Dear Family and Friends,
My last chore before closing down the House at White Picket gardens
is to send my Sunday Passage. I have a late afternoon flight to Portland,
Oregon where I will spend time with Abe and Kristin. It is hard to believe
that it has been a year since I visited with them in Portland right
before my Carl Sandburg expedition. On Monday night Philip will join
me, and we will spend a few days traveling the Western coast line of
Oregon....the scenery is so spectacular and we are just hoping for lazy
days of vacation to hike and enjoy the beauty of the northern coast
of the Pacific. It is a much needed vacation for both of us!
The past couple of weeks I have been comsumed with work...school, theatre,
storytelling...I have driven the length of the state as well as East
to West carrying my satchel of stories. I love to think of my stories
as the planting of seeds much like our own Hoosier folk hero Johnny
Appleseed. Sometimes the days get long, and I haven't had a day off
for several weeks, so as I finished my last workshop yesterday afternoon,
I sighed as I packed my bag. As I did so one of the fourth graders came
up and told me how much he loved the stories and maybe he could grow
up to be a storyteller. That is what keeps this hectic life worthwhile.
Last Sunday I drove home early from Indy to attend a poetry read at
a local coffee shop. It was charming to sit in a gathering of folks
loving poetry as I do. The ages ranged from ten to seventy...some of
the poems were original, others were just favorite pieces. One at a
time we took to the stool in the front...shared a short bio of ourselves
and read our pieces. I chose original work as I read..listening for
the quiet reaction. Reading one's poetry in a group is definitely an
opening of one's soul...all that I am in reflected in my poetry. I spoke
of the fact that I do not date nor title my poetry, following the pattern
of Emily Dickinson. Her poems were able to be dated only by the change
in her hand writing which was a result of failing eyesight. I hope someday
my children take the time to date mine....by looking at events as well
as my own eyesight that is so precarious.
By the time I returned back home with suitcase in hand, my house filled
with the women from the Vagina Monologues. It was our first party since
the cast party! We have become so close that I imagine we will continue
these gatherings. One of the women, Diana, brought a tray of whiskey
shots to our "carry in". After a few rounds of these our stories
had us roaring with laughter...deciding we could write our own version
for next year!
Life is good. It is so filled with the unexpected.
So I am off...with a good bye to my little Jonah and Matthew...a stop
at the coffeeshop..and a trip to the airport...for a week of adventure.
Until next week,
Lou Ann
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