coolness and produce

We've gotten some respite from the heat today--it's been very nice. Matt and I don't run our AC so the lower temp, cool rain, and strong breeze (the kind of wind that moves branches 10 feet) have been welcome here.

Meanwhile, the garden has been producing like crazy these last few days. It makes me happy to see all the produce piled up into a lump. Yea for yummy vegetables!

7 years ago today I was saying. . .

Matthew, today I take you as my husband, committing myself to love and to serve you for the rest of my life. I know, and I affirm to you, that love is not merely the emotion I feel right now, but it is bond between us that we strengthen as we depend on eachother and on God during the challenges of life--a bond that I never will break. I promise to you that I will be patient and understanding as we both strive to answer God's call for our lives, learning and growing together.

I love you today deeper than that day seven years ago. Thank you for your steadfastness in your love for me.

The locals

(alternate title: "Interpellation")

Headed out for a morning jog the other day with Macy at about 9:30 am or so. It was sprint day, so I was running pretty hard (listening to "Everyday" by Carly Comando--great running song). Macy was giving about half-effort, which she's being doing more and more as it climbs to 90+ degrees by mid-morning. Slacker. Let's just say that I had a good couple of steps on Macy as we cruised down the block. As I'm running, I begin to notice from my periphery a large object creeping slowly up on me--it's a truck. For a couple of steps I keep my pace and pretend that the truck isn't following me. It's happened before that cars slow down to look at rental houses, etc., and I just happen to be in their line of vision. But it's clear after a few more steps that this truck is stalking me. I nervously glance over into the cab of the truck and see the driver, a somewhat wild-looking, if older man, start to roll down the passenger side window. By this time, I realize that my full attention needs to be devoted to this situation, so I quickly pull out my headphone earbud (left side only), stop running, and shoot the driver a look that says both "What's up?" and "I'm a little worried that you're a crazy person trying to kidnap me." Ignoring my look and its dual meanings, the driver yells these words at me across the cab of the pickup: "I'm betting on the dog!" He smiles, then speeds up and drives off.

better world

Just wanted to pass along info about a great place to buy books (new and used) online . . . www.betterworld.com . They sell used books, find homes for unwanted books, every order is shipped carbon neutral, and they support a variety of literacy programs. Thanks Lance for the tip.

Stars

On our way back from San Antonio, we stopped by to visit Ben in Winters. . .I had forgotten what stars uninterrupted by light look like. I have no words to describe it--just feeling like I need to get out of the city at night more often.

To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. When we do it knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, destructively, it is a desecration.

- Wendell Berry
The Gift of Good Land

finally

driving on my way back to the farm after a lovely evening with new friends--friends I feel deeply connected because of shared experiences--and i finally felt a release of pressure as my breaths became deeper and my shoulders more relaxed. . .i can be fulfilled/content in doing life how i'm yearning to live it right now--right now. this is big for me. thank you Spirit for this revelation.

Why?

I’ve had several people ask me why I came out to work at the farm. Here are my reasons . . . I believe in what they do and wanted to do what I can to support that—educating people to go out and teach others about sustainable farming/agriculture. When I ask myself—what do I hold dear/spend time doing right now—I answer with growing produce in a way that is kind to the earth. I came to the farm to learn more about how to grow good things for my friends and neighbors. I also hope this to be a time in a different, more bucolic place, where I can meditate on what/if anything career-wise is next—I’m not even sure I know what this means. I’m meeting with a few people I know here in Waco to talk through some possibilities. I think that’s it for now. Thank you all for your interest/support of me.

good read

I finished reading this book a few days back . . . I think it might be my favorite book of all time. There were moments sitting in the laundromat or on our bed looking outside our windows as I read that I just broke down in tears and balled my eyes out--there were sections of passages that spoke so deeply to my soul; I felt like she talked through ideas that really resonated with me--I rarely find that depth of camaraderie. Good times.

goodbye denton

It looks like I'm going to be spending 2 weeks here starting next Monday. I'm really excited about what this time might bring.

gardening with my grandad

Back in the middle of March my grandad and mom came out for a couple of days to show me how to put in a garden. Not only did we spend time gardening, I got a chance to get to know new levels of my grandad--like he's been a lifelong democrat--who knew? My grandad was a farmer for a good portion of his life, and it was such a distinct pleasure getting to interact with him in his element. There's a beautiful art to how he works the soil, adds nutrients, and treats the seeds/plants. It was such a soul warming time and has reinvigurated my passion for the earth and its goodness. Here's what the garden looked like 1 1/2 months ago . . .

and here's what it looks like now . . .

In the garden we've got tomatoes, beans, onions, squash, zuccini, peppers, carrots, beets, spinach, arugula, herbs, cantelope, and watermelon.





The arugula and spinach are ready for harvesting and we've been able to share our produce with friends and neighbors. We met Carl and his wife Jane (our neighbors 2 houses down who are in a band and have 2 grammys! crazy, huh?) yesterday and loaded them up with spinach and arugula. It's a nice feeling getting to provide our family and friends with fresh, organically grown produce. Thank you earth for your bounty and thank you Grandad for your wisdom.

Beet greens

We had to thin out our carrots and beets, so they would grow big and strong. We got to eat these for dinner tonight. Yummy!

mushrooms

matt's asleep. i'm laying here wrestling with what i'm doing with my life. at times i feel grounded and assured, and at other times i feel like i just drifting through it all. it's coming up on the end of the school year for matt, and i thought i would have had it figured out by now--what's next. i'm tired of waiting and being patient. this so goes against my core as a person. aahh!!!

meanwhile . . . harvested our first mushrooms today. some yummy portabellas that we used for veggie sandwhiches. here's a pic (imagine i'm saying, "oooo. . .aren't those beautiful mushrooms i grew. i bet they'll taste good."--and they did :)

Swamped

I've realized a rhetorical dilemma with blogging for me: the interaction between me and you stands out as a problem, which I've solved in the past by the creation of elaborate and time-consuming narrative posts, attempting to provide enough context for any reader to enter into my experiences and thoughts. Some audience members appreciate this mode (thanks Dad!) while others have maligned it (boo unnamed!). But the baseline consideration is time. I haven't blogged lately because it was taking me two hours to craft the masterful art of each post, and I'm more interested in the possibility of keeping up communication and informing you all about our lived experiences. So I'm going to aim for brevity now, although a narrative may appear every now and again.

Yes, I realize that the paragraph above did not follow any of the "rules" therein contained. I'm starting....NOW.

Here are some pics from New Orleans--specifially, the Jean Lafitte National Preserve south of the city. There are some great narratives to go along with these pics, but...no, I must resist telling them. Brevity. (This new mode invites further conversation--I can tell you more if you call or email).


















Continuing with the exigency of brevity, I'm going to give a two-minute version of issues on my mind right now. Michel Meyer, a French philosopher of "problematology", suggests that everything we do--communication, action, thought--is a performance aimed at solving the problems that motivate us both "in the moment" and more significanctly at the core of our experiences. So, here are some of the more significant "problems" I'm trying to answer right now:

• Contending with postmodern philosophies (namely, those of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida) and their implications for rhetoric
• Conceiving of a post-postmodern direction for rhetorical study
• Tying together these academic interests with my core values of faith and spirituality
• Living out whatever I come up with in my daily life here
• Getting ready for my class today instead of blogging

And I'd also like to share with you some of the ways I'm going about finding answers

• Understanding Michel Meyer's philosophy of problematology
• Figuring out the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and its implications for the above (thanks Liam!)
• Listening to the intelligent conversations on the Veritas Forum (some challenging ideas in this one by Timothy Keller and this one by Dallas Willard) (thanks Josh!)
• Reading Shane Claiborne's "The Irresistible Revolution" along with the Gospel of Luke
• Shutting down the computer and actually taking a shower and heading out the door

Snow day

Yesterday was March 6th--and it snowed over 1 foot here in Denton! Crazy, huh? It's practically spring and there's snow on the ground. Matt's classes were cancelled and we got to play in the snow and watch movies the rest of the day in celebration of our first snow day here. Good times.

Late night caucus

Last Thursday I got to go to into Fort Worth to hear Obama speak at a rally there. Just entering the building brought tears to my eyes--there was such a beatifully diverse group of people there; I was deeply moved by the experience. Many of you got a call from me on Tuesday encouraging you to vote for Obama or at least make your voice heard in this process. After voting on Tuesday, I got to go back to my precinct at participate in the caucus. It was crazy--no one expected that many people to show up (five times more than the norm at our precinct), and we didn't get done until 11:00 that night. I got to meet a lot of great people and will be a precinct representative for our county convention--it's exciting to be a part of this process. Even though Barack didn't win the popular vote in Texas, he did win almost all of the major cities in Texas and should actually win the delegate count in Texas due to the large turnout of support for him in the caucuses. I just want to encourage all of you to do what you can to get the person elected you feel would best lead this country. I leave you with this message of hope. . . http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY&feature=related

Adrienne

After 5 years of not seeing eachother and living in states across the country from one another, the two of us end up in Texas in towns about an hour apart. She was my only friend out here when we first moved--I love that I've been able to see her more lately. She is wonderfully creative and has such a beautiful soul. Thank you for being in my life.

yummy earth

In preparation for my grandad (a farmer by trade) coming out in a couple of weeks to help me plant and figure out irrigation for the garden, I've been composting all of our food scraps, leaves, other people's leaves I've raked for them, and so on to have some healthy soil when spring comes. I love the smell of fresh dirt when I turn the compost pile. It makes me happy.

Here we go again. . .

Where I'm going, I don't know yet, but at least I'm going to get back on blogging about it. For those of you who don't know, last semester was a tough one for the both of us--I thought I was pretty good at handling transitions, but this last one rocked me. Thankfully, I feel as though we're out of the worst of it and are beginning to connect with the city and people here in Denton. Here's to hope and life that is all around us!

-Makinzie