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Feeling the Winds of Change

Jeanine Ertl — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:31:11 +0000

I can feel it. In the flip-flopping air temps. It was almost scorching last week as we gardened in the brilliance of the glorious sunshine. Sweaty, the kids begged to be hosed down. And now it’s chilly. Overcast. I’m wearing wool socks and a scarf while typing. Huh?

But beyond the weather, the winds of change are here because my husband works for the parks, hence the lovely state property we feel thankful to care for, and as the weather warms his schedule heats up. Crazy hours. Overtime. Overtime. Overtime. And flip-flippy schedules. There are two things that I still haven’t made amends with in this career-lifestyle: 1. How to enjoy holidays when holidays nearly always = word days for us. Still attempting to fully master the feeling of contentment on the actual holiday when we usually celebrate before or after…or sometimes forget to all together.

2. And, suspending my hopes and dreams for summer adventures. As Facebook lights up

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Gratitude: Springtime

Jeanine Ertl — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:16:26 +0000

I keep thinking every single day, Geez, I’m lucky. We’ve whittled down life to this as-perfect-as-perfect-can-be place it seems, where life just feels good and full and satisfying. I suppose a lot like a decadent meal. You put in a lot of time prepping and picking ingredients, and then of course those harried moments of damnit, the nuts are burning, quick, slow, quick. And when I say life is perfect, whatever that really means, I mean it’s as perfect as this moment can be. Mother juggling three young children while simultaneously learning mini-homesteading (that’s what I’m calling it anyhow). No grandmothers to learn it from. No family nearby. Just a loving and patient husband. Thank goodness. And me, sneaking in moments to decompress here and there amidst the hubbub of it all.

And truly, life feels full to the brim right now. Little boys are at last eagerly pushing forward with potty-learning and talking. Relief. Four year olds are

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Another Year Older…

Jeanine Ertl — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:23:51 +0000

This is the first year where my birthday rolled around and I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. All these years I’ve been “older than I look,” “so sweet and innocent,” “blah-dee-blah”…but this year I feel the pull of life as the years accumulate. And it’s not just the number. 35 this year.

It’s where I’ve felt like I’m at this past year or so. I feel older. Not old, mind you. Just older. And I wonder if these three little time-runners by my sides are making me see it. Life as it tumbles along with the winds every day. Calm at one moment, almost a stillness…and then huge gusts that catch you off guard.

They stopped carding me for alcohol at the grocery a year or two ago and although I didn’t notice at first, when someone asked a few months ago for my ID I remembered for a brief moment that I hadn’t gotten that

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Gratitude…Rain, Sunshine, Snow! What?

Jeanine Ertl — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:08:48 +0000

First, I am so incredibly thankful for this life. A life where I can garden, grow, tend to littles, explore, and even go a bit crazy all in the course of a single day. A good day, at that.

And extremely thankful for the rain that is now pouring in buckets up here in the usually wet, but a few weeks ago, incredibly dry northern California region.

The past few weeks we’ve had rain… Punctuated by these absolutely spectacular spring-sunshine-filled days… And then snow. What a surprise that was! I absolutely love waking to a soft, snow-covered sanctuary. And surprise snows are the best. And now more rain. So much rain that torrents are pouring under the chicken’s coop, over the meadow, meandering through the forest’s edge, and past the redwoods until all this bountiful water finally finds it’s way into the river that sits just beyond our home. It’s been a wet-but-welcome few days around here.

And as you

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Little Kids, Homeschool…and Blogging (or Not)

Jeanine Ertl — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:25:59 +0000

There are a bunch of posts that sit in my queue waiting unscrambling, lots of editing, finishes. And yet each day I sit down with only brief moments during the day. Usually stolen moments. Stolen from housework, homeschool, kids and cooking.

I know this is the way life for just about everyone. You gotta make time if something’s important to you. But these days everyone around me feels important–each child, our marriage. And try as a I might, though I’ve attempted to build in writing time, I find that this stage in our family’s life requires more of my time than I could ever imagine.

And it just is that way. At this moment anyhow. And really, I can’t complain since I actively choose this life each and everyday for myself. I regard it as the highest quality of life I can attain really. To be at home helping my children learn about themselves and the world they’ll

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