Their first egg showed up this morning! I found it in the coop and ran inside with it before realizing I wanted a picture of this momentous occasion. Lucy was willing to participate in a staged re-telling of chicken-near-egg.

Yeah, we crafted last night. It’s an addiction.

I just shipped the Winter 2009 collection. It looks fantastic!

I can’t stop thinking about my future house. My future life. In Missoula I realized I don’t want to settle for good in Portland. I don’t want to raise a child here. It is a little too big. There is simply too much going on. So much goodness that it is difficult to qualify anything. “Oh, that house is for sale. That beautiful house with a garden and fruit trees on yet another quiet tree-lined street.” It is just as amazing as the next. The same could be said for music shows, art shows, and fashion events. I am finding myself not going out at all. The options are limitless! Spoiled? yes. But honest.

This property is in Vermont, across the road from Kenya’s parents. This is where Kenya wants to land. 3 to 5 acres, half of which is a fenced field for goats/alpaca/sheep/llamas with a solar powered electric fence. A small stream runs along the southern part of the property. Rural Vermont might be a bit too small but I’m leaning in that direction. Any suggestions…

Three weeks. Sigh. I am forgetting what you look like! Okay, come home now. Just come home early and surprise me. No don’t. Stay as long as you can. But life is pretty great here. House to myself, heat is on and I am sipping a mason jar of peppermint tea while packing the Winter 2009 store orders. I wish you could see the finished production before I send it out. It looks awesome!

Our trip is coming to an end. This cycle – going toward Natalie, allowing my life to collide with hers, to vine around each other, to whisper in her ear, to view the world through two sets of eyes, to feel Echo’s hand on my leg as if this feathery weight were my own daughter’s touch – only to spin away again is excruciating. Back to the car, back to Portland, back to the friends and lovers that I adore. But they are not my other.

Natalie and I have not lived in the same town as adults. It is a constant exercise in acceptance to be okay with this and to plan for our next reunion.

Christmas in Santa Cruz!

Today, like most days, we walked downtown and had brunch-time snacks at Butterfly, the local spot that Nathan works at. From the front it appears to be simply a tea shop- a mighty tea shop with floor to ceiling jars and a library ladder – but still just a tea shop. In the back however, is a small cafe with ornate wooden booth lined in a row against the wall. The locals all seem to stop in at atleast once a day. You sit and watch the town file by. Missoula is small enough that even I recognize people and say my hellos. I am fascinated by the idea of living in a town this size.

Heather, John, Bello and I are heading for Montana. John used to live in Missoula and misses the town terribly. He still has a community of friends dying to see him. I have my sister and her wonderful partner and amazing daughters to visit. A 9 hour drive and it flew by. Chatting, sleeping, snacking and suddenly we were pulling in to say our hellos!

Saturday morning. Getting my lesson together for class. Today we are covering zippers.

We got all cozy for Kenya’s birthday. Fresh cider from Sauvie Island warmed with rum and spices. Homemade nachos. And wheat-free chocolate cake. At the end of the night we shot downtown for a show at Valentine’s.

I appreciate. I appreciate. Thank you life. Love you Kenya.