Friday, July 22, 2011


"The only flower known to have wings in the butterfly . . ." The Book of Tea

MaripoMariposa means butterfly.

Yes, flowers, woods, mountains, and snow melt greater than it has been for more than 50 years so the water falls in Yosemite are spectacular. My family lived near here one summer when I was about 10. My brother closest in age to me is coming to visit and we plan to drive through the town. They had a peach cannery and we would take a wagon and get free peaches (the rejects). People here are quite open, friendly and white. I've been making inquiries about the whiteness and don't yet have a satisfactory understanding of the absence of diversity. Evenings are quite cool and days have gotten to 100 but of course its a dry heat so much more bearable. Jazzie has many new friends and listens for the woman next door to come home from work as they have e routine of playing ball in the yard before dinner. There's a school across the street that reminds me I am here to write, not simply play. I've been off caffeine for two weeks and developing new strategies to get me engaged. These include meditating twice a day, keeping a journal and working toward a set number of hours of writing each day with the willingness for it to be good or bad. Working on completing several incomplete projects: an article started about 8 yrs ago with Hopi and Navajo students who have since become teachers, about how they define teacher professionalism within a context of indigenous sovereignty. Working on the textbook with Guy Senese titled The Teachers Conscience. Working on an article about the neoconservative agenda nationally and how it is being fostered by Booker and Christy juxtaposed the agenda at Central High School with Ras Baraka. I interviewed Ras before leaving town and part of it will be woven into the textbook, as will the other article. Inspirational stories from practicing educators is crucial! I was asked to make my dissertation into a book when I completed it all those many years ago and I resisted. I've been re-reading it and searching out the people who were involved in the research to explore the possibility of adding more longitudinal information and turning it into a book. So far I have located two of the people on Facebook and we are back in communication. I am confident I can find at least six more and may take a trip to the Navajo reservation in the Fall. Several projects at once will keep me writing and they all feed into a central focus about radical democracy. Hope life is fabulous for you! Carolynesa means butterfly.

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Yes

2 comments:

  1. You have done a fine job at conveying the serenity that exists within the town. The atmosphere really comes through in your writing. An interesting place to take a vacation for sure, and you seem well suited to it despite the lack of diversity. As for that, I think its due to the "nature" and the location of the town. The most diversity exists in urban centers where the economy and other factors allow people to thrive (or at least survive). This is all conjecture, but most likely the residents have been living there for generations and have lived off family legacy. Various businesses and jobs have been inherited by family and friends. These are just opinions from an outside observer (What do I know, anyway?). I'm really looking forward to seeing how your projects turn out. Should be good stuff.

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  2. Idris, Thanks for checking out my blog. Sorry I've missed posting for several weeks. How is school? I hope all is well with you.

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