I'm not eating gluten in an attempt to feel (much) better. Ideally. I'm also not taking my thyroid medicine (shhh!) because I'm pretty sure we have suppressed it to the point of under production. I'm not a doctor or anything and sometimes I feel guilty and take it. But mostly I don't. I went to a new doctor, a holistic health center doctor in Austin, who tested me for any number of things and decided it was probably gluten and hypothyroidism. Holla. Gluten free bread, as far as I can tell, is spongy even when toasted. That is okay. Corn tortillas taste better than flour. Garbanzo beans and squash and black beans and quinoa, all of these are okay. These are good. This is initially just for 30 days, though I anticipate having to learn how to really cook sans gluten.

I have been reading a lot lately. Drew gives me books to read and they are (generally) easier, faster reads than my usual (war and peace) choices. I feel voracious as I tear through novel after novel. Some of them I really hate during the reading, but appreciate it when its all done. Like The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, which is a dense, sad, awful novel and totally worth reading. Some of them are brilliant through and through like Yann Martel's Self, or Jonathan Safran Foers Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Some people are amazing with voices. I just started Little Children by Tom Perrotta and don't want to put it down. Not at all. Already a book that I like/will like.

We have spent a lot of time in cities not our own these last few months. Dallas to Austin to Dallas to Austin. We have such good friends.

My brother and his wife have had a baby. A baby that I can't keep my hands off. I want to make loving this little boy my job. Somebody pay me. Seriously? Look at that face!

I can't quite handle how adorable he is.

It is strange to have my family grow and merge like this. Thanksgiving was spent at my brother's new house with his wife's family. My family is, of course, across the world. Are your siblings in-laws your in-laws? If they aren't technically, they should be. Families are so incredibly fascinating, especially now as families grow and deviate and reunite. My brother and his wife have an older son, who was adopted by a great family in Houston who they have a relationship with. I wish there were true titles to explain how my parents, as the not-birth-but-adopted parents of my brother, get to be grandparents to his birth-but-adopted-out son. Complicated.

Drew and I went to the Homestead Heritage children's fair with our friends, Chris and Donnell, this last weekend. Drew had never been to Homestead, so I felt like this was the time to remedy it. Of course, a fair is not a truly accurate representation of Homestead, but it is more fun. We pet goats and held baby rabbits and chicks. We watched a sheep dog demonstrate his skills, and we got a nice talking to about bees. I would love to keep bees. I do a lot of relaxed research on the internet about bee keeping, and was able to practice a little when I lived on the farm. I am ashamed to say I have never participated in a honey harvest there, however. I miss it every time. Maybe this year will be my year. A friend of mine sent me a great present the other day, this wonderful bee brooch. It's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry, so I might as well give her a shout out. Thanks so much, Jessie. This is my next tattoo, you all. The bee, (not the squares) in several locations.

Also, I have been doing a lot of reading this magazine online. It's been one of my favorites since I lived on the farm. It was founded by one of the members of Adbusters which is, of course, another fabulous Canadian periodical. Oh man, Canada. And Mennonites. Just love 'em. Anyway, one of my former classmates and friends from when we lived in Guatemala, Tim Hoiland, recently was published in Geez, which brought it back to my attention. Way to go, Tim. Its such a cool magazine.

I am always so jealous of my motivated and successful friends. Where do they get it from? Gorgeous souls finding outlet in writing and family building and farming and teaching and seeking and being. Community dwellers, soil tillers, truth researchers, people lovers. I am so freaking proud to know you.