Kansas

I did not expect to fall so completely in love with Kansas. The sweet prairie air. The plethora of stars. The deep, deep green that comes after months of rain. Dad and I visited my Godmother and Great Aunt, Bonnie in Saint Francis, Kansas. Even though he hadn't been there in years, he knew, intuitively, exactly where her house was. (It helps that St. Francis' downtown spans the grand expanse of a few blocks and it's outlying neighborhood reaches only several slow roads beyond that). A little bird was waiting for us on Bonnie's porch. We knew we had guessed correctly.
Bonnie was waiting for us with a bowl full of cherries and a smile that soared off her face and into her neighbor's back yard. It was so good to see her, one of the precious people in my life with whom I feel a real soul connection. I don't really remember what we talked about, but that was not what was important- it was her deep understanding of me, and me of her, that was so refreshing.
We then continued onto Hays, Kansas where Bonnie's daughter Ione and her husband Mike live. If I could marry a place, I think it would be their front yard. (And Ione and Mike too!) Tall trees stretch towards the crescent moon, hanging low in the warm blue sky. Frogs and crickets adorn the night with beauty and laughter from the kitchen kisses the sleepy prairie to rest.

Home meet Cassie, Cassie, Home

I have found that the weather changes just as much in May in Cincinnati, Ohio as it does in the rainy season in Oakland, California. It goes from a little less humid to really humid, cloudy to sunny, and then thunder-stormy and rainy all within an hour or less. I am sitting at Rohs Street Cafe, just a couple blocks from my new home. It feels so good to call this place home. It came so quickly and completely for me. My room has three long windows and a ceiling fan that whirs quietly and comfortingly. Light fills my room screaming "WELCOME!" at the top of its lungs. The walls beg for my adornments and my bed carries my tired body.
Rest.
Laughter.
Gourmet vegan food.
Green growing things.

Rest embraces me like a cool cascade
falling over me, my spirit, overflowing, falls into this refuge of rest.