stormy days

it's sunday afternoon, stormy as all get out, snow is gone, massive trees bending like twigs all around our house, a newly formed river running through our trail, sheets of metal roofing splayed across the property from the strong winds . . . and man, i couldn't feel more content being where i am right now. still in pajamas, a cup of coffee, a conversation with my pa, a warm fire burning, npr on the radio, rain pelting the windows, the low hum of the generator in the background, water boiling on the stove, cookbooks out, thinking bread. just feeling blessed. not bittersweet, nostaliga blessed, but solid in my slippers blessed.

big love to you all.

dreams of accordians / nakedness / nice old men

i've been pretend blogging the last few weeks (ie: lazy posts) because i've been sucked into the world of ebay. holy cow! accordians! accordians!! accordians!!!!! i've become a little accordian nut. i wake up in the morning: ebay. i come home from school: nap, then ebay. it's very addictive. and i don't even know how to play the accordian! but, man, big dreams i have for myself. polkas, cajun zydeco - i don't really care what i learn as long as it is danceable. i guess it's the romantic in me. i have old memories of a beautiful brazilian mtu friend playing the accordian naked. (keiko. anyone out there remember the daily mining gazette article about him playing naked at the laundromat in hancock? and some old finn called the cops? i must still have a crush on that boy . . . ) and these are the aspirations i have for myself? my poor mother. my poor employer. good thing the sweet n' clean is closed down. plus, my only possible teacher in town is sunni hilts. which . . . yeah. changes things.

but, truly. i want to make music so others will dance. i want to bellow and yip and stomp my feet. and i definitely want those accordian straps - like suspenders - but way more cool. it's like armor for girls with no musical talent and nice old men with beer bellies. i want that!

i've even promised andy that if i get one, i will practice. i won't just stare in a mirror and smile and make whooshing movements with my arms. i will practice! i will one day become an amazing accordian player who inspires millions to clean their clothes while playing polkas . . .

reality check #1: i don't really like to get naked in front of a bunch of people. i like to watch other people - preferrably cute brazilian boys with good accents - get naked.

reality check #2: i am just trying to persuade myself to place a bid on ebay for a beautiful, cheap, probably out-of-tune, old one-row hohner. and it's working! because i've just remembered another thing: the other day i told my students that eleanor roosevelt quote - "you must do the thing you think you cannot do" - and so, i am going to take my own advice and be a good role model for our youth and buy an accordian off ebay and learn how to play it even though i have no musical talent whatsoever. i can pretend for awhile that i do have talent, and then maybe i'll get better. and maybe our neighborhood really will form a whacked-out band, and then maybe i really will get better. either way: i'll get to bellow and yip and stomp. which is something. which is everything. which is why . . . yeah, i'm headed there right now.

hello, my name is mark

we all need some pure goofiness - especially in november - and mark is a damn fine source.



this picture is sorta inappropriate, but tracy's blog inspired me.
this is what happens when ati and i get together. and, these ARE the effects of a constant rain + beer + "brick house," for those who are curious.

ah, that ati! i miss her.

splashing about

guess whose birthday? you got it! the big 3-3, he is. and these photos were from 25 years ago. now that's crazy. i especially love the intertube photo. something about the light . . .