Just life...

I haven’t blogged in awhile. Usually, when I have a blogging hiatus, it meant life was too crazy, I was too overwhelmed, or the like. Those things are probably all currently true but I think the main reason is honestly that I haven’t had a “theme.” Yes, I’m the quintessential English-major type that organizes her blogs, even the mental ones, by theme. But, because I know the blogging habit is one kept up, even sporadically, here I am.

I’m calling this one “just life” because that’s what’s been happening. Neither the horrible nor the wonderful, just the usual. We have been busy, no doubt about that. We’re at the time of year when one kid activity hasn’t quite ended and yet another has begun and so they run head into tail into another one (Fionna has three semi-overlapping activities happening right now). The time change has the kids just a little overtired and myself just a bit worse at keeping us on a semi-routine.

I am feeling some urgency in regards to my yard and garden. Spring is springing, that bright new golden green graces so many trees and bushes and plants here where we live. Bulbs are blooming, as are fruit trees and other hardy plants like some of my sages. We’ve already seen early frogs venturing out although, alas, we found one oh-so-tiny guy frozen and dead on our concrete in the back yard. We had a few surprise almost-freezing nights. I guess he should have consulted the Froggers Almanac. Our young chickens (the one-day-old chicks we purchased mail-order in November) are maturing and venturing into the egg laying kingdom. Their eggs are so small compared to our mature layers, very cool to see. They live with the "big" chickens now; we opened the barrier between their two pens so both groups could have additional space. There's definitely a pecking order, younger hens seldom get first pick at choice scraps, but nothing truly amiss has gone on between the two groups. Pretty good, I'd have to say, for nine "women" confined together.

Our turtle, Myrtle, is once again an outdoor turtle. She seemed particularly mopey of late, venturing out of her rock cave less and less often. She would come out for a few bites of banana every few days but she hadn’t been cavorting in her water dish, or chased crickets in several weeks. My comfort level with keeping a wild animal captive is never very high….so, we released her into our backyard last week. She’s in an area with ivy growing on the ground and low on the wall. It has some nice cypress mulch from a previous gardening attempt (trying to keep violets moist enough here to survive. Didn't happen. I still didn't keep them wet enough). We do have some garden edge pavers bordering it but I think if she badly wanted to, she could get out. However, at this point, all she seemed to want to badly do is to burrow deep and dark. Perhaps we interrupted her normal hibernation by keeping her inside and semi-awake all winter. I’m glad she’s back in the big world, but I hope she’ll share the occasional glimpse of herself with us, ever so often.

I have, essentially, one month of school left. Although there’s a bit more than that on the calendar, by the end of April, most of my assignments will be (or should be) wrapped up. I eagerly await it although mounds and mounds of work will have to be scaled between then and now. I’m already mentally struggling with the question of summer school. Right now, for us school equals loans and loans equal income, so I should go. The question is can I swing it? I’m not sure how online summer school classes would work; I’m imagining they are intense.

Well, my upcoming week holds busyness – typical school and kid park playday schedule, American Indian week at the University including a couple of functions I’d like to attend (Parade of All Nations and an Expo this weekend with drumming and dancing), Fionna has a museum field trip that the little ones and I will tag along on, La Leche League meeting at my house Thursday night, two birthday parties this weekend, a visiting Irish fiddler I’d love to see on Saturday night…

Like I said, it’s just life.

So proud. My lemonade award. :)

Mostly, my blog is just my way of updating friends and family. Within myself (but probably not so much for others), it is also a creative outlet, letting me write and ponder what's happening in my world. I also wouldn't mind if it were more of a soapbox for issues near and dear to my heart, but those posts usually live on in my 'noggin. So, I was the very surprised, and proud, recipient of the news that I'd been nominated for the "Lemonade Award." Needless to say, it made me very happy for my humble little blog to get such a nice pat on the back. Thank you, Becca. :)

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

I must admit, Becca and I share the same circle of people that we admire and read. So, normally I'd be tagging Nora and Connor. I'm going to reach outside of the blogs of people I actually know though and tag people who are strangers to me and, yet, have impacted me with their writing.

Therefore, the "Lemonade" goes to:

The Medicine Woman's Roots -- Kiva Rose is an herbalist extraordinaire. I also admire to the extreme the life she chooses to make for herself and those important for her.

The Crunchy Chicken -- This blogger is at the forefront of thinking about conservation and low-impact living. I always learn something and am spurred to analyze my own behaviors in regard to the issues she addresses.

Sweet/Salty -- This blogger experienced the loss we all dread, that of a child, and has repeatedly humbled and moved me with her courage to share what she's feeling and going through. I imagine I'd read her blog regardless (I love the wit and honesty) but encountering this blog just about at the point that her twins were born, I found myself drawn in in the most compelling of ways.

Breastfeeding & Scheduled biopsy? Read on...

http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/02/03/breastfeeding-scheduled-for-a-biopsy-read-this-and-pass-it-on/

Breastfeeding? Scheduled for a biopsy? Read this and pass it on.
February 3, 2009
Today I have a guest post from Tanya of Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog. She’s trying to spread the word about this valuable research and I’m happy to do my small part by passing it along to you. The original post is here and it is copied and pasted (with permission) below.
Picture this: You’re breastfeeding. You notice a lump. First maybe you think it’s a plugged duct. But then it doesn’t go away, after many, many feedings. You’re worried about it, so you make an appointment with your doctor, who doesn’t think it’s related to breastfeeding. She sends you for a mammogram, but you’re told that you’ll have to have weaned for six months before the test can be done. What do you do?*
I’ve mentioned before that I’m involved in a powerful research project based at the University of Massachusetts, and supported by the Love/Avon Army of Women breast cancer project.
I’d like to explain more about it now, and ask for your help in recruiting participants for it.
It’s probably news to most of us (it was to me) that when you make milk, cells from your milk ducts are exfoliated off in the process. These are called epithelial cells, and they’re detectable in your milk.
Past research has demonstrated that long before we notice a lump, those epithelial cells start changing in ways that are precursors to the development of breast cancer.
Dr. Kathleen Arcaro, a UMass professor who studies breastfeeding and breast cancer risk wants to analyze those cells. She’s been nice enough to visit a breastfeeding group I run, and answer questions about breastfeeding and breast cancer.
The primary goal of her research is to determine if it’s possible to create a non-invasive, early way of assessing our breast cancer risk through our breastmilk. If it’s successful, it would also establish ‘molecular biomarkers’ for breast cancer risk.
An additional benefit to breastfeeding mothers is that we would not be told, as some are, to wean before a mammogram or biopsy can be done. No more choosing between breastfeeding and a breast cancer test. It could be as simple and sending in a milk sample to a lab!
In order to conduct this research, Dr. Kathleen Arcaro needs to find 250 women who are both lactating and scheduled for a biopsy. To participate, you’d overnight milk samples to her lab, at no cost to you.
So if you, or someone you know, is both breastfeeding and scheduled for a biopsy, please ask them to email either me, Dr. Arcaro, or Dr. Sarah Lennington as soon as possible. You can visit the project’s website to learn more.
If you write a blog or are in contact with lots of moms on a forum, please pass this link around!
And if you haven’t done it yet, register for the Love/Avon Army of Women. You’ll join one million women volunteering to become part of a rich pool of women researchers can use to find the causes and prevention of breast cancer. You can see other participating studies on the site. Here’s a recent Today Show clip on the project.* Mammograms can be done on lactating breasts, but they are viewed as less accurate than on non-lactating breasts. Some doctors will do them, others require mothers to wean first. Some send mothers for ultrasounds.