Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
A trailer with a view.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Columbia, finally.
October 17, Auxvasse.
In Columbia all day visiting schools and my friend Sally.
I liked the school with the poorest ratings the best, the people there, the feel of it; it added a science and math specialization and a new, gregarious and energetic principal a few years back.
I like that the school is named after an artist, Thomas Hart Benton, a muralist from Missouri who belonged to the Regionalist movement.
In Columbia all day visiting schools and my friend Sally.
I liked the school with the poorest ratings the best, the people there, the feel of it; it added a science and math specialization and a new, gregarious and energetic principal a few years back.
I like that the school is named after an artist, Thomas Hart Benton, a muralist from Missouri who belonged to the Regionalist movement.
Slowing down.
October 16, Elsberry.
My bad knee forces me to slow down, to walk slowly, and so the proverbial silver lining: I walk mindfully, carefully minding each of my steps, slowly, each step fully lived, like a Buddhist walking meditation, and I stop to think about that, and enjoy it.
My bad knee forces me to slow down, to walk slowly, and so the proverbial silver lining: I walk mindfully, carefully minding each of my steps, slowly, each step fully lived, like a Buddhist walking meditation, and I stop to think about that, and enjoy it.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Off road.
October 14, Washington.
We got a little lost on the jump this morning.
I figure we added about ten miles to the distance, but then again we got to see the rest of the construction around the St Louis freeways, which, like the ones in the Rio Grande valley, seem to be in a state of perpetual reconstruction.
We went to the St Louis City Museum last night with John Moss' family, and met Rebecca's family and Tavana's family there. No need to say the kids just adored it (but maybe not as much as we did.)
We got a little lost on the jump this morning.
I figure we added about ten miles to the distance, but then again we got to see the rest of the construction around the St Louis freeways, which, like the ones in the Rio Grande valley, seem to be in a state of perpetual reconstruction.
We went to the St Louis City Museum last night with John Moss' family, and met Rebecca's family and Tavana's family there. No need to say the kids just adored it (but maybe not as much as we did.)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Practice.
October 12, Troy.
Rehearsals for next year's production have been going on all week, and Fridman's new act is coming together nicely, hours of daily practice paying off. The kids are still practicing too, and Nicolas is an inch away from doing the split.
Rehearsals for next year's production have been going on all week, and Fridman's new act is coming together nicely, hours of daily practice paying off. The kids are still practicing too, and Nicolas is an inch away from doing the split.
Bad news in latin.
So I have osteochondritis dissecans.
It's latin for "Sorry but your bones are dying off."
Or, my left knee started hurting badly last night and today I can't walk without limping.
It feels just like ten years ago, when my other knee was diagnosed with a rare disease that involves a list of scary phenomenons like reduced blood flow to the knee bone and detached cartilage and bone fragments. I had surgery and it didn't work. My right knee has been bothering me on and off all this time, and now it's the left, too.
Mulling this tonight as I try not to panic, and if I'm right in my self-diagnosis, it occurs to me that the first outburst of the disease happened as I was getting ready to move to California from Jacksonville and start a new job at a newspaper there, and that now is exactly one of these times again, a time of change and stress and its cohort of personal upheaval and emotional roller-coaster. If I am right and this is a recurrence of the disease then all my plans once again are up in the air, as I'll need surgery right away if I am not to walk through life not only being in excruciating pain at every step, but also not being able to work or care for the kids by myself.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Jacksonville again.
October 9, Jacksonville.
Annual visit to my former home town and "where Fridman and I met" town of Jacksonville, and a pumpkin and garden fresh tomatoes-filled day with our friends Steve and Tiffany. We stopped at Liliana's house and I almost gave her a heart attack; I thought she knew we were in town and it turned out she didn't: her face when she opened her front door.
Dear friends, dear memories.
Annual visit to my former home town and "where Fridman and I met" town of Jacksonville, and a pumpkin and garden fresh tomatoes-filled day with our friends Steve and Tiffany. We stopped at Liliana's house and I almost gave her a heart attack; I thought she knew we were in town and it turned out she didn't: her face when she opened her front door.
Dear friends, dear memories.
Monday, October 08, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Glimpse.
October 7, Illiopolis.
My driver's side mirror literally flew off its handle on the road this morning and for a moment I was left driving blind.
In the fragment of a second I glimpsed it, flying off, barely, then gone, it looked like white paper floating by my window, elegant, the fragment of an angel's wing floating by my conscience, gone before it could be seen.
Fridman and Castro drove the car back to retrieve the broken piece so it wouldn't chance cause an accident and then tied a concave mirror in its place so I could drive on. It will have to do for tomorrow's jump too as junkers are not open on Sundays.
My driver's side mirror literally flew off its handle on the road this morning and for a moment I was left driving blind.
In the fragment of a second I glimpsed it, flying off, barely, then gone, it looked like white paper floating by my window, elegant, the fragment of an angel's wing floating by my conscience, gone before it could be seen.
Fridman and Castro drove the car back to retrieve the broken piece so it wouldn't chance cause an accident and then tied a concave mirror in its place so I could drive on. It will have to do for tomorrow's jump too as junkers are not open on Sundays.
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Dylan's stone house.
The other day on the banks of the Illinois river Dylan built a house of stone. This one stone he found was shaped to make a perfect front door facade.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Droplets.
October 3, Marseilles.
The river banks are strewn with trash but then there is this, droplets on leaves of thin air.
My friend Tiffany would see God in these droplets; I see the sheer rapture of life.
We are the same.
My friend Tiffany would see God in these droplets; I see the sheer rapture of life.
We are the same.
Random kindness.
October 2, Hillcrest.
A sign on the road a few days back: "I buy houses. I pay cash. I am a nice guy."
A sign on the road a few days back: "I buy houses. I pay cash. I am a nice guy."
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
A trailer with a view.
Monday, October 01, 2012
The good life.
September 30, Rolling Meadows.
Great two-day stand here in this beautiful park, with clean playgrounds, asphalt walkways for the kids to race their scooters on, endless grass and more miraculous garage sales than ever. I even could go back to Ikea for the kids' mattresses and it was only three miles away. The proverbial good life, and real, stunning Chinese food to top things off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
