A Saturday in the Sun

I was to spend the day cleaning the apartment as I need to do so I can get all my stuff out of the condo storage. Have to make room here for what's there!

I attended the local Pax Christi meeting, a 5 minute walk from my house and came back ready to clean. Did a load of laundry, washed dishes, began to clean the dining room area-covered in stacks of papers. About 2 I said, "Enough, you cannot waste the beautiful 70 degree sunshine day in the normal cloudy Midwest October!" Get outside. So I took the collapsed moving boxes to be recycled, I have found a place to recycle paper, sorted glass, and cardboard boxes. I feel righteous as I have always tried to take care of Mother Earth. We only have one mother and we are destroying her air, water and soil for future generations. It makes me scream as her beauty is nowhere else in existence in all the universes! I did the carbon footprint and will try to buy back my carbon footprint if I can this coming year-$15 a month.

So I headed to Lake Michigan. Lots of folks outside enjoying the beauty of the day. Lake Michigan has a dog beach which I saw for the first time today. The dogs all kinds and sizes were having a great time. I wanted to take a picture but I don't know how to use my cell phone camera and had forgotten to bring my 35mm. A nice young man tried to help but even he couldn't get it saying, "Mine is so easy." So ATT your cell phone can be improved! I thought the grandsons would enjoy seeing the dogs romping in the water-blue water and blue sky meeting at the horizon.

I walked into the Bird Sanctuary at Montrose Beach where some of us watch the Full Moon and an older man wearing a "It is all for the birds" tee shirt. He was propped up against his bike and looking into the roped off meadow that is being restored. The meadow is a feasting area for the migratory birds. We began to talk about birds and Chicago and the American unsustainable lifestyle. We agreed that lifestyles would have to change to save the environment. He played the devil's advocate and I would have none of it. The environment must come first! Or else how would our grandchildren survive?

I dallied to long so thought I must be on my way, I was trying to walk for a1/2 hour. Frank encouraged me to come to the Jarvis bird sanctuary on Saturdays as they are working there. That is how he got the T shirt. I said I would check into it.

Out of the green of the sanctuary onto the beach I retraced my steps. A young man was sitting on the huge rocks used to anchor the beach. he looked up and said, "I like your tee shirt." "Thanks" as I was wearing my "Grandmothers for Peace" Tee which I wear everyone most of the time. I am obsessed that my grandchildren should never choose the military. It is NOT an option. I said, "Are you a veteran?" He looked the age that he could be an Iraq veteran. Ed said, "No" but maybe you would like to read this book that he was. It is a collection of writing from the soldiers to home. I sat down and we probably talked for 1/2 hour. He is from New Orleans and wants to write a novel of a returning soldier from Iraq and his suffering and why the US does not provide for him. I gave him Jason's blog and said this may help a little for background. He wanted to know "how can we stop this war?" Ed doesn't believe that the 20 somethings see the connection between the war and what is going on at home. For example We can't fix Katrina because all money is being sucked up into the "endless war of Iraq." along with health care dollars, infrastructure, education, environment...the list is endless of the human services that are being cut to fund this insanity.

I told him about the march on Saturday but he is going to New Orleans. The weather is supposed to be cooler, we will see. We parted friends and wishing each other well. Ed had talked about how he had thought about joining the military was hesitant and now was very glad that he had not. I told him about my attempts to dissuade Jason asking, "Do you want Bush for your Commander in Chief?" But I could not. We talked about the human costs of war. One of the MFSO sons tried to commit suicide earlier this week. He was going back to Afghanistan in about a month. His mother is beside herself with worry, it goes on and on. The killing fields are here now, wherever the soldiers are.

Ed wants to write a play about the soldiers plight. I encouraged him to see "The Ground Truth" the story of the Iraq veterans and the wounds-body and mind that they carry. He is a very nice young man and, of course, I thought of Jason and how he could be such a good writer. He is studying a MBA but I never know...

It turned out to be a 2 hour walk/talk in the park this afternoon. I thought "A Blessing to be be without the pain of Dow, to be able to walk in the sunshine and start a conversation with others." To be able to be "on my own" it is so freeing, so peaceful. I came back and called my Aunt Theresa who turned 80 this week. She is a delight and my godmother so we talked about an hour while I prepared my dinner of salmon and baked sweet potato.

Aunt Theresa's joke from the Reader's digest, she reads them while at the MD's:
A priest, minister and rabbi are gambling.
The joint gets raided, the cop asks the priest "Are you gambling?"
he replies, "No sir" thinking "I will have to go to confession when I get back.
The cop asks the minister the same question. The minister replies, "No, sir," thinking "I will be on my knees for hours for this tale."
The cop finally asks the rabbi, "Have you been gambling?" The rabbi throws up his hands looks at the priest and minister and replies, "How could I?"

I hadn't worked on the blog for a while so I thought I would head for the computer. I don't have any plans for Christmas as I can't afford a trip to Florida. I waited too long, lesson learned for next year. I am putting $100 a month away for a trip next summer if it works out. I need a vacation after these last two years. My thyroid is acting up-overactive, the MD put me on meds and I am getting nauseated so maybe she will change them next week. Have a great fall as we all prepare for Halloween. I think I may get more kids in this neighborhood.