OASIS

I have been exceptionally quiet on my blog lately. Part of the reason is because I don't view my blog as a journal of daily events. I try to write when something new is happening, or when something has provoked a Point of View. When I am quiet, it is probably a sign that either I am very contented, or perhaps bored. Most likely, nothing of great interest is going on. But sometimes it is actually because I'm very busy. In this case, that's closer to the truth. Lately, I've been having a lot of fun, but it has also had the effect of cutting into my blogging time.

Our church has a wonderful program for Seniors called OASIS. OASIS stands for Outstanding Adults Sharing In Service. For 8 weeks in the fall, winter and spring they provide a multitude of classes available for anyone over 50 for just $25.00. It has been going on for at least 17 years, maybe more.

Oasis is different from the traditional "over 55 social group" churches offer. It is open to anyone over 50 regardless of what town they live in or what church they might attend. There are classes in everything from chair caning, to writing, calligraphy to a music jam for musicians with an instrument, all led by instructors who volunteer their time. It changes from session to session.

Last session I took Yoga, but this time I stepped it up. I participate in two line dancing groups in the morning and then sit for two hours in the afternoon sharing stories with a writing group. That has interfered with my blogging. What I write about there doesn't really fit what I blog about, but it takes my writing focus. However, I really enjoy it, so perhaps, you lose, while I win.

OASIS isn't for all communities, but it is a great model for those people looking for a way to reach out to their senior citizens. My community has a high artisan population. We are rich with people who will share their skills with people like me who have little or only average talent. However, just imagine the ways you could reach your own community, with photography, computer, language, or business skills on both a beginner and advanced levels. It is affordable and provides a multitude of ways to keep 'retired, old brains' active.

Meanwhile, this old brain is learning new dance steps and sharpening her pencil.  And I'm having a ball with it!

Iowa Photo Essay

Until Janice married and moved to Iowa, I had never been there. In my mind's eye, the view was limited. I pictured flat land covered in corn. Most of all, I pictured a land far from where I lived. 

Since then, I have discovered my car can find the way to Iowa, no matter where I start out from. It has gotten me there from Florida, from Pennsylvania, and now, from Georgia. 

And I've discovered the corner of Iowa that she lives in.

The first thing I learned was that I was right. Iowa is flat.

And there are corn and soybean fields for as far as the eye can see.

But each time I return, I discover the little things that make Iowa special. 

I love walking down the gravel road at the end of the day. 

As I walk I notice things.

Like the textures in the fields.

In summer the roadside gives way to green soybean fields. 

In the fall, as I walk, my eyes are drawn to the rows, weaving their way into the distance. They are no longer green, but dry, and ready for harvest. 

But if you come earlier, when they are changing, the fields are bright gold, and the leaves remind me of gold coins fluttering in the breeze. I think I've found the pot at the end of the rainbow.

I am always drawn to the out buildings, sheds and old barns. The peeling paint, cracked windows and leaning timbers tell a tell of history. They have been here a long time. If only they could talk.

(No worries, though. The farmers have plenty of tales to share when they have time to sit and talk.)

An old pump rises above the weeds.

Shadows follow me on a late afternoon walk. But I love how the light glows on the buildings at this time of day.

An early moon rises over the corn.

An old fence still lays claim to an abandoned homestead, keeping the fields at bay.

Winter, 

Spring, 

Summer,

or Fall,

the charm of the mid-west may be more subtle than the grandeur of the Rockies,

but it is just as enduring. 

So each year I come back to see my family. But with each visit, I am captured once again by the landscape. 

And I look for new ways to rediscover her part of Iowa.