Bluebird #12... thank you

Bluebird #12... Has landed! While proofing my December 12 entry I got an inkling of where #12 should land. The place was closed and rather than suffering a breaking & entering charge I waited until today.

I don’t know why Thing One & Thing Two came in to my head last night except that the activity in my mind yesterday was very similar to the “fun that is funny!” carrying on in Sally & her brother’s house… with the Cat in the Hat as the Ring Master. But while checking my facts on line I found some interesting information on Wikipedia, one of my favorite websites I became inspired…

In 1954 there was an article in LIFE magazine about the reading levels of American children. Apparently their reading levels were very low and the author, John Hershey listed many reasons why, but one in particular I enjoyed being a rebel from way back:

“…In the classroom boys and girls are confronted with six books that have insipid illustrations depicting the slicked-up lives of other children. Feature abnormally courteous, unnaturally clean boys and girls. . . .”

Then at the end of the article there was a shout out to the imaginative illustrators of the day to create a primer textbook for elementary students, Theodor Geisel being one of the illustrators.
Long story short Dr. Suess wrote Cat in the Hat to help children enjoy learning to read. It was the first in a series of Beginner Readers he wrote and illustrated. I am so happy that he was inspired to do so because these are the books that I learned to read.

Soooo, Bluebird #12 has landed in the Children’s Library at E.P. Foster Library on Main Street Ventura, next to Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs & Ham.

#12 please...

Today I got stuck in the doldrums.

Being a cold wet day with nothing to do…The Cat in the Hat showed up and had a Pity Party in my head and the mayhem ensued …. Thing One & Thing Two jumped out of the box and ran about the place, trying on my socks! …or was it flying kites. Whatever. I got tired of looking for the butterfly net and took a nap. Get out the book if you need a visual.

Bluebird #12 is in a holding pattern. He is waiting for a location.

Tomorrow’s another day… God help me if Sam I Am shows up with green eggs & ham… being a vegetarian that might cause a problem.

Bluebird #11

When I am working in Santa Barbara especially in the summertime I like to take the Seacliff exit on my way home. It’s just past Mussel Shoals & La Conchita. This road is actually part of Highway 1: Pacific Coast Highway. It travels right along the ocean’s edge. The road takes you through Faria & Solimar Beach and ends at Emma Wood State Beach. I call it the road less traveled because everyone is speeding down the freeway in traffic... and I'm not.

I love it. I roll all the windows down so I get the fresh sea air. If I am really not in a hurry to get home I will park next to the sea wall and watch the waves. Many times I see dolphins playing just off shore along here. I actually saw two jump straight out of the water like a Sea World trick! I see the pelicans fly high in formation or really low to the water, just grazing the waves.

Actually it doesn’t have to be summertime for me to take this path. I like going here in the winter too. It is just a really nice place to hangout and watch the ocean. Be quiet. Journal or meditate. This little stretch of road gives me a lot of pleasure whether I’m moving through or sitting still.

Bluebird #11 landed here this afternoon on my way to visit my aunt & uncle in Montecito. It is perched on a rock just north of Emma Wood with a great view of the islands.

Bluebird #10

In August I joined a knitting group on http://www.meetup.com/ . I had taught myself to knit from a book earlier this year and joined the group so I could learn more in a social setting. It has been a lot of fun. One week I noticed on the group’s website that there had been a field trip to an alpaca ranch in Somis. So I mentioned it at the next meeting. Not everyone went but I was told that the ranch had open house every month. So the research started.

I found the website for the ranch http://www.alpacalink.com/ . Initially my interest was in just the fleece and learning to spin. Then I noticed that there was a page about investing in alpacas… what? So then I started researching further. My curiosity was peaked and now I really had to go see the alpacas.

This morning I woke up with a smile on my face because I was going to Windy Hill Ranch to see the alpacas!!! Paca-paca-paca!!! Every second Saturday Windy Hill Ranch has an open house… eeerr… open ranch from 10am – 3pm. It is located out in Somis – about 35 minutes from Ventura.

It was a treat to get off of the beaten path to find this peaceful little ranch. They have about 300 alpacas living there. They own some but also board many of the animals. There is also a classroom there where all sorts of classes are held. Today there was a knitting group that meets monthly.

The little critters were so cute. Alpacas are shy but curious and approach with caution. They do let you pet them and if you are quick you can grab one to hold (with the help of the owner). It was fun. Alpacas make a cute little humming sound and are pretty mellow. They are low impact on the environment; relatively inexpensive to board; their fleece is warmer & softer than sheep’s fleece. I still have information to gather about investment and I am still looking for spinning classes but I think I’m going back in January to see the alpacas again!

Bluebird #10 has landed next to the alpaca statue at the Windy Hill Ranch of Somis where hope & happiness abound. (it's outside of Ventura but in the county!)

Bluebird #9

I was thinking about trees today and how much I enjoy having them around me. I love listening and watching the birds in the trees in my backyard. Of course they provide us with oxygen and help balance our carbon foot print but there is more to trees that I love.

For some reason trees give me a sense of security. They provide shade from the sun and cover from the rain. They are like our ancestors, like the Ents in Lord of the Rings. So I was trying to think of a representative of our local Ents and I thought of the huge Moreton Bay fig tree on the corner of Chestnut & Santa Clara. This tree was planted in 1874. I think it qualifies as an ancestor. The Great Moreton Bay Fig feels like a protector.

This park is a lovely public space with playground and bandstand… and like many of our public parks there are also quite a few homeless people. Where else can you go if you are without your own home? I hope the Great Moreton brings a feeling of hope and protection to the people of the park.

I want to say more here and I just don't know what to say. I want to say I'm sorry that those people have to live on the street. I'm not saying I'm sorry because it's my fault... it just makes me sad to see them suffer. And I wish them a vision of hope... that they see a way to solution.

Bluebird #9 has landed in the folding roots of our historic Moreton Bay Fig tree in Plaza Park as a little token of hope for the people of the park.

Bluebird #8

Bluebird #8… posted a day late but landed on time…

After spending the morning with a friend I drove past Lincoln School on my way to my clay studio. The children were at recess and the playground was bursting with energy. There were screams & yelps, laughing & talking, balls bouncing, jumping & running. I remember those days of fun filled recess! It was exhilarating to get out of the classroom for awhile and run wild with my friends.

Two of my favorite recess activities were playing on the swings & the horizontal bar. On the swings, I used to swing as high as it would take me and then flip off backwards and land on my feet. It was like flying. I loved it.

On the horizontal bars I would sit atop the bar and then swing backwards with the bar behind my knees with enough momentum to come back to the top of the bar. And for the finale dismount, I would flip off and land on my feet. I did this until Lisa Wormhouse broke her arm and it didn’t seem like such a good idea any more. But I kept flipping off the swings! No one broke anything over there.

Playful memories… Playing in our adulthood gets hard. We start racking up the responsibilities and we don’t have time. Well I’m here to saw, there is always time to play! And sometimes we need to take risks. Lifting your spirit in play & laughter is just as important as meeting our responsibilities. Think about what you use to do as a youngling that would bring you hope & joy… And do it! Go on! It will be fun! Some of us need to learn to skip again. I’m thinking about finding a swing. Don’t worry, I’m not going to flip off of it… but I will see how high it will take me!

So Bluebird #8 landed at Lincoln School, Ventura where the children reminded me that adults need to play too.

Bluebird #7

In October a friend of mine gave up the good fight against a 17 year addiction to drugs and alcohol. He got sick and tired of being sick and tired and took his life. It was a shock. It was tragic. It was very very sad. It rocked my world and shook up my belief system and caused me to reexamine it.

In a weird way his passing has given me hope and a new perspective on what I believe. It has strengthened my belief in a forgiving God and the idea of a Divine Plan. My compassion has grown for people who struggle to get clean & sober. My friend showed me how my life touches the lives of people around me because I saw how he had touched people’s lives at his memorial service.

His mother is a very dear friend of mine. She needs a daily dose of hope. So Bluebird #7 will ride in her car next to her picture of the Dalai Lama.