Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies & Milk

I've spent the last couple of days baking cookies. I decided I need cookies and milk tonight. What a treat. I'd forgotten how very delicious chocolate chip cookies dunked in milk taste. Delish, delish. Also, watching Harry Potter and eating cookies and milk is very fun. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve is Dave's day off for this holiday. I have a wonderful ham dinner planned with scalloped potatoes, green beans, and of course, Pumpkin Pie. It is a lot to do but we are worth it and I seem to really be enjoying cooking these days.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sunday, Rain and stuff

Yesterday I read so many deep and wonderful things, thoughts about the sisterhood of women and I was so engaged in it that today I feel like I have a hangover. It is a slow morning, like most are for me. The coffee is done but I haven't stirred to get any yet. Spent a good deal of time looking at all the wonderful pictures of our granddaughters that my step-son-in-law put on FaceBook. He is does a really excellent job of capturing the moment with them. Even the posed pictures look unstaged. Perhaps it is because the subject matter is so wonderful. I liked looking at their life, Stephan and Corinne and the girls. The simple joy of a new gas range, how I remember getting mine. It was a wonder to me and I love cooking on gas. I know Corinne has wanted one for quite sometime and its great that Stephan decided to record the event for posterity. They will enjoy looking back at all the little things and big things that they have done together and I hope, they feel very content.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

We have come to be danced

It seems that the end of 2009 has come and left me with many thoughts...but the one that stands out are those expressed by this poem. I don't remember who sent it to me but it makes me happy to read it and to share it. I have had it saved and tucked away because I couldn't bear to part with it or lose it. It seems important to hang onto it because it says soooo much. I won't try to interpret it for you or anyone but only for me.... I share with you

A reflection of the essential self…



We Have Come to be Danced


We have come to be danced

Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the belly
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet dance.



We have come to be danced

not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance
The blow the chip off our shoulder dance.
The slap the apology from our posture dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the monkey see, monkey do dance
One two dance like you
One two three, dance like me dance
But the grave robber, tomb stalker
Tearing scabs and scars open dance
The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle
But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama
Shaman shaking, ancient bones dance
The strip us from our casings. return our wings
Sharpen our claws and tongues dance
The shed dead cells and slip into
The luminous skin of love dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floordance
But the meeting of the trinity: the body, breath and beat dance
The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance
The mother may I?
Yes you may take ten giant leaps dance
The olly-olly oxen free free free dance
The everyone can come to our heaven dance.


We have come to be danced

Where the kingdoms collide
In the cathedral of flesh
To burn back into the light
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray
To root in skin sanctuary

We have come to be danced

We have come.




-- Jewel Mathieson, from This Dance: A Poultice of Poems

It's Saturday

It is the Saturday before Christmas, and, the Saturday before my sixty-fifth birthday. How I got here is a mystery. I don't feel 65 and I certainly don't look it thanks to some very good genes from my mother who, bless her heart, is not here to celebrate with me. She died of bi-lateral breast cancer at the tender age of 60 after a too short 1 year battle. It is now safe to say that I am living in an age that she did not experience. She also did not get to experience my getting married in 1986 or the wonderful stepdaughters I have or my wonderful husband Dave. I'm grateful that my Dad did get to know them a bit, in spite of the horrible woman he married after mom died in 1983. I could go into a real rant about that but it is for another time or, perhaps, never.

So, anyway, here I am at almost 65, carrying my new Medicare card and wondering if I will get to use it soon. (How weird is that). Like a new credit card, I want to see if it works. Never mind that the circumstance in which I could use it may not be the most healthful situation. Funny.

I've just been reading a wonderful blog by an author named Kelly Corrigan who wrote a book called "The Middle Place". I love her style and writing, her economy of words and all of them just right. It could be because she has a master's degree in literature which I think helps, but mostly she has the ability to write just the essence, pure and concentrated about her subject. When I find someone who writes so well I am inspired to write about my life, because lets face it, it is as interesting as most lives and would look even better in print. Right? I think deep thoughts, think critically about the written word, at times, and in general feel that almost anything I have to say is funny. I am growing in my appreciation of the philosophical perspective of life. I realize I write in sentences and ideas that could all be elaborated upon if I so choose to do so at some time. Maybe I will and .... maybe I won't. I'll just have to see.

Isn't it wonderful that you can put all your thoughts down and perhaps someone will stumble across them just by Googling one of the key words or "labels you've assigned?"

Well, at this point I don't want to ramble on about nothing in particular and everything in general so I will stop here, look for some feedback and think some more. There are many people who think deep thoughts about life an don't write them down. I think I will try to write my thoughts down. Perhaps if others like it as well, then I will have accomplished something.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Snow on Sunday

It is snowing today as predicted. I woke up several times in the night/morning to look and see if it had begun but not until I really did get up did it snow. The flakes have been ranging in size from HUGE (1") to small but it comes down steadily. I'm not sure how long it will stay but even for a short time it is beautiful. Perhaps if I had to go out and drive in it I would feel differently but I'm really enjoying it from where I am. I can feel the furnace coming on and off as there is an air duct above my head. I'm sitting at Dave's computer which is in front of a large window overlooking the back yard.

I owe this blog to my friend Rose who started one here as well. I thought I could maybe do this, but I think it is for me more than anyone else.