Alternative School

Usually when we start school, it looks something like this:

Granted, by the time we're done it usually looks like a kiddie arts-and-crafts store got picked up by a tornado and blew through the kitchen on its way out to sea, depositing odd bits and piles (we don't actually have tornadoes here, though). Here we've just gotten started and I'm reading to P&B before we start any lessons. I find they listen much more closely if they are coloring at the same time. Or maybe it's just that the fidgeting that otherwise happens drives me nuts.

ANYWAY, I have decided that while we're refugees we should take advantage of living two blocks from the ocean. The BBC's "Blue Planet" is providing the facts to back me up. The Pacific itself is providing the inspiration.

Bud with my Dad down at the tide pools

Our road dead-ends into a park running along the cliffs/bluffs. There are stairs down to the water that are no good at high-tide, but when the tide is out they provide access to a beach, climbing rocks, and tide pools. It is fun to look for the sea creatures hiding and waiting.

Serious studying going on

On our way to the beach steps, we have to pass the playground (I know, I know...were there ever more blessed "refugees" in all the world? I don't think so!). Wombles' new love is the slide.




Pixie's face while she was on the phone with "Auntie M," who was asking her to be her flower girl! I haven't yet told N or M that there is a STRONG possibility Pixie won't have either of her front teeth for the weddings...

I spent most of today going through photos of our losses, listing items, and finding replacement prices online so that we can file with insurance. It is totally ridiculous that looking at pictures of spices should be hard, but I feel all worn out. Looking at these blog photos has reminded me of how wonderful things are. I have been incredibly encouraged by some of my friends on facebook today and yesterday. And, we so clearly do receive good with the evil (Job 2:10).

And After

I go back and forth between feeling that the fire is a small part of the normal flow of our days--homeschool, three small children, trips to the playground, church--and somehow feeling defined by it. I know that I am not, and that my identity is secure elsewhere. Even 2.5 months later, though, it can seem that the fire is referential for every bit of life. There is "before" and "after," of course. But there are a million "because of" and "in spite of"s, too. I'm sharing two pictures here, but they are just place markers. I may process more here, and I may not. Tonight I'm a little overwhelmed by it all and am going to move ahead to other images, to share a bit of our last few months.

The fire cresting the hill as we drove toward the fire on our way to the gym

The South wall of our garage at 3 a.m.

Most of the following images are old ones that I'm just now getting to enjoy. Likewise, we'll see whether I get around to sharing Christmas in Quincy, New Year's in L.A. or Mom and Dad's trip out here in early January. :)

While at our first refugee stop (a couple from church, we stayed at their house for the first 2 1/2 weeks after the fire), Wombles learned how to play "Push." This involves accosting anyone sitting on his level and pushing them down. He loves it. I especially love the outfit he is in. We spent a little while scrambling, as it was 85 degrees when we grabbed clothes from the house (before they took away practically every stitch of textiles to be cleaned) but the weather got cold about 10 days later. Yeah, glad we have all of these tank tops! :p

The Sunday after the fire, we all went to Santa Barbara Outfitters and got "Life is Good" hats. We wear them cleaning up and working at the house and around, but especially as reminders to each other and our neighbors when we're in a tough spot. Bud's LIG shirt was one of the few articles of clothing he had for the first few days, and the feedback was so great that we all joined in. (This photo is from after Thanksgiving)


Thanksgiving Day with D.B.B. (see 11/12 post). That was our first week back at homeschool (ironic, I know) and we were on "I" week...see headdress. Yes, we ate our meal outside. Our non-homecooked meal. With friends.

Also on Thanksgiving. Pixie's friend Lucia from the neighborhood was also a refugee at this point (with her family!) . Lucia's family and ours have a supper swap and eat together every week. My friend Helen (Lucia's mom) covered the table with paper and brought crayons and the kids all drew pictures of things they are thankful for. I love the idea and hope to do it every year.

Pixie and I went to see the Santa Barbara Theatre Company's Peter Pan. It was the musical, and they really flew! Things had been so chaotic that we didn't even know that two young people from our neighborhood were in the show until we were there! Pixie was excited to see (her friend) Leia's brother as "John" and our next-door neighbor as Wendy's daughter.

Wombles-the-architect stacking canned goods on the trash bin. Mmmm. This is in the rental. The sunset below is from the rental, too!



Many blessings to you. Thanks for checking in.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

For we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the World.

--1 John 4:14

Merry Christmas.

More soon.

Fire update

Well, I guess I spoke a little too soon about having a season "between" fire and rainy seasons. As many of you know, Thursday a wildfire swept through our area. It moved extremely quickly--from J.D.'s "I smell smoke" around 5:45 to our neighbor's "you might wanna get some things together" at 5:55--when we could see the wall of flames up the hill, even as we felt the Santa Anas whipping past. We left for the shelter 15-20 minutes later.

We are all fine, and staying with a family from church who has offered us housing until our home is habitable again. We hope that will be soon, but there is some damage and there is yet danger in the area--so we're not sure when that will be. I hope to soon upload some of our photos, and give more detail. Life is right now a series of details to take care of, as you can imagine--please join me in thanking the Lord that he is in control of every one of those details, every one of us.

Pixie is feeling better and keeping food down.

Please pray for the children (not just ours), for when we return and they see the extent of the damage.

Many, many thanks. Hope to be in touch soon (hope to have my own computer with internet access soon!!)

Love,
F.C.

Sunset Season

I think sunset season falls just between fire season and rainy season...whatever the timing, we've been having some doozies for the first few weeks of November. We do have those other four seasons, too. However, as one of J.D.'s co-workers put it last year: "How do you like winter?...it's subtle." But boy, do we have either wet wet wet or tinder.



Pixie has started a dance studio in the front room. It involves lots of twirling and lots of asking me to be the teacher. I quit ballet after second grade (alas), mainly because ballet class was the same day my friend Niki could play after school, I think. So I do what I can, which isn't much. Anyway, Pixie fires up the electric keyboard on "autoplay" and goes to town.

Bud tucks in "Delicate Blue Baby" nearly every night at bedtime. If you ask Bud the baby's name, he says "Baby Wombles," but he actually only refers to him as "Delicate Blue Baby." He is Bud's son. Last night Bud explained to me that he was taking care of D.B.B. because he loves him. "Like you and Daddy take care of me, right, Mom?" [melt]

So today all of the children slept in until at least 6:00am--whoo-hoo! Wombles made up for any lost noise by spending much of the remaining get-ready-for-church window crawling around and blowing on Pixie's kazoo. It's amazing how much ruckus can be made with a little ingenuity and perseverance.

Today we actually had a fall day--hooray! (See sweatshirts). This evening Pixie and Bud got in a little batting practice with J.D. in the back yard.

Finally, tonight we introduced Wombles to a little helado. May we recommend Gingerbread Cookie ice cream? Bud exchanged his for peppermint, saying that G.C. was "too spicy." (Mmmm!) Wombles had no such complaint--and when J.D. finally said "OK, it's gone" Wombles burst out with "Nooooo!" We love the holiday ice cream flavors. I wonder whether we could stow enough in the garage freezer to keep us in egg nogg & peppermint all year??

Saturday Shenanigans

Another ordinary weekend at our house, if there can be such a thing. At lunchtime, Bud was instructed to go and wash his hands before eating...when he came to the table, he looked like this:

I hope that you can see the soap bubbles. His hair was totally slicked down with hand soap from the bathroom. He had decided he wanted to wash his hair.

Later in the afternoon, we were following the Bama/LSU game online (we don't get CBS). P & B were so excited about the Alabama win in OT (I know,we're twisting them for life) that Carmen wanted to call soon-to-be-Uncle Barrel and congratulate him (he is the Alabama fan, after all). Here is a picture of her on the phone. I'm pretty sure she actually said "Roll, Tide."

Finally, tonight we had three children join us for the evening for dinner and play. The youngest is Wombles' friend Santiago. The two of them currently have a love/screech thing going on (Wombles is a quicker draw to get the green car, but Santiago can walk and Wombles can't). Here they are in a cozy corner with the barn animals:

In case you've started to wonder, Wombles really does have other clothes besides the Notre Dame football jersey. But we often take photos on Saturdays, and if the Irish are playing, he's a-wearin'. Sure, that's the story...