(left to right:)The four white porcelain chinese ladies are a gift Anton and Cynthia gave us. Anton also gave us the sitting Indian lady quite a few years back. I believe I bought the brass candlesticks at a common store. The black carved wood lions are a couple of gifts James got for us in Africa. I discovered the round brass plate in a shop that specialized in oriental items, somewhere in Tucson.
December 29, 2001 - B
"More Deco"
These are some of our treasures, now displayed on bookshelves.
I acquired the brass Egyptian chair in January of 1999 when the three of us went to the Egyptian exhibition in Phoenix that year. And Julia got the Venus from JBL statues, from where I got my two brass statues.
The following picture is of the shelf below the one above:
Anton gave us the silver goblet many years ago. It is of a special ore blend that does not tarnish. Julia brought the Kwan Yin statue with her when she arrived in 1994. Her moon phases crown frames the crystal ball Laura got shortly after we moved to Casa Grande. Julia handpainted the Cybele statue. And when Anton was stationed in Germany nearly fifteen years ago, he got us the 'Happy Anniversary' stein.
"Anticipating"
I wish I could say I still had them. Remember, I am the one who wants to keep everything! But necessity made me leave them behind many years ago, although I do think they did make it to Arizona!
So now, instead of twigs, I save memories. I have over five years worth of memories saved in these here web pages. These shall NOT be tossed out. 'Weighty' and large on the heart, some may be, but they are still relatively not much space consuming in terra-space. I'll always make room for them.
Another year is nearly done. Just a few more hours remain. Still, things could happen in those hours that determine the future of the next year. Briefly, an interview is early today.
For now, I eat my breakfast of boiled eggs, and banana, if I'm still hungry, and anticipate.
Should I not feel moved to mark another entry today, I leave my good wishes for you towards the coming year. Two thousand and one was hard for all. We Americans saw violence done to our land, our buildings, our people. From that large scale, to all our own small scale trials, we've all had a lot to deal with. May the coming year bring peace. If only in our hearts, it can still spread outwards, in an unseen arena of influence. If the flapping of a butterfly wing . . ., they say. May hope beat in your hearts. And the music that its rhythm inspire, be heard far.
Peace, then, in the small places.
Peace.
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Sure enough, a few over ripe olives were still clinging to the tree branches. I cut one open, and it looked juicy. But Julia warned me against eating it. Why not? I wondered, and took to the web to find out.
Yes, indeed, that olive wouldn't have been edible. The informative site I'd found informed me ''Raw olives contain an alkaloid that makes them bitter and unpalatable.'' I was surprised to learn what must be done to process them. ''A common method is the lye-cure process in which green or near-ripe olives are soaked in a series of lye solutions for a period of time to remove the bitter principle and then transferred to water and finally a mild saline solution. Other processing methods include water curing, salt curing and Greek-style curing.''
The olive has a long history, ''almost as long as that of Western civilization''. One of humankind's first accomplishments was farming and curing them. ''Archeological evidence suggest that olives were being grown in Crete as long ago as 2,500 B.C.'' From there, they spread out. The olive branch has for thousands of years been used as a sign of peace and goodwill. This may be partly due to ''the fact that in early cultivation of the olive it took decades to bear fruit for harvest, and it was held that anyone who planted olive groves must be expecting a long and peaceful life and must be looking to posterity.''
Olives require a long, hot growing season, with no late spring frosts, to properly ripen the fruit so this limits where they can be grown. The American southwest, however, satisfies these requirements, and thus they are grown commercially here, primarily in California, but also near Phoenix, Arizona.
We won't just be picking them off the tree and eating them, but it's nice to have a tree with such history near us.
Trees! That's one thing Yuma has, as opposed to the rather barren Casa Grande landscape. Particularly in the old section of town thick, lush trees with deep roots can be found. All along the Colorado river, it is thick with GREEN vegetation.
I find myself rather nourished inwardly by all this greenness.
Not only is the outward landscape more rich here, so, too, is the cultural landscape. We've discovered there IS a classical radio station here. Arizona Western College, the local college here, broadcasts classical music and items from National Public Radio. I'm not sure why I didn't find them that day I searched the radio stations.
Classical music makes Julia happy, and she was quite all aglow when she made the radio discovery, but NEVER have I seen her so happy as when we were exploring in Prickly Pear gourmet, a shop in the Yuma old town area. The store features a whole bookcase size area devoted to large jars of various gourmet teas. Four ounces of 'Russian Caravan' tea, and the antipication of more sent her into almost a jubilation frenzy.
I think you get the idea, we like it here!
"What Does It Matter?"
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What does it matter, The new year, the old year? I stretch out my legs And all alone have a Quiet sleep. Don’t tell me the monks Aren’t getting their instruction. Here and there the nightingale Is singing; The highest Zen.
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I especially like the line ''Here and there the nightingale is singing; The highest Zen''
I don't think I've seen any nightingales here, would I recognize 'em even if I did?, but I must say the birds here look fatter and healthier than I've seen elsewhere. Well, it could be they're just different kinds. At any rate, they like to perch on top of things, like birds everywhere. At the mini-mall where our drug store is located, a fat one was perched on top of the SUBWAY sandwich shop sign, on the top tip of the Y branch, chirping happily, directly to the left of the drug store. No birds will ever perch on the drugstore sign, however. Large spiky needles have been placed on all otherwise perch-worthy places. I guess the owners of the WALGREENS didn't want birds making nests in the cozy corners of the A or R, like I've seen them do elsewhere.
Ah well, sigh. I LIKE seeing the little nests, even though I know the birds can make a mess.
"Rings A Bell"
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Looking at many artistic photos on the web, I glanced about for what might be 'artistic' around me. Not greatly inspired, this bell set will have to do for the moment. It is supposed to be hanging from a ring in the ceiling. Not finding such a thing, I improvised, and am using the thread holder hook to hold it. I do like the juxtaposition of the vertical bell chains against the vertical blinds in the background, and the shadow patterning on the ceiling. (The camera flash is quite strong.)
"The Waiting Game"
Shrek, the marvelously animated comedy about the big green ogre, was a delight. The extra tidbits that came with the film explained how the incredible digital animation was done. It will last as a classic, I'm sure.
The Planet Of The Apes remake by Tim Burton was interesting. Both it and the original are good movies, in their own rights. The accompanying specials showed how they created the individualized ape faces, and how the human actors learned how to act like apes. Fascinating, it was.
Just Visiting also involved time travelling, this time through wizardry, of a thirteenth century noble and his manservant. Hilarious, it was, I howled with laughter at some points. Laura agreed, ''You haven't howled like that since we saw 'Galaxy Quest'! I thought you were going to split a gut!'' It was wonderful.
I've also been playing an old computer game called Heroes Of Might and Magic, this time the 'complete' version. The scenario called Arrogance is proving most challenging. Your heroes must beat out three other teams. I dispatched one set fairly early on, and one of the two remaining computer ran sets beat out the other. Now there is just one team to beat, but they have massive troops on their side.
And I've been creating web pages. We went on a road trip to Martinez Lake over the holiday, and I brought my camera. I got a few good pictures and now they're up for you to see. Also, I created a small set of Yuma Christmas deco. A few of the pics have already appeared here, but some are new.
Meanwhile, the phone still hasn't rung with happy news. Maybe it will, today.
"Bread Upon The Water"
If not, then more papers, and more waiting. Employment will come soon. But, always the employ nearest and dearest of having my ear to the muse, THAT goes on without cease. It needs no paper trail, other than which I give it. And so we wait. And while we wait, we wonder.
Still, of wonder, can come something. Much nicer, though, those interior worlds in which words are assembled, and thought is known. All there, is the beginning. From there, the eruption into the exterior, where action and deals and signage and profit are made. All are good, in their own time. I may need find myself more motivated than ever before. Still, I have cast today's bread upon the waters.
I trust someone soon will find it is good bread, not thin and of little substance, but satisfying to the task at hand. As it meets whose hand shall find it, I wish upon it a blessing.
"Enough Nightmares"
I also remember 'nighttime restlessness' in that slew of websites I searched for side effects. Laura WAS restless, and stayed up late, doing battle in Erathia, of course. I had a bit of nighttime restlessness of my own. Oh, I slept all right, but such dreams I had. Really, they don't call those dreams, nightmares is the more accurate term.
The first that I can remember is of torrential rain fall. We are in one house, and the ceiling is being shook loose by it. Pieces of the ceiling come pelting down on us, and we must flee. Then, we are in another house. This house has the pecularity of large odd glass vertical pieces attached to the ceiling. There is a circular window in the center of the main room. The torrential rains find that window, and forcefully surge right through it, as if it weren't there.
THEN, those vertical glass pieces on the ceiling start coming loose and they fall to the floor with loud crashing. The three of us are fleeing for the door as fast as we can, hoping we will not be impaled by them.
A trip to the bathroom, and I settle down to MORE nightmares. We are in another dwelling, a 'mobile home'. It has very dark walls, and an extremely narrow hallway. However, huge holes have been punched here and there in those walls. I do not want to live there. Why can't we live in our old place? It was small, but the walls and floor were solid.
I practice some deep breathing before trying to go to sleep again. But soon, Laura stirs. I arise, as well. I've had enough nightmares for one night.
Maybe they are caused by worries about getting a job. My subconscious fears without employment soon, our 'small, but solid floors and walls' apartment will become too costly, and we will be forced to some shabby dwelling, 'full of holes'. Aye, the conscious mind could be worrying that, as well.
Later note: after sending this entry web-ward, I checked my horoscope. Chuckled, I did, to read ''You can solve your problems in your sleep. Your dreams will offer you solutions. Pay more attention to your dreams.'' (!) It wouldn't be possible to pay MORE attention to my dreams.
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