Twiny-twin update at almost 10 months.

Treasure (Ochen), such a happy little guy.

Favor (Apio), very serious. 

And.... just hanging out, relaxing on rural homestays!

Grandma MacDowell

October 24, 1920- September 10, 2013

One of my favorite things about grandma- she never took herself or anything really, too seriously. (Except maybe praying.) Always good for a laugh, or a story recounted and recounted again and maybe even again. On any given day. And then again the next. Letter writing was her gift and her art, always updating, always thanking, always sharing the news in her deliberate, school girl cursive. She was forever reading, and doing crossword puzzles and scrabble, which only got more interesting as the years went by and she got more and more creative with the rules and exceptions to the rules. Half deaf for as long as I can remember, she would happily concoct her own version of whatever you might have said, especially if it afforded a good laugh. She was a lover of marmite and apple cider vinegar, molasses and buttermilk, and fresh bread. Oh, and dates. Her favorite. My crazy Canadian grandma who kept grandpa on his toes no doubt for 62+ years, and roses on the table. Mary Lois Wilamena Johnson MacDowell, and the one for who I am named. Miss you already, grandma. So much love.

"Can't never did anything till he cut off his tail and had can"

When I was in second grade my siblings and I stared going to a new school. We made the switch from a british school to an american school, and there were a lot of mysterious and intriguing things about this new school. We had a music teacher, Mr. Miller who had this saying posted in huge letters above the blackboard at the front of the music room. I puzzled over it for years... it conjured funny images in my head-- of cans with Eeyore like tails, de-tailed cans, and big silver scissors with black handles, the kind that teachers get to use. I had some sort of an idea about what it meant, but was never quite sure how it all made sense. It is still a funny thing to me.

I often wonder if and how little messages like this are internalized. I was thinking about it today as I cut my hair. Which, I do. A lot. Because I have short hair and it grows fast, and if it needs cutting, the fastest way to get it done is to just do it. (Thankgoodness for pretty forgiving hair...) Its something I've always loved about art and the creative process; you dream up something and you have to figure out how to make it happen. And then you do it. And you birth these otherly things into existence. Its crazy fun! And empowering. And you keep DOING things, cause you can. And you know you can, because you did. Anyhow, as I was cutting my hair, I thought of this little saying. And of Mr. Miller and it made me smile. And I wonder if that is where it all started. Here's to you, Mr. Miller, and cutting off our tails so we have can!

hiatus.

So apparently I took a blogging hiatus. I don't know, maybe blogs have a lifespan. Maybe this ones time is up? Or maybe last semester was just insanely busy, and while I thought I could handle two blogs at once, no make that three... I couldn't quite pull it off. I'm still not sure I can... but I'm not quite ready to give up on this one yet either. Lets see how this semester goes. It looks promising. 20 students. Thats right, just 20! No accreditation team coming. No 'new' classes to develop and teach. Margaret is back, which means homestays are again a shared responsibility-- hooray! And... well... life is good! Things are really good. Two more weeks of 'summertime,' before we hit the office officially, August 5.

Some of my goals for the rest of 2013:
- To work hard and play hard- meaning, enjoying the goodness and fullness of my job, but not letting it consume my life.
- To find time/space to dust off a few little projects. (And keep blogging.)
- To dig deeper and more intentionally into community here.

Ok, thats good for now. Don't want to get overly ambitious... So... heres to 2013, take two!

Treasure and Favor

Introducing Treasure and Favor. My brand spanking new godbabies! My beautiful friend and coworker Margaret gave birth to these two on January 7th, and I'm thrilled beyond imagination to be trusted and gifted as their godmother. I am growing rich with special godchildren.