“You can never have too many lovely,lovelies.”

      Out of Bed

Water boil

Cup of Black tea

little cream

God painted morning

finger paints with oils…

Oh  it’s a lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely day

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      We saw Drew Nelson in concert this past Sunday evening at a house concert at Scott and Michelle’s.

      He told the story of two little girls – ages seven  and four  who listened to the song “Lovely Day” on his Immigrant Son CD.   Seven year old commented afterwards, ” Boy that’s a lot of “lovely, lovelies.”

     Four  year old replies , “You can never have too many lovely, lovelies.”

            There’s  a nugget of wisdom.

     If you have a minute, click the link to Drew’s home page  and give him a listen-  Lovely day is on the play list:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=41524814

update 2/4/09 

     Just for the record-  this blog automatically feeds to a blog rating site called “blogowogo” 

      People rate each post from 0 to 5.  This particular post is getting hammered in the ratings for some reason, who knows why, maybe people think it’s too short, I wasn’t being creative enough, who knows…here’s the deal,  I just wanted to pass along a new artist I’ve come across for you to check out…so if you happen to read this post and enjoyed it, could you take a moment and scurry over to blogowogo (follow the link on this post)  and  help me out..thanks..and if you felt this post stunk..then you don’t have to go over there   appreciate it…DM

 

My Mom

     “One of the very few reasons I had any respect for my mother when I was thirteen was because she would reach into the sink with her bare hands – bare hands – and pick up that lethal gunk and drop it into the garbage.  To top that, I saw her reach into the wet garbage bag and fish around in there looking for a lost teaspoon.  Bare hands – a kind of mad courage.”  ~Robert Fulghum

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    We celebrated my mom’s birthday this week.  If you think I’m going to tell you how many candles she had on her cake, you’re crazy.

      As I perused the poems and quotes about mom’s for this tribute, I had a hard time finding one that captured my relationship with my mother, until I came across Fulghum’s quote. 

     I have a great relationship with my mom, but I wouldn’t call it ”mushy”.    She’d  cringe  if I posted some sappy poem  about her here.

      There are so many things I appreciate about  her.

     I appreciate the fact that she and dad have a good marriage.

     I discovered two years ago, she writes poetry.

        One of my favorite things to do with her  is sit down at the  kitchen table over coffee and   catch up on life. 

 (The photo above was taken this week as the four of us went out for lunch and coffee in honor of her birthday)

     I love her laughter, her generosity , and child like spirit.   

     Her and dad  both understand boundaries, that whole “leave and cleave” thing-  not once has either one of them overstepped their role in our life once we started our family.

     She would have made a great pioneer wife-  I remember one of  the family dogs getting  hit by a car, the leg was full of infection.  Mom   cut the dangling  leg off  with a knife,  and the dog lived.  (Keep in mind, mom was not raised on a farm-  she didn’t move to the country until  she was in her 30′s.)

      She loves to cook.

     She loves to make memories.

     She treats my wife like her own daughter.

     Her family is very important to her.

      I thank God for a godly mother.  The end

The Woman

      She flicked the porch  light of her trailer for me on Friday.

    

            As if to say  ”  See- I told you I know your truck“

            I think her name is Mary.  She’s a widow.  

           Mary  and her husband farmed  for fifty years- she milked and  he  hung out at the tavern.

         Mary and I  sat across the table from each other this Fall at a reception.  We talked for 20 minutes.  I was struck by the twinkle in her eye.    We talked about flowers,   her new trailer, what cookies  she liked to bake.  She  told me she sees  my brother drive by  her place  all the time-  She’d even seen me a time or two the past month.

   I thought to myself- ” Now  come on.    I drive by  your place 60 miles an hour-  first thing in the morning,   You would have to be looking because your trailer  sits at the bottom of a  hill,  I only go by  your  place   once in a while and you’re telling me you’ve seen me??? “

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Forlorn Lifescapes

Loneliness chills
its canvas frozen into
daunting forlorn lifescapes:

A widow
counting hours by her desolation
hands outstretched achingly
in tortuous dreams
to embrace icy emptiness
her bed fellow

Abandoned parents
languishing listlessly
sepulchral rooms echoing
their aging heartbeats
fun-filled memories brimming
soulful eyes
silent tears
companions of their fading years

Traumatized sons and daughters
of estranged spouses
befuddled teenagers
measuring life by shattered dreams
misty-eyed seniors
surveying dim vistas
bleak platitudes their sole comfort
on cold park benches

Friendless, splintered,
emotionally bankrupt hearts
yearning for that one touch of love
a warm hug, a healing caress
a smile of acceptance
a gentle word
a ray of hope or
but a nod of recognition

Instead
we relegate them
to the callous fringes of our lives
we look without seeing them
we listen without hearing them
we rush by them
heedless, apathetic, selfish
enmeshed in sequestered webs
of futile values
unmindful that such acidic neglect
could etch the fabric
of our very own tomorrows
with the selfsame hollowness  

– Shernaz Wadia
September 25, 2005

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I am an Orchardist

        2002 we planted (40)  Cortland, Gala, Honey-crisp and Red Delicious apple trees. 

    In 2003 we added Suncrip, braeburn, and Gingergold- (60 more trees all together)

         I felt in partnership with nature,  watching the young trees respond to my touch.

       I have been  telling  people,  for me, it’s not work, it’s therapy. 

        The first 3 or 4 year of a young tree’s life  (they’re called a whip)   are the most important in terms of the mature tree’s shape. 

         I have  felt like an artist creating  a living work of art.    I could already see them laden with  fruit like this picture from our 2007 growing season:

 

 

     Flash forward to this week. 

    I  decided to get a jump on pruning since  I had a break between construction projects.

      The  trees this year are taking  10 to 20 minutes per tree to prune - one tree took me  30 minutes.

    What I’m slowly discovering  (and no body told me) was  when you prune a branch,    the tree responds by  growing two, three, and sometimes four branches in response.  (think Hydra monster)

 

 

Here’s me this week in the West orchard: (not to be confused with the East orchard)

 

    Here’s a shot of those trees covered with frost:

 

Here’s me in the East orchard:

        Oh, did  I mention I placed an order for an additional 40 trees this past Fall- due to arrive on or around April 1st?

     Anybody want to come to a “tree planting party”  or  be mentored in the  art of pruning an apple tree?

       I’m willing to teach you

Stay tuned… this post is just a rough draft, I hope to include some specific instructions on how to prune an apple tree.

Letting Go Takes Love

     To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.

     To let go is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization I can’t control another.

      To let go is not to enable, to allow learning  from natural consequences.

     To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

     To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.

     To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

     To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

     To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

      To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their destinies.

    To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.

     To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

     To let go is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

     To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

     To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.

     To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

    To let go is to fear les and love more.

     Remember:  The time to love is short.

Author unknown

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      Welcome to my kitchen.    Wife  posted  ”Letting Go Takes Love”   on the  front of the frig last week.

     That little ditty,  is for parents of  children hitting the   turbulent waters of the  late teen- early 20′s  years.

     I’ve  seriously toyed around with starting a  support group for those of us.

   

     We’ve raised 4 great kids , and I mean great  ranging in age from 20- 28.

     That’s right isn’t it Angie ?  You’re going to be 29 this year?  

     I think for me the hardest part was knowing where the line was between my part and letting go.  

     We just finished watching our 2 3/4 yr old granddaughter two weeks ago, and it was fun.    When she started  whining about something she couldn’t have at that moment, I told her, “Listen, I”ve raised 4 kids and  this is the way it is….you can cry and whine all you want but that stuff doesn’t  work on me now.”

     I wish I would have known the first time around, what I know now as  a parent.  That’s why if you’re a younger parent and something’s got you stumped-don’t just sit there banging your head against the wall (unless you want to of course).   Who am I to tell another person how to parent 

     Another alternative might be to look around in your life for an older set of parents, whom you respect and their kids turned out “relatively”  normal and ask them for their suggestions.  There is wisdom to be gained.

 

2009 Bear River Singer/Songwriter Music Series In the Works

     The Native Americans called the river that runs through our area  “The Bear River”

     Since  September of 2002 we have hosted a music festival at our property the Saturday after labor day.

       This past Sunday evening, we  sat in the living room of  Scott and Michelle- singer/ songwriters who have   appeared at 3 of our events. 

     We were at their house to talk about a block grant available locally for events like we’ve been doing.  I’d  talked with two people involved with dispersing the grant in  December, the chairman said to me, “I could get behind something like that”  

       Her parting words to me were, “Don’t be shy about requesting funds.  We are “weak” in this area, your community could use more of these.”

   Which brings you up to speed as to why we were  sitting in Scott and Michelle’s living room on a Sunday evening…..

     Michelle   suggests, instead of a one time event, “Why not do a whole series?”

     Now this  is the  type of person I love to brainstorm with.

     By the end of the evening, here  is where things stood:

    A series of (7) concerts   beginning May 16th.

      Here are the other tentative dates we’re working with:

      June 27th, July 25th, August 29th, September 26th, October 31st and November 28th.  They are all on a Saturday night, start time 7 PM   a $10.00 suggested donation per person, with a  portion going to a local charity.

       For those of you Applejam Fans….this is not Applejam  (That would Fall on September 12th.)  I’m still pondering if I want to host Applejam if we’re doing these  events…Michelle says “Yes”, I’m still undecided.

       All of this is tentative/ pending the financing comes together.

     On the evening of September 26th, we’re thinking about  hosting  a “Women’s circle”

       Michelle described  it to me like this:

” A Women’s circle”  where 3 separate artists would take turns playing  an  original song…the other two would join in as they felt comfortable…so you’d have a one of kind jam session unfold right before your eyes…can’t you just feel the creative energy?

My Spiritual Hunger

 

 

      “In this hour of all but universal darkness…there are found increasing numbers of persons….who are marked by a growing hunger after God himself.    They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct  “interpretations” of truth.  They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep.”

                                                A.W. Tozer  1948

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     I (DM) am not a religious person.

     Truth be told, religion makes me nervous.

      If something works for you, great- just don’t try to jam it down my throat.  I’ll sit politely for a little bit, but if you start pushing   I’ll tell you what I’m really thinking and you won’t do it again.

     Having said that, I am  a spiritual person.  I hunger to connect with God.  There is a difference.

      Even before I became a Christian, I remember feeling driven to connect with the spiritual.    In my senior year of high school, a class mate suggested I read a book by Carlos Castaneda where he describes being mentored by a Yaqui  Shaman, smoking peyote and seeing things through the eyes of a bird.   I longed for that type of encounter with the spiritual world.  Laugh all you want, but at the time, I had no reference point.  It just reveals the intensity of my hunger. 

       I want to say this as nicely as I can, but there are absolute truths in the spiritual realm, we disregard them at our own peril.

      I remember sitting down with pastor Tom- a cool, articulate, knowledgeable spiritual mentor of a certain religious denomination.  I had been reading some things from the church hierarchy and it didn’t square with some of the other things, I’d been told.

      I wrote down my questions, Tom and I went down the list,one by one.  He told me (off the record) he agreed with me, but in his mind,  they were fringe issues.  I’m thinking to myself, they were not “fringe” issues.  It’s one way or the other, but two opposite things can not both be true- regardless of how much politically correct nonsense you’ve bought into.

      Years ago now, I decided one of my litmus tests for evaluating a “spiritual authority” was to look for fruit in their life.

     Why?  Because if I listen to them, I will turn out like them if they are following their own information- and if they are not doing what they are telling others to do- then that’s even more reason to avoid them.  JMHO

      Did they evidence peace, joy, kindness?  If they were married, what was their marriage like?  If they had children, what were they like?  Because before you start telling me how to live my life, you’d better make sure it works in your own.   If you’re a mean ass (pardon my french)  with your wife and kids, then you have no business mentoring anybody.

      If you’re driven, grossly overweight, don’t laugh, and don’t have any friends, then what in the world are you doing standing there in the place of a “spiritual authority?”

      “Others before me have gone much farther into these mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large, it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.”

                                                                       A.W. Tozer

               (From the intro to his book, The Pursuit Of God)

In The Mood

 

The Promise of Bread

Out on the frozen uplands, underneath the snow
      and sleet,
In the bosom of the plowland sleeps the Promise
      of the Wheat.
With the ice for head-and-footstone, and a snowy
      shroud outspread
In the frost-locked tomb of winter sleeps the Miracle
      of Bread….

^___C. L. Edson

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     There is something very  earthy to  me about making bread . 

      I can still see my grandma- we called her “Oma” standing by her kitchen table with flour on her hands. 

     She was a Jedi  bread master.

   

   Before she died, I asked her to teach me how  to make bread her way.    Below  is a picture of her shortly before she died and a copy of her recipe:

 

         At supper last night I was eating a piece of store bought wheat bread.  It wasn’t your normal looking loaf – no, it was sort of round,  had a grainy texture. 

      I thought to myself- this bread is delicious.

       Then it struck-  the mood to make bread

     I’m going to let you in on a little secret- you can be masculine and still enjoy baking bread.   

    In the mid 1990′s I was running a framing crew.    One day at break, the conversation  turned to a bar   Scott had in his lunch bucket.   Next day, he comes up to me real quiet  on the sly and whispers…”Don’t let anyone know you and I are trading recipe’s”  

    Not to worry Scott…I won’t tell a soul  

    The  first  photo  is a close up  of  the bread I  baked this morning.

   

 The words of the poem  are especially  meaningful  to me today- 12 inches of snow/ 20 below Zero temp.

Read them again if you want- slowly…

     What better way to celebrate another snow day than to make bread from scratch- old school-  can’t you just smell it…

Pictorial snapshots of Iowa January 2009

“Have ye leisure, comfort, calm, shelter, food, love’s gentle balm?  Or what is it ye buy so dear with your pain and with your fear?”

Percy Bysshe Shelly

(My wife has this posted on our frig on an index card)

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  January 14th 2009

    We got 8  more inches of the white fluffy stuff last night.    Tonight the temperature is supposed to dip to 20 degrees below zero F not counting windchill.  Brrrrrrrr.  As of yesterday, we’ve already had 10 more inches of snow than we did this time last year.

     This morning I took my Cannon Powershot A560 with me to capture some of my day.   

      The first picture was actually taken 2 days ago when the windbreak to the West  was  covered with frost.

    Second photo- Around noon, one of our neighbors arrived unannounced and uninvited to blow the snow out of our yard and driveway-  This was the 3rd time this month- he doesn’t want anything in payment-  What do you think we should do to thank him? 

    Third photo-  I saw some little red berries on the asparagus plant  this morning and took that photo.

     Finally, for those of you that know Winston, here’s a picture of her just waking up.   I’m betting she will really be burrowed in tomorrow morning. 

 

 

 

      Mostly just wanted to let those of you that know us know we’re  fine.

You’re Invited…To A Candid Discussion on gun control legislation

    

   I am one of the people in America who have yet to take sides when it comes to “gun control” legislation.    I don’t belong to the NRA  but after reading the following  e-mail  I got today  may change my mind. 

     I decided to post this  letter on my blog to give both sides an opportunity to present their case.  If you  decide to leave a comment, couple of things to keep in mind…

#1 No Ranting or disrespectful responses.

#2  Stay on topic- reply specifically to the letter I got..don’t take me on a bunny trail.

#3  I will edit or delete your comments if you don’t listen

Thanks in advance for taking the time to reply- DM

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A LITTLE GUN HISTORY     In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953,    about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.      ——————————     In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.      ——————————     Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.      ——————————    China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated      ——————————     Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000     Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.      ——————————     Uganda established gun control in 1970.  From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.      ——————————    Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated’ people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.      —————————–    Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.      ——————————     It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:       List of 7 items:      Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent     Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent     Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!     In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!     While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.     There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort, and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.     You won’t see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.     Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.

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     If you’re from Australia…I would REALLY love to hear from you-  are these statistics accurate, and if so, what do YOU think?

Thoughts, comments, questions?