Buddy Love

I'm a dog person. Specifically, I'm a big dog person. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a happy dog. So, when my son Marley showed me Ihasahotdog.com, I was hooked! So far, my efforts to make Buddy famous have not succeeded. But I'm having fun. Here is my latest. My favorite way to show that I'm a dog lover has to be my DOG IS LOVE bumpersticker. They can be ordered from loveyourbuddy.com where they have others as well, like DOG ONLY NOSE. The money raised with the bumperstickers all goes to animal welfare.

Censored!

Yikes! I've been censored. I post comments on Huffington Post all the time but today I had a comment not go through, and I can only assume they didn't like what I said. I was responding to a piece by Norman Lear where he said he was heartbroken about the American auto industry. My comment was yes, it is very disappointing, but much more heartbreaking is this, the hunger-relief organization Feeding America just released a report that says 12 million American children under age 18 are not getting adequate nutrition. To me this is important news that I haven't seen anywhere but Facing South. Maybe Huffington Post doesn't like alt news site links?
Well I do. Here it is.
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/children-going-hungry-in-the-south.html

Stephen Marley with Surprise Guest Julian Marley

We were treated to a really lovely show last night at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh. For most of the show Stephen sat at the front edge of the stage. He seemed to really enjoy the intimate setting. We were favored with selections from Mind Control as well as favorites such as No Woman, No Cry from his father's repertoire. Most special to us personally, he performed Three Little Birds, which was the first song (our) Marley ever heard. His dad sang it to him in the hospital the day after he was born. So to hear it live on Marley's 12th birthday was very special - thanks Stephen!
Near the end of the show surprise guest Julian came out for a couple of songs! He has a new album called Awake that just came out. I'm listening to it now, it's good! In an extra long encore Stephen pulled out an old one that is one of my favorites, High Tides, which was a treat, and then finished the night with Redemption Song. It is really good to see Stephen carrying on his dad's message, and also finding his own voice as an artist. I like the way all of Bob's sons are close, making music together, helping each other along. That is a nice tribute to him too.
We were speculating that they enjoy their current level of fame, being able to play in these small venues, not having to deal with the inevitable hassles that happen when things get bigger. I think the world needs them though. They have a good message, they are uplifting.

Smells!

I went out in my backyard this afternoon and smelled lavender, mint and sage. Now this is exciting because usually I can't smell at all. Nothing. Not gasoline. And my sense of smell has been coming back. But first it was bad smells. Like the stinky dog. But then I started smelling my coffee in the morning, and now - all these other things! Smells I remember! It so amazing to have a smell come back where it was gone, because you get used to it being gone, to living without -it's sterile in a way, because there is just nothing. Interestingly, there is also none of the irritation or discomfort that comes from breathing fumes of gas or smoke. But now, I am getting lots of smells back, and though it is a little overwhelming at times, it is mostly good. It's because I'm taking prednisone. I just hope I can keep smelling after I quit. Incentive to be faithful to my Kenalog irrigation. The lavender bush is about to burst into bloom.

Happy Upcoming Boogie

A Story Of Masks

What has been done to the earth
has been done to you
as to us all
Every murder, every rape, every act of torture
leaves its scar on the landscape of the self
and the outer bars
cast shadows in our mind

Feel them
they are your wounds
they are all you might have been
and will not be
Cry for it mourn rage
There are toxins in your blood
Your dismembered parts
lie scattered around you
You prowl your own borders
looking for escape
The wall is invisible
like glass, but stronger
you can't get over it
you can't get under it
you can't get around it

So you put on the mask
that hides you
and try to slip through
How do you walk in this mask?
How does your body feel?
The mask covers you
It hides the barrier
And suddenly you can't remember
where you were going or why
and none of it seems very important
so you stop and sit
And there you can remain
forever
Or you can take the mask off

And put on the tricky mask
the deceiving mask
and try to slip through
How do you walk in this mask?
How does your body feel?
And the barrier disappears
and you walk through
and the path is clear and green and pleasant
and you know it's the right way
although from time to time
you suspect
that you really haven't gone anywhere
that you are back where you started from
And there you can remain
forever
Or you can take the mask off

And you put on the mask
that pleases
and try to slip through
How do you walk in this mask?
How does your body feel?
And everyone at the barrier is charming
they make polite conversation
they serve tea
they sympathize with your difficulties
with how hard it is to break through
and you wouldn't want to offend them
so you stay where you are
And there you can remain
forever
Or you can take the mask off

And you put on the ugly mask
and try to smash through
How do you walk in this mask?
How does your body feel?
You don't care who you offend or what you
break
the pleasant people scatter
the teacups shatter
and you bash into the barrier
again and again
your flesh becomes pulp
your own bones break
And there you can remain
forever
Or you can take the mask off

Unmasked

Turn your naked face
to the fire
that remains
An ember in the center
juice of the earth's living heart
The fire survives
as you survive
and all may yet survive in you
Beside the fire
She is still sitting
the story woman
Her whisper makes
a dry sound
like the sliding of snakes
coupling and uncoupling
at the cell's core
Like the memory of
being alive
with all life living in you

She says
There is another way
You knew it once
Remember

Memory sleeps coiled
like a snake in a basket
of grain
deep in the storehouse
Breathe deep
Let your breath take you down

Find your way there
And you will find the way out


-Starhawk


I came across this today and just felt it really spoke to the moment. It is from Starhawk's Truth or Dare.

New Links Added

I've put up a bunch of links for your internet amusement. I especially want to say something about my Health Links. The internet is a huge resource for patient empowerment - you can also completely misdiagnose yourself and drive yourself crazy. Like any powerful tool, you have to learn how to use it. It is important to get good information that expands your understanding of your condition. I like to know everything that can be helpful, so I've put up my best herbal information sites, some good general info - the Medical Library has loads of links itself to explore. One of the most helpful things I think the internet has for the patient is support from others who have been there. Just knowing that others have survived what you are going through is very comforting. Then there is the added bonus of potentially learning some helpful tips or treatment information. Check out the great bunch of health -related blogs that I have included here, but don't stop there, if you have a particular health issue, search for a blog that addresses it. I really admire these bloggers that put themselves out there, and I hope that I too can talk about my experiences in a way that will help others. Last, I included a link to a great article in Scientific American about the latest research on migraines. I have migraines, but with the help of a lot of drugs, don't suffer nearly as much as I used to. It is a trade off, though, there are side effects, and no way to know what kind of long term use of these drugs that have only existed for 10-15 years will bring.

Marley 4 Marley

We were psyched to discover that one of our favorite musicians, Stephen Marley, son of the legendary Bob Marley is going to be in Raleigh at the Lincoln Theatre on May 27 - our Marley's birthday! So come out and party with us. We saw Stephen in Norfolk a couple of years ago and he puts on a great show.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day brings up all kinds of wonderful memories, early ones at my grandparents house, when my buddy Dana and I would run across the street to the golf course and cut roses from the wild bushes that grew there. Luckily all the mothers got to wear red roses to church, to show that their mothers were still alive. Fast forward twenty years to mothers day as a mother - nothing compares to the sheer joy of becoming a mother.
But there is also a more public side of Mother's Day, it is a day of national notice of mothers. One day is not enough. Jefferson based the structure of our government on the Iroquois Confederacy, but he didn't see the women's council. Whether this is because of his own cultural bias, or because as a male outsider he would not have been privy to see the women I don't know. However, the power of the Women's Council made a huge difference in the Iroquois society. Women owned the land, the homes and the agriculture. This gave them a powerful vote.
IMHO, it is this lack of female balance in our own government that causes problems. Male and female energy balance each other. Women are less likely to send their sons off to war for frivolous reasons, want the children of the world to be fed, and favor universal health care.
Also, it was women who initially called the problems with the banking industry way out in front of anybody else - and of course no one listened to them. It seems to me that now there are some people really articulating what a more balanced governance might be like, the backlash is astounding. But we make progress slowly.
When it comes to the Mother of us all, Mother Earth, we are definitely making progress too slowly. How's your carbon footprint? Have you changed over your light bulbs? Are you recycling everything your city will take? We are working on turning out lights when not in use and strategic planting (deciduous on the south side.) Everyone needs to make these efforts because we are already at the point where we are seeing greater acceleration than the scientists predicted.
On that happy note, I would just like to say, love to my mom, and my Granny - Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Day

Today is my Popsi's birthday. He's been gone from us for five years now, but I feel him with me all the time. He is in my dreams more than ever. He was a rock for our family, but he was much more than that. He was a huge source of fun. When I was little he had a circus train - complete with (stuffed) lion and a calliope car that played carnival music. He would pull it out for the local children to ride (for free) on any occasion. Then there was his beloved motor home that we took so many trips in and have so many joyful family memories in. Well, there's no way to sum up so much on a short post like this! I just wanted to take a moment to honor my Popsi who means so much to me.

Good News

I got word last night that our good friend that has been in the hospital all last week is going home tomorrow. Good news indeed. We have been really pulling for her. I’m posting a Mayan mandala today, one that I colored with photoshop. Coloring with photoshop is a different experience, not as relaxing as coloring with markers. You get the nice crisp borders though. I used to color a lot, and I think it can be a good therapeutic thing, if you have pain and need to distract yourself, it doesn’t take a lot of a certain type of energy. Chronic pain is one thing I feel like I can speak to, having been through a lot of it, so I will write more about things that have helped me, and would love to hear from others about what has helped them too.

In a medical vein, (ooh, sorry, that's just bad) I was happy to turn someone on to pharmASSIST recently. that's www.seniorpharmassist.org they help Durham medicare recipients with their prescription coverage choices.

Happy Beltane

As Samhain is for drawing in, Beltane is for branching out. All around us the world is blooming forth, inviting us to be joyful. If we can set aside the worries and distractions of that other world the "media made" world. Then there is the world you experience with other people, friends, family. But what about when it is just you? Spend some time in the beauty of the natural world, and let springtime speak to you.
Sadly, Durham's own Ernie Barnes has passed away. Ernie was best known as the artist who painted the artwork for the TV show Good Times. He also did the cover for Marvin Gaye's Sugar Shack. I grew up watching Good Times, and I remember being so proud that the artist came from here. His distinctive, elongated style earns him being called a pioneer of the neo-mannerists. For more: http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/culture-beat-remembering-famed-sugar-shack-painter-ernie-barnes.html