Tuesday Park Day - Trippet Ranch

This is where we spend most Tuesday afternoons.

Mia turns 8! 

Friends from Germany

Each year Matt spends two weeks in Canada at an international improv festival.  This is incredible for him for many reasons, but one is that he meets interesting and kind people from around the world.  

Two women improvisors from Germany, Louisa and Lena, stayed with us this week and they are lovely, lovely, people.  They are in the process of exploring Los Angeles and up the coast to San Francisco, Las Vegas, and then will go on to Chicago and then back to Germany.

I really admire their dedication to seeing the world and their courage in doing so.  Louisa spent a week on her own in Los Angeles, figuring out public transportation (which overwhelms me completely even as a native).  They stayed in hostels and met new people and really seemed to soak up the experience of being in a different country.

We had the privilege of talking about our countries and what it's like to be a citizen in the United States and Germany.  I've become so jaded about our own political system and the incredible power that Corporate America holds over our wellbeing as citizens.  I'm sure the Germany government and political system is far from perfect (they never are) but it lifted my spirits to hear that as citizens, Louisa and Lena felt that the government, for the more part, had their best interests at heart.  I don't feel this way at all about my own government.  

I also admire Louisa's and Lena's language abilities.  They both speak German (obviously!) and English fluently (with a very strong vocabulary, I might add) and Louisa also speaks French.  

Although travel to Europe is considered a fancy thing to do in our country, when I meet travelers from other countries, particularly Europe, I feel like experiencing other countries and cultures is a high priority.  People make it happen and they do so in any way they can.  They don't just wait until they can afford the plane tickets and the fancy hotels.  They stay with friends or friends of friends, they are open to meeting new people.

I'm ready to bring in more travel for me and my family.  I've been thinking about exploring Home Exchange and exploring other ways to make travel happen now!

We explore a vintage clothing shop on Melrose

Beach Day

This summer several regular homeschool park days have switched to beach days.  Nora Lee and I haven't gone each week but have gone a few times.  

Here are some pictures from this week's beach day.  The sun was shimmering on the water, dolphins were jumping and I was reminded of what an incredible life I do lead.

Resistence

The number one health issue that we have dealt with over the last three years with Nora Lee is impetigo.  It's a bacterial infection that can cause little blisters that itch and hurt and it can spread easily on your own skin and onto others.

Apparently impetigo is very common with kids ages 2-6.  We are hoping that Nora Lee will grow out of it soon but it seems like very frequently (Matt estimates 4 times a year) we are dealing with it in our house.  These last two times she has had it, I've gotten it too - delightful.  Mine have not blistered as noticibly but I've had the horrible itch.

I notice that Nora Lee seems very vulnerable to getting it when her body is out of balance.  Other people seem to be able to get away with being out of balance for longer.  If we leave food on her face too long, she eats a ton of sugar, or she eats dairy, she seems to get it.

When she does get it (and now me too) we ingest vitamin concoctions throughout the day and put apple cider vinegar and special creams on our faces, wash the pillow cases each day and wash our hands a thousand times a day - it's an ordeal.

We are both at the tail end of it now and I've been watching the inner resistence I have had to the whole thing.  Up until 3 or 4 days ago I was so "against it" and obessed with controling and minimizing it.  Although there is nothing wrong with taking care of a health situation to the best of my ability, I realized the inner battle I was also waging.  Thoughts like "this shouldn't be happening as often as it does, what if it starts to spread and takes months to go away! This takes so much energy" and on and on.

So I decided to let down that uneeded burden and just be present with the situation.  This freed up so much energy!  It's truly amazing how exhausting my mind can make things when really there is no big problem.  

When something comes up and I don't know what to do and have to try a bunch of different things, I can feel a strong desire to be in control.  I want to say "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!!"  But that feeling of not knowing and having to experience trial-and-error has been very uncomfortable for me in the past.  

So, I started focusing on all the benefits of what we were experiencing and it helped me get centered again.  I hope if/when we deal with this again, I will be more peaceful in it.

In case any of you experience impetigo, here is what has worked well for us.

Be sure to wash hands frequently and launder bath towels and pillow cases daily (or 10 minutes in the hot dryer).

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a miracle cure for many, many things.  Apparently, impetigo, like other bacterial infections can live in the nasal passages and come back again when your immune system isn't at its peak.  This was more than Nora Lee could handle, but 3-4 times a day I would use several Q-tips dipped in ACV and swab inside each nostril and anywhere on my face that seemed to have impetigo.  For people with blisters this can really burn but the stinging goes away in a few minutes and it really helps to heal them.

This is the product that worked for Nora Lee's rash.  It's gentle on the skin but has tea tree oil and oregano oil to fight the bacteria.

I would empty a capsule of this in orange juice once  a day for Nora Lee.

I took 3 of these capsules each day and gave one in orange juice to Nora Lee each day.  This fights the bacteria internally.  This is also great for fighting any bacterial infection.

Matt and I swear by this.  We take a lot of this if we feel a cold coming on or are fighting anything.  It tastes terrible if you break open the capsule so it's not good for kids, but for anyone who can swallow the capsule with water, it's awesome!  We always have this in our cupboard!  Good luck!

The Next Thing

I've been thinking a lot lately about my own personal desire to be loved, to belong, and to be not only accepted by the group, but embraced and celebrated.  I've been reading some fascinating books by Brene Brown who is a shame and vulnerability researcher.  For any of you who are interested, she has done several TED talks and has a handful of books - all of which are fabulous.  

I'm aware of how much of our lives are spent in the pursuit of approval and connection and how often we take the long way to get there.  We use hair styles, clothing, wealth, and accomplishments to give us that hoped for love and connection, even when those things don't come close to bringing us those treasures.

It's really hard for me to be messy.  It's uncomfortable to take risks that might end with people rejecting me.  The thing that's so exhausting about wanting outside approval is that the outside is 7 billion other people with differing opinions.  Even if I would sacrifice myself and follow the outside, there is no one opinion!  Some like this, some like that.  Some think this is beautiful, some find it horrifying, and on and on and on.

I'm grateful that outside approval is so fleeting and can not be depended on.  The discomfort of this awareness brings me back to myself, if I've been away for a bit.  

Ultimately, I hope I choose to follow my own inner guidance, my own compass about my beauty, my worth, my preciousness.  I hope when I do go away, I come back quickly.  Because I'm the only one who can keep choosing to love me, no matter what, again and again.  

It takes courage and sometimes I don't feel courageous.  

My Favorite Recent Pics

Matt put this costume together for a show he was doing and Nora Lee wanted to try it as well.  

The Summer Garden

We have five different kinds of grape vines.  This is the first year we had edible grapes from two of            the vines!

We are growing zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and hot peppers in these beds.  Our produce this season has been a little lackluster.  I let an entire bed of volunteer tomatoes grow and didn't know that volunteers don't necessarily taste like the plants they came from - learned this the hard way.  The tomatoes are fine but last year the cherry tomatoes were sweet like grapes in the most decadent way!

We have harvested one or two zucchini and one yellow squash this summer but we are used to a huge abundance in previous years.

The closest tree is a lowquat tree which is looking happy but has still never produced any fruit after about 4 years.  The further tree is an apricot tree which is lovely but the squirrels get every single one, every single year.  Sigh.  

We added these five smaller beds a year or two ago and its been good for things that don't like such intense and constant heat, like cucumbers and lettuce.  Our cucumbers are growing for the first time but some of them are not very tasty.  I'm hoping for more overall success for the next planting season.

This is our garden path leading into the backyard.  This year we officially will register as a homeschooling family and will establish a school in our home.  We've decided to call it The Garden Path Schoolhouse.

This little apple tree produces beautiful sweet/tart apples.

Our fig tree is happy and producing!  I've eaten only one fig this year (first time!) but there are more on the tree.

           Basil and Lavender