government camp

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i crossed over the columbia river back into oregon on the hood river bridge— i was surprised that this bridge was a narrow metal grate bridge with one lane in each direction!— i guess i am used to all the ginormous bridges we have in the bay area

it was a bit nerve-wracking crossing but thankfully the speed limit on this 100 year old bridge was 15mph so i didn’t feel too pressured!— then i took highway 35 down the east side of mt hood all the way to government camp

it was a beautiful drive through very scenic country— lots of roadside farm stands and captivating views of mt hood

back in 2016 when i was early in researching my build i made a trip up to portland to stay in the caravan tiny house hotel— caravan has since closed as of last fall!

i also wanted to check out the mt hood tiny house village— at the time tumbleweed was my expected builder and the village has many of the models they were manufacturing

at the last minute at the rental car desk i decided to get a 4wd suv— this was december and snow was predicted— mt hood village was, as you might guess, really close to mt hood and i thought it would be fun to drive up to timberline lodge

it did snow and it was fun to drive up there in such a magical scene— and i wasn’t all that far from timberline lodge in government camp, which is a ski town mostly with a decidedly what i might call “hokey” flair

I overnighted in the rest stop there and in the morning i hiked up to mirror lake, about 4 miles round trip— rhododendrons were blooming, waterfalls were rushing and the lake was icy cold!

Me and finny walked all the way around the lake where you can get a picture perfect view of mt hood reflected in the water

we hiked up here the afternoon before too but it was insanely crowded— much more peaceful and quiet first thing in the morning

columbia river gorge

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i really wasn’t prepared for how spectacular the columbia river gorge is and how much cool stuff there is to see along the way!

stopping for gas in washougal i caught sight of the pendleton woolen mills store!— i wished desperately i had time to stop but i was on a pretty tight driving window to make it to stevenson with enough daylight to get situated

highway 14 is the route i took and it was a bit challenging driving in places with steep sides and narrow lanes in some spots— i wish i had really examined the route for vista spots so i could have been prepared to pull over and enjoy the absolutely breathtaking views!

i passed through skamania and my mind was full of memories of the amazing soul collage international conference that took place there at the beautiful skamania lodge in 2013— this was the final conference attended by soul collage creator seena frost before her death in 2016 and i am grateful i was there

i made it to stevenson about an hour before sunset— i found my camping spot easily and set off right away on a walk with finny on the riverfront trail!

a boondockers welcome host turned me on to this $10 per night port authority managed camping— this is definitely the most personal of the apps for finding places to stay as it is homeowners and property owners who welcome travelers to share their space— they often offer electric and water hookups for a fee but otherwise it is free!

I met the super friendly camp host and enjoyed the epic vibe of this hidden gem

the full moon rise over the river was truly magical— definitely going to be back to this spot and explore some more of the hiking with views of the mighty columbia!

the lights of cascade locks, oregon across the river

olympia

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i was last in olympia in 2017 for the west coast puppetry conference and was really looking forward to being back!

one thing i have learned in my travels is that parking at friends locations, as they often suggest, most likely isn’t the most pleasant option— the street or driveway is usually at an uncomfortable angle, neighborhood streets can be too narrow to safely accommodate my vardo, and friends almost universally underestimate what it will be like with my rig on their property— so i am really grateful for all the great apps for finding places to stay when on the road

this time i stayed at a really nice hipcamp location— it was a little out in the country but close enough to make everything easily accessible— and it was really close to the gorgeous mclane creek nature trail, which i visited several times for hikes with finny

i had a wonderful visit with puppet colleagues marjorie and patricia and got to see their latest projects

and i got to visit abel zyl!!— which was super special— i had dearly wanted abel to build my vardo for me but the timing didn’t work out— his magical zyl vardos really inspired me and i was so happy to get to meet him in person

i also got to see a performance of “far away and hard to find,” by string and shadow which was super fun!— they use giant puppets for some of the characters in their shows, operated by more than one puppeteer

i ran out of time for the valentinetti puppet museum— something to look forward to next trip north!

this is my favorite photo of my vardo so far— hipcamping out ia a flower field!!

string and shadow performing “far away and hard to find” at calliope farm, july 2022

portland

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after leaving cottage grove i traveled up to portland to have a short visit with my high school friend lauren

lauren and i are both ami certified montessori teachers so we have a lot in common— we were also both really into art, track and clothes back in the day!

it was so wonderful seeing her in-home montessori school, little fruit farm— we took a day and drove out to the coast and had lunch at a cool old roadside restaurant— so many gorgeous views!— so many stories to share!

i was excited to share my crow puppet with her class

july 4th weekend i spent a couple nights up at L.L. stub stewart state park— it was my first time in a campground with my vardo!— it was so beautiful and a peaceful escape from all the chaos of fireworks in the neighborhoods

i went hiking and saw so many enchanting sights— there was way more to explore than i had time for and i was sad to leave, but onward to olympia!

the ghost orchids were just beginning to bloom!

eugene

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the day of the grand reopening of the eugene farmers market dawned bright and clear

the city of eugene, oregon has made an amazing commitment to their local farmers, ranchers and makers

the new year-round farmers market pavilion is like a cathedral!— so spacious, airy and easily accessible for all the vendors— it was truly inspiring to take part in this event

although the day was extremely hot, inside the pavilion, with the large, roll up doors open, those of us presenting caught the gentle breezes and were in the shade

this was my first experience using a microphone for a performance— i was a bit nervous but the small wireless unit was not a distraction at all

in between my performances i was able to wander around a bit and see what others were offering— and take advantage of that mist tunnel!

it was a good day!

thank you athena for taking some photos!

cottage grove

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i was so happy to be back at my friend jan’s place in cottage grove— the time she so graciously let me spend there during my wildfire evacuation gives it a special place in my heart

i was so excited to visit the turtle sanctuary and dorena lake, well as the row river trail— so much natural beauty and water!

it was pretty hot there for the first few days but then it cooled down— her driveway is all shaded by huge big leaf maple trees so so my vardo didn’t really heat up with the sun shining on it all day

one day we took a drive over to cottage grove lake where there is a beautiful campground run by the us army corps of engineers— i learned that the corps maintains public water sources in the us— there are over 450 COE campgrounds in the us!— all near water!

it turns out there is a COE campground at dorena lake too!— which i walked through many times in 2020!

i made a trip to CG the walmart— which i also became attached to during my evac stay— i got a spiffy battery operated spray bottle so i could mist myself at the farmers market opening since it was in the high 90’s— but it turned out they had a giant mist tunnel you could run or walk through to cool down!— but i did get to use my mist fan at home the next day :)

hope to visit beautiful oregon again this summer!

i think this image of the turtle pond looks like a maxfield parish painting!— finny even found a turtle!

ashland

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after i left weed i stopped in ashland— i have never been to ashland before and was so taken with all the old victorian style houses and the amazing gardens in peoples yards

and it is a city after my own heart because there were beautiful old trees everywhere!!

this did make navigating the streets tricky as they wonderfully don’t trim them back much so there were lots of streets i had to bypass

i was especially excited to finally get to meet tanya at the ashland fiber arts collective— we have been in communication with one another about me offering a class there in the future

i found this cool velvet fabric in her shop that i bought to make a “fox” skirt— tanya shared they had been enjoying watching a fox family in their backyard

i also found out that jared roth, who made the magical tree in my studio, is now living in ashland— double fun next time i am there!

tanya is the one who pointed out the “fox faces”— can you see them?

heading north

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i’ve traveled up and down california into oregon and beyond enough times to start to have favorite places to stay

going up I-5 doesn’t have a lot of nice options right on the route, but i love stopping at the mt shasta brewing company in weed, ca

there are lots of apps that one can use to find spots to stay and this one is a harvest host location— harvest host partners with vineyards, farms and other businesses that have adequate space to offer overnight rv parking— they ask that you support your host with a purchase

when i am on the road i love to find places to walk in nature with my dog finny— mt shasta brewery is right down the street from the college of the siskaiyous and there are beautiful trails there to explore

i love arriving at the end of the day, going for a sunset hike in the forest then ordering a pizza from the brewery!

i was super relieved to learn they weren’t damaged in the fire that burned parts of weed last august/september— can’t wait till my next trip north this summer and another stay at mt shasta brewery

finny is my little treasure at the end of the rainbow :)

summer solstice 2022

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the night before i left on my summer road trip i went to a singing bowl ceremony at moran beach

a friend invited me and a couple other women to this weekly event by crystalline sound that runs tuesdays at sunset when the weather warms in spring through fall, by donation

It had been a blistering hot day but as the sun got low the cool ocean breezes sprang up

there were loads of people on the beach enjoying the beauty of the picture perfect sunset, the sound of the bowls and the good vibes— some were eating picnics, others greeting arriving friends— kids were running around in the mix of young and old

we spotted great white egrets flying gracefully into the nearby eucalyptus trees, finding their nighttime roosts

a woman was meandering through the crowd with this incredible crystal lyre— if you asked, she would place it on your chest or abdomen and gently sound the tones

as darkness was falling we walked back to our cars relaxed and rejuvenated

it was the perfect send off for my big adventure!

summer solstice santa cruz style!

crow’s flyabout

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last june i got to perform an original nature tale at the grand reopening of the eugene farmers market!

my good friend jan lives in beautiful cottage grove which is just south of eugene— while spending thanksgiving up there with jan and her family in 2021 i got to meet jan’s neighbor, nancy— nancy and her husband are organic farmers and they have a wonderful herd of sheep on their property— of course i immediately thought of nancy as a kindred soul because of our shared love of wool!

later nancy contacted me to ask me to create an original puppet show for the reopening event— we brainstormed together a bit and the result was “crow’s flyabout”— the story of a “curious, clever, cautious and companionable” crow out seeing the world

it was a big accomplishment to write and memorize the story and songs, make crow and have it all ready to go in the midst of my studio expansion— but i did it and it was so much fun!

now i have it in mind to make a white crow so i can tell the story of how raven stole the sun!

crow is a very handsome fellow!

on his flyabout crow met spider,three little speckled frogs, the cloud on the mountain and the sun!— and he learned a lot from them all!

my expansion, phase two

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the carpet is in, the french doors are painted, the chandelier is hung and the tree trunks are up!— the space is ready and waiting to host puppet shows, crafting classes and inspiring gatherings of all kinds

of course, this all happened way back in july— what has been going on since then you may wonder

so much!

i’m going to do some short posts every day to catch up

i love my new space!!!

my expansion, phase one

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back in march there was a lot of activity in studio 43 right next to me— the artist in that studio was one of the original 17th avenue artists

it turned out that she had to move into assisted living and her family had come to take stock of clearing out her space— they were in and out over the course of the next month and i didn’t think much about it except since she was never there after the pandemic shutdown, and only there a few times in 2019, i wondered what it would be like to have a new artist working in there regularly

then suddenly one day i got an idea!

i could take out the wall separating my studio from studio 43 and create a performance/classroom space twice the size!!

and i could make a new wall that would give me a dedicated workspace that would allow me to leave projects out and in progress, and not have to clear everything away to run an event!!

i checked with our handyman and he said no problem!— i checked with my landlord and she said no problem!

oh my gosh i was so excited!— and a bit awed by my daring to expand while my business is still relatively dormant— but i jumped in with both feet!

it felt so good to clear out the other studio i had originally rented for the other business i originally planned to launch in september of 2020 that was then crashed and burned by my wildfire evacuations— it had gotten piled up and hugely disorganized with evacuation stuff, building supplies for my vardo and general crap— i moved a lot of my supplies over but also got rid of a bunch of stuff i was keeping “because i might need it”

and it was a huge push to make all this happen in one month at the same time i was in the final preparations for my road trip north— but i did it!

i still have about 10 boxes i didn’t get to before i left for oregon that i need to go through— but i’m really excited to be back and getting on with it!

in the beginning…

my new workshop coming together!

the performance/classroom space extension!

i did it again!

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it has been almost two months— and after i swore i would be better about posting— sigh

well— since my last post the expansion of my puppet studio phase one is completed!— one wall removed, another added, french doors installed, paint on the walls, carpet in, and stuff moved out of storage studio, sorted through and organized in my new workshop space, which is now separate from my performance/classroom space!— whew!

at the same time i was preparing for my trip north, writing a custom story and creating the set and a crow puppet, organizing the tree mother/tree clootie workshop stuff, and collecting a few story basket shows for the road trip

it was a completely amazing journey and i am really proud of myself for pulling it all off

now that i’m back i’m ready to dive in to finishing phase two of my studio expansion including painting the french doors and the workshop door, getting the exterior door trim painted and mounted, finding and installing my tree trunks and branches, making curtains for the doors and a “stage” curtain for performances and getting signs for the street, window and exterior doors.

i’m planning on starting my fall events in september with my first friday puppet short show and character crafting session following the show, second saturday crafting class, third weekend puppets and picnic event, and fourth weekend my new family friendly storytelling event with a themed costume, puppet helpers, songs, fingerplays, and poems

i’m also going to be offering a holiday crafting series of 6 classes to make items for your home or as gifts— you will be able to take the classes individually or as a series at a discount

and meanwhile i’m starting to think about my january trip to southern california!

scrolling through all my photos to find one for this post i landed on this one— on all my hikes i got really into taking pictures of rocks that looked like butterflies or especially hearts— i have many striking images from my trip but i feel like the idea of finding heart everywhere really captures the essence of what i experienced <3

saw this one on a section of the pacific crest trail near crater lake

national truck center

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i decided i am going to start making blog posts to highlight all the folks who help me keep my truck and my vardo in beautiful condition and running reliably

they say it takes a village and that is certainly true for me and my vardo adventure— it’s great to have such a caring tribe around me whenever it’s time for maintenance and/or upgrades

first off i want to thank national truck center

i am so happy that i found national truck center in watsonville!!!— when i was first searching for a place to service my big truck i got a couple of “sour apples” to start with

but now that i finally have my home base for taking care of “bessie the beast” i am so confident in sammy and his team

making this short and simple post to give a big shout out to watsonville ford and national truck center— great service and consistent follow up— courteous, knowledgeable and thorough

Thanks guys!!!

sammy, conrodo and bill at national truck center in watsonville

good things happening

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i’m dedicating this blog post to james young and the immortals— thank you james for calling me out on my mia status!

i looked and saw that my last post was march 20!— so i did drop out— but not in the way i usually do— it’s because tiny house theater is coming back to life and a lot has been going on!

my puppets and i have gotten to do a birthday party, a family picnic, a 4 week home school story basket circle, a womens group workshop and now i’m getting ready to go up to oregon in june for some more puppet/vardo events!

plus i’m expanding my puppet studio!— when the renovations are done i will have double the performance/classroom space and a separate, dedicated space for ongoing projects and class/performance supplies!!!

i’ve decided i’m going to start with my classes and monthly performance and first friday events in september— this feels brave but with a bit of holding my breath that another wave doesn’t crash my puppet party!

i kind of feel like when the light started coming back strong after the spring equinox, so did i!

i’m feeling really settled in my routine of vardo life, and i’ve started going to a monthly “open garage” event at levity vans over on santa cruz westside

i feel like i’m blooming again with all the spring flowers after a long, dark emotional/spiritual winter of covid/fire evac/dog death/business collapse/general life disintegration

now i’m back to my more familiar state of creative excitement, life exuberance, and beautiful wellbeing

this post is short and sweet but glad to be back connecting with my website and my readers ;)

more soon! mwwaa

me, james and reece at the april levity vans “open garage”

day of devotion

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march 21 is a day devoted to 3 things that are foundational in my life— forests, puppets and common courtesy!— it’s the official world or national day for each of these!

mr rogers, beloved american icon, had a saying— “attitudes are not taught, they are caught”

one thing that i have learned is that whatever values you think you are teaching your children, they are “catching” values you may not realize you and/or your extended family are modeling

There is also a very powerful teacher operating outside meaningful parental/caregiver influence via screen technology that often increases isolation and aggression despite the “urban legend” that the internet is a good way to occupy kids with “educational” content

the good news is that tomorrow celebrates ways we can remedy this modern malaise with timeless activities that promote connection, wellbeing and presence

shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is practiced in japan and “can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us”— being among the trees can be as simple as going in the backyard or your local park, spreading out a blanket, lying on your back and looking up into the magical world of sun, sky, leaves and branches above you

when my children were young their hawaii grandma would make them little dolls out of knotted and tied kleenex— they would be captivated for a whole screen-free afternoon as the tribe of characters grew with each new doll and was incorporated into the ongoing story they were creating and acting out— this counts as puppetry!— and we still have some of those tattered kleenex dolls ;)

when i was a montessori teacher, the area of the classroom that i was most passionate about was “practical life”— this is where lesson trays were for how to offer a snack, how to help a classmate with clean up, how to ask for something and say thank you, how to welcome a visitor, and so on— one of the powerful advantages of the montessori classroom was the mixed age setting where the older children could give a courtesy lesson to their younger classmates once they demonstrated proficiency— this idea can easily be used at home to encourage thoughtfulness and social awareness

whatever grounds your life and makes it better, if there isn’t a world day to celebrate it, start one in your own family or group of friends— there is always room for more happiness in the world!

a lesson in my hand illustrated practical life montessori album

good vibrations

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yesterday i went to the 2022 pajaro valley quilt association quilt show!— in person!

after 2 years of covid preventing this annual event, it’s back and beautiful with the theme of “good vibrations”

3 huge buildings full of quilts, wearable quilt art, vendors selling all kinds of merchandise and live demos!

i got interested in quilts early on— my maternal grandmother, mimi, had some beautiful purple tulip quilts in the guest room at her house that were made by her mother-in-law’s quilting group in shawnee, oklahoma— mimi was all about purple everything— even purple and pink decorations on the christmas tree every december!

in my 20’s i was fascinated with heritage and amish quilts— i made a few small sampler type wall hangings but i didn’t stick with it— i was too impatient with all the small shapes and detailed hand quilting

then when my daughter was 4 years old, we decided to make a quilt for her best friend for christmas— i had made a simple quilt for my daughter’s birthday in november and she wanted mathilda to have one like it

i got out my boxes of fabric scraps— because of course i have many boxes of fabric scraps!— and she helped me pick some out— i cut out the 6 inch squares and lauren helped lay them out in a pleasing way— i rearranged a bit when my daughter wasn’t looking ;)

i liked the simplicity of just big squares so the colors, patterns and feeling quality of each fabric could really be experienced— i loved the challenge of melding all the elements into a bigger message— i used stitch-in-the-ditch sewing technique so the quilting part was done on the machine

later i moved on to big quilts with 3” squares in the round the world quilt pattern— i called them spirit quilts— a visual story about the essential qualities and nature of something/someone/some experience/some place

i’m going to make a quilt to donate to the foster child adoption quilt project— and one for the veterans quilt project

but first i have to take my trusty old kenmore sewing machine in for a tune up— meanwhile i’ll be digging through my scrap boxes and uncovering old treasures to create new quilts

so much beauty, creativity and generosity!

we all need to hear our own words sometimes

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yesterday i was in felton— it is a place i love but it can also be painful— it’s where i spent the beginning of the pandemic shutdown, held my dog as she died and was evacuated from after the unimaginable and intense night-long dry electrical storm that ignited the czu lightning complex fires and displaced me from santa cruz for more than 4 months

i feel close to shadow, my dog who passed, when i’m there on the familiar streets and the beautiful trails in henry cowell where i walked with her so many times

sometimes i feel an uncomfortable sorrow when i think about leaving santa cruz for a new home base and i won’t be able to connect with her spirit and memory that way— i don’t want to think about leaving her behind

i parked on gushee st near the few-years-new felton library and noticed an art installation along the fence of the discovery park and trail

it was a photography series by local artist devi pride and her reflections in a poem about the experience of and healing after the fires

each of the 12 panels had a word and statement that the image represented

my favorite was a charred stump that looked like a jagged mountain out of mordor in lord of the rings— the word REST was followed by the statement “in the nothingness, we discover our greatest growth”

i have definitely felt like i’ve been in a lot of nothingness these past two years

but i know i have also experienced a lot of growth

so much growth happens in the dark before we can see the results— the baby comes into being in the womb, the seeds begin to sprout under the soil, some awesome process is happening inside the tree before we see the new green shoots pushing out

this growth and healing comes from some place beyond our rational understanding— we don’t decide our cut finger is going to heal— it just does— fire scarred land recovers with time because the earth just grows things— our pain/anger/grief/overwhelm transforms eventually as we salvage/clear/reimagine/rebuild our spaces and our lives

many of us had huge portions of our lives blasted away— that left a heart-wrenching void that something comes in to fill

when i had gardens, after you prepare the beds and plant and water, a lot of weeds sprout up along with whatever it is you are cultivating

it’s a gradual process to pull out these opportunists as each successive wave arises— i notice this same process in recovering my life— not every inspiration or direction is a keeper— i need patience and perseverance as i navigate finding my new normal, listening hard into that nothingness for my inner knowing

i think a big part of all this is having faith— believing that i can recover and grow— trusting that process that i can’t see but is surely happening

as devi says— “we all need to hear our own words sometimes”— words we use to reflect, to refine, and to redeem what is worthy and good from the chaos

a peaceful place to ponder the way forward

tree clooties

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awhile back i mentioned i would tell you more about tree clooties in a later post

i love to use up the bits and pieces that are left over from my different fiber projects

years ago i had made some napkins as a gift— i used 4 different really gorgeous japanese ikat fabrics— all patterns in navy blue and ivory

it turned out that the fabric was cut very unevenly off the bolt, so i had big tapering strips left over— i was getting together a christmas box for my daughter and decided to make some “tree sashes” that she could hang outside the little cabin she was living in at the time, up in alaska

i got together the strips of fabric, thread in lots of colors, beads and raven feathers and i created these strikingly dramatic pieces, joining some of the strips and embellishing them

some time after that i created a tree meditation workshop, making these and taking them to an open space and finding a tree to meditate with then either leaving the “tree sash” or bringing it home

then i came across the feature on “clootie wells” on atlas obscura— the ancient tradition of hanging pieces of “clootie,” the scottish word for cloth, at sacred wells in ireland and britain for healing— i decided to call my tree sashes “tree clooties” and incorporate the story of this old ritual into the workshop

that was pre-puppet days!— once i made my tree mother puppet at the last boulder puppet boot camp in 2019, not long before the pandemic, i had another medium in which to express my love and respect for trees

now i am ready to roll these all together!— a tree mother puppet story, a tree meditation and an afternoon of making a “tree clootie” to take home

i am planning to host some women friends at my studio on february 19 for this event!

if you want more information about a tree clootie workshop for your group i would love to introduce you to this magical combination of experiences!— let me know here

working on some protypes for the workshop!

more letting go

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i was walking in the schwan open space soon after new years— i hadn’t been there in awhile because of all the december storms we had— i had been walking places where the trails weren’t so soggy

there is an amazing tree that lives in there— i call her the grandmother tree— she has obviously been cared for and shaped over the years into her magical, magnificent presence

i was literally stopped in my tracks when i came upon her and saw that she had lost a huge part of herself— one entire trunk was gone and the remnants of it were strewn around— big sawed chunks, hunks of limb and branch, bits of twig, sawdust

it was hard to take in what i was seeing— because i really did not want to see it

it was just so wrenching and also so familiar— the cleaving of who you were and who you are now— without an enormous part of what defined the shape of your life, your aliveness, your beingness

it definitely brought up a lot of feelings for me about the losses i’ve suffered in the last few years

i was trying to sort all that out over the next few weeks, passing her every other day or so— worried that she was ailing or unbalanced or somehow reduced by this shocking event— these storms we can’t control that can sweep away everything that we have called “normal”— projecting a lot of my own struggles to come to terms with the violent tearing away of parts of my life and loves

but she seemed so fine with her new self— she didn’t seem broken or struggling or sorry

she seemed solid and serene— she just kept on treeing— opening out new green leaves— standing in her quiet glory— accepting whatever the heavens send, a worker and a witness in the wonder of nature

i think seeing her and knowing her and considering her helped me have appreciation and affirmation for my choices and and my truth and my new normal— i think she helped me to see i can grow well in my altered state when i embrace it

this morning when i walked by her there was a crowd of older women gathered around her, amazed at her stature, exploring her from every direction

i loved seeing her loved as she is, seeing her looked up to and admired— i love how she goes on, day by day, transforming the elements of air, water, earth and sun into her own aliveness and creating such purposeful beauty

that is how i want to live— translating what i life gives me into my own story of becoming the me i’m meant to be— solid and serene, worker and witness— alive and still growing

the new her— with a small part of what she shed still with her