What was that in that dark corner? Chipped paint? Or was it… My daughter had been running all over this stadium with that diaper.. She had been playing in that corner. Was it…? It couldn’t be. I stood there by the door, barefoot, with no paper towels at hand (Sketchy Bathroom had been out of them by 11p.m.), armed only with the diaper wipes in my bag, I contemplated looking closer at what that might have been… just in case. I contemplated getting down on my knees and cleaning that floor, walking all the way across that hall with handfuls of poopy diaper wipes to brave that bathroom… And I turned my head and walked out the door.
In Her Eyes
June 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
My daughter has eyes like Brazilian coffee So dark that when she looks upward they reflect the sky. “Oh look!” they say, “Her eyes are turning blue! How wonderful!” “Mmmm…” I say. Not really. Her hair began a dark cloud and is brightening to the sunny brown of my childhood. “Oh look!” they say, “She’s […]
Foods to Welcome Baby
February 1, 2014 by 7 Comments
Ok, so we had a baby over here! That’s my rock-solid excuse for not blogging for most of December and January: lost in baby-land. (For those that are curious, it’s a girl, 3,78 kilos/8 lbs. 5 oz., healthy, and adorable–see right) Relatives and friends have arrived in droves to coo over the new little one. […]
Fotocrônica: Wheelbarrow boys
January 29, 2014 by 2 Comments
I’ve made a fun group of friends that I see every Saturday: the market wheelbarrow boys. I don’t fool myself–offering free cake samples is an excellent way to make friends. These little guys get paid to haul the vendor’s goods in and the customers’ groceries home. You often see them pushing piles of groceries or […]
Fotocrônica: Soap Bubbles
January 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Blowing soap bubbles using a papaya stem: sheer brilliance. Seeing how many bubbles you can stack on Tia Malvina’s hand at one time: endless entertainment.
Why your children will be little copies of you–whether you like it or not
June 30, 2012 by 2 Comments
One of the cutest things I have overheard this week (and with three small kids at the farm, there’s lots of cute) was little Anésio learning to shout “Ayyyi!” in proper cowboy style at the correct crescendos of a musica serteneja song. As of yesterday Anésio (age 2)–god love him–digs this art form that involves shouting […]
10 Skills I Will Teach My Children
June 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
As we work to fix up and give new life to the family farm where we live, I realize that a lot of our success is due to our accumulated skills. I get the impression that a lot of observers in the community think that it is because we came back with lots of American […]
