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this broccoli plant is two years old.  wintering over again,  in the spring she will become Three years.  I should take a pic of her whole self,  she more almost vine like,  dangling over the side of the wall and sprawling.   The florets ARE broccoli.  This years leaves are tough.  She flourishes.   Whatever she chooses to do,  she can.  We will let her die of old age. (if that ever happens).

 


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and again,   the Glorious Collard Tree.  

I NEEDED to be OutSide today.  I hauled buckets of manure/feedscrap down to A.  I counted and need only 6 more buckets.  Or 7.   After the drizzly/rainy week it was a Beauty FULL golden day of sun,  and 52 degrees.   The Goats helped by supervising the shoveling,  inspecting the buckets and accompanying me down and up the long road.   I thought how lucky i am.  How many in this world get to walk with a herd of Goats?   And a chicken.   Before going back up,  i sat at the picnic table there.  After a while a tree frog began speaking…..the usual  sound,  but inbetween some different kind of speech,  little single syllable chirp sounds….i stared into the weeding debris.  It couldn't have been further than a foot away from my boots.  I watched for any movement.  None.  Only the sound.   sitting there, somewhere  hidden,  speaking.   

Before i went out i lit a stick of Nag Champa.   Satya Sai Baba.  From Mirran's gift shop on the Plaza in Socorro.   There's only one left.  I'll keep the box for collage,  i smile.  I came back and this house smelled like my house,  like my house, which ever one,  has smelled for over 50 years.  I've been saving these last sticks.  Why wait.  Smiling again.  

 


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Prompt:  something literal and mundane that's central to your life.  How could you exalt this in a way that expresses its internalized value to you.

My Signature.    Literal.  Mundane.  and i wrote it on !!!!!!….the inside of a billing envelope from my credit card company!!!  which i'd begun to tear up until it clicked….Hey,  grace….this is wonder Full….for collage!!!!!!!     But my signature.   Yesterday a MVD day and toward the end i had to sign here and date,  sign here and date and i forget exactly how she indicated that she was eyeing the lower case g….but she was and she caught herself,  her head went a little sideways and her eyebrows flashed up and down it was all so subtle and instantaneous…the old woman with all the name changes,  with no way to prove physical address,   and to top it all off a lower case g

it was hopefully the final day of having to account to formal authorities for what i'd done over the years,  account for decisions i'd made during 50 years plus.   To just stand there and admit.     I think that's it.   sort of.   she surprised me by saying ok now you can go over there and take the written test.   eeeee…..i hadn't factored that in.   It's been over a month since i reviewed the 2019 California Driver Handbook.  I'd been there again for 2 and a half hours,  Tay out in the parking lot in the car with expired plates.   I didn't know what the legal percentage of alcohol in the blood can be.  I didn't know who gets ticketed for  passengers without seatbelts if they are minors .  Stuff like that.   I flunked.  I said to the guy who gave the the bad news… I haven't gotten a ticket since i was 19 years old.  Have never been in an accident.  He said…That doesn't matter.   but at least it's now on me,  grace,  with the lower case g.

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18 responses to “NEED”

  1. Acey Avatar
    Acey

    Really love how this vital thing became your response to the prompt.

    Like

  2. grace Forrest Avatar

    and maybe it doesn’t need to be any more than this.
    i signed my name. My chosen name.
    to a piece of ripped paper that is the inside of a billing envelope

    Like

  3. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    When you fall in love With collage, scrap becomes a potential source. When I walk the dog at the school, I come home w my pockets full of 4th grade homework or soccer schedules that the wind blows in my path.

    Like

  4. Liz A Avatar

    I’ll be looking at my billing envelopes a little more closely from now on for sure!

    Like

  5. Beth Avatar

    You’re such a wonderful storyteller. I see, I’m there with you.

    Like

  6. Tina Avatar
    Tina

    Those questions seem like such nonsense .. although for a 16 year old newbie maybe not so much. How terribly frustrating for you .. but you got this. Thank goodness you have your refuge on the hill to come home to. The plants .. animals .. your home and all it holds. No to mention your circle of sister’s that hold you in their hearts.

    Like

  7. joanne Avatar
    joanne

    Put the questions on index cards- question on front answer on back. Do a few each time you feel like it. Another way to remember nonsense like this- is to write them out. Question and correct answer only. Don’t write out the wrong answers. I wouldn’t know the answers either.
    What name would I have chosen for myself?

    Like

  8. Els Avatar

    beautiful plants !!!
    love your name on those snowy mountains …
    (ha : should be on the outside of the envelope !!!)

    Like

  9. Deb Avatar

    I’ve been looking at everyone’s collages. Seeing without knowing the why, the prompts. The collard image is astonishing.

    Like

  10. grace Forrest Avatar

    yes. i had a hard time keeping my hands out of the trash barrel at the Post Office. I think it would be frowned upon.
    and i am so GLAD to find you here. I love you.
    I want to send you the Bustier from Dead Horse.
    You should keep it.

    Like

  11. grace Forrest Avatar

    what a surprise it was…and i love it

    Like

  12. grace Forrest Avatar

    oh the Stories at the MVD

    Like

  13. grace Forrest Avatar

    yes and the Hill and the Circle are REAL

    Like

  14. grace Forrest Avatar

    it will be ok. I just was too sure i would ACE it
    and didn’t want to bother with all the details…
    the Big Picture Me, Right? Now i know better. If
    i’d gotten those two right i would have passed.
    I’ll go back in a day or two.
    I chose because i was totally absorbed by the concept
    of Grace…it was during my writing period, poetry
    readings, i wrote about it so much, my autistic friend began calling me grace and i thought Why not? Why not change your name to what you are trying to understand? Like What exactly IS grace, Who is eligible for the grace of god? Why are they? is there anything we can do to become eligible? Who is god anyway? What’s different if
    you are allowed grace? Is grace like a pardon? Does my mother’s god give pardons? What about for the unforgiveable sin…pardon? She said it was unforgiveable, but even if not forgiven, could there be a pardon? What do you do if you already committed that sin before you knew it was unforgiveable….and you were only 7 years old…
    See what i mean? It made perfect sense.
    My father gave me my birth name. I got rid of all of them.
    I’d like to get rid of Maestas, go back to Forrest, my friend Jane’s name but i don’t think i have it in me after this experience.

    Like

  15. grace Forrest Avatar

    yes…the outside, yes!

    Like

  16. grace Forrest Avatar

    we are ALL surprising ourselves. Acey is a magician.
    the Collard is as tall as i am. a naked stalk/stem with all this Beauty on top

    Like

  17. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    No incoming!
    Been a hard year and just finding my ground again. Will blog soon one of these days as I miss you all.

    Like

  18. sparrow Avatar
    sparrow

    **the collard tree!!!

    Like

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