by choice:

or by necessity, DRIFTING.


i am drifter.

i sleep on floors.

out of doors.

red elderberry 

gooseberry

on the verge of autumn in the high sierra, where it feels good to be young and alive.

climb mountains.

maintain freedom.

tadpoles at frog lake

elephant back, round top

i am. insatiable.

hemlock made of stars

i bathe in lakes,
wash my clothes in rivers.

i meet farmers,
who invite me over to lay out sheet mulch.
i eat fruit picked from neglected orchards

apples and pears.




waning summer.
forever restless,
school around the corner and the opportunity to create routine. sigh. (an opportunity to strengthen our weaknesses ;)  )
and when we are domestic:

little tap shoes for linky from the thrift store. and youtube videos of tapdancers.  who knew tyler was a 'dance-dad?'

new chairs from hospice, snacks.

teddy's summer vacation ends on tuesday, where he will return to a mixed-ages class to garden, investigate, play, work in groups, and explore. kids are wired to learn, to love it, to be so curious. so, basically, we know they're smart and we're not going to bog them down or waste their time or dampen their fires with tests, arbitrary standards, and other tediousness. the school focuses on community, where all children are seen and respected, and they form a little true democracy. it is THEIR school, their community. it's pretty incredible to witness. they take care of each other, there is no bullying, they are all equal. i see him growing into a confident, well-rounded human being. the alumni, the few i've met, are testament.

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.  <--- kahlil gibran

this poem was shared yesterday at the roseville community school orientation. we discussed how to grow community, how to connect in like mycelium to roots, giving and receiving, nourishing and being nourished--- even though we must leave what we build in a short time as the children grow older, like planting an orchard that you won't ever harvest from. i like to think that the school and it's philosophy pattern nature. even though i am flakey and introverted around the RCS gang, i feel like i am a part of this community. it is a refuge for the wild-hearted and their children, and even though teddy is the attending pupil i feel like the community supports me on my journey as a parent and as a whole person. it really is a village. some day i'll do an in-depth post on the school, because even though i am a drifter at heart, i've found a place to keep me and my kids fed and watered while we wait out the cultural/spiritual drought that the sensitive face in suburbia.

if i've gotta stay local to an area and have my schedule locked down in a mainstream way i'm happy it's at the roseville community school.

feeling grateful.

xoxo