So why did I return to Ashland for 4 years (2006-2010). I will start with what I accomplished so I remember to take something away from here.
1. (Family) Got to grow up with grandchild, Bennett who is now 5 going on 5.5.
2. (Family) Spent time and watched the incredible growth of daughter Anna who will graduate from SOU in June of 2010. Helped me grow a lot as well.
2.5 Trev and Jennifer’s wedding. Trev, my oldest son, married Jennifer Martinz. They are now in 2010, expecting a baby, Lily. We will hear much more about her when I get back to Portland. Here are Trev and Jennifer:
3. (Spinning) Took spinning classes at Websters in Ashland and Llamas and Llambs in Jacksonville.
4. (Weaving) Was given a 4 shaft floor loom and bought an 8 shaft table loom. Put together the 4 shaft floor loom out of a box with Anna’s husband’s help (Sean). There were a few left over bolts. Mostly worked. The table loom is very nice.
I am reminded by my other writing that in the basement of this house, the image of Spider Woman was born. Thanks to Kevin Lewis who reminded me that on the other side of fear, lies our greatest power. Like in Batman Begins. His fear of bats, lead to Batman. Creepy in a way.
5. (Weaving) Wove small pieces on both looms plus purchased a knitters loom (rigid heddle) and wove Christmas presents one year rather remarkably. The knitter’s loom takes regular yarn and ribbon so all kinds of textures are possible with a simple weave. Took a basic class at Websters and a more advanced one there as well. Haven’t used the more advanced info (yet).
6. (Spinning) Bought a drop spindle but haven’t really used it. Now I have a Navajo spindle that is 36 inches long to begin to learn to make yarn for Navajo weaving. Reichard said that it takes several (from 4-9 years to make good yarn this way).
7. (Knitting) I washed, carded, spun, and knit a hat for Anna out of Romney wool that is local to the owner of Webster’s yarn store in Ashland. My mother thought I was attracting moths but I didn’t attract a single one.
7.5 Attended my first Blacksheep Wool Gathering in Eugene. Thanks to Sally Wiley. We met there or I never would have gotten there by myself. Good intentions. The sock below is my first striping sock. I bought yarn and directions at the gathering. Reminds me to go this year.
8. (Fiber) Visited an alpaca farm by the beach and bought fiber that had been sheared into bags. The owner said that the off white fiber was out that black was in but she had few of the black alpacas. Some of the fiber was HUACAYA and some Suri. The owner suggested there would be a fiber based economy in the future. I suppose that is possible.
9. (Knitting) I processed and carded some of the dark suri with the dark romney and started knitting another hat. Haven’t completed it. Though I know where it is.
10. (Knitting) I had another round with the knitting machine and knitted and felted a hat. Talked to Zelpha about upgrading but didn’t end up doing that. Would like to make a baby sweater before I leave Ashland but probably won’t on the knitting machine. Zelpha knits for Shakespeare. She is a true artist.
11. (Navajo) Now I am coming full circle to work on Navajo weaving which has become a separate category in my blog. Love the community.
12. (Sewing) I did weave and sew a blanket this month for Lily who will be born at the end of May. I used a hand held pin loom to weave the squares. Photos to follow.
12.5 Weaving and sewing a blanket for Jackson:
12.75 New weaving adventure with wider rigid heddle loom. 32 inch width allows for a complete baby blanket and or shawl.
13. (Sewing) As a seque, I made mbira bags for MBIRA.org to sell at 2008 Zimfest. They sold out. I have fiber to make more. Hopefully Marilyn Mohr and I can work on some this year (2010).
14. (Travel) I brought back fabric for bags from Zimbabwe 2009. In February 2009, I traveled (by plane and by myself) to Zimbabwe to study with mbira musicians and to visit Dzivaguru (event was organized at Bushbaby Lodge). I have a separate category in this blog for the trip which was phenomenal.
15. (Mbira) Leading up to this trip, I went to an 8 day intensive in Berkeley to learn from Patience and Jenny who traveled for the first time from Zimbabwe. I met Rosalie during this camp. Patience and Rosalie remain two of my favorite people.
16. (Mbira) Studied with Musekiwa in Eugene and Ashland and at Camp Pagungwa from Cosmas Magaya and Ambuya Dyoko. Both in 2008.
16.5 (Mbira) and Camp PaNyanza 2009 with Patience in Florence.
17. (Mbira) Performed two mbira benefit concerts, one for Ancient Ways in Ashland with Steve and Joseph, and one for Kutsinhira in Astoria with Joseph and Rosalie (Steve was recovering from open heart surgery.)
18. (Mbira) Playing mbira weekly with Steve so my mbira playing has been greatly improved while living in Ashland. (two trips to Berkeley for private lessons with Erica, one learning Marenje and the other Vasina Katura. both on gandanga).
19. (Harp) Flirting with harp. Purchased nice dusty strings harp (see below). Took lessons and dan helped me add some sharpening levers. Licia, an mbira friend in Portland helped me connect with a harp sales person in Portland. When I return, I hope to continue harp lessons in some form. Hasn’t jelled for me yet.
20. (Dogs) Bart passed away which was very sad as I was learning from him to live a dog’s life. Shumba and Emi are 8 months old now. A boy and a girl. Shumba loves mbira, Emi loves to snuggle. Both small miniature poodles. Well house broken. Very intelligent. Sleep on the bed with minor opinions and nosings.
21. (Family) Connected with the family tree. Have assembled all my dad’s files and my mom’s notebooks on family history. Dan had the file and sent me Family Tree Maker. Now I need to start entering where my dad left off. Not sure how much to fan out the families of husbands and wives of children and siblings. Will do what I can and add photos and info.
22. (Reading) Reading everything I can. I read a lot of junk, thrillers, but also Navajo weaving and history, Shona history, accumulated the books from the reading list of Pacifica thinking I would start on my PhD. Still plan to but when, where? Read some of Richard Rohr.. though I am not a Catholic, he speaks to me.
23. (Reiki) Visited Idaho twice. Once for a family constellation (my 5th) and once for a Master’s gathering with Paul and Susan. Gave up my membership in the Alliance waiting to see what evolves here. Interesting journey.
24. (Travel) Visited Anne-Marie in New Mexico for a week of reiki and lessons with Joy. She really helped me to get the kutsinhira in the right place on Marenje and Chipembere. Visited Anne-Marie at a Eugene camp with Patience in 2009 at Florence. We talked about the water spirit. Seems to be a link and maybe our ancestors in Alsace Lorraine.
25. (BBS TV) Watched every BBS mystery series on DVD from DJ’s video. Just found a new series on Netflix, Waking the Dead but it hasn’t all been converted to US format and probably won’t be.
26. (Family) Watched as my folks continued a downhill spiral into different forms of dementia. Dad fell in 2009 and broke his hip. Hasn’t really been the same since and we had to have a 24 hour care person here to bring him home over a year ago. This was the most difficult part of the stay here. Hard to really grasp the difficulties that they have faced and how tired I became towards the time for me to go back to Portland. We have moved them to Salem where Tim is overseeing their care. Bless you Tim. So this is only the beginning. Lots has happened since I have been here. I just wanted to remember all of it. I will add some pictures when I can. Came for Bennett and Anna and I learned a life time of lessons while here.
Over and out.