The Mother

Russet Fur, shining white
Small sharp teeth that nip at night.
Mice beware, and crickets too,
Rabbits hide, she's after you.


Kits are safe with in the den,
Dreaming of the hunt again
Mother watches, licks their fur,
Keeps them safe from trap and lure.


Alone she hunts in forest deep,
Alone, she puts the kits to sleep.
She guards her den, her heart and soul.
And works to keep them safe and whole.

Summah

Is there anything as enchanting as watching children letting a jarful of fireflies go- to fly free into the night? The giggles!
A family is like a big ship in slow moving water-- it takes a while to get it turned and headed in the direction you want it to go. I feel like ours is on the right track! We are finished with all things elementary, my baby graduated from fifth grade last week. The oldest baby graduated from high school and I am SO PROUD of her! She has overcome more in her short life then some folks do in a long one, and done it with humor. She is my hero. And- I have a new job designing for Foothills Spotlight, a magazine in Cleveland County NC. Ads, layouts, so much FUN! It is part time, and I only have to go into the office once in a while, the rest of my work is from home which is GREAT, esp for summer when everyone is home.
Life is good.

Beautiful

Monsterous is beautiful-
Dark
Sleek, slimy, strong
Unforgiving, rough, invisible.
Monsterous is beautiful-
Fragile
Lacy, floating, shining
Lovely, and yet sharp, deathly
Monsterous is beautiful-
Rich
Coppery, liquid fire
Passion encompassing life...
Monsterous is beautiful-
Poisonous
Unblessed, unshriven, unwanted
Needing nothing, taking all...
Monsterous is beautiful.
~~Dee

still here

Bet you thought I gave up. Goodness knows I have started and abandonded so many blogs over the years, I may be responsible for half the unused clutter worldwide. Hope springs eternal, I am still writing this one.
I have been busy campaigning to save my children's school, North Carolina School for the Deaf. Long story short, the VERY people who are supposed to nurture and guide the school have for the last ten years been running roughshod over it. Firing teachers and hiring fake administrators, cutting the budget and padding their own budget etc.
The short story is that the Senate appropriations bill is in our favor, and the NC Senate passed it. The House looks like it will be a stronger fight and boy I am weary. I have the greatest support in the world but none from current parents- I email them and beg them and no one ever responds which is so frustrating. Today I feel like giving up. But I can't because the simple truth is that I am doing something that NEEDS doing. My kids need that school, and so do other Deaf kids. So I will slog on, hating the politics, hating the emails, letter writing, visitng Raleigh and general ass kissing involved in persuading very powerful people to do what is right for people with almost no political power at all. And when it is done, I am going to take a long vaation from the whole mess.
Or that is the plan anyway. I know there will always be something that needs doing.
And I will be there. That is what parents do.

Vacation and our Creek

so, what is it about vacation that makes us think of swimming? I think the creek is COLD, but Caite and Paddy have gone in the water every day. Lily goes down and watches, occassionally hopping in herself. The kids took old ice cream buckets down to catch fish, but somehow they became hats instead. They carry rocks around, and float in inner tubes, and give boat rides to iumaginary people. They find cool rocks, some of which they bring tot he house, and others are randomly set free again. They look for raccoon prints, and the occassional skunk, or possum. They talk to the fish- tiny fingerlings- remindeing them to grow so that they can be caught and released about a billion times this summer. The creek is a peacful place, even when the kids are there, yelling in excitement and hopping wet. It seems to absorb all that excess energy that spills like th estream itself. When I am there I feel renewed,refreshed. Nothing seems as difficult or insurmountable there. I look forward to the summer now- althought the joys of summer are already upon us here- the sun is warm, the plants are growing the bumbles weave lazily through the forsythia and wysteria, humming in contentment The birds are dressed in Spring garb to impress each other, and they have pulled thread from the bag we set out to weave into nests. The tomato seeds are in soil, sitting int he sun during the day and put up at night to keep the animals from deciding they look too tasty. We got a pot with a hole in the bottom, to try growing the tomato upside down this summer- some small people are PRETTY excited about that. so yeah, life is good.

So I should write something

I did start my etsy! it is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FreeRangeFingers yaaay!
Go check it out!
Saw this sign the other day and it got me to pondering all the strange signage we see every day- I am going to try and carry my camera more and capture a few more of these. Good for a giggle and who does not need a giggle? At the moment, giggling and apples (one a day is a doctor repellent you know) constitutes my heath plan. So I want to say thanks to the Government for trying to get me some health care, hope it arrives before I desperately need it and all. OK, so I probably desperately need it now and don't know it, but ignorance is bliss- no?

This week, I have been contemplating the Palin train wreck. Why oh WHY do people think they are impressed by that stupid woman? There is no doubt she is stupid, but somehow folks think THAT IS OK...
::big breath::
WHY would be want someone who is stupid to be president? Why would we want just a 'regular guy' type to be president? Our ancestors chose carefully, in the hopes that they were picking the best and brightest of the age- Washington, Jefferson, Kennedy- men with vision, education, eloquence. When did STUPIDITY become something to brag about? When the President is meeting with other countries, don't we want to show them that we are NOT all the "Stupid American Tourist" type? Don't we want someone who can be depended on to pronounce large words correctly AND be able to use them in a sentence? Someone with their own ideas and concepts who does not get "misquoted" or "misunderstood" a thousand times over? Someone who had visions for the future and not a history of failure? The president should be an example of the best and brightest of us, a man or woman who is able to talk about many subject with confidence. Who knows the history of our land, and how our current laws evolved. Who does not allow religion to govern their governance. Who can meet with other world leaders and not make us cringe and send emails to friends abroad in apology. The world is a small place. If we as a nation decide to glorify the mundane, the moderately ok, nothing to aspire for- is it any reason our children (who are taught to fill in blanks, vs think outside the box, but that is another rant entirely) are slipping further and further down the list of educated nations? Why BE someone who matches a high potential when any Sarah,Dick or Harry can be president? Stupidity ion a comedian is, well, amusing. The President should not be amusing- it is a serious, dignified and weighty job. I for one and relieved to have a current President who takes the job seriously.

Etsy Fear

This winter, amid trips to Raleigh and meetings I started to crochet handwarmers, scarves and coasters. I can throw the yarn in a bag and bring it with me in the car, and it keeps me from drifting off and being bad company. I now have designed hangtags, a standard size chart for the handwarmers and even filled a commission and mailed it out, my first successful sale. I have a whole box of handwarmers ready to sell. So why haven't I started selling? Etsy fear. I have the darn account. I can see what other folks are selling, but not add mine. I get to the page where they want my credit card and I think "What if I sell something and I don't have any money on my debit card?" Not working steadily does that to a poor overworked card. The minute amout they charge for each posting and sale and I have anxiety. I LOVE these handwarmers, and I love the unique way they are reverseable- something you don't see in crochted goods often. So today I am asking myself- if I can meet with the movers and shakers in Raleigh, and voice my convictions to them, even if my voice shakes when I start, and convince them to support our plans, why oh why am I intimidated by a quarter ounce of plactic with a magnetic strip on it?