Not The . . .

. . . Sailing Yacht that I fantasize foolishly about, but still I am on the water . . . 

(Ed:  Chaz had the effrontery to send me a photo of him sailing back in Michigan.  I promptly trashed it.)

sTUDIO EaS%t

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cHAz sEZ:  gOttA PAinT!!!!

Visitor

In the morning, I am thirsty for coffee and light.  Standing at my window, coffee cup in hand, I see a visitor.

A Nice Afternoon on Cain's lake

Exploring the "Lost Lagoon" and the "River of No Return" and Eason catches his first fish!

Happy Summer Solstice 2012

Out in the Studio

I wasn't using the studio much, so Eason decided to take over for awhile . . .

Lori's New Hay Raker and Tedder

Well i invested a little of the farm money! the weather will tell pretty   soon if it was a smart way to spend it or not!      

Olive oil from Brac set to conquer Europe

On the Dalmatian island of Brac, in cooperation with the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb, extensive research and inventory of indigenous varieties of olives has begun. The purpose of the project is to create a basis for branding varietal extra virgin olive oil which can conquer the European market.

The olives need to be of high quality with a distinctive taste and research has already begun on the eastern side of the island, where a rare variety of buhavica is grown, buhavica are considered to be authentic Brac olives, reports daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.

Brac has more than half a million cultivated trees and almost still unrivaled as the most developed olive grwoing region in Croatia. Brac has Venice to thank for their olive industry. The Venice senate in 1565 made the decision to plant olive trees in all neglected areas on the island. There were fines for those who damaged the plantations and in the case of repeated offending, expolsion from the island for 10 years.

--from Croatian Times
http://www.croatiantimes.com

Lori Writes: Blue flowers and more

Love these blue flowers (ed: in our memorial garden)!  They look so nice. They close up every night real tight and then open each day. The lavender and maple are doing really well. Now I just have to get time to put out some beauty bark.  With only one place to take care of now I already felt a little lost with not as many horses to ride and care for today.  It is weird!  I may actually have some free time once I get in the swing of it! 

The Keyes-Hurd Family Homestead 1956 - 2012

A lot of memories.

Spence, eliot and julia

Just for Fun, See How it's Done

And It's Rolling (Bob) 2

Well, the old mobile home is gone, gone, gone.  It looks kind of nice without it.  Special thanks to our neighbor Dwayne and his big International tractor.

Nice and Tidy and Ready to Roll (Almost)

Shrubs gone, skirting and support gone, electricity disconnected, water and sewer line broken, expansion unit folded back up into trailer, hubs in good shape.  Now we just need someone fast and cheap with an extra set of wheels to get Nanny's trailer out of here.  And the bank to agree to the sale and release the funds!

Santa Fe - Canyon Rd. - 4/23/12

Arizona: Canyon de Chelly

On the hike to White House Ruins.

Guess who got a surprise visit from Africa?

Oh yeah, we were in the neighborhood so we thought we'd stop by!  Chaz meets his granddaughter, Eva.

Melanie wrote on Facebook:

"Yes, Liz and Ben and Eva came to the USA from Africa without me knowing. Their dad made up some crazy story, so crazy I didn't even try to track it, and went to the airport to get someone and came home with these guys!!!!"

((Chaz sez:

I orchestrated the surprise I just kept lying till the kids got here.  Melanie's head just About popped off.))

(Two strikes, JP.)

First Place

Eason gets his first place trophy at BMX "scoot bike" races today!  First in 2 out of 3 races, then crashed in the 3rd race, but got up and finished.
 
(Sorry,  JP, but on the blog you write for grandson tops wit and micro-economics every time!)

JP WoodCock Returns

JP Woodcock Returns

Greetings, everyone from your favorite mini economist JP Woodcock.  It has been a few years since I was last able to send a communiqué out to everyone from the Great Hall of Mini Economics because, quite frankly, our funding has been slight because our donors have been more concerned with other prevailing economic headwinds such as their own wallet.

Well, we now have our Internet turned back on and I no longer have to answer the phones, weed the ever-flowering gardens on our grounds and clean the johns all by myself.  This relief has allowed me time to reflect on my experiences of the last few years here at the great hall of mini economics and I would like to share with you my feelings and thoughts of these times.

First, and I say rather foremost on my mind, has been my reminiscences of my grandfather the eminent maxi economist; he was born too late to be a mini economist such as myself.  Well anyway, Ambrose Woodcock would stride into my study as I prepared for my exams and say loudly, "Some day J.P.", he called me JP even though I was only a teen,  "JP someday the politicians and the financiers will have developed so much greed that the very structures of the maximum economic apparatus will collapse upon itself before we economists can see the light of day."

Grandpa Ambrose would then start muttering about how Grandma Eloise wanted to summer in Greece but Grandpa Ambrose was uncertain if the Greeks would want to take his money as he felt the Greeks didn't really want to work for his money, UK of course,

and that the Greeks would rather just keep borrowing money from the Krauts until the Krauts were tired of owning their Greek vacations.

I was always amused with Grandpa Ambrose but I took a different direction than him and I took up the study of mini-economics and somehow I felt we mini-economists were outsmarting politicians and greedy financiers with cheap bow ties and green visor hats but it turns out Grandpa Ambrose was correct.

All during the last five years of horrific economic conditions here at the great hall of mini economics, while all alone and plugging all of our leaking conditions with my own digits I have been reading a great deal in the evenings by candle light.

The Tao Te Ching has been my solace and as I have been only able to get our accountant to allow me to purchase a pocket edition abridged version of Lao Tzu's masterpiece sometimes my reasoning of the Tao has been short and small minded.

For instance, once, when the utility workers came to shut off our electricity, I said to them, you do not need to take this action because Lao Tzu says:

           

"Free from desire, you realize the mystery

            Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations."

The workers stared at me as if I were some sort of shiny Chinese enigma and then they

said, the only mystery here is when are going to pay."

I was heartened to hear that economic theory really does hold water dueling with the Tao but I was uncomfortable sitting in the dark and cold for days on end and I finally pleaded with our accountant that we actually saved money by having electricity over the opposite.

I did endless spreadsheets that showed that taking no action was more expensive than taking action and paying our bill.  Again it was a relief to see what was going on while I was in the bathroom.

The accountants were happy and relieved as well because we accrued no utility charges while the power was off.  There was the nasty business of paying a turn on fee to the utility company but the accountants were more than happy to have me negotiate this.

Now that order is returning to our Great Hall and we have electricity and a receptionist I am pleased that I am now able to return to my research on the Australian marsupials and their effect on that continents economy rather than pulling weeds and mowing lawns in the great expansive shadows of the Mini Economic Hall and it's magnificent grounds.

Geralds tree at ghost ranch

Economy Trip to New Mexico and Arizona

Julia and I decided that we needed to economize on our genealogical trip
-- especially until Tim arrives. Therefore, we looked for the best
deals we could find. Here are photos of our rent-a-car (be ready Tim,
you ride in back) and our room in Santa Fe.

Peaceful morning in santa fe.

From the World Subud Association

After many years of calm efficient service, Julia Hurd has stepped down as World Subud Association (WSA) Secretary and Silvana Caradoc Evans has taken over. 

  Silvana joined the WSA Executive Team as Administrator in 2010, soon after the World Congress in Christchurch and working closely with Julia, has gained much knowledge and experience during the last two years.   The Executive Team is grateful that Silvana is able to take over from Julia as this offers continuity and stability for the WSA.

First Solo Bike Ride -- No training wheels!

Almir: Sarajevo Anniversary

Probably you have heard about the 20 year anniversary of Sarajevo being under the siege . . .on April 6. was anniversary,
in the downtown, lots of foreign reporters, journalists who spend time here during the war...

Almir

Easter

Looking like an old homesteader child, Eason stands in the door of a newly constructed chicken coop, dressed in rubber boots, underwear, a tiger shirt, sporting an Easter lollipop and pretending that he is a storekeeper.

Ideas / 1

Spencer's first doodling trying out the capabilities of "Paper" on his new iPad-play-thingey.  Pretty impressive color transparency, I think. (Click on doodle to enlarge and view it better.)

April Flowers

Dragging a heavy chain of Chaucer, Wordsworth, and T.S. Eliot et al, I pretend / aspire to be an' ignorant savage' picking daffodils for pleasure in the horse fields.

Lori Shares Some Gorgeous Art

Here's a picture of John W's*** latest work of art!!!!

(***Ed:  aka Johnny Brown Beard aka John Wolden.
 John built that shining flatbed on this rig.)

Chaz is Empty in: The Night

The Night

The night has become

Useless for me to sleep

I slowly walk around our

Home looking for traces

Of you

I stand by the fireplace and

Ask if you want me to

Start a fire and all I hear is

The wind outside

I slouch down into the purple

Chair and I squint to see if any

Shadows of you are in the

Kitchen calling out to me

Asking if I see the woodpecker or

The cardinal in the feeder

But I can only imagine your

Beautiful face smiling at me

While you make tea

The night has become useless for

Me as I am hopelessly adrift in the

Space between your leaving and

Then returning to my arms

For a few days I can remember your

Intimacy with me but now I am losing ground to forgetting how you move and forgetting how you speak and forgetting how you twirl your hair

Yes even in our cool blue bedroom

That you love so much the night is useless to me and just last night I no longer could hear the birds & the geese and the crickets sing my

Heart was too far away and even this

Room seemed useless to me

I stare at calendars and clocks and quietly watch as the hours pass until

You return and I walk by the cactus in

Our hallway and promise you will be

Home in just a few days

Charles Grimes

Mazes, Mandalas, and Flowers

I love Lynne's richly textured, colorful and imaginative textile art over at her site.  Check it out . . .

Lado

The Annual Croatian Night in Anacortes again.  Salmon, pivo, lots of music and traditional dancers.  This year's performances included a suite of music and dance  "celebrating spring with propitiation to Lado -- a deity predating Christianity.  The songs ask for green and fertile fields, healthy youth, and harmony in the villages."

Very cool.

Happy Vernal Equinox

Once again we're on the winning team.

Om Shanti Om.

Miracle in Africa: baby eva 6 days old

Here is a photo of our lovely granddaughter Eva at 6 days old . . . Melanie

Olivia Took this

From Chaz: Baby Eva Grimes

Subject: Baby Eva

 . . . Liz gave birth Monday night to a beautiful baby girl named Eva. She weighed in at 7.7 pounds. We were given a ride home in an ambulance Thursday evening and are quietly resting at home today. Baby Eva seems very happy to be home and slept wonderfully last night only waking occasionally to eat and change a dirty diaper. She has been sleeping again most of the day today and we have had a steady stream of visitors coming in and out to greet the new baby. Anyways, what you have all been waiting for is finally here, more pictures! We can't wait to introduce Eva to all of you.

Love,

Ben, Liz and Eva

A New Story

from Chaz:  What am I afraid of

Part One

Directly speaking I am afraid

Of you and me

I am afraid of this tilted and elliptical

Sphere of earth that is spinning

Out in the middle of the universe

With little care for the intensity of

My life while I do my best to make

My way through the bouts with

The living and the dead and the red

I am afraid of the dark and I am afraid

Of being rejected by women who I can't

Stop being in love with

I am afraid of walking across the street or

Driving my car into town

I am afraid of tonight and tomorrow and

Then I start to worry about next week

Or taking a trip to Africa or of being a

Grandfather or worrying that someone

I know might die or getting the phone call

That your son has been shot at and he better

Not be pulling some shit by calling you late

At night and then you find out he was right

And then you get afraid about that more

And before you know it you are afraid of

The kids down the street and their big dog

Or the big angry kid who throws rocks at

You when you walk by his house right before

Suppertime and you have lots of food at home

And parents who care what time you eat your

Dinner but his Dad works the late shift and his

Mom died a slow death lying on the couch at home

Smoking and drinking and watching game shows

Yeah the kid threw rocks at you while you walked

By on your way home where your mom wanted to

Know what kept you late and his house was dark

And his father couldn't be home to turn the lights on

Yeah he threw rocks at you and he was angry and

You were afraid of him but you also felt sorry for

Him and you didn't run by too fast because you

Wanted him to have a target to feel good about something

But he was kind of a lousy shot and you never

Got hit by the rocks but you got hit with your mother

Wanting to know what's up little boy

But you don't know what 's up so you say

I don't know and she looks at you and nods her

Head and says may the world be kind to this

Little kid because he's going to need some help

But I smile inside because I know something the

Angry big kid down the street doesn't

But then you find you are afraid of people who

Are angry at you or people who expect too much

From you or then you are afraid to go to the mail

Box because someone will be suing you or the tax

Man wants something more from you and you

Have given all you can and you need some rest but

Life keeps on taking and then you say I'm not afraid

Any more and I can accept this pain and this works for

A while until you work your pain down some more and

You find there is more you are afraid of at every level

You can Om and Om and Om and explain to people you

Are a vessel for light and you are useless in this life for

Anything else but they just tell you to get something to

Eat and get a good night's sleep and all will be better

You wake up in the morning and in an hour you have

The police surrounding you and they have computers

And maps and guns and radios and they want some

Explanations and you stumble for words but you are

White so everything is ok and while you drift back to

Your car and you remember how afraid of the police

You were as a kid and how you brought home three police

Cars and your dad was a traffic judge or maybe some other

Kind of judge but you were afraid they were going to take your

License away and then you are afraid of your dad who goes

To court with you and he tells the judge you are afraid of to

"Throw the book at the kid."

And then you are afraid that you'll never see your girl friend

Ever again because the judge you are afraid of took your license

And then you do see her again and then everything is

Wonderful but you are afraid to tell her parents you have to walk

Home and home is 21 miles away and then you find yourself

Walking home in the very dark night and you are afraid and then you

Are afraid again because no cars are coming by and then after a

Few hours a guy stops who is trying to find a lake to go fishing

In and you lie to him and tell him you know where the lake is

And now conviently the way to the lake goes by your parent's

House and then you are afraid that the fisherman realizes

You are a big liar and you are afraid he will do something crazy

To you but it doesn't matter because you are almost home anyway

And you are afraid that you are so tired that you couldn't defend yourself

So you say let me out of the car and just take a right up the hill

And you'll find the lake and then you are afraid of him turning the car around and

Following you to yell at my parents for having such a liar as a kid

But he drives off and you run home

And it's 4am and I'm afraid of what to tell my parents and I'm afraid if

I don't have a good reason for coming home at 4am I will be afraid of what

Comes next so I let my fear get a hold of my brain and I try and sneak in

The basement and I'm afraid that my father is going to catch me and I was

Right he caught me and then I had to be afraid of what he was going to do

God I need a rest

Charles Grimes

Seattle First Annual Balkans Night

Julia and I went to Seattle last night for the first annual night of Balkans music at the Russian Center on Capitol Hill.  There were about 15 different bands.  In the main room, the bands were bigger tending towards Macedonia or Bulgarian music.  Huge folk dancing crowd there.  Lively music and all sorts of colorful costumes.  In the smaller "kafana,"  smaller groups, fewer instruments, lots of Croatian music there.   Sljivovica, wine, goat's cheese, olives, figs, bread, sausage. 

My favorite music was made between the main acts, on the dance floor, by a woman playing a large drum and a man playing a goatskin bagpipe-type instrument.  Loved it. 

And Julia got to practice some of her folk-dancing.

Sheridan

Tim's place of employment -- the Sheridan Press -- gets some kind words from the Paris Review.

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/03/01/on-press-with-the-paris-review/

Prophecy or ???

I write to Slavko:

"Last night I dreamt that all of old town Milna had been demolished and replaced with a huge concrete shopping mall.  What a nightmare!!!!"  Slavko promptly replies:  "Got the explanation of your dream, there's a dozen of Caterpillars working in Milna this season, right now, so it's contrary, instead of demolishing, the building is going on. Back road, sewage system, new catamaran stop, fish factory, shipyard, some apartments building... Nada wouldn't mind if your dream comes true!!!" 

Eason's Third Birthday Party

At Gary and Katherine's . . . yummy strawberry cake, Kyra . . .

For Fun: Bride and Groom from Columbia

Eason and Eliot Travel to the Mountains for a Little Fun

Charles and Melanie's New House in Ann Arbor

Showing a peaceful winter view from their living room . . .

Almir Sez: Snow in Sarajevo too

Well of course I am safe and warm, because I am in a big city, but dramatic situation is on perifery everywhere in Bosnia.

Actually we used to live with snow nothing new but never so huge, can you imagine in the city at Saturday was about
1 meter and 15 centimeter, wow....

It was funny on Saturday morning, on my way back from Marquees, we ( Zlaja guitarist remember) me and Irvin, was walking
through the snow, actually we tried, every 5 meters we fell down, after lots of beers....(heheheheh).....


your friend Almir

Slavko Sez: Snow!

Hi John, Many greetings from Milna, hope you're doing well and sound! Look what I've found this morning on our doorsteps, for a long time didn't snow like this, so I took the chance before it's gone!

Slavko

Seasons Roll 'Round and 'Round

I've got the orchard down at the farm pruned once again . . . (actually, I paid someone to do it for us!) . . . still the seasons roll . . .