Bloody but Unbowed...

Well friends, it's been a mixed bag around here. We've had a little of everything in our potpourri life - a quick little trip down to Seattle to do some voice work, a visit from my dad since Ez was away all but the two days we moved, several scrapes and bruises (Nahanni's visible, ours less so) and, mercifully, a little bounty too.

I know I should be here extolling how wonderful it is to finally be in a house, to have land and room to grow and all that, but I don't think I am quite there yet. Of course we are happy for the obvious, but it has been overwhelmingly stressful and we're not out of the woods yet. As you know if you've ever owned or bought a house - there's always something else. I don't even want to talk about it...

I'm trying to remain positive and thankful for the small blessings. I am immensely grateful for the friends who have helped physically and emotionally throughout this ordeal and I recall something my midwives said when we had Nahanni 'you find out who your friends are'...and ain't that the truth. I have had pretty steady voicework and continue to do episodes as 'Angelina Ballerina', although lamentably, they are still scratch tracks and not official yet. I start teaching again next week and though I don't know where I will find the mental resources, I know they will magically show up.

Nahanni has had a rough go, she's been incredibly and maddenly anxious - I cannot even walk up the stairs (but we have stairs!) without her ramping up 'Mumma!? MUMMA!?' - but who can blame her? It's been a tumult; a new place, stressed out parents and a daddy who hasn't been around much. I try to be patient, but the thin supply I possess is filled with holes and my temper leaks out sometimes in ways it would not normally do. I must constantly remind myself that she is very small and doesn't know anything about the hard stuff. To make matters worse, she has taken one spill after another. She was with a friend in the park and fell out of the baby swing (what baby swing has no crotch guard??!) and scraped her chin raw. She was just healing from that shen she fell face first on our concrete walkway and got a huge welt scrape on her forehead. The very next day she fell at home and got a huge fat bloody lip. It was a tough week for everyone.

It's pretty much how we all feel right now - banged up. We're walking wounded, but still - a little mercy please!?

Small graces though - our new neighbours, a couple in their 50's have been very kind. I keep opening my door to find treats - a huge yellow dahlia the size of my head, fresh purple beans and tomatoes right off the vine. Between that and the local farmer's market bonanza, we feel nourished at least. Things could be worse, I know, but I really look forward to them getting better. We could all use a break...