September 2010

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Caring

When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

Henri Nouwen

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Glittering diamonds of dew; emerald leaves, needles, and moss; ripe ruby huckleberries; opalescent water and stone under a brilliant lapis lazuli sky.  These are the many jewels of Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, Mother Nature’s living, breathing cathedral of earth, water, sometimes fire, and air.  Despite their glimmering and pristine character, they hardly encompass the magic and wonder of this truly special place.

As I am one who sees the beauty, power, and resilience of the natural world wherever I go, urban and rural settings alike, I thought I knew what to expect at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center – a grand place of primal waters and trees older than the nation I call home.  After all, I’ve been to myriad forests and seen the majesty of trees towering above me.  I’ve witnessed the scrappy plant proudly blossoming from a tiny crack in the sidewalk.  I’ve seen water of such blindingly brilliant hues as to leave me speechless.  Despite all of this, I was wholly unprepared for my experience at Opal Creek.  The beauty and peace I felt was staggering and resonated deep in my bones.  Every step, glance, and sound steeped in the sublime.

It all starts with the journey, literally and figuratively.  We load the car here at home, drive south through the cacophony of morning rush hour before turning east.  Already there is a shift.  There are fewer cars, more trees, large stands of oaks peppered between farms, shopping centers, and even a prison.  The landscape changes again as we make gains in elevation, and the grassy knolls turn into vast stands of evergreens.  Their clean scent mingles with the dust of the dirt road under our wheels.  We park the car, but we aren’t quite to the end of our journey.  We walk three miles out of time.  It could be the 1930′s of rustic wood cabins, gold panning, starlit skies, and cast iron.  And in those places where there is no sound save the chirp of a camouflaged bird or the drip of of a watercourse borne of centuries, we might just be in America before it was, two nameless faces living off the land.

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Finish

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Life List

I’ve thought about writing a list like this for a long time yet always worried that it meant that what I’m doing right now is lacking in merit.  A shift occurred, however, when I had that moment of realization that there is no THERE without HERE.  The future doesn’t exist without today.  So thank you, Andrea at Superhero Journal, for inspiring me to voice my dreams to the world.

1. Be a successfully published novelist.

2. Win an award for my work.

3. Be interviewed by Tavis, Terry, and Charlie.

4. Be paid handsomely for work that I love.

4. Visit Cambodia and India.

5. Really know America.

6. Be financially independent.

7. Master the Yoga Shakti DVD and meet Shiva Rea.

8. Love myself, inside and out (and tell my thirteen year old self,  “It’s okay”).

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Think…

It is never too late to give up our prejudices.

Henry David Thoreau, Walden


Happy Anniversary Mom and Daddy – 42 years!

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Twangy, lofty, earthy, and ready to party.  It’s back to school!

“High on Your Love” -  Kings Go Forth

“California Stars” -  Billy Bragg and Wilco

“Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” – The Allman Brothers

“What I Wouldn’t Do” – A Fine Frenzy

“Search Your Heart” – Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson

“Big Jet Plane” – Angus & Julia Stone

“I’mma Break it Down” – Eazy-E

“Une Annee Sans Lumiere” – Arcade Fire

“I Summon You” – Spoon

“Cornbread and Butterbeans” – Carolina Chocolate Drops

“Girls” – Beastie Boys (A little trivia – according to the Oxford English Dictionary, they have the first recorded use of the word “mullet!”)

“A Pillow of Winds” – Pink Floyd

“Sigh No More” – Mumford & Sons

“So Far Away” – Carol King

“Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”  – She and Him

“Rien de Rien” – Osi

“Love Street” – The Doors

“Dead Flowers” – The Rolling Stones

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Necessary

In the realm of Nature, there is nothing purposeless, trivial, or unnecessary.

Maimonedes, The Guide for the Perplexed

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1955 Buick:

Chevrolet:

1957

1968 Camaro

I’m pretty sure the Walton’s drove this truck -

Ford:

1955

I can’t remember the year (1940-ish?), but how about the beautiful chrome?

1962 Falcon.  A friend of mine drove one in high school.  Complete with backfires and a muffler that occasionally dragged and threw up wild sparks, hers was much less glam.

Packard:

1932

Ostentatious

Yet, utterly and completely perfect.

1940 Pontiac

Tractors!

Sweet Bunny Love:

Baby Goat

Are you talking to me?

A wee family of mice made from potatoes, carrots, chives, cloves, and beans.

Mark with Segovia the Llama

Ahh, the State Fair.  I would love to kiss the person who invented the institution, for there are few activities that I enjoy more.  It’s a magical combination of earth, animals, food, and gaiety, all that is important and essential in life in one place.  My spirits cannot help but be buoyed and soothed, despite the crowds and lively organized chaos of it all.

Though Willie didn’t make an appearance this year, it was no less splendid for these two urbanites, as there was so much to occupy the hours.  First on the list, food, and more specifically deep fried.  For it isn’t a true fair experience without the hiss and splatter of hot oil, indeed.  We had corn dogs and a giant elephant ear, though it wasn’t THE giant.  How people manage that one, I cannot fathom.  Then there was a heavenly smoked barbecued sandwich, accompanied by sweet spicy beans and tangy slaw.  We topped it all off with cheesy kettle corn and the soothing quiet necessary from over stimulation.  People! Cars!  Rides! Food! People! Quilts! Crafts! Animals! People!

As usual, 4-H was the highlight for us.  There is something very special about these kids.  Fearless, patient, proud, and so down to earth, I could talk to them about living on a farm, raising animals, and life in general all day (though I know better – they have work to do!).  Which brings me to this last photo.  Mark and his sister Suzie (I wish I had a photo of her – she’s got lashes to rival any llama!) are the children of friends we’ve known since first moving to Oregon.  They epitomize everything I love about 4-H.  They are whip smart, highly interested and educated, and never seem to tire of ignorant city slickers like me asking all kinds of questions, smiling and laughing even, taking everything in stride.  Like when Segovia decided during the middle of the obstacle course that it was time to take care of business, number one and two, Mark patiently waited, never ruffling – calm, cool, collected until the job was done.  Gotta love that – and the fair!

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Harmony

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?

Albert Camus

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Here it is, my friends, quilt number two, aptly named Strawberry Fields.

I am so very, very pleased with the way this turned out.  I love the combination of colors – the deep red paired with the acid green is so darn cheery, a sunny country morning in a field of strawberries, not to mention all the cute polka dots.  Have I ever shared my love for the polka dot with you?  Zowie!  It is ever so true.  I fretted a bit over the arrangement of the squares, wondering if I should try for random or the highly organized fashion that is the end result.  I just don’t think I have that in my genes.  I am an ordered person, so I’m glad I did it this way.  It’s very pleasing to follow lines of strawberries, dots, and greens.   The fact that I got the binding right this time (many thanks to the Connecting Threads tutorial on YouTube) is the juicy sweet strawberry on top!

If you’re wondering, I didn’t use a pattern.  I had a particular size of batting left over from my first quilt, so the size was determined.  When I looked through my stash, I loved the combination of the mixed greens, polka dots, and strawberries, but it wasn’t nearly enough fabric.  So I went to Fabric Depot, samples in hand, and found the right combination to tie it all together.  Rather than have the back be entirely polka dotted, I decided to really tie it in with the front, so it’s almost a continuation.  I like it!

Speaking of liking, sweet Paris likes it too, so much so that I think she believes it is HERS.  As I was tying it, she tried to get up on my lap, not once, but four times, eventually lying on a corner on the floor, not budging.  I got up to turn the music down, and she immediately took her place upon it, growling when I moved her back to her little spot.  See that menacing look up there?  Very real!  Once I finished, we shared it, me happily, Paris somewhat grudgingly.

It should come as no surprise that I think I am a quilter now and kind of wish I had discovered it sooner.  It is such pleasing work!

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