A Journey with a Peaceful Dreamy Hippy

Today was Girl Scouts. I have so many fun memories of Girl Scouts, I couldn't wait for my daughters to join. It is so very different than when I was you. Daisy scouts have been invented for Kindergartners and first graders. Our troop is multi school multi year. Everyone in my troops, both Brownie and Junior was in my classes, same grade same school. Not enough girls want to be scouts now. We had two leaders and we did fun things, worked on badges as a group and individually. We met right after school once a week. My girls get with a large group of girls from all over and work through a book. It is nothing like I remember. I hope the once we are done with the daisy stage we will be able to do more projects, and that the girls will get more out of it. I can not for the life of me figure out what they are getting out of a game of ring around the Rosie and dinner. Tonight was our Thanksgiving meeting, so we had a potluck. The Fire station and Police station were fun. Abi thinks being a police officer would be fun. There were Junior girl scouts doing the flag ceremony when we went to the Fire and Ice basketball game last weekend. The girls only had vests or sashes on. Once, in 1984, we got to hold the flags for some Olympics thing (I remember it was the Olympics, so I am guessing it was 1984) and we were required to wear the full uniform. I felt so prime and proper in my white gloves. Now they do not care. Maybe I should just try to help the girls earn the badges on their own, without the troop.

The other thing is, I have to be there when the meeting is going on, since it's not right after school like it was for me. This is my second year, and I don't know these other woman. The leader is on my facebook page. That helps me know something about her, like the baby with her tonight was her daughter, but I do not know any of the other mother's names or ever had much of a conversation with them. It's not a rule I'm friends with my children's friends parents, but it feels weird to get birthday invitations and such without knowing "anything" about the kids or the families. We are such a discounted bunch of people. Flowing together for two hours a month, each finding our own place in the room to read or waiting out in the car till the meeting is over. Do the girls feel that disconnected with the troop too? Ask Abi to name a girl in her troop and she can not come up with one name. At the investiture I was expecting the girls would get honored or something for earning petals. Instead the leader said "before you leave make sure you get your patches from me" The girls do not know what they earned or what it was from. Without looking it up in the book, I wouldn't be able to tell you either.

Girl Scouting has changed, society has changed. Too many competing activities. Not enough people (I include myself) who have the time and energy to devote to it. lack of interest has caused a huge issue with getting enough leaders to create troops, and having enough girls in the troops. When the council is able to get a leader, that troop most likely will die within the year. I was in the same girl scout troop from 1st grade to 8th grade!

Another thing to add to the "when I was your age" file. Along with the deep snow and the path to school that was uphill both ways.
At least the girl scout camp was the same as I remembered it. Alli Jo lucked out, as the daisy scout she got the unit with power and flush toilets. The older girls get the cabins I remember, open A frames and biffies. A heck of a hill up to the horses and a mile walk to the chow hall. The camp won't let the girls go soft!

An old building, ancient to it's neighbors. Maintained to be functioning, but not a perfect historical relic. The oldest building in the state to be continuously used as a church. That is where I find myself on Sundays. The old white building with it's pretentious steeple. After years of setting the front door doesn't shut quite right, much time and money has been spent on the steeple and the furnace. We do all we can to keep the basement dry. But still I love that building. Today they spoke again of moving, somewhere on the east side, a bigger building, room for all. I understand. But still there is something, something about the sweetness of the century of worship in that place, so many coming in seeking the same things I am seeking. A collective wisdom locked away in the atoms of the wood.

You come into the silence, settle into it, bit by bit, in degrees. First there is an awareness of the freeway noise and I look whenever anyone else comes in. My girls are restless, we all are restless. But slowly the weeks concerns fade away, slowly what's for dinner, and the pile of laundry drift away and are replaced by a quietness. Quite enough to hear the Holy Whisper of the Divine.

I crave that, in this world where I can't get away from noise. The 2 tv's the radio..my family always needs it's noise. My husband can not sleep without the TV on. I turn it off, he awakens. I do not think, we as a society function without other human and machine noises. The bird songs just aren't enough to shut out the inner voice we must be so afraid of.

Slowly I am learning to listen to that inner voice, slowly I am leaning the wisdom I own inside me. I find I need the silence, I still can not access it with the distractions of modern life around me. I wish for a retreat, someplace in the quite of the woods, Walden's pond, where I can sit and learn all that nature has for me. Alas, I can not figure that out, so beyond that one precious hour a week in Quaker worship, I live in a world that puzzles me, in a world, that I know the answers lie just out of my mental grasp.

I went into the forest today, sans the girls, who preferred to stay warm and dry. My van was the only one in the parking lot. I walked, I observed the high muddy water. Saturdays are a day for renewing my soul. Summer all the trails in the forest are swarming with kids and dogs, but winter is for us who seek to renew ourselves. Some songbirds still sing, and the ducks still swim. The water goes from a trickle to a flow, the salmon splash in the rocky streams. There dying desire to reproduce and extend themselves thru their offspring. I love having mud on my boots.

After the forest I went to the Farmer's market. Cold today, we humans all bundled up and gathered around the heaters like moths to the flame. The market has less than a month of weekends. So crowded a month ago, only a few to buy their thanksgiving feast. I needed eggs, but as always I feel like a kid in a candy store. Some woman go to the mall and shop for fun, I go to the farmers market to shop for fun. Cranberries and Chestnuts for tonight's dinner. Kale so dark green that lives up to it's name of "nero di toscano" (Black from Tuscany) A jeweled bag full of emerald greens and amethyst that is called a stir fry mix. Rainbow card full of colors. Pink lady apples, eaten in slices either dipped in Peanut Butter or with cheddar cheese by my own Pink Ladies. A small bag of mixed dried beans which will simmer and make a soup that not only feeds me with good homegrown nutrition, but will fill my house with the smells of home. The Wobbly indescribable root known as Celeric. In the winter it fills my stews. Borrettana Cipollini Onions. I purchases yellow onions from another farmer, but these are so darn cute...well I will cry when I have to dice them up. Potatoes and turnips for a mashed root vegetable dish. Sunchokes just because. And carrots that never even made it to the kitchen before the girls took em and ate em.

Home now, Husband watching the Ohio State game on TV. The girls bowling with plastic soda bottle and a plastic ball. As I was writing this, my husband remarks that something weird is going to happen cause the cat is acting weird. Well we are over due for an Earthquake, but I think our cat is just weird, and doesn't need a reason. SO if we have a odd earthquake, know I documented the cat's behavior here.

I promised the girls we would make muffins today, and they have been asking since I walked in, so I better get off, tie the aprons on, and make the muffins.

Tomorrows plans are famer's market, maybe hiking with the girls to watch the salmon spawn. Then depending on husbands plans, I want to go Conta Dancing. Oh and at some point this weekend my Sister In Law is coming in from Ohio, but shh! It is a secret surprise and no one knows about it.

So my husband has been thinking of doing this wine business thing. I find jobs for him. I really do, I find things I think would be perfect for him...and then I kick myself for getting him to do these things.

OK so anyone ever heard of 1800wine shop? (I just wrote whine shop...LOL)

ok so they have this home party business side. Excuse me, "direct sales" kinda like a tupperware party for drunks. So my husband is going to be marking wines for them. Humm, I don't drink wine. You can put all the wine I have ever drunk in 1 bottle. well maybe not, but I really don't drink wine. Muscot sometimes, yeah I like my wine to taste like kool aid

But we met with the woman yesterday, and I feel a bit better about him wanting to do this. I don't expect we will make any money on it, just an expensive hobby, but it will get him out of the house once in a while and give him something to do. Maybe even help pay bills, but I'm more focused on him having a hobby and a reason to get up every day.

I promised I would pimp him out, so if you want to join a wine club (we will even give you a free bottle of wine if you join) or want to look at gift baskets or whatever, let me know. We can ship to 31 states, so even if you just want his website to look at let me know.

This is the concert I went to last night. I have been going to T-bird hockey games and Sonic Basketball games for SO long I forgot what Key Area looked like when It was packed. Love the concept. No pre sales, cash only 10 bucks at the door all gen admission seats. College kids holding pickle buckets at the door drop in your money and get 5 bands. Short sets (45 minutes each) but a great show

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Dear Friends,

When I heard that 1 in 8 woman in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer I knew I had to do something about it. I don't have a lot of money, I didn't get my medical or bio chem degree so I can't find a cure for cancer. But then I found something I could do. I am walking in the Breast Cancer 3 day.

That's a 60 mile walk that raises funds for The Susan G Komen For The Cure and and The National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. I'm walking because everyone deserves a lifetime. Every mother, every sister, every daughter deserves to know a life free from Breast Cancer.

This will not be easy. Neither is Breast Cancer. What is walking and fundraising compared to a mastectomy, chemo treatments, losing your hair, and even losing your life to Breast Cancer?

I am making a commitment to fit fundraising and training into my busy schedule. I have joined a team of my friends, Team Glymm Mere. We, as a team, are trying to raise 10,000. I am personally commented to raising 3,300 for this cause. Here is where you come in. You can support me by making a donation. Just go to http://www.the3day.org and click on "Donate Now" You can search for me, Traci Felts. I am asking for 4 monthly donations of 25 dollars. This can be set up at one time (Yes! Easy Payments!) But as little as 10 or 15 dollars goes a long way.

Thank you for your support. During the 20th Century we tackled diseases such as smallpox and polio. Let make the 21st century the time we irritate Cancer.

I'll keep you updated on my progress as I fundraise and train. And I'll even send you a picture of me on the finish line. If you want I will carry someone who passed from cancer with me each step of my journey.


Thank you,
~Traci-Ann Felts

P.S. Ask your work about matching funds. They can make your donation go a long way.

P.S.S. Don't wait, Please donate today.


http://www.the3day.org/

Just wanted to pop in here and say hi

I have been doing really well. Had a wonderful weekend, being that's it was VD day and all that. Got to dress up in a girly girl dress and go out to a nice place for dinner. It didn't have a drive thru, or a playground. And someone parked the car for us. LOL

Then Sunday I went to Archery practice with my kids. They have so much fun, and I can really see Alli Jo's self confidence growing. But the funny part is seeing Ken's romance bloom. It's funny. And cause he only knows her thru the SCA, I am always around when he sees her, so it's not like they have this whole school thing behind parents backs. They have to have there time together when the mom's are around. So we just stand back and laugh.

Remember when I said I signed up for the 3 day walk? Well I found someone (another sca person) who wants to walk too. So I have someone to do it with. That's a really great thing, because I did great training walks for about 3 weeks and then started to slack off...so now I have someone to motivate me to WALK EVERY DAY!

I am back to working nights at the hotel for a month. The guy that normally works nights Mother got sick or something so he went home for a month to help out. That means I am spending my morning at a coffee bar (Mud Bay Espresso in West Olympia ROCKS) with old friends before I have to go to another meeting with Ken's teachers. Olympia school district sucks at times. The IEP should have been done 2 months ago, but they can't seem to get it all together. GRRR. She asked me if she could just back date it so it looked (legally) like they got it done on time. Hmm....no not really OK with that. I would rather you get your stupid act together!  I know budgets are tight and none of these people have the same planning period and so forth...but still really...6 months into the school year????

OK guys, Love ya all!!!!

So what do you all think about me doing a 60 mile charity walk in September? Think I'm up to it????

this means war

and we say

then they say they are comming after my daughters


so we say


and then we

Thank you to all who are helping make the Don't Panic party across the street from Norwescon the greatest con party I have even been to. Going to party again tonight!

 "To My Dear and Loving Husband"
by Anne Bradstreet
 
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; 
If ever wife was happy in a man, 
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold 
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. 
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Sitting in a coffee bar, eating lunch. Went food shopping today. Even the farmer's market is getting expensive around here. I'm sitting next to a table full of Assembly of God youth pastors. I'm not trying to listen in, but every few minutes I hear some loud comment about Jesus's love. I guess they think being loud is the same as being a witness. "sigh" Gotta love when they were talking about being slain in the spirit

Today is the first storm game of the season that my husband will be freelancing at. We need the money so it's a good thing, but there was a fatal accident on I-5 so the traffic up there will be awful for him. Tomorrow I was planning on doing some real yard and garden work, but I think I am going over to my friend's who just lost her husband. I think a couple of us are going to help clean her house for her and make some more food for her.

Sunday does need to be spent on the yard. Some mother's day plans eh? today must be housework day. Which means I need to get off this computer and go pick up the kids and go home.

BYE