rain, rain, rain.

i can barely remember the last day that a drop of rain didn't fall from the sky...for years, the northwestern weather hasn't bothered me in the very least bit. but now, as dreams of moving elsewhere are coming into fruition, i can barely stand it!
one more year,
amidst ferns and moss and sea.

i am growing ever more excited about my impending apprenticeship position at the northwest school of herbalism. i have my first class next saturday, and from there will begin to help on the farm, go to classes, play office- gopher, and eventually help with teaching classes.

today i am thumbing through hildegard's medieval herbals classic, "physica"...it is amazing that in 1080, people had just a complete understanding of the medicinal side of plants.

this evening the family is going over to our next door neighbor's house to celebrate gus' 3rd birthday! pizza and ice cream for all...it is a very good thing that i have just started going to the gym again!

well, there are people in the shop...so i should run...

OMFG!

i know! i know! it has been FOREVER since i've written anything here....my sincerest apologies...truly! life has been a whirlwind as of late. for instance... here is a summation of a day that happened to us a couple of weeks ago:

woke up, did the normal morning type kid things with sebastian.
got a phone call telling me that our newly adopted pooch, Ronan, has needed a $10k hip replacement surgery for the past two years...her previous owner did not disclose this to the humane society of course...so i almost passed out right then and there.
next we all piled into the car to pick up matt from work.
upon arrival, the engine began to pour steam....matt walks up to tell me he just lost a shift at work.

i go into my shop, and am told that my pay must be cut in half.
we walk to the auto parts shop 1 mile away. they told us to try to put water into the radiator to make it home.
we tried. we didnt make it.

called AAA (thanks mom!) they can't pick us up for another hour and a half.
we run into starbucks, as it is now pouring rain.
sebs is acting really strange, and as i try to console him, he barfs on me. twice.
then matt grabs him and gets puked on too.
we clean up the mess.
decided to not stink up the place and wait outside for the tow truck.

the nice tow truck driver approaches me as i exclaim, "don't come any closer! we're covered in barf!"
we thankfully still get a tow to the mechanic.
they can't look at the car for a week.....

that said, there is a silver lining to every story isn't there?
of course!
well, since we were now truly in the poorhouse, we had to come up with a brand new monthly budget... we figure out that even though it'll be tight as h.e.double hockeysticks...we will have 2 days off...together! which is quite priceless.

anyhow...
since then I applied for the apprenticeship position at the NW School of Herbalism www.nwherbs.com ...and am now in the final stages of acceptance! i will be spending the next 10 months in the garden, learning ancient materia medica, herbalism, farmers market stuffs....after which i can teach, run a small organic herbal farm...whatever i like. a dream come true! so hence....

we've decided to move back to Tennessee! along with my sister of course.... at the end of this year. matt will attend the john gumpton school of mortuary science (he is following his dream of being a funeral director) in nashville....and i will work on running/starting a tiny organic herbal farm! (we are even looking into really neat "intentional communities" in the nashville/tn area!

then... this morning i was told that i was accepted into the Folk Alliance Convention as an act! www.folkalliance.net i can hardly believe my luck!

through fire....

i am ever amazed at life!