Mountains and other Places

1.

I can't imagine

my life

without the mountains.

The glory of a sunset

framing gentle peaks

and winter snow caps

that sparkle almost to the point

of blinding.

In the mountains 

it's always

hard to say

what's to come because of the

necessary bends

in the road in order to avoid

the boulders strewn at random

by the glaciers that made these

mountains

so many years ago. 

2. 

Unpredictability

is unavoidable

surrounded by mountains.

Winter storms

circle

until we're buried

and summer rains

get trapped inside the fenced in ring

of peaks.

In Spring, it's hard to make plans

because there are so many days

that start sunny

and end with surprise snow. 

In Summer

humidity drains water

from our bodies

and lends it to the air.

We're forced to swim through life

with no life jackets allowed.

We wear layers

year round

so we can have enough on

but at times there's only just so much 

you can take off.

On August evenings

we find excuses to grocery shop

to hide out in the ice cream aisle

until half the lights go out - 

a warning that we're about to be

expelled

back into the oppressive atmosphere

where we continue to pray - 

to beg - 

for one of those Springtime monsoons

to clear the air

so we might be able to breathe

once again. 

3. 

multi-colored fingers of cliome

stretch

to the sun.

Pink, white and purple

complimentary hues 

hide the true nature of the sharp thorns

that pierce curious fingers

eager to take home their beauty

in a vase. 

4. 

Eddies in the water.

Ripples

against the current

caused by things

unknown.

Constantly changing - 

this way

to that way

and back around again.

What lies

under the surface of this river?

What lies

under the surface of this face?

To cause the eddies

to rise and swirl

to waltz and spin

to hold hands for a moment

and break apart again.

5. 

Fingerlings of branches

hold fast the plastic chair.

It's color

meant for camouflage

clashes against water's surface

and slats like twin ladders

give space for the eye to climb.

The brown and blue ripple of river

below

the washed out blue of sky

above

and a lonesome chair

stuck drowning in between both. 

Place Based Writing

Yikes! It's been a while... sorry about that, but I've been busy doing other important things and the computer hasn't been high on my list of priorities. This week though, writing is my number one priority... more or less. I am a participant in the Place Based Writing Institute at PSU this week so my days will be filled with all sorts of writing and I plan on sharing some with you here. I'm also going to challenge myself to stray from the sappy poetry and into something more intense... we'll see how that goes. Anyways, here's something I wrote in class today:

The pavement is old and worn and cracks show a hint of green grass that wants desperately to grow there. We walk by the Barron's, the Baybutt's, the Anthony compound, Aunt Mel's, the Mudgetts, Gus and Gail's, the McGarrity's and usually turn around at Millie's driveway. If we're feeling ambitious we continue up the long hill itself to the elevator house, but never so far as the Glencross's. 

The way home is always different. The sun in my eyes and a wind in my face. Back down by the same places on the opposite side of the road, until we cross back over by the Baybutt's so as not to invade Charlie's territory. It's only fair. 

Dexter stops to pee in all the same places and Lucy's always on the lookout for something to eat - dead birds, caterpillars, unidentified objects thrown from car windows. Sometimes I feel like I spend half our walks with my hands in her mouth - prying away the desired-but-not-allowed and trying to get all the feathers out of her crooked little teeth. 

Down the hill, Dexter slows down - he isn't ready to go home yet. He licks my hand trying to distract me while Lucy continues her running-almost-in-place-pace. 

Back on 113 watching out for the forest of poison ivy in every form imaginable and back in the driveway to where we call home. Up the steps, in the door and they head for their respective water bowls for a quick drink before I can pick them up. "You can't have too much when you're hot because you know you just puke it back up again."

If it's particularly hot, they each get an ice cube to chase across the floor until either it's caught or it melts into a puddle that I'm bound to step in and wonder just what it was that I stepped in...

He looks surprised...

I am up and at 'em this morning for a busy Sunday. I am wishing I were off with Jess, Al and the girls to Bread and Puppet, but instead I am being a good big sister and filling in for Abbey at work so she can spend time with Joe while he is here. 

My dad's big surprise party went off without a hitch yesterday! He was super surprised and I'd say he had an awesome time. Thanks to everyone who came and who helped get things together. It was a long day, but a great one! 

It's going to be a gorgeous day so I am excited to be spending it outside. Here's to hoping everyone has a great day! If I have the gumption later, I'll get back on here and write a "real" blog... 

Tuckered out...

I had an awesome day today, hanging out with two fantastic kiddos, Harvest and Maple. Thanks to Al and Jess for letting me borrow them for the day and... I get them again tomorrow! Usually the little ones aren't my style, but these two are a different breed than most. They were polite, respectful and they worked their little butts off! 

We started out at the barn, since it is a proven fact that ponies are just good for little girls, then came to play with the puppies, went to lunch, did some swimming, came home and walked the dogs and finished off with some more ponies. Needless to say, Maple was sound asleep in the car on the way back home and I am off to bed far earlier than my recent usual time. It's yet another testament to the awesomeness of having good friends! The only thing I need to do differently tomorrow... is remember to bring my camera!

Poetry

My fantastic friends Jess, Al and Paul let me borrow a season of Def Poetry Jam and I have been mesmerized watching it this evening. I had seen a couple of clips on YouTube on different occasions and I enjoyed them, but watching the whole show is just breathtaking. It is fantastic. The people are so talented and their words bring out so much feeling and so many thoughts. What can I say? I'm inspired. 

Watching other people's words

brings energy to my own.

What they have to say

elicits a visceral reaction

from me.

Whether it's 

goosebumps

or laughter

or even tears

I am feeling 

something - 

many things - 

everything.

They share not just words

but feelings

and images - 

snapshots of their own lives

or the lives of those

they observe.

Social commentary,

joys,

fears,

loves,

everything laid out

for any and all

to make meaning of

and possibly

to understand. 

Homework? Check.

The assigner: Albie Rock

The assignment: Watch Rushmore

Due Date: As soon as possible

Status: DONE!

I did my homework today ladies and gentlemen. I was given a task and I completed it and I have to say, it was most certainly worth every minute and every penny. 

I adventured to Tilton today in order to get some less expensive groceries at Market Basket and because I figured that it was a safe bet that I would be able to find the assigned film at Music for a Song - a great music/movie store in the Tanger Outlet Center. Unfortunately, today was my last visit there since they are closing as of next Saturday. At any rate, I succeeded in my mission and not only did I pick up Rushmore, I found a copy of The Black Stallion and an animated film made from one of my favorite books of all time: Dragons of the Autumn Twilight, a Drangonlance book. I didn't know that they had made a movie, but I was pretty excited and that is next on my movie playlist. 

At any rate, I just finished watching Rushmore. At first I didn't think tonight was my night because when I put it in the DVD player in my living room, the DVD player kept getting an error. Thank goodness for my Macbook since the DVD player in the bedroom has gone the way of the dinosaurs, though I don't think that it will eventually turn into oil, coal or diamonds. If only...

I wasn't sure what to expect because I didn't read the back of the case before I started the movie, but since I tend to trust Jess and Al when it comes to.... oh just about anything, I figured I was in for a good flick. To their great credit, I was right. The movie was awesome. It was funny, witty and thought provoking. The characters were fantastic, the story was well developed and it was just all around a good time. I have to say that I loved the character named Dirk as well as the little boy who is never named but shows up randomly in the majority of the movie. 

I feel like I have attained a goal tonight. It's been a while since I had homework and it feels like an accomplishment to have completed it. Tonight, Rushmore. Tomorrow night, the world. 

Thank you Mr. Frog

I think I might have found a silver lining to all of this rain... I was driving home from yet another awesome dinner with Jess, Paul and Al (I haven't had a not awesome one yet) and instead of slaloming to avoid the little frogs chilling on the rainy roads, I only saw a couple and they were easily avoidable. I'm guessing that there is enough wetness in the woods that the little froggies don't feel the need to come out on the pavement to soak up the good old H2O. Hooray for that! I get super stressed trying to avoid those little buggers. 

Dinner this evening was a birthday celebration for Jess's mom. As Paul mentioned, if it weren't for her, there would be no Jess and that would be a tragedy! I feel like such a jerk too, because I completely forgot to wish her a Happy Birthday! Since I forgot then, I'm doing it now - Happy Birthday Jess's Mom! Thank you for giving birth to such awesomeness. 

I have discovered that awesome conversation is something that absolutely makes my life a better existence. There is no lack of awesome and intelligent conversation while spending time with Jess, Paul and Al. The topics are wide and far-ranging and always super interesting. I like using my brain and I try to be always thinking with this crowd. 

Paul let me borrow Season 4 of Def Poetry Jam and I absolutely can't wait to watch it. Slam poetry and the like are some of my favorite things. My other "homework" is to watch the movie Rushmore... I've heard of it. I wanted to see it, but I never have. Now it is a must. I'll see if I can find it tomorrow. Thank goodness for intelligent people. You guys are awesome. 

Once maybe

in a lifetime 

a dream 

comes close enough

to grasp.

To let it slip

through careless fingers

would be a 

travesty. 

Busy, busy, busy

Ahhhh, Friday and a busy Friday at that! I was off and running this morning, super excited because my amazing principal at school found money for my friend Nichole and I to go to a 4 day writing institute at the end of the month! The Plymouth State Writer's Project is putting it on and it's all about writing about where you are from, which is right up my alley! I am extremely excited and I will get a graduate credit out of it. Pay raise, here I come... only 29 more credits to go!

After getting all of that paperwork set up, I went to hang out with my friend Krystle. We got a lot accomplished and managed to have a great lunch all at the same time! We hadn't hung out in way too long and we had a good time. Good friends make life so much better. 

I moved from hanging with Krystle to visiting Jess and Al at the shop. It was pretty busy there, but I got to spend some quality time with some more awesome people. I am looking forward to spending some more quality time with them tomorrow evening. 

This evening was full of some dinnertime and cookie baking fun with yet another great friend, the aforementioned Nichole! Lucy barked pretty much the entire time she was here, but we were able to tune her out for the most part. Poor Dexter came and hid in the kitchen because he appeared to be getting a headache from her screeching. 

Now, I'm ready to get ready for bed because there's another busy, busy day ahead of me! Barn chores at 5:00 am and then off to Bearcamp Garden for the big Open House extravaganza! Come on by for refreshments, entertainment and some fantastic garden-y lectures. See you there!

So much awesome.

I went to see Reel Big Fish last night at The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and it was utterly amazing. I loved their music before and I have to say, I love it even more now. They played both of my most favorite songs and I felt like I was in heaven! 

Today has also been good. I took my little Lucy and did a home visit in Albany, then we went to meet Auntie Jess and then to Four Your Paws Only for some puppy food and toys! After all that, we came home and went for a lovely walk not to mention that Dexter and Lucy got to go to their grammy's house and play with Bella in the big fenced in yard. 

Stellar couple of days. That's all there is to say.

The Epic Feast - Devoured

For a bunch of really skinny people, my friends Al, Jess and Paul can eat. They can eat and eat and eat like you wouldn't even begin to imagine any three people in this world can eat. I can't hold a candle to what they can put away and I am by far the least skinny out of the four of us. 

I hit the luck train big time this afternoon. After spending a lovely morning in Concord with my mom and sister, I called Jess when I got home. At the time, she wasn't home, but she called when she got home because they were headed for Portland to a fantastic vegan restaurant called The Green Elephant. We had been there before and I thought they put away some food the first time... they blew themselves right out of the water this visit!

Between the four of us, we ate: four orders of soy nuggets, an order of spring rolls, an order of tempura oyster mushrooms, veggie kabobs, and an order of fried wontons, not to mention four entrees. I was the only baby with leftovers to bring home because I just don't have the gumption to pack it all away. I have to say though, I am pretty excited to have some vegan citrus spareribs to snack on tomorrow. They are darn good!

Other than a little incident on the way over with an unfortunate dog chasing an even more unfortunate porcupine (the dog is okay, the porcupine not so much) it was an utterly fantastic trip. Aside from the intense gluttony at the restaurant, we took a trip to Whole Foods (my first trip there) and it was amazing! So much good food that is mostly good for you in one place. I am definitely going to have to go back sometime very soon for some further exploration. 

Now, I am home and trying to come down from all of the fun induced adrenaline. I feel so incredibly lucky to have such awesome friends. There was a time I didn't think it was possible to have this much fun. Boy, was I wrong! 

Full days...

Today was a fantastic day. I think that in one day, I got to do just about every single thing I love to do. There aren't many days that I can say that about. 

First off on the adventure parade was taking Dexter and Lucy hiking. We've been on plenty of walks, but never a hike, so we chose an easy one. Brook Path in Wonalancet was lovely! It was flat and right along the brook the whole way so there was plenty of water for puppies to drink and splash around in. Lucy did have one unfortunate mishap while leaping from one hummock of land to another... she sort of splooshed down into about 4 or 4 1/2 feet of water... in she went and she popped back up like a little cork! She swam a little bit and then scrambled back out onto the bank and proceeded to shake. A lot. This was the first time ever that she was successfully tuckered out. She ran pretty much the whole way and when we got home, she was out cold for the entire afternoon. It was hilarious as the picture shows! 

Next, I headed for the barn and not only got to ride Revlon, but also got to give JT a little exercise. Rev was good for the most part... only a few rearing/bucking fits. It was so much fun and I think she is feeling healthier than she has in a long time. JT on the other hand is so out of shape it is utterly pitiful. He was looking good until the grass came up and now I am affectionately referring to him as "Lard Bucket". He is in desperate need of some exercise to "trim the fat" so to speak! 

Anyways, by the end of the day I was soaked with sweat, filthy rotten dirty and had an enormous smile on my face. Chalk one up for the good side. 

Sweat trickles downward

as the sun keeps on it's path

I had so much fun. 

A fine summer day today. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and I didn't feel a single raindrop all day long. It's been a long time since we've had a day like that. Lucky for me, I got to spend nearly the entire day outside and enjoying it. Playing in the plants at BCG, walking the dogs and some quality pony time made today pretty fantastic. 

I went for a little drive tonight around the back roads of Tamworth and Sandwich... something I was very fond of doing just after I got my license and had the time to do it. I live in a really beautiful place, I have to say. Winding dirt roads, wooden bridges over idyllic brooks, and views of the mountains and the moon that would make most people drool. Honestly, looking at all of it tonight, I could have used a bib. I have lived here my entire life and I am so thankful for that. I can say that I grew up in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and really, really mean it. 

Strawberry jam

on saltine crackers

the only snack she could think of

and one I ate 

too much of. 

Summer days spent

at the Finley house

the scent of the chlorinated pool

seeping into everything

and I loved every minute.

Back then 

the game of Life

was just that - 

a game.

Played on an ancient board

on an even older floor

in a house with hidden passageways

and doors too small for a grown up

to fit through.

We spent mornings at the barn

and afternoons on the hill

inventing games and playing with toys

that belonged to some other child

who lived in some other time. 

That house is gone now,

and so is the pool.

Torn down and re-built into something

nowhere near

the original. 

So many pieces of childhood

gone in that very same way. 

Gotta love independence...

First off, I had one of the best days I have had in a very long time yesterday! It was Jess's 30th birthday and I got to spend most of the day celebrating with her! Our friend April and I took her out for some brunch and cool coffee/smoothie drinks and then a whole mess of us went out for dinner at The Thompson House in Jackson. It was so much fun and the food was utterly amazing! Not to mention the fact that we walked out of the restaurant after dinner and got to enjoy some fantastic fireworks! 

As you may know... today is Independence Day. I enjoy the concept of independence. Being about to do things as you choose to, seems like a pretty darn good deal to me. I know that I appreciate my independence, though I think there are some pretty shady parts of our journey to reaching it. We won't go there today though... it's a day for celebration!

As is tradition, I watched the Tamworth 4th of July Parade today with my family. It was actually pretty excited because both of my grandparents came to the parade, something that hasn't happened in a few years. It was a gorgeous morning with sunshine and everything and we had an awesome spot to watch from. The parade was much shorter than usual, mainly because there weren't a million fire trucks at the end of the line and that was totally okay with me! There were some decent floats and some lovely horses, so that made it good for me!

After the parade, we attended the "Family Day" events for a couple of minutes. The black clouds were rolling in and the obligatory 4th of July shower was going to happen any minute. After that, we grabbed some lunch and then went to pick up my mom so we could go to my friend Caroline's book signing! If you are interested in learning more about her amazing novel, check out: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/ride-on-the-curld-clouds/6870856

I was the lucky recipient of an advance copy, so I've read it and loved every minute of it! I would especially recommend it to those who love both Shakespeare and horses. It's full to the brim of both!

All of that goodness, topped off with a family BBQ at my grandparents house rounded out my 4th of July celebration. I think we'll be attending some more fireworks this evening and then it's back to reality tomorrow. Hopefully a reality that continues to include that big, yellow, bright thing in the sky. I missed it while it was on vacation for the month of June and would like to see it back full time for the rest of the summer. 

Torrential Thursday

It's official. The little stream in my back yard is now a raging torrent. Even though I love on a hill, I got something about my homeowner's insurance today asking if I want to add flood insurance. It has been raining... a lot... but let me tell you, if my house gets flooded, we are all in big, BIG trouble.

Both of my puppy dogs are currently sitting on the end of the couch watching it pour. I would totally get my rain boots on and take them walking in the rain, but I'm lucky if Dexter will go out to pee when it's raining! He is not all about getting wet. As soon as he comes inside, he wipes his head down on the carpet because he can't handle having a wet face. I have to say it's pretty cute watching him crawl around with his derriere up in the air, all the while dragging his face across the carpet. 

I guess I don't have all that much to say. As I believe I have mentioned before, the lack of sun is really, really, really getting to me. I am feeling drained and sad and blechy in general. I do have to say though, I'm excited to go see my dad play some music tonight at The Brass Heart Inn and then to spend some quality time with Jess tomorrow on her birthday!! Birthdays are awesome. I'm having one in just a little more than a month. I was scared of it for a while, but I think that 27 has a nice ring to it. We'll see... maybe it will bring good things, like a little bit'o'sun! 

Day One

Technically speaking, today is day one of a brand new month. July is supposed to be a month of sun and warmth and awesome summery stuff. Unfortunately at this point, July is starting out the same way June left off... wet, dark and chilly. None of those three things connotes summer to me. I don't know about you. The one thing I know for sure, is that this weather is starting to seriously bum me out. I'm ready for sun and warm weather and haying! It's hard work and you sweat like crazy, but I enjoy the satisfaction of knowing the hayloft is slowly filling up with food for my ponies for the winter. 

I had another pretty good day today. I got a lot done around the house this morning, spent some quality time with my puppies and then spent the afternoon with the amazing Jessica. It's almost her birthday and though she might not be excited about it, a bunch of other people are. Friday is bound to be a good day, full of celebration of an awesome person and the day she came into the world. What better reason to celebrate? I can't think of one. 

I get super jealous hanging out at the shop with Jess. All sorts of people are getting tattooed and it makes me want to get tattooed. I have some ideas... some things I'm planning on. There's just something about the idea of art permanently inked into my skin that puts a smile on my face. It's not always the most comfortable situation, but anything worth anything is bound to have a little discomfort involved in one way or another. You just have to keep your eyes on the prize. Watch for the benefit at the end as opposed to the pain in the middle of it all. That way, you have something good to focus on.