One of the very bestest things about my new home: the windowsill above the kitchen sink. I’ve got an assortment of colorful vases in the sill, putting fresh garden flowers in them each day. The window looks out on to my back porch, which is starting to look a bit less cluttered with boxes and dead plants. It is the perfect place to sit in the evening and meditate by candelight.
Can I just say that I’ve started singing when I wash the dishes? Such joy!
Queue 80’s music…
I was on a long bike ride. A ride across the country. I remember pedaling and pedaling. Not really feeling tired, but knowing that I needed to conserve my energy because I would be pedaling for days on end.
My biggest concern, however, was getting to Chicago ASAP. And knowing that once I got there I would have a hard time finding my way around the city on bike.
The strangest part, perhaps, was that the only person that I met up with on my bike trek was my Dad. I think he was in Chicago, but I’m not sure (that part of the dream is a bit foggy now). He was living in a seedy apartment with faux wood paneling.
Weird.
An essay that I wrote back in 1983 that I do believe was my first-ever published piece of writing. [For you young’uns: yes, we did have TV way back in the early eighties…]
What Would Life Be Like Without Television
Without television we wouldn’t have video games. People would be a lot wealthier because of not spending money on the games. People would also have time for other things.
People would be healthier if they didn’t sit in front of the TV all the time. Instead, they would get exercise.
Many people say TV is a learning tool. I agree with them. Except that without TV I’m sure we could fid other ways to learn. Children would also be a lot smarter because they would do their homework more often.
Also, I have noticed that when people watch TV, they tend to get grouchy and irritable. So, maybe without TV the world would be a happier place to live.
I Think without TV there would be less crime and killing. In my opinion, TV is where most people get their wrong ideas.
Without TV people would not be able to see the news. I suppose people would not me able to see many other informational shows, either. So more people would have to get their news and information another way.
More people would buy tickets to sports events because people wouldn’t be able to see sports on TV.
I am not saying I am against television, I really enjoy it, but I think life would be happier and more fulfilling without it.
I find this essay rather prescient. John and I vowed when we were married* not to have a TV in our home. We’ve stuck to that with just a few brief (and unsatisfactory) exceptions. I also find it notable that even way back then I was concerned with violence–my pacifism was already blossoming.
*UPDATE: The vow wasn’t part of our Mormon secret marriage ceremony. Just FYI…
A quotation shared by Maddie:
“We have bigger houses but smaller families,
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
more knowledge, but less judgment
more experts, but more problems
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the neighbor.
We built more computers to hold more information
to produce more copies than ever…
but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity but short on quality.
These are fast times of fast foods but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character.
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time where there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.”
~the Dalai Lama
Our family is thoroughly enjoying our new neighborhood with friendly new neighbors who are totally willing to ‘cross the street’ (or rather cross the grassy path) to meet us and share their homemade goodies. Lucky us and such a refreshing change from our former neighborhood! In addition, I recently made friends with a woman who opened her gorgeous beachhouse to me twice this week for time to rejuvenate, receive a massage, and enjoy crafting scrumptious dark chocolate (if you stop by I will share one of my rich truffle creations with you!). Then tonite, we made some new friends and reconnected with some old ones.
All joy. I am feeling so very blessed.
Eating well, living slow, receiving abundance. :)
A prayer for you:
“Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth;
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust;
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace;
Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe”
-Satish Kumar
A snapshot of my tea service at the Beehive Tearoom. I had a lovely vanilla tea, with a hint of milk and no sugar (I rarely do sugar in tea).
I thought I’d post this picture in honor of MindOnFire’s new Friday Afternoon Tea feature. Enjoy!
A fellow blogger, Jonathan, photoshopped one of my flower pics and sent it over so I could see what a bit of digital massage could do to brighten up my pics.
I love what he did with this picture (compare it to the original).
For me right now, however, I’m eschewing photoshop for my daily flowers. Why? Among the reasons: I don’t have a lot of time for ‘photoshopping’, I like the challenge of taking pics ‘just as they are’ (I don’t even crop them), and I’m sharing with you just what I saw (although I will admit that the colors are a bit less vibrant then they are in ‘real life.’)
When I was in SLC I met many people who enjoy my photos. Several asked me about my camera, lenses, etc. When I pulled out my teeny little Canon, more than one laughed a bit. Because it’s “not a real camera.” I even borrowed a ‘real camera’ from a friend for a few minutes to try my hand at some ‘real photography’ (thinking that someone beautiful would result). And it was so hard to use–too many bells and whistles and just too heavy to do what I do with mine.
I guess I’m trying to justify the fact that I am lowtech and lowbrow when it comes to photography. Or maybe I just like the instant gratification that comes from using a simple tool (my Canon) in my own simple way. I will probably never be a pro photographer. And I have little aspiration to become such. Because as soon as I become too preoccupied with my ‘technique,’ I lose the intimacy of my garden experience.
So for now it’s just me and my little Canon. Doing what we enjoy most as we spend time in our garden. :)
Hey, but ya’ll are always welcome to improve upon my humble efforts!
So John’s been doing this FaceBook thing so I decided to join up and do a bit of ‘social networking’ myself. Interesting stuff. It seems a bit more like LiveJournal than blogging–lots of party pics and random brief comments. Not very substantive unless you take the time to add a bunch of bells&whistles to your profile page. I’m not sure how much it’s good for other than just a means for seeing how many friends one has who are themselves FaceBooked. Am I missing something here?
Anyways, so if you use FaceBook, let’s be friends. :)
My big sis owns the home where my father grew up. It’s a thrill to wander around the backyard and to flashback to when grandma and grandpa lived there. The far rear of the back is especially memory-full. There is where grandpa kept his pigeon coop. And there are the remains of an old gate and a hodgepodge of fencing. I suspect it was originally a vegetable garden and was fenced to keep out the family dog. But who knows for sure?
This wee morning glories were climbing on the remnants of the old garden gate. I’m not much a fan of morning glory in my own garden, but seeing it in grandmas reminds me of sitting in the back porch late into the evening, eating watermelon with aunts & uncles & cousins, swinging on the clothesline, and playing lawn darts (always worried that one of the younger kids would get hit).
A pic from my sis’ living room. I love the colors and am green with envy at the fine art on display in her home (this is a Picasso lithograph that hangs over her fireplace)!
I want to make my own home inviting–filled with spaces that inspire creativity and celebrate life.
But for now I am just focused on unpacking.
One box at a time….
Upon setting up my new kitchen (with its groovy orange-y red countertops), the first thing I did was set out the teakettle. Thing #2: organize the tea cupboard [note: trying to shift the balance to all organic and fair trade teas, but I’m still finishing up my older stash first….]
