And We're Off!

Most of you know that because of our work with Campus Crusade, we do quite a bit of traveling during the summer. This year is no different - we are heading to El Salvador tomorrow (after a brief stopover in Orange County). Jason, Grace and I will be gone for three weeks, and Jamey and the students (16 of them) will be there for 6 weeks. We will be helping to run the campus ministry at Matias University in San Salvador, with some relief work and some sightseeing thrown in as well. It is both exciting and hard for our kids to leave home in the summers; fortunately this year's trip is after Hume Lake and the end of baseball season, but before cheer camp and the start of soccer season. And although I love to travel, it is always a huge stress to find a housesitter to care for 1 aging dog, 2 fighting cats, 6 hens, multiple fruit trees, a garden, and an old house (where anything could break at almost any moment). This year my parents are greatly blessing us by staying at our house while we're gone. I am praying that their time will be relaxing and uneventful, except for my dad catching 'the big one' - a halibut, we're hoping. And if he can bag a few rodents with the bb gun, well, that would great, too.

If you think of us, or of Cal Poly, or of El Salvador, please say a quick prayer for our health, our safety, and our project in general. Thank you! It is my intention to update the blog a couple of times (the up-side of needing to stay in a safe place is that it is a nice hotel with internet), maybe with a photo or two if I can handle the technology, so I will try to keep you all posted. Here's to another adventure for the Pappas family! Hasta luego.....

First Fruits

We are happily harvesting the first plums and apricots off of our trees. It's been a crazy and drama-filled couple of weeks. In the past fourteen days we have:

Been to Tucson and back to get a dream car from Grandpa (Grace and Jamey; a 76 vw bug)

Discovered that there is no way we can register the car in California, even after hours on the phone and internet, exploring all possible scenarios (Jamey) and mourned the loss (all of us)

Been beaned in the arm for the first time in a baseball game (Jason - approx. speed 80 mph)

Had wisdom teeth removed (Grace) and subsequently watched 7 movies

Been to LA and back in a day to get a part for the old station wagon (Jamey)

Gotten 2 squirrels, 3 mice, and 1 big fat ground squirrel in the ongoing war against critters (Gretchen and Jamey and Max the dog)

Been in yet another fight with the black mystery feline (Sadie the cat)

Alas, died (Jemima the chicken. Rest in peace.)

The garden and orchard provide a few moments of escape from 'life', but to really get away, we are heading for our favorite spot in Big Sur tomorrow for a couple of days. If you have never been, you should google it and just look at the pictures. Amazing. Keep an eye out for Sand Dollar State Beach and Plasket Creek Campground.....that's where we will be!

The Greek Festival

Jamey and I went to the San Luis Obispo Greek Festival downtown on Sunday. It is put on by the only Greek Orthodox church in the county, whose sweet pastor called us once to invite us to their Easter service because our last name is Pappas. I felt a little guilty explaining to him that we actually attend a different church, and that I'm not even Greek. We saw families with yiayias (grandmas). We watched about 10 little children do some Greek dancing, then some grownups try as well. We counted the times we heard non-Greek people yell, "Opa!!" There were booths selling gyros, souvlaki, and "Got Ouzo?" t-shirts. And then we came to the Greek pastry booth, which had an amazing selection of every kind of treat that can be made from phyllo. Jamey was searching for something his Greek grandma made when he was little....and we found something very close, pictured above. They are called loukoumathes and they are quite delicious - kind of like donut holes. The whole family liked them and I'm personally hoping they never ask me to make them, because I've discovered that most Greek dishes are very time-consuming and involved, and I myself am quite lazy. One time I actually made kourabiethes (small almond cookies shaped just so and rolled in powdered sugar). Never again. You can buy the things in town at the Mediterranean restaurant and market! We will just consider these little gems a once-a-year treat. If you ever have the chance to go to a Greek festival, you should do it. Go hungry, and be ready to tap your feet to the music.

This Is Not My Zucchini Plant

It is that time of year again - our garden is in and most things are growing. It looks like once again we will have a bumper crop of pumpkins, butternut squash, anaheim peppers and cantaloupe, some romaine lettuce, tomatillos and tomatoes, and a few runty ears of corn. That's not counting the oodles of apricots, plums, and peaches that we are trying to keep our old adversaries the squirrels away from (note: Grace ran down her first squirrel in the road yesterday. They simply cannot be avoided. I don't want her to try to veer away from them and accidentally hit a tree or mailbox, so I told her I will give her a dollar every time she hits one. Am I a bad mother?).

And of course, that neighborhood favorite, the zucchini (see the blog entry from June 18, 2008). This year I am going to do my best to keep track of how many zucchinis we get off the plant. We will be eating the first 4 tonight, probably grilled, since we are having our first heat wave this weekend and I don't want to use the stove or oven.

I found this picture on the internet of the world's biggest zucchini plant, and doesn't it just put us all in our places! Here we were in Garden Farms thinking we cornered the market on growing large zucchinis. Wow. I guess that shows us!

Zucchini season means that our neighborhood farmer's market is starting up soon. I wish you could all come to that - it's a cultural experience for all! All kinds of goodies will start showing up - but no zucchini....everyone knows better than that!

Hooray for Baseball Season

Recently my cousin Brett commented, "You know baseball, in our family, has always run through our veins". And it's true, particularly for me and this boy here. He is the smallest one on his team (note the uniform number '1'), and plays with at least one boy who shaves, and one who is 6'2" and 185 pounds, but is batting over .400 so far, with 10 sacrifices and 12 rbis. Moral of this story? I have no idea. I just know it brings me joy to go and watch these games and watch my son throw down a bunt that catches the other team completely off guard, or somehow manage to whack a liner into the outfield. Awesome!

Vroom Vroom!

Well, today is a glorious day for us. Particularly for Grace Pappas, age 16, and for me, her mom and former chauffer. That's right, Grace Ann got her driver's license today! First of all, I would like to applaud the stoic older man whose job it is to take kids out on their driver's tests. Whatever he gets paid, let me tell you, it is not enough. Second, for all of you who are wondering if I am scared, anxious, etc: Of course I am! Feel free to pray for us whenever you think of it. But I am mostly excited because in my head I am imagining conversations such as the following:

Grace: "Mom, we're out of chocolate soy milk!" (yes, I'm so sorry, my dairy-farming family, my daughter prefers soy milk. I swear I did not teach her this!)

Me: "Here's some money - go get some!!"

Or -

Grace: "Hey Mom, it's time for me to go to cheer practice!"

Me: "Here are the keys. Drop your brother off at the baseball field on your way, please."

I am really looking forward to not driving to the movie theater, to the Pismo Beach outlets, and especially to Forever 21. Now I will have more time to go to the places I like. Mainly, home, Farm Supply, and Miner's Hardware and Garden. A glorious day, indeed!

Speaking Of Survivors...

I took my trusty canine buddy Max for a walk down to the corner yesterday to check on the progress of the beaver dam. These beavers have kind of become the mascots of Garden Farms, and since the creek became a raging torrent back in January, neighbors have been checking on them from time to time. Updates even show up often in our neighborhood blog (gardenfarms.blogspot.com). After the 'big storm', sadly, two beavers were found dead - one down by the church and one back behind the Robertsons' house - and we were afraid there were no more. But then, my neighbor (the one who lives 'off the grid' with the wood-burning hot tub) found some telltale chewed sticks and stumps, and there was much rejoicing. I personally think that folks around here relate to the beavers because they are a) unusual, b) stubborn and c) slightly out of place (I'm talking about the beavers!). So here on the bottom is a photo of our great survivors. We are currently hoping for a baby beaver or two. I'll keep you posted!

While I was at it, I took a picture of another survivor - the ancient sycamore that's been growing beside the creek for as long as there are any records (there are photos downtown at the historical society of Garden Farms in 1918, and this tree is in them). It is gnarled, bumpy, and scary to small children (again, I'm referring to the tree and not any of my neighbors), but its recent claim to fame is that after the earthquake of 2004, a bear wandered down the creek, ate two of my neighbor's geese, then climbed up into this tree and took a nap. It's a Garden Farms version of Goldilocks!