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Whitman, Wordsworth, and overwhelm...

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There's a lot going on in my head, mostly I don't share the anxiety, the hurt, the sense of overwhelming cultural devastation, because who can manage that firehose of dread and pain?  So, two things. The Library of America is having a one-hour discussion about Whitman and his political writings (and I ordered the book) online on June 2. The link is here , and it's free to attend. The other thing that I have to offer is a poem by Wordsworth, one that lives in my head: The World Is Too Much With Us The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have g...
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About tee shirts and the question, "What can I do?"

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Well, we didn't plant anything after Holly got out of school. She had a project to do with Meg; they made tie-dye shirts. O lordy. I'm glad it was not in my kitchen! I sent over a white tee shirt of mine with a quote from The Secret Garden on it and I told them to surprise me. It'll be fun! (And it doesn't count as another tee shirt, since I used an existing one.)  Speaking of tee shirts, I have an almost embarrassing amount of nerdy tee shirts. Not so many long sleeve, but plenty of short sleeve. Everything from a fairly innocuous "POET" shirt, to quotes from Emerson, Pessoa, and others. And some snarky ones. And some that require you to know something from literature. Take, for instance, the one I wore to work Tuesday: "HWAET!" (We had a dress-up day thing, where I was twinned --well, tripletted- with two others and we wore black tee shirts and jeans.) It's the first word, in Anglo-Saxon, that starts the Beowulf epic. I have a great purple one...
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Planting and reviewing the galleys...

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Another warm start to the day-- I sure could get used to it. Holly and I planted a few more things yesterday; we'll see what happens with the lettuce and spinach. I chose to put them in a porch planter. That way, I can keep them out of the sun if it gets too hot. And we broadcast some red poppies-- we'll see what comes of that, too.  Students are liking both Our Town and Summer of Soul, which is good. I have to grade a pile of essays I left alone this weekend, but mostly, things are rolling along well enough.  And I finally got my second galley proofs for the new book! They tell me that the printer is running about two weeks behind, which is going to likely make me shift my book release party. Sigh. Now I have to figure that part out. But I'll ask them for a better idea of when the book will arrive. I was hoping for June 14th (Flag Day, not UFC debacle day). It may have to shift to Fathers' Day. I dunno. I'm balancing a lot of scheduling, and it seems like either a...
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Garden things, and a quiet school week (I hope)

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We spent most of yesterday outdoors-- G doing most of my self-appointed tasks, as well as a few he wanted to get done. After church (and pancake breakfast!), we went to buy another phlox and a rose bush. Well, I got a couple of petunias, but restrained myself-- it's too early for vegetable sets. The lovely weather is misleading. We will not plant garden crops until the first of June (there's a second full moon in May this year--colder nights are a likelihood). G did the pruning for me (my ankle is in full revolt lately), and went on to prune back forsythias, dig holes, plant phlox, move solar lights...I'm sure there's something else, too, but it was a lovely outdoor day, getting things done. I got to hang out with Meg and Holly for a bit, too, and I made a nice Sunday dinner for us all. Fresh blueberry-rhubarb pie! Roast chicken and veggies! And all the windows were open.  Achoo. Pollen everywhere, too. The apple trees are blooming. The pears are still blooming like cra...
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short note-- got called up to read this morning!

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Ooo I got drafted to read this morning-- so, short note. I need to read over the passages.  I hope your Sunday is glorious.  It's sunny and warm. We'll be outside for a good part of today, I think! Ciao for now, blessings for everyone. C
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on aging, yard work, and trying to navigate limitations... it ain't easy

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I should not ever start my day by reading the news feed. I'm carrying around a whole lot of angst, and that does not help in any way. What does today look like? I know there's errands and folding laundry involved. I want to do some outdoor stuff, but I don't feel confident getting into the roses when there's no one around-- if I topple, I will not be able to right myself easily. And no, taking a cell phone out into the rose bushes is not a good plan, either-- if it should drop, I won't be able to navigate safely to pick it up. So, that pressing project is likely moved to tomorrow. No matter. It'll get done.  Confronting limitations is never an easy thing to do, and I'm really having a hard time with the new level of "be safe" and "pace yourself" that physical limitations are putting on me. I used to do so much, so quickly, and solo. It's damned depressing. And there's not a lot of help to be had; people are busy with their own to-...
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Women's contributions in The Odyssey... clothing as worthy gifts

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Another warm/damp start to the day-- I'll take it. Yes, it'll be nice to see some warm and sunny, but warm is good.  Speaking of warm, I am wearing denim capri pants today. Not that newsworthy, I'm sure, but still-- it's not wool socks, fleece-lined leggings and a sweater.  And speaking of clothing, I never really noticed just how prominent clothing as ritual gifts is in The Odyssey. Yes, there's gold, usually bowls and tripods, lots of animals, sometimes women, but the tunics and cloaks are just as prominent. Sometimes one-fold, sometimes two-fold tunics. They are stored away just as carefully as the hardware. I got thinking, then, that it's women who created these articles of clothing. The hours needed are amazing. The threads, created from raw materials like wool and flax, all had to be processed by women. So of course, the clothing is precious. Beggars go about wrapped in untanned ox hide. Sometimes, the gift-women given are not for sexual reasons, but beca...
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