mumma yaga

 Jan. 9 The raven flew across the meadow going east, overtaking me as I walked east, myself, towards the house. I laughed when I could suddenly see that I was flying, I was the raven flying, though I never left my own body, I was still the one walking.  I saw the long chain of life going down the deep deep well of time to the one-celled mud dwellers who first came to life under our sun. When the raven flies, we fly. We are of the sun, we are born of this planet - its life, its consciousness, its expression of being.  So what does it mean that we are destroying our planet's ability to keep us alive? We are not destroying its life, we have seen that life has always found a way past meteor strikes, ice ages, volcanoes. But humanity? We are definitely destroying the planet's ability to keep humans alive.  "In the year 7510 If God's a coming, He oughta make it by then Maybe He'll look around Himself and say Guess it's time for the judgment day In the year 8510 God i...

Oct. 27 Now and then the wind picks up the leaves for a little dance. They swirl like the snow devils to come. (Wallace Stevens) * It was when I said, "I will not be afraid any more." that the pain got worse! For two days I was much worse again. That's why the poem came to mind. "It was when I said" kept knocking. I didn't know that I was afraid. I am not sure if I can say what I was afraid of, and I suspect that I am afraid again. The way the nerve pain returned for those days without any abatement, the way pains come and go randomly in random places: it is all so unpredictable. There is so much I want to be doing and should be doing; I don't know when I will be able to or even perhaps if. There, that's a scary one. It is also clear to me now that we can't go home again to 48, not the way things are, and this is not our permanent home, yet if ever. Yes, that's a scare. I don't remember feeling so uncertain of my future that I was afraid....

 Apr. 14 Is today an "ides" or is there only one in March?  This view is familiar to you by now, I know. There is a perimeter, along the borders of our lawn, of seemingly random fence posts. They are unprocessed bits of tree and seem to have no purpose. However, yesterday the fence was repaired and where the posts were down they've been re-planted. The fence, invisible at this distance, is lengths of wire, able to be electrified. The farmer at the bottom of our road will be bringing his cattle up to our meadow for two weeks out of eight throughout the summer. Just now they are calfing. Every day there are new skinny calves standing unsteadily beside their mothers in the field below the farm. Won't it be fun to watch them growing up!  There is such charm in the work-a-day bits and pieces visible in the idyllic environs of this house. The mismatched fence posts, the crooked birdhouse, the horseshoe board, the abandoned chicken yard with its ramshackle day-shelter. These...

Nov. 7 A brave small tree by the stop-sign is (almost gleefully) turning red.                                    When, in 2016, Trump became the republican candidate, I heard a shoe drop, and waited for the other shoe. No one really believed that Trump would be president but I had a bad feeling from the start.  The Media has now declared Biden president-elect (2 pm.). It seems premature. I will wait for the other shoe to drop.  In Toronto the sun is shining and it is 21 degrees. Indre and I have been doing some mosaics on the porch. She and Robin are out playing in shirt-sleeves. Even November is holding its breath while we "wait, and wait, in Casablanca." *         My sphere project is a globe with place-name souvenirs. It has been eight years on the shelf. This is our backyard tree and the neighbours' much bigger one. I am not sure I appreciated autumn unti...

     Chestnuts picked up at the roadside are hatching! They look polished and their subtle markings are like wood grain. Lovely to hold in your hand. Covid day 203, Sept.29 Tamar writes to say that Indre is doing fine attending virtual school on-line. She enjoys new friends and gets her schoolwork done each day. Robin's class got a teacher several days after school started: the school board has been scrambling to find extra teachers and Early Childhood Educators for the younger grades. Robin is learning on-line too, but the young children need in-person play and socializing. They are just developing their social skills and physicality at his age. I have spoken with him on Facetime and he is a good communicator on-line, displaying good verbal skills and interactive show-and-tell with his ipad.  Robin's hair is curling as it gets longer. K, Nick, Robin and Elf's son, Cricket, are all growing their hair - the pandemic has restricted hair salon visits until recently and ...

wednesday, june 24   for covid protection we could be wearing those old-fashioned gloves that women (and girls) wore to church when i was a child. once worn they could be popped (carefully) into a bag to be washed. i gave all but one pair to my children. (sad face)   in fashion news: i have seen two women in apron dresses and some frill-edged 50's aprons for sale in a card shop. am i observing a current trend in street-wear, or am i predicting a trend? i did get the idea from the card shop aprons, they were so cute, and plain enough to wear with any outfit. but were they thinking kitchen? or out-and-about?  there is a blustery wind today, tossing the trees. sun and cloud and sun...  on sunday i said, "maybe we need a second picnic table while i am using ours for my mosaic, a joke mostly. on monday i wanted to find something to mosaic with some of the leftover fish china. this morning i found a big fiberglass outdoor table put out to the curb just a few doors away. as...