·
Thursday, 29 May 2008
This morning, I
read this in a blog (Google "37 days" – I enjoy reading this woman's
daily blog entries...frequently the stuff is great!). A phrase caught my attention:
"...When
humans were first contemplating how to fly, they kept asking the question,
"how can a machine fly like a bird?" Over and over and over again,
that was the question. Until the Wright Brothers and Langley flipped the
question. "How," they asked, "does a bird fly like a
machine?" Then all hell broke loose and human flight became a
reality......"
I read this and my
thoughts took off like a bird! I think of the disconnect between
traditional learning environments and more grassroots methods (I am thinking
literacy).
We need to flip
the question. The paradigm must shift.
We need to look at
adult learners, engage them in ways that meet them where they are...interact in
ways that facilitate their goals. We do not need to coerce them into a
curriculum-based environment to study grammar lessons and to parrot back
memorized responses...
The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting the
results to change. So why are we taking adult learners and placing
them back into systems that failed them in the first place?
The programs NMCL
works with are grassroots and work with people, right where they are, in
private settings, 1-to-1...there is dignity and there is progress...
Driving in
I saw an
18-wheeler make a u-turn on Cerillos this morning! That cannot be
legal. It is definitely not safe.
I sat watching
this huge truck stop traffic both directions (4 lanes either side).
He did not even
use his turning signal.
The other day in
the Lowes parking lot I saw a tiny, roller-skate of a sports car (a Jaguar
actually). It appeared to be driven by a
very large, very furry Old English Sheep Dog.
The car cruised through the parking lot with the OESD driving (or so it
seemed). The big dog, fur flying, seemed
to smile at Miss Zia and me as he cruised by.
Some people are
just sooo special, here in the “City Different”.
·
Thursday, 28 May 2008
Tornado warnings follow me home…
Weather does not
seem to be very scientific. All over the
globe, weather has taken a vacation.
Here in
Tornados don’t
happen here.
People do not know
what to do. I become an expert. I am from
My inclination is
to simply stand outside and enjoy the dynamics of wind out of control. I choose NOT to share this with other people.
We survive the
windy evening.
There is still
snow on the mountains I see as I walk Miss Zia each morning as the sun comes
up. I think of earthquakes in
·
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Moriah’s Motorcycle – It’s sooo hard to be
a Mom!
My daughter
finished her Master’s Degree…lots of hard work, juggling school, work, kids and
all the stuff life throws at you. And
with such a sense of humor too.
I like my
daughter. I also respect her, because
she does what she sets out to do. She
challenges herself. She is true to her
values and takes risks she needs to take.
She makes me laugh too.
And now, she’s
bought a motorcycle; a big motorcycle.
Yikes!
I had a dirt bike
briefly, back in my youth, before my daughter came along. But somehow it is harder watching my own
child straddling a 900cc bike and heading off into urban traffic. My heart pounds. My head feels light.
Of course my
anxiety may be more intense since it was a motorcycle accident that took my
son’s life just five years ago.
I respect my
daughter’s bravery. Yet, I wish she
could find another way to prove herself.
Of course, I do not have to like what my children do, nor do I expect
them to modify their choices simply because I am uncomfortable with them.
I wish my daughter
well. I hope she find the joy of the
wind whipping through her hair as satisfying as she anticipated. I wish her joy and beauty and I honor her
courage and grace. I am glad she chooses
to live a full, rich life.
·
Monday, 26 May 2008 – Memorial Day…We Remember…
One of these flags on the courthouse lawn
honors my son, Caleb J. Pulver. Another
is there for my father, Byron D. Jeys.
In
my small hometown in NW Iowa, Memorial Day is acknowledged with dignity and
joy.
I
see these photos and I can almost hear the dog tags chattering and the
beautiful flags snapping in the breeze.
Each year the list of names grows longer…they read each name (over a
thousand). It is a moment of coming face
to face with what service before self means.
There is honesty about facing this challenge.
It
is disappointing to find the citizens of
It
seems to me that regardless of one’s politics it is appropriate to honor those
who gave their life in service to our country. Regardless of where one stands
on war and politics, those people who serve and follow the direction of our
elected officials deserve some recognition…of course the recognition comforts
the survivors and not the one who served and died.
How
many people serve in our armed forces and do not agree with the choices made by
those in command?
We
spend much of this day working in our garden.
And remembering those who served.
The
Memorial Day ceremony in
·
Sunday, 25 May 2008
A day at the zoo…
We
headed down to
The
The
zoo is so clean and pleasant with delightful landscaping.
Later
in the day we had a leisurely lunch at a restaurant and then we headed off to
the Air Force Base and filled our shopping cart with about 6 weeks worth of
food. We also fueled up – gas on base
was only $3.70 a gallon while the rest of the nation seems to be paying closer
to $4.00 per gallon.
We
drove back to
I
spend some time considering what it might be like to live in
·
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Canine Good Citizenship
Award…
Miss
Zia completed intermediate dog training at the local community college and is
now the recipient of the Canine Good Citizenship Award.
Good
Citizen Zia is snoozing happily at my feet.
·
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Home from the Gulf…
The
Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps team arrived home from the Jimmy and Rosalyn
Carter Annual Build in
After
7 days of 0400 wake-up calls, Mark is ready to get some sleep. He spent his week on the kitchen crew. His days started early and dragged out until
after the evening meal.
·
Friday, 16 May 2008
Would I like Some Cheese with
that Whine? Yes, please!
The
weather this week while Mark has been gone, has been cold, windy and
rainy.
My
health and attitude match the weather. I
dragged around all week, fighting a bug that kept me feeling sleepy, my throat
raw and my hearing and balance impaired.
My
usual pal (my laptop) failed to keep me distracted and projects were delayed
because of challenges with it. The
culprit is the new
An
impatient individual, eager for my inputs and unaware of my fragile attitude
this week, tries repeatedly to contact me on Skype and my land-line…the phones
ring incessantly for long periods. I
bury my head under a pillow. I suffer
through it, and resist banning him. I
leave the lines open, awaiting calls from my spouse before I call it a night
and try to catch up on sleep.
Warning
lights on the truck warn of possible problems with the brake system so I am
uncomfortable using it.
All
week I have crashed on the couch rather than in my bed. It is nice to awaken to the sound of birds
outside the window and under the gaze of my loving pet, Miss Zia.
Tomorrow
Mark returns home.
·
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Yay! The Answering Machine Died!
·
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Does
anyone else feel overwhelmed by telephone, cell phones, text messaging, instant
messenger, etc.
E-mail
is passive…I can deal with it, but oh how intrusive all these other tools
are.
I
feel as if I must hide in my own home.
My meals are interrupted, my quiet reading time stolen, my journaling
moments intruded upon. I try to focus on
personal projects, but the answering machine chatters in the distance. I need time alone.
I
feel a sense of violation when people expect me to be available simply because
they call. I have few precious hours
alone in my home. I spend my days at the
beck and call of those who require me in the working world. I frequently work at home too.
When
I am home, I have much to do before I can focus on my own interests and
needs. Frequently my scant free time is
usurped by the intrusions of technology.
In
my own home, I feel captive.
I
long for time to be absorbed in a project, time to think, to consider, to
create. Time to be me.
Too
many people…too much technology…
Or
is it a boundary issue?
Do
I have to be available?
I’ve
let my cell phone die, I seldom answer my answering machine messages and
because of a couple individuals, I seldom use my Skype.
Trying
to reach me? Send an e-mail. I generally peruse the daily 200 notes that
fill my home e-mail box each day and respond as needed.
Oh
for the civilized days when people sent letters!
·
Sunday, 11 May 2008 – Mother’s Day
Spaces in our Togetherness
It
is good to have some time alone. It is
good to have a day with no expectations and time to simply enjoy it. It is a novelty to simply eat when I feel
hungry and to eat only what appeals to me.
It feels good to dominate the channel selector, to sprawl across the bed
and hog the blankets. It feels good,
because it is a rare event.
There
is nothing I love more than just hanging out with my husband. But there is a little novelty about having
the house all to myself, for just awhile at least.
·
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Up
at 0500 on a Saturday morning – Mark has an 0600 shuttle bus to catch across
town. He and his AmeriCorps counterparts
are heading off to
Volunteers
from all over the
It’s
all good.
Miss
Zia and I will hold down the fort here in sunny
·
Friday, 9 May 2008
Support Global Worming!
I
have the bumper sticker and I am doing my part.
A
thousand red wigglers moved into our home today. They are rather shy little creatures and are
quietly acclimating to their new home, a smallish, blue plastic tub in the
corner of our kitchen. We gave them
quite a feast to welcome them – bread, coffee grounds, radish greens and some
other refuse that appeals to worms.
·
Thursday, 8 May 2008
A Middle of the Night
Surprise…
0300
– that’s what the bedside clock says. I
sink bank into my pillows and close my eyes.
What seems an eternity later, I put on my glasses and focus on the red
digits emanating from the clock: 0310. Sigh.
I
can’t sleep.
I
quietly slide out of bed, slip my feet into my flip flops. I hear Miss Zia’s tail flopping up and down
on the floor. She stretches shakes and
follows me as I walk out into the dark hallway and head off to the living
room.
Without
turning on the light, I reach for my faithful laptop. I put my index finger where I expect to find
the on switch. Some thing doesn’t feel
quite right. I run my hands over the
edge of the laptop. It does not feel
right.
Is
this Mark’s computer?
I
reach up, turn on the lamp and gaze down at the newcomer resting on my
knees. To my surprise I see a brand new
laptop. I press the on switch and see my
name on the screen; the new laptop is all loaded with my files and photos and
documents.
What
a delightful surprise. What an
unexpected gift.
What
a wonderful husband I have!
Now
I really can’t sleep!
·
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Doggie Graduation…
The
dean donned her graduation garb and carefully adjusted it as the sounds of “Pomp
and Circumstance” filled the room. A few
of the students, growing a bit restless, wiggled a bit and one of them let out
an anxious bark.
Yes,
tonight was graduation at dog training classes.
Miss
Zia passed her exam and confidently walked up to accept her certificate and to
shake hands with her instructor. After
the solemn ceremonies, the dogs and their companions had the opportunity to try
out a few doggie-dance steps. (Actual
dances classes are available and the graduates are encouraged to enroll!)
Just a few short weeks ago the students of
this class were not so well-behaved.
Those first few classes, man of the dogs had issues and there was often
barking and some growling. Now, the
graduates sat quietly, tails wagging and occasionally sniffing one
another. They have all gained confidence
and demonstrate social graces.
I
don’t know about Miss Zia, but I will miss seeing the rest of the dogs and
their companions. Watching them learn
and grow was very satisfying.
As
a small gesture, I made bandanas for all the graduates. It was fun to see the dogs wearing their new
scarves as they left the classroom, walking calmly beside their proud
owners. (Here’s Zia modeling her scarf.)
Life
is about simple pleasures.
·
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
I learned how to make a
million dollars today.
“Five coffees and five sausage biscuits, to
go, please,” I said, stretching a bit and rubbing my eyes.
0600
and I am already out and about. I was at
McDonalds when the doors opened this morning.
Next stop – the office.
We
have a road trip today. We pile into the
rental van and head south to
The
speakers were quite good, but soon it became clear their agenda was to sell us
opportunities to enroll in expensive workshops to learn about get-rich quick
schemes, err, umm, I mean investment techniques.
There
were also many emotional references to patriotism and Jesus, as if Jesus was a
spokesperson for the products they were selling. With one Jewish woman, a Unitarian, and a
couple skeptics in our crowd, we had fun poking some gentle fun at the
references (WWJD morphed into WWBD after many references to how Warren Buffet
made his millions!)
Despite
the infomercial nature of several of the presentations, there were some
excellent speakers and the day was quite pleasant. We lunched together on wonderful Mexican food
and relaxed. At 5 PM we headed back
north.
It
was a million-dollar team-building experience.
·
Saturday, 3 May 2008
“Lars and the Real Girl”
What
a great film. Do not be put off by the
mention of a young man purchasing a sex doll…this is NOT some lame movie
pandering to teenage boys with bathroom humor, etc.
It
is a thought provoking film with some fine acting and some very tender
moments. It is also quirky.
And
so Midwestern.
Just
see it.
·
Friday, 2 May 2008
Miss Zia has a Sleepover
Sonny’s
“Mom” is away for the weekend so we are a two dog household for a few
days. Like children, dogs seem to take
on the characteristics of their friends.
I enjoy watching the two pups learning new tricks from one another. I love watching the tails wag as I try to
navigate around the kitchen.
The two dogs keep a close eye on anyone in
the kitchen. Tails wag constantly. There’s lots of sniffing and some almost
begging when the scents are just too much.
Sometimes a little morsel falls to the floor and quickly disappears as
the pooch patrol does their job.
Zia
and her sweetheart Sonny (see photo) are outside enjoying the fine spring
day. They are stretched out under the
tree, soaking up sunshine. Occasionally
they leap up, run toward the fence and bark a bit.
What
a joy to have the gift of animals in my life.
·
Thursday, 1 May 2008 – May Day
Every May Day a Picture of my
Next-Oldest-Sister Pops into my Head. There was a May Day many years ago (back in
primary school) when R. was acknowledged as the queen she really is. As Queen of the May festivities, R. was
stunning – she was like a young Audrey Hepburn (or some ay a young Elizabeth
Taylor).
I
can picture her standing on the dais in her flowing white gown. Atop her raven-black hair is a crown of
spring blossoms with ribbons trailing down her back. She holds a nosegay of flowers and looks so
poised and serene.
The playground has been converted into a
festive place complete with a tall maypole and tiny dancers weaving brilliant
streamers around the pole as the music plays.
Music spills out of the old phonograph.
Proud parents perch on folding chairs around the perimeter and enjoy the
weak
Dad
took lots of photos of R. that day. For
years we would have the opportunity to see R’s image on the large screen when
Dad shared his family slide shows with visiting gests. It is wonderful that he captured that special
moment in time and helped me carry it on into my future.
What has become of May fest, the energetic
May pole dances and pretty May Day baskets hung on people’s doorknobs?
Are
there places where children are still taught these rituals of spring? Or have these charming celebrations just
faded away? When did we stop celebrating
the joy of spring? And what happened to
my father’s slides?
Well,
here’s to you my sister, Queen of the May!
Your image still returns to me each fist of May and you still look vey
regal.
ab
TO
READ
APRIL
POSTS OR OTHER, OLDER ENTRIES,
RETURN
TO THE ARCHIVES ON THE LEFT.
FYI:
If you want to read about our
Peace
Corps Ukraine adventures,
start
with January 2005 - May 2007.
Now
we are having AmeriCorps*
right
here in
Life
is good!
ab