Look who came to visit!

Summer in Oregon brings so many pleasures and surprises, including a visit from Baby Ruby and her family! Pamela's cousin in Portland was getting married and Jer and Pamela had some time after the wedding and before the flight home to Berkeley. So Courtney, Aaron and I spent the day with them at McMenamins Edgefield Inn outside of Portland. (Very cool spot--I would definitely recommend it.)



It was much too brief a visit--only half a day--but great to keep that connection going with Ruby and see her progress and development in person. As always she kept everyone entertained and amazed. And it's very wonderful watching Pamela and Jer in their parenting roles.

Here's the whole gang, minus Aunt Hat who was behind the camera. That's Pamela's mom Doris on the left and her dad John on the right. What a sweet and very fun family.




Speaking of sweet and fun, our first house-guest of the season, Mabelle arrived on 4th of July weekend in her self-contained bed and breakfast. All she needed was a flat place to park and a bathroom. She's got a solar panel she plops up on top during the day and that gives her the juice she needs for a reading light and fan for the night.

Most the time we had spent with Mabelle in Monterey was at films or talks or on marches. We had a great time while she was here getting to know each other better, exchanging stories and finding so much that we had in common.

It was hot and sunny and we made a trip downtown to the farmer's market and a walk along the river, and Courtney took Mabelle for a tour around campus, but mostly we spent time in the haven of our backyard--sitting at the picnic table, eating and talking. Heaven.



Then two weeks later it was daVinci Days and we were blessed with more great company-- Helen came from Monterey and Peter and Lee came from Portland. As happened when Helen visited the first summer we lived in Corvallis, the temp went to 100+ and so much of our focus was on how to stay in the shade and keep cool and hydrated.

As always daVinci Days was wildly creative and entertaining. Below is the "Friendly Giraffe"--a one-man effort. But, as you'll see below, most of the machines have more than one pilot, as they're called, plus a pit crew.

The criteria is that the "kinetic sculptures" must be human-powered and be able to complete a race on the ground, up and over a sand dune, through a mud bog and down the river.






















Lots of puppets and pagentry, and most of all, incredibly creativity and fun. Helen was game for everything, despite the awful heat, including a night-time concert by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and then a hot and sunny viewing of the bog race the next day.

It was great to share the fun with our friends Peter and Lee from Portland. As was the case with Mabelle, we knew Peter and Lee from political work, specifically Palestinian solidarity, and this was the first chance we'd gotten to know each other more as friends. The five of us share a passion for Palestinian human rights work, but we also just plain enjoyed each other, so it made for a really great weekend.

When it was just the two of us Helen and I mainly spent our precious time together on the back deck--an especially nice place for our breakfasts and dinners. We created wonderful salads together and enjoying them over tall glasses of iced tea and long talks.




Just like last year Courtney and I went to the Peoria Gardens' big summer sale twice--filled the back of the Honda not once but twice--and then I had to re-pot all those danged plants. And then, just like last year, we had company (last time Frank and Margaret, this time Helen) who had to watch me pot and pot and pot some more. Luckily I can talk and dig in the dirt at the same time. Below is just a fraction of the fun flowers and herbs I scored...



...and here they are below after finding new homes, mostly around the deck in the backyard.









The front yard is more Courtney's domain. He's got the espaliered fruit trees growing up and along the fence, hardy kiwi, four types of blueberries, a Ukranian persimmon tree, nasturtiums...



...and snow peas, winter squash, wildflowers, lavenders and sages.



We're very inspired, and blessed, by our neighbor Jerry who invited us to pick cherries, and then more cherries, and then more. Big beautiful black cherries. And then he presented us with this incredible bouquet of sunflowers from his garden. His sunflower patch is about the size of our house--pretty stunning. He just broadcasts sunflower bird seed and let's 'em grow!





And speaking of growing, Aaron turned 14 at the end of July. Last year we had a big party for him and I invited neighbors and friends of mine and Courtney's, to help Aaron meet more people in Corvallis. I wanted him to feel part of our community. He of course spent most of his time with his cousin Matt (that's to be expected) and being a teenager he didn't hobnob and meet a bunch of new friends. Oh well, it was a good party and I don't regret it at all.

But this year his one request pertaining to his party was that there only invite people who he knows. Hummm, how weird. But I respected his request and it was an intimate gathering--Maya, Eder, my mom, Courtney, Aaron and me. (Ben was off doing his own thing.)





Here he is, the handsome dude. One of his birthday gifts from me was a photo album of his life. I'd been working on it for several years, but each year when his birthday would come around I wouldn't have it finished. So this year I stayed with it and got it done in time. We all had fun after dinner looking at the photos of his childhood together--laughing and reminiscing.

Aaron's other birthday gift was a week's trip to Monterey to stay with his buddy Robert and Robert's family. I love that Aaron and Robert have been friends since second grade, and Robert's mom Patty and I do our best to help the boys maintain their friendship. Robert was here last winter break and hopefully he'll be back this year.




The other handsome boy in my life, Courtney, is seen above and below doing his early morning watering in his garden along the south side of our house. I especially love the romano beans growing up the bamboo structure that Courtney built for them. During the two week period of hot hot weather Courtney was up and in the garden early each day trying to keep all his plants from frying. Here and there was a burnt leaf or two, but for the most part everything survive thanks to his care and diligence. Every household and garden should be so lucky as to have a Courtney in it.



Well, that's been our summer, more or less. I'm hoping to be more regular about blogging when winter comes. Too much keeps me away from the computer during the summer months--precious guests and family, the pleasure of being in the garden and among my flowers, and the total luxury of reading under the great shade trees in our backyard.

But so many things that I'd like to include in this blog get lost in my miniature memory bank. "Must not have been that important" goes the old saying, but I don't think that's true. So I'm praying for a long rainy winter in which to type away at the computer hour after hour with no regrets of missing time outdoors.

In the meanwhile, I'd better get back out there--before Ben's builds another tower without me!




Thanks for reading this and I hope your summer is warm, sunny, restful and rejuvenating.

Til next time, much love,

Valori

The Beatles, a baby, a birthday and a close brush with death

Hmmm, what can I say about May other than it was a very intense month and not at all what I had planned. Tom Nelson's event on May 3rd went well--a good crowd at the Library, dinner afterward with friends, including Josh, who was leaving for Damascus the next day to continue his Arabic studies. Information was spread about the Free Gaza Movement and we might have someone locally who'll go on one of the Free Gaza boats this summer, which would certainly make the time invested in Tom's event well worth it.

I had only one other event that I was part of the planning for: on May 17th emma's revolution, a two-woman band from Washington, DC, was playing in Corvallis as a fundraiser for Benji Lewis, a young man refusing to go to Iraq for the third time.

Benji had joined the Marines at age 18, went to Iraq twice, was part of the assault on Fallujah, and promised himself he would not be part of anything like that again. He served his time, was honorably discharged, moved to Corvallis, got a job, started school, fell in love, and then last October got notice of involuntary reactivation (not the same as stop-loss, but similar).

Anyway, a group formed to support Benji and before you know it he's on a speaking tour of the Pacific Northwest, he and his girlfriend Marci have developed amazing organizing skills, and then suddenly his reactivation got cancelled. For the full story go to www.couragetoresist.org and click on Benji Lewis.

All this is to say that after Benji's event there was nothing else on my horizon, until....but that story is later.

Meanwhile May started out mild enough, with The Beatles At OSU. This was the fourth year in a row that these OSU students (some new each year and some the same all four years) performed a Beatles album as a fundraiser for CARDV (Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence). It's not that they sound like the Beatles, it's that they sound exactly like The Beatles.

Each year it's been a fabulous show. The tickets are $5, the cause is a great one, the energy that the musicians put out is really wonderful. Last year we took Aaron and he liked it, so this year he said yes to going with us again and he brought his friend Simon too.

It just so happened that it was also the weekend that Aaron had to have his "baby" with him continuously for 48 hours for his sex education class. It's not like he hasn't been around Ben enough to see that a baby takes alot of energy, but I don't think he was prepared for how much impact his "baby" was going to have on him.



Simon was such a great sport and actually alot of help since he'd had his baby the previous semester and so knew the tricks for keeping the baby happy. It was a very sophisticated baby and made a certain cry when it was hungry, a different sound when full, and another cry when it needed to be burped, and yet another for a diaper change. And, yes, it woke up several times during the night and could not be easily comforted. Dang!

Anyway, everywhere that Aaron and Simon went the baby was sure to go--on a walk around town, to Willamette Park, to dinner before the Beatles concert, and to the concert itself. I can see how it would be much better to have two daddys than one--nothing like a good support system to make life easier...and more fun.



In the end I was proud of how responsible Aaron and Simon were with the baby. It seems to me that the school was right on in its timing. Last year it would have been a disaster--this year they just did it and with surprisingly little complaint.

As Aaron heads towards his 14th birthday I'm increasingly aware of how little preparation kids in our culture get for taking care of themselves. If life only required that we be able to operate electronics, download into our computers, upload into our ipods, etc, then no problem. It's those other pesky details of self-care that are missing and so I determined in my devious little mind that this summer would be all about building skills.



Courtney brilliantly offered Aaron an easy way to make $5 just clipping his hair (I'm a real weanie and won't use those clippers) before either Courtney or I finish off the haircut with scissors. Aaron's first try was a success and so he built some confidence and made some cash.

Meanwhile little Ben was moving into a next stage of his own. Below are photos of his 3rd birthday party. Here he is with his two buddies Ella and Keaton.




His aunt Aunt Mindy and cousin Jakob came from Monterey to help celebrate his birthday...



...along with his Aunt Kenya and his cousin Nicholas.




Below, Ben and Keaton were of course very interested in the cake that Sierra, Maya's friend and co-worker, made. Too bad the photo doesn't show the great play structure that Ben got from the family. Eder, Maya, Courtney, their friend Jay and my mom all spent many hours putting the structure together in time to surprise Ben on his birthday. (Never believe the box instructions that say 4-8 hour assembly time.) Anyway it's a work of art and should keep Ben busy until middle school.




Ben had his first experience wacking a pinata--with Eder in the background working the "controls".


After all the hard work was over Eder and Daddy Jay, as Ben calls him, got to kick back by the fire pit and enjoy some brews in celebration of Ben turning three.




And here's the rest of the story of May 2009: Shortly after 12:30 on the 5th a phone call came to the Co-op from medics in an ambulance saying that our buddy and deli co-worker Carolyn was on her way to the hospital after having been hit by an SUV while riding her bike to work. Not only hit, but also dragged 20 ft and then pinned under the rear tire until the firemen and medics arrived and rescued her. Yes, Carolyn instructed the medic to call her work and say she wouldn't be there--ever the responsible worker that she is.

I won't go into the details of her injuries--just suffice to say they were numerous and extensive. Carolyn's a 62-year-old grandmother and peace activist (probably a pacifist, but in no way passive), who was luckily in great physical shape and with a determined will as tough as steel. She was quoted as saying "Get this ****ing SUV off me! This is a stupid way to die!" She's got alot of people close to her, but especially her grandson Calder she was not ready to leave.

Anyway, as workers at the Co-op continued to hear more details about Carolyn's situation--that the SUV driver was uninsured, that Carolyn wouldn't be able to work for at least 4-6 months, etc--the energy started to build to do a fundraiser for her. A group of us got together and brainstormed and came up with.... CASH FOR CAROLYN!

We planned an all-day event for June 6th, and what sounded like a fairly straight-forward and simple event grew and grew until it was quite the extravaganza. But with each growth spurt we could see the potential for making more money for Carolyn, so we continuously said yes to whatever came along and in the end it all payed off.

That morning Carolyn arrived, a bonus we couldn't have predicted would be possible, by pedicab driven by our friend Dan Crall and was greeted by Sally with a gift of a new pair of shoes from FootWise. The police were only able to find one of Carolyn's Keens after the accident and she had been mourning the loss of her favorite pair of shoes. Here was a replacement.

The event was taking place in two locations next door to each other. A giant rummage sale was set up in the parking lot behind Fireworks Restaurant, along with a stage for live music. Then at the Co-op a silent auction and cake raffle were set up in the Community Meeting Room.





She was also greeted by her old troublemaking buddies, the Raging Grannies, who Carolyn used to sing with before she started working at the Co-op.





There's Raging Grannies in lots of towns and cities these days and they all share the funny and political lyrics they've written to popular tunes that everyone knows. Another trademark they share is the big wild hats and funny aprons they wear. Makes them hard to miss.




The Grannies were just the right way to kick off the day, and the energy just kept growing from there--one great musical act after another made it really fun to be there (and many of the musicians were Co-op staff members). The morning mist and clouds and wind finally cleared in the afternoon just as Future Roots took the stage and put on a great show.



Meanwhile people were shopping the rummage sale like crazy and making donations beyond what they purchased, including those who hadn't heard about Carolyn before but were so impressed by her and by the support they were seeing and feeling all around her.

I'm sorry that we didn't take any photos of the action in the Meeting Room. There were over 60 silent auction items--many of them donated by Co-op staff members--artwork, jewelry, pottery, massages, rafting trips and on and on. And the cakes and desserts in the cake raffle were amazing and beautiful and so danged creative.




Below is the lovely Jeannie Holiday, the mistess of ceremony and wonderful hostess/comedian/performer of the day. Without her humor and bright energy the day would not have been nearly so fun.

And with his back to us is Aaron, who won the award (in my book) for best volunteer. We had lots and lots of people working all the aspects of the event, but none out-did Aaron for continuous hard-work and cheerful attitude. He was my hero and Carolyn's.

My other hero was Courtney who throws himself behind me in whatever I take on. In this particular event he worked long and hard with gout in his foot and so many hours of pain and agony and still he was there to the very end.



Below is the last act of the day, the zombie surf rock band, They Won't Stay Dead. The lead guitarist Craig had OK'd it with Carolyn ahead of time that he was wearing a smashed up helmet and tire tracks across his torso. She had already made jokes about tatooing No Parking Zone across her abdomen, so she was fine with his dark humor.



Something none of us planned, or even could have imagined, was that Carolyn was able to stand up, with no help but her back brace and cane, and thank everyone publicly. No dry eyes in the crowd right then.



Carolyn swears that this event--with all the love and support it generated--has knitted her broken bones back together in rapid time.



And we raised buckets of money for her--more than we ever could have imagined. Thank goodness for good strong community. Life would not be nearly so rich without it.

Thanks to Chris Johnson for some of these photos of Carolyn's event and to Courtney for the others. And thanks to anyone who made it all the way through this very long blog,

Valori

Domesticity on Crystal Lake Dr

Springtime this year has been a mixture of "ahhhhh, finally" and "what, already?!" Too many things happening in too many directions and then weather does it's part to confuse us, fluctuating between cold-wet-rainy and warm-sunny-beautiful.




The defining point, that proves we've moved from winter into glorious spring, is that we've moved our base of operation outside. Clean-up of the long-neglected deck has begun. The laundry is drying outside on racks, instead of inside by the woodstove.




I took down the very faded Tibetan prayer flags from the deck and Aaron and I strung them on long poles of bamboo and sunk them in the ground near Courtney's gardens.




My plan is to put up new strands of prayer flags each year and, as they fade, then move them to bamboo poles and eventually have a field of flags.





The idea is that as the wind blows the flags, prayers fly to the heavens. Please excuse this brief commercial for ICT, but if you make even a modest contribution to the International Campaign for Tibet, they'll send you a beautiful little strand of prayer flags--just the right size for a window or doorway. 888-Tibet-Now www.savetibet.org





As for what else is happening in the garden, here's my handsome Master Gardener cooking up the last of his winter harvest of arugala that he loves to put in his pastas.




But to back up in the story a moment: earlier in the spring we hired our neighbor Paul to trim the giant tree in our yard in hopes of keeping the trees happier, avoiding dead branches dropping on our heads, and letting in a little more light.




Paul was fairly fearless, though cautious, and Courtney assisted from the ground (the danger zone) and all went smoothly and it felt like one more step of spring cleaning and getting ready for life outdoors this summer.




Our enormous maple tree in the front yard hangs over the pathway next to our fence. The pathway is a very busy thoroughfare of walkers, bikers and joggers, and the maple makes a beautiful shady respite from the summer sun and heat.




Here's a close-up of what it looks like this time of year.




If you've been reading our blog for a while you may remember the story of a woman who fell from her roof and died--a woman I didn't know, but wished I had after reading the many obits written about her. She died before we moved to this neighborhood, but her straw bale house is just down the street from us and her partner Peace John still lives there.




The whirley-gig frog above is always fun to see--it's wheels whirl around with the wind. And the peace sign below is across the driveway from the frog and right next to...




...the pump house that sports these dancing pigs and, this time of year, a big show of daffodils and tulips.




Meanwhile, back at the farmstead, we hired the expert help of our neighbor Tal (on the ground working) to build a fence around the front yard. He's getting assistance and encouragement here from Courtney and another neighbor, Jerry.




The reason for the fence is, for one, to keep Ben in so we can all be out in the yard and not constantly worry that he'll bolt for the street.



Another reason is that Courtney is planting espalier trees all along the fence and they'll grow up some but mostly sideways. Already he's planted a Bosc pear, asian pear and fig tree along with a hardy kiwi and smaller things like peas.

Slowly but surely the grassy lawn in the front is being replaced by edible garden. There are four blueberry bushes and a persimmon tree and little garden strips inside the fence dug and ready for planting.

All this is to say that we're working on our little plot of sanity in the midst of a world that seems less than sane. My heart continues to feel heavy from the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank. Our friend Josh is preparing to return to Damascus to study Arabic again before he returns to the South Hebron Hills to continue his work with Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Much of my time is spent preparing for a guest speaker we are hosting from the Portland area--Tom Nelson, a lawyer who specializes in international law--who will be speaking on his investigations into war crimes committed in Gaza during the attacks in Dec and Jan.

Also Tom was on board one of the Free Gaza boats that made it to the Gaza port last August--breaking a 41-year blockade of Gaza from the sea. His stories should be interesting.

On a happier note: Ben's heading towards his third birthday, Aaron's getting ready to graduate from middle school, and Maya's loving her new job. Everyone appears to be happy and healthy and somewhat sane, so what more can you ask for!?!

Thanks for reading this, and I hope your lives and hearts are full of spring energy!

With love,

Valori

Gaza Mourning Tent

March 30th is Land Day for Palestinians. What, you might ask, do Palestinians--who are losing their land at a breakneck speed--do on Land Day? True to the spirit of Palestinians, they celebrate what land they have left and protest that which they've lost.

Since February our Palestine Action Group had been planning a Mourning Tent for the victims of the Gaza massacre in December and January. Originally it was to be on March 16th, the anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death in 2003. Rachel, shown in the photo below, was a 23-year-old student at Evergreen College in Olympia, WA, and a peace activist. She was a volunteer in Gaza with ISM (International Solidarity Movement), trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes, when Israeli soldiers crushed and killed her with a D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer.






Each year there are memorials around the world for Rachel on the day of her death. It seemed like a fitting day for our Gaza Mourning Tent, but the weather would not cooperate. So at the last minute we rescheduled to March 30th, and joined in the global solidarity effort with Palestinians in observing Land Day.

Our student member Lia, along with other student friends on campus, reserved a space for us on the Quad (the hub of student traffic--kind of the crossroads of the campus) and we set up there in the morning and stayed until 3pm. We caught the student traffic between classes and especially at lunch.





Inside the tent we had flowers and candles and photos--of the dead and of mourners in Gaza. That was by far the hardest part of this whole project--looking at one gruesome and awful photo after another and trying to find ones that conveyed the tragedy and horror and loss, without scaring people away. In those photos there were so many terrible images that I hope some day will leave the recesses of my mind.

In the end I think we did an excellent job of finding photos that were respectful and dignified and gave the message that this was about mourning the deaths of innocent people and the destruction of their homes and neighborhoods.

Along side the tent was a table with information about the seige on Gaza and about Rachel, two tri-fold boards with photos and quotes, and postcards for people to sign: one asking Obama to end military aid to Israel, one showing the loss of Palestinian land over the last 60 years, and one to Caterpillar about stopping the sale of bulldozers to Israel (beefed up by the military and used to demolish homes, uproot olive trees, destroy farms and gardens, and flatten refugee camps).



Below in the Mourning Tent are hanging some posters of Rachel and the Palestinian flag. As soon as we hung up the flag a young woman stopped and said "I recognize that flag! It's Palestinian!" Turns out she had taught at the American School in Jordan, knew all too well the situation in Palestine, and was so happy we were doing what we were doing. It was a good start.



Our statement on the table read:

We Mourn the Dead in Gaza

December 27, 2008-January 21,2009

1,417 Palestinians killed
including 926 civilians
of whom 431 were children
and 116 were women
5,450 seriously wounded, mostly civilians
of whom 1,872 were children
and 735 were women

255 civil police officers killed
16 healthcare workers/medics killed
and 22 injured
13 Israelis killed
including 3 civilians
and 4 soldiers accidentally killed
by Israeli forces

Statistics according to CARE International UK, Amnesty International,
World Health Organization (WHO), International Medical Corps and
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)

The photo front and left was the one that most touched me. It is of the bodies of three little brothers being carried to their funeral. They look smaller than Ben. There's so much tragedy in that one picture: the tiny bodies wrapped in white shrouds, the looks of grief on the faces of the men carrying them, and on the far left is a young boy, his face covered with his hands, but obviously crying.




Different friends stopped by during the day to stand with us, talk with students and help pass out information. Most people were very respectful, and especially the middle eastern students were very appreciative that we were doing this. But as always there were those who were angry, didn't come too close, but shouted something as they passed by.

We all, especially Gretchen and Jeanne, got our practice talking with people who see things quite differently than we do. But we had an unfair advantage because our friend Josh, who just returned from months in the West Bank working with Christian Peacemaker Teams, was there with us all day. We could pull him into a conversation if we needed to, but we each tried to hold our own and not rely on him.






Then in the evening we moved the tables, photos, candles and flowers, plus information boards and postcards, downtown to the daily vigil in front of the Courthouse. Among the people at the vigil was Charlie, who is involved with the Peace Action Committee at the Unitarian Church. He was quite affected by the photos and by the map on the Loss of Land postcards, shown below, and invited us to bring all of this to their church, which we did the following Sunday.





The Mourning Tent was the second event our Palestine Action Group put on. (The first was the Celebration of Palestinian Culture evening in February.) As I've said before, I love this little group. We work so well together--it's a tight little operation. Below are two wonderful members--Emmet and Alison. (Emmet consistently puts out the message "It will be great!" and so far he's been absolutely right.) What's up next on our plate? That's yet to be determined, but as Emmet says, it will be great.



Our cultural celebration in February was a fundraiser for MECA, Middle East Children's Alliance in Berkeley. On March 26th MECA hosted a talk by Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian-American author and activist, my favorite speaker on the subject, who gives a very clear analysis of the Middle East conflict, including solutions. Ali Abunimah's talk is well worth the time to listen.



Meanwhile, spring is coming to Corvallis. The trees are budding and blooming. Winter is fading from our memory and life is renewing itself. The talk is all of what's been planted, what will be planted, etc. Hooray for all that spring brings.

One change in our lives is how infrequently Aaron comes to Corvallis. More and more he has plans with his friends on the weekends, and that's to be expected. How fun are we compared to friends?!? But I miss him and would rather see him more often.

As he heads towards his 14th birthday I'm reminded how little we teach our children in this culture about how to survive in daily life. So each time he's here I try to help him learn a new skill. (Maybe that's why he stays in Eugene!)



On Saturday nights now he's responsible for cooking dinner. Above and below you see the fruits of his labor--mushroom and black olive pizza. He did it all--from rolling out the pizza dough to serving it up.



One last thing: the literary tip you've been waiting for. My two new favorite books were written by Alison Clement (yes, the Alison in our Palestine Action Group!) The first is Pretty Is As Pretty Does. Anyone who has ever lived in a small town, or ever been a woman, or ever felt oppressed by the circumstances of your life, or ever felt frustrated by the confines of our society, etc, etc, will love this book. Shortly after I started this book I sent Alison an email with the subject line "I curse you, Alison Clement" and complained to her how tired I was at work after staying up all night reading her darned book!

Then the second one was just as great! The title is Twenty Questions and that's all I'm going to tell you. Go straight to the library and get them both. The sad news is that they are the only two books Alison has written. But the good news is she's working on one right now.

I'll leave you with that good news, and hopes for a beautiful beginning of spring for each and every one of you,

Valori

The Tales of Mary and Maya

Some friends you don't see for months, or even years, at a time but when you do it's as if no time had passed. Mary is that kind of friend. She lives in Hawaii, so how often do we get to see each other?!? But it doesn't matter.

Mary's dad lives on the Oregon Coast, not far from here. His nine children were plotting to surprise him on his 80th birthday. So Mary flew from Hawaii to Portland, and her siblings were coming from all over, but mostly California.

We were the first leg of Mary's two weeks on the mainland. The weather was not bitter cold--like it could have been--but she was a bit chilled at first, and then acclimated. In fact, it snowed two days before Mary arrived, but the whole time she was here, it was mild and sunny. As soon as she left the temperature dropped and the rains came back. Hmmm, could we pay her to stick around?!?

When Mary first called to say her trip was planned for March I warned her that March was a busy time--with several events back-to-back--and that I would put her to work. Mary is an event organizer extraordinaire, so she wasn't put off in the least.

The first day that Mary was here we picked up Ben in the afternoon from Inez, his other grandmother. It took Ben about 5 minutes or less to warm up to Mary. She's got quite the way with kids. Could be why she's got the job she's got.

Mary's work-a-day life in Hawaii consists of driving around the island in a Head Start van and setting up her mobile classroom wherever she finds homeless kids that aren't going to school. Sometimes it's on the beach, or in a park, or the week before she'd taught in an alleyway. Most of her students are from Micronesia, so her work is cross-cross-cultural. I just bet Mary is the teacher we all wish we'd had when we were kids.

Below's a shot of Ben playing with us, but you won't see Mary in any of these photos. She likes getting her photo taken about as much as I do. But I'll tell you she's a beautiful woman--inside and out. When she's at home in Hawaii, most mornings she watches the sun come up from her surfboard, riding along on the waves of the Pacific. She says that's her early morning meditation.




That first day Maya came over after work and spent the evening with us. She and Mary have been buds ever since Maya was a kid and Mary taught her how to hitchhike. One of Mary's jobs in the summers in Jackson, WY--where we met--was moving cars for rafters on the Snake River. After she'd drop the rafters' car at the end point, she'd hitchhike back to her own car at the starting point. While I'd be working the lunch shift at the Sweetwater Restaurant ( in downtown Jackson) Maya would be out on the road with her thumb out, alongside Mary. I guess Mary's always been an "educator."




The second day Mary was here we went to Eugene. Originally the plan was that we'd pick Aaron up after school and bring him back with us for the weekend. He had a three-day weekend because of "grading day."

But at the last minute plans changed because Aaron got a better offer. His friend Buck invited him to go with his family to Sun River Resort, by Bend. So Mary and I, being our flexible selves, adapted to the new plan, went to Eugene and took Aaron for a shopping stop at Buffalo Exchange and then out to dinner.

It had been a long time since Aaron and Mary had seen each other, but it didn't matter. We had lots of laughs over dinner and it was a fun time for the three of us. Mary capped off the evening teaching me and Aaron an exercise to prepare for surfing--and you can do it on your own living room carpet!

Much of the time that Mary was here was spent hanging fliers for upcoming events. After a couple of days she knew her way around Corvallis, from one bulletin board to the next. (Poor girl--but I warned her.) The day after she left was a Second Saturday benefit concert for Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Two days after that was to be our Palestine Action Group's "Gaza Mourning Tent" on the OSU Quad in front of the Memorial Union Bldg. (That got canceled the day prior because of wind and rain.) Then later in the week, on March 19th, was the 6th anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad and the beginning of the Iraq War.

Below is our contingency of 50 who marched single file through the campus, many of us carrying signs saying "Occupation: Wrong in Iraq, Wrong in Palestine." We had a die-in on the Quad, in the center of campus. It was important to do, we made the front page of the local paper, people stopped and watched us go by. But somehow it didn't feel like nearly enough of a statement. It feels like the Iraq War is invisible--in the US, at least.





Well, one last story about Mary's time here was that we went on a tour of Maya's new job. She's working on the OSU campus in Conference Services as an event coordinator. It's a fabulous job in lots of ways--great people to work with, interesting and creative work, good pay, outstanding benefits--and I'm pretty danged proud of her, as you can imagine.




Meanwhile, the man of my dreams, Courtney Childs, is now officially a farmer. He owns a pair of overalls (that was my first clue) and he's recently graduated from his Master Gardeners course.
So he doesn't have class all day on Wednesdays anymore, but that doesn't mean he's not taking a pruning, or composting, or duck raising workshop every chance he gets. Immersion, they call it.

Anyway, I'm very grateful that he's investing his time and money into learning food production. As he explained to me and Aaron the other night at dinner, he's not doing all this just because he likes to garden. It's more that he's doing this for the family--so that we'll always have food. He plans to teach me and Aaron what he's learned so we'll be more self-sufficient too.

Pictured below and above is a little starter garden that sits on Courtney's window sill above his computer. Something growing everywhere. And it's not even completely spring yet.



One last thing, earlier I promised to tell all about Alison Clement's two novels that I love so much. But I'm going to wait until the next time, because it'll fit with that story better. So tune in again shortly.

Happy spring, and with much love,

Valori

The best danged trip

I have found the best excuse for going to California twice a year--Rosen Movement Intensives so I can get certified to teach. What a fabulous coincidence that the Rosen Center that I'm getting certified through is in Pacific Grove.

Courtney had already planned to be in Berkeley for Ruby's first birthday, so when the Intensive was scheduled oh so close to her birthday, viola! We had a trip in the making.

For days before take-off we watched the weather forecasts and then finally broke down and bought chains. For a man who loves warm weather and sunshine and fears and loathes the cold and snow, you can imagine how excited Courtney was about driving over mountain passes during a snow storm. But he did it!! Here he is on the first leg of the trip negotiating his way back from the rest stop bathroom through the snow and ice.




We have a great little routine we follow on our trips to California--a certain place we like to stay in Red Bluff, our favorite Thai restaurant, espresso stops at Pete's Coffee. So once we made it through the pouring blinding snow on the passes, and then the pounding rain in Northern California, the rest of the drive was a breeze.

One of my favorite places on the planet, as I have said previously, is the home of our dear buddies Margot and Allen, and by proxy our buddy Kerry.





Staying there is like one big slumber party. Allen's up early making coffee for the gang and reading the paper. Kerry's there for breakfast with us.



Here's the view from the kitchen windows looking out into the backyard....




and a close-up with the bird feeders....




and from the backyard looking toward the kitchen.




One of the big treats of this trip (and there were many) was that Maya and Ben and Maya's partner-in-crime Sarah were in Monterey at the same time as we were. Maya had finished her job at the Hilton Garden Inn (more on that later!) and had vacation time to spend before her new job started (aren't you dying to know what the new job's about?!?).

Sarah had never seen Monterey before and Maya hadn't been there since she was pregnant (3 years ago), so here was another trip destined to be. They loaded up Ben, the dvd player and his favorite movies and headed south just a couple of days ahead of us.

When Maya figured out that they could be on the Monterey Peninsula at the same time as us she asked for a time to get together with old friends of mine who had been in her life since she was Ben's age--Margot and Allen, Kerry, Pamela and Caren. Margot offered their house and everyone brought food and flowers and gifts--and most of all, their love.




It was such a precious time with Maya getting to catch up with my old buddies and share the news of her new life. These are friends that we didn't just know since Maya was a toddler, but that we lived with at times--in their driveway in our old Volvo wagon, in their yards in our school bus. And more recently they helped with Maya and Eder's wedding. Good friends.

Ben was just as happy as a clam--lots of attention and Margot had the best grandchildren toys, plus...




....cute little Annie who was such a sport. Yes, she's been raised around lots of children.




Here's the gang, below, including other significant members in our lives, Helen and David. Courtney was missing, though, because he'd gone south with his brother Steve to see their sister Nancy and her husband Sarge in Arroyo Grande. (Just to make their roadtrip even more special they came back by way of the Big Sur coast.)



A couple weeks before our trip, Helen (on the left) proposed a potluck dinner as a way to see our peace friends while we were in town. She suggested the new Peace Resource Center for the place to gather and we started emailing each other back and forth about the guest list. At some point our emails and phone calls crossed paths as we both proposed that the dinner be turned into a much-needed fundraiser for the Center. Helen dubbed it the Founders Day Dinner and put out the invitation!

When we started the Monterey Peace and Justice Center in 2004, it was housed in a tiny space in Pacific Grove. It was a sweet little upstairs location with a view of the bay and dirt cheap rent. We had a spill-over space next to us that we could rent for events, but the Center itself could only hold about 9 or 10 people at once.

After a couple of years we moved to a new location, in Monterey, in a downstairs space but still tiny and with a tiny rent. It was one step better but still not what we needed. Everyone's desire was to have a large enough Peace Center to have big events in--speakers, films, dinners, teach-ins, productions and fundraisers.

Last year it happened! Janet, on the Board of the Center, found a location in Seaside with storefront windows, a great big space for large gatherings, plus office space. It's fabulous and is being put to very good use. The only downside is the high monthly overhead. Dang!





Not surprisingly, the first thing I did when we got to the Center was cry. All I could think of was the Sonoma County Peace & Justice Center that I had so coveted over the years, and here it was! Just as big and beautiful, and full of people I love!




It was a wonderful wonderful evening, one of those I'll probably always remember. I only wish that I'd had much more time to talk with each person there. (The time flew by and I left wishing for more, but it was great.)

Courtney and I stood up and talked about what our lives are like in Corvallis and what we're involved in now. I made a pitch for people to financially support this precious entity they have in their midst and to constantly nurture it.

Then the director Karen took over and listed one by one the accomplishments of the Center over the last year. (When I was director we had three service learning students each year from CSUMB working with us. This year they have 14. And on and on like that. The Center and its influence has grown exponentially.)





The long and short of it is that we raised $1500 that evening--and had a great time doing it!





If anyone ever wants to make a contribution in my honor, please make it to the Peace Resource Center in Seaside, California. (Is it fair to be soliciting like that in my blog?!?)

Meanwhile, as I was busy learning anatomy and movement each day, Courtney was busy visiting dear friends. Two of them, Rosanna and Tasha, live in Carmel, so that's where he started.




Tasha has a fabulous little house in the Highlands where she spends a good deal of time in her gardens and, as you can see, it certainly pays off.



Courtney used to house-sit for Tasha when she was out of town and I got to stay there once. It's a sweet sweet place...



...and she's a very dear friend.




One significant piece of the trip plans was that Jer, Pamela and Ruby were coming to Carmel for the weekend to celebrate Ruby's birthday with us and Pamela's parents and Jer's mom. At the last minute the plans changed and we decided to go to Berkeley instead. (On Friday, I went to my Intensive class reluctant to ask my teacher Jane if I could skip class the next day to go see Ruby. It just so happened that Jane had just become a grandmother for the first time the night before, so....!)

On our way to Jer and Pamela's we stopped at the Emeryville Marketplace for lunch. If you haven't been you must go!! Ohmygosh, it's an enormous food court with aisles and aisles of vendors selling every kind of food you can imagine--Cajun, Soul Food, Crepes, Lebanese, Afghani, Sushi, Hawaiian, and on and on. We chose yummy Thai food and sat and watched the streams of customers from around the world. We're not in Corvallis any more, Toto.

Next stop was the palace of Ruby Alice. You can tell by this first picture that it takes her a few minutes to eye the situation and determine just how chummy she wants to get. (Also she's been well trained because of Jer's practice of Ruby-a-day photos and holds her pose until the camera clicks.)




But it doesn't take long for her to warm up to us and soon she set to work on the important stuff--a big bag full of colored tissue paper and other fun stuff.





Ruby's quite the independent and organized one-year-old. She pulled out one thing at a time--checked it out thoroughly, played with it, read it, looked it over, and then went in for the next.




I'm sorry that the other pictures from this series were too blurry to use. They showed a world of colored tissues covering the floor with their big black dog Hoyt laying in the middle of it all and Ruby methodically going for more. But this gives you an idea....




One thing we can safely say about Ruby is that not much gets past her. As soon as Pamela fired up the mixer Ruby wanted to see what was up.




Hmmmm? What can this mean?.....





....and an hour later here came the answer.





Don't we all wish we had a mom who would put a piece of warm, moist chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in front of us and just let us at it!?! Ruby was not much interested in eating the cake. Jer and Pamela tried putting little bits in her mouth, but she acted like Hey, you're messing with my art project! The dogs dutifully waited under the highchair for cake to fall their way and caught the pieces in mid-air. Total fun with very little clean-up involved.




An afternoon of playing with Ruby and visiting with Jer and Pamela, coffee with Frank and Margaret, tea with Caren, dinner with Lisa and Jerry, watching the Amgen Tour of California with Kerry and seeing her brand new office in downtown PG, visiting with Linda at Alpha Stationers, traditional dinner with Helen at Turtle Bay Taqueria, Thai dinner with Margot, Allen and Kerry, breakfast with Courtney's extended family in Berkeley--each one of these meetings with dear friends was so precious--and much too brief.

I hope my mind stays intact enough that I can always remember this trip and every detail of it. (Is that too much to ask?!?) It's safe to say it was one of the best times of my life. Kind of a week-long love fest. And then the fun of the road...





On the way down, in the snow storm (remember back then?) we couldn't see Mt Shasta at all, so on the way home I snapped dozens of photos--mostly from the moving car so they didn't turn out all that clear. But here's a few. That's not clouds hovering over the trees in the middle, but Mt Shasta.




And here's our favorite little town, Mt Shasta City, and you can see how close they are to the mountain. It literally looms over the town.



We love to stop there for breakfast at Lilly's and then go next door to Seven Suns for espresso before hitting the road again. Besides the great food, Lilly's gives you the real feeling of being in a small mountain town--big windows looking over the snow, the locals all know each other. And Seven Suns is owned and run by two Middle Eastern couples, best friends, who between them have seven sons.

A few years ago, when they first bought the place, we were passing through and met them while they were learning how to operate the espresso machine. So it was great to see the place full of locals and hopefully thriving. (Sevens Suns is the place I've mentioned before with the sign that says "Unsupervised children will be given an espresso....and a puppy.")




Back on the road again, heading north, and watching Mt Shasta in the rear-view mirror.




This very northern part of California is always fascinating to me and Courtney. It's wide wide open with just a tree here or there, cows here or there, a lonely farmhouse once every great while. Sparse in every way.

But there's also these signs of history and what might have been, like this barn shown below.



There was a movement long ago to secede from California. The people of that area (mostly ranchers and farmers) got nearly no help from Sacramento (and they were too far from Salem) as far as roads and services go. They decided to break away and form the State of Jefferson. They were stopping people on the highway and passing out pamphlets on their proposal. The day before they were supposed to put something into effect legally, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. They scrapped their plans, declaring that the state of the Union was more important than roads.

So our last stop in California was at a rest stop by the Klamath River and there they had a great little information center, with stories about the State of Jefferson. The woman staffing the Center that day had grown up right in that area and she had great stories to tell. It made for the perfect ending of a fabulous trip.




So we end just as we started out: with Courtney making his way back from the rest stop bathroom, but this time under these enormous trees and without the snow.




Even though the Rosen Intensive was the impetus for this trip, you don't really see what a major component it was by these photos. (That's a whole 'nother story of love and blessings.)

Between the days of Rosen classes were all these precious little moments that I hope to hang onto--early morning coffee with Allen, a walk to Lover's Point with Margot, snuggling on Kerry's sofa to watch the bike race. Everything was a bit of a blur and a rush, to fit so much in to such a short time frame. But I need to be content with all the pleasure I had. (This seems to be a reoccuring theme in my life--I've been given enormous blessings, but"enough time" is not one of them.)

This trip reminded me that no matter how much I love my life in Corvallis--and I truly truly do--I also miss you old friends and organizing buddies in Monterey very much. So many thanks to Jane, my esteemed Rosen teacher, for creating a Rosen Center in Pacific Grove and offering the perfect excuse for another trip to California!

And thanks to everyone who made it all the way through this very long entry. You'll have to tune in again for the next installment--Maya and her new job, and Alison and her two great novels!

With love,

Valori

At any moment, life takes a turn

Life is so precarious. Even Aaron recognizes that at age 13. I picked him up from Eugene the other day and as we were driving to Corvallis we passed an horrible car wreck that had just happened. It shook us both up and we rode in silence for a while. Then Aaron said something about how we take it for granted but life is so fragile and we have no control over how it goes. (Not exactly his words, but essentially his sentiments.)

It immediately brought tears to my eyes. What happened to those youthful feelings of immortality? Of that carefree confidence in life? I think, because Aaron has older parents, he's always been a little worried about how long we were going to stick around. Maybe he's more tuned in to impermanence than other kids because of that. Maybe it's because of the Buddhist influence in his life. Buddhists like to keep in mind this isn't an endless journey.

Anyway, right after Christmas, Aaron's oldest best friend Robert came from Monterey for a week's visit. It was great fun having two boys in the house--they can quibble and jostle endlessly. They went out and about around town when forced to, but were oh so happy just playing on the computer, watching movies, playing board games, listening to ipods while reading--it was days of flopping.

Aaron's buddy Simon from Eugene came over for one night and then it was the Three Musketeers. I pushed them out onto the tough downtown streets of Corvallis and they put up the hoods of their hoodies and cruised. It was a good time. But my mind was split between enjoying the boys and reading online the horrific disaster that was unfolding in Gaza.

At 11am on Saturday, December 27th, the Israeli military attacked Gaza just as children were getting out of school. It was a market day and the streets were full of people. 220 people died that first day. A population taken by surprise, even though they are constantly under attack, and locked in from every direction. I think on everyone's minds who watches that part of the world was the memory of Israel's attack on Southern Lebanon in August of 2006. They only stopped after they'd effectively destroyed the civilian infrastructure and left behind millions of cluster bomblets--which keep on killing even after battles are over.

So, true to form, the Israeli military bombed and destroyed and killed and maimed for 23 days, while the world watched in horror, and the US Congress issued a statement of support and sent back-up shipments of weapons of mass destruction. Never have I been so ashamed and horrified. Or as vocal. Many a congressional staffperson listened politely.

Every day was so frustrating. On the one hand I felt like we all should be out on the streets shutting down business as usual until the killing stopped. On the other hand I went faithfully to work every day, until the day I got a call from an Egyptian woman with Palestinian cousins. She wanted to know what the people of Corvallis were doing in response to the daily massacres in Gaza. I told her I couldn't meet with her for a couple of days, until my next day off from work. Hummmm, she said, over 100 children were injured today in Gaza. How many more before your day off?

She was right. It jolted me upright and I called in sick. Meanwhile she called me back to say a demonstration had been called for Friday on campus by the Middle Eastern Club. So I set to work on the phone and computer. Two days later Courtney and I set up our table of information and held up our signs on the Quad with a wonderful group of students from Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Tunisia. We were joined by faculty members and one of our city councilmen. The woman who had contacted me brought her grandsons and they passed out information to lots and lots of people. They were precious little boys and who could tell them no?!

One of the first people to stop and talk with us was a young woman who rode her bike up and gave a very heartfelt thanks to all of us. She said "I'm Jewish and I'm so horrified at what Israel is doing." I could tell the Muslim students were really grateful for her words. It was as if we all gave a collective sigh of relief and determination. Some people said some pretty stupid things as they passed by that day, and the students saw they had their work cut out educating others as to what's happening in Israel/Palestine. But for the most part people were respectful, and we all felt better for having done something.

Just days before the demonstration our Friends of Middle East Peace group had hosted a really fabulous activist from Portland, Peter Miller, to speak on grassroots organizing. His talk had been planned for a while, and with the events in Gaza overshadowing everything else, he shifted his focus to that. We had an usually good crowd, with lots of new faces, due to the events in Gaza. There was a general feeling of urgency and outrage, and the upshot of that day was that a new group of us formed, specifically focused on action.

The six of us met a few days later, not sure what we were going to do, but with the need to do something. After a couple of meetings and online discussions, we named ourselves the Palestine Action Group, and set to work planning a series of events. (All I can say is I love this group.)

I don't know exactly how it evolved that our first event was cultural and fundraising, but we wanted to bring in people who would not usually come to a political event ( a speaker or a film). We wanted to reach a larger audience. We also wanted to raise money for humanitarian aid for Gaza. After some research we decided on Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) as the beneficiary--very exciting for me because I also love that organization.

It took us a little time to formulate exactly what we wanted to do and when and where. By then we had two weeks to work out all the details and publicize it. Below are photos of our Celebration of Palestinian Culture Night on February 7th at the Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center.




The Multicultural Center is an amazing place in so many ways--warm and welcoming, beautifully decorated, right on the corner of campus, and free to us because of the generosity of the Board of Directors. They, along with the director Dee Curwin, really supported what we were doing and so charged us nothing.



It's a lovely two-story Victorian with high ceilings and large windows. The kitchen is especially wonderful with shelves full of yummy things from all over the world. Everything is there to use--not just to be beautiful.

All the week before our event, the Center had been used for a Chinese New Year's celebration. On the day of our event Dee put away all the Chinese decorations and brought out everything she could find that looked Middle Eastern. All the little touches added up to a perfect stage for the evening.




Many many people have donated things to the Center from their faraway travels or things they've collected, like this collection of dolls (pictured below) from around the world. Every inch of the Center is fun fun fun to look at, something interesting everywhere.




Our event was from 5-7pm on a Saturday evening. Our plan was to let enough people arrive to have a good audience and then start with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, the man considered to be the voice of the Palestinian people, and who died last year. It took no time at all for the fifty seats we'd set up in the living room to fill and more and more people kept coming. Then people started standing in any available space and filling the doorways.



A brilliant move, on the part of our Palestinian friends, was the setting up of a table in the entrance way to sell handmade crafts, baklava and Arabic coffee and staffed by the perfect hostess and saleswoman.

Now if you've never had Arabic coffee, I'll just tell you that it's very strong, intense in fact, sweet and flavorful--and does it work!? As people came in the front door they stopped to buy baklava and coffee, and by 6pm the place was collectively buzzing. Aaron and I shared one Arabic coffee (they're tiny in those tiny cups), drank only half of it, and still we were up at midnight yakking away. If you ever want an energetic and enthusiastic crowd, this is the stuff to serve!

Below is Karim, an OSU professor from Tunisia, who interjected a few lines of poetry as well as added his grace and warm smile to the overall good feeling of the evening. And standing with him is Alison, from our Palestine Action Group, who acted as mistress of ceremonies. (The two books she's written will be the subject of another entry!)




As much as possible I try to make these events family affairs. Aaron in paid by the hour or the event for his work, plus the added bonus of sweets. His jobs that night ranged from watching a couple young kids in the children's library and playroom (pictured below), hauling chairs and boxes and bags full of supplies in and out, washing dishes and cleaning up. It was great to have him be part of the evening, even when he appeared not to be paying any attention, as in this picture. Still he learns alot and contributes well.





After the Darwish's poetry, read by our friend Roger, and then the original poetry of an Iraqi man named Lafi, we took a break to eat.

The food was amazing. When I had first called our friend Rimah and told her what we wanted to do, she'd immediately started planning the menu. She knew other friends who would also be willing to cook and bake and serve. She enlisted her whole family, including her terrific husband Sameer, to help. She, and her friend Mirvana, and others put together an amazing spread. People were so happy.





We fed over 100 people, plus sold containers of hummus and falafel and baklava for take home.



Here's Rimah in all her beauty and glory. A consummate hostess, besides a fabulous cook.




After everyone had eaten, Rimah's son Shady and two of his friends from OSU played traditional Palestinian music and Shady recited some of his own poetry--sharp and sad and beautiful and highly charged. It was very emotional--I was so glad that this was what we were doing. Right at that moment celebrating Palestinian culture was exactly the right thing to do. As well as raising money for Gaza relief efforts.

We raised over $1800 that evening, had basically no overhead, and had a packed Multicultural Center, with a very engaged audience. (For days afterwards people called to ask how they could contribute to MECA, so the total raised we'll never know.) It was a success all the way around.

Well, there's lots more to tell. Life is rich and full, but I've run out of steam, and must stop writing. I appreciate that you've read all this.

Just one more reminder of how precious life is:



Ben's got such a great sense of humor and is oh so playful. One of his favorite tricks is pretending to be asleep--and any piece of furniture will work as his stage. He and his humor bring us lots of joy. We're so lucky to live close by and see him often.

Hope you are feeling lucky! Thanks for reading this. There'll be more soon. Next up: a trip to California! Maya starts a new job! And Alison Clement writes two fabulous novels!

With love,

Valori