Aunt Merce

Don's Aunt Merce is another treasure in our family tree. Aunt Merce is a strong, sharp, independent woman whose memory is sharp as a tack. And up until a series of small strokes impacted her ability to talk last year, Aunt Merce would share stories about her life and her hometown of Sunnyvale with astounding accuracy. I love hearing about the history of people and places. I find it fascinating to learn how things 'used to be' and Aunt Merce is great at filling us in about Sunnyvale and the surrounding South Bay areas. When Aunt Merce shares her stories I feel transported back in time. Through her stories, I see the streets, buildings and orchards as they did when she was young. I have a good sense of what working in the canneries was like or what is was like at the Santa Cruz boardwalk half a century ago. 

Aunt Merce is also a treasure chest of family memories. Don is the youngest of 5 and he does not know, or remember, some of the details of his families life. Through Aunt Merce, I have learned some of what Don was like as baby, things about his mother, grandmother and how life was when the family moved to the many different places they called home (Spokane, Newark Ohio, Baton Rouge, Argentina, and Jamaica.)

This year, dear Aunt Merce will celebrate her 90th birthday.

Tia Merce was born Modesta Sanchez and lives in the same house she was born in.  It is rare that a home stays within a family unit let alone a house one was born in. And Aunt Merce's home has even more meaning because her father built after settling in Sunnyvale after migrating with his wife from Spain. Aunt Merce  is the younger sister of Don's mother, Josephine (or Jo) and old sister to Fran. Aunt Merce never married. She instead choose to stay with her parents and working at the Post Office where she retired after forty years.

Whenever we visit, we always leave with some of Aunt Merce's lemons. The tree was planted in front of the house many, many moons ago and have been producing juicy Myers lemons for decades. We use those lemons to make our veggies and fish taste all the better. I am not sure if it's because of the lemons or because they come from Aunt Merce. Probably a combination of the two but knowing that they come from her yard does make a difference!

Don and I try to bring the girls down to see their great aunt as much as we can. Our visits are shorter than longer due to their age and tolerance for being in a house that is not set up for little people. But I want them to be in her presence as much as they can. She won't be around forever and I want them to enjoy their Tia as much as possible. I want some of Aunt Merce to rub off on them. Havana's second middle name is after Aunt Merce (Modesta) as part of our attempts to honor this remarkable woman.



Aunt Merce is generous, kind, loving and strong.  She is well loved by her nieces and nephews, all whom treat her the warmth and respect she so deserves. In our society, where we often toss the elderly aside, Don's aunt gets frequent visits and care from her kin. They look out for her, take care of her and spend time with her. Because they love her dearly. And what's not to love. Aunt Merce truly is one of a kind.

                    


February 2011



February 2011

Aunt Merce's Lemons

                   

The DARK (K) NIGHT

I found out about the shooting in Colorado when I logged onto Facebook. My reactions may have been very different than those of the masses. I was not shocked. I was not angry. I was not questioning, how could this happen again.

What I was thinking and wondering were the following:

When will we humans start to look within ourselves vs. outside of ourselves?

When will we learn to notice we are projecting our own fears, judgements and expectations onto others? And by others I mean, our friends, family, our culture and the cultures of others?

When will stop being so outwardly focused and more inwardly focused as individuals and as a culture? And by inwardly I mean, not in just a 'me first' manner. But in a way that is more balanced. Inward means paying attention to one's feelings, motivations, true needs, Creator and to the projections will put onto others.

When will start to practice this so that it becomes a part of our lives as does eating, brushing our teeth and remember to tell a loved one happy birthday?

When will we find the courage to take the step to reaching out to others and helping them when they seem ddistressed, angry, hurting? (how many stories have we heard that the person who harmed others was bullied but noone did anything to intervene? or was mentally ill but no one reached out a helping hand? or was so distraught over years of cultural/racial oppression and was just labeled a terrorist, a socialist?)

When will we embrace our own shadows and the shadow of our culture instead of just desperately, reaching for the light? Even if it's grasp is short lived and we spend most of our days and nights frantically seeking it again?

When will we learn that to embrace our shadow is part of the truth will set us all free?

When will we stop looking to others, to things, to places in vain attempts to fill the emptiness that we feel?

When will we learn to sit, be still and one with the emptiness that we feel? No matter how uncomfortable that can be?

And when will we sit compassionately with those unable to sit with their emptiness (due to mental illness or developmental delays) and provide them a safe, loving, non-judgemental space?

When will we start to love ourselves truly, unconditionally, so that we have BE in the world with that energy and thus, spread that to those around us?

When will we stop looking at people like myself and questions like this as naive, foolish and/or unattainable?

In Support of Local Farmers (Larry's Produce)

There's something about the earth and the natural world; about how soil and seed, water and sun, can produce the foods that give us life. Fruits and vegetables, like flowers and plants, are so diverse, so unique. Each one with it's own flavor that dances on the taste buds. Creation, in it's glory, has made our sustenance colorful, bright, large, small, sour, sweet, bitter, round, oblong, bumpy, smooth, prickly, fuzzy. So many skins do our foods grow in. And in our modern world, with our modern tools, man can produce fruits and vegetables in much larger amounts that our ancestors could ever imagine. Even with all the modern tools, the labor is still backbreaking and brutal. Which makes the reaping all the more appreciated. I know what it takes to grow the food that feeds the masses.I have seen the men and women hunched over in the sizzling sun, picking strawberries, carrots, avocado and the other crops we desire. The foods that we can easily acquire by taking a drive to our local supermarket without so much a thought to what it took for that pint of blueberries to make it to the Whole Foods shelf.
                      

I want my girls to grow up understanding, appreciating and respecting the earth and the food and water we use. The food and water that keeps us alive. It is in this vain, that I so strongly support the local farmers in our areas and/or the local markets that buy directly from those who toil the fields here in Northern California. But I want the girls to touch the earth with their own hands as well. That is why this year, our garden has meant so much to our family. They saw their father build our small garden from the raised bed, to getting the soil, planting the seeds and then patiently waiting for something to grow. Amara, at age 5, has been able to help her father and has taken pride in watering the plants. Both girls have been mesmerized by the carrots, peppers and strawberries that they have harvested. But I also want them to see the larger local farms so when they ask for blueberries or walnuts, they understand that they didn't just appear in the store.

                  

It was with this intention in mind, that this past Friday I kept Amara out of school so she, Havana and I could visit a farm up in the Suisun Valley. Being outside on a warm summer day seemed like a better classroom than being indoors, so off we went. Larry's Produce, just a twenty-five minute drive on I-80 East, sells fruits, vegetables and flowers that you can buy from inside the stand or you can pick some things for yourself (http://www.larrysproduce.com/index.html)  From what I learned, much of the produce is grown on his farm, where the stand is, or from farms within a few mile radius. Some of the produce is imported (I doubt bitter melon is grown in Solano County) but having lived overseas, I am always thrilled to see foods that are not typical in our American diet. And from what I saw while exploring the grounds, some of their produce must come from the Central Valley, which is close enough.


We are so privileged here in the Western United States to have some of the largest farms in the world. Commerically grown food is necessary to feed the millions who live in the concrete jungles. But the smaller, local farmers work just as hard and I think it's important to not only understand what it takes to grow food but to support our local farmers. They are our life line. Literally.  

At Larry's Produce, the amounts of produce they sold was astounding (see cherry mountains below) and the prices remarkable. I was a bit disappointed that it seemed like they did do much organic. But for those who do not have the economic advantage to buy organic, Larry's offers the opportunity to buy fresh produce very reasonably. We had made the effort to drive up there so I put my 'organic upitiness' on the back burner and let the girls pick what they wanted. And I did too. We spent $39 on four canvas bags of food that included several pounds of cherries, grapes, okra, nectarines, eggplant (2 for $1.00), figs, melon, Persian cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, a enormous watermelon, orange cauliflower, collard greens, local honey and Amara picked flowers. Monterrey Market can't even beat that!

                       


                                               

                        

                       
                       
                                     

                       

                                     
                                            
Walking out to the fields was perhaps the highlight of our trip. It was a bit too hot and far for the girls to walk to the furthest areas but within reasonable distance were flowers, rows of zinnias that were heavenly to just look at. While Havana had fun running up and down, Amara and I picked some to make two beautiful bouquets for our home. While we picked I talked a bit about farming and how what it entails. I didn't say too much. I think the girls seeing and experiencing was enough. They have had some experience cherry picking so they are slowly getting the lessons I want them to have. I am confident that as we continue to teach by example, my little ladies will grow up loving, respecting and honoring the earth and hopefully sharing this with those who are part of their lives as they grow.

                                    
                                       

Playing on an old-school, non-working tractor.

Amara listening to the melons to see which was ripe and juicy!
I guess she has seen me do this enough that she wanted to try it
out for herself!

                       
                    

Contemplating!

                      

The girls just had to watch that all their fruit was packed up!

Family Camping



(left to right) Conor, Kathryn, Barb, Emma, Amara, Matty, Julie, Mari
Anjahni, Havana, Pete, Audrey, Joaqin, Sarah, Sofia, Julissa,
Alina, Jorge, Vince, James, Don, Andre



Our family is most fortunate to have some good friends. Friends with whom we feel comfortable to go camping with for the weekend. I mean, there's not too many people I want to see me when I am waking up all funky looking in the early morning hours! But seriously, our little crew has been friends since the 5 year olds were between 2-6 weeks old which means they love being with their buddies. And the adults, we like each other too!

This summer we headed to a KOA campground in Petaluma, our second visit there. While it is not traditional camping, KOA makes things enjoyable, entertaining and exciting for the Little People. And that's what it's about isn't it? Making sure the kids have fun while the parents can kick back a little, catch up and relax?

This year camping meant:

Lots of s'mores.

More s'mores.

Turning into prunes in the pool.

Asking to go to the jumping pillow when not in the pool!

Breaking bread together.

Telling jokes and funny stories.

Watching happy little people have a blast running about and getting dirty.

Reading scary stories at the campfire.

Petting mama goats and newborn goats.

Chasing newborn goats.

More s'mores!