Ashworth Alcove

I was recently plucking warm tousled laundry out of a laundry basket and folding each piece one by one. Each folded article went into the stack of the person it belonged to. Ben's stack was taking significantly more time because all of his clothes were inside out. They always are. I made a prompt announcement that went something like, "From now on, if your clothes are put in the dirty clothes basket inside out, then they'll be put away inside out." It was like I was a kid again. Standing in my mom's laundry room, her saying the same thing to me. Except it was me saying it this time. What I'm trying to say is the damn tables have turned. Growing up, elders were always always rambling on about how fast time flies. When Violet was first born, or even when I was pregnant, people would give me advice on how I need to enjoy it because she'll be two, then twelve, then twenty before I know it. When I was a child and heard the time flies talk I would respond ...

Growth & Appearance: Your hair is ever growing. You got your first haircut two months ago just to trim away some of the scraggly baby hairs. It's smoother now and has already grown longer than before the cut. You seem so slim now. The hints of baby are fleeting, for when I look at you I see someone who is so grown up. You have a tiny brown mole on your back.. There's also a tiny one in your hairline that I first mistook for dirt. You weigh 31 lbs and are exactly 3 feet tall. You're in 3T clothing and size 6-7 shoe. Teeth: Eighteen. Your two year molars just came through on the bottom. Development: You're adventurous and eager to learn. You love being outside and spend a lot of time looking for birds and airplanes. You are fiercely independent. You like helping and participating in everything I do. You walk alongside me at the grocery store (and sometimes run bravely ahead) eager to help make selections and place them in the buggy. Last week you wer...

What is your dream job, and why? Short answer: Pumpkin patch owner/farmer/homesteader/botanical store owner. Long answer: To have a lot of land that I work hard on. I will have a pumpkin patch in the fall, complete with hay rides, bonfires, and a cafe for visitors. The rest of the year I will make handmade goods to sell locally. Soaps, breads, herbs, clothing, etc... I may even have a storefront with all kinds of weird natural things. Ben would call it a witchy store. Sally's botanical store from Practical Magic comes to mind, so maybe witchy is accurate.

If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for? 1. I would wish for the ability to teleport. It would solve a lot of my problems right now. I could live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, but still see my family any time I want. I'd be zapping around so much it would probably annoy everyone. Oh, you're in the good part of the movie? POW! There's Amanda. You're just falling asleep? BAM! Amanda. 2. I would wish for a never-ending supply of money. That's right. Not because I want lots of things, but because I want to give people what they deserve. I'd pay off my parents' and mother-in-law's houses and buy them all new cars. I would pay my best friends student loans (and mine). I would give money to every homeless person I saw. Then we would go on a huge family vacation. Ben and I would never have to work again. We can all travel the world (teleportation may not be free, ya know), buy land and I can start my self-sustaining farm and pumpkin pat...

We went to Tennessee for a few weeks. When we got there we found ourselves amidst a brutal ice storm. When we left it felt like full-blown spring time. Weather, a fickle friend. Violet spent much time playing with mine and my sister's childhood cook stove, which is approximately 25 years old. We had a small early birthday celebration for Violet since we won't be there for the real thing. Violet even lucked out and got time with her only cousin who came in from Texas just one day before we left. They played in the dirt and found worms. Tennessee, you'll always be my number one.

What are five things that make you happy right now? 1. Violet Eliza - Her energy dissipates the stagnant air that most adults leave hanging around. She keeps me grounded and focused on the little things that I often neglect. She's a special source of joy. 3. Gardening - There's just something about digging in some dirt and getting dirty to make something beautiful. It feels elemental. It's a sensory experience that connects me to a primal state. It's guaranteed to put me in a good mood 3. Photography - I take photos because I have a desire to distill precious memories and because, quite honestly, I think photographs are important. They are our legacy. Most photographs outlive the people in them. I photograph what is important to me and it makes me happy to share the things that I find beautiful with others. 4. Music - I struggled to pick either reading or music for this one. Music prevails because I've been doing a lot of listening lately. Most of the time i...