If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land" (Isaiah 1:19).
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." Then he said, "go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones." So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "there is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest." 2 Kings 4:1-7
Showing posts with label import. Show all posts
Showing posts with label import. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
June Posts Typepad account
mindaTHINK
« May 2008 Main July 2008 »
8 posts from June 2008
June 21, 2008
Been thinkin' on victims and "good enough"
heavy thoughts going on over here today. I have noticed we all have a healthy dose of why me. For the most part, what happens to us in life is a result of choices we have made...unless you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and then you have a big ole dose of grace hitting you and tipping the balances in your favor.
One thing most of my online friends don't know about me as I have an unhealthy delight in scandal. I obsessively put my head together with one friend or another and talk excitedly over the bad choices I see people making daily. Its pretty transparent that somehow I feel like a better person when I can point out the foibles of my fellow man. In reality although I keep coming back to it like picking an ugly scab, it really makes me sick when I do it.
Bad behavior aside on my part, I sure do have alot of fodder for that bad habit. Instead of spending so much time seeking "poor me" status from those who will listen, it would be time better spent to think a bit about how we got where we are, and weighing the benefits of a do over. We all seem pretty good at pointing the finger at the thing or person or circumstance that is making our lives hell, and not so good at seeing how we play a part in it, past, present and future.
When I look at the irritants in my life; because honestly I don't feel like I have anything in my life that ranks any higher than a mild irritant, praise be to God, it doesn't take long for me to see the part I play in each situation. I am not a victim in any of the situations, I just have hard choices to make and I'd rather not make them out of a misguided belief that where I'm at is better than where I would be after making those choices.
We all have real "tragedies" in our lives. Some seem more "legitimate" than others. One acquaintance had a stroke which left her without use of part of her body, I mean certainly that gives her a right to our sympathy, right? And yet is that really what she wants? Is the role of victim what she seeks? Is that label how she wants to be known?
When some people find out I'm a homeschool mom I get to hear a wide variety of victim speak. They could never do that. They can hardly stand their children during the summer break. They would never survive on one income. They were never really trained on how to be a part-time parent much less a full-time one. In one swift moment they declare themselves a victim of stupidity, children they dislike and under the slave trade of money. I'm guessing that isn't really what they mean. I'm always curious why they feel the need to justify that they have chosen not to homeschool. I mean its not like I look at them funny or ask them to explain. I respect their choice as much as my own.
Which leads me to the second thing I've been contemplating this week. A good friend, one who often divines and speak the truth, walked with me this week and we were talking about guilt. We have several joint friends who approach issues in their past with a deep seated feeling of guilt, wishing that they had handled things already over in a different manner. I commented on how that is really not my approach and that when I find a hurt from my past I rush to give it to God and seek healing from it. She offhandedly commented, "yeah, you instead operate out of bitterness" OUCH! And yet, YEP. Nail on the head and all of that. Of course I think I know what bitterness means, but I looked up the definition anyway---one definition is "marked by resentment or cynicism." Resentment means "indignation or ill will felt as a result of a real or imagined grievance." Pretty much a template for the attitude of a victim. Sigh.
While we were walking and talking, I started thinking about "good enough". God sees us through "rose colored" glasses. He's not duped into believing something that isn't true, He's just powerful enough to see what is true, that we cannot conceive of. He sees past the victim mentality, the bitterness, to the full potential we have. I gotta be honest and say sometimes I wish He couldn't do that. There are many areas in my life that need major renovation. I know it, and even know a little bit about how to get from here to there. But I'm comfortable. Sure these falling down parts of my life irritate me from time to time, when I can't button my pants or I speak sarcastically to my husband or I look the other way when we are having money troubles, but hey, if I look around at others long enough I'll find enough evidence that I'm at least in the middle of the pack, so why reach higher?
Now would be a great place to insert a rah rah statement about how I'm gonna change and I'm gonna fight to be better, but this is my blog and I refuse to lie to you. At this point I see the problem, I'm ashamed of it, but I still can't seem to see that I have what it takes to move on. Not because I'm a victim of anything other than my own laziness. As I was praying about this the other day a thought came to me - "You don't have much time left to drift along half done. Pretty soon events are going to require more of you." How sad that I seem content to wait until it seems necessary.
Posted at 12:17 PM Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
June 19, 2008
Where I have been
Reading this:
with something so deliciously quotable on every page I feellike I need to keep a notebook nearby:
"It wasn't possible; it wasn't possible anymore. What else? Was this what came from thoughts of time running out and death; that all of a sudden you didn't know anymore what you wanted? That you didn't know your own will anymore? That you lost the obvious familiarity with your own wishes? And in this way became strange and a problem to yourself?"
"He had never thought of a doctorate; if anyone asked him about it, he only laughed. Such things didn't matter. What did matter was something quite simple: to know the ancient texts down to the last detail, to recognize every grammatical and stylistic detail and to know the history of every one of those expressions. In other words: to be good. That wasn't modesty--his demands on himself were utterly immodest. Nor was it eccentricity or a warped kind of vanity. It had been, he sometimes thought later, a silent rage aimed at a pompous world, an unbending defiance agains tthe world of show-offs who made his father suffer all his life because he has been only a museum guard. Others, who knew much less than he--ridiculously less, to tell the truth--had gotten degrees and solid positions: they seemed to belong to another, unbearably superficial world with standards he despised."
"Of the thousand experiences we have, we find language for one at most and even this one merely by chance and without the care it deserves. Buried under all the mute experiences are those unseen ones that give our life its form, its color, and its melody. Then, when we turn to these treasures, as archaeologist of the soul, we discover how confusing they are. The object of contemplation refuses to stand still, the words bounce off the experience and in the end, pure contradictions stand on the paper."
So, sorry about the limited updating, but dang, life is moving fast these days.
Posted at 06:15 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
June 12, 2008
Deanna P. and Reality
So, not everything I post on my blog shows my best side, not every entry is designed to make my parents proud. This is MY blog, and on it, I try to leave a record of the REAL me. Sometimes the real me is pretty cool. She reads high literature, writes poetry, does the right thing by her man and loves God.
And sometimes the real me is just a big goof ball. I have three crushes: fortunately, the biggest one is on my husband. There is not a day that goes by that I dont' realize just how entirely lucky I am to have him in my life. His qualities are first and foremost what every girl dreams of, and I feel like I won the lottery most of the time. (but dont' get me wrong, there are still times I inevitably want to bop him on the head, and I'm sure there are far more times he'd like to do likewise!)
My second crush is Dancing with the Stars. I love the elegance, the underdog-rises-to-the-top and the good clean fun of this show. I'm in serious miss-it mode right now.
My third crush is on the TV version of this little lady:
I know, huh! Deanna Pappas, as portrayed on The Bachelorette rules. She is honest. She is willing to put her heart on the line. She has crazy romantic ideas and she carries them out. She can't hide her true feelings (Robert: so, can I kiss you? Deanna: Uh, maybe right here (cheek offered grudgingly)) She is a better racer than all the guys. I mean she is just off the hook. Of course I realize that the REAL Deanna Pappas may be a totally different chick. I understand editing and support staff and retouching. I do. But dang, TV Deanna is my ideal woman...model...for my own behavior I mean. Sheesh, what were you thinking?!?!
I even watched this weeks episode twice, I'm that afflicted! But seriously, my REAL LIFE take away from this show is her honesty. I always strive to be honest with people, but she inspires me to try harder. Plus, she really inspires my romantic side, which my practical side often has for dinner.
So honey if you are reading...big brownie points for fulfilling this dream...
(oh and NOT the taxi ride, blue and white taxi, been there, done that.)
Anyway, so there, now you know something less than regal about me...more to come...I'M SURE OF IT!
Posted at 06:00 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
June 08, 2008
Mood for a Shoot
I've been itching to go do a shoot at this place I found last year:
Here are some photos of the grungy backgrounds that just make my camera fingers itchy!
So come on! Who wants to get shot? Maybe I can talk my niece who just graduated from high school this weekend to come on down there with me. She'd be fabulous!
Posted at 10:36 PM in Create Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
June 06, 2008
Mi'kmaq, Acadien, Scots, freemen and Evangeline
You may remember me speaking briefly of our encounter last weekend with a show at the Ordway called DRUM! which was an intricately woven carpet of music from a region I know little about. NorthEastern Canada, primarily New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and a little further to the east, Newfoundland are locations that are described in the few ficition books I've read about them, as harsh and unyielding. In E. Annie Proulx's The Shipping News and Anne-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees, the people are painted as divisive and wordless. I admit not pursuing much knowledge of the area.
Then I saw DRUM!
The tale DRUM! weaves is entirely different. And it piqued my interest. So I started doing a little research today. In addition to studying maps to learn a little more about the area, and ordering the very few books I could find on the subject from the library, I learned some interesting literary facts:
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow's Poem Evangeline was written as a ficitonalized account of the french acadien expulsion in 1755 from the area by neighboring Brits. Longfellow learned of this event through his friend Hawthorne, who did not wish to take up the cause of writing a fiction based on it.
Here is the lyric and compelling opening to that poem, published by Wordsworth in 1895.
Evangeline.A Tale of Acadie.by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
THIS is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring oceanSpeaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath itLeaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman?Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,--Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of OctoberSeize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o'er the ocean.Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion,List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
I am going to print off this whole poem, which is available for free at Project Gutenberg, and study it with Andrew along with our geography and history research on the area.
The second interesting fact I discovered was the Anne of Green Gables is set on Prince Edward Island, which although I have read several of the books and even seen a play version of it, I had forgotten. I ordered part one of the Anne of Avonlea BBC series from the library, should be fun to watch together.
The Mi'kmaq indians were the native inhabitants of the area known today as New Brunswick, Newfoundland, labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine. Before outsiders arrived, they were part of an alliance with four Algonquian nations. Once the colonists began to arrive in the middle of the 17th century, they became allies with the french and intermarriage was common. One of the more famous Mi'kmaq indians was Rita Joe, who passed away last year at the age of 75. She grew up an orphan, went on to obtain doctorates in three subjects and wrote many books of poetry beginning in her 30's, so her eight children would not only see the natives portrayed in the harsh ways that were then in vogue.
Here is a lovely montage paying tribute to her and her poetry. Parts of this poem were used in the DRUM! production:
Posted at 10:48 PM in Homeschooling Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
June 05, 2008
House of Wax
Lightning hits the house of wax
Poets spill out on the street
To set alight the incomplete
Remainders of the future
Hidden in the yard. Hidden in the yard.
Thunder drowns the trumpet blast
Poets scatter through the night
But they can only dream of flight
Away from their confusion
Hidden in the yard. Underneath the wall.
Buried deep beneath a thousand layers lay
the answer to it all.
Lightning hits the house of wax
Women scream and run around
To dance upon the battleground
Like wild demented horses
Hidden in the yard. Underneath the wall.
Buried deep beneath a thousand layers lay
The answer to it all.
Posted at 01:20 AM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
If I lived in Texas I would drive them to their children.
The clear bias in this video, the words used, and the accents given, make me sick.
As much as we would like to believe otherwise, we will never know the truth.
Thank God that the courts ruled as they did.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/02/texas.polygamists/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCVideo
Posted at 12:38 AM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
"It’s easy to photograph light reflecting from a surface, the truly hard part is capturing the light in the air."
Walker Evans
(1903 - 1975)
provided by FocalPower
« May 2008 Main July 2008 »
8 posts from June 2008
June 21, 2008
Been thinkin' on victims and "good enough"
heavy thoughts going on over here today. I have noticed we all have a healthy dose of why me. For the most part, what happens to us in life is a result of choices we have made...unless you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and then you have a big ole dose of grace hitting you and tipping the balances in your favor.
One thing most of my online friends don't know about me as I have an unhealthy delight in scandal. I obsessively put my head together with one friend or another and talk excitedly over the bad choices I see people making daily. Its pretty transparent that somehow I feel like a better person when I can point out the foibles of my fellow man. In reality although I keep coming back to it like picking an ugly scab, it really makes me sick when I do it.
Bad behavior aside on my part, I sure do have alot of fodder for that bad habit. Instead of spending so much time seeking "poor me" status from those who will listen, it would be time better spent to think a bit about how we got where we are, and weighing the benefits of a do over. We all seem pretty good at pointing the finger at the thing or person or circumstance that is making our lives hell, and not so good at seeing how we play a part in it, past, present and future.
When I look at the irritants in my life; because honestly I don't feel like I have anything in my life that ranks any higher than a mild irritant, praise be to God, it doesn't take long for me to see the part I play in each situation. I am not a victim in any of the situations, I just have hard choices to make and I'd rather not make them out of a misguided belief that where I'm at is better than where I would be after making those choices.
We all have real "tragedies" in our lives. Some seem more "legitimate" than others. One acquaintance had a stroke which left her without use of part of her body, I mean certainly that gives her a right to our sympathy, right? And yet is that really what she wants? Is the role of victim what she seeks? Is that label how she wants to be known?
When some people find out I'm a homeschool mom I get to hear a wide variety of victim speak. They could never do that. They can hardly stand their children during the summer break. They would never survive on one income. They were never really trained on how to be a part-time parent much less a full-time one. In one swift moment they declare themselves a victim of stupidity, children they dislike and under the slave trade of money. I'm guessing that isn't really what they mean. I'm always curious why they feel the need to justify that they have chosen not to homeschool. I mean its not like I look at them funny or ask them to explain. I respect their choice as much as my own.
Which leads me to the second thing I've been contemplating this week. A good friend, one who often divines and speak the truth, walked with me this week and we were talking about guilt. We have several joint friends who approach issues in their past with a deep seated feeling of guilt, wishing that they had handled things already over in a different manner. I commented on how that is really not my approach and that when I find a hurt from my past I rush to give it to God and seek healing from it. She offhandedly commented, "yeah, you instead operate out of bitterness" OUCH! And yet, YEP. Nail on the head and all of that. Of course I think I know what bitterness means, but I looked up the definition anyway---one definition is "marked by resentment or cynicism." Resentment means "indignation or ill will felt as a result of a real or imagined grievance." Pretty much a template for the attitude of a victim. Sigh.
While we were walking and talking, I started thinking about "good enough". God sees us through "rose colored" glasses. He's not duped into believing something that isn't true, He's just powerful enough to see what is true, that we cannot conceive of. He sees past the victim mentality, the bitterness, to the full potential we have. I gotta be honest and say sometimes I wish He couldn't do that. There are many areas in my life that need major renovation. I know it, and even know a little bit about how to get from here to there. But I'm comfortable. Sure these falling down parts of my life irritate me from time to time, when I can't button my pants or I speak sarcastically to my husband or I look the other way when we are having money troubles, but hey, if I look around at others long enough I'll find enough evidence that I'm at least in the middle of the pack, so why reach higher?
Now would be a great place to insert a rah rah statement about how I'm gonna change and I'm gonna fight to be better, but this is my blog and I refuse to lie to you. At this point I see the problem, I'm ashamed of it, but I still can't seem to see that I have what it takes to move on. Not because I'm a victim of anything other than my own laziness. As I was praying about this the other day a thought came to me - "You don't have much time left to drift along half done. Pretty soon events are going to require more of you." How sad that I seem content to wait until it seems necessary.
Posted at 12:17 PM Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
June 19, 2008
Where I have been
Reading this:
with something so deliciously quotable on every page I feellike I need to keep a notebook nearby:
"It wasn't possible; it wasn't possible anymore. What else? Was this what came from thoughts of time running out and death; that all of a sudden you didn't know anymore what you wanted? That you didn't know your own will anymore? That you lost the obvious familiarity with your own wishes? And in this way became strange and a problem to yourself?"
"He had never thought of a doctorate; if anyone asked him about it, he only laughed. Such things didn't matter. What did matter was something quite simple: to know the ancient texts down to the last detail, to recognize every grammatical and stylistic detail and to know the history of every one of those expressions. In other words: to be good. That wasn't modesty--his demands on himself were utterly immodest. Nor was it eccentricity or a warped kind of vanity. It had been, he sometimes thought later, a silent rage aimed at a pompous world, an unbending defiance agains tthe world of show-offs who made his father suffer all his life because he has been only a museum guard. Others, who knew much less than he--ridiculously less, to tell the truth--had gotten degrees and solid positions: they seemed to belong to another, unbearably superficial world with standards he despised."
"Of the thousand experiences we have, we find language for one at most and even this one merely by chance and without the care it deserves. Buried under all the mute experiences are those unseen ones that give our life its form, its color, and its melody. Then, when we turn to these treasures, as archaeologist of the soul, we discover how confusing they are. The object of contemplation refuses to stand still, the words bounce off the experience and in the end, pure contradictions stand on the paper."
So, sorry about the limited updating, but dang, life is moving fast these days.
Posted at 06:15 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
June 12, 2008
Deanna P. and Reality
So, not everything I post on my blog shows my best side, not every entry is designed to make my parents proud. This is MY blog, and on it, I try to leave a record of the REAL me. Sometimes the real me is pretty cool. She reads high literature, writes poetry, does the right thing by her man and loves God.
And sometimes the real me is just a big goof ball. I have three crushes: fortunately, the biggest one is on my husband. There is not a day that goes by that I dont' realize just how entirely lucky I am to have him in my life. His qualities are first and foremost what every girl dreams of, and I feel like I won the lottery most of the time. (but dont' get me wrong, there are still times I inevitably want to bop him on the head, and I'm sure there are far more times he'd like to do likewise!)
My second crush is Dancing with the Stars. I love the elegance, the underdog-rises-to-the-top and the good clean fun of this show. I'm in serious miss-it mode right now.
My third crush is on the TV version of this little lady:
I know, huh! Deanna Pappas, as portrayed on The Bachelorette rules. She is honest. She is willing to put her heart on the line. She has crazy romantic ideas and she carries them out. She can't hide her true feelings (Robert: so, can I kiss you? Deanna: Uh, maybe right here (cheek offered grudgingly)) She is a better racer than all the guys. I mean she is just off the hook. Of course I realize that the REAL Deanna Pappas may be a totally different chick. I understand editing and support staff and retouching. I do. But dang, TV Deanna is my ideal woman...model...for my own behavior I mean. Sheesh, what were you thinking?!?!
I even watched this weeks episode twice, I'm that afflicted! But seriously, my REAL LIFE take away from this show is her honesty. I always strive to be honest with people, but she inspires me to try harder. Plus, she really inspires my romantic side, which my practical side often has for dinner.
So honey if you are reading...big brownie points for fulfilling this dream...
(oh and NOT the taxi ride, blue and white taxi, been there, done that.)
Anyway, so there, now you know something less than regal about me...more to come...I'M SURE OF IT!
Posted at 06:00 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
June 08, 2008
Mood for a Shoot
I've been itching to go do a shoot at this place I found last year:
Here are some photos of the grungy backgrounds that just make my camera fingers itchy!
So come on! Who wants to get shot? Maybe I can talk my niece who just graduated from high school this weekend to come on down there with me. She'd be fabulous!
Posted at 10:36 PM in Create Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
June 06, 2008
Mi'kmaq, Acadien, Scots, freemen and Evangeline
You may remember me speaking briefly of our encounter last weekend with a show at the Ordway called DRUM! which was an intricately woven carpet of music from a region I know little about. NorthEastern Canada, primarily New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and a little further to the east, Newfoundland are locations that are described in the few ficition books I've read about them, as harsh and unyielding. In E. Annie Proulx's The Shipping News and Anne-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees, the people are painted as divisive and wordless. I admit not pursuing much knowledge of the area.
Then I saw DRUM!
The tale DRUM! weaves is entirely different. And it piqued my interest. So I started doing a little research today. In addition to studying maps to learn a little more about the area, and ordering the very few books I could find on the subject from the library, I learned some interesting literary facts:
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow's Poem Evangeline was written as a ficitonalized account of the french acadien expulsion in 1755 from the area by neighboring Brits. Longfellow learned of this event through his friend Hawthorne, who did not wish to take up the cause of writing a fiction based on it.
Here is the lyric and compelling opening to that poem, published by Wordsworth in 1895.
Evangeline.A Tale of Acadie.by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
THIS is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring oceanSpeaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath itLeaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman?Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,--Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of OctoberSeize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o'er the ocean.Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion,List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
I am going to print off this whole poem, which is available for free at Project Gutenberg, and study it with Andrew along with our geography and history research on the area.
The second interesting fact I discovered was the Anne of Green Gables is set on Prince Edward Island, which although I have read several of the books and even seen a play version of it, I had forgotten. I ordered part one of the Anne of Avonlea BBC series from the library, should be fun to watch together.
The Mi'kmaq indians were the native inhabitants of the area known today as New Brunswick, Newfoundland, labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine. Before outsiders arrived, they were part of an alliance with four Algonquian nations. Once the colonists began to arrive in the middle of the 17th century, they became allies with the french and intermarriage was common. One of the more famous Mi'kmaq indians was Rita Joe, who passed away last year at the age of 75. She grew up an orphan, went on to obtain doctorates in three subjects and wrote many books of poetry beginning in her 30's, so her eight children would not only see the natives portrayed in the harsh ways that were then in vogue.
Here is a lovely montage paying tribute to her and her poetry. Parts of this poem were used in the DRUM! production:
Posted at 10:48 PM in Homeschooling Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
June 05, 2008
House of Wax
Lightning hits the house of wax
Poets spill out on the street
To set alight the incomplete
Remainders of the future
Hidden in the yard. Hidden in the yard.
Thunder drowns the trumpet blast
Poets scatter through the night
But they can only dream of flight
Away from their confusion
Hidden in the yard. Underneath the wall.
Buried deep beneath a thousand layers lay
the answer to it all.
Lightning hits the house of wax
Women scream and run around
To dance upon the battleground
Like wild demented horses
Hidden in the yard. Underneath the wall.
Buried deep beneath a thousand layers lay
The answer to it all.
Posted at 01:20 AM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
If I lived in Texas I would drive them to their children.
The clear bias in this video, the words used, and the accents given, make me sick.
As much as we would like to believe otherwise, we will never know the truth.
Thank God that the courts ruled as they did.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/02/texas.polygamists/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCVideo
Posted at 12:38 AM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
"It’s easy to photograph light reflecting from a surface, the truly hard part is capturing the light in the air."
Walker Evans
(1903 - 1975)
provided by FocalPower
Saturday, May 31, 2008
May Posts
May 26, 2008
Another six
Another 6 mile bike ride last night as I rode to and from our picnic in the park. I was quite surprised to see it was that far, it felt more like 4!
No pictures from yesterday, I recently had a photo disaster (Hey Jackie, can you come back from England for another photo shoot?) so my camera is in a time out (It was totally my fault, but I don't like to take the blame)
Here is the only photo that turned out from that day:
Here is what the majority look like out of the camera:
such a lovely BLUE mess, eh?
After working it to death I still get this mess:
This one looks better because I added a super cool frame that I was put on to by SDAFUSE. Thanks girl!
sad thing is, my mom was counting on my camera because hers was out of battery life.
Posted at 11:31 AM Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
May 24, 2008
A Week on the Grand Round
It's beautiful here. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are known as the metropolitan area with the most per capita bike commuters. Who knew? But after spending three days on various parts of our bike system I can certainly see why it is worth the effort in our, shall we say "variable" weather?
This sign was something I passed several dozen times this weekend. It signifies a 50.1 mile bike only trail that runs around a pretty decent sized chunk of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I've always thought it foolish to pack up your bikes and drive to a bike route when I have perfectly good sidewalks and streets in my own neighborhood. But this week I wanted to see what I was missing, and now its all clear. In my neighborhood there are some pretty decent, quiet streets to bike. But almost none of them are flat. In fact, you can't leave my apartment in any direction without encountering a hill within the first mile. They are everywhere. And in terms of having a nice LONG bike ride, it is easier for me to maintain a more steady effort, rather then pumping up hills and cruising down the other side.
On Tuesday, I decided to see how far I could run. I have a dear friend out in New Hampshire that is trying to get out here to see me, and she is a RUNNER! She has now run countless 5 and 10ks, and 3 half marathons. If she comes out here I know she's gonna want to run with me, and I wondered, just how far can I go if pushed? Well, I can't say I ran the whole time, but I did go 7 miles on Tuesday. Here is my lovely route:
I really pushed myself too far, and by the end of Lake Harriet I could barely ambulate, much less run, but it felt good to push my limits. It was a perfect day and there were plenty of colorful sailboarders out on Calhoun and such beautiful little waves on Lake Harriet. The gardens are starting to bloom, and as I made my way past the amphitheatre the musicians were warming up for a concert. At Lake Calhoun I passed the lakeside restaurant and nearly keeled over from the lovely smells of food cooking. It was such a wonderful, if painful and LONG run (I don't even want to tell you how long it took me to go 7 miles...a LONG time!)
Wednesday was left for recovery, and I was pleasantly surprised that I felt really good.
On Thursday, Andrew and I met up at my friend Martha's house in St. Louis Park, a suburb directly north of us about 8 miles, and left from her house to catch another piece of the great dedicated bike trails that run through the heart of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis has smartly repurposed old railroad routes, which are already set up to bypass most traffic routes, and turn them in to dedicated biking "freeways". There are few exits and entrances and the trails are smooth as silk and well marked. Most importantly? They are FLAT. Going Andrew's speed, I hardly had to pedal at all! We met up with the Lake of the Isles trail, a lovely paved path that circles the circuitous Isles, surrounded by multimillion dollar estates. We took a short detour half way around the lake to reward the hard working Andrew with an ice cream cone. I think Martha was less than thrilled with the speed the little 8 year old generated, but I was pleased as punch with how well he held up on this 10.5 mile ride! Getting to and from the ice cream parlor involved a treacherous hill, but we were soon back on the pleasant, flat paved path around the lake and back to the dedicated trail to St. Louis Park. The weather again was just stunning, sunny and beautiful, a slight breeze to keep us cool, the temps hovering right at 70.
Friday we took another rest break and just played at the park with friends.
Today we all three headed to Lake Nokomis, the closest in the chain of lakes to our home. Scott and Andrew wished me a nice ride and headed over to the dock to do some fishing. This was my final route although my original plans were a bit different:
I wanted to try out more of the eastern portion of the beltway, so although my original plan was to circle Harriet, Calhoun and Isles and then head back on the eastern side of these lakes, I instead headed straight east from Calhoun, then cut down on Portland for a faster shot to the starting point. (As the boys had called and fishing was a bust.) What is so wonderful about these rides is the scenery. Each part of the trail is set up so that biking involves a minimum of interaction with traffic (must trails are off street and either go over or under cross streets to minimize intersections) and a maximum interaction with the natural beauty of our fair cities. I wound around lakes studded with flowering trees, coasted alongside creeks with gardens and statues and lovely bridges being passed under by families in canoes and kayaks, and on the bigger lakes watched the sailboarders dance across the surface and the dogs catch frisbee's and the families cooking mouthwatering steaks and playing volleyball. I also always enjoy looking for couples on first dates: this is what Scott and I did on our first date and I love seeing the awkwardness mixed with possibilities and remembering back.
A lovely week with 40 miles overall of running, biking and walking. Can't wait for what next week will bring!
Posted at 10:20 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
May 23, 2008
Bike Riding Fools!
Yesterday Andrew, Martha and I rode our bikes from her house, which is conveniently located right by a lovely bike trail, around Lake of the Isles, into Kenwood for an ice cream cone and back to her home again.
Total mileage? check it out here
I'm so proud of that little man.
Later that same day I met up with mom and her friend Jackie from England, and we walked around Lake Harriet and through the Peace Garden there.
I thought I'd be crippled today but I feel great. Ready for another bike ride tomorrow!
Posted at 10:12 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
May 22, 2008
Tagged!
Vinny tagged me, and although I don't usually play tag, Vinny is new to blogging and I want to encourage her to keep it up, so I'm playing along this time!
Here are the rules:1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.2. Share 4 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.see jagged edge here as if part has been torn off thus eliminating my need to tag others...
Here are my four random facts:
I despise television, but still sneak episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor on the internet
I am not fond of PDC, or Public Displays of Celebration...weddings, parties, graduations...ugh!
I've recently discovered I don't really need any friends...its even nicer to just enjoy them for fun!
Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night I play neopets games and feed my sons pet so it won't die.
There you go Gina!
Posted at 04:31 AM Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
May 21, 2008
We are a wee bit more Scottish here these days...
Betcha didn't know that Scotland doesn't have a national anthem. Nope. Here is a song song since the 60's by The Corries that is proposed as the national anthem.
Flower of Scotland
O Flower of Scotland,When will we see,Your like again,That fought and died for,Your wee bit Hill and Glen,And stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
The hills are bare now,And autum leaves lie thick and still,O'er land that is lost now,Which those so dearly held,And stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
Those days are past now,And in the pastThey must remain,But we can still rise now,And be the nation again,That stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
Yes, Saturday last we FINALLY got to the Scottish Fair and Highland Games that we have wanted to attend for about 10 years! Now you may be asking, why would an Irish/Swedish/Romanian woman and a SMITH man want to attend a Scottish event. Scott and I have been fond of Scotland for many years, and we both wish to travel there some day. We have enjoyed all five seasons of Monarch of the Glen and Braveheart is one of Scott's all time favorite movies. Little did we know how the third member of the family was going to affect our interest!
Andrew and I headed out with Ronan, Park and Julie. Park and Ronan are Armstrongs, one of about 20 recognized official clans of Scotland. Ronan has a closet of kilts, so he lent one to Andrew, and we were on our way. Scott joined us later in the day after some sleep. We had an absolutely delightful time. The Highland games mainly consist of big men in kilts throwing really heavy things either far or high. Imagine trying to single handedly throw a 20 foot tall, 20 inch wide telephone pole so hard that it would flip end over end. Imagine throwing up to 60 pounds over 20 feet in the air. These are TOUGH guys. In skirts,if you will.
I was in heaven.
Then there were bagpipes.
And sheep herding dogs. The calling of the clans was so awesome!
We stayed until we were all so tired and sick we could hardly stand...and I havent' been able to get Andrew out of the kilt ever since. He dresses before I get up at 7am. He LOVES his kilt and sporran. So we bought him another and bought a new one to replace the one from Ronan that I can't get off of him.
So please remember when you see him, its not a skirt, its a kilt. He's very proud of it.
He was quite certain he had to have Scottish blood in him, so I set about trying to find a possible link. For the time being, we are assuming we have some link with Clan Cameron. So if you see him, don't argue that point please! He wanted to be linked to Clan Gunn, thought they were the coolest one, but I had no luck!
Posted at 11:32 PM Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
So much is passing me by...
I keep wanting to do a big post so as not to forget anything that has happened, but seriously, I never have time!
Last Wednesday we went to the Bass Ponds on the river for our final Minnesota Valley Preserve class. Mara and the other naturalist there are so awesome with the kids. We spent some time scooping up all kinds of tiny critters in the ponds, the boys had things that even Mara was excited to see, and Andrew got to lead an example of how to "key out" specimens because he had done such a good job on his own findings.
Then we spent the second hour with the binoculars, looking for the larger wildlife that hangs out at the ponds. We saw a blue heron, a muskrat and plenty of turtles, geese and ducks.
Later that day Andrew and Scott went back for some fishing. No bites, but they had a good time.
On Thursday we had our final class at Westwood Nature center. It was on Decomposers, and the day was perfect. Greg , the naturalist there is great about knowing what the kids need, so we spent alot of time running around, lifting heavy logs, digging with sticks and the like. We found many cool mushrooms and little bugs and worms, and as we were leaving, two doe and their fawns were feeding right beside the trail and really weren't spooked by us much.
Its hard to believe it, I know, but Friday was ANOTHER nature center class, this one at Woodlake. We did some resource management, and after taking a pledge to rid the woods of harmful invasive plants, we set out to KILL THE BUCKTHORN!
The kids LOVED this and it was very easy to tell the buckthorn from other plants and trees. A little boy just doesn't have more fun than being told its okay to pull out a 10 foot tall tree! Because they have fairly shallow roots buckthorn is easy to pull up. I had to drag him away at the end, he really didn't want the class to end!
But we had to leave so we could get ready for our concert downtown in Minneapolis! We had free tickets to the Orchestra Hall concert friday night and we headed to Brits first for a true english meal. It was hopping so we sat inside right by the door! So fun to watch the wide variety of people coming in and out. We love downtown. Then we walked around downtown and let Andrew play on the plaza while we drank coffee. Finally it was time for the concert, Schuberts 4th symphony, and we all thought it was over too soon!
here we are at Brits, the waiter didn't bother to wait until I was looking...oh well!
Now Saturday, that was a lifechanging event...more on that later!
Posted at 11:11 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
May 19, 2008
Blues in the Night
Scott took me on the dreamiest date yesterday, here is a little YouTube video about it, doesn't do it justice at ALL, but you get a peek!
Posted at 06:25 PM Permalink Comments (3) TrackBack (0)
Post 600 and its a doozie!
So this is it! Finally! My 600th post!
Here is my first post:
August 06, 2005
Bandwagon Jumper
Me, two months ago: Blogs are so stupid! Who would ever read those? Weird!
Me, one month ago: So, did you see what was on Cathy's blog last night? And if you click over to Tara's, you learn all about the next event. I can't believe Karen feels that way about dogs, that is just what I was thinking! Man, I love reading blogs, but I sure as heck would never have one! That's just weird to post your innermost thoughts on the web!
Me, yesterday: Honey, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna start my own blog. I think it will be so fun!
So as you can see, I didn't originally think I'd like blogging, but nearly three years and 600 posts later I guess I can say I'm hooked!
The last two weeks have been INSANE and FUN like you can't believe!
We celebrated Minnesota's 150th birthday by going to the history center and viewing the Minnesota150 exhibit with our homeschool group. Its a wild and wooly group but we love 'em. Here is a few of the boys waiting for the tour to start.
They were all so wiggly, its definately spring in their little bodies!
We had a special treat the following Friday. Mom reminded me of the Wagon Train that was heading from Eastern Minnesota to downtown St. Paul over the course of the week leading up to the big celebration of the MN150 at the capitol. Between the two of us we tracked down their route and then Lisa joined us and we set out to find them. We hooked up with them in Hastings and got some great shots, then followed them for about an hour (at a top speed of 5mp) and got some more photos at a rest stop they took. It was exciting to be in the horse world again for a little while, to talk to the owners, to see the different types of wagon's and hear stories. It was really telling to see how slowly the train moved...and this on good roads and a set course. Back at the forming of the country there were no street signs and well maintained roads to take, imagine the streams they had to cross and the other perils they encountered...very interesting!
Erin encouraged us to meet her at the Festival of Nations, and I'm so glad she did! We have been wanting to try it for years, and just kept missing it. We had a great day there and were surprised to find Andrew's circus coach inside a Ghir (Yurt) talking about her native country Mongolia. She is such a wonderful person. Andrew loved the festival so much and can't wait to go again next year. We tried all kinds of interesting food, enjoyed the music and dancing and visiting dozens of booths from all over the world.
Next up was the Twins Game, Andrew's first. Lisa had gotten the tickets through work, and Dave, Lisa, Andrew, Scott and I all went. Andrew fell in love with baseball. He said outside the game while we were playing around out on the plaza that he thought he would find the outside pregame more fun than the actual game, but once we were inside he was loving it. He asked many questions about the game itself and was very excited. I hope we have an opportunity to go again.
It used to be you could take the family for a reasonable amount of money, but in
the ten years since I've been at the games the prices have skyrocketed. We'll watch for some deals!
We are starting to enjoy our favorite local park, Moyer. It has a creek and a wide walking path and is just so lovely. The creek is high right now because of all the melting snow, and the men challenged themselves to a walk across a log before we had a picnic lunch. Then we built little fairy houses and biked back home. Such a fun place to be a kid!
Okay, that was just two weeks ago! I haven't even hit the past week yet, but I think that is enough for one post. We love spring and I am enjoying the lack of allergies that usually knock me out for several weeks each spring. More to come soon!
Posted at 04:18 PM in Current Affairs Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
May 06, 2008
Will Return after these messages
Turns out that with God inspiring, friends calling, weather stunning, family seeking, scrap happening, work beckoning that blogging loses its place in line.
Hopefully inclement weather will return soon, and I'll be able to post something meaningful for my 600th post!
Another six
Another 6 mile bike ride last night as I rode to and from our picnic in the park. I was quite surprised to see it was that far, it felt more like 4!
No pictures from yesterday, I recently had a photo disaster (Hey Jackie, can you come back from England for another photo shoot?) so my camera is in a time out (It was totally my fault, but I don't like to take the blame)
Here is the only photo that turned out from that day:
Here is what the majority look like out of the camera:
such a lovely BLUE mess, eh?
After working it to death I still get this mess:
This one looks better because I added a super cool frame that I was put on to by SDAFUSE. Thanks girl!
sad thing is, my mom was counting on my camera because hers was out of battery life.
Posted at 11:31 AM Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
May 24, 2008
A Week on the Grand Round
It's beautiful here. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are known as the metropolitan area with the most per capita bike commuters. Who knew? But after spending three days on various parts of our bike system I can certainly see why it is worth the effort in our, shall we say "variable" weather?
This sign was something I passed several dozen times this weekend. It signifies a 50.1 mile bike only trail that runs around a pretty decent sized chunk of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I've always thought it foolish to pack up your bikes and drive to a bike route when I have perfectly good sidewalks and streets in my own neighborhood. But this week I wanted to see what I was missing, and now its all clear. In my neighborhood there are some pretty decent, quiet streets to bike. But almost none of them are flat. In fact, you can't leave my apartment in any direction without encountering a hill within the first mile. They are everywhere. And in terms of having a nice LONG bike ride, it is easier for me to maintain a more steady effort, rather then pumping up hills and cruising down the other side.
On Tuesday, I decided to see how far I could run. I have a dear friend out in New Hampshire that is trying to get out here to see me, and she is a RUNNER! She has now run countless 5 and 10ks, and 3 half marathons. If she comes out here I know she's gonna want to run with me, and I wondered, just how far can I go if pushed? Well, I can't say I ran the whole time, but I did go 7 miles on Tuesday. Here is my lovely route:
I really pushed myself too far, and by the end of Lake Harriet I could barely ambulate, much less run, but it felt good to push my limits. It was a perfect day and there were plenty of colorful sailboarders out on Calhoun and such beautiful little waves on Lake Harriet. The gardens are starting to bloom, and as I made my way past the amphitheatre the musicians were warming up for a concert. At Lake Calhoun I passed the lakeside restaurant and nearly keeled over from the lovely smells of food cooking. It was such a wonderful, if painful and LONG run (I don't even want to tell you how long it took me to go 7 miles...a LONG time!)
Wednesday was left for recovery, and I was pleasantly surprised that I felt really good.
On Thursday, Andrew and I met up at my friend Martha's house in St. Louis Park, a suburb directly north of us about 8 miles, and left from her house to catch another piece of the great dedicated bike trails that run through the heart of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis has smartly repurposed old railroad routes, which are already set up to bypass most traffic routes, and turn them in to dedicated biking "freeways". There are few exits and entrances and the trails are smooth as silk and well marked. Most importantly? They are FLAT. Going Andrew's speed, I hardly had to pedal at all! We met up with the Lake of the Isles trail, a lovely paved path that circles the circuitous Isles, surrounded by multimillion dollar estates. We took a short detour half way around the lake to reward the hard working Andrew with an ice cream cone. I think Martha was less than thrilled with the speed the little 8 year old generated, but I was pleased as punch with how well he held up on this 10.5 mile ride! Getting to and from the ice cream parlor involved a treacherous hill, but we were soon back on the pleasant, flat paved path around the lake and back to the dedicated trail to St. Louis Park. The weather again was just stunning, sunny and beautiful, a slight breeze to keep us cool, the temps hovering right at 70.
Friday we took another rest break and just played at the park with friends.
Today we all three headed to Lake Nokomis, the closest in the chain of lakes to our home. Scott and Andrew wished me a nice ride and headed over to the dock to do some fishing. This was my final route although my original plans were a bit different:
I wanted to try out more of the eastern portion of the beltway, so although my original plan was to circle Harriet, Calhoun and Isles and then head back on the eastern side of these lakes, I instead headed straight east from Calhoun, then cut down on Portland for a faster shot to the starting point. (As the boys had called and fishing was a bust.) What is so wonderful about these rides is the scenery. Each part of the trail is set up so that biking involves a minimum of interaction with traffic (must trails are off street and either go over or under cross streets to minimize intersections) and a maximum interaction with the natural beauty of our fair cities. I wound around lakes studded with flowering trees, coasted alongside creeks with gardens and statues and lovely bridges being passed under by families in canoes and kayaks, and on the bigger lakes watched the sailboarders dance across the surface and the dogs catch frisbee's and the families cooking mouthwatering steaks and playing volleyball. I also always enjoy looking for couples on first dates: this is what Scott and I did on our first date and I love seeing the awkwardness mixed with possibilities and remembering back.
A lovely week with 40 miles overall of running, biking and walking. Can't wait for what next week will bring!
Posted at 10:20 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
May 23, 2008
Bike Riding Fools!
Yesterday Andrew, Martha and I rode our bikes from her house, which is conveniently located right by a lovely bike trail, around Lake of the Isles, into Kenwood for an ice cream cone and back to her home again.
Total mileage? check it out here
I'm so proud of that little man.
Later that same day I met up with mom and her friend Jackie from England, and we walked around Lake Harriet and through the Peace Garden there.
I thought I'd be crippled today but I feel great. Ready for another bike ride tomorrow!
Posted at 10:12 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
May 22, 2008
Tagged!
Vinny tagged me, and although I don't usually play tag, Vinny is new to blogging and I want to encourage her to keep it up, so I'm playing along this time!
Here are the rules:1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.2. Share 4 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.see jagged edge here as if part has been torn off thus eliminating my need to tag others...
Here are my four random facts:
I despise television, but still sneak episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor on the internet
I am not fond of PDC, or Public Displays of Celebration...weddings, parties, graduations...ugh!
I've recently discovered I don't really need any friends...its even nicer to just enjoy them for fun!
Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night I play neopets games and feed my sons pet so it won't die.
There you go Gina!
Posted at 04:31 AM Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
May 21, 2008
We are a wee bit more Scottish here these days...
Betcha didn't know that Scotland doesn't have a national anthem. Nope. Here is a song song since the 60's by The Corries that is proposed as the national anthem.
Flower of Scotland
O Flower of Scotland,When will we see,Your like again,That fought and died for,Your wee bit Hill and Glen,And stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
The hills are bare now,And autum leaves lie thick and still,O'er land that is lost now,Which those so dearly held,And stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
Those days are past now,And in the pastThey must remain,But we can still rise now,And be the nation again,That stood against him,Proud Edward's Army,And sent him homeward,Tae think again.
Yes, Saturday last we FINALLY got to the Scottish Fair and Highland Games that we have wanted to attend for about 10 years! Now you may be asking, why would an Irish/Swedish/Romanian woman and a SMITH man want to attend a Scottish event. Scott and I have been fond of Scotland for many years, and we both wish to travel there some day. We have enjoyed all five seasons of Monarch of the Glen and Braveheart is one of Scott's all time favorite movies. Little did we know how the third member of the family was going to affect our interest!
Andrew and I headed out with Ronan, Park and Julie. Park and Ronan are Armstrongs, one of about 20 recognized official clans of Scotland. Ronan has a closet of kilts, so he lent one to Andrew, and we were on our way. Scott joined us later in the day after some sleep. We had an absolutely delightful time. The Highland games mainly consist of big men in kilts throwing really heavy things either far or high. Imagine trying to single handedly throw a 20 foot tall, 20 inch wide telephone pole so hard that it would flip end over end. Imagine throwing up to 60 pounds over 20 feet in the air. These are TOUGH guys. In skirts,if you will.
I was in heaven.
Then there were bagpipes.
And sheep herding dogs. The calling of the clans was so awesome!
We stayed until we were all so tired and sick we could hardly stand...and I havent' been able to get Andrew out of the kilt ever since. He dresses before I get up at 7am. He LOVES his kilt and sporran. So we bought him another and bought a new one to replace the one from Ronan that I can't get off of him.
So please remember when you see him, its not a skirt, its a kilt. He's very proud of it.
He was quite certain he had to have Scottish blood in him, so I set about trying to find a possible link. For the time being, we are assuming we have some link with Clan Cameron. So if you see him, don't argue that point please! He wanted to be linked to Clan Gunn, thought they were the coolest one, but I had no luck!
Posted at 11:32 PM Permalink Comments (4) TrackBack (0)
So much is passing me by...
I keep wanting to do a big post so as not to forget anything that has happened, but seriously, I never have time!
Last Wednesday we went to the Bass Ponds on the river for our final Minnesota Valley Preserve class. Mara and the other naturalist there are so awesome with the kids. We spent some time scooping up all kinds of tiny critters in the ponds, the boys had things that even Mara was excited to see, and Andrew got to lead an example of how to "key out" specimens because he had done such a good job on his own findings.
Then we spent the second hour with the binoculars, looking for the larger wildlife that hangs out at the ponds. We saw a blue heron, a muskrat and plenty of turtles, geese and ducks.
Later that day Andrew and Scott went back for some fishing. No bites, but they had a good time.
On Thursday we had our final class at Westwood Nature center. It was on Decomposers, and the day was perfect. Greg , the naturalist there is great about knowing what the kids need, so we spent alot of time running around, lifting heavy logs, digging with sticks and the like. We found many cool mushrooms and little bugs and worms, and as we were leaving, two doe and their fawns were feeding right beside the trail and really weren't spooked by us much.
Its hard to believe it, I know, but Friday was ANOTHER nature center class, this one at Woodlake. We did some resource management, and after taking a pledge to rid the woods of harmful invasive plants, we set out to KILL THE BUCKTHORN!
The kids LOVED this and it was very easy to tell the buckthorn from other plants and trees. A little boy just doesn't have more fun than being told its okay to pull out a 10 foot tall tree! Because they have fairly shallow roots buckthorn is easy to pull up. I had to drag him away at the end, he really didn't want the class to end!
But we had to leave so we could get ready for our concert downtown in Minneapolis! We had free tickets to the Orchestra Hall concert friday night and we headed to Brits first for a true english meal. It was hopping so we sat inside right by the door! So fun to watch the wide variety of people coming in and out. We love downtown. Then we walked around downtown and let Andrew play on the plaza while we drank coffee. Finally it was time for the concert, Schuberts 4th symphony, and we all thought it was over too soon!
here we are at Brits, the waiter didn't bother to wait until I was looking...oh well!
Now Saturday, that was a lifechanging event...more on that later!
Posted at 11:11 PM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
May 19, 2008
Blues in the Night
Scott took me on the dreamiest date yesterday, here is a little YouTube video about it, doesn't do it justice at ALL, but you get a peek!
Posted at 06:25 PM Permalink Comments (3) TrackBack (0)
Post 600 and its a doozie!
So this is it! Finally! My 600th post!
Here is my first post:
August 06, 2005
Bandwagon Jumper
Me, two months ago: Blogs are so stupid! Who would ever read those? Weird!
Me, one month ago: So, did you see what was on Cathy's blog last night? And if you click over to Tara's, you learn all about the next event. I can't believe Karen feels that way about dogs, that is just what I was thinking! Man, I love reading blogs, but I sure as heck would never have one! That's just weird to post your innermost thoughts on the web!
Me, yesterday: Honey, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna start my own blog. I think it will be so fun!
So as you can see, I didn't originally think I'd like blogging, but nearly three years and 600 posts later I guess I can say I'm hooked!
The last two weeks have been INSANE and FUN like you can't believe!
We celebrated Minnesota's 150th birthday by going to the history center and viewing the Minnesota150 exhibit with our homeschool group. Its a wild and wooly group but we love 'em. Here is a few of the boys waiting for the tour to start.
They were all so wiggly, its definately spring in their little bodies!
We had a special treat the following Friday. Mom reminded me of the Wagon Train that was heading from Eastern Minnesota to downtown St. Paul over the course of the week leading up to the big celebration of the MN150 at the capitol. Between the two of us we tracked down their route and then Lisa joined us and we set out to find them. We hooked up with them in Hastings and got some great shots, then followed them for about an hour (at a top speed of 5mp) and got some more photos at a rest stop they took. It was exciting to be in the horse world again for a little while, to talk to the owners, to see the different types of wagon's and hear stories. It was really telling to see how slowly the train moved...and this on good roads and a set course. Back at the forming of the country there were no street signs and well maintained roads to take, imagine the streams they had to cross and the other perils they encountered...very interesting!
Erin encouraged us to meet her at the Festival of Nations, and I'm so glad she did! We have been wanting to try it for years, and just kept missing it. We had a great day there and were surprised to find Andrew's circus coach inside a Ghir (Yurt) talking about her native country Mongolia. She is such a wonderful person. Andrew loved the festival so much and can't wait to go again next year. We tried all kinds of interesting food, enjoyed the music and dancing and visiting dozens of booths from all over the world.
Next up was the Twins Game, Andrew's first. Lisa had gotten the tickets through work, and Dave, Lisa, Andrew, Scott and I all went. Andrew fell in love with baseball. He said outside the game while we were playing around out on the plaza that he thought he would find the outside pregame more fun than the actual game, but once we were inside he was loving it. He asked many questions about the game itself and was very excited. I hope we have an opportunity to go again.
It used to be you could take the family for a reasonable amount of money, but in
the ten years since I've been at the games the prices have skyrocketed. We'll watch for some deals!
We are starting to enjoy our favorite local park, Moyer. It has a creek and a wide walking path and is just so lovely. The creek is high right now because of all the melting snow, and the men challenged themselves to a walk across a log before we had a picnic lunch. Then we built little fairy houses and biked back home. Such a fun place to be a kid!
Okay, that was just two weeks ago! I haven't even hit the past week yet, but I think that is enough for one post. We love spring and I am enjoying the lack of allergies that usually knock me out for several weeks each spring. More to come soon!
Posted at 04:18 PM in Current Affairs Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
May 06, 2008
Will Return after these messages
Turns out that with God inspiring, friends calling, weather stunning, family seeking, scrap happening, work beckoning that blogging loses its place in line.
Hopefully inclement weather will return soon, and I'll be able to post something meaningful for my 600th post!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
April posts 2008
Skills a wastin'
70 words
Speedtest
When I was in the work world, I had a boss for a time who gave me this advice, "Never let them know you can type"
Guess after four years of staying home its okay to admit it. I can.
Posted at 05:14 PM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 28, 2008
Spiritual Journal - Rich Man
The other day someone on www.tallyscrapper.com directed us to the photos in the collage above. These are photos of a scrapbook room like no other. Everything is brand new. Everything has the perfectly selected place. Everything is available in abundance. I included only a small sampling of the photos of this shrine to scrapbooking. While looking at them I started to feel a little ill. Now I know nothing of the owner of said scrapbook room, so this isn't a judgement on her specifically. But looking at that room made me think of Matthew 19, and the story of the Rich Young Ruler. So often we want to know the formula for achieving perfection. Just tell us what would make it perfect, and we will go about with the plan. This woman certainly did her research and her execution was flawless. She arrived at the place in the story where she could say, "All these things kept; what am I still lacking?" In the Bible story one supposes the earnest young man sensed a lack, even after following the laws. He was seeking something deeper, I think in all sincerity. Jesus knew this man's heart. He knew that what was blocking this man's ability to have a true and deep relationship with God was his preoccupation with the external. With the things of this earth. So Jesus told him to lay them down.
Having a $200,000 scrapbook room or working out of a paper bag with a glue stick isn't the point. It is neither a formula for success to have it all or have nothing. The formula for success only has one step: turning everything and everyone over to God, and listening to His Spirit guiding us each step of the day. There is no checklist. God wants a personal, involved relationship with us at which He is the head.
It is interesting to me that Jesus said, "If you wish to be complete..." I'm sure the man was put off by this remark. If this woman were to ask us "Can you think of anything else I am missing?" She would not expect to hear "If you wish to be complete..." Especially if after all her hard work to make this room just right the solution would be to sell it all and give the proceeds to the poor. It would seem counterproductive to all her research, hard work and she certainly would be getting pennies on the dollar. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she needs to do any such thing. I wouldn't know what she needs to do, if anything. Because the Word of God is a living thing, personal to each of us, meeting us where we are at, divining what is in our heart of hearts, separating bone from marrow.
For those of you following along, journal about being consumed. Do you have something or someone in your life that you feel unbalanced about? Is there something or someone that is the focus of most of your thoughts, time and resources? What is the center of your universe? Reflect on this obsession and how it affects your daily life.
Posted at 08:32 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 27, 2008
Spiritual Journal - Eye for an Eye
A much simpler page today. Text is from Matthew 5 & 6, two of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look ' eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
You are familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best---the sun to warm and the rain to nourish---to everyone, regardless, the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. if you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
In a word what I am saying is grow up. You're kindom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
But be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.
When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure---'playactors' I call them---treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it---quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
I sometimes think if I could really meditate on this passage daily and make it real and alive in me, I would really change in a miraculous way. I keep coming back to this when I feel lost. I'm a girl who struggles with the bugaboos of fairness and pride, so these are my touchstone verses.
Posted at 08:46 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 22, 2008
Heavenly Day Patti Griffin
Oh heavenly day, all the clouds blew awayGot no trouble today with anyoneThe smile on your face I live only to seeIt's enough for me, baby, it's enough for meOh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly dayTomorrow may rain with sorrowHere's a little time we can borrowForget all our troubles in these moments so fewAll we've got right now, the only thing thatAll we really have to doIs have ourselves a heavenly dayLay here and watch the trees swayOh, can't see no other way, no way, no wayHeavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly dayNo one at my shoulder bringing me fearsGot no clouds up above me bringing me tearsGot nothing to tell you, I've got nothing much to sayOnly I'm glad to be here with youOn this heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenlyHeavenly day, all the trouble's gone awayOh, for a while anyway, for a while anywayHeavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day
Posted at 05:57 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 21, 2008
You could say I chickened out...
I know, I know, I promised controversy and danger in my post today, but turns out those topics aren't fully seasoned yet, and I don't want to rush them. I did ALOT of reading today, hours and hours worth...so perhaps soon.
In the meantime, I did work and finish the cover to the journal today.
Lots of texture-y goodness and color variation that you SOOOO can't see in this photo, I wish you all could touch it and see it IRL. I wanted the purpose for this book to be right on the cover and I like how my little Making Memories letter stamps made it all possible. I may find myself coloring in the wings a bit someday, but for now its done.
I promise I will coax out a couple of topics tomorrow, it looks like I'll be home alone most of the day.
Posted at 12:43 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
April 19, 2008
Up Next for the Spiritual Journal...
...It's either healing, death or submission...that's bound to get some people talking!
Posted at 08:21 PM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
One of My Happy Places
Posted at 04:29 PM in Travel Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 18, 2008
Happy Birthday JANS!
One of the many wonderful people I have met through www.tallyscrapper.com. Jan is a sweetheart and I have really enjoyed getting to know her more and more over the last year. She's been with Tally since the beginning I think and has a true heart for family history. She is a design team member this quarter, just in time for the luscious vintage kit, which she rocked!
Here's a little mini taste of her great work, and if you LOVE the vintage-y ones rush to Tally and buy that kit before its sold out!
I hope your birthday is extra special Jan!
View slideshow
Posted at 06:55 AM in Scrapbooking Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 16, 2008
Is this goodbye?
The other day when I was out walking this group of men ran past me. They were new recruits for the Marines, and I quick snapped their photo as soon as I realized this. Why? Well because my son Jason has just signed up for the Army National Guard and has been doing a little running himself to get into shape for the start of basic training in October.
Yeah, looked like he was going to leave for three months of basic training right before his sisters wedding. We were sad about that, but everyone wanted to be supportive of this decision he has made to work on his future.
Then he called me again today. I had left him a message about babysitting on Sunday, taking his little brother out to a twins game so that Scott and I could head to Orchestra Hall and have a nice afternoon date together. Turns out he can't babysit. Until fall. Because FRIDAY, yes, THIS FRIDAY he is flying to SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH to begin his training. He'll graduate sometime in AUGUST. This all came up today, so he has no details. He won't have a cellphone for the first part of the training. He will immediately be learning how to get by without cigarettes. He may or may not have weekly access to email. He doesn't have a mailing address yet. He is busy between now and Friday getting ready to leave, so I won't be seeing him again...until AUGUST.
I'm. not. ready.
Posted at 05:09 PM in Family Permalink Comments (10) TrackBack (0)
Happy Birthday to...me?
Scott's birthday was on Monday. I made his favorite cake (recipe to follow), made chicken curry for dinner, picked him up a couple of books that I knew he didn't have and would enjoy. Andrew got him some Sea Monkeys (who's life is complete without sea monkeys?) I took Andrew out for the afternoon so he'd have some quiet time to write or sleep or whatever.
Then on Tuesday he took Andrew out to the park to play in the creek. I read and took a nap. They came back just after I woke up, and came walking in with this:
I was SOOOO thrilled! Many of you know that I rediscovered biking two summers ago when my friend Mike was in a biking accident that nearly took his life. I have been borrowing Scott's bike because mine was so old and beat up we couldn't really recover it. It was a bit too big for me and the brakes needed some work, but basically it worked fine for the type of biking I do. With Scott trying to get more healthy we had been talking about replacing some parts on my bike to try to get it going again so we could all go biking together.
What a special treat to see them walk in the door with a brand new bike for me. And they got a great price on it because it was on sale and Scott returned something that wasn't really working anyway. We ate a hasty dinner and then we all set out on a nice little 5 mile bike ride. It was very windy, but warm and beautiful, and I loved how easy the ride was thanks to this nice bike. I never had to walk it at all!
Today I set out again on a 4 mile ride, while leaving Scott and Andrew at the archery range. Its another gorgeous day here.
Tomorrow we are off for 24 hours to Duluth for a little mini vacation. We got a great deal on a hotel room at a waterpark and are meeting a couple friends up there. Then Scott has the rest of the weekend off. Woo hoo!
70 words
Speedtest
When I was in the work world, I had a boss for a time who gave me this advice, "Never let them know you can type"
Guess after four years of staying home its okay to admit it. I can.
Posted at 05:14 PM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 28, 2008
Spiritual Journal - Rich Man
The other day someone on www.tallyscrapper.com directed us to the photos in the collage above. These are photos of a scrapbook room like no other. Everything is brand new. Everything has the perfectly selected place. Everything is available in abundance. I included only a small sampling of the photos of this shrine to scrapbooking. While looking at them I started to feel a little ill. Now I know nothing of the owner of said scrapbook room, so this isn't a judgement on her specifically. But looking at that room made me think of Matthew 19, and the story of the Rich Young Ruler. So often we want to know the formula for achieving perfection. Just tell us what would make it perfect, and we will go about with the plan. This woman certainly did her research and her execution was flawless. She arrived at the place in the story where she could say, "All these things kept; what am I still lacking?" In the Bible story one supposes the earnest young man sensed a lack, even after following the laws. He was seeking something deeper, I think in all sincerity. Jesus knew this man's heart. He knew that what was blocking this man's ability to have a true and deep relationship with God was his preoccupation with the external. With the things of this earth. So Jesus told him to lay them down.
Having a $200,000 scrapbook room or working out of a paper bag with a glue stick isn't the point. It is neither a formula for success to have it all or have nothing. The formula for success only has one step: turning everything and everyone over to God, and listening to His Spirit guiding us each step of the day. There is no checklist. God wants a personal, involved relationship with us at which He is the head.
It is interesting to me that Jesus said, "If you wish to be complete..." I'm sure the man was put off by this remark. If this woman were to ask us "Can you think of anything else I am missing?" She would not expect to hear "If you wish to be complete..." Especially if after all her hard work to make this room just right the solution would be to sell it all and give the proceeds to the poor. It would seem counterproductive to all her research, hard work and she certainly would be getting pennies on the dollar. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she needs to do any such thing. I wouldn't know what she needs to do, if anything. Because the Word of God is a living thing, personal to each of us, meeting us where we are at, divining what is in our heart of hearts, separating bone from marrow.
For those of you following along, journal about being consumed. Do you have something or someone in your life that you feel unbalanced about? Is there something or someone that is the focus of most of your thoughts, time and resources? What is the center of your universe? Reflect on this obsession and how it affects your daily life.
Posted at 08:32 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 27, 2008
Spiritual Journal - Eye for an Eye
A much simpler page today. Text is from Matthew 5 & 6, two of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look ' eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
You are familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best---the sun to warm and the rain to nourish---to everyone, regardless, the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. if you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
In a word what I am saying is grow up. You're kindom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
But be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.
When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure---'playactors' I call them---treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it---quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
I sometimes think if I could really meditate on this passage daily and make it real and alive in me, I would really change in a miraculous way. I keep coming back to this when I feel lost. I'm a girl who struggles with the bugaboos of fairness and pride, so these are my touchstone verses.
Posted at 08:46 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 22, 2008
Heavenly Day Patti Griffin
Oh heavenly day, all the clouds blew awayGot no trouble today with anyoneThe smile on your face I live only to seeIt's enough for me, baby, it's enough for meOh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly dayTomorrow may rain with sorrowHere's a little time we can borrowForget all our troubles in these moments so fewAll we've got right now, the only thing thatAll we really have to doIs have ourselves a heavenly dayLay here and watch the trees swayOh, can't see no other way, no way, no wayHeavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly dayNo one at my shoulder bringing me fearsGot no clouds up above me bringing me tearsGot nothing to tell you, I've got nothing much to sayOnly I'm glad to be here with youOn this heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenlyHeavenly day, all the trouble's gone awayOh, for a while anyway, for a while anywayHeavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day
Posted at 05:57 PM Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
April 21, 2008
You could say I chickened out...
I know, I know, I promised controversy and danger in my post today, but turns out those topics aren't fully seasoned yet, and I don't want to rush them. I did ALOT of reading today, hours and hours worth...so perhaps soon.
In the meantime, I did work and finish the cover to the journal today.
Lots of texture-y goodness and color variation that you SOOOO can't see in this photo, I wish you all could touch it and see it IRL. I wanted the purpose for this book to be right on the cover and I like how my little Making Memories letter stamps made it all possible. I may find myself coloring in the wings a bit someday, but for now its done.
I promise I will coax out a couple of topics tomorrow, it looks like I'll be home alone most of the day.
Posted at 12:43 AM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
April 19, 2008
Up Next for the Spiritual Journal...
...It's either healing, death or submission...that's bound to get some people talking!
Posted at 08:21 PM in Journal of What I believe Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
One of My Happy Places
Posted at 04:29 PM in Travel Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 18, 2008
Happy Birthday JANS!
One of the many wonderful people I have met through www.tallyscrapper.com. Jan is a sweetheart and I have really enjoyed getting to know her more and more over the last year. She's been with Tally since the beginning I think and has a true heart for family history. She is a design team member this quarter, just in time for the luscious vintage kit, which she rocked!
Here's a little mini taste of her great work, and if you LOVE the vintage-y ones rush to Tally and buy that kit before its sold out!
I hope your birthday is extra special Jan!
View slideshow
Posted at 06:55 AM in Scrapbooking Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
April 16, 2008
Is this goodbye?
The other day when I was out walking this group of men ran past me. They were new recruits for the Marines, and I quick snapped their photo as soon as I realized this. Why? Well because my son Jason has just signed up for the Army National Guard and has been doing a little running himself to get into shape for the start of basic training in October.
Yeah, looked like he was going to leave for three months of basic training right before his sisters wedding. We were sad about that, but everyone wanted to be supportive of this decision he has made to work on his future.
Then he called me again today. I had left him a message about babysitting on Sunday, taking his little brother out to a twins game so that Scott and I could head to Orchestra Hall and have a nice afternoon date together. Turns out he can't babysit. Until fall. Because FRIDAY, yes, THIS FRIDAY he is flying to SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH to begin his training. He'll graduate sometime in AUGUST. This all came up today, so he has no details. He won't have a cellphone for the first part of the training. He will immediately be learning how to get by without cigarettes. He may or may not have weekly access to email. He doesn't have a mailing address yet. He is busy between now and Friday getting ready to leave, so I won't be seeing him again...until AUGUST.
I'm. not. ready.
Posted at 05:09 PM in Family Permalink Comments (10) TrackBack (0)
Happy Birthday to...me?
Scott's birthday was on Monday. I made his favorite cake (recipe to follow), made chicken curry for dinner, picked him up a couple of books that I knew he didn't have and would enjoy. Andrew got him some Sea Monkeys (who's life is complete without sea monkeys?) I took Andrew out for the afternoon so he'd have some quiet time to write or sleep or whatever.
Then on Tuesday he took Andrew out to the park to play in the creek. I read and took a nap. They came back just after I woke up, and came walking in with this:
I was SOOOO thrilled! Many of you know that I rediscovered biking two summers ago when my friend Mike was in a biking accident that nearly took his life. I have been borrowing Scott's bike because mine was so old and beat up we couldn't really recover it. It was a bit too big for me and the brakes needed some work, but basically it worked fine for the type of biking I do. With Scott trying to get more healthy we had been talking about replacing some parts on my bike to try to get it going again so we could all go biking together.
What a special treat to see them walk in the door with a brand new bike for me. And they got a great price on it because it was on sale and Scott returned something that wasn't really working anyway. We ate a hasty dinner and then we all set out on a nice little 5 mile bike ride. It was very windy, but warm and beautiful, and I loved how easy the ride was thanks to this nice bike. I never had to walk it at all!
Today I set out again on a 4 mile ride, while leaving Scott and Andrew at the archery range. Its another gorgeous day here.
Tomorrow we are off for 24 hours to Duluth for a little mini vacation. We got a great deal on a hotel room at a waterpark and are meeting a couple friends up there. Then Scott has the rest of the weekend off. Woo hoo!
Monday, March 31, 2008
March Posts 2008
Video
I've been making videos. I LOVE learning something new and over the last few months I've been learning how to use my digital camera to make short how-to videos for www.tallyscrapper.com.
Here is my latest, favorite. Might have something to do with the fact that you really can't see me. Which has something to do with the fact that I had just got done running 3.5 miles and was all sweaty and stinky...a perfect time to get inspired to do a video.
Posted at 10:34 AM in Create Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
March 30, 2008
Happy Anniversary Baby
Saturday was our 12th anniversary.
I love this man more than I ever imagined possible. I'm comfortable with him in ways that surprise me. I feel safer with him then I expected. We really are the picture in the dictionary under the word compatible.
So don't be the least alarmed when I say that I hope this marking of our 12th anniversary ends the hardest year we have had in those twelve years. I have an imagination, so I can certainly think of how things could be worse, for one thing we could be on opposite sides of the battle, instead of fighting it shoulder to shoulder.
But nonetheless, its been a difficult one, and we are both ready to move into a better place. Ready to make number 13 our lucky number.
We had a nice weekend and we are celebrating more formally in a month when some of our problems are further along.
Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my mind...
Posted at 10:57 PM in Family Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
Babbling
We have a babbling problem in our house. A sweet little eight year old opens his eyes and his mouth first thing in the morning and neither are shut again until after bedtime. I'm a person who appreciates peace and quiet and I married a guy who feels the same. (Married him 12 years ago yesterday by the way, but we are pretending is in a month so that we can celebrate better, rough times right now...)
This morning was in no way different than any other. I awoke at 7:30am to hear him already chattering away in his room (alone) and as soon as I emerged he flew to me like a bottle fly and started buzzing around me. I can't tell you the first part of his monologue, because my brain wasn't awake yet. I can tell you I hadn't been up 5 minutes when he asked, "Can you make me breakfast?" "Yes" was my response. A minute later he asked, "When will you make my breakfast?" and I immediately responded, "I will make you pancakes in a little bit" His little bit being 15 seconds later he queried, "Are you making my breakfast yet? I like cereal!" I countered with "I am making you pancakes, but not yet"
Within half an hour of waking up I was in the kitchen making pancakes and listening to my morning Daily Audio Bible installment (I'm behind so I'm only in mid Feb right now) The reading was in Exodus, the ignoble account of how the people behaved when Moses went up to the mountain to talk to God. Hate that account. Perhaps it rings too true for me.
Anyway, WHILE I was making the pancakes the chatter about the pancakes continued...would I use the strawberry syrup, was that the good pancake recipe that was the best ever, how many can I have...
Think harshly of me if you will, but I sent him to his room. Its so much better than child abuse!
In the relative peace that ensued (I could still hear him talking in his room) something occurred to me.
Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words"
God is my Father. And when I, His child talk to him I think sometimes, maybe even often, there is alot of chatter. Perhaps because when God says yes to me His timing feels different than what I desire. Perhaps because I can't hear His answer because I'm chattering. Perhaps because I just like to hear the sound of my voice. Or perhaps because like the pagans, and for some reason like my son, I think that I "will be better heard for my many words."
I wonder if God ever wants to send me to my room.
A few weeks ago a friend prayed that I receive healing from my past, which she saw was holding me back. Almost unconsciously I've been since seeking my past, searching for the shreds of the wound that never healed. One of the pasts I found was a friend named Judith. On her blog in August last year she commented on her feelings after the 35W bridge collapse. She talked of the many things in our life that we take for granted, that we have faith will be there to hold up the pieces of our life. I mean who ever prayed "Dear Lord, please keep all bridges I cross today standing" ?
Andrew was always going to get those pancakes. He knows this from over eight years of consistently getting fed (or being sent to make his own breakfast!) that he will get what he needs. And yet he babbles.
I know that God will provide. Mainly because the Holy Spirit infuses me with a faith that I as a mere mortal could not whomp up on my own. Partially because I can bear witness to the many times God has provided for and protected me, all ill deserved. And also because of the promises recorded in the Bible, such as
Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. For what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
And yet sometimes I still babble.
Posted at 09:28 AM in God Permalink Comments (3) TrackBack (0)
March 27, 2008
National Guard and my family
So when I wrote that odd post last night, which caused my best friend to wonder what was up and the man in question to fear for a stalker, I had something else on my mind. (and I'm off to edit it to make more sense now, so if it makes sense now, that is why!)
So this is what I had on my mind...
Turns out this guy:
yeah, the guy, not the blonde beauty, is joining the National Guard as we speak. He'll stay overnight tonight at their recruitment hotel headquarters and tomorrow will go through a battery of tests to determine if he is fit to join. I asked all the questions you are thinking right now and he had few answers. I'm sure after this weekend he'll be in a better place to answer them. So yeah, my 21 year old son is joining the army. And I just don't know what to think. I want to support him in his decisions. I know he has struggled to find his way as an adult in this world. I know God will take care of him no matter what. But...well...I've had a little too much experience with the ANG to be excited for him. So, I'm a bit muddled. Be patient with me, I'll bounce back soon I'm sure. (and yes, that cute girl is my daughter, she uploaded some new pictures from last fall to my computer recently!)
Posted at 04:16 PM in Family Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
March 26, 2008
In no time flat, shrinking the distance
This is Paco. Or that is his nickname, I won't post his real name, because I don't know how he'd feel about being featured on the blog of someone he hasn't seen in decades. This is a dude from my back in the day. When I was in my teens, regardless of the one I was with, this was who I was pondering. When I was old enough to be kissed, even by Sound of Music standards, he finally noticed me. My senior prom: he was my date.
Here he is the way he looked the last time I saw him in person:
It was shortly before nour lives that we were so sure would rejoin after college went in separate ways forever. I thought at the time, and I have always believed that he was an important chapter of my life. And yet. And yet I only have two photos of him in my thousands. It got me thinking about how careless I was with my memories when I was a teen. I had so many amazing experiences from the ages of 14-19 and I have only a handful of photos, most of which don't document what I was up to.
I think it was because nobody was supposed to move on, our lives werent' supposed to head in different directions, so why worry that I didn't have many photos? I'd just get them from someone else in the gang if I needed them later, right?
And now they are all gone on to their own lives. I don't keep up with any of them and these few photos are all I have of a time of my life that was filled with change and adventure.
But back to Paco. Last time we talked via email he had no children, and I had two. He had just accepted his first major teaching position and I had just purchased a home with Scott. Now we both apparently have sons, he's finished the job he'd just gotten and moved on to Chicago, back in the center of the country for the first time in decades. We've sold our house and the job I had is long over. I'm not sure if he'll email me back or not, of course I know nothing of what he is like as an adult and whether these random connections out of nowhere from old friends will amuse him or annoy him.
A fun advantage of the internet though, to be able to touch base from time to time with the past, especially for people like me who consider our history important now, even though we weren't good guardians of it back then.
Posted at 06:47 PM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
March 21, 2008
Mom, How Does it work?
seriously, never did I think I'd be teaching my son how to use a dial phone. sure sign that the times have changed. He was fascinated.
Posted at 11:23 PM in Andrew Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
March 20, 2008
Talking House
Andrew and I took another trip to the Minnesota History Center today and our first stop was my favorite exhibit. Recreated inside one room of the museum is a house. That house, which still stands in East St. Paul, MN, has been home for dozens of Minnesotans, and has echoed the changing landscape of that neighborhood. What I love about the exhibit is the lack of celebrity in its tenants. These are the truly middle class, all but lost in history and painstakenly recovered by the hardworking team of historians at the museum. The Schumachers who built the house were prominent members of society at the time, but their relatives didn't stay around in Minnesota after their parents deaths. After they moved to a new house across the street, they turned the house into a duplex, and later a triplex, thus making it a rental home for decades.
I love that so many "average" americans are memorialized in this exhibit. Just people that worked, had small tragedies, gave birth, moved on. I could spend hours in this exhibit learning about their simple lives, looking through their photos, reading about their passage through the house.
Its everything I love about scrapbooking built into a massive "altered item" that would suck up all the tallypoints if you could post it!
This quote, from Ali Edwards blog, sums up my feelings:
Leo Buscaglia : The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
I think the museum affected Andrew in a special way. After we came home I left immediately to clean a house. When I came home it was to two poems he had written. Poems! Be still my heart!
Posted at 09:10 PM in Adventures In Town Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
March 18, 2008
Jan, Feb, March Recap
I just don't have any inspiration on what to write!
So, here's an old standby:
Time Capsule
1) A gift you gave: March: cute little onesies for Em's twins to be
2) Something you apologized for: February: hormonal3) The last person you thanked: March: A tallyscrapper for saying something nice to me4) The last movie you watched: Feb: Friends with Money, which was surprisingly meaningfilled
5) The best food you ate this month: March: Mushroom stuffed ravioli at Macaroni Grill (thanks Martha!)6) The last place you ate out: March: Noodles7) Something that made you cry: March: Josie hitting the nail on the head AGAIN!8) Something that made you laugh: March: sitting around the dining table being silly with Andrew and Scott9) The last person you talked to on the phone: Lance10) Someone you're thinking about today: Erin11) What have you created this month that you are proud of: March: a video for tally12) What is your mood today: Lazy13) What is today's weather: Heavy snow tapering my midmorning high of 4014) Something you are thinking about: healing from my past.
Posted at 08:51 AM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
March 13, 2008
Online Rally at Tally!
This weekend is a big bash for www.tallyscrapper.com! Its their one year anniversary this weekend and lots of fun is planned. I am gonna be hanging out there on and off all weekend and digging into all the great challenges!
Hopefully by the time the weekend is over we'll have some new members and a big party hangover!
Come and see what's going on!
Posted at 09:55 PM in Scrapbooking Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
March 07, 2008
It's back.
A little dented a little scraped, but all still works and the number is reactivated. So if you want to ringy ding me, I'm ready...
I've been making videos. I LOVE learning something new and over the last few months I've been learning how to use my digital camera to make short how-to videos for www.tallyscrapper.com.
Here is my latest, favorite. Might have something to do with the fact that you really can't see me. Which has something to do with the fact that I had just got done running 3.5 miles and was all sweaty and stinky...a perfect time to get inspired to do a video.
Posted at 10:34 AM in Create Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
March 30, 2008
Happy Anniversary Baby
Saturday was our 12th anniversary.
I love this man more than I ever imagined possible. I'm comfortable with him in ways that surprise me. I feel safer with him then I expected. We really are the picture in the dictionary under the word compatible.
So don't be the least alarmed when I say that I hope this marking of our 12th anniversary ends the hardest year we have had in those twelve years. I have an imagination, so I can certainly think of how things could be worse, for one thing we could be on opposite sides of the battle, instead of fighting it shoulder to shoulder.
But nonetheless, its been a difficult one, and we are both ready to move into a better place. Ready to make number 13 our lucky number.
We had a nice weekend and we are celebrating more formally in a month when some of our problems are further along.
Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my mind...
Posted at 10:57 PM in Family Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
Babbling
We have a babbling problem in our house. A sweet little eight year old opens his eyes and his mouth first thing in the morning and neither are shut again until after bedtime. I'm a person who appreciates peace and quiet and I married a guy who feels the same. (Married him 12 years ago yesterday by the way, but we are pretending is in a month so that we can celebrate better, rough times right now...)
This morning was in no way different than any other. I awoke at 7:30am to hear him already chattering away in his room (alone) and as soon as I emerged he flew to me like a bottle fly and started buzzing around me. I can't tell you the first part of his monologue, because my brain wasn't awake yet. I can tell you I hadn't been up 5 minutes when he asked, "Can you make me breakfast?" "Yes" was my response. A minute later he asked, "When will you make my breakfast?" and I immediately responded, "I will make you pancakes in a little bit" His little bit being 15 seconds later he queried, "Are you making my breakfast yet? I like cereal!" I countered with "I am making you pancakes, but not yet"
Within half an hour of waking up I was in the kitchen making pancakes and listening to my morning Daily Audio Bible installment (I'm behind so I'm only in mid Feb right now) The reading was in Exodus, the ignoble account of how the people behaved when Moses went up to the mountain to talk to God. Hate that account. Perhaps it rings too true for me.
Anyway, WHILE I was making the pancakes the chatter about the pancakes continued...would I use the strawberry syrup, was that the good pancake recipe that was the best ever, how many can I have...
Think harshly of me if you will, but I sent him to his room. Its so much better than child abuse!
In the relative peace that ensued (I could still hear him talking in his room) something occurred to me.
Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words"
God is my Father. And when I, His child talk to him I think sometimes, maybe even often, there is alot of chatter. Perhaps because when God says yes to me His timing feels different than what I desire. Perhaps because I can't hear His answer because I'm chattering. Perhaps because I just like to hear the sound of my voice. Or perhaps because like the pagans, and for some reason like my son, I think that I "will be better heard for my many words."
I wonder if God ever wants to send me to my room.
A few weeks ago a friend prayed that I receive healing from my past, which she saw was holding me back. Almost unconsciously I've been since seeking my past, searching for the shreds of the wound that never healed. One of the pasts I found was a friend named Judith. On her blog in August last year she commented on her feelings after the 35W bridge collapse. She talked of the many things in our life that we take for granted, that we have faith will be there to hold up the pieces of our life. I mean who ever prayed "Dear Lord, please keep all bridges I cross today standing" ?
Andrew was always going to get those pancakes. He knows this from over eight years of consistently getting fed (or being sent to make his own breakfast!) that he will get what he needs. And yet he babbles.
I know that God will provide. Mainly because the Holy Spirit infuses me with a faith that I as a mere mortal could not whomp up on my own. Partially because I can bear witness to the many times God has provided for and protected me, all ill deserved. And also because of the promises recorded in the Bible, such as
Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. For what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
And yet sometimes I still babble.
Posted at 09:28 AM in God Permalink Comments (3) TrackBack (0)
March 27, 2008
National Guard and my family
So when I wrote that odd post last night, which caused my best friend to wonder what was up and the man in question to fear for a stalker, I had something else on my mind. (and I'm off to edit it to make more sense now, so if it makes sense now, that is why!)
So this is what I had on my mind...
Turns out this guy:
yeah, the guy, not the blonde beauty, is joining the National Guard as we speak. He'll stay overnight tonight at their recruitment hotel headquarters and tomorrow will go through a battery of tests to determine if he is fit to join. I asked all the questions you are thinking right now and he had few answers. I'm sure after this weekend he'll be in a better place to answer them. So yeah, my 21 year old son is joining the army. And I just don't know what to think. I want to support him in his decisions. I know he has struggled to find his way as an adult in this world. I know God will take care of him no matter what. But...well...I've had a little too much experience with the ANG to be excited for him. So, I'm a bit muddled. Be patient with me, I'll bounce back soon I'm sure. (and yes, that cute girl is my daughter, she uploaded some new pictures from last fall to my computer recently!)
Posted at 04:16 PM in Family Permalink Comments (5) TrackBack (0)
March 26, 2008
In no time flat, shrinking the distance
This is Paco. Or that is his nickname, I won't post his real name, because I don't know how he'd feel about being featured on the blog of someone he hasn't seen in decades. This is a dude from my back in the day. When I was in my teens, regardless of the one I was with, this was who I was pondering. When I was old enough to be kissed, even by Sound of Music standards, he finally noticed me. My senior prom: he was my date.
Here he is the way he looked the last time I saw him in person:
It was shortly before nour lives that we were so sure would rejoin after college went in separate ways forever. I thought at the time, and I have always believed that he was an important chapter of my life. And yet. And yet I only have two photos of him in my thousands. It got me thinking about how careless I was with my memories when I was a teen. I had so many amazing experiences from the ages of 14-19 and I have only a handful of photos, most of which don't document what I was up to.
I think it was because nobody was supposed to move on, our lives werent' supposed to head in different directions, so why worry that I didn't have many photos? I'd just get them from someone else in the gang if I needed them later, right?
And now they are all gone on to their own lives. I don't keep up with any of them and these few photos are all I have of a time of my life that was filled with change and adventure.
But back to Paco. Last time we talked via email he had no children, and I had two. He had just accepted his first major teaching position and I had just purchased a home with Scott. Now we both apparently have sons, he's finished the job he'd just gotten and moved on to Chicago, back in the center of the country for the first time in decades. We've sold our house and the job I had is long over. I'm not sure if he'll email me back or not, of course I know nothing of what he is like as an adult and whether these random connections out of nowhere from old friends will amuse him or annoy him.
A fun advantage of the internet though, to be able to touch base from time to time with the past, especially for people like me who consider our history important now, even though we weren't good guardians of it back then.
Posted at 06:47 PM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
March 21, 2008
Mom, How Does it work?
seriously, never did I think I'd be teaching my son how to use a dial phone. sure sign that the times have changed. He was fascinated.
Posted at 11:23 PM in Andrew Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
March 20, 2008
Talking House
Andrew and I took another trip to the Minnesota History Center today and our first stop was my favorite exhibit. Recreated inside one room of the museum is a house. That house, which still stands in East St. Paul, MN, has been home for dozens of Minnesotans, and has echoed the changing landscape of that neighborhood. What I love about the exhibit is the lack of celebrity in its tenants. These are the truly middle class, all but lost in history and painstakenly recovered by the hardworking team of historians at the museum. The Schumachers who built the house were prominent members of society at the time, but their relatives didn't stay around in Minnesota after their parents deaths. After they moved to a new house across the street, they turned the house into a duplex, and later a triplex, thus making it a rental home for decades.
I love that so many "average" americans are memorialized in this exhibit. Just people that worked, had small tragedies, gave birth, moved on. I could spend hours in this exhibit learning about their simple lives, looking through their photos, reading about their passage through the house.
Its everything I love about scrapbooking built into a massive "altered item" that would suck up all the tallypoints if you could post it!
This quote, from Ali Edwards blog, sums up my feelings:
Leo Buscaglia : The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
I think the museum affected Andrew in a special way. After we came home I left immediately to clean a house. When I came home it was to two poems he had written. Poems! Be still my heart!
Posted at 09:10 PM in Adventures In Town Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
March 18, 2008
Jan, Feb, March Recap
I just don't have any inspiration on what to write!
So, here's an old standby:
Time Capsule
1) A gift you gave: March: cute little onesies for Em's twins to be
2) Something you apologized for: February: hormonal3) The last person you thanked: March: A tallyscrapper for saying something nice to me4) The last movie you watched: Feb: Friends with Money, which was surprisingly meaningfilled
5) The best food you ate this month: March: Mushroom stuffed ravioli at Macaroni Grill (thanks Martha!)6) The last place you ate out: March: Noodles7) Something that made you cry: March: Josie hitting the nail on the head AGAIN!8) Something that made you laugh: March: sitting around the dining table being silly with Andrew and Scott9) The last person you talked to on the phone: Lance10) Someone you're thinking about today: Erin11) What have you created this month that you are proud of: March: a video for tally12) What is your mood today: Lazy13) What is today's weather: Heavy snow tapering my midmorning high of 4014) Something you are thinking about: healing from my past.
Posted at 08:51 AM Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
March 13, 2008
Online Rally at Tally!
This weekend is a big bash for www.tallyscrapper.com! Its their one year anniversary this weekend and lots of fun is planned. I am gonna be hanging out there on and off all weekend and digging into all the great challenges!
Hopefully by the time the weekend is over we'll have some new members and a big party hangover!
Come and see what's going on!
Posted at 09:55 PM in Scrapbooking Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
March 07, 2008
It's back.
A little dented a little scraped, but all still works and the number is reactivated. So if you want to ringy ding me, I'm ready...
Friday, February 29, 2008
February Posts 2008
14 posts from February 2008
February 26, 2008
A Crabby Hippee, but a Hippee nonetheless...
You are a Hippie
You are a total hippie. While you may not wear birks or smell of incense, you have the soul of a hippie.You don't trust authority, and you do as you please. You're willing to take a stand, even when what you believe isn't popular.You like to experiment with ideas, lifestyles, and different subcultures.You always gravitate toward what's radical and subversive. Normal, mainstream culture doesn't really resonate with you.
Are You a Hippie?
Posted at 11:58 PM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 24, 2008
Books, Books, Books
As much as I have been reaching to find cheap or free fun things to do that celebrate winter, eventually I have to come home! My first love has always been books, and in the winter months I find myself curled up in the easy chair or bed with a good book more often than any other time of the year.
In the last few weeks I have read three very satisfying books that I wanted to mention. I found them all entirely readable and although all three of them had elements I didn't like, the majority of each book was a delight.
The first was a nice thick tome entitled
This was a complex read, taking characters from actual history, characters from Shakespeares plays and mixing in some new plausible characters of his own, and coming up with a lush war history of early Verona, Italy and its surrounding cities. There was too much battle and blood for my preference, but wading through that I enjoyed a nice long jaunt through an interesting and compelling storyline with complex characters doing unexpected things. I got lost in this many times, forgetting all my worries and that friends, is what makes a great book. I found it interesting that the author is first and foremost a stage actor, a fact I didn't learn until AFTER I read the book.
Next I dove into another huge book that I got because the title was intriguing and the cover was pretty.
I found it interesting that I coincidentally picked up these two books the same day at the library, and they both have links to the world of theatre. The author, George Dahlquist is first and foremost a playwrite! Anyway, I can in no way recommend this book without a huge caveat: although it is entirely compelling as a story and is certainly unusual at least from the books I have read over the years, it is somewhat R rated and not entirely plausible. So if you read it, don't blame me if you find it repellent. For my part I couldn't put the sucker down. I was alternately grossed out and fascinated by it, finding it hard to pinpoint the time and location of the story I got completely caught up in the strange world that it presented. The characters were numerous and I feel the author did a good job of making them interesting and deep enough to enjoy. I would read another book by this author I think.
Finally I just recently finished the book England, England by Julian Barnes. I feel hard for Julian Barnes when I read Arthur and George. This is a great fictionalized story about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes fame, and a little known Englishman named George Edalji, an englishman whose father was native to east India. The story of these two men is woven together in a near genius fasion and I have to say it is one of the best books I've read in a year. What I love about Julian Barnes writing is that he has that double secret that I so seek in any book I read: the ability to dance with language in such a way that I nearly want to read with a notebook at hand to write down all the lovely turns of phrase found within; and a story so compelling that the pen and paper sit dormant and forgotten.
So with that lovely book in mind, I reserved this book:
Which turns out to be a fanciful tale of a powerful man who decided to recreate a recreational version of the country of England more convenient than the real thing. This book fell short of my high expectations, although it is still a wonderful read. The language command was still there, in fact the first two chapers of the book are so quotable and illicit such deep thoughts that I nearly didn't notice that the story itself was a little lacking. Alas, I did in fact notice it in the end though. Still his luscious way with words, puts a smile on your face...you know?
Now I am deep into reading about Walt Whitman, having finished one slim biography and plowed through a more thorough one to about the half way point. I also have three volumes of poetry awaiting me, which I grab a "bite" of now and then through out the day when I need a pick me up!
What are you reading these days?
Posted at 06:47 AM in Books Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 22, 2008
Beyond Machu Picchu
Andrew is scheduled to do a presentation on an explorer on the Friday I am out of town. Because I will be away, we decided this was a great opportunity for Scott and Andrew to work together on the project, something they get to do infrequently.
Tonight all three of us were working to formulate a plan for his presentation. First step of course was to pick an explorer. Andrew wanted to study a Rainforest Explorer, and we started to look into what that would mean. Then he specifically said he wished to study someone who is exploring in the mountains and forests of Peru. Okay. Huh.
After some stumbling around the internet we came across a man named Paulino Mamani. Mr. Mamani is a native of the Province of Calca and is one of only three international explorer fellows from Peru of the prestigious Explorers Club based in New York City. Mr. Mamani has been helping lead expeditions into the regions extending beyond Machu Picchu in the Andes for over 20 years. There is precious little information about this frontiersman/cartographer/explorer. Andrew wrote an email with my help to the Chair of the New England Chapter of the Explorers Club asking him for leads on information about Mr. Mamani. Gregory Deyermenjian has himself been on over 2 dozen expeditions to Peru, and has been interested in exploring since he was a boy. A great quote from an interview of Mr. Deyermenjian is:
So what happens as you become more immersed in other cultures like this? How does that change how you see the world?
DEYERMENJIAN: There are two ways in which getting immersed down there can grab you. One is the interpersonal, in that while there are such advantages to being here in the United States—and I'm very much the patriot—nonetheless, when you start spending time in a place where the culture is still as it was many years ago, you come to so appreciate everything being on a man-to-man, person-to-person, eye-to-eye, handshake, your-word-is-your-bond kind of level, and where the joy is not in what's the current movie, but in interacting with those around you. Just as it is on an expedition where your entertainment is the entertainment that the person sitting right across from you is providing. So, on that level, it's just becoming addictive. And in a country such as Peru—although I've made expeditions in Brazil and in Ecuador—you're treated like a king, being from the United States. And you're only limited by your own energy.
You just need to have the will power and the tenacity to stick with it and not lose your cool when things appear to be all going wrong and the officials are all denying you entry. Just stay cool, never be insulting, never be pompous or high and mighty, just stick with it, and eventually, at the last minute, it all just falls into place.
There are undocumented ruins, unknown ruins, ancient Inca ruins. And so you can do something that no one else has ever done, but it's up to you. And so you're not bound by a lot of strictures that there are here.
Sounds to me like great advice for life in general. I so dig homeschooling!
Posted at 08:04 PM in Homeschooling Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
Spring?
Andrew and I have recently begun taking our local nature center more seriously and last night I went snowshoeing in the moonlight with Lisa and a dozen other hearty souls. It was lovely.
I am constantly impressed with the staff at Wood Lake. They love their jobs, and love Wood Lake and their passion is contagious.
Lisa was talking about Robin Migration with her mom yesterday and forwarded this link today.
I spent 10 tearfilled minutes listening to various Robin calls. I'm ready for the big melt down.
And todays poem:
by adrien stoutenburg
Gregorian Adjustment, 1582
George Washington's birthday February 11, Old Style;
February 22, New Style.
The equinox was out of joint.
In twelve hundred years plus fifty-seven
trusted calendar went awry,
delveoping an error of ten days,
so nothing matched.
Leaves bloomed too late;
birds nested in blank boughs;
even roosters were crowing out of tune.
Pope Gregory on his stiff thrown,
bent brow to fist,
attempting to reel time back
to something rational and true.
From prayer and thought he ruled
then strumpet days must be tossed out
upon the dump heap of eternity,
the daily reckoning rectified.
Time is a racer and a sloth.
The Pope's chill bones
were tapestry
by the time his rectification came
to the American Colonies
and caught Ben Franklin
out of time...
then days plus one
(a leap year's maverick sprint)
to be deducted from the total sum
of trips abroad, tomes, kites, and love.
Franklin was one who treasured sleep,
regretted those sweet hours lost;
yet philosophy with him ran deep,
and time was but a sieve, he knew,
through which one must expect a leak.
Our founding fathers took in stride
corrections of inevitable flaws.
Some losses had to be.
Birthdays were hustled into line,
adjustments made for wages lost,
new dates assigned to deaths or anniversaries.
But still the gap yawns there:
eleven days of expurgated history.
I am leaving on vacation in less than one week, and time is definitely "a racer and a sloth" in that regard. So not ready. So ready.
Off to skate. WE WILL FIND WAYS TO ENJOY WINTER!!!
Posted at 09:23 AM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 21, 2008
A Year in...
Music, Art and Poetry/Prose...my mother taught me an appreciation of all three, and I will be forever grateful. When life gets me down, Music, Art and Poetry elevate me again.
I found out today that someone I was very much looking forward to meeting I was not going to be meeting...at least not yet. Sigh.
So it seemed a good time to run off and spend that gift certificate at Barnes and Noble my thoughtful husband got me for my birthday.
This is what I got:
Its a lovely mini coffee table book with 730 pages of art and a quote, one for every day of the year. LOVE it!
Todays art piece?
The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello. This is a pretty bad representation of the painting, its much lusher and interesting.
Uccello is not an artist with whom I am familiar, so it was fun to learn more about him. The quote for today?
"Peace hath higher tests of manhood than battle ever knew." John Greenleaf Whittier.
I also picked up a book entitled A Year in Poetry at the library. Today's poem is a good one:
February the 20th Street
Hugo Williams
A coincidence must be
Part of a whole chain
Whose links are unknown to me.
I feel them round me
Everywhere I go: in queues,
In trains, under bridges,
People, or coincidences, flukes
Of logic which fail
Because of me, because
We move singly through streets,
The last of some sad species,
Pacing the floors of zoos,
Our luck homing forever
Backward through grasses
To the brink of another time.
Posted at 05:53 PM in Create Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 20, 2008
I could have taken this photo
but I don't have a tripod anymore....so I took this instead...
Oh well, my eyes remember something closer to photo a or b! We met some neighbors outside who did have a tripod and were out there longer than us, we mainly watched from the window until the tree blocked our view.
A lunar eclipse happens when the sun is on the exact opposite side of the earth as the moon. The sun is "peeking" around the earth a bit to reflect off the moon, creating the red color. Regulus and Saturn were large bright "stars" visible on either side of the moon because of its diminished brightness.
DANG it was cold out there!
Posted at 09:59 PM in Current Affairs Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 15, 2008
I hope winter lasts forever!
I was scared. I figured it was too cold, I mean it was 3 below when we left the house this morning. I didn't have the right kind of gloves. How would I help Andrew if he needed it, since I'd be such a beginner?
Then we went to the class and the instructor started talking about different stances and how to get back up and hills with turns and I was SOOO scared! I really didn't want to go, but if I didn't go, Andrew couldn't go. So we slapped on the skis and out we went...and it was love at first glide!
I fell a few times but it was a wonderful experience over all. We took the trail twice, and Andrew wanted to do a third time but we agreed to come back tomorrow morning instead. We are members of Wood Lake Nature Reserve so the ski rentals are free. I forsee us getting in great shape as we squeeze every bit of trail goodness out of the rest of this season and then eagerly await next season. Andrew says he's gonna save all his allowance until he can buy his own skis and shoes so we can go even when the building isn't open. Sigh. We love!!!
Posted at 05:38 PM in Healthy Living Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
February 14, 2008
Kina Grannis
I'm scouring my music collection for a soundtrack list for a new scrapbook I'm working on, and came across this gem. Kina is the girl who won the chance to have her song played during a commercial break during the Superbowl. Her voice is pure delight and the song she sang for the contest is pretty rad. But this is my favorite after a few spins:
People
Swarms of people they move in every directionSome eyes they wander while others are just glued to their feetAnd how I wonder what goes on behind those eyes,There are lives, growing older and they're growing wiseSo amazed by all the many different faces,Searching for traces of emotion wondering places they have beenAnd on occasion, someone will take a look at me,But do they see a unique person, or am I part of a vast sea[Chorus:]Sing me your song, solve my mysteryI wont do you no harm, just wanted to seeSing me your song, solve my mysteryI wont do you no harm, just wanted to seeThat you're a person just like meThey are they background of your everyday situationLook all around you start to wonder really who these people areThey might be watching, wondering quite the same of youSo break this auto pilot path and try to start something new
And really, this is the perfect lyrics for what scrapbooking means to me. Sing me your song, solve my mystery!
Posted at 11:36 PM in Music Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
Elevate
DOLDRUMS! week after week of ice and cold and snow and subzero cold and did I mention cold?
I need to rise above this frigid landscape. I need to expand. To infuse.
A favorite quote:
"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.” ~Benjamin Disraeli
Studying the weather report is NOT nurturing my mind with great thoughts. Its time to work on my political layouts again. Its time to check out more poetry at the library. Its time to get outside the box.
Who's with me? Do something mind expanding today!
Posted at 04:21 AM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 11, 2008
Sometimes surfing the web is funny!
Posted at 11:08 PM in Weblogs Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
»
"If you are bored with your own photography you are really bored with what you are photographing, so pick a new subject about which you are knowledgeable and enthusiastic."
Bill Jay
(1940- )
February 26, 2008
A Crabby Hippee, but a Hippee nonetheless...
You are a Hippie
You are a total hippie. While you may not wear birks or smell of incense, you have the soul of a hippie.You don't trust authority, and you do as you please. You're willing to take a stand, even when what you believe isn't popular.You like to experiment with ideas, lifestyles, and different subcultures.You always gravitate toward what's radical and subversive. Normal, mainstream culture doesn't really resonate with you.
Are You a Hippie?
Posted at 11:58 PM Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 24, 2008
Books, Books, Books
As much as I have been reaching to find cheap or free fun things to do that celebrate winter, eventually I have to come home! My first love has always been books, and in the winter months I find myself curled up in the easy chair or bed with a good book more often than any other time of the year.
In the last few weeks I have read three very satisfying books that I wanted to mention. I found them all entirely readable and although all three of them had elements I didn't like, the majority of each book was a delight.
The first was a nice thick tome entitled
This was a complex read, taking characters from actual history, characters from Shakespeares plays and mixing in some new plausible characters of his own, and coming up with a lush war history of early Verona, Italy and its surrounding cities. There was too much battle and blood for my preference, but wading through that I enjoyed a nice long jaunt through an interesting and compelling storyline with complex characters doing unexpected things. I got lost in this many times, forgetting all my worries and that friends, is what makes a great book. I found it interesting that the author is first and foremost a stage actor, a fact I didn't learn until AFTER I read the book.
Next I dove into another huge book that I got because the title was intriguing and the cover was pretty.
I found it interesting that I coincidentally picked up these two books the same day at the library, and they both have links to the world of theatre. The author, George Dahlquist is first and foremost a playwrite! Anyway, I can in no way recommend this book without a huge caveat: although it is entirely compelling as a story and is certainly unusual at least from the books I have read over the years, it is somewhat R rated and not entirely plausible. So if you read it, don't blame me if you find it repellent. For my part I couldn't put the sucker down. I was alternately grossed out and fascinated by it, finding it hard to pinpoint the time and location of the story I got completely caught up in the strange world that it presented. The characters were numerous and I feel the author did a good job of making them interesting and deep enough to enjoy. I would read another book by this author I think.
Finally I just recently finished the book England, England by Julian Barnes. I feel hard for Julian Barnes when I read Arthur and George. This is a great fictionalized story about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes fame, and a little known Englishman named George Edalji, an englishman whose father was native to east India. The story of these two men is woven together in a near genius fasion and I have to say it is one of the best books I've read in a year. What I love about Julian Barnes writing is that he has that double secret that I so seek in any book I read: the ability to dance with language in such a way that I nearly want to read with a notebook at hand to write down all the lovely turns of phrase found within; and a story so compelling that the pen and paper sit dormant and forgotten.
So with that lovely book in mind, I reserved this book:
Which turns out to be a fanciful tale of a powerful man who decided to recreate a recreational version of the country of England more convenient than the real thing. This book fell short of my high expectations, although it is still a wonderful read. The language command was still there, in fact the first two chapers of the book are so quotable and illicit such deep thoughts that I nearly didn't notice that the story itself was a little lacking. Alas, I did in fact notice it in the end though. Still his luscious way with words, puts a smile on your face...you know?
Now I am deep into reading about Walt Whitman, having finished one slim biography and plowed through a more thorough one to about the half way point. I also have three volumes of poetry awaiting me, which I grab a "bite" of now and then through out the day when I need a pick me up!
What are you reading these days?
Posted at 06:47 AM in Books Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 22, 2008
Beyond Machu Picchu
Andrew is scheduled to do a presentation on an explorer on the Friday I am out of town. Because I will be away, we decided this was a great opportunity for Scott and Andrew to work together on the project, something they get to do infrequently.
Tonight all three of us were working to formulate a plan for his presentation. First step of course was to pick an explorer. Andrew wanted to study a Rainforest Explorer, and we started to look into what that would mean. Then he specifically said he wished to study someone who is exploring in the mountains and forests of Peru. Okay. Huh.
After some stumbling around the internet we came across a man named Paulino Mamani. Mr. Mamani is a native of the Province of Calca and is one of only three international explorer fellows from Peru of the prestigious Explorers Club based in New York City. Mr. Mamani has been helping lead expeditions into the regions extending beyond Machu Picchu in the Andes for over 20 years. There is precious little information about this frontiersman/cartographer/explorer. Andrew wrote an email with my help to the Chair of the New England Chapter of the Explorers Club asking him for leads on information about Mr. Mamani. Gregory Deyermenjian has himself been on over 2 dozen expeditions to Peru, and has been interested in exploring since he was a boy. A great quote from an interview of Mr. Deyermenjian is:
So what happens as you become more immersed in other cultures like this? How does that change how you see the world?
DEYERMENJIAN: There are two ways in which getting immersed down there can grab you. One is the interpersonal, in that while there are such advantages to being here in the United States—and I'm very much the patriot—nonetheless, when you start spending time in a place where the culture is still as it was many years ago, you come to so appreciate everything being on a man-to-man, person-to-person, eye-to-eye, handshake, your-word-is-your-bond kind of level, and where the joy is not in what's the current movie, but in interacting with those around you. Just as it is on an expedition where your entertainment is the entertainment that the person sitting right across from you is providing. So, on that level, it's just becoming addictive. And in a country such as Peru—although I've made expeditions in Brazil and in Ecuador—you're treated like a king, being from the United States. And you're only limited by your own energy.
You just need to have the will power and the tenacity to stick with it and not lose your cool when things appear to be all going wrong and the officials are all denying you entry. Just stay cool, never be insulting, never be pompous or high and mighty, just stick with it, and eventually, at the last minute, it all just falls into place.
There are undocumented ruins, unknown ruins, ancient Inca ruins. And so you can do something that no one else has ever done, but it's up to you. And so you're not bound by a lot of strictures that there are here.
Sounds to me like great advice for life in general. I so dig homeschooling!
Posted at 08:04 PM in Homeschooling Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
Spring?
Andrew and I have recently begun taking our local nature center more seriously and last night I went snowshoeing in the moonlight with Lisa and a dozen other hearty souls. It was lovely.
I am constantly impressed with the staff at Wood Lake. They love their jobs, and love Wood Lake and their passion is contagious.
Lisa was talking about Robin Migration with her mom yesterday and forwarded this link today.
I spent 10 tearfilled minutes listening to various Robin calls. I'm ready for the big melt down.
And todays poem:
by adrien stoutenburg
Gregorian Adjustment, 1582
George Washington's birthday February 11, Old Style;
February 22, New Style.
The equinox was out of joint.
In twelve hundred years plus fifty-seven
trusted calendar went awry,
delveoping an error of ten days,
so nothing matched.
Leaves bloomed too late;
birds nested in blank boughs;
even roosters were crowing out of tune.
Pope Gregory on his stiff thrown,
bent brow to fist,
attempting to reel time back
to something rational and true.
From prayer and thought he ruled
then strumpet days must be tossed out
upon the dump heap of eternity,
the daily reckoning rectified.
Time is a racer and a sloth.
The Pope's chill bones
were tapestry
by the time his rectification came
to the American Colonies
and caught Ben Franklin
out of time...
then days plus one
(a leap year's maverick sprint)
to be deducted from the total sum
of trips abroad, tomes, kites, and love.
Franklin was one who treasured sleep,
regretted those sweet hours lost;
yet philosophy with him ran deep,
and time was but a sieve, he knew,
through which one must expect a leak.
Our founding fathers took in stride
corrections of inevitable flaws.
Some losses had to be.
Birthdays were hustled into line,
adjustments made for wages lost,
new dates assigned to deaths or anniversaries.
But still the gap yawns there:
eleven days of expurgated history.
I am leaving on vacation in less than one week, and time is definitely "a racer and a sloth" in that regard. So not ready. So ready.
Off to skate. WE WILL FIND WAYS TO ENJOY WINTER!!!
Posted at 09:23 AM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 21, 2008
A Year in...
Music, Art and Poetry/Prose...my mother taught me an appreciation of all three, and I will be forever grateful. When life gets me down, Music, Art and Poetry elevate me again.
I found out today that someone I was very much looking forward to meeting I was not going to be meeting...at least not yet. Sigh.
So it seemed a good time to run off and spend that gift certificate at Barnes and Noble my thoughtful husband got me for my birthday.
This is what I got:
Its a lovely mini coffee table book with 730 pages of art and a quote, one for every day of the year. LOVE it!
Todays art piece?
The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello. This is a pretty bad representation of the painting, its much lusher and interesting.
Uccello is not an artist with whom I am familiar, so it was fun to learn more about him. The quote for today?
"Peace hath higher tests of manhood than battle ever knew." John Greenleaf Whittier.
I also picked up a book entitled A Year in Poetry at the library. Today's poem is a good one:
February the 20th Street
Hugo Williams
A coincidence must be
Part of a whole chain
Whose links are unknown to me.
I feel them round me
Everywhere I go: in queues,
In trains, under bridges,
People, or coincidences, flukes
Of logic which fail
Because of me, because
We move singly through streets,
The last of some sad species,
Pacing the floors of zoos,
Our luck homing forever
Backward through grasses
To the brink of another time.
Posted at 05:53 PM in Create Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
February 20, 2008
I could have taken this photo
but I don't have a tripod anymore....so I took this instead...
Oh well, my eyes remember something closer to photo a or b! We met some neighbors outside who did have a tripod and were out there longer than us, we mainly watched from the window until the tree blocked our view.
A lunar eclipse happens when the sun is on the exact opposite side of the earth as the moon. The sun is "peeking" around the earth a bit to reflect off the moon, creating the red color. Regulus and Saturn were large bright "stars" visible on either side of the moon because of its diminished brightness.
DANG it was cold out there!
Posted at 09:59 PM in Current Affairs Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 15, 2008
I hope winter lasts forever!
I was scared. I figured it was too cold, I mean it was 3 below when we left the house this morning. I didn't have the right kind of gloves. How would I help Andrew if he needed it, since I'd be such a beginner?
Then we went to the class and the instructor started talking about different stances and how to get back up and hills with turns and I was SOOO scared! I really didn't want to go, but if I didn't go, Andrew couldn't go. So we slapped on the skis and out we went...and it was love at first glide!
I fell a few times but it was a wonderful experience over all. We took the trail twice, and Andrew wanted to do a third time but we agreed to come back tomorrow morning instead. We are members of Wood Lake Nature Reserve so the ski rentals are free. I forsee us getting in great shape as we squeeze every bit of trail goodness out of the rest of this season and then eagerly await next season. Andrew says he's gonna save all his allowance until he can buy his own skis and shoes so we can go even when the building isn't open. Sigh. We love!!!
Posted at 05:38 PM in Healthy Living Permalink Comments (2) TrackBack (0)
February 14, 2008
Kina Grannis
I'm scouring my music collection for a soundtrack list for a new scrapbook I'm working on, and came across this gem. Kina is the girl who won the chance to have her song played during a commercial break during the Superbowl. Her voice is pure delight and the song she sang for the contest is pretty rad. But this is my favorite after a few spins:
People
Swarms of people they move in every directionSome eyes they wander while others are just glued to their feetAnd how I wonder what goes on behind those eyes,There are lives, growing older and they're growing wiseSo amazed by all the many different faces,Searching for traces of emotion wondering places they have beenAnd on occasion, someone will take a look at me,But do they see a unique person, or am I part of a vast sea[Chorus:]Sing me your song, solve my mysteryI wont do you no harm, just wanted to seeSing me your song, solve my mysteryI wont do you no harm, just wanted to seeThat you're a person just like meThey are they background of your everyday situationLook all around you start to wonder really who these people areThey might be watching, wondering quite the same of youSo break this auto pilot path and try to start something new
And really, this is the perfect lyrics for what scrapbooking means to me. Sing me your song, solve my mystery!
Posted at 11:36 PM in Music Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
Elevate
DOLDRUMS! week after week of ice and cold and snow and subzero cold and did I mention cold?
I need to rise above this frigid landscape. I need to expand. To infuse.
A favorite quote:
"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.” ~Benjamin Disraeli
Studying the weather report is NOT nurturing my mind with great thoughts. Its time to work on my political layouts again. Its time to check out more poetry at the library. Its time to get outside the box.
Who's with me? Do something mind expanding today!
Posted at 04:21 AM in What's inside my head Permalink Comments (1) TrackBack (0)
February 11, 2008
Sometimes surfing the web is funny!
Posted at 11:08 PM in Weblogs Permalink Comments (0) TrackBack (0)
»
"If you are bored with your own photography you are really bored with what you are photographing, so pick a new subject about which you are knowledgeable and enthusiastic."
Bill Jay
(1940- )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
