Rose Cottage

  What a lovely week with lots of tsalagi sprinkles!  On Saturday, our Willamette TsaLaGi and the Mount Hood groups hosted folks from the Cherokee Nation for a feast and gathering in Salem, Oregon!  Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins Jr   Guests included Principal Chief Hoskins, Storyteller Robert Lewis, at large council members, and several others - plus 2 ASL interpreters! My friend ᎵᏒ (Li-sv) helped send food and volunteered at the Willamette TsaLaGi booth. When I met Chief Hoskins, I mentioned taking Cherokee online with Ed Fields, and he, in turn, mentioned that during his 'state of the nation' talk! I'm in Ed's first Cherokee ᏅᎩ (nv-gi /Four) class, and we're learning verb tenses. It's fun for all of us (Ed included!) to work with new sentences and 'Word pictures.' This week I also joined the hybrid language study group which meets at the Longhouse at Lane CC. This is where our language classes have been held - and is open for use by indigenous groups. ...

  I recently wrote about some of the benefits of practicing gratuitude - and this week our women's spiritual bookgroup, Sister Circle begins reading and discussing the Gratuitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan. (I'm Grateful to have found a lovely used hardback copy - and used bonus points for it's purchase!) My creative community often convinced words and image in our journals, plus process oriented painting. We often pour a cup of tea, and sip with our creative muses.  Cup of Creativi-tea I got a lovely journal from 'the other Grands' for Christmas, and it seems perfect for the practice. The John Templeton foundation supported Kaplan's work on the book - and a survey they funded over a decade ago showed 94% of Americans "thought people who are grateful are also more fulfilled and lead richer lives.  But less than half the people surveyed said they expressed Gratitude on any regular basis."  That's a big disconnect!  Gratitude Diaries As I mentioned ea...

 Since childhood, I've looked forward to fall and 'October's Bright Blue Weather,' a second summer that often comes to us in Oregon. Sunny days, cooler nights, pumpkins and fall flowers... rain beginning, someone's storms - and these beautiful blue skies! Elder, ginkgo and maple In January and again in the fall, I enjoy participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge , reading other blogs and writing for my own, building connections and virtual friendships.  Check out the challenge in our FB group - it's a great way to exercise your writing and networking muscles!  Fall garden A lifelong writer and diary keeper, I've been blogging periodically for 2 decades, after reading an article on how simple it is to begin! Over the years I've begun several, and enjoy this way of reflecting on my life and times. What's your favorite way to record your reflections?