Clarinet

#1216 - Ashley, my 12 yr old cousin, setting up for her Clarinet Concert. Whenever she does something like this she gets really into it. She sets the stage, creates tickets, a program etc.

#1217 - "This Concert is Actually Pretty Good," Krystal's comment about her little sister's music

#1218 - Ashley Instructing Krystal how to Read Notes - Last time I was visiting, 1 1/2 months ago, Ashley didn't have any idea how to read music.

#1219 - Holly, their sister, being drawn to join the Clarinet Concert -She had refused until she saw back rubs were available in the audience.

#1220 - Ten Minutes of Quiet Listening While I Read Aloud and My Cousins Carved Pumpkins

Simple Pleasure

#1206 - Feeling scattered, slightly frantic I turned on Krishna Das and immediately felt grounded.

#1207 - Applying for a job that interests me, but isn't likely, which give me the opportunity to just say what I want to in the application and feel free about it.

#1208 - Listening to Prayer Recitation in a Hindu Temple

#1209 - I've never seen anyone else do this, and I do not understand why - for years it has been a simple pleasure of mine in winter. For the first time this Fall I was cold when I got home and the heater was on, so I sat on the floor by the vent and enjoyed its warmth. Seriously it is wonderful, try it! For it to work I guess you have to have forced air heat and your house set at a slightly cooler temperature (otherwise it would not be enjoyable.) I appreciate this fairly often so to be specific - Today I Appreciate Being Able to Share this Simple Pleasure with You.

#1210 - I made Two Pumpkin Pies with Real Pumpkins (not from a can). Since I've always used a can before it was kind of a mystery. It actually wasn't labor intensive it just takes time. I started last night by cooking the pumpkin (because this process takes a few hours). Then today assembled the pie. I used two small pumpkins which was enough for five pies. (I froze the extra so I am ready to make more.)

Chime

MN/Ontario Border

#1196 - Finally feeling comfortable Playing F - (for guitar people I still only play four strings)

#1197 - VBAC being an option - I have a friends who live in rural MN, their first baby was born C-section. They are pregnant again, want to deliver vaginally but apparently their hospital doesn't do VBAC's. It's hard where they live because they don't have many options. Anyway, my friend must have forgotten our conversation because the baby is due this week and he wrote they were hoping for a vaginal birth. I replied that I thought it wasn't an option in their hospital. He said, Their Hospital just Started Doing VBACS again.

#1198 - Doing some Research for/with my Sister-in-Law

#1199 - Woman in Taiwan Plans to Marry Herself - http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ - is where I saw this headline, and can always find something worth smiling about

#1200 - Strong Wind - Wind Chime - I love wind chimes. Whenever I walk up to a door that has one ringing, I feel peaceful and relaxed. I was given a small one at gift exchange one December. I was grateful/excited, however, it is not properly designed. It usually just flaps in the wind as a whole without making sounds. Today the wind is strong enough that occasionally I hear it.

Bell Bajao

#1186 - While Listening to some Live Music I went on a Visualization Journey for a Friend. It was a prayer without words - images.

#1187 - There was some tension in my household, not directly related to me, but usually I would absorb the tension regardless. I went in my bedroom, shut the door, and started playing the guitar. It just Washed it All Away, like an Energetic Shower

#1188 - "What Adele Diamond is learning about the brain challenges basic assumptions in modern education. Her work is scientifically illustrating the educational power of things like Play, Sports, Music, Memorization and Reflection. What Nourishes the Human Spirit, the Whole Person, it turns out, also Hones our Minds." NPR

#1189 - "British Columbia has said that socio-emotional development - developing good people who are good citizens, is a critical goal of our education system as critical as any of the other goals...They want very much to help Develop Children who are Kind, who are Caring, who are Compassionate, Who Know that Bullying is Wrong, Who Know that Helping Another is Right, and Who Do It." Adele Diamond

#1190 - Malika Dutt. Bell Bajao - a campaign in India. Sometimes the simplest things are the most powerful, (1 minute video)

Bioneers

#1176 - Being Aware of How My Life Directly Affects My Dreams at Night - last night I had both positive and negative examples of this. Yesterday evening I went to a Yoga class at a Hindu Temple. I was moved and grateful for the experience and I really appreiciated the brief tour I had of the temple.

Last night I dreamt I was watching three girls offer prayers in sanskrit (or Hindi) to one of the dieties in the temple (a beautiful and postive dream). I also dreamt that I could not find the main road to get home - I kept getting sucked in to dirt roads and kind of lost in fields. It was frustrating and I'm sure somehow relates to my sadness at seeing so much topsoil (recent farms) being covered by subdivisions. The drive to the temple is a drive through the front lines of the subdivision farm land line. Soon the temple will be surrounded too.

"Without topsoil, little plant life is possible... This is of great ecological concern as one inch of topsoil can take 500 years to form naturally." -Wikipedia

#1177 - When I arrived to volunteering to set-up for the satelitte of the Bioneers Conference I started to feel a bit faint. I was concerned I was going to be more of a pain than a volunteer if I needed to sit down before even starting. Thankfully My Job was Outside, this seemed to cure me instantly and I Was Helping to Unload Cars with Energy

#1178 - Beautiful Warm Evening Walk down Davern

#1179 - Staying at a Friend's House so I could Make that Evening Walk

#1180 - "Democrats Could Lose up to 8,000 Seats in Upcoming Midterm Election" - The Onion 10/21/2010 (I appreciate when they make fun of things that drive me nuts - in this case endless election speculation.)

Mysterious Fun Deed

#1166 - Mantra for the Morning - "This is Wealth" - When I looked at my water bottle this morning I thought, "This is Wealth." I decided to repeat this to myself whenever I glanced at it or took a drink from it today.

#1167 - The Bill Licensing Birth Centers Passed in MN - It passed in May, but nobody informed me (not sure who would inform me.) I was tracking that bill, I thought the session ended, I guess it was included with a bunch of other things. Anyway, YEAH!

#1168 - A close friend of mine in 6-8th grade had a strong presence in my dream two nights ago (her family moved away- our last contact was in high school, yet there she was in my dream). I just tried looking her up and found out she had a baby earlier this year. I also found a probable address. (I'm sure I could know all this if I was on Facebook.) I am going to send her a congratulatory card out of the blue. I am quite certain it serves a purpose, which I do not need to know, but a dream leads.

#1169 - It's not at the level of Amelie, but #1168 still feels like a Mysterious Fun Deed.

#1170 -- My favorite musicians, Brothers Frantzich, will be performing in Minneapolis Sunday. I'm not sure that I will be there, but I'm still grateful to find out.

Fall

#1156 - "I'm Excited for Winter." - flashed across my mind as I glanced at the backyard. Immediately I thought I should regret this/take it back, like I did something wrong, silly!

#1157 - Feeling Greater Dexterity in My Right Fingers Picking Guitar - before it felt like the connection between brain and fingers hardly functioned

#1158 - Taking Time to Follow Some Internet Suggestions for My Resume - specifically I added some lines, which actually look fabulous (if lines on a piece of paper can be called fabulous)

#1159 - My Cousin Calling to Invite Us To Her Dance Performance

#1160 - I took these, and Saturday's and probably Wed's, beautiful Fall Photos last week. It was a non-blog day so I didn't get to use them then. I feel Engaged and Drawn In (is there an emotion for that) by the different levels of focus on today's first photo.

Door Knock

#1146 - The Young Woman Playing Her Beautiful Original Music at the Farmer's Market - Initiating Applause for Her, Others Joining, and How She Smiled

#1147 - When I bit into my Cauliflower Today and Said, "Ummm" (cauliflower doesn't usually get that response from me)

#1148 - The Two People (whose faces I can picture now) Who Opened their Doors with Spacious Hearts, it Means So Much When Others Are Too Busy or Closed to Talk to You

#1149 - While door-knocking about voting this afternoon, I thought about looking up my ballot tonight to see which elections I need to research.

In 2006 while volunteering/working for the election, I read a post Jason Mraz wrote about why he didn't vote. I remember it distinctly because I disagreed with it so strongly - I stopped paying attention to him. Now four years later (I've obviously started again) he is talking about voting constantly, his current post is about spending time researching his full ballot (exactly what I planned to do tonight :).

So I'm Grateful: to Witness Jason Mraz Grow (especially because in the position he is in, he can bring a lot of others with him), to Feel Reassured that this is a Worthy Use of Time for an Evening (and not Feel So Alone in Doing it), and to Remember that if I Resonate with Someone, There is a Reason - Trust It.

#1150 - I had over an hour's worth of research to do, even while feeling informed about most races (and I'm not done).

Luckily the Star Tribune takes your address and gives you a sample ballot (with links to candidate info). Hopefully other states have papers with similarly great services. Here's the link MN's -

http://elections.startribune.com/myvote/pf.php?do=start_over

Judges are tricky. I don't have an opinion on whether they should be elected or appointed. I would like to understand this better.

Then there is Soil and Water Supervisors. I had no idea! I was thinking about calling the local Sierra Club office Monday and seeing if they had an opinion. However, after reading the info available I am excited for Soil and Water District 2 -Amber Collett

http://collettforhcd.blogspot.com/

It's so much more fun to vote when you know who you are voting for, which takes time and effort, but as far as Ms. Collett is concerned, it is worth it!

One more website for people who think our survival is linked with nature's -

http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. Put in your state or zip code and it will tell you how your senators/representative scored environmentally.

This feels like exercise right now, sometimes hard to get into, but I feel so good once I do it.

These Guys

#1136 - These Sculptures are Hilarious, especially given they are outside a Courthouse.

#1137 - Getting a Physical and Breathing - Just getting around to this is an accomplishment on my part. I don't feel especially motivated to go to the doctor, even when everything is "okay," I find it intimidating. So I'm grateful I went, and I'm grateful that while I waited for the doctor I breathed deeply, because even when I have no reason to be nervous, I am.

#1138 - Finding a Physician with a Holistic Focus - I have been meaning to do this for years. However, I did not know how to go about it and found the whole process once again intimidating and overwhelming.

#1139 - Being Happy with the Doctor I Tried

#1140 - My one concern was a Few of My Moles. The Doctor Said they Looked Fine.

(These guys are just so great.)

Animal Speak

#1126 -

If you talk to the animals
they will talk with you
and you will know each other.
If you don't talk to them,
you will not know them.
And what you do not know
you will fear.
What one fears one destroys.

Chief Dan George

#1127 - Sometimes encountering an animal makes me curious. My favorite source in this situation is a book called Animal-Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Power of Creatures Great and Small (where I got the previous quote) by Ted Andrews. Today I looked up bald eagles.

There are 59 species of eagle in the world, only 2 of which are found in North America! (Bald and Golden) The Harpy Eagles are the largest and most powerful. (I didn't know there were larger eagles than bald eagles.)

"The mating ritual of the bald eagle is one of its most mystical and intriguing aspects...The birds soar, loop, and plunge into deep dives. At a certain point, they grab each others feet and lock talons, rolling and falling, until the mating is completed. Then they separate and soar upwards to repeat the process over and over again."

"Many eagles mate for life. The male will collect the material for the nests, but the female will be the architect...Although the roles in the construction of the nests are separate, the task of feeding the young is shared by both."

#1128 - I distinctly remember as a teenager a slamming door pulling me back into reality. I was reading a Christopher Pike book (teenage thriller) and had become so caught up in the story, it took me a few moments after the noise to realize where I was and even who I was, safe in my room, no one coming after me :)

I was reminded of this today when I became lost in a story. Getting lost in television isn't hard for me to fathom - eyes and ears both flooded with information. But a book gives your ears nothing and your eyes only some Black Marks on a White Page, and from these Black Marks our Imagination can Create a Whole World.




#1129 -

"When you're chained by the neck to a tree, and deprived of all freedom - the freedom to move around, to talk, to eat, to drink, to carry out your most basic bodily needs - well, it took me several years to realize it, but you still have the most important freedom of all, which no one can take away from you: that is the freedom to choose what kind of person you want to be."

Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle

Ingrid Betancourt

#1130 -

"Jesus was All Virtue, and Acted from Impulse, Not From Rules"

William Blake

Storyhill

#1116 - Storyhill on Prairie Home Companion -

#1117 - "It was a marble sort of day yesterday." Conie

#1118 - During my walk on Pike Island today I appreciated: the person who was hanging out in a hammock he/she set up next to the Mississippi, the couple who climbed on top of a fallen tree to use as a bench, and the man who brought a (3?) year old child on a long walk. I become an extrovert around children so I talked to the man and told him I was impressed. He said the child walked most of the way himself. Way to go dad (assumption) and child!

#1119 - Even though this happened yesterday - I woke up today feeling blessed and gifted by a Friend Trusting Me with Deep Truths

#1120 - When I walked into the Celtic Service tonight and was handed a candle, I immediately thought of a friend who asked me to pray for him. So I Entered with that Intention and Held it Throughout.

Sound of Sunshine

I would have this be a no word day, but while eating dinner in the backyard a large bird flew over. "I wonder what that is?" I thought. Then it turned and circled and it was a BALD EAGLE! I suddenly realized how quiet all the other birds were and the one robin I could see was frozen still.

Flat Cold Delicate

#1096 I've had this bike 12 years, ride it regularly and Never had a Flat Tire

#1097 - My First Flat Tire occurring: on the way Home, on a Beautiful Day, with less than 1 Mile to Walk

#1098 - Cold Delicate Cycle - successfully cleans yet another "Dry Clean Only" item

#1099 - I saved one dress from my mother's youth. It has a unique style kind of Far East and 1970's. I'm pretty sure it was Homemade. It Fits Perfectly.

#1100 - Playing Guitar Standing - Feeling the Vibration Throughout My Abdomen

Bonus if you feel like jammin - San Disco Reggaefornia
http://www.jasonmraz.com/

Brick City

#1086 - Writing a Letter in the Backyard to Someone who is an Inspiration

#1087 - That there is something on television this month I want to watch (and hopefully will find a way since we don't have cable). Brick City on the Sundance Channel about Newark, NJ and my favorite mayor Cory Booker

#1088 - Composing a Simple Piece on the Piano (not that I can play again, but I just made up something and I enjoyed it)

#1089 - Having an Impulse that I have 1/4 way followed Through on that is Bringing me Energy (maybe if I completely follow through I'll be more specific about it)

#1090 - Leftover Butterfly Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Parsley, and Basil from the Garden (won't be eating that fresh for a while)

Bushel of Apples

#1076 - Volunteering to Assist a Woman at the Farmer's Market to Carry a Bushel of Apples to Her Car (Sometimes I worry about whether I am "helping" enough. Feeling the genuineness of my motivation I felt reassured for a moment.)

#1077 - A TV on the ground, in the middle of a busy/fast intersection - A Man Exited His Car at the Stoplight and Moved it (He could have saved someone's life.)

#1078 - Visiting the home of my Father's Co-Worker on the Solar Home Tour

#1079 - What Jason Mraz is pledging responsibility for. He continues to Inspire Me.

#1080 - FromThe Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (This takes place in the 1940's).

"The radio is at the root
of the evil, Their rule is:
No silence, ever.
When anything happens,
the commentator has to speak
without a moment's pause
for gathering wisdom.
Falsehood and inanity
are preferable to silence."