--- the new blog address, in case the links aren't working ---
http://calaismarie.wordpress.com
see you there!
http://calaismarie.wordpress.com
see you there!
Friday, January 2
NEW BLOG ADDRESS
i feel pretty silly doing this, but i figured out that wordpress is a whole lot better than blogger, and therefore have made the switch. that means that the three of you who check this might need to change your bookmarks/links to the newbie. sorry for the hassle!
Thursday, January 1
not count down, rise up (the beginning)
the earth was quiet enough this first morning of two thousand nine that i could almost hear the planet rotating on its axis. endlessly rotating on its axis towards the dawn. the dawn that happens to be marked the first of a brand new year, but i know the secret. the secret is that each day is a new life and each dusk a new peace. peace that incubates the coming morning as the earth continues on its amaranthine path.
this year will be a good year.
Sunday, December 28
mobile
the location part of a datebook chelsi gave mom. we're each marked in hearts...
i'm the sticky note.
i'm the sticky note.
Saturday, December 27
army
with an hour to spare this evening, i decided to spend it in the pines of my papa's farm in south georgia. as i followed the path that leads to the tall trees i started pondering all the memories i've gathered there. as a child i would get dropped off by bus 16AA and run down the half-mile dirt path to home. i'd throw my bookbag in the house and fetch my horse, sox...lead her to the ceramic tub that was her water trough and sling onto her bareback before trotting off to this very same area of the farm that i walked now. i loved those afternoons.
my first horse, sassy, had thrown me head-first over her ears and onto a log after getting her belly tickled by the long grass that grows between the trees. i'd picked corn back there and pretended it was gold. i'd brought my grade-school crush back to see the okapilco creek only to get nervous and punch him in the gut. i've spent hours and hours back there - it definitely has legendary status in my mind. another world altogether.
walking through the rows of 50foot trees i pondered their power over me. they feel so alive, standing there watching me walk through their midst. like columns of soldiers, standing at attention ready to protect or attack - waiting on my intentions to decide which.
as i walk and think to the rhythm of my steps and the pace of the trees i finally actually used my eyes - and realized they were staring straight at another thing that truly was alive. a bobcat - staring right back at me. i stopped and stared for a few moments before side-stepping to a big stick to my left. i stared for a few more moments before picking up the exact same pace...but this time not focused on the trees. my eyes were locked to the bobcat's the rest of the time, until we could no longer see one another. it was so strange - we were both just watching to see what the other would do. a mutual understanding that we were both being protected by those very same bark-covered soldiers.
as i came out of the woods i met my uncle joey on the tractor and told him what i'd seen. he shook his head and informed me that he never goes back there without a gun and that i should be more careful. this is all probably true, but i'm glad i got away with it this once - just trusting that i'd be fine with the tall tall georgia pines at my rescue.
my first horse, sassy, had thrown me head-first over her ears and onto a log after getting her belly tickled by the long grass that grows between the trees. i'd picked corn back there and pretended it was gold. i'd brought my grade-school crush back to see the okapilco creek only to get nervous and punch him in the gut. i've spent hours and hours back there - it definitely has legendary status in my mind. another world altogether.
walking through the rows of 50foot trees i pondered their power over me. they feel so alive, standing there watching me walk through their midst. like columns of soldiers, standing at attention ready to protect or attack - waiting on my intentions to decide which.
as i walk and think to the rhythm of my steps and the pace of the trees i finally actually used my eyes - and realized they were staring straight at another thing that truly was alive. a bobcat - staring right back at me. i stopped and stared for a few moments before side-stepping to a big stick to my left. i stared for a few more moments before picking up the exact same pace...but this time not focused on the trees. my eyes were locked to the bobcat's the rest of the time, until we could no longer see one another. it was so strange - we were both just watching to see what the other would do. a mutual understanding that we were both being protected by those very same bark-covered soldiers.
as i came out of the woods i met my uncle joey on the tractor and told him what i'd seen. he shook his head and informed me that he never goes back there without a gun and that i should be more careful. this is all probably true, but i'm glad i got away with it this once - just trusting that i'd be fine with the tall tall georgia pines at my rescue.
Wednesday, December 24
south georgia christmas
highlights:
the ice on the trees (on EVERYTHING) in southern iowa --->
stepping out of the house at gramma's first thing after gettting off the road...the stars and the smell of pecans and country soil
falling asleep on my feather bed looking up at my 14-year-old-self's ceiling of glow in the dark stars, and surrounded by my many unicorns. i've always loved the fantastic.
mom constantly threatening (believe me, it's not an empty threat) to "pinch stevie's hiney". steve is my oldest sister's husband. that's weird, right?
convertable rides in mom's cabrio on christmas eve --------------------->
mrs. marilyn's sweet tea and the smell of the tea olive trees in her yard
<---- the ridiculous extent to which my mom and stepdad spoil their new-ish dog, prissa. (or priscetta, as my mother calls her)
walking around the downtown square complete with christmas carols playing and a wonderfully eccentric woman who took photos for us and showed us her long-johns
christmas breakfast on the porch at gramma's in short sleeves
a long walk....and a long nap
the 16-layer cake gramma kept hidden so she could ration it out
walking home under the bright south georgia stars through fields and ponds and wonderful sounds and smells. i love the farm...
-- HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH? --
the ice on the trees (on EVERYTHING) in southern iowa --->
stepping out of the house at gramma's first thing after gettting off the road...the stars and the smell of pecans and country soil
falling asleep on my feather bed looking up at my 14-year-old-self's ceiling of glow in the dark stars, and surrounded by my many unicorns. i've always loved the fantastic.
mom constantly threatening (believe me, it's not an empty threat) to "pinch stevie's hiney". steve is my oldest sister's husband. that's weird, right?
convertable rides in mom's cabrio on christmas eve --------------------->
mrs. marilyn's sweet tea and the smell of the tea olive trees in her yard
<---- the ridiculous extent to which my mom and stepdad spoil their new-ish dog, prissa. (or priscetta, as my mother calls her)
walking around the downtown square complete with christmas carols playing and a wonderfully eccentric woman who took photos for us and showed us her long-johns
christmas breakfast on the porch at gramma's in short sleeves
a long walk....and a long nap
the 16-layer cake gramma kept hidden so she could ration it out
walking home under the bright south georgia stars through fields and ponds and wonderful sounds and smells. i love the farm...
-- HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH? --
reference point
maybe it's the nostalgia of being at mom's in georgia, but today i felt the need to gather all my old posts and update letters in this one place. i started reading a few, but haven't made it through all of them. i love looking back and seeing where myself or others have come from.
posts are organized by date over there somewhere ------------------->
- letters while living in italy: (february 05 - may 05)
- the 'in between': (june 05 - april 06)
- first trip back to europe after living there: (may 06 - sept 06)
- more 'in betweens': (november 06 - april 07)
worlds collide
after two days traveling, caylin and i have finally arrived in moultrie, georgia for christmas. we should have left iowa on saturday, but were unable to make it out because of blizzard weather saturday and sunday, so we arrived in nashville monday night after a long day on the road filled with This American Life.
yesterday we started our second leg of the trip - nashville to moultrie - only to be held up in stop-and-go traffic before entering chattenooga. we debated, but pulled off at a rest stop to pick up a map and find an alternate route. as we were pulling out i glanced over and noticed a couple men to the side. one looked unnervingly similar to a friend of mine from nashville...
...and his brother
...and his dog.
ok, we're stopping.
i guess jamie and his brother, brian, were making their way home for christmas on the same route same day. and the funniest part? not one, but both cars (urged on in each case by the younger sibling) had been spending the day listening to This American Life.
as we came into atlanta we were undecided about staying on 75 or taking the 285 bypass. jamie and brian took the bypass, so caylin and i decided to do an experiment and stay on 75.
sitting in absolute stand-still traffic at the bottleneck in atlanta, brooding over our poor decision, we got a call from my older sister and her husband. their news?
they were stuck in a traffic jam in atlanta.
we all knew we were meeting in georgia for christmas, but didn't know one another's travel dates. and now here we were... about 20 car-lengths (we did the math after comparing what we could each see) behind them.
oh i do love smallworld experiences...
yesterday we started our second leg of the trip - nashville to moultrie - only to be held up in stop-and-go traffic before entering chattenooga. we debated, but pulled off at a rest stop to pick up a map and find an alternate route. as we were pulling out i glanced over and noticed a couple men to the side. one looked unnervingly similar to a friend of mine from nashville...
...and his brother
...and his dog.
ok, we're stopping.
i guess jamie and his brother, brian, were making their way home for christmas on the same route same day. and the funniest part? not one, but both cars (urged on in each case by the younger sibling) had been spending the day listening to This American Life.
as we came into atlanta we were undecided about staying on 75 or taking the 285 bypass. jamie and brian took the bypass, so caylin and i decided to do an experiment and stay on 75.
sitting in absolute stand-still traffic at the bottleneck in atlanta, brooding over our poor decision, we got a call from my older sister and her husband. their news?
they were stuck in a traffic jam in atlanta.
we all knew we were meeting in georgia for christmas, but didn't know one another's travel dates. and now here we were... about 20 car-lengths (we did the math after comparing what we could each see) behind them.
oh i do love smallworld experiences...
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