a poem for holy week

Gethsemane

by Mary Oliver

The grass never sleeps.

Or the roses.

Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.

Jesus said, wait with me. But the disciples slept.

The cricket has such

splendid fringe on its feet,

and it sings, have you noticed, with its whole body,

and heaven knows if it ever sleeps.

Jesus said, wait with me.

And maybe the stars did, maybe

the wind wound itself into a silver tree and didn’t move, maybe

the lake far away, where he once walked as on a blue pavement,

lay still and waited, wild awake.

Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye shut, that could not

keep that vigil, how they must have wept,

so utterly human, knowing this too

must be part of the story.

I found this poem on this blog.

Photos

You thought we'd forgotten that we have a blog! Not so. Check out some recent photos.

Randoms Photos of Life in Seattle

Icy Intersection

This is the #1 funniest youtube video we're ever seen. Footage is from my hometown of Duluth, MN ("where the women are strong, and the men are good-looking"). Of course it's much funnier if you've ever driven in the frozen Midwest.

How to Win a Free Round Trip Ticket...Sharon Casey style...

So I got a phone call from my sister Sharon the other day informing me that she had just won a free round trip airline ticket courtesy of Jet Blue Airlines. How did she do this? No, she didn't go eat at a certain restaurant or sign up for some promotion online. She dressed up as a Jet Blue Superhero with one of her friend and performed a rap in front of a crowd on her campus. For her efforts Jet Blue rewarded her with a free round trip airline ticket. That's my sister! And here's the proof... :) She tells me to watch for her on upcoming Jet Blue television ads...my sister is on the left laying down the sweet beat. Did we really come from the same set of parents? :)

the questions...

kendra inspired me to write again when I should be studying price-maximization concept of microeconomics, and the "policy window" in management. blah. don't get me wrong. i feel downright grateful to be in school right now. it's challenging and interesting (did i mention oppressive?). but it's not really me. you know that i've known that all along. "public affairs"? i was the girl no one thought would graduate from college, let alone go on to study more!

since september ryan and i have been living the life we've tried to avoid since moving here: no time for grocery-shopping, cooking, cleaning, social lives of any kind, or seeing each other (except over homework at the kitchen table). in response to our woeful tale, we've had differing advice:

"quit!"-- that's what all the kindred spirits say...the ones who also wish they were studying geography, or hiking in the olympics, or baking bread with friends.

"just deal with a wretched life for 2 years. it will be worth it."-- that is what most people over the age of 30 say.

"Wait and see how it goes."-- those are the passive-aggressive, non-committal seattleites who want to be nice, and don't want to be wrong. and, i think that's the advice that i'll follow--at least for now.

but i'm missing camaraderie and little adventures...

what should we do?

Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country"

Last Days of Summer

Everything changes; nothing stays the same.

It's September. The month we were married two years ago. Things are almost as crazy as they were back then. Between June and September 2005 Ryan and I graduated from Wheaton, moved to Minnesota, had jaw surgery (Kelsey), catered, took online courses (biology and history! ughh!), got hitched, honeymooned in the Boundary Waters, drove cross-country to Seattle in two days, started work, found an apartment, and settled in. Yikes. Now we're saying goodbye to the long days of summer. I stopped working at World Relief Seattle on September 5th. Ryan went to his graduate school orientation in Canada for his program at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. I am anticipating my own first day of graduate school in a few weeks. We have a new housemate. I sign a consulting and writing contract tomorrow. Everything is changing.

Are you amazed that we've been married two years? We are.

The Northland

I found this poem in a soft-bound and faded collection of poetry at Caroline's cabin near Ely. The poet, Alison Brown, is a woman who lived in Duluth. Her little volume was published in 1923. When I read it, I felt a little pang of regret-- I wish I could have been friends with Alison...

The Northland

I never knew until I tried to go,
The mystery and enchantment of the North;
The countless cords that draw me back although
The cry is in my heart to venture forth.

I never knew that calm bright stars could talk,
Or rugged cliff, or rivulet, or hill;
Or that the presence of majestic rock
Could cast o'er me so mystical a spell.

I never knew that pine trees, tall and gaunt,
Could beckon with their branches to my heart;
Or that the sighing winds had power to haunt
And hold me with the magic of their art.

I never knew that woodlands snowy white,
That ice-bound streams, or glimpse of glistening bay
Could still a restless heart with vision bright,--
The clear, cold picture of a winter day.

I tried to go and thought that I was free
To answer any voice that whispered, "come,"
But now I know the bonds that fasten me,--
The Northland ever was and is my home.

UW: Does this mean I'm a Seattleite?

I'm going to grad school next year too, so Ryan and I will be students again together! Those of you who have known me for a while are probably furrowing your eyebrows in concerned surprise. Isn't Kelsey the girl that used to rant against the injustice and inequality of higher education and its institutions? Yes, and I still rant. But hopefully grad school will help me figure out my life. I'm really looking forward to having time to read and talk with other people. And, I am ready for those loooong school breaks. Woohoo!

I will study Public Affairs at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs. What's that? Everyone asks me. It's economics and public policy and management and community development and international affairs. It's kind of any thing you want it to be. So those of you who know me are now grinning, because that's exactly the kind of school Kelsey should go to. One where I don't have to make up my mind, and one where I get to explore my world a little bit more every day.

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

I found out on Wednesday that I've been accepted into the 6th cohort of students pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Business at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. Woohoo! Consider this blog entry and open invitation to all who are "interested in changing business for good" to quickly submit your application and join me for one long weekend a month on Bainbridge Island (35 minute ferry ride from Seattle) where we'll join a community exploring business through the lens of sustainability.

I'm ecstatic at the chance to study again, although terrified of the schedule that lies ahead. Who wants to join me?

-Ryan

Garden Bounty

We're sick of eating mixed greens. Our garden is saturated with the stuff. We could pick and eat till the Kingdom comes. We decided that next summer we'll only plant strawberries-- 10 feet by 10 feet of strawberries! Now that's a garden! Can you imagine? My favorite thing these days is to eat strawberries with kefir. Speaking of berries, I think we're going berry-picking in the foothills tomorrow. Anyone want to come?

Because We Live Here

We decided to go-- just go. The Olympic Penninsula is so close. So we finally took a weekend backpacking trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world.

We're Still Here!

It has been 5 months since we updated you on our lives. So sorry! We're still living in south Seattle, and are anxiously awaiting a sunny summer. Just last week we went "swimming" in the Snoqualmie River with a friend-- cold snow melt from the Cascade Mountains. Winter is finally over.

Other news? Our garden is growing, the local farmers' markets have started selling, and we are running more often in nearby parks. It's been great to host some of you in Seattle: Tisa and Alex, Anna Knutson, Niles, and Pete Stewart. We feel far away from the Heartland, so it is always nice to be with old friends.

There's no place like home for the holidays!

Ryan and I spent the holidays in Duluth. We've been dreaming about Duluth for months: snow-laden cedars, the long blue horizon of Lake Superior, and skiing. Ahhhh...Unfortunately there was no snow in Duluth when we arrived. It was the first completely brown Christmas on record--absolutely no snow! There was enough dead grass and there were enough free-running rivers to break a Minnesota girl's heart.

Despite the warmer-than-freezing temperatures, it was wonderful to be home. Dear old Duluth. We hiked the local trails with my siblings, and some friends. Caroline and Aaron got engaged, and we were able to celebrate them with all of our Mad7 women friends (and adjoining males).

We also spent a few days up on the Gunflint Trail where winter still reigns December-May. Our were full of ice-fishing, nordic skiing, sauna-ing, and playing in the snow. In fact, it snowed days a load the last night we were there, and I can't say that I resisted the urge to dance!

Now we are back in Seattle, ready for the transitions ahead. Ryan and I are moving into our new apartment this weekend. I am applying to graduate school on the 15th. I started a writing class yesterday. Urban life is rather startling after a week in the northcountry. Our senses are overwhelmed.

On Receiving 90 days notice…

Kelsey and I live in what many would consider a “transitional” neighborhood. Our street is packed with people from many different cultures and walks of life. The first trendy coffee shop just opened. I hear several different languages when I’m riding the bus through the neighborhood. I have a great view off the back of my porch and can walk to work. I used to think this was all great. Now it makes me feel conflicted.

Living in a “transitional” neighborhood as a relatively young liberal-arts-educated Euro-American is a strange thing. My appearance (light colored skin, Birkenstocks, fancy rain jacket) associates me with the yuppies and yipsters who are slowly infiltrating the neighborhood, while my current-state reality as a renter (who can’t afford the cost of a 2 bedroom 1 bath starter home) in the neighborhood associates me with the other immigrants, refugees, and working class who live in the ‘hood.

The strangeness is accentuated by the fact that we have been given our “90 days notice” which is the polite way of our landlord legally telling us “I'm gonna give you to the count of 3 months to get off my property before I level the place with a house-eating machine just like I did the cute bungalow next door!” (see photo below). 6 brand-new (most likely unimaginative) townhomes will replace our crusty old building, and will probably sell for $450,000 (no view) - $550,000 (view).

You can imagine our frustration at having to move. As my previous post makes clear, we love our apartment and our neighborhood, but are constantly confronted with the reality of being in this weird space where we don’t really fit in to the two camps. We certainly aren’t poor, but we can’t afford a home.

I think there is a difference though between us and the working poor in our neighborhood. It’s rooted firmly in our upward mobility. Because of our family background, undergraduate education, and (sadly) the color of our skin, our incomes will most likely rise along with the number of choices we will have. Will Kelsey and I stay on the south side of the city and continue to explore issues of gentrification, racism, classism, etc., or move to a “trendy” part of town that’s got cool restaurants, music venues, and lots of fancy rain jackets?

For a more eloquent posting on similar issues that has inspired me please see my good friend (and real life writer) Kendra’s post entitled ”Capitol Disillusionment.”

Why we love our apartment….

1. The view from our porch reminds us that we live in the city (the industrial parks), and that we can escape within an hour (the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains).

2. The wood floors slant just enough to give you a crook in the back when standing at the sink doing dishes.

3. The “wood” floors are actually PERGO.

4. The windows (when shut) let in enough of a draft that you never have to wonder what the temperature is outside.

5. The only heating vent in the apartment is in the kitchen.

6. The living room is too small for more than 4 people, but the bedroom can sleep 9 comfortably with room to spare (ask Tom Walstrum, Max Martinez, Pete Stewart, Sam Olson, James Bentley, Kurt Weber, Mitch Rodriguez, and J-Web).

7. We have great neighbors (Joe, Lydie, and Mario).

8. We can walk to work together.

Dream, dream, dreaeaeamm....

The first year that we were in Seattle was about survival. A new city, new friends, new work, and a new marriage. We loved urban life, we loved the mountains, and we both loved working (when we found jobs). But we didn't have time to dream.

Now we're full of plans. I am thinking about applying to graduate school for Public Affairs. We talk about going back to Burkina Faso in West Africa. Ryan wants to get his MBA. We are imagining a bigger garden for next summer. We are moving to a new apartment soon.

Winter is an incubator. When the rain starts to fall, and we spend more and more time drinking tea and reading books, there is freedom to dream.

What will we do next?

I have started reporting for a small local weekly called the Beacon Hill South District Journal. While formulaic journalism doesn't give my creative side an outlet, I am learning reporting skills and interacting with facinating characters on Seattle's south side. Writing can be more than art. Writing can be advocacy.

Stay tuned for more Jones-Casey adventures!

November

L.M. Montgumery (author of Anne of Green Gables and other stories) and I share a birthday (November 30th!), and she still hated the month of November! I always found that puzzling. What's not to love? I love November because it is a quiet, cold month that reminds me of hot cocoa, skiing and saunas...things Seattle lacks. But don't be fooled. Seattle has winter too. It is winter now! As I write, we are expecting our 2nd winter snowstorm, and 3rd snow day in one week! With little more than 1 inch of snow! Amazing.

Before the snows we planted some old seeds in our enormous window box after our snap-peas and cilantro dried out. The seeds were a momento from Colin and Emily's wedding two years ago. But look at the blue flowers we fooled into blooming in November! Lovely.

We spent the Thanksgiving weekend with some friends up in the San Juan Islands. There was a big snowstorm on the last day of our trip. We went down to the ocean shore and stood in the wind with snow whipping our faces. It was like being home on the rock beaches of Lake Superior. The cold froze our camera.

Lopez Island's Whatmouth Bay before the storm hit.

October

October was a blur. I started work at World Relief Seattle-- the local branch of the international relief and development organization based in Baltimore. World Relief Seattle resettles refugees escaping social, political, ethnic or religious persecution. I am the Volunteer and Intern Coordinator, and I love my work. I interact daily with people from all over the world: Somalia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Soviet Union, Burma, Ethiopia, and Iraq. While I have my own opinions about our nation, I am thankful that it is a place that offers peace, hope, and new beginnings to refugees.

Ryan and I spent a lot of time cooking with friends in October. We made about 8 quarts of gingery squash soup with our friend Lindsey--and stayed awake until 1:00 am to do so! Here is a photo of her oven during the adventure.

It got cold here in Seattle...really cold...So cold I could no longer brag about Minnesota winters. Out of sheer desperation I bought my first pair of leg warmers. I found them in a costume shop during the week of Halloween. Neat, huh?

Ryan and I spent Halloween at home, as sick as dogs. Besides drinking cough medicine like eggnog, I don't remember exactly what we did.