06/30/2020

Yesterday was one of those days, a gift from
the gods; make no mistake . . .

Sitting under our fave tree, enjoying a picnic of
sorts, began that perfect afternoon. We enjoyed
our usual menagerie of birds; hummingbirds,
juncos, and robins. Our favorite robin has been
coming for several years, so he approaches
without fear and comes quite close. A plethora
of chipmunks and a solitary rabbit played openly.

And then . . . the buck appeared, a 3-point buck,
stunning, glorious, beautiful beyond belief, and
utterly at ease. He walked along the perimeter of
the property, slowly but surely, king of the universe!
He stayed near us for the rest of the afternoon.

I find myself thinking of Robert Browning . . .

     The lark's on the wing;
     The snail's on the thorn;
     God's in His heaven -
     All's right with the world!

And, methinks I'll join him . . .

such beauty surrounds
so in love with mother earth
gratitude abounds

06/29/2020

During this ghastly plague, I find myself
missing touch. Customarily, when family
or guests arrive, we greet in embrace . . . 
For now, neither visitors nor embraces!

In friendship, we sit near each other and
share our stories. Alas, at this point, if one
is lucky enough to have visitors, they must
sit six to eight feet away. Added to that, the
mask hides away all those facial expressions
that are an actual part of the storytelling.

Me thinks, in our heart of hearts, we may
actually fear that our masks will be with
us ere long! People now have more than
one. Some of them are quite humorous.
I have a couple of friends who are even
color coordinating them with their outfits.
Fewer visits, lengthier sitting, masks and
gloves, all a part of a new lifestyle to
which we are becoming accustomed.

Standing in line at stores, masked and
waiting to enter, in and out quickly . . .
all part of our new life regime. Not only
do I find myself missing touch, I find
myself missing life as I knew it.

our hearts embracing
let me see your precious smile
pray come sit with me

06/28/2020 - Jamie Shover's Baptism

Commitment is an amazing word . . .
an incredible concept. I imagine that all
the oldsters of each generation believed
that they had it and the youngsters did not.
Still, we do see evidence of commitment
every single day.

 Just think of all those to choose a given
career. They must attend a university, a
college, jr. college or a special school for
the path in which they expect to follow.

We have all attended weddings; we find
ourselves wishing the couples well and
fervently hoping they will be happy and
stay together.

And there are phenomenal parents, utterly
committed to rearing their children to the
best of their ability.

This special day, my niece will be baptized.
She is committing herself to her Lord in a
public setting. Bless her sweet heart!

Me thinks we should ponder all those people
and paths we are committed to. Let's recall
our words, our promises and make certain
we are honoring them.

my word is binding
may i ever be faithful
commitment matters

06/27/2020 - Wade's b-day

The various sources of inspiration can
be both amazing and somewhat amusing.
For several years, I've made two different
secret spice blends, a hot red one with
roughly 33 ingredients and a white blend
of about 13. They are both great for their
different uses.

One of my friends, who seems to love
my red spice, is having a birthday today.
I believe he's turning the inevitable 29 . . .
so I thought I'd invent a new spice in his
honor. It's along the same lines as the other
red with about 39 ingredients . . . but much,
much hotter. In this particular blend, I've
used 9 different chiles from 9 different
countries and states.

I collect chiles from every country, every
state, every city I've ever visited. Not only
is it a fun thing to collect, it makes good
for unusual storytelling as well as compare
and contrast tastings. Me thinks we'll have
some fun with this one!

Happy birthday Wade; I'm naming this
one after you! How about, 'Mr. W's
Secret Spice' or 'Wade's Secret'?

am mixing some hot
yikes me thinks im burning down
of spice and men ha

06/26/2020

Having sung the praises of teaching over
and over, and ever and ever, I am always
enamored of those precious few times 
in retirement when that special teaching
moment is gifted. Yesterday afternoon
was one such time.

A lovely family of friends stopped by;
we sat in a circle and shared our thoughts
and musings about a given topic. I was
particularly moved by the insights the
children offered to the conversation. As
a teacher of 41 years in two countries, I
do NOT overlook children, ever! Still, I
find myself dropping the jaw when that
certain pearl of wisdom comes out of
their mouth.

I understand that we all need and enjoy
moments of frivolity. Having said that,
conversations such as described above
are food for the soul and I find myself
ever so grateful! I can hardly wait until
next time!

those special moments
much needed wisdom is shared
my heart embraces

06/25/2020

We met. We embraced. We drank champagne.
We talked. We broke bread. We entered sacred
space . . . and I am all the better for it. I find
myself moved in gratitude. So many go through
life and never find that special circle that makes
life all worthwhile.

There are those with whom we play and party.
Others are confidants who comfort our bleeding
wounds, and yet others capable of seeing into
the depths of our very souls. And when those
blessed gifts are all found within sacred circle,
there is no greater bounty.

I kneel in awe before this legacy gifted me.
But I ask, "What do I bring to the table? What
in me deserves such largess? How can I give
back? How can I honor these glorious sisters?"

Me thinks true gratitude is shown in demanding
one's own personal growth. Expect more of self
every single day. Never back down. Never give
up. Be! Be more! Become!

tis time to grow up
pray i am up for the task
plagued with my own doubts

06/24/2020

I keep thinking of those concentric circles
surrounding self and extending to family,
friends, community and world. I've spoken
of this before but frankly, these thoughts
are never far from my mind.

Those brought up in Christian homes are
often taught that self should be last and
that we are to gift all to others. I think the
idea of self first is that if you've got your
head on straight, everything else will fall
into place.

I find myself taken with the former and
seduced by the latter . . . When helping
others, there simply isn't enough time to
be obsessing with self. Not sure if there's
a half way in between . . .

In our current affairs, things are being
brought to light that have long been in the
dark and much needed sussing out. Perhaps,
this is exactly the time when we can set
self aside and dedicate our concerns to
those who have been left out or long been
mistreated.

wish to make things right
woes of this world are many
pray how can i help

06/23/2020

I keep thinking about who I want to be when
I grow up! If I were completely straight about
it, I would have to admit that it nigh onto
plagues me.

Being somewhat of a serious nature, this is
something I have thought about my entire life,
even as a child. I had this notion that I wanted
to 'happen to life' rather than have 'life happen
to me'. Wow! Was I ever in for a surprise.

Not sure it's my fault; me thinks I was born
that way. I'm a planner and a plotter. I like to
think about things, how I want them to go
and find myself damn annoyed when they
don't work out as I had dreamed up.

Understanding from an early age that I was
an eccentric (Thanks, daddy!), I created my
persona. I like to dress in unusual ways, and
have my own way of acting and speaking.
I've always liked unusual people and enjoy
spending time with them. I would rather
spend a couple of hours with an interesting
person, sharing in conversation, rather than
actually doing something entertaining.

Maybe then, I should stop worrying about
who I want to be when I grow up and get
that I already am . . . simply am!

wanting to be me
so trying to understand
who i truly am

06/22/2020

Up to my dreaming again . . .  portentous!

I found myself once again in the classroom,
my fave place to be . . .

It was that time of day when all the students
were leaving for the afternoon. For one reason
or another, the bell had yet to ring. I'm busy
putting the things of the day away and when
I turn, all the kids are still there. I ask them
why they hadn't left as the belated bell had
finally rung. One of the kids sang out,
"Estamos esperándola que termine." ("We're
waiting for you to finish." I was so moved,
that I got out my most coveted treats and
gave them each one. One kid hung back and
said he'd walk me to my car, help me carry
things and maybe he could talk to me about
something that was bothering him at home.

I awakened with pain in my heart and tears
on my face. I am perfectly alright with these
retirement years. Alas, some teachers make
the mistake of staying too long. That doesn't
mean I don't miss teaching. Actually, I'm
thrilled that I loved it so. Some just hang in
for the retirement and that must be horrible.

I raise my glass . . . to teaching, to a career
well accomplished, to fine administrators
who made it all possible . . . but most of all
to my beloved kids. Bright blessings upon
them!

missing my students
may see them again sometime
love those crazy kids

06/21/2020 - Summer Solstice

Litha, the summer solstice, may actually be
my fave of all the sabbats. I love the bright
summer sun, the warm weather and above
all, sisters who join in the celebration.

I was ever so fortunate to have two of my
neighboring sisters join me in the sacred
circle yesterday. We were actually in circle
when the height of the solstice occurred at
3:43 p.m.

Per se, I am a lunar lady, but after an almost
unending Winter, it is indeed glorious to
celebrate the sun. And, sun we did have!
Even got a tad of a sunburn.

I so love our celestial orbs and am grateful
to my sisters who delight in celebrating with
me. Blessed be . . .

litha tis my fave
sisters in sacred circles
yay summer solstice

Note:
Due to the fact that this year is a leap year,
the solstice occurred on Saturday the 20th
rather than the usual 21st of June. The
Washington Post reminds us that an annular
ring of fire solar eclipse will darken the first
day of summer in Africa.

06/20/2020

As Father's Day draws near, I wish to honor
my mother. Many have heard me say, "My
father was my mother and my mother was
my father." And this, 'tis true!

My mother was an absolutely amazing gal!
She was born in Delta, Colorado, went to
school there, worked in a dry goods store
and dreamed of college in the big city of
Grand Junction! At 18, she left hearth and
home, moved into a boarding house and
attended Mesa College. She graduated as
WWII was ending. She then worked for the
Atomic Energy Commission for the next 40
years. Wow!

She met my father coming home from the
war, married him and gave me the gift of
life not long after. They were together until
his death. It's an amazing thing to look at
one's parents and recognize that had they
not met, or been together, the very
existence we treasure would simply never
have been!

When mom retired from the AEC, five of
her previous bosses flew in for her good
bye do. The venue was packed! The meal
fabulous, the drinks flowing. Said five
bosses gave excellent tributes and then
it was mom's turn. She was the picture of
poise and grace; her speech was perfect!
At times funny and others moving, but
lovely.

As a speech teacher myself, I had never
heard better! As a surprise to her, I had
been invited to speak. I made the effort
to emulate her own presentation and there
for that one precious moment, we were
mother and daughter!

What a woman! A professional, a provider,
a role model! I thank her for my education,
for a good home, for being an amazing
father figure!

always protected
my dad can beat up your dad
she showed me the ropes

06/19/2020 – Juneteenth

"On June 19th, 1865, the Union soldiers,
led by Major General Gordon Granger,
landed at Galveston, Texas with news
that the war had ended and that the
enslaved were now free. Note: Two and
a half years after President Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation - January 1,
1863. The Emancipation Proclamation
had little impact on the Texans due to
the minimal number of Union troops to
enforce the Executive Order. With the
surrender of General Lee in April, 1865,
and the arrival of General Granger's
regiment, the forces were finally strong
enough to influence and overcome the
resistance." juneteenth.com

Such joy and sorrow in one fell swoop!
'Tis a bit along the lines of learning you
won the lotto when you're on your death
bed. Nonetheless, we future generations
have come to appreciate and celebrate
that good finally prevailed over bad.

Little by little, the wrongs of yesteryear
are being corrected. There have been
many mistakes made, many errors in
judgement and often due to ignorance.

We, the living of today, must strive to
make us whole, to heal the wounds of
the past; pray that future generations
best our feeble attempts in all manners
and ways.

my heart bleeds for us
years of wrongs must end
wish away sorrow

06/18/2020

There is something ever so magical

in reconnection! These three months

of pandemic lockdown have had their

own price to pay, but seeing a loved

one for the first time in months is

rather beyond delightful!

It's amazing how we adapt. We stand

our 8 some feet apart, cross our arms

in a symbolic hug and try desperately

not to break into tears. We finally sit,

again 8 or so feet apart, and chat as

fast as we can, just trying to catch up.

Me thinks the world as we knew it is

long gone. We're learning to adapt to

a new way of being with masks and

hand sanitizer, with no touching and 

distance, with calls and e-mails rather

than face to face. Indeed, 'tis a new

paradigm.

Our success and survival will indeed

depend on our ability to adapt. I so

wish us well!

been long time no see

missing you and your sweet face

pray survive the plague