handstories

lovely day

    A friend took me to Vashon Island for the day, to see the Vashon Sheepdog Classic (more here).  What a surprisingly great day!  Watching the border collies herd sheep from far off to the right . . .

. . . up and down the rolling hills towards us, where the sheepdogs would do what they do, finally corralling them.  (It was the book/movie "Babe: The Gallant Pig" in real life!)

    There's much more to it than that, but I know nothing about dogs, herding or the competition, but enjoyed it all just the same.

    Bagpipers played as the entire group of sheep came down to graze.

    There were also tents of fiber demonstrations and lessons- spinning, weaving, needle-felting, etc... but I forgot to take any photos, but here are more sheep!

    The highlight for me was seeing Dr. Temple Grandin in person!  She's long been a hero of mine.  She is an animal behavior expert, who help to create more humane methods for livestock handling.  She was able to do this because she "thinks in pictures," which is one part of how she sees the world as person with autism.

    Twenty years ago, when her book Thinking in Pictures: Other Reports from My Life with Autism came out, I was working with a boy on the autism continuum.  Her book helped me to better understand him, and validated the belief that our differences are gifts and part of what make our world so rich.  Dr. Grandin is delightful, so very smart, and funny.  It was thrilling to see and listen to her.

The Seattle Women's March . . .

    We left the house at 9:30, the buses were all full to the brim and didn't stop, so we walked the two miles to the rally.  The streets were full blocks before we reached the park.

    Approaching the park.  50,000 were expected.

    It's estimated that 130,000 showed up!

    Wonderful strong eloquent women spoke- reciting words from Maya Angelou and Cesar Chavez, and reminding us that we stood on sacred Duwamish land, and that we need to love and protect each other.

    At 11:00 the crowd began to move to the street . . .

    It took an hour and a half to travel the first few blocks.  While we stood there, waiting for the bottle-neck to inch forward, two bald eagles soared over us.

    The sea of people heading towards downtown.  K. took this photo of my good friend and me (bottom center, her with long blonde hair, me to her left in two-toned pink hat)

    Until we reached the Seattle Center at 3:15, 3.8 miles.  So very glad to have been a part of it all.  

    Riding the crowded bus home, everyone tired and hungry, but chatting, smiling, asking each other how their experience was, "Wasn't it a beautiful day?"

    Yes, it was.

starry thoughts

    Back from a weekend in Portland visiting my sister-in-law.  It began with a trip on the Bolt Bus, a first.  I even got the one dollar ticket!  There was a worry that it would be a broken seat by the bathroom, but it was surprisingly swell.  Especially for someone who hates to drive.  Once there, I was wined & dined, taken on a picnic, and more.  A whole other world for a couple of days.  

    I took along the star cloth, and the latest library find.  Loving this book, too, and adding some constellations to the galaxies.

    Began with the Northern Crown.

    And then discovered the Ship.

    There are so many to be added . . . the Crow, Whale & Fishes, Southern Crown, Magellanic Clouds, and more.  On some distant edge there will be Andromeda.

    But first, I'm heading over to Jude's place, to catch up on the rerunning of her whisperings of "SunMoonStars Diary", where I'm sure to be filled to overflowing with starry imaginings.  

"Cloth Lullaby"

    Found at the library, Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois, words by Any Novesky, and pictures by Isabelle Arsenault.  OH, MY . . . the illustrations, the lyrical language, the story of Louise. . . all of it.  So much inspiration . . . the stitching has begun.

    " . . . on the water that wove like a wool thread through everything."

    "She loved to work in the warm sun, her needle rising and falling beside the lilting river, perfect, delicate spiderwebs glinting with caught drops of water above her."

    " . . . Louise would study the web of stars, imagine her place in the universe, and weep, then fall asleep to the rhythmic rock and murmur of river water."