great things list #25

the two of us loading up a truck full of piñon and then unloading it at the new house.
anticipating the cozy feel of a warm fire keeping our home warm.

great things list #24

when the seedlings begin to pop up, a great thing each year.

great things list #23

buying some seeds. and new garden gloves. at the hardware store.
knowing that it will be warm enough to plant, one day soon-ish.

great things list #22

taking a lunch-break walk on a sunny day.
(& stopping for a hot chai)

great things list #21

learning my own way around this town.

great things list #20

I haven't posted a great things list since May of '11.
Am sure I've seen & heard many great things since, but dropped the habit of posting about them.
So I think I'll try it again.

A simple one, afternoon sunshine on the geraniums.

great things list #19

may flowers for a birthday.

great things list #18

listening to records on a sunny afternoon.

great things list #17

the place where I'm hoping to spend some quality time over the next week.
can be dreamy, especially when the sunshine joins me.

great things list #16

believing in my president.

watching him speak to Congress on national TV. and smiling. with a feeling of
confidence. and even, getting a bit teary-eyed.

and wanting to clap right along with everyone there.

great things list #15

morning sunshine in the kitchen.

great things list #14

finding new chocolate chip cookie recipes. or, just reading an article about the wonder of them. and how many ways they can be made. leave it to the New York Times, to make what is really just great when plain & simple, to look possibly decadent & fussily good too.

am not convinced yet to try these, with there two-kinds of flour (cake & bread? hmm, tempting) and long refrigeration period. will definitely substitute my own fancy chocolate. but, haven't ruled it out either. b/c sometimes the power of the cookie, draws you to the fridge. where you pull out the butter, set it on the counter, and know, that in mere hours, it will be time to blend with sugar til light & creamy.

(yes, I skipped great things #13. call me superstitious. go ahead, do it)

great things #12

when former White House officials decide to tell the truth. about lies & corruption. and fake wars that cost Americans their lives and love, while making a fortune for those running the ship.

whether it be to truly honor the American people, or to avoid ending up in that special Hell reserved for those that defy truth, honor, respect and the American Democracy. (I like to think that it is a very hot room, with a jury of Founding Fathers. and possibly, Christ.). Satanic Majesties, indeed.

great things #11

money well spent, paying someone to mow the lawn.

great things list #10, dance party

under the red glow. with the stars out above. and cocktails everywhere.

little known outside of the fair city of Lawrence. is the knowledge of the funtimes to be had. during the spring & summer, while a dj plays out back at the Replay Lounge.

fortunately, I got a reminder last weekend. with my dear friends.

(the live music inside, performed by friends, was an added bonus)

at the end of the night, when I didn't get to walk back to my old house (as I used to), was bittersweet. but maybe dance parties are best when rare, rather than routine.

great things list #9, Spring

today is the Spring Equinox.
First day of Spring.
A season of Hope.
a day that most of us who make daily drudges through winter, look forward to.
though it could still snow, or freeze, basically Spring is here.
I can tell walking outside, I can smell things. the air is actually verdant. b/c the world has thawed. and living outside again.

dreaming of fresh basil on fresh tomatoes, all warm from the sunshine.
the basil sprouts, above. at 17 days.

dreaming of zinnias. in the summer.
















and now the time comes, to start feeling busy because the outdoors must be tended to.

1. move compost pile to garden plot, work into soil at least 2 ft. deep
2. rake up leaf piles that have acted as mulch through winter.
3. plant peas?
4. trim crazy-lady looking shrubs around house.
5. plant pansies in front.
6. buy many cubic feet of peat moss
7. clean up new daffodil bed, around trunk of the Buckeye. line in red bricks.
8. repair, or have repaired, the crumbly edge of concrete front stoop
9. go to greenhouse/nursery, for boost of spring/summer fever. try not to dream bigger than yard allows.
10. plant grass in bare patches of backyard.

Finally, I hope everyone got to read this NYT editorial on Obama and his historic & honest speech about American's racial divide and its ability to be a more perfect union. Or for that matter, read the speech/see the speech. A profile in courage, healing the racial divide, a ray of hope.
I believe in the greatness of this country, its citizenry & its power to lead by example. But I think our country has been, and is being, torn apart by divisions politically, religiously & economically. And so I hope, though our greatness has been fractured, it yet can be rebuilt. By its people & its democratic process. Obama has the strength & integrity to lead us through that.

A chorus of our Union, touched by the better angels of our nature.

great things list #8.

when the sprouts show up.

(its been nine days since planting)

great things list #7

seed starting.

the sunny morning, got me inspired. I've not wanted to
do this on a cloudy, cranky day.

these are the beginnings of Basil. Genovese & Siam.

also. nervous about political events taking place today.
in Ohio & Texas.
damn politics. love it all, in a nail-biting way. here's hoping
what happens today, is what is best for all of us.

great things list #6, voting

it is a big day for Democracy. this Super Tuesday.

so tonight, I'll be voting. As a Kansan, that
means, I'll be heading to a caucus.
Where I've also volunteered to help with registration
and counting heads.

I'm actually calm today. November 4th, will likely be the day o' emotional moments.
(usually election days give me surges of choked-up emotions. because of pride, fear, thankfulness, community, hope and, the Constitution.)

because, though sometimes a flawed process, a Democracy it is still
a great process.

of the people, by the people, for the people.

great things list #5, faraway places

about ten years ago, I had a trip to Turkey.
I'd gone to visit a best friend, Miss LMR. as she was living there, discovering the world by living all over it.
I arrived by Christmas and stayed through the first days of 1998.

at this point ten years ago, I was frantically writing in my journal about the smells, the colors and the sounds. words like pide, beze, merhaba, ak-deniz, lütfen & kenz-i mahfi, are all over my journal. some of the words are in LMR's handwriting. (isn't it amazing how having another person's handwriting written somewhere can make it seem like you've got a part of them with you?)
















so I've been browsing it. my journal. on my last journal entry in Istanbul I wrote, "It will be frustrating to go home and want to relive this time--with people who can only imagine & not have actually lived. I really am not so sure that I'll be ready to leave. There is so much more to do--this whole world is full of pictures."

it changed my world. that smell of roasted sesame seeds. that language so magically different from mine. the sound of the early morning drums during Ramadan. hot apple tea after a cold boat ride on the sea.

can you believe it LMR? It was ten years ago. I'll visit again. I absolutely, must.