A Day in the Life

Have we really been here almost 3 months? Amazing! I mean, I know it’s only 3 months, a mere burp in time, but still . . .it’s been time enough that Biblical-caliber floods have washed through our old neighborhood, friends’ babies have been born, others have started crawling, walking or talking, people’s jobs have changed, some have bought new homes or moved, San Francisco has become a snowy mountainous region . . . I tell ya, the times, they are indeed a changin’. Or at least a movin’ and a shakin’.

Things are pretty consistent here. Today was a beautiful day. We started out by playing a little futbol this morning. Wilder had us out on "the field" by 7am. He's a tough and dedicated little coach. And he's taken to giving us directives (surprise, he's quite bossy -- whether it's his age or genes, we're not sure – yeah, yeah, probably both). He lets us know who's going to be goalie and who's going to be kicking and chasing the balon over the hill and dale of our front yard. By 8am, we're all ready for naps, but instead take a break for yogurt and cereal before cruising around the property and looking for specimens to join our "Day Zoo."

We've started to collect bugs and critters to keep in jars for close inspection and then we let them free at the end of the day. So far we've had a jar of worms (Wilder loves to dig them up and hold handfuls at a time), a miniature tree frog, a millipede, a moth, and several small, hard-shelled bugs too varied to identify (no, we have not encased any beechos, there's no need for that). We've tried to catch a butterfly, but these beautiful creatures of varied colors and unpredictable flight patterns have alluded us so far. I imagine if we want to continue to dub our finca "Casa Mariposa," it's best that we abandon our efforts to cage them, however briefly and for whatever novice scientific purposes we have. Thanks to the cats, we've had plenty of opportunity to keep and examine large and small, yellow- and blue-striped lizards, but instead we release these poor little, tail-less creatures (those that survive the cats' play anyway) back into the wild of our front yard with apologies and sympathies. Of course, we have no desire to add a snake to our zoo and hope not to have the opportunity to do so anytime soon.

After jarring our daily catch of crawly things, Wilder and I drove (yes, Wilder actually helped drive – ah, the advantages of living on the campo) over to our neighbor's (Nago's) to spend some time with Ester, Gendry, and Kevin. Wilder and Kevin spent most of the morning running around the front yard shoeless (yikes!) climbing mountains of rock and sand. While they terrorized the front yard without their boots on, Ester and I had coffee and chatted. My Spanish is getting better, but I’m sure there are times when we’re having two completely different conversations. ("Wilder just poked my son in the eye with an airplane." "Yes, they're such good friends to share, aren't they?") While we talked I got to hold her beautiful 7-month-old daughter Gendry, who smiled at me with these large brown eyes and made my ovaries twitch (but do not expect any news of my being “embarrassed” any time soon). After awhile, we all took a walk around their property, which is owned by two of Nago's countless uncles, to witness brand new baby horses and cows, and several exotic birds, until we reached a lovely little lagunita full of guapote, which Wilder and Kevin spent many minutes throwing rocks, cow poop, and dirt into. Playdates here are a far cry from a meeting at the park in Sebastopol, that's for sure!

Add to that a trip town to run a few errands, eat some lunch, chat with a few people, and the day rounds out quite nicely. Add a romp on the grass while the sun sets and it’s even rounder. Mix in a nighttime cocktail, an almost-full moon, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and the concoction for the day is complete.