It's been so long. Sometimes it seems long it's been.

Storytelling, is it in me?

Thinking of trees.

is today, it'll be full of peaches, flowers, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, friends, bread, cheese, cookies, maybe even music.

Big news: I had the best road trip of my life. Okay, it wasn't just the road trip that was the best, but the reason for it, the people I was with, and well, even driving down the road was fantastic. Up until now, road trips with a group of people turn me cranky, I sometimes don't mesh well with traveling in a group mentality. We started out telling each other all of our fears, and then talked the entire way to Pittsburgh. I just came back from the CCMA conference which stands for Consumer Cooperative Management Association. Very many food co-ops from all over the country get together and talk food co-op. Food co-op means a grocery store owned by its customers. That means there were representatives from communities nationwide. Each food co-op has it's own mission, each has its own way of doing things, each is owned differently. It's amazing to compare and contrast. From visioning to growing in rough economic times, we make friends and get all introspective on our own co-ops. Five of us went, three board members and three staff members, I am the lucky one who is bilingual! The destination was Pittsburgh, and the co-op that hosted us was East End Food Co-op. Pittsburgh is hoppin', first of all! The whole mission of the conference was thriving in trying times, and I learned a ton about what is happening right now, and how we need to shape our own future of our businesses. It's an opportunity (opportunities, really) and I'm excited to run around taking advantage of creative, innovative ideas that help make my co-op and community thrive.

Ate three strawberries out of my garden today, they tasted like the world made me a pie, even warmed it up for me.

Some friends always give me kisses when i see them. I like that about my life.

The time that is now,
Matt and I now have "internet connection" at home. In our home. For real.
The time that is now,
I run a downtown Kalamazoo Farmers Market, which I hope really really takes off when it comes to abundant season.
The time that is now,
we had a show in our basement last night, it had to do with songs we all knew and sang along with (a friend) and also some real good songs we'd never heard, and lots of projections on screens behind their backs.
The time that is now,
A couple of good friends of mine are coming to stay at my humble abode next week. Actually, my true love Casey who is leaving and suddenly I am starting to come to terms (tears) with that fact and I just really really want it to be a blessed week together. Movies projected in our basement, dinners extravagantly, whatever we need, we should do.
The time that is now,
Good ol' Goodie Merva & Gals are visitin' this June, we'll go to a wedding, hang out with the folks, and who knows. This is a version of a friend who left me with tears in my eyes yet has come back to me with good times and a solid solid feeling that will never ever scatter. Good friends are sometimes hard to come by, I suppose I've kissed ass to the right ones though.
The time that is now,
Let's in some "rays of sunshine", and I'll leave it at that.

Every now and then I feel pretty lonely
Or maybe I feel like being lonely
Lonely is okay when it's on the way to
Feelings that will last and that will only
Upkeep the person that I am

It's hard to constantly upgrade the person that you are.
Mostly I wish I could be completely still like water,
Overriding that I have all these feeling of
Rambunctiousness and lively spontaneousity

Then again,
What will I do if I ever do
Find that balance?


Maybe I already have it,
Maybe I don't

i've got a heaping pile of polenta, made by the amazing c. mckenzie, with cheese, veggies, and polenta. dang good.

i've got red on today, i feel charged!

many plans for the upcoming season, as long as i feel this charged, things will go well. sometimes it's hard to continue the excitment, but being that this is SO exciting, i guess i could keep it up. (i'll even tell you about it sometime)

got a new table, or rather, a table new to us, it seems to make dinnertime official.

i'm looking to relax, not sure how to. i definetly need something to let it all out. everytime i drink a beer or a glass of wine, i just fall asleep. so that doesn't work. so far, dancing with three year olds is about my only outlet. which is pretty funny.

This week I have a cold, not a snow, a little rain and I heard rumors that there was even a sun. Matt and I got a really great flu, exciting to spend our time complaining and moaning and sniffling together, ya know. Saturday is a really fun night planned of love songs, and more!

My mouth is dry.

It feels really warm out
My cat Henry would be so happy
But we had to put him to sleep Thursday
For kidney failure
Today he would be romping around
Chasing other cats and greeting me
At the back door with a friendly
Meeooow.