EARLY MORNING WALK

Before the sun's rays dry the heavy dew...
Before the butterflies and dragonflies begin to dart from blossom to blossom...
Before the neighbors in their loud, souped up trucks take to the road for another day of work...
Before the rooster one farm over heralds his morning pronouncements,
Mac and I set out on our morning walk.

Accompanied by silence and an occasional screech from Dad Red-Tail above...
by a gentle, autumm-like breeze...
by Mama Brahma and calf who follows us down the fence line,
by golden rod and ironweed already taller than I,
we proceed toward the  back woods.

Along the way, Mac ventures once or twice into the brambles alongside the path.
I try not to call him back out loud but rather "think" him to me, like I used to do with Annie and Molly.
 I find he's responding to my non-verbal requests more and more.
(I rely on our silent dialogue to keep him close to me wherever we are.)
I love to walk behind him and watch his little corgi butt clipping down the path.
It, as much as his perpetual corgi smile, reflects his love of life....and his joy, his innocence.

Once in the woods, we explore in separate directions,
Mac always in search of the perfect stick or with his rear end in the air and  nuzzle stuck under a decaying log...
And I traipsing around with camera in hand, looking for unusual...intrituing images to capture.

After an hour or so of "pilfering" down by the creek,
we head home, and by this time the sun's out....
Mrs. BlueJay's squawking for us to move on...
 the mosquitoes have come to life,
and I have a plan for the day.

DATURA - PLENTIFUL & BEAUTIFUL

Many folks consider datura to be a pain in the rear end, but I can't imagine not growing this magnificent plant evey year.  I've had purples, yellows, and wild ones on the farm since I can remember.  I love their beauty and  power, as well as the fact that their life cycle is completed within 24 hours. It's a quick life these blossoms live.
These were in bloom this morning.  It's now afternoon, and they've begun to wither.  Tomorrow morning these blossoms will droop toward the ground, and in another day, they'll fall off the plant, as others begin their short-lived existence, following the same cycle. 

Elegant....graceful....strong...powerful...a perennial one can count on from year to year since one very prickly seed pod can (and will) produce hundreds of starts.  (That's where the pain in the rear comes in...!)

¡ADIOS, PACO!

As I write this, Paco is probably perched on his travel platform in Joe's red truck as they head west on their move to Oregon. I can see him sleeping for a while, looking out the window for a while, chewing on his toys for a while, and getting antsy enough for Joe to have to stop so he can sniff around, find his potty spot, and munch on some grass.

(Unexpectedly delayed by some 10 days because of a truck malfunction and incompetent mechanics who never really got the problem fixed, the two of them now have to "hightail" it across the country to arrive in time for Joe to get to his appointment with the surgeon who will fix his bummed-up knee.  It's not the sort of deadline one wants to drive thousands of miles to meet, but Joe's got to get a knee repair before he can find a living space, get unpacked, find Paco a doggie park, and begin preparing for a new job in September.)

The afternoon before they took off, Paco and Joe were at the farm.  Mac and Paco romped, ran, chewed at each other, and barked enough to annoy the neighbors, I'm sure.

In a tribute to the bassett hound with so many profoundly funny, serious, and quizical expressions, I post these pics of Paco.  I miss him sorely (as I miss Joe), and I'm sure Mac does moreso than I. 

(Loonis and the other felines, however, have not expressed similar sentiments.  They're happy not to have a bassett nose in their face when they try to eat, and Cato does not miss Paco's incessant barking right in his face. In reality, I do think they miss his goofiness and good spirit, for when push came to shove, Paco was their friend.)

Cheers, Paco ! Stay cool and mellow!

WE'VE GOT NUTS !!!!!

 After 11+ years of waiting, one of the dozen nut trees planted on The Farm has finally produced NUTS !!  I hadn't noticed them at all until the other day when I was mowing. Literally (honestly), one of them boinked me on the noggin' while I was zooming around the far side yard on the tractor.  I felt the contact, that's for sure!

These trees were started by Dr. David Johnson of Coolville, OH, from seed.  David, an avid nut grower for decades now, has one of the largest collections of nut tree starts in the country.  A former president of the American Nut Growers Association, his passion is now coming to fruition.  His starts are producing nuts!!

At the same time this tree was planted, my ex-husband and I also put two pecans in the other side yard, as well as about 6 butternuts, walnuts and pecans down in the bottom pasture.  The trees below the barn have had to battle deer munchies, lack of water, and poor soil, but they continue to grow a little year after year. 

The trees over near Sherwood Forest (our pine tree grove where the treehouse is) are huge, but there's no sign of nuts.  Perhaps this first year's bearing by Side Yard Tree #2 is a good omen for next year.  (I have noticed blossoms on the other trees, just no nuts.)

Anyways, I'm delighted the patient wait has not been for naught.  I can already taste the black walnuts in my apple bread at Christmas.....Yummy.

SUNDAY MORNING WALK

 

Mac and I just got in from a wonderful morning walk to the woods at the back of the field.  It's a quiet Sunday morning, not too humid nor hot (thank goodness!).  Mac LOVES to bounce down the path in search of things to chase and explore.  It makes no difference to him that I've mowed a path for us to follow so we can avoid getting covered with ticks.  He just takes off wherever his nose and heart lead.  I always know his whereabouts by the movement of the tall weeds and hay as he charts his path off my conveniently cut route.  I often wonder what he sees from his low-rider vantage point.  When he emerges, he's got that sweet Mackers smile on his face, as if he's discovered a new imaginary world in the underbrush.  Meanwhile, I venture to the side of the field along the path and take pictures of lichen.

On the other side of the field, the red-tailed hawk family is out for a morning lesson in flight.  While Mrs. Hawk and her recent fledgling practice aerials over the cow pasture, Dad Hawk keeps a vigilant eye.  This is one of those times I sure wish I had a special telephoto lens for my small point and shoot Canon, for I could have gotten some amazing pictures and National Geographic-type footage of these majestic birds' acrobatics.  For now, I'll post the silhouette of Dad Hawk.

I love Queen Anne's Lace.  I don't ever feel like a get a really good photo of its delicate bloom.  Today as I looked at them, I remembered our Girl Scout Troop learning about their carrot-type roots.  I even pickled some one summer, and they are really quite tasty, and yes, the roots do taste like carrots. 

Every time I look at the Rose of Sharon, I hear Eliza Gilkyson's voice in my mind. It has to be related to the hibiscus family. This bush is a transplant from a sprout I moved one summer, knowing that the "mother" plant was going to have to make room for a flower bed.  Happily, the sprout took hold, and the new bush surpasses the old in size and beauty.

Yep, the tomatoes are coming in, and boy, are they tasty.  When I saw a woman buying those styrofoam-consistency ones at the grocery store the other day, I actually felt sorry for her.  I've eaten tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and supper all week.  Not tired of them yet.....probably won't ever get tired of them.  Tonight I'll make up some spaghetti sauce from the garden peppers, squash, onions, and tomatoes and can it up for later use.  Yummy!

Later today, I'll drive to Fairmont, WV, to meet a possible sister for Mac.  Her name's Penny Lane, and I have to go through the adoption process for her to come live with us.  Today is step one, and hopefully, after I meet her, we can expedite her arrival.....Stay tuned.....

Namasté.........

PIGEON ROOST

I think I'm homesick.  I awoke this morning thinking about summers in Pigeon Roost...about the many weeks I spent back in the mountains each summer with my grandparents and cousins - - -before the developers moved in to purchase and alter the land of so many of the original family homesteads....before I realized life had its complications and twists....before I "came of age," as one would dub those days now.

At Grandma and Granddaddy's house at Pigeon Roost, I was indoors only to eat and sleep.  At all other times, I could be found exploring the rhododendron thickets that were my pretend jungle or looking for deep red trillium alongside the little creek that flowed into the woods by Grandma and Grandpa's house. That creek water was cold (!), but I couldn't resist splashing around in it as much as I could and turning over every rock in the branch in search of salamanders...( we called them "lizards" back then).

At other times in the early morning,  hundreds of bumblebees buzzing around the morning glories growing up the side of the Grandma's house piqued my curisoity, and I would catch one with a clothespin so I could examine it closely.  The bees didn't like that at all.  More than once when I came in for breakfast,  Grandma took her dishrag to my head to swat bees out of my thick hair...I had no idea they had latched on and were ready to sting me in retaliation for depriving them of their morning nectar.

The particular picture above would certainly not win a prize in any photographic competition, but it's one of my favorites because it transports me to my time with my grandparents....The back door at Grandma and Grandpa's was always open in the summer to let in the breeze. As clear as if I were emerging from the woods at this very  moment, I can hear Grandma calling me in for lunch - frequently fried chicken, gravy, green beans, fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy.  Many times I would head in before she called, for I could smell lunch on the stove.  I can see her standing in the kitchen as I walked in the back door, her apron tied around her waist with biscuit flour sprinkled down the front.  I can see Granddaddy walking in from the front room, taking off his hat, and sitting down at the table, and I sense the love I felt as I joined then at the table to eat before heading back outside for my afternoon adventures. Grandaddy always chuckled at my escapades and imagination.

I also associate the back door at Grandma's with  morning milkin' time.  I wasn't so good at milking, but Grandma was patient with me (as was the old cow). Grandma milked on the edge of the woods, just about at the spot from which I took this picture.  As she milked and talked to me, I sat on the ground and fiddled with little rocks from the creek's edge. The steady rhythm of her milking was soothing....something one would describe today as a "zen-like" experience, and I realize now that precious morning time was my special alone time of the day with Grandma, for when we were done, she was off to do her chores.

The back side of the house was my view from that vantage point.  When she finished filling her pail, Grandma would pat the cow on the rump and head  back to the house with her bucket of frothy milk. I'd watch her go indoors, and then I took off on the path back toward the barn, to a little galax patch where I had an imaginary world of my own, or I'd run across the lower pasture to see if my cousins who lived down at "the old homeplace" site were up. 

I include the other photos just for nostalgia's sake....milkweed flowers ready to pop open bring back memories of their sweet scent...and a birdhouse my dad made and put up on the edge of Grandma's yard years ago when he was still able to get about and make a few things in the basement still stands. 

I could live in Pigeon Roost.....I could live back in the mountains where my blood runs strong and every cell in my body connects to the love I felt there. For now, however, I live there in my mind and feel just fine.

THE FARM BARN IS FALLIN' DOWN,.... FALLIN' DOWN......FALLIN' DOWN

As one comes down the driveway and circles around the house, The Farm Barn looks to be in rather good shape.  Yes, there are a few missing boards, but the paint has held relatively well, and there aren't gaping holes in either the siding or the roofing. Obviously, the front doesn't receive the fury of winter winds and violent summer thunderstorms.

From the backside, however, there's a different story to tell.....weather, and age have taken their toll.  If the back view were the one I looked at every day off the deck, I think I would have acted long before now to make a decision as to what's the best move for the barn. Obviously, I can no longer deny that "yep, we've gotta problem."

Here's the plan.  Although the collapse is serious, it's happening in a way that will facilitate its teardown since it's coming down in sections.  And once we get the addition that's crumbling away taken care of, I do believe there is a possibility that re-siding the back southwest to northeast corner is the repair that's needed to keep the barn stable and intact. 

Neighbors have told me the barn was the "gym" for the schoolhouse that once stood across the end of the driveway.  I understand basketball games took place in my barn, and indeed, one can see the remnants of the hoops on the raters.  Others have told me the Farm Barn is one of the oldest in the county.  It's an amazing structure, sided by 130+-year old red oak.  That idea, in and of itself, is enough to make me think this barn's worth saving IF I can.. 

I need to win the lottery.  A teacher's salary is not such that one can accumulate savings year after year that amount to the money necessary to maintain a barn of this size.

SOOOO, if anyone's getting an intuition for the winning numbers on the next mult-million dollar PowerBall, I'd appreciate a head's up.  I promise to share the wealth in all sorts of directions.  I wouldn 't be asking for much.....just enough to ensure that the barn doesn't fall totally apart. 

LILIES FROM THE NC MOUNTAINS

I've always had a fascination with wild flowers from the Appalachian Mountains.  There's something about their unhybridized beauty that reminds me of days gone by. Having grown up in Boone, NC, I can access many memories of walking through the woods and finding ladyslippers (pink, yellow, showy), trillium, jack-in-the-pulpits, bloodroot, solomon seal, and lilies. 

I have seen Gray's lily before but have never photographed it.

 

Gray's Lily

(photo credit: http://www.hikertohiker.com/)

I was fortunate enough to come across the Turk's Cap Lily along a road near outside Banner Elk, NC.  When I saw the stalk with more than a dozen blooms, I felt like a child at Christmas.....what a gift from nature!

Turk's Cap Lily

(Photo: Tanya Wilder, July 2011)

THE THREE (FARM) MUSKETEERS

If I could bundle the energy generated by the three buddies pictured above, I do believe I could heat the farmhouse comfortably on the coldest days of winter for many a year!  Pictured left to right are Oberon Veladota, Spunky A. (Alpha) McLovin Wilder, and Paco Davis, best friends and the official farm canine unit. All youngsters (Oberon, the oldest, just turned a year old), their play provides a level of hiliarity and lightness to The Farm at a time of bittersweetness as Joe and Paco prepare to move to Oregon.

Oberon, the Aussie, is a canine gazelle...overflowing with limitless energy, grace, agility, intelligence and sweetness.  Sometimes referred to by Christy as "full of bananas," his love of affection and engagement often overtakes him as he jumps to meet his people friends on eye level.  His facial expressions reflect a keen intelligence and understanding of his (and our) world.  The star of his agility class, Oberon teaches us humans about loyalty and love, while mentoring Mac and Paco in their attempts at clicker training. (An aside: Paco and Mac are catching on to the clicker; however, Mac thinks the "down" command's useless for him since he's so close to the ground anyway.)

Mackers, the corgi and the youngest of the three, thinks Oberon's the "bees knees!"  Since both of them are herders, one notes similarities in their behavior and instincts. When Oberon's around, Mac follows him like the nerdy little sibling who thinks older kids are really, really cool and who wants to be just like them.  His short-legged structure allows him to run under and around a very patient Oberon, and boy, oh boy, does Mackers try to keep the pace as Oberon races across the yard!  After about three trips around the grapevines, down the hill, back up into the yard, around the grapevines again, up toward the field, down to the grapevines for a third time, etc., Mac's ready to concede that he can't keep up, so he waits to crouch and pounce when Oberon runs by. If being "alpha" means barking the most and causing the most uproar, Mac's gets the certificate of honor.

Paco, mister majestic bassett hound, and Oberon have grown up as brothers and have spent lots of time together at The Farm and in Athens. Mac has never known life at The Farm without Paco. Paco and Oberon play so hard that when Paco comes home from a visit to O's house, he lies virtually comatose on the couch for 24 hours. Paco and Mac are into silly play 24/7 around The Farm. Their chase games provide great evening doggie-watching for Joe and me as we ice our knees from the deck or try to listen to music as the two youngsters run around and around and around the sofa in the TV room.  Although Paco's face might give the impression of a laid-back, slow-moving hound, both Oberon and Mac can attest to this bassett's speed and strength.  Paco's fast, and he's strong, like a lineman on a football team. When all else fails to subdue a pesky corgi, Paco just throws Mac a butt block and then sits on him or sticks Mac's entire head in his mouth.

Put the three (or any combination of the three) together, and expect chaos....laughable chaos....energetic chaos....loving chaos....noisy, rambunctious chaos....chaos probably not humorous for those who aren't dog lovers...And, beyond the chaos, expect entertainment and delight, for these three friends with their silly antics are amazing creatures to observe and love....

Paco and Oberon - BFF's from puppyhood!  Paco and Mac - Farm brothers.  Mac, Paco and Oberon together...unadulterated.fun and craziness to reckon with!

The Three Farm Musketeers....our goofball pack!

MY "FELLER"

He's rectangular and golden, like a long loaf of freshly baked bread, 
He's short, with squatty but stocky legs....
His nose is long, with a large grey freckle underneath his white snout hair...
His shoulders and rump muscles are firm and strong, the result of chasing a stick and barreling after his friend, Paco...
His face portrays his every emotion -  99% of the time, he wears a smile that melts one's heart.  The other 1% of the time, the look's a dead giveaway that's he's been into something forbidden, like my flower beds....
His eyes, as if penciled with the finest eyeliner, sparkle with love and happiness...
He talks a lot - at times with a grunt of approval or a morning wake-up call....
And, he barks - loudly, repeatedly, shrilly, when he gets excited or senses cows crossing the upper field....
He harrasses the cats, only to realize they have him figured out and really don't pay him much heed...
He loves his treats, his favorite a blueberry and apple dog biscuit that cleans his teeth and freshens his doggie food breath.
Many mornings on our walk, he finds something (like a plastic flower pot, a pine cone, an old stick or one of his toys) and searches for the perfect spot to bury it and then cover the burial site with leaves or sticks he pushes around with his nose....
He's a great fan of barn swallows and loves to watch them zoom down at and around him...
His passion for playing non-stop with a stick surpasses his desire to eat when hungry, and he leads me to his stick every time I step outside.

And oh, how he smiles and makes me laugh.....all the time....

He's a happy boy, and I'm a happy person...!!

IT'S LILY TIME

This lily is taller than I.  I purchased the bulbs at Rink's, our local flea market several years ago, and each year, it gets taller and taller.  Close up, it smells a bit like a stargazer.

I bought this lily from "The Lily Lady" at The Farmer's Market in Boone years ago.  The last few times I've been to the market, she hasn't been around.  She always had good, healthy plants.

Also from The Lily Lady in Boone.  This plant produces huge, sturdy flowers.

Transplanted by Sam years ago, a row of these wild lilies comes up every year in the side gardens.  I think of him when they bloom and smile.

One of my favorites....also from Boone...The color here isn't as purely purple as in real bloom, but the contrast of the chartreuse with the gently striped petals sure is beautiful

THE INDIAN FARM FAMILY

Ever since Tom brought Chintu to The Farm, I've dreamed about meeting Chintu's parents, Bastian and Lehka, for in Chintu, I immediately sensed a person from the opposite side of the world who could very well have been born in the NC mountains and grown up with us there.  Here in the States for Chintu's doctoral hooding, they've been in Cleveland for a couple of weeks visiting Chintu and Tom.

This weekend, my dream came true.  Meet members of The Farm Family who just happen to live in India!  We've known them in the world of heart and spirit ever since we we've known Chintu....Having them spend time here was a wonderful, beautiful summer gift.

(Bastian, Chintu's father, Chintu, and his mom, Lehka)

(Bastian & Lehka have been married for 35 years and dated 6 years before marrying.  An amazing testament to the power of love and connection!)

(One day I'm going to visit The Indian Farm in Karola....get ready India!)

(Sister & Brother)

 

(A wonderful family...!!)

Bastian and Lehka's introduction here included a silly moustache party, bocci games on the side lawn, a walk to visit the Back Field Buddha, drumming and singing in the silo, and a trip to Bob Evans, where Eliza just happened to be our waitress.  

Our love for each other was as immediate as the love we felt the first time we met Chintu, and our laughter resounded all weekend.....What joy!

WHEN EARTH CONVERSES WITH AIR......

Thanks to a painful, throbbing torn meniscus (as a result of a fall while running in the wet grass after a dog toy), I've been pretty sedentary this week, and when Farm Mom has too much time on her hands, the wheels in her head move at a constant clip. 

Joe's impending departure has opened a floodgate of thoughts about many things, and as  people have asked me what I'm going to do when he's gone, I've been inclined to respond, "Why, live at the farm like I did all those years when he wasn't here! Why would his not being here change anything for me?????"

But....in all truthfulness, I have also asked myself the same question I've heard from so many lately....What, indeed,  does the future hold for the Farm Mom?????

You see, retirement's more than just a word in my vocabulary now....Gone are the days when I would hear myself tell others that I had about 20.....15..... 10  years to go until I retired....The bottom line is that I'm coming down the home stretch, and hopefully, the economy, enrollment issues, budgetary matters, and burnout won't make it such that I have to leave before I can complete 37 years of service to OH.....that's four years from now.
I need (and want) to work those next four years, so I have the best base salary for retirement....Additionally, Eliza will have finished college by then, and Samuel should be well on his way to defining his career path....

As much as I LOVE keeping up with the farm, there's much more to it than mowing and tackling a weed population whose growth in all kinds of climate weirdness never ceases to amaze me.  There are things like a barn that's falling down (literally), fields that have to be brush-hogged and manicured, an aging tractor that could expire at any moment, and invasive species that are taking over in the front field. Couple the demands of farm maintenance with a mediocre salary that just barely allows for monthly expenses to be met, and thoughts of change have started wafting through my mind....during the night, during the day - basically all the time.  What AM I going to do?

Thankfully, I have options, but the big questions still loom:  What is the best thing for me to do with The Farm?  Should I sell off some land and keep the farm house and yard?  When's going to be the best time to do that in an economy that sucks? If I decide to leave The Farm, should I stay in this area?  Should I take a look at moving somewhere else (North Carolina, perhaps?  New Mexico?  Cuba?)? What will I do? (International housesitting comes to mind.  Maybe by then there will be opportunity to work in Cuba for a part of the year..??  Peace Corps...???  )

YIKES !  I'm having a bit of a challenge surrendering to the Universe since so many scenarios play out in my mind.  At the same time I feel excited and energized about myriad possibilities, I'm a bit unnerved ...Can I maintain my sanity if I leave The Farm.....my true place of peace and refuge.  I have generations of flowers here....I can't imagine not having coffee on the deck with the barn swallows and hummingbirds zooming about.  How could I leave a  place that is so chocked full of the memories of the last 31 years... of the laughter, fun, love, sweat and tears that have defined my life here.....The Farm is, for me, as sacred a place as one can find.  It is my HOME....

I can feel the emotional pull and tug now as I write.....a sensation of wanting to hang on and not let go vrs. the excitement and adventure of the future....of  fear of the unknown vrs. the thrill of new experiences.....It's daunting, and it's exhilarating.....and YIKES again !

Thankfully, I don't have to do much more than contemplate and explore ideas at this point.......slow and steady will win the "figuring it out" race for me.....I don't know that I am capable of moving fast on the questions I hear from without and within....

So, at this very moment, I think I'll take the Scarlett O'Hara approach, and I think I'll think about my flowers.......

Here's a sample of Farm orchids in bloom now.

GOODBYE JOE...HE'S GOTTA GO...ME OH MY OH....

In a world defined by all sorts of conflict, problems, and misunderstandings, The Farm provides a refuge of laughter, love, fun, and grace-filled solitude.  It is indeed our sanctuary....our place of peace....a place where doors are always open....a place where people can come to neutralize their worries and fears... relax...find themselves...surround themselves by the gifts of the Earth....know that all's well....that there's no judgement here...a place where music resounds and peace embraces....

Few live the essence of The Farm more than Joe.  When he came back to Marietta two years ago with his beloved Rufus (RIP), his plan was to settle in Marietta, maybe even build a place in the back field and live here forever, helping me and hanging out with his dad, John. Since then, he and I have grown deeper and deeper in friendship and love....tending to our garden, walking Paco and Mac, sharing dinner together on the back porch, tackling farm chores, shoveling snow, laughing openheartedly at things that spark our similar sense of humor, conversing about life.  We've had moments of  adjustments, intense tears, grumpiness, and icing our knees.....Those times have been very few, for over and over, we've commented that being here together at The Farm is like being on v-cation (as Eliza used to say), and almost every day, we realized how blessed we are to be living together.....watching the hummingbirds and barn swallows, cooking the best meals to be had on Earth, sipping a little wine, and watching the sun set.

There have been struggles along the way, particularly for Joe as a teacher and an artist. He's given 500% to a 3/4 position at Marietta College, a position without benefits and without a budget that supports growth of his program...Having inherited a ceramics studio that required 5 dumpster loads of trash to clean, Joe has spent hours upon hours giving of himself to his students....to his program....to the art department at large. His own projects and plans have been shelved in the best interest of others...The prospect for his position to mature into a full-time, tenured  job has increasingly looked more and more bleak.  Financially and professionally, he had to start looking elsewhere.....The conversations with the Universe began.....

and an opportunity has presented itself...Joe will be leaving The Farm in a month to move to the Portland area to take a position as ceramics instructor at Mt. Hood Community College.  The salary's great; the benefits are as good; he can get tenure in 4 years and apply for a sabbatical after 6.  It's a dream come true and yet another validation on the importance of manifesting in one's life. 

Oregon's a familiar place for José, and he returns to many friends and colleagues who love and appreciate him and his work.  It's a land of potters and of like-minded folks....He'll be in or around Portland, a city that brings bright sparks to his eyes when he talks about the hip little neighborhoods and coffee shops. And, he'll be able to do things that financially would never have been possible had he stayed at Marietta College.....This is an opportunity that he absolutely can't pass by.

The Farm will certainly be at a loss without Joe and Paco.....I can't begin to imagine not having them here....I can, however, rejoice and celebrate this amazing opportunity that's his to live...And that's where I'm hanging at the moment.....Good luck and Godspeed, Joe, as you venture west.....

Stay tuned.......

AWAY FROM HOME

I'm a little homesick. It's hard to leave one's office one day, pack up and take off again the next to start another intense job. Granted, I've only traveled to Cincinnati and will only be gone for a week, but I'm tired and would like to have some time to come down off a year at work that's been exhausting, particularly emotionally. That's my whine for the day.

So, as I sit outside eating my supper, here are the views I ponder:

Skyscrapers to my left in the center of downtown. As I was walking around Fountain Square just a little while ago, I encountered a poor soul who kept repeating, "All I want is what's mine!! I didn't ask you for anything else.". Obviously infuriated by some injustice in life, he was proclaiming to the Universe that what was his was his!! It just seemed all that could have been his was about to spill out of the torn plastic sack he carried..

Older dilapidated building stare me directly in the face. At some point, they must have housed businesses that have long since floundered..interestingly enough, I'm drawn to their rusted roofs and tattered tar-papered sides. For me, they house more potential for story and/or drama than their more stately, architectures neighbors down the street a couple of blocks. I wonder about the family businesses that supported generations there; do older folks who apprenticed their children still come by to conjure memories of clients and friends? Who inhabits the creaky structures now? Perhaps the man I saw earlier calls one of them home.....

I don't like to be closed in, and I feel somewhat claustrophobic at the moment. Insanely loud music blares from Fountain Square, discouraging me from walking in that direction. We've been warned not to walk in the other direction alone, so here I sit....surrounded by an inner city world that's far away from home, in more ways than mere miles.....

BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL MEERA ON HER WEDDING DAY TO ERIC

AND....HERE WE GO AGAIN!

It's been close to a year since I sat down to chronicle parcels of my life on Namasté, and as is consistent with anyone's experiences, the last 10 months have been full of many wonderful moments, as well as some that once again made me stop to pause and give thanks for all that's good, to mourn and celebrate passages of dear ones, and to learn from bloopers that seem to keep popping up in my life along the way. Most of all, I sense I've moved deeper into an understanding of gratitude and laughter, for when I allow those two friends to become prominent in every moment, I am, indeed, truly happy.

As I sit down to blog again, I am officially on summer break. The day has begun with nice temps that are going to surge toward the 90's with the humidity one always looks forward to when summer arrives in the Mid-Ohio Valley.  As I gaze out the office window, I see hummingbirds zooming back and forth to the feeder, a lawn that could stand to be mowed, orchids in bloom, and lush vegetation all about, thanks to the extended wet spring we experienced.  It's a summer day at The Farm....complete with a garden with 35+ tomato plants, a variety of squashes, cukes, peppers, brussel sprouts, tomatillos, et. al. The farm irises have withered away, as have the early blooming wildflowers (which were spectacular this year).  I'm behind in getting annuals going; I'll wait and hit the greenhouse sales in a week or so.

As for the farm family:
~Eliza's taking her last exam today  at U-Cincinnati and readying to return to Marietta to work at Bob Evans for the summer.  Imagine her excitement at that thought! Her freshman year at UC would be described as one of the best in her life, I believe....new friends, new-found confidence, academic success, and  even greater beauty of soul and heart.
~Samuel's finished up his 2nd year of work toward his MFA in Creative Writing at American University.  It hasn't been an easy year for a guy who's had to work full time while completing the rigors of his program, as begin serious work on his thesis ideas while juggling some attempt at  a social  and personal life.  I don't hear from him frequently; I think about him daily and hope when all's said and done, he'll remember his three years at AU and living in DC as favorably memorable.
~Joe's in Oregon as I write.  He'll quite probably be moving back there if he's selected as the candidate for a ceramics position at Mt. Hood Community College. While having him as a housemate here at The Farm has been an incredibly wonderful experience for us both, I know that a part-time position makes it difficult to advance financially, as well as professionally. I certainly would miss him and Paco, the farm bassett hound, should they move to Oregon, but most of all, I would wish him well....He's a brilliant teacher, an amazing potter, a soul-connected friend.  Stay tuned for  news regarding his future.
~Lori's in love with Chris in Hawaii.  She has two dogs and at least one cat, if not two. She still works as a personal assistant for the Krueger family there. When she was home at Christmas, she looked stunningly beautiful. A yeast-free diet has transformed her into a slim, fit gorgeous woman, and her happiness radiates through us all.
~Brett and Betsy are in California.  No news from them lately tends to make me think they're busy and active, as always.
~I learned via Facebook that Dana, James & Wendy are in the process of moving to Alaska, where James has accepted a position with a very reputable journal there as acquisitions editor. More on them as news floats in.
~Meera Chary recently married Eric Schell in a traditional Indian ceremony in California.  I've stored the breathtakingly beautiful photos of her wedding on my computer and look at them with nostalgia and joy.  I would have loved to attend, but timing and finances made it beyond possible.  One of these days, I'm going to visit her.  It's been a long, long time since I've seen so beautiful a bride!
~Tom and Chintu have moved to Cleveland, where Dr. Chinthasagar Bastian now works in research at Cleveland Clinic. Tom's been working diligently on health issues; Chintu's investigating some complicated neuroscientific aspect of Alzheimer's Disease.  Chintu's parents are in the States now to witness his doctoral hooding at Ohio University this week, followed by a visit to The Farm weekend after next.  I am honored to meet his folks and have them here to meet the farm family.

The most recent addition to The Farm has won my heart over and over....Spunky McLovin, aka Mac, Mackers, Doodles, arrived in December as a tiny, shy little corgi.  He's now positioned himself as Alpha Mac, never giving Paco a moment of peace.  Just this morning, he chewed one of my best shoes beyond repair (to his credit, he's never done that before), but usually he's so fascinated with chasing a stick that other he doesn't think about other puppy-like mischiefs. He's definitely my soul mate, bed feller, and companion.  Truthfully, I had not intended to get a dog so soon after Annie and Molly passed away, but I was lonely for canine company...very lonely.  So, the Universe presented an opportunity to bring Mac here, and his presence has multiplied farm love by a gazillion times. 

His is the only photo I'll post here as I re-initiate my blogging moments.  (Please note:  I"m off to Cincinnati for 10 days and won't be back at the computer for at least a couple of weeks - another hiatus after a rather long blogging break....)

Anyways, meet my canine love.....

Namasté...