Free Range Ramblings

You probably remember that our school celebrates International Day instead of Halloween. I love seeing all the ethnic costumes the kids arrive in. Last year, Catey chose to wear her salwar chemisse instead of the Renissance dress I’d made for her.

But THIS year, she actually wore the dress I made. That was so nice. I decided to volunteer at a visibility event for the No on 8 campaign (remember – save our constitution… maintain separation of church & state… equality for all… vote NO) instead of attending the school pot luck. I really wanted to be at the school event, but I’d made the political commitment before remembering about Halloween.

We are getting ready for Halloween & packing madly. It is not raining right now, so we hope to trick-or-treat dry, then hit the road. Love to all this All Hallows Eve. Peace.

After vacillating on having a birthday party over the last couple of weeks, Beck finally decided that she really did want a party after all – on Thursday, just three days before the date we’d discussed. She decided to invite her two friends at school and their sisters and then, on Friday, to add another school friend. So it was a little, low-key party.

I actually was looking forward to the party because I haven’t yet had the chance to see Becky playing with her two school friends. Unlike Catey’s party, we kept this one very simple – coloring, fabric art, trampoline time. We had cake and the girls took turns churning ice cream. No one wanted to leave.

The girls ended up coloring around the living room table at the end of the afternoon and I finally got to see an example of the interaction that their teacher has described. The three girls rarely looked at each other while they busily colored, but the conversation moved rapidly. They argued, chatted and giggled for quite a while. It was so cute and I could have watched for hours, but the other moms were ready to get back home, so we eventually pried the girls apart.

We’re gearing up for a big week of politicking, packing, and parties. International Day is coming up at school (instead of Halloween), then Halloween, then a quick trip to LA. We’re intending to go trick-or-treating, let the girls get hepped up on sugar, then strap them into their car seats and drive to LA. Sounds like a good time, right? Ch.t and his brother are run/riding another Muddy Buddy over the weekend. We’ll get to meet his new niece for the first time, too.

Hey folks – it’s a political see-saw around here these days. Obama’s chances are looking up, but here in CA, Prop 8 is struggling. Here’s the deal: right now, gays are allowed to marry in California. If Prop 8 passes, that right will be taken away. Religious groups are pumping millions of dollars into the Yes on 8 campaign. Polls are showing growing support for Prop 8. If you can, please donate anything – even $10 – to the No on 8 campaign. I know times are tight and it’s hard to give money with the fear everyone has of their financial security – but if you could forgo a couple of expressos or lattes or a dinner out (you elitist, you) – that money could go to protecting equality in our society.

PLEASE DONATE NOW

Why do I care? Mostly, I believe that everyone is equal. I believe that everyone should be treated equally under the law. If a particular religious sect doesn’t want to grant gay marriages, it is their absolute right to refuse to marry gays. However, our constitution grants every person equal civil rights. And I believe that to protect our democracy we must uphold those rights.

Then I think about children. According to the American Psychological Association (and, more convincingly, conversations with gay friends), homosexuality is an inborn trait. You can’t “make” someone become gay or stop being gay. In large part, due to discrimination against gays, the suicide rates for gay teens are much greater than their straight counterparts. One study shows that while straight and gay teens attempt suicide at equal rates, gay teens are two to six TIMES more likely to try again. I don’t want that to be my kid. Or any kid I know. Or any child at all. I want all children, especially teens, to know that their future can include marriage if they choose it. How heartbreaking it must be to realize that your society is trying to limit your future just as you are starting to create it.

I’ve been making making phone calls on the MoveOn.org website, calling other MoveOn members in Ohio, Colorado and Texas. The goal is to encourage folks to volunteer at their local Obama office. It is great fun. I do 20 calls at a time – and yield maybe one or two volunteers out of that 20. Upon learning that I live in CA, some folks ask me about prop8. There seems to be a great deal of awareness around the county regarding the importance of this proposition.

Beyond the prop8 issues, the MoveOn calls have allowed me to talk with lots of interesting people. I call the homes of many college students and end up talking to their parents. Sometimes I’ll start a conversation with someone that sounds like a disapproving parent and (as we don’t leave messages) I’m not sure if I should even tell them the reason for my call, but when I do I find them to be as open minded and well informed as anyone you could hope to meet. It is fascinating to find out what is going on in the swing states from folks on the ground. I spoke to a college student in Akron, Ohio yesterday and gave her driving instructions to the Obama rally that was about to start. So now I’m OnStar!

I spoke to another fascinating man yesterday. Asked if he’d been involved in the Obama campaign. He said he’d tried, but the area he lives in is so “red” that the closest Obama office was too far away to be practical. He had an accent and said that as a foreign born citizen, he also worried that his presence in an event may actually be a detriment to the campaign. That was so sad to hear. Turns out he was born in Iraq. He’s lived in the states for 50 years and is a citizen. He’s also written a book about his childhood in Iraq to help Americans understand the culture (or at least the culture that existed 50 years ago). The book is self-published through lulu.com and you can downloaded it here. A very sweet and thoughtful man.

So, that’s it for now. Obama spoke in Reno this morning. Had I been more aware, I would have packed the kids up in the car and driven to NV to hear him. Instead, we’re going to Halloween parties.

That’s it. To learn more about Prop 8 or donate, CLICK HERE NOW.

And if you need more motivation, listen to this beautiful song by Richard Berman (from his website).

Mom called me up Wednesday night after the last presidential debate and lambasted me about not doing enough to get out the vote. I mean that sincerely. It was like a freakin’ Hurricane Katie-Jo coming through the phone. I’ve been getting closer and closer to volunteering. Seems better somehow than wringing my hands. As mom worked me over, I received an email from Move.On.org inviting me to join a phone banking party in my neighborhood. I quickly accepted and told mom that really, REALLY, I will get off my big buttocks and make some calls.

So the “party” was today. And it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. I knew the neighbor hosting the event. There were about 14 of us. We barely interacted as we separated around the house and property to make calls. I had a list of 42 phone numbers. About a third were wrong/changed numbers, a third were not home, and the rest were almost always Move.On members who ranged from uninterested to very engaged. I signed up six people to go to a Florida Obama office and volunteer to outreach to other Floridians. Sealing the neocon coffin one tiny nail at a time. I’m really glad mom DID call me up and get me moving. I feel bolder and almost ready to start making calls off the list on the Obama website. I read some accounts of adult children who can’t discuss politics with their folks. How lucky I am to be able to follow the example of my passionate, involved, intelligent parents. Thanks ma & pa.

Earlier today, I realized that I didn’t have a THING to wear to the party (I own no Obama gear) and set about designing my own campaign logo (see pic with this post) for fun. Now I have to transfer it to a tee shirt. I’ll post a pic of the final product. I did find a pin that said “Tree Huggers for Obama.” I like that. What is your favorite logo?

Much happening in the garden today. Catey and Ch.t put lots of seeds in. The broccoli is sprouting. Hopefully, things will grow! Oh, we have a sick chicken. We’ll try to isolate her in a box tomorrow so we can figure out her symptoms. Poor girl. Of course she is a mean old chook – always pecking on the little hens, so I wouldn’t be too sad to see her go. But still. I hope it isn’t a contagious thing. We’ll see.

I just saw this wonderful article by Michael Pollan in the NYT. An intriguing vision.

Also, was so happy to see that the amazing work of Geoffrey Canada is part of Obama’s poverty program.

I just finished up a terrific book that dad sent me: Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber. A quick read. Apparently well researched. I loved learning the actual chemical mechanisms that influence cancer growth and retardation. Inspiring. I drank my green tea today. Yoga-ed. Jogged. Feeling quite virtuous at the moment.

But closer to home, Ch.t and the girls planted a bunch of seeds today. We’ve been NOSHING on MACHE and learned that it should be a good winter crop, so we’re planting bunches. I don’t know what will really come up, but we’re fiddling about with the garden still. Had yams, mache, goat cheese, zuchinni, seared scallops (much talk of Tata), red bells (again), for dinner. El yum.

A couple of weeks ago, we went out to dinner with some friends from school. One family is Pakistani, so we met at their favorite restaurant – in culturally-appropriate dress! We had so much fun. See flickr pics.

On the house, I took the second structural engineers’ recommendation and pulled together the official architectural plans. Had it all printed on 18×24 paper. I met with the planning dept down at the city offices hoping for a signoff from planning (as I’d precisely explained in my email preceding the meeting). While my planning contact didn’t appear to have read the email so as to understand the purpose of our meeting (I wrote that the engineers wanted a planning sign off before they started structural calcs), she fully approved the plan, but won’t SIGN anything until she sees the structural calcs & plans. Why am I feeling dizzy? I also met with the plan checker and went over everything. He mentioned that the first engr. we’d been working with was well thought of at the city – and they’d never heard of engr #2. I went home & found the quote from engr #2 (2x the verbal quote of engr #1). Called engr #1 – told him that if our job was too small, uninteresting, if he was too busy, etc. – pls let me know & I’d stop awaiting his official quote (5 wks now since our meeting). No, no. He wants to quote – but he’s in the middle of a big job – maybe in 2 weeks. So we’ll see.

Was very glad that Kit’s MRI was clear. Hoping her vertigo can be resolved with more tests.

The choocks are starting to dial back their laying. We’re easily eating everything they produce. But we’re about to become a chicken spa again until late Jan or so.

Can’t wait to see everyone on turkey day!

Okay. Okay. I know I’m supposed to update the blog. But what unfinished, unfocused, unformed part of my life should I describe?

Maybe… the lack of action on the house front. Called structural engr #1 back (gave him 2 weeks to get a quote back to us on the work) – he says, “Oh, RIGHT! Sorry. I have to type that up and get it out to you right away!.” Still haven’t seen anything. Contacted to other (locally recommended) structural engineers today. Left messages for people “in the office.” No return calls yet. I can’t believe with the state of the economy and housing market that all these people are hugely BUSY? Yeesh.

Maybe… the really awesome dinner I cooked last night and how happy I am (for this moment) to see my kids eating great food (and WHY is this SUCH an issue for American moms?). But analysis aside – baked yams, mache (lambs lettuce)-based salad, red bell peppers, Michelle’s chicken schnitzel (which Beck helped me make). The girls TORE into the food and loved everything (almost unheard of). After dinner, the girls helped me clean the kitchen & then had more red bell peppers for dessert. I was a smiley girl. I get so tired of their constant begging for sugary treats. It’s so nice when that urgency leaves them and their real food desires rise up to the surface.

Maybe… the sadly hateful woman I spoke to at the LDS ancestry center yesterday. I feel like I’m the last person to join this party already in progress. And I know I’ve said stuff like this before. But I rarely get to interact with these folks face to face. Here is a woman. A Christian woman, I assume, as she is volunteering for her church. She came over as soon as I sat down at my microfilm station and started bemoaning the state of the nation. I bemoaned right along with her – yes, these bailouts are frustrating – so much for the wealthy, so little for others. Which I guess wasn’t quite her line. And then she starts in on the damn mus|ims and their flag with that “sickle thing.. I don’t know I won’t even look at it” and how (and I quote) those “damn mus|ims made us get rid of our flag in the schools and put up theirs and made us stop saying the pledge of allegiance and having Christmas decorations.” Whoa. Whoa. I try to back her up – can’t fly the flag – theirs instead? Really? Where? I just can’t imagine. And the pledge – honey that’s a separation of church and state issue, not a reaction to pressure from the mus|im community.

Then she starts in on the Mexicans and how her home value is going down with the rif-raff moving in and not mowing their lawns and leaving cars on their lawns. Mmmm… I try to see her point… imaging if I felt uncomfortable walking in a neighborhood I’d lived in for 30 years, etc. But I offer that one of the things I love about ancestry is how it humbles me to uncover the road my ancestors walked and better understand the path that every new cultural group faces as it enters our society. Maybe I’m not fully comfortable seeing a particular immigrant group – insular, not mixing much – but then I remember how MY ancestors did EXACTLY the same thing when they came to this country. I try to remember this and work through my discomfort. Well! She says – what about those stupid people buying loans they can’t afford. Well, yes, I say. There’s ignorance and poor decisions, but there are two parties here – a buyer and a seller. Shouldn’t we look to both for blame. Well! What about those people taking advantage of welfare. Mmmm… Sure, I say, there is corruption in any system. Let’s say that welfare abuse is a 100M$ problem (I have no idea). But I’m much more concerned about what we as a country have bought for the 3 trillion dollars we’ve spent in Iraq or the 700B$ for the bailout. I don’t like how many leaders use these little problems to distract the population from these bigger issues. Well! I watch Bill O’Rei||y at night and… it went on and on. Finally the phone rang, she answered, and I got to work. But oh, my! I must say memories of Nannie came to mind – the racist things she’d sometimes say. Is it a generational thing?

Sometimes I just can’t understand how a religious person can be so full of hate, with a heart so closed, and a mind so open to these inaccurate, hateful media personalities. Isn’t God supposed to be about LOVE? Where does being our “brother’s keeper” and “loving my neighbor as myself” fall within religious values these days? Its one of the things that pushes me further and further away from organized religion. Are there any pastors (priests, etc) out there warning and guiding their parishioners away from inaccurate hate spreaders? Shouldn’t there be? Well, it was real wake up call to me. Shocking. Sad. So very scary.