Elegy

I didn't go to Tour de Hives or to the bee movie or any of the other Portland Bee Week events. My grandmother passed away, and a week ago, I was traveling across the country to be with my family and to try to say goodbye.

Emily recently published this poem on her blog, and I found it oddly appropriate and comforting. I haven't read Rainer Maria Rilke in a long time, but if asked, I would probably include him on my list of favorite poets.

Autumn Day

Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.
Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,
and on the meadows let the wind go free.

Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;
grant them a few more warm transparent days,
urge them on to fulfillment then, and press
the final sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now, will never have one.
Whoever is alone will stay alone,
will sit, read, write long letters through the evening,
and wander on the boulevards, up and down,
restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.

The first verse is the most comforting with the prayerful tone and the acknowledgment of the end of summer, the end of something prodigious and bountiful and beautiful. My grandmother died on the last day of summer. Here's the last picture ever taken of us, with my sister Emily on the left.

She had a beautiful smile, but she wouldn't smile for the picture. I believe she was tired. "Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by...on the meadows let the wind go free."

City of Portland to Declare Honey Bee Week

Happy first annual honey bee week! Mayor Sam Adams is going to read this proclamation tonight at the world premier of "Queen of the Sun." Just in time for me, too, because I am worried about my bees and feel that I need some motivation, guidance, and help with them. So, in celebration of honey bee week, I am going to attend the first Tour de Hives next Saturday, 9/27, and hopefully attend the equinox showing of "Queen of the Sun." I'm learning that bee keeping is not something easily done in isolation, and I need some fellow top-bar beekeeping friends to help guide me my first few years. Maybe this week will allow some opportunities to make those face-to-face connections.

as summer falls away

Oh, the woes of being busy. No time to stroll with my camera through my garden. No time to sit and write about flowers and blossoms and bees. I've been too busy with my stellar social life and fantastic new job, being one of the few and blessed to land a full-time teaching job over the summer (and at the school of my top choosing!). Plus, I helped coordinate and attended my lady Cass's bachelorette party. The wedding itself is on Saturday, which is going to keep me busy this week. So instead of geeking over flowers and blog entries, I've been geeking out over grammar games, multi-genre writing projects, and dirty drag queens. (In the photo above, my girl Addy gets up close to one of the lovely ladies at Darcelle's. Photo credit goes to Sarah, maybe.)

One of our little projects for the wedding was a mini-craft night in which we cranked out magnets as wedding favors for the guest. Cass got to blow off some wedding stress, we got to kick it for the first time in a while, and we made the cutest magnets ever. Really, it's so easy and fun, I'm never buying magnets again. Here are just a few of our little creations:

This week may bring forth more photos, since I'm in charge of photography for the wedding. I'm going to borrow my friend Amy's camera and play around with it this week in hopes of getting comfortable with it by Saturday. Then, on Saturday morning, I'm going to head to the coast to take photos of Cass and Matt's big day. And it's going to be a big day, all right. And another lazy Sunday.

Here's Portland's famous Darcelle.