Category Archives: Personal

Weather

Mother nature seems to be unhappy – it is raining and the wind is gusting and snow is on the way – temps not going to get out of freezing til Friday.  I am most worried about power going out.  Hope everyone stays warm and off the roads.  Everything around here is closing so no school today and probably not tomorrow.

Commercial Life

A bit of a rant…
There is a commercial for the Toyota highlander that makes me angry every time it comes on television. In the commercial the kid calls parents lame for not having a fancy new car and then explains why his mom “gets it” because she has this vehicle and extols all the virtues of said piece of rolling metal. He feels sorry for the kid with the lame parents, who hides and delays walking to his dad’s car after school because he is ashamed of the car. I detest how they portray people, especially in a time when people are worried about having a job period. Food and health insurance issues, gasoline prices getting more ridiculous by the day, homes being repossessed, and parents should be made to feel ashamed if they don’t have a shiny new vehicle with all the bells and whistles? Kids should be shown in a way that says it is not only alright to disrespect your parents for not owning a particular THING but it is COOL! Evidently I am not alone. When I googled Highlander commercial I found there is even a facebook page for people who think the commercial sucks. That in itself seems to say something about our world. Sometimes you just have to shake your head.

I wouldn’t have one if they gave it to me…

Snow day is over and I was extremely unproductive. A lot of time was spent in pajamas in front of the fireplace. I watched Bonneville which was kind of sad but made me laugh and Life As a House which made me cry. Potato soup for lunch, omelets cooked by daughter for supper, a glass of wine and yes I believe I will take my kindle and head for bed. Back to the world tomorrow.

Moondreams

in dreams I fly
through dark and touch
the stars as I go by
a flick of wrist
and they go spinning
brushing clouds out
of my eyes and sighs
come knowing morning
is around the corner
but this night this one
dark dream goes on
past galaxies and
constellations cosmic
conflagrations causing even
scientists to pray the beauty
draws me on and in a
bed on earth a body
rests but heart and soul
have broken free and I will
curl around the moon and
touch the face that watches
over all each night and
learn the secret learn
the magic where the dreams
start when the sun goes
when the eyes close
I will know before I wake
and all the beauty I will
take along and on my
pillow in the dawn
bits of star and moonbeam
dust are all that’s left
except a feeling clinging at
the edges of my mind
that there is more
I reach to touch and dust
dissolves and floats away
on dust moat sunbeams
yawning I will sleep again
for journeys in the dark
are not a walk in any park
can’t be rubbed from sleepy eyes
and sighs and curling up
around my pillow moon will
wait and I will travel once again
when night returns

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110107/i/ra2072116564.jpg?x=400&y=243&q=85&sig=Fs.98eLFYUTl249SWVHxew–

Sunday Scribblings

Sun Fall

AP picture prompt and Three Word Wednesday CCXXII plausible, taint, willingly

lit from within
bones of the earth
creak and groan
birth giving oceans of
fluid movement willingly
ripple across
the face of the deep
blackness smallest taint
of night
dawn made plausible
in moondreams by a
flame-washed crescendo
the audible sinking of the
day star
eventide melts
glowing tendrils winding
round and through tidal
encroachments caressing
sliding covering sands
of time of earth of life
smoothing rough edges
and making old new
at rest until
the new day
arises

The Princess of Lettuce

allpoetry prompt: significant memory

working as a salad girl
just a kid myself
busy Sunday afternoon
kitchen humming waitresses in black
and white swinging in and out
through doors with balanced trays
and tips in their pockets
you walk in with your dad and I stop curious
customers are not a kitchen fixture
but you are being led and I hear him ask
can you hear this and smell that
then he describes the beautiful princess
dressed in white
and smiles at me before leading you out
and I was glad you could not see
clown princess mascara running
down little girl cheeks
blindly scooping lettuce into plastic bowls

Early Christmas

Not for me.  Several hundred juniors and seniors will get netbooks today. They will have them to take home and use for the rest of the school year.  While I know that this will mean work and frustration at a later date, I choose to feel like Santa today.  They are excited and today I will help pass them out and they will be happy.  I am going to be happy right along with them.  For some it will not be that big of a deal.  For some it will be a HUGE deal.  That makes me happy. I’m going to silently pray over those laptops today – as physical, tangible, representations of the children that I may not know or have any clue what their life is like, I will pray for that God watches out for them.  It is going to be a very good day.

Joshua Bell

reposted from an email I received.  I thought it was worth repeating.

. . . Something To Think About . . .THE SITUATION

Washington, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.  After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar.  A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.  This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed and no one applauded.  There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story.  Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the DC Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

I checked the story on Snopes.com and according to their website it is true

My Birthday Present

you must have stayed up
all night measuring and
figuring, pencil behind your ear
computations, calculations
formulating postulations
defying my imagination
geometry of fantasy
each drop of dew
placed for effect, reflect
refract the light as you
stepped into place you
found your mark and
pear trees stopped
their falling you were
calling and they struck a pose
and turned to stone
shadows thrown across
the field to cover over
hover on the grass the light
bright glass as stones
exquisitely cut and set
to let the dazzle soar and
roar a thousand times through
human eyes and I could hear
the bluebird wings
in silence I would bow
my head and thank you for
the grace to know that you
will be here every morning
but this one day was mine
and you were warming
all just for me

Challenge Day Reflections

High school kids are NOT too cool to play lol.  Lots of music, cheering, playing, and sharing in small groups.  I enjoyed parts, am emotionally drained by others.  What we as a society do to our kids is just pure sin.  One of the exercises has everyone crossing over to the other side if (fill in the blank) has happened to them) and the last one was to cross over the line if you have ever been a child. There was way too large a group that did NOT cross.  Never.  been. a. child.  They are STILL children but feel they have never had a childhood.  I don’t know how some manage to GET to school in the morning, never mind make it through the day and even learn.

I don’t think anything was permanently cured.  I do however think that some kids may have gotten to know each other, that might never have spoken if they hadn’t been thrown into a situation that made them get out of their comfort zones a bit.  Who knows down the line if a seed was planted today that might bear fruit in the future.  I hope so.

I am hoarse from yelling and cheering and physically exhausted but glad I volunteered and will do it again tomorrow.  Today was juniors, tomorrow seniors.  I am in bed at 7:30 and will be surprised if I am still awake at nine.

This will work it’s way out in writing but it will have to percolate for a bit.

Coyote Season

just like Eve
reached for the apple
I stretched my hand
out to the tree though
I knew I shouldn’t

I came back with nothing
but leaves that crumpled
and disappeared on the
breeze please I said
wait I am not ready

I saw coyote running
she and the hawk
they sang to me
winter’s coming
winter’s coming

and just like the store
that dims the lights
near closing time
the light changed
harbinger of summer’s end

ushering in the wind that
will clear the land
for the coat of snow
to come sending
living things to warmer
faraway places

I asked coyote to stay
but he laughed
and said it’s just a trick
of the eyes leaves
in the dust turn to mud

colors fade and green
goes south for a time
and I will sleep
in the hush of frost
wrapped in fire

filled with need to cook
and bring warmth
turn up the lamp to
keep the shadows away
coyote the trickster

hides but the hawk
outs him and the smell of
bread and cinnamon
will hold off the sadness
and I will wait for spring

The Week That Was

This week was a streak of color outside the window of a train I boarded and somehow got run over by.  The new building is really beautiful and I have covered nearly all of it multiple times a day.  Whatever I need to do next seems to always be on another floor at the other end of the world.

There have been minor issues but for the most part, everyone has their remote and their data projector is working.  Still a few audio issues but we are working those out.  Gradebooks are set up and and everyone has been so nice and patient with very little negative remarks.  It seems as though I have hit the ground running everyday and kept moving until I get home and become one with the recliner.

We are trying to get everyone to walk around the seal in the center of the hallway and I am having more trouble than anyone remembering. Yesterday I walked across it and just when I got to the other side I realized what I had done.  I stopped and hung my head and several custodians were sitting in the cafeteria and laughed at me.  One shook his finger and told me I should be ashamed of myself.  Even the custodians seem to be in a mood to joke and I know they are working hard too.  I am going to have to find a way to remind myself.  Usually I am already fifty feet ahead of myself in my mind and lost in thought.

The rain blown in by the hurricane cooled everything off for a bit but today it is terribly humid and I am feeling lazy even though I slept in until a decadent 7:30.  We made a trip to Home Depot for a light fixture for over the kitchen sink and to make some final decisions on range hood, sink, countertop and backsplash.  I am dreading the countertop part of things because once that begins there will be no sink until it is all put back together.  Unfortunately, life will go on anyway – just a bit inconveniently.  The ceiling is done and looks very nice.  We decided that we kinda rock, even if we were growling and snapping at each other toward the end of it.  We were both tired of the mess and tired of having our arms above our heads.  I would say, now that it is finished, that it was worth it.  I would not have said that in the midst of it.

Dale has been sanding and painting cabinets and I have done very little to help him this week.  I was just too tired.  The most activity I got was carrying my Baileys and milk to the chair on the back porch.  This weekend is for a little damage control.  the laundry is piling up and the rest of the house is looking like we are remodeling it as well.

The only thing negative thing I have to say about the new school, is while they are working on Jefferson Rd. and have it closed, the kids all have to come in from the loop.  I say a prayer every day that there will be no accidents.  I have seen kids walking along the loop heading home in the evening and I say a prayer for them too.

Soon, things will settle into a routine and I will be able to spend a little more time writing.  I am afraid that the next few weeks will be the same as the first.  Run run run, pass out.  I don’t think getting exercise in the winter is going to be a problem.  The stairs are going to be my saving grace this year.  No weather worries, just keep climbing 🙂

Destruction Begins

We are scraping the texture from the kitchen ceiling.  The plan is to scrape and paint the ceiling with new texture paint, replace molding, sand and refinish cabinets, replace countertop and sink and then flooring.  Wish me luck – I will post pictures when I can move my arms again 🙂

Saturday Morning Walk

What is that saying?  If I can’t set a good example let me be a warning?  This morning as I was enjoying my music and my two miles around the track I was passed by army guys, GI Joes in training.  As I finished my first lap the uniformed dudes that were standing around keeping time yelled at them to step it up and stop running like girls.  After I passed they were calling out to the ones walking “Don’t let the old lady beat you!” (My mp3 player was playing “Too Late To Apologize” by One Republic at that moment) Seriously?

Thanks army guys.  You keep wearing camo.  I have a car and great insurance lol….

I left the track and treated myself to a Chai Latte.

August 5 Meteor Shower

Writer’s Book of Days prompt: Write about a summer night….

mamas in the kitchen
with the radio low
the kids are in the bed
and the stars are on show

mama pops the top
on a cold one tonight
and dances in the kitchen
by the little stove light

now I’m in the bed
but the stars are out high
though I can’t see them
dancing in the sky

like insane fireflies
a million miles from here
a meteor shower
bringing heaven near

universe pulsing a
rock and roll beat
I’m a child sleeping
in the summer night heat

somewhere on the timeline
Mama dancin like a star
a light year in my memory
doesn’t seem that far


Rocky Mountain National Park

The day was beautiful – perfect weather.  When we got up to the top there were clouds around the peaks.  I was sitting on the little concrete wall looking out at the mountains when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  I am posting a picture that I found online because I wasn’t fast enough to take one.  Pika slipping in and out of the rocks – little ninja pika. They are fast!

Cute little dudes!

Rocky Mountain National Park (click for bigger)

River of snow ending in a little glacial lake.

Bye for now 🙂

On The Road

The clouds were so low that I think you could have climbed on one of those graineries and stuck a broom handle up and stirred them to rain.  They left shadows on the ground and had depth and texture.

Raton Pass

Now I have eaten, been to the pool, and am presently drinking a mudslide.  Next is kindle and sleep.  Tomorrow Denver!