Snow, white flurry soft cold loving snow

My street is covered with a white blanket of snow. The night is freezing and filled with a mysterious touch of excitement. Running at full speed ahead I can slide on the road that has a thin layer of ice and snow. My balance is tested after gliding nearly five to seven feet. I looked up towards the heavens to find flakes drifting gently down to my mouth. My friend Amy and I stood in the night challenging our selves with who could catch the most snow. I get distracted by every object outside which is painted white making my eyes imagine what the world would look like in black and white.

I have seen no carolers this holiday season, more and more caroling has become less common (I suppose it is due to the hatred the audience has towards them). I have noticed over the years my fondness towards Christmas music has decreased, but the meaning of Christmas will always be remembered. I guess the music was just overplayed as a few monotonous tunes. There is much to look forward to still, visiting with family and festivities. My family is all over the place: Dad (San Diego), Mom\Lance (Crawford, Nebraska), Sister (Salem), Rest of the family (….who knows for sure). I will spend Christmas day with my sister and her husbands’ family in Salem. The snow is much more abundant there then in Corvallis, much fun to be had.

The sun was just setting and I needed no gloves.

So, I hiked

upon a trail

and everything turned to Gold.

Just the facts

I miss kayaking. If there was a way to make time (like cut out every activity in my day besides kayaking) then I would just be ecstatic. I can imagine just slipping my legs in to the fiberglass frame, making sure not collect any glass for later (old kayaks shed a little). I find joy in the feel of sitting and rocking side to side so close to the surface of the water. The first couple of strokes will make my kayak sail smoothly through the calm water (If it’s a lake compared to the ocean). Water droplets dance from the ends of my paddle with each repeated dip. I glide on and draw in a deep breath of sweet urban air. My favorite is in summer when the water is warm and I can practice getting in my kayak from the water (which at first can really test ya). But now, I shall soon winter kayak, (maybe with some snow) and have a giant smile showing my every emotion of complete bliss.

There’s no where to go but up

Everyone needs a little embarrassment in their life to bring things down to earth. The other day I was visiting with my sister, that night we went to a Christmas banquet at her church. We planned on playing a few songs for entertainment. So, we pick a few out practiced like mad the day of and felt ready to perform. The banquet began and first came the food then entertainment; we were second on the list. Our turn came to sing our little hearts out; we walked to the stage (in a shy manor). We started out fairly nice sounding, then came the tickle of a laugh every time we messed a word up, soon there much more laughing than singing. My face was probably as red as a pomegranate, we cut the first song short and decided we could try the second…to our surprise the laughter in us was as abundant as ever I bolted off the stage as soon as I could. I can not remember the last time I’ve felt embarrassed? (Usually I’m trying hard to embarrass someone else.) I am so thankful that laughter is such a large part in my life. I have some of the goofiest roommates that with no doubt will make me buckle over in laughter in a split second. I wish I could just replay some of our ridiculous moments. But, most of the time there would be no laughter with out embarrassment accompanying it. I say be strong and get embarrassed it feels good to laugh.

Just a walk

Crisp night air with a starry night gives me a warm feeling not matter how cold it is. My breath turns to a cloud of vapor visible to the eye. I love being with family and friends on those crisp nights, especially walks. As I have grown older I have grown fonder of walks. To many times in my life I’ve hopped on a bike and sped by with the scenery blurred and unattractive. When I walk the littlest things appear to be of utmost interest like moss on trees or plants (especially gardens!). Night walks are different, things are hidden but with a little light they appear again. Night hiking is also one of my favorite things (once I get over the idea that my house is warm and the night is cold), bundled up head to toe in winter garb to go for a nice long hike. A memorable night hike was when I still owned a 1985 Volvo wagon, we fill the car and drove off to hike under the full moon light (flash lights not needed). We climbed up a trail to look out over the city and give our ooohs and awes of how beautiful it looked (like a Christmas tree). It’s nice to slow down and enjoy little things, I hate to think of all the little things I’m missing everyday.

Just a sip

About four years ago I started drinking coffee. I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina in a small house with eight people. For a year I was in a volunteer program called Service Adventure. Volunteering everyday with a job at: A museum called North Carolina Natural science Museum; I worked in the paleontology lab (cleaning and finding fossils my dream job) and a live butterfly exhibit (with a live sloth). My other jobs were at 10,000 Villages (a non-profit store), In a childcare center with two year old (I was excellent at changing diapers), In a thrift store, and a few nights a week I spent the night at an old couples house for in care living help (they would wait for me to come at 5pm and keep me up till 11pm after I had a long day of work, they just loved to talk…and they loved oatmeal with raisins). Basically my life was devoted to volunteering, and there was very little money provided for living but we all made it through the year comfortably. Back to the coffee, I first discovered coffee shops in Raleigh. I had my favorite cafes, but really I just slowly fell in love with the smells, tastes of the drinks, and of course the community I met when I sat sipping the nectar of life. One time Robin (one of my house mates) and I walked to a coffee shop and realized we had no money (we rarely did have any) so we scrounged up enough for one cup and ended up getting free coffee (we remembered that day and gave thanks for the free coffee). That year really made me appreciate every thing I had and realize family and friends were very important and money didn’t matter. This is sounding similar to the last post I wrote… Anyways, There was so much grown in my maturity in life that I will always remember every lesson I learned and put them to good use in my current every day life… like drinking coffee.

Free Friday

I’m about ready for the holiday break, just a few more tests to go. I’m trying very hard to focus on my studies but always seem to get distracted by the littlest things like the beautiful weather Corvallis keeps having. For a second day in a row the sky is clear blue with a small voice in the wind calling out “come out to play” (of course I take that advice like an adult or like a child besides the sand box, I slack line or go for a bike ride). This in the end means I have achieved very little with my studies again. At the moment I sit on the opposite side of town from my house, down town in a coffee shop were the customers are not mainly students, but families with children or grown knowledgeable (non student) individuals. This is the café with many dogs of every kind, (just like the Saturday market that exists during the summers it feels like a dog show, and yes most of the owners do look similar to their pets). I get paid today which means I tend to migrate closer to my work to collect the long waited check. Who thought one pay check a month was a good idea anyways...? I can not help myself and live luxuriously in the first part of the month and when the end of the month hits I wonder if I should sell something to get food (thankfully God is there looking out for me and a can of beans always lingers in the back of our kitchen cupboard). I believe this is true with many people my age that can work limited hours a week. Obstacles will never hinder my ability to have fun, who says fun cost money anyways? Who’s in for some tree climbing?

Here's an old thought I had in North Carolina:

Have you ever just sat in one spot and wondered if you should move. All the blood in your body slowly but quickly moves to your legs, and Soon taken over with numbness and pins and needles, it happens I guess. I like to just look and listen to the sounds around me, the cat cleaning it self, the hum of the refrigerator, the buzz of a car passing, and the sweet pitter patter of the rain on the wooden porch. It helps to close your eyes, and in vision what it may look like (what color is the car). The manor in which the light falls in to the window on a chair is “a photographer’s heaven”, as some may put it. Just the sight of it makes some smile, like me. I smile a lot at many different bits and pieces. Just the other day I saw a leaf fall from a tree and, smiled. I wasn’t happy to see the leaf take its last breath but I was happy for it meant fall was arriving in a quick and steady pace. So much beauty and activities occur in fall, hay rides, corn mazes, family gatherings, Halloween, kids overdosing on sugar.

I write this in my living room sitting on the green love seat. I can't imagine a better place to be. The sun has been shining down all day with out a cloud to spot. I have been biking to and from the college but always stopping at the coffee shop on the way. The coffee shop is called the Beanery it is a common grounds/meeting place of most of my roommates and friends (and Professors). Guaranteed anytime of the day one of my many roommates will be sitting in their favorite cafe chair sipping their drink of choice and smiling at everyone that passes.

Today would be a great day to go for a hike. There is far to many places to choose from in this town, but the closes is McDonald forest (just down the road). It's also a nice place to mountain bike, well maintained trails spread like a spider web through the forest. "oh how I miss summer" the warm breeze through the giant trees protecting me on my bike as I float down a hill. This time of the year the trails are mud pits, one must be sprayed down by a garden hose before entering the house (proven to create 'goose bumps'). The sign in the picture was meant for my garden in summer (now there is just well groomed and nutrient rich soil ready for the next summer).

Note about plants:

My roots grow deep
my stem is thick
once I am out from the deep dark rick ground I last only a day.
slowly my brilliant bright full of jazz limbs droop down
as if to reach for my lost roots
I fold into my self holding on to what is left of my life
the fate has come and I crumble with a light touch
back to the ground where I came from.

The city which I live

I live a simple life, with interests in simple things. Corvallis, Oregon is a wonderful small yet deeply interesting town that I have chosen to inhabit. I have lived here for about two and a half years, studying at the University (OSU). The house I call "home" has changes numerous times (along with my address, the post office must love me). I have finally settled in a comfortable house with friends. Trying to get around the 'no pets' policy we acquired some loving chickens (two chickens=two eggs a day, they are fantastic hard boiled). Some of my favorite memories in corvallis are in this house, or in the yard. I planted a garden last summer with broccoli, lettuce, pumpkins, tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, strawberries...the list goes on. Sad to say I found out the hard way that chickens love lettuce, and leafs (my garden ended abruptly). Other good times included sitting in the back yard with breakfast spread on our kitchen table (which we brought outside for) Amy and Claire joined me in coffee and brick hard but tasty pancakes. It was summer at that time, so the sky was a clear sun rise with warmth bursting on the face. So many good memories in the yard, picking blackberries and eating them with every meal, placing plants through out the yard to "beautify" our house in the neighborhood. Behind my house there was a time when ten or more bikes would be parked in the yard (most were mine). Corvallis group bike rides happen frequently (college slowed down the frequency but not to a stop).

Ron visits more often, he lives in Seattle, Washington around four to five hours away. This last visit was for thanksgiving the family holiday of feasting...all day long. We went for a memorable hike to chipross park. Rory, Ron and I climbed to the top of the hill and feasted our eyes on a blanket of streets that corvallis turned into. I mentioned how large the football stadium was compared to the rest of the town (it is obsessively large). There is just so many good times in this town.