Fifteen Minute Power Blog….Ready, Go!
Okay, thought I’d shoot you a little something to let you know what’s been up.
Last Week at the Abbey
Norooz was a blast last week. Helene brings art wherever she goes, and usually creates a sing-a-long or dance-a-long as well. We had an amazing feast of Persian delights, learned the symbolism of the Haftsin table, and enjoyed an impromptu concert by Heather, who played a Persian flute and violin songs from the middle east. Heather also sang Iranian folks tunes, and Helene sang one from Bulgaria. There were also funny songs for the kids, lessons in being coquetteish (the lion and the lemon!) and even a waltz in the middle of the very crowded living room. A dreamy multi-cultural evening by all accounts. (Not bad for a bunch of white kids.) Watch for a post on the Monkfish home page soon with ideas for how to celebrate Norooz with your community.
Organic Website…It’s still Growing….
Speaking of the Monkfish website….I know it’s a bit thin on content right now, but the idea is that we will be filling it in as the year moves on with ideas for seasonal celebrations, spiritual practices, and other preistessy things. We’ll also be compiling a reading list, and adding recipes for other soup loving communities. Watch the category list on the right side of the page for new posts.
Pimpin’ Out the Ride
We bought a new car yesterday! Thanks for all the advice, but a spur-of-the-moment test drive sent us in an unexpected direction and are now the proud owners of a silver Scion. The girls are still deciding what to name it….
Update: We actually didn’t buy the car. Turns out the new car they got ready for us had 200 miles on it and a rock chip on the windshield, so we backed out. Hopefully they’ll find us one soon.
Update Update: We did buy the Scion on March 29th. Finally got the stereo, etc. installed on April 8th. The girls are calling it “Bugsby.”
Progress?
On the migraine front…I think I’m through the worst of the coming-off-the-meds process. My neurologist was not at all supportive of the idea and insisted that I stay on two of the five meds until I have a few months of limited pain. She totally blew off the idea that the elimination diet was working, but I swear I’ve seen improvement…and when I’ve forgotten and eaten citrus or pineapple I’ve been rewarded with an immediate headache, so I know the food triggers are playing a big roll. I had a horrible migraine (worst ever) on Saturday, and a sort of hang-overish day Sunday, but I’m much on the mend now and itchy to get back to “work” (whatever that means.) Thank you, thank you, thank you to EVERYONE who has sent me love notes, books, music, and dinners. You’re suppport has meant so much. Here’s praying that things continue to improve!
Housemates
The wolfpup is back with us for a few days, which always makes me happy. Catie was IN LOVE last night with the giant pillow-fight/wrestling match. When that got too loud, Souren converted himself into a robot with a laundry-basket for his head. Cate was postively cackling with joy!
Solstice Stuff
It’s time to start thinking about Solstice and the parade. I just wrote an article for the SOL newsletter (yep, that’s what it’s called S-O-L. You don’t got nothin’ if ya don’t got a sense o’ humor.) My piece is called Kids and Nudists and Priests, Oh My! . I don’t know if they’ll print it because I mention I’m a minister and the Fremont Arts Council is not exactly the most Christian-friendly place. 
But it is very open minded, and I’ve been there since ‘01 without evangelizing a single person 
so hopefully they know I truly am trustworthy. (I’m not out to convert ANYONE, I’m just happy to be there learning from the creative positive energy of the place. They are SOOOO good at conflict resolution — it’s crazy!) Anyhow, I hope the article makes the cut because it’s about kids participating in the parade, and I’d love to see more families bringing thier kids into the community. I’ll let you know if it gets published.
Okay, seriously, this took a half and hour and I have GOT to go to the grocery story. (The Wolfpup eats about a box of cereal a day … not to mention the ice cream. Oh to have the metabolism of a teenage boy!) But first, here’s a picture from my new journal just for the prettiness of it. I got it from a postcard and lost the name of the artist, but itsn’t it great? I just added the “ancestor” bit…
Thanks for reading!
Rachelle
For what it’s worth, Rachelle, a friend from my parish is doing the elimination diet thing. He’s suffered from migranes for years and is has seen massive improvement over the past two months.
I did an elimination diet 2 summers ago, and it was amazing how much better I felt! I found that my senstivity symtoms were headaches and fatigue, and I should stay away from: gluten, corn, citrus, tomatoes, and sometimes dairy.
It’s a bit rigrorous, and I haven’t kept it up faithfully after discovering my triggers, but at least I know now and know what to expect if I choose to have that tasty bread product.
I hope that you find success un-migraning!
Just a follow-up - I worked with the nice folks at Bastyr in Wallingford. Don’t know if you’re doing that too or just reading a book, but I fully recommend them if you want some extra advice and accountability!
Hey chelle, one of the things I love about reading your blog (which I do everyday, including all 140-whatever comments on the genderbiblemarshill deal and I think you rock)is that it is teaching me to lean into the traditions here, in Thailand. Last night we went to an outdoor festival among bhuddist shrines, where transvestites and others performed a strange ballet. The project was sponsored by Zoe’s ballet academy… it was cheesy, beautiful and alarming in parts. The fundamentalist in my head went,”what the hell am I exposing my kids to?” and the serene pomo girl in my head said, “shut up. Breathe out.” On the walk back to the car, we passed a crumbling Buddhist monument surrounded by celtic crosses. And it was like seeing a best friend. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.
Life sounds so busy! It’s inspiring to see your creativeness in the middle of it. I love seeing your images - thanks for posting them alongside your writing.