Fantastic Day

So yesterday the big pink bus for Milk for Thought was here in GR. I have been talking to another doula that was working to get this accomplished, and finally got to meet her face to face. I got to meet a few others as well. I didn't realize until today though that one of the Midwives that I know through other things was there as well. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It was a great day. Lots of moms came out with tiny babies, and bigger babies. Show some boobies! Breastfeeding to at LEAST one is a fight worth fighting! I'm so proud of my friends that are fighting this fight. It's not easy.

The kids ended up wading, or in Gabe's case laying in the fountain. Yeah, he was wet for hours afterwards. He wasn't hot though! I wish I had brought the camera for that. I can't seem to find it though. I'm sure it's around here somewhere. When we unpacked from camping it got put somewhere though. I just need to figure out where somewhere is. I would love to add pictures to my blog on a regular basis, and now that I can just stick the memory card in my laptop life has gotten easier...I suppose I should put find camera on my to do list for today. Along with finally completing my mission to go to the library from Wednesday when it started raining about two minutes into our walk. It's a mile to the library. I'm not about to walk that in the rain.

Working by butt off!

Well, at least for my business. I tried to go out for a run last night, and Cy woke up just as I was walking out. My wonderful, supportive husband offered to lay with her and try to get her back to sleep so I could go. I just didn't want to risk her staying up late like she has been doing when she falls asleep early and wakes back up. I have managed to get a bunch of stuff done this week and last on my doula work. I got another book report done, bought a magnet for the car, bought a new printer so I can actually print things here at home (our old one hasn't been printing well for a long time), and now I'm getting ready to start on doing info pages. I will be putting them both on here, and on my website. Blessedbyherbirths.com I'm very excited to start working on them. So far I think I'll do one on cloth diapers, since I've looked and tried all the different types at this point.

Summer has just been flying by. The kids are starting to get bored though, and I'm running out of ideas. I'm ready to start back to school shopping. First I must go birthday shopping for Gabe though. He'll be eight on the tenth of August. It's hard to believe sometimes.

When trees show you your roots

This past weekend we were staying in a camp ground in Northern Michigan. Near Traverse City, to be more precise. As I was sitting at the picnic table I looked up at the evergreens growing  there.  At  first thinking nothing much about that fact that they grow in rows.  Then the memories,  and stories of where I come from began to come flooding back.

When  I was little and traveled up north, I believed that pine trees  grew in rows.  I remember driving down the road looking down the rows of trees for miles. It only made sense right? How else would they get there?

As it turns out my family had a hand in that. You see my family on my Mother’s side was originally from Alcona County, Michigan.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcona_County,_Michigan  I’m not totally sure that they ever were loggers, but I’m kinda guessing they were. For a very long time logging was a means of survival during thin years.  I do know that my mother once told me that when the government offered land and money to replant.  I had family that jumped at it. She told me that my grandmother helped to fill in the dirt around the trees as a child. Rows and rows of them. My grandmother is gone now.  She died while I was pregnant with my daughter. Those trees that so many people toiled to plant to save Michigan from our soil washing away in the horrible and destructive way that only humans can cause are still here though. They are tall. So tall in fact that they block out ground cover, and leave no habitat for the animal below them.  

My mother went to DNR planning meeting a couple of years ago where they discussed this issue. We are much smarter in the way we harvest trees now. Some areas will have to be cut or thinned in order for new growth. That is the cycle of the forest after all. Fire can no longer be allowed to run free and take life as it once did.  It will be sad for some of us though when those planted rows of trees are gone. They are as dear to us as a family homestead. In fact many of us have roots that run here in Michigan that are just as deep as tree roots.  My grandfather wears a pair of moccasins like he was born to wear them.  We all have an uncanny ability to wander in the woods, and never be lost.  My family replanted Michigan. We harvested when society would have us starve, and we breathe in when those rows of trees breathe out.

Even in times when the humans of this state feel like it is a lost cause do to jobs. There is a heart that beats here. It will continue as long as those with old roots care for it. They will always walk our woods. Paddle our streams. Harvest our animals and fish our mighty lakes. Michigan is a gift given to those that are tough enough give back.

Isn’t it interesting how a simple memory brought on by trees can remind us of who we come from? I may no longer live in Northern Michigan, but I still feel like I’m home every time I go there.

A week of vactiion did us good

I feel like we ran all over the place but I managed to make four batches of strawberry jam. Karl got four gallons of strawberry wine started, and strawberries for four more are in the freezer. Someday I would love to say that it's our fruit, but not this season. I did put up a jar of jam on Etsy to see if it sells. We sold one to a friend too. The black raspberries are going ripe, so maybe they will be next. I would love to snag some cherries next weekend when we are up north. The cherry festival is this week and weekend in Traverse City. My mom is competing in dock diving with her dog. I wish we were going, because it's tons of fun, but with going up there next weekend we decided not to go anywhere. Our bank account can only take so many hits when it comes to gas.

Here is the link to my Etsy shop.