At Golgotha

Slowly the crowd grew tired of their own jeers
and began to leave. I swallowed,
tasting vinegar again. The few that remained
prayed on the ground below me,
clenching and unclenching their hands.
I noticed the sky, like a large animal
that had suddenly moved closer.
Then the first breath came. I remembered
the wooden boat shaking over the rapids
of the river's mouth, bumping
at the sea's gate. I remembered
running my hands over a newly
sanded board...then the second breath
and a singing as of wheels or leaves,
and I felt the clay pot
shatter, the great wings kick once
like a new heart. Then the third breath
gripped my body down through muscle
and bone to the small bell
of my birth, and I was gone.

Jay Leeming

the elma theatre

kingsley hall is the elma theatre!
kingsley hall is a hall in london
that is cultivating peace!
kingsley hall loves his cat!

connie b. is a concert flutist.
connie b. does quilling.
coonie b. loves her cat!

when connie returned last night from rehearsal,
she took the time to set up her alto flute
and her c flute to play:
amazing grace and i got rhythm!
she has been playing since she was 10 ..
she is tres good; she teaches throughout the area.

she then showed me her quilling..
which is the ancient art of paper "twirling"..
it was created by nuns long ago to substitute
for the filigree work that they could not afford!

the kitty is a calico of sweet nature..
she is named after the character in auntie mame..
gooch? is it?
shy ..

kingsley is a most amazing gent..
there is plenty to read about on
the elma theater webside..
we had a fine evening..
connie came up with the next gift..
it is a cloisonne paper weight
that is quite light!
kingsley came up with a pair of
spoons that said:
welcomf friends..
connie and i questioned the spelling!
we chose the paperweight!

it is warm..
the aire is sweet..
birdsong between traffic..
magnolias, plum blossom..
trillium in bloom..

the wave! the bubble!

although my brother-in-law, steven, says that
real baseball fans never do the wave..
when one was is walking the hiway..the wave is a must!

i wave for two reasons;
one,
to be seen..
the other,
to see.
the waves that are returned
add an exuberance to my feet!
the honks that accompany the wave
are a buoyant bonus!
my practice is to wave without preference;
to see the hummer as i see the vw bug.
the wave is the peace sign i carry.

walking the 10 miles to montesano,
i was in the shadow of three nuclear stacks.
it is all mind, that i know clearly..
yet some how i was feeling some anxiety..
even fear..
for the first time on the walk..
so i seussed out!

i imagined the towers transformed
into huge bubble machines..
that they were filled with aromatic
nectar of rose, jasmine and sandalwood..
fragrant, gigantic bubbles
landing and bursting
on farms and pastures!
the aire got sweeter..
my mind calmed and mirthed!

bubble mantras,
taking and sending..
may all beings be happy!

old olympia hwy

the full moon has morphed
into a full day of sunshine..
crispy cool..perfect walking weather!
nancy g. and i head out
for our peace walk together..
it will be a 7+ miler today..

we have alot in common, nancy and i..
we both have an aunt myrtle!
our dads worked in chicago..
we spent the 60's in california
enjoying the scene!
nancy has her original,
war is not healthy
for children
and other living things
necklace!
(i have the original sticker)
and much, much more!

we dropped off the car last night
by the light of the mooooooon..
on the edge of old oly hiway..

it is truly amazing how fast the miles go
when there is vibrant conversation..
we had a sweet at the blue heron bakery
and ended up at ray's house..7 miles+

he and erin g. were just having lunch.
nancy and i admired the hendrix - marley
motifs..offered a few peace is healthy clings..
(when ray saw nancy's necklace he said:
"it's backwards!")
got a round of hugs and kisses..
then drove to mccleary..
where we were hoping for lunch.
we passed on rounder's..
drove into elma to enjoy
a meal at the rusty tractor..
garden burgers, folks!
lunch was a gift from fred, nancy's husband..
(did you know about that?)
she slipped me a 10 spot for tomorrow's feast!

nancy and fred offered a magnet
for the next host house..

"whatever you can do,
or dream you can do,
you can.
boldness has a genius,
magic and power to it."
goethe

did i mention how
fantabulo-so library's are?
elma library..
where a new nancy seats me
in a comfy chair to update the blog!

i am heading to kingsley and connie's house..
it is a theatre!
the elma theatre..
http://www.elmatheater.org

when i called to let them know
'tonight was the night'
kingsley said connie bought new sheets for my visit!
it's happening everywhere..
all the birds, be they raven or crow..
kingfisher or wren..
have their beaks full of new sheets!

"home is the place where,
when you have to go there,
they have to take you in."
robert frost

fruitcake

my mama began making fruitcake when my father became ill..
my sister, sara and i were youngsters..
i remember the baby bath tub she mixed all the fruit and nuts in..
she tells me i tried to climb in the tub several times..
this could well be true..
i loved the bath..
loved getting my hair washed..
so much so..
that ...

one day.. all was silent upstairs..
my mother was suspect..
she climbed the stairs quietly
to giggles of delight..
sara was washing my hair in the toilet
with toothpaste..
we were breck girls!

i digress..
about a week ago,
after sallie had returned home
from a bout of pneumonia..
she and her grand-daughter, susie..
her grand-son, casey
and grand-daughter-in law, susan
made 25 pounds of fruitcake
in nellthorn's kitchen..
susan tells a rather charming tale of it all..

even though i am away from home,
alexa r. and her mama, charlotte
(blini, the pancake pup, too)
met me for chai in downtowne olympia..
with ms. sallie's fruitcake in hand!
touching hearts with a familiar face
is as sweet as the cake itself..

hail, rain, chill and my mama's fruitcake!

3 days

milarepa, the tibetan saint and yogi
rarely stayed anywhere for more than 3
days advising that the web gets thick
and entanglements creep in!

i am still in oly..olympia,
awaiting nancy g., a woman
i met just after epiphany
who wants to walk with me a ways for peace!

she, however, is on a road trip with her mama
and will actually be home this eve.
we will take to the hiway tomorrow.
i am welcomed warmly in her home by
her husband, fred, and his daughter amanda.
there is the noble border collie, sancho
and his feline friend, storm.. the ever stretching,
most relaxed, elongated cat i have known!

it is my great good fortune
to play scrabble with fred, who is a pro..
to receive in-depth instruction on the bus route
of olympia, tumwater and lacey
from amanda who is a gold medal winner
in special olympics and take sancho for
a walk around his favorite bushes in the neighborhood!

i also have had the time to catch up on the blog
(and then some);
thanks to the timberline library..
here i have met julie n..
she asked about my shoes which gave me an opening
to give her peace is healthy..
...!!!turns out!!!...
her good friend, mary c. has founded
the peace scouts!
peace scouts is part of the peace movement.
as she states::

"peace scouts is a peace education program
teaching children that kindness, wonder and imagination
are all powers that fuel peace.
kindness, wonder and imagination are plentiful.
each is endless."

it is a program like girl scouts or boy scouts
or sea scouts..peace scouts.
the local artist nikki mcclure
has designed the peace patches.
mary has gifted me with two..
the dove patch..
and the power of kindness patch
with h.h. dalai lama on this one.

mary asked if i would deliver a letter to
the dalai lama informing him
of this group..(peace scouts is working
to go international)..in hopes that
the dalai lama might become a trustee
for peace scouts international.

the patches are wonder-full!
there is the power of imagination patch..
dr. seuss!
(you have brains in your head.
you have feet in your shoes.
you can steer yourself any direction you choose!)

the power of place patch..
rigoberta menchu
honoring our own heritage..

the power of action patch..
rosa parks
maintaining dignity in action

the power of vision patch..
black elk
envisioning all beings in harmony

the power of wonder patch
rachel carson
connecting us to the environment
and the natural world

the power of kindness
h.h. dalai lama
open heart dialoque
wirh compassionate listening.

the dove patch
self-understanding
concern for others
generosity of spirit

julie and nancy embody peace and cheerfulness..
what is that sloka?
"maintain only a cheerful mind."

they will be a wonderful connection
on this path of peace.
i will deliver the letter to hhdl!
i am a peace scout!

three days

it is reported
in the islamic tradition ....

that when one enters paradise,
for three days the only word
one is able to utter,
over and over again,
is the word... peace.

seyyed hossein nasr