Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas

It comes as a considerable surprise to me to report that this is my second intentional trip to Texas in less than a year. Huh. Anyway, in January I traveled to Dallas and Denton, TX to visit Amber, Adam and Mary Grace.

Adam is a smarty-pants philosophy professor. I like talking with him about envisioning where education will stretch when people are less willing to pay exorbitant tuition bills. Will he reframe the study of philosophy as useful to the masses? He endeavors to do so, and I support him; I don't see the American University system succeeding in a few decades. Too expensive, too wasteful. But Adam, that man is innovative and ethical and athletic and profound and all-around-fantastic. He's making a difference in this world!

Amber is an attentive mother, wife, massage therapist, churchgoer, citizen. She was the matron-of-honor in my recent wedding, and I the maid-of-honor in her wedding when we were all much younger and sillier. As we've grown, she and I have committed ourselves to our friendship with one another.

Their beautiful daughter Mary Grace is my Godchild, or goddess-child. She is only two years old, but she's already just fascinating. She makes her own jokes and shares and explores and includes people and declares her boundaries and expresses gratitude and dances wildly. While in Texas, I wanted to bring Gracie to a beautiful space in which to pray/sing/explore. Thanksgiving Square in Dallas is just the place!

A few words about a practice of gratitude: In my spiritual life, I have noticed my tendency to focus on the negatives. I don't know why, exactly (all human nature? vestiges of Catholic unworthiness or chemical depression?) but I am now adequately convinced that negativity is not productive or helpful. In around 2006 I was introduced to a movement called "Go Gratitude" which provided a way to counteract my habit of negativity. Now before every meal, Nick and I pause to reflect upon the things we should be grateful for: the cows or chickens or fish who sacrificed milk/embryos/lives for our sustenance. The colorful and delicious vegetables who feed us, and the farmers who contributed to their growth. The little successes we experienced today. The hopes for tomorrow. The sturdy roof over our heads. The ways we help eachother... I like this daily "prayer" because, even when sharing it with dinner guests, everyone can participate whether atheist or theist. Not only is the prayer inclusive, but it really raises the spirits. Pausing to reflect on gratitude has changed my overall perspective of the day. Similarly, Adam and Amber's family pause before each meal to ask, "What was your favorite thing today?" It's a celebration!

Gratitude is inclusive of all theologies and practiced in all cultures. The feeling of gratitude does not necessitate the belief in a god, or being a chosen people, or determination, or even luck. The reason for or source of our blessings does not matter as much as our acknowledgement of gratitude for the existence of the wonderful in our lives. Eight countries have an official Thanksgiving holiday. Many more celebrate harvest festivals. Marriage and baby-naming ceremonies are also celebrations of gratitude for love in connection. It's all around us!

Back to Texas. I really wanted go them someplace spiritually significant. Whenever I visit, Amber and I usually take some mini-pilgrimage to a church or labyrinth or sacred site. It was important to me to find a place where Gracie could be a part of the circle. The Thanksgiving Chapel in Dallas was designed to celebrate the spirit of gratitude.

The awe-inspiring 'glory window' in Thanksgiving Chapel was the best part of Thanksgiving Square. "The Glory Window, which forms the 60-foot-high ceiling of the Chapel of Thanksgiving, is one of the largest horizontally mounted stained-glass pieces in the world. Designed by French artist Gabriel Loire, the window symbolizes the blessing of the Divine descending to earth as well as the ascent of human praise and gratitude to God." (Or, if you don't know God, call it the Spirit of Life, or Luck, or whatever it is!)

We lay down on the floor of the chapel to really take it all in.

Absolutely awe-inspring. Click on the photo to see it even bigger. Then go visit, or better yet, build a practice of gratitude in your own blessed life.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall live in the house of Love.

Trip to India Planned this Spring!

Suuuuper busy. Quick update. I'm taking a four-credit grad course from the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs called "Leadership for the Common Good" (intimidating title!) that is kinda kicking my patootey. And we're property managers for a couple of busy apartment buildings. And my job is always more than 40 hours a week. And Nick is working 20 hours plus four law classes. And I am, in some corner of my mind, trying to get ready for a trip to India!

I plan to visit India for three weeks this May, for a course through the Center for Spirituality and Healing. A link to the course, called "Tibetan Medicine, Ayurveda, and Yoga in India" is here. I am really sad about the thought of being far from my husband for three whole weeks; we're still in our newlywed lovey-dovey stage and it's just wonderful. But I haven't been abroad for a whole year (ha! that's not very long) and I've always wanted to go to India ever since I was a child. I always just knew I would go work with Mother Teresa, but then when she passed away I felt like my dreams were shattered. I'll be in India the whole time and see a couple Indian touristy sites (the Taj Mahal!), but for the most part we'll be studying with Tibetan physicians and refugees. In that way, it will kindof be like I'm visiting two countries instead of just one. So here I go, to learn and see and practice yoga and eat lots of amazing food!

I'm preparing by trying to gather 1) medical donations for a hospital, 2) clothing and supply donations for an orphans' village, and 3) ideas for an academic presentation I have to give to a bunch of Tibetan medical doctors there. Help!

Celebration of an Anniversary, Alive

Two years ago yesterday, I was in an accident that I feel prompted to memorialise.

Nick and I celebrated Christmas of 2007 in a lovely Buddhist monastery on a un-toursity island near Bangkok. We traveled around Thailand with our friend Cat(herine). Then, for new year's, Nick and I took a romantic trip alone to an island called Ko Kood. In order to get to the island we were taken advantage of by a taxi driver, and then left marooned on a dock without the boat ride we'd purchased (infamous Thai 'travel agent' crooks). We begged and pleaded and insisted that they get another boat, and after a couple hours of waiting, hopped onto a little speedboat there with a few other sea-sick couples. But, oh, it was worth it! Some of the resorts on this remote island were fantastically expensive; the Russian tourists stayed there. Our 'resort' consisted of some spots to pitch tents, and some brick huts with grass roofs; perfect. The resort owners are a lovely and generous Thai family. We spent a couple days wandering around on foot before we decided to rent a small motorscooter to explore the other side of the island. Now, everyone knows that scooters aren't safe, but when you're on vacation you think "well, this is my only opportunity..."

THE ACCIDENT
Off we went, on adventure! Helmets weren't available. Bumpy, dirt roads. A crudely photocopied map written in Thai. A couple hours later, we were writhing on a wooden bridge. Some villagers ran out from the forest, put me on the back of a motorcycle, and we bumped along to the island clinic. I was in shock, watching my blood drip on the exhaust pipe. Nick, also injured, rode our rental motorcycle back to the resort for the English-speaking resort owners. There were two nurses at the clinic when I arrived. My left elbow was deeply cut with gravel in it. My left shoulder hurt. My left foot was broken and deformed and really nasty with very little skin on top. The nurses took an X-ray, looked at the image with puzzled expressions, and shrugged. I was given some very mild pain meds. Nick's left hip was deeply traumatized with a bruise that didn't fade for several months. Our friends at the resort provided saving grace as translators, cooks, and chauffers. Eventually we were sent back to the resort, but the last boat had already left the island for the day, so our option was to take the first boat in the morning to the mainland. Of course, if we were thinking clearly, we would have been life-flighted out, but we were in shock...

TRAVEL
The next morning the son of the resort owner carried me into a speedboat from the dock. Nick limped behind with our bags. Not such a romantic end to what was a lovely tour. After an excruciatingly bumpy 2 hour boat ride to the mainland, an ambulance met us at the dock and rushed us off to the hospital in Trat, Thailand. The ER docs tsk-ed and groaned as they cleaned our wounds. X-rays showed my obvious breaks. IV antibiotics pumped into my veins. We were checked into the most lovely, huge hospital room with fresh orchids on my hospital bed -- really! Jobby, the daughter of the resort owner again provided translation and emotional support. We stayed at the hospital for a couple days and then traveled back to Bangkok for our scheduled flight out of Thailand, back to Japan. Of course, if we were thinking clearly, we would have flown home to America, but we were in shock...

We were loaded onto a luxury (almost) bus for a bumpy 7-hour drive from Trat to Bangkok. Then taxis to the airport. Blessed wheelchairs at the airport. Jobby met us in Bangkok, helped us communicate with the airlines, and bid us a teary adieu. Some saintly businessman traded his front-row seats so that I could prop my cast up on the wall for the flight from Bangkok to Osaka. No, the airline didn't give me any special seats despite our injuries and protestations. Then we flew Osaka to Sapporo. Of course, if we were thinking clearly, we would have gone straight to the hospital when we arrived in Sapporo, but we were in shock....

So instead Nick bought us tickets back to Furano. The island of Hokkaido, I should clarify, is thought of like Appalachia is to the USA. And Furano is, well, in the middle of that wilderness. (Lots of bears in the woods. Not a lot of healthy teeth in the children. You get the picture.) From the Sapporo airport we got on a train into the city center. And then, shocked by the Siberian snow and icy streets, I tried to maneuver on crutches to the busstop. I was sobbing with pain. A young woman ahead of me backed up directly into my wounded leg; I freaked out and actually hit her with my crutch (not proud of that moment).

JAPANESE MEDICINE
Japanese healthcare, though internationally famous for its quality, is not all it's cracked up to be. Sure, there is more focus on preventative medicine, which is an excellent idea. And it's true that they do incorporate traditional effective medicine (herbs, acupuncture). And, of course, there is nationalized health insurance. I've already written a blog post about some of my medical care for my broken foot here. It was shit, to put it succinctly.

A couple brief notes about my understanding of Japanese medical policy, as it's been explained to me. A note about physician's medical assignments: In Hokkaido, all governmental employees like doctors and teachers and city workers are moved around from job to job every few years. It is systematic and not based on the wishes of the workers. So a doctor in Sapporo may work in a hospital for 4 years, and then be transferred to Wakkanai, and then be transferred to Furano. All around the island. S/he changes hospitals, and her/his patients get a new doc. This means that, ideally, the best docs are not in the big cities because they get moved around. But also, the docs do not have much quality of life or active commitment in the communities. Another note about medical education: I hear that Japanese doctors don't do residency to declare a specialization. Once they finish med school, they just get to say "I'm a cardiologist" or "I'm an optometrist" as their interest lies. Then they start practicing their new profession; you can imagine there is some learning curve. A note about nurses' training: Twice a month, I taught English classes at Furano's nursing college to students in their final year of school. It was shocking to me how little these students knew about healthcare. One example: in a lesson we asked the students what they should say to a patient who comes into the ER saying he has the worst headache of his life, and he's felt this pain for three days. The nurse's response? Take these pills and come back next week. Shocked, we asked the question again in both English and Japanese to make sure they understood the scenario. We clarified and discovered the nurses had not been trained on aneurysms. (My co-teacher and I subsequently vowed not to get sick in this town.)

MY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE
The nurses in Furano, charged to change my bandages every few days, were instructed to rip off the old bandages. With lack of training and supplies, they re-opened the wounds on my foot every couple days, to replace the bandages with new ones. I gave them these plastic screens to put over the wounds (I'd received the screens from the Thai hospital), to put directly on the skin before the gauze, but the undereducated doctors and nurses would not let me use the screens. So their solution was to rip me open. The wounds didn't close for six weeks.

The X-ray techs didn't have lead aprons to protect me from the many x-rays to which I was exposed. Or, when there were lead aprons available, I had to ask for them specially, and the protective aprons were literally dusted off for me.

The dermatologist who removed stones from my skin was a butcher who refused to wear rubber gloves and worked in a filthy, crowded storage room-turn-operating room. (My physician sister-in-law says the stitches look like they were done by a child.)

I did receive a CAT scan and an MRI to look at damage to my shoulder, but I'm not sure if anyone was trained to understand the pictures. After about two months complaining of shoulder pain, exacerbated by the wheelchair and crutches, I was prescribed physical therapy for my shoulder and foot. I would say that my physical therapy was the only effective treatment I received in the hospital.

Of course, once realizing that the Furano hospital would not be able to provide me with good medical care, I could have traveled to Sapporo, or better yet, just gone home to the US. But we didn't. I didn't prioritize my health. I felt compelled to finish out the year for various complex reasons, mostly to please others. I regret that decision.

My Japanese acupuncturist worked overtime on my biweekly appointments to ease out my pain. I saw him the entire year I was there, and he was perhaps the only person (other than my saintly fiance) who understood the trauma my body had experienced. He tsk-ed with empathy while pummeling my shoulders and needling my crown. He was an excellent caregiver. It's only now, two years later, that I let Reiki and acupuncturist practitioners touch my foot. So much pain and trauma is stored there.

STEPPING FORWARD
But, dear readers! Since the accident I have hiked, run, moved my household twice, practiced countless downward-dogs, performed ballet-style pilates, danced the polka, and challenged my body in many other ways. I'm scarred, but I am healing. Most adults have broken bones; others have succeeded. We are lucky to be alive. I am determined to release the inner scars and trust in my body's innate aptitude to heal and be well.

Winter Love!

We had wonderful winter visitors, and made some great visits, over the holidays!

Here are some pretty pics. For starters, Ms. Mary Grace and her parents Amber and Adam came to Minnesota to see us! Well, they also came to see the loads of family they have in town, but also us. As you dear readers may recall, we visited Amber and Adam and MG last Christmastime in the Netherlands. Amber was the matron-of-honor in our wedding, Gracie a flower-girl, and Adam an honorary flower-boy. Or flower man. Or whatever he prefers to be called. He's a professional philosopher (really!) so he probably has an opinion about that. But here's Mary Grace being her funny-creative self, with boots on her hands.

Shortly thererafter, Nick and I braved the great holiday blizzard of 2009 to drive to Omaha. We needed a few drinks at Clancy's to gain our bearings.

With that settled, we enjoyed lots of family time in the Nebraska blizzard.

Here's a lovely pic of my mother and newborn niece Macy Jade, near the yule log. They're both a little skinny, but the baby has gleefully fattened up over the winter. Aren't they both pretty!!!!

Rich and Pat hosted us in their warm, laughter-filled home.

The midwestern drive was enchanting. The Great Plains stretched on limitless, crystalline, shimmering.

When we returned home to Minnesota, we celebrated our first New Year's as a married couple with silly 2010 'champagne' glasses which I bought from the grocery store. We might afford nicer crystal in future decades, but we might not be so good-lookin' then!

The Annual Letter

We welcome the new decade with gratitude, prayers, relief, and hope. Both nationally and personally, we're happy to put the last decade of war and loneliness behind us. We have faith in the American qualities of ingenuity and charity to strengthen our communities for the good of all.

Nick and Teresa celebrated the holidays last year by visiting friends in Europe. We celebrated New Year’s Eve in the town square of Leuven, near Brussels, Belgium. At midnight, the DJ played a mix of techno-beats to Obama's acceptance speech! The crowd went wild, and we were brought to tears with feelings of pride and hope.

This is Nick's second year of law school in the weekend program at Hamline University. He enjoyed studying family law, and looks forward to learning more about immigration and environmental law. Nick works at Thompson Reuters, a legal research company.

Teresa was promoted at the University of Minnesota and does more HR work for the Department of Medicine. Teresa has been taking graduate courses at the Center for Spirituality and Healing and has focused her studies on Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine. This coming semester she will take a course from the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs called "Leadership for the Common Good".

In July, we also became property managers of two apartment buildings. This new job takes a lot of mutual effort, but it helps us save money toward buying our own home. This recent move brought us a little closer to our Unitarian Universalist church, and we love the neighborhood. Come visit us in historic Saint Paul!

The biggest event of the year was of course our wedding! We were wed in Omaha at 6 o'clock on the 7th day of the eighth month of 2009, at a riverside ceremony on the banks of the Missouri. Our spiritual wedding ceremony was followed by a ballroom reception with peacock feathers and a chocolate fountain! Teresa wore her new gown for the ceremony, and her grandmother Isabel's wedding gown for the reception. Friends and family contributed much time and energy toward our wedding weekend, which was truly a community effort. Thank you!

Our honeymoon began at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo with our goddaughters. Teresa and Nick then drove far north, to the edge of Lake Superior. For a week we followed an old northern European honeymoon custom by drinking a daily cup of mead, a brew made from honey. That's a lot of mead, but we're happy to support our nation's beekeepers. Our time on the edge of the Great Lakes further deepened our love for Minnesota. We happily canoed, kayaked, and hiked around waterfalls for five days.

On the honeymoon, Teresa finally made a decision about what to do with her last name. Names are meaningful and the choice was complex, involving politics, loyalty, convenience, cultural affiliation, feminism, and familial feelings of togetherness. T tried to convince N to change their name to "Kicker", but, well, everyone thinks that's silly. Teresa's last name at birth was C..., which changed later by an adoption into the K... family. The S...'s are a loving clan of generous, spirited, intelligent people and Teresa is happy to now legally call herself a S...

This year notable events in our families marked the passage of time. Nick's Uncle Joe S passed away after a short illness with cancer. Teresa's brother Chris, along with his wife Melisa, welcomed the birth of Macy Jade K to the family on November 2. Life is a circle.

Finally, the decade went out with a bang. We braved the elements and made it to Omaha just before the great blizzard of 2009. After a few days of weathering the storm, we went ice skating outdoors on a sunny New Year’s Day. Life is beautiful.

We look toward building a better world with you in the coming decade. We wish you stability and love for 2010.

Teresa and Nick

N & T Cut-Outs

This past summer, we seemed to have a theme of taking pictures of each other in funny costumes or in cut-outs. Click on this link to see 'em.

Texas

Well, as you probably know, I'm not a fan of George W. Bush. And I'm not a fan of the oversized-American-syndrome: big cars, big grocery stores, big waistlines, big guns.... So I thought I wouldn't like Texas, not even a little bit ... but then Texas surprised me! It's really quite an interesting place! You might think so, too!

This past autumn, Nick and I visited Austin, Texas for his friend Doug's wedding to Paulette. Doug and Paulette actually visited us in Hokkaido, and then Doug was a groomsman in our wedding. So it was only fair that we returned the favor of a visit, for their special day.

They were really quite generous to arrange a 'homestay' for our time in Austin, so that we didn't have to pay for a hotel. And what a homestay! We were hosted at a gen-u-ine historic mansion. The property had three pools!

And gorgeous chandelier bathrooms with marble jacuzzi tubs!

We even got to borrow the family car (a range rover) to get us around town. Our hosts were so generous to allow us to stay there. I think we've sent them, like, three thank-you notes. It was that great!

Doug & Paulette's wedding was a lovely affair. Their wedding ceremony was in a Catholic church with a priest so welcoming that I actually cried (happy tears) during Mass. If only there were more Catholic leaders doing good stuff like that! And, as predicted by friends, the first wedding that we attended as a married couple was a lovely experience. We were so happy to be DONE with the wedding-planning, and so glad to just sit together holding hands, out of the spotlight.

Here in the spotlight, hopping out of their limo, is a pic of D & P. (Her dress looks similar to one I almost chose for myself!) Their reception was at a remarkable old plantation with live oaks reaching graceful arms around the mansion. I thought it would be a little disturbing and creepy to be in an actual Southern plantation, but it was a nice party with a lovely mix of people.

And! They! Had! Peacocks! The property had several colored peacocks, and this one remarkable albino peacock. It's like they planned it based on our wedding theme! But they didn't.


For our long weekend in Austin, we had plenty of time to explore the town. We visited the Texas State Capitol. It's really big.

Here's a picture of the door and ceiling of the senate chamber in the state capitol. I'd like to draw your attention to the iron hinges on the doors. Every single door in the capitol was fastened with two of these iron hinges, which were each made of EIGHT POUNDS of iron.

Now here's the interesting thing about Texas. Did you know that the whole or parts of Texas have been claimed by six countries? Each national seal is depicted on this marble floor in the capitol building. The nations are/were: Spain, France, Mexico, the Confederacy, the United States of America, and the Republic of Texas.


If you ever go to Austin, I highly recommend going to the Texas State History Museum. It really is great. It explained the history of the Texas star, and all those countries and when and why they claimed Texas, and why those durned Texans are always going and forming militias at every little thing. Cuz, you know, if you read the news, those Texans sure do like their guns and their militias. Well, now I know why, and it kinda makes sense to me. I also learned about the mix of Tejanos and Natives and Anglos who live there, and why there's such animosity between these three cultures.


Prior to visiting Texas, I knew only a few things about Austin: 1) It has lots of hippies, 2) it has great live folk music, 3) there is a fantastically active gay scene, 4) Whole Foods started there, and 5) it's a culturally marooned island in the middle of a very large conservative state. Well, here below is #s 1 and 2: Groovy hippie folk musicians playing for hippie hula-hoop dancers.

Other than making music, though, I would say that I don't think that the hippies of Austin are very productive. The hippies in Minnesota make arts and crafts. The hippies in Portland organize political rallies or design restoration projects in parks or volunteer for social service agencies. But, as far as I can tell, the hippies in Texas aren't too interested in the environment. But they can hula-hoop. If you have more information about the good people of Austin, I'd be glad to hear it.

And then we visited the nation's first Whole Foods! It's big, just like Texas.

Water Pollution

On a recent trip to Austin, Texas I was surprised to see the terrible condition of the Colorado River flowing through the center of the city. As expected, Austin is a progressive city with lots of young neo-hippies milling about, creating fantastic music. Unfortunately, I didn't see much evidence that Austin is working to clean up the pollution and trash in its waters. Ugh!

This prompted me to look into the river/lake pollution in Minneosta (my home) and Nebraska (where I was raised). There is bad, bad news for Nebraska. Check out this site listing the Nebraskan cities/companies responsible for enormous pollution violations. Nebraska is WAY WORSE than Iowa and Kansas with the level of water pollution. I am especially concerned about the people we know in West Point, and my family in Newman Grove and Columbus.

Healthcare and The Economy: My two cents

I'm thirty-one. I graduated from college in 2000, did a year of "national service" in AmeriCorps, and then 9-11 happened. I tried to get a real job, thinking that someone would surely hire me with my expensive education, blond(ish) hair and tailored suits. Surely. But, no, I scrapped a few dollars together in the next few years, working in a dirty restaurant and lowly social-service jobs. Health insurance? Not even an option. I could barely make my student loan payments. In desperation, I moved to Colorado and got a job working in the fancy Ritz-Carlton world. I learned how the upper crust thrive, and I received dental care from a guy who fixed movie-stars teeth. Six glorious months of health insurance; awesome.

Returning to the Northwest greys, I got a job at another hotel but had to wait 3 months for health insurance to start. Two weeks before my insurance kicked in, I got a horrible spider bite which became so infected that my leg couldn't fit into pants. Despite the nasty wound and visible infection line up my femoral artery, I refused to go to the doctor. I feared the huge emergency room bill. I could've died, but a friend-of-a-friend, a natropath, saw me for free and got me on a cheap antibiotic and homeopathic meds. I survived and the wound healed. (Now I wouldn't think of sacrificing my life for the fear of an ER bill, but at the time I felt terrified and desperate.)

Around that same time, also uninsured, my brother had a terrible ear infection. He didn't go to the doctor until his eardrums were literally bleeding. The ER visit and antibiotics cost thousands of dollars, which he faithfully paid off in small increments over many months. His hearing never fully recovered.

Several years later, I decided to leave Portland and move home to Omaha for a couple months before Nick and I moved to Japan. I quit my job (with great benefits) and figured that I could coast without health insurance for the two months before my Japanese insurance began. A week later, I found out I had a situation that needed surgery and biopsies. I had no insurance. If I did have cancer, I would be screwed. Blessedly, the Creighton Medical Center completely covered all my expenses, supported by some national funds for low-income women needing treatment for breast or gynecological cancers. The surgeries were traumatic, but the costs were covered. I am grateful.

As I think about my early adulthood, I know that the timing of the post-9-11 economic crash and the increasing costs of healthcare has affected my life in real ways. Some 40- and 50-somethings complain about the difficult economy, and for good reason. But my entire adulthood (a decade so far) has felt like a recession. I think that many people my age feel this way.

In a NYT Op-Ed about being "thirtysomething", 31-year-old Porochista Khakpour writes:

"I’m part of the Peter Pan-ish Gen-X final trickle — and what do we know about growing up? My friends are all broke, say “whatever” too much, still live in Converses and constant hangovers, still yell at their parents on the phone and two seconds later ask for money and possibly a place to crash, are still deferring college loans and say everything is the new something-else, including the 30s, which are the new 20s. The economy is in crisis, and they don’t care; they have become Zen about debt, having been impoverished, if trust-fund-less, since they got out of college at the beginning of the millennium, a time of tragedy and war and turmoil, their entire 20s devoured by someone they refer to only by a twangy iteration of his middle initial."

My point? I'm not saying that I deserve to live on the dole because my life has been tough. I'm not blaming W for everything. But I am saying that this country needs healthcare reform. We need single-payer health insurance. And, without question, there should be a public option for health insurance as part of this healthcare reform. I have traveled to many countries that have successful nationalized healthcare models (Australia, Japan, Germany). I've been all over this globe and I can tell you that my international friends find our quality-of-life absolutely shocking. Most countries of the world have nationalized health insurance. Most people in the developed world do not fear illness like we do. European, Australian and Canadian students are not weighed down by inconceivable college loan payments for two decades after graduation. There are better ways to do it. Wake up, America. Stop bombing other people. Start spending the money to help our people live.

Cupcakes, Camping, and a Rattlesnake

Just prior to our wedding, and in celebration of my 31st birthday, we went camping with John and Jennifer in southern Minnesota. We got a great campsite in Whitewater State Park, only a couple hours from the Twin Cities. Jennifer (an excellent baker) made us delicious mocha cupcakes. In true car-camping style, we spent the majority of our 'camping' time eating.

But we did get in a couple lovely hikes. As you can see, even in late July, it's still not too warm.



On one hike along the river, posted signs suggested we watch out for the "protected", and extremely rare, Timber Rattler. The last rattler had been seen in the park about seven years ago, but we were too lucky!

We weren't actually sure if it was a rattler, because part of the snake's tail had been damaged at some point. But oh, yes, it was!



Watch how the snake JUMPS BACK OUT OF THE BOX as the rangers catch him! (Try to ignore my terrified commentary.)





If you can't see the videos above, you can watch a video of the Whitewater State Park rangers catching the snake here.

A Lunar Eclipse, the Night Before the Wedding!

The eclipse won't be visible in the US, but it's cool to know about.

Excalibur: A Food Preservation Love Story

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain.

"Excalibur" is also the name of a fabulously sexy love song by the singer-songwriter-artist Danya River.

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Anyway...
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I was first introduced to food dehydrating in my hippie-house in Portland. A guy we lived with owned both a food dehydrator and a juicer, which I thought was very grown-up and resourceful. I had so much fun drying all kinds of things: cherry tomatoes from our garden (which I later soaked in olive oil and kept in the fridge), apples, bananas, carrots, grapes, etc. I juiced lots of stuff that I picked from the yards of friends and neighbors. Delicious and nutritious!

So I always planned that, once I grew up and stopped volunteering for a living, I would get a food dehydrator and juicer of my very own. And now I'm half-way to my goal!

At my Minnesota wedding shower, hosted by Jennifer, several of the women came together and gifted me with the ultimate fighting champion of food dehydrators: the Excalibur! (And what a great name! Seriously.) The gift was a total surprise:


What is it?


Oooooo! I went berry-picking here in Minnesota and gathered some lovely stuff:

Strawberries (The strawberries were perfectly ripe last weekend, and I had a wonderful time picking these jewels in the sunshine.)

Black Currants (I think they're kindof gross tasting, actually. First they taste really tart and exciting, but then this strange beefy-taste comes up and I have to spit it out. Nick says I'm a crazy vegetarian, and it doesn't taste like beef at all. Needless to say, I didn't get many of the black currants, but they are pretty.)

Red Currants (These are so delicious and easy to pick and very very pretty in salads! Nutritionally, red currants are a good source of Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Vitamin K.

Gooseberries (These little globes look something like red grapes, and taste something like blueberries or tart grapes. Gooseberries are my favorite new berry discovery! They were really difficult to pick off the spiny branches, but totally worth the effort. Next time I'll bring gloves. I hear that they are an excellent source of antioxidants, and also nutritionally they are a good source of Vitamin A, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.)


Tonight I had the pleasure of getting some of those berries into the Excalibur. Hooray!

The Holy Trinity (of Grocery Stores)

Life is grand on Grand Avenue! St. Paul is so great with a homey atmosphere, neighborhood festivals and walkable, pretty streets. And four farmer's markets within a ten minute drive (just that I know of!)

I live two blocks from a lover-ly little local grocery store called Kowalski's, with beautiful local organic produce and a nice mix of organic and non-organic/cheapo foods. And they sell this organic local butter called "Hope". How great is that!?

I love six blocks from a small-sized Whole Foods, with an excellent vitamin/natural body department and delicious cheese.

I live 20 blocks from the BRAND-SPANKIN NEW Trader Joe's. Today we visited TJ's for the first time, and left giddy with our bounty.

I love our neighborhood! I love food!

Brief Update

Less than 7 weeks to our wedding. We need to figure out the playlist for the dance, the chairs, the ceremony readings, presents for certain people, order some flowers online, buy some more peacock feathers, and maybe a million other little details. Most of the big stuff is figured out. Nick and I are happy together, and know what we're doing; that's what it's all about. We really enjoyed our Marriage Class and feel "ready".

Nick is working full time and taking an accounting class that is proving to be quite a bear. In addition to his law degree, he's also working toward an MBA. I'm working full time at the U and taking 3 summer classes (4 grad credits total). Crazy-making!

Perhaps my biggest current stress is our move. We're departing our cute little duplex in Midway St. Paul, over the July 4th weekend. We'll be moving into an apartment complex on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, where we will be employed as caretakers of a couple apartment buildings. More work, less privacy, but FREE RENT! It's too good of an opportunity to pass up. I'm feeling really sad to move out of our lovely little nest here, especially considering I have moved approximately 18 times in the last 13 years. After this caretaking gig, we are buying a HOUSE where I'll plant fruit trees and blueberry bushes and paint the rooms whatever color I like. Grrrrr.

For the summer, we MUST find time to: 1) take me out to the ballgame... to see the St. Paul Saints, 2) strawberry picking!, 3) camping!, 4) beer festivals!, 5) get to Madison, 6) refinish that lovely antique desk, 7) food preserving! I'll fit it all in! Just you watch.

That's the update! Sorry if I haven't replied to your emails, dear readers. It's catch-as-one-can.

Joslyn

Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum has a great new sculpture garden in the front of the museum, where the "Jazz on the Green" happens each summer. What's been recently installed here is absolutely stunning.


For those of you who haven't yet visited, this impressive building was constructed in 1931 in an Art Deco style, and in 1938 was listed among the 100 finest buildings in the United States. Today it houses art from around the world, including an enormous and rather-famous glass structure designed by Dale Chihuly. The new sculpture garden, just opened this month, features a reflecting pool and river, flanked by lovely iron sculptures of local indigenous peoples.



And hey, did I mention that the Joslyn is directly across the street from the Scoular Ballroom, where we're throwing our wedding reception!? If you're coming to town, walk over and check it out!

Summer Showers!

In May, my friend Eleanore hosted a wedding shower for me in Omaha, to which I invited Nebraskan friends and family. Ellie had lots of help in coordinating/cleaning/cooking/decorating/invites for the shower.

The hosts, Ellie and Kala got mini-cakes for everyone to taste a slice or three, and decorated them with edible flowers. Lovely!

Don't our Moms look beautiful!?

For the party, Ellie gathered reused/recycled fabric for guests to sew/stitchwitch together APRONS to take home! It was such fun activity! We drank sangria out of beautiful home-made glasses (Ellie's husband is a glass artist) and ate lots of great food. We played a game where everyone guessed the meaning and origin of various foreign language "love" words, posted around the room. They planned and executed this party masterfully! People were so generous.

My friends Kala and Jenni and I sat on the couch after the daylong day, laughing and lookin cute.

In June, my friend Jennifer hosted another bridal shower in Minnesota. People brought recipies to share.

Jennifer planned two fantastic activities for the event. At one station, we made natural body scrubs out of things like aloe, oatmeal, lemon juice, sugar, coffee grounds, etc. At another station we made chocolate truffles! Yes, really!



I'm so grateful to my girls for planning these wonderful events, to my family and friends who traveled to be there for the parties, and for all of the household gifts we were showered with!