Testing

I subscribed to my blog's rss feed to see if it was working the way I thought (with a title and the first paragraph.) It wasn't. But, now it doesn't seem to be posting anything.

Test...1...2...3

Life Transitions

Several of us are approaching life transitions of some sort or another:
Completing a university education ~~~~~congratulations, Austin!
Finishing graduate school ~~~~~congratulations, Rachel!
Embarking on globe trotting expeditions ~~~~~congratulations, Megan!
Flirting with the possibility of new love ~~~~~or so I hear, DareISayWho?
Mourning the loss of once-known love ~~~~~so sorry, TooMany.
Celebrating new life ~~~~~congratulations, Menards!
I'm sure there are many more ~~~~~celebration & sorrow as are fit

As I move through my own transitions, everything seems very abstract. I can't just sit down and sort out everything that is swirling around and inside me right now. Often, I find myself simply stepping back and allowing all of the emotions and events to simply move on their own. It seems like just loosening up and moving with whatever comes is best as long as the ground is still moving beneath me.

Still, there are a few things that hint to a more sure-footed future. Good conversations hold me in the moment. Spending time out of doors, in natural surroundings, consistently lends me a sense of peace.

As you are currently approaching life's transitions, or as you have in the past, what helps most to encourage hope?

Autumn

Autumn here in Provo has been unusually kind to us for the past week or so. Tomorrow, a wicked cold front is supposed to sweep through and freeze us all. So, I thought that I'd share a few Autumn-happy-warmths with you:



Beans are beautiful and tasty. I turned these beans into taco soup that was oh-so-filling. I was more than happy to eat the leftovers all the following week. I like Autumn because it means I start cooking soups again.



As soon as I got my car, I headed off to drive the Nebo Loop. Even in the desert, we can get a taste of Fall colors,



and Fall cattle,



and Fall deer,



and Fall views.



Also, this once-a-leaf-pile is now-a-compost-heap that I am very excited about. Bring me your food scraps and I shall return them to the Earth. Autumn helped make this possible, too. ::nod::



I am off and away on my new adventure to appreciate cooler weather. Don't you think?

sigh

A more even-handed response than my general desire to start preaching the gospel of social justice from the top of the SWicKeT.

my apologies for the multiple postings. Still figuring out how to use blogger. the right sidebar kept cutting off the "late bloomer" tree picture

art helps

Beauty Beauty. Shared by an Israeli artist on Etsy.

I am nearing the end of a frustrating, lonely, two weeks.

Honduras

I'm going to do some more research, but suffice it to say that the news coming out of honduras seems less like a coup and more like nipping a dictator-to-be in the bud.

Sing Songs

edit: *sigh* perhaps I should've stuck with lj. I always want to go back and edit my posts until they are "just right." Only, with blogger, I am afraid that I may be mucking up people's rss feeds. Sorry about that, I'll try to sit on my posts longer in the future, so they only get published once.

I have a hard time learning songs. I can't just listen to a song and then know it by heart. I've got to write down the lyrics, play the song and sing it back, and repeat and repeat and repeat. Thus, I know few songs by heart. However, I enjoy singing to myself while at work. Particularly, I enjoy singing to myself while picking up litter or pruning flowers or performing other early morning lone-lily tasks. The two songs I know by heart are "Blue Caravan" by Vienna Teng and "Sunny Road" by Emiliani Torrini. I'll pick around at other songs while working, but those are the only two I know beginning to end. They are lovely songs, but I would like to add a few more, and perhaps even add a few that don't deal with wanderlust. Those in italics are the ones I would most like to learn.

What songs do you enjoy singing to yourself?

"A-Tisket A-Tasket" Ella Fitzgerald
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" Looking Glass
"Chim Chim Chiree" Mary Poppins
"Fly Me to the Moon" Sinatra
"God Bless the Child" Billie Holiday
"Good Morning!" Singing in the Rain
"Here Comes the Sun" Beatles
"Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" Oklahoma
"Outloud" Dispatch
"Prayer of Saint Francis" Sarah MacLachlan
"Sugarcane" Missy Higgins
"Today Has Been OK" Emiliani Torrini
"Throw Me a Rope" KT Tunstall
"Wagon Wheel" Old Crow Medicine Show
"Weeping Willow" Billie Holiday
"Winter" Tori Amos
"Whale of a Tale" 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
"Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong
"Your Fire Your Soul" Dar Williams

There has been a beautiful conversation over at the Exponent on the topic of "good" and "bad" LDS feminists. For those interested in this topic, read through the comments. I've found the Exponent to be a respectful space for exploring ideas women and the church.

Apolitical = Political Neutrality?

BYU-Idaho dissolved their BYU-I Republican & Democrat clubs

And then, my co-workers told me that it was a good idea.

I wanted to cry.

I sleep nine to five

Third summer working on Grounds 'round 'bouts the duck pond. I enjoy the work.
My shoulders are sore.
The hours bite: blame the summer heat.
I like watching the sun rise over the mountains, every morning.

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day in Provo. I would like to work in the mountains.

Beautiful Provo Parkway Trail



I had no idea Mt. Timpanogos Park was so nearby, or so pretty! Let's bike out to the Storytelling Festival together, this Fall.



If you cross the highway at this bridge, just before Bridal Veil, you can head up Squaw Peak Rd

We only made it 3/4 a mile up the road. The gears on Silas's bike wouldn't shift down to first. No fun on such a steep ride. Joyfully, 3/4 is enough for a view

Our friend, the knotted tree trunk. Each hole is an eye, nose or mouth. He bid us a safe ride home!

Beginning

This is a blog. I am not sure what sort.
We can find out together, if you like.