the girl has something to say!

(with thanks to my friend Crickl, who posted it on her blog!)

worth repeating

This article ran in the San Francisco Chronicle 10 years ago, on the occasion of my parents' 50th anniversary party. With deep gratitude to our former neighbor, Mark Simon, I think it bears repeating today, my Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary:

Their Door Was Always Open to Me

Good neighbors and great times remembered

MARK SIMON

Saturday, July 24, 1999

SAN BRUNO -- It is no small irony that I'm missing the Quickerts' 50th wedding anniversary celebration today, a party to which I am actually invited.

For most of my formative years in San Bruno, whenever the Quickerts had a party, I showed up, usually uninvited.

Or, more precisely, I showed up with the youthful confidence that I was always invited at the Quickerts, because that's how they made me feel.

They were my neighbors -- Bill and Norma ``Skip`` Quickert, whose anniversary is being observed today, and their five children, Pat and Dan, Nancy, Kathy and Charlie.

Pat is a year older than I, Dan the same age, and Nancy a year younger, and we spent our childhoods together, playing games in the street, laughing, arguing, building forts, and waging days-long games of ``Monopoly'' and ``Risk'' in the summer.

I lived across the street, on a windswept hill near Crestmoor High School, and I grew up in their home as much as in mine -- a home in which they still live.

A family matter is forcing me to be away unexpectedly, so I'll be unable to attend the gathering. I know it will come as a surprise to them.

I'm told that for years after I grew up and moved away, if the Quickerts were having a birthday party and there was a knock at the door, they expected me to be standing on the porch, ready for cake.

I was always at the Quickerts' house. I broke at least one window there -- Dan always blamed for breaking another because I ducked when he threw something at me -- and I broke my arm there falling off the back fence.

I was always welcomed in, a fact that still surprises me, given that I was little more than a pair of dirty glasses and a smart-alecky attitude.

Mr. Quickert was a tease with a twinkle in his eye -- big and bluff and on the lookout for harmless fun.

He was a salesman for a company that made restaurant supplies, and he worked an unusual schedule. Sometimes that meant he would get home late, rouse the kids from bed, and it would seem like a party.

It also meant that sometimes he'd bring home syrups for soft drinks or snow cones and he would treat all the kids in the neighborhood.

Once, I was annoying Pat and Dan, shining a flashlight in their bedroom window. Mr. Quickert set up a blinking spotlight and aimed it back at my room, and it ran until I gave.

He was handy -- at my home we were notoriously inept with tools.

On more than one occasion, left home without adult supervision, I broke something or something overflowed or something fell apart. He would come to my house and fix it, no questions asked.

I also remember teasing him back one morning, waiting for Dan and Pat to walk to school. They got mad at me for picking on their dad, but I can still see the look on Mr. Quickert's face that said it was fine.

Mrs. Quickert, petite and quiet, was the calm at the center of a house with five children, her husband and, usually, me.

I never heard her raise her voice, although more than once I saw the iron inside when she was saying no to her children.

She didn't laugh out loud, but her nose would wrinkle in a certain way and her smile was warm and inviting.

If Mr. Quickert made me feel like I could hold my own, Mrs. Quickert made me feel approved of. She would say nice things to me about my appearance at a time when no youngster feels good about his appearance.

She would talk to me and she would be interested in what I was saying, although heaven knows why.

I could say much more. They were always active in their church -- working on the grounds over the years. I know in her later years, Mrs. Quickert has been a busy community activist.

But what I remember -- what is at the core of my life as a boy and a young man in San Bruno -- is that they were good friends and good role models and good people.

They were good neighbors.

A few months ago, I was in the old neighborhood. I had taken someone to the church parking lot at the top of the hill. It affords a sweeping view of the Peninsula, and I was trying to explain some things about the area to a newcomer.

Mr. Quickert came walking up the hill with his dog.

We chatted a few minutes and then I blurted out that he must have been surprised I turned out all right.

``Yes, yes I am,'' he said. He paused, as though thinking it over, and then he said it again. ``Yes, I really am.''

As he turned to walk back down the hill, you could see the twinkle in his eye.

Deep Peace

It is Thursday night. It has been a very long couple of days, and earlier this evening I described myself as feeling like an old dish rag, used up and wrung out. Battling with learning about computer functions, programming (?), upgrades. Doing battle with my bank. Getting really upset and angry with the bank situation - which equals, in my case, crying about it.

[Side note ~ I wish that I could get angry and upset and just - be angry and upset. The tears come, every time. And I feel weak and stupid for crying at a time when I feel I should be more powerful and focused. It is the time when I feel most like a "stupid girl" instead of an empowered woman. Half a century into this life, and I'm still doing the crying thing. Don't get me wrong: I think crying is a good and important thing to do. Just... not when one should be making a point, or standing up for one's self.]

Okay, so all wrung out. But by late afternoon, a few things changed. I did some baking. I got a call from T. to go have a coffee break, and we sat out on the sidewalk sipping our beverages and just talking about our feelings. I could feel the pressure just seep away... and I was looking forward to choir rehearsal tonight.

I love choir because I love to sing, and I still feel like I don't sing enough. I love choir because T. is there, and so many of my dear, dear friends are there, and I just love being with those people. I love choir because I come away feeling more centered than I did coming in.

Our anthem for Sunday is an acapella piece that T. wrote months ago, not knowing the circumstance under which it would ultimately be sung. He dedicated it to B., who is struggling with cancer and putting up a real tough fight. The words are a Gaelic blessing, arranged by John Rutter:

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace of Christ,
the light of the world to you.

I had a feeling about this particular choir practice. We had a death in our congregation last week, B.'s husband. It was sudden and jarring, and we are still trying to wrap our minds around the loss. Sweet B. is doing well - considering everything, remarkably well. She was there tonight, and we all got to sit and just be with her. Folks asked gentle questions about how she and the kids are doing, what sort of things she'd like for the memorial service... and we all just sat together like a family and loved her. It was a precious, sacred time.

When it was time to go, K. suggested a song. We sang "Breathe on Me, Breath of God", and it was... perfect. A beautiful ending to a sacred time.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Till I am wholly thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with thee the perfect life
Of thine eternity.

s.n.a.f.u. part II

I won't go into detail... but things are not entirely settled here regarding The Plan To Get Everything Up and Running in the 21st century. My attempts to reinstate my account with mac.com/mobileMe were resolved, in that the account works now. However, somehow my bank was billed eleven times for the annual fee, thus causing an enormous overdraft on my account and freezing my ability to use my checking account. BIG fun, that. Still waiting for that to clear up, hoping I don't run out of gas before it happens.

In other techie matters - I am SO not a technical person, and if I didn't know that before I sure as heck do now - I am wishing I knew more about how to make a nice banner. This is how I want the banner to look. Not a big deal, but it's just a little nicer. Not happening just yet. One thing at a time, I guess.

I hope to get all this stuff wrapped up soon and then move on to more interesting subject matter, post pretty pics, that sort of thing. Onward! (Here's a picture to tide us all over... from last June's Yosemite trip)

memorial day

In honor of all who've fallen in service to the beloved country...

...they are legion. may they be at peace. may we, someday, learn how to wage peace.

s.n.a.f.u.

(Generally speaking, I don't enjoy reading about the minutiae of tech stuff, and I know that complaints are tedious in general. However, in the interest of healthy venting, I offer the following.)

Task for the evening: get my .mac account (now called MobileMe - why?) reinstated, up and running.

1. Click on the old .mac link, where I know I can set up my account again (I've tried it a few times recently, but my slow connection thwarted my attempts. Or so I've thought.)
2. Follow the steps, confirm info, send credit card info.
3. Wait for confirmation.
4. And wait.
5. And wait.
6. Contact Apple support for MobileMe. After clearing my cache and a few other basic things, the dude can't explain why it's not working.
7. Switch browser (was on Firefox, go back to Safari), try again.
8. My version of Safari does not support that site any longer. The site suggests Firefox.
   
9. Attempt Safari upgrade.
   
10. Safari cannot be updated on my operating system.
11. Attempt upgrade of my OS to the final version available to me (Tiger v. 10.4.11, if you must know).
12. Download v. 10.4.11.
13. Still 7% progress after 20 minutes.
    
14. Quit download, reboot.
15. Download v. 10.4.11
16. Success!
17. Open v. 10.4.11
18. "Mac OS X Update Combined (PowerPC) cannot be installed on this computer".
19. Double check that I downloaded the version meant for my mac.
    
20. check.
21. Attempt to contact Apple support.
22. DSL connection starts blinking off. on. off. on.
23. off.
24. beat head against keyboard.
25. sigh heavily.
26. repeat.
    

houston, we have lift off.

Yep.

One small step into the 21st century... one giant step for Ms. KQ:

This post brought to you by my new DSL connection!

hot hot hot!

weather: Yeah, it's in the 90ºs here today. Which is weird, because even though we usually have a few warm days in May, around these parts it's not usually this warm. So I'm using San Bruno AC: a battery-operated fan and a squirt bottle. And I am comforting myself in the knowledge of the Warm Weather Rule: 3 hot days, and then the fog rolls back in. Like clockwork. It'll be great.

church music: The Bethany choir had a real good day today! Sang a centuries-old piece of music, "Cantate Domino", (which is *not* about pizza delivery) acapella. It was... magnificent. I am so happy to be part of the choir again. I had a long drought when I didn't really get to sing anywhere. But with T. as the new Director of Music this year, even going to choir rehearsal can be a worshipful experience. Surrounded all night by dear, dear friends in the choir loft, I leave each week feeling both energized and content. Sunday mornings are similarly at-peace, but with a whole 'nother energy. Today the Spirit was very tangible, and the whole experience was satisfying on many levels.

Open Mic Night: Bethany is hosting a monthly event, and so far it's going even better than I imagined. About 40 people attended last night, and 8 of them were guests - folks who saw the ads I put up on line and just showed up. Perfect! Last night was a little bigger, a little better than the previous event.

Next month it will continue to grow. How do I know this? I guess the best way to describe it is faith. Last night it was apparent, so very clear, that God is blessing this endeavor. Do you remember that scene in "Field of Dreams" where the little girl says with certainty, "people will come. They won't even know why they're coming here, or where they are going when they get in their car..."? It feels like that - with little or nothing to do with logic, people will come. This is happening for all the right reasons and we are following the guidance of a Power greater than all of us. The event will, simply, grow.

One of our guests last night said, "you people ALL belong to the same church? This place is amazing!" Modesty aside - it's true. About half of the congregation are incredibly talented - professional quality - musicians. It hardly seems fair, until we realize that God has brought all of these talented people together into one congregation for a reason. The whole push behind doing an open mic night is to multiply our "talents". (A small biblical pun.) We are providing a warm and welcoming space for others like us... others who may not have a place to go, who may not know that a church can be such a place. We are here, and we are ready.

It is SO exciting to watch this unfold!

weekend

I had a lovely time last night with Aaron and our friend Derek at the Giants game. For many years now, I have given Aaron tickets for his birthday. Some years are leaner than others, some years the seats are better than others. This year, we were in a "view box" over the Giants dugout in the upper deck. Tim Lincecum, our 22 year old Cy Young winner, pitched - and struck out 9 batters. Sadly, the bull pen did not support him well and the Giants lost in a heartbreaker. Despite that, I had a great time, talking baseball and hanging out with my kid.

(photo courtesy of Derek Norris)

I can't think of a more enjoyable way to watch a game than sitting next to my son. He's knowledgeable, funny, and loves the game as much as anyone ever has. His buddy Derek drove all the way down from Sacramento to be with us, and he is a joy as well. Recently I saw a picture that was taken on Derek's wedding day. He was standing in a field wearing his suit and a baseball glove ~ and he was having a catch with my boy (who, as a member of the wedding party, was similarly attired) before the ceremony. It is a romantic photo, packed with meaning and love. (And I'm sorry that I don't have a copy!)

Today I have many things on my to do list: mundane tasks - laundry, housecleaning, time in the garden. But also things unique to the day: I'm going to figure out the DSL kit that arrived on Thursday, and take one more step into the 21st century. Tonight is our second Open Mic Night at Bethany, and I'm going to bake something for that (probably "crack"), and get there to set up around 5:00.

Best to get going then!

progress!

I took these photos two months ago, at the Half Moon Bay Nursery. Yeah, I know... I've been MIA from the blog for a while. But things are gonna change hereabouts, and real soon. I got my DSL package in the mail today. Between that and my cell phone (which was new last July), I've almost joined the 21st century. I still have a tape deck in my car, though. And no iPod. Don't wanna be rash about this stuff...

Once the freedom of the open internets fully sinks in, here's the plan:

1. My .mac (or whatever they're calling it now) account will come back up. That's where my photo albums are kept, as those of you who've been around for a while know. There will be a LOT more photos from me when that happens, but probably by invitation only.
2. I'll still have my facebook account, where photos of family parties, stuff like that will probably be kept.
   
3. I'll be opening an ETSY shop to sell my images and note cards (I still have to find a way to protect my images...)
4. Who knows?! The sky's the limit!

More later (but not too much later...)
peace,
KQ

Dear Martha,

I am kicking myself, learning that Martha (yes, THAT Martha) has held an Easter Creation contest and a flower photo contest this year. Because this is what I created last Easter:

click to view the full grandeur of the project

It's my Peeps topiary! It's 4 feet tall! I really think it beats at least a couple of Martha's prize winners...

peeps bunnies! peeps chicks! jelly bird eggs! bunny corn!

really cute ribbons! decopagé flowerpot!
(If I did it again, I'd probably make all of those bows face the same direction...)
the bunny corn base!

Everything was cemented onto styrofoam shapes, using royal icing. Which would make the whole thing edible - er, except for the styrofoam, of course.

Ah, well, Martha. Maybe next year. Live and learn!

P.S. It was a lot of fun!!!