hundredth post

"And the stains coming from my blood tell me, "Go back home."

-The White Stripes, 'Seven Nation Army'

The first thing I did when I got home for Thanksgiving break was walk our fence lines. I wanted to get reacquainted with our land.
Things looked good; the grass is still green beneath the fallen leaves, but I didn't see nearly as many animal tracks as I'd expected. I did find a cluster of violets in a grove near the corner of our property, which must look amazing in the summertime. There was a tire on the creek bank, washed up there by a recent flood. Maybe these are all trivial things, but I feel more centered when I'm all square with our property.
Later, I went running. It's just been so long since I've spent quality time with the plains. The combination of rolling prairie and gravel roads sometimes makes for a tough run, but I love pushing myself up a hill and suddenly finding myself at the top of it.
The neighbor dogs bug me pretty frequently (especially the German shepherd-chow mix who lives next to the substation), but today a couple followed me who were actually really pleasant. One was like a larger version of Sandy from Annie, and the other looked like she might have been a small black lab mix. They ran out to meet me, and chased the German shepherd-chow mix away. Then they stuck with me the rest of the way, tripping over each other in their eagerness to run with me.
We ran on flat land for a ways, and then we turned downhill. When we got to a certain creek, I knew it was time for us to turn around. As I ran back up the hill to the corner, the wind picked up. My massive hoodie was like a parachute, and I pulled my arms in as close to my body as I could. Lowering my head, I saw that the dogs had huge smiles on their faces. They were loping along just ahead of me, pacing me. I realized that I was grinning too.

today's post brought to you by mick jones

Darling you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine, I'll be here til the end of time.
So you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?
It's always tease, tease, tease; you're happy when I'm on my knees.
One day it's fine; the next it's black, so if you want me off your back,
Well come on and let me know, should I stay or should I go?

Should I stay or should I go now, should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble, and if I stay it will be double.
So come on and let me know-

This indecision's bugging me. If you don't want me, set me free.
Exactly whom I'm supposed to be? Don't you know which clothes even fit me?
Come on and let me know: should I cool it or should I blow?

Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble, and if I stay it will be double.
So you've got to let me know, should I cool it or should I blow?

Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble, and if I stay it will be double.
So you've got to let me know,
should I stay or should I go?
-The Clash

Aftermath of my epically European summer

". . . and then there are those other people, the ones who run as far as they can so they don't have to look at themselves."

-Gossip Girl

If I remember correctly, I was nostalgic at the beginning of the summer for Kansas and all the things that it signifies to me. I craved country music, was enthusiastic about farmwork for the first time in years, and lived in my cowboy boots. That will always be a part of me, like the bones in my body. After a steady diet of Europe for three months, however, I'm finding it difficult to convert back to my gravel road swagger and straw-chewing ways. If I were to pick up a bb gun right now, I doubt it would fit as nicely inside my arm.
My head is full of the Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and the sounds of all the musicians that I met this summer. If it weren't for my Target sandals, I'd be dressed head-to-toe in H&M almost all the time. This European style is like the tan that covers me now: I'm sure it will fade before too long, but I'll always have the ability to acquire it again.
Just as I immersed my students in English, so was I fully immersed in Europe. I drank beer and wine instead of water at dinner because that's what my host families did. Italian driving rubbed off on me (and that's all I'll say about that). When I need to make a point, I speak Italian, and when I really need to make a point, I speak Italian sign language.
I saw so much of Italy, one of the best cities in France, and my favorite place in Spain. I didn't mention this before out of fear that I would be quarantined, but I actually contracted what we believe to have been swine flu while I was probably in Nice, and I was fighting it while in Madrid (which is why I didn't seem to get very much done while I was there). It wasn't as bad as they're making it out to be here in the States- I would almost say it was milder than the flu I got a few years ago. I did, however, feel achier than I've ever felt from an illness, and flying was miserable. I can't believe I made it home- I was almost expecting to be held for a few days.
So that was how I spent my first few days back- on the couch, being served orange juice and sorbet by my mum (sorbet is the next best thing to gelato). I'm still ridiculously tired two weeks later, and now a lot of my friends are coming down with various illnesses (don't worry, I've not been contagious since I returned). Looks like I'll be acting as Mother Theresa for the next few weeks. Fortunately my time with my Italian host mothers taught me how to cook for large groups and just generally take care of (or nag, depending on how you look at it) people. I've stocked up with soup, pasta, Bomb Pops, tea, vitamin C, and grilled cheese.
Let's do this.