The Good Stuff of Life

Does it get any cuter than this?

Happy Holidays!

Many blessings to all our friends and family for the holidays! This year, amidst many gifts of leisure, we also gave and received special items from Heifer International. I got a stand of trees, Shannon got a goat...just one way we are trying to participate in our global community. You can check out their offerings at http://www.heifer.org/

A happy New Year to you all!

Considering Carrots

Henry: "I love them carrots!"
Peep: "Hey, what about me?"

Hanukkah Considerations

Once again, we turn to haiku as we celebrate the festive season of holidays. Many joined us at our house this weekend for a Hanukkah celebration and those inspired wrote the following Holiday Haiku:

As Java looks on
Huck makes tiny snow angels
Winter in Sandpoint

White blankets Lost Horse
Autumn’s last tendrils now gone
Sleep softly, young prince

We ate some goodies
We learned about Hanukkah
We had so much fun!

Happy Holidays
A time for merriment bright
Light the menorah!

Magdalena comes
Like snowflake, unique she is
Spits up on mom!?!

Winter comes quickly.
Nothing can prepare you for
A moose in the road.

As home fires burn
Hands and hearts warm at the hearth
Friends make the season

Huckleberry shots
At a Hanukkah party
Lift you off your feet

Dark comes early now
It’s Henry’s first Hanukkah
Light the menorah!

Considering Mary Cheney

So Mary's gonna have a baby...well, perhaps karma is indeed in play! Bad enough he had to go through life with the name Dick -- now his lovely daughter is going to have a kid and two mommies...just like Henry!!! And just when we thought our fight for adoption here in Idaho was a challenge, PFLAG posted some comments from the "Right" to really make our day:

"I think it's tragic that a child has been conceived
with the express purpose of denying it a father...
Fatherhood is important and always will be, so if
Mary and her partner indicate that that is a trivial
matter, they're shortchanging this child from the
start Mary and Heather can believe what they want,
but what they're seeking is to force others to bless
their nonmarital relationship as marriage...and to
create a culture that is based on sexual anarchy
instead of marriage and family values." (Robert Knight, Culture and
Media Institute of the Media Research Center)

"Mary Cheney's pregnancy raises the question of
what's best for children. Just because it's possible to
conceive a child outside of the relationship of a
married mother and father doesn't mean it's the best
for the child." (Carrie Gordon Earll, Focus on the Family)

Mary's pregnancy is an "in-your-face" action
countering the Bush Administration's pro-family, pro-
marriage and pro-life policies. She continues to
repudiate the work to which her father has devoted
his life. Mary has repeatedly said that "studies" show
that children only need a loving home. Her statement
is incomplete because the experts agree that for the
well-being of children, they desperately need a
married father and a mother. (Janice Crouse,
Concerned Women for America)

"But children are not guinea pigs to be used in
social experiments in redefining the institution of
marriage. They are vulnerable individuals with vital
emotional and developmental needs. The great harm
done by denying them both a mother and a father in
a committed marriage will not easily be reversed, and
society will pay a grievous price for its ill-advised
adventurism." (Former Alabama Chief Justice
Roy Moore)

Obviously, we're saddened at the spectacle of
the Vice President's daughter, Mary Cheney, living in
an open lesbian relationship, and now bringing a child
into a home that is fatherless by design. In our view,
this is another case of the "gay" movement putting
its wants (in this case, having a child) above what's
best for children. "Two mommies" or "two daddies"
will never substitute for a home with a married mom
and a dad, and it is sad when men or women model
immoral homosexual behavior before innocent children
in a home setting. (Peter LaBarbera,
President, Americans for Truth)

AND THEY CALL THEM THE "RIGHT???" Oh, the work we have to do!

Messy Considerations

Henry has taken to eating peas...he loves them! And we love enjoying his messy little self and the aftermath! Whether or not they are the culprit, he has been sleeping 9-10 hour nights ever since we started solid foods -- my how this makes his moms happy!!!

Recent Idahoian Events...

Henry learns to giggle!
Henry joins a rock band and is the lead singer!
Bullwinkle finds us in the woods!
Shannon and Di return to a favorite spot near Lake Louise.

Oh, so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season! Henry is full of abundance! He is smiling, sitting up (with some help from the Bumbo), going hiking and most recently took his first swim with his Auntie Deb in the Ainsworth hotsprings in Canada! We had a full house this weekend with Deb, Ed, Jack and Noah and Marilyn. Food aplenty! We then headed to Nelson, BC for a bit of time out of the country. Despite a snowy (and slow) drive home, everything was perfect!

Dancin' Fools

My bout with pneumonia and recent news about Shannon not being able to adopt Henry in Bonner County has left us a bit angry and ready for some political "negotiating" with the judge...alas, I thought I would brighten the mood with some great dance shots from the ceremony!

More to follow on the legal rulings...in the meantime, if you'd like to write a letter telling the judge why it is in Henry's best interest to be adopted by Shannon, we'd appreciate all the support we can muster!

Hallowed Considerations

While ghosts and goblins (and bunnies, frogs and Spidermen) roamed the lands, our sweet love turned into a "Lil' Pumpkin."

(Thanks to his Auntie Annie for making his fabulous hat!!!)

Ceremony Video

Our friends Scooter and Lisa made a fun video of the ceremony -- Take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX454sJKtMk

What special folks they are!!

Back to Work

Second week back at work -- I have only cried once...I've been a slightly neurotic worry-wart...everyone in the family has a cold...alas, motherhood in the 21st century.

To assuage my guilt for being so far away from Henry today, I will post a few choice shots taken with our new, fabulous Rebel camera, which our dear friends bought us for our ceremony.

Convenient Considerations

Taking a slight turn today, as I resolve to right a bit of recent complacency...

Yes, now that I am for all intents and purposes "married" (though owe it to the queer community to write a long treatise on the impossibility of such a reality -- and would I want this anyway? -- thanks to our heterosexist, "there is no separation between church and state" society...) and a mom (or co-mom, despite Idahoian laws which cannot even imagine this possible), I feel responsible to linger no longer in mere domestic bliss, but consider things at a slightly deeper level. While colorful photos of our celebration of love and of Henry in all his glory are probably more fun to see (Verdad, Victoria?), there are some "inconvenient truths" that warrant a moment of my attention.

This weekend I had the opportunity to see two noteworthy films which raised my ire and gave me the proverbial kick in the pants needed to "wake up!" The first, An Inconvenient Truth, is a marvelous documentary about Al Gore's commitment to and actions taken toward educating people around the world about global warming and its devastating impact. The film grounds itself in scientific research and fait de compli conclusions about the rise of CO2 gases and their "without a doubt" destruction of our environment as we know it today. Glacial melt, life-threatening drought, Katrina-like hurricanes...all caused by the greenhouse effect causing the earth's atmospheric temperatures to rise. The message is clear: If we all as a global community do not take action TODAY to decrease the amount of emissions and waste that are clogging the atmosphere, there may not be a clean, sustainable planet in the future for our children.

Action -- Al challenges each one of us not to relinquish responsibility because the problem is TOO BIG! On the contrary, he asks each person to act locally, to do his/her part in changing the sweeping tide of destruction. Ten things we all can do to assist in this cause:

1. Change lights to compact flourescent light bulbs
2. Drive less
3. Recycle more
4. Make sure your tire pressure is adequate
5. Use less hot water
6. Avoid buying items with a lot of packaging
7. Adjust your thermostat
8. Plant trees
9. Turn off electronics
10. Spread the word

How about it folks? We can all make a difference! Commit to at least 3 of these actions and feel good about creating a better place for everyone to live.

Wanna learn more about this movie and what you can do to make a difference? Go to www.climatecrisis.net


Film number two: Iraq for Sale - the most recent MoveOn.org film. This is a damning look at the profiteering taking place in the US war on Iraq. Haliburton takes the brunt of the criticism (and why shouldn't they?), but other US corporations are also indicted. The waste and dishonesty -- the pilfering of our tax dollars...I was soooo infuriated watching this film! There are horrific scenes about the Abu Ghraib prison tortures executed by civilian contractors; unbeliveable stories about Haliburton's civilian truck drivers leaving their families to "better themselves" by going overseas to work only to be ambushed (without any protection) and then dragged, mutilated and killed (Haliburton officials could only "offer their deepest condolences" to the families of these men, all the while continuing to earn millions of dollars in salary in their comfy chairs back home); disarming tales of soldiers being given contaminated water that was sold to the military as "treated," yet turned out not be... Yes, this film exposes the underbelly of war and corporate greed, Bush and his complicity and Cheney and Rumsfield as we know them best -- immoral, unethical liars and profiteers. More on this film, go to www.iraqforsale.org

The upside of the weekend was the few hours spent volunteering for MoveOn.org making calls to voters in Pennsylvania trying to persuade them to vote against Rick Santorum for Senate...hard to believe this guy has such a strong following -- just goes to show you that Government is not for the brightest bulbs in the box nor is Democracy really about "equality and justice for all," but you all knew that...

My two cents for tonight:
1. Get out and vote.
2. Get clear about your commitments to stop the destruction of the environment.
3. LOVE a lot, 'cuz we need a "force more powerful" to counteract the absolutely vulgar hatred and violence that exist in our world today.

Random Cuteness

Two Brides in Sunnyside

A Ceremony in Stages

What can you say about 3 days of festivities with friends and family but...

WOW!

We enjoyed every moment, from the evening at the CWC Wine Bar, to our ceremony at the house, to a wild reception at Oden Hall! So much positive energy, color and delight.

We are so grateful everyone could come and enjoy!

Here are some photos from Friday night at the Wine Bar:

Ceremonial Considerations

What a most wonderful weekend! Shannon and I celebrated our life commitment to each other with over 125 of our dear friends and family. The energy and magic of every moment was, simply put, perfect! We feel so honored to have been surrounded by such magnitude of love and generosity of spirit.

Several people have asked me to post the readings which were selected to be included in the ceremony; here they are:

From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee

From blossoms
comesthis brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned towardsigns painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.


Soneto XVII -- Pablo Neruda

No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego: te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras, secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma. Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores, y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra. Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde, te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo: así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera, sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres, tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía, tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

On Marriage – Khalil Gibran
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

MARRIAGE BLESSING – Jalil al-Din Rumi

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May this marriage be delicious milk,
like wine and halvah.
May it offer fruit and shade,
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
making every day a day in Paradise.
May this marriage be a token of compassion,
a seal of joy now and for every more.
May this marriage have a gracious face and a good name,
an omen as welcome
as the moon in a clear daylight sky.
I have run out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

Yom Kippur Considerations

Yom Kippur Blog Consierations...my 21st century means of Repentance and Atonement here in Northern Idaho, where one cannot find a good bagel, to say nothing of a rabbi or a synangogue. So, it is me and Henry this morning, awaking to a cooler than usual Fall day -- a nice filtered light coming through the trees and a quiet throughout the house. Hen is resting peacefully after our bath together and I have space to consider this day, the holiest of the Jewish year.

It is said that repentence is a prerequisite to atonement; so I find myself in reflection today on ways I desire to live a better life. It was just this time last year that Henry was conceived. During the drama at the start of his life, I turned toward prayer for the first time since lying in a hospital bed in Nicaragua and bekoned that "all would be resolved; " and so it was. Since Henry has arrived, in all his perfection, I have neglected to adequately take time to express gratitude...instead, I have quickly moved on to motherhood, maternity leave, house chores, etc.

So, this morning, I settle into the temple of Henry's skin and breath. I take time to honor the miracle of his arrival and the deep, deep gratitude I feel having him in our lives. They say if one is to pray at all, prayers should not only be requests of the Universe...indeed. Today I atone for my transgression of forgetting and say to the energies which surround us -- Thank you ~ You have brought joy to my life beyond what I could have ever imagined.

Henry in Action -- 10 Weeks Old

Stinkin' Considerations

As if I don't have enough to consider these days with only 10 days left of maternity leave, the joys of an 11-week old son, the upcoming commitment ceremony to the woman I love and the colors of Fall filling the landscape...

Stink bugs...Phylum, Arthropoda; Class, Insecta; Order, Hemiptera

They are everywhere! And I am freaking out! They have taken over the exterior of our house, permeate the woods, dive bomb me each time I get out of my car. And let's just be clear: I hate them. Sorry to be so decidely negative as I make strides toward believing in a better world for our son -- but I do loathe these shield-shapped stinkers!

I have had the exterminator out to assist in my second karma-crushing insect genocide of the year and even Rod, the fearless masked hero, weighed in, "Well, yes, you do have quite a problem...worse than I expected to tell you the truth." Ha! Ick! Grrrrr....

I've considered, given this is Idaho, that perhaps these critters have their Jewish holidays mixed up and are coming as one of the Passover Plagues, so I have been trying to convince them instead of the New Year and Repentence and perhaps fasting for the day (perhaps they'll starve?)...but I am having little luck here. They just continue to thrive. Even now, sitting at the CWC Wine Bar in downtown Sandpoint, 3 of them are crawling up the window!

I imagine wishing them all dead will have serious consequences for me on Yom Kippur -- but even writing this makes me crazy with desire to rid our home of the crunchy creatures...

Oy Vay, what to do?

Racing for the Cure

What a terrific Sunday we had Racing for the Cure! Shannon, Henry and I ran with friends and co-workers in the Susan G. Komen Foundation sponsored event in Coeur D'Alane. The Foundation's mission is to eradicate breast cancer through funding research and prevention education. http://www.komen.org/

Our dear friend Ali made Henry a wonderful "My First 5K" t-shirt, which he proudly wore. Next year perhaps he'll be running on his own two feet!

Nine Weeks In

65+ days old and I am off and running! Well, not really running, per se (except in my new sweet-as-can-be BOB jogger that mom pushes!), but I am a mover and a shaker. In fact, I seem to move my little fidget-self all the time -- love to love to love to move! Momma Di takes me in the bath and it appears I am almost swimming, except she still needs to hold me up outta the water! It feels so good...makes me smile and laugh! Each morning in the bath Momma Di teaches me Spanish -- we're covering the parts of the body, the elements of nature we can see outside our window and foods. I am particularly fond of the words "leche" and "pechuga."

I went on my first camping trip last weekend with our dear friends Auntie Lara and Auntie Melissa. Momma Di was needing some "quality friend time" and Momma Shannon was working, so we headed West to the Potholes Wilderness Area -- desert, moon-like landscape. It sure was beautiful! And so great to get into arms of my Aunties once again! I slept in the big blue tent, bundled up in Momma Di's sleeping bag for it was coooold! Fall is here -- no doubt about it!

Home again, we welcomed Momma Shannon back from her trip on the CWC corporate jet from West Virginia. By all accounts, it sounds like the whole experience was great for her -- she is doing some fine things at that company!!!

My 9-week check up found me at 11 lbs. and 23 inches long - I am growing! And ouch! They gave me my first innoculations...oh, to be human.