Tuesday, October 01, 2013

I Know, Brenda. It's Gotten Ridiculous

Sure, there's Mildred, who I never really told anyone about, even though I sent out a bit of a trailer. But there's so much more.

Like Harvest Moon Festival. (Which you can read a bit about here)

 

And what about my Manitoba road trip, destination unknown? Just a cooler packed with chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, cookies and candies galore?

We stumbled on a washed out scouts camp, restrooms thrown upside down, nature all wild growing over everything.

 

An abandoned cabin, where someone had once giggled and swatted mosquitoes after lights out.

Amazing fall colors.

Giant uprooted trees on an endless beach.

 

And kicking off our shoes to dip a toe in the rapidly cooling lake.

Our feet tingling, we knew it was time to hit the road again to more destinations unknown. We found an abandoned property, chock full of delights for the eye.

So we took only pictures and left only footprints *sigh*.

 

We speculated-- how does it come to this??

 

 

What happened, what's the story?

And what remains up the road?

ahh- a sewing cabin. (in my dreams).

It would be a walk up. Through rustling grasses, melodic in the wind.

With a bit of work.....Perhaps.

But the prairie roads are calling us away.

The road narrows, sirrus promises a provincial park. It urges us to drive to a certain point, and then walk to our destination. When the road ends directly in the marsh, we wonder if sirrus meant "swim"?

I like this world. It's quirky and wild. In a prairies sort of way.

But we've still not arrived at the Perfect Picnic Destination.

And then we follow more signs: "St Ambroise Provincial Park".

We love it.

 

 

We picnic.

Practise some skills.

Hunt for treasure.

Until we hear the road call again. (Or is it the impending Monday morning?? Surely not).

And another house to explore.

A little worse for wear...

 

But a terrific view.

There's a shed.

And a swimming hole. (IF you're a frog).

How I've loved the prairies this summer.

And how I love my exploring friends.

 

And, Brenda, believe it or not, there's more.

There are the thoughts I've wanted to write:

  • Why I Still believe in Jesus after all I've heard against Him.
  • Why "awareness" with mental illness is just a start, and why it's frustrating for me to imagine people finally having the courage to ask for help, and then being met with inadequate help, no help, or just plain assinine excuses for help.
  • What friendship looks like. All the billions of variations.
  • Why this September nearly killed me.
  • Why I'm getting a pretty big hatred for motorcycles.
  • Why Christian schools can be harmful to your faith.
  • Why comparison is a bitch.
  • Why we all need to stop commenting on each others' body size, especially this ridiculous double standard of it being okay to tell someone they are thin, but rude to tell people they are fat. Keep your size opinions to yourself. You haven't got a clue what people are going through.
  • What makes my job awesome, even though it's a hard job at times.
  • How I'm changing the way I feel about my body.
  • That I've been meditating this year about how "you can't really help anybody, and you certainly can't save anyone". And that that might sound hopeless and depressing, but its really quite the opposite.
  • How I'm pretty much firm on taking a hiatus from sewing for a while. If I feel like it. And I can change my mind if I want to.
  • And how sometimes taking a photo- a still life- can help me get perspective.

So, I know, Brenda. It's gotten ridiculous. I miss writing, and I've got stuff to explore. It's officially October now, and it can't possibly be like September, right?

So, I hope I'll be back soon.

 

8 comments:

bygeorge! said...

oh... what are you doing saturday!?
surely there are more roads to travel...

joyce said...

Saturday- yay! And then Sunday-- yay!

Janice- all day I've been thi king- "have I really heard rotten things about Jesus? Or mostly the church? Or a god of apparently violent fits of rage?"

And I think I haven't so much heard bad stuff about Jesus. But I do hear a lot of cynicism about most things that have come of the idea of following Jesus. And it's all made me think a great deal, which isn't a bad thing.

I have met many jackasses as well. And some frightened, petty, tiny people who aren't terribly courageous like Jesus.

It helps to know that I am a jackass as well at times. Also tiny and frightened. And that I've checked myself out of all the divisive debates about who is right and who is wrong; who is in and who is out.

Anne Lamott often says it well. As does the brand new old pope, actually. Just read something marvelous today where he spoke on no longer focussing so much energy on ISSUES and remembering to look at PEOPLE.

Silly, isn't it? How an apparent lifestyle of love often forgets to think of people? And once you love a person, its so much harder to pick on them or call them in, or out, right or wrong.

brenda said...

That was a mouthful and I can't quite say I know how I initiated it but I loved the pics and anytime you need another rant - please - can I tag along on one of those amazing abandoned property adventures? I'll let you rant all you want if you let me take home only one of those wrought iron beds.

Valerie Ruth said...

Janice - my baby Amy is more famous that I. And I'm okay with that. If you want her autograph I do expect she will be in your church Sunday. With me, her driver.

Joyce - I feel you. It's like we share wavelengths or something.

joyce said...

brenda said...
Okay Joycie, you don't usually leave your readers hanging like this. Who is Mad Millie and what does she have to do with this post?

11:23 PM

That's the comment that directed this post's title. It's gotten ridiculous that all the splendid things I have to share have not made it onto the blog. One lonely blog post in all September, I believe.

janice said...

Valarie Ruth, on Sunday we went for a walk to the memorial forest where Mom's tree is planted, so I missed meeting the famous Amy and her driver. (I don't actually go to that church, much as I love Pastor David.)

You have a blog post entitled Baby Amy, and I keep seeing it when I check over there for new posts.

Joyce, Jesus was a cool dude, but his Father was quite a jerk who had people killed and directed others to kill their children (cruel mind game, even tho the child lived.) I am also a jackass, often. I also try to find the good in everyone, when I remember.

Brenda Funk said...

Beautiful pics....and a blog entry addressed to me! ;)! Really enjoyed going along for the ride. I too love abandoned houses....they always draw me!

joyce said...

I don't understand the Old Testament in the slightest way. Whatsoever. Except Ecclesiastes, some of the Psalms and Proverbs.
I concentrate on Jesus. If I'm going to get this faith thing ALL WRONG, I'm choosing to err on the side of grace, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, and love.

except when I'm a tiny, frightened Jackass. But even then, there's grace for me.