Arwen and Aragorn

Soon after we were married, James read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Not being raised on this type of literature, he loved it instantly.  He saw himself as Strider.  The despised Ranger who was destined to be king. 
He brought Steven King to me to read.  Well, atleast the fantasy/sci fi King novels.  I especially liked the Talisman.  Anyway, I reread the trilogy that year and I read the Silmarillion for the first time.  If you have not read the Silmarillion, and you love the Lord of the Rings.... you need to.  Enough said.

It opens up with the Creation of Middle Earth.  Creation through music.  I love Beren and Luthien.  What a love story!  The lineage of Beren and Luthien lead directly to Aragorn and Arwen.  In a round about way atleast.  And it is a parallel tale.  Of men betrothed to immortal women.  In the first tale, Elrond and his brother are given the choice between humanity and immortality.  Elrond the half-elven chooses immortality.  His brother Elros, chooses mortality and humanity.  He becomes the first High King of Numenor.... from whom the Rangers ( and the Kings of Gondor) were descended.  They lived around 500 years long.  So although mortal, they had longevity!  There is much told about the island of Numenor and its demise caused by Sauron in the Silmarillion. 

That same summer, I read  the appendixes to the Return of the King.  There is the tale of how Arwen and Aragorn met.  It struck a chord with me.  Here James totally connected to Aragorn, he almost believed he was Strider.  And myself, I always believed I was Elven and a princess.  Oh and my good friend Lynn had already named my dad Elrond.  And he is!  although sometimes I think he is a little bit of Gandalf too!  So, naturally i have always thought of that story being James and me, although I cannot sing.  But that is a minor detail, right? 

Anyway, I few pictures this weekend of the Tree of Gondor.  I have been doing variations for the past few years.  Afterall, Arwen sent a banner to Aragorn of the same tree.  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.40247400546.53819.750870546#!/photo.php?fbid=10150190194475547&set=a.40247400546.53819.750870546&type=1&theater

I have another one and will embed it later, maybe when I have a computer that is up to date enought to be able to handle that kind of stuff...
detailed info on the romance of Arwen and Aragorn
http://www.tuckborough.net/arwen.html

Thoughts on war....

I think this may be an ongoing theme that I will write about.


I am trying to figure out what I really think and believe about war.  Once favoring pacifism, I am not sure what I think right now.  I do know that the reality:  there are men and women stationed all over the world for our country, fighting for freedom and all, and they need support.  And there are extremely evil people who take advantage of the weak.


I think the saddest movie I have ever seen is  "All Quiet on the Western Front".  My father made me watch it when I was pretty young, probably around 11 or 12.  I was so mad at him afterwards.  I think it was the first movie which I literally sobbed while watching it.  (the next one was probably Born on the Fourth of July).  It was a devastatingly realistic view of war. 


I think this stark realism is why so many people are fascinated with the history of wars.  It is real, it is not pretty, but somehow men are pushed to act courageously, even if they are not that type of person in civilian life.  When I taught middle school, I knew that to engage several of the boys in an intellectual conversation, all it took was to start talking about war... any war.  My dad was always fascinated with World War I.  My brother Luke is a World War 2 buff.  My brother Matt would rather program a computer.  Well, he enjoys reading about medieval fantasy war such as is written by Stephen Lawhead. My husband plays hours of Call of Duty every day.  So do my two boys.


I guess the reason I am really writing about this is that my husband has applied to the military in the hopes of becoming a chaplain.  If he is accepted, he will not carry a gun.  He will be trained to be a support to those soldiers in trouble and as a morale booster.  If anyone was made for this job, he is.   Since in this world, war seems inevitable, it means that there are men and women who are subjected to the horrors of it.  So, to be able to help, aid and love them is a worthy cause.   I am proud of him for his endeavors, and hope that he does not get his wish to die a glorious death while he is still young.


As far as fighting evil and those who would oppress and hurt the weak.... war may be necessary.  If that is really why the war is going on.  Like in the Lord of the Rings.  Aragorn had no choice but to bring his armies to Mordor to fight the evil and darkness which would cover the land.  Even with inevitable loss and no hope to win, they fought.


A quote which spoke to me ...“It’s not glorious, it’s not beautiful, it’s not even heroic. It’s just what’s right.”  Owls of Ga'hoole quote

Ramble On...

I like the word Ramble...... 
The dictionary says that the word ramble means to take a leisurely walk in the country, to talk or write without much direction, to meander.   But it means a lot more than that to me. 

So I give Ramble my own definition:  to wander on without direction, wherever the road may take you.  To be a gypsy of sorts.
I use to think that my husband was The Rambler... like in this old song.

He couldn't stay put for more than a few minutes.   And I just went wherever he went.  We moved a lot in our first 10 years of marriage.  Ten times, actually.  We started out in Nyack, NY, moved to Wisconsin and moved from town to town, and then moved to New Hampshire, meandering around that exquisite state.  For the past 6 years we have been stuck in North Carolina.  I say stuck because we can't move anywhere.  We tried.  Multiple times.  Blame the economy, blame fate, blame Providence.  Whatever.  This being stuck in limbo has brought the realization to myself  that I like to ramble too..   I like change, a new town, unpacking and discovering new places and meeting new people.  Am I unAmerican for that?  There are many people who would like to live in the same house their whole life.  To have the type of stability of knowing everyone in town, being close to family, knowing what to expect.

Anyway Led Zeppelin's Ramble On  speaks to me:

I will end with part of a poem by Robert Service, one of my favorite poets.  His poems were about death,  war, and the desolation of brave explorers of a time past.  He doesn't write about false love, but other desires that push a man to make his mark. 

Men Who Don't Fit In

There's A race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far,
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove, What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move Is only a fresh mistake.
And each forgets, as he strips and runs
 With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
 Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
 Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
 In the glare of the truth at last.
He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
 He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
 And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha!  He is one of the Legion Lost;
 He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
 He's a man who won't fit in.

Southern Folk Talk

I grew up in upstate NY, right near the Catskill mountains.  Most of my relatives lived and still live in the greatest city on earth. New York City.  Let me be clear, I would never want to live there, a little claustrophobic for me, but I love to visit.  Living in both the Midwest, New England  and currently in North Carolina, I have been able to experience some of the great cultural differences existing in our country.

This brings me to the indigenous cultural society of where I live now.  North Carolina.  Really, country folk are the same in back woods Vermont as in the south.  Really.  One of the biggest differences I have seen is the accent.  I really have trouble understanding southern drawl. 
But most of the people in our town are from the North, the Great Southern Migration is to blame for that.  Our neighbors are from Michigan, Ohio, New York..... not too many true southerners. And sadly not too many who speak true Southern.

Ransom, my 13 year old and oldest child, plays baseball for the local 13-15 boys baseball league.  He loves baseball, lives for it. 

My husband, James Mario, found this video on youtube  and we were laughing because this is Ransom's coach.  I cannot understand a word he says.   Ransom describes his coach as crazy.  3 hour practices are nothing for his team.  And he yells at them the entire time,  but the boys cannot understand what he is saying, so I find it a little amusing.   They just try to guess and pretend they understand.  I like him, he has a huge heart, great intentions, and he is who he is... no excuses.

If you do a search on youtube for black widow and airsoft, you will find this video as the first result.
Guess what?  I know this guy and the funny thing he is wearing a Young Life t-shirt while shooting this video.  This may be a little offensive to some, but seriously he doesn't mean it that way.  Read the comments, they are hilarious!  

To be honest, when I talk to my old friends and family and hear that NYC accent, my heart warms. Maybe because it reminds me of REAL pizza!

My dream Pub

I have this idea or dream.  It is to own my own British pub.  I have been thinking about it for a while, and then due to some comical circumstances, I was walking around Asheville, NC with my good friend Carrie.  Carrie is an incredible singer and she will be famous soon because of her musical songwriting and her commercials.  Yeah, she does commercials and modeling :)    ANYWAY, she mentioned that she wanted to open a pub and I said "me too!"  Of course!
I want a Tolkienish inspired pub and call it the "Prancing Pony".   It will be a place where people can come and talk philosophy, theology, .... whatever floats your boat.  Discussions and arguments will be welcome!
Requirements:
1.  Excellent beer... a variety of good IPA, Ale and Stout.  Right now I am partial to Harpoon and Ranger.
2.  No screens, well actually maybe a back room where people can go, if they must to watch a game.
3.  Its going to be dim... candlelit.
4.  I dont care if its against the law.... an area for cigar and pipe smoking is necessary!
5.  A really cool latte machine for those who dont partake in the liquid of the Norse gods!  Earl Grey tea too.
6.  Think of a hobbit hole... that is what it will look like.  With cool art!


So any thoughts... do you think there is a chance there is a market for such a thing?
of course burgers and cheesy stuff will be served too!

May the Third and Lost - its a stretch but I did it!

I drive 30 minutes every Monday to teach art classes in a studio in the town of Davidson.  Davidson is the coolest college town and has a lot more charm than the other planned suburban neighborhoods which populate the city of Charlotte and the surrounding areas.  Concord is nice too, but has a lot more 'roughness' about it.  Both Charlotte and Davidson, however, have beautiful buildings rich in heritage and age.  The majority of the rest of the Charlotte area consists of houses built quickly for a profit during the last 20 years.  Every time there is a storm warning, I am sure that my whole street of houses will be whisked away in a violent wind.  Secretly, I almost hope that a tornado will come and take Neo and I to Oz.
As I was teaching some kids yesterday, I was cutting pieces of art out of an old art history textbook to use as references.  I came across this - The Third of May.  And today being the 3rd of May, I thought it was pretty cool and totally coincidentally ironic.   I really like Goya.  He was a true artist in that he didn't compromise. (No he was NOT a Thomas Kincaid!) He lived during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and he painted and drew cartoons which depicted the irony and tragedy of what he saw.  The Church did not like him very much.  There is a movie about him which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Natalie Portman http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455957/.  Probably not exactly historically accurate, and totally depressing, but look around at the world.... life is not exactly happy or just.    My favorite piece by Goya is The Sleep of Reason produces Monsters.   During the time of the enlightenment, the whole conflict between Reason vs. Faith was prevalent.  JUST LIKE IN LOST!  The best TV show EVER!

"Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of their marvels."

Ethan's Question

Ethan is my middle child.  He is 11 years old.  He is very special to me in a lot of ways.  When I was pregnant with him, we were deciding on a name.  This was the only pregnancy in which I knew for certain the sex of the child.  So, we didnt even think of girl names.  With Ransom, I had decided when I was a senior in high school what the name of my first boy would be.  With Ethan, I had no idea.  James (my husband)  liked Logan and Garrett.  Garett wasnt too bad, it is a derivative of Gareth, who was a knight in Arthurian legend.  Logan sounded like a surfer name, a little too trendy.
I had just read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton.  What a desperate tale!  It depicts New England in such a dismal light, as well.  (We were living in Wisconsin at the time, but when Ethan was 3 months old, we moved to New Hampshire)   I liked the sound of Ethan and the name means 'strong and firm'.  Even though the character in the story was not a strong person, the tale haunted me and I liked the name. 
I looked Ethan up in the Bible and found he was a priest who sang.  There is even a Psalm he wrote  psalm 89.
Well, anyway, Ethan is special to me because he still tells me he loves me and hugs me.  He will even cuddle.  And he thinks outside the box.
On our way home from an Easter service (probably Maundy Thursday), Ethan asks me a very difficult question.   "If Eve was the only one who ate the fruit, and Adam never did, what would have happened?"  Wow.  It is true that whenever original sin is talked about, it is named the sin of Adam.  Does that mean that Eve disobeying God did not condemn all humanity to death and misery?
Why had I never heard this question before?  Maybe I am not reading the right books.  and where did Lilith come from anyway?  By the way Lilith by George MacDonald  is one of the craziest, psychedelic and beautiful books I have ever read.

May Day!

Oh, its May Day!  I would love to find out if there is a local May Pole celebration.  About 3 years ago I was co- teaching with my mentor and friend.  We planned a medieval festival for our 7th grade students on May 1st!  She helped some groups write plays, we built a castle, I constructed a plastic maypole and decorated it with flowers.  I taught the girls how to make flower wreaths for their heads.. we dressed in costume and it was great fun.  I did some research on the maypole dance and the girls learned how to traditionally wrap the pole with their ribbons and dancing. 
Then I watched the original "wicker man" movie... and learned that the May Pole was really a phallic symbol.  WHAT?
Also, the 80s video "Safety Dance" by men without hats has some lovely MayPole dancing.  I love that song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7movKfyTBII

My ramblings

I use to write.  A lot.  I would write poetry, my thoughts, almost anything.  And then several things happened.  First of all, attending a small country public school my whole life,  I was given much praise for my ability to put things on paper, so when I went off the huge University... I was suddenly a small fish in a big pond.  It was tough for me.  I somehow thought that since I couldnt get my usual A in my first writing class, I must be awful.  I realize now that contributing to my lack of straight As,  my grammar was not the best, and my diet was awful both of which contributed to the fact.

  Then.... right after college...babies... I did not set aside the time to write regularly.  But now with my youngest turning 9 this month, I suddenly have the need to write my thoughts, connections, loves, haunts, everything down.  A little intimidating, but I think I will remain anonymous except for a couple dear friends.   So here goes.

Since it is May 1st... I have this song in my head... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg4YrOlAkds


I will write about my love of Arthurian legend sometime soon, since that is integral to my whole self and my understanding of life, love, regret, forgiveness, Christ, history, and all else.... call me silly but its true :)