marigolds

It's getting cold out there, and frosty in the mornings. I wore socks the other day, which I always find very depressing and cozy at the same time. We felt a cold snap coming on a few evenings ago, and at bedtime we decided to go out and do some gardening. I've seen the most glorious strands of marigolds hanging in shops around town, so I was inspired to make good use of our own marigolds before they froze. We went out with clippers and scissors, and beheaded every last flower, filling a basket that looked like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Next morning we strung them like Christmas popcorn and draped them over the mantle in the dining room, and the table by the front door. Next time I'll hang them to dry, so they don't gets flattened by their own juicy weight. But even slightly smooshed, they look really beautiful.

And how about that old sewing basket? Mom gave it to me when I was 10. It's falling apart, but I don't ever want a new one.

~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
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Today I am grateful for...

Things that are still the color of sunshine when the weather turns cold.

A date with Rick to go out dancing tonight.

My Saturday morning phone chat with my Dad.

Your turn!

happy birthday mom

Tessie at about age 19 in San Francisco.

Today is my Mom's birthday. The fact that she died at the age of 55 in 1990 doesn't stop me from celebrating her life, and the fact that she so generously brought me here. As I sit here typing, badly, I see Mom's hands sticking out of my bathrobe sleeves. She was a terrific typist, and urged me all through high school to take a typing class so I'd have "something to fall back on". That little phrase was what sent me running as fast as I could from that room full of typewriters. I would not fall back! Of course I could not foresee my own future, in which I would depend so much on the very skill I rejected back then.

The last time I visited her, when we knew she was sick, but thought she'd get well (she knew otherwise, but chose not to tell us), my sisters and I were helping out with tax time for the Swensen's Ice Cream shop our parents owned. Mom was in the kitchen, and we were down the hall in the office that had once been a childhood bedroom. I was at the typewriter with a stack of W2s while my sister read figures off to me to. I made a lot of mistakes, and wondered why I was doing that particular job when I could be doing something useful, like making soup or taking out the trash. When we finally finished and wandered back to the kitchen, there was Mom, sitting at the table and laughing. It must have hurt her to laugh, since she was just home from having surgery, but she couldn't help it. She said she was listening the whole time we were working, and all she could hear from me was, "Tap, tap, tap, shit... Tap, tap, tap, shit..."

I still can't type worth a darn, and I won't go into the sad story of my mother's departure from this life. Birthdays are for celebration. But after all the typos I've corrected while writing this, I think it might be a fitting birthday present to Mom to sign up for an online typing course. Maybe with a little coaxing, these hands that look so much like hers can retrieve some sort of "cellular typing memory". Till then, there's still a lot of tap, tap, tap, shit coming from my own little office.

Happy Birthday Mom! I Love You! We'll have cocktails on the patio later!


~~~~~~~~~

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Today I am grateful for...

Mom.

Dad.

Me.


Your turn!

counting down

It's raining this morning, the hummingbirds are really gone, and Rick got up to build a fire in the wood stove (our only source of heat) for the first time this year. I guess it's really fall. We're just three and a half weeks away from our trip though, so we're busy with preparations and packing. I think it's time to get the luggage out and start rolling up shirts and filling little toiletry bottles. Most of the time when we travel, we can just say, "Well, if we forgot anything important, we can buy it there." I have a feeling that's not going to be the case in Ethiopia. I think if we don't have it, we'll probably learn not to need it.

This is a real exercise in balancing Good Planning and Self Restraint. I guess I can do it. I was a girl scout. And I used to backpack. And it's always a personal challenge to me to see how little I can bring along on a trip. I like to be unencumbered by stuff when I travel. So I'm resisting the urge to buy a portable DVD player and a mini photo printer, and to take too many shoes, or even too much jewelry. As I go over the lists, I begin to realize that I'm more concerned with having what I need for the flight than for when we get there. 18 hours on a plane is a long time in a small space. Three weeks in Ethiopia is an as yet undetermined amount of mind-time in a very big space. That part doesn't worry me in the least. The flight does...

But stepping across to the to the bright side of the road, 18 hours to relax and do next to nothing hasn't happened around here in years. I'm taking notebooks of course, and favorite pens, a nice new glue stick, books to read, and yarn to knit. Even if the in-flight movies suck, I'll be OK. And when I get negatively stuck on that number, 18 hours, I think back to when people traveled by ship and land to far off places, taking months to get where they were going. I'll bet they would have loved the speedy convenience of a little old 18 hour flight.

We went to Santa Fe yesterday for a few things we can't get here. And now it feels like the countdown has started. If I can find some sort of countdown meter, I'll paste it in here somewhere. I'm getting excited... and a little nervous sometimes. I'm going to Africa. It's starting to feel real.

~~~~~~~~~

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Today I am grateful for...

The new REI store in Santa Fe.

Lots of fire wood.

More tea.


Your turn!

pass the syrup

I think we're going to have to start a Sleepless In Taos support group. Between hot flashes, overworked minds, and dogs who need to go outside to do whatever at all hours, there seem to be quite a few of us who aren't sleeping through the night. Sometimes we get on the internet at the same time - usually around 3AM - to see if there's anyone else out there to keep us company. It's mostly women, but Rick and I were both up last night, with little Heidi trotting to the door every two minutes. She has a thing she does every so often... outside, inside, outside, inside... we know from experience that it can be messy to ignore her requests to open the door. Now we just turn on the lights and wait till she's ready to go back to bed. I didn't go to the computer last night, but this morning there were two emails from friends who had been up at that same silly time of night/morning. I think we should just give in and call it party time. Next time this happens, let's all just gather in our kitchen and make pancakes. After an hour or two we'll be tired again, and can go back to sleep till noon or so.

Scheduling isn't what it used to be. Time isn't what it used to be. When our own bodies refuse to cooperate with clock-time, maybe it's time to learn some new ways to live in this skin we're in... It sure doesn't work to fight it.

~~~~~~~~~

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Today I am grateful for...

Django Reinhardt.

Rick.

Band-aids with smiley faces on them...


Your turn!

just a quick note

I stumbled onto something good this morning. It's a short audio clip of an interview with Gregg Krech. Well worth a couple of minutes of your time!
Attention, Obstacles, and Gratitude

That's all I have for you today. But if you missed it yesterday, please have a look at the Project Mercy Wish List below. There's so much extra stuff in the world. I just know we can find some of it a new home!

~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
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Today I am grateful for...

The earth's shadow on the sky as the sun comes up.

Van Morrison.

Fried eggs and toast.


Your turn!

a long list

Here I am! I can't chew fast enough for all that's on my plate right now! We're a month away from the Ethiopia trip, and there's still lots to do, along with regular stuff like making a living and remembering to brush my teeth. It's crazy, but a fun, energized kind of crazy. I figure I'll just go at top speed for a month, and then sleep on the plane to Africa...

We had a great weekend with Laura. Lots of good talking and lots of great ideas thrown around. We also had time for the Wool Festival, some gallery hopping, and a drive up to the Ski Valley for a little hike. It snowed up there... fair warning of what's coming here in the low-lands all too soon. Heidi was not pleased. She got her pink sweater all wet and muddy. I have to make a better one for her that's not so easy to trip over.






Next up, the following Wish List sent to the Cunningham Foundation from the school at Project Mercy, in Ethiopia. From what I can gather, all of us volunteers who are going on the trip will fill our extra luggage with stuff to take over. So please have a look at the list, and if you have any of these things to donate (tax deductible!), you can contact Tammy Cunningham at tammy@heartintelligent.com, or 303-877-7072, or simply mail the items directly to:
Strings Restaurant
Attn. Noel Cunningham
1700 Humboldt Str
Denver. CO. 80218
303.831.7310

"Educational Items Needed

The following items would greatly help Project Mercy’s Medhane-Alem School in developing students to be the best that they can be. Thank you so much for the consideration and God bless.

General items:

1. Teaching DVDs to help teachers supplement poor textbooks- all subjects (chemistry, physics, biology, English, math, geography, history, etc.)
2. Durable workhorse projector (that plugs into laptop)… something suitable use for teaching with DVDs above. Color, quality (high definition) not important as durability. This would be used against rough white wall in the library with larger groups(most classes 10th and under are over 60/70 students).
3. Laptop computers
4. Television with DVD for smaller group teaching
5. Tape recorder and microphone; sound mixer
6. World band shortwave radio
7. Pens, pencils, eraser, crayon, color markers
8. Sports shirts, shorts for teams
9. Sports balls (volleyball, basketball, football
10. 10 flash drives.

Department Biology

1. Monosaccharide solutions

2. Binocular microscope

3. Microscope with oil immersion objective lens

4. Methylene blue

5. Ethanol

6. HCI

7. Dissecting kid

8. Lung apparatus

9. Chloroplast extract

10. Insect nets

11. Bunsen burner

12. Fehling solution

13. DCPIP solution

14. Antibody (A, B, D)

15. Sodium bicarbonate


Department of Math

1. Mathematical instruments
2. Sample of rectangular prism
3. Pencil and rulers
4. Charts showing basic identities and rules of logic and charts showing different properties and functions
5. Charts showing different numeration systems
6. Graphs of population functions, charts containing histograms
7. Charts showing steps of computing standard deviation
8. Marbles of the same size, but of different colors; dice
9. Calculus book (Robert Ellis)
10. Trigonometric table and base to logarithm table.


Department of Language (English, Amharic)

1. English Grammar books
2. Tools (books, DVDs, etc) for teaching English as a Foreign Language
3. English Dictionaries- both higher and lower levels needed
4. Modern encyclopedia – intermediate level and high school level
5. Several copies of Amharic Dictionary. The concise Dictionary of Amharic/English (see Project Mercy web site)…two dictionaries on one an Amharic to English, and an English to Amharic…


Department of Chemistry

1. Conical flask
2. Spatula
3. *Fractibnal distillation apparatus
4. *Simple distillation apparatus
5. *Bunsen burner
6. Delivery tube
7. Cone
8. Different chemicals which are applicable for high school

a Na, mg, k, ae, fe, zu, mg, cu, s

b. Na2co3, nahco3, naoh, ethanol sulfur, limestone, cuso4, pb(br)2…

9. *Funnel

10. Porcelain dish

11. Different indicators

a. Phenorphthalein

b. Methyl/orange

12. Big beakers

13. Graduated cylinder

14. Batteries

15. Light bulbs


Department of Physics


1. Oscilloscope
2. Voltage regulator
3. Teaching aids, specific to make physics understandable to students charts, DVDs, better textbooks, etc
4. Voltmeters
5. Ammeters
6. Multimeters
7. Ohmmeters
8. Different magnets"

OK! That ought to keep you busy, huh? Please ask around and share the list with your friends. Thanks!!!

~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
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Today I am grateful for...

Helpers.

Peach cobbler.

Hand spun yarn.


Your turn!

homecoming

I didn't like high school much. I was not a homecoming queen or a cheerleader. I didn't like the structure of classes, except for the few that met outside on the lawn. I didn't go to football games or dances, and absolutely shunned the Senior Ball, even though I had six invitations. Finally getting out of there was the happiest, most terrifying day of my life at that point. There have been many others much happier, and much more terrifying since, but that one stands out. I was not quite 18, and suddenly had all the options in the world open to me. Later that summer I would pierce a third hole in my ear (my father called me a "barbarian", which seemed like sort of a compliment.), and head out on my first big adventure, a road trip to Alaska with my friends Wendy and Ryan. I think that must have been when I became a gypsy...

Ryan sent me this picture yesterday. He says he likes it because it reminds him of where he started on this journey. I'll say. I see that young Kim looking back at me, and I remember clearly who she was, but don't think I can get in touch with her now. Not much of her left, and that's not a bad thing. She was so silly, so naive, so lost and superficial. She even thought she was fat. Sheesh....



I have a few other friends from back then that I stay in touch with. We are all parts of each other's beginnings. And though none of us lives in the past, and high school was not the best time of any of our lives, we have a connection that sticks for some reason. After all this time, we still like each other.

My friend Laura is coming down from Denver today and spending the weekend. It's the perfect time of year to come to Taos, and a good time for old high school friends to get together. Kids are back in school, and homecoming weekends are happening all over the country I suppose. I don't keep up on it now any more than I did back in the day. But I'm happy to be spending a few of these beautiful fall days with a long time friend, wandering through galleries, shopping, eating, talking - mostly talking about what's here and now and what we think might lie ahead. Maybe that's why we're still friends after all these years; we can honor a past that we shared and grew from, but we don't need to dwell in it too much. There are better things to do, and I have a feeling we're not finished growing up yet. I can see us on some distant fall day, when we're finally old and wise, laughing at our silly, lost 51-year-old selves...


~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
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Today I am grateful for...

Seeing.

Hearing.

Breathing.


Your turn!

standing still

So it did in fact turn out to be a case of Bad Gas... not the microwave burrito kind, but the sludgy, murky bottom of the tank kind that destroys perfectly good fuel pumps. The bad news is it's a $600 repair job. The good news is, Phillips 66 took full responsibility, and is paying for it, along with a refund for the 2 gallons of gas that caused all the ruckus. Problem solved. On to the next challenge...

We took our house off the market yesterday. There's a bit of a sad sense of surrender. But we have to be realistic. The only people even looking at houses right now are affectionately know in the Real Estate Industry as "bottom feeders". They're out there assuming that all sellers are desperately willing to take insultingly low offers. That's not the case with us, and we don't want to waste any more energy on casual lookers. There's also the fact that we'll be gone for most of November. We have house sitters, but it's a lot to expect them to show the house too, should that come up. And, on the off chance that we might get an offer while we're in Ethiopia, there's probably nothing we could do about it anyway.

So we're admitting to ourselves that now is not the time to move. Sigh..... And we'll ride out yet another winter in Taos, trying to make the best of it. We're only a month away from our trip to Africa, so that's our focus right now. When we get back it will be December and Christmas time. January is what scares me. I see it off there in the distance, mocking me, blowing frozen breath down my neck, challenging me to stay positive and creative and grateful and in-the-moment.

I'm already working on plans to save my sanity. Maybe we'll host a regular weekly Soup Night at our house. Maybe I'll join a knitting group, or take violin lessons or a painting class. Maybe we'll dust off the snow shoes and tromp around in the frozen, blinding sunlight for some vitamin D therapy. Or maybe we'll even get brave and try skiing again for the first time in 27 years. And at some point, we'll put the house back on the market, when the timing feels right. Or, another maybe, maybe we'll find a good renter and just keep the place for a couple more years while we travel and wait for the market to improve. Maybe we can make some real money on this house. Maybe that's what it's trying to tell us.

Obviously, I have no idea what's what right now. I'm still waiting for Further Instructions. And meanwhile, the house is still for sale, but unofficially. If you know someone who wants a beautiful place in Taos, send them our way. Anyone who's lived in Taos for a while knows that it doesn't matter a hoot if a house is "on the market" or not. When it's time for it to change hands, it will find a way.



~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
(What's this about? Read the Gratitude Alert post!)

Please make your entries in the "comments" area below.






Today I am grateful for...

Toast and avocado.

Clean sheets.

Getting together with friends.


Your turn!

bad gas

My car died yesterday. I think it was a case of Bad Gas. Poor thing! For humans, bad gas is unpleasant for all concerned... but for a car, it can be much more serious! Rick was out knocking on doors with another Obama volunteer yesterday afternoon, and stopped to add a few gallons to the tank. Less than three miles later, my normally very healthy Honda made some funny noises and just stopped on a little dirt side road near the Old Ranchos Church. Fortunately, we have AAA and I was able to drop my work day and rescue Rick and his canvassing partner in Rick's old truck, which I don't really love to drive, but was happy to have handy.

Today we'll find out what's wrong. I hope it's not some huge, expensive malady. Mercury is in retrograde... that always means Broken Stuff...

But today is also the official start of the World Gratitude Gathering. You can sign up and join in, and also join us here in the Group Gratitude Journal. Seems to me, in times like these, it would do us all a lot of good to keep our eye on the things we're grateful for. I know it can't hurt!

~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the Group Gratitude Journal!
(What's this about? Read the Gratitude Alert post!)

Please make your entries in the "comments" area below.






Today I am grateful for...

Tow Trucks!

Cesar Millan's latest book.

Shooting stars.



Your turn!