New Year, New Blog

Tomorrow is the start of Rosh Hashanah, which although I'm not Jewish, I have always felt makes sense as the start of a new year.  Being with Peter, who is Jewish and observes the high holidays, has only sharpened this sensibility for me.  Perhaps it's because I've spent so much time in school generally in my life, that the fall seems like a new beginning.  Or, maybe it's because my birthday is in the fall, so it is actually my own personal new year.  Or, maybe it's because when you live in the south, the first few crisp mornings after months of unrelenting heat, truly feel like a renewal of the world.  Add to this the recent damage to our house by a fallen tree and the rebirth we're experiencing as construction gets started to complete the sense of starting things afresh. Well, whatever it is, I am fully embracing it and declaring a new year.  Right now!

I have been particularly excited for the fall this year, and Mira and I have already started putting up some pumpkin decorations, which make me so happy. Tomorrow, I am starting a meditation class in an effort to combat some of the stress of juggling my job & family, and that also feels like the kind of thing one might undertake at the beginning of a new year.

In any case, all of this is to say that I am going to be playing in the next few months with the format of this blog. This blog is now almost 5 years old and has shifted from a travel log detailing Peter's and my adventures all over the globe and then as we settled in Georgia, to one sporadically recounting our experiences as new parents. I have been inspired by a few friends, most notably Emily Lieberman of Seattle, whose excellent cooking blog  http://emmycooks.com/ , is both a fun read with lots of good recipe ideas, and a nice way to hear the voice of a friend from a distance. I would like to have a reliable outlet for creative-ish writing that does not always depend on sharing what is going on in my personal life, but still allows our friends and family some way to connect with what our lives are like.

I have considered a cooking blog, and you may see some recipes here from time to time, but there are already so many good ones out there (another favorite is my friend Indu Chugani's:  Fresh. Simple. Good., found at :   http://freshsimplegood.blogspot.com/.)  I do love to cook and will no doubt continue experimenting in the kitchen, but I think I'd like to devote this space to writing about my attempts to garden, which have been so inspiring to me, even though one would hardly call me a successful gardener at this point. In addition, it is something that Mira and I have really enjoyed together and I love the way it has allowed me to be in tune with the seasons and nature, even in the midst of our very chaotic lives.  It is also something that I will be working on quite a bit in the next year, I imagine, as the fallen tree has completely reconfigured our yard, and given us a lot of sun in the backyard, which used to be totally shaded. I thought it might be fun to record my muddling here, along with pictures of our progress and (of course) adorable Mira. I also hope that you will also share your tips and stories of muddling in your garden (or even with potted plants) with me!

Some belated pictures from our trip to California

Mira appreciates the Santa Cruz Boardwalk carousel.

Mira at the Aquarium 

Mira & Owen

Mira & the Grands 

Mira & Anzara Contemplate the Ocean

Mira & Ann

Things I Really Love About Georgia

Too often, since our move back from the west coast four years ago, I find myself comparing Seattle to Atlanta, which is not really fair since we were childless two-income folks living in a hip location in Seattle, and here we are parents and chose to live outside of the city so that we could benefit from the good schools in our area.  Suffice it to say that the comparison is often unfavorable.  It starts with the fact of the dual ocean mountain view that was available there and the "nothing" view that is available here and usually goes downhill. . . .

In my mind, I have created a "fantasy Seattle" and conveniently forget how lonely I was to be so far from my family; how ludicrously priced single family homes were; and how 9 months out of the year, I cursed the freezing weather and had the blues (and then some) because of the constant drizzle.  I remember only our friends, the mountains, the great nights out we had, the delicious donuts, the delicious salmon, the great coffee and lightening-fast baristas, the progressive politics, the public transit, Pike Place Market. . .and, then I feel sad.

But, Atlanta is actually a pretty great town and the south also has many good points.  Now that the weather has broken (blessedly early) and it is starting to feel like fall, and our daughter is sleeping again, it is easier for me to focus on these good points.  I'm going to memorialize my top ten Atlanta favorites here for when I start dreaming about "fantasy Seattle" again:

1) My mom & dad live 45 minutes away; my brother and Woody live 10 minutes away.  We don't have to get into a plane to see my family--ever.
2)  The sun shines often here.  Whoa--the weather has been gorgeous lately--mid to upper 70's, low humidity, crisp, but not chilly at night.  I did not have the air conditioning on at all today.  Simply lovely.  Add to that the fact that even when it's cold in the winter, it's often sunny, and it's pretty splendid!
3)  The food.  There were a lot of great restaurants in Seattle, but the food here is more soulful, for sure. And, there are also a lot of great restaurants. And, we have a WONDERFUL international market in our town that has beautiful produce at wonderful prices. .. .in short, we often eat like kings.
4)  Our house is lovely--especially the kitchen and especially the porches.  I think this one has been easy for me to lose sight of lately since the tree fell on our house, but the truth is that we are very fortunate to live in what is quite possibly my dream house and something we never could have lived in in Seattle.  It's old, but re-done, so has character and convenience.  And, it has SUCH a wonderful kitchen for all that great food we're always buying.  Peter & I had a tiny galley kitchen in our apartment in Seattle, and while we made some good meals, we often bickered as we bumped past each other there--not a problem here!
5)  The graffiti in Atlanta is marvelous.  It is edgy and gritty, but also very artistic and the city has designated plenty of spaces for whole-wall murals.  I love these bright pockets of surprise and artistry sprinkled into my day.
6)  I live close enough to work to ride my bike and actually dare to do so from time to time because there are no neck-breaking hills.  Biking is definitely my favorite form of exercise. :)
7)  People are often popping in unexpectedly because they have a layover or other travel that takes them through Atlanta and we get to see them!
8)  Not everyone is white here. In fact, many people are not. It is so awesome to walk around and see a mix of hues, rather than just one.
9)  So many festivals!  Atlanta is definitely a festive town and the various festivals definitely mark the seasons here in a very pleasing way.
10)  The pace is more chilled out.  It is true that the South moves a bit slower and I really, really love that.