update, and a little waxing philosophical.

hi, all ....

here is my weekly-ish update, as promised. let's see what's been going on around here ... well, i needed the week to pass quickly, and it did. here's some of what went on:





























... as you can see, i went for my sunset walk. the louisville waterfront is so pretty just before twilight, especially given the amazing weather we've had lately. It was a little gloomy yesterday for the block party, though .... but it was a great time. Free vegan chili (though i doused mine with cheese and sour cream), local organic coffee ... reusable (real) dishes ... and some great tables by local organizations committed to improving the community. coalition for the homeless, a booth about the potential for light rail in Louisville, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Amnesty International ... all great great groups. so much to be a part of in this community. It was organized by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, check them out, my friend Colette is very active with them and they do great work.

here is just a sampling of the greatness that went on:






















this is Nathaniel playing guitar. I met him at the debate party the other night. Very involved with Earthsave Louisville... his motto: eat more vegetables! his solution: just ... eat more vegetables! great soul. Check out Earthsave here

















These are Kentuckians for Green Jobs.












Just after this last night, I went over my friend Marybeth's ... and had a beautiful, beautiful dinner of goodness from her garden: a vegetarian feast of crusty bread with olive oil, garlic and rosemary, and topped with hummus; a colorful salad; and a vegetarian stew. amazing! Marybeth is a Waldorf teacher, and she taught me about the Michelmas tradition, which is being celebrated this weekend. Very, very interesting. It's all about acting on your intentions.

After the dinner, we went to what is normally a country-western bar to see these awesome guys. completely worth the $20 i moaned about wasting. the trip was not wasted ... the man i'm currently enamored with was there ... and two other friends i didn't expect to see! much fun, singing, and dancing was had. Afterward, we went to my favorite, the Nachbar, the place that always makes me feel like I'm in in a European novel. Strangely, though, I felt the vibes were off and that I was just kind of floating about ... and so I was glad for the solace of home once back, and stayed up until almost 4 a.m. "living with intention" and writing a letter to he who I am currently enamored of. I can't get a read on him, and my feelings for him have been preoccupying my time...a little annoyingly, as I like always to feel independent and spirited. So i thought a letter, even if he never reads it, would help. I will probably give it to him, eventually, though. if nothing else, wouldn't it be a nice thing to feel that you are meaningful in someone else's life? i know i'd love to receive such a letter. i also think it's being honest, and pursuing friendship without hidden agenda. what do you all think?

i know i haven't talked too much about the week. well, it was fairly uneventful, except for seeing dad mid-week and being the lead teacher on friday. i really enjoyed that. i didn't make much food, either, just some veggie hot dogs and potatoes with olive oil and spices (thyme, oregano, fresh basil):




















here's me doing my first-ever "birthday" circle as the lead teacher on friday.










and how can i leave without posting Rhonda's AMAZING cranberry-walnut scones? i didn't have the right sugar to make the icing ... but i did sneak 2tbsp. of wheat germ into the mix. These are absolutely delicious! i've showed them cooling, and on a plate ... thanks rhonda!




















I changed my cats' litter ... so far, no accidents outside the box, a problem i've been dealing with lately. I'm also going to get them some toys, and start switching them over to canned food so there is more water in their diet.


















Here's me before the presidential debate ... you can sort of see my obama t-shirt ... and then me just goofing off really:





















here's what i bought for myself this weekend, at the farmer's market and then the yarn store. thanks to the vegetarian knitter i link to for inspiring me to locate some "tongues of fire" of my own! i've been trying to buy almost everything more local: my successes this week, though it took three stores to do it, were: KY made bread, KY made flour, IN baby greens (next state over), KY hot peppers, KY eggs. KY peanute butter. this is harder than you might think, unfortunately. But I'll keep at it, and eventually have my house and garden to sustain myself. It helps to have Holly, a new friend who's a biodynamic farmer. .. and I'm hoping my volunteer work at the farm will also yield me some great tips.






I am still knitting the wonky green scarf and reading the Omnivore's Dilemma. Looking forward to some upcoming festivals, camping, and volunteer work. Trying not to let my feelings for a man overwhelm me. (why DO they do this?) Trying to feel like I make a difference to my friends here, as I still feel like I'm the outsider looking in to all these friendships they have established. Oh, I did send my graduate school application yesterday, and plan to fill out my financial aid form tomorrow night. For the rest of today, well ... it's all mine. I'm not sure what I'll do, but would at the least like a long walk all to myself. Maybe a movie. Maybe yoga. Maybe neither. Just trying to flow .... and not have too many expectations, both of others and myself. Living always ... with intention.


by the way ... VERY special thanks to SADGE for giving me some blogger posting tips. as you can see, I'm working out the kinks! Not perfect ... but not bad!

love and peace to all of you,

karen