off we go :)

Hey y’all the next time you hear from me I should be bringing pictures of the lovely Cumberland Falls Moonbow.  With the weather how it is, it’s likely we’ll come home on Tuesday… It will no doubt be an adventure!  Hope that y’all get a chance to enjoy spring as much as I’m about to, hooray for backpackin J 

Love,

megapalooza

Oh the beech (Fagus slyvatica)... I love the smooth elephant leg bark on these trees, they simply invite climbing. Anyone who's been to Berea's quad will tell you about the character of the two beeches and their low branching canopies.

This is the amazing spring that I speak of. Here's the ol' Draper building behind some lovely Cercis canadensis (redbud).
Everyone loves a little Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) and I am of course no exception. I can't even begin to explain how delighted I was to see these little flowers coming out. My heart is a spring one.

My little housemate Alix and her lovely fiddle... we have been makin' music lately. Drop me a line if you would like me to e-mail you our most recent attempt. I'm not sure what this little tree is, other than beautiful. Also, it's hard to see, but you can see the tiniest little moon.

Hooray for today's thought provoking speakers

Hey folks,
I sure hope that wherever you are you're getting a snip-it of this amazing spring that came to Berea today. It was the sort of day where I could put my heart on a string and be carried away with the warm breeze. It sure tickled my leg hairs :) Again, today is full to the brim with joy.

What I mentioned in the subject is reffering to two wonderful speakers I heard today. The first was a one woman show performed by the leader of looking for lilith theater company. (If you have a chance, I recommend visiting their website at http://www.lookingforlilith.org/ ). The company seeks to tell the stories of women from various perspectives. They interview women about their theme and then incorporate those interviews into a stage performance. Their subject was the Iraq war. The woman did monologues from the perspectives of: a peace activist, an airforce pilot, a mother who had lost her son, an everyday woman who felt helpless on the issue, and an Iraq woman whose mother was a rebel fighter. It was amazing. She told us how during the interview process she realized that everyone was doing what they thought was right. Which, is cliche, sure, but powerful just the same. Powerful if you really digest it. She said she thought she'd find the evil villian cracking their knuckles and laughing at the state of things... but that it wasn't that simple, everyone does what they see fit. This lesson applied to the context of the Iraq war was quite interesting to me. Hmmm... I'm also reminded of Alix's dad's saying "all we have to do is get along"... Also, she said sometimes the most radical thing we can do is talk to each other. I'm milling over this in the context of my Christianity class as well... the issues of pluaralism.

The second speaker was talking about peace and he talked a lot about immigrants. When he mentioned their "papers" that verified people's citizenship, I couldn't help but draw a link that this truly is modern day slavery. At what point will we say that people are people and all should be free? I'm excited that I have a few friends who are planning to go work with the speaker today as a part of the Christian Peacemaker's Team he works with in Arizona.

Today when I went to play for Thelma, the songbook fell out of my case, so I could only play tunes I knew by heart (what a nice phrase "to know by heart"). I played "Annie's song" first and then later ran out of material before I ran out of time, so I played it again. In the beginning of the second song, Thelma says "I think I've heard you play this one before, and it's purdy".... I smirked a little. It was inspiring to me that to my little Thelma, nothing ever gets old. There's something beautiful in the fact that she literally hears everything as if for the first time. I do love that little Thelma.

Well, we're off to an Ecovillage potluck. Oh another note, I have been notified by the LVC about the three agencies I have phone interviews with. They are:
-Puget Creek Restoration Center Volunteer Coordinator (In Tacoma, WA)
-L'Arche Noah Sealth (the position is for a candle making assistant in a house for people with development disabilities in Seattle, WA)
-Elizabeth Gregory Home (a house for women who are leaving the shelter in Seattle)

I'll have phone interviews next week and keep y'all posted.
Much love!
megapalooza

thankful list:
-bouncy balls
-enough food to fill my belly and then some!
-clean water
-banjos
-Alix's fiddlin'
-Al White for teachin' me banjo and making me laugh
-Thelma
-sunshine
-wind
-my little housemates
-jessa baby
-kids
-the fact that I don't have any kids yet
-to be in school
-to enjoy singing
-a bed
-good friends to pray with
-the possibility of working with LVC next year
-legs that work enough for me to run with

a rad-tastic day! The theme-don't take things so darn seriously!

Hey folks,
Just wanted to share with you what has been an amazing day.... This morning I got up, came downstairs, made a bowl of cereal, then went right back into bed and ate it (still enjoying the residual warmth in my sleeping bag) and proceded to stay in bed for the next three hours working on SENS stuff. Mostly, coordinating the Earth Month schedule. Then I got out of bed, leaving the warm (as my housemates would say).

Sarah Spellman then gave me a lovely swimming lesson after our pool running. Then, and here's a big part of the satisfaction of the day.... I finished my photography portfolio! Hoorah! Some of the pictures aren't even that bad, either :) Then Corrie, Alix and I proceded to attend a recital that everyone taking any campus music lessons had to go to... It was classical music, which we had a hard time getting into. We spent our time doodling and holding back laughter. We definately experienced the convulsion-trying-not-to-laugh-thing. It was really a hoot. The best part of it was this fellow who came out with an enourmous smile then proceded to narrow his eyes in all seriousness and then sing like a lion... no joke, we thought his face looked like a lion's when he sang. I couldn't even watch him, I was so afraid I'd laugh out loud.

Then after that overly staunch thinga-jig we came outside to a slight drizzle.... which gave me the idea that we needed to go mud puddling, asap. So Corrie and I took off to the woods and stopped at every puddle along the way (okay, there weren't that many). Because we couldn't find that many puddles we just started throwing mud at each other. It sure was joyful and exciting and hillarious. Corrie and I then headed back to La Vida (the feminist co-op on campus where she lives). Then our little Alix showed up sad that the Ag building was locked and she had not been able to get inside to clean. So out of pity we went on another muddin' excursion.

We got back just in time to not start our meeting on time (the meetings never start on time... the leaders are less than organized and punctual). It's the group formerly known as the School of Americas Watch... but for some reason, they changed the name to "PETH: People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans." I must admit that I keep the new name a secret and avoid telling anyone that's what we are called... it's just so darn silly... Alix and I are superbly amused at the seriousness of this group because it is largely unorganized and unefficient. We came home from the meeting and listened to Dar William's song about "students against the treacherous use of fur". We laughed so hard because there are a few folks in the group who completely fit with the song... if y'all want I can e-mail the song to you, chances are it will make you laugh.

To finish off this lovely lovely day, Eli, Alix and I have been wrestling again, which makes me laugh so much. No one in this house is safe from wedgies, tickling, or general pinching.

Also interesting today, Alix and I reflected on the satisfaction in completing specific tasks in college. Perhaps it's a bit artificial to feel like you've accomplished something after writing a paper... but college gives you countless little things to feel good about finishing. But what the heck... why not enjoy the little accomplishments?

The thankful list:
-laughter
-my housemates
-wedgies
-the lion singer
-clean water
-lemon honey tea
-Dar williams songs
-"PETH"
-mud puddlin!
-completing concrete tasks
-Corrie's hoodie, which I snatched because I needed dry clothes
-the dark room
-playin' banjo
-sharing joy!

This is the lovely Beth, who has the most gentle, calm heart of anyone I know. (Another shot for photography class, using simplicity) The little Corrie :)
This is my labor supervisor Paul before he drank our very own rainwater that we treat on site...
We found it to have rejuvinating effects, this is Paul after drinking the water! Well, really it's my housemate Wes, but we sure liked that set up. Hope you did too :)

As promised, here's a pic of Jessa and her fancy walkin' stick pointing to the hill we camped on in the distance. I do appreciate a mid-week camp out :) I just like the lines of this picture...
This picture of a Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore) leaf uses the rule of 1/3s and I dig how the ice patterns mimic the leaf edges.

I would love to e-mail all of the wonderful folks individually... but have decided to use my pre-bed note time for this

Hey folks...
This week has been lovely... it has somehow flown by already. Moved back into the SENS house, which has been a hoot.... but I must admit is a dangerous theif of time (both official house/sens duties and having Alix around because the two of us get to playin' music and then all of the sudden we've spent a few hours...). SENS stuff has been busy this week, but not without wonderful down time.

Monday night Jessa and I took off to the big hill in the college forest :) when I get around to it, I'll post a picture. Oh yeah, for the folks who I haven't told yet, I got into the Lutheran Volunteer Corps! Shazam :) It feels pretty weird to know that I've got next year figured out to some extent. It feels relieving, yet a bit like I'm cheating the system. Is it supposed to work out so easily? I don't doubt that I'll have plenty of learnin' coming my way, but it feels so different to have that weight lifted. I'm glad it's only a year committment and I haven't decided "what I want to do when I grow up"... I still stand firm in the answer I formed as a five year old--that I want to be happy when I grow up. I want to be thankful and joyful, with a happy heart. ...and who knows what my "work" will be... I'm just not concerned with it. I'll get to that fork in the road when I do, and not before.

A lot of things are trying to teach me patience lately. Photography class is the number one thing coaxing me to be more chill. I spend ages looking for the perfect shot, meter it off the grey card, adjust all of the settings, focus it, develop the film, and make prints...then most of the time it's not quite what I thought it would be. So don't be surprised to receive a photography print reject turned into a postcard :)

We are days away from drinking rainwater at the SENS house! Today we spent oodles of time flushing out the rainwater system. We're thinking about coming up with some sort of comic using the exciting names from various manuals we used today... the characters would be the "SANATRON 2400", the "Patended dual action wiper mechanism" and our favorite (now this one isn't something we have for the drinking water, but out in our sewage treatment greenhouse) the "SLUDGE JUDGE 3000"!

Pickin' has brought me much grinnin' lately too.

hmmm.... my battery is about to die, so the thankful list may be short...
Today I'm grateful for:
-postcards
-the miracle of clean water
-fleece
-Iron and wine songs that beg to be played on the banjo
-housemates to laugh with
-thoughtful folks
-leftover snacks
-clouds
-rain
-sleep
-Thelma :)
-secrets
-mason jars
-mud
-free food
-Al White for teachin' me banjo skills
-Missy-Sue for lettin' me call her up and play songs to her
-Botany... it's like I know the plants intimately... like they've let me into their club
-the gift of the present!

The lovely goodnight things from aunt pegasus.
Here's one from photography, using the rule of thirds.
A teansy crocus... Dr. T. says he just lights up when these come out, because then he believes spring will come again. I'm not so sure they waited long enough, it snowed today... but it's all good because I finished my long run just as it started and am now drinking warm tea.