barefoot in the orchard: Sonoma Balloon Festival 2009

A Special Phone Call From - Now - President Obama

I had the wonderful honor of speaking with Senator Barack Obama (now President Obama) in March of 2007. He had seen a note I had left on his website with a small donation - this was at the very beginning of his campaign -and called as he was leaving his office for the evening.

I still have the original recording of the message he left for me. I actually missed two calls from him -- if you can believe that -- before we were able to talk on the phone a few days later.

That amazing moment in my life is one that I will always treasure -- as was the night he was elected the 44th President of the United States of America!! Go Obama!!

Barefoot in the Orchard

One of my favorite memories was walking barefoot in our apricot orchard. That was some 30 years ago, and it's still one of the first things that comes to mind when searching my life's memories.

Now it is unbearable for me to think about how that orchard, and the others that surrounded it, have long since been replaced with homes. I prefer to keep those images in my mind as if it were only yesterday...

It's a beautiful summer morning. I'm 12 years old. Outside my cat Peewee, a big yellow tabby with a bobbed tail, greets me. I head straight out into the orchard. The branches overhead hang low, and heavy and the sweet smell of apricots fill the air. Running faster and farther with each step - the seemingly never-ending rows of trees stretch out before me. I can feel the warm sun on my face and the cool feel of the dirt under my feet.

A Few Facts About Me

I am a stay at home mom with five children - six if you include my husband (all the women will immediately understand this joke). You really could not call my oldest two sons "children", since they are 21 and 20, but there are days when it seems as if they are. Both are in college and I am very proud to call myself their mother.

My other three children came to me courtesy of my sister in law, who developed a problem with methamphetamines, and lost them all to Social Services (of course there is more to the story than that but in a nutshell that's what happened). Their ages are 11, 8, and 7.

The oldest one came to us at just shy of 3 years old, the second one at 3 months old, and the third at 3 days old. These three little people in my life - despite all the work, and dealing with social services for 3 years (three does seem to be the magic number here) until we were able to adopt them - have taken my life on a turn I never would have expected. Now I can't imagine a day without their smiling faces - even if some days they aren't smiling as much as I'd like. Occasionally someone will tell me how lucky they are to have me, but I know that I am the lucky one.

I guess you could say I feel blessed even if things aren't perfect. I've been married to the same guy for 21 years (Mark Couchot) but I like to count all the time we have actually been together, 25 years (I think I deserve the extra credit for those years too), and we were friends before that for few years. We both went to the same high school, but he was a couple of years ahead of me. We actually met because my first boyfriend had known my husband since kindergarten. That's the simple version of the story - as the actual version could fill many pages. He is simply "the sweetest guy with the best heart that I've ever known" - even if I do take him for granted now and then.

We picked up the keys to our house 15 years ago on my 31st birthday, and we love it more than ever. It's become a lot smaller over the years, but it's our home, and we wouldn't trade it for any other. Our kids heights are recorded on the inside of the pantry door, and each time we measure - " just one more time" - because maybe someone has grown in the last few days -- I just can't imagine having it any better than this.

Favorite Quotes

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"It's never too late to be what you might have been."
George Elliot ~

"To effect the quaility of the day, that is the highest of arts"
Henry David Thoreau ~

"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinetly rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever."
Isak Dinesen ~

"Motherhood Is Not For Wimps."
A Very Wise Woman ~

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."
Helen Keller ~

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you."
Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
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"Choose well. Your choice is brief, and yet endless."
Geothe ~

Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Beyond. Plus a small review.

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Currently Reading - Fall 2009
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* Choosing Civility ( The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct)
by P.M. Forni
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Just Finished Reading - Spring/Summer 2009_
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* The Witch Of Portobello
by Paulo Coelho
Review - I came by this book via my friend and fellow blogger over at Chloe Honeygo Beasley - thank you Cindy. First of all I want to say that there is something magical about this book. It is the story of a young woman named Athena, a gypsy by birth who is adopted by a wealthy Lebanese couple who flee from Beirut to UK. There are phrases and lines in the book that I re-read a few times just so that I could soak in the full meaning. It is about love, passion, joy and sacrifice and I enjoyed every page of it!!
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Winter 2008/2009
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* Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson
Review - I must note that this edition has been reworked. The poems have been altered to accommodate the modern reader. If you are a purist when it comes poetry - this is not the edition for you.
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* The Measure of a Man : A Spiritual Autobiography
by Sidney Poitier
Review - I actually listened to this via my iPod as an audiobook. I thought I might enjoy this, but I found it difficult and missed having an actually book to hold. It took me much longer to finish and it was harder to go back over text I found meaningful or interesting. That being said - I love Sidney Poitier and listening to his voice is heavenly - although he swears now and then which kind of shocked me. His life is incredibly interesting, and his ability to shine a light on the important moments he experienced, and reveal how he experienced them make this book well worth reading or listening to.
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Fall 2008
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* The Art Of Simple Food (Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution) by Alice Waters
Review - This would make a great addition to anyone's cookbook collection - so many wonderful recipes and basics about wonderful, simple, delicious food. Alice Waters, you are a one of a kind!!
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Summer 2008
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* Fighting Traffic (The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City) by Peter D. Norton
Review - Before automobiles filled the streets, children and pedestrians ruled; however, by 1930 all that had changed. The streets became a place where children did not belong, and where pedestrians were considered "jaywalkers." To accommodate this hostile takeover, America had to undergo a difficult social change, a struggle which makes up the heart of this unique history. This book is extremely well researched and beautifully written. I must note that I am a somewhat biased reader since I actually went to high school with the author, Peter Norton (now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Virginia). That being said, I learned a lot from this book, and now I view traffic lights and pedestrians with new-found awareness.
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Spring/Summer 2008
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* A New Earth (Awaking Your Life's Purpose) by Eckhart Tolle
Review - When I reached the last page of this book I turned to page one and read it once more. To say that this book made an impact on me is an understatement. It is beautifully written and profound in it's life changing insight. Tolle conveys a simple yet profound message that awakens the flowering consciousness of "being".
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Spring 2008
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* The Queen Of Fats ( Why Omega - 3s Were Removed From The Western Diet And What We Can Do To Replace Them)
by Susan Allport
Review - This was pretty heavy reading - very scientific. I learned a lot and while I found Chapter 12 - Putting Omega - 3's Back Into Your Food Supply - very helpful... I can't say that I would recommend the book entirely. Most of this information is readily available on the internet. That said - I was glad for the extra scientific and historical info.

Books I Love

A Room Of One's Own - Virginia Woolf (it's my goal to someday have read all of her books - she is amazing)
Women Who Run With The Wolves - Clarissa Pinkola Este's Ph.D.
Call of the Wild - Jack London
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Simple Abundance - Sarah Ban Breathnach
To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Orlando - Virginia Woolf
The Midwifes Apprentice - Karen Cushman
Pumpkin Moonshine - Tasha Tudor
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's
Tasha Tudor's Garden
The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan

Some Favorite Films and Directors - In No Particular Order

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*The Gold Rush (1925) and Modern Times (1936) - Charlie Chaplin
I can never get enough of Charlie Chaplin.
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*Annie Hall (1977) and Interiors (1978) - Woody Allen
Woody Allen is simply brilliant.
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*Wild Strawberries (1957) and Cries and Whispers (1972) - Ingmar Bergman
These films are beautiful and haunting - genius.
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* The Lover (1992) English Version or L'amant French Version - Jean-Jacques Annaud
Based on an autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras - it is a very (be warned) erotic and sensitive story of a young French school girl who embarks on a torrid love affair with a wealthy Chinese man in 1929 French Colonial Vietnam.
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*Out Of Africa (1985) and The Way We Were (1973) - Sydney Pollack
Meryl Streep and Robert Redford (twice) - beautifully filmed.
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*Little Women (1994) - Gillian Armstrong
A film that resonates deeply with me.
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*Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958) - Alfred Hitchcock
The master of suspense - an all time favorite.
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*The Reluctant Debutante (1958) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) -Vincente Minnelli
Beautifully filmed with a certain lost elegance.
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*The Hours (2002) - Stephen Daldry
Such a beautiful film with real substance.
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*In The Gloaming (1997) HBO - Christopher Reeve
This is a beautiful - made for HBO - drama with amazing performances by actors - Glen Close, David Strathairn, and Robert Sean Leonard as the son that returns home dying of AIDS. It's a touching story of family dysfunction, love and acceptance.
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*Howl's Moving Castle (2004) & Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) -
Hayao Miyazaki
I once read a review that said - Miyazaki is Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg and Orson Welles combined, with a dash of Claude Monet -
and they were right.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sonoma Balloon Festival 2009

0 comments:

Number of Visits Since July 2007

About Me :

Followers

Wonderful Blogs That Inspire Me

whitehouse.gov

A Special Phone Call From - Now - President Obama

Barefoot in the Orchard

A Few Facts About Me

Favorite Quotes

Anyone and Everyone

Blog Archive

Illustration by Jen Corace

Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Beyond. Plus a small review.

Books I Love

Some Favorite Films and Directors - In No Particular Order

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sonoma Balloon Festival 2009

0 comments:

Number of Visits Since July 2007

About Me :

Followers

Subscribe To

Wonderful Blogs That Inspire Me

whitehouse.gov

A Special Phone Call From - Now - President Obama

Barefoot in the Orchard

A Few Facts About Me

Favorite Quotes

Anyone and Everyone

Blog Archive

Illustration by Jen Corace

Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Beyond. Plus a small review.

Books I Love

Some Favorite Films and Directors - In No Particular Order