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. 

some new joy

To paraphrase a wise persian poet: meet everybody who comes to your door, laughing. They may be clearing you out for some new joy....

sunny sunday morning

I was in Westboro, MA this weekend, chez O'Neill. This is a calming and comforting place to be. There is a lot of love, a lot of humor, a lot of sunny porch time, a lot of Calley time...and a lot of tea.

I am lucky!

Laura's March

One day a couple years ago, I sat on a bench at Burlington's Lake Champlain Waterfront. I was in a general state of awe at the beautiful place where I live--which is often the case when I venture down to the water to watch the sun dip down behind the Adirondacks. I happened to read the memorial plaque on the bench, and felt particularly connected to the words:

Laura Winterbottom
1973 - 2005
The Wonder of the World,
Beauty, Order, Shapes, Colors,
Light and Shade.
These I saw.
Behold, ye also, and marvel.

These lovely memorial words struck me, emphasizing life and wonder and awe. Becky, my sister, was born in 1973, so it hit me, too: this girl died way too young. I found out later that Laura Kate Winterbottom was a victim of a brutal abduction. Her family has since raised awareness and funds for all kinds of projects through the Laura Kate Winterbottom (LKW) Fund. The LKW fund web site in her memory is filled with Laura's artwork and the obvious compassion and love of her family.

The second annual Laura's March is coming up, September 6. I will be away, but the folks who come out will be in my heart.

littering

Sometimes I make notes like these and leave them around town. I have a stash of them in my wallet. I leave them on the edge of a pharmacy counter. In tip jars. Under a product in a store. The process of making them feels like prayer: This message I write for me and for you, you stranger who will get this note. I always hope they won't be poorly received--as littering, as hippey-dippey--but rather as a bright spot in the day.

Yesterday I needed my own reminder. I taped it up on the window, and the sun came out through the clouds.

tinderbox

tinderbox, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.

I took these pics with my cell--so they are crap--but the Punk House exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery by Abby Banks and the Tinderbox Collective is not crap.

I first learned that this exhibit was going to happen from a waiter in Portland, Maine, who plays in a band called "Over a Cardboard Sea," and who knew impressively specific details about the life of Irving Berlin.

This is what is written on the wall, which made me happy:

"There is a line on the sidewalk in Burlington where somebody sprayed paint out of a water bottle. The paint runs right into the heart of downtown, and then stops. That line is important. It reminds us that the people who dare to leave their mark on the world never left town to live in the pages of art books or magazines, that they still live down the street.

"The art that's most alive has never been in a museum at all--it's the stencil sprayed in a total of ten places ever, the one-of-a-kind present for your sweetheart that you stayed up all night to make. It's your kid's wild drawing, stained with juice and taped to the wall. It's the joke your friend told you that told you the gut-busting laugh that saved your life.

"There are a million points of entry to a world of creativity and love. Start here, if you feel like it. All you need is your friends, and the friends you have yet to meet, who are out there wishing for you. This world will remain a terrifying struggle, but it's one that you won't have to face alone.

"We hope you will take our installations as an invitation. You are cordially invited not only to make the most heartbreakingly beautiful things in the world, but to decide for yourself what beauty is. Don't take our word for it, or anyone else's.

"Make yourself at home.

"Love, the Tinderbox Collective and partners in crime."

Punk House
August 1–September 19
Firehouse Gallery

flow

flow, originally uploaded by Witty Screen Name.