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Half Wild Horses

I’ve come to the realization I raise half-wild horses. And half-wild boys. This epiphany dawned on me last week on G2’s first day of kindergarten and my colt, Diego’s, first day with a horse trainer. Both of which took place last Thursday. The day started out sweet enough. G2, my happy little boy, and Diego my happy young horse, were galloping around with grins on their faces. For anyone who didn’t know horses could grin, look again at the above picture. This is not my son or my horse, but it’s one of my favorite Pinterest pictures, and this horse […]

By Paula August 20, 2013

The Captain of a Steamer

It’s been a long week with the kids starting school, the farmers’ markets still rolling along, and no time to sit down and create a blog of my own, but I wanted to share with you a devotion from Streams in the Desert that so encouraged me this morning. I went to America some years ago with the captain of a steamer, who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, “The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. We had George […]

By Paula August 17, 2013

Why I Do Dishes

My parents own a place way out in the sticks. A getaway ranch at the end of miles of gravel road where the live oaks and pines meet the mountains. Mount Shasta reigns up there. Not only do you get away from the pavement, you get away from most modern conveniences, air conditioning and Internet and kitchen comforts. You have to light the aging ceramic stove with matches before you can cook in the kitchen and a family of sparrows live in the stove pipe. It’s a quiet place where old barns cast shadows across the pasture, a spring supplies […]

By Paula August 9, 2013

Memories Not Messes

When I was a kid some relatives owned a red velvet couch. The story of the couch went something like this: it was commissioned for a San Francisco house of prostitution, after finishing its run there, the hippies passed it around Haight ashbury. Finally it ended up in Cotati, California in the possession of my earnestly Catholic aunt and uncle. Man, I loved that couch. It was soft and beautiful and full of history. I wish I owned it today. Of course I’d have it steam cleaned, deep cleaned, and re-cleaned, but as a kid it never occurred to me […]

By Paula August 2, 2013

To Save A Mockingbird

My brother brought us the baby mockingbird, asking our ten-year-old son John to take care of him. “He needs to be fed every couple of hours like this.” My brother pulled a cricket from a small wire container and squeezed the cricket’s face before feeding it to the bird. “You have to pinch his head to stun him so he can eat it,” my brother explained, getting ready to stuff the bug down the bird’s throat. Eager to help, John put his fingers to the baby bird’s head. “What are you doing?” My brother asked. “I’m stunning him,” John said. […]

By Paula July 26, 2013

It’s Not About the Peaches

It’s not about the peaches. Or the plums, the pluots, and the nectarines we sell. It’s about people. And why they come. And why my family has returned to farming. This has surprised me most about the farmers’ markets: many folks aren’t here for the fruit. They are here to connect to the farmers, to the land, to a lost way of life. “When I was a kid I climbed plum trees and ate so many it made me sick,” says the old man stopping by our market booth. “Back then orchards were everywhere. Now it’s all houses. I live […]

By Paula July 19, 2013

A Little Bird

We spent this past weekend at Jackson Meadows reservoir where our family has a cabin. For forty-five years we have come to this mountain lake to celebrate the 4th of July. No fireworks. But lots of freedom. To roam the deep woods. To swim the cold lake. To bask in the sunny meadow. And to bird watch. Not that I bird watch much. Mostly, I boy watch. Dirty, cabin kids in muddy water shoes dashing down to the lake to hunt for snakes and crawfish. The latter we cook on our camp stove along with rainbow trout. I enjoy the […]

By Paula July 11, 2013