I am posting here:

ID: 982524   (Rated: 18+) L'aura del Campo  Online journal capturing the moment and the memory of moments. A meadow meditation. by Kåre Enga en Costa Rica

I really hope you all will read my current blog.

My time at Enga mellom Fjella is coming to a hiatus, an intermission, a semi-closing. It was started in September 2007 as I was leaving Kansas to visit my sister in Washington and stopping in Missoula for the first time on September 22nd.

Two years later I have been living in Missoula for over a year. But... on the 22nd I will be visiting Costa Rica to consider the possibility of spending part of the year (maybe two months) there.

This week has been a testimony of why I moved here, why I like the people, why I stay here in Montana in spite of still not being at peace with the landscape.

I may write entries here occasionally but I am re-opening my first blog, "L'aura del Campo"  and that's where you'll find me... perhaps for a year... we'll see.

I am also pursuing the idea of writing under a pseudonym in Spanish. But not here... I will need to find someplace like this that caters to folks who read and write in Spanish. I'll feel like all the folks for whom English is not their first language. It's one of many ways to improve. I already presented the idea to Rodolfo and Mario who really liked the name I chose.

My blog entries change a bit from time-to-time, as my loyal readership can attest to. We'll see what happens when I return to my beloved first blog.

Montana: 75º and clear at 8 p.m.
17,908 views after two years.
 

Blogville:

Some of my most fluid writing comes when I comment in various blogs.

Today StephB asked whether her readers use flowers in their writings (she loves lilacs but uses other flowers). I responded:

"I use flowers in my writing all the time. My grandparents had lilacs. I associate nasturtiums, portulaca, cosmos, snow-on-the-mountain and blue morning glories with my grandmother; corn, beets, tomatoes, hollyhocks and cardinals (the bird, not the flower) with my grandfather. My other grandmother loved violets.

We didn't have many lilacs (wet clay soils in a 'new' suburb... ... the Sydoriaks did though) we were lucky that anything bloomed. My sister still lives there and the daylilies (which like damp wet clay) I planted over 30 years ago thrive and turn the place orange every summer.

My grandfather kindly dropped dead in May when I was 11. The lilacs were in bloom.

A heliconia

ME?

I went to the Spanish Circle to say adios until I get back on October 7th; they meet the 8th. I told Walter that I'd try to have "something" ready by end of October (he's off to Honduras with Missoula Medical Aid); poor Trish is overwhelmed by the over 2,000 photos she has to sort through to get something together. I only have 300 maybe. I downloaded a bunch here in "Eeeeeee is for everything Kodak digital"  but have only added notes to a few so far.

I bought my football ticket for the game Saturday at 1 p.m. against Portland State. Time is of the essence because my plane leaves with or without me at 6:20 p.m.

So, I went wandering over to the UC. I saw a display of woolens... from Bolivia... like the one I saw every year in Kansas... so I asked... SAME PEOPLE! Of course, I mentioned Gastón (from La Paz) who we all know and then called him in DC (he answered) and handed the phone over to Rodolfo and Mario. I think it was a case of smiles all around. I bought an alpaca sweater too.

Montana: 78° and pleasant in Missoula at 5 p.m.

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"I stood there like a mountain, resolute that nothing could ever move me. I shrugged off the taunts, did not care if I were considered stubborn." KE

"But, you decided to give me a hug, wear down each layer with the water of love."

Today, Mary Travis (1936-2009) of Peter, Paul and Mary died. This clip is from 1966:



Songs of the precariously employed

1

Cut in pay,
lost a day.
Gimme a guiding river task
and I'll get all wet for cash.

2

High on sweet-grass growing in a prairie pasture;
I'll sing like a meadowlark as long as it lasts.

3.

How you'll cook your supper without a floor,
I do not know.

How I'll pay the bills surfing as a heli-guide,
I do not know.

© Kåre Enga [166.199 b,c,d] 2009-09-09

Based on comments in the newspaper when asked about job security: 1. Mark Dota (post office), 2. Scott Laird (land conservancy), 3. Paul Bird (flooring).

Watt's Gnus:

This is an interesting 'sermon' using Tennessee Williams quote "The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." to make the point that change has come to how we define relationships. That the magazine is out of Clark Fork, Idaho (think Sand Point, think Palin) I find amusing.

http://riverjournal.com/vivvo/rjrecommends/rjrecommends_herestoviolets_062009.ht...

ME?

Breathe in, breathe out. It's a matter of me making lists and just doing what I can. It has been suggested that I visit the pawn shops to get a camera. Not my first choice, but I can walk to a pawn shop instead of getting a ride to Walmart. So I went to one. Only two cameras and both over $100.

Had a nice talk with Akhilesh last night. He mentioned the Society Islands (think Tahiti). He was also wearing orange as usual and, of course, I noticed his celtic-knot Om designs earlier yesterday as well. Guess I'll just have to weave him a poem. His birthday is Monday the 21st.

I'm downloading more Costa Rica pics. Made a copy of my journal pages from last visit... take the copies, leave the journal at home?

Anyone want a postcard from Costa Rica? They don't cost much (stamps are ₡135 = less than 25¢), but I will need your address. Email it to me. I so lose addresses... so don't assume I already have it (...or know where I wrote it down).



Travel:

I mention to Catherine that Costa Rica is not noted for art. There are exceptions and the above picture, showing the entry to the rooms at Montaña Linda is a cheerful one.

Montana: 75° and pleasant in Missoula at 9 p.m. after a record high of 91°.

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"Somewhere folks were celebrating freedom from the yoke of overlords. Somewhere the wheels of the world were whirring. In their new found joy, the seasons turned, turned, turned." KE

"And somewhere that yoke was being placed around their necks again, the wagons loaded until they could bear no more. Thus the wheels of this world churned, still grinding stone to dust."



I got some of the pictures I took in Costa Rica in July downloaded to my computer and a few are now here. Maybe I'll get more on-line before I return there on Sunday.

The above is looking across the Plaza de Cultura. The Museum of Gold is beneath the pigeons. This is smack downtown in San José. The capital city is not pretty, but it's quite vibrant and interesting.

This slope of land

On the street where we live
now 200 years
what remains if not the slope of land,
a grove of trees,
and how long these...
before the cut, the fallen trunks;
the land will grieve
when it receives our bones as well.

And 200 years beyond that grateful day
on this street
where we'll still live
what will remain
if not this slope of land.

© Kåre Enga [166.199] 2009-09-11

Inspired by Filken's reading at Shakespeare & Co.

ME?

Just spoke to Ingrid who was showing pictures of Norway to a friend. Her family hails from the Hardanger region. We got to chat about gjetost. Her grandmother ran an authentic Norwegian restaurant in Dillon, Montana for years.

I also saw an old friend, Ella Bella, earlier on Pine Street. She was as friendly as I remember her. I first met her tortie-shell-siamese sweetness in November, 2007 when I visited Missoula. She was living on West 3rd back then...

I'm at Butterfly Herbs recuperating from one of the diva-of-the-milkshake's concoctions. I got an almond joy (chocolate ice cream with coconut and almond); Mikki (of the band Fag Rag) got it right again! (she always does )

Barber's "Agnus Dei" (adagio for strings) is extremely moving and can evoke deep sadness like few pieces ever written. This recording was made on September 15th 8 years ago, 4 days after the Twin Towers fell in New York City. I suggest caution if you are a very sensitive person (it includes clips from that day). The music alone brings tears. (it may not show up except when you go to leave a comment; embedding has been "interesting" here at WdC )



Montana: 84° and pleasant in Missoula at 5 p.m.

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"It is the season of the spiny buckeye balls, dangling from boughs like Steve's testicles, that new necklace he gave to Eve, like puff-fish swimming at 3,000 feet in the calm September breeze." KE

"And I'm the foolish one to plan a trip and leave."

Enough of my silliness! Go read "Adaptation"  in blog of Quill o'ught to blog more . It truly made me smile. After reading so much nonsense about the present culture wars, it is nice to see how it can all be resolved by a 4 year old and his mother.

Really... go read it before coming back here. En serio. It's short; it's cute; a guaranteed smile. Leave a smiling comment too! Then... if you have time... come back here. Go Now!

This is how we advance

         for the girl at The Break Espresso

Sitting under a coconut palm,
she reigns upon her island,
azure ringed beneath an azure sky
and swings in royal hammocks
among pink frangipani petals,
counts not the hours that pass her by.

Sipping over her coconut latté,
her great-grand-daughter
sports a blouse of royal purple,
pink feathers streaked across her hair,
her laptop open, eyes now focused
she studies whatever before her appears
and barely notes the lateness of the hour,
each precious hour that passes by.

© Kåre Enga [166.202] 2009-09-12

Saturday evening, a young woman (should've got her name) came in and ordered a coconut latté. She was wearing purple and had pink streaked in her hair. Too good an image to pass over IMHO.

Watt's Gnus and a quick O Pinion:

Same-sex marriage is supported by large majorities in British Columbia and Ontario, but not in Saskatchewan where civil-servants are asking for religious exemptions. I guess it sounds good...

...but may I state that I inspected bars for years even though I don't drink alcohol for religious as well as personal reasons. Could I have insisted that I not do so without losing my job? I didn't think so... Civil Servants are hired (and paid) to be 1. servants and 2. civil. Not being nice to your customers (your fellow citizens and neighbors) is neither.

ME?

If I accomplish something, some-one-tiny-tiny-thing every day, I'll be okay.

Lavinia will look after my plants when I'm gone. When I come back we'll have a serious talk about how I can record my poetry as MP3 files. (or whatever's clever) I'll be partially packed by the end of today.

I'm looking forward to a calm, slow non-exciting week. Next Monday, I should be in San Marcos, or San Pablo, or San Juan Sur (o Norte), or Santa Elana or Santa María or another one of those sainted towns that hug the mountains south of San José.

Writing

Oh... Am I supposed to be writing?

Randy Newman's "I think it's going to rain today" (if it properly embeds...)



Blogville

I checked my stats, but the recent 12k views to my old blog were listed as "unknown" source. Ah... well... I mentioned to Z today that he should do an embedded poll. Polls are one of the "sexiest" tools on site. They garner the most views by far.

Montana: 69° and pleasant in Missoula at 1 p.m.

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WdC Friends:

Well, howdy!

After so much not-so-good-news around WdC, a bit of sunshine.

Budroe is Blessed! just posted an entry: "Yet One More Time to Begin. Again. Again!" . Welcome back.

... and of course, ~unicornsong got married in France yesterday.

My family:

Well, my 5 year old grand-niece has been diagnosed with mild-autism. How is this good news? Well... I kept telling my sister that Bella's interactions were just not 'right'. She mentioned how the child was having difficulty with motor-skills. I told her... it's not that.

So I was right. But... the good news is that they will come up with an I.E.P. that will address her needs. My poor niece, Jennifer, found out when she went into a teacher's conference and there were 10 assorted people sitting there... I would've been terrified! But... it's all for the best. Bella will get some kind of educational support now.

Me!

Well, today is Suzanne Elaine's birthday. I remember her from 4th grade. Remember her every 13th of September. Haven't seen her since 1980 when she was many months pregnant. Ah, Suzanne...

Today is the German Fest, so unless I want to miss out on a sausage, I'd better vamoose. Suzanne was German-Irish Catholic... see how everything ties in?

Blogville

My "old" blog, L'aura del Campo somehow received over 11,000 views in a ten day period recently... I don't know why. It now has over 44k views and sits #2 on the all-time blog list. Not fair to Nada or Tor I'll tell you! Zach's with over 20k is #19; this one with almost 18k is #23.

Wish I knew what happened. Why now? I may have to email the SM to see if he has a clue. When something 'good' happens... I wanna know the details!

Montana: warm, pleasant ... sunny.

"I vented, my voice now angry, yet knowing peace could never come through merely giving word to pain. Yet wounds won't heal unless they're lanced. Whence comes the joy?" KE

"She nodded in her wizened way, 'To give hope to a soldier destined to become a corpse, I sang louder than the bombs.'"

The Break Espresso's mirrors

Enter into the realm of coffee
quiet kingdom of midnight scholars lost in thoughts.
Behind their focused eyes lie mirrored
the enlightenment of an Age long sought,
begging to burst forth.

This place of wooden chairs, its high beamed ceiling,
late night cavern of quiche and lemon cheese cake,
drinks sipped until the lights blink off.
Now deep within these mirrors you'll see them,
tangled in their thoughts.

© Kåre Enga [166.200] 2009-09-11

The Break Espresso on North Higgins in Missoula, Montana is cavernous! It has old mirrors hung on the walls and caters to students and the coffee crowd. They have cookies, quiche and cheese cake, pies and pastries, bagels and panini. Ryne was there last night helping out and I told him I wrote this. Hope to "finish" it to show him before I leave town. The original prompt? The mirrors.

From last winter:



ME?

Market: Got my double shot orange latté from the Loose Caboose, ate my chicken eggroll (hot from the pot) and bought mushrooms (lobster, matsutake, blue cluster chantrelle), Japanese eggplant, frozen ground emu (its meat a purplish-red) and Paradise peaches (finally! both white and yellow). Of course, I also treated myself with a loaf of sticky pull-aparts. And I spoke to the lady from Argentina who makes alfajores.

Writing

I need to pull a chapbook together. Maybe one based on death, dying, loss and named after the poem "The sound of lavender" .

Could follow in the footsteps of folks like Anselm Berrigan, featured in this month's Poets & Writers: http://www.pw.org He's gone a non-traditional route at times.

They printed his poem, "Let Us Sample Protection Together" on page 37 this month. I don't particularly 'get it' nor like it. It rambles and that's okay; but, it looks like prose cut up. I find neither rhythm nor rhyme nor melody (my 'letters' and prose poems have more). The juxtaposition of some images are interesting. But, to me, it doesn't feel like poetry...

Once you're well-known it doesn't really matter though, does it?

Montana: 81° and pleasant in Missoula at 7 p.m.

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"In my left hand I hold the pen that etches the struggles of a life: each long-suffering tear, each brief moment of joy." KE

Bart Sullivan of Greenville, North Carolina wrote in his local newspaper:

"In my right mind I would be thankful for them both."

Dandelions offering peace and love

Nature loves the color yellow
streaking across a noonday sky
feathers, sunfish, topaz mountains
there... a drift of bright gold eyes:

dandelions offering peace and love
beyond this vale of tears and cries.

© Kåre Enga [166.196c] 2009-09-08

I was thinking of the golden hawkeyes blooming in my sister's lawn, but dandelions work better. Then I mixed in the phrase I found on the internet today and tweaked the title... I've written about dandelions before ... many a time.

Watt's Gnus:

I will need to write an essay/opinion about Caster Semenya. She won a race in South Africa and then had to undergo gender testing... The latest reports are that she is intersex. Ah... to be 18, win gold, and then be vilified for not being who you were raised to believe you were. And... in such a public manner.

Since I've had a friend, Vaughan, who went through this when he was 30 (turned out he is XXY), I can tell you this is no small jolt to the system. Castor has support from family and a nation, but her internal questions will need to be addressed.

ME?

Met with the writer's group Fiction Plus last night. Was nice to see Kathleen and Hobie as Hobie had been on hiatus and Kathleen was in NYC for months. I read a group of poems I've posted here. Franses asked when I was going to make a book to give them... Encouragement is nice.

Have the current issue of Poets and Writers. It even has an article on chapbooks. I've done 3 or so... but can always learn more.

Will attend a reading/signing of poetry by Peter Filkins downstairs in Shakespeare & Co. tonight.

Travel:

$20 = ₡11,612 today. It is helpful to know the money exchange rate! A good casado should cost ₡1,500; a good fruit drink (like mora en leche ) ₡ 500; a humble hotel room, ₡5,000; Ronald loaned me ₡52,250 (more or less) when I lost my Mastercard in July. This trip, I need to have ₡580,000 available, spend less than ₡290,000, hopefully only ₡175,000 for 18 days. If I am to return in January I need to find a place to rent for ₡120,000/month.

One of the tricks in speaking another language is to think in it. One of the real necessities of living in another country is to be able to think in the local currency and know what things cost. I try.

In 9 days I'll be in San José... and yes, I know the way...

Election night in Iceland, 1991...Páll Óskar does Dionne Warwick in drag:



Blogville

Z.˚rz announced he has 20,000 views of his blog. It does take a while to reach that number. 1st... you have to have a readable blog and Zee Zachmeister has focused on off-the-wall humor. Good choice. 2nd... it helps if folks are googling the entries or that there are off-site links. My old blog "Laura del Campo" is still being read; this one is not being googled. Neither have proper off-site links. 3rd... a readership. I average about 70 unique WdC readers per month (down from over 100); but, if it weren't for my loyal readership (which includes many who don't comment ) I wouldn't have a reason to continue posting. 4th... it helps to be interactive with other bloggers. Zachster visits y'all... I've seen his little tracks... 5th... Anyone who lives in Saint Louis needs all the sympathy he gets. Not true... but Scarlett's rule of 5 y'know...

Another death message... this time at Tor's Place (not Tor or Mel): "Invalid Entry" 

Montana: 78° and pleasant in Missoula at 2 p.m.

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