Owlgirrrrrrllllll Rhythyms.. and Finding Arleen Polite.. 4:00 am 6/7/2022

Illustration a screen shot from PBS? Tv

 OWL GIRL RHYTHMS is what I heard every time someone says algorithms.... so I became one these past few Pandemic years.  I had already been in near total isolation for years here, to a degree, while caring for my Dad.  

Years before my Mom passed back in 2012 and after she had retired from the Ohio Dept. Of Natural Resources, she too became somewhat of a nocturnal owl girrl... Up watching tv, praying to her "2 Mothers, Mary and The Virgin of Guadalupe" , writing her thoughts on little pieces of paper, talking with my little Brother Patrick before and after he passed.. eventually snoozing off. 

So during these past few years I too have left part of my previous "Diurnal" life... (crepuscular mostly)  like the Barred Owls outside in our huge Oak Tree.." who cooks for you, who cooks for youuu alllll... " (I can still call them in like I/we did on our trails in parks, outdoor and environmental education centers on my nighthikes with both kids and adults) and find myself 

doing so from here in the house. i reckon the neighbors wonder.. but probably don't hear. 

Back in 1998 I lived for 4 months with an amazing night owl in Austin, Texas.  There , on Avenue "B"  where I rented a back room from one,  ARLEEN  POLITE, a strong Black woman Woodcut Artist, martial arts  practitioner  (Blackbelt in Karate, Aikido to name just a few) Gardening God/dess, I would be sleeping my diurnal self and beautiful cooking (albeit somewhat shocking) of onions and garlic sizzling in a cast iron skillet would come wafting back.. as Arleen was up working her woodcut press, cooking her amazing concoctions, caring for her dog , Caldee and cat Venus.

Arleen had come from Palatka, near here on the St. John's River and I had also known her when we worked together p/t at Wheatsville Coop circa  1985 ( my first time living and working for Austin Parks and RecReation) . 

 

Back then, Arleen was already established as an Austin Artist... doing the local art fairs such as the Sixth street old "" Pecan Street" twice yearly festival, events at both Bookwoman  Women's bookstore collective and Chameleons Coffehouse off of Sixth St.  as well as myriad other venues, including an amazing mural on there,  on the side of  Wheatsville Food Co-op on Guadalupe, where   i had worked in produce for one of the many jobs I had to have, as (Austin PARD where I worked as a Recreation Specialist ) did not want to pay benefits.

So back in 1998 I wanted to return to Austin from here in Florida, I had been working on a rabbit farm,, still had a few college and other friends there in North Austin... so I did. .....move back, armed with my California seed collection as well as a determination to start anew..

 I had answered an ad Arleen,  the nightowl, had placed in the local University of Texas daily and moved in and Arleen allowed me to plant whatever I wanted in the backyard... that was March of

1998. 

She had just lost her brother and best friend, a fellow Artist and Photographer and

she was trying to get a Masters degree from UT Austin. to be able to further her career and be able to teach her craft. I had been dealing with life post Ovarian Cancer scare and lasted there just over Four months, again working p/t at The Austin Nature Center. 

"Ode to George and Arleen"
Watercolor and Crayon on Canvas
A Pandemic Premonition 
By
Annie B. Siemer

All of my seeds in the unforgotten! Texas heat, went straight to seed and by July, I had fled back to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio after retrieving the Vw ( had left back in Cali ) and drove all the way back home. 

I had planned to stay one month and ended up staying seven years in Columbus, during which there one summer (around 2002 or so ...darn my shrinking memory) i attended the fabulous Columbus Arts Festival, there on the banks of the Scioto River I met another  (small world even then.) Metal artist , Kathy of Katsu designs, who knew Arleen and had passed on her experiences in the UT Masters progrm.. and how badly she was treated there.When I returned here in 2012 to care for my Dad... Arleen had apparently been living back here in Florida, going to Nursing School . I had tried to contacrlt her then, to no avail.

Well last year, I found out that Arleen had passed on to the Great Beyond, just a few months after the murder of one, George Floyd.

I found out "accidently" or as a long time mutual friend, Brian Cutean QTN, said.. "there simply are no quinkydinks ",  

 By searching for Arleen on facebook and the googleworld. I found this video and I will post it here to allow you to hear Arleen's story answering questions in a 2010 interview,( where as/ her nephew (Son of aforementioned Brother)  said " she somehow gained  retribution ".

legacy. com/funeral-homes/obituary/arleenreginapolite

As it is nearing the anniversary of her demise, I want to go to Palatka, where I have still never been..  and i still do not know if she is buried there or in Austin or if she was cremated.

According to her obituary link here:.    legacy.com/funeral.homes/arleenreginapolite  )  

She left behind a living legacy of woodcuts and had done  The Stations of The Cross in  (East?)  Austin, where she had been living as an "Artist-in-Residance" for a local church there.

In many ways Arleen and I had parallel lives. I am determined to find my OwlGirlRhythym friend and still hope to find out exactly how she died... A mysterious illness... 

Here is a link to the video that seems to be too Large... Larger than life as was 

Arleen -The- Nightowl.  Goodnight A rleen, Goodnight... 

womenandtheirwork.org/archive/exhibitions/arleen-polite

Back to Flagler for My Birthday!

 

The Fog has moved in, the wildflowers linger and War is Barbaric!

My blog will most likely be tangental ( I make up my own words, grammar etc causing the " well dressed librarians" of the world to faint) like this , but all eddies eventually return to themselves.

Every year this time, when it starts to heat up east of Skyline Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the heat seeking fog covers all of us in a blanket of cool refreshing greyness.

We were fortunate this spring to have a summer a few months ago, sunshine for weeks.

I both love and hate the fog. On one hand it is cool and refreshing and provides us with lots of negative ions. Negative ions cause feelings of elation and happiness in humans. Waterfalls, ocean waves, fog. On the other, like the overcast of central Ohio, it starts to get to ya after a while. So I drive, to Santa Cruz, up Pescadero Rd, up the Gazos, anywhere to try to glimpse the giant star that we all revolve around. The wildflowers bloomed later and still linger. Irises, trillium, lupines, California poppies, evening primrose, California buckwheat, hedge nettle and many many others have reminded me just why I wanted to come back here.

Here's a few ironies for you: I parked my volkswagon van for many years to avoid driving and free my hands of the blood of this war. In the last year of being back in California, I have more than made up for it. How do we truly wean ourselves from this madness? Time to go "BOB"( back on bike).