Oh my God! This time next week we will be out on the open ocean. TSO, RugbyGirl, S, B1 & B2 and I are setting sail on a 5 nights and 5 days cruise to the Bahamas, Grand Turk and Caicos Islands. This was the year that I decided that, from this year on out until I die, I want to go somewhere that I've never been. So why not start with a cruise!? I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! I have never been on a cruise so that makes it all the more exciting. I have decided that I don't care if I sit poolside soaking up the sun, or staring out at the ocean for hours, or laying on sandy shores. None of it matters. What matters is that I will be having this once in a lifetime adventure with some of my friends, something I will look back on in 50 years and be grateful for.
I love the smell of salt air; the way the ocean air feels different and more exciting; the way the ocean breezes and salt splashes wash over your face making it tingle with mystery; the endlessness of the ocean; it's very ability to make you feel lost and giddy with adventure all at once.
As all good adventures go there have been many months of eager anticipation and planning--buying tickets (both cruise and plane), filling out the online paperwork about passports, etc.--which has led to the final stages of buying sunscreen and packing (still working on the latter). And now, Monday just can't come fast enough.
Thinking of the sea reminds me of my Dad, who was a sailor in his youth. Something gets driven into you when you spend so much time looking out at the lonliness and loveliness of the sea; it is no wonder that literature has claimed the ocean as a friend, a partner, a force fighting against man himself. Thinking of Dad and all the things that the ocean is or becomes for all of us led me to a book both my Dad and I enjoyed, The Old Man and the Sea:
"But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought..."
~ Ernest Hemingway
And to this ocean I go...
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
the little things
I am so excited for our cruise, but at the same time I am very aware of the little things that we will be missing while gone. I just have to pause and recognize these things for their minute loveliness:
- TSO's and my seedlings are growing every day, and as silly as it sounds, I really look forward to the progress. I am wondering at the fact that the plants will be so much bigger when we get back. Such is the wonder of the life cycle of plants.
- The lilac bushes (which are my favorites) have begun blooming in the city. The Farm is at a slightly higher elevation, which means it's always a little cooler here and things open a little behind the times here too. I am bummed that we might miss that first burst of overwhelming fragrance.
- The view of the mountains around growing into even deeper shades of green.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
towing the line
Thought I would do a Bucket List check in, especially as our cruise is only a week away! (For the original--wordy--list, click the above link.)
- Clean our basement
- Paintball
- Cruise X We leave in a week!!
- Read 30 books by the end of the year 8 books down, a few more nearly done
- Hike all of the trails on the Farm Done several more since last time, but more to go.
- Read more poetry Have been reading more poetry, trying new poets
- Watch the Godfather I & II I
- Go clubbing (out here)
- Get everyone to go karaoke
- Make it through Life Aquatic without falling asleep
- Go to Minute Man National Park
- Go to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket
- Go to more of the museums nearby
- Get through The Fountainhead
- Grow sunflowers
- Read War and Peace
- Philadelphia
- Library Job (PT or subbing or even volunteering) X started volunteering at a nearby library, Feb. 2010
- Have a Breakfast at Tiffany’s night in NYC (stay up all night partying and then walk around outside, looking in storefront windows while eating a doughnut and drinking coffee).
- Go camping
- Publish a poem Nothing accepted yet.
- Get a first draft of a book done
- Get my photos in order
- Pick up a hitch hiker X February 2010 (Hitch hiker taken across town)
- Organize my entire iTunes Library
- Submit something for publication in a library magazine
- Lose two dress sizes
- Get involved at the parish I attend here Begin cutting church lawns in the month to follow. Went for lawn mover "training" today and met a couple very nice parishioners. Made me homesick for my church back home.
- Read the Bible more
- Become a better pen pal to my brother while he is overseas Sent a couple letters to date; an improvement on before
Friday, April 23, 2010
Washington's late fees and more
Some interesting articles:
- An article about George Washington's $300,000 in library late fees
- 4,000 toys are now included in the Toy Lending Collection, John Steinbeck Library, Salinas, CA
- Mark Twain the critic
Thursday, April 22, 2010
waiting impatiently
My seeds in their planting cells--tomatoes: Roma and Italian heirloom, green onions, red peppers and delphiniums--covering our kitchen table.
Rainbows of seeds.
Rainbows of seeds.
I am exitedly anticipating green. My first seedling has sprouted and just barely made it past the soil surface; a green onion birthed into the world. And now I am left to check my plant cells everyday for signs of something; sighing and watering as needed.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
the world anew
Things have been so busy lately. Too tired to think about all that. Would rather think of spring. And flowers. And short sentences. What is spring looking like around here?
The sap buckets, which had been hanging on hundreds of trees all over the Farm, are mostly gone. The only indicators these buckets were once here are the holes that are visible upon closer inspection of said trees. Grass is green and trees are budding. Birds are loud. The snow drops of March are gone. Daffodils reign in mustard yellow, muted yellows and yellow white mixes. Around our house irises have sprouted but are headless and void of anything which would indicate that these will soon be beautiful flowers.
TSO was outside planting gladiolus and moving plants around the other day. I followed with triteleia bulbs (which I'd never heard of before this year) and weeding fingers. The ground was wonderfully, skin-numbingly cold; it felt good to again look down at my dirty hands and filthy finger nails. As one of the other farmers was saying the other night, "It just makes you feel good. You put something in the ground, it grows and you can pick it."
Inside our vegetable garden has already grown...all over our table. Well, not really a garden yet, just seed cell planters on half the table: TSO's mysteries; my Roma and Italian heirloom tomatoes, delphiniums, green onions and red pepppers. I felt encouraged when I sat down with my calendar to guestimate when things will be planted outside in our garden plot, and when I might be ambitious enough to start second batches of these early seeds for continued picking throughout the summer. I have big dreams for this years veggies: canning beets again; doubling last years' amount of cucumbers for more pickles; finding recipes for everything from zucchini pickles to pickled grapes. I may be getting ahead of myself, but I am ready to again walk barefoot between the perfectly tilled rows of the garden; to smell the rich dirt; to have perpetually stained fingers.
As always, Uncle Walt knows exactly what I feel:
"To the Garden the world"
To the garden the world anew ascending,
Potent mates, daughters, sons, preluding,
The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being,
Curious here behold my resurrection after slumber,
The revolving cycles in their wide sweep having brought me again,
Amorous, mature, all beautiful to me, all wondrous,
My limbs and the quivering fire that ever plays through them, for
reasons, most wondrous,
Existing I peer and penetrate still,
Content with the present, content with the past,
By my side or back of me Eve following,
Or in front, and I following her just the same.
~ Walt Whitman
The sap buckets, which had been hanging on hundreds of trees all over the Farm, are mostly gone. The only indicators these buckets were once here are the holes that are visible upon closer inspection of said trees. Grass is green and trees are budding. Birds are loud. The snow drops of March are gone. Daffodils reign in mustard yellow, muted yellows and yellow white mixes. Around our house irises have sprouted but are headless and void of anything which would indicate that these will soon be beautiful flowers.
TSO was outside planting gladiolus and moving plants around the other day. I followed with triteleia bulbs (which I'd never heard of before this year) and weeding fingers. The ground was wonderfully, skin-numbingly cold; it felt good to again look down at my dirty hands and filthy finger nails. As one of the other farmers was saying the other night, "It just makes you feel good. You put something in the ground, it grows and you can pick it."
Inside our vegetable garden has already grown...all over our table. Well, not really a garden yet, just seed cell planters on half the table: TSO's mysteries; my Roma and Italian heirloom tomatoes, delphiniums, green onions and red pepppers. I felt encouraged when I sat down with my calendar to guestimate when things will be planted outside in our garden plot, and when I might be ambitious enough to start second batches of these early seeds for continued picking throughout the summer. I have big dreams for this years veggies: canning beets again; doubling last years' amount of cucumbers for more pickles; finding recipes for everything from zucchini pickles to pickled grapes. I may be getting ahead of myself, but I am ready to again walk barefoot between the perfectly tilled rows of the garden; to smell the rich dirt; to have perpetually stained fingers.
As always, Uncle Walt knows exactly what I feel:
"To the Garden the world"
To the garden the world anew ascending,
Potent mates, daughters, sons, preluding,
The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being,
Curious here behold my resurrection after slumber,
The revolving cycles in their wide sweep having brought me again,
Amorous, mature, all beautiful to me, all wondrous,
My limbs and the quivering fire that ever plays through them, for
reasons, most wondrous,
Existing I peer and penetrate still,
Content with the present, content with the past,
By my side or back of me Eve following,
Or in front, and I following her just the same.
~ Walt Whitman
Thursday, April 15, 2010
proposed Massachusetts library cuts
Massachusetts is dealing with the blows of an almost $9 billion deficit. That means cutting. Lots of things, necessary things. I can't speak to all the other cuts, and how those cuts will be devastating to the programs that will be affected; I realize that there may be other things that are more important than libraries that will feel the squeeze, but I am particularly worried about libraries.
According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners:
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) held a special meeting on April 13 at which it voted to designate the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) as the administrative entity to provide regional services to libraries and residents beginning July 1, 2010. This action was necessitated by a severe reduction in funding to the regional budget line. Please see the chart below for funding details.
"Several Board members commented on the sense conveyed in the report that the permanent hub of the new system be located in the 128 to 495 area along the Massachusetts Turnpike. They voiced concern that MLS not move too quickly to select office locations, and to fully understand the impact of site decisions on the provision of services across the Commonwealth before making changes. The MBLC will take an active role in managing the timeline, sites for services and the means by which services are located to insure that population and geographic needs are met."
According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners:
MLS Designated as Regional Administrative Entity
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) held a special meeting on April 13 at which it voted to designate the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) as the administrative entity to provide regional services to libraries and residents beginning July 1, 2010. This action was necessitated by a severe reduction in funding to the regional budget line. Please see the chart below for funding details.
| Account Number | Account Name | FY2009 | FY2010 | FY2011 - Governor's | FY2011 - House Ways and Means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9101 | Board of Library Commissioners | $1,042,269 | $938,042 | $938,042 | $914,448 |
| 9401 | State Aid to Regional Libraries | $17,166,071 | $12,327,160 | $8,781,475 | $8,781,475 |
| 9402 | Talking Book Library (Worcester) | $421,143 | $421,143 | $421,143 | $421,143 |
| 9406 | Talking Book & Machine Lending (Perkins) | $2,241,016 | $2,241,016 | $2,241,016 | $2,241,016 |
| 9501 | State Aid to Public Libraries | $9,989,844 | $6,823,657 | $6,823,657 | $6,823,657 |
| 9506 | Library Tech & Resource Sharing | $2,799,104 | $1,929,238 | $1,929,238 | $1,929,238 |
| TOTAL | $33,659,447 | $24,680,256 | $21,134,571 | $21,110,977 |
"Several Board members commented on the sense conveyed in the report that the permanent hub of the new system be located in the 128 to 495 area along the Massachusetts Turnpike. They voiced concern that MLS not move too quickly to select office locations, and to fully understand the impact of site decisions on the provision of services across the Commonwealth before making changes. The MBLC will take an active role in managing the timeline, sites for services and the means by which services are located to insure that population and geographic needs are met."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
supporting sustainability
Having lived out here for nearly 4 years (if you count my first time around and my current stint); having grown accustomed to walking under starry skies, devoid of city lights to make the night sky unnavigable; having gotten used to the earthy, rich smells of a farm, and even loving the manure smell of the dairy barn; having gotten used to no cell phones; having gotten used to everything that being on the Farm means, I guess I forgot how all of these things seemed almost unimaginable when I was living in the dregs of my old life.
I was reminded of this very fact the other day when I was back in Michigan. It wasn't being in MI which stirred these thoughts in me, it was the time alone in the car. I look forward to the long drives, the time spent alone in the car lost in thoughts, listening to music and as it were on this trip, lots of books on CD. On the way home I listened to Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle, which awakened something in me. I listened, feeling called to appreciate the simplicity of the life her family had chosen for themselves--a life of eating as organically and mindfully as possible. A year where her family tries to eat as much as possible the things which can be grown/raised by themselves or attained as locally/regionally as possible--a life which is close at hand here at the Farm.
One of the main themes of the book is that eating in a fashion that is mindful and socially conscious is not that difficult; available to each of is the ability to change the way we feed our families and hopefully, eventually impact the greater food system. Supporting local farmers means not only keeping jobs and farms in your area, but it also means fresher, better quality of food; food that you can trace back to it's home! Buying local also decreases our carbon footprints, since so much of our food comes to us from all over the world! It is getting easier and easier to shop local. Now many Farmer's Markets are working with W.I.C. (Women, Infants and Children) to better serve those poor who are at a higher nutrional risk.
Listening to the book made me even more thankful for the community in which I live: the Farm community and the more "global" local community. At the Farm we are able to raise our own cows and pigs for dairy and meat, chickens are raised for eggs; vegetables are grown outside in our own wonderful soil through late spring, summer and fall, harvested and eaten, processed and stored for winter consumption. Our chickens, pigs and cows all see plenty of day light with time outdoors. Our cows eat silage and hay in the colder times, moving to literally greener pastures of alfalfa and grass in the summer. These things sound simple, but are not common place for many of the animals that are raised and consumed by Americans everyday.
In the greater area Farmers markets happen and seem to thrive, or at least manage to make it and return year after year. Upon doing some reading the other day, I was pleased as punch to find Farmer's Markets take place in all of these local (or relatively local) cities and towns:
Here is the link for more information on CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA's are programs where community members can pay to join, thus supporting the farmers and reaping the benefits of local veggies and fruits throughout the season.
Aside from many countless great things which have come out of Animal Vegetable Miracle, a website has also been birthed. Check out animalvegetablemiracle.com for more info and great recipes.
I was reminded of this very fact the other day when I was back in Michigan. It wasn't being in MI which stirred these thoughts in me, it was the time alone in the car. I look forward to the long drives, the time spent alone in the car lost in thoughts, listening to music and as it were on this trip, lots of books on CD. On the way home I listened to Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle, which awakened something in me. I listened, feeling called to appreciate the simplicity of the life her family had chosen for themselves--a life of eating as organically and mindfully as possible. A year where her family tries to eat as much as possible the things which can be grown/raised by themselves or attained as locally/regionally as possible--a life which is close at hand here at the Farm.
One of the main themes of the book is that eating in a fashion that is mindful and socially conscious is not that difficult; available to each of is the ability to change the way we feed our families and hopefully, eventually impact the greater food system. Supporting local farmers means not only keeping jobs and farms in your area, but it also means fresher, better quality of food; food that you can trace back to it's home! Buying local also decreases our carbon footprints, since so much of our food comes to us from all over the world! It is getting easier and easier to shop local. Now many Farmer's Markets are working with W.I.C. (Women, Infants and Children) to better serve those poor who are at a higher nutrional risk.
Listening to the book made me even more thankful for the community in which I live: the Farm community and the more "global" local community. At the Farm we are able to raise our own cows and pigs for dairy and meat, chickens are raised for eggs; vegetables are grown outside in our own wonderful soil through late spring, summer and fall, harvested and eaten, processed and stored for winter consumption. Our chickens, pigs and cows all see plenty of day light with time outdoors. Our cows eat silage and hay in the colder times, moving to literally greener pastures of alfalfa and grass in the summer. These things sound simple, but are not common place for many of the animals that are raised and consumed by Americans everyday.
In the greater area Farmers markets happen and seem to thrive, or at least manage to make it and return year after year. Upon doing some reading the other day, I was pleased as punch to find Farmer's Markets take place in all of these local (or relatively local) cities and towns:
- Berkshire County: Adams, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Otis, North Adams, Pittsfields, Sheffield, Williamstown (to name a few)
- Hampden County: Chicopee, Holyoke, Springfield, Westfield (to name a few)
- Hampshire County: Belchertown, Easthampton, Northhampton, South Hadley (to name a few)
Here is the link for more information on CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA's are programs where community members can pay to join, thus supporting the farmers and reaping the benefits of local veggies and fruits throughout the season.
Aside from many countless great things which have come out of Animal Vegetable Miracle, a website has also been birthed. Check out animalvegetablemiracle.com for more info and great recipes.
our animal kingdom
It's funny how the daily rituals of the animals around the Farm can occassioanlly seem less than thrilling as we grow accustomed to sharing our little world with them. Being back in Michigan this past weekend made me very aware of this fact, as the only animals I saw were family pets; gas guzzling beasts on the southeastern Michigan highways, growling and lurching all around me; and the occasional robins, indicators of spring in the midwest. I told my family and friends stories about what we'd encountered lately around the Farm and they oohed and aahed, intrigued. So, I thought I would mention the latest and greatest animal sightings (my own and others) worth noting.
- Moose: A few weeks back an acquaintance mentioned his having seen a moose. It was near dusk and the acquaintance was hiking one of the many Farm trails. I am assuming it was this same moose which was also reported to have been seen not far from this trail a few days later. Hearing of these sighting made me think that somewhere as these stories were being told, my friends TSO and KT both shuddered without knowing why. While they were in Alaska they were nearly trampled by a moose--see here for the story.
- Red fox are seen around pretty frequently. One night while driving into town and back I saw three. Very beautiful creatures.
- Coyotes: TSO and I went for a hike two weekends ago, and in our travelings we found a recently dead coyote. I don't know much about coyotes, but there were no obvious (to me) indicators of what killed this coyote. It didn't seem that old, or malnurshied, or like it had been attacked by anything else--sad to see such a thing of beauty dead.
- Porcupines: Just the other morning, when I was arriving back at the Farm after my weekend in Michigan, I was greeted by the porcupine welcome wagon. Within about a mile stretch of the road I passed four porcupines; varying in size, the two smaller ones looked about as big as the one pictured on the NG link, the other two almost double that size. I was slightly amused when one of the porcupines decided to stop in the middle of the road in a Gandolfian "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" kinda moment.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
the lineup
After my last grumpy Gus posting I felt it was necessary to go back to talking about good things at the Farm. Things which make people happy; which make me happy: the cows. I won't go into a long extensive blog about the hows of milking, since I think I covered some of it here, but rather just share some of the stats. If you look at the blog (from link above), you will notice some names have dissapeared from the list, this means that the cows have either been moved to other barns or fields or they have errmmm..."joined the kitchen team," meaning food. The newer additions are calves which grew up to become milkers!
Josephine: 25 lbs (a.m.) 20 lbs (p.m.) Total: 45lbs
Joann: (this is Josephine's daughter) 14 lbs (a.m.) 14 lbs (p.m.) Total: 28 lbs
Tara: 14 lbs (a.m.) 9 lbs. (p.m.) Total: 23 lbs.
Curly Horns: 20 lbs (a.m.) 26 lbs (p.m.) Total: 46 lbs
Jasmine: 15 lbs (a.m.) 16 lbs (p.m.) Total: 31 lbs
Sylvia: 13 lbs (a.m.) 12 lbs (p.m.) Total: 25 lbs
Emily: 26 lbs (a.m.) 26 lbs (p.m.) Total: 52 lbs
Stella: 30 lbs (a.m.) 20 lbs (p.m.) Total: 50 lbs
Also in the dairy line up for milking soon are: Sushi (who'll you'd recognize from the old lineup), Samantha and Brie. Samantha is calving this month, with Sushi and Brie due in May. Samantha and Brie will be first time moms, and Sushi will be having calf #10! All three will begin milking after their calves (Sushi is only on hold since she is due soon).
The days are getting loner and warmer; the cows spend more time outside, not yet in the alfalfa fields...soon, soon.
Josephine: 25 lbs (a.m.) 20 lbs (p.m.) Total: 45lbs
Joann: (this is Josephine's daughter) 14 lbs (a.m.) 14 lbs (p.m.) Total: 28 lbs
Tara: 14 lbs (a.m.) 9 lbs. (p.m.) Total: 23 lbs.
Curly Horns: 20 lbs (a.m.) 26 lbs (p.m.) Total: 46 lbs
Jasmine: 15 lbs (a.m.) 16 lbs (p.m.) Total: 31 lbs
Sylvia: 13 lbs (a.m.) 12 lbs (p.m.) Total: 25 lbs
Emily: 26 lbs (a.m.) 26 lbs (p.m.) Total: 52 lbs
Stella: 30 lbs (a.m.) 20 lbs (p.m.) Total: 50 lbs
Also in the dairy line up for milking soon are: Sushi (who'll you'd recognize from the old lineup), Samantha and Brie. Samantha is calving this month, with Sushi and Brie due in May. Samantha and Brie will be first time moms, and Sushi will be having calf #10! All three will begin milking after their calves (Sushi is only on hold since she is due soon).
The days are getting loner and warmer; the cows spend more time outside, not yet in the alfalfa fields...soon, soon.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
screw contributing a verse...or anything!
I am mad at Uncle Walt (Whitman). Why do his poems, even the sad ones, seem elegaic and lovely? Why didn't he ever write about what it's like to be hundreds of miles away from family and homesick?! To work and try and forget the things that are bothering; to walk with a friend and talk and seem to make sense of it; to finally resolve to be content with a movie, only to have Scout and Boo Radley bail too, and my computer freeze. Why couldn't he have written a poem, cleverly masking the way that communtiy is supposed to work, and me in it; how it's all supposed to make sense.
And then I find this. Stupid poem.
"Oh Me! O life!"
O Me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities fill'd with the
foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I,
and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light--of the objects mean--of the
struggle ever renew'd;
Of the poor results of all--of the plodding and sordid crowds I see
around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest--with the rest me
intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring--What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here--that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
~ Walt Whitman
And then I find this. Stupid poem.
"Oh Me! O life!"
O Me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities fill'd with the
foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I,
and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light--of the objects mean--of the
struggle ever renew'd;
Of the poor results of all--of the plodding and sordid crowds I see
around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest--with the rest me
intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring--What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here--that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
~ Walt Whitman
Saturday, April 3, 2010
many things of beauty today
Today is the epitomy of spring. I walked a three mile loop around the Farm this morning; crossing off and onto our property; following paved roads onto dirt onto pavement again, off roads into the woods. It is perfect in its sunshiniest, blue sky glory. Today is a day for walks; wanderings through the Dumps' Swap Shop, in search of treasures; eating lunch outside with friends; reading books in the sun. There is little more to say except what Keats says best:
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever"
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
Nor do we merely feel these essences
For one short hour; no, even as the trees
That whisper round a temple become soon
Dear as the temple's self, so does the moon,
The passion poesy, glories infinite,
Haunt us till they become a cheering light
Unto our souls, and bound to us so fast
That, whether there be shine or gloom o'ercast,
They always must be with us, or we die.
Therefore, 'tis with full happiness that I
Will trace the story of Endymion.
The very music of the name has gone
Into my being, and each pleasant scene
Is growing fresh before me as the green
Of our own valleys: so I will begin
Now while I cannot hear the city's din;
Now while the early budders are just new,
And run in mazes of the youngest hue
About old forests; while the willow trails
Its delicate amber; and the dairy pails
Bring home increase of milk. And, as the year
Grows lush in juicy stalks, I'll smoothly steer
My little boat, for many quiet hours,
With streams that deepen freshly into bowers.
Many and many a verse I hope to write,
Before the daisies, vermeil rimmed and white,
Hide in deep herbage; and ere yet the bees
Hum about globes of clover and sweet peas,
I must be near the middle of my story.
O may no wintry season, bare and hoary,
See it half finished: but let Autumn bold,
With universal tinge of sober gold,
Be all about me when I make an end!
And now at once, adventuresome, I send
My herald thought into a wilderness:
There let its trumpet blow, and quickly dress
My uncertain path with green, that I may speed
Easily onward, thorough flowers and weed.
~ John Keats
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever"
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
Nor do we merely feel these essences
For one short hour; no, even as the trees
That whisper round a temple become soon
Dear as the temple's self, so does the moon,
The passion poesy, glories infinite,
Haunt us till they become a cheering light
Unto our souls, and bound to us so fast
That, whether there be shine or gloom o'ercast,
They always must be with us, or we die.
Therefore, 'tis with full happiness that I
Will trace the story of Endymion.
The very music of the name has gone
Into my being, and each pleasant scene
Is growing fresh before me as the green
Of our own valleys: so I will begin
Now while I cannot hear the city's din;
Now while the early budders are just new,
And run in mazes of the youngest hue
About old forests; while the willow trails
Its delicate amber; and the dairy pails
Bring home increase of milk. And, as the year
Grows lush in juicy stalks, I'll smoothly steer
My little boat, for many quiet hours,
With streams that deepen freshly into bowers.
Many and many a verse I hope to write,
Before the daisies, vermeil rimmed and white,
Hide in deep herbage; and ere yet the bees
Hum about globes of clover and sweet peas,
I must be near the middle of my story.
O may no wintry season, bare and hoary,
See it half finished: but let Autumn bold,
With universal tinge of sober gold,
Be all about me when I make an end!
And now at once, adventuresome, I send
My herald thought into a wilderness:
There let its trumpet blow, and quickly dress
My uncertain path with green, that I may speed
Easily onward, thorough flowers and weed.
~ John Keats
Thursday, April 1, 2010
the skull
Awesome Town Library, which I just started volunteering at a few weeks back, has a really great art collection. While shelving books today I found a 760+ page book on Marc Chagall and just had to check it out; while flipping through the book I found this beautiful portrayal of Christ on the cross. It is aptly titled, "Golgotha." Golgotha (aka Calvary) was the hill where Christ was crucified; the word Golgotha can be traced back to the Hebrew word "golgoleth," or Aramaic word, "gulgulta," both essentially meaning, "skull." It felt appropriate to stumble upon this picture today, since it is Holy Thursday, and tomorrow of course (for Christians) is Good Friday, the day on which Christ died on the cross at Golgotha.
Guess this is your history/art lesson for the day. :) Happy Easter all!
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