yes, and yes

All I can say is "wow"--oh, and YES!

Thank you, Patti Digh.

earth forces

"I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big successes. I am for those tiny, invisible, loving human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets, or like a capillary oozing water, yet which, if given time, will rend the hardest moments of human pride." ~~William James~~


This Earth Day brings promise and hope. I believe that. Yes, there are cascading events happening around our planet showing us heart-breaking destruction. But I believe there is hope in individuals making change. There is greatness inside us--strength, with attitudes that our cup is "half full".

candy for the senses

Loving this song today as I dance around in the sun beams, dye eggs, and make fresh bread for tomorrow's BBQ. The tequila and lime...they're for the fresh scallop ceviche (we are in charge of appetizers and bread).

I want this music to play when I open and write in my journal! Be still my heart!

This video puts the biggest grin on my face. Oh, the creativity!


These doves make the most wonderful purring/cooing sound. They, too, are enjoying the return of the sun.

spring is leaking

Spring break began so beautifully the first part of the week with symphonies of bird calls early in the morning, sun and warmth throughout the day. Inside duties were ignored. Summer "equipment" such as the hammock, air chairs, and sun tea were set out. Potted plants that didn't make it through the rigorous winter were dumped. It was good--no, it was grand. I was warned that I was being a wee bit premature in setting out summer lounging furniture, but I had plans, you see, visions really, that included sun, books, and abandonment of time.

Then the rain began. Heavy rain at first, which I thought was fine--it was needed. It washed the dust off the leaves of the palms, watered the sprouting bulbs, knocked off the last leaves of the oak tree which diligently holds tight the previous year's leaves through the winter. But the rain didn't stop. It's been followed by a constant drip and drizzle every day, all week.


The hammock...soaked. The air chairs...filling with water. The sun tea...not as tasty when one is curled up in a quilt instead of stretched and basking in the warmth of a bright, blue-sky day.


Still, I am determined to make the most of this spring break, damp or dry. I am working on those much-needed spring deep cleaning projects inside. Much like our cat catching an opportunity to drink from the dripping faucet, my cup is half full of possibilities.

The Sun

by Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen

anything

in your life

more wonderful

than the way the sun

every evening,

relaxed and easy,

floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,

or the rumpled sea,

and is gone--

and how it slides again

out of the blackness,

every morning,

on the other side of the world,

like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,

say, on a morning in early summer,

at its perfect imperial distance--

and have you ever felt for anything

such wild love--

do you think there is anywhere, in any language,

a word billowing enough

for the pleasure

that fills you,

as the sun

reaches out,

as it warms you

as you stand there,

empty-handed--

or have you too

turned from this world--

or have you too

gone crazy

for power,

for things?

Love this roof!

March, which for some is a very long month before spring shows up at their doorstep, is sauntering out with its head held high, sun shining on its back. Spring festivities are just around the corner.

last of the winter harvest

With only one week of spring under our belts, I'm listening to the weather reports of snow in Colorado as well as other parts of the country. Here, it's been spring for several weeks (sorry to you folks out there shoveling snow and scraping ice). Some of the trees are done with their pink and white blossoms and have moved through the color palette onto the bright green of new leaves.

We've harvested the last of the winter crops, turned the soil, checked the drip system, and are ready to plant for the summer. I can hardly wait...I am so tired of tasteless tomatoes.

joyous month of march

I'm still here, quite busy with lesson plans, rain-soaked days, and those little things that seem to pile up when one is looking the other way.

March is one of my favorite months.  Spring is just ahead, the sun has magically decided to visit longer, and petals carpet the ground from blooming trees.  I am such a geek that I celebrate "pi" day each year, March 14...ok, for those un-math folks that's "3.14--pi--having to do with the circumference of a circle--C=(pi)xd".  Pi Day:  surrounded by all things circle, which usually means food (doesn't it always come down to food?)...pizza, pot pies, fruit pies, cookies.

This year, something extra appeared on the calendar for the month.  On the third of March, for the year 2009, we had the great opportunity to celebrate "Square Root Day".  This amazing event only happens nine times every one hundred years, where the day of the month and the month are the square root of the last two digits of the year.  My classroom celebrated by eating root vegetables and drinking root beer.  So sweet and so fun!

to service

It seems to have been such a long time since we could stand with pride and say we are Americans. Today we will see a new, fresh, young, plugged-in president sworn into office who has already made leaps and bounds of progress even before this historical day.

I am filled with such a sense of hope and excitement.

Our soon-to-be-president {yes!} is asking citizens to commit to helping each other and our communities as one nation--a national call to service. Go here to learn more.

Need ideas to help? Go here for encouragement and more hope. How about "b" something?

Become a "Born Again American."

My cup is half full, not half empty.

the wall, she is gone

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls." 

~~Joseph Campbell~~

Architects, in their quest for a balance between design and function, are willing to try unusual features in homes. We had (yes, I am so excited: h.a.d.--past tense) a wall which separated two areas of our home and housed the fireplace. It has always felt like it blocked the flow and energy and light in the house. It didn't quite go to the ceiling (it was a wall, it was not a wall), included a recess for a television (which we used to store baskets and pottery), and partially blocked the ingress/egress of the door to the back patio (I ask you, who designs a wall to partially block another doorway?).

It's gone {let's hear a squeal and do a little happy dance}. The rooms are now a single, greater room with space to breathe and visit and move. This very much delights me. The light from the windows aren't impeded by the wall anymore. Everything feels brighter and cheery.

We had no need for the fire place. We live in a climate where it does, on occasion, lightly frost, but truly our winters are mild. The chimney hole will become a sky light this coming summer. More natural light!

I would like to thank my husband for continuing to putt up with me and my ideas of change. "This is just a small wall, can we take it down? What if we push out the side of the house a few feet on the west side? See this space here, which we really don't use to its best potential--what if we take off the roof of the garage, use this space for a staircase, and add on another bedroom, bathroom, exercise room, and gathering room up there. It's "do-able", isn't it? Let's build a walled-in terrace, our own little grotto." These proposals are but a few of the many I have thought up.

I would also like to thank our daughter, for being such a good worker and great sport about her nutty mother. And then there's the great big thank you to her for having strong bones and not breaking any of these said strong bones when the wall fell on her (oh, yes it did!)--actually it somewhat bounced on her several times as gravity pulled it down, then it pinned her leg as a final assault. Just to make it clear, it wasn't the dry wall that fell on her...it was the massive amount of wood framing. She has bruises--big bruises--and scrapes. She's a red-head--she rarely bruises. Sorry daughter, for sending you back to your home with lumps and bumps, back to the barrister world of the courtroom, skirts, and heels with bruises.

boxing day...day of goodwill

I rather love the origins of "boxing day", and I see that South Africa continues that genuine spirit as "day of goodwill" where gifts are given to those less fortunate in society. I like that. Our home is blessed with gifts, electricity, warmth, a refrigerator and pantry of food, friends, relatives, and love. Sadly not everyone can claim this to be the case.

I have added a button to the sidebar for Free Rice. This is a small, but I believe sensational, way to help others through the UN World Food Program. Oh, and a bonus: you can help yourself through extending your knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, geography, math, language learning, chemistry, and art. We have such a rich language and so little of it is used. I blame video games and television (but I digress).

Go to Free Rice. Play. Have the kids play. Watch your bowl of rice multiply.

peaceful evening

Observing (and participating) in different perspectives and persuasions of the season's festivities within our extended family this time of year is a grand, yet delicate, waltz.


May peace surround your time with friends and family.

May the darkness be lit by warming fires and spirits.

May the delight of laughter fill your home and heart.

the wassail is on the stove

We are busy preparing for one of my favorite changes in seasons. We have a tree...this is not a normal routine for us, but I love the smell of the pine in the house when it is so cold (yes, it is too cold here in California--just not the same kind of cold as my friend in the northeast) and dark, so many long hours of dark. Solstice gifts are wrapped. Tree decorations are waiting. Drums and strings are tuned. Candles are set out. And the wassail...oh, I have been given a wonderful recipe for this most delightful and warming drink. Give it a try (make adjustments to the quantities, depending on the number of folks who are thirsty and cold):

1 quart fresh apple cider
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
6 whole cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
**simmer (do not allow to boil) these ingredients on very low for 1 to 2 hours. serve warm.

colors

What is the color of fear? Of pain? How does one journey along that tangled, grey-toned and thorn-infested pathway with grace?

One period of waiting is over. Another begins.

I am reminded of this:

Finish each 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; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

~~Emerson~~

moment of madness

This morning I was running late. Now my "late" is probably long before most folks think of getting up for the day, but I was meeting with a parent for a conference at 0'dark-thirty this morning and my commute time depends greatly on my "start" time. I left the house with only a banana washed down with a single cup of coffee to fuel and propel me through the morning. By the time I had driven a few blocks, I knew I was going to need more of that delightful elixir, and in my caffeine-deprived brain it made more sense to continue on to a Starbucks than to turn around and go back home for a sturdy stainless steel to-go mug.

I stopped, got the biggest cup o'joe they have, decided to throw caution to the wind by adding a dash of raw sugar and cream (why not...it was going to be a long day), and drove along my merry way. I could smell the coffee, the hint of cream and sugar (yes I could), all the way to work. The cup sat in its well-designed (thank you Honda), pre-designated safe spot just to my right, cooling during the commute to the ideal temperature to drink.

I had a small, yet over-flowing, box of papers, report cards, and graded work, as well as that amazing cup of coffee, to juggle all the way back to the classroom. I sat the box on the hood, placing the cardboard cup with the easy pop-off plastic cap next to the box, and shut the door.

The laws of physics will not be denied. There are no exceptions to these laws for teachers who are running behind schedule, who have been smelling a perfect blend of coffee, sugar, and cream for over thirty minutes, who have been up late the night before on the computer fretting over the comments section of report cards, or who just wanted to have a few minutes of quiet and caffeine before the long day began. The movement created by the shutting of the door caused the papers to shift ever so slightly in the box, hitting the side of the cup which was on a slight incline (damn that aero-dynamic design). Like slow motion, I watched as the cup tipped and tumbled over the edge, began a beautifully executed somersault, and landed at a flawless thirty degree angle. This popped the lid off, allowing the coffee to puddle around the cup onto the parking lot. Steaming creamed-and-sugared coffee. All of it. On the asphalt. Taunting me with its rich scent.

I believe I stood next to it saying "no, no, no" for several moments. I can't be sure. Shock is a funny thing. I entertained the possibility of sucking the teaspoon of liquid still remaining in the cup and the lid, but I have "issues" with germs and public surfaces. I picked up the cardboard cup and useless lid, throwing them in the trash. Periodically throughout the day I thought of that coffee, the aroma, what it would have tasted like. From now on, I will keep a back-up stainless steel to-go cup with a screw-on lid in my vehicle.

hope

Does the sunrise this morning look just a bit clearer, a bit brighter?  The frenzy and push of politics trying to create dividing lines between families and friends is over.  I think the country has spoken as a united front.  Change is needed.  Change is coming.  What an amazing time we are in!