Lately

I haven't been updating as much as I'd like, largely because by the time all is said and done (i.e., we're fed, the babe is bathed and bedded, the house is tiddied, and dishes are done) the last thing I want to do is sit at a computer. I'd much prefer getting into bed or lying on the couch to read a book. Right now I have about 3 books going: Packing for Mars, a history of Jumbo the elephant, and The Uncensored Bible.

So to catch up only a little:

Two weeks ago my good friend, Kaitlin, her kiddos, and her youngest brother came to visit us. It was really fun! Iva, her 3 year old daughter, was a big help in the kitchen with the pizza and bread we made. Asher, her 1 year old son, is really good at picking tomatoes and throwing grain to the chickens. I can't wait until we get to go visit them (just have to find a good time...heart surgeries, weddings, and pregnancies are getting in the way at the moment...).Last week Michael brought Zennie over to visit. We hadn't seen her for a while and it was so fun to see how much she's developed. She is on the verge of crawling and "talks" constantly. Michael wanted to play Magic cards with Dave so Eddie, Zennie, and I went out to look at the garden and the chickens and to play in the sandbox.
Yesterday Edward, Dave, and I took Eddie and the pooches on a walk through the UC Davis ag fields. There's a nice path shaded by tons of olive trees. We stopped near the little airport to eat our picnic lunch. It was quite nice.Dave's been sick since Eddie's party--first it was just an inner ear infection (doctor said viral, suck it up and wait it out) but now it seems to be a sore throat, cough, and maybe still an ear infection. Sigh...poor Dave. Last week he probably could have worked, but he couldn't drive for being too dizzy, so he just stayed home instead. He's going to the doctor again today and then will probably drive up since he's not been dizzy for a few days.

Honey harvest is coming up. A few months ago Peggy started asking around about baby sitters up in Gualala so both Dave and I could help instead of taking turns with Eddie. I'm super excited about harvest this year--not that there will be a lot of honey, but because I haven't helped since before I was pregnant. Eddie's not had honey yet, but now that he's old enough that botulism isn't such a concern, I'm looking forward to his first taste off my finger.