Quiet productive and emotional day. Diane and I spent most of it putting pictures up on our newly painted walls. We have piles o stuff that used to be up on the walls.. now we’re trying to figure what of it goes back up on the walls… what we store.. an what we burn.   As you can imagine, handling these pictures is a deep emotional experience. So many emotions.. happy and sad.. We had to stop a few times just to cry.. It just feels so good to see these things up.

We also hung up our70-ish year old phoen we got in england. It took me over 2 hours to figure out how to wire it into or network. It’s insides arent’ as old as the phone.. from what I can tell. it was rewired in teh 1960s.. It’s cool to talk on it now..

Tonight I had a cool expreience.. My friend(and mailman) Scotty Ravenclaw invited me to a Drumming Cricle and mini-sweatlodge at his yurt. We had a small pot luck before then climed up to the 16 foot yurt up in the woods behind his house..

The ceremony was very cool.. It has four segements,one for each of the cardinal directions. Each direction has it’s totemanimal.. East is the eagle, south is the coyote – the trickster, westthe Bear, the medice man, and north the white buffalo. Each segemnt invoved drumming, chanting and personal prayers from each of the people there.   During each segment, Scotty placed sage and poured water  on rred hot rocks he pulled form the stove. The steam rased the temperature in the room to near 90 degrees. It was a very cool tradition.. We spoke of and meditated on what we needed in our life, the places our heart strings needed to go.. and who in our lives needed strenght. it was the perfect thing to do as I go into theis very difficult week. I  felt Sam very present.

The smudge on one of the support rocks  looked like Sam’s name when I didn’t have my glasses on.. what do you think ?

There was a ton of natice american stuff in the yurt.. it was a comfroatable and special place.

We fnished up around 10.. It was a great expereince.. it would be fun to do again in the real swaet lodge.. those are much smaller,and much hotter. I’ll try yto go to the next one.

I sad good bye to the folks at the ceremony.. Scotty, his son Sam Peter, John and Diane. they were all great folks. I particulalry enjoyed speakign with Johnn He has a bran enjury from his late teens that prevents him from remember ing anything.. Every day is a new expereince fr him.. he’s always in the present.. and an extermely nice and wise person. Whata cool hono r to meet him.. and all the folks at the ceremony.

On the drive home I had to stpp twice.. irest to usher this frog out of my way.. then to scre off a large herd f deer on the street.

It was wierd driving home whit this weathr.. 64 degrees  at 10 PM !.. That could be a summer evening !

Summer evening or almost winter.. It’s late now. Diane, Gabe and I watched a very dumb movie (the promotion) which we started around 1030 We all sat and watched it on Sam’s bed.. and it still is Sam’s bed.   Now I’m too tired to keep my eyes open.. I gotta sign off for today !

nite all. good night Sam !We love you !
-me