Dec. 28th, 2009
Just finished an excellent book called Forest Born, by Shannon Hale. Hale is shaping up to be another LeGuin. In Enna Burning, she described the moral issues surrounding the use of the atomic bomb. In this one, she describes the curse/gift of "people speaking," aka charisma combined with the extreme empathy of very sensitive people (especially those who were abused as toddlers). Looking forward to reading her graphic novel & adult fiction. On the other hand, I wasn't interested enough in Madeleine L'Engle's The Joys of Love, which she wrote for her granddaughters in 1940, to finish it.
Enjoyed visiting my sister & nephews on the 19th, and our best lesbian friends in Ypsi from the 18th-20th. Had fun at Trader Joe's & Whole Foods, & the tour of Zingerman's Creamery. Good goat cheese, batman! Also had a giggling good time visiting with my friend Jim on Saturday.
Dec. 8th, 2009
mother nuts
My mother has gone to the psych unit of the hospital again, my sister says. It really seems like mom needs to live vicariously through me, so when I refuse to take her calls, she goes bonkers. She seems like a stalker without boundaries.Dec. 4th, 2009
Snow!
13.5" of snow overnight here (that's the official figure & I sure brushed off at least that much from the top of the garbage container when I wheeled it out)! Plus, 3-6" more expected today.Nov 5, 2009
I attended a concert by GVSU's New Music Ensemble. They performed "In C" by Terry Riley, a "minimalist masterpiece" completed in 1964. Their new CD, "In C Remixed," got a great review in the Newsweek (October 12, 2009). The composition was printed on the back of the program--it is 53 measures long & each musician must start at the beginning and go forward in order, but is free to decide when to begin playing, how many times to repeat the measure, what octave to play it in, what variations to play, etc. What could be chaotic is instead richly layered, both rhythmically & harmonically, sometimes sounding like John Adams, sometimes like whale songs, sometimes just like itself. It was beautiful. When I returned to the office, I realized that we didn't own the cd, & am ordering it for the Library. Thus what was originally just an ordinary liaisoning event became a collection development opportunity.
Nov. 1st, 2009
Went for a walk today, down to the Nature Center & on the shortest path. Noticed some periwinkle raspberry canes, one lone New England aster, and the golden light of the path in the woods.Sep. 11th, 2009
now this is an opera I might enjoy...
Aug. 24th, 2009
Richland Horse Trials
Went to the trials on Saturday to see both show jumping in the arena and cross-country. It was great to see all of the gorgeous horses up close, and the galloping jumps and splashes through water.... Definitely worth the donation to Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center. The riders & horses ranged from "novice" to Olympic-level, with one trainer bringing 5 horses of his own and multiple students.
Jul. 21st, 2009
UP travels
We went to Tahquamenon Falls
which were roaring tannin-brown & I spotted a Blackburnian warbler
& a yellow-rumped warbler. I went back the next morning because it
was so beautiful--giant ferns in the woods, 8-foot-tall thistles,
multiple falls, etc. At Seney National Wildlife Refuge,
spotted Sandhill cranes, a yellow warbler, ospreys (flying &
nesting), loons with chicks on their backs, trumpeter swans &
cygnets, a kingfisher, cedar waxwings, an Eastern kingbird, & a
Northern Flicker. We also heard a Hermit Thrush singing away, saw a
beaver swimming, & spotted a ruffed grouse sitting just outside the
preserve. Gorgeous. I also enjoyed driving through the Keweenaw
Peninsula, including Agate beaches, Brockway Drive, the Eagle Harbor
Lighthouse, & Canyon Falls (wow, flat rocks in MI, & maple-syrup-colored spume). Visited Ed Gray at his studio in Calumet & some other art galleries. Enjoyed the views & architecture in Marquette.
It
was neat to see lots of bedrock, stamp sands from the copper mining,
white birch & cedars in abundance, wildflowers blooming. Oh, &
to eat baked goodies from the monks at the Jampot!
Wildflowers:
Yellow:
black-eyed Susans, golden Alexanders, buttercups, goat's beard, St.
John's wort, hawkweed (Canadian), sweet yellow clover, goldenrod, yellow
lilypads, wild parsnip, something which looked like yellow vetch (help,
please, if you know it!), hop clover, sulfur cinquefoil, fringed
loosestrife.
Orange: hawkweed, daylilies.
White:
pussytoes, daisies, daisy fleabane, Queen Anne's lace, sweet white
clover, yarrow, white lilypads, fringed campion, spreading dogbane,
thimbleberry, bunchberry.
Pink/purple: thistles (8 feet tall!),
New England asters, sweet peas, crown vetch, milkweed (common) &
swamp milkweed, sweet clover, spotted knapweed, wild roses, purple
loosestrife, fireweed.
Blue: harebells.
Other: sedges & giant ferns at Tahquamenon.
Experienced the Party....
Jun. 2nd, 2009
pond, VA, crafts
The putting in of the pond is going ok. Maybe 1/2 of the pond sides are backfilled. I
was feeling tired & grubby when the phone rang, & it was a
childhood friend who now lives in Seattle, calling to see if we could
get together for lunch (here in MI)! How pleasant it was to see her
& her mom. Too bad it took Amy away from her office for 5 hours.
While
we were in Virginia, I took a guided tour of the Cascades Gorge, which I
had walked several times before when it was still open to the public.
Now one has to pay. But it was worth it for the things I learned (too
much to repeat here).
Tomorrow I may visit the carving club, as I have a hankering to learn & Amy
gave me a tool kit for xmas. We stopped at the Tamarack in West
Virginia & I was amazed by the quality of the art & craft work
there. Oh, and I saw Damascus (folded) steel for the first time, as in
Laurie Marks' books.
The cherry tomatoes, lemon thyme, and
rosemary are in (I still prefer to wait until after Memorial Day to
plant). Sage is doing well, same with chives & lemon verbena. Our
late-blooming lilac is particularly fragrant this year, as it loves the
cool weather. Iris are Tall & gorgeous!
May. 20th, 2009
bloomin' ...
The paw paw trees are blooming, with their maroon flowers. Trillium are dying pinkly and the bluebells are slimming down, but Jack-in-the-Pulpits, geraniums, phlox, and violets are all flowering profusely, and the Dame's Rocket has started taking over roadsides. And the mosquitoes are swarming, SWARMING I tell you! So I got a very brisk, heart-healthy, arm-waving walk in early. Near the end of my walk the breeze blew strongly enough so I could breathe the greening beauty in deeply.May. 14th, 2009
Birdwatching & wildflowers
I have decided that birdwatching is very frustrating here--the birds are
very shy & flitty. I enjoyed going to Point Pelee last Sunday--the
warblers are much less shy there & thus easier to see. I have been
seeing Rose-breasted Grosbeaks regularly, along with Baltimore Orioles.
At Pt. Pelee, I added a blue-winged warbler to the life list; we also
saw many yellow warblers & orioles--even a Baltimore-Bullocks
intergrade.
Here at home, there is a small gray gnatcatcher or
warbler-type with a faint eye-ring which is extremely adept at keeping
itself hidden in the tree and teasing me by accompanying me on the whole
walk but allowing only 2 glimpses in an hour or so. Its call is very
mockingbird-like, cycling through 2 repeats of many species like robins,
jays, etc.
Wildflowers spotted today: honeysuckle, may apple, common strawberry.
May. 8th, 2009
more wildlife & wildflowers
Yesterday while walking, a friend & I saw an eastern hognose snake, Virginia bluebells all over--including the white variation, wild ginger, & Jack-in-the-pulpit.Today I saw several rose-breasted grosbeaks, garter snakes, a ribbon snake, painted turtles, nesting mallards, red trillium, & white & magenta violets--never seen such before--gorgeous.
May. 6th, 2009
birds & wildflowers
Today I spied a scarlet tanager, a veery singing veerily, phlox & false lily of the valley blooming, and redbud starting to haze the creek banks.
May. 3rd, 2009
New blooms
Golden Alexanders, marsh marigolds, rue anemone, wild geraniums.Apr. 29th, 2009
Blooming in the woods
Yesterday & today: Early meadow rue, Blue cohosh, wood anemone (discovered when I had to bushwack because the path was under a "lake"), self-heal, ground ivy.
Apr. 26th, 2009
wildflower update
While the hepatica are done, now open (in addition to those previously listed) are: trillium, violets, squirrel corn (think wild, white "bleeding hearts"), swamp buttercups. The forest floor is blanketed in wildflowers!Last year we bought a pair of pre-formed plastic tubs for a backyard pond. Yesterday Tullio helped me dig, so the larger tub fits in the ground now. Next: dig the hole for the smaller section. Too rainy today (yes, we got wet yesterday). Time for a walk, to listen to the frogs.
Apr. 15th, 2009
wildflowers & fowl
In Aman Park (Grand Rapids) today, I spotted the following blooming: the hepatica are everywhere!, spring beauties, spring cress, bloodroot, Dutchman's britches, false rue anemone, myrtle, & the forsythia. The last 2 were probably planted by the original owners of the land & have gone wild (is there such a thing as feral flowers? "escaped cultivation" or "naturalized"). Also, I saw a male Wood duck splashing down into one of the vernal ponds--gorgeous.
Apr. 3rd, 2009
Ramps
The wild leeks are springing up like crazy here. Anyone for a ramp dinner? Need to know more? Check here.
Apr. 2nd, 2009
new kitty
We have a new addition to the household: "Dawn's Choice" (Choice) is an 8-year-old American Shorthair, silver shaded, retired-from-the-beauty-queen-circuit, female (spayed) cat.Apr. 1st, 2009
wildflowers
Mar. 12th, 2009
Aboriginal art
Today I'm off to a lecture called “Art as Spirit among the Australian Aborigines” by James Cowan (1942-). I know I've read at least one of his books, and he has had shows at GVSU--his collections of Aboriginal art are fantastic.Last Saturday I had much fun attending the Stulberg Competition in Kalamazoo. It was the 1st time ever (34 years of this international competition) that a string bassist had ever won--I think Nick Schwartz will be as good as Edgar Meyer--sweet and ultra-clear tone, great interpretation, beautiful playing all around.
2 comments:
Kim,
I was intrigued by your article Meeting the Seventh-day Adventists in the September 2009 Friends Journal. (My wife attends the midweek and Sunday Meeting here in Chico, CA.) I abridged the article on Reinventing the Adventist Wheel blog without your permission. The editor, appropriately, in my opinion, but without consulting me, gave you credit for a “guest post”. Take a look at my attempt to abridge your article for blog consumption. If you don’t approve the post, it will be taken down immediately. I’m hoping, however, that you will allow it to remain. I blog at Adventist Perspective and Spectrum.
I did the deed in the spirit of your last lines: “This study with a worship group so different from my own certainly led me to a different understanding of what it means to be a Quaker, and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to do so as part of a recorded ministry. Now I am glad to share the results of my experience with others.”
I’m hoping that the “others” can include SDA’s. Your article provided a thoughtful and accurate look at a traditional Adventist community. That “look” is extremely important as 21st century progressive Adventists attempt to make our fellowship more Christian and more Quaker is ways that will be apparent if you check out the blogs I mentioned. (By the way, there is an Adventist gay and lesbian organization called Kinship that is actively working with others of us to change the attitudes that you so rightly and righteously condemn.)
I did not identify you as a lesbian because SDA members, most in need of a change of attitude, might dismiss your words with prejudice. If, however, you feel that this information is important, it will be included.
Finally, in your article you mention that you wrote “an essay addressing the SDA position” that you shared with only two other people because, “as an outsider I could [not] affect a real change.” I believe that that article, along with this one, can be a real change agent, and I would be delighted to post that article, with an introduction by me, on any Adventist blog you fine most appropriate.
Enjoyed your blog, by the way, and apologize for sending this missive as a comment. Didn’t know your email address.
Best wishes, Andy Hanson
My email address is aphanson@csuchico.edu. I had to leave off the blog addresses for Reinventing the Adventist Wheel, Adventist Perspective, and Spectrum in order to leave a comment. You should have no trouble locating them. Once again, best wishes, Andy
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