If You Like Storytelling...

Well, let me tell you something....it's my new favorite source of entertainment. So favorite, in fact, I can't stop asking James, "Honey, do ya wanna listen to The Moth podcast?"

I don't know why this usually makes him groan, because he always likes it when he does give in and listen. If you like storytelling and storylistening, You'll love The Moth, too.

It was on Ira Glass' This American Life, that I first heard a Moth story so hilarious I had to track it down to learn more. Yes, I said something was "hilarious" on This American Life. (James and I both quite frequently find that program more than just a little dysphoric. The topics are often very somber and even tragic, yet, I find it more and more compelling, much to James' consternation.) (Nice segue to the Moth, Lisa!)

Founded in New York City, the Moth was created by a member of group of folks who used to gather on someone's screened porch somewhere in the South to tell stories. A hole in the screen provided entry to a moth. The storytellers thought the characters of their stories were drawn to adventure, or certain people, or whatever the theme like a moth to flame. Hence, the name. If you're a friend of mine, you're probably going to find out about it the next time I give you a gift CD, otherwise, you can find out more about it on their website, which offers free subscription to podcasts.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

Come to the Garden, I Want the Flowers to Meet You

 

Taking a stroll with the dog recently, I came upon this unexpected patch of wildflowers on a favorite path. Momentary disorientation seized me. Wait a minute here, is it fall or spring? This isn't the season for brightly colored blooms in the desert. Look at this one, posed at wheelchair height just to smack me in the face with its surprising beauty. What a gift for me, that I could look straight into the face of this flower.

What is the message here? That this neighborhood spends a lot of money landscaping the common areas? Way more than that - money doesn't make flowers grow. My mind and shoulders were heavy with the weight of fear - of my physical and financial health, and the future of both seemed so foreboding. Loved ones near and far face challenges that seem unfair and even cruel. Friendships recently strained or even broken added sorrow to the mix of worries. Yet, natural forces were at work in the universe to create this happy floral scene. Trust in the mystery of natural forces to create beauty and to work things out. Everything will be alright.

 

A couple days after these photos were snapped, the temperature plummeted almost as harshly as the stock market and it snowed. We're not talking the softly-falling, snow-globe type scene, but real wintery, horizontal, blizzardy type snow. The kind that made me wish I had donned the ski goggles before I walked the dog in the neighborhood. Probably not the happiest day for these flowers that live across town....but a sure sign that soon, we will ski again and everything will be right with world.

Bad to the Bone

Yes, as the title suggests, this story is about my dog, Burgess. He's earned the title many times before, but there won't be any photos this time, and other names are omitted to protect the innocent.

Since I last wrote, I started a tutoring business out of my home. Yes, I actually like helping kids with homework and learning struggles, but if that idea makes a root canal sound good to you, I'll address your disbelief in another post.

When a tutoring session is over, I reward the students by letting them play with my dog. Yesterday, a young student was throwing the ball and chasing the dog around the back yard. Quite an idyllic scene was created. I smiled as I looked out, anticipating the parent's pleasure at this sight when she arrived to pick up her child.

Instead of amusement, I saw the mother's eyes grow very large as she looked into the yard. "Uh-oh," I thought to myself, as I turned to look through the sliding glass door. There was Burgess, my "fixed" golden retriever, humping the heck out of the little kid, who was face down on his knees. My turn for the eyeball enlargement.

Luckily, the mother has a very good sense of humor and like most people, is generally charmed by Burgess's usually sweet demeanor and good looks. She just chuckled and shook her head.

Several weeks prior, I had Burgess demonstrate to this student and his mother that he can give a hug when a person pats his/her own chest and tells him "Up!" So, when the child and the dog came bounding in the door together yesterday, the kid said, all smiles, "Mom! This time Burgess hugged me from behind!"