Porch conversations

Sips of wine while hummingbirds sip their nectar nearby chirping while we chatter.

2 years ago this place seemed so quiet compared to our downtown location in the heart of the city. Now we are craving less traffic and planes. I can't believe the noise that once seemed like silence. 

Cooking for Peace

As mentioned in an earlier blog, I have been taking a backseat in my FNB family lately.
Just recently, I started getting phone calls and being pulled into discussions about some inner working complications. It reached a head, and I was asked to come help because numerous people had left the group over the heated meetings. I'm not getting into all the dramatic details, but it feels good to be getting RFNB out there again. It feels good to be organizing again and I think a majority of the group feels that way too. I am trying to model how to be a good organizer- how to keep on top of things to make and reach goals and what it means to get shit done.

We have a long standing reputation on sharing food every sunday in Moore's Square. The city has made new rules about sharing food in public places and a lot of our problems stem from the new facility that the city provided for sharing food. Half of our group is very happy with the facility while half of the group is very unhappy about the facility. It is a very complicated argument.

I hope to post more on this as things develop. Right now I am trying to let the drama die down and focus on positive things… so, here is our first meal served at a protest in about a year. I am very proud of the small group that worked together to get this done. We didn't have anyone else willing to step up and collect stuff to distribute, couldn't get our banner or serving supplies and had a crew of 4. We made banners, and zines, and cooked and gathered. It was a long day, but really satisfying.

photo credit: Raleigh Occupare

Here I am with the homeschool teens in the group. How cool is that?! 

The menu was small, but delicious, healthy and all vegan

the lemon-mint water was a big hit!

 liberated lentil salad with fresh garden herbs

reclaimed couscous salad with fresh garden veggies

We also shared mixed nuts and dried fruit, fresh fruit and assorted breads which was all reclaimed from waste. 

Cooking for Peace~ a collaborative art sign

Free Food Banner

The new banner

My heart is very full. And my belly. And I shared that with other people. Nothing could feel better than that :)   

The event was great. I am never disappointed with a march in Durham. They do it right: Drums, big banners, lots of noise, inspiring speakers, stops along the route. My daughter said she misses being in the street and I have to say, I agree. Nothing feels better than being surrounded by a group that reminds you that people are powerful. 

We also attended a documentary film on fracking earlier in the week, bringing snacks to share and offering the support of our group to any upcoming protests and meetings. Outreach. It's a good thing. 

Birthday Boy

We recently celebrated Dresden's birthday.
Now he is 5, and it really does seem like we crossed some magic line and things changed.

On Dresden's actual birthday, we had a family day. Dad stayed home from work and we did special things-  all focused on the birthday boy.
we opened presents…which were carefully chosen. He got a Davy Crocket costume, a real canteen and  new cowboy boots. We also went to see a movie. It was Dresden's first movie theater experience! He really enjoyed it. Afterward we had a cowboy dinner and cupcakes.

I feel 5 is the first year where a real birthday party can be enjoyed. Until 5 we only have family birthday parties. I had planned a cowboy themed party and invited 4 of his friends. We were going to pan for gold in his sandbox, have a lasso contest, watermelon seed spitting, cowboy hot dogs and beans (by D's request) and a piñata (also by D's request) with Ice cream and cake and stick horses as party favors. Unfortunately the 2 kids we knew best were out of town and 2 people never rsvp'd so a week out from the party in great fear that my little guy would be waiting for guests that never show, I decided to cancel it and come up with another plan. Our alternate plan far outshines the birthday party plan! So we went to Tweetsie Railroad in Boone for the weekend. It was THE BEST cowboy themed birthday party and I didn't have to plan any of it. Stress free and so much fun!!

We rented a little 12x12 cabin at Flintlock Campground. It was perfect for our cowboy weekend. I was very happy with the campground- in all my years living there I had never ventured on it's grounds. It was a nice discovery. We unpacked and made the place cozy, enjoyed a cowboy dinner that included homemade pickles from the garden. They were so good Phae and I drank the juice. Yum. We read about cowboy, old west, and railroad history before bed and slept to the sound of rain on the roof and the creek bubbling in the background.

The next morning we awoke early and had a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. We headed out in the steady drizzle of rain to be at Tweetsie when the doors opened. Dresden was dressed in his cow boy attire and was looking quite sharp. 

I'll admit it, as the first train pulled up and sounded it's whistle, I got a little misty and nostalgic. My first apartment was very close to Tweetsie and the whistle really brought back memories. My 13 year old daughter came at about 4 years old and seeing D's face light up like hers did (and my little brother's when we first moved to Boone when he was 4) was pretty special. Tweetsie is a treasure in all it's cheesy glory. And somethings never change:

the animatrons and mannequins still freaked us out

My old friend still drives the train, and another friend from college is apparently still wanted for a murder he committed.

We did everything there was to do at Tweetsie. We didn't let the rain damper our fun, and not only did we participate, but we participated to the extreme. 

Dresden got on stage and we all did the locomotion and the Hopper dance

We posed for pictures

We gem mined, rode rides and went to the petting zoo (Phaedra's favorite part). She also loved the shooting game. We were quite a sight all piled in the tilt-a-whirl laughing our asses off. We rode till the old parents were nauseous. 

we rode the train 3 times!

chairlift to miner's mountain

Phaedra takes aim! Make that piano player play!

We watched every show- which was Dresden's favorite part. When the Can-Can girls would walk by, Dresden would tip his hat and say "hello ladies". He obviously has a calling to work at Tweetsie one day, so we have to move back before he is old enough to get a job there. Good to know Theatre genes are passed on. With Theatre parents, he had no hope but to fall in love with the stage.

Dresden and the Can-Can girls at the Palace

Dresden with the cloggers

We spent 10, yes TEN HOURS at Tweetsie. In the rain. We win Best Parent Awards for sure.

one tired cowboy

CHEERS!

We spent our last night around the fire (because, of course, the skies cleared up as soon as we left Tweetsie) with Dresden playing his new Cherokee made drum and chanting. (He also spent ALL of his Birthday money on souvenirs including real metal spurs that jangle when he walks!) Our dinner was pineapple habanero pork tacos with fresh garden salsa! (My camp specialty) There was a small band playing in the campground common area and we made friends with our camp neighbors. 

Rhododendron in the rain. That means mountain summer.