From Dream Journal to Quotes Journal

 

June, 1992 I opened a new 9-1/2" x 6" notebook specifically to record my dreams. I have always believed that my dreams held a lot of information I needed to understand - my subconscious self informing my conscious self. 

On the opening page I wrote: "Those who lose dreaming are lost." Aboriginal Proverb.  Dream - Time" and then my name and the year. I filled seven and a half pages with dreams that June. Then blank pages until April 21, 1999 - three pages recording a dream and some thoughts about why I dreamt it.

Then two more dreams, one May 24, 2014 and one in July 2021. Both were about my Mom and both in which I heard her say my name so clearly that each time it woke me up.

I would have absolutely no luck writing down my dreams anymore because I cannot remember them at all. What bits and pieces I do remember are pretty wild.

For more years than this journal has been in existence, I have been writing down passages from books I read and quotes that spoke to me on bits and pieces of paper, whatever was at hand at the time. Then one day I thought: Why don't I write those quotes, etc. in a notebook and have them all in one place. 

So on August 16, 2020 my Dream Journal became my Quotes Journal. And the first quote was a passage from Elizabeth Strout's book Olive Again p. 195 'Exiles':  "And it came to him then that it should never be taken lightly, the essential loneliness of people, that the choices they made to keep themselves from that gaping darkness were choices that required respect."

Two quotes on August 22: "The scent of the willow was sharp and secret."  - From Louise Erdrich's book The Night Watchman. First, I have always loved the scent of willows. Second, if you haven't read Louise Erdrich's books, you are really missing out. Regardless of subject matter/storyline, her writing is exquisite and the tale significant.

And the first four lines from Emily Dickinson's poem This World is not Conclusion:

This World is not Conclusion.

A Species stands beyond - 

Invisible, as Music -

But positive, as Sound -

I've had much more success with keeping my Quotes Journal than I did the Dream Journal. On the second page of quotes I copied this one: October 25, 1993 - "We possess ideas, but we are possessed by feelings. They lie too deep for understanding, astir with their own secret life and carrying us with them." From The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan. (Copied from my Spiritual Journey Journal) Now I need to find that notebook and see how long and how many pages I wrote in it! 😉

"How lovely to be compared to the seasons! You are a poet - writing to another poet's heart." (From another of my old journals: 6-14-74)

"These pictures of her, like everything else, are drenched in time." From Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.

"The who you are with others is not you. To be lonesome is to be who you most fully are." From Varina by Charles Frazier.

"A world of any kind begins at the outskirts of your imagination."

"Memories are poetic truths that blur the lines between reality and fantasy."

"The grab bag nature of my mind." Ivan Doig

"Nourish yourself with grand and austere ideas of beauty that feed the soul ... seek solitude." Delacroix

"All of us preserve time. We preserve the old versions of the people who have left us. And under our skin, under the layers of wrinkles and experiences and laughter, we, too, are old versions of ourselves. Directly below the surface, we are our former selves: the former child, the former lover, the former daughter." From The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George.

One of my greatest pleasures the past few years has been taking photos to go along with my blog posts and Facebook posts.

In that context - here is a picture of a willow tree to go along with one of the quotes above.

Are you also a quote keeper? Favorites?

Celebrating Father's Day and Birthdays

Fourteen family members celebrated Father's Day and two birthdays in Winterset last Saturday. And I celebrated meeting great--grandson Henri Oliver for the first time.

Newest father Travis holding Henri. He is also Dad to 3yr. old Louis.

Travis is definitely a hands on Dad. He says being a father is the greatest job.

Ki is also a Dad to two boys. Pictured here with soon-to-be (July 1st) ten year old Ayden.

Ki's youngest son, Greyson, the other birthday boy, will be nine June 30.

He and his Uncle Ian were putting together a water table. I loved the way Ian was helping Grey read and understand the instructions. Not telling him how or showing him what to do, but letting Greyson figure it out step by step. 

Maybe Greyson will follow in Ian's footsteps and become an engineer, too. 

Once it was put together, Ayden had the task of filling it with water - with Louis' help, of course.

After lunch - time to open those presents!

First there were some cards with $5 bills, then ones with $10 bills.

Then aunts and uncles started giving them money, sans cards.

Then a couple more cards with $5 bills.

These two were pretty excited with all the money. I think they each ended up with $35 along with some very nice gifts. 

Wonder if they will have all the money spent before their actual birthdays. 😄

Grandpa Preston, aka Papa Bear, was tasked with putting Henri to sleep for a needed nap. For some reason my son has a talent for this.

It wasn't long before they were both snoozing. 💙

Louis was asking me to take the stem out of his grape.

At first I didn't understand what he wanted which may explain the look on his face.

He is such a sweetie and has grown so much since I last saw him. He has also developed quite the vocabulary for a three year old. His Mom told me that after a recent meeting with other adults for lunch after he had eaten he asked: "What's our time frame for leaving." 😍

A nice photo of Grandpa Preston and Grandma Shalea with Louis.

Four generations Great-grandma Ramona, Granddaughter Kathryn holding Louis and my son, Preston holding Henri.

A sweet photo of mother and babe. 

Granddaughter Kathryn holding great-grandson Henri Oliver.

He is just so cute.

Henri's parents, grandparents and great-grandparents:

Back row great-grandfathers Pete (Shalea's dad) and Bud (Preston's step-father), great-grandmother Ramona (Preston's mom), Travis and Kathryn, Henri's Dad & Mom.

Grandmother Shalea leaning on the chair and Grandpa Preston holding Henri.

And lastly, a happy to finally be meeting and holding him, me with my tenth great-grandson (12th great-grandchild).

I treasure every one of them. 

I am glad I married young and had my children by the time I was 28. And that they married young and had their children just so I could be a young grandmother and live to see so many of my great-grands. 

What a fortunate life I have lived. 💗

 

There Is Something About Morning Light

Am I just one of few who notice how and what the early morning light plays up? How it shines like a spotlight on one object or like this a.m., just a shaft quietly insisting "look at me". I feel I'm in good company when my favorite female poet has also found inspiration in the morning light. 

Morning Light

by MARY OLIVER

Every morning
 the good news
  pours
   through the field

touching
 every blossom
  every stem
   and each of them,

on the instant
 offers to be part of it—
  offers to lift and hold, willingly
   the vast burden of light

all day.
 In my life
  I have never seen it to fail—
   flower after flower

leaf after pearly leaf,
 to the acre,
  to the massy many,
   is silvered, is flooded;

and such voices
 spangle among it—
  larks and sparrows—
   all those small souls—

are everywhere
 tossing the quick wheels of pleasure
  from their red throats
   as they hang on—

as though on little masts
 of golden ships,
  to the tops of the weeds—
   and that’s when I come—

that’s when I come, crying out to the world:
 oh give me a corner of it
  to lift also, to sing about, to touch
   with my wild hands—and they do.

Not long after the stone butterfly my daughter-in-law Shelly gave me was highlighted, I saw my first black swallowtail of the year. I took that as another sign, just in case I had missed the first one.   

Of Pigs, Petunias and Pen Pals

Sign, omen or impetus? My M-W Word of the Day is svelte - an adjective used to describe someone slender, thin or graceful in an attractive way. A word that might have been used to describe moi in my younger days. 

It was used, in fact, by my new pen pal in reference to this photo of me costumed as Miss Piggy during my appearance in the homecoming parade back in the 80's. 

Did you know Miss Piggy was from Iowa (Keystone)? I did not until my pen pal told me. And is pen pal correct if you are communicating by email?

Was it my love of pigs that gave me the impetus to portray Miss Piggy? I don't remember, but the word of the day was my impetus for finally writing about pen pals.

I remember having a pen pal when I was in grade school. My first one was from some kind of list. I don't remember the girl's name nor where she lived.

This was my 7th grade school picture. My friend Virginia gave me her cousin Eleanor's address. I wrote to her asking her to be my pen pal. We only exchanged two or three letters. 

When I was in 8th grade my teacher gave me her niece's name and address and we corresponded quite a bit. I even went to her 8th grade graduation with my teacher.

My cousin Lila had much better luck with her pen pal. They began writing to one another when she was young. Their correspondence lasted sixty some years. (And still may be ongoing.)

I know Lila's daughter, Valerie, drove her to Delaware? New Jersey? - one of the east coast states - where Lila and her pen pal finally met in person.

(Not apropos to this post, but as a means of informing family members, sadly Val died yesterday after being on dialysis some time.)

I probably won't get to meet my new email pal (doesn't have the same ring, does it?) in person even though we both live in the same state and along the same highway. But I'm enjoying getting to know her via the internet. She contacted me after first finding my blog while searching about an old saying and then seeing my blog about the swans at Green Valley State Park followed very soon after when she saw my swan photo used by Channel 13 weather.

In her first email she wrote about how much we seemed to have in common and gave several examples. She even closed with one of my favorite Rumi quotes. I was really exhilarated by her reaching out to me. To use a current saying - I felt 'seen'. (Recognized and accepted.) But with all the scams out there, I was a little leery. Luckily she had given me her name as well as her email address. By searching her name and town, I was reassured that she wasn't a catfisher.

I wrote right back to her - and then heard nothing. I was let down, disappointed and worried again that it may have somehow been a scam. That all happened in February. I got over it. Then last month she contacted me again after reading my post about the Pink Full Moon, wondering if the tornado that hit our area April 26 had affected us, wondering if I had received her original message to me as she had not heard back. 

Wow, so she hadn't changed her mind about staying in contact. I wrote back immediately and told her I had answered her. Somehow my message went astray. But I was so glad she tried again. We have been exchanging emails ever since. Learning about each other, our families - and even more about the ways we are alike. I owe her a letter, but before I leave this blog post.....

..... here are the petunias I mentioned in the title.

I am so glad I decided to get this color of petunias for these planters.

Early this morning when I took the photo they were practically shining in the cloudy morning dimness. 

I thought: ghost flowers. 

And then a black cat, almost a shadow, crossed the deck. No bad luck yet.