Moonshine Junkyard

A random Wednesday.  Jack Russell Brewery.  School's out. Straight As.  Baby Cousins. Warm breeze and a few clouds. Singing songs.  Martin.That is, MARTY!!!  "Tongue kissing" baby style. Old stories and new.  Scott said my favorite thing ever when he stated, "This is the best thing happening in El Dorado County right now." Yes our babies like to french kiss. That, my friends, pretty much says it all for me. If it ever feels like drudgery I just have to remember that there will be afternoons like this. Forever and forever, the best things happening.

Saturday I took my longest road trip yet solo with the two girls (a drive just over two hours) and it turned into quite an adventure. The occasion was a kid's birthday party. My best friend from high school, Kim's little daughter turned six. I was only fifteen minutes late. It was beautiful weather and we had a great drive down, with Polly falling asleep for most of the drive and Lucy and I chatting. Then after Polly woke up, we were on tiny Hwy 4 heading into delta territory (my favorite) along swamplands and cattails, on the lookout for birds and frogs. A great blue heron swooped down right over us as we drove across one of the small bridges.  The girls dug right in to cheese pizza and fruit. I had a good time chatting with Kim and some of the other moms and dads while my daughters behaved surprisingly well. Kim had party favor bags with bubbles, stickers, and little books for them to decorate. It was a "Frozen" themed party. I don't know how we...

If you've known me for a while , you know that I love to have a get together for family and friends on Cinco de Mayo. Over the years I have pondered the cultural appropriation factor , and please feel free to discuss if you disagree, but I think due to my own Mexican heritage and my genuine lifelong love and respect for Mexican culture, my celebration is really just that: a celebration. I do don a Mexican dress but that is not unusual. I make my pico de gallo and other Mexican foods, some of which I really did learn to make in Mexico,again, not unusual. We should, together as a group, discuss the remarkable battle against Napoleon's army in Puebla Mexico, 1862, the triumphant victory of the underdog, but we don't generally get to it. Instead we run around putting sweaters on babies who just want to jump on the trampoline all night, and take moments here and there to laugh and storytell with friends. I do blast Mexican music all night which really keeps the spirits lifted,...