I lost my soldier blogger. No, he didn't get killed but it looks like the plug was pulled. No archives, nothin.

I'm gonna miss him. I hope he gets home ok.

There is a place in town called McGuckin Hardware. I read somewhere that a local designer said that whenever he is stalled in the creative process, he goes to McGuckin's and is revitalized. Funny that a hardware store would do that, but it really does. Really, it's paint and nails and garden stuff and household stuff and pet stuff and electrical and plumbing, just like any other hardware store, but it's different. I imagine it has to do with the creators of the store - somehow their vision, hopes, dreams, wishes and other magic were infused into the merchandise and the merchandising and that just makes it better.

See? I was stuck about what to write about tonight and I thought about McGuckin's and got unstuck. You gotta stop by there if you're ever in town.

Somehow, after the planes went into the buildings on 9/11, Volunteer Ministers from my church were able to get onto the site and help the rescue workers in the first few days. They stayed on and helped for months afterward locating missing people and helping victims sign up for benefits.

The general outpouring of help from all sorts of people after Hurricane Charley hit is inspiring. Here's an article about Volunteer Ministers helping those victims.

We were at Sweetie's apartment today. He was working on cleaning everything to be painted while I watched. I have offered help like a good mother, but he wants to do it himself.

While we were loading up, that monk walked by banging his drum. I smiled and looked at him and he looked back at me but I didn't feel blessed. He looked like anyone else walking by on a sidewalk, going somewhere, except he was dressed in white and yellow robes banging a drum.

Something similar happened in the presence of Tibetan monks who were doing a sand mandala at the library last year. Watching them interact while they worked and seeing them walking back from lunch at the cafe, they seemed like nice young adults having a good time. I thought they would emanate something spiritual by their presence, but it came through their art which transformed something in me.

When my kids were growing up I didn't tell them what to believe in terms of god, God, gods, goddesses, supreme beings, the Green Man or Mother Nature, Allah, Vishnu or whatever. I have my own ideas, but I figured if there is some omnipotent presence who wants to get in touch with them, it'll (he'll or she'll?) be able to do it without needing me as a via on the line. They were able to come up with some thoughtful ideas of their own.

I think distance is involved in that drum banging blessing. I see him walking down the road, I think "oh, he's blessing the town". I have some time and space to get the idea of being blessed which is what really does it. Getting the idea of being blessed is the trick.

There used to be a Buddhist monk who would walk around town banging a drum. It's a flat handheld sort of drum like the one that Phoebe Barr used to use in dance class while we ran, ran, leaped, ran, ran, leaped, etc. He dressed in white loose clothing, baggy bottoms, with a yellow sashy sort of covering. He walked all over town, steadily beating the drum at a brisk pace, clearly enjoying himself. What he was doing was blessing everyone, I think.

He's back. I saw him today talking to a man in a pickup truck. I'm glad that he's back. I'll take blessings however they come.

There is nothing like a mid summer afternoon in the 80's, big cumulus clouds in a deep blue sky, swimming laps in an outdoor pool all to yourself. Chlorine must be good for me.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
Albert Einstein

I have to link to this soldier since I read his blog every day. If you check it out, read back through the last month. It's a good read. That's where I got this quote.

I caught a glimpse of a cardinal among the loblolly pines and started swimming almost daily. When we got back, we heard frogs in our yard. I can't remember the last time I heard frogs in our yard. That was pretty much our vacation. I do enjoy travelling across America.

We leave in a day or two for our annual road trip across half of America. We leave the arid Colorado climate and wake up the next day in the moisture filled air of Topeka Kansas. What I like is the change of landscape and the greening up and the waterways that multiply as we go East. The 2nd day is more rolling hills and farmland, then through downtown St Louis and onto Paducah, Ky. Topeka to Paducah. The last day, we arrive at our destination.
The first time I took the trip 11 years ago with 2 little boys, I wondered how safe we'd really be. But we got out on the highway and saw small town America and truck stops - all the kinder, gentler America that really exists, not what is portrayed on the news. I agree: man is basically good.
Back in a couple of weeks!

'A First Derivations Dictionary' is a great tool to have around if you like to know the meaning of words without getting complicated.

I've been reading "Cold Mountain" because I decided to boycott the movie since they filmed it in eastern Europe somewhere. ?!?!?!?! Isn't there enough undeveloped area in the Smokies to film a Civil War story?????? Anyway, my point is that the author, Charles Frazier, turns a good word but often come up with some archaic terms that I have to know in order to understand the image. 'First Derivations' comes in handy for me there.

Solitude.

It seems like I would be missing everybody and craving their company but I've been relishing my own this afternoon. Honey is working with Sugar and Sweetie is moving toward Norway via Copenhagen so it's just Tweetie and me today. I've been enjoying a series of mundane tasks: cooking, reading, doing some work for the business, discouraging the squirrel from the bird feeder, watching the rain. I had determined to clean my room today, but never got there. Enjoying iTunes radio: Public radio out of LA and now Magnatunes Renaissance and Baroque music. Reading some blogs and watching the rain some more.

Somebody just walked by on the street. With a dog.

Yeah, it's probably a boring read but what a rich and full afternoon it's been in my universe.

This warrants another post today. Sweetie called! (Sweetie is my first born, Honey is #2). He sounded great and exhausted. They watched the stage final yesterday only 5 feet from the finish line so he was up close to Lance. Today after sleeping in the bus station, they walked 8 miles up L'Alpe d'Huez (6% grade), watched the race and walked 8 miles down. At least they weren't alone: I heard there were 900,000 people on the mountain. Tonight they are sleeping in the city park along with all the other cycling fans without rooms.

Sigh. Now I can have a good night's sleep.

Recently at the food bank, I took several calls from people who need food. The place where I volunteer is one that provides food to agencies who then provide food to individuals. One lady called for her mom and I gave her a list of numbers to call. Her mom then called back and said no way was she going to call all those people - she didn't know them and anyhow, she's disabled and she needs someone to bring her food now cause her daughter is at work. A guy called in and was getting food stamps that were taken away, then Emergency Family Assistance cut him off, now he needed food. A cheerful lady called to find out where to get food, too. She didn't sound down and out, just cheerfully interested.

I volunteer at a food bank because I think that redistribution of food would handle a lot of the problems on this planet. I'm a vendor in some large grocery stores locally and I see food dumped in the trash bin Every Single Day. And meanwhile, all people starve in the Sudan. The problem with volunteering in this food bank, is that most of the people I see come in are chubby or at least not thin. The two people above who called are probably worried about getting food, but they had attitude, you know? I imagine that the people in the Sudan are hungry without attitude. But I'm going to continue helping out as a push in the general direction. Maybe some of these chubby hungry people will feel satisfied enough to turn around and help some other hungry people who are not so chubby.

No matter where you stand on the war, this charity seems worthy of support:

Aid to Wounded Soldiers

Today was a first. I got my first email from Sweetie, who is spending a few days in Paris. They saw the sights today and ate lunch in a cafe off the Champs Elysees and dealing with the elements of a hot and humid city. Off to Lyon tomorrow.

Having one's first born across the Atlantic for the first time does make one pay attention to all things east of one (if you live next to the Rocky Mountains).

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Sigh::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

There are times when you just have to close the door. My tendency is to leave it open a crack, but sometimes, you just have to close it.

That lovely wet, sprinkly, green, lush June is gone and Dry Heat has moved into Colorado. It's 99º outside with 13% humidity. I can put clothes out to dry on the line and they will be finished in 20 minutes. I can go places with wet hair because it will be dry by the time I get there.

We set up the tent in the back yard yesterday. It's too hot to sleep inside and I am resolutely against buying an air conditioner for 3 weeks out of the year. It was cooler and dark and just lovely until the racoons woke me up by rattling around on the porch. At least I think it was racoons. I hope.

We have a week of high temps and no rain. Thank goodness for that wet, sprinkly, green, lush June we had. The reservoirs are full.

I've decided to list my iTunes playlist. It's been a struggle deciding to do this since it's such a personal thing. Do I really want people to know that I sing along to Nas? It's time to bear my soul:

Mornin' by Al Jarreau
Embraceable You, Billie Holiday
They Can't Take That Away, Billie Holiday
God Bless the Child , Billie Holiday
'Taint Nobody's Business if I Do, Billie Holiday
Ain't Misbehavin', Billie Holiday
Stormy Weather, Billie Holiday
Presence of the Lord, Blind Faith
Beautiful, Christina Aguilera
Badge, Cream
I Believe, Fantasia
Grazing in the Grass, Friends of Distinction
I Can, Nas
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
Killing Me Softly with his Song, Robert Flack
Soak up the Sun, Sheryl Crow
Safe and Sound, Sheryl Crow
Strong Enough, Sheryl Crow
All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
Everybody is a Star, Sly and the Family Stone
Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly ATFS
Stand! Sly ATFS
Everyday People, Sly ATFS
You Can Make It If You Try, Sly ATFS
Love's in Need of Love Today, Stevie Wonder
Knocks Me off My Feet, Stevie
Pastime Paradise, Stevie
Summer Soft, Stevie
As, Stevie
Fishin' Blues, Taj Mahal and the Pointer Sisters,
Sweet Home Chicago, Taj and the Pointers
You Ain't Much Fun, Toby Keith
Who's That Man, Toby Keith
Who's Your Daddy?, Toby Keith
I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
I Have Nothing, Whitney
Greatest Love of All, Whitney
the all the Al Green Greatest Hits

Whew! That was cathartic.

Maybe it's time for the child to leave home when the parent launches into a life lesson and the child finishes the sentence and the rest of the lesson verbatim.

Or when the child handles the parent, obviously trying not to be condescending and the parent thinks, "Maybe he's right..."

I've always been one who wants to know before I go. A lot of Life is, 'you'll know when you see it'. Well, I think I'm seeing that my first born is a man.

Today Lance is in the lead, wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. There were some amazing points in this race: seeing how the teams rode together, seeing them ride over cobblestones in the rain in the last leg, seeing the US Postal team ride in a beautiful, geese-like formation and seeing the smiles on George Hincapie and Lance's faces when they were at the finish line.

Tyler Hamilton and the Phonak team impressed me by coming in second after losing 4 of their team members. This was the guy who won 4th place with a broken collarbone last year, so he's one to watch.

The Tour de France started yesterday and we started watching. Lanceis off to a good start, in 3rd place as of today. He is such an inspiration.

My interest in this sport has been fueled by Sweetie - just like he got me interested in Star Wars, Hockey, and The Lord of the Rings. Last year during the Tour, he was on the Bicycle Tour of Colorado but this year, he'll be in France at L'Alpe d'Huez for part of it. Yikes! My youthful overseas travel is still fresh in my mind. I hope he stays in touch with me more than I stayed in touch with my parents.

I'm happy to find out that Honey is interested in resuming his spiritual path after a short hiatus. You never know how your children are going to turn out, what path they will follow. Thankfully, our acorns fell near the tree and seem comfortable with home as a base they can depend on.

A successful action for us has been to give our kids plenty of opportunity to exercise their own self determinism. Yes, I do offer my editorial comments free of charge but for the most part, the kids have been able to craft their own lives. They have been a joy to raise and are wonderful young adults.

John Burroughs wrote:

"The lure of the distant and difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are."

I don't have a summary explanation of who John Burroughs is but a quick search brings up the fact that he was a naturalist with a great bushy beard. I have to find out about him now.

And I got the quote from a Hallmark card. That may trivialize it to some but it also brings the point home, doesn't it? How else would I have found it but in the here and now?

I have to admit I've spent much of my life waiting for the mother ship to arrive to give me a ride home. When it didn't seem to be coming anytime soon, I decided to go ahead and mate with one of the natives here and then the urge to reproduce superceeded any interstellar travel plans I had. Now that the offspring are able to care for themselves for the most part, I have all the time in the world to daydream about other worlds and utopias from the past but I found that I've lost my taste for that. I'm too interested in the host of little goldfinches dining on the bag of thistle hanging from my eave. And that huge dark blue sky south of the birds that looks like it's going to maybe cause flash flooding again. And Taj Mahal singing "Sweet Home Chicago" on my computer.

I might still accept a ride if the ship ever showed up, but then I might just tell them that I want to stick around and make this world a better place. We still haven't achieved world peace yet.

It's raining again. Maybe this is the year for the 100 year flood? Maybe not. There isn't a lot of snow left up in the mountains. The best thing that is happening is that the reservoirs are filling again.

We got our first delivery of the season from Monroe Organic Farm. This week was simply lettuce, summer squash, turnips, garlic, and new potatoes. The new potatoes will make up part of supper tonight along with some broiled porkchops.

The garden is in bloom and the Plums and Apples are little green things right now. We are in Lavender and Roses time now. And Honeysuckle like I haven't seen before in my yard. The smell is heavenly.

This year the urge to go out of town is absent, so no trips to Crestone or Glenwood Springs so far. Glenwood Springs later, when the nights get a little cooler so we can see the misty tornados rising off the water.

Still working on "Cold Mountain" and just started "Stranger in a Strange Land" (a re-read after many years). Life is good and I'm enjoying the details immensely.

The Great Pop vs Soda Controversy

We've had Seattle like weather here for the last three days. That's unheard of in Colorado. Three days of varying degrees of wetness: drizzle, showers, plain old rain, sprinkles. The weatherman hasn't started mentioning "sun breaks" in the forecast yet. We may have a few more days of wet until real sunshine comes back. The ground seems to be slurping it all up. I noticed a little pooling of water in the walkway for the first time this afternoon. The birds seemed to enjoy getting spritzed by the afternoon mizzle.

Is the Crocodile Hunter talking about penquins? Gotta see this.

A few years ago, The Boulder Planet weekly sponsored an "Eccentric Gardens" tour which was a delight. This year someone organized another one which was just about as fun.

My favorite by far was Sherry Hart's Art Farm since you could feel her heart and soul throughout. Lots of water features, lots of yard art, a garden shrine made from a bathtub turned on end and planted in the ground, chickens, an outdoor fireplace and garden sculptures fashioned from chicken wire.

George Peters (the kite maker) was my next favorite. His was the first garden I've seen to use mirrors to open up the space. The fence around the yard is a whimsical design that gave off some inspiration for our yard.

Altogether a wonderful way to celebrate our 24th anniversary!

For the last 15 years, I've taken the boys Down South to see the Folks and relax. We used to meet at the beach the week after Labor Day but then the boys had to go and start school when they were teenagers so it's hard to make that happen. So we changed it to summer visits to a more northerly (but not by much) Southern town. I crave sweetened iced tea, barbeque correctly prepared, cornbread that isn't sweet, turnip greens cooked in some kind of ham or pork, fresh farmers' market tomatoes, high humidity offset by cold air conditioner, the multisonous noises of all sorts of creepy bugs in the night air, and mostly, the feelings of "what's the rush?" and "it's all ok."

Isn't it funny how infectious asthetics are? Contagious, almost. Inspiring would be another word, I think.

I wonder about all those people who live in those near empty towns in the middle of the country in the middle of no where. Metal and some wood thrown together and roads that turn to dirt at the edge of town. They can be depressing or you can read someone like Wallace Stegner and realize that the big sky is comparable to a big beautiful cathedral to those who live there and love the area. Talk to someone who grew up there and realize it's the way the yellow straw undulates in the wind and the way the sunsets last forever and the way the thunderstorms literally fill the sky. It's simply a matter of having an interpreter.

I guess someone did get hurt when the parachuters missed the mark. A lady got some facial cuts and was taken to the hospital - no word on any other condition.