I spent some time over the last few days writing a blog post comparing the polygamous Mormon sect down in Texas with the Mauritanian view of marriage, but I couldn’t pull it off. Maybe I’ll keep working on it. Right now, the two things only link in my own mind, and the post feels awkward, swerving between being too bland and “culturally sensitive” and being potentially offensive, or just plain boring. I’ll keep working on it. I need a good ending, and a better beginning too. Not to mention an improved midsection.
It’s been a quiet week; lots of rain, lots of time with friends. Today Ilsa took me to Starbucks, in spite of my supposed boycott of the place. She got a $5 gift card as a birthday present and wanted to treat me and have a “special time.” It was fun. I got a coffee and she had lemonade and a cinnamon roll, and we talked about her plans for Morocco. We’re leaving in about 3 months, and yes, I am beginning to stress, thanks for asking.
Ilsa has a dream garden; we talk about the possibility of it being actualized. She wants to grow strawberries, lemons, and flowers; she wants it to be somehow enclosed so that it’s a bit secret, walled. She has planned an elaborate entrance system, made out of cardboard and yarn I believe, as most of her inventions are. I am allowed to share this garden, she tells me; I can have part of it to plant as I wish. I have no idea if our future home will even have a garden, I tell her, again. I don’t know if it will be a house or an apartment, or how many rooms it will have. Our future is unclear; a fact that, while always true, is most visible at times like these.
In the meantime, Michelle at Scribbit interviewed me today. You can go find out about the job I almost had, at a time when scheduling meant even less to me than it does now, and see a fun picture of a camel in the back of a pickup on the streets of Nouakchott.
I leave you with these thoughts from Elliot. This is a cautionary tale about what happens when you let your feverish son read too much, especially a son who received this very cool book
Elliot: I was insane last night.
Me (smiling): Did you have fever dreams? When you have a fever, you often have really vivid dreams. Do you know what vivid means?
Elliot: Yes. But these weren’t dreams; I was there.
Me: Uh, yeah. You see, vivid means…
Elliot: It was really weird though. I was at the Battle of Stalingrad, and I was a Russian fighter, but I had a German gun instead of a Russian one.
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April 25, 2008 at 6:40 pm
shannon
I have been “lurking” on planet nomad for a while but today I am finally going to break my silence and comment. I find that after only 2 years living in Indonesia my world view has changed dramatically. Polygamy is legal here (like so many other places) and I am more upset at Texas for their handling of this whole mess than at the thought of a polygamous marriage. I am also moving in a few months and cannot figure out how we ended with so much STUFF! Where the heck did it all came from? I love that your daughter is planning a garden without even knowing if there is a garden. My 6 year old son is doing the same thing I keep telling him I don’t know if there will be space for you to garden in Germany but he just keeps planning. Maybe a window sill herb garden will suffice.
April 25, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Michelle at Scribbit
Stalingrad huh? Thought you knew your son didn’t you?
April 26, 2008 at 12:53 am
ShackelMom
I feel a little wistful that you will not be in Portland when I pass through there in the spring. I thought there might be an off chance we could meet. I am within a month of departure from our overseas home of 20 years and am having stomach pangs about all that has to be done before leaving, and about leaving in general. It is only for a year, but it is a whole year, if you know what I mean. I am sure it will be a good year and three-fourths of me looks forward to it!
I’m so glad you went out to coffee with Ilsa and dreamed about gardens with her! She will remember that longer than the garden.
April 26, 2008 at 2:13 pm
suz
Thanks for your blogging-I enjoyed your interview and I love that picture of the pickup with the camel i it!..I always wondered if I could get paid to
review books?..your time with Ilsa is wonderful-great memorys for the future!..happy weekend!
April 26, 2008 at 7:07 pm
LIB
Way to go Ilsa!
I have had some very strong feelings about the whole FLDS ‘faith’ since reading Krakauer’s “Under the Banner of Heaven”. (A highly recommended read, BTW.)
They say they should be allowed ‘freedom of religion’. But, when your faith practices are illegal I think you abandon the right to freedom of religion. For instance, if your religious practices included human sacrifice.
If, in the FLDS ‘faith’ it was adults only who enter into the polygamus marriages that would be a different matter. But, many of the second and subsequent wives are 13, 14 or 15-year-old girls! Their husbands are 30 or older.
Another thing that upsets me about the set-up is that legally the second and subsequent ‘wives’ are single moms–they receive welfare benefits as such. This seems like welfare fraud to me.
April 28, 2008 at 8:52 am
Shalee
I’m glad you let go of your boycotting long enough to enjoy your special treat with Ilsa. Those are some great memories you’re making…
I loved your interview at Michelle’s place. It gave me more insight to you and your multicultural view. I’d totally do the “get paid to read” thing, but like you, I want it to be my choices of books. Hmph.
May 4, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Pieces
The garden sounds lovely. I hope that Ilsa gets her wish. What a neat time to spend together at Starbucks.
I used to get the scariest fever dreams. They still make me shudder. They never involved inaccurate weapons, though.
June 26, 2008 at 6:53 pm
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