The sunnyside of life

I haven't posted in some time, I know. I think my Chicago trip wore me out more than I realized; I was so exhausted each and every day last week. And, lest you think it is always gorgeous and wonderful here in A2 (ha!), we had about five solid days of gray and yuck.

Plus, IEM had his first difficult day at school. On Thursday, he didn't want to get out of the car. When I picked him up, he immediately burst into tears and told me a long tale of having no friends, being sent to the principal's office because he had no friends, and never ever never wanting to go back there.

I spoke to his teacher on the phone and she assured me that he had not, in fact, been sent to the principal's office. But that he had, in fact, attached himself to a trio of boys who don't seem to want any more in their group. Hence the alienation. It absolutely broke my heart to see him so distraught (already) over playground politics and group dynamics. I hope that he can just learn something about finding other friends and appreciating everyone in his class, not just these three boys. I have my first official parent/teacher conference this coming week so I'm hopeful to learn more about IEM as a learner and citizen. He really has loved school thus far and we notice everyday something Montessorian that he has picked up from his teachers and peers. I hope this is just a hiccup and we move on. We didn't have school on Friday so tomorrow will be his first day back.

This weekend, we enjoyed a delightful visit with Breenjeanie. Unfortunately, they didn't get to enjoy any delightful weather until this morning when they were leaving for home. Today was absolutely beautiful: clear skies and 50s. Yesterday, at the Big House, it was raining, blowing 60 mph gusts and miserably cold. Oh well. Now they know what we're in for over the next few months.

We had some great meals and wonderful wine and IEM really enjoyed seeing them. EPM seemed curious as to why they were here, like she remembered them but they were out of context here in A2.

This morning we hosted a brunch at Wallace House in honor of Thomas Kamalindi, KWF'06. He is a Rwandan who worked for the BBC in Rwanda when the genocide started. He was sheltered in the "Hotel Rwanda" and broke the story of hotel manager Paul Rusesibegina's heroism. Thomas also lost many in his family and the memories of what happened and what he saw are obviously still with him. The reason for the brunch was that he recently was granted political asylum in the United States. He still lives here in A2 and is now working for the State Department as a translator.

He was genuinely and deeply touched by all of the people, including many from his own class, who showed up in his honor. I think the blue skies were a nice reminder that with every dark, dark day, there is the hope, still, for sunshine.

Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks Mimi and Pop

Mimi and Pop came up last weekend to help with the kids so that I could get away to Chicago. While they were here, they went with Zack and the kids and many of the KWF Fellows to another farm/pumpkin patch. IEM is pictured with some of his "Wallace House friends." They are all really sweet with one another and Zack said they were all so excited to see each other again after our weekend Up North.

We look forward to this weekend and our visit from our Memphis neighbors and dear friends, Breen and Jeanie, who used to go by the collective "Breenjeanie" until IEM decided that he was too big for such things.

Oh well. It's always cute while it lasts.

Thanks for stopping by.

My kind of town

I got back last evening from my girls' weekend in Chicago. I haven't seen my high school girlfriends in more than a year...I was pregnant with EPM when we last got together...so there was lots of catching-up to do. But we do keep in touch via regular emails so we weren't behind on anything.

The weather was perfect for lots of shopping. We stayed at The Drake (www.thedrakehotel.com) and, after taking a tour of several "acceptable rooms," enjoyed our suite on the seventh floor. We worked out in the mornings, ordered room service breakfasts, shopped at Nordstrom, Bloomies, American Girl, Filene's Basement, Saks, Sephora, Sur La Table, Gap, Old Navy, Intimacy and Borders...just to name a few. We had cocktail hour in our suite, went out for wonderful meals two evenings and ordered in from "diningin.com" on the other and enjoyed being on no one else's schedule but our own.

I feel very blessed to have friends in my life who have known me for 20 years. Special thanks to Tara's husband Patrick who treated us to meals and to the hotel.

I feel incredibly blessed to have wonderful in-laws who came in town to help Zack with the kids so that I could go.

My friend Colleen called this morning to ask "Was it all a dream?" It does feel that way, less than 24 hours back into "reality," but the real reality is that I have fun, kind and generous friends in my life and I look forward to seeing them next year.

Thanks for stopping by.

For Neny

I don't think Neny would have liked the "wine" reference but she may have gotten a kick out of Lena's Italian-American restaurant in the middle of Boyne City, Mich.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bay View Farm

On Sunday, we left Boyne Valley after eating breakfast in Petoskey, a charming town on Little Traverse Bay. We then ate lunch in Elk Rapids, which is where my parents used to stay when they'd come up this way. Then a quick trip through Traverse City which is lovely.

We spent Sunday evening at my aunt and uncle's farm near Torch Lake. The farm has been in my uncle's family for more than 100 years. It is a beautiful old place, built in the late 1880s. We invited our friends Jason and Jenny and their two boys to join us for the night. According to my dad, Torch Lake was listed as the second most beautiful lake in the country. It is not hard to see why.

We explored the barn and climbed on hay bales. The boys set up a huge train track that snaked across the front room. Jason cooked an awesome dinner for us and all of the kids (and Jason too!) collapsed in bed by 8.

Jenny, Zack and I drank wine in the kitchen and talked but it was an early night. It had been a busy and full weekend.

The genteel life

We enjoyed our weekend of country pursuits Up North. Charles runs Zack's fellowship program. He has a family farm (cherries and apples) on Lake Charlevoix and we spent much of Saturday there. The kids all rode the tractor to pick apples, press cider and ran amok. The adults consumed lots of adult beverages after taking a turn or two at shooting skeet or hiking about.

The weather was a bit colder than expected but no snow...it had melted. The walk from Charles and Julia's farm down to the lake was spectacular. And check out the fall color!

It was back to the lodge that evening before checking out the next morning. Many Fellows stayed Up North, continuing on to Mackinac Island or elsewhere. We traveled about an hour to another lake, Torch Lake, where my aunt and uncle have a family farm. I'll try to do another post this evening before leaving on my girls' trip to Chicago.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dateline: Boyne Valley, Mich.- October 13

Yes, folks. That's snow. Six inches of the stuff. This was taken last Friday at the lodge we stayed at for the Fellowship retreat.

As we were driving up to Boyne Valley from A2, IEM commented: "Mommy, I don't think it's fall anymore. I think it's winter."

That would be because we drove through a snowstorm. Did I mention that this was last Friday? That's it's still OCTOBER???

Of course, the locals all said that while it was common to get a "dusting" before Halloween, this was nuts. El Nino, I guess.

But the kids all had a blast in the snow (much of it had melted by Saturday afternoon) and running around the lodge (we had the entire place for the Fellowship). I think the weekend away served its purpose; we all came away much closer and it was a great way for all of the kids (there are 11 in this year's class, ranging in age from 15 months to 10 years) to get to know one another. It was like Christmas each morning: Waking up, heading to the huge communal living room with the fireplace and playing with toys. And running around.

The adults all had a great time too. The party one evening lasted until 2 a.m.; the next night it went on to 5 or 6...needless to say, the McMillins were not up that late but Zack did stay up one night until 1:30. I made it to midnight. When you don't have the luxury of sleeping until 11, staying up late loses it's allure.

More photos to come..we spent Saturday at the Eisendrath farm. Sunday we went to my aunt and uncle's farm at Torch Lake and toured Traverse City. It is a beautiful, beautiful part of this country. We'd love to come back.

Thanks for stopping by.

Eternal question answered

They say this Fellowship year is one of "reflection" and "transformation."

We've met Fellows from around the globe. We've eaten our way across Ann Arbor. We've heard lectures by a renowned Shakespearean scholar and a covert expert on transnational terrorism. We've met Mike Wallace.

But it was just north of Flint, Mich., at a place called Tony's, where Zack was able to answer one of life's eternal questions: How much bacon is too much bacon?

Yes, that is a BLT. With a POUND of bacon on it. A pound. They are proud of their bacon at Tony's. I watched two guys scarfing down huge portions of eggs and toast and sharing a BASKET of bacon strips between them. Interestingly enough, there's a bariatric clinic running a huge outdoor advertising campaign at the same exit. (Birch Run, off of I-75, in case you're interested.)

Needless to say, Zack couldn't even get that sandwich into his chompers much less eat it all. I thought IEM's eyes were going to pop out of his head.

You may be wondering what we were doing in Flint, Mich. We were on our way Up North, as they say, to spend a weekend with the Fellows and their families at a ski resort.

An off-season ski resort, that is. But there was a winter storm ahead...stay tuned until tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rats!

No, knock-on-wood, not the real kind.

There is a house just around the corner from ours that is known among the neighborhood kids as "The Rat House." The woman who owns the house (Melissa) always has one plastic rat in her front flower bed. In the time leading up to Halloween, she keeps adding to the rats (and the skeletons and the ghouls), each night, little by little, until she has a veritable army out there.

She also leaves out colored chalk and sidewalk stencils and loves it when the kids "play" with the rats. IEM and EPM love to walk to the Rat House. Although it is somewhat strange to see one's baby girl running around with two large plastic rats in her hand, happy as can be.

And I must say with some pride: IEM took all of the photos that accompany this story. Without any help from his dad. He really loves the camera, and I like the compositions he's getting.

They have mentioned the four-letter word that begins with "S" in our weather forecast for Friday. Oooh, boy.

We are heading out of town on Friday, coincidentally. We have the KWF retreat at Walloon Lake until Sunday. Then we are swinging through Eastport, MI and staying at my aunt and uncle's farm. They say that the weather is actually going to be better Up North than in A2.

I'm just hoping my boots and waterproof jacket make it in time.

Thanks for stopping by.

My own Ansel Adams

IEM is enjoying taking photos. We spent the early afternoon in The Arb, following a Sunday brunch at Wallace House. IEM took the landscape photo and the photo of his dad and sister. I accidentally stretched it out on Blogger; it looks good in actuality. It was another gorgeous day to kayak the Huron. And the house featured is the Wallace House. It is a gorgeous old place, very warm and welcoming. I told Zack that if we build someday, I want the facade to look like the Wallace House.

Punkins

It was one of those Indian Summer weekends up here in Michigan. Glorious, gorgeous weather. Perfect for the Wolverines to open a can of you-know-what and hand it to Michigan State in The Big House.

We chose not to go to the game (we learned from the first that it's just too much for IEM) and sold our tickets on Craig's List. Made some money so no loss.

We opted instead to DVR the game and head to a local orchard to pick pumpkins with our friend Jason and his kids F & E. F is pictured with IEM. They are just six months apart and in the same class at Montessori.

The orchard was mobbed but it was OK. They put you on a tractor-train out to the orchards and pumpkin field. Fortunately, all of the pumpkins were cut off the vines as I hadn't even thought about that. I also hadn't thought about how we were going to carry all of our pumpkins back onto said tractor-train and then carry them to the weigh-and-pay, etc. while chasing after IEM and EPM. But we had the stroller with us so that helped.

All in all, we got 5 pumpkins (IEM wanted one for each of us, including Sawyer), climbed in the hay maze, ate fresh apples, ate homemade donuts and bought some more cider. It is amazing how much better apples taste when they are just picked. They make grocery store apples taste like cardboard....seriously. (You will note EPM holding a Golden Delicious in her hand. And wearing a dress. She was REALLY mad about that. It came off immediately upon return to the cider house so that she could climb all over the hay maze.)

And I really like the photo of the Zack and EPM. Lots of mutual adoration, there.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dinner with the McMillins/MacMillan

As part of the KWF program, there are two weekly "sherry hours" on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most seminars bring in speakers from around the University or around the globe. Some seminars, however, feature presentations by fellow Fellows.

During those nights, two fellows present and two cook dinner. Last night was Zack's turn to cook. First up at bat. He was paired with Jim MacMillan, a photojournalist with The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jim likes to cook, as he puts it, by dialing his cell phone. Our work...to cook for 30 people.

Zack wanted to emphasize the wonderful local produce and fish available here, an all-Michigan meal (or as close to it as he could get). To his credit, he went through my cookbooks and planned the menu. He and Jim did all of the shopping. We spent Wednesday night after the kids went to bed doing most of the cooking. And the dinner went off with only a few hitches last evening. It really was wonderful to sit at the table at Wallace House (the huge dining table with an extension that went into the entry hall) with all of these great people who are becoming fast friends and break bread together. And the food was a huge hit.

Our menu, in case you're hungry: Organic baby greens with baby roasted beets, pears, spiced walnuts and Stilton; grilled whitefish and walleye with dill and lemon; caramelized butternut squash; wild rice and sour cherry salad; Zingerman's bread; apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.

Jim put together a little video of the excursion to the farmer's market. Appropriately, the music is from Sufjan Steven's "Michigan" album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph30XDOflNc

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

A few of my favorite things

(This post's artwork courtesy of IEM. He took this photo of Sawyer by himself.)

This list is in no particular order...I'm just brain-dumping.

1. The Ann Arbor YMCA (www.annarborymca.org)

The facility is brand-spanking new and just wonderful. It is convenient, clean, and EPM actually enjoys going to the ChildWatch program. I think she misses her time at GSL back in Memphis. Plus, I'm working out regularly for the first time in four years.

2. Sweetwaters Cafe

And what better way to wind up a workout than a quick stroll over to Sweetwaters for a nonfat vanilla latte. Any addiction to caffeine that I overcame during pregnancy and nursing is back with avengence.

3. The Ann Arbor Farmers Market

Open Wednesdays and Saturdays, it's great to go and just stroll.

4. Wolverine Football

OK, Michigan football has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember (that and knowing to loathe Ohio State and Notre Dame) but it really is exciting to be here in A2 during this winning season. Plus, IEM knows how to sing the fight song. Of course the first time he sang it, instead of "Hail to the conquering heroes" it was "Hail to the concrete mixers."

5. Gorgeous fall weather

What can I say. It's cloudless and 62 right now.

6. The Arb

This is such a great place to enjoy the outdoors. The trails to the river are easy and it's great for running.

7. The Ann Arbor Park System

I'm telling you, you can't spit without hitting a playground in this town. All have new equipment, are easy to get to, are clean and safe.

8. Trader Joe's

I think I'm going to have to bribe my neighbor to send me care packages from TJ's once we leave. I love it so.

9. A real old-fashioned downtown Main Street

IEM and I think that Main Street A2 looks like the Main Street depicted in Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go." If you haven't had to read that book 30,000 times in the past two years, then imagine a Norman Rockwellian setting and you'll get the idea. Well, maybe Norman Rockwell meets SoHo.

10. Walking around town

So easy to do. And I love being close enough to walk to get IEM from school. We'll see how long we can keep it up as the days shorten.

Thanks for stopping by.

Home Sweet Home

I know that I have a readership because I receive comments but I also receive emails and phone calls about the blog. I thank everyone for their interest and for helping to motivate me to keep up with this journal. I think it will be a great record of our time here.

Some of you have asked what our house looks like. Here's a shot of the front, taken from in the street. We have a mudroom with a backdoor that connects the garage with the main house. The large picture window is in the living room...just behind IEM's yew is the dining room. We worried that we were actually losing square footage from our Memphis house...and that is saying a lot. But we gained a garage, a mudroom, a huge basement with a PLAYROOM and a LAUNDRY ROOM plus two huge storage rooms. The only thing we "lost," maybe, was a larger dining room??? Not missing it. I could make a list of things we would be doing to the house if we had purchased it so I'm glad to be free of that responsibility. Believe it or not, we have cut back the front shrubs...they were insanely huge. We've done what we can with the manual shears; time for the electric.

Downstairs, we have a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. The kids occupy those. Upstairs we have a sitting room (we use it as the office), a bedroom and a half bath. The bedroom upstairs is much larger than our Memphis one. We don't have a lot of dressers in the house but the closets are plentiful and we're making due. Zack and I have built in dressers in our room. I think we are pretty much settled in.

The other photo is looking down our street to the south. The greenspace you may be able to see at the end of the block is our park. How cool is that??? Today, though, I took the kids to a different park. There was a huge rock-climbing wall thingee there. IEM is usually not one for heights but he scaled it five times. Then you-know-who was ready to try, and I decided to call it a day.

Off to help Zack plan his KWF dinner for 30. Wish him luck as our babysitter has to go to a wedding in NYC and is leaving the day of the dinner...still trying to find another sitter.

Thanks for stopping by.

Where are yew?

I'm not sure if these shrubs are, in fact, yews but that's what our neighbor Meg calls them.

Look closely at the picture on the bottom. See anything??? IEM has had a ball figuring out how to navigate the web of limbs inside the large yew near our garage. We really don't know he's in there, aside from the yew shaking constantly...he's very intent on his mission to climb to the top. Only a few scrapes thus far.

It is gorgeous here today. If people could figure out how to bottle this weather, no one would ever be sad. Bright blue skies dotted with clouds and temps hovering about 70. We've been outside a good part of the day, following our breakfast at Jason & Jenny's. Once EPM arises from her siesta, we plan on heading out for a hike in The Arb or going to Bird Hills Nature Preserve. I look at sunshine and glorious days as precious commodities: Get them while we can.

Thanks for stopping by.