Autumn giggle!

Hmmmmmm! I wonder if leaves ever have that dream where they are falling? Remember that dream? Not the one where you had to give a speech and you were in your jammies....but the one where you jump yourself awake when you have that illusion of falling? That one! What's up with that?

www.offthemark.com is worth visiting if you like creative cartoonist. Thanks Mark Parisi.

Passionate gardening (living)!

Living passionately means living in the present....what's blooming today! It is the wild soul that doesn't hang on to stuff, people, circumstances and events that has the freedom to feel the joy of everyday. We are not trained to be free......we are trained to be careful...to be fearful and color inside the lines! Ann Hillman in her book Dancing Animal Woman describes her heart's journey to her soul.

"The spiritual journey is a creative journey. It's about birth. It calls us past the boundaries of convention. It tests our willingness to see life in a new way and our courage to express it: for new ways of viewing life in the face of what is commonly accepted. We become new, and in this ongoing birthing, we bring new forms to life as well. Life itself has become a creative act, full of vitality and richness and passion. It is there in the unity of passion and utter stillness that the spirit gazes out of our soft wild eyes. Thus embodied we look around and discover that we are no longer lonely. We belong. Like running a finger along the edge of a single Mobius strip, we see that inside has become outside and outside has turned inward. We have found the tender connection between our own lives and all that is. For the spiritual journey ultimately leads to something larger that self – to the eternal, to all of life, and more tangible, to the earth. …through moist sand and warm air currents, through granite and birds of prey, deer and iris, butterflies and tarantulas."

Perhaps this is why gardening appeals to me with such a gripping passion....the miracle of new growth from a tiny seed, the tendrils of tiny roots digging into the fertile soil and the shoots of promise reaching toward the light, is an artists delight....using plants and flowers for paints and using the earth and sky for a canvas.

Quote of the Day...

"Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which man truly gives his heart." - Karen Capek

Happy Halloween Giggle!

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. ~Author Unknown

Thursday's lesson from the garden!

The lessons as our gardens grow,

Come fast among the seasons slow.

Ancient wisdom handed down

In richest soil the seeds are sown.

We sow the seeds, the harvest reaps,

Short span of life is lived for keeps.

Planting roots in holy place,

We kneel in prayer in sacred space.

My garden blooms with great delight,

While keeping track of humans plight.

Tis’ a sanctuary of sweet worth….

This plot of deepest, darkest earth.

The brownest, fertile teeming soil,

Invites the world to come and toil.

Cultivate the crops to share,

Feed brother, sister, child who dare…

To cry aloud and ask in need,

Their hunger fed…a simple deed.

The gardens meant to bring us joy,

Can feed each girl and hungry boy.

The lands that feed and ask for naught,

Are often used for battles fought.

Instead of carrots…beans of size,

The ground is used for mourner’s cries.

The earth that once was fertile green,

Is mixed with red and bloody scene.

An urban lot or country lane,

The choice is ours and just the same.

We use our life in sharing wealth,

Or hoarding ground with greedy stealth.

We hold each day of untold blessing,

As sacred gift and garden’s lesson.

Community of hearts that grow…

And reap exactly the seeds they sow.

We really do need one another!

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." ~Mother Teresa

Breast Cancer.....Yes We Can!

Dr. Susan Love is forming an army of women that puts scientists, corporate dollars (Avon) and women like you and me together to do the research necessary to find out what is causing the tremendous increase in breast cancer statistics. I just joined.....and you can too by going to www.armyofwomen.org . The goal is to form an army of one million women joining the research team regardless of ethnicity, sexual preference, age or whether you have or have not had breast cancer. In honor of my beautiful friend, Gloria Green, who beat this disease at 40 after double mastectomy, chemo, and reconstructive surgery.....let's do this. By the way she is alive, alert, and enthusiastically free of cancer and raising my grandson Wyatt. A fringe benefit......she'll be perky until she is 95!

Funniest bumper sticker of this election!

Saw this one in Idaho........ "Tina Fay for Vice President!" Although this election has multiple issues that will have serious consequences for our country.....you have to admit there has been enough material to keep SNL and Jon Stewart busy for awhile. That's the beauty of this country, we can make fun of ourselves....even when the times are really tough.

In honor of those who serve.

In honor of those who serve......my prayers are with you and your families. God bless America!

A boy stood on the Senate floor!

I wrote this when Scott was in Desert Storm from his sons perspective...and now again....it is important to remember what the kids of the world really need. Go vote!

A child stood on the Senate’s floor,

Coming unnoticed through the door.

He thought he’d heard the powers here,

Would hear his questions and be clear.

A timid voice from the tiny tyke,

Began to speak from a mighty mike.

Great Sirs, I beg if you can do

The things you say are good and true.

My Mom’s at work my Dad’s at war,

And so I took this as my chore.

I mean to ask who guides your plan

For peace on earth for every man.

Could we just stop all talk of hate,

And share our food so every plate,

Would have a piece of meat and bread.

A cookie too…. a roof ore’ head?

May we just go to bed at night,

Without bad dreams that give us fright?

Bring back my Dad so Mom won’t fear,

And she won’t have to shed one tear.

I need him here to teach me all,

The ways to catch a basketball.

Maybe Dad’s in other nations.

Want to see their kid’s occasions?

Birthdays parties and school play,

And soccer games on Saturday.

I think it’s good to bring them back.

And put those bombs in unused stack.

We don’t really need to fight.

Peace feels better, in fact, just right.

Can’t you see a world of peace,

Where orders were to stop and cease?

I know I’m small and not so smart

As men who plan the country’s part.

In matters of the nations’ men.

Can there be peace on earth again?

It’s Christmas soon so here’s my plea,

Bring Dad home to see our tree.

But most of all he wants to see,

His boy, his son and that is me.

Quote of the Day...

I voted by mail yesterday.....a new thing for me here in Oregon. No matter how you do it....voting is our right and responsibility as a citizen. It is our stronghold on democracy.

" People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing. " ~Walter H. Judd

Back Again!

I said goodbye to "Betty Boop", one of Mark and Jerri's three dogs, kissed Grandson Wyatt goodbye, hugged M & J who are about to embark on a wild moving spree and be out of their house by Nov. 7 and soon move into their new home on the Snake River complete with house, barn, river beach and greenhouse! We'll all come and visit and bring our river rafts next summer!


Thanks for all the cookies Mom!

Stopping to see Mom is always a treat.....and she always has goodies made.....this time pumpkin bars and coconut ranger cookies. The coffee pot was on and we had our visit and the greeting from Miss Daisy, her little dog.

Happy Birthday Neal! Thanks to Lane and Wilma Blankenship for having a great son (and putting up with him all these years.) Good to celebrate together.

Live with lots of love and laughter!





The fall colors of the Columbia Gorge were exquisite.....what paradise we live in. It was good to be back in Beaverton in my own bed. I'll be home for two weeks, and flying off to see Scott and Shannon for Thanksgiving in Kentucky. Life is good!

Quote of the Day...

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion." ~Henry David Thoreau

Annabelle Punkin Sitter!

Quote of the day....

"A good grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween." - Erma Bombeck

Lillies of the field lessons!

Loving my lillies of the field stage!

Matthew (I like that name) 6:25-31 "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28...And why do you worry about clothes? (Here's my favorite part..) See how the lillies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31...So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat....or....what shall we drink...or what shall we wear?' Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33...But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well. 34...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Quote of the Day....

"Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another."  -Junvenal, Satires

Gardens are not permanent!

Gardens come and go....with the seasons....with my interest...with the weather....they are not permanent. Alas, I am a fickle gardener. One valuable lesson from my garden is to give up controlling tendencies. The opposite of yes is not no....it is control! Behind that controlling impulse is fear, the fear that we will have to feel something that is unpleasant....disappointment, frustration, pain, grief or defeat. Yes, is acceptance, control is refusal. Accepting the garden as it progresses involves a certain amount of detachment from the outcome. The perfect weather, the most fertile seeds, no pests....not so much going to happen! A guarantee never comes with a garden....we must let it have its way with us. A great gardener enjoys the day, the present....NOW....with an eye out for the weather, invading pests, gently weeding and cultivating the soil and fertilizing the growth.

Like our gardens, perhaps is is our refusal to accept ourselves, others, circumstances and events, our illusion of control that denies us the grace of staying more fully in the present. Our persistent resistance to our realities, our attachment to control, might be the cause of our fussing. And, I have found, much to my embarrassment when we do say yes to our realities, we push our particular "yes" onto others forgetting that we have a different reality to affirm. No two gardens are alike! Perhaps, the joy of gardening in the present lies in the graceful practice of five essential loving qualities....attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection and allowing. I give up my willful, peevish opposition to life's givens, the disarray, the chaos, the stormy weather of injustice. Instead, I trade in my armor of control for the unpretentious freedom of gardening britches. I give up my feud with reality...trading it in for true growth. Ahhhhhhh....what we learn from the garden!

Smurf turfers win again!

Boise State University, the home of the brave blue turfers won against San Jose State last night 32-16. That makes their win loss record look pretty amazing...8-0 in the WAC conference. The Lisk kids and I went to Jerri's brother's house to watch with her parents visiting from California. Not knowing if California was their loyalty....we kept it down until they began hootin' and hollerin' for BSU. All bets were off....so we had a wonderful time eating bratwurst and beans, and jumping up and down as if we were on the 50 yard line.....thank you ESPN.

Hmmmmmmm....I wonder if the geese flying South ever wonder if that blue turf at BSU is a giant lake. Go Broncos!

Giggle for the Day.....

Two brooms were hanging out in the closet and after awhile, they got to know each other so well, they decided to get married. One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom. The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress...the groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo. The wedding was lovely. After the wedding, at the gala reception, the bride broom leaned over and said to the groom broom, "I think I am going to have a little whisk broom." "Impossible", said the groom broom. "We haven't even swept together."

Pssst! I personally think she was sweepin awound! Happy Halloween!

Quote of the Day....

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God care about...but, any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back." -Alive Walker, The Color Purple

The Boise Lisk kids are home from a month of navigating the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon full of tales of the "big water" and tons of pictures imaging a grandeur that most of us will never see in a lifetime.  The dogs were so excited about their return that their tails wagged them.  Wyatt, all geared up in football pads, turned to see his Dad walk across the field, smiled and played his heart out....a victory that left me hoarse from yelling.  It was one of those games that Wyatt's team came from behind in an early 14 point lead to win it by 31-20.  I stood on the sidelines, pacing up and down with Kevin's Grandma.  Wyatt and Kevin have been buddy's since kindergarten when I used to volunteer in their classroom.  The two Grandmas's reminisced about the little darlin's when they were little darlin's...but now, have turned into giant man/child, milk drinking six foot sixteen-year-olds with a hollow leg.   Nothing is quite as fallish, as a rousing football game in the autumn sunshine when all the leaves are brilliant, the air is crisp, and the kids are home. 

There is no debate with nature...

The spring comes with its renewal,

The summer blooms,

The fall harvests....

And winter brings repose.

Nor should there be a debate with life..

There are seasons of renewal and blooming,

Cycles of harvest and repose.

We are blessed in fullness and in void.

Nature is a model of mindful letting go...

Observe the seasons, pass through them,

Perhaps with tears,

But, without debate.

Quote of the Day....

"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows."   - Doug Larson

Funky Tree Thoughts!

What you can see

At the top of the tree..

Is just a glimpse

Of what it can be.

The roots are as deep,

In earth's darkened sleep,

As what is atop, at sighting's first peep.

So don't be a foolin'

With nature's good rulin'.

There's much you can't see,

When you study a tree.

Much like a soul,

Dressed in disguise,

It's good not to guess,

No judgment is wise.

Let your vision go deeper,

In the long run it's cheaper,

To see the heart tucked under the skin,

A look in the eyes, to know where they've been.

It saves you a trip to nowhere and back,

What's on the surface is not the main track.

Next time you wonder,

What's up with that tree,

Remember the roots,

You're not able to see.

Garden Of Relationships

Perhaps a good relationship is like a walk through a great garden.  Mindfully...being fully present, one person enters the interior garden of the other without trampling any of the flowers, without blaming anyone for the presence of a few weeds...weeds happen.  On this journey we proceed with great appreciation for the immense time, pain, work and growth it took to be this way.  Visiting another's garden requires attention and appreciation of the design and patterns.  Everyone knows a good garden involves comtemplative planning and being a compassionate witness to the process of growing.  It involves being an alert observer, the warm sunlight of affection, careful tending, nurturing and validating encouragement to grow....without the judgmental diversionary mind set of controlling the elements or setting a time frame when things will ripen.  A good garden and a good relationship are both hospitable places where one's design is accepted no matter how straight the rows are or how fragmented the design may seem to others.  It is that vulnerable place where we are granted permission to bloom in the safety of being loved and tended to, just like we are.  When we visit one another's gardens, let us be compassionate witnesses...nor judge, jury or critic.  It is in this intimacy that relationships are formed, love deepens, communities and people flourish.  Get growing!

Quote of the day....

"It seems to me that life is the catalyst that either...puts the poet in us.....or, drives the poet out of us."  Marion MacDonald   

Gardening Tips....

Don't forget to give your trees, evergreens and yard a good watering before it freezes for the winter.  Your autumn leaves will make a good wintertime mulch in flower beds to protect from Jack Frost.

Happy Birthday!

Happy, Happy Birthday Neal Blankenship....to my favorite (only) brother-in-law on October 26th!

Autumn treasure hunt.

This day is a fine October day for a treasure hunt....unexpectedly beautiful. Flaming reds, golden yellows, burnt oranges...the autumn leaves are spectacular. "Look at me," they are saying. "You took me for granted all summer, sat beneath my shady branches without taking any notice. So, now, before I take a long winter's nap, you must see the beauty I possess...you must pay attention."

Oh, my, I am listening to trees again. Today I will go to the park to gather leaves, my yearly treasure hunt to find the brightest, most colorful collection of all sizes and shapes. I will lay them out on the table this evening, use them for a placemat to dine upon. With candles glowing and the pungent aroma of birch, oak, maple and sweet gum leaves tickling my nose, I will feast and notice how beautiful trees are. My senses are heightened...I trace the shapes with my fingertips, rounded edges, serrated curves, lacy patterns... I am paying attention. Closing my eyes I remember hiding in a huge pile of leaves and jumping out to scare my Mom, who was duly frightened and chased me with her rake. Brother stuffed leaves down my shirt. And, once I covered my playhouse floor with them....a carpet that had no competetion for delight.

My collection of leaves has decorated mud pies, and been pressed dry between the pages of a book and framed so I could remember what they looked like during a long, frozen Minnesota winter, until spring brought the leaves back again. I giggle at the memory of insisting my grandsons get out of the car on their way to school to stand under a golden locust tree, the sun adding to its brilliance. We stood together, circling the tree, holding hands and looking up through the pattern of sparkling golden leaves. School could wait while we honored the request of this tree, "Look at me....see my beauty....be a part of me."

Today I will notice, and collect those leaves once again from the skyward branches before the winds of winter scatter them and cover them with a blanket of snow. Today I will lean against the trunk of a mighty oak and dance with the falling leaves, knowing that life is worth noticing, gathering up its treasures and living fully.

The garden hose theory!

The first lesson from my garden came easily....I cannot stand it when I'm blissfully watering my garden and phhzzztt....the water stops to a dribble, a dabble, a trickle, a damnable drip! The hose is kinked and I have to backtrack along the length of the hose to see what the problem is. How like life this is.....my connection is attached to the Source of life-giving water, the faucet is on and the flow is there.....things are going smoothly....everything is blooming. So what happens! The hose gets kinked....a little bit of unresolved anger, a touch of resentment, a dark corner of resistance to the way things are, a tad of envy, a build-up of cynicism and negative "poop" thinking.....and I am parched....wilting and have to heart trace my connection back to the Source. So I get down on my knees to weed things out that really don't belong in my garden...put downs that I have harbored, self-doubt that nags me, wasted time feeling sorry for myself, unappreciative taking for granted...the blessings that are right there in front of me. Oh yes, I sweat and weed and get back to blooming again.....the kinks in my hose straightened out and the sweet flow of fresh water flowing again. Ahhhhh....gardening...such lessons.