Everyone was in town, so why not?]]>
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We took a quick trip to Sierra Hot Springs, by way of Highway 49 through Downieville, which resulted in lots of pictures, and was a nice getaway. ]]>
Dear Friends and Family,
It’s been over a year since we have sent out a family email.
It has been 18 months since Sage was born.
As the time goes by… each moment is so precious and every day is different.
We are all doing well and enjoying each other’s company in simple ways.
Last fall we began the enormous project of terracing, irrigating and landscaping our property. Once we cleared a lot of the brush away, it opened up many possibilities for gardens, lawn and play area for the kids and an outdoor bathtub area. We believe there’s a spring at the base of the property that may eventually feed into a shared pond with our neighbors.
In April, we flew to Costa Rica to spend time on the land of our friends Brendon and Sara. They have a 3-and-a-half-year-old, Soleil, and their second baby, a little boy they named Avi, arrived just before we left.
Returning home to our Nevada city land in the spring was such a treat. Most of the seeds that were planted in flats before we left for Costa were sprouted and thriving. A friend had picked up 6 bare root fruit trees from the “Common Vision” fruit tree tour. A friend dug the first hole for the pear tree and I dug the other 5… An Asian pear, persimmon, cherry, white peach and an apple tree were planted.
Next was preparation for our veggie garden beds. We decided to put the main veggie bed in right front of the house. It’s really gorgeous right now… cucumbers growing up mammoth sunflower plants. Giant tomato plants shading basil, tarragon and chives. Brightly colored Zinnias dancing around pepper plants and nasturtiums climbing around bamboo bordered fencing.
Further out front are two more circular gardens. One is for Squash and melons, the other for beans, corn, spinach, chard, radishes, bok choy, dill and fennel.
At the base of the land where the play area is, we started a berry patch with strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, and blueberries. Good for grazing on hot summer days.
This weekend we’ll be working on our outdoor bath area. We’ve been consulting with members of our community on how to build with cob. Our land has pockets of beautiful red clay, which makes a lovely medium for cob building. Our vision is to build a fencing area around the bathtub out of cob and manzanita branches harvested from the land.
All of our outdoor activities have been well enjoyed together, but the recent California wildfires have created a giant blanket of smoke that has been here for almost 3 weeks now.
We have been spending some of our time down at the Yuba River. The smoke seems less intense right at the waters edge. Malia and Sage are both quite the water lovers. Malia is almost swimming on her own without any floats… but she really loves the freedom of putting on her floaty suit and paddling around freestyle. The Yuba River is a community-gathering place in the hot summer months. We enjoy having a sunset dinner at the water, listening to flutes, drums and guitar and then back into the water for a cool dip before the hike out.
Malia has also been doing a summer camp at the Ananda Living Wisdom school up the road from where we live. She loves it and will continue at the pre-school next fall. We have seen tremendous growth in her (as well as improved sharing skills) since she began a formal playgroup environment with other kids. The Ananda Living Wisdom School accommodates children all the way through high school. It is one of the most beloved schools around and families come from all over the world to be there. We feel most fortunate to have it so close to where we live.
Sage has begun talking… a lot. Just in the last two weeks, many words are being expressed. He always says everything with a smile, and sometimes a little chuckle on the end. He is very active… running, climbing, swimming, dancing. Both Malia and Sage are pretty non-stop, although Sage will stay with an activity for a while… and chill sometimes too.
Both David and I are finding much delight in being parents right now. We also have days where we are exhausted, irritable, and downright grouchy. But we always find a way to show each other how much we love and appreciate one another by the end of the day.
David is continuing his Photography and web design business. He still works from home and enjoys both the freedom and challenges of a home-based business.
I have not re-entered the “working” environment yet. Blue Sage Sanctuary is thriving and the door remains open for me to begin doing bodywork and seeing clients again.
I do miss the meditative workflow of giving Ayurvedic body therapies, but I feel it isn’t time yet for me to dedicate my self to anything other than my family right now.
I’m cherishing these early development days of my family. Everyone tells me how quickly it goes and I know it is only here once.
We love all of you and are grateful for the opportunity to sit down and write.
Please note our email addresses below. We are keeping all friend and family correspondence to our lovere family website.
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(click the photo above to see more images from the trip)
Our first week in Costa Rica we stayed on Brendon and Sara's land at the base of Cerro Chirripo. Incredible misty mountain, tropical farm land oasis. It felt really good to be there and tune into the natural rhythms of nature.
Early morning wake up.... hang laundry on the line.... work on community garden projects.... break for fresh juice and veggie fare.... walk down to the river and then watch the afternoon storm clouds gather around the mountain peak.
Every afternoon it rains... so hanging laundry rotation is a daily ritual.
The afternoon rains provide a nice space for indoor quiet time and meal preparation. Usually rains subside by early evening, creating space for a magical, rainbow filled tropical forest walk.
The 40-acre land parcel is an old coffee grove that is now being transformed into a diverse farm with many different flowering plants, vegetables, medicinal herbs, fruit trees, nut trees, and more. The land has its own spring for drinking water and borders a beautiful river with swimming holes.
After our first week we headed down the mountain to the surfer filled ocean town of Dominical. Two years ago I heard word that one of my best friends from College in SF, Carlos, had moved to Costa Rica and opened up a surf shop. I wasn't sure where he was in Costa... but spirit led us right to him in a morning cafe and juice place the first day we were there. The look on his face when I walked up to him with Sage in my arms was priceless. Carlos has been surfing and hanging with the locals since he arrived, so it was fun getting a little glimpse of his life there. We spent the next 3 days exploring beautiful private beaches and monkey rainforests. Malia and Sage were in heaven.... running free in the sand, collecting shells and swinging from trees.
The second to the last day we were at the beach, I noticed a big red patch on my upper thigh that looked like it had been sunburned. The next day, little bubbly blisters appeared and I thought, wow, I really did get burned. It seemed strange to me though, because it was in just one little spot. By 12 noon the next day, the blisters had swollen up into one big blister the size of a very large egg. It was filled with yellow pus. Carlos took me around to many locals and the consensus was I was bitten by some kind of insect or brushed up against a plant and my body had an allergic reaction to it. We packed up and drove back to the mountain town of San Isidro to the 24-hour medical clinic where the doc gave me a cortisone shot and some silver based antibiotic cream to treat it with. After a week or so, the blister drained and I was able to treat it with liquid chlorophyll, lavender oil and rose hip seed oil. There is only a faint outline of the area now. I give thanks it was treatable and went away in a timely manner.
We spent our last few days back up the mountain at Brendon and Sara’s first property, which has incredible views of the sweeping valley floor leading up to Mount Chirripo. The day before we drove back to San Jose for our flight home, Sara gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They were all nestled together at home as we drove back over the Misty mountain to San Jose.
Our flight home was much more pleasant than our flight out. We had a weekend stop over in Carey North Carolina to visit David’s brother Nathan and his family. Malia and Sage had the opportunity to visit with their cousins Nico (6) and Gabriella (4). It felt really nice to be in one place for a few days.
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Babay Sage
One year ago this week was the birth of our son Sage.
As I sit, watching the morning winter sky come to life, shades of pink and golden hues reveal themselves through the light mist of the recent rains. I feel a sense of peace. Deep gratitude fills my heart as I reflect on our family experience over the past year.
Having two children under the age of 3 - Sage’s older sister Malia is almost 3 - has been one of the most challenging times of my life, but it has also been an incredible opportunity to learn, grow and adapt to an ever changing, unpredictable dynamic flow. Give and take, allowing and boundary setting, shoving and hugging, laughing and crying are all part of our daily experience.
What comes to surface in my consciousness during this time of reflection is the experience our family had during the time of Sage’s birth. We had Sage at home under the care of our Midwife, Alison Osborn and her assistant, Kathy Boyer. Alison was also our Midwife with Malia. What stood out the most to me about Alison’s care as a Midwife was her availability to answer questions I had regarding the pregnancy and birth. She also held a genuine care and concern for the safety and comfort of our family preparing for and during the birth. Alison has been assisting births for over 30 years and her experience and knowledge was felt and appreciated throughout the entire pregnancy and birth process.
I went into labor with Sage on the evening of January 12th and quietly labored through the night by myself. My husband David, almost 2-year-old Malia, and my dear friend Jade all slept soundly in other rooms (as per my request). This early labor period was a quiet meditation for me. Contractions would rise and fall at various intervals. David lay sound asleep next to me.
As contractions came on, my body wanted to be in a hands and knees position. As the intensity of the contraction amplified, my head would fall back with my eyes closed and I would focus on deep breathing techniques. The breathing techniques required a lot of energy from me. I was then reminded of a technique Alison gave me that helped in my first labor with Malia.
“When the contractions become intense,” she said, “completely relax and melt your face muscles… don’t worry about the breathing, just let your jaw hang open.”
The next wave began, my body turned over to hands and knees, my head fell back, and this time, as the contraction peaked, my face, jaw and tongue relaxed. My whole body seemed to melt around the pain. As my eyes remained closed, something really beautiful happened. In the area between my eyes, the Ajna Chakra, a pattern of light began to form. I focused on the pattern and it crystallized into a sacred geometrical form. It was the “Flower of Life.” Each time my contractions peaked, the “Flower of Life” would form between my eyes. This became a point of focus and surrender for me. The “Flower of Life” then took me into another visual meditation that I experienced during my first birth. I was drifting on a raft in a calm pool on the Yuba River. I was looking up at the sky. The pool moved my body in a gentle spiral as a circular eddy swirled around me. In the sky, the “Flower of Life” pattern became a rose. The rose was just beginning to open. As my body slowly turned beneath it, the rose began to open. Petal by petal, another was revealed beneath the last. The soothing rhythm of the water and the warmth of the sun on my skin comforted me through the long, cold January night.
By 7 the next morning, as the others awoke, my contractions really picked up and I moved into heavy active labor. Alison had advised to call her at anytime during the labor, but to know that the labor would really pick up as soon as I was having consistent contractions at 5 minutes apart. I had reached that stage… the phone call went out to Alison and she and Kathy were on there way. My daughter Malia came out with my husband and I was draped over a low bamboo chair in front of the fireplace. Jade began massaging my lower back and applying pressure to some sacral points.
“Mama, are you ok?” Malia asked.
Although not quite 2 years old, Malia was very aware of my process.
“Malia,” I said, “the baby will be out of my belly soon… we’ll be able to hold him or her in our arms.”
Her response was not of excitement for the future arrival, but of deep concern for her mama.
“Mama, mama,” she began to cling to me.
“It’s alright sweet bean,” I assured her, “Mama’s going to be just fine.”
Alison and Kathy arrived at the house. They both connected with me warmly and then Kathy went to get water and tea while Alison checked my cervix. I was at 7 cm. I had felt comfortable laboring on my own up until that point and I knew Alison would have been there sooner had I asked her to be.
So here we were… moving into transition. My world began to feel slightly surreal. Alison headed back to the bedroom to set up for delivery. David went to fill up the large antique pedestal tub we set up in our bedroom for the birth. Kathy was gathering things from the kitchen and bedroom, and Jade and Malia sat with me next to the fireplace.
Malia began to cry. We were all open to supporting her emotional needs the best way we could during this very fragile and unpredictable time. David returned from filling up the tub. We decided to call our doula and good friend Charlotte who had also been a caretaker for Malia over the past year.
“Charlotte, would you like to take Malia to a birthday party right now? David asked. It just so happened a little neighbor friend was having his 2 year old birthday party that morning.
“I’m on my way,” said Charlotte.
As soon as Charlotte arrived, I hugged Malia, gave kisses goodbye, and was then swept into a swirling, all encompassing state of emotion. David assisted me into the back bedroom and toward that large pedestal tub filled with warm water. The colored leaf lights we hung for the birth created a multicolored halo around me. The warm glow from the beeswax candles cast a reflection on top of the bath water. The amber flames flickered and danced like fireflies as water droplets from the faucet hit the surface… sending ripples to the other side of the tub.
I was suddenly swept out of my blissful state by the overwhelming urge to throw up.
“Does anyone have a bucket?” I said calmly. Before I knew it, a bucket was at my knees. I immediately crouched down and heaved into the bucket.
Alison was there with a warm wash cloth to clean me up. Next I felt a huge wave of emotion swelling inside of me. David and Alison surrounded me with loving arms and I just let it move. I was safe, I was held, I was loved.
First I felt a process of grieving… a letting go of Malia, my first baby. I was letting go of having the one on one time with her we once had, knowing that our time together would be shared now.
Then I felt a shift in emotion to that of gratitude and joy… an opening and welcoming of new beginnings for this spirit inside of me. My body and spirit felt a deep surrendering.
As the tears stopped, I looked up at the sweet faces above me.
David said, “Why don’t you climb into the tub now.”
Holly in the having a contraction in the tub
Ahhh, yes… the warm bath water enveloped me as I dropped into a serene and relaxed state. Sweet angelic music streamed in from the other room. My contractions slowed down for almost 30 minutes. This was a welcomed window of calm that allowed my spirit to connect to a deep source… the ancient lineage of my mother, my mother’s mother, and of all the women who had given birth before me. The root system which travels down deep into the molten core of the Earth was bubbling up and oozing through my veins. I felt the ocean tides waxing and waning like the moon. I felt the planets and stars rotating around me in a slow and rhythmic centering. I felt my spirit connect with the spirit of the baby in a familiar and ancient remembering. I was there… fully open to the portal of life and new beginnings, love and birth, our sacred journey upon the Earth.
My eyes opened. The room was silent. David was holding my hand. I felt the meaning of his name resonate within me… “Beloved”.
Jade looked up from the corner of the bedroom, her soft face lit up with a gentle smile.
“Should I put more music on?” she asked.
“Maybe it’s time we make our own music,” Alison replied.
She then began to sing (in the tone of a gospel singer). “Cuz when the Lord’s ready…
(Now turning bluesier)… “You’ve got to move.”
We all began to laugh. The energy in the room was light and sweet.
“I’m ready to get out of the tub now,” I said.
Alison helped me out of the tub in her soothing, supportive way. It felt good to lie down on our bed. I was fully dilated at that point, but my water had not yet broken.
“We can either wait for the water to break on its own, or I can break the water and you can just ride that wave,” Alison said.
“Hmm,” I thought… “I love surfing (in calm water).” “Let me check with the baby,” I said.
My hands rested on my warm belly. I felt a gentle pulsing. My mind became still.
“Are you ready?” I asked. “Are you ready to join us right now?” My body filled with warmth as the baby responded with a clear “Yes”.
Little Sage Man
Thirteen minutes later, at 11:03 am, the warm body of our baby boy was lying against my chest. Malia returned from her birthday party just in time to welcome her new little brother into the world.
“Wow Mama, there’s a baby on the bed,” she declared as she entered the bedroom.
“Yes there is sweetheart,” I replied, “Would you like to snuggle in the bed with us?”
As Malia climbed into the bed, I looked around and felt so blessed to be at home with my family. Sage in one arm, Malia in the other and David at our feet… In that moment, our circle felt complete.]]>
Getting there
We are finally settling in after our journey here. It took us 4 days to travel from Nevada City to Brendon’s house, part of which was a great big April fool’s day joke we played on ourselves. After traveling from our house to Fairfax, spending an afternoon with our friend Simone, we had a hectic morning traveling to the airport. We just barely made the Marin Airporter bus in time, then at the American Airlines self service desk we were politely informed that our tickets were for tomorrow. I experienced the deepest sinking feeling I have ever felt, but had to quickly put it aside and pursue the next course of action. That turned out to be a hotel on the bay in Burlingame, just south of the airport. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Papa Jim came up to visit for the afternoon and we were able to get a little rest. Malia was a little disappointed that we were not going to Costa Rica today, but did not complain at all, and had fun with me exploring the bayside mud flats. We saw a mother duck and 8 ducklings splotching across the mud, and lots of bugs.
The next morning I had an image of the previous day: a ride down a steep San Francisco street, riding on a roller skate with steel wheels. Yiiiiieeeeeee! For today I visualized paddling a canoe across a smooth lake, mist rising from the surface, the sound of the water dripping from the paddle with each stroke to the water below. Each stroke perfection, ease, and grace. In the ticket line Malia started melting down as I was being informed that I needed to pay an additional $300 infant tax. Paddling the canoe, with ease and grace. Malia continued to melt all the way through security, trying to hold on to the water bottle that they were so cruelly taking from her. We made it through eventually and got some fruit to put in Malia’s belly. Phew!
The first flight was uneventful except that there was no meal service, and we were low on snacks. So by the time we pulled in to Dallas, Malia and Sage were both unhappy so we ducked into the nearest restaurant and got some greasy food. Imagine my shock when I ordered Malia some chicken strips and they arrived breaded and deep fried fish-n-chips style. Yuck. At least the grilled salmon was good. After our meal Sage wanted to cruise around, so I followed him out. He headed for some revolving doors, so I quickly held his hands and followed him through. Into the baggage claim area. From which there is no return, except through security again. Yikes! I saw Holly and Malia on the other side of the glass, down the hall, looking for Sage and I. I started waving, but we were too far away for them to see us on the other side of the glass. Just then a man driving a courtesy cart saw me, stopped and helped us to connect. We pantomimed through the glass until it was understood that she should stay there and I would go through security and meet her there. Our layover time was running low, and we still had not made it to the terminal we were leaving from, on the other side of the airport. Paddling the canoe, with ease and grace. Getting through security with my camera bag, laptop bag, and carrying Sage in my arms was no fun, especially when it came to getting the laptop back in the bag. This required two hands, so I put Sage down, and like a wind-up toy he was off towards a restricted area. Fortunately the guards were sympathetic, and it was not crowded, and soon I had Sage and all my bags and was hustling back to an unhappy Mama and a confused daughter. We all got on the skylink monorail and made it safely to our gate with time to breathe a little.
San Jose
The flight from Dallas to San Jose was more challenging for Holly, as Sage was not content to sit quietly in her arms and squawked loudly and frequently. The plane had a narrow aisle, so walking him up and down was not an option. Malia was more accepting of the situation, and was pretty quiet on this leg. When we got in to San Jose, we went fairly quickly through customs, and then were in a giant line for immigration. We were to experience our first taste of this beautiful culture as we were picked out of the line for special treatment because of the children. They brought us to the head of the line saving us at least an hour and a half of waiting in line with tired, bleary children. Wow. We were soon in a taxi driven by a tall, apparently suicidal man dressed all in black. The car careened and the driver sped though corners, while tailgating slower drivers all the while. Somehow we made it to our Hotel safely.
Inside, Fernando was waiting for us, and told me that we could handle any paperwork and payment in the morning, that we should get some rest. Another example of La Pura Vida in action. We all took showers and slept deeply.
The next morning we lounged around the hotel as long as possible, waiting to hear from Brendon. Malia had fun exploring the new types of plants and grasses, flowers and trees. Brendon called and let us know that he had had a flat tire in the morning, and would be late for our 10am rendezvous. Turns out his 4WD truck had lost its 4WD ability, and he had chewed up a tire going up a freshly rocked road. He was bringing the truck to San Jose to leave the truck with a mechanic and would ride back with us. The rental car company brought the car to us, and Marcelo, the young man who brought us the car was very nice and helpful. We did have to go through a process, involving exact dates and times, recalculation of price, rental of cell phone and child seat, and took almost an hour. We packed up the car, and drove down to a little shopping center for a few supplies and a little lunch. We found prices to be quite a bit less than in California! We were also accosted by a skinny young man who had blood all over his face, and his girlfriend. Hey man, this guy man, kicked me in the face and took all my money, my cell phone man. You got any money to help me get on the bus, man? I did not have much that was smaller than a 50 dollar bill, so I gave him the very small change in my pocket. I think I heard a smirky sound as he walked away.
Cerro de la Muerte
Brendon finally made it to the hotel around 3pm. We soon were off down the Pan-American highway through downtown San Jose. The route seemed less like a highway as it wound through the center of the city, tiny congested streets with many children and teenagers on their way home from school. After an hour or so, we broke on through to the other side, made a quick stop for some snacks and coconut juice, and were on our way up the Mountain of Death. While we did not see any accidents, we saw why it gets that name…. large trucks and buses, and cars, pass each other on blind corners, some with complete abandon. We did witness a certain level of healthy respect for the road. If there was the slightest chance that a passer would not make it, they would simply drop back into line and wait for another opportunity, tailgating the bus or truck full of cement pipe until they could get by. Brendon drove for us, and used this hair-raising strategy as well. The scenery was beautiful, jungle giving way to rain forest, clouds and mist. The sunset as we came down the side of the mountain was spectacular, quickly glimpsed as we wound our way down into San Isidro del General. The town itself is clean, modern, and passed fairly quickly. The children were very patient on the ride, Sage napped a couple of times, and Malia chilled out with her head on my lap for much of the ride. Brendon sang silly songs through town, but Sage was definitely ready to get out of the car. We finally came to the road that leads to their land, and headed up. We drove through a semi-rural area with many small cinderblock houses, their front doors open, Brendon calling out funny sounds to people as we passed.
We pulled up to their homestead in full dark after crossing “la Puente” – a very rickety suspension bridge made of iron plates that moves up and down as you cross it and is barely wide enough for the car to cross. One the other side is La Finca Gringo as the local people (Ticos) call it. More on the farm in our next post.
]]>At long last I return to the blog with an update. Since Sage learned to walk just before Thanksgiving, we've been on our toes around here. This week the irrigation system is being installed, and we've finally received some rain (first since October!). You'll have to "read more" (below) to see more of the latest pix of the children. Serious Malia
Malia Painting
Malia Climbing
Muddy face Sage
Sage Playing Piano
Sage Playing Piano
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Lovere Family Portrait
Click on "read more" to see the restSage is now crawling and sitting up, and pulling himself up on everything that he can. He is a good little monkey and always very curious!
Sage Sitting
Sage pushing up
Sage eating
Sage crawling
Sage Sitting
Sage with rash
Sage at the river
One day at the river, Malia found some berries and painted some beautiful spirals...
Malia's spirals 2
Malia's spirals
Mom snuck up on Malia and Dad while they were napping:
Malia and Dad napping
Malia is learning, little by little, to play with her little brother. Here they are on a little wooden rocking horse that Malia named "Paisley":
Sage and Malia on Paisley
The following photos show the progress of our landscaping efforts, now underway.
So far we have replaced the back deck and the back yard has been sculpted.
Next up: trenching and irrigating...
The new deck
The new deck
Looking uphill, showing the terracing:
Looking uphill
This is where the playset will go:
The play area
Here's where the petanque court will be - with one of our landscaper, Ken Vavuris' awesome little tractors
Petanque court
Sage enjoying the new back yard with Mama
Sage and Mama
Malia has been enjoying the dust and mud...
Malia all dusty
And finally some summer visitors:
hummingbirds
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Sage in the Exersaucer
Sage in the Exersaucer
Click "read more" for more imagesMalia blissed out
Malia blissed out in the kitchen sink
Sage's first taste of homemade ice cream
Sage's first taste of homemade ice cream (made by blending frozen bananas)
Sage at six months
Sage at six months
Sage at six months
Sage at six months
Malia at six months
...and for comparison, Malia at six months]]>