The Change in the Weather Will Keep Us Together

So here we are again with the rushing in of the fall. Back to school time, one routine I never grew tired of. Back to school: the anticipation of seeing old friends and meeting new ones, one gold and one silver, like the childhood rhyme. Pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college, graduate school followed by law school. Fresh books, new teachers and professors, the first "grade"to be received of the semester or "quarter" as it were, the new rooms and later, new campuses and new buildings to study in all with their hallowed halls... Now, I am starting the cycle all over again; this time with my daughter, a pre-schooler and then, my son following in her footsteps.


I can't help but be nostalgic about this time. The ushering in of a new season, particularly autumn, conjures up great moments to behold. The first taste of butternut squash soup with fresh cream and cracked black pepper, a football game of your favorite team, roasting pumpkin seeds with sea salt after carving those beautiful pumpkins and that first fall hike when the season has unmistakably changed. The "er" months slowing unfolding like a "en plein air"artist's canvas.


So, what does the fall really bring to mind in those initial thoughts. For certain and in my mind, the deep imprint will forever be the premature birth of my son. It was a mostly unexpected early birth which came subsequent to an extremely filled 24 hours preceding his birth.


There was the "stress test"in the early morning; a must for any mother "over-35." The sandwich cart at UCSF; one not to be missed. Lots of work on the computer: drafting motions; preparing letters to clients; phone calls and emails. The day's "billing" to be accounted for; no rest for the weary. Then, there was the facepaint that needed to be located at the local art store on Haight; the preparation of a big steaming pot of Crawfish Etoufee from scratch; the arrival of my mother and father-in-law; then picking up my daughter from her playschool and dressing her as a brightly-colored peacock.


But, as it turns out, the day had only just begun. There began the Halloween party at our neighbors. Lots of pumpkin cut-out grilled cheeses; I ate five. Some sparkling lemon soft drinks; little hot dogs enveloped in a puff pastry assembled to resemble small "thumbs"; a sea of gourmet cheeses, some spicy Jambalaya and my spicy Crawfish Etoufee.


There was lots of good food to be had and for a pregnant person who had gained the weight of our family's Golden Retriever, it was entirely welcome and befitting. The feast of the senses did not end there. There was the onward march to Belvedere Street for all of us costumed revelers. Ask anyone and they will tell you Belvedere Street is the place to be for families with children in San Francisco. We were to be no exception. From festive orange, black and white balloons, to live human outfitted character shows in windows; to a disco circle playing EW&F's "September;" to Frankenstein on old-school large pull-down screens which projected the iconic movie, there was this real McCoy Halloween to be had in all its ghoulish glory.


I told my father-in-law as we made the ascent with our blue and green glittering little peacock leading the way, that " the baby would come very soon." Little did we know that would happen the very next day. Because after hours of climbing the San Francisco hills and taking part in more revelry at our neighbors complete with our children counting their candies which had been set out in large piles in the floor, our little boy had made up his mind to rush into the world, a whole six weeks early!


The evening then started to wind down. We made our way back to our flat and put our daughter down for the night. She wanted to sleep in her face paint. Who was I to argue at this point of the night. I was then able to soak my tired feet and heavily pregnant body in some warm water and settle down for some late evening reading only to arrive in bed and find my water had broken. With a huge sigh of exhaustion and somewhat disbelief, I made my way to our living room. I found that my husband had just opened a brew to share with my Hungarian friend (one of my dear "study abroad" old friends was visiting from across the Atlantic) and he happened to be staying with us for the week.


"My water just broke," I announced."Time to get packing and to the hospital. "

My husband just sat there staring at me like this was some type of joke. Having already been through a terribly long labor and emergency delivery of our first-born daughter, he knew what he was in for. My erudite European friend, who can play Liszt and Mozart on the piano like nobody's business, gave a perfect nudge to my husband and said, "I think you should start packing now." My husband got the picture. He set his beer down and starting running around in circles. My European friend, called Csongi, said some comforting words and gave us the strength to get going.

We didn't know the sex this time around. We were gearing up for another round in the ring.


Add another grueling day, two weeks in the hospital to account for our son's "complicated course" in his first weeks on the planet, and then, home, home at last. My European friend gone, the pumpkin cheesecake still in the refigerator (he had requested an "American dessert"when I asked if there was anything I could pick up for him,) and we finally arrived at home with this newly minted "It is son!"in the delivery room. Now, the fall will forever remind me of the birth of our son, Sebastian, and all his prefatory and colorful history.


All the Best,




Loren

Green Tip: Community Supported/Shared Agriculture (CSA)

How can a school community come together to learn about the importance of local, organic food and support our local farms?
What if, instead of getting a news magazine every week, you got a big box of produce from a farmer down the road, a box of fruits and vegetables picked that very morning, bursting with flavor and nutrition? That's what you get when you subscribe to a CSA. To find out more about how a CSA is all about community, health, ecology, families learning, and the seasons, please keep reading!
What is a CSA
A CSA is also known as "subscription farming." You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to Time or Newsweek. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, bi-weekly, or monthly, you receive a "share" of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables. Some farmers also offer CSA subscriptions for farm-fresh eggs, and/or meats.
While new in name, Community Supported Agriculture hearkens back to an earlier time -when people knew where their food came from, ate in harmony with the seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.

CSA is about Community and Ecology
CSA subscribers don't so much "buy" food from particular farms as become "members" of those farms. CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for eaters to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm. The Earth is a living Being and the actions of every individual have an effect on the whole. The soil is the basis of all human life and the quality of its care and health affect not only the people who eat the food today, but also those who will depend on the soil in the future. Even though less than 1% of our population is engaged in farming, the proper tending of the environment is the concern and responsibility of every individual. It is in the consumer's interest that farmers are supported so that they can grow the highest quality, most nutritious food while preserving the highest environmental quality and soil health.

CSA is about Health
Healthy soil means healthy food. When no herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizers are used, ground water pollution and toxic residues on food are avoided. CSA gives consumers the chance to choose how their food is grown. Eating locally grown, freshly harvested food is the basis of a healthy diet and is recommended by health-care professionals. CSA offers the opportunity for you to reconnect with rhythms of nature by eating produce when it is in season. People who join CSAs find a meaningful way to reunite with the Earth and a community and discover a kind of spiritual nourishment which they have been missing.

CSA is about Seasons
"In season" is what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. It is disconnected from Nature. Sure, you can buy tomatoes in January-but who wants to eat cardboard tomatoes? That sorry tomato was picked green 2000 miles away and weeks ago, then blasted with ethylene gas to make it turn red just before it landed in the produce section of your store. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection-to each other and to the land.
Changing your diet to eat with the seasons is something that happens naturally when a larger portion of your food begins to come from a garden

CSA is about Families and Fun
Families with children are welcome at CSA gardens. A number of CSAs host local school groups for nature study or art classes in the garden. CSAs are about strengthening a sense of community. Most CSAs have a newsletter to let people know what's going on in the garden, share recipes, and announce things of common interest or concern and social events.

CSA is about Learning
CSAs also act as training centers for young people who wish to learn the skills of farming and management of CSA operations. These "hands-on" trainings are called "apprenticeships." In addition, CSA members often volunteer their time to work in the garden so that they may informally learn about horticulture or other gardening skills.

*Excerpts above from www.illinoisfarmdirect.org and www.biodynamics.com

More Information
Books about CSAs:
Farms of Tomorrow Revisted: Community Supported Farms – Farm Supported Communities by Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden
Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture by Elizabeth Henderson

Films:
The film, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, documents the resurrection of a family farm through its conversion to a CSA model.

Looking for recipes to enjoy some of these fresh and occasional unfamiliar vegetables?
www.eatwell.com

Resources
www.biodynamics.com
www.fullbellyfarm.com
www.marinsunfarms.com
www.greenlivingtips.com

Post by Cleary Vaughan-Lee

stung. a teachable moment.

Yesterday I got stung by a yellowjacket. It's number 37,117 on the list of things to look out for your kid's safety.

I was running on a popular trail in Woodside, Skyline Ridge. In this race, approximately 7 out of 10 people I talked to also were stung-- some through clothing and others victimized by repeated stings inside their shirt. Yellowjackets are a kind of short, squat wasp that often builds nests out of abandoned rodent holes. It is during fall they are most aggressive.

A couple of years ago I was stung at the Marin Farmers Market as a plodding horse (with my kid on it, of course) disturbed denizens of an underground nest. I found out I am particularly vulnerable. My foot was swollen for over a week. Worse, some may be susceptible to anaphalactic shock.

The episode sparked my curiosity of the feisty, furry creature. Why the attitude?

It is a combination of several things that angers them in the fall.

Yellowjacket nests are constructed in the spring by a solitary fertile female. She cares for about 30 larvae all by herself. When they hatch, they take over constructing the nest. The queen yellowjacket continues laying more eggs. These insects feast on flies, tree sap, fruits, caterpillars, in addition to excess trash, especially sweet-smelling foods and meat left in the open. The adults chew up protein and reconstitute the food to feed the larvae. The larvae in the nest then secrete a sugary material eaten by adults. By the end of summer any one colony may reach a population of 4000 workers.

During autumn, the larvae stop secreting the sugar. The fertile male and female bees leave the parent colony to mate, whereupon the males soon die. What's left is a colony of thousands of worker adults suffering a lack of sugar. Kind of like your toddler's later afternoon inexorable demise. So if in their addled state yellowjackets hear vibrations in the ground, see rapid movement, or sense a pheromone alarm emitted by other guard workers, they will become especially aggressive and territorial.

Bzzzzzz. China Camp is a good place to find yellowjackets.

By the start of winter, all the yellowjackets in the colony die, except for the newly mated females, who fly off to survive the winter all on their own-- perhaps in a tree hollow or dry eave.

Today I received a call from our teacher at MdTL. My son was playing four-square in the play yard and got stung by a yellowjacket very close to his eye. We put a cold compress on him and watched for signs of difficulty breathing. His cheek is quite swollen but his air passage is clear. I get to tell him all about the yearly cycle of a very sociable animal. A teachable moment. He's fine, although he looks like he took a fastball to the face. Wait-- that is kids' safety hazard #37,118.

Post by IAN

SHUTTER RELEASE 1.0

Once or twice a month I'll get the urge to strap on my camera and look around for something interesting to photograph.

I used to always carry my camera/s with me everywhere I went but now, as a responsible parent, its become more important to keep my hands on the wheel rather than my finger on the shutter.

So when I do head out to prowl around for a few decent images I tend to lean more towards art than journalism.

"ART" meaning a simple, relaxed act of quiet self expression and escapism.

CLICK

It's good for my soul (whatever that means).

Marinwood Leaves

I grew up in New England. Four TRUE seasons. Fall was my favorite. Cool crisp air, wonderful apples and TONS of colorful leaves.

I remember watching and waiting for the leaves to fall. It was always a lucky rush to get to see one break free and follow it as it glided down to the ground.

When I saw these Marinwood leaves, so beautifully back lit by the late afternoon sun, it triggered a WOW response. You know, one of those faint connections to the past.

Fortunately it happened to be one of those days that I had my camera with me.

So I tried to do them justice.

Please CLICK on photo to view full size
Post and Photo by Marc Finkel