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November 27, 2006
Grape Dream
Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. ~William Dement
This weekend I had the strangest dream. Here’s it is:
When it began, Jacob and I were at our kitchen table, looking out the window that overlooks the back lot, eating concord grapes (I have positive connotations with concord grapes, because my grandmother had them growing in her maze of a back yard. My sister and I thought they were treasure). Anyway, As Jacob and I were sharing grapes, we noticed that the power lines outside the window were separating from their poles and curling into huge grape vines. Meanwhile, our apartment itself was becoming translucent and round. It was like Jacob and I were the seeds of our huge grape of an apartment. I will say the surroundings looked more like one of Chihuly’s http://www.chihuly.com/ blown glass bulbs than a REAL grape, cause the walls ceiling and floor were clear purple with deeper purple treading through it. The wildest part of the dream was that when you looked out where the window you could see our neighbors milling about in their grape apartments just like us. I remember looking through the floor and seeing our neighbors doing dishes and looking through the wall to see our neighbors eating dinner. It was like all the apartments were bundled together in one big cluster. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the dream was that the apartment’s floors and walls and ceiling were springy…like those big balloon houses at carnivals that kids jump in and I literally felt the bouncing. The bouncy feeling is actually what woke me. The floor had bounced me so high that the drop made my heart leap into my throat and “SNAP” I was awake. A few things really flipped me out in the dream: At one point, I noticed kids climbing down the grape vines from dangerous heights. I felt like they were going to fall. It was awful! Also, the floor was SO bouncy that Jacob and I were unable to get our bearings.
I woke with a horrible feeling like Jacob and I were going to be trampled or swallowed whole.
Anybody else have any weird dreams?
Posted by Heidi V. at 04:50 PM | Comments (5)
November 20, 2006
"Hoteye' aha', unyohsa' ya wahstih!" Which means "Brothers and sisters pumpkin is good!" in Wyandotte
Thankfully, Jacob and I have successfully started a Thanksgiving tradition! Basically, the night before thanksgiving, we make pumpkin pie together. Jacob peels the pumpkin while I sing Last of the Mohicans songs, and use his peelings to make a silly looking turkey to bake into the middle of the pie (last year we found that a pumpkin seed for the eye and pumpkin shell pieces for the body, legs, and beak work quite well). While the pie’s baking, Jacob and I read from a book composed of famous Native American speeches. It’s neat because the speeches offer several different personal perspectives of the pilgrims’ settlement. I must say, it’s a pretty intense experience sorting though all the beauty and pain this holiday represents for our ancestors. From here, we usually end up discussing small pox, well, until the smell of the pie curls throughout the apartment-THAT usually throws us into a discussion about what the Pilgrims REALLY ate for Thanksgiving-and THAT usually throws us into a discussion about what I used to eat for Thanksgiving: “Tofurky”…aka… “tofu turkey” (I assure you that NO Pilgrims or Native Americans ever had the pleasure of tasting Tofurky. What can I say? I was a vegetarian with a zest for meat substitutes).
Thanksgiving is a pretty special holiday for the Smith side of Jacobs’s family because they have a lush Wyandotte heritage. Jacob’s Uncle Rich has been the forerunner in keeping the family informed about their Native American roots. As a matter of fact, while Jacob was no bigger than pumpkin seed, his uncle Rich began fighting the government over land issues. I think his uncle was working as a potter on a reservation in New Mexico at the time. Interestingly enough, Jacob’s immediate family was blessed by Uncle Rich’s efforts, and was granted small financial settlements directly corresponding to the percentage of their Native American blood. I think Jacob is 1/16th which entitled him to $1,000. I thought it was kind of neat even though he doesn’t look Wyandotte at all!
Have a blessed thanksgiving full of rich and conflicting historical accounts! If you’re a friend reading this, know that I am thankful for you!
P.S. Here’s Uncle Rich’s website:
http://www.wyandotte-nation.org/profiles/rzsmith/richard_z_smith.html
So, you can learn Wyandot before thanksgiving!
How cool would it be to say “Please pass the maize” in Wyandot?
Posted by Heidi V. at 01:39 PM | Comments (2)
November 16, 2006
Superhero Quiz!
So, while I was sick as a dog these past few days, I learned that the library has consolidated all graphic novels and comic books (I’m thinking we have "V for Vendetta" to thank for popularizing them again). Now that they are all packed together it was far to easy to take a shelf worth to read while sipping tea, needless to say, I’m a bit hooked. Growing up, my friend Amber and I were lovers of Marvel and D.C. comics. A love fueled by the fact that her dad owned the local comic book/graphic novel store. His shop had everything you loved and hated about such places: The maverick collectors, the quirky sellers meandering through a maze of life size cut outs of Spawn and Spiderman, and yes a den of Dungeon and Dragons players peering from beneath their black hoodie cloaks. The atmosphere was nice, but what I loved the most were the comics, namely, Batman! I loved the 1930s originals, the silly 1970’s Boom/Crash comics with Robin, the 1990s “Animated Series” prints. And that place had it all!
Even into college I maintained a love for Batman. As a matter of fact my first roommate, Esther, and I STILL laugh about how she called a dorm room meeting to discuss room décor. From the meeting I gathered; the Batman comforter, sheets, and throw pillows were fine. However, the joker mask on the bed post and Bat Cave doorbell had to go. Oh and no ceramic figures of any kind! So, Esther didn’t “get” Batman, nor was she interested in hearing my spiel about how he struggled to use his gifts for the good of others. And well, I didn’t get what was motivational about a winding road going into the sunset with “Go for the gold!” written on it. Anyway, before I justify my childishness any longer, here’s a superhero test that I thought was fun. I was hoping I’d be Batman…I suppose opposites attract us to our heroes.
WHICH SUPERHERO ARE YOU?
Your results:
You are Green Lantern
| Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.  |
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...<
Posted by Heidi V. at 10:38 AM | Comments (15)
November 08, 2006
Sloths Part II
I love how they blink! So scrunchy! Honestly, I am dying to wrap my arms around one and kiss its shaved-coconut looking face! I promise that this will be the last sloth video I post!
Hanging With the Sloth
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Posted by Heidi V. at 11:11 AM | Comments (7)
November 01, 2006
God Talks in Dance
“If I could tell you what I meant, there would be not point in dancing it.”-Isadora Duncan (she was the founder of modern dance-by "modern" I mean the style developed in the early 1900s)
SO true. I wish I could dance this entry, but word’ll have to do. This weekend while floating, flying, and flapping around like a rag doll on a wind-whipped close line, I sensed God’s leading in my life. I was swirled out of my selfishness, into a deep peace which played itself out in leaps and twirls. I was trying to describe the experience to Jacob and all I could do was sputter out random, but genuinely passionate phrases: "God's chest," "I heard his pulse," "I'm free" until finally breaking into dance in our kitchen. The point is, I feel blessed to be lead by a God that carefully spins, sways, and dips me though a life I don’t deserve. And knowing that I’m being lead in this way fills me to the brim with so much thankfulness and hope that I wanted to share.
P.S. After this weekend of dancing and word-weaving with ghosts, hobbits, pirates, and paintings, I’m convinced that living forever will be fantastically interesting! More on ghosts, hobbits, pirates, and paintings IF I can figure-out how to upload the gazillion pictures I took at Neil's.
P.S.S. Speaking of pictures, the one in this post was taken in forest park a few weeks ago. When I got up to go, the current lifted that leaf like it was waving good bye. I loved it.
P.S.S.S. Speaking of loving things, I love community radio! This morning they played “Glass Onion”. How often does that happen? I assure you…nearly never.
P.S.S.S.S. I've noticed that people don't really use P.S. in blogs. Why not?
P.S.S.S.S.S. No Worries -I'm using them enough for the lot of us.
Posted by Heidi V. at 12:39 PM | Comments (5)