August

"Sometimes, in a summer morning, having taken my accustomed bath, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise til noon, rapt in revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumachs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sang around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time. I grew in those seasons like corn in the night, and they were far better than the work of the hands would have been. They were not time subtracted from my life, but so much over and above my usual allowance. I realized what the Orientals mean by contemplation and the forsaking of works."

~~ Henry David Thoreau

Summer passes quickly. Greg works on finishing the rock on the South Wall. I water and weed and mark my garden's growth.... finding contemplation in work during the early and evening hours. Soaking in the heat, enjoying the cool breeze, watching the storms that have performed for us more often this year.

Nine Mile Canyon

“We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with its living and its decaying trees, the thunder-cloud, and the rain.” ~~ Henry David Thoreau





I go as a chaperon with 9 InTech students and my daughter to a week long archeology camp in Nine Mile Canyon. We have flat tires, rain, and flooding campgrounds. The students are always cheerful, ready to learn, to help cook and clean up, and to have fun. Anyone who complains about teens these days needs to spend more time with this age group. The teens I know are intelligent, caring, fun, and thoughtful. They care about the earth and all the inhabitants and think beyond the realm of their everyday.

Summer Defined

"I have a room all to myself; it is nature." ~~Henry David Thoreau




Summer is the cool mornings when all is clear and fresh with endless possibilities... when my flowers wake thirsty for water and sunshine. The hot sluggish afternoons when all of nature takes a nap with the sleep inducing air saturated with the scents of roses, hay, and tomatoes. The evenings, when the the world has another burst of energy and the weeds call out to be picked and the sky demonstrates to catch my attention, the time for bike rides, Frisbee, and badminton. The time when the outdoors are more embracing than the indoors.... when only mosquitoes manage to drive me inside to sleep and prepare for another day.

One Year

"Each new year is a surprise to us. We find that we had virtually forgotten the note of each bird, and when we hear it again, it is remembered like a dream, reminding us of a previous state of existence. How happens it that the associations it awakens are always pleasing, never saddening, reminiscences of our sanest hours. The voice of nature is always encouraging."


~~Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

We have lived the life of Walden with Wife and kids for one year. It has been a great year. Each one of us is happier and more content. Living in a peaceful, spacious, beautiful atmosphere creates a reflection that has parallel effects on the inner well-being.

There are still many finishing touches to complete on the inside of the house. Stone veneer, patios, and the always increasing of landscaping on the outside of the house. Just as our minds and souls should always be a work-in-progress, so is our home. Now we begin a year-a-new, with all the waiting journeys of growth and joy.

Mentors

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

~~ Henry David Thoreau


For the past couple of months I have seen many examples of the importance of having a mentor and in return being a mentor. Except in the upper levels of academia, our society has lost its structure of mentorship. Lucky students have parents to guide them in an overly complex world of entering into adulthood. Even better are students who have close grandparents, a teacher, community member, church member, or older friend to advise and walk them through the steps. Without someone to support, cajole, sometimes push it can be hard to find the motivation to continue on a difficult path. Without someone to interpret, explain, advise on approaching obstacles and ways around them I don't know how a student could find success. We all need someone to believe in us. We all need someone to kindly show us an easier way. We all need someone to walk beside us on our journey. And we all need to remember to continue to be both a student and a teacher.

20,000 miles

"We need only travel
enough to give our
intellects an airing." ~~ Henry David Thoreau

The one bad thing about living in the country is the number of miles it takes to get anywhere. A few years ago, I maybe drove 2,000 miles a year. Living in a city let me bike and walk to work. Now that just isn't possible. I try to be conservative with my miles, the price of gas and wear-and-tear on the vehicle and environment. So it is amazing to me that in less than a year I have put this many miles on my car (though 3500 of them were on a road trip to Indiana to visit my sister and her adorable family). Luckily, I love my RAV4 and have a beautiful, not too congested, commute. This time of year it is particularly stunning. The contrast of the blue sky, white mountains, and green fields. Fields full of hundreds of goslings, dozens of Ibis and Snowy Egrets, and a few Pelican, Herons, and Cranes. We also get the migrating flocks of bluebirds and Oriels to add flitting color. With the surroundings the drive is either a meditative exercise or a chance to converse with my kids and both, to me, justify the time and expense.

Flowers

If the day and night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, ... That is your success.~~ Henry David Thoreau



Flowers are my weakness. Living on a limited budget I have learned to pass by that beautiful pair of shoes and perfect outfit, learned to love to eat simple home cooked meals more than restaurant ones, learned to enjoy cuddling in front of a rented DVD instead of watching movies at the theater, but I haven't mastered the ability to pass by on flowers. My thousands of spring bulbs planted over 15 years is what I nostalgically miss about our now gone house. It will take time to get our current and larger yard to the point of floral beauty I imagine. Flowers are a tangible symbol of joy harboring visual, textural, and aromatic links as well as representative philosophical ones. Spring bulbs are especially symbolic to me. There are times when I feel so unappreciated in my roles of mother, wife, and educator. Times when I feel that I am failing in these roles. Times when I think I made poor decisions about life choices. Then I think of my favorite flower the daffodil. Planted in the fall there is no immediate gratification for the work done. Long cold dark months pass. Months long enough to forget all the places the bulbs were buried. And though a constant and predictable cycle from dormancy to full bloom, they surprise with their arrival of green emerging from the frozen ground, to stretch and reach and arrive with their full brilliance. Once properly planted they can take a lot of neglect and with just a little tendering of water and nutrient they increase their blooms with each passing year resulting in years of anticipated joy. Flowers are a simple joy. My life decisions bring me many simple joys. I am grateful for the abundance of love and happiness that blooms in my life and in this I am successful.