Middle Of Summer Damn IT

A Summer Girl is what I am, through and through. Always was. The sure sign was a deep harrowing melancholy that hit me the minute my mom said... "school clothes shopping". Keep in mind I am so old that school clothes shopping meant, dresses and skirts in wool and hush puppy shoes in suede. Also old enough to know a woman who, as a child, wore underpants that she made out of old flour sacks. True.
So, when its the end of August and folks say, "Ah, the last days of summer", I feel somewhat annoyed. Like, hey, summer is not over until September is almost over, and September hasn't even started. Not only that, but, some of the best days of summer are not even summer, they are Indian Summer days. It was on one of these Indian Summer days that I had my talk with God. I was fourteen and life was split wide open in the most innocent and empowering of ways. More on that later.

Back to today. Today is the day after the end of the 50th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Folk Festival. I was there for two days of it. Image #1 at the top tells you what much of the weekend was like, image #3 tells you what the Yards tent looks like when they run out of beer, waaa.

Between the two is an image that speaks to a message I received this morning. Before I was awake, but after I wasn't sleeping anymore, I was having a conversation about the earth (seeds), the sky (feathers) and the water (shells)... the fire was eluding me. The fire wasn't clear, the fire was a mystery. And that's when my conversation turned more into a loud whisper in my ear. Hey! Don't push it sister, just accept the mystery and go with that. And that's when I realized I am pregnant. Now we know that pregnant can mean:
developing offspring within the body

but it can also mean:

• weighty or significant; full of meaning: a conversation occasionally punctuated by pregnant pauses.
• of great or potentially great import, implication, or moment: "It was a politically pregnant time in Poland"
• having a profusion of ideas; creative or inventive.
• producing results; fruitful: a pregnant decision.

And that is the pregnant that I am. And that is the situation I will accept. And with that I opened my eyes and sprung from my bed and started my day. Getting ready for those labor pains, making a nest and really in love.

Like the beech nut, I will open and something full of potential will be revealed and maybe it will grow, maybe it will not, but that isn't what my life is about. My life is about being a Summer Girl, and it is the middle of summer damn it! Let's enjoy.

Dreaming... as usual... big, wild and fun

Say hello to Turtle. Turtle is an inspiration to my friend Denise Shardlow and me. Turtle is what we decided to call the Artisans Tour that we are working on in Cheltenham Township where we both live right now. Denise is a fabric designer, check out her work here.

If you, or someone you love, is an artist in Cheltenham Township, please visit our site www.TurtleArtTour.com
There you can read about what we are up to and how you can be a part of it.

Meanwhile, the Phillies lost. I don't have cable so I really wish that I could catch a win with the one game that's on regular tv each week. But still, it was fun to hang out here with Will, fans spinning, cicada's singing and the basic mid summer oppressiveness, that I would take any day over the "roll me up and let me sleep" chill of winter.

Talked with my friend Bet in Maine. Raining up there, but spirits are shining on. Bet has a fish fry, so if you are heading downeast, give her a visit. Nick called too, and we had a chance to catch up. Funny thing about my kids, they are real independent, damn good communicators and big hearted folks. All I ever wanted is for them to be true to themselves, and I think they are doing me proud... but all I can really ever have is the opportunity to be true to myself.

This here is a barn in Bucks County, and if I have my way, it's going to be the site of a fabulous horse therapy program called Quiet Road. Think about it, a place out in the country where you turn off your cell phone, sleep in, read, ride for hours, eat good food, get a massage and regroup. A true Holiday. Right here in Bucks County.
And if I have my way, friends Darla & Lou Pompilio will be in on the whole adventure with me. Actually, there will be many friends in on this adventure. So if you are interested, give me a holler.

Still on an adventure across the USA, just building up some steam.

Happy Trails,
Amy

Close to four hundred days later....

Hey,
I just wanted to post something now... watching the Phillies and a little distracted, but thought I'd start up again. A short blog, with some images, might be enough to get me back in the blogsaddle again. So here are the images...

Here is one from last summer, on the beach in Oregon. Will went back to UMass and had a fabulous junior year. He moved off campus into an apartment with three friends. The highlight for me was when he called from Trader Joes and asked what he should fix for dinner that night. So far he had the ingredients for clam chowder. I said, throw together a salad and get some good bread and that would be perfect. A few hours later his facebook posting said, "Great dinner, clam chowder and lobsters." Why bother?

Nick, shown here on same Oregon beach, went with us as far as Calgary. We went by way of my Friends, Bill and Linda, who treated us royally in Kaslo British Columbia. I've known Bill since I was 14. He lived with a bunch of guys in a house they called "Easy Acres". I think Easy Acres was a title they gave a bunch of houses back then. All I can say is I felt really honored to be accepted into their world.

So Nick traveled to Calgary to spend some time with friends. I made a few there myself. Evonne and Robert insisted I take the guest bedroom, join them for breakfast, have dinner and celebrate Roberts birthday... oh... the kids must celebrate too! If you've ever wondered if 'the more the merrier' is true... talk with Evonne and Robert. They really know merrier.
So, that's it for now.... I am leaving you with a shot taken somewhere in southern Alberta. Will must have taken it as we headed home on a windy Monday morning. Open road and big sky ahead.