End of Summer Number 2

We survived a second summer. Actually it was easy. We probably only had half a dozen spells of real heat. The rest of the time it was lovely--in the 80's, sunny and mild. We know all summers in Corvallis won't be like this one, but we were lucky this year.




Perched and draped around the house and yard are the kitties. They're more than four months old now. Big eaters, roamers, hunters, but still frisky, playful, entertaining kittens. Pre-teens,
I guess you'd call them.



We are enjoying the last days where the doors and windows can be left open, the temperature being just perfect during the day, but cold at night. It's that wonderful time when you can feel the seasons changing. I love the fall, maybe because it's my birthday time. My sister and I have birthdays three days apart, November 2nd and 5th. We're planning to celebrate them together this year at her home in Maryland. Big trip, big party, big fun.




Speaking of fun, Courtney yelled from the garden the other day "Hey, we've got cucumbers in here!" Funny the things you forget you planted. The garden is so dense, who knows what else is ripening in there. Anyway, we've been regaling our friends with zucchinis, tomatoes, romano beans, and now cucumbers. The other night I tried to give a woman some zucchini and she gave me a zucchini soup recipe instead. Guess that's only fair.




Aaron and Eric, his dad, are now in their apartment in Eugene. They're close to his school (within walking distance), the university and downtown. In a huge old house that's divided into 5 apartments. They're on the 2nd story, with French doors opening out onto a long balcony. Looks like a fun place to live. I hope it's a good home for them.

Aaron started Roosevelt Middle School right after Labor Day. It's a much bigger school than he's used to, but he seems to be adjusting fine, liking his classes, making friends. His teachers seem super--lots of creative and caring energy--and his classes are out of the ordinary (like Run and Eat, where they spend half their time on fitness and the other half on cooking and nutrition).




It's wonderful for the kitties that Aaron is here every weekend. And wonderful for me too. We added an enormous bean bag chair (the Love Sack) to our living room decor, and just in time, because Aaron and I can no longer squeeze into the papasan together.

Meanwhile my mom just took off on her first ever cruise. She went north to Alaska with her cousin Richard, his wife Alma, and Alma's relatives. A further report next time I blog.

Speaking of my mom, the dedicated football fan that she is, it's football season and there is no forgetting it here in Beaver Land. The orange and black flags flapping on the sides of giant SUV's serve as a constant reminder, and, believe it or not, people around here wear orange and black all during football season. It's a fashion nightmare, if you ask me.

But, lo and behold, the home games provide a fabulous venue for our Alternatives To War group. There's gawd awful amounts of traffic all through town on game days. So last Saturday we gathered at a main intersection, where cars are coming into town on two crossing state highways, and held our Burma Shave signs that spell out IMPEACH. We were of course a little apprehensive--how's the football crowd going to like that message? But we were all amazed at what positive response we got. There were the few one-finger peace signs and the occasional advice shouted at us from Cadillac windows. But for the most part we got lots of cheers, thumbs up and big smiles. So it was time well spent and we'll be out there next time.

On another front, our friend Josh, is now back in the West Bank, working with Christian Peacemaker Teams. On September 1st we threw him a goodbye party. Actually it was a fund-raiser to help support him during his three months there doing fairly dangerous work.

We served an incredible Middle Eastern meal to about 75-80 people at the Friends Meeting House and Josh gave a very moving power point presentation on the village where he'll be--At-Tuwani, in the South Hebron Hills. Anyone who pays close attention to what is happening in Israel/Palestine knows that the Hebron area is especially volatile and dangerous. That's because in Hebron there are about 500 of the most radical and aggressive idealogical Jewish settlers (many from the Bronx, NY) along with several thousand Israeli soldiers to protect them.

Needless to say, life for the Palestinians of Hebron is hellish. And the tension and danger overflow into the surrounding hills and villages. Please keep Josh in your thoughts these next three months. My hope is that his training in nonviolence, along with his deep spiritual faith and his intelligence and natural composure, will take him safely through whatever comes his way.

There's always more to say, but thinking about Josh and what he's up against puts me in a more contemplative, rather than communicative, state. So I think I'll wish you all a happy fall equinox and thank you as usual for reading our blog,

Valori

These are a few of my favorite things....

A patch of sunflowers visible from our kitchen/living room/dining room. The seed packet said 3-foot, compact flowers, but they are twice that heigth and quite splendid.



Dinner most every evening out by the garden with Courtney and Aaron.




The sweet potting table that Courtney built for me. And the beautiful lighting at the end of a summer's day.




Having my boy here for the summer. And now, thankfully, having him nearby in Eugene so that he'll be here with us each weekend. What an enormous improvement over the last school year of flying him back and forth between California and Oregon.




There's lots more I could list, like the evening walks that Aaron and I take after dinner. Or the bike rides into town that Courtney and I make.

And of course the good books I've been reading. Most recently I read After The Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order, by Emmanual Todd. The author is a French demographer and sociologist who gained international notoriety by accurately predicting, in 1979, the collapse of the Soviet Union by analyzing its fertility, infant mortality, marriage and literacy rates.

Todd argues that now, as the rest of the world is learning it can get along without America--as more countries are becoming increasingly educated, democratic and economically stable--America is realizing it cannot get along without the rest of the world. The U.S. can no longer subsist on its own production (as it's largely been moved overseas), is becoming ever more dependent on foreign money, and now assumes the role in the world of the consumer. And as the U.S. government continues to make foreign policy decisions that alienate the international community, the world's view of America has shifted from one of a protector to one of a predator.

He sees an enhanced role emerging for Eurasia, uniting two of the world's most productive industrial centers--Japan and Europe--with two regions of military and demographic strength--Russia and the Middle East. The role that Todd anticipates for the U.S. is that of one liberal democracy among many, and wouldn't that be a relief for us all? (And when I say "all" I mean the whole planet.) He says his book is an appeal for America to return to its founding ideologies and truer self--a democratic, productive, cooperative member of the global community. I can't think of a better project for us as Americans to be working on. Maybe this book is just the right Christmas gift for your favorite relative. It'll definitely stimulate dinner conversation.

Thanks for reading our blog, and I'll publish more soon,

Valori