Land of the Midday Moon

In summer they call us the land of the Midnight Sun. At least that's what they call it in Fairbanks. Our days aren't that long in summer this far South. Therefore, our days are not as short in winter. Yesterday I was outside with the kids and couldn't resist these photos of the moon still up at 11:00 am. The other good thing about living here is that you can get up at 9am and still do yoga at sunrise. Friday night I kept Falcom and Marina overnight for the first time in over 6 months. This is a good sign that I am on my way to recovery from the events of the past 6 months. Either that or I'm relapsing in my co-dependent tendencies. Just kidding.

I have always subscribed to the village model. That it takes a village to raise a child. I have been putting the rest of the village on hold while I concentrated on raising Maya. But I'm starting to feel like I can join the Human Race again. Of course, I still have days when I just want to "drop out". I mean that in the 60's sense. I totally get now why my groovier older brothers and sisters wanted to drop out. The funny thing is, most of them now have computers and internet and mutual funds just like the rest of us. But I am so overwhelmed by The Information Age that I frequently long to move to a very small island, live in a grass hut and blog by candle light. Oh wait, that last part didn't sound right.

The stomach flu paid a visit to our home this past week. It hit the grandmothers the hardest. I was the least affected. I stayed home from work on Monday, slept through two movies, nursed one can of ginger ale, and then finished reading "Grace, Eventually" by Ann Lamott. I really enjoyed the book. I totally "get" Ann Lamott. I love the way she bares all her foibles. There is something so comforting about finding out that you are not the only person in the world with weaknesses and character flaws. I thought about her a lot when I first brought Maya home because I felt like I finally understood how she felt in "Operating Instructions". If I had been as good about journaling those early months with Maya, I could one day publish my own book of "Operating Instructions...for the Adoptive Parent".

I think I have a lot in common with Ann Lamott. There are only a few differences between us. First, she stopped after one child and I was blessed with three more. She remained a single parent and I was blessed with Matt. She stayed in Northern California and I moved to Alaska. Homer is a lot like Marin County. They are both beautiful places to live, sorrounded by water and mountains. Only we have more Rednecks and they have more psychotherapists.

I have a tendency towards fantasy. Lately I've been fantasizing about the reviews on the jacket cover of my future book, Operating Instructions for the Adoptive Parent. New York Times calls it: "Depressing, but funny!" The San Francisco Chronicle: "Irene Wise is a younger Ann Lamott, without the alcohol tolerance". Ann Lamott would say: "Irene, you rock! I look forward to reading your blog every week!"

Somebody pull me up the hill!

I'll only pose for this one photo!

Winterizing the tree fort?

Matt keeps the home fires burning.

Our neighbor's horses and the moon.

Marina and Maya sledding.

Maya whizzing around the kitchen on her new tricycle.

I try to "blacken" Maya's teeth with blueberries.