Friday, September 19, 2014

Moms and babes benefit from MIT Hackathon

This is so cool!

A symposium of parents, scientists, industry reps and medical personnel convening with the intention of helping the breast pump NOT SUCK. :)

http://breastpump.media.mit.edu/

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Slow fade


Yesterday afternoon the boys played for 1-1/2 hours in the backyard scooping buckets and frontloader-fulls of mucky rainwater left behind by a storm that poured on us for over 6 hours earlier in the day. They had on long-sleeves with shorts, hats to shield their eyes and rain boots for the post-storm terrain. It was a lovely 75 degrees and the sun eventually peeked out for a cameo as the afternoon wore on.

This morning, we woke to 50 degrees with a real feel temp of 46 thanks to the breeze weaving through the trees! It seems that fall has made its first appearance. After 36 autumns in various places on the globe, I know that the first fall glimpse never stays for long. It’s a teaser for wool coats and leather shoes, tights and corduroy pants, apple pies and spiced chai. The weather always returns to the 70s for a few more days – or hotter! We picked apples in late September last year in 80 degrees! – and a few more tomatoes can be vine-ripened to red before I reluctantly tear them out of the ground heavy with dozens of green bulbs that will never be eaten. (Maybe I should try a green tomato chutney or fried green tomatoes someday?!)

And still…

The sun is noticeably lower in the sky by 4pm, coating everything in a warm, caramel color. And the sun’s warmth is only found by standing directly in its rays – you’ll need another layer if you step into the shade! The sky is almost pitch black by 7:30pm, so the kids have started to notice that “it’s really dark outside” by bedtime. Their jammies are long-sleeved and long-legged. Socks and slippers are worn around the house.

The garden has started to come out in chunks. The green beans are entirely out of the ground – I saved a few dried pods to see if we can reproduce our finest bushes next summer – and a few tomato plants lost to late blight have come out, as well. The heat isn’t scalding enough for the basil, so we’ll take those out this weekend and I’ll whizz up some pesto. No doubt I’ll have to scout the farmer’s market for a few bunches to round out the batch.

The change in season has predictably helped spark a renewed interest in cooking! My summer of grain salads was delicious, but we don’t need any more tabbouleh for a while – though I would like to try sorghum and amaranth sometime soon! Today I made the simplest carrot soup and pureed it into velvety deliciousness. I’m ready for butternut squash, pumpkin, roasted dinners, slow cooker concoctions, fall greens, canning applesauce, and unabashed use of the oven thanks to falling temperatures.

The new school year and our new preschool are both going so, so well. The kids are tired and happy. The teachers are wonderful, warm and confident. We get to walk! We’re seeing lots of neighbors every day and we’re scrunching our toes deeper into the sand of our little community. It’s good.