House for Sale

When we officially moved into our Californian abode, we had neighbors on both sides of us.  The neighbors on the left side had a little boy, one year younger than The Redhead, and they became fast friends.  Too fast.  Our doorbell was ringing constantly.  The poor cat was being tortured now by two children, and we had just gotten her.  We didn't even have furniture yet.  We looked like squatters in this empty house.  A card table, some folding chairs, sleeping bags, brand new mattresses, and boxes of Overstock.com purchases were all we seemed to own.  Yet, he still rang that doorbell.  All day long.  I was overwhelmed by the changes and had errands to run, but he just wouldn't leave.  And if he did, he quickly came back.  Like a stray cat.  And The Redhead was so happy to have a playmate, she didn't want him to stay away either.  Even though they argued and he annoyed her, she had her first friend.  And apparently that meant something.






And then as quickly as we met him, he was gone.

We discovered shortly after moving in July (technically we bought the house in June) that they would also be moving.  By the end of July.  We had one month of him.  And then just like that, they moved away.  I didn't have anything against the boy.  They seemed like nice enough people, but they couldn't afford their house, and renting was seeming like a better option.  Next thing you know, we had a vacant house to our left with a little white paper taped in the window.


And although men have been by over the months to lock it up, mow, clean it out, and whatever else they do over there, it's just existed.  Like a lonely house with no one to love it.  But finally, we saw some progress being made.  There it was.  A post in the front yard with a Realtor sign dangling from it and on top of the post the words, "Coming Soon."



So perhaps at some point, we'll be getting a new neighbor.  The Redhead and Mister Man are ready to start the screening process.  She's hoping for a nice child her age.  He has a bigger list.



And just as soon as we say, "it took them long enough," I remember the house behind our house in Kansas and how it was vacant for years.  It had been abandoned by its owners and remained bank-owned for years before we ever saw anyone from the bank come by to lock it up or anything.  It had mold growing in the windows, and according to a few people that had peeked inside, it was incredibly nasty.  I took their word for it.  Finally, after what felt like forever, it finally went for sale and was scooped up quickly by a nearby landlord.  Unfortunately, he died while working on it and his family then was selling it too.  I've heard it has since sold.  The point I was trying to make though, before I went off on another tangent, is I know full well these things take time.  But it doesn't mean those houses aren't lonely.  And it doesn't mean I'm not in a hurry to see who will be living beside us.



Maybe it won't be lonely for long.  Because a new horizon is coming soon for it.  And I hear their neighbors on the right aren't so bad, aside from the slightly neurotic wife.

Exploring Change

Some change is bad, some is good.  Some change is unexpected.  Some is necessary.  Inevitable.  Bound to happen.




Change is our destiny.  Whether we like it or not. 



We've learned a lot about changes this year.  And today, The Redhead learned a little more.  A lot more.  Perhaps more than she wanted to know.


Perhaps even more than I wanted her to know.


She learned all about the changes little girls embark on as they become a woman.  Oh yeah, I'm referring to that change.  And like so many little girls before her, she was not amused.  She was even disgusted.  Disturbed.  Maybe even embarrassed, although she said she wasn't.  She said it was "just disturbing" and "nasty."



All of this started a couple weeks ago when she brought home a paper requesting our signature.  I knew this was coming.  In Kansas, they had such a discussion in the fall.  Here, we had the option for her to skip it and go to a dental hygiene lecture instead, but she was interested in what possibly could be going on, what could be so bad that her friends were saying, "there is NO way I'm going to that."  At that point, she had every intention in going.  She just kept asking us, "it's not bad, is it?"  And during dinner, we just kept repeating, "not bad, just embarrassing."



I was in middle school, not fourth grade, when I was blessed with this humiliating lesson.  It was during gym class and I remember hiding the pamphlets and the samples and never wanting to mutter a word of this to anyone.  I certainly wasn't going to mention it to my parents.  While my mother liked to occasionally embarrass me with such nonsense regarding that awful word of "puberty" I just kept pretending I heard nothing.  As far as I was concerned, the topic was pure evil, and if I had known Harry Potter at the time, I would have likened it all to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.



The Redhead is not me though.  When I walked her home from school yesterday, I started with, "so....how was it??"  Because I knew she'd tell me.  She's a different sort of child.  She's an intriguing child.  And unlike me, she'll discuss just about anything with her parents, except ask us if she can have a play date, or something like that, because for whatever reason, she is concerned those are the types of things that will get her in trouble.  But a discussion such as this?  Oh no.  We got to hear all about it.  Her father too.  Multiples times.  She even made me look at the hand-outs, and how they had to write in the words, "vagina," "anus," "bladder," and "urethra" on one of the diagrams.  I'm serious!  They also had to locate the ovaries, uterus, Fallopian tubes, and pituitary gland.  I saved the worksheets, because there was no way I was letting something this golden out of my grasp.


The common descriptive word used by her yesterday was "nasty," but pronounced, "NAST-TAY" with a lot of zest behind it.  She also liked "disturbing," "disgusting," and I about died when she told me it was "things I didn't plan on knowing until I was A LOT older.  I did not need to know how babies were made today."  I also loved when she followed with, "I thought I had a few years before I had to learn this disturbing information."  In the car, she was talking about tampons.  Tampons.  And their uses.  And "how when you're even older, they have even bigger pads."  While Mister Man was driving.  She put it all out there.  "We even had to hear about breasts.  BREASTS!  That's so nasty!"  "They kept telling us all these places hair would grow.  NASTY!"  "You bleed DOWN THERE.  That's SO NASTY!"  I'm thinking her thought was, if she had to listen to it, it's our turn.  I kept going back in forth between wanting to laugh and that urge to throw up.


Much like The Redhead, I'm not looking forward to this upcoming change either.  Even if it isn't for several years.  Sure, it seems soon to start this with fourth graders, but like they told her, and she then consequently told us, a lot of girls start this as early as eight or nine.  I know quite a few who have.  With any luck, she'll be in high school by the time she encounters such changes, just like her mother.  But she's growing up, and it happens to everyone.  We evolve.  She's evolving.  Her knowledge is evolving.  And even though I'm not looking forward to it, I just need to enjoy the ride until we get there.



But when asked about the dental hygiene lesson, she said her friends were bored and she heard some people even fell asleep.  She told me, "I'll take disturbing over boring any day.  That's just the sort of person I am."


I sort of hope that part never changes.  Because I'm rather fond of the child who doesn't shy away from "disgusting" topics and gets excited feeling sheep organs and petting giant cockroaches.  And if you think I'm being random and funny, that actually happened.  Just tonight.  Yeah, I really hope that part never changes.

I Sent Her to School in Pajamas

It was just one of those sorts of mornings.  That's what you get after being off a week.  And who gets President's Week off from school anyway?  Wait, that'd be us.  California.

I didn't do her hair either.  The second time she has ever gone to school without her hair done in some way.  Both times occurring this school year.  So sad.  So unusual.  And she loves it.



Of course, it helps that it's Spirit Day: Pajama Day at school.  The second pajama day of the year.  And the only reason her hair wasn't done either time.  After all, we don't do our hair for bed.  Maybe you do, but we don't.

Regardless, I sent her to school in pajamas.  And just between you and me, she's going to get warm by this afternoon.  It's going to be 75 today!  Not that I'm bragging or anything.  Not at all.

Elephants on the Beach

Our adventures this fine Sunday sent us to the lovely Point Reyes in search of elephants.  On the beach.  Of the seal variety.  We've been meaning to visit these elephants while they're in town, but we haven't gotten there.  It was due time.  After all, it's the season.  And The Redhead was most excited about seeing these unusual creatures.  She's been anxious for their arrival since the moment we moved to the coast.  Perhaps even earlier.


If you've never been to Point Reyes National Seashore, it's this fantastic destination, a must-see, in fact.  So much wildlife.  Since moving west, we've visited a few times and have never once been disappointed, even if all we have seen were tule elk and sand dollars during a trip.  The vegetation is amazing as well.  And the views? Oh, the views are spectacular and the best example of what the Northern California coast has to offer.  And if you're there in the months of January through March (perhaps even in December), you are most likely to see some elephants on the beach.  And you won't be disappointed.  At least you shouldn't be.



It's the busy season for Point Reyes National Seashore.  With the elephant seals in town and the migrating grey whales, tourism has picked up, so currently the only way to certain areas of the park is by shuttle, which is $5 per adult, children free.  It's worth the price, I assure you.  We lucked out by showing up in the morning.  The peak season was late January, and most Californians show up in the afternoon.  It doesn't mean that all mornings will have few visitors, but that was the case for us.

  This is where the majority of these incredibly noisy beasts hang out.  The only way to view them is from this overlook near Chimney Rock.  There are quite a few volunteer docents inside the park, full of all sorts of information.  For example, day old baby elephant seals can be as tall as The Redhead and weigh more than fifty pounds (which is also her weight).  By a month old, they can be as large as 500 pounds.  Adult males can be seventeen feet long.  The Redhead was learning all sorts of things in addition to all the information she was sharing with us throughout the day.  We're really fortunate that child loves to learn and read.

The docents also have telescopes you can use, which is so awesome, even if you are like us, and already armed with binoculars.   Also, since the elephant seals are a protected species, like basically everything in the park, you can't get close to them.  That should be self explanatory, but, well, common sense apparently isn't for everyone.  The law is to stay 100 yards away.   Along with rangers (which can be spotted in at least one of my photographs), the docents may be seen closer to the animals, but they're allowed.






However, we did find a family of three secluded on a beach.  And when they said that sometimes you do accidentally come across them, they weren't kidding.  We thought they were rocks.  I didn't even recognize the baby.  It wasn't until the mother started slithering her way onto the shore like a giant slug, that I figured it out.  Once we realized they were present, we froze in place.  What's funny, is we weren't looking for seals.  We were busy watching dolphins out in the ocean and I was attempting to capture them with my camera, which I failed miserably at.  It's worked for me before, but alas, not this time.

Aside from elephant seals, there was so much more to see.  Deer, elk, lots of birds, and even cows from area ranches.

Not as impressive views included this mother trying to capture her child's abilities on this overlook railing. Incredibly steep slope behind her.  I tried so hard not to take a photo, but when I saw the child jump down, then get back up and almost stumble backwards, I couldn't resist any longer.  Then I had to turn away again, because I couldn't bear to witness anything terrible happening.  I try not to judge, I do, I really do, and later, I had all sorts of jokes to make in order to deal with it.  But we have all made decisions that other people wouldn't necessarily have made.

For example, The Redhead went out in public like this.  In Halloween socks.  That didn't match her outfit.

And she can't sit still either.  

It was a gorgeous day though, despite some fog rolling in.

Also, when the heck did this area get tide pools?!  Okay, sure, they probably always had them.  And sure, it was low tide, but we had never noticed before!

The best part of living on the West Coast is that we get to explore so many new areas, and embrace experiences such as these, things we never could have done in Kansas.  Especially elephants on the beach.