How's Robb?

... Thanks to the support of all our friends and family, our BORP Revolution ride was a huge success.  Every year, I wish that every one of you could have joined us. And every year, I feel like I fail to adequately express the magic of this event. Every year, I take some version of this photo, and every year it just looks like chaos.  I'm trying to convey the size of our part of the ride, the crazy variety of human-powered vehicles, and the rambunctious spirit.  All those things conspire to make a particularly crappy photo, so you'll have to take my word for it:  being part of this slightly crazed armada of adaptive cyclers and their friends is a blast!  The machines -- while incredible -- are nowhere near as impressive as their riders.  Talk about spirited!  These people ROCK. And then there's the landscape. It's a huge part of what makes this ride so special.  Sonoma County is simply beautiful. The vineyards are lovely.  I never tire of looking at

… Think good thoughts for us, y'all. Today is the day of the BORP Revolution ride! I'm personally woefully unprepared, because I have been -- and still am -- sick with some kind of sinus ick. I haven't done nearly the amount of riding I'd like to have done, and I'm sure I'll suffer for that. Oh well… life is all about overcoming adversities, isn't it? So, thank you everyone who has supported this great cause. Thank you especially Anonymous. We love you!  If you still want to give a little something in support of this wonderful organization, please click here .

... Here's a lovely video about our upcoming fundraising ride, and the great organization that it supports. I want to thank all of our friends and family who have supported our fundraising efforts this year, and all the other years we've done this event.  If you haven't donated, and can possibly spare even a few bucks, it would make a real difference in the life of someone living with disabilities. Click here for more info. And look for Robb at 1:22 and throughout.

... For the past few weeks, our rapidly growing chickens have spent the day outside in a mobile pen.  The big girls can see them, as can the cats.  The big chickens seemed interested in the smaller birds.  The cats were totally uninterested in the birds, but liked to snooze on top of the pen.  Mighty predators, indeed. This weekend, Robb and I decided to see what would happen if we let the little chickens out into the wider world. We locked Smog in the house, because all he wants to do is play Chase Me, and while he finds that game hilariously amusing, almost nobody else does.  We figured we didn't need to stress out the little birds by allowing Smog to chase them around the yard. The smaller birds stuck close together, but weren't at all nervous around the larger flock.   Don't they look tiny next to Isabella? Harriet, who was supposed to raise them and failed so miserably seemed only mildly interested. I imagine them shouting "You're

... Back in March, Robb and I took a falconry class. It was a huge amount of fun. However, I don't think the instructors knew what to make of us.  The class turned out to be very much geared toward hunting, and Robb and I are career vegetarians.  I just wanted to work with the birds, to fly them, and let them express their birdness.  I wasn't so interested in making them hunt rabbits on my behalf. Summer came, and I got terribly busy with work.  Thoughts of further falconry classes languished. Until now. Our young chickens may be perfect candidates for my vision of backyard falconry.  I could use chard and spinach instead of quail chunks to teach them to trust me.  I really think I'm on to something, here.

Eight years ago, I was in a hospital room in San Francisco with a beautiful view of the East Bay Hills.  I couldn't walk, couldn't stand, I couldn't even sit up on my own.  Somebody (a therapist or a counselor) told us about BORP.  They sponsored outdoor programs, she said.  I could enjoy some of the physical activities I once did. Something just clicked. I had very little evidence that I would ever be able to get out there and do those things, but it was a goal and I needed a goal. Months later, at the BORP cycling center, I tried out one adaptive cycle after another.  The folks there showed me what I could do, what was possible. These days, on my regular 14-mile ride along the San Francisco Bay, I see that same view I had out my hospital room window. It always makes me think about all the love and support and hope that got me up out of that bed. Every year, we do our bit to say thanks to BORP and ensure that it's there for the next guy. In three weeks, we&

Here we go again!  At the end of the month, we venture up to California's shaky-quakey Wine Country for a 20-mile ride to support BORP–– the great folks who provide sports and rec programs for people with disabilities. It's a challenging ride and I'm having some qualms about the undertaking but it means so much to us. In the end it will all be worth it. You can help, too.  Don't worry, no one will ask you to dump a bucket of ice on your head, just click here.

... On Mondays, I typically write about my garden.  There's a weekly blogging event over at Daphne's Dandelions , where bloggers post garden updates.  I enjoy the camaraderie there, and like having a glimpse into the life of other gardeners. But, alas, I've been too busy with work to do much of anything in the garden.  We're in the middle of a drought, so things would be looking pretty rough under the best of circumstances. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't been surrounded with flowers.  I'm working on a wonderfully audacious project for Berkeley Repertory Theatre called An Audience with Meow Meow.   Meow Meow is an Australian performance artist, who lives at the intersection of insanity and genius, somewhere in the neighborhood of subversive burlesque and demented opera.  That's a place I enjoy very much, and I'm delighted to be a part of the creation of this show. This weekend, I built two oversized roses to adorn the massiv