June 30, 2013::treasures found

Packing continues as movers arrive in three weeks.

The find of the day was a small jar full of shark teeth Todd had collected over childhood years of beach combing. 

What a fun surprise for the boys. 

Cool treasure!

Namaste

June 28 & 29, 2013::Todd is home!!

We were all so happy to have Todd home last night for a whole week that I totally forgot to post. Oh well...

Today, June 29 is our 22 anniversary. We are posting this entry as we are out on a date to celebrate.

West African food, a drag show at the Lexington Pride Festival, and a last stroll in downtown Lexington.

We aren't the violins and candlelight type...backroad anniversary.

Namaste, my dear love.

June 27, 2013::other plans

Instead of blogging last night, I spent a couple of hours with a dear friend. Then, my youngest decided he was going to make pancakes at 10:00. He isn't a snacker, so I guess he didn't eat enough dinner. We made pancakes...and I didn't blog. Sometimes life has other plans. OK.

Namaste

June 26, 2013::inspired by Howard Zinn and SCOTUS

In honor of today's rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States striking down DOMA and Proposition 8, I am inspired by one if my favorite leaders of social change...

Howard Zinn

I shared today's decisions with my children. I believe in them and honor those who are Standing on the Side of Love. I shared the decision regarding Voting Rights as well. That was no celebratory conversation, but I feel that I should share historical moments with my children and allow them to make decisions on their own. This I do in the hope that they will find involvement in their world to be a priority...that they will stand up for what they believe...and that, hopefully, those beliefs will be on the side of love.

Namaste

June 25, 2013::inspiration from Thoreau

Today I celebrate the thinking of one of my favorite philosophers...

Henry David Thoreau

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_D._Maxham_-_Henry_David_Thoreau_-_Restored.jpg

WALDEN is the obvious publication most attributed to Thoreau, but there are so many others as well. I added it and CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE to Embree's high school reading list this week. LETTERS TO A SPIRITUAL SEEKER is next on my own list. Of course, I am not in agreement with all of his thought, but his writing has influenced decisions I have made about my desired place in society.

A famous Unitarian Universalist, there are at least two UU congregations in Texas that use his name, Thoreau Woods Unitarian Universalist in Huntsville, and Henry David Thoreau UU in Stafford. Of course, Thoreau is a common topic in UU homily and conversation. 

As for me, I am drawn to the questions and the willingness to find my place within society from outside the typical societal framework.

http://ohpioneer.com/post/11956441586

Namaste

June 24, 2013::inspiration from Alice Waters

For the next week or so, if there is no exciting, breaking news around here, I will be sharing with you a few people who inspire me. No particular order and the list won't be exhaustive. I look for inspiration every day and would hate to think I've met or read the words of everyone who will fascinate me.

First on the list...

Alice Waters

Founder of Chez Panisse, a restaurant in Berkley, CA long considered the ideal in whole, local cuisine. She has worked to put gardens in schools and to promote urban gardening in food deserts. I would welcome a chance to dine at Chez Panisse above any other well known eatery. More so, I would so enjoy hearing Alice Waters speak. 

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/10/23/best-of-berkeleyside-this-weeks-most-popular-posts-4/alice-waters-2/

  http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/Alice+waters+philosophy/interesting/

NAMASTE

June 23, 2013::preparing

Packing has begun. With just a month until moving day, I am determined to be ready and not rushed. 

Started with the dining room...got it all in seventeen, yes 17, boxes. That does include most of the small knickknacks in the living room too...but, yes, I do have ample amounts of dishes and glassware.

We have a showing in the morning, then it's on to the classroom. I hope I can hold on to my resolve to pare down there. 

Namaste

June 22, 2013::moon

The super moon through the window screen.

A day full of shopping with teenage girls in stores that are the same in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, and Timbuktu. Locavores, they are not. A Bath and Body Works here is just as exciting here as there. It's what I call Walmart Culture. Every town has one, with the same merchandise. No room for crafts people or one of a kind. They love it. I find it creepy. That's just part of finding your way as an adolescent, I guess...within reason.

There is one thing that I love that is the same in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, and Timbuktu...the moon. It serves as a reminder of our important, but minute place in the universe. When we find ourselves all wrapped up in the worries of every day life, it's nice to remember.

Namaste

June 21, 2013::goodnight summer

Happy Solstice! Summer is here in earnest. Looking forward to all the adventures it holds...tomorrow.

A whiny puppy and a mostly packed dining room last night followed by a long drive to Tennessee to see my parents today have me beat. Three dogs, three boys, four teenage girls, and three sleepy adults are all tucked in safely for the night.  

Summer will have to start tomorrow.

Namaste

June, 20, 2013::Tinkerbell

This is the cat

Who paws at our door

Who sleeps on our trash can

Who sneaks in when given the chance

This is the cat

Who has stolen our hearts

Who actually belongs to the neighbor

Who we will miss very much

Thanks for sharing our back porch and our hearts, Tinkerbell.

Namaste

(Photo by Embree)

June 19, 2013::titanic of the day

Today, I received a small package in the mail containing two ink cartridges for the printer. Brice followed me around until I opened it, not because he was curious about what was inside, but because it was his plan to build a Titanic out of the box. 

He carried the box around all day and sketched out the shape he planned for the hull and bow and stern. Finally, after dinner, he gathered up scissors and packing tape, and an old cereal box and we built it together. Then he kissed and me told me he appreciated me so much!

Tomorrow a small fortune in moving boxes and packing supplies is due to arrive. It'll be all I can do to get him to leave them be...but what a giant Titanic we can build once we arrive in Kokomo!

Namaste

June 18, 2013::pack rat

I am a pack rat and this is only the beginning. 

I pared down my three china closets today. Yes, three. I will be taking two in the move, but losing the largest, so a great deal needed to go. 

Of all my belongings packed away, the things in here are the most precious. I have my grandmother's tiny porcelain dolls and her crochet hooks. There are pottery pieces made by my dad and a very special adopted grandmother to me. Yes, I even found the cork from our wedding champagne and a paper napkin from Embree's coming home party. 

But look at this photo!

The dining room table is full and stacked pretty high in places. Trying very hard to let go of 

things that hold no sentimental or useful value to me. 

If you see anything that you want, let me know...I'll share!

The attic now beckons...that should be interesting!

Namaste

June 17, 2013::a nice surprise

I came across these pictures today as I began packing.

My grandmother, Mama Jean, and my mom when they visited Kentucky about six years ago for Brice's dedication.

I love the one of the three of us with Brice's sweet face peeking through.
They were a nice surprise.

Namaste

June 16, 2013::dad

My dad...a man of few words, an observer.
He cultivates abundance in any tiny pot of soil and seedling.
He sees the world in the beauty of a single flower,
And shares it in the light in a captured moment.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!
Thanks for sharing your quiet wisdom and unfailing love with us.
I love you.

June 15, 2013:: June weekend

Happy Saturday in June.

Namaste 

June 14, 2013::landscape

I am from a beautiful part of the country. I no longer take for granted the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where I was raised. I am overwhelmed by the beauty every summer when I head back up the mountain for a visit.

Likewise, the beauty of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky has not been lost on me these last ten years. I enjoy new landscapes and new adventures.

Kokomo and Central Indiana have their bright spots. I am learning to enjoy seeing the farm houses and wind turbines. Watching the height of the corn change each time we visit is fascinating and the square traffic patterns around said corn and bean fields are somehow comforting in their predictability.

This is no Western North Carolina, but I see a different kind of beauty in this place. The beauty of the landscape is not of the natural sort, but a reflection of hard labor and our mark on Mother Nature. It's almost systematic in appearance. To me, it's about the people. I see the people reflected in the land. I am looking forward to spending some time here with these folks. I will always be a mountain girl, but I am glad to be here now.

Namaste

June 13, 2013::moving along

We negotiated an offer on a house in Kokomo today.
Hope to close and move in about 30 days.
Hope to see some action on our house in G'town soon.
Gonna be a challenge, but we'll be together.
More to come...

Namaste

June 12, 2013:: some slack

Though this year's blog goal is a post everyday, I have come to the realization that we are in an unpredictable time in our lives and I need to cut myself some slack. After traveling back to Georgetown on Monday, circumstances dictated that we return on Wednesday to see a few more houses. We need to make an offer this week and get Todd moved off campus. We rushed back and talked long into the night about the best of some less than perfect choices, then we hunkered down to ride out the thunderstorms, and that was that.

The good news is that we are a little closer to having a home here. The next 24 hours will decide.

Namaste

June 11, 2013::becoming familiar

36 hours in Georgetown and it is back to Hoosier country.
This is becoming a familiar scene.

Namaste

June 10, 2013::a reminder to myself

Namaste

June 9, 2013::IMA love

There is a fine line between thankfulness and attachment. It is easy to allow oneself to slip from gratitude into grasping without realizing it. I am trying to enjoy the giddiness I feel today without allowing myself to feel the need to be glutinous.

Here's the thing...we found a lovely UU church and community in Indianapolis. It has some of the things I love about our Lexington church, some of which I worried we wouldn't find again. There is an active program for the kids, there are so many welcoming folks, and the great hall, like ours, has windows all around that allow us to enjoy nature while we enjoy each other. It has potential.

Here's the part that makes me feel so blessed, unbelievably blessed...the Indianapolis Museum of Art is two miles from the church. Two miles! 

Of course, the galleries are there, but there are gardens and outdoor instillations. There are trails and art lessons for the kids. All free. All make me so giddy.

We spent much of the afternoon picnicking and exploring the 100 Acre park on the IMA grounds. 

Here's the part, though, about it all that makes me the happiest. I can walk in the museum, down a short hallway and be standing, literally, an inch away from a Georgia O'Keeffe original. I can stand so close that I can see the brush strokes that she made with her own hand. There is a connection across time with this person whom I admire so. 

It isn't my favorite O'Keeffe, but that does not matter. It is her hand. I can see bits of unpainted canvas and light pencil marks. It's moving. I intend to stand close as often as possible without making a glutton of myself. 

There are always things in our lives to be grateful for, no matter what else is going on day to day. Today was a gift in so many ways. A new church home for our family, a lovely day exploring art together, and a private moment for myself. I hope that I can remember this day when I am old.

Namaste

June 8, 2013::flock

There is always something interesting at the Kokomo Farmers Market. Sometimes it's robots or chickens or belly dancers. Today it was the Harlem Shuffle. I like the spirit of these folks.

Namaste

June 7, 2013::

Just a reminder of why we are putting ourselves in this position.

Namaste

June 6, 2013::on the road again

Headed back to Kokomo to visit Daddy and see a few more houses. Missed the famous Strawberry Festival this morning, but looking forward to First Friday downtown tomorrow night and the Farmer's Market Saturday morning. Todd  has already made enough friends here to be asked to be a judge in the annual Rib Fest Saturday night. Sounds like a fun weekend. 

Crossing the Ohio River. I think of the Underground Railroad every time.

Namaste banana... The things we do on car trips to amuse ourselves.

Have a great weekend.

Namaste

June 5, 2013::titanic of the day

In our recurring series, "Titanic of the Day," we present...

Namaste

June 4, 2013::picnic

Our local homeschool group met today for a picnic at one of our favorite parks. Embree played a little football, 

Reeves caught a giant crawdad (crayfish), 

and Brice got to play with his favorite kid in the world, besides his cousin Emma, the famous JAMES!! 

Fun day!

Namaste