Hey folks,
I don't know how everyone else is feelin' but my little heart is anxiously awaiting spring. Today I had a most beautiful run on a bloody big toe. I stubbed my toe somethin' fierce yesterday and shouldn't be running, but it was a "When Sofie Gets Angry" sort of day filled with silly little things that made me take refuge in a pair of new balances on the trails... then of course, just like Sofie, I had a view from the top of the hill I had run to and a moment of great peace in which I gained the courage to go back into the world. Don't know the book? check it out... it's most lovely. Oh yeah, I guess I have a copy of it if you want to borrow it.

I should be doing homework, but I wanted to shoot out a quick note to the blog and with it send love to anyone reading it. ...and avoid my Christianity reading for a few more minutes. There should be some pictures coming soon, not that my camera is back in my life, but I get to do some digital photography in class soon.

Thankful list:
-that I can see the moon from my window at the library
-the sunset that was airbrushed looking and is now creating a lovely backdrop for the sillhuetted trees
-Dar Williams music
-the banjo in my life!
-Al White for teaching me how to make music on it (well, kinda)
-how good singing makes me feel
-clean water to drink
-the ability to run
-lungs that work again!
-trees that can calm my heart
-the opportunity to learn at Berea
-Irene for taking the brunt of my bad mood today
-Ellen for bein' the superstar she is
-spring, for promising to come soon
-sunshine!!!!!!
-joy
-all of the adventures I have been blessed to have
-memories
-tea
-photos that come through the mail
-cards
-afternoon naps in my sunny bed at the SENS house
-thank you notes
-baked tofu, yum!

ps-I've been having tons of fun coming up with plant jokes in field botany... here's the best recent one:
Why didn't the shining clubmoss take a seat after her speech?
Because she liked-a-podium!!!!!
(hint- shining clubmoss is Lycopodium lucidulum)

quick, before I forget....

Hey y'all,
I wanted to say that I appreciate everyone in my life. I was delighted to get nearly 50 folks to sit with me the other day and make valentines to their representatives and to Mr. Jody Richards (speaker of the KY house of reps) asking for support on the KY house bill 385 or the national Clean Water Protection Act... (there's still time for you to add your voice, check out www.ilovemountains.org ) It was great to see that outpouring... also I just have to say that life is beautiful. Today I talked to my baby Ava, had banjo lessons with Al, went to a Spiritual Seekers meeting, had a most lovely run with Kati did (who says 26 is cold?), got to enjoy a most wonderful warmin' cup of tea, sent out letters to hearts that I love, am listening to greg brown's "spring wind" as if spring is here, ran into lots of folks who gave me many wonderful hugs already... my heart is full. Thanks be to the entire world today! Life is amazing.

movin' on up... (FYI-if you love mountains-send them a card!!!!)

Hey y'all...
Today has been joyful just thought I'd share a smidge with ya. So it feels good to be at my kaintuck home... but wait, I'm preparing for yet another stint as a professional couch surfer (hmm.... it's been what three months goin' at this point?). My housemates are beggin' me to get out so they can start the woodstove... For some reason they want the kitchen warmer than 47 degrees, what luxery! I'm off to Irene's for heat that doesn't bug my little lungs. It was a full 19 degrees yesterday, nice for joggin', you know. Have spent oodles of time catchin' up with my ber folks, has been gggreat. Also exciting is this semester that should be a bit easier than what I'm used to.

Was chattin' with Sarah today and I think I might stop applying for things that aren't near Arcata... I mean it's so nice to be there... who am I kidding, I love it! So perhaps I'll graduate and find a place to sublet and go from there. I don't have to save the world right away, you know.

Am lookin' forward to v-day for the cheesy card factor. I stumbled upon some of my classic designs that I was happy to find... just y'all wait... they're radical! Oh yeah, another note about v-day.... If you love mountains send a card in their honor. Sound crazy? Not really... send a valentines' day card to your representative asking that they co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act. It will reclassify mountain top debris from mountaintop removal as "waste" and thus protect the waterways in Appalachia more (we hope) because it will be illegal to valley fill. Just in case you didn't know--Mountaintop Removal (MTR) is a horrific method used in Appalachia to get to the coal quickly and cheaply. They blow the tops off of mountains and then fill the valleys. There are things called "sludge ponds" where they clean the coal and store this muck... they often break and are not constructed according to legal standards. Because they fill the valleys it causes frequent floods and contaminates waterways. It pollutes the Appalachian communities, and ruins the oldest mountain range in the world. Learn more at www.ilovemountains.org or ask me to borrow the book Lost Mountain. Not sure who your rep. is or where to write them? Check out www.vote-smart.org and type in your zip code. For the Berea folks, keep your eyes open for e-mails, I'm workin' with HEAL to set up a table in the CPO to make the cards next week... and we'll get SENS to cover the postage too. Alright, I'm off the soap box now....

thankful:
-rene will let me stay with her :)
-the ol' ecovillage, it feels good to be back to this community
-sleeping bags, as always
-falling asleep to movies
-the cereal "muffin tops"
-celebrating my last night of freedom before school starts with the spellman sisters and beth
-my crazy wonderful housemates
-all things sweet
-the banjo!
-dar william's music
-space heaters
-workin' out all the time, hoorah
-chi tea
-clean water to drink
-stuffed animals on loan
-cowgirl boots
-ginger chews
-warm hats and scarves for cold houses

reflections and predictions over a ~magic* crystal?!

Whoa....that is my only possible response from a catch up session like I just experienced. I was excited to see my little Jessa again, but our cohort-ing days have been much more recent than those of Kati and I... so there was no uncertainty about what it would be like to hug Jessa again... Miss Kati Maginel and I just spent the evening telling stories in attempts at feeling out an "old" friendship that has been geographically separated for over a year and a half now (due to ramblin' adventures that led us to opposite corners of the earth at various times). How interesting, the physiological responses of seeing old friends... it starts (at least in my most recent experience) with some sort of nervousness and uncertainty... and a certain amount of dumbfounded-ness as well. Was I actually seeing Kati-did again? The chica whose path I have not crossed in so long? The girl who knows my early Berea history as we study our butts off in "Plants for Society" freshman year together? Is this the girl who I spent my first year as a SENS director learning and living and laughin' with?

Our conversation spanned the gamut as we inserted various stories of adventures and trips down memory lane... we recalled what stories lie within these walls of the SENS house... Not many people spend the majority of their undergrad experience in the same house, job, and even room. Kati just left to head back to the place she and David will share with Leslie and Drew... As some sort of ritualistic pre-semester cleansing I began taking down all of my old decorations. It was so interesting to reflect on the tiny prayers written and taped around the room, and see the hopes and see how I have learned since just last semester. Looking back, Kati and I were amused by our naivety in life and relationships. I wonder which of my current ideals will appear naïve in hindsight. Perhaps I might find that the idealism and intention with which I try to act are not feasible in this so-called "real world"... or maybe I will have a different idea about what love is... who is to tell.

One topic we over-analyzed was friendship... What makes a lasting one? What is it that enables you to relate to some people rather than others? Can relationships be both grounded in a rich history and fluid enough to continue indefinitely? We realized that some of the things that have made our friendship work over the years are not only similar life situations (first loves, first huge heart breaks, etc.) but also similar ways in reflecting on those situations. I can recall after the Costa Rica trip chatting with Kati about our classmates, not in a malicious, gossipy sense, but rather an honest "how did you interpret those actions?" way. Everyone always says that conversation is important in friendships (and all relationships, really). I think that more than that is necessary. Conversation is not enough... it needs to conversation that induces a familiar sense of presence, conversation that feels real to both parties, conversation that feels honest and perspective shifting... conversation that is as challenging as it is amusing. Conversation capable of spanning the entire spectrum of experiences from reminiscing ancient crushes to the ever-present uncertainty about the future. Hmmph.

Cheers to old friends. (and new ones too... they gotta start somewhere)

Thankful list:

-lunch with mama

-jessa and nathan's hugs!

-lester and drew

-kati did and the memories she brings

-this crazy house I live in... and the stories it has seen

-my old notes and prayers, and the fresh start removing them gives me

-tiny heaters (hey, I'm not used to winter and I'm not about to hang out in a 50 degree room, sustainable or not)

-relaxing

-smiling

-the salt crystal lamp that makes you feel like you're around a campfire

-my last semester, shazam!

-all of the Berea opportunities I have had

-gram's cookies

-to come home to Eli and Brandie, who have already made me laugh 50 times

-sleeping bags

-my houseplants!

-that my wild spearmint is still alive and wonderful

-Alix's knitting skills and the colorful scarf that she left for me