Author: Jana

  • today


    purple lisanthus, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Got up early this morning, did some restorative yoga, then a friend took me to see a stray mama cat with a nest of newborn kittens, eyes not yet opened. Mama is dusky gray with bright yellow eyes.

    After that I went to the garden and spent a few minutes watering and getting acquainted with the latest blooms (all the while being ‘buzzed’ by Junebugs–definitely not the sharpest of critters that I find in my garden). My rose “Mon Cherie” has a bud just opening, and I can’t wait to return tomorrow to see its bright face (the first since I planted it in my garden). I met two small lizards who were frolicking in the lavender bushes–stretching out on the hot rocks that border the space and doing little lizard push-ups (why? I wish I knew)…

    Now I am sipping tea, regrouping, making plans for the upcoming week and just enjoying the open-ness of a later-summer Saturday afternoon.

    P.S. I think the blue of the sky in the photo above is my new favorite color.

  • marking time

    Yesterday I marked one month since my surgery. Honestly, it feels like it was about six months ago–so much has happened in the interim.

    When I feel kind of discouraged about still being tired, sore, or limited, I need to just remind myself just how short a time it’s been since I went under the knife and how long deep healing can take.

    On another note, I’ll be doing the drawing for the giveaway on Monday, so make sure you’ve left your comment if you want to win the Faded Paper Figures CD. And just for the record, I am just loving all of your “dream jobs.” You people are so creative and cool!

  • au nom de la rose

    rose and ned

    Omondieu’s post about roses had me singing in agreement when I read it yesterday. She says:

    and these are my roses. this my summer’s love.

    and it’s been about learning.

    and it’s been about growing.

    it’s been about taking the risk to blossom.

    and i don’t ever want to stop…

    My roses bring me so much joy right now–I try to spend time every day in my rosegarden and feeling the excitement and magic of bursting buds.

    :)

    Photo is of a mini rosebush in the center area of my garden. In the background you can see Ned the elephant–he’s a favorite with our smaller garden friends.

    PS: I am very weary today. Some of my new meds are having strange side effects, including sleeplessness and difficulty breathing. Sigh. I’d love to hear what adventures y’all have planned for your long weekend–drop me a line in the comments and let me know!

  • let’s talk about SPICES


    Lots of folks are curious about our family’s adoption of the Quaker faith (Religious Society of Friends) after we stopped attending the Mormon church, so I thought I’d write a bit about that tradition and what draws us to it.

    First of all, it’s important to note that there is a huge spectrum of Quaker beliefs and practices. There are evangelical Christian Quakers and there are atheist Quakers, and everything in between. The common threads that tie this groups together are the SPICES testimonies:

    Simplicity
    Peace
    Integrity
    Community
    Equality
    Sustainability

    Quakers tend to worship in Silence. This means that rather than having a church service with music, sermon, rituals, and prayers, Friends sit in a circle in silence together (although there are “programmed” traditions within Quakerism that do have some of these elements). Occasionally an individual will break the silence to share their thoughts with the group. Some of my friends who’ve attended Quaker Meeting with us have found this mode of worship rather disconcerting.

    Quakerism has a rich history, and Friends have been key players in many significant social movements, such as abolition and suffrage. Today Quakers are typically noted for their opposition to war.

    If you would like to learn more about the Quaker tradition, my best suggestion is for you to find a local Meeting to attend–many have an “Intro to Quakerism” class for those who want to learn more. There are also many online resources about Quakerism and I can recommend some books that you’ll find informative: Friends for 350 Years and Plain Living: a Quaker Path to Simplicity. Those with Mormon background might find Heidi Hart’s account of her journey to Quakerism to be good reading: Grace Notes

    I’ve spent time with Quakers in Boston, Logan, Pasadena, Salt Lake City, San Diego, and Orange County. What typically stands out to me is the strength of the older women in the Meetings and the simplicity of the surroundings in which Friends worship. Our family has been warmly welcomed in each Meeting that we’ve attended. Recently, John posted some thought-provoking excerpts of an interview with our children about their transition from Mormon to Friend.

    And, FYI, just so you know that Quakers do have a sense of humor.

    Photo: Me standing in the historic Friends’ Meetinghouse in Beacon Hill. John and I stayed in a room at the Meetinghouse during our last visit to Boston (our room overlooked the garden courtyard–lucky us!)

  • an ethical question for you

    more blue

    For awhile now I’ve been thinking about setting up an etsy shop, selling bundles of postcards/prints with my flower pics, some items that I’ve crocheted from recycled yarns, and maybe even a painting or two.

    But each time I’ve set out to list items on etsy, I talk myself out of it. The main reason being that I aim to live lightly on the earth, and while I think my pictures make lovely stationery, that’s trees giving their lives unnecessarily, right? Although I will admit that I love writing letters and I buy non-recycled stationery sometimes, I’m not sure that I could sell a non-recycled item myself. And while I love crocheting things as gifts, I’m not sure that it’s worth the fuel to ship such items to whomever might order them.

    But I use etsy.com all the time–loving to buy from the various sellers there. And a part of me wants to join in the fun of my other friends who sell their artsy items online.

    What do you think? Do you buy items on etsy? If so, what type of things do you buy? How do you balance your desire to sell/buy your goods online with your desire to minimize your eco-footprint?

    Photo: a cluster of blue flowers from a neighbor’s garden. This is one of my all-time fav pics. The colors in this image make me feel so peaceful.

  • just peachy


    peach blossom, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    This is the image that our last contest winner selected as her prize. Good choice, don’t you think?

    My peach tree brings me lots of joy. Especially right now, when my peaches are oh-so-close to being ripe.

    The tree was a Mother’s Day gift many years ago. It’s one that keeps on giving, year after year.

    :)

  • music tuesday (with a giveaway!)

    When I went looking for some intro music for my history podcast last year, my grad student friend RJohn Williams willingly allowed me to copy some chunks out of his band’s song “I Fell off My Name.” Whenever I hear this song now, I get a little thrill, because it’s “my song,” too–I’ve listened to it over and over and over again as I’ve mixed my podcast tracks.

    On Saturday night I watched Faded Paper Figures play their first-ever live gig. It was a lot of fun to see RJohn behind the mic, when I’m used to seeing him in grad student mode. Faded Paper Figures seems to be doing quite well, and I suspect that RJohn might have a career as a rockstar rather than as a professor (although why not do both, right?).

    Therefore, this week’s giveaway is a copy of FPF’s new CD, “Dynamo.” If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, please leave a comment below telling me what your dream career is: rockstar, artist, novelist, lion tamer, etc.

    Me, my dream career would be to be the next Studs Terkel. I love hearing people tell their life stories. Interviewing historians for my podcast is such fun, as is my time spent in the archives reading centuries-old letters and journals of people who are long dead, but continue to live on through the written word.

  • deep, deep sigh


    monstrous II (photoshopped), originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Had a bit of a scare when my leg got swollen and inflamed again on Sunday. The doctors switched my antibiotics today and we’re watching it carefully. I was a bit of a mess though for awhile there, worried about my infection returning again.

    Deep, deep, sigh.

    I keep trying to live in the moment and not carry too much fear. I know I can face whatever looms ahead, come what may. But every once in awhile my courage slips anyways.

    Thanks for hanging in there with me.

    :)

    Photo: the spiky tendrils of a zucchini blossom in my garden. Isn’t it both scary and lovely?

  • in the garden


    lavender with bee, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    I spent several hours this weekend in my garden. It was bliss. I pulled weeds, watched insects, and chatted with my neighbors. I also ate mostly out of the garden because I was on my own and I’m quite content with a lunch of grilled zucchini.

    I know everyone isn’t as enthusiastic about gardening as I am–what are your magical/blissful spaces and places?

    “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
    ~Marcus Cicero

    Photo: Bee on the lavender bush near my sidegate. If you look carefully, you can see my red bike parked just beyond the fence slats :)

  • And the winner is….

    I put all of your names in my magic blue bowl (note the recycled paper…):

    names in the bowl

    And stirred it around and picked one:

    the winner

    But there are two winners for this context, Bonzai (the name I picked from the bowl) and Sarah Rose Evans, because I liked her name suggestion the best. FYI, my camera is now “Frieda,” named for artist Frieda Frida Kahlo.

    For the winners: please email me (phddillyATyahoodotcom) with the flickr URL of my photo that you want printed and a shipping address for me to send it to you!

    For those of you who didn’t win…another blog giveaway coming VERY SOON!

  • phantoms

    Blogfriends:
    The drawing will be delayed for one day (good for you, you get one extra day to leave a comment!).

    I am having some terrible phantom pains this afternoon (it happens one or twice per year). I’ll feel better after hibernating for a few hours.

    Happy Friday everyone! :)

  • Don’t forget!

    Don’t forget to leave a comment on this post by tomorrow morning so you can be entered in the drawing for an 8″x10″ photo print.
    :)