The Softness of the Christmas Season

Christmascame softly this year. I've been sick with a bad case of pink eye and finally had to give up on all the preparations before the big day. When Christmas morning arrived, SIE came down to the basement where I'd spent the night, and together with kaleidoscope girl and Hapapapa we went up to see the most amazing sight. Santa really had eaten all his cookies, drunk his milk, and given the carrot to the reindeer. It's the first time in as long as I can remember that I didn't get to Christmas Mass. My eyes felt really bad, though, and I think when your eyes or hearing are affected, the rest of your body feels bowed down and crummy. Driving back to LaCenter on the 26th, the roads were wet and rain poured most of the way. There's one spot between LaCenter and the farm that is a curvy stretch of road. One side of the road goes up and the other side of the road drops down, and it's covered on both sides with sheltering trees. This section of road is like a tunnel. The farms were green and the road clear when I went into this "tunnel". When I came out the other side, everything was covered in snow! You drive this section of road, concentrating on the curves and not really realizing that you're driving up an incline. When they tell the weather during news casts they tell it by feet above sea level. So they'll say something like, "Rain in the valley; snow above 4000 ft." My farm, I'm told, is at 1000 ft. It must be La Center is lower! I still felt sick, but Blue and I went for a walk. We went deep into the woods along the main path. There was only one set of footprints. They looked like they were from a big dog. I kept wondering if they could be the coyote we used to see. We haven't seen him since last New Year's Day. So maybe he's going to visit us again this New Years? The snow was wet and I heard on the reports that the rain would melt it all by morning. Waking up today, we beheld a beautiful white morning. Putting my clothes on over my pajamas, we went out to see the world. Snow was falling all around us and kept falling all day. A couple branches snapped from the firs sounding like gun fire. Glad we weren't under them! The snow on the greenhouses slipped down from the roofs sounding like mini avalanches. With snow on the ground you can see deeper into the woods, but nothing was stirring. All the birds in the area were at our feeders. Blue tumbled in the snow certain she would find some critter under each snow-laden twig. Brownie and Molly ran across the field to play. Blue was so-o-o-o wet when we came in!

In Which Miss Ingu Looks for Comments

Ah! It's a delight to read a "comment" and know you're not alone with your thoughts. I know Mr. B & Miss I have 4 faithful followers because they've left their comments on occassion. Thinking that there may be more faithful or even once-in-a-while readers that would like to add a comment, but don't know how...I will now tell you the easy way to do it. First, click on the tiny little word "comments" at the bottom of a blog. A comment page will appear on your screen. It might say: "This page has unsafe material, etc., etc., etc.," Don't worry - it's not unsafe. If this happens, just click the phrase that says, "Open it up anyway." So now you have the comment page and sometimes you will see the comments others have made. There is a box to the right of their comments where you can type your own. Anything you want...even just "hi" so I'll know you're there. Then go down to the spot that says, "Nickname" and put a name or initials in there. Next, copy the crazy, wiggly letters into the box beneath them. (This prevents a zillion computerized scam ads from appearing on the comment page) Last step, click on "Publish Comment"....and there ye be. It's not so hard. I would even say it's one of the easiest computer skills to master!!!

A Mouse House for Every Child!

It's always fun to find out what your kids remember about their growing up years. It's usally the awful stuff of how they were mistreated, abused, and neglected. But occassionally they remember something wonderful. One thing each of my girls remember, and indeed still have, are the "Mouse Houses" I made for them one year. These were little wooden house forms bought at a craft store and then painted and decorated with teeny furniture just right to house any little mouse. We hung them by their beds so that somewhere between stories and sleep they could make believe about the mice in those houses.

Since moving out West, kaleidoscope has wanted me to make some more mouse houses. This Christmas, I finally got it together enough to complete 5 little houses. They are actually larger and more elaborate than the girl's had way long ago. Already all are spoken for: one to Celia, the most enchanting little girl I've ever known, who came to the Christmas Party and went home with it via The Great Chinese Gift Exchange. Another went to SIE, who was with me when we decided which gift to bring to the party. He got first dibs...of course! Another went to a little classmate of SIE's who attended the party, but didn't get the one in the gift pile! How could we not give her one! I feel like one of Santa's elves.

The Day Before the Day Before the Day Before Christmas

Blue and I just returned from a long, wet walk into the woods. This morning was spent wrapping and packing a box for Brother Bear and Sweet Sis. To reward us, I bundled up in two sweat shirts, clogs, and a rain jacket and grabbed my binoculars, ready to head off for the walk. Blue was so excited she almost had a melt-down anxiously skipping around waiting for me to finish dressing. We went down through the pasture and deeper into the woods than usual. This is my favorite time of year to walk there because the grass and blackberry brambles have all died away and you can see where you're putting your feet if you go off the main path. That is important to people who wear Birkenstocks most of the time. Also the deer and other small animals have cut trails through the woods that are just perfect for following. Yesterday we heard an owl. It's the first time I've heard one out here. Just once around noon, then several times toward evening. We went to the part of the woods where we saw an owl last spring - as if yesterday's owl would be sitting on the same branch! But no luck seeing anything other than the beautiful colors of trees against a cloudy sky, bowed down light orange field-grasses, and crystal drops of rain reflecting off fence lines.

It's the time of year to look for antler sheds. I tried really hard to find one last year and it seems almost impossible. There are so many fallen twigs and branches that look like antlers, that it is like finding a four-leaf clover in a field of clover. The thing is, I'm good at finding four-leaf clovers! I think all I have to do is find my first antler shed and then I'll be able to find more. They say the deer shed their antlers after mating and hunting season when their testosterone is lowering. I've been told that the little woodland creatures need calcium so much that the antlers are scarfed up and eaten right away. And I read a great gimick in Field & Stream which says to put cracked corn at the inside angle of a fence corner, so that when the deer bend down to nibble, their antlers will get caught in the fence and drop off. As we walked and looked, it dawned on me that the antlers are sort of like baby teeth. They get loose and could drop off anywhere. They tell you to look for places where the deer might jump over a fence or rub up against a tree. I suddenly realized why I haven't found any...I think there is a tooth deer. Like our tooth fairies, there is probably a tooth deer - most likely a tooth reindeer because they fly, of course - who swoops down and grabs each fallen antler quicker than a wink. I'm not sure what they would leave in return (like the quarters under our pillows), but I will give it some thought.

It was a peaceful way to spend the day before the day before the day before Christmas. Once I realized I couldn't get everything Christmasy done, I was able to relax and appreciate the Season. I even had a chance to meditate a bit on the Nativity and reading Matthew's Gospel. I also looked at a book, B is for Bethlehem, a children's book by Isabel Wilner, illustrated with wonderful scenes by Elisa Kleven. I got it at Powell's Book Store last weekend thinking I'd give it as a gift. But I think SIE is too old for it, and I'm definitely not, so I think I'll keep it for myself!

By the By

Walking today part way down the pasture along the blackberry hedge I glanced over to see if anyone was watching from the carefully crafted arch that leads to Mr. Beachy's house. I'd forgoten to tell you when discussing Mr. Beachy, that he had moved from Ohio to the Northwest around the same time I did! On one of my first walks along the blackberry hedge last year I ran into him. Well, I only saw him for a moment. When he saw me looking, he ducked inside. He's a little shy, you know.

There are several little tunnels that emerge from the blackberry hedge and the grass near these tunnels is carefully groomed, so you know a rabbit or critter of some kind lives in there. One of these tunnels is very well-kept, and that is where I learned that Mr. Beachy had moved with his lovely youngest daughter, Peaches. Yes, Peachy Beachy. On this occassion he was wearing a grey, boiled-wool jacket. As I said, he stepped inside when he saw me seeing him. He stepped just to his left so he could still watch me as I continued down the hill. He's quite elderly now, but still spry. His little daughter dotes on him, making sure his tea is just right and mending his clothes. She was born with a speach impediment and never utters a word. That is perhaps why she has stayed at home with her father all these years. Let me tell you, she is so beautiful; quite slender, and still wears the traditional dress of her homeland. She bows deeply in greeting and her shy smile melts your heart. I have yet to meet her, but have heard all this in just the same way you hear everything from nature. If you're not sure what I mean, you can read about it in The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley.

Advent's Almost Over

A beautiful sunny day today. It was chilly and rainy and full of morning mist, but the sun kept shining through it all. Even if one side of the sky had dark grey clouds, the sun shone on the fields and trees. Everything sparkled. Is it four days till Christmas Eve? How can that be. I still have gifts to wrap and cards to send and prayers to say! I heard and read something about Christmas that was a new angle for me. A Poor Clare from Spokane wrote in a Christmas letter, and heard on an NPR commentary: People often complain that Christmas is too commercialized and that stores put out their decorations earlier each year. But without the economic factor of Christmas, our religious celebrations would be rather incidental and the holiday not much more than a Lincoln's or Washington's birthday. Since Christmas has the big economic influence, we can have music and lights and occasions of public good will all throughout Advent and on into the Christmas Season. The trick is, to see the meaning of Christ's coming inside all the activity; be aware and conscious of the connection between the symbols all around us. For example, see the lights as symbols of the Light of Christ, hear the music that is uniquely heralding the coming of the Lord, join in the public demonstrations of generosity to the poor. Well, that makes Christmas preparations more fun for me!

Enquiring Minds Want to Know

Who is Mr. Beachy, you ask. I will try to tell you, but you must read between the lines and think in parallel thoughts about such questions as (1) how can someone say one thing and people hear another, (2) why does something resonate with some one and not with another, (3) if you carry a story with you long enough does it take on a life of its own, and (4) will Mr. Beachy and Miss Ingu ever have a romantic relationship? Several years ago a friend of mine told me the story of Mr. Beachy. The story may have morphed in my memory, but this is how I remember it: My friend had moved into a newly built house. He hired a gardener to help him with the landscaping. The gardener (in my imagination) was an elderly Asian man. Despite his strong Asian accent, the gardener and my friend kept up a conversation while they worked. "Where would I find a good auto mechanic?" my friend asked. "Mr. Beachy - Go to Mr. Beachy - He take care of you," the gardener replied. "Mr. Beachy, Rt.125, on corner, no miss." The next day my friend drove up and down Rt. 125 with no luck finding Mr. Beachy's. The next time he worked with the gardener, he asked again about the mechanic. The gardener spoke louder as he tried to explain how to get to Mr. Beachy's. "You no can miss. Mr. Beachy on corner. He take good care of you." Once more my friend followed the directions. Once more he seemed unable to find the repair shop. As he looked at the building on the corner, the building he was sure had to be the one the gardener sent him to, he glanced at the sign and read, "Mitsubishi". Jim R., if you're reading this, feel free to correct the story! I wonder, what if you don't even remember it!

Good Night, Dear Ones

So sorry that Miss Ingu has been unable to blog this week. It seems she was crushed in the pre-Christmas glitter. Very pretty, but materialistic and not very Advent-ish. Hapapapa was out of town and the kaleidoscope girl was tending the sick children, so that meant SIE and Miss I spent a good amount of time playing. It seems SIE is into putting a lot of little things into a basket or bin and then dumping them all over the floor. And it seems Miss I is way too OCD to go to sleep without picking up the toys. That leaves one tired Miss I. Tomorrow, SIE and Miss I and perhaps three dogs will drive to the country and spend a little while at the farm while his parents get the house ready for THE GREAT CHINESE CHRISTMAS EXCHANGE PARTY. It is the most fun Christmas party Miss I has ever attended. There is so much laughter that tears run down faces and everyone's sides hurt. Miss I will be taking one of her newly made Mouse Houses as her gift to exchange. She must write about the Mouse Houses later. Right now she's too, too tired. Good night, dear ones.

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

Last night Mr. Beachy had a dream. He dreamt he was writing a letter to St. Nicholas and this is what he wrote:

Dear Saint Nicholas, You don't need to worry about coming this year. There are no poor children left. There are no children being sold into prostitution anymore. You don't have to worry. Everyone has plenty to share. The governments have opened up their boundaries and welcome all who come. Schools are free to young and old alike. The churches have open doors and the bishops dress like shepherds now. They teach us all to pray. Everyone has a piece of land. Children have room to run and time to play. Yes, there's room for everyone. There's fresh water pumped to every house and everyone shares from their gardens. And no one is sick too long because the doctors are free. Yes, FREE! If you were to come today, St. Nick, you would be surprised. Sincerely, Mr. Beachy

Mr. Beachy was very pensive when he woke up today. And then he checked his shoes.

The Lord's Laundromat

Today is the first no-rain day in this part of the Northwest since last Tuesday! That's six days of pouring rain, with the only interruptions when it turned to snow for a few hours. It felt like the washer cycle got stuck on rinse! It was unusual even by Portland standards. It says somewhere in the Bible, even before it was said by Chairman Mao,"After the rain comes the sun" And we are grateful. Some places are still flooded with farms and towns evacuated. They say on tv that some places will have power outages for a few more days. It's interesting how they seem to be making the weather reports especially for the people without power needed to run their tv sets!

Oregon's prized Sitka Spruce blew down. It was 220' tall and 700 years old - the biggest Sitka Spruce in the Nation. There's still 75' of trunk standing. That's a Big Tree! I'm glad I got to see and hug it once on a trip out to the Coast.

The road into La Center from the highway crosses a small bridge with fields on each side that are set aside as a nature habitat. The fields are now basins of water that stretch out like a huge lake. Do not worry. Miss Ingu, Mr. Beachy, and friends are safe and sound. The birds are rejoicing: the trumpeter swans, cackling geese, sandhill cranes, and hawks were making a loud noise unto the Lord today. It was so loud it would have drowned out St. Boniface's organ!

In Which Miss Ingu Settles In for Winter

Last day of November. It's been frosty up here on the farm. Part of my job here on the farm is to keep the well and the green house pumps from freezing. This is just a matter of checking the heat lamps in two of the greenhouses - usually switching them on in the evening and off in the morning. Also to check that the bulbs in the well and in the well house haven't burnt out. Blue likes the ritual trek out to the greenhouses. They are empty except for weeds that have grown around the edges, but there's often interesting things to be found - slugs, garter snakes, praying mantis, mice and birds that are smart enough to realize it's warmer inside than out.

This morning we walked out, still in pajamas to unplug the lights. The temp gage said 38 degrees, so we thought we were safe. But an hour later it started to snow. So back we hurried to plug them in again. No snow falling at the moment, but I think we'll leave them on for today. The forecast says snow is coming this way.

This morning I also performed the Biennial Birkenstock Ritual. This is done at the beginning of winter and part way into the summer. The straps have to be loosened to accomadate thicker socks; tightened to make bare feet fit. Slipping on two pairs of socks this morning, I realized it was time for the switch.

Right now I have some pin head oatmeal in the slow cooker and it smells about ready to eat. Yum! Settle back and think of Ireland.

Birds of a Feather

Now that winter is near I think most of the summer birds have left for warmer climates. I've noticed only a faithful few at the bird feeders. There's a group of chickadees that you can always count on to be here. It's an integrated group: black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees and an occassional mountain chickadee (like the Eastern ones but with a white eyebrow). I don't say flock of chickadees, because I think these are just the same seven or eight birds that come to the feeder. There is one male red-breasted nuthatch that hangs out with the chickadees. They're called red-breasted, but they're really a buffy yellow color. This one has gotten darker chest feathers as winter has approached. They all look like a Christmas card!

There's also a pair of Stellar Jays. These are about twice as big as the Blue Jays in Ohio. They are dark, dark blue with black blue heads and the blue jay crest. They are wicked birds - very territorial and sound like high-pitched crows when they call. Still, I like to watch them. They let me know when a strange bird is around.

And because the Jays were off busy chasing hawks the other day, I got to see my very first ever red-breasted sapsucker. It is a robin sized woodpecker with a totally red head and chest. This one had black wings with just a thin white streak down his side, and his beak was yellow (not black like in the books). He was out on one of the back apple trees that I can see from my window. I've looked for woodpeckers back there often because this tree and one other are covered in little holes that look like someone took a paper puncher and punched a zillion evenly spaced, uniformly sized holes all up and down the trunk. I've been told these trees are over 100 years old. It's really strange to look at this tree up close. And the bird was such a beautiful red. I miss cardinals! Nothing like them out here!

In Which Miss Ingu Studies a Hibernating Hamster

The most recent member of our extended family is a black and white teddy bear hamster first named "Freemont Lake", then "Hop Scotch". He's more often called "Hammy". SEI loves this little critter and, unbelievably, the critter seems to love him, too. I say unbelievably only because the hamster plays with him like a real pet and will hold still on command, perched on a stool or in a plastic tea pot, etc. Yes, maybe the little guy is frozen in terror, but he doesn't let on.

Hammy travels back and forth between SEI's house and mine. At his house Hammy lives in a fancy, colorful, plastic hamster home. Here he lives in an old bird cage that's been specially adapted for him. Now that the weather is getting cold I worry about him staying warm. In spite of the paper towels, shredded papers, and soft cloths that we find for hamster bedding use, he seems to prefer balling up without a cover. I think this is unnatural. I've read that if hamsters get cold enough, they go into a state of semi-hibernation and are often taken for dead. I've taken to watching him until he breathes deeply enough to move and/or blowing on him until he looks up. I hope we can find a hamster veterinarian in case we ever need one!

Full Moon Rising

Driving into La Center yesterday around 3:00 in the afternoon, I came to a spot about 8 miles from the farm when the full moon appeared, huge and white, rising over Mt. St. Helen's. Mt. St. Helen's is white now, too, with gray creases veining down its sides. I wished I could rush home and grab my camera, but knew that by the time I returned to this spot the moon would have climbed beyond this moment.

In the middle of the night I woke up for a minute and looked outside to see if any deer were around. It was so bright. Almost like a new fallen snow. With hat on and coat over my pajamas, Blue and I went out for a walk. The moon was high and the sky was a pale blue with whisps of cloud that made me wonder if they were the northern lights. And there were stars, bright and clear despite the light. Orion stretched out right over the pasture. The moon light cast shadows and the air was soft and quiet. The ground was frozen, but not icy. Frozen just enough to feel like the ground was firm under your feet. Good thing because my head was enveloped in an alien breath. I hoped there would be deer down in the pasture but not a creature was stirring. My bed was still warm when we returned. We'd never even turned on a light.

Saints Among Us

Driving downtown Thanksgiving morning the streets were noticably empty. There were a few homeless people sleeping on the downtown sidewalks - always sad to see esp. when the weather is wet and cold. There was a long line in front of one of the Missions - maybe waiting for a Thanksgiving meal. It seemed like the only other people on the street were coming to Mass.

I was glad to be at the Downtown Chapel. It reminds me of Cincinnati's Drop Inn Center. Inside the chapel there are no windows. Except for 14 small plaques of the Stations along the back wall and simple seasonal decoration behind the altar, the walls are plain white. The pews are in a semi-circle around the altar with a piano/organ to the left. The altar is up a couple steps higher than the main floor, much like the podium and TV at the Drop Inn Center. You can see why I felt at home when I first came here 4 years ago.

The congregation was small. I counted 30 all together. But the people who attended are people that make you wonder about the existance of a "holy underground". There are a couple old men with walkers and a single mom with her 10 yr. old son. There were a couple homeless people with their bags containing all their possessions, sometimes sitting quietly alone, sometimes praying aloud in tongues. And there's one old woman, tall and lean, dressed always in black with ankle length skirts and what we used to call "nunny shoes". I've seen her often on the streets and at the cathedral, too. Where do they all live? What draws them here? Especially on this quiet morning with thanks in our hearts?

Trip to the Refuge

where: Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield, Washington
date: Friday, November 16, 2007
time of day: late afternoon, 3 to 5 pm
weather: overcast, cloudy and dark, light rain

4 blue heron
2 great egret
4 northern harrier
3 red tailed hawk
1 pair cinnamon teal
large grazing flock canada geese
flock cackling geese flying in at dusk
2 flocks flying in trumpeter swan
3 female bufflehead
flock in water pied-billed grebe
1 double crested cormorant
several large flocks sandhill cranes flying in at dusk
several Nutria *
1 coyote **

* (they look just like beavers, but with rat-like tails)8 - 10 Nutria today in and out of the water
one was a huge old looking mom resting on a log while 3 pups 1/3 her size played in the water nearby

** the coyote was young, dark gray with a white patch on his back
watched as he trotter across a long span of field, disappeared into the brush near one of the ponds, and emerged carrying a black duck - carried it back across the field putting it down and shaking off his wet fur, then several times looking back nervously - trotted along a fence at edge of refuge until out of sight

A Year in a Fairy Garden

I started writing a book with that title several years ago. Someday it will be finished and become a classic of children's literature. This morning I noticed the fairies had been here in the night. There was a most magical glittery trail along the floor in the bathroom leading into the bedroom. When you live in the inner city, you learn that dark smudges along the baseboard are caused by rats scurrying along the walls. Now some might say this trail was obviously left by a slug; however, there is no slug to be found! A-ah! I've missed those fairies. I'm so glad they're back!

In Which Miss Ingu Talks to Spiders

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth
Serve the Lord with gladness

Spiders live around me. They aren't my favorite creatures, but they lived in my shed before I did and I don't seem to be able to keep them out. Right now there is a banded garden spider living near the ceiling corner by the front door. They are orb spiders and their webs, sparkling with morning dew, are unbelievable. But they look ferocious. I took two of his relatives out to the pasture this summer, but because I'd have to get a chair to reach this one, we've agreed that he can stay as long as he stays up there.

There are also cellar spiders here - lots of them. At first I didn't like them. After several Great Spider Massacres I gave up. They multiply like crazy. Especially in my bathroom and along my windowsill you can see several generations of cellar spiders ranging in size from almost 3 inches (tiny bodies with mostly spindly legs) to smaller than an eyelash. I've gotten fond of the youngsters. I try not to disturb them when I'm reaching for my toothbrush. But I have a hard time with them in the shower. I hate to see one struggling to escape the drops which will eventually pull them down the drain. I try to give them fair warning, but sometimes I don't see them until it's too late.

My favorite thing about these cellar spiders is their startle reflex. If you bump their web (unlide the orb weavers, they weave your typical cobweb)their startle is so over the top, every limb quivering, that you have to laugh. I guess it is that startle that catches their food because when they quiver like that their web gets totally tangled up. I watched one night as one of the little guys slept in his web under the lightshade of my bedside lamp. A small moth flew into the web, waking the spider with a great amount of consternation. Once awake, this little spider professionally wrapped that moth in silk and began eating burrito style. You gotta love 'em!

I Spy ...

1. I have a dog, and her name is Blue; betcha 5 dollars she's a good dog, too.

2. pink sky at night, sailors' delight.

3. a thousand cranes for peace.

4. and Little Red Riding Hood ventures into the woods.

In Which Miss Ingu Opens the EST files

We got up this morning and looked out to see a rose colored sky to the East, the sun just beginning to rise. It was beautiful even though my first thought was, "red sky at morning, sailor take warning." I was planning to drive into Portland today, but woke up feeling yucky from the cold I picked up 10 days ago! I just wanted to crawl back into bed and vegitate. That's one of the worst feelings esp. if you've been hoping to get a ton of things done. But then, one of the best things happened. I got a call from a friend, Lady M. She called really early (10:00 AM her time). She was excited because she was able to find a new Kris Kristofferson CD at the library and played me parts of it. We had been talking about wanting a CD of his voice as it is now - rough and gravely. Recently I'd heard a song, Far Side Banks of Jordan, that made me wish for more. Yay, Lady M!

Later, after Blue bugged me with all the energy she could muster, I gave in and went for a walk down into the woods. It was 54 degrees out, but I felt really cold and had to go back to put on another sweater. Blue was running ahead, making motions that I should hurry. By the time we got across the pasture and started down the path to the woods, I was ready for a nice walk. But here comes Blue with a mole in her mouth determined to return home with it - right now! That was the end of the walk for her. After expending all that energy to getting me out. Blue didn't put the mole down - its feet and snout sticking out one side of her mouth and a pink tail out the other side - until burying at the base of an apple tree by our shed. I wished I'd just stayed in bed!

This evening we went out again. With the time change the dark came on sooner than expected. By the time we crossed the pasture it was dark enough that I couldn't see real well and I wasn't about to walk into the woods in the dark. We used a path around the pasture, past the neighbor's well to circle around back to our house. I've seen deer down there. It's one of the nicest things to see the deer crossing the pasture at dusk. I squinted trying to see into the field and behind us I saw a dark figure. I wasn't sure if it was just a piece of brush, but I stood still and looked at it thinking it might be a deer. The figure didn't move, but all of a sudden barked. Just one LOUD bark. I hope it was Champ or Zeus. Coyotes don't bark. But I jumped all the same and Blue, running ahead, never even seemed to notice. Then it was gone. I never saw it move.

With a blurry head I close this strangest day.

Miss Ingu Reflects on Yesterday

Yesterday at Mass the opening song was "Shall We Gather At The River". I haven't heard that one in a long time. It transported me back through the ages to a time of sparkling innocence. I promise to avoid too many of these memories in this blog. They are probably a wee too maudlin for general consumption. Anyway, the year was 1967 in late May. I was spending a couple weeks in Eastern Kentucky between Beauty and Lovely near the West Virginia border with a group I belonged to, Volunteers in Appalachia. We had spent the week picking strawberries and had just finished wallpapering a woman's kitchen using flour and water for wallpaper paste. I'd also driven out along the hollers with the clinic nurses to make a few home visits. Near the end of my stay, unexpectedly, my 1st true love drove down to offer me a ride back to Cincinnati and also to tell me something of great import. He showed up as we were finishing the wallpaper job and were all covered in flour glue and bits of old newspaper. I had a gooey feeling in the pit of my stomach. The "important thing" had to wait until the next morning when we could climb the mountain across Wolf Creek. It was "our" mountain, having climbed it earlier in the winter of that year. I wasn't comfortable with this guy showing up because my plan was to enter the convent that fall, and I knew I better tell him soon. On the mountain, after a you-go-first...no-you-go-first period of stalling, he confessed his love to me and I confessed the convent. He proposed, then hesitantly promised to marry me if I left the convent. Hesitantly because a question of his fear of interfering with God's plan came up. It was one of those "The Hills are Alive..." bittersweet moments. We were quiet as we climbed down the mountain. Nearing the bottom we could hear soft singing. Through a clearing we saw a baptism going on in the creek and stopped to watch. They were singing "As We Gather At The River". *Addendum* Sixteen years later we drove out to see our mountain once again and it had been completely plowed down by a strip mining company! He left the next month.

A Blustery Day

A storm hit the North West early this morning and today has been chilly, cloudy, windy and wet. I'm still getting over the cold SEI gave me last week so this is a good opportunity to stay snuggled up inside next to the heater. Blue was very put out at me this AM when I wouldn't go out for a walk. Later in the morning her friend, Champ came by to play and she poked her head out only long enough to say "hi". Champ was drenched.

Champ lives on the farm north of here. We call him Brownie, because we met him before we met his master. He was a pup when he showed up wanting to play last year, just a pinch smaller than Blue. Now he's huge - a big chocolate lab and still acts like a goofy teenager. Blue loves running with him and playing. She can out run him which is lucky because he is very oafish and clumsy. I fear for my life (not really, just for my hips) when I'm outside with them. He could just plow me down without a blink.

Champ lives with 2 other dogs, Zeus and Molly. I was told about them when I first came here because they like to block the road and look furocious. When I first encountered them I was able to speak to them by name and they've never given me any trouble. Zeus is an old black lab with a graying muzzle. He's never so much as barked at me, but he doesn't hang around much. I think he just comes over here to poop! Lucky us! Molly is a really old sweet dog - I don't know what breed she could be. She's big, and thick and brindle brown with a beige patch on her chest and four bright white socks. How those socks stay so bright white is very curious. She has a drooly smile and runny eyes and smells so-o-o-obad. The first time I petted her, my hands smelled for hours - couldn't wash off the stink. And she just longs to be petted. I keep thinking I should find a pair of gloves to wear when she comes over. Actually, that is SEI's idea. Isn't he smart?

The dogs have a path worn through the field between their farm and here. I can't see past the trees that edge the property. I'm not sure if they are kept outside, or in a mud room. Sometimes Blue goes over and comes back as if she can't find them. And often Champ or Molly come to our door and scratch. Blue hears them before they even scratch and sometimes she scares the bejeebers out of me by letting out a loud bark greeting them.

That's the action here today!

In Which Miss Ingu Looks at Her Bird Books

Thinking about those hawks yesterday prompted me to go through the bird books to try to identify them. It turns out they were all Northern Harriers. The male and female look so different! The female is a large, brindle-colored hawk. The young look like the female with a little more light specks on the chest. The male looks like a sleek falcon. He is a white color with black wing tips in flight. Someone told me the critters in the water were River Otters. I looked them up, too, and as I suspected, they aren't. I'm not sure what they are. They might be some animal called Nutria out here. They look like muskrats to me - but do muskrats hang out in the water?

Home Again

As if home was actually a space or a single place or a feeling...... Anyway, the kaliedoscope girl is back from India and Blue and I are back on the farm. I can never come back here without a period of nesting. First, we go for a brief walk to check out the greenhouses and fields, fill the birdfeeders, and make sure the bonsai are happy. Then Blue won't let me alone until we go for a walk down in the woods. She will follow me around with her nose to my left thigh until I give up and point toward the driveway. Then she's off! We have a couple familiar routes we take and this time we walked down the road and around the pasture. There's a path cut through the neighbor's woods that we follow to a fork which goes either down along a ridge or winds back up to the other side of the neighbor's house. We used to explore along the fence lines and down to the pond and the creek, but when I have other things to do, we just walk to the end of the lower fork and then back. We've cut a small openning in the fence to our field so that instead of following the road, we can cut through and up the hill to our shed. Sometimes we detour over behind the blackberry hedge to where the deer sleep. The early morning air was filled with a really thick mist. It reminded me of the Mount. Mount St. Joseph on the Ohio where I went to college. The road between the motherhouse and the classroom buildings would be tumbling with mist in the mornings. That mist would remind me of English moors like in Jane Eire or Wuthering Heights. This mist is just farm mist that you know will burn off soon, so it feels more welcoming. And it's luscious to inhale.
While we were away the spiders at the farm must have been decorating for Halloween! It's so impressive that I left their webs alone for now.
The final phase of my nesting in is to go to Ridgefield Refuge that is about 2 miles from here if you take the back roads. We left here around noon which is usually when all the wildlife is hidden away napping or something. It was gray and spitting sprinkles, and I guess the birds like that - their were so many different kinds of birds out! The Refuge is a wetlands area with a 4.2 mile road winding through it. Sometimes it doesn't look too wet except for one boggy area, one long lake, and two riverlets. But today it looked soaked. Lots of standing water. Lots of flocks migrating, crisscrossing everywhich way across the sky. There are always blue heron and still a few white egrets. Several kinds of hawks. Wish I could tell them apart. There must have been over a hundred swans on the lake. I'm not sure whether they are trumpeter or tundra swans. They're the ones with black beaks and black legs. And several muskrats or river otters - one a mom with two pups.
A cup of coffee from Giovanie's Pizza, and then my nesting is complete. Now I'm officially back!

In Which Miss Ingu Plays on a Pirate Ship, Hangs Halloween Spider Webs from the Windows, Has a Picnic in a Rocket Ship, Rescues a Hamster, and ...

Yes, all that and more. The kaleidoscope girl is in India. She left on Monday early morning and traveled for days, phoning this morning from the tip of the India saying she'd arrived safe and sound. Her luggage got lost on the 1st leg of her journey between PDX and Atlanta, but luckily arrived in time for the international flight. No other mishaps were reported. Her little guy, the boy I love, also known in this blog as SIE (short for "Smile in His Eyes"), put aside some of his banana this morning for her return. Lucky for me he is off to school this morning counting uno, dos, tres with his amigos. I wonder if he will always wake at the crack of dawn ready for excitement. It takes me about 2 hours most mornings to clear the fog from my brain. Meanwhile SIE has taken charge directing multple games. Stopping to pee or eat real food is only a very brief distraction to him. Hapapapa says to me, "Does he ever have any independent playtime when he's with you?" Hum-m-m? I think so, but it doesn't feel like it today. Before kaliedoscope left, she put together a bag of dollar store gifts. Yesterday we opened the pirate booty, among which was a small plastic treasure chest and a board game map. After playing one round of the pirate game, it became a treasure map and SIE was out the door with barefeet and no sweater burying the treasure chest in the sand by their garden. He reappeared with an oar from a plastic boat for me to use as a shovel and, "Please, please, please...we have to follow this map and find the treasure!" So out into the chilly air I follow, trying not to see the spot where the sand was disturbed. Ah! There's no better life than to be a pirate's wife...or grandma!

Blue

This is a blog about Miss Ingu's faithful companion, Blue. Blue is your typical black and tan mixed breed dog like the kind you might imagine running the hollers in the Appalachian Mountains. She weighs about 35 lbs and comes up to my knee. She arrived at my door about 3 yrs. ago, a gift from my daughter. I wasn't quite sure she'd be around long. I'd seen her before. She was chubby little puppy tired up in a neighbor's yard. She seemed terrified of strangers. I watched one day as she ran after the boy who lived in the house. He was on his way to school and somehow she had gotten lose from her chain and caught up with him. A few minutes later, I watched as she followed him back home. My daughter befriended this little pooch, bringing her bowls of water and a treat or two. Kaliedoscope, being very tender-hearted, couldn't bare to hear her whimpering at night. So one day she offered the neighbors $50 for the dog. Hapapapa put his foot down; they already had 2 dogs, a cat, and a baby. So Blue ended up in front of my house.
Now it just happened that Kaliedascope's family was heading out on a two week vacation the next morning. So here I was with a little dog whose history was questionable. It was obvious she'd been abused. She was afraid of the broom, skittish hearing paper rattle, and very difficult to convince she was allowed in the house. It took two of us to carry her up the porch steps and into the house. And because I was doing a lot of childcare at the time, I was nervous about how she'd act around the babies.
The first night went well I thought. She slept on the floor at the foot of my bed. During the day she hid under an end table next to the couch. The second night she slept with her chin on my bed. That next afternoon she disappeared while I was over feeding my daughter's pets. After searching the streets for hours, I finally found her under their deck curled up in a hole she'd dug. The third night she curled up on my bed near my feet. This was fine until midway through the night, she started scratching and licking herself.
All I could think was how much I did not want fleas in my bed. Then I heard a tiny cry. Between 2 AM and 6AM that morning Blue delivered 11 puppies. I became a puppy midwife. A very bonding experience.
The next 8 weeks had a special dimension as the puppies grew and were given away. Now she is my constant companion with few faults. She likes to bark when she's with Izzy and Frankie, but not so much on the farm. She does dislike the neighbor lady and barks like crazy when she's near. And she tries to trick me into going out for a walk by barking toward the drive and looking concerned enough that I go to check. Sometimes she's right; someone's coming. But a lot of the time, it's just her ploy to get me out and down the lane for a walk. If I could only teach her to close the door when she comes in.............

An Odd Reflection of Miss Ingu's

Today I was looking in some drawers for a missing item, and I came across an old penny. It was one of those with Lincoln's face on one side and "one cent" written on the other, dated 1950. I've heard recently that pennies may be taken out of circulation. I've heard that many times. In fact, it occurred to me that the first time I heard it was in the early '50s. It was during primary school, I'm not sure which year, that our class learned about the threat to the penny. We were horrified. And our class proceeded to put on a little play about the importance of the penny. Isn't it kind of interesting that the first political play that I was ever in was at a much earlier age than I ever realized, and to boot, prompted by an unit of capitalist economy?

In Which Miss Ingu Ponders Life

I have a new theory on life and original sin. I think sometimes the soul is given a gift to see things that origional sin usually blocks from our sight. Like looking for a moment above a mist to the clearing, maybe not understanding why at the time, but maybe in hindsight. I talked to a friend on Sunday night. It had been a while since we talked and we visited on the phone for a while. She sounded good, which made me feel good. I got the news yesterday that she died Tuesday afternoon. It was a sudden thing, probably a pleural effusion, and I'm glad she died quickly. She had suffered a lot in her life even though she was still quite young. I haven't cried yet, but I feel that will come in time - there's a fragile ache in the back of my throat that I think is the grief waiting. But this has happened to me before. This talking to someone and then they unexpectedly die shortly after. The chance to talk on these occassions has been a blessing to me. God is good. I do wonder if He grants our souls this reprieve from the cloud of sin to know to take the moment to join with another soul that is a kindred spirit.

In Which Miss Ingu Finds Her Clogs

It looks like yesterday may have been the last sunny day for 2007. The weather report says rain for the next 7 days up here in the North West. Being it's the middle of October, that sounds pretty acurate. The horses have been removed from the field. I miss them. But it's better for them. Just before they were moved out we went over to the fence to chat. They were soaked! Their hide looked like a cat's that had been dunked in the river. The little bit of shelter from the trees wasn't helping. Plus, it looked like they had rolled in the mud. I found out later that the momma mare had slipped in the mud and her owner didn't want that to happen again. She miscarried her last little foal and we're looking forward to a healthy one this May. Meanwhile, back at the house the tin roof is tap-tap-tapping in a steady rhythm with nature.

In Which Miss Ingu Surveys the Land

Tonight we went for a walk. The evening sky was glowing with a rose sunset and lots of bitty clouds against a pure blue background. Blue ran on ahead and I could hear deer scattering behind the blackberry hedges. We know where they sleep and try not to disturb them, but they must have bedded down early. Earlier in the day the autumn colors dappled with sunshine made all the animals invisible. We only saw the orange cat from the farm next door. The sound of falling leaves made us think there were animals on everyside, but except for the deer we didn't know for sure. It was a good day to celebrate friendships and to remember that we are connected even though we may be miles away.