Asher Payton Zipkin

Our dear friend, Jill, has had a child. Being our most-modern friend, she had him in the most-modern of ways. She hired a surrogote. He was born September 4th and is the cutest thing! We went for a visit when he was just over a week old and then tonight we were over with some other friends who were in town from NY. Jill is such a natural at being a mother, it is quite wonderful to watch.



Here is Zane with Katie (in from NY) and another Zane (friends from the burbs here in MN).

Roses

Look at our pretty flowers this week. I saw Erika coming home with handfuls of roses, from the look on her face I don't want to know where she picked them from. She also picked some lovely flowers that were going to seed, so we spread the seeds on some of the green patches in the alley. We will see what makes it thru the winter!

Last weekend it was 85 degrees with high humidity. This weekend I think our high is 50!

It is amazing to sit at my desk with a beautiful bouquet of roses and smell their rich aroma, while the leaves are almost all off the trees outside and it is hard to believe that any flowers could be surviving our cold snap.

Camp Friendship

This is group that Cody spent the weekend with at Camp Friendship. It was the first weekend retreat for his class "Coming of Age." There will be two more weekends at different venues. This camp did a lot of teamwork. Saturday they did a a rope climbing exercise with one partner. He was really glad that he went and had a great time. Some of these kids he has taken classes with for the last three years - so he is finding some good friends here.



Cody had to get on the wall to show us just how tall he is!



Graham's allergies are getting better and better. He can now eat dairy and chocolate! He just had to make some chocolate chip cookies! Next week is the big Fall Festival at the Land School and all the kids on the residency make something to sell. Graham is going to do chocolate chip cookies - something Cody always did. We went to The Wedge (our local organic grocery store) and bought 5 lbs of chocolate chips!

100 Steps

Today we took place in an event called "100 Steps for Montessori" -- 100 Steps for Montessori is a sponsored walk/run being carried out by children around the world to raise awareness of Montessori during the Centenary year as well as to raise funds for their schools. The hope is that when the footsteps of those who have walked/run fom Montessori schools around the world are added together, they will span the equator!

The walk the kids did was five miles, 2 1/2 miles up along the Mississippi River and back to our starting place. Here are Graham and some friends after they finished walking.



I was taking picures of most of the kids as they returned. Here is Seby running to me.



Seby is hiding behind a tree to surprise Slade and Zane and Graham has just come from behind a hiding spot.



Zane is extra happy to be able to be carried!



Can you believe that Graham has grown over an inch since he left two weeks ago? He is back just for the weekend and then returns to the Land School for another four weeks.



Zane has been doing a lot of embroidery at school - many days he brings home hearts, circles, etc. Friday he brought home the shape of his foot!



Here Zane is very busy doing his "work" - he is writing a note to put on a birthday present for tomorrow. The present is a book of "My Father's Dragon" - favorite book on tapes that Auntie Chriss gave Cody & Graham years ago. Seby & Zane have been using them for months and we now buy them for gifts. We couldn't get the tapes this time and got the book instead. Zane looked at all the pictures and said "So that is how it is supposed to look."



Tonight Seby had to take a picture of Slade & Graham with their hats turned up in "ralley cap" mode. They were watching the Chicago Cubbies playing. The ralley caps didn't help - the Cubbies lost.

More Flowers!

Aren't these beauties?

Erika raided a few gardens for these gems.

Project Homeless Connect

Today Erika and volunteered at Project Homeless Connect. Here we are during the orientation before we were assigned a "guest."



We are now heading out to get paired up with a guest.

This event is a one-stop shop model for delivering services to people experiencing homelessness. Twice each year, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis will be partnering with service providers, businesses, citizens, and faith communities to bring multiple resources to one location where people can come and find the services they need. These services include: housing, employment, medical care, mental health care, benefits and legal assistance, eye doctors, haircuts, transportation assistance, food and clothing.

We spent most of the day with one guest. The two of us kept seeing each other in the hallways and many lines we had to wait it. In the afternoon it was very helpful to have the two of us working together to help both our guests. We all would take turns waiting in lines to get them all their needs met. My guest received a haircut, got some assistance for some mental health issues, made an appointment to work with a resource agency for employment and other needs and both of them got eye exams and will each receive new glasses, they also both are set up to get state ids - which are crucial in getting employment.

We both agreed that we will want to do it again next year. Of course I felt very guilty going home to my large home and knowing that I would be making a dinner from the vast sources of food in our fridge and/or freezer, and then shower in a warm clean shower and sleep on a clean bed WITH SHEETS! My guest has been homeless for two years and two days ago got into a transition house with a room that has a murphy bed and a half bath. There are no sheets on his bed, no covers, no pillows and no towels or other needs to shower. Luckily I was able to get him lined up with getting these needs met, but oh did I want to go get some of our extra sheets, etc to give to him. There is a very clear promise that you do not get personal with the folks you are helping, no sharing phone numbers or anything. It was painful to not do it anyway.

It was very rewarding and amazing how many folks I saw at the event that I knew from church or the school.

Graham has been at the Land School for two weeks now. He comes home for the weekend on Friday and we look forward to having him back with us.

Flowers!

Look at these great flowers that Erika picked for my desk!




And this beautiful display for the front hall table. Isnt she fabo?


Ok, the deal is that Erika (a good friend that used to live in a basement apartment across the alley from us) has moved into our carraige house. In lieu of rent she is giving us hours for different housework. Sometimes she cooks us amazing meals, yesterday she and I cleaned out and more thoroughly organized the kitchen pantry than has ever been done. This morning she went out and picked these amazing flowers and is now working on cleaning and organizing the playroom/work out room. I will go join her soon.

It is a wonderful fall day here in Minneapolis and these flowers fit right into the feel of the day!

Happy Birthday Big Sis!

Here are all the Smith Sisters! Me, Kitty, Christina.

Happy Birthday Kitty. I wonder if today was spent on you at all, or were you off driving donations to Hurrican Dean victims? Well, I hope you had some fun and relaxation on your b-day.