Highlights

Playing
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

This week?

I am finally, fully, back to school. On a task force researching Veterans Issues, learning a ton about neurotransmitters, and PTSD. Last semester was one of reflection. This one seems to be more about action.



Sophie's class held a "Teddy-Bear picnic." She took John's 44-year-old teddy bear, Pooh, who is literally falling apart with all the years and love. The hit? She told the class he'd been on a submarine (which is true!) They were very impressed.

In pool news: Rosy is swimming underwater! Sophie has mastered the art of the mask and snorkel and is thrilled with her new trick. We all got in to celebrate with them yesterday. Family swim! In hot tub temps. This marina certainly rocks for the family set.

Our neighbor asked me for our corn chowder recipe last week. It was a highlight of the menu this week, so I finally remembered to write it down. Enjoy! Happy Sunday-

Corn Chowder (adapted from Citymama)

Whenever you add something to the pot, remember to add a little salt, too. I use a big cast-iron pot. Any big soup pot would work.

Cook 4-5 strips chopped bacon over medium heat until cooked though nearly crispy. Then add a small diced onion, 2-3 stalks of diced celery, and a green pepper (if you wish) and let them cook down.

Chop 4-5 red or yellow potatoes (never Russets) into bite-size pieces.
Carefully scrape the kernels from the 4-5 ears of fresh corn using a paring knife.

Add the potatoes to the pot and add just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook under the potatoes are nice and tender.
Spend a few minutes skimming foam off the surface of the soup. It's nasty and clouds up your broth.

When potatoes are done, toss in the corn kernels, along with a cup or so of milk or half-and-half. Let it just heat through (don't boil it again), turn off the heat and let it cool for a bit- season with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper.

So yummy, especially with rolls to soak up the broth. Some people cook their corn with the potatoes, but we are fans of the really fresh flavor of the barely-cooked stuff.

Let it Snow

My creation
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

Yesterday was the first measurable snow of the year. The girls had a blast. For the first time the pants and boots fit right, the gloves didn't leak. The sled was a blast. It was a great time. Tomorrow the rain will wash it all away and we can start again the next go-round. Just the way we like it.

Brrrr

Brr
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

This weekend was COLD. Single digit cold. On these nights the inner basin of the marina will freeze over with skim ice, which then creaks along the side of the hull as the boat moves. Rosy loves nothing more than plunging sticks into the ice "to help our boat." We remind her that our steel beast could break all the ice in the marina, unscathed. Her best asset, though? Two inches of insulation between the overhead and the hull. On cold nights, even when we chose not to run the big diesel stove, she has been warm.

After so much outdoor goodness this summer, I was dreading the winter. Just having four bodies inside every day can be so hard in such a small space. Somehow it's been better than expected. School helps, immensely- having somewhere to be everyday, and having tired bodies returned to us instead of rambunctious beasts (most of the time). We have been swimming- they spend hours at a time playing in the pool. Part of it is arriving at a good stage developmentally, too. They can look at a book together, they both love to draw, paint, and make stuff with Legos and Playmobil. Rosy is heavy into dramatic play, which is exhausting but normal. Her cast of characters in heavy rotation: pony, Dumbo the baby elephant, a muffin (yep), alien, and a trapped baby kitty (yep, again). "Don't you want to hold this trapped baby kitty?"



Meanwhile, after nearly a decade of living aboard, we made some improvements to the galley. John built a lovely counter into the corner of the boat opposite the sink. It now houses a toaster and a microwave, both of which get daily use. Heating leftovers without starting the stove and dragging out a pot and a bowl, and then washing all of that stuff with freezing cold water? Truly the difference between living and camping.

Thank you, weather, for holding off long enough that the cold and inch or two of snow we got last night seem novel and fun.
Maybe we're adapting, maybe we're getting better at it, maybe it's just getting easier- whatever the difference is, I'll take it.

Earth Goes Round the Sun

Six years since that morning when I woke up from the exhausted haze of childbirth to find an actual child next to me. MY child. Forever. What a terrifying and exhilirating feeling. I remember taking off her clothes for the first time, seeing her littleness revealed, all pink and awesome. And fragile. I remember her hiccuping, how they alarmed both of us. "Should she do that?" I remember leaning over to feed her, as awkward as awkward gets. She was so patient.

But most of all I remember how small the world felt for those two days, holed up in the hospital jail. As much as we resented being there, it was also so special. No one to bother the beginnings of us knowing her, and loving her. Life was simple, special, sweet. I wish I could get a bit of that back sometimes. But I also know that it will never feel the same. It was all about that particular moment, with her, just as she was then.

Today we have a very different Sophie. No less awesome. Still so thoughtful and open, honest and beautiful. We share her with many more people, all of whom love her. Her world -our world- is a much bigger room. For that I am grateful. Happy birthday my sweet girl.

Earth Goes Round the Sun a video by ellenjohnrubicon on Flickr.

Six times.

Atop

Atop
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

In this unseasonably warm winter, I've been trying to get us out and into some muddy, stick-strewn, natural environment at least once a week. It's easy to fall victim to the lure of the laundry and the pool and errands. But when we make the effort to don the snowboots and pack the snacks, it's always well worth it. The girls moods improve the muddier they get. The freedom and the quiet are simply good for us.

Audubon Sanctuaries are always a good bet, with easy trails and warm restrooms. I also discovered the joy in returning to a spot a few different times, to see the changes, week to week. The vernal pool we skated on two weeks ago was a fun crunchy ice mess last week. Rosy left with wet feet.



Winter on a small sailboat can be hard and occasionally awful, but reminding myself that it is my job to find happiness in the season- or to help them find happiness, keeps me seeking adventures like these.
It paid off last week. When subzero temps froze the water around us, Rosy spent most of an afternoon breaking it up with a stick, "to help the ducks get past it." Fun on a frozen day. That's what it's all about.

Year's End

Tree Girl
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

2011-

Last winter, we spent many hours in the foam pit at gymnastic class.

We were often sick.

I made a great friend, thanks to her son's great enthusiasm for the MBTA. Thank you, Henry!



There was more snow that I ever could have imagined. This fall we had an ominous pre-Halloween snow, and then nothing since. Huh?

We bought snow tires for the car and put them on in November. Maybe that's the secret.

We learned about maple sugaring, which made us feel warm and happy about being back in New England.

We went to Maine and nearly bought a house. Patience is a difficult virtue to maintain, but we are trying our best . . .

Our weekly visits to the CSA Farm this summer were such a highlight of the year. I'd been longing to join a farm and to find one as affordable and awesome as Watham Fields was the ultimate gift. I am counting down to tomato harvest 2012 (as John's eyes roll!).



When I decided to go back to school, homeschooling became less of a possibility and we scrambled to find spots for both girls at good schools. Somehow, miraculously, it worked. Maybe that's the secret to a low-stress way of navigating the independent school application process. Do it in the summer.

The pool was our everything this summer. I will not soon forget our evenings grilling on the deck, the girls swimming. The temps hit 100 degrees for two days, and the rest of the summer was near-perfect weather. The ultimate welcome-back gift.

We were invited to the beach with my parents and had an amazing time. Sophie discovered the ocean. Rosy made seagull food in the sand ("Tony's!"). A dear friend found us there and made the trip that much more amazing. Thanks, Mom, Dad, Su, Juniper and Meg.



Sophie drove a Duck! My dad and I rode aboard the USS Constitution. It was quite a summer.

Sophie had her first off-on-her-own experience at Drumlin Farm Day Camp, which proved so awesome that we did it again, and signed both girls up for this coming summer.

Sophie started school with the best teacher I could have imagined for her. Mad love. It has been amazing, and hard, and amazing all over again. But she loves it, and that's what matters. She not only has great friends, but she IS a great friend, which is what we're most proud of.



My sister got married! My favorite memory? Her and my Dad, laughing on the way down the aisle. I'm sure he said something perfect. Their wedding was such a reflection of Susan- beautiful, whimsical, thoughtful. Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Long!

We celebrated Thanksgiving and the Solstice with cozy holiday feasts. Those quasi-elaborate meals, prepared in our tiny galley, are the things I will remember most fondly about living on the boat. Proof that no matter what the constraints of space may be, there is power in tradition and comfort. We make it happen.



This fall has seen Rosy grown into a full-blown person. She's just so lovely confident, FUNNY. She writes books at school most mornings. Favorite titles of 2011: "Hockey Stick Princess," and "Spooky Mitten." They are so much about process, that I'd give anything to have a tape of her thoughts while she was "writing" them. The other night she and Sophie played, "Guinea Pig DON'T," all her invention. This girls does not lack for ideas. I hope (and know) she never will.



Her preschool experience has been wonderful. She bounds into her days, confident and connected to her teachers and to her best friend, Tatum. She is drawing faces, bodies, learning letters and sounds, nearly swimming, fascinated with bodies and storms, of all things.

We returned from another great reunion with my folks and family last week. The older they get, the more they truly appreciate each other's company. They hammered with JoePop, made Magic Bars with Goonie, read Pippi with Su and Corey. It was a great way to celebrate the holidays, and the end of 2011.

For now, we resolve to:

-Climb as many trees and feed as many birds as possible. Now that Rosy can walk a good ways, we have been enjoying our rambles in the Audubon sanctuaries.



-Get to Maine for a week this summer and bushwhack our way onto our land.

-Make memorable food, stay healthy, find time for ourselves, as a family and as a couple.

-Have adventures aplenty, as Sophie says.



Happy New Year everyone!

Solstice Day

My creation
Originally uploaded by ellenjohnrubicon.

For the past three or four years we've shifted the focus of our holiday celebrating to the Winter Solstice. Despite our non-religious beliefs, we want the girls to know the fun, the magic, and the anticipation that builds with the holiday season. In these days of far too little sunlight, we all need something to celebrate and look forward to. As the girls get bigger, it gets more authentic- more us. It's less like we're putting on a show, and more like we have participants in our party.

I've noticed that many folks celebrate the longest night of the year- Solstice Eve, with a candlelit dinner. We do it on the Solstice itself, though next year I could see the symbolism in that last darkest night- maybe we'll change it up. But there is also fun in celebrating the fact that there is more sun, that we've turned the corner toward spring. We had just finished eating tonight when our friend Bill came by with a huge box of clementines- sun fruits! Perfection, I must say.

The girls have been counting down since early December. The excitement truly started to build last week, once the dental hijinks and my final papers were behind us. We made lanterns at a local Audubon Sanctuary and took a magical walk through the woods, hooting like owls, catching glimpses of the other groups lanterns across a field- no people, just lights. The stars were perfect. It takes little more than darkness and quiet woods to make you feel centered in the universe- small as we are and big as it is.

The girls believe in Santa, and have been nursing an obsession with Rudolph recently, so we left carrots and cookies in the cockpit last night. I picked out two super special animals and the headlamps my Mom sent up. Sophie had seen someone using a headlamp the night before and said how much she wanted one. Santa left two things for each of them. That was all they needed to feel cared for. That and the gnawed-on carrots. They will remain oblivious to the disparities in Santa's gift-giving until they attend a liberal university, but keeping it sweet and simple worked this year.

The rest of the goodies were from me, John, my family, and the beneficent neighbors. Wow. The hits? The stuffed animals, as always. Sophie wore her new stopwatch all day long and timed herself doing everything- everything. Rosy was over the moon with half a dozen painting and stamping devices. Clothes- they LOVE clothes. The headlamps were awesome (thanks Mom!). Rosy's "Hurricanes and Tornadoes" book (have I mentioned that obsession?). Tiny hedgehogs. They worked hard on John's gifts- restoring his childhood teddy bear, new screwdrivers, a personalized wrench. When John asked what they should get me, Sophie relied, "A break." Ahem.

We ate Roast Beast, which John turned religiously (no pun intended) all day long. It was so so good. The sun was beaming awesome, so the boat got an air-out and the oven was our only heat source. We rode bikes, played in the dirt, walked with our lanterns, talked to friends and family, and collapsed into a satisfied heap.

Happy Solstice to all and to all a Good Night!