Mr. McGregor’s Garden & Other Musings

Have you ever had one of those moments where you come upon something ‘real’ that depicts a story or a tale in a book?  Well, I had that experience this morning while hiking with the boys.  The Tales of Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit are among the stack of books on the edge of the kitchen table (I’ll leave the stack of books to your imagination, but most times there are at least three stacks of books over a foot tall – a lot to choose from (a mix of children’s books, Spanish books, sticker books, coloring books (from soup to nuts)).  Some favorites we brought with us and a stack that I refresh every week from the MFS library.  The two tales about our veggie eating friends have made it into the ‘three stories’ of late; selected each night by the boys.  So there you have it!  Today, before school, after we had made beds, brushed teeth, dressed, washed and hung laundry, did dishes and swept the floors, we headed out for a hike across the pasture into Bajo del Tigre.  We decided to venture off the beaten path onto a side trail (I knew that ‘a’ trail spilled out onto the main path we take to school, so I felt like I could navigate us through the woods).  Little did I know, that there is quite a network of trails back there; hidden from the main road.  After some time, we crossed over a downed gate and found ourselves peering into a garden; which to me WAS Mr. McGregor’s garden.  I motioned to the boys that we needed to be quiet as I was not sure if we were trespassing or exactly whose property we had stumbled upon.  The first words out of my mouth was “Wow, this looks like Mr. McGregor’s garden”; the boys nodded with excitement.  I spied a wind chime made of tin cans to keep the birds away, vegetable and flower beds covered with bamboo and plastic, herb gardens and a bodega.  Yes, I was sure, if Mr. McGregor’s garden was to exist (not just in our imagination and in Beatrix Potter’s words), this would have to be it!  We were greeted by Jose who welcomed us to take a look around.  The farm belongs to the Trossel family which is a well-known family here in town.  Their son, Richard, was the kind soul who drove us to the clinic when Michael split his forehead open shortly after we moved in.  I told Jose, “yes, we know the Trossels, they have made us brownies and some rosemary foccacia bread – I now know where they get their stash of rosemary.  Jose gave us a tour of the garden and escorted us out through the side of the Trossel house.   Like I say, one never knows who or what they will encounter on a hike!  A great find indeed.

Miscellaneous Updates:

Schaefer Sickness:  Per my abbreviated post last night, I am still fighting something; as I take a sip of peppermint tea, compliments of Sandy.  I feel a tad better today and will hope to beat this without a trip to the clinic.  Friends are eager to pass along their remedies; everything from honey and cinnamon, to garlic, lemon, radishes and tamarindo for a gargle.  BTW, the MFS library is not the place you want to be when you are under the weather…the building is old and mold infested I am sure.  Some of the books date back from who knows when; so after selecting my ten books yesterday, I quickly got out of the building as it was kicking my cough into high gear.

Leche:  About a month ago; we started to purchase our milk from Goudy’s farm.  Goudy is the gal that helps me out during the week with the kids.  Previously we had purchased our milk from the Cheese factory/dairy just up the road, but when she said they have a farm and could provide milk cheaper than the dairy, we thought we’d try it.  I need my mom “Choppy” to chime in here since she is dairy farm born and bread, the straight cow milk from Goudy seems to have a different taste and only be 'good' for one day; the second day, the kids won’t touch it.  I imagine the milk from the dairy is pasteurized which increases its ‘fridge’ life.  So, as much as we want to support local farmers, I had to tell Goudy that the boys were not drinking the milk and that we did not want them to miss out on the vitamins and nutrients, so it is back to the dairy we go.  She understood and said that her husband is a ‘milk snob’ too and will only drink milk from the dairy…so that made me feel a little better - sometimes honesty is tough but the boys need their milk.

Weather:  Some sun this week which has lifted everyone’s spirits and given the boys their outside playground back.

Volunteering:  John, the MFS director, stopped by the other night to ask me to participate in a small meeting this Monday to discuss the school’s strategic plan.  He was kind enough to lend me some information and the governance handbook for Friends Schools so I could bone up on the Quaker traditions as it relates to Quaker education.  Good reading for this weekend.  I will also start attending the Fundraising committee meetings as well and look forward to helping out anyway I can.  This will be a real experience for me as I have never done any volunteering outside of my involvement as an active member and Deacon at my home church.

Childcare:  I am so thankful for Goudy and her wonderful care she is providing for our boys.  I realize now how important it is to have someone you can trust and count on who will provide for your children when you are away.  I am also thankful for Suzzeth who helped us out tremendously in Chicago.  She was such a vital part of our family and helped Mike out (which in turn made me able to focus on my career while away from the home).  We also had a wonderful sitter in Natalie (Suzzeth’s niece) who is dearly missed as well.  Being the primary care giver now, my eyes are wide open as to how integral this role is in the family unit and how blessed we are/have been since our boys came into our life three years ago.  THANK YOU to these outstanding ladies!

Finally, thanks to all for your comments back as I wind myself through this transition.  For those of you that know me; I have trouble with the ‘stuff in the middle’; the journey – for me it has always been about how can I get from A to Z the quickest, the most productively and perfectly…a daily challenge!  Enjoying the moment and taking time to examine a leaf on the trail or investigate a type of shelf fungus or ant hill – I am learning to just ‘be’ with it!

Upcoming Activities:

Tomorrow at school there is a Cachivache/Rummage Sale.  Parents are encouraged to drop off clean, wearable clothes and usable household items today and then return tomorrow morning from 8:00-12:00 pm and purchase items to restock our closet; perhaps we can pick up some puzzles or games for the boys.  Because we only brought the necessities with us, we don’t have much to donate, but will bring our colones with us tomorrow for the event.

Shirley, my friend from church invited me to a women’s event at her church on Saturday, 11/7 in the afternoon – I’ll check my calendar and see if I can make this work. 

And, for those wondering, we will be trick or treating tomorrow with a few other families…costumes are yet to be determined, you can be sure they will be simple.  

Signed: S