Go to Earth Magic
- Add a comment
- Go to A Powerful Lesson
Mrs T
posted by
Tanga
on December 6, 2006 at 1:13 AM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde, I was going to say I went Christmas tree shopping last night
At the Garden Center, the prices are pretty earth-shatering: $60-$80 for a 7-8' Noble, Douglas or other fir (Douglas is the Oregon state tree, lol, ask me how I know that?) Washington's is Tsuga something, Western Hemlock.
The evergreens really come alive when the maples and other deciduous trees lose their leaves, conifers like spruce, firs and pines etch themselves onto the gray skyline like chiaroscuro. It's dramatic. I love winter's dark etchings. It's not something to feel depressed as so many do, it's just a different scene.
Stay safe out there. Trees can be dangerous. They don't call those loose branches that come crashing down "widow-makers' for nothing, you know. Take care. I'll worry if you don't show up in a few days, lol.
posted by
Blanche.
on December 4, 2006 at 7:27 PM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
Speaking of trees, I will be doing a lot of trimming and cutting this next week. Yes, the do some real crashing when they fall. Some even shake the ground when they hit.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 2:01 AM
| link to this | reply
raven
Good to hear from you! I didn't know you still had a subscription. It would be nice to get caught up a little. Send me a line if you're not too busy.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 2:00 AM
| link to this | reply
teddypoet
Thanks. Be well yourself.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:59 AM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
It's 33 right now and the wind is howling. brrrr!
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:58 AM
| link to this | reply
Justi
Well, I'm glad you reread it.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:57 AM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
What is insanity, but refusing to live?
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:57 AM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
Everything
is in nothing. I like that.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:56 AM
| link to this | reply
YPunday
Thanks. You're very kind. It was a hard thing to witness, but the lesson was invaluable.
posted by
avant-garde
on December 4, 2006 at 1:55 AM
| link to this | reply
Not to mention, if a tree falls and you're there, did it make a sound?
(that's a trick question...hehe...I think it takes an ear to complete the auditory circuit, therefore the answer to that old chestnut of a koan is "if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear, the answer is no because sound requires a receiver).
posted by
Blanche.
on December 3, 2006 at 7:17 AM
| link to this | reply
Sometimes it's hard to see the forest...
posted by
Blanche.
on December 3, 2006 at 7:15 AM
| link to this | reply
Hi Avant-Garde, watch out for those trees!
posted by
Blanche.
on December 3, 2006 at 7:15 AM
| link to this | reply
A wonderful lesson for right after Thanksgiving
Wow Avantgarde...what incredible lessons learned and shared with us. Thanks! To allow his family (and us, thru your telling) the ability to look at ourselves, our lives and how we can truly live and love, no matter the circumstances...THAT is amazing. Something to contemplate for a long time...that's for sure.
Many blessings to you & your family....Raven
posted by
ravencat18
on December 2, 2006 at 3:32 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde, great to hear from you again...be well, my friend!
posted by
teddypoet_TheGoodByeFade
on December 2, 2006 at 2:53 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde, just dropping by to say hi and let you know you're not
forgotten. Have a great day out in the trees and fresh air. It's brisk and sunny, beautiful day here. 50f
posted by
Blanche.
on December 2, 2006 at 2:40 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant Gard
I could have sworn I commented on this last night. It was such a wonderful post. Guess the mind is the first to go.
posted by
Justi
on December 1, 2006 at 6:33 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde,
I'm glad you found a catharsis. I made a similar request, to be liberated from the woodenness, the emotional conflict. It's almost as though you have to be careful what you ask for, because there seems to be no easy path to that liberation, and some go completely insane and never return or die.
posted by
Blanche.
on December 1, 2006 at 4:41 AM
| link to this | reply
yes, river root
an old reason ate an old parable. a man steps into the wood, looking with possibility.
what a fine means he thought, eating the ground. soon he was the sky looking for substance. well, he gave in and ate the sky too. for now he had repressed his want in looking for thought. thinking of nothing everything was created. river root and the four winds.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 30, 2006 at 4:23 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant take a bow! I read this quickly this morning. Now your words made me
tear...and my eyes feel so clean and refreshed. Only yesterday....yoiu are a saint of a man. No one has written about listening, observing and LOVING in the midst of a job. You are great for this message and your living and looking at life beautifully. No wonder, I saw a compliment of high order form Faholo an hour ago? Shalom
posted by
ILLUMINATI8
on November 30, 2006 at 4:06 PM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
I just realized that YPunday did not ask if my middle name was Michael. LOL
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 3:50 PM
| link to this | reply
OFFBEATS
His lesson was powerful, even now as I think about it. I won't forget this anytime soon. I wish I could elaborate more on it, to draw it out more. Alas, my boys prevent any prolonged rumination.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 3:49 PM
| link to this | reply
YPunday
No, it's Robert. But, I do understand and thank you. You're very kind.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 3:48 PM
| link to this | reply
Appleworks
Yes, I am familiar with cattails. I haven't tried burdock, but I have eaten wild carrot root. Willows have salicylic acid in the bark, which is very similar to aspirin, but longer acting. There is an abundance of slippery elm trees in the county I go to work in. I haven't tried any mushrooms. I had a friend who nearly died from experimenting with them.
I am very enamored with wild food and medicinal plants. Let me know if you have tried anything else. We could exchange knowledge.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 3:47 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
Your writing just did me in..I am crying real tears..You are such a gifted writer and because of you I feel I know this man too~
posted by
Offy
on November 30, 2006 at 2:28 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
is your middle name michael?
posted by
appleworks7
on November 30, 2006 at 2:19 PM
| link to this | reply
posted by
ILLUMINATI8
on November 30, 2006 at 8:28 AM
| link to this | reply
avant
yeah, i know around ten kind of wild mushrooms. i have eaten burdoch root and cattail roots, theres a kind of wild carrot that is white that i have found in some fields, dandelion greens are good if you pick them shortly after they sprout. if i were lost i would look for cattails, ussually they grow in many and the roots and shoots are good. spruce gum was entertaining to eat when i was younger.
i have never eaten anything of the pine, i know the smell very well. a friend sent me boughs from a cedar tree from BC. you boil the bough in water and breath in the steam, good for congestion and airways.
we have two willow trees beside the house here. the ingredient in aspirin and tylenol is in the bark i think. i may try that yet.
and i am after wild raspberies, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberies and cherries every season if i am home.
does this all grow in woods where you live? i wonder the difference there is in your neck of the woods.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 30, 2006 at 6:12 AM
| link to this | reply
Jacenta
You are right. I cried when I wrote this. Thanks for the visit. I knew you'd like it.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 4:15 AM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
If I don't understand what you write, I don't worry about it. You are free to speak your mind, however it strikes you to do so.
Have you tried eating wild food? There are many edible things in the woods. I have heard that every part of the pine tree is edible, and medicinal.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 4:14 AM
| link to this | reply
Justi
I have an inkling of what you mean, and I appreciate your compliments. Have a great Thursday! Good to see you again, by the way.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 30, 2006 at 4:12 AM
| link to this | reply
avant-garde ...
His strength and power of love overcame his extreme physical weakness. Yes, a powerful lesson for us all, avant. Vicariously, he demonstrated the power of love and the importance of giving even with impending death so close. Excellent post.
posted by
jacentaOld
on November 29, 2006 at 11:16 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
what strange channels i am on when i drink. looking at my last comment, i cant imagine what i mean. like pulling words out of a hat.
whos winning the hockey game?
posted by
appleworks7
on November 29, 2006 at 9:02 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant Gard Thank You!
You were called a long time ago and have worked toward it now you have received it and will be a blessing to so many and they to you. God bless you in all that you do.
posted by
Justi
on November 29, 2006 at 7:23 PM
| link to this | reply
Then you are in a stronger, better place emotionally than I am, Avant
I am still hypervigilant and too trigger-happy. it's been 3 years now that the land mines have been silent, metaphorical, but I came too close to taking a knife to my former best friend. Catfights can get so ugly so quickly, and the lid blew..or nearly in the kitchen. I still can't stop obsesing over it at times. I'll get better with time, I'm sure, and she's loooong gone, thank God.
posted by
Blanche.
on November 29, 2006 at 1:52 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
so good to hear you say so. fame here is cast in hate. a cause to step beyond in purpose with meaning is a strength i wouyld support. i dont believe you have any doors. for you i thinki you know what andwhere you mean to lead.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 29, 2006 at 1:40 PM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
Yes, of course. I would kill if necessary. I would not hesitate. But, I also say that fear is not real, so anger cannot be justified. Fear exists in the mind, and nowhere else.
I do believe that we can call a legion of angels to protect us in any situation. That is the protection I seek these days, instead of a 9mm or a pit bull.
It's been a long road, but I'm slowly realizing this truth and I am trying to make it practical.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:23 PM
| link to this | reply
Ah, Avant, that is the crux of our philosophical disagreement: in my view,
anger can be justified by wrongdoing. You have guns and dogs to protect yourself and your family. Am I wrong, or would you be fiercely angry at anyone who attempted to harm your family? Is that unjustified? Self-defense is the core concept of the American legal system, the home is sacred, yet if it is violated, is it not correct to meet force with force, lethal if necessary?
posted by
Blanche.
on November 29, 2006 at 1:16 PM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
Yes, I am. Anger is never justified, no matter how much it is believed to be. I think personally that my anger has given me much insight into my own insecurities and trust issues. Were I to remain a hermit somewhere without a family, I might not ever deal with it honestly.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:09 PM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
Well, I can say that we are all human. Anyone who appears perfect is pretending. The strongest people are the ones who are honest and want nothing from their actions, save to learn and grow.
I'm not sure what I'm going to write about. I'm thinking toward life experience in general. If I can gain some insight from contemplating myself, or if I can help someone who picks up the book out of interest, then I'm successful. I'm not really worried about making money or fame from it. Those things are secondary now.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:07 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde, it is hard to put down your guard,, especially when too many
times you've dropped your sword, thinking you were safe and then get the coup de grace. It's difficult not to parry too quickly.,.and hurt friends mistaking them for enemies, in the heat of the moment, but I am working on that. I hope you are too.
posted by
Blanche.
on November 29, 2006 at 1:06 PM
| link to this | reply
Julia
Thanks so much. I'm very much into learning about myself this way. I am thinking of writing about these life lessons.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:03 PM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
There is nothing more gratifying than being of service. Everyone needs help at something. I find that the more I offer myself to others, the more I am helped in miraculous ways. It is an investment of sorts. I've been doing a lot of tree work lately. I worked a huge maple this morning for three straight hours. I'm beat.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:02 PM
| link to this | reply
SYMPHONY
Well, we shared something here. I cried when I put it down here in this post. Wow, it was one powerful experience.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 1:00 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
the last comment spoke of you writing a book. it has passed me that the hours you spend here were not for this. less your your book is of this or the practice for.
you have the pillar of spiritual truth. let er rip! and let my anger be a strength, i wonder if you know how frustrated and repressed i am reading much of what you write? i question your post a week ago, you, having been a place to try at appearance with acceptance. i think acceptance to feel a sense of home here. i have seen you, call it minds eye. i am impressed you said to all what you spoke of. i laugh if the example is truth or a demonstration. but a rambler is excused like thought.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 29, 2006 at 11:39 AM
| link to this | reply
what a beautiful post.
You have had so many interesting experiences, and I can't say enough about the way you express them here. I understand the desire to take your leave of this place and begin the book. I think about that daily too. But for now...it's so wonderful to have you here.
You are right, we must accept that the way our prayers are answered might not be in the form we are thinking of.
posted by
Julia.
on November 29, 2006 at 10:03 AM
| link to this | reply
avant
i wish you were building a house instead of buying one. yesterday i asked for opportunity to help others, the afternoon i was asked to help a neighbor the next day return a tv he was unable to lift.
i would love to stay off the grid and move around helping others while learning. i also want to learn more carpentry, building a house from start to finish would entertain me, why i wish you were building a house. i am surprised when i ask my siblings if ever they need any landscaping or yard work done that i will gladly do it, and only a few times i have.
your line of work is to be there, taking away of seeming needs. your firefighting too. your writing.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 29, 2006 at 8:19 AM
| link to this | reply
posted by
_Symphony_
on November 29, 2006 at 5:35 AM
| link to this | reply
Bhaskar
It was very cathartic. Thank you.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:13 AM
| link to this | reply
Tanga
It was very moving to witness such bonding.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:13 AM
| link to this | reply
Wiley
Thanks. That's a great thing to say.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:12 AM
| link to this | reply
Chilitree
Thanks. That's very nice of you.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:12 AM
| link to this | reply
faholo
Thanks so much for your kindness. I was a little reluctant to share this, but now I'm glad I did. Blessings to you and yours, too.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:12 AM
| link to this | reply
sannhet
It was invaluable. I will always be grateful for having witnessed it.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:11 AM
| link to this | reply
Blanche
Thanks. It's nice to hear of other hearts willing to share this distressing yet beautiful experience with me.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:10 AM
| link to this | reply
appleworks
You have gained strength from it, as I have. Aggression is not strength, but fear. I have much more to write on this subject.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:09 AM
| link to this | reply
Rumored
I've seen the threat of death bring healing, but never in this manner. It was simply beautiful.
posted by
avant-garde
on November 29, 2006 at 2:09 AM
| link to this | reply
Avant
The greatest gift, in showing us all how to face death unafraid, can come, only and only from the power of Love. Very beautifully written to be shared for the benefit of everyone here, and the catharsis that follows as a natural consequence.
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on November 29, 2006 at 1:55 AM
| link to this | reply
I would have cried as well
posted by
Tanga
on November 29, 2006 at 1:16 AM
| link to this | reply
I would have cried as well
posted by
Tanga
on November 29, 2006 at 1:16 AM
| link to this | reply
I have a feeling that you will keep learning from this experience.
I will too!
posted by
Whacky
on November 28, 2006 at 8:35 PM
| link to this | reply
avant-garde
And you are ours my friend. God bless you
posted by
WileyJohn
on November 28, 2006 at 7:34 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant ...
posted by
Chilitree
on November 28, 2006 at 5:02 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant my tears are tears of joy! Joy and Thanksgiving to
our Precious Lord who gave you the gift of Bill Annis and his family. The second gift is the vision you will always have of
who a father is. I am sending you a copy of my article published on Reflections about Fathers, via email. Embracing Mrs. Annis was such a
gentle man response to another's pain. To me next to the birth of a baby, there is no more beautiful sight, than the sight of the last breathe of one who has lived a life a love, as did this gentle man. I am so proud of you and yet I would not recognize you if I passed you on the street, it that not just like God! Blessings on you and yours!
faholo
posted by
faholo
on November 28, 2006 at 4:51 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant -
Wow! You asked for a deep and powerful experience, and you got it! What grace and humility this soul showed in facing death with his family. What a blessing for you in your quest to be a good father!
posted by
sannhet
on November 28, 2006 at 3:50 PM
| link to this | reply
Avant-Garde, I'm glad that I'm at home, and not on the laptop in public
because I can't stop crying. But that's a good thing, because I don't know about you, but up until three years ago, I never cried, and that was way worse. The frozen numbness. Congratulations.
posted by
Blanche.
on November 28, 2006 at 3:24 PM
| link to this | reply
avant
this is very powerful. i have never experienced anything quite like this. i am very sensitive, i cant see how i would react to this. this post has changed how i feel, from aggressive thoughts.
posted by
appleworks7
on November 28, 2006 at 3:20 PM
| link to this | reply
avant-..thanks for sharing this..it brought a tear to my eye..I can only
hope that whatever lies ahead, I can be as "strong" as this man was..
..
posted by
Rumor
on November 28, 2006 at 3:03 PM
| link to this | reply