lovely.

i feel like i should just have a big arrow pointing to this blog instead of posting anything myself. so much beauty and wisdom.

this is a poem she posted a few days ago. i like it.

Here by Grace Paley

Here I am in the garden laughing
an old woman with heavy breasts
and a nicely mapped face

how did this happen
well that's who I wanted to be

at last a woman
in the old style sitting
stout thighs apart under
a big skirt grandchild sliding
on off my lap a pleasant
summer perspiration

that's my old man across the yard
he's talking to the meter reader
he's telling him the world's sad story
how electricity is oil or uranium
and so forth I tell my grandson
run over to your grandpa ask him
to sit beside me for a minute I
am suddenly exhausted by my desire
to kiss his sweet explaining lips.

time does heal, but i don't want to forget. sometimes i can't remember his voice or his face is fuzzy in my mind. i don't know what to do about that.

the weather is so beautiful here - i wish my dad could have seen one more spring. but i see the cycle of death into life. it's meaningful that this cycle is as old as life itself and will continue on.

i wanted to share some more photos of my cute dad... and my cute mom and sis and self.

my dad...

April 2, 1952 - April 9th, 2008

my dad was funny and nerdy and sensitive. he was the world's most frequent "pun" maker. he loved hockey and hunting and camping. he was stubborn and often kept things to himself. he was outgoing and friendly and embarrassing. (the whole time we were in ireland on a family vacation he insisted on speaking in an irish accent! there was no doubt in anyone's mind that we were tourists.) my dad loved to argue and challenge. he loved movies and music. his favorite dvd was The Last Waltz. he and i didn't always know how to communicate, we had our ups and downs, but i love him and will miss him very much.

planting day

spring is here so early this year!(which is something not entirely to be considered good) today was so beautiful and i think the danger of frost is over. this morning was exactly what one looks for in a spring day. it felt warm and wet and our backyard was calling out to us to tend it. so chris and i spent several hours raking and sifting and planting and sorting. i'm going to put up pictures tomorrow because i'm proud of our work.

we were looking at our lettuce seeds, feeling like growth was really unlikely, (how can such a small seed, that once placed in the little hole can't even be seen, grow into something so useful - and without much work on our part?) and the age old biblical principle of the mustard seed came to mind. the bible is a garden book. i like that.

we are also reading "animal, vegetable, miracle" by barbara kingsolver
and are very inspired for this garden season. (buy or borrow this book, please) we're kind of late jumping on the agricultural bandwagon due to most of our community members growing food for us so it's nice to be getting our hands dirty.

and lastly, we have begun buying raw milk and cheeses from a farm close by. it tastes like milk should.

the end.