England 5: York

Another of our day trips was to York, where there was lots to see and do.

When we got off the train, we walked up the hill to the Cathedral. It's a beautiful space. (What an understatement.) We appreciated the open spaces, the stained glass windows (many with notes regarding who took responsibility for their preservation during WWII, or for their restoration over hundreds of years), the organ, the fact that it's a working faith community, the atmosphere in general... I really liked the fact that there was an atmosphere of worship that nonetheless welcomed tourists; that combination felt really nice. And the docents were lovely to visitors.

I particularly noticed the stained-glass window "sacred to the memory of the women of the empire who gave their lives in the European war of 1914-1918."


In general, the mix of old and new, historical and present-day, was much less awkward in the parts of England I visited than what I've experienced in the US. (And -- aside from places like the pueblos in Frijoles Canyon in New Mexico -- "old things" in Europe are definitely older than "old things" in the States!)

We took the dare of climbing to the top of the tower. I like taking pictures of spiral staircases, but the two staircases to the tower are closed, not open, so I did not get any nautilus-type pictures of the spirals. Given just how long the climb is, it's probably better that way: I couldn't tell how much further we had to go up. Down, of course, took much less time and effort...

The stairs up the tower are so narrow that you can't pass while on them. Therefore, they only let people up every half hour. Everyone who's going in that time slot goes up, and nobody else goes up til they've all come down.

There's a lovely stop in the middle, where you walk along the outside edge of the roof, over to the second set of stairs. Also a nice place for a picture.


Happily, there are chairs at the top for wimps like me... Actually, I can't claim wimpdom on this one: the docents recognized us later as folks who'd made the climb. "Are we so memorable?" I asked. "No," one docent answered, "we just haven't had many people go up today," in a (Britishly understated) tone of admiration.

We had a lovely lunch of Cornish pasties, which we ate outside in St. Helen's Square. Then we wandered around the old part of the city, including the Shambles.


From the Shambles, we walked to the other side of the old part of town and visited Clifford's Tower, the remaining part of the Castle of York. More stairs -- first, up to the tower, then, in the tower. As my wife pointed out to me, there was a theme to our day... However, I did get a partial spiral stair picture out of the climb.

After Clifford's Tower, we crossed the River Foss, one of York's two rivers, and walked along most of the remaining city walls. This was fun.

And then we had afternoon tea in a Tea Room. Hee. Yum. We had lovely tea, accompanied by divine sultana scones and a Yorkshire curd tart. This made me happy.

We discovered mention of the Quaker Meetinghouse in a tourist map's list of "places to eat your lunch out of the rain." I insisted we go find it, and find it we did. Friargate Meeting is a lovely place, and visiting it -- especially so unexpectedly -- was one of the highlights of my day. The warden was also very hospitable, and we were very glad we stopped in. The Meetingroom itself is a place with a deep sense of peace, and it was a centering experience for me to spend a few minutes there. As I said, a highlight.


The warden showed us a picture of the interior of the old Meetingroom -- destroyed in WWII? I don't quite remember -- and Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia is a spitting image of it.

I felt very welcomed and at home among British Friends, when we worshipped in Manchester, and when we visited Friargate and Briggflatts.

After visiting Friargate Meeting, we dashed back up the hill to the Minster for choral evensong, which was beautiful. (The organ was amazing!) Beloved Wife noted with amusement the addition of scripture regarding earthquakes. She also clearly found evensong a centering experience, a good end to our day in York.

(My reaction, particularly coming right after being in the Friargate Meetingroom, was, "Thank you, Goddess, for making me a Quaker!")

We crossed the River Ouse at sunset, on our way back down the hill to the train station.


For more pictures of our day in York:

2008-02 England 5: York

England 4: Manchester & Alan Turing

One of our days in Manchester, I briefly visited the new Alan Turing Building at the University of Manchester, as well as the memorial to Alan Turing in Sackville Gardens.


Alan Turing was a brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer scientist in the first half of the 20th century. When he was discovered to be gay, he was arrested and convicted; lost his security clearance, his livelihood, and much of his participation in the world of mathematics; and was forced to undergo hormone treatments. Turing eventually committed suicide.

The statue in Sackville Gardens was dedicated in 2001. Not one major computer company contributed towards this memorial to the father of the computer and computer science.

Yet, he is honored in many other ways.

Still, his story gives me the chills...

England 3: Edale and Mam Tor (Heights of the Mother)

One of the first things I noticed in Manchester is what birdsongs I was hearing, and what birds I was seeing. The first of these was definitely the magpie, who seems to be a cheerful and sociable bird.


Our first day trip outside Manchester was to the town of Edale, in Derbyshire. It's in the Peak District National Park, halfway between Manchester and Sheffield. (Click here for the Ordnance Survey Map.) We headed south from Edale, up to Hollins Cross, then headed east (and further up!) towards Mam Tor. It was quite a climb! At the top, it was very, very windy; the closer we got to Mam Tor, the more the wind tried to knock us over. (My wife compared it to Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the US.)


The weather ranged from bright and sunny to cold and very windy, and everything in between, including (of course) a little rain. Somewhat like Michigan in that respect. We saw lots of sheep, and even a few cows. We also saw lots of gorse, and even a little heather, although none was in bloom until we got back down into town.

It was an amazing day spent out of doors, doing lots of walking. Our mileage wasn't actually as high as one might expect, but I was pretty proud of myself for doing as much as I did and under such conditions. I might not be up to what I used to be able to do before my injury, and my improvement might still be long and slow, but I can keep reminding myself that I am definitely improving... :)

2008-02 England 3: Edale & Mam Tor

England 2: Manchester

I worshipped with Friends in Manchester on 24th February, at Mount Street Meeting (Central Manchester Quaker Meeting). On the whole, I found British Friends very hospitable, both in Manchester as well as in York and Cumbria (more on those visits later).

We didn't make it to Pendle Hill, but I was nonetheless entertained by the name of the bus service we'd have taken if we had gone.


Spring is definitely further along there than in this part of the US; I have some pictures of crocuses, daffodils, and snowdrops (and later, a cherry tree in bloom).


More pictures from Manchester:

2008-02 England 2: Manchester

A trip to England

I've just returned from spending a week in the north of England, where my wife and partner is spending the semester. We were based mostly in Manchester, but took several day trips -- Edale, York, Cumbria/"Quaker country." I have lots of outdoorsy, nature-worship things to share, and also lots of neat Quaker historical things to share. I'm in the process of uploading pictures, and will add posts as I get my thoughts together.

More on the First Amendment

It continues to blow my mind how so many people understand so little about the basics of the Constitution of the United States. And it continues to anger and frighten me how intolerant so many Americans are of religion other than their own.

School Board to Pay in Jesus Suit

Reducing our carbon footprints

Here's an interesting article from the New Yorker on the complexities of reducing carbon footprints. Is it better to grow something locally if it actually uses more energy and produces more greenhouse gases than growing it further away and transporting it? And other questions.

"Big Foot: In measuring carbon emissions, it's easy to confuse morality and science," by Michael Specter.

Barriers to local foods

Here's an interesting Op-Ed in the NY Times regarding the legal barriers to increasing production of local fruits and vegetables: "My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)."

Total lunar eclipse

There's a total lunar eclipse tonight! Details, including diagrams for different time zones, are available on NASA's Eclipse page.

8:43 pm ET: partial eclipse begins.
10:01 pm ET: total eclipse begins.
10:51 pm: total eclipse ends.
12:09 am: partial eclipse ends.

Local, Small-Scale Dairies

Here's an article in the NY Times about local, small-scale dairies. (Free registration required.)

I still remember the first times I had fresh, local milk and butter. Then I had really fresh eggs for the first time -- what an education. The eggs, like the milk and butter, were amazing, and far, far different from what I grew up on.

The Home Energy Saver Answer Desk

We recently got a programmable thermostat, something I've wanted for quite a while to save on our heating bill. When I asked our landlady, she and our handyman both thought it was a great idea, and they installed them in both units of our building last weekend.

I haven't had it long enough to know if I'll see an immediate difference in our heating bill, but I already love the convenience.

When I went looking to see if there are recommendations for actual temperature settings, I also found The Home Energy Saver Answer Desk.

The site has answers to common questions under the following headings:
~ General
~ Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
~ Comfort and Indoor Environment
~ Windows
~ Water Heating
~ Computers
~ Lighting

They include answers to all sorts of questions, including those niggling things like, if I turn my heat down to 55 F, does it take more energy to heat back up than it would if I'd left it at 65 F the whole time? (No -- go ahead, and "turn it down when you're not around.") Or, how much energy does my answering machine use vs my computer? (You'll be surprised.)

Anyway, it's a great resource for all sorts of everyday energy-use and energy-savings questions.

Enjoy!

Executions in Nebraska

Good news: Nebraska's Supreme Court has outlawed use of the electric chair. For the AP newswire story, click here.

More on biofuels

National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation had a segment on Science Friday today on this very topic.

For more info, including links to this segment as well as to the NPR news story, click here.

Biofuels deemed not environmentally friendly

I've long been dubious about the promise of biofuels, particularly ethanol (I have real concerns about corn, for example). There's an interesting article in today's New York Times about two studies which have just been released that indicate that biofuels are actually an environmental threat.

Click here for the article. (Free registration required.)

Breaking the Silence Exhibit

Breaking the Silence Exhibit
Israeli Soldiers Talk about the Occupied Territories

Philadelphia
February 9-24
at the Rotunda
40th & Walnut, University City
Opening night reception: February 9 at 7 pm

Boston
March 1-16
Whitehead Center for International Studies, Cambridge
Opening night reception: March 1 at 7 pm

For more information, see http://www.breakingthesilenceexhibit.org/.

The reality of life on the West Bank and Gaza

In the summer of 2002, I went to Israel-Palestine for several weeks, as part of two different peace witness delegations. One of those was with Christian Peacemaker Teams, an organization I highly recommend.

I spent time in Jerusalem (especially Old City, which is beautiful and which I loved), Hadera, Megiddo, Jenin, Jenin Refugee Camp, Hebron, and Beit Ummar.

Hadera and Meggido are in Israel proper; Jenin, Jenin Refugee Camp, Beit Ummar, and Hebron are in what is commonly called "the West Bank" -- the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the Palestinian Territories. Jerusalem is on the edge of both Israel and the West Bank, and is primarily Israeli-administered.

(Two geography notes: 1: The West Bank of what?, I used to wonder. Of the Jordan River, with the country of Jordan to the east. 2: The other Occupied Palestinian Territory is the Gaza Strip, in the southwest, on the border with Egypt.)

One of the things I learned during my time in Israel-Palestine that summer is how little we Americans understand of daily life in the Occupied Territories. What we hear, read, and watch in the news bears little resemblance to the reality of life on the ground. There is, really, no way we can grasp it from what's available to us in the media.

Spending a little time living with Israelis in Israel, and then Palestinians in Jenin, Jenin Refugee Camp, Hebron, and Beit Ummar, I witnessed first-hand what life is actually like there -- in the West Bank, both for Palestinians and for Israeli soldiers. I made a commitment to share that reality when I returned to the States.

Why should we care what is happening in Israel-Palestine, any more than what happens anywhere else? Aren't there enough peacemaking opportunities right here at home? Enough hungry and homeless kids in our own cities? These were arguments I made when I found myself led to go half-way around the world. I had plenty to do in my own backyard in Philadelphia, thank you. And it always irritated me when people hared off to other places rather than paying attention and doing needed work right where they were.

But there are huge links between us here at home in the US and what happens in Israel and Occupied Palestine. My tax dollars, and yours, are one of the largest sources of external funding for the Israeli Defense Force. As Americans, we need to understand what is being done with our money and in our names.

There's an organization called Breaking the Silence, staffed primarily by volunteers who are former Israeli soldiers, which does work geared to helping ordinary Israelis understand that is happening in their backyard, in the West Bank and Gaza. They are now bringing their work to the US, to help ordinary Americans understand what's really happening.

Here's how I first learned of them:

personal blog entry, February 15, 2007

I was listening to the radio -- NPR's Day to Day -- on my way to work today, when I heard this piece on an Israeli organization called Breaking the Silence. Staffed by former Israeli Defense Force members, they offer tours to ordinary Israelis of the Israeli-controlled portion of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank [of the Jordan River].

Thank you, Goddess. When I was in Israel and Palestine, it was so clear that most Israelis had no idea what is going on in their names, no idea what the reality in the Palestinian territories is that accompanies the violence Israelis and Palestinians live with every day.

I am familiar with almost everything they presented in this story. I have walked through H2. I have walked down Shuhada Street. I still receive CPT updates about accompanying Palestinian children past the settlement on their way to school. I can't tell you how wonderful and refreshing it was to hear reality presented through more mainstream media.

I wish I could be in Philadelphia or Boston while their exhibit will be here. I encourage folks to attend.

"What's the Matter"

This is stuck in my head; it's from the Catie Curtis song "What's the Matter":

What if I am Black or Jew
straight or queer or mother of two
run around in a hippie dress
ride my bike in a leather vest?
What's the matter?

It's not too late for MWG...

from FLGBTQC's Mid-Winter Gathering Planning Committee:

IT'S NOT TOO LATE... to register for the 2008 FLGBTQC Mid-Winter Gathering!!!

In 2008, the FLGBTQC Mid-Winter Gathering will take place February 15-18 in Maple Lake, Minnesota (near the Twin Cities). Not only will you get a chance to meet new friends and catch up with old ones, you'll also have opportunities to:

* Hear a plenary address by Wendy Sanford, one of the original authors of "Our Bodies, Our Selves"
* Eat wonderful meals
* Dance to music by Minnesota's best contra and square dance band, Pig's Eye Landing
* Sit in front of a fireplace (either in the main communal spaces or in any of the lodges)
* Listen to Canadian singer/songwriter/spoken word artist Evalyn Parry
* Attend workshops or activities
* Play in the snow (or NOT play in the snow, should you prefer)
* Hear Minnesotan Friend Anne Supplee share stories of courage from the Bible
* Participate in the FLGBTQC silent auction
* Sing around the piano
* Participate in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
* Bake cookies (and eat them, of course)
* Gaze at millions of stars (and maybe even some Northern Lights)
* Enjoy a bonfire
* ___________________ (Fill-in-the-blank with whatever YOU are bringing to share with others!)

There are still plenty of spaces remaining. Costs are only $175 per adult and $40 for anyone under 18 years old. Work grants and scholarship funds are available. Additional information and registration forms are online at http://flgbtqc.quaker.org/gatherings.html. Questions can be addressed to us through that website or by phone (John Skinner at 612-371-4769 or Nordis
Heyerdahl at 952-927-5765).

All are welcome to Mid-Winter Gathering. We hope you can join us!

Some Thoughts on Silence and Silent Worship

Note: This piece appears in the February 2008 Ann Arbor Friends Meeting Newsletter.

I’d like you to try an experiment as you read this:

• First, sit for one minute without making any noise.
• Then, sit for one minute during which you center yourself and listen for that still, small voice within.

Did those two minutes feel a little different? completely different? similar? kind of the same? absolutely the same?

As unprogrammed Friends, we worship in silence: we gather in expectant waiting for That-Which-Is-Sacred to move among us. Silent worship is the root of our ministry to each other and to the world. Our ministry often may be that silent worship, in and of itself: those of us who’ve ever been part of a meeting for worship where there was no vocal ministry, but which was nonetheless deeply gathered, remember and treasure that experience. And even the most vocal of gathered meetings for worship are sustained by deep and ringing silence between messages. Our vocal ministry, and the ministry of the actions of our lives, come of the deep spiritual spring provided by silent worship.

In Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, we often say things like: “Let’s have some silence.” “We need to make sure we leave room for silence between messages.” “Please arrive early so there is time for silence before we begin.”

When we say these things, most of of know we are using the word “silence” as shorthand for “silent worship.”

But does everyone understand that? Is it truly clear that when we say “silence,” what we actually mean is “silent worship”?

This raises some other questions:
• In what ways is using such shorthand consistent with Quaker plain speech?
• Are we speaking in “Quaker code”? Does this obscure what we really mean, or does it clarify what we really mean?
• Research has documented that the language we use to talk about things affects how we think and act about them. Are we teaching Quakerism in an effective way when we use “silence” instead of “silent worship”?

And what’s the difference, anyway?

What was your experience in that experiment at the beginning?

Separation of Church and State

I highly recommend this article, from the January 2008 issue of Friends Journal: "Separation of Church and State," by George L. Alexander.

New! Labels, or Themes

For a while, I've been wanting to start using labels for some of the themes in this blog. The ones that originally made the most sense to me were the testimonies, and resources. I decided to use separate labels for the testimonies, rather than using one label called "testimonies." Earthcare, nature, and science are intertwined for me, but they're somewhat separated out in labels. I'll see over time how useful this whole label notion is, in what ways, and which ones are helpful. Feedback is always good.

For a list of themes/labels, see the column to the right. To see all the posts marked with that label, click on the label. (I've only labelled 2007; at some point, I may or may not label 2006.)

Thanks!

The seasons

I've been noticing a few things lately that I wanted to share:

- It used to be that on days when I left the house at 8 am, it was still dark. Now, on days when I leave the house at 8 am, it's light out.

- During the darkest months, it's one of my jobs to turn the lights on in the parking lot at work. Our last patient usually leaves at 6 pm. This week, I stopped turning the lights on in the parking lot, because it's now light enough out still at 6 pm to see to walk down the step and open your car. (Although it's still dark, usually, when I leave.)

On the other hand, the wind chill here has been below zero consistently of late... I'm aiming for a hot bath tonight, so I can be completely warm for a little while!

The 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

On this 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there's a bitter battle still raging over access to abortion in the US -- and indeed, many other parts of the world, in situations where US funding is an issue.

Where have you, personally, gotten your information about this important court decision? History textbooks in school? Personal experience? The stories of women who've confronted unwanted pregnancies? The internet? Planned Parenthood or NARAL? Right to Life? A faith community you grew up in or that you're currently part of? News coverage?

How about from the legal decision itself?

I invite you, regardless of your position on abortion, to read the actual decision of the United States Supreme Court.

How consistent is what the Justices actually wrote with what you've learned in other parts of your life about Roe v. Wade?

(For more information about the United States Constitution, click here.)

Notes on discomfort

Note in my Book of Shadows, from a Meeting for Worship back in November:
...........................
If I have to contort myself spiritually -- put myself through all sorts of mental gymnastics -- then it isn't home.

...........................

Which kinds of uncomfortable are mental gymnastics, and which kinds are spiritual challenges and spiritual growth?
...........................

One BIG ark

One of the reasons being a Pagan, being a Witch, works for me is because of science. For me, science is a way to continue to get to know the Goddess better. (I'm taking organic chemistry right now. I might need to be reminded of that statement when the going is really hard!) Science is all about how nature and the universe work. What could be cooler than that?

So, about Noah's Ark:

There does seem to be scientific evidence of a great flood.

Whether or not there was a man named Noah, or an ark, I do not know, and as far as I know, there's not scientific evidence one way or another.

That doesn't much bother me. If Noah and his ark existed, that's very cool; if not, it's still a neat story from which there's a lot to learn (faith, perseverance, resisting peer pressure, faithfulness, more).

So I don't believe or disbelieve that someone named Noah and his family had, say, giraffes and doves and elephants on a big boat during the flood.

However, I do not for one moment believe Noah, if he existed, had dinosaurs on his ark.

An Interview with Margaret Hope Bacon

Click here for a lovely and interesting interview with Quaker historian and author Margaret Hope Bacon, by FGC staff member Angelina Conti. Margaret's work includes The Quiet Rebels: The Story of Quakers in America; Mothers of Feminism: Quaker Women in America; In the Shadow of William Penn: Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting; and novel Year of Grace -- among many, many others.

Margaret is one of my favorite authors, particularly of Quaker history and related fiction.

Enjoy!

My thanks to Eric Evans for the note about this interview.

I held my nose and voted

I held my nose and voted.

And I had a surprisingly strong emotional reaction to the whole situation: the choices in front of me, the choices I made.

Did it make a difference? I don't know. But I refused not to vote.

Either way, MI's primary election sucked big time.

Michigan's primary

Okay, I realize there is no Constitutional guarantee to a primary vote. In fact, there were no presidential primary elections as such in the US until the early 20th century. But I grew up expecting to vote in presidential primaries, and have in fact voted in every presidential primary since I turned 18 years of age.

And this year, I'm feeling disenfranchised.

You see, this year, MI Republicans and Democrats united to get a law passed to change the date of the MI presidential primary. MI now has an "early" primary -- which violates the rules of both national parties.

I'm not familiar with all of the consequences for the Republicans, but as far as I know, all their candidates are still on the ballot, and they are losing half their delegates to the Republican National Convention.

As for the Democrats:

-- A number of Democratic candidates have withdrawn from the MI primary, including all but one of the major three. (Kucinich tried to withdraw. He is still on the ballot because, get this, he missed the deadline to withdraw.)

-- As things currently stand, none of MI's delegates will be seated at the Democratic National Convention. Ie, MI will have no say in selecting the Democratic presidential candidate.

Well, isn't this all lovely?

What does it actually mean?

The Democratic choices on the MI presidential primary ballot are Clinton, Dodd, Kucinich, Uncommitted, and Write-In.

-- If you write in a candidate, your vote will not be counted.

-- The MI Democratic Party is urging people to vote "Uncommitted," which would give the MI delegates to the Democratic National Convention the freedom to decide whom they think the Democratic presidential nominee should be.

(The MI Democratic party is insisting they'll "get things resolved" with the national party so that our delegates will be seated. Check out Jack Lessenberry's response to this nonsense. In a number of ways, the man speaks my mind.)

Right now, MI's delegates will not be seated at the convention, and therefore will have no say in choosing the Democratic presidential nominee. So, it looks to me as if it makes no difference which Democratic candidate I vote for in the primary.

However, I do have another option. I could vote for a Republican.

The two states where I've been registered to vote before, Maryland and Pennsylvania, had closed primaries -- you could only vote in the primary of the party with whom you were a registered voter. (This substantially cut down on the number of registered voters who registered as independent: if you wanted to vote in the primary, you registered with one of the parties.)

Michigan has an open primary, meaning you can vote for whomever you please, of whichever party.

This has big implications for this year's presidential primary in MI.

A number of MI voters who are registered Democrats are planning to vote (or have already voted, via absentee ballot) in the Republican primary.

None of the Republican candidates have withdrawn from the MI primary. And right now, the front-runners are Huckabee, Romney, and McCain.

This scares a number of non-Republicans. So, there are MI Democrats (and Greens, and Independents) who are planning to vote for, or have already voted for, John McCain.

Why McCain? As the perceived least reactionary/most reasonable Republican candidate. As a message to both the Democratic and Republican parties. As the only Republican candidate to oppose torture of detainees. To try to keep someone like Huckabee or Romney out of the White House. ("Anybody but ----.") (As a Quaker and a Witch, the torture issue is pretty important to me.)

So, I have a decision to make: to vote in the Democratic primary, or in the Republican primary.

Hmmm.

What happens to one, happens to all

Last Saturday, I ended up listening to This American Life, and I had a really strong reaction to this week's show. Especially the segment about Serry and her family.

Maybe it's because I had just read Susan Jacoby's book Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. Or perhaps because I'd just read Jody Picoult's novel Nineteen Minutes, a story about bullying and school shootings.

I think that most of all, it's because I saw how easily what happened to Serry's family -- herself, her husband, and her kids -- could have happened to me. Could still happen to me.

In a country where we have a guaranteed Constitutional right to practice any religion or none at all, and where we each and all have equal protection under the law. Where there's a (wavering) "wall of separation" between church and state, which (theoretically) includes public schools. Where I don't always feel my Constitutional rights are well-honored. Where I can lose my job, my house, my kids, for being a lesbian or being a Witch -- for the gender of my partner and the gender of my Deity. Where the tyranny of the majority often trumps the rights of the individual.

In the situation with Serry and her family, the Department of Justice eventually got involved, at least with the school district. But it was too late: their lives, and their family, had already come apart. Their nine-year-old daughter had lost every one of her friends. The parents separated under the strain. They all moved.

How do we remedy that?

How do we explain it?

How do we keep things like this from happening? How do we protect ourselves and each other?

It's not enough to join or give money to organizations like the ACLU or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. It's not enough to vote in both national and local elections. It's not enough to stand tall.

But those things are good places to start.

CPT seeks Anti-Racism Consultants

CPTnet
7 January 2008
CHICAGO/TORONTO: CPT requesting applications for Anti-Racism Consultants

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an international peace teams organization rooted in the historic peace churches that now includes support and participation from throughout the wider Christian community.* We have committed ourselves to a process of undoing racism within the organization. Therefore we request proposals for consultants who will bring an outside
perspective and expertise to support the work of CPT's Undoing-Racism Coordinator,** the Undoing Racism Working Group, and other bodies in CPT organizing for this transformative work. We are open to proposals from individuals and from organizations. The work of the consultant would include:

-Participating in the planning, facilitation and interpretation of an organization-wide anti-racism audit/assessment.

-Participating in the planning and formation of an organization-wide strategic plan for undoing racism in CPT based on the outcomes of the audit/assessment.

-Advising effective, just and safe structures and practices in areas such as leadership, power flow, accountability, reconciliation, policy formation and change, communication, peace team work processes, training, and internal organizing towards anti-racist identity and practice.

If you or your organization/team are interested in serving CPT as a consultant(s) for undoing racism please send the following to guest.905387@MennoLink.org by February 6, 2008

-Full contact information,

-An outline of your experience working with organizations' internal undoing racism initiatives, anti-racism audits, and strategic planning,

-A description of the strengths and training/educational background you bring to this work,

-Several paragraphs letting us know how you connect with the core values of CPT (Christian, Peacemaking, Team work)

-Contact information for six references including at least three leaders in organizations for which you have worked in a similar role.

-A brief description of how you work, and how you would propose working with CPT, including timeline of your availability

-A statement of what compensation you need for your consulting services including an estimate of total cost for your part in this process through the audit and initial strategic planning stages.

*For more background on CPT please see www.cpt.org

**Sylvia Morrison has recently been appointed to the internal staff position of CPT Undoing Racism Coordinator. See http://cpt.org/cptnet/2007/04/20/chicagotoronto-call-expressions-interest-and-nominations-cpt-undoing-racism-coordi for her job description.

"Code-switchers are not confused"

I'd like to bring your attention to Cat Chapin-Bishop's excellent post, "Code-Switching," on Quaker Pagan Reflections.

It's always very satisfying for me when someone puts something into words that reflects my experience or inner truth...

Thanks for your work, Cat!

Medical uses of honey in the news

A number of Witches and other Pagans have used honey for a long time for an assortment of ailments, from helping to heal cuts/scratches/lacerations, to soothing coughs and sore throats, to supporting and stimulating the immune system.

Honey is in the news again for its use for medical purposes. Two main items: the FDA recently approved Medihoney products for the use in the US, and recent studies and articles indicate that honey is better than over-the-counter cough meds -- which are being investigated for safety issues -- for kids' coughs.

Go, Mother Nature.

Financial assistance for MWG

A message from one of our (FLGBTQC's) co-Clerks to the listserv:

Please send your requests for travel assistance for midwinter gathering to the co-clerks by January 10th. That way we can let you know the amount you will receive before the registration deadline of January 15th.

Please ask for a specific amount. We encourage folks to also ask their local meeting and/or yearly meeting for funds, although we know that those funds are not always available. Don't let financial concerns keep you away. There is money in the budget for travel and we love to give it away. While we give first preference to folks serving the community and first-time attenders, there is enough $ to go around, so please ask!

If we don't receive your request by Jan 10th, we can't guarantee there will be funds left. So don't delay!

Love and Light,

Karen

To email the FLGBTQC Co-Clerks, please visit this link. For registration information, click here.

I am looking forward to time with our blessed FLGBTQC community!

FLGBTQC Mid-Winter Gathering 2008!

Hurrah! Complete information (including registration forms) is now available for the 2008 Mid-Winter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns.

Mid-Winter Gathering is a wonderful, magical experience, and I encourage LGBTQ and allied Friends to attend.

A number of my F/friends who are in mixed-gender relationships have expressed concern about coming. Please don't worry: you are welcome, and there will be other mixed-gender couples there. You will not feel awkward.

If accessibility is a concern, please do not let that concern prevent you from coming -- including financial accessibility. We are committed to making it possible for all members of our community to attend our Gatherings. (If you've ever been to any of our events, including at FGC Summer Gathering, if you're on our mailing list or email listserv, etc, if you feel like you are part of our community, you are.) For more information, see our philosophy of full accessibility.

I look forward to seeing Friends there!

What is FLGBTQC?

Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns is a Quaker faith community within the Religious Society of Friends. FLGBTQC deeply honors, affirms, and upholds that of God in all people.

We seek to know that of God within ourselves and others. We seek to express God's truth in the Quaker and in the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual/transgender communities, as it is made known to us.

It is our hope to offer an oasis to those who have been spurned by the world at large. We are learning that radical inclusion and radical love bring further light to Quaker testimony and life. Our experience with oppression in our own lives leads us to seek ways to bring our witness to bear in the struggles of other oppressed peoples.

We gather twice a year, at our Mid-Winter gathering and at the Friends General Conference Annual Gathering of Friends in the summer. At these times we worship together, discern our corporate witness through Meeting for Worship with attention to business, share our individual journeys, celebrate our lives, heal old wounds, and draw sustenance from the Spirit for our work and life in the world. After almost thirty years, we are still learning to spread love in the face of rejection and hostility and to embrace new friends. We have found faith and voice to speak truth to power and the courage to be open to new revelation.

(adapted from a minute approved 15 Second Month 1999)

Besides looking forward to the chance to worship in wonderful community and spend time with neat people, I am looking forward to things like sledding down that "wicked sledding hill." And I'm thinking about taking my snowshoes. :)

This is so cool!

This year, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore (NJ) had a Winter Solstice Celebration based on A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual for the first time. They've been emailing me and Julie, and it sounds like it went really, really well.

In addition, they had some good coverage from their local newspaper, which you can read here.

Is that too cool or what?

Eight nights!

For the first time -- in my life, I think -- I have actually lit candles for all eight nights of Chanuka.

Third night

Blessed are You,
Goddess, our Goddess,
You Who are the universe,
in Whose honor we kindle
the Chanuka lights.

Second night

See Roz Chast's Eight Nights of Excuses.

Snow and birds...

We went back East for Thanksgiving, and returned to a confectioner's sugar dusting of snow on the ground here. Then over this weekend, a major storm came through the Midwest which started with snow, progressed to ice, and ended with rain. We had lots, and lots, and lots of rain.

This morning, we've had about an inch of snow, and it's quite lovely. (I confess that I like snow.) We have several bird feeders in front of our place, and the bird community is a lively place this morning.









from the top: dark-eyed juncos; mourning dove; fox squirrel; wren?; downy woodpecker.

First night

In my window
Where You can send Your glow
From my menorah
On newly-fallen snow
I will set You
One little candle
On this the first night
Of Chanuka.

- from Chanuka Chase (traditional? I find different sources for this)

Workshop evaluations summary

General feedback:

1. Did the workshop cover the topics you expected? 7 yes; 2 no.
   
2. Did the workshop stick to the subject? 9 yes; 0 no.
   
3. Was the workshop a safe place for you to share? 9 yes; 0 no.
4. Was the workshop spiritually nurturing? 9 yes; 0 no.
5. Was the workshop fun and/or interesting? 9 yes; 0 no.
6. Was the Advance Program description accurate? 6 yes; 2 no.
   
7. Did you use the information posted on the website in making a workshop selection? 7 yes; 2 no.
   
8. If you used the website, was the information helpful? 7 yes; 2 n/a.
   
9. Was the quality of worship within the workshop appropriate? 9 always; 0 sometimes; 0 not at all.
   
10. Was the leader prepared and knowledgeable? 9 always; 0 sometimes; 0 not at all.
11. Was the leader appropriately flexible? 8 always; 1 sometimes; 0 not at all.
12. Did the leader interact appropriately with the group? 9 always; 0 sometimes; 0 not at all.
13. Did the material presented speak to your condition? 8 always; 1 sometimes; 0 not at all.
14. To what extent was the amount of worship and/or worship-sharing in the workshop appropriate for you? 0 not enough; 8 about right; 1 too much.
    
15. How much daily worship and/or worship-sharing do you expect in a workshop? 1, less than 20 minutes; 7, 20-40 minutes; 1, more than 40 minutes.
    
16. Would you recommend this workshop to a Friend if it was offered at a future Gathering? 9 yes; 0 no.
    
17. Is this leader skilled enough so that would take another workshop offered by him/her, if the topic were of interest? 9 yes; 0 no.
    

19. Comments on the workshop leader:

• Stasa was a well-versed leader with a lot of knowledge in the subject area. She was flexible, encouraged participation, and adjusted plans based on interest.
• Great caring, understanding.
  
• This dear Friend I miss from my meeting, so one of the reasons I took this workshop was to spend time with her.
  
• I appreciate her capacity for discernment, her wide, deep experience, her honesty.
  
• Stasa was well prepared and capable, worship felt safe. Very capable and trustworthy.
  
• Stasa was very loving and nurturing, fun, light hearted, thoughtful, and a great leader. She was very kind and motherly to me which was exactly what I needed, being the youngest, sickest (germ wise) participant.
  
• Well informed and ready to go as the group led her.

20. Best things that happened during the workshop:

• Connections and exploring how Quakers can function with ritual.
  
• Conversation and growing closer to people in the workshop worship sharing was meaningful and powerful.
  
• Lots of good singing.
  
• Ritual, ceremony.
  
• Gathering of Friends. Getting to know the other people and having shared experiences and being safe.
  
• The closing ritual was wonderful. Sharing.
  
• Our final worship-ritual on healing.
  
• Community, education.
  
• Cleansing ritual was not only beneficial for the experience of being in a circle of other Pagans, but for emotional healing as well. I felt renewed, refreshed and loved. It was wonderful.
  

21. Troubling things about the workshop:

• I was nervous about the age difference between me and the other members, but that cleared up quickly.
  

22. Ways that the workshop did not meet expectations:

• I had hoped for more discussion. We did this on Wednesday. I would have liked every day.
  
• I thought we would be outside more. Wanted to be involved in nature more.
  
• Wednesday was a long discussion about common elements of religions that did not feel like it fit the rest of the workshop. Discussion felt dry, not experiential, then again I was very sleepy.
  
• I was not used to being in a Pagan group but after the first hour was glad they were there. As an academic, I am curious about history and the connection to ancient spiritual practice. More of this would enhance the program.
  

23. Comments on guest speaker, field trip, video, or other "special event":

• Ritual is a special event, wonderful.
  
• Both of our rituals were extraordinary, though the first was more powerful for me.
  

24. New skills, knowledge, or understanding taken from the workshop:

• I feel more balanced and solid in my own leadings. Leading ceremony.
  
• I will take the experience of being in a circle with other more knowledgeable Pagans and seeing how and why they do things.
  
• Acceptance of support of Pagan Friends.
  
• Diversity in spirituality.
  
• Some new songs and connections with like minded Friends.
  
• Circle casting, chants and other music.
  

25. How the workshop affected participants as a Friend:

• Deepened my practice. I value procedures more, understand clearness committees better.
  
• Deep worship, healing, validation of my spirituality.
  
• I feel more convicted in my beliefs as a Pagan Quaker. The community gave me strength and courage.
  
• Deepened my spiritual experience. Further broadened my spiritual basis.
  

26. Other comments for the workshop leader:

• Just what I wanted was different. I felt the workshop did go in the direction the group wanted. I held aside my direction other than small notices that would have been heard if that was what others wanted.
  
• Definitely do it again. This was amazing.
  
• Thank you.
  
• Thanks for your courage.
  
• Do some stuff outside. Very important to be in nature.
  
• I hope she receives the appreciation that she is worthy of.
  
• Hugs and blessings.
  
• Some history, druidry, celtic philosophy, perhaps to give context to temporal worship.
  

27. Other comments for the Workshops Committee:

• I don't think the Gathering mission statement correctly reflects the gathering mission. It should include the explorative edge processing nature of the workshops. This is a think/feeling tank for Quakerism. Not only inward growth but outward growth.
  
• I appreciate space at Gathering for Quaker Pagans to get together.
  
• I wonder if a workshop could be developed to form a Pagan-Quaker section for Junior Gathering.
  

Crocheting the Goddess

There's an expression my colleague Julie Middleton came up with in consultation with me as a workshop title, and which she has freely allowed me to use: Singing the Goddess.

This comes to mind about a crochet pattern I've been working out.

A few nights ago night, I think I successfully completed designing a crochet pattern for a project that's been in my head for quite a while. It's a triple moon (triple Goddess) in white on the midnight-blue background of a triangular shawl.

I've crocheted a number of triangular shawls over this last year. The first one I ever made was for the wedding of two F/friends in 2005 (of white Egyptian cotton yarn).



And then I made a shawl for myself, to help me settle into, and stay warm during, Meeting -- candy apple red, acrylic and polyester, and another one that was in my head for a long time first.


But this last year, I started making rainbow prayer/comfort/Meeting shawls for the silent auction at FLGBTQC Gatherings. So far, I've made three, and I'm most of the way through a fourth. Two are in good homes, one's waiting for me to make arrangements with the woman who bought it, and the fourth one is also already spoken for. It's very gratifying.


For my shawl and for the rainbow shawls, I've been using Lion Brand Homespun, an acrylic and polyester yarn that's sometimes a pain to work with, but that's soft and cozy, machine washes well, works up quickly, and that I'm not allergic to. (I don't think I've worked in any wool in the last year, since my asthma was so bad last fall.)

Just like the Candy Apple caught my imagination -- it reminded me of an old blanket we'd had once, where the color just made me want to wrap myself up in it; and when I saw the yarn, I knew I wanted to wrap myself up in something I made of it -- one of the blues I've used for the rainbow shawls has also inspired me. I couldn't find the bright blue I'd been using, so I ended up with Colonial instead, and it caught my imagination.


So I think this is the color I'll use for this shawl, with white for the moons (intarsia, or crocheting them in, rather than embroidering them on after).

The design works in theory. But as my acquaintance Nancy says, "I want to move to theory. Everything works in theory." So, we shall see what happens when I actually try to work it. This'll be a neat learning experience.

"what i want"

In 2000, the choir I was singing with recorded "what i want," a song based on part of a poem by Pat Lowther, with music by Stephen Smith.

This was hard for me, but a good experience. I am a survivor of domestic violence, both as a child and an adult, and Pat was murdered in 1975 by her violent and abusive husband. We'd sung the piece several times in concert, but recording produces its own additional tension. At the end of the final take of the song, I burst into tears -- relief? pain? My friend Laurie put her arms around me, and other friends, including Jen, a Coven-mate, and Mo, whom I was dating at the time, and other women in my choir also comforted me. I was okay; I had just needed to cry. I had good support and good community from women who understood, who got it.

I've had parts of the song stuck in my head today, because I'm participating in a research project at the University of Michigan on trauma and recovery, and I filled out detailed questionnaires this morning about scary things I've experienced. I feel good about the research project: the project's head researcher is very good, the project is well-designed, and it's really important to get good research on trauma recovery. But participating in the project itself is not fun.

I didn't space out about the difficult, scary, or life-threatening things I've chosen to do as an adult. Funny how choice and being an adult help. And so does support. I chose to go to a war zone to do humanitarian work (even if I didn't choose to be left there by my first team; thank the Goddess for the other folks I knew in the region); I chose to be on the Gulf Coast after a major hurricane, even if I didn't know I was going to go through another one while I was down there; I even chose to respond to the shooting in front of my house, although I sure didn't choose the shooting. I was an adult, and I took good care of myself, during all of those; and I also had good support from other people. Those experiences have had after-effects, but not like the violence I lived through as a kid and a teenager.

...to breathe
continuously the sources of sky,
a veined sail moving,
my love never setting
foot to the dark
anvil of earth

The earth has always been a source of comfort for me. It's sad for me that it doesn't seem to have been for Lowther. But that yearning for expansion of soul is something that resonates with me; it's something I've definitely experienced. I was writing about that last night: the ways in which that expansion of soul -- the opposite of constriction -- has marked both the recovery work I've done, and opportunities for more growth in front of me.

There's more... but that's a different piece of writing.

Cerridwen's Cauldron/the Cauldron of Hecate

Samhain is fast approaching. For me, it's the Third Harvest (after Lammas and Mabon), the Feast of the Beloved Dead, and the Witches' New Year. It's the time when I recognize and honor those who have gone before, mourn deaths and endings from this last year, welcome new babies born this year, and celebrate other new beginnings of the year.

In my old Coven, at Samhain, we would go around the circle, usually counter-clockwise, and take turns naming our dead and our losses. For each of those, we would put a memento into the cauldron, bowl, paper bag, or origami box that we had in the center of the circle. The year my grandfather died, for example, I saved my boarding passes from the flights to and from Florida, as well as an extra copy of the funeral program, and put them into the bowl. We would always have a supply of paper to write things on as other losses came up, and dried leaves, dried flowers, and pine needles to burn as well.

After we'd finished going around the circle, we would take our mementos to the fireplace, or take them outside, to burn -- to return those mementos to the elements, and symbolically return our losses to the Goddess, to the Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. We would sing while burning -- Breaths; Hecate, Cerridwen; more. Often, we would cry.

Then we would come back, and go around the circle again, usually clock-wise, naming the babies and other new beginnings born that year. We would name each as we put a corresponding birthday candle on the birthday cake made especially for circle; some years, we would also light tea lights (a staple in Roses, Too! Coven) for each birth or new beginning and place them around the room. Then we'd light the birthday candles and sing -- Happy Birthday, of course; We Are; others. There might be more tears, the joyful kind, at this point.

(Yes, we had a serious fondness for Ysaye Barnwell and Sweet Honey in the Rock.)

Then we would feast. (Important aspects of Feast Food in Roses, Too!: chocolate, bread, cheese, fruit, tea or clear water. Variations depended on the season. At Samhain, apples, and birthday cake, always. Challah, often.)

This year, for the first time in many years, I am celebrating Samhain by myself. So after all the trick-or-treaters have gone home (or after we're out of candy), I will take the names I've been writing on pieces of paper and putting into my little cauldron, and the pine needles and dried leaves I've collected, and burn them in our charcoal grill. The names of friends and acquaintances and family who have died this year, or in years past but are still with me; the names of my grandparents and other family members; my beloved and not-so-beloved dead. The endings from this year; the losses that have come through ways other than death, but that cause mourning -- the end of my brother and sister-in-law's marriage; the attrition of volunteer and paid staff colleagues. The losses that cause relief and joy as well, such as the healing of illness or injury. And then I'll welcome the new beginnings and new babies from this year. I haven't entirely decided how yet, but it will involve something sweet, likely chocolate, and a birthday candle.

So, as Samhain approaches, I ask folks who read this:

• Who are you mourning?
• Who are your ancestors, known and unknown?
• What losses are you grieving?
• What babies do you welcome this year?
• What new beginnings are you celebrating?

Who and what would you put into the Cauldron of Cerridwen, into Hecate's Cauldron, the place of death and birth and change and transformation, to recognize this Samhain?

Grief and mourning and loss

Beloved Wife found out Sunday, when delivering a home-cooked meal, that the husband of a faculty member friend is about to start hospice. Not altogether unexpected, but still hard.

I find myself thinking of other friends whose partners have died, remembering being with them before or after. Bearing witness to the grief of losing a partner.

I find myself remembering their spouses, some of whom were also dear friends of mine...

I find those are a number of the names I've put into my cauldron this week, for Samhain.

Stone Circles

This was in my head most of Saturday.

Stone Circles
words & music by Anne Lister
arranged by Connie North for Sound Circle

nobody is an island
there's no way you can cut free
nobody is an island
there's no way you can be cut off by sea

and everything I do
touches you
and everything I am
you hold in your hand

and it seems to me that we are standing stones
there's no way that we can ever be on our own
and even if at times it seems that we are all alone
we're in stone circles marking time
with standing stones

no one is an outsider
there's no way you can cut loose
no one is an outsider
there's always some way to pay your dues

and everything I do
touches you
and everything I am
you hold in your hand

and it seems to me that we are standing stones
there's no way that we can ever be on our own
and even if at times it seems that we are all alone
we're in stone circles marking time
with standing stones

the circle stands forever
there's no angle there to chip or break
the circle stands forever
there's no straight line to show a slight mistake

and everything I do
touches you
and everything I am
you hold in your hand

and it seems to me that we are standing stones
there's no way that we can ever be on our own
and even if at times it seems that we are all alone
we're in stone circles marking time
with standing stones

the wind blows from the hillside
but we stand firm, and we do not bend
the wind blows from the hillside
the circle is a pattern with no end

and everything I do
touches you
and everything I am
you hold in your hand

and it seems to me that we are standing stones
there's no way that we can ever be on our own
and even if at times it seems that we are all alone
we're in stone circles marking time
with standing stones

you musn't break the circle
there's no easy way to be released
you musn't break the circle
and if we stand together, we'll find peace

and everything I do
touches you
and everything I am
you hold in your hand

and it seems to me that we are standing stones
there's no way that we can ever be on our own
and even if at times it seems that we are all alone
we're in stone circles marking time
with standing stones.

Workshop evaluations

I received in the mail from FGC this week the summary of the evaluations for the workshop I facilitated at Gathering this summer.

It seems to me that in the interests of my accountability, I ought to post that summary here.

What I am uncertain about is the comments. There were nine questions that asked for answers in words rather than in check-boxes. Readers who were also participants in the workshop might be able to discern the identity of the writers of two or three of the comments. (And, of course, if you wrote a comment, you may well recognize your own comment/s.)

So, here are my questions:

• Post just the statistical summary?
• Post the comments, but remove any identifiable comments?
• Post both the statistical summary and the comments as they are, since there are no names on anything?

I would appreciate feedback on this one.

Thanks!

Meeting for Worship for Healing and Laughter

I spent a lovely day at Michigan Friends Center today. I went for Richard Lee's workshop, Meeting for Worship for Healing and Laughter. The morning was given over to discussion, the afternoon, to Meeting for Worship for Healing and Laughter itself.

I feel so much more relaxed in my spirit -- all sorts of parts of me are back in expansion instead of contraction. This is a Good Thing.

I am deeply grateful to everyone there.

Samhain approaching

Some years, as Samhain approaches, I don't have time to think about it until it's here, and I find myself breathlessly writing down the names of deaths I want to recognize and births I want to welcome.

Some years, I find myself thinking about death, birth, celebration, and mourning in the weeks leading to Samhain.

This is one of the more-aware-of-loss years. Perhaps because some of the personal work I'm doing is around freeing up my mourning, perhaps because this is a year with a number of significant anniversaries this fall. Probably many things.

Last week, I started collecting dried pine needles for burning at Samhain.

I have a small cast-iron cauldron -- maybe 5 inches in diameter -- which I bought many years ago (at, perhaps predictably, an SCA event, Pennsic). My former partner, Teddy, and I were still together. Both Pennsic, and allowing myself outward expression of my Witchcraft, are intertwined with her memory.

This year, I've found myself wanting to start putting names in a container on my altar -- the cauldron, or perhaps an origami box like the ones my former co-Priestess Laura researched and designed for Coven Samhains.

An interesting experience

My wife and I have been house- and car-sitting for some friends who are away for a few months.

Our car is a 1992 Honda Civic hatchback. I was in an accident this spring -- slightly more than a fender-bender -- and fixing the car completely would take more money than the car is worth. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be an issue -- I am of the "drive it til it's really dead" school -- so we don't usually look at how much a car is worth when we repair it; we look at how much it's worth to us to repair it. And, sadly, it does not make sense to fix this car back up, especially since it still runs okay. If we ever move back to a state with annual inspection, though -- which could easily be next summer, when my wife finishes her PhD -- there's also no point in taking the car with us, because then we'd have to spend $1500-$1800 fixing it; it would be time to sell and replace. (One advantage of living in a state without annual inspection: a market for used "junkers." One advantage of living in a state with annual inspection: it forces you to do decent maintenance on your car.)

But, ever since the accident, I've been pining for a new-to-us car. Our car is old. It was already a little battered; now it's visibly a lot battered. It has no pick-up. The seats are ripped. The paint is fading in places. It doesn't have a cd player (we use a portable with a tape adapter). The a/c, which I wouldn't care about except that I have asthma, works intermittently. My boss' patients, who routinely see it in her parking lot, ask me about it anxiously if they don't see it. Etc.

Worst of all... we have friends with hybrids.

Yes, I have car envy.

So, car-sitting seemed like a good opportunity to both spare our car some wear-and-tear before we sell it this winter or spring and to drive something with more... zing.

The car we're sitting is a Subaru Legacy. Hmmmm.

At first, I thought this car was much more fun to drive. It has pickup. It has a moonroof and a sunroof. It's shinier and newer. The a/c worked great on those rare occasions when I've needed to use it so I could breathe. We could take our own car in for an oil change without transportation gymnastics.

We decided we'd drive the Subaru for a tank of gas, check the mileage, and decide how often to drive it vs the Honda.

I routinely get 40 mpg in my little, old, battered Honda Civic.

We got 20 mpg in the nice, shiny, big, all-wheel drive Subaru Legacy.

The Subaru uses twice as much gas!!

Not only was that way too much money to pay for gas, there was just no way we could justify it environmentally.

So, I went back to driving my little old Honda every day.

Here's the interesting bit.

I thought going back to the Honda would feel like a sacrifice. You know what? It didn't. The Honda's not actually any less fun to drive than the Subaru. So it doesn't accelerate as fast from a dead stop. That is really about it. And swift acceleration burns more fuel. The stereo is nearly as good, and my portable cd player has lots more flexibility. (It plays cd-rw's. It has a shuffle option. Etc.) The Honda is more manouvreable, even though the Subaru has power steering. There's no difference in how much fun shifting is in one vs. the other. And so forth.

And while the Subaru has a bunch of conveniences on the interior, because I can easily reach the back seat floor in the Honda, that also doesn't make that much of a difference.

I thought I'd be cranky about going back to my old car. And I'm not. And that's what I find interesting, and rather nice.

Plus, since I can't get to my job on the bus, it makes me much happier to get 40 mpg.

Fall

Fall has started with, well... fall.

It seemed as if, pretty much literally, the leaves in our neighborhood started turning on Fall Equinox; and some of them started falling shortly thereafter.

looking up our street on our way home from the Farmers' Market last Saturday

The maple across the street from us has some leaves turning that bright, bright red, and has shed a number of them already. In the cemetery across the street, we can see bright tops of trees. One of the trees down the street has already shed most of its leaves, and in the parking lot of my boss' home and office, the oak has started shedding both brown leaves and acorns.


All the pines in our front yard seemed to drop their old needles in the same three days. I swept our porch yesterday, garnering my supply of pine needles to burn at Samhain with my mementos for my beloved dead. I now have an entire paper sack full.


And, of course, everywhere in Ann Arbor, there are that other tree-related marker of fall: black walnuts.

Up through July, our summer was very dry. Then a front stalled out over Michigan, and for two solid weeks we had multiple thunderstorms every day. It's interesting to see what effects the early dryness and then abundance of rain have had on our fall foliage -- colors, and leaf-shedding, especially.

One of the ways my wife and I mark the changing of the seasons is by watching the changing colors on a particular lovely, long, tree-covered hill near where we live. When we're walking/biking/driving home from "downtown," and we come over the Broadway Bridge, this hill stretches out in front of us. In earliest spring, we see the first bits of green appearing on the trees. In deep summer, that hill has every hue of summer tree-green. And it's one of the first places, besides our street, where we start to see the fall colors of the leaves.

I read banned books!

I'm a little late starting, but I definitely wanted to point out that it's Banned Books Week! Click here to read about the American Library Association's "celebration of the freedom to read."

According to the ALA, these were the top ten banned or challenged books of 2006:

• "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
  
  
• "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
  
  
• "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;
  
  
• "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
  
  
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group
  
  
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.
  

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

I invite you to celebrate the First Amendment, and your intellectual and political freedom, by reading a banned book this week. :)