jen and wendi at the coffee corner

You can't see in this photo, but the snow is falling, falling, falling outside the Coffee Corner Diner in Montpeculiar, Vermont. 

Jen took Wendi (pictured beautifully here) and me out for breakfast, and we laughed and enjoyed....  The snow was beautiful, and my friends are, too.

The Coffee Corner has been a Montpelier staple for over fifty years, and Wendi's family used to own it (her uncle sykas?).  They still use Manghi's Bread...another ilovermontpelier favorite.  

My favorite is the maple walnut.

Snow, snow, snow!

I love this video and Janine Antoni's message about balance and equanimity.  One of my students presented Janine's work as an artist's work that represented mindfulness to her.

Enjoy!

Ten Things Science Says will Make you Happy

harry, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

1. Savor Everyday Moments
2. Avoid Comparisons
3. Put Money Low on the List
4. Have Meaningful Goals
5. Take Initiative at Work
6. Make Friends, Treasure Family
7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
8. Say Thank You Like You Mean It
9. Get Out and Exercise
10. Make altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it.

Original article here: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3529

This is a picture of Harry Sargent, one of Miah and Jess's dogs. This picture makes me happy! Look at that smile! I'm pretty certain Harry practices the above ten items and with great ease.

the crafting spirit

Blank books!, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Selling my art at the craft fair yesterday was gravy. The best parts were:

-Laughing with the ladies who were at the table next to me.
-Chatting, chatting, chatting with all the passersby.
-Seeing all the talent and all the beautiful works of art.
-Meeting the fellow crafters--people who care about something and are interested and passionate about something.
-Bartering with some of the other crafters.
-Smiling. All. Day. Long. Though I was exhausted later.
-Hearing encouraging words about some of the things I made.
-The little girl who made me a bracelet out of a pipe cleaner and some beads in exchange for one of my inspiration stones.
-That same girl's tiara: made out of pipecleaners and held in her hair with paperclips.

I know there's more. That's just a taste.

...

cogs, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Yesterday, on my drive to Sandy's, I saw a man with a grocery cart filled with bags of cans. He went into a bus stop shelter. I drove a little further, turned around, and went into the convenience store next to the bus stop. I got a coffee, and an already-prepared egg/cheese/bacon sandwich with hash browns wrapped in foil. When I went outside to give the man the food, he was no where in sight. His vacant cart with wisps of bags tied to the handle was tucked next to a nearby fence.

I thought maybe he was down in the culvert, perhaps going to the bathroom. I imagined what it must be like to protect your bags of carefully collected cans worth five cents a piece. I imagined him in the muddy, frigid culvert, and the bags of cans there with him.

After a few moments, I called out "Sir?" The food in my hands was still warm. "Sir?" I climbed down as far I as I dared to peer into the culvert. No one. I walked back up and then behind the convenience store. I read a sign: "Redemption Center" and then another one: "Closed." It is possible he had come some distance just to find the redemption center closed, and now he is on his way to another center. I imagine he knows where they are all located. I left the food in the cart.

Shame on me.

If I had the intention to share with him, I should have asked him first. I should have asked him to come in with me.

And why was I afraid to go down into the culvert? What could have happened that this man with several layers of bulky clothes and a bunch of bags of cans would feel threatening to me?

My giving is a high percentage of my "mutable income" (which is two mites), but my giving is also erratic. I want to have a more stable financial picture so I can give more consistently and more effectively.

I will still give what is free. That's easy.

Later, as I was falling asleep, my subconscious brought some levity: Sue B as a "poor" graduate student told me a story about her weekend. She had befriended the man who scouted her neighborhood for returnables. I'll call him Sam. A few days after hosting a party, she greeted him on her neighborhood's recycle pick-up day.

"Sam! Check it out!" She opened her garage door and revealed the jackpot of returnables from the party. She described the smile on his face.

"I have two words for you, Samantha: safe and tea. That's right: Safety."

Extra points if you are not Jen(n) G. and you know where the quote in the title comes from.

The inspiration?

My mom sent me, in a single email, info about my cousin having a baby AND how to avoid car-jackings.  She's funny.  Juxtaposition is an art.

In other news, and in all seriousness, I feel bad for a little kid who I don't know.  He was with this woman who asked me for money yesterday to "get a bus ticket home to Rhode Island."  Apparently, I was hoodwinked; my friend said this woman is out there all the time with the same story, and the kid flanking her side.  It doesn't bother me that she conned me.  I mean, I do hope she uses the money for food.  I'm a fool if she doesn't.  And that means I've perpetuated a problem.  

But something I can't stop thinking about is this kid.  

What can I do.

cool loneliness

blue light, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

"Usually we regard loneliness as an enemy. Heartache is not something we choose to invite in. It’s restless, pregnant, and hot with the desire to escape and find something or someone to keep it company. When we can rest in the middle, we begin to have a nonthreatening relationship with loneliness, a relaxing and cooling loneliness that completely turns our usual fearful patterns upside down.

There are six ways of describing this kind of cool loneliness. They are: less desire, contentment, avoiding unnecessary activity, complete discipline, not wandering in the world of desire, and not seeking security from one’s discursive thoughts. [...]

Cool loneliness allows us to look honestly and without aggression at our own minds. We can gradually drop our ideals of who we think we ought to be, or who we think we want to be, or who we think other people think we want to be or ought to be. We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment.

When you wake up in the morning and out of nowhere comes the heartache of alienation and loneliness, could you use that as a golden opportunity? Rather than persecuting yourself or feeling that something terribly wrong is happening, right there in the moment of sadness and longing, could you relax and touch the limitless space of the human heart? The next time you get a chance, experiment with this.

--Pema Chodron, from "When Things Fall Apart"

Cafe in Johnson, VT, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

wink

wink, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Main Street, Election Night Celebrations

Main Street, Burlington, Vermont - Photo by Brett Lufer

It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Never, in my adult life, have I felt this proud of being an American.

Although, along with the great, amazing, wave of joy and the sense of possibility, there was devastation, too: CA voters approved Proposition 8 banning same sex marriages.

Now the work begins. I want to do my part.

Phillipsburg, NJ

Phillipsburg, NJ, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

textures

textures, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

It was like heaven on earth here in Vermont this weekend. Jen and I went apple picking.

Here are some of the textures I saw on one of my walks. The pine needles smelled positively divine. On this same walk there were some milkweed which were broken open. It felt like soft grandma hair. White and soft. I made wishes and the breeze carried them away.

friends

friends, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

that's the ticket

sky sky sky sky sky sky sky

Green Mountains and sky, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Had another career counseling appointment yesterday. One more next week. Then I'll be fixed.

Hehe.

Lauren invited the girls over last night to meet Hutch. He fell asleep in my arms. I love him!

(He's a kitteh, by the by.)

Patsy's Birthday

I miss you.

What is the subtle difference between these two?

“Be compassionate.”

“Practice compassion.”

email forwards

winter is coming, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I liked this one. Random : )

USING ONLY ONE WORD

Not as easy as you might think! Now copy or forward, change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to use only one word answers. Be sure to send back to the person you received it from!

1. Where is your cell phone? tote
2. Your significant other? NA
3. Your hair? itchy
4. Your mother? wacky
5. Your father? Dad
6. Your favorite thing? Saturday
7. Your dream last night? bleached
8. Your favorite drink? latte
9. Your dream/goal? journey
10. What Room you are in? cozy
11. Your hobby? lifegiving
12. Your fear? loneliness
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? open
14. Where were you last night? couch
15. Something that you aren't: godzilla
16. Muffins? almond
17. Wish list item?
18. Where you grew up? Vermont
19. Last thing you did? read
20. What are you wearing? velour
21. Your TV? February
22. Your pets? Iowa
23. Friends? forever
24. Your life? progress
25. Your mood? allergies
26. Missing someone? Mallory
27. Your car? Nellie
28. Something you're not wearing? frown
29. Your favorite store? craft
32. Your favorite color? purple
33. When is the last time you laughed? minutes
34. Last time you cried? five
35. Who will resend this? Wendi
36. One place that I go to over and over: ruminations
37. One person who emails me regularly: Facebook
38. My favorite place to eat: Tiny Thai
39. One place I would like to go right now: New Jersey
40. One person I think will respond: Wendi

decoupaged car

decoupaged car, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Remembering the kiddos who are missing their brother today. It's been one year.

Also celebrating dear Gary Mawe's birthday. He is one of my favorite people on the planet.

Thar she is.

ordinary days

party hats

party hats, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

The party hats came out better than I imagined. I used lots of crafty stuff that I purchased at Michael's, though, which is atypical for me. Aside from making the paper, I like to make everything from scratch. Sometimes I even make the paper!

So I told my sis that I'm going to IA for Christmas instead of NJ. It was hard to do. I will really miss her and the kiddos and her family on Christmas. But it's been a while since I spent it with my mum and Dad, and that's always a little sad, too. So there you have it.

I watched "Dalai Lama Renaissance" last night. It was very good. I was cringing at our human nature, pride and idolatry, and our beautiful spirit to desire to improve, our resilency. I love Tenzin. Someone suggested that he rule the world, and he said "No, I will remain a simple Buddhist monk." His "right action" is a model. He will not rule the world, but he will rule himself, and all his interactions. How will you live?

I just started learning the ukulele on Sunday night. Mostly just chords for now. My repertoire currently includes:
-Mary Had a Little Lamb (traditional)
-Let it Be (Beatles)
-When the Saints Go Marching In (traditional)
-Edelweiss (Rodgers and Hammerstein)
-Faith (George Michael)

Happy Wednesday. Class tonight, and that is good.

gnomes et al.

gnomes et al., originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Connected with an old friend last night. She is a very private (thus, this framed shot), very pregnant, and very loving person.

If you can see her boots, these are the only things she could fit her feet into last night for our walk, and she wore flip-flops to supper. The three things she misses most during her pregnancy: sushi, good beer, and hair dye!

Her little one was active after supper, and she showed me where to put my hand on her belly. That baby packs a punch!

She is also mom to these two cuties. We all took a walk together, and they scrambled through the 5-foot tall grasses. It was like a scene from E.T.

I'm excited for the weekend. Sushi has been very strangely a recurrent topic of discussion over the past two weeks, and I have a sushi-and-steak double birthday party extravaganza to go to tomorrow night. The universe speaks. We eat fish and rice. And that works well for me.

Happy Birthday to my Dad!

Iowa Wind Power, originally uploaded by Don3rdSE.

Dearest Dad,

Happy birthday to you! I bet you cannot wait to get home to play with your new camera. The work you've been doing is amazing. You are so talented, interest-ed and interesting--so multi-faceted.

You're fascinating! : )

I'm glad you're my Dad and I hope you have the best birthday ever.

Love,

Emmy

tiina & alef

tiina & alef, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I zazzed up the pic a little.

Update: 9/16/08 - This looks way better on a Mac.

a good match

tiina & alef, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Tiina is Finnish and went to US for high school, then to Japan to teach English at University. Alef was born in Iran and grew up in Holland, and made a life in Japan as an importer. Both ended up in Tokyo in a sushi bar one night where they met....

It is a pleasure and a blessing to be a witness to a good match, and they are that. Solid.

Thank you Alef and Tiina for such a wonder-filled Sunday!!

Minx and I are getting to know one another. It was AWESOME to be covered in horse poop. My muscles stretched in ways they remember and love. I drove a John Deere something-or-other for the first time. I loved it. Nina is an angel to bring me to that experience. I'm hungry for more.

Interesting, Nina, how you are bringing people (and animals) together these days. You are a connector, a conduit, a creator/ healer in a way.

Sweet potato, green apple, red onion salad is very yummy!

rainbow, rainbow, rainbow

swiss chard, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

"You make swiss chard look like an edible rainbow." Jen Whitley

Once I yelled out "Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" when I saw a rainbow outside my window, and my friend said, "Is that what you say to make a rainbow appear?"

This weekend, I get to:

-not drive anywhere for the first time...in three weeks.
-see Tiina in person for the first time since...2002?
-ride a horse for the first time...since sophomore year of high school.
-make stuff using acrylic resin for the first time...ever!

I'm really excited.

And you have no idea how excited I am about riding. It's been a long time. The horse's name is Minx and she is a little bit of my destiny.

I hope you have a super weekend, too.

yes, please

yes, please, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Sometimes I wish I had a button like this--for my life, for my body, for my brain...for the world!

Lately, when I feel this way, I try to ask my self: So what will I do, now? Just asking that question changes my brain. An audible "click" is followed by action.

And then there is the advice of Free Will Astrology's Rob Brezsny. People either love or hate this guy. I think he's funny!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After studying the astrological omens, I had a psychic vision of you jumping up and down, screaming with joy as if you’d won the lottery. That doesn’t necessarily mean you will actually win the lottery, though. My visions are usually symbolic, not literal. So what does it mean? It could prophesy the imminent arrival of a good surprise. It may signify that your physical vitality will be exceptional, or maybe you will be visited by an exhilarating revelation about the future. To get yourself in the proper spirit, why not jump up and down and scream for joy right now? Then keep doing it at least twice a day until the breakthrough actually occurs. (http://www.7dvt.com/2008free-will-astrology-15)

Feels like Fall, folks.

I'm off to jump up and down and scream for joy.

Happy Wednesday!

goldie & scarlett

goldie & scarlett, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Just a few of the things I did to enjoy Troy:

-hung out with dear friends
-pet purring kittehs
-enjoyed facebook updates
-drank wine in the courtyard
-left CJ a "you are beautiful" note
-walked in the rain
-admired the Troy architecture
-made new friends, including Tanto, Spartacus, and The Teabags
-ate a lot of cheese
-saw mastodons and a long house
-cheered on the rick-and-rollers at karaoke
-shopped River Street
-saw the Egg
-went to CN9 studio and taped a reel

Good friends, good times.

enjoy troy

, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

The low-down on Emmy:

I'm going to visit Debra (the person attached to these feet) and Jen-knee in Troy, NY this weekend. Yay!

Two nights ago, class began. I love it. I love it. Even though the room smells like a gym sock, I love it.

Last night, Abbey and I saw the movie "Henry Poole is Here." Skewed messages, effusive execution, and I do not recommend it. But Luke Wilson is a doll!

Next weekend I get to see Tiina. Can you believe it? I haven't seen Tiina in years and years and years. She will make a rare visit from Japan and I get to see her!

I wish you a Very Happy Friday. And with love.

Mansfield Grove, CT

cairn diptych, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

In the three days that I was visiting my sister's family at the shore, I:

-used a lot of sunscreen.
-accrued many freckles.
-played, played, played.
-wore the same clothes, alternating with my bathing suit.
-ate yummy food.
-had many lovely conversations.
-kayaked, yoga-ed on the beach, swam.
-tasted salt water and sun.
-yodeled.
-made a cairn.
-drew spirals in the sand
-laughed. A lot.
-felt healthy.
-was free.

what's inside you?

what's inside you?, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I know the photo above is not the type Mark Doty is describing in the poem below. But I love this poem.

A Green Crab's Shell
by Mark Doty

Not, exactly, green:
closer to bronze
preserved in kind brine,

something retrieved
from a Greco-Roman wreck,
patinated and oddly

muscular. We cannot
know what his fantastic
legs were like--

though evidence
suggests eight
complexly folded

scuttling works
of armament, crowned
by the foreclaws'

gesture of menace
and power. A gull's
gobbled the center,

leaving this chamber
--size of a demitasse--
open to reveal

a shocking, Giotto blue.
Though it smells
of seaweed and ruin,

this little traveling case
comes with such lavish lining!
Imagine breathing

surrounded by
the brilliant rinse
of summer's firmament.

What color is
the underside of skin?
Not so bad, to die,

if we could be opened
into this--
if the smallest chambers

of ourselves,
similarly,
revealed some sky.

From Atlantis, published by HarperCollins. Copyright © 1995 by Mark Doty. All rights reserved. From Poets.org.

Fall is coming

I don't often hit the Champlain Valley Fair, but I did last night with Abbey and Christie. They're fun girls.

The fair signifies that Fall is on its way.

al fresco

al fresco, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

My favorite crosswalk guard came up to my car window and introduced himself today! He pulled a tomato out of his coat pocket for me and told me it was from his garden. In about five seconds he told me how old he was (79), how many years he had been retired (25), his name…and that he LOVES his present job.

Someday I will say the same. I will not rest until I can.

Last night Phoebe (my fifth grade teacher!) came over and brought a scrumptious salad for supper. I had rosemary/olive oil bread and blueberries and we feasted al fresco by the lake. She told me stories about her little ones she watches during the day and I laughed and laughed and laughed.

A beautiful evening.

Did I mention I’m so lucky? (Translate: blessed.)

...

..., originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Dream...and do. We can do it together.

Pocket contents

Pocket contents, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

First day of school! There were LOADS of little ones walking to school with their parents and friends. They were everywhere…like tribbles!

My very favorite crosswalk guard is back. He looks to be 100+ years old but has so much sass and energy and kindness; he acknowledges absolutely everyone passing by with a wave and a smile--and with quite some vigor. He is also VERY serious about his job and very good at it. He’ll give you the EYE and vehemently point that stop sign at you if your car moves even a nanometer in the direction of the crosswalk if he there crossing with the kids.

And rightly so.

One friend B.’s daughter, A., came home from school. B. asked A. how recess went and A. replied “oh, I didn’t really find anyone to play with so I just looked at what I had in my pockets.” !!!! B. put lots of interesting things in her pockets the next day. Now A. says she doesn’t need stuff in her pockets anymore because she’s made lots of friends.

Pockets are good. Kids are resourceful and resilient.

Emma, my surrogate grandma once said “We are lucky if we can have just one good friend in our lifetimes. And I have TWO!”

Good punchline.

why wait?

best sister, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

A friend of mine just lost her grandfather. She and her cousin sorted and scanned all the old photos that her grandfather had.

They found one old picture of their grandpa's brother, and in a lovely scrawl, there was a note from her grandpa from beyond: "to the best brother in the whole world." My friend was able to give this gift to her great uncle...and he said, "I never knew he felt that way."

So why wait?

Becky, I love you! You are the best sister in the whole, wide. world.

sweethearts

sweethearts, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I get to see my sister and my nephews this weekend...and my sis's WHOLE family.

I'm floating, I'm so happy.

authority

, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I often find myself looking in at the way human systems are set up, and wondering how this can be, that people just make stuff up, and other people just follow and believe it. People just make up rules and penalties, and people don't question the rules' meanings or their need, and they pay the penalties!

I try to negotiate with some common sense, and I am met with people wielding their (made-up!) authority.

I'm okay with authority; I appreciate that someone is leading the show. But acknowledge it's a show, and ask me to cooperate instead of bullying me, and things will run more smoothly. You can't scare me.

It hurts my heart. Since we get to make up how we're going to live, why don't we do it well, and do it together?

...

, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Zane Gregory Lelo
1968 - 2008

An angel walked this earth.

MSW

handcuffed, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

What do you think of when you see the acronym "MSW"?

Quote of the day:

"So, at trivia night you can shout out a category for the next week’s game and I shouted out Murder, She Wrote and the crowd went wild! I’m not kidding. So, for next week’s game the theme is: Shows I Watched with My Grandmother. Can you believe that? I think MSW is making a comeback. "
--Debra Gorgos

Then I went to acronym finder--and Murder She Wrote is actually quite high in the ranking of recognized meanings for MSW! Only slightly less well-known than the Modified Sine Wave.

****** MSW Municipal Solid Waste
****** MSW Mammal Species of the World
***** MSW Microsoft Word
***** MSW Master of Social Work
***** MSW Microsoft Windows
***** MSW Medical Social Worker
**** MSW Modified Sine Wave (electronic signal shape)
**** MSW Murder She Wrote (TV show)
**** MSW Machine Status Word
**** MSW Men Seeking Women
*** MSW Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (effect; neutrino oscillation, mass)
*** MSW Most Significant Word
*** MSW Multiswitch
*** MSW Men Who Have Sex with Women (medical/public health)
*** MSW Master Search Warrant
*** MSW Maiden Special Weights (race for horses that have never won a race)
*** MSW Mountain Spring Water
** MSW Meters Sea Water (SCUBA diving)
** MSW Main Seawater
** MSW Magneto-Static Wave
** MSW Maximum Shipping Weight
** MSW Minimum Squared Weight
* MSW Middleware Sub Working Group
* MSW Managed Windows Service
* MSW Manual Shift to Working
* MSW Multi-Cast with Same Wavelength
* MSW Multiple Stop-And-Wait


My friends are geniuses. And huge MSW fans. Particularly Debra.

sweet tomato

sweet million, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Tasting this single, homegrown tomato was like tasting the entire sun and the entire earth in one, sweet bite.

I can't even find the words.

And imagine the gift of an entire bag full! It was hard to believe that this amazingness was being held in an ordinary zip-lock bag.

Thank you, Libbi!

reunion

It was loverly to spend the day with Hama and Erika yesterday. The air tasted of Fall, and we spent part of the day at SMC; it felt like we should be heading to class. There were lots of chance reunions for Erika and Hama throughout the day. There's nothing better than to be a fly on the wall for a joyful reunion. That's why I love airports.

In other news, my cousin Michael and his wife are pregnant. They wrote this on their baby blog:

Today we heard baby's heartbeat! Trish says it sounds like a helicopter, but Mike says baby's shooting lasers around the womb, practicing Star Wars Jedi moves.

Love it.

do you?

make a wish

I wish...I wish...I wish that Erika and Hama would visit me from California!

Ta dah!

It is granted. I will spend the day with them tomorrow. Yay!

Jess Graham, Artist's Market, Burlington VT

I glided over to Jess Graham's booth at the Farmer's Market yesterday, and she said "you were drawn in by the colors, I could tell." Her work is AMAZING!! She was super chatty and happy to share about her journey to be making art for a living.

http://www.jessgrahamstudio.com/

<--This piece drew me in. It is called "Spring Walk" and I thought these legs resembled my legs! (See, these are mine-->) I told her how I can't help myself from photographing feet and she wants to see, so I am gathering my feet pictures.... Jess said this was actually inspired by the beauty of the forest floor in spring.

Jen and I had super fun palling around town yesterday. We saw amazing art and lots of beautiful veggies and goods at the market. We perused the bookstores. We took in a movie that made us laugh really, really hard, but we don't want to tell you which one. Okay, Pineapple Express. Twist my arm. We read down by the waterfront at sunset and I watched the people go by and play frisbee, and walk their dogs and play with their kids and eat ice cream. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

I feel so lucky.

looking forward

Tonight I get to picnic with miss salissa and tomorrow my pal Jen(n) is coming to visit. She wrote:

"I have an awesome joke to tell you when I see you. You will love it. You will laugh until you almost pee and then I will tell it to you again and then you will pee. It will be awesome."

Frankly, I can't wait.

another kind of watching

starbucks, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

Some of you know my penchant for peoplewatching. Some of you would go so far as to say I have a voyeuristic streak.

You're right.

watching

It feels like there are some Very Big Things that most of my friends and loved ones are dealing with right now. When it seems there is nothing left to do, and no words left to say, I'm a firm believer that watching is an active way to help. Being mindfully aware of what people are going through, without attaching and getting down, is truly an art. It makes space. There's breathing room. Is that enough? I don't know. But in the meantime, I'm available in this way for you.

There IS a full moon on Saturday. Do you think weird and difficult things are linked with the full moon cycle?

I like the full moon. It helps me to see the werewolves more clearly.

humans dance

this made my insides hurt with laughing

the girls

the girls, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

perseph & liz

perseph & liz, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I went to Persephone's new digs last night--an open house where I got to meet all of her new housemates and lots of other fabulous people who will be in perseph's life this year. When I got home and looked at the pictures I took, I got to feeling very blessed. I've known Persephone all of her life, and Liz has known me most of mine. They are beautiful, no? These are two of the strongest and yet gentlest people I know on this whole earth. And I can always count on their hugs.

I spend a lot of time wrestling with angels for blessings. The angels are always raring to give it a go with me. Our wings get battered and we usually end up with trophy scars or a toothless grin. But when I stop struggling and take a look around, I see I am so blessed. It is very simple and it was here all along.