My Hope

Oh tay. I’m not going to pretend to be wise. I just want Health for everybody I love and might love in the year ahead, which means you. I can’t stop the epidemic of illness around me but I can plant my feet firmly, like the live oak and manzanita (blooming!) say, let’s do what we can to help those in need. We can also (try to) stay healthy ourselves to model the behaviors we wish to see and to seriously (or light heartedly, whatever your style,) do what we can do to make the world a better place, whether it is building friendships or calling Congress about the bombings in Gaza (202-224-3121.)
My Love tonight to Laurie’s family and to Josh’s family. Jerry Winer is shown here reading from a Chanukah story on the 6th night of Chanukah, reminding us that miracles do happen (Theresa!)
I walked with my dear friend Kathy up to some caves on Sunday and my love flows to her and to her dear Jana like water down that flume we walked on, direct, gentle, uncompromising.
Meanwhile, Mr. Veggieman is processing veggie oil for our four days of travel that begin with the dawning of the New Year.
My dearest Orien heads back to the city to work on New Year’s Eve. She is the heart of my heart and I wish her safety and continued perseverance and success with school in the New Year.
May our world survive its many challenges with grace and vigor in the year One of Obama too!

Christmas OH Ate

It’s been a full day. We had a gummy start with the borrowed waffle irons but nothing dampened our spirits. We ate from the frozen and preserved fruit of our summertime and visited even til late afternoon. We did the bird tree with great enthusiasm and just two barely interested kids. Late in the day Michael and I walked to the back for a bright light show on the bare trees then it was time to eat somemore. Lovely Christmas. I wish you could linger with us. I don’t want dreary.

Three years from mom

My brother Warren just called from his long commute between Charleston and north Georgia to join his family (pictured here are Warren, Carol and Kevin) for Christmas. It’s 3 years since we lost our mom. Her name was Madrene but everyone called her Dena. Our dad had died in 2001 and that was hard enough but losing mom was like losing the center and anchor of our childhood. Now our small family is in drift with each precious member out doing their own thing. Mom died after our cousin Susie (in the photo) came and helped cook her favorite foods and make the house Christmasy and Orien came and we celebrated her birthday together. Mom died on Christmas Eve, which is also Orien’s birthday. She died while Joy to the World was on the CD player and a soft buttery Florida sun was streaming through the window. Gentle, peaceful, like the rain just now on the roof. Profoundly, achingly, permanently.
Orien just now drove past on her way to get last minute Christmas gifts. Soon I’ll leave my sadness behind and go downtown to hang out at a coffee shop with my dear, dear girl this Christmas Eve day, grateful to be together.

Winter closing in

We’ve been having cold weather. The lemon tree is tarped with votive candles going under it. (It’s a drag to lose all the lemons in one cold snap which means harvesting the whole tree and using the lemons before they rot and not having fresh lemons for the winter tea.)
Michael skied today up Colby Mt. I’m still orienting at my new job… obviously less time and inclination for blogging…

The drip tubing is hung up so little rodent creatures won’t chew holes in it… it looks like ugly snarls but it would be far worse if left to its own devices in the fields. The GRUBsters are going to put in a bunch of asparagus … this requires a positive, long term plan and I’m glad they have one.

By now this sunny sunflower cluster will be kaput. About 90% of the leaves are down.
Solstice is coming. Hail to the storms of winter and the water they bring to our thirsty state.

1000 Miracles

It’s quiet. M is watching TV with a head set so it’s just the crackle of the woodstove I’m hearing. Just got word a friend is very ill. It’s just a long moment to be with her and the miracle she seeks, that Healing into Wholeness we all seek. My mind cruises back over the conversations I’ve heard on the phone and on line since we got home… how we all try so hard to find equilibrium and to have others like us.
Michael and I drove a long way this weekend and only partially on veggie oil and biodiesel. That’s the big confession.
We hiked in the 1000 Lakes Wilderness area where winter, sans snow, holds the land, surrounded by lava fields, in a frozen, shiny stillness. We did a fairly mellow seven mile loop and I was happy that there was plenty of time and no rush to get back before dark. We stayed at the trailhead the first night and then on the second night we explored down Hat Creek and ended up outside of Burney at a back country scenic vista garbage dump.
On the way home we came through Lassen Park, where I got some better pictures, and then drifted down to drop below fog line to our valley and to finish the 1000 chores before my first day of new work tomorrow.

It was so pleasing to be back in the voyager, even if it did mean getting beat three times at Scrabble! I’m glad for every bit of life that is worth the living and reach out to the warmth of Goodness I recall in each of my friends, tonight especially to the sweet wonderful Theresa sending her the awareness of the Healing energy of Wholeness.

Cusp of Winter

We just met Lev and Ruby who live in a bus named Magnolia and will be staying on our land this winter. I’m excited about getting the opportunity to know them. They have a wonderful blog that makes me doubly interested in them because they see the spark of life the way it shows up for me too… Their blog is www.homeonearth.blogspot.com
This week has been a mix of things… I feel like it’s the last week for my freedoms to play themselves out, even though I didn’t “do” much.
Ann Schwab, a woman with good environmental sensibility and commitment became our new mayor (the picture may be out of focus but the heart is right on!) and our Southwest Chico Neighborhood Plan passed the City Council with only one glitch that I’ll just not mention…

I went out to Pine Creek to clean up layers of mouse poopings in the cabin. These valley oak are what I see when I unlatch the gate. I got to spend some time with my friend Howard too. It is kind of him to let me re-inhabit the old cabin ad lib even if it is decomposing rapidly.
Lastly, although we still haven’t had rain, we’ve had fog and the leaves continue to fall away revealing the cusp of winter. Maybe, since I’m headed back to full time work on Monday, this is the best time of year to make my five day breaks from la madre tierra.