Tea Party

There really has not been anything to report for the last few weeks.  There have been exactly three days in the last month that were sunny enough for our solar panels to collect sunshine -- and for us to farm without getting wet, muddy, and cold. We have been working and pushing on, but we are entirely ready for another day of sunshine.  The plants we planted a month ago, during that unseasonably warm and dry spell, have not really grown much. They are dark green and luscious, but small. 

All week long, the weather forecast said it would be nice on Sunday. We had a collection of workers who have been unable to work much on their regular days, so Carrie declared a special work day for those who have been frustrated by rain.  At 9:30 yesterday morning it was raining, of course. Five young women arrived, upbeat and warmly dressed, and they gamely went out to the field.  Carrie and I stayed ahead of them, searching for tasks that they could do without leaving their footprints in the mud for all eternity.  We kept them going for about four hours.  When they were wet all the way through, they went home. 

We would have had a free afternoon after that, but there was a longstanding plan for Katherine (the new mom whose "blessingway"/baby shower we attended in January) to deliver her herb and culture packages for the CSA.  As you might not remember, she lives over three hours away, so a delivery is not a minor matter.  As you have not heard yet, she did have a healthy baby in February. Her life has been completely taken over by taking care of Nathaniel, of course, but she still keeps her small herb farm going, in 30 minute bouts of work when the baby sleeps.

 There was a flurry of text messages between Carrie and Becky and me, trying to figure out where we might be able to get together to see Katherine, whenever she finally got here. So we had an impromptu tea party at my house, as the baby needed a place to nurse and everyone needed to be in a dry place for a bit. Katherine had lunch while I held her gigantic "little guy" (as she calls him). He is three months old and weighs about 17 pounds.  Quite the solid package, with the face of a toddler and a wide, gorgeous smile. Carrie came over without Zoey, as it is the weekend and there are finally other Zoey-holders around.  Becky came with Theo, 11 weeks old and also chunky and cuddly.  And my mother came to admire these babies and new moms.

(Just as an aside -- we have been having conversations about what life was like before cell phones, never mind smart phones.  We used to be able to pick people up at the airport without needing a phone.  We used to be able to go shopping without a life line.  But it would have been hard to arrange a tea party for three month olds with only an hour's notice, unless everyone lived right on the same block.)

There was nothing momentous about this tea party except that it happened.  We sat around my messy dining table (never even bothered to clear off the newspapers, how funny, now that I think about that) and had tea and nuts and raisins and talked about life with babies.  A few years ago, none of these women knew they would be mothers now. They are all of "advanced maternal age." 

They all wanted to have children.  And now, one way or another, they have managed it.  The babies are all healthy and wonderful, the mothers are all experiencing this just like all other new moms, and they are all trying to squeeze a lot into every day.  Like almost all new moms, they need more support. 

Carrie probably has the most support of all the three of them, living on the farm amongst a wider population, but she is still the primary caretaker and mother. It is an eye-opener for all of them, finding out how much it takes to keep a baby alive and well while you are also trying to work or care for an older child.  Some things have really not changed. Mothers have the biggest job if they are nursing their babies.

For an hour or so, we forgot about that stupid rain.  Babies are wonderfully distracting.  Too bad I forgot to take a picture -- too busy holding warm, snuggly little boys.