Great job Sarah! Welcome Selah Summer Ann! Your adoring brothers, aunts and uncle, eagerly await holding you and kissing you. Grandma will be there just as soon as she can. You were born at 8:01 AM on the 21st and the train left at 8:05, – trains and babies – you just can’t schedule them.
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It was a very GOOD week!
Perhaps it had something to do with the sun, which I got a lot of, since I went camping with daughter Andrea, my Mom and Dad, and my brother and SIL, on Saturday and Sunday.
Maybe it had to do with finally taking a destination train trip. Oh, I’ve taken the train at Central City before, and the one in Moore Washington, and the Utah Heber Creeper; but, last Tuesday I boarded the train for a trip over the Continental Divide, through the beautiful Rockies and on Thursday I enjoyed the return trip as well.
Then again, I did a lot of riding (which I love) and no driving (which I hate). I did a bit of shopping and was inspired to return home and create some “glorified denim,” which was in the neighborhood of $79.00 in the tourist towns and which I will edit and construct for around $20.00.
But, perhaps, just perhaps, it was a good week because I felt empowered; no longer at the mercy of those who manipulate, dictate, or insinuate for power. I am too old not to notice such games and too self-aware to play along.
On Friday, June 29, 2007 I learned that my job of the past 15 months had not been funded for the fiscal year beginning Monday, July 2! I found this out after declining a different job at the same institution which would have paid more and offered benefits and a couple of stress producing features (extended driving, commuting, and quotas); and while in the process of interviewing for yet a third position. I chose not to take the stressful job, packed my office decor and personal items, drove home and booked myself the train ticket. I am 53 and it is OK for me to be decisive and to have a little break after 15 months of non-stop responsibility. It is also OK for me to be intentionally about the business of those 10 things I want to do before I die.
I spent Monday and Tuesday at college orientation with Andrea – this too feeds my spirit, because it is a joy to see the person she has become and to participate in her plans for education and a future.
I am home now–and job hunting, but still savoring the last few days.
The Band that Meets in My Basement
AR BandOriginally uploaded by ein feisty Berg
It is a hobby, it is something I want to do once, it is a goal to reach over and over; it is on the list of 10 things I want to do before I die.
I want to raise and launch healthy, well balanced kids; I have been about the business of raising young musicians since I began teaching piano at the age of 15.
I stood in the back and cheered when I first experienced the tour concert of my oldest in which he was lead vocalist and simultaneous master of drum kit. My heart was full and I remember responding to the anxious queries of other parents, “How can I not be FOR this? If I were 24 and single, that’s exactly what I would love to be doing!” That same son still works in media, making a living for his growing family while continuing to pursue his dreams. Last month my two youngest offspring and an additional band member of Accidental Revenge (the band that meets in my basement) made their way over the mountain to record in the state of the art studio of big brother. The result? A five song CD representing musical and writing talents of three teenagers, age 18 and under. For a sampling of the new brand of music, please click on the Accidental Revenge link to the left – and if its too loud, turn down your volume knob and remember what Kev said of the Bass player, “you should write a song called, ‘Way too nice to be a teenager.’”
May I, as an aging baby-boomer, never say “That’s too loud! I can’t understand the words,” as part of a widening generation gap. If I utter those phrases, let it be for the sake of polishing, honing, and marketing the very best and most commercial product possible from the heart of the emerging generation.
Happy 20th Anniversary!
Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg
Happy Anniversary to us! 20 years ago this month we departed the wedding on a 1982 Harley Davidson and spent 21 days on the road cross country.
Congratulations, Andrea!
Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg
One of my skills, hobbies, and intentional pursuits for the past few decades has been “getting people where they need to go,” whether in mom’s taxi or in career / life.
Congratulations, Andrea! You have reached a milestone; graduation from high school! Another deep passion of mine is raising young musicians. Pictured here are seven high school students who participate in a variety of ways in marching band. Three of them are also members of Accidental Revenge, a fledging rock band which meets and rehearses in my basement. Two of the three belong to me. The guitarist is the young man in black behind Andrea.
What’s the difference between a career and a hobby?
Ten things I want to do be fore I die…..hmmm….are these things I want to do ONCE before I die, or things I want to accomplish or attain as a goal before I die? Are these hobbies, careers, or experiences? Do I want music to be my hobby, or my career? Do I mean I want to play the piano every day; or just play it once, really well? Do I want to hear just one standing ovation, or do I want applause every day?And the answer is…………….YES!
Summer Arrives 5 days after 18 inches of snow
It was that kind of day when the sound of a meadowlark could bring one to instant tears and the sun was shining in such a way as to cause one to remember in exquisite detail only the good in loves long lost.
Nature’s Beauty attacks with harshness again
On Tuesday, April 24, 2007, it snowed again. Over two feet. Resulting in the high school closing for two days, me missing a day of work (I am paid by the hour); and power being out at the cabin for two and a half days. We returned to our turn of the century ways (the 1800s century). Candles came out, we bathed in snow melt and water heated on the woodstove, I returned to work sporting a wet head look. Yesterday we had running water in the kitchen again in two ways: 1) the power was back on, so the well pump provides water to the faucet, 2) the warm temperatures caused that two feet of snow to melt quickly, seeping in the back wall of the kitchen washing across the tile floor and cascading into the gap between the kitchen wall and the slightly lower main cabin. Thank God for small favors! Without the gap the yearly spring run-off would flood the living room!
Well Begun is Half Done
Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg.
Well begun is half done. I love learning. I love knowledge. I covet a classical education. I want that black robe and a hood and a quaint little cap that says I have earned credibility and worked hard for knowledge. Not that I ever loved going to school very much as a youth. Sure, start of school was exciting; but by the time third quarter rolled around I was tired of the constant grind and ready to bolt or be carried away by my daydreams. Nevertheless, education has been an ongoing thread in my journey. Every chance I got, I took classes. Finally, in December of 2005, I graduated. 128 credit hours are needed for a normal bachelor’s degree. I graduated with 144 and walked in the ceremony the following May. A bachelor’s degree is not quite the PhD my brain has longed for before I die, but one has to start somewhere. One will never get a doctorate if one drops out of high school, or college. Well begun is mighty satisfying! P.S. The one on the Right DOES have a PhD!
The New Decade
Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg.
Not much has changed in the intervening years (Except this picture is 2 years old 🙂 )