december

mommy deerest

corrupt bargain

studying for my finals tonight.

there are so many interesting pictures in our History book.

but this one i found online while doing extra research on the Compromise of 1877.

i love it enough to frame it.

"Unto that Power he doth belong/Which only doeth Right while ever willing Wrong."

-Goethe

wale.

whale.

wail.

what?

oh well.

this practice is for vanity's sake.

but true

no smile was ever forced back then.

a fallish winter.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy birthday to mom.

Christmas Eve is a month away.

i've been practicing my smile:

i've also been enjoying the short stories of Brian Andreas.

it reminds me of that idea of little blogs turned into books.

"Going Somewhere Soon"

here's a few excerpts:

---

"i moved a lot when i was young

& i still ache a bit at

the thought of all those autumns

in new & unfamiliar landscapes."

---

"i made a bed of nails once like

they do in India

but my mom said i'd need my tetanus shots first.

so after awhile i just leaned it

against the garage & threw apples at it

& watched them stick."

---

"he told me that the night his mother died,

there were storms & far away

he saw purple lightning

& someone left the window open

& the room filled with a

swirl of butterflies

& she slipped out quietly

without anyone noticing

& i'm sure the grief was

softer because of that."

---

well

what to do. do to what? what to do.

grandfather

86 years worth of rich stories!

sadly, i hadn't heard any of them..

until that summer night

3 months ago.

we were driving him home after my Aunt's graduation.

a two hour drive--

and he talked most of the way.

it was the most i'd heard him talk in my whole life.

i soaked it up like a little sponge.

i found out he used to have a pet Otter named Ollie.

it was his best buddy.

he'd feed it fish and teach him tricks!

he also told us a story that he said no one would believe.

a few years ago he was locking the gate at the old farm..

he said he shut his eyes and left his body.

he said he was in an old rocking chair and was flying or "gliding" above the back part of town

and could see things happening below, but no one could see him.

he said he flew above the old Ebenezer cemetery.

he was very aware of where he was the whole time.

he said it lasted for some time, and then he decided to go back to the farm.

he opened his eyes and was back.

he said it felt amazing.

and i believed every word he said.