I’m back.  Possibly.  The last couple years have been a whirlwind of change, and there was not going to be any keeping up with this blog.  But I may have reached a place where I can start again.  I’ve been thinking about it for a while.

So, I think I’m back, but I also suspect things around here are going to change – because I have changed.  I have evolved as an individual, and Urban Earthworm is going to evolve with me.

Everyday sustainability is still very important to me, but I can’t give it as much focus as I used to, and I’m still not really sure what to do about that.  I mean, I could keep this website nailed down to that focus and seek out other outlets for the other topics I want to share.  But given how little time I have for recreational writing anyway, it seems like spreading things across forums is likely to reduce my chances of staying with it.

So maybe this will become sustainability plus.  Maybe sustainability will become a side topic.  But what would the main topic then be?  Maybe I’ll go back to the scattered, uncategorized version of blogging I started out with back at Cheap Wine and Cookies.  Maybe a quick overview of some of my recent life changes will help cast some parameters around future topics I’m likely to want to cover:

I last posted here in early 2016.  In August of that year, I finally worked up the courage to divorce my abusive husband – a long and difficult process that ended up including a protective order.  My beloved step-daughter who I had raised for 10 years went to live with her biological mother, and her mother and I ended up becoming friends.  I changed jobs to become a legal aid attorney and started representing domestic violence (DV) survivors.  I put my boys and myself in therapy to deal with the backlash from the divorce and the abuse.  I dated.  I had fun.  I came out as bisexual and poly.  I made new friends and strengthened connections with old friends.  I started playing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering and reading comic books.

I started taking master’s degree classes.  My partner and I decided to nest, and we got engaged.  I cut my hair short.

It’s been almost 3 years since that last post, and so much has changed.  So much for the better.  So much has evolved.

So what am I going to write about now?  About being a survivor of domestic abuse?  About being an attorney for individuals in poverty?  Ethical Eating?  My obsession with Buzzfeed quizzes?

Maybe.

I suppose we’ll see how it goes.  I suppose we’ll see how this earthworm evolves.

If there’s anything you want to see covered or want more or less of, let me know!

~

Still a Marine.  Still a Lawyer.  Now a Single Mom.  Now a Survivor.

The post Evolution appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

This article touches on my own horrible treatment by a Naval OB when it came to my oldest son’s birth, the current terrible situation a dear friend has been put in by this paternalistic system, the current legal state surrounding these issues, and resources.

Denial of Informed Consent
My Story

In 2010 when my oldest son was born, I was a U.S. Marine on active duty (I am a reservist now).  Initially, I hadn’t considered homebirth.  I had, however, done a significant amount of research on childbirth and the medical interventions that sometimes accompanied it.  A very close relative suffered permanent damage from an epidural and forceps delivery – damage which, more than a decade later, was still evident.

I determined, based on my own research, which included medical journals, mainstream publications, and consultations with medical and non-medical birth professionals – and with several women who had given birth in various ways – that, so long as my pregnancy continued uncomplicated and healthy, I did not want any interventions during labor and delivery.

As an attorney, I was well aware of my right to refuse any unwanted medical intervention.  Or, I thought I was.  Then I informed the obstetricians at Naval Hospital Beaufort (NHB) of my desire to labor and deliver without drugs or intervention.  I was told in no uncertain terms that such a decision was not up to me.  The head of section at the time told me to my face that HE would decide what interventions were performed on me and my son.  When I offered to provide a written Birth Plan detailing my desire for an intervention free birth, complete with medical citations, he told me such a document was all but worthless, as he would be making the decisions based on what he thought was best, not on what I wanted.

When I then informed him that I would not consent to any interventions (outside of an emergency), he told me I didn’t have to consent to them.  He told me, expressly, to my face, that he would not honor my right to refuse unwanted interventions.

And since my body belonged to the U.S. Government at that point in time, there was essentially nothing I could do about it.

When discussing individual interventions (in hopes of making a little headway), I told him I didn’t want pitocin.  He informed me that I would have an IV, and whatever drugs he or any of the other OBs decided were necessary would be fed through it regardless of what I said.  Just so we’re clear, injecting someone with drugs against their will is battery.  So my OB, who was supposed to be helping me through childbirth, threatened me with battery.  And even for all the noise I made about it, the military was totally fine with it.

End result: I chose homebirth.  In my case, I was 100% confident that homebirth with a Certified Professional Midwife and a Certified Nurse Midwife, was the safer option for me.  With the care of these two amazing professionals (and my husband, of course), I gave birth to my happy, healthy baby boy in my own bedroom at home.  There were no complications, and not a single person attempted to force me to undergo unnecessary and unwanted cutting, drugging, immobilization, etc.

My insurance at the time was Tricare Prime – the insurance all active duty servicemembers carry.  I was ascertained from Tricare’s publications that Tricare Prime would cover the cost of a homebirth.  This fact was affirmed by several Tricare representatives.  But, of course, there was one giant catch:  In order for Tricare to pay for the homebirth, my assigned Military Treatment Facility (MTF), NHB, had to approve it.  To be more specific, the very doctor who had frightened me into a homebirth, the one who had threatened me to my face and told me I didn’t have a right to informed consent, got to make the decision about whether my insurance would cover the cost of my birth.

And, of course, NHB denied my request.  This launched many, many months of struggle attempting to obtain a just result.  It took months to even get ANYTHING in writing from NHB, and when I got it, the letter stated that the decision of whether or not to permit me to give birth anywhere other than the hospital my OB chose (which was Beaufort Memorial Hospital since NHB’s birth center had already been shut down amidst some scary rumors) was solely up to my OB.  The OB that threatened me.

To be clear: THE DECISION OF WHERE AND HOW TO GIVE BIRTH WAS HIS, NOT MINE.

Because I was a servicemember, because I was a Marine, I did not have a say in my own birth.  And to punish me for exercising my own right to protect myself and my baby from unnecessary and unwanted bodily harm, I would have to pay for my positive birth experience out of my own pocket.

I appealed it to the hospital, but got no response.  I was granted a congressional inquiry, but all that resulted in was another copy of the original letter from the hospital.  I should point out that the materials I provided them with to request consideration were 16 pages long and included both legal and medical justification and citations.  What I got in return was a one page insult.

I eventually managed to appeal it up to the Navy Bureau of Medicine (BUMED) Inspector General’s (IG’s) Office.  After a time, this resulted in a conference call wherein I was told the behavior of the OB was completely out of line, what happened to me was very unfortunate, and the Navy was not going to do one single thing about it.  I requested the decision in writing.  Guess what?  Denied.  They wouldn’t even provide me with anything in writing in response.

So, after more than a year, I gave up.  And the desire to have another child was part of what drove me off of active duty.  I couldn’t risk having to go through all that again.  (Did I mention how horribly I was treated by the head nurse at all my post-partum appointments?  Or the fact that they were outright mean to my midwife when she dropped off the required cord blood samples – which they then failed to properly store AT THE LAB, and they were destroyed?).

It was worth it in the end, though, because I got this:

That was all a long time ago.  Why bring it up now?  Because the nonsense of targeting any childbirth outside of the medicalized routine continues.

Bullying Providers
Savannah Midwifery

One of the wonderful midwives who attended my homebirth was GeorgAnna Wiley.  She was amazing.  I wish I had more precise words to describe what an incredible caregiver she was for me.  She and Nicole Lavallee knew exactly what I needed at every moment along the way, and guided me brilliantly through the birth.  GeorgAnna in particular talked me through the actual pushing (while Nicole caught the baby) with such skill that I harbor very fond memories of that moment and was quite heartbroken that we lived too far away to use her services when my second son was born.  About a week ago, I saw this story from her organization, Savannah Midwifery (the full text is available here):

[…] I have worked hard to serve hundreds of families over the past 6 years.  I strive to make homebirth a supported, affordable option and worked hard as a change agent facing much opposition to earn respect from the medical community here. I truly try to make the world a better place by safeguarding gentle birth, offering a holistic approach with evidence-based natural methods, facilitating uninterrupted bonding and breastfeeding, empowering women, […]

On October 8th, 2015, I received a letter from Tricare South stating they had made an overpayment to Savannah Midwifery. Upon discussing with Tricare South and Humana representatives, the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), and other homebirth CNMs (licensed Certified Nurse Midwives), it appears that Tricare adjusted their fee schedule (what determines the amount they pay per service provided) for homebirth services in 2015 and ascertained that they overpaid all homebirth CNMs. Tricare identifies “manual processing errors [by] PGBA (the subcontractor who processes claims)” as the reason for the overpayments. There is no statute of limitations for Tricare, so the refund request involves all Tricare families I served in the past 6 years – totaling $22,670.39.

[My billing service] submitted the bills and billed appropriately [for births] as well as itemized fees for other services rendered, such as pap smears, newborn resuscitation, lactation assistance, etc., which Tricare has decided they should not have paid. I submitted an appeal […] and was told the CNMs affected would need to file a class action lawsuit.  ACNM states they do not have the financial resources for a class action lawsuit. If I am unable to refund Tricare the full amount, this debt will be referred to a collection agency, and result in seizure and subsequent sale of my assets (and likely bankruptcy).  The overpayment amount is accruing interest as well.

It is therefore with great remorse that I must bill previous Tricare clients for the difference in what Tricare paid versus my fee, according to their signed contracts.  If I am unable to recoup the funds, I will be forced to close Savannah Midwifery, preventing me from serving other families and helping them have empowering birth options.

I apologize for the inconvenience of this and am truly sorry that this situation doesn’t have a better resolution. Thank you for your continued support of Savannah Midwifery. I welcome open discussion of this matter. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with questions. I’m so very sorry for all this mess.

So, essentially, Tricare cut what they were willing to pay for Midwife care, then failed to appropriately adjust their accounting, and now Tricare is using their own mistake to force midwives out of practice.

If you would like to contribute to Savannah Midwifery, you can do so here:

Legal State of Birth Choices for Servicewomen

In a word – iffy.  (I can think of more colorful words, too – after all, I am a Marine).

Let me start by pointing out the difference between being a pregnant servicemember and being the pregnant dependent of a servicemember:  A pregnant dependent (ie, the wife of a Marine) has the option of switching from Tricare Prime to Tricare Standard.  Under Tricare Standard, no “approval” from an MTF provider is required to allow the pregnant woman to choose her birth location (within certain perimeters).  Pregnant dependents have a CHOICE.  Yes, if they run into a paternalistic OB like mine who refuses to approve their decision of a birth center or midwife assisted homebirth, they will have to change insurances and pay a bit of a deductible, BUT THEY HAVE A CHOICE.  If a servicemember’s wife is threatened by her OB, she can go elsewhere.

Servicemembers cannot switch to Tricare Standard.  A pregnant servicemember who wanted to have a say in her own birth (when faced with an OB who feels his ego is more important than, say, the right to refuse unnecessary and unwanted bodily intrusions), would have to purchase an entire new health insurance policy or simply pay for the birth out of pocket (like I and many others did).

If this pings your constitutionality meter, there might just be a reason:

UNCONSTITUTIONAL SEX DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY MOTHERS

In a heartbreaking case (though sadly not the only one of its kind), Air Force Captain Heather Oritz gave birth in an MTF.  Due entirely to malpractice by the medical staff, her child was born with severe brain damage.  When she attempted to sue to cover the lifelong medical expenses her severely disabled child would face due to the actions of the military medical staff, a California court found that because the original injury perpetrated by the military medical staff was to Capt Oritz’s body, even though it directly caused the brain damage to her child, the government could not be held liable because the injury was “service connected.”

Bet you didn’t know that severe disability of your newborn (your nonservicemember newborn) during childbirth was a service connected injury, did you?

In November of last year, Harvard Law’s Bill of Health bloggers Alex Stein and Dov Fox filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the case of Capt Ortiz and her baby. The case is No. 15-488 Ortiz v. U.S. ex rel. Evans Army Community Hospital.  “Professors Fox and Stein urge the Court to overturn the Tenth Circuit’s holding that the federal government’s immunity against liability for intramilitary torts extends to wrongful injuries like those sustained by Major Ortiz’s baby. They argue that this holding misinterprets the immunity, misapplies the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), and constitutes no less than unconstitutional sex discrimination.” (citation)

Their amicus brief presents these questions:

1. When government negligence injures the child of an active-duty mother, does the Federal  Tort Claims Act allow that child to bring birth-injury claims against the federal government,  as the Fourth, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits have held, or should the Feres doctrine be  expanded to bar a child’s birth-injury claim, as the Tenth Circuit has held?

2. Does treating birth-injury claims of the children of active-duty military mothers differently than the children of active-duty military fathers constitute unconstitutional gender  discrimination?

BIRTH INJURIES ARE MORE LIKELY IN MILITARY TREATMENT FACILITIES

The post Military Homebirth: An Attack on Informed Consent appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

Rad and I attended Harvard Law School’s Just Food? Forum.  It was so interesting and fun and left me with a whole new list of prospective projects – all of which need to fall behind the project I’m working on with a professor friend of mine.

In addition to my full time job, the university fellowship I’m in, and my Marine Corps reserve duties, I have also been an adjunct law professor since the beginning of the year.  April was the last month of classes for the semester.  With 4 jobs for the last 4 months, I’ve been spending every spare second with the family.

Flintstone got hit in the face with a ball and lost three teeth in the front (the straggler in the picture as since come out).  He has an adorable gappy new smile.

I spoke about urban livestock at the Detroit Food Policy Council Summit.  I also did 6 million other things that I have no inclination to list out here.

This guy decided he really, really wants to eat food even though he’s not six months yet.  Enter Baby-Led Weaning (BLW).  Don’t be mislead by the title, Rad is not actually weaning in any way.  Until around 6 months, he’s still getting 100% of his nutrition from breastmilk, but he sure as heck likes this new teether!  (Don’t worry, he is watched VERY closely when he has something like this, and he doesn’t have any teeth yet, so it’s very unlikely that he will get any pieces off).

Punky is very much like I was at her age – buried in books all the time.  She also remains a dedicated Whovian.  And a dedicated pre-teen.

Aaaaaaaaaannnd then – even though I was too busy to think straight, I decided to spend a whole day in bed.  Of course, that was because I could not stand up without terrible results.

But even though I haven’t been writing about it, I am still the Urban Earthworm.  I’ve developed several new recipes.  We’ve been out foraging.  I have a major food justice project in the works, but if it comes to fruition, it won’t be for another year or two.

My next project (maybe I’ll get a post up about it?  Ha! We’ll see):

There is a HUGE crop of garlic mustard along our back fence.  I’m thinking pesto!

The post And April Whooshes Past appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      We spent last week on an utterly exhausting house hunting trip in Detroit.  We looked at dozens of homes and were ultimately faced with the very difficult decision of size versus schools.  So many of the houses were huge and utterly gorgeous – nearly mansions (or manors, as MacGyver liked to call them), but the schools in these areas were questionable at best.  Ultimately, we made the grown up decision (which was more painful for me than I’d like to admit), and put an offer on a normal sized house in the very best school district. 

      It is not the Tudor style manor I had been fantasizing about, but I am absolutely happy with our choice.  It may not have 6 bedrooms and a maid’s quarters (as most of the other homes we looked at had), but it is still bigger than our current house, more than big enough for our family with room to spare.  And even though one of the biggest perks of this house was that it needs no work at all (most of the others we looked at needed at least one major repair – my favorite needed a complete roof overhaul), we are already hatching huge plans for additions and renovations (see some of our anticipated schemes here).

      First scheme on the list: fencing the whole thing so that the dogs, kids, and gardens can have free run of both front and back yards at once.  Then we’ll start planting.  The bigger renovations will have to wait a year or two.

      This is all, of course, so long as I get a job.  Prospects are looking very good on that front, but I don’t want to say too much until I know for sure.  One thing I will say though, is that I have never felt more grown-up or fancy than when a prospective employer wants to pay for my flight and lodging for an interview.  I am very good at my job, but when I think about myself from others’ perspectives, I still feel like a pretend adult a lot of the time.  I am confident in my work when I’m doing it, but when I hear praises of said work I chuckle inside because deep down I’m still a 19 year old waitress from a small town.

      So wish me luck on the job front.  It is the next big step.  Actually, as huge as it is, it is only one part of an entire life change for our family.

      One summer 5 years ago I graduated from Law School, took the New York Bar exam, MacGyver and I were married in a torrential downpour, I came on active duty with the Marine Corps, and we moved to Virginia.  The whole summer was one major life change, and the beginning of a whirlwind of training and travel, growing and learning for our family.  Three years ago, we finally reached my permanent duty station (permanent is Marine for “three years”), and actually got to “settle down” a bit – though we never really slowed down.

      This summer is the next big change: Leaving the Marine Corps, moving to Detroit, embarking on a new career, becoming a civilian (a much more challenging and intimidating prospect than one might think), and – with any luck – adding to our family (though that won’t happen until I’m stable at a new job).  Our wedding 5 years ago was essentially a kick off for that stage of our lives, and as such I think that it’s only appropriate that this summer include such a kick-off, too.

      Even when planning our first wedding, I was already plotting having another.  Limits in time, distance, and finances had me set on doing a bigger and better renewal somewhere down the road.  When our outdoor wedding turned into a monsoon (which sounds bad but was actually amazingly awesome), it cinched my resolve on the matter.  There would be a vow renewal, probably at 5 years.

       As our 5 year anniversary races up to us, my thoughts on the event have evolved:  Faced with the purchase of a new home, a relocation, and a career change we’re in very much the same position as we were five years ago (and one completely different all at the same time).  I still plan to do a vow renewal.  I still plan to wear my wedding dress again – how could I not?  But this will now be in the context of a 5 year anniversary party/Next big step party/possible housewarming.  It will probably be a smaller event than our first wedding, and it won’t be a wedding since the vow renewal will be a very small part of it (maybe even a private part before the party part), but I would like to see some of the fun touches that come with a wedding or formalish party.  And the theme, of course, will be something Green or Sustainable.  And the food, of course, will be Ethical.

      Of course, I should probably get on the planning for that…

      Just like I should probably be posting to this blog at least once a week…

      But I’m also working furiously to finish up three major projects at work that will substantially change the functioning of our office and will be my “legacy” as I step down – on top of all my regular responsibilities, clients, and cases, and an article for publication.  Oh, and I have to stay in top physical shape and get out to the ranges to qualify (expert again, of course) on rifle and pistol.  Then all my non-working hours are carefully divided between family time (we still sit down to family dinners cooked from scratch, mostly vegan, 5 nights a week) and our myriad community involvements.  At this particular moment, I am on the Board of Directors for our church, President of the Parental Advisory Board (similar to a PTA) at Flintstone’s school – both positions I was elected to even though I made it known I would be leaving before the terms were up; leader and founder of the Lowcountry Ethical Eaters; co-organizer (with MacGyver) of Lowcountry Vegan Love; an active and founding member of the Ancient Sea Island Continuum, our local UU Pagan worship group; and the organizer and coordinator for the Northwest Earth Institute Menu for the Future Discussion Group.  On top of that, we continue to volunteer as often as possible with Family Promise as well as various events like highway cleanups and river sweeps.  MacGyver is the Project Manager for a massive Earth Day event bringing together the community (an event he also came up with and designed) – in addition to his countless committee memberships and presidencies and his Master course.

      We. Are. Busy. 

       I am not bragging.  I do not support the glorification of busy.  I think over-extending oneself is counterproductive (that doesn’t mean I don’t do it, but that’s not the point).  I am simply making excuses for why I’m a sub-par blogger – ha.  The point is we have a whole lot going on.  This is our life at the moment, and it is wonderful.  It is full and fulfilling, but it is not really sustainable.  Everything is sort of building to a head as we approach the next step.

       I felt I should provide an explaination to you, my wonderful readers, so there you have it.  I’m still here.  I’m super busy, but I have every intention of getting more posts up when I have the opportunity.  And once we move, we will have more time by default because we will not have had the opportunity to volunteer for six dozen things yet.  (Ok, that’s not true since I’ve already volunteered for a couple things in anticipation of the move…)

      If you’re really missing me, you can keep up with me and my green blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram – all accounts that see more posts from me than the blog because 140 character quips are a little more time effective than informative and researched blog posts.

The post Where is the Worm?: The Future of Urban Earthworm appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      Except the part where MacGyver today said, “Well, if X, Y, and Z, maybe you should stay in.”  Yeah, well, the Marine Corps doesn’t usually make garuntees, so I’m thinking I’ll probably still be getting out.  We’ll see.  The future, as always, remains flexible.

      But less than a year.  That’s big.  I STILL have not written my résumés, or started my packages to resign and enter the reserves.  I haven’t launched the mediation and new guardian ad litem programs in Legal Assistance, nor have I written the 5 or 6 new web pages I plan to have up before I transition to MOJO (Military Justice = prosecution).

     Oh, and did I mention that I’m supposed to be getting in touch with people about the position I was offered with the ABA a couple weeks ago?  Yeah, haven’t even had time to think about that. 

      I don’t think less than a year would feel like quite such a squeeze if the busy-ness factor didn’t continue to ramp up.  June – and I’m still thoroughly in denial that it IS June – is already jam pack scheduled.

      And so, even though it will make for a rather un-entertaining post, here is a chaotic and disorganized rundown of what’s going on and what’s coming up in my little Earthworm world:

      Last week was a short week because of the holiday, which made for a mad short week anyway, but that was exacerbated by the fact that I had to stand duty (a 33 hour shift with almost no sleep) during the week, too, and had to pick up Flintstone from daycare early one day because he had diareah.  (Don’t know what caused it, but he was fine, and happy to be out of school early).  And all hell broke lose with something I had been very excited about involving Punky and now I don’t know where that stands, but there won’t be any details here until everything’s final – whatever final happens to mean for this case.

      Friday came before I even realized Wednesday was over, and we were off to meet some friends for a Potluck.  That turned out to be a really wonderful and fun night.  We got into a conversation about religion and Kevin Smith (I LOVE KEVIN SMITH – LOVE), and ended up back at our place watching Dogma (one of my favorite movies of all time).  On VHS.  It was epic. 

       When I was 16, Dogma literally changed my life.  But that’s another post.

      Sadly, because we ended up being up so late Friday night (and because Flintstone slept in until almost 9 Saturday!!!!), we missed the highway cleanup we had been looking forward to helping with.  We needed to get some new clothes for the kids for summer and maybe some stuff for Flintstone’s new room, so we spent the rest of the day Saturday hitting up the thrift stores – not just cost effective, but better for the environment, too!  I was super excited when I disovered that one local thrift store we had wanted to visit for a long time but never made it to had an amazing book selection.  I only got 4 books that trip, but there WILL be more trips there soon!

      Sunday morning church was awesome as always, and inspired what I hope will be a post sometime in the near future.  Sunday afternoon was “relaxing,” meaning cleaning, cooking, gardening, etc.  It wasn’t all work, though, there was a good chunk of time devoted to some kiddie pool fun.

       And just when you think the weekend is over, a weekend function rears it’s head on a Monday night.  Last night (because I wrote this post yesterday), we went to a wonderful meet and greet function for a local organic farm.  The function was hosted by a wonderful organization here in town that attempts to bring together all the local, organic, sustainable producers.  It was a lovely and informative evening, and we’ll be attending another soon.

      This week, I’ve been knocking work down pretty fast and shrinking my insane pile of cases.  I even organized my office again (something I do about once a month to make up for the fact that I am not at all organized in between).  This morning I have court for a few hours, but I think I’ll have to deal the case out.  The judge, I’m told, is a total hammer.

      Friday afternoon, I have a work party at the beach.  Two hours after that, MacGyver, the kids, and I are heading over to spend the night with some homeless families for Family Promise again.  On Saturday, aside from trying to get stuff done around the house, we also have another local food lecture to attend.  Sunday morning, after church, we will be attending the river cleanup that we had planned to do Mother’s Day, but which was postponed due to rain.

      The weekend after that, I stand duty again – on a Saturday!  And I won’t get to sleep at all when I get home Sunday morning because the church service will be special for Father’s Day.  Then the Father’s Day festivities will begin.  Which I still have to plan!  AAAAH! (Real Monsters) 

      Oh, and my old boss should be leaving around that time and I should be getting a new boss.  So that will make work – different – for a while.

      Then I have the Gas Chamber – Marine training where – you guessed it – I get gased, ugh, coming up again. 

      And at the end of the month – finally! – we’re going on vacation.  Camping in Wisconsin with a few stops on the way up there.

      So yeah, June is looking pretty crazy.

      Oh, and did I mention that we also got an offer on the house?  And we decided to sell it, then we started to get everything together for that and changed our minds.  In case we move back to that area.  But that thought stresses me out even more because that house doesn’t have enough land for the farm I want.  But MacGyver thinks it does.  We’ll see.  It all depends on where I get a job.

      If I ever write my resume…

      Sorry for such a stress laden post!  If it makes you feel any better, I’m actually really, really happy.  I’m just very, very busy – but it’s all good stuff!  With the possible exceptions of standing duty and getting gassed.  The kids are happy.  Flinstone’s genius continues to develop – though we had a potty training setback because the potties at his school are autoflush.  Erg.  Otherwise, he’s smart, helpful, sweet, and happy as a clam.  Punky made honor roll again, though one of her grades dropped to a B, so she missed straight A’s by thismuch.  Still pretty darned awesome even though I know she was a little disappointed.  MacGyver’s energy and drive – especially on the pro bono community projects he’s working on right now – continue to amaze me.

      All the animals are happy and healthy, and soon we will be gifted three 9 year old koi fish.   So the other day, Flinstone and I spent a couple hours digging a big hole to put the pond in.

       Now, as it turned out, MacGyver had changed his mind about where he wanted the pond…  But Flintstone and I – and a couple of the chickens – still had fun digging the hole.  Plus, the new location for the pond is right outside the window of what is soon to be Flinstone’s new room.  He is SOOO excited.  He loves fish.  Loves.  Just like MacGyver.

      Ah, there is so much to tell, and no time at all.  I was supposed to leave for court 8 minutes ago.  I miss you all!  Visit you soon, I promise!

The post Less Than a Year appeared first on Urban Earthworm.