38th and Chicago

#1 - I've been taking an online writing class with Natalie Golberg the past couple months.  We meet for 3 hours on Saturday and then mid-week there is an additional 1 hour meeting.  The mid-week meeting is a basic format that we do each week.

First we sit in silence for a few minutes.

Then we are giving a prompt and our job is to keep the pen moving, no thinking, no editing, just write.  The first prompt today was a 10 minute write with the prompt, "The rules I've broken..."

The second prompt was a 15 minute write on, "What am I trying to fix..."

Then we are split up into small groups of 4 people and we take turns reading what we've written today.  There is no commenting, no telling someone something is good or bad, no giving advice or comfort.  We are building our writing spines to read what we've written without looking for affirmation.

At the end we will often sit in silence for a few breaths.

I'm usually the last one to read as we go alphabetically.  Today, after I read I said, "Should we sit in silence for a few breaths?"

A woman came on and stated, "Ok, but could we first please say where we are writing from?"

"Sure."  There were two women in California, one in Michigan and I said, "Minneapolis."

This has been my 8th week doing this, and we have always previously shared our writing and then said thank you, made a little quiet time and good-bye.  Once in a while we will say where we are writing from, but that has never sparked a conversation.  Today the "Minneapolis" led to that woman asking, "How are things in Minneapolis?" Then another women responded for 5 minutes or so about her personal experience and her reaction to the George Floyd murder and trial.  It was a heartfelt, vulnerable and authentic sharing that all 3 of us listeners expanded on and appreciated.

 #2 - "This is the floor, this is the very basic floor of what should be done. But what led to that happening on 38th and Chicago were all the things we need to change." - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

#3 - "I would not call today's verdict justice however, because justice implies true restoration, but it is accountability, which is the first step towards justice.  And now the cause of justice is in your hands, and when I say your hands I mean the people of the United States." MN Attorney General Keith Ellison

https://youtu.be/R1Ely0LiKcI

 #4 - "This entire system is what needs to be put on trial. This entire system is what has to be interrupted."  Brittany Cunningham

 #5 - I'm scheduled for my first vaccine shot tomorrow.  

P.S. I want to add this song I came across yesterday, I mistakenly thought a song about a slave named Harriet would be Harriet Tubman.  This is instead about Harriet Jacbos whose book I have requested from the library

"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) is also one of the few existing narratives written by a woman. It offers a unique perspective on the complex plight of the black woman as slave and as writer. In a story that merges the conventions of the slave narrative with the techniques of the sentimental novel,"

In a Way, Last Night

 #1 - I started a community education online fitness class for a half hour on Tuesdays from 12 - 12:30.  I wouldn't say it was fun, but it's some structured movement in my day, so for that I'm grateful.

#2 - Michael's eldest was able to go to la crosse practice tonight, and at least partially participate, despite her ankle injury from a few weeks back.  After being at home for most of the last year, that injury's timing was a bummer, and we'll see how the healing continues, but at least she is able to bear some weight.  #3 - She usually spends most of her time in the basement, but because of her injury, she's mostly avoided the stairs and hung out more in the living room.  It's been nice to have her in the living room, and I've been working in the basement which is a change of pace.

#4 - Last night Michael and I were talking about checking accounts for his daughters and how hard it was to get one for his eldest, which made me wonder how old I was when I got one.  I wasn't sure but I still have the notebook my dad set up so I went to my file cabinet to get it. 

I'm not sure if I got this notebook when I first opened the checking account, but if so it looks like I was 16.  At that point if I needed money for something, instead of asking my father to write me a check for school lunch, or groceries, or clothes or whatever.  He would deposit $500 in my checking account and then if there was something he would agree to pay for, we'd write it in the notebook, he'd initial approval and then I'd write the check.  I still have a record of all those things and how I learned to record and track to what I was spending money on.

#5 - So it's no surprise that I woke up this morning and then stayed in bed because my dad was in my dream.  I can't recall the dream now, it was neither a "bad" nor "good" one.  I think it did contain some confusion, as my dreams about him often do.  Had he died? And if so why he was alive now?  Those dreams have become much less frequent and I tear up just writing that, I'm glad he visited me, in a way, last night.

Sweetheartland

* I recently decided I should try to be the one cooking dinner on Tuesdays because that is when Womenfolk is on the local volunteer radio station from 4-6pm.  Last week I listened and there happened to be an interview with an acquaintance of mine! Hope Dunbar. Apparently she has a new album, Sweetheartland. She had a Facebook live in relation to its release tonight which Michael and I enjoyed.  I mentioned it to a couple friends who know her and I saw that one of them was watching and enjoying it as well.  She commented that it made her miss living in Nashville.

*I guess tomorrow I will miss the Womenfolk time slot because my sister-in-law is going to give me a haircut. Michael asked if she'd cut his hair too and I said, "Maybe my brother can cut yours at the same time."  (He cuts his own hair.)  My brother did agree to this, however, now Michael says he has too many other things to do.

 *I've been listening to the Chauvin (George Floyd) trial while I work.  I don't think I've ever listened to an actual trial before.  Today they had the Minneapolis police chief on.  I don't know much about him, but I do know that I find his tone and his attitude reassuring.

*Michael got a phonecall today to sign up for a vaccine.  He was skeptical and wondering how he knew it was who they said it was.  So they told him where to find the number on the internet and he called back and he already has an appointment this week!

*Finally, I emailed a friend of mine that I've been trying to contact on occasion the last couple of weeks to go for a walk.  I left a voicemail a couple times and then last few times I've called it has said, "This phone call can't be completed at this time, sorry for the inconvenience."  I was starting to get worried about him so I emailed today and found out he just has a new phone and number.

5 Year Old Surprises

I called my brother's family last night about playing our new board game in the garage as it would be fairly warm to be outside.   I knew if we had any hope of finishing the game, I'd need to give my 5 year old nephew some attention first.  I asked them about going to the playground and they said, "Which playground?"

I gave them two choices and they both wanted to go to the one at their school.  "After we'll come back and play Wingspan."

"Candyland!" My nephew yelled in the background. 

"Ok, first we'll play Candyland, then Wingspan."

Today the 3 of us walked to their school.  It was endearing to hear my nephew, who is in kindergarten point out to me where the cafeteria windows are etc.  And it was nice to be near them in a more relaxed way (this winter we've only been together outdoors so we've had to be moving to be warm).

We played at the park for an hour and half and then headed home to play the games.

 My nephew and I started with Candyland.  He went thru the deck of cards and pulled out all the double colors and put them in his own pile.  So he moved very quickly and it turned out to be the shortest Candyland game I've played.

Then we set up Wingspan.  He said he wanted to play, I was highly doubtful he'd last long since he didn't even play Candyland correctly, so I said we could be a team. 

There are 4 rounds in the game and after round 1 my brother said, "When does this game get fun?"

"If you aren't having fun just stop playing." So my brother was out, but the 5 year old was still beside me.

Not only that,

he lasted the entire game, enthusiastically. He was excited about different birds, and though on occasion and in the end I did direct our strategy.  For the most part I let him decide what we should do and we still only trailed the winner by a couple points.  

For the second time in a row - it is the less than 10 years old that have taught me how to play, how to play a board game and simply have fun.

I still cannot believe that I was concerned we wouldn't be able to focus on the game because he'd get bored and want attention.  It was his father instead.

And  not only that, but he said he really wanted to borrow the game.

Wingspan Again

I am really close to one of my friend's children, and thru-out their lives I've spent time alone with them often.  However because of Co-Vid I haven't seen them for a number of months.  Today it was warm enough that I could venture over to teach them the Wingspan board game outside on their porch (with masks).  

 The game says it is for 10+, so I didn't really expect the 8 year old to be into it for long.  However, they both caught on much faster than I did and the 8 year old even had the brain capacity to read some of the extra bird facts on the cards. Something I found overwhelming until I'd played the game multiple times. He was so enthusiastic about it.  I suppose it helped too that he wasn't trying to overthink any sort of strategy, he was just playing.

After we were done I told them to ask their mom to come down before I left.  I had not seen her in person for a number of months either.  We began talking on the porch, and then it was time for their dinner.  I told her if she wanted to eat on the porch I'd stay to talk more.  I ended up staying a total of 6 hours, ignoring both my hunger and need to pee (though I could have gone inside quickly to do the latter).  Fortunately, I had grabbed my winter coat, because as the temperature cooled I needed it.

When I got home there was a yummi dinner waiting for me as the rest of the household was downstairs watching a movie.  "Oofta," I soon heard in the kitchen, "the stairs are hard."  Michael's eldest was learning to navigate with her crutches, her attitude is impressive.

Grand Portage State Park, MN

 #1 - I think I'm done with my dad's taxes.  The best part about it is that I worked on it early enough that I got something corrected, which means I do not have to file estate income taxes for him as well.  Before the correction his estate income was just above the $600 filing requirements, now it is well below it.

#2 - Sometimes the forecast and your life don't match, like maybe the weather outside is calling to you, but you need to work on your taxes.  This weekend's forecast is unusually warm.  I'm happy temperatures will be cooling a bit again come Monday, but I'm also happy to have some time to spend outdoors at a park tomorrow, even if there is no snow for skiing and it may just be that early spring mud.

#3 - We missed Michael's eldest's 16th birthday while we were in Northern MN last week, so tonight the 4 of us will be together and I asked her to pick the activity for us to do.  She may change her mind, but for now she grabbed - Wingspan -the game I gave the family for Christmas. I am looking forward to playing again.

#4 - My sister-in-law spent a night alone at a camper cabin last night.  When asked my brother about it in Feb, he thought it was more my thing than hers.  However, she emailed me earlier in the week and said how excited she was.  Then she sent a text today that she was thinking about taking a walk in the park but was enjoying the cabin too much!

#5 -  Michael was stressing me out a little this morning, I asked him a simple question and it seemed to overwhelm him.  Later he came in the bathroom as I brushed my teeth and said it seemed I was busy this morning and thanked me for all the planning I do and all I do around the household.

Abstract Art/Food Art

(Photo credit Michael)

At the end of January, I decided to brainstorm a list of simple things that I could do every day for a month.  Doing something every day for a year is too long, but a month is doable.  The one I selected for Feb was to notice the sky at sunset.  All it required was a glance at the sky and an observation - is it a cloudy sunset, clear sunset, colorful sunset?  Since sunset is around dinnertime this time of year, I figured it would be easy enough to do.  

I ended up noting the sunrises too.  And the month is over, but I don't want to stop.

This morning Michael got up and said, "This would be a good morning to take a sunrise walk," and then went back to bed.  I followed his beckoning.  I didn't take the walk, but I sat by the window with at least a partial sunrise view and observed.  I'm not sure how long I sat there, but enough to watch it slowly change.  Then there was a moment with a burst of what looked like fire on the roof of a building.  It had arrived.

Speaking of this, I highly recommend Mary Oliver's poem "The Sun" which I fortuitously came across last month.

Later in the day I took a short walk along Lake Superior and heard a unique sound.  The lake was open water but just at the edge there were shards/small sheets of ice being pushed to shore.  I stopped to listen and then sit for a bit watching them bob and then arrive on land to create little sculptures.

As my final gratitude for today - my father was an engineer and super talented in many ways, but art was not one of them.  Neither of my parents enjoyed or expressed an artistic ability and I grew up thinking I had none as well.  It was with great trepidation that I tried drawing and painting a bit as an adult.  

My niece however continues to astoud me with her artwork.  I always found it so sweet how my dad would support this in her, sometimes I think grandparents are able to give things to their grandkids that they couldn't to their own children.

Anyway, my sister-in-law emailed me today an abstract piece of artwork my niece did.  I was impressed.  And then the photo after that was of the food art that my sister-in-law made to match it!