Checking In

Folks - I'm in Virginia. I've had almost a week of some of the most incredible experiences that I hardly know where to start. Some highlights - Ohio is MUCH bigger than it appears on the map. MUCH. And did you know that there is a strip of West Virginia that slides up BETWEEN Ohio and Pennsylvania? Because I have to say that this was NOT clear on the map I got from Yahoo. But I made it to where I was going and hey - I'm not bitter!

Actually, my stop in West Virginia is one of the highlights of the trip so far. I pulled over in a small valley to check my directions (since I didn't realize i was going to even be IN that state) and just as i stepped out of my car a little country church across the way began to ring it's bells. I'm not going to be able to describe the moment when that rich music rang across that valley, except to say that I couldn't move. I had to stand and listen until the very last note died away. It was the kind of awe-inspiring moment when the light, the sound the smells, the colors, every sense of my being was delighted.

I went on to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where I met some wonderful people who were in a position to advise me on my writing and did so. I made some connections that may help me with my book. But I'll tell you something even more important, I made some connections with some just plain fabulous women. I discoverd that one of them lives about two hours from my home, and I'm hoping that I'll have a chance to see that connection grow.

On Friday night I had dinner with a long-time xanga friend who is developing a new website that I'm extremely excited about. I can't wait for him to launch it so I can direct you all - especially my poet friends - to check it out. I promise that you will LOVE what you find there.

I drove down to Virginia yesterday and today my friend Mary and I went into Washington DC and visited the Smithsonian - okay - we visited PART of the Smithsonian. I saw the Hope Diamond, which was a pretty rock (I didn't realize that it's blue). In addition to the Natural History Building we visited the Art and Industry Building. Tomorrow we are going to walk down the Mall and visit the memorials.

Thank you for checking in on me while I'm out of town. I'm taking lots of photos, and when I get home, I'll be posting them for you. Don't exect me for a while though. My trip is scheduled to last though Oct. 8. I'll be storing up memories and ideas to share with you.

GO!

"there is only one Road; its like a great river: its springs leap at every doorstep, and every path is its tributary.  It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say.  "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."  Bilbo Baggins speaking in The Fellowship of the Ring

Life is a verb ... at least according to the Public Service Announcement.  In my life the most exciting verb is "go" - I go, we go, I am going, we have gone ... I love to move from one place to the next.  And, dare I admit it, I like to go FAST!  I love the sense of being swept along an open road that may wind up a mountain or down to the sea. 

This time tomorrow morning, I'll be driving in a new direction, covering ground and miles I've never seen before.  I'm taking the road through Ohio and Pennsylvania - winding my way around in a long journey with several stops that will end when I coast up to the doorstep of my friend.  Even then I will not rest, we will go together on the next steps of the journey.  Into DC, into art class, into the next level of knowing each other as friends.  There is no arriving on the great Road, there is only the next step and the next.  I love the go and grow. 

I am packed - mostly, and prepared for obvious eventualities, but if I were fully prepared for everything I will encounter, I'd be disappointed.  Surprise is the signal that I am in a new place.

Oh, yes, my bags are packed.  My address book is tucked carefully in my purse so I can send postcards to my friends.  I have a new memory stick for my digital camera so I can record sights of the Road.  I've taken care of every detail that I can think of.  I'm ready to go.

**Updated**

Get Set ~

I was very pleased with myself last summer for my economical packing.  I got everything I needed for two weeks in Florida into ONE suitcase.  So you'd think that with approximately the same amount of time planned for my trip to Virginia - I'd need the same luggage.  Wrong.  There's a chance that the extra poundage I'll be lugging along COULD be attributed to the fact that the cooler weather means I'm packing clothes that will take up more space than my swimsuit and tee shirts.  But I don't think that's the answer.

It's trunk space.  See, when we went to Florida, well WE went to Florida.  So all the gear for four people plus the ice chest and the stuff for the beach all had to fit in that trunk.  This time I get that trunk all to myself.  Mwuahahahahahahaha!  I'm TRYING to be reasonable, but really since I don't HAVE to limit myself to a single bag, there's no reason I can't throw in a few extras that MIGHT come in handy - right? 

I HAVE managed to narrow down the number of shoes I'll be taking - it helps that I'm a Southern Woman so I know the rule about "no white shoes after Labor Day" ...

Whew!

All done. 

Have you ever done once a month cooking?  There's actually a book by that title.  The edition I'm using is several years older than the one I've linked to at the bottom of this blog and I understand the newer version has some changes for lower fat recipes, and easier preparation.  I use the template for chopping and dicing, but I don't stick to their recipes.  We like things that are spicier than the fairly basic resipes the authors include, but then they tell you up front that they hope you will adapt their idea to suit your own tastes. 

When I first heard of it, I thought it sounded like a nice idea for those poor souls who didn't have the luxury of staying at home.  But I couldn't see why I'd want to do it.  Then, when I was pregnant, I discovered an excellent reason to try - I was sick as a dog for nine months and one day a month was about all I could stand to be in the kitchen.  So my sister and my friend came over, we got out every pot and pan in the house, and went to town.

Now I know there are excellent reasons for doing this even though I rarely do it anymore. 

1. It's the cheapest way I've found to feed my family.  I spent less than $140 at the grocery and I have enough home cooked from scratch meals to feed growing BOYS for more than two weeks.

2. Even though I'm a stay at home mom, I'm busy with homeschool and life (writing!) and I don't have time to spend chopping and dicing and cooking every day the way I'd like to.  The once-a-month-cooking-plan saves us from convenience foods or being forced to head to McDonald's on nights when I just can't do it. 

3. Because I start with fresh veggies, meats, cheeses, etc, I know that the food I'm preparing for my family meets MY very tough standards in terms of low-fat, no preservatives, etc. 

The food that I prepared today ALL fits in the bottom half of the freezer atop my refrigerator so it's not essential to own a huge freezer in order to do this. 

It is a lot of work.  I started this morning by boiling and deboning 2 chickens.  While they were cooking I browned a little over 5 pounds of very lean ground beef (for the once-a-month-cooking thing, the leaner the better so you don't have shrinkage.)  With these foundations, I have since assembled -

1.5 quarts of chili
1 quart of Spaghetti sauce
1 tray of enchiladas with green chili sauce
1 quart of hamburger stroganoff

Teriyaki chicken
Chicken a la King
Tarragon Chicken filling for croissant roll sandwiches
Chicken Spinach casserole
3 quarts of Chicken and Wild Rice soup (really good served with toasted almonds for garnish)

Ham slices in cherry sauce
Ham Linguini Casserole
Broccoli and Ham Casserole

Tomorrow I'll finish off by making Split Pea and Ham soup (heavy on the garlic the way that Tucker likes it.)  Corn Chowder.  And baking bread.  I don't know how much bread I'll bake - more than one loaf - less than a dozen. 

I trimmed my list of recipes considerably since I'm only going to be gone for two weeks.  And I didn't do a lot of side items.  If I were cooking for an entire month, I'd have added in several vegetarian nights with beans and rice, veggie casseroles, and tofu stir fry.  Since my neighbor has already told me that she's strictly a "meat and potatoes" kind of person, I figure I've pushed my luck about as far as I can get it with the heavy-on- the-veggies soups. 

My family will not miss me while I'm gone, I won't feel a bit guilty about leaving them.  And tonight?  They are taking me out to dinner. 

Its the Weekend - and I'm cooking on All Four Burners

When my neighbor came over to see how it is that we spend our day, one of the things we talked about is meal prep.  I'm not obssessive about it or anything, I just like to try to make sure my family is taken care of.  Her remark, "I'm strictly a meat and potatoes cook, I can toss a salad if they really need a veggie."  Oh, my!  Tucker LIVES on fruits and veggies.  I have to really work to get anything else in him. 

So even though I had already stocked my freezer and pantry with enough food to take care of a bunch of high school guys with a tape worm, I was BACK at the store last night.  Today, I'm doing something I haven't done in a while, and the family is intrigued.  I'm using my "once a month cooking" book to put together meals that I will then place in the freezer.  All they have to do is take it out and warm it up.  Each meal gets tagged with an index card that says what sides to put with it.  How's that for overkill?  By golly, my baby WILL have veggies in his life.  (With ketchup on top if he wants it.  LOL)

Surfing around this morning, I noticed that Moniet has a couple of fun quizzes on her site.  Usually, any quiz she posts, I get the same answer she does, but today, I've gone off in my own direction with the leading man quiz. 

Who's Your Leading Man? Now that you've answered some provocative questions about your preferences, it's time to reveal the identity of your leading man! Brooding Moon You’re attracted to sensitive, intense men who are influenced by the emotional, ever-changing Moon. Actors such as Tobey Maguire, Johnny Depp, Josh Hartnett and Ethan Hawke would make perfect leading men for you because they care deeply about their craft. Popular actors who live life like it's a fraternity party do nothing for you; you're more interested in a star's depth and artistic soul. Your leading man needs to be in touch with his feelings, for it makes his performance that much more genuine (and there's something incredibly sexy about a man who isn’t afraid to share his vulnerable side!) His heartfelt musings are sure to make you swoon. A Moon Man can be moody and temperamental, though, so make sure you give him a little room to brood when he's feeling misunderstood by the cold, cruel world.

On a completely different and odd note, I almost never pay attention to such things as how many subscribers I have.  I'll be honest, the number makes me nervous.  I start thinking that so many readers must mean so many expectations.  Over the past three weeks, I've picked up 18 subscribers.  But the total number of people subscribed to my site has gone down by 5.  LOL  This is why I DON'T pay attention to the numbers. 

Welcome to those of you who visit here.  Jump in and leave a comment or two.  And may you take a blessing of peace when you head out for your next adventure. 

Note to Me:

Erica Jong before dreaming is a dangerous thing ... worse than ice cream with fudge and cherries, far far worse than Seinfeld reruns.  I dozed off last night with this poem in my mind:

The Demon Lover

Unable to bear the falsehoods -
the girls calling up
each time you came
to my bed -
I fled
and now I dream of you

knowing you are
dreaming of me,
knowing we will always be
each other's muse, forbidden lover,
witch and warlock
joined by a filament of flesh
lover through the looking glass.

I dream of you
as the witch beside her husband's hearth
dreams of the grandmaster
of the coven,
dreams of burning stones
that sting the flesh,
while her husband
strokes her rump,
muttering words
of tame domestic love.

You are my demon,
the devil in my flesh,
the wild child,
the boys with eyes of flame,
the bad seed I took
into my body,
the infected needle
I craved
more deeply
than health.

On every seashore
I see you waving your arms
out fo the whitecaps
as you drown
only to be reborn
in the foam
between my legs.

In every bed
you appear, sexual dybukk,
mocking my lovers
with your twinkling blue eyes
and the crooked caned of your cock
smeilling of the pit.

You are trouble, double trouble,
triple trouble,
the wrecker of peace,
but you make
my cauldron boil.

I dream of you always
as I lie
in teh sheltering arms
of another.
I dream of you
as the condemned witch
dreams of her end
at the stake,
when, lashed to the burning pole,
she will offer up her flesh
to become smoke,
her hair to become ash,
her soul to be carried away
on the wings of the air,
marrying, marrying, marrying
the final fire.

Erica Jong

On Your Mark ...

Because I'm going out of town next week, I'm very conscious of the need to have my house in order.  I spent this morning with my neighbor going over the kids' routine and having her observe us doing school.  I have done laundry, vacuumed the whole house, scrubbed the kitchen, mopped, dusted, cleaned windows ... I'm tired. 

I'm going to bed with a book of poetry.

See you tomorrow.

When You Look at Me ...

I used to have a quote scrolling across the bottom of my page - "we see things not as they are, but as we are."  I've had reason to think about this quote over the past couple of days.  First of all, my kids have been watching my new Sleeping Beauty DVD.  I love this movie, it's my favorite of all the Disney animated classics.  I love the art, the music, the story, and the fact that the dragon is defeated with weapons of truth and faith.  None of this is relevant to the topic of the day. 

Included with that DVD is a quiz like the ones that float around here so frequently - "What Disney Princess do you Most Resemble."  Well, my boys, being boys wanted to play the game, but well, they're boys.  So Monday afternoon they answered all the questions on my behalf to see what Disney Princess I would be.  It was fun listening to them try to figure out things like what I'd like the best out of the choices, what I'd like least, and which philosophy sounded the most like me.  In the end, they decided that their Mom is most like Belle.  They said that I'm smart, I like to read, I don't pay as much attention to the outside as to the inside of a person, I'm the kind of person who would say "take me instead" to protect someone I love, and I'd rather dance alone under the stars with my love than be at the center of the ball.   

Also on Monday, I had a conversation with an adult who told me that I'm boring.  The context of the comment isn't really important, and I would probably not have given it much thought except that yesterday afternoon, I read a most excellent blog by VelvetGlove.  In it she talks about the pain of her friend who is going through a divorce because his wife found him to be boring.  If the quote above is valid, then a person who projects a judgment like, "you're boring" on another person, is really saying "I'm bored."  But even more than that they are saying that they want someone else to take responsibility for engaging their interest.  Doesn't that strike you as emotionally lazy?  You're boring?  Boring to whom?  I'm not bored, and it's not my job to entertain anyone but me. 

My final experience in the trilogy of perceptual data came last night.  For the past couple of months, I've been going with my neighbor, Katie, to play in Euchre Tournaments on Tuesday evenings.  Last night Katie and I had not only our worst night ever, we set a record for the worst night that the people in this tournament could remember.  In the game of Euchre, the winning team is the first to score ten points.  The tournament consists of 8 games.  So a perfect night would be a score of 80 points.  Usually, Katie and I either win or miss by just a point or two, putting us around 70+ points for the evening.  Last night, we didn't break 20 until our SEVENTH game. 

In the midst of all the bad cards and frustrating inability to score, Katie decided to take a break and walk around outside.  While she was gone, I was approached by a half dozen different people.  They all wanted to talk to me and tell me that they like me, enjoy having me in the tournament, and encourage me to stick with the game.  Katie and I arrive together and leave together, so this was the first chance that anyone had ever had to speak with me without her present.  I was surprised to learn that apparently Katie and I have been the topic of more than one converstation.  She tends to second guess my moves, makes up strategy rules for me to follow, lectures me during the play, and tells me that I need a lot of practice.  I don't worry about it.  I play the cards I'm dealt, smile, and let her fretting roll off.  Last night I learned that more than one of the tournament regulars have felt angry on my behalf and they were concerned that I was going to quit coming. 

The most interesting conversation was with an older woman (Mammaw "B" is in her early 80's, and she's as sharp as they come.  Last week she and her sister Wanda won the tournament and the $500 jackpot for getting a perfect score.)  She told me that they like the way I smile and the way that I talk to them.  She said that I'm the kind of person who has fun every where I go and that I make it fun for them, too.  When I responded that I was glad to hear that, but that I didn't think I was special in that regard, Mamaw B came very close in her way to articulating the quote I like so much.  She said, "You are special, because you don't talk to us like we're opponents, you talk to us like we're people."

I wonder if the reason that they experience me that way is because I see me as "people." 

If it's true that we see things as we see ourselves, then maybe the best way to see other people as they really are is to see ourselves transparently.  If I can look unflinchingly at myself, and accept and LIKE what I find in there amongst the junk and clutter, maybe I'm equipped then to look at you and LIKE you even though you have junk and clutter in your life.   

What Your Heart Knows

     Interpreting dreams has been a both hobby and serious pastime for people as far back as we've been keeping written records of the things we do.  I don't know a lot about dream interpretation except that it's an intriguing thought that my subconscious is attempting to communicate truth to me through complex symbollism that I may or may not be bright enough to ever figure out.  In recent weeks I've had one recurring dream.  It's the same thing every time, I'm flying through the air.  Most of the time the context of my flight is a circus act (shades of Cirque du Soleil here) in which I'm a trapeze artist.  I soar, spin, and dive to catch the bar or have my hands caught by a partner then up into the air I go again. 

     My emotional state in this dream is always high exultation.  I'm free, strong and graceful unfettered by gravity or convention.  I've mentioned this dream to two different people and received two different interpretations.  Over on DawnsEarlyLight's site, she's been using a book to figure out interpretations of dreams.  Here's what she found about mine:

Okay, you're not crazy! Hee hee. Here's what it says about the acrobat: The acrobat represents the combination of strength and grace, and thus the union of male and female. Trapeze artists may signify spiritual courage, demonstrating to the dreamer that only by risking one's own safety can true inner progress be accomplished.

All the dream world's a stage, a theatre in which magical transformations take place, images leap from the depths of the imagination, and the drama of life unfurls. Some dreams take this metaphor to its natural conclusion, using actual theatres, cinemas or circuses as their setting. A dream theatre is an illusion within an illusion, and may appear to offer the dreamer an understanding of the mystery that lies behind the world of appearances. However, the dreamer may also find the theatre or circus ring empty, or the cinema screen blank, and experience a haunting loneliness, as if he or she is excluded from the revelation that is about to appear to others. If we actually find ourselves on the stage, or in the circus ring, participating in the drama, it may be that we identify with the character or aspect of behavior on display. Actors may represent other people of importance in the dreamer's waking life, or they may invoke the archetype of the Persona, the mask that we assume to confront the outside world.

This is some deep stuff, Quiltinmomi. In the words of Dread Pirate (almost), dream on, dream on.

That's pretty cool.  I kind of like the idea that my subconscious is all about union, grace and archetypes.  The second interpretation works pretty well for me too, "Dreams about flying are really dreams about sex."  Yep - my subconscious has quite a bit of explaining to do. 

Quiltnmomi On the Loose!

Q-Momi is going to take a vacation.  Oh, yes I am.  I'm not taking the kids, and I'm not taking Q-Hubby.  In 9 days, me and my packed bags are heading out for two weeks.  I'll be visiting my friend Mary in Virginia and I expect to have a lot of fun.  We will play Scrabble, probably a game or two of chess, and we'll watch DVD's that I haven't seen due to my family's preference for films that contain animation in every scene.  I'll stay up as late as I want (maybe even until 10:00!!!) and I'll sleep in every morning.  No rising before 6!  Whoooo hoooo hoooo hooooooooo! 

I have spent a lot of time on the road with my children over the past two years.  For one reason or another, mostly wonderful ones, we have spent months with my family in Arkansas or in Florida visiting Tim's folks and vacationing.  What I have not done in over two years, is leave my family for girl time.  I love my men, don't get me wrong, but I need girl time.  So if you hear peals of female laughter drifting over the East Coast, you'll know what's up.