank you!" It's hard to explain, except to another mother of "all boys." Here is a video from an LA band I quite enjoy, Ozomatli. I laughed when I saw it this morning. More of the same... "La Gallina" by Ozomatli

A Boy- centric Christmas

If it were a Christmas season "ruled" by boys, the featured foods would be full size candy bars, frozen zingers, and spicy potatoe chips. If the spice is too much for the mouth, the boys would simply spit out the offending snack food onto the carpeted floor. To drink: hot chocolate ans Mt. Dew.

There would be guns, knives, video games, Legos, action figures, and bey blades.

Loud drums, silly songs, and ongoing shouting/sparring followed by giggles and belly laughs.

Stairways and hallways would be the ideal settings for racetracks and Avengers dangling from tape or string.

Christmas break means NO bed time, no dishes, no chores, and no homework.

A cloud of stinky sock smell hangs over the house.

The bloody ear, lip and foot cause only momentary notice.

Because boys rule Christmas.

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Deb & Julia

I found (and borrowed) the latest "Smitten Kitchen" cookbook at the library today! In the spirit of "Julie and Julia" I thought I might write about my family's responses to the recipes.

Triton!

My son will play the role of King Triton in this weekend's local production of "The Little Mermaid Jr." He was asked to return to the stage under the direction of a former teacher, who needed a taller, more mature student to act in the role of the mermaid king. N has a deep, commanding voice. Apparently, some of the smaller children, playing in the roles of Ariel's younger sisters and small fish, stood up quite straight when they first heard him bark out orders. Yesterday was preview day, when the group performed for a revolving audience of classes from various grades in the school district. When his character appeared before the elementary school children several boys yelled, "It's Triton!!!!!" with so much zeal that the crew had to wait to cue the next round of spotlights. I hope that N remembers this chapter of his life and the admiration of his audience for a long time. I hope that he can lean on it during the "lower" times of life. He is planning to enlist in the Marines and I imagine there will be long hours on duty, marching, or on guard, when he might think back to his "merman days." As for me, I've resisted the urge to watch previews or sneak into dress rehearsals. I'm waiting for the curtain to be pulled back tonight so that I can yell (to myself of course), "It's Triton!" In memory of Kenneth Mars, the original voice actor for Disney's "The Little Mermaid."

The Calendar

It's a joy and a luxury to be able to travel, go to lunch with friends (and relatives:), and poke around interesting shops. Taking time off in December is FANTASTIC! I love having time to get ready for Christmas. This year, more than ever, I am enjoying the process of decorating and writing out cards. It's a December calendar filled with possibility...

Home for the Holiday

It has been several years since I haven't worked on Black Friday. It has been many, many years since I traveled for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I can't, in my memory, place a time when we've ever traveled more than an hour to get to a the hosting relative's home. There were the two years when a baby was born at Thanksgiving. This meant that, for those two years alone, I was exempt from bringing a dish to pass. This year's Thanksgiving celebration, then, was quite different from our "usual Thanksgiving routine." We went farther (Pittsburgh) and stayed longer (4 days, 3 nights). It took a HUGE effort to coordinate the trip. I hired a neighbor to feed the farm animals and care for the old dog who stayed home. We found a kennel in PA so that the puppy could travel with us. Six suitcases packed along with the "food for an army." A Thanksgiving holiday of this lenghth and magnitude.... ...not just one big meal but several amazing, leisurely family gatherings around the dinner table. ...time to "go deep" with relatives. I learned that my grandmother was still subscribed to SHAPE magazine at the age of 82. Impressive. We poked through her discarded jewelry and she showed me her thread. I came home with a new box of buttons. ...time for tragedies, like a contact lense that broke itself in two (inside my eyelid). The ride home was painful. The six year old was exceptionally wiggly. I nearly died from a panic attack when we found ourselves in a stowstorm on a crowded highway (with the permit-carrying 16 year old at the wheel). We decided to stretch our legs at a bargain outlet with the puppy tied inside the car (windows down inside). In a matter of minutes he chewed through the brand new hand-made thick nylong lead my uncle made. And he chewed through five out of the six of the seatbelts in the van. The repair will cost hundreds. So much for a bargain! We did it...we took a long holiday road trip, we spent precisous time with relatives, and we created memories and stories that we will tell again and again.