While Tangerine Dreams

Six Years of Blissfest

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Spring Equinox-cious

Just mildly woozy. Had to think of some kind of pun, ya know. Many thank yous on the congratulations. I'm so moved to hear from all of you and touched that some of you are still reading me! I love you all (and it's not just the juicy hormones talking). Yes, funny how a lot of you say that you were totally not surprised - with the heavy gush factor in my writing lately. I can't believe how much stronger the emotions are this time round. Probably due to incredible capacity my heart has been stretched to since being blessed with the little Tangerine.

So here's the story of  Little Craiglette number two:

It all began with seeing all this cute action:

Who can deny this little mama a baby sibling? She's cuddling a little ceramic lamb, people! And that's not half as sad as some of things around the house she deems as her "babies". Some of her favorite babies include face cloths, pine cones and, actually, her favorite baby by far is these days is this guy:

Photographed in his trademark position; stuck in a tree somewhere on the land. So, we called on the spirit on this night. Luckily I opted out of a night ski with this group of ladies and let Craig ski my trails instead (note to self: get Craig to edit post before hitting "save"). We think this is when we conceived. Maybe that trippy star I spotted wasn't something to be scared of after all!

My hands are a bit frozen. I welcomed the equinox with a knit session outside on the porch this morning. It was chilly but the sun was shining and my latte (midwife said it was cool) stayed perfectly warm. My heart is toasty, too. Thank you so much for sharing in our joy.

Happy Solstice

Day of long shadows. We had a lovely Solstice celebration yesterday. Our friends had an amazing gathering on their land with a skating rink where Edie busted out some skates for the first time, a bonfire, treats and ritual. Would have some pictures but Edie didn't want to get off the ice and Craig was immersed in this epic hockey game and so, just trust me, it was awfully cute. Speaking of cute, Edie playing with her shadow all day long by herself has inspired us to welcome a little shadow buddy as a solstice gift to her:

Meet, hmmm, not sure yet what his name is yet but he was pretty much born next door to the Horniman Ranch (ooo! Horniman!). The deliberation is kind of humorous but calling him Kitty is starting to get a bit on the creepy side (Miss Kitty! bless her little heart). Here's a snippet of the hot topic of discourse going on around here the last couple of days.

Happy Soulstice

Happiest of solistices to you! Enjoy the longest day of the year and the perfect time to reflect on the past whirl around the life-giving fireball. There is a huge party my friend puts on each summer solstice in his "backyard". This particular one, the tenth annual, reminded me we have been living in this special community for about exactly around a year now. Last year's celebration, I remember going home by myself, pouting because the mosquitoes were literally sucking the fun out of me and sitting in our new house by myself for the first time (on the floor because the furniture hasn't arrived yet). This year, hardly any! Yay, that means we can actually take a deep swig of breath at the Horniman without getting our sinuses lodged with the critters!

But the evening was perfect. I saw tonnes of old and one year old friends. Everyone was greeted with a hug and a happy solstice. Edie danced until almost midnight and it was warming to see how many special little kids our community houses and celebrate the reasons why we chose to raise her here. This is my happy new year in a sense. Enjoy this beautiful whirl!

Happy Equinox!

From the Princesses of Spring Arrival. Hope I just didn't give you a heart attack from Cuteness Overload! Aren't they sweet? This was Edie's little play buddy yesterday. What a good time. All the kids played so well together. Very sweet and gentle little girls. Just like my Princess E.

The Momma's uber cool of course. We have so much in common. We ate, talked about eating, shared recipes, swapped Kombucha starter for soap, showed off to each other our current felting/knitting projects and conspired on how to Waldorf educate our children remotely. About time we got together for a hang out session. It's seems like a lot of people slip into hibernate mode around here. Very much how it seems like we did but I was blaming that mostly to settling into our new digs and surroundings. A really cool culture shock. More like culture unshock I suppose. And now, with the melty snow and busts of sun, our social calender is starting to flip its pages more often now.

This is absolutely my most exciting spring in my life. Especially the last week the reality of our plans for May is sinking in, Craig and I have started our Non-Violent Communication 10 week long workshop together and I think I may have found a studio space today (cross your fingers on that one please). On top of that, tonight I'm cashing in my birthday present tonight for an aromatherapeutic massage, cashing in my facial ticket Saturday morning, and, finally!!! getting my haircut the following Saturday. Rebirth, renewal, rejoice! And exfoliate? Happy equinox, everyone.

Have a Hot Boxing Day

Hope everyone's had the merriest of Christmases! They just getting funner and funner around here with the littlest munchkin offering us her perspective on our culture's traditions. Helps me get more into it being a touch of a Scrooge myself (it's getting better though. Therapeutic even). Christmas morning she opened up about a million presents from her grandparents. Her favourite score I think is the backpack from Dada which contained a harmonica that she  quickly mastered in an almost haunting speed.

The little tree from's the Ranch. It's cedar. We couldn't bring ourselves to cut down any baby pines that are so determined to stake some claim to the land. Lots and lots of cedar though so we're probably helping things out abit in the competition front.

Craig has gifted me the most beautiful, big coffee mug that fits allata latte and some Mommy time to get some blogging and sewing in. And I finally got around to crocheting him a hat. I'm just learning how and followed the toque pattern from my sweet friend Amy's new book (thank you by the way for the sweet Tangerine legwarmers!) and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Look how pleased he looks with himself wearing it!

Craig also received from Santa the book Shelter, that is truly a must-have if your at all interested in house design. We have had the twenty year sequel to it, Homework, for a while now but the photography and stories in this one are so inspiring and empowering and such a blast from the past. 

And for you, dear readers, here's a small gift from me to you. Small being the key word. Merry Christmas!

Happy Anniversary Sun and Daughters

Happy Belated Solstice! We celebrated out in our new neighbourhood with the locals. Our friend has organized an annual celebration now for nine years that just so epitomizes the sense of community and connection to nature that is the reason for us wanting to move there. The party's on a field in his "backyard" and there's a prayer circle to begin then bands, good food and chai, dancing, and at dusk, the burning  sun.

And then there's the annual Mommy n Me photo (me sporting the white hat and the E way in the back left):

Not only solstice but also my and Craig's fourth anniversary. Well we married on the 22nd, as close as to the 21st as social niceties would allow. And I suppose too that it's the anniversary of us discovering this little town that we will soon call home. We visited this magical place on our honeymoon along with six other friends who have also since bought land in the area and our now living there. Thus, Craig doesn't want to expose the name of the place here on my blog lest too many people decide to move out there too. Paranoia will destory ya!

Anyhow, Happy Anniversary Craigy and everyone else, Happy Solstice and may the sun shine on you for ever and ever!

Happy Spring!

I'm so excited about Equinox. I love living in a part of the world that the seasons are so distinct yet blurred into one (Calgary is known for snowing at some insane point in the summer and for scorchers in the middle of winter thanks to menopausal Sister Chinook). Here's the beauty of a typical never-know-what-you'll-get-in-the-morning morning here on our street this weekend:

 

The branches are all sugar-iced in crystals looking like they're just on the cusp of melting away  - making you want to stay outside and inhale the melting icing to become one with the day. But... I had to go to the coffeeshop, get a latte in me and get knitting!

Et voila! I finally finished the back of the Electra Vest from Rowan #38: Man, I love this project. The striping is so relaxing and purdy to look at as it unfolds. I'm using Spring as a springboard to giddyup on this cuz I gots to get started on Edie's Easter bunny surprize (I was going to present it to her on Easter Sunday. I'm gonna sneak out of bed and replace my body with the Easter bunny, ala Godfather horse head scene).

I also finished one of the legwarmers but I don't want to expose you guys to its itchiness lest it affects your laptop monitors somehow. The itchy factor could be all in my head I suppose. I was psyching myself out for a sticking my foot in and enveloping my lower limb into a soft cloud of hot pink cotton candy experience. Perhaps I should have then purchase the recommended mohair/silk blend yarn as oppose to some mohair/can't pronounce the chemical name blend? Stupid rookie knitter.