Happy birthday, Lazarus!

My boy turned four yesterday, and when I asked him what he wanted to do, he exclaimed, "I want to go to Pie Town for birthday pie!" Out here, any trek is a big deal, and one that ends with pie is all the more special. So off we went, and on the way we stopped at the Very Large Array to see their giant radio telescopes up close. Laz and Maggie ran down the path toward the closest telescope, but their little legs faltered as they got closer and the 230-ton colossus loomed ever larger -- and they both stopped and then turned tail when it groaned and cranked on its base to swing over a few degrees!



Lazarus got a t-shirt and a solar system mobile from the gift shop, and Maggie picked up a postcard of a telescope that she now brandishes as she runs around the house while chanting, "The giant telescope MOVED and it scared me, mama!!"

On to Pie Town, where we ate (as always) at the Daily Pie Cafe and chatted with the staff, who know us well from our numerous earlier treks (including Maggie's very first road trip). No time for pie (I grabbed a six-piece sampler for the road, though!) because Lazarus wanted to go straight to the Pie Town playground -- an outdated clutch of steel pipe and splintered wooden structures that nonetheless was fun because lots of kids were there for the town's graduation party.

Gotta go -- happy birthday, beautiful boy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Love to all you mamas out there... I've had a mixed day (a bit of escape time, and a poop-encrusted Maggie when I got back), but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even an ice-cold bottomless margarita sipped while gazing at a tropical sunset somewhere far away, where the ocean waves lull me to sleep at night and gently awaken me at dawn.... Not that I've never been tempted....

I wish I could update more often, but I just haven't gotten much computer time lately. One reason: it's planting time! I got my veggie garden planted, finished tweaking the drip irrigation system, and have laid black plastic over most of the beds. That's a new one for me -- I keep reading about how it minimizes moisture loss (especially important here, where humidity has been around 8%) and also raises soil temperature, equally important because the nights are so cool even in midsummer. Last year my tomatoes just didn't ripen, except for a few tantalizingly sweet cherry tomatoes, and that just will not do -- I can't live without garden fresh tomatoes. So if the black plastic doesn't work, next year I might just invent some sort of solar/water heating system for them. It would give me my tomatoes and also maybe be patentable....

I just totalled up my jewelry sales at the co-op gallery so far: $467 since we opened eleven days ago (two bracelets, three necklaces, and seven pairs of earrings). Not bad -- I've recouped my whole investment as a co-op member and have started to make a dent in my materials costs. And that doesn't count a commission order from a neighbor who wants two necklace/earring sets. So, given how much I enjoy doing it, it's turning into a good little venture. I need to take pictures of my more recent stuff before it sells (I missed one necklace and a watch) -- speaking of pictures, here are two of my lovely children, from an outing with Granna and Granpa last month:



That's it for now. I have more pictures in the camera, and I also have work coming in next week, so I might actually update more than once this month. You just can't wait, can you?