Greeting from Oroville!

Let's get this baby up and running already! I've been waiting for weeks for brilliance to strike, but I may wait for that forever. So, I'll get some recent photos up here and send her on her way. Let's see. . .it's getting colder, we can see snow on the most distant mountains. John has seen both a grown bear (while he was hiking) and a cub (from his vehicle). We have brown bears here and a couple of Grizzlies apparently roam a few miles to the East. There's some action being taken to support Grizzly repopulation here. Everyone here seems to hunt--Juan's preschool teacher hunts. Discourse with John has led me to open my mind some to the notion. Wait, let me clarify--not to MY hunting, good grief, or to John's hunting (he's not interested), but to the possibility that hunting is not entirely, or always, a reprehensible act. True that hunters are closer to the food they eat--from start to finish. A very different sort of reality than buying some ground beef in the supermarket for sure. I wouldn't argue that all hunters give the sort of thought to taking a life that I think is due, that they all understand the gravity. At the same time, I'm sure I wouldn't argue that for all grocery shoppers. I pose this all for discussion. On the same note, it's common here to buy a cow (is this called a side of beef?) from a local farmer, who will slaughter it and prepare it for you. This lasts about half a year I think--you can also prepare it yourself. Also, you can pick out a live pig at the fair to have slaughtered for you. It's all got me thinking. Moving on.

My playgroup is slow to start, but I'm hopeful--I'll keep at it. I came home the first week so exasperated. Wondering WHERE everyone was--I mean, I just kept wondering what these people could possibly be DOING instead of coming to playgroup? It seems there is a SLOWER PACE here, something that, once I was able to name it, I have been somewhat better prepared for it. . .somewhat. The town just North of us in Canada (Osoyoos) is sort of resort-y (Canada's Florida sort of) so there are some good goings-on there. Juan is signed up for a bunch of stuff at their Community Center (Soccer, Art, that kind of stuff) and Mary Lu for open playtimes twice a week. Then Juan's got a fossil dig later in the month, and skiing and ice-skating soon. Blah, blah.

A couple highlights from our first month in Oroville and then I'll post the photos and be on my way for tonight: Juan had an unfortunate mullet experience at the barber (you predicted it, Anoushka), we had a little frog in bed with us one night, these crazy burr-type thorny plant things called "goat heads" keep popping my jogging stroller tires (even the Bob can't withstand them) so three times now I've strolled home on flats, Juan and Mary Lu both rode bareback, Oroville is like the fountain of youth for Border who will disappear for 1/2 hour and then come back wet or with some other mysterious and mischievious air about her, we went fishing and Juan kept trying to "catch" the dead fish head on the side of the lake, Mary Lu has her first suitor, a 4 year old (John's supervisor's son) who was smitten with her at first sight and just can't get enough of her.

That's all for tonight. Much love from Oroville.