Teaching ... myself

(To the) Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town: Hey, Soul Sister - Do you remember? Sunday morning (being) All alone At the beach(?) November rain. Buckets of rain Welcome me (to this) Shelter from the storm (or) Wake me up when September ends. Just give me a reason (to) Feel the silence. Somewhere over the rainbow I'll take my chances With or without you. Mercy. Universally speaking (its a) Beautiful life Don't ask me why (but) I've loved these days. Goodnight, my angel.

I'm not the hero I never was nor a songbird cloaked in black Fabled angels in our snowy woods have never left a track Now I'm free to feel the presence... or absence of myself I'm free to taste the highway salt off the long road back to health Now in your so-called "freedom" where I am who I am the me that we've forgotten  subsides into the din And so, in wordless melody My snowstep presses in... I fold my wings against my spine and wink a knowing grin to the hero that I never was nor will ever be again.

School is winding down spring has come. Peg gave birth to a new bull calf - who the kids named "Mac".  I am milking again and it's a nice return to what I am comfortable with.  The windows in the house are finished and tomorrow I plan on putting in the front door.  Even though I made the door, we spent $200 on hardware... Amazing.  I can't wait to put that sucker in and open it for the first time.  The door weighs more than I do. Adia turned 8 the other day.  5-10.  She was so excited about her birthday... Her birthday breakfast was bacon, cheesy eggs, and Belgian waffles.  I finished just in time for lunch.  We went roller skating with our great friends, Jason and Emily... whose daughter Claire was also celebrating  a birthday on the same day (same age too!)  That evening we had a great dinner, opened gifts, ate a homemade cake, and did the worlds slowest rendition of the happy birthday song:) And as a final update, t...

I think in words.  I try not to, but I do. But words can make me feel sometimes. I suppose that is why I like lyrics.  Words set to music are always poetry.  Poems aren't always lyrics I think.  But either way, poem or lyric, the musical nature of it makes the words ... disappear... And I am able to think without words.  Wow, that is irony stepping on the edge of the staircase down to crazy.  But that is the relief of a song... Or a poem.  Below is neither. "Insomnia, of course" My thoughts run wild tonight. My brain is tired but sleep is a good friend I haven't seen in awhile and one that I have no expectations of running into anytime soon.  I wonder where you went and what you do in the absence of the day, my friend.  But you are just another loss softly raining down upon me.  All the classics... Youth, innocence, naivety, childhood, friends, strength, my shoulder, fitness....hair....and now you.  I used to fall so easily into you...

My kind of dinner.  Last night I got a 20 lb turkey ready and today Ash baked it up perfectly.  So dinner time rolls around and I cut up the turkey and put the good cuts in storage and we all picked the carcass for dinner.  Wow, that sounds odd, but maaaan, was it tasty.  It was a stand-up affair.  I didn't make mashed potatoes or anything else that gravy would have been good on... if I had made gravy.  Instead, I brought home Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia and we washed down all that meat with ice cream - ate the whole thing.  My GOD, it was amazing.  Somehow those two liberal hippies got that flavor so right, it almost hurt.  I couldn't savor it, I had to devour it.   So right before bed I cleaned up the drippings and turned off the stock pot... and I couldn't help myself, but I opened the freezer and took a bite of the kids ice cream (Breyers chocolate chunk, btw) and I thought to myself, why the heck do I feel compelled to have t...

What a nice afternoon... I finished the bike. I bought the frame from Jason for 2 six packs and then I pieced the rest together from parts I had... Some of it was kind of creative (listened to Bob Dylan the whole time) I will build 29" wheels eventually, but I went with what I had for now.  It's a super cool 1x9 cross ride with mountain slick wheels and road levers on mountain discs. Mmmmmmmm.  To make it even more satisfying, I had to peen the scythe after .... New old reborn followed by old classic.  Then me and the kids made a pretty good salmon Alfredo and finished with a chess tournament.... Yep, pretty much uber nerd all the way, but that is who I am.  Jessa gave birth to a couple of beautiful kids the other day and Ash and I watched the birth.  She was milked today and Ash pulled 5 cups off just to let off pressure. And it was good tasting... First time.  Peg is due soon. The bees are strong. I suppose we are in the land of milk and honey... I'm olde...

So the Duke Marine Lab trip went really well.  Once again it was the best thing I do as a teacher... it is as close to education as I ever get.  The bonus this year is that students from 3 schools went and the teachers involved (Kim L, Marywood S, Eric H, and Lawrence C) are all pretty vested and willing to lead parts of the trip themselves.  I think we are going to try to expand - perhaps 2 busses and then the parts of the trip will be kind of a la carte.  And once again, its time for me to back away and give up the reins somewhat.  Thank you universe.  Every gift has a bit of work to do with it :) There is also a video collection from the trip - its 20 min long, so caveat emptor. Other than that, I am sick again - another invader landed in my chest and once I got my voice back, I just couldn't and can't stop coughing... again.  This has been the consumption winter.  I would like to breathe again without the rattle... oh well. The barn ...