I’m actually well into a letter on some major foreign policy moves that occurred this week, but as I was digging in, it suddenly hit me that we could all use a break.
Thank you Heather. That is exactly what we need. Resting on a sun warmed rock and letting go of the stress for a day to rejuvenate. Soak in that energy so we can win this fight to keep our democracy.
I can't believe I've lived here 24 years (many on the HIll) and didn't know about this band! Thank you! Donated and posted.
If anyone else has ever thought, I wish I could help some inner city kids who live in very tough situations, I encourage to read the article about these amazing children, and their director, and do what you can to support them through the CH community foundation.
I didn't either Chaplain, but I live in southern MD and don't get much to the city now that my husband has passed. He had worked and lived in and near DC for decades and knew his way around. But I was happy to donate!
Saw this the other day and it brought both tears and smiles. I am so looking forward to visiting WaDC again, hopefully in the spring. Even looked up train schedules!
Marching band is such a great activity for high schoolers and beyond: discipline, music, exercise, travel, community, sum is greater than its parts, and forging of life-long bonds. It's a real "swords into plowshares" phenomenon. Spinning rifles in the air and catching them behind your back is how all rifles should be used!
My niece and nephew were in the Parkland, FL High School marching band in early 2000's and traveled he world. Their mother, my sister-in-law, was president of the Band Parents group raising $ for their trips, uniforms, instruments, buses and traveling with them. A labor of love with oodles of fantastic memories of their adventures!
This is so cool. I am in the middle of my own personal fund raising drive, where each member of the band is asked to find $400 in donations to help the band. I am cutting my own "usual" contributions there to send money to the Blue and White Marching Machine.
Thank you, Lynell. Your posting of Eastern High Marching Band and Heather’s serene photo has been a very positive start to my day. And a great idea for a donation.. right now!
Perfect!!! That does look like the kind of break we all need. Thank you for your vigilance and diligence on behalf of our country, and democracy. Words cannot adequately express how invaluable your work is, and how deep our gratitude to you is. Thank you and rest well!
Indeed, seals on a beach is a far more comforting view than the views I've been taking in all week. Frankly, I don't know how you keep it up, absorbing all of the most corrupt garbage wrought by political minds, processing it into something we all can consume, correlating with history in a way that doesn't give us all a massive stomach ache. Trouble is, I also read other sources, and the sum total IS a big ache in the gut. I have increasingly been just reading headlines and deleting content. I can't read any more of it. I can only wait, hope, pray and live in the moment. We will or will not reject the liars. We will or will not protect our congress from them. We will or will not have gridlock in the federal government. But, reading more about it does nothing to prepare me.
I basically stopped reading op/eds except for a few people whose clarity and insight I admire. I still get the info I need but w/o all the angst and baiting.
I pretty much agree with you, Nathan. For my own health's sake, I have pulled back quite a lot to eliminate not only information overload but also the kind of assumptions that too many people are caught up in. I watching the Jan6 Committee Thursday, and then turned off all media and took my dog for a run (I cannot walk fast because of lame foot, so I take her down the alley and she zooms past me, turns and zooms back, sometimes running circles around me- she makes me laugh!). Yesterday, I went to the bakery and then I spent the whole rest of the day watching OPB's excellent documentaries on arts and the natural environment of Oregon- and the people involved. Felt like being home again for a few hours.
I'm completely with you on the dog therapy. My girl never fails to entertain and getting outside to walk with her is worth hours of professional consultation. I have been observing the "live in the moment" behavior of all 3 of my furry friends. They dispense their affection without regard for the direction of the political winds, worry little or not at all beyond what's in my bowl that they might get a taste of. There are so many good things to enjoy in this world; it's a shame we must tend to the nasty business of governing our own destructive behaviors.
Understand how you feel. After 22 years in Oregon, I’ve moved to Colorado. Beautiful place but boy is it different in some subtle (and not so subtle) ways. And after watching the Jan 6 Committee and keeping up on the news from Ukraine this week, I’m exhausted.
I lived in Colorado for a couple years, too, during the 90s- right next to the Rocky Mt National Park, near the western entrance at Grand Lake. Once a month we drove down to Denver. I enjoyed living there then- not sure what it is like now. But agree with you that it is different from Oregon in ways that are sometimes hard to put your finger on. There is a massive cultural difference between the PacNW and Vermont, though. I found the transition difficult and still do not feel at home here. Though I admire many things about the place, there are other things that make me profoundly uncomfortable. I have family and friends here, but when I win the lottery (ha), I want to move back to the NW (family and old friends there).
After watching the Warnock Walker debate last night I watched a movie, "Love is Strange," which John Lithgow said on Colbert the other night was, he thought, the best performance of his life. The director told then not to act but to be themselves. An interesting one, still pondering it this am. I may watch again.as a bit I didn't understand as I was watching till the end. Trying to put the pieces back together and integrate. A nice break! Also why I tape Colbert each night and laugh some the following day!
Hey, Sandra. I can't stay awake to watch Colbert. My electronics whiz husband disconnected our copying machines several years ago, and never updated any of them. I have no idea what's new these days to copy shows. But I do find his shows on YouTube easily. I mostly like his monologues and meanwhiles!
I've heard Warnock in interviews and he's terrific, but a debate being interrupted by Walker and the audience doesn't give him an uninterruptred answer to many questions. I thought that diluted his answers. Walker was better than I'd expected but apparently he's been coached a lot. I sent him another check this am. I've been supporting him for months.
Great post, and so true, Annie. Glad you found your happy place watching uplifting documentaries. Great visual of your dog running circles around you...that's why I have cats. They don't really need me to stay entertained!
I have a beautiful medium haired calico, white with black and brown markings, Zuli. She's an inside cat other than stroller rides or outside playpen patio sessions, basking in the sun, sleeps a lot and entertains herself on perches, in cat chairs, playing w toys, chasing lights and is a delightful companion!
My two are Monkey See and Monkey Do; Tuxedo cats rescued from a barn down the road from us when they were just weeks old. They got their names because one of them would "do" something while the other one watched!
Stroller rides? My goodness, you definitely are the cat's meow!
Thanks, Lynell. I am allergic to cats, and cannot imagine life without a dog! Beatrice needs me to be the grounding point in her life, as she often is in mine. The joy she expresses when I come home or take her out with my is healing for both of us. She was a rescue from an area with a tragic weather event last winter: She experienced a great deal of change and trauma in just a few days after being rescued. I adopted her just a few days after she got to the shelter here in VT. Together we have worked through a lot of her uncertainty, and I am honored by her trust. She knows now that when I leave, I will come back. We are good for each other.
That's the thing about dogs that is so endearing. They are so very good at rescuing while they are being rescued. Good for you and Beatrice as you journey through a happy life filled with mutual trust!
Truly, it IS an honor. Of my fellow jurors, I would say, we were a very disparate selection, from age to ideals, BUT they were as serious about their duty as I was and everyone kept an open mind. I feel like we came to a proper verdict.
Thank you, Heather, for ALL you do. I sincerely appreciate all you have done to educate me and my fellow travelers on this bumpy road. ♥️
Reminds me of this film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111112/
Thank you Heather. That is exactly what we need. Resting on a sun warmed rock and letting go of the stress for a day to rejuvenate. Soak in that energy so we can win this fight to keep our democracy.
Fortunately I’m in FL so I’ll make it a point to sun myself on a rock today in solidarity!
Amen.
I resemble this post in sentiment and in substance.
When you wake up, check out these marchers on Capitol Hill. My beloved Washington, D.C. has more to offer than politics!
https://wapo.st/3CZ3Ums
Off to donate to the capitol hill community foundation that supports them! (per the article).
Go Band! Go Band! Go Band!
Wonderful and delightful, thanks,
Now I can't get that out of my head, Kathy...Go Band! et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!
LOVE THIS!! Choked me up. Thanks Lynell.
Capitol Hill Community Foundation:
https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/521582214
I love the story! My 12 y/o granddaughter has fallen in love with the flute and in her honor we donated.
It was a great story, wasn't it. I'm sure they appreciated our donations while wondering, "Where'd these folks come from?" LOL!
I’m so happy to donate. What an inspiration they are!
Inspiration, exactly, yes, Karen!
Glad you liked it, MaryPat! Thanks for the Charity Navigator link. Makes it easy to donate!
Great article! Kids need hope that they succeed. So glad to donate to the band. Go band!!!
Wow, thanks so much, Jenn. Didn't expect anybody to donate. Just wanted to show my hometown in a more positive light!
I can't believe I've lived here 24 years (many on the HIll) and didn't know about this band! Thank you! Donated and posted.
If anyone else has ever thought, I wish I could help some inner city kids who live in very tough situations, I encourage to read the article about these amazing children, and their director, and do what you can to support them through the CH community foundation.
With so much bad news coming at us 24/7, this one story was so uplifting to me. And, yes, they surely are a worthy cause deserving of support.
Yes!!
I didn't either Chaplain, but I live in southern MD and don't get much to the city now that my husband has passed. He had worked and lived in and near DC for decades and knew his way around. But I was happy to donate!
Saw this the other day and it brought both tears and smiles. I am so looking forward to visiting WaDC again, hopefully in the spring. Even looked up train schedules!
I'll tell them you're planning on coming, Annie...LOL!
Marching band is such a great activity for high schoolers and beyond: discipline, music, exercise, travel, community, sum is greater than its parts, and forging of life-long bonds. It's a real "swords into plowshares" phenomenon. Spinning rifles in the air and catching them behind your back is how all rifles should be used!
My niece and nephew were in the Parkland, FL High School marching band in early 2000's and traveled he world. Their mother, my sister-in-law, was president of the Band Parents group raising $ for their trips, uniforms, instruments, buses and traveling with them. A labor of love with oodles of fantastic memories of their adventures!
My sister is still a “band mom” for her local high school (even though my nephew is 32). She’s on her 3rd director; they still love her.
Loved our Band Moms when my son was in band! Still great friends!!
Unloaded spinning rifles would be my vote!
Fortunately bullets cannot be loaded into a solid piece of wood!
https://youtu.be/_M1xyZjbaD4
In action!
https://youtu.be/bbdrbpSpT9I
Awesome!
I know my solace in high school was the band room.
This is so cool. I am in the middle of my own personal fund raising drive, where each member of the band is asked to find $400 in donations to help the band. I am cutting my own "usual" contributions there to send money to the Blue and White Marching Machine.
$50 is my limit if that'd help your fundraiser?
Wow, yes it would. Gets your name listed as one of my chair sponsors! I can get you a mailing address, or a Venmo number.
Mailing address would be good; don't know about Venmo.
You could email me at springfieldccb@gmail.com;
That is a public email that I’m the only admin of. I’ll then email you my address.
The update article on the Band from yesterday's WAPO https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/14/eastern-high-band-donations-post-readers/
Thanks for this update, Sandra! It was more than refreshing to read the unanimous positive comments from the readers of this article.
N.B. Link includes a Go-FundMe link to donate for transportation for the Bandies.
Thanks for researching this, W! We donated through Charity Navigator, probably not for transportation but still a help!
Thank you, Lynell. Your posting of Eastern High Marching Band and Heather’s serene photo has been a very positive start to my day. And a great idea for a donation.. right now!
Thank you, Lynell!!!
Thank you, Lynell for sharing that wonderful link!
Thank you so much for this, Lynell
🤣👏
I always appreciate the breaks. We need them. YOU need them, too!
Perfect!!! That does look like the kind of break we all need. Thank you for your vigilance and diligence on behalf of our country, and democracy. Words cannot adequately express how invaluable your work is, and how deep our gratitude to you is. Thank you and rest well!
Indeed, seals on a beach is a far more comforting view than the views I've been taking in all week. Frankly, I don't know how you keep it up, absorbing all of the most corrupt garbage wrought by political minds, processing it into something we all can consume, correlating with history in a way that doesn't give us all a massive stomach ache. Trouble is, I also read other sources, and the sum total IS a big ache in the gut. I have increasingly been just reading headlines and deleting content. I can't read any more of it. I can only wait, hope, pray and live in the moment. We will or will not reject the liars. We will or will not protect our congress from them. We will or will not have gridlock in the federal government. But, reading more about it does nothing to prepare me.
Ouf! I won't tell you about the op ed I read this morning, or where it is, but boy, I needed those seals.
I basically stopped reading op/eds except for a few people whose clarity and insight I admire. I still get the info I need but w/o all the angst and baiting.
I pretty much agree with you, Nathan. For my own health's sake, I have pulled back quite a lot to eliminate not only information overload but also the kind of assumptions that too many people are caught up in. I watching the Jan6 Committee Thursday, and then turned off all media and took my dog for a run (I cannot walk fast because of lame foot, so I take her down the alley and she zooms past me, turns and zooms back, sometimes running circles around me- she makes me laugh!). Yesterday, I went to the bakery and then I spent the whole rest of the day watching OPB's excellent documentaries on arts and the natural environment of Oregon- and the people involved. Felt like being home again for a few hours.
I'm completely with you on the dog therapy. My girl never fails to entertain and getting outside to walk with her is worth hours of professional consultation. I have been observing the "live in the moment" behavior of all 3 of my furry friends. They dispense their affection without regard for the direction of the political winds, worry little or not at all beyond what's in my bowl that they might get a taste of. There are so many good things to enjoy in this world; it's a shame we must tend to the nasty business of governing our own destructive behaviors.
Understand how you feel. After 22 years in Oregon, I’ve moved to Colorado. Beautiful place but boy is it different in some subtle (and not so subtle) ways. And after watching the Jan 6 Committee and keeping up on the news from Ukraine this week, I’m exhausted.
Exhaustion is the right word.
I lived in Colorado for a couple years, too, during the 90s- right next to the Rocky Mt National Park, near the western entrance at Grand Lake. Once a month we drove down to Denver. I enjoyed living there then- not sure what it is like now. But agree with you that it is different from Oregon in ways that are sometimes hard to put your finger on. There is a massive cultural difference between the PacNW and Vermont, though. I found the transition difficult and still do not feel at home here. Though I admire many things about the place, there are other things that make me profoundly uncomfortable. I have family and friends here, but when I win the lottery (ha), I want to move back to the NW (family and old friends there).
After watching the Warnock Walker debate last night I watched a movie, "Love is Strange," which John Lithgow said on Colbert the other night was, he thought, the best performance of his life. The director told then not to act but to be themselves. An interesting one, still pondering it this am. I may watch again.as a bit I didn't understand as I was watching till the end. Trying to put the pieces back together and integrate. A nice break! Also why I tape Colbert each night and laugh some the following day!
Hey, Sandra. I can't stay awake to watch Colbert. My electronics whiz husband disconnected our copying machines several years ago, and never updated any of them. I have no idea what's new these days to copy shows. But I do find his shows on YouTube easily. I mostly like his monologues and meanwhiles!
What was your take on the Warnock/Walker debate?
I've heard Warnock in interviews and he's terrific, but a debate being interrupted by Walker and the audience doesn't give him an uninterruptred answer to many questions. I thought that diluted his answers. Walker was better than I'd expected but apparently he's been coached a lot. I sent him another check this am. I've been supporting him for months.
Keeping my fingers crossed. I've been donating to him all summer long, too, as I had back in the 2020 campaign.
Yes indeed!
Great post, and so true, Annie. Glad you found your happy place watching uplifting documentaries. Great visual of your dog running circles around you...that's why I have cats. They don't really need me to stay entertained!
A set of my notecards says,
"Dogs have owners.
Cats have staff."
I have a beautiful medium haired calico, white with black and brown markings, Zuli. She's an inside cat other than stroller rides or outside playpen patio sessions, basking in the sun, sleeps a lot and entertains herself on perches, in cat chairs, playing w toys, chasing lights and is a delightful companion!
Sounds delightful, Sandra. Zuli for the win!
My two are Monkey See and Monkey Do; Tuxedo cats rescued from a barn down the road from us when they were just weeks old. They got their names because one of them would "do" something while the other one watched!
Stroller rides? My goodness, you definitely are the cat's meow!
Thanks, Lynell. I am allergic to cats, and cannot imagine life without a dog! Beatrice needs me to be the grounding point in her life, as she often is in mine. The joy she expresses when I come home or take her out with my is healing for both of us. She was a rescue from an area with a tragic weather event last winter: She experienced a great deal of change and trauma in just a few days after being rescued. I adopted her just a few days after she got to the shelter here in VT. Together we have worked through a lot of her uncertainty, and I am honored by her trust. She knows now that when I leave, I will come back. We are good for each other.
That's the thing about dogs that is so endearing. They are so very good at rescuing while they are being rescued. Good for you and Beatrice as you journey through a happy life filled with mutual trust!
❣️
Agreed! Yay seals!
Love these seals, passive solar collectors.
Indeed we do! Enjoy your weekend!
Love the seals. Very calming. Thank you.
Agreed! Thank you Professor. I served jury duty this week. It was surprisingly tiring and stressful.
Thank you for doing that. It is an important cog in our wheel of democracy.
Thank you for your civic duties...jury duty and voting are our privilege and honor as citizens of the U.S.
Truly, it IS an honor. Of my fellow jurors, I would say, we were a very disparate selection, from age to ideals, BUT they were as serious about their duty as I was and everyone kept an open mind. I feel like we came to a proper verdict.
Thank You for Your Service!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
☀️ 💤💤💤
Enjoy your rest. 🦭.
Sunny side Up!
Happy pause, everyone. Thank you Heather!
Aren’t they lovely!
You might wanna ask the little fishes. :))