We once had a dream
Outrageous and oh so near
The heavens stretched wide
Malignant fears grew
With a pen’s stroke, hope seemed dashed
Editing lives
Calling on giants
Defend these youthful dreamers
These Americans
Tag: blog
Irma
Hurricane Irma is barreling down on the U.S., and I have to tell her she has really bad timing. I doubt she cares.
Here at Doright Manor we’ve stored up gallons of bottled water and my favorite survival snack, Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies. I have a pantry filled with canned chicken and Vienna sausages and enough cheese crackers to get us through the first hundred days of a zombie apocalypse. Now, it’s just a waiting game.
There’s still a chance the storm won’t hit us at all and might veer into coastal Texas, which is still reeling from Hurricane Harvey. As much as I don’t want Irma to come through here, I don’t want her messing with Texas even more.
Right now Irma is a category 5 storm, and anywhere she makes landfall is going to suffer tremendous damage. The projections we are seeing show that when she reaches Studly Doright and me in the Florida panhandle she’ll still be a category 1. Many things can change still, and we are praying she’ll weaken considerably before she reaches land.
Praying for the best, but preparing for the worst. Don’t be cruel, Irma.
Hurricane Watch, September 2017
Irma is coming, and she’s nobody’s favorite aunt. We’re watching her closely here at Doright Manor in Havana, Florida, and contemplating our options.
A Facebook friend from Melbourne, FL, sent me a link to a weather website that allows one to view a storm’s projected path and wind speeds in three hour increments.
Just type in a location and the animated map will indicate when that area might be impacted and how long residents might be dealing with the brunt of the storm.
Below is the projection for Havana from late Sunday to early on Monday:
Pretty cool, huh? Of course these are all still projections.
If Irma had a heart she’d just dissipate and go frolic as some lighthearted waves in the Atlantic. Go away Irma! We have nothing you need!
Be prepared and stay safe!
Peace, people.
Light
A matter of time
Everything boils down to this
All things fall away
Raging storm, dark clouds,
Nothing will last forever
Light permeates all
Dreamers, hold on,
We promise to fight for you
Looking for that light
Totem
Totem pole bottom
Weighed down by crows and warriors
View never changes
Lofty intentions
Brought low by circumstances
Hardly moving up
Change doesn’t come
He remains the same old wolf
Underneath it all
Who Indeed?
Who would she have been
Rooted in the old home soil
Victim or victor
How life has changed her
Honed and toughened, awakened
She’s nobody’s pawn
There are those who prey
Others seek in vain to shame
Who would she have been?
Laundry
Normally I take on the task of doing our laundry on Mondays. With just two of us in the house these day the once dreaded and seemingly unending chore now only requires a couple of hours of my time. I actually enjoy doing laundry now.
Studly Doright did quite a bit of traveling this past week, both for work and recreation, so he dumped a suitcase full of dirty clothes on the bathroom floor this Sunday morning and then asked if I’d mind doing laundry this afternoon.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” I said. “But why do you need for me to do laundry today?”
“I’m changing my name to Laundry,” he quipped and ducked out the door before I could throw something at him.
Risk vs. Reward
She’s not bullet proof
But neither is she fragile
Words wound, but don’t kill
Risk versus reward
Glomming onto a spotlight
Falling in shadows
She could double down
Accelerate the damage
Or wave a white flag
Exercises in Deep Breathing
A couple of days ago I shared a meme on Facebook that caused tempers to flare. I first included it in this post, but honestly, I feel like I’ve been through the ringer. ¡No más! So, I deleted it before publishing.
Basically the meme was a take on the whole “weather catastrophes are the fault of….(insert gays/feminists/atheists/Muslims, etc.).” only this one jokingly put the blame for Hurricane Harvey on Trump, and then asked, “see how ridiculous that sounds.”
Obviously I was trying to make a point about how ridiculous some of the wacky religious and/or political pundits sound when they blame catastrophic events on homosexuality or feminism or any number of unrelated events, so the amount of vitriol the post attracted was rather stunning. Clearly it was satire.
Was I not aware of the suffering people in coastal Texas and surrounding areas were experiencing? Well, yes, I am aware and have posted numerous links to responsible agencies who are accepting donations for victims of Hurricane Harvey, and I’ve donated to more than a few such organizations myself. If I thought I could be an asset instead of an aggravation I’d be volunteering there right now. The good folks of Houston and beyond are going to need help for many months to come, and I’ll help in whatever ways I can.
Have I no sense of shame? Certainly I do when shame is warranted. This isn’t one of those times.
What has happened to me? Apparently I used to be a good person, but I’m not anymore. Huh. I’ve always tried to do the right thing. I haven’t always been successful, but I look out for others and treat people kindly.
The meme is in poor taste! I don’t believe it is; however, cutting a proposed one billion dollars of funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s budget in order to finance a wall between the U.S. and Mexico is certainly crossing a line that far exceeds the realm of good taste, and I don’t see any of the folks who lambasted me over my meme having a meltdown over that.
Several folks lectured me on my morality and ethics. Oddly enough none of them would be my first choice were I to go in search of a teacher on those issues.
A thoughtful friend sent this to me after reading the battering posts. I take great comfort in good friends.
I continue to pray for all those affected by Harvey. Yes, I do. Even those who think I’m a bad person.
If you want to support a great organization that’s helping out folks who’ve lost everything to this devastating storm here are more verified links:
https://www.youcaring.com/victimsofhurricaneharvey-915053
Peace, people.
Read it Again, Ma’am
I read all the time. If I could no longer read for some reason I’m sure I’d wither away and die. Oh sure, I could listen to books on tape, and I suppose I could make do, but there’s something magical about the way a reader interacts with a book that a recording can’t replicate.
My taste these days runs to science fiction/fantasy, but I’m always looking for some new delicacy regardless of genre. And then there are my favorites. These are books I’ve read more than once, and for someone like me who’s always looking for the next literary thrill this repeat reading is the highest compliment I can pay a book.
So what select books are among my repeats?
1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is number one. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve delved into the world of Scout Finch, and I read it at least once a year in the fall.
2) Stephen King’s, The Stand, is a close second. The epic tale of good versus evil still gives me chills, and I become suspicious of any sniffle or cough, certain that Captain Trips is about to wipe out most of humanity.
3) A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, comes in third, and I can’t really say why. There’s something about this coming of age story that draws me in. My heart aches for these boys on the brink of manhood and all of the pitfalls awaiting them. If I pick up my well worn copy when I’m dusting or otherwise moving stuff around I can’t help but begin reading it again.
4) I’ve read all but one of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series multiple times, having read the series from the beginning every time a new book in the series was released. So I’ve read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone seven times, while I’ve only read Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows once.
I’ve recently added a new book to those deemed worthy of a rereading. This book, The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig, is the first book that comes to mind when a friend asks for a recommendation. So when I didn’t have a new book in the queue, I thought it might be time to remember why I recommend it so often.
The Whistling Season is set in Montana in 1909. A widower with three sons takes on a housekeeper whose ad, “Can’t cook, but doesn’t bite” intrigues him. The widower and his sons get much more than they bargained for when Rose and her brother, Morrie come into their lives.
This book is an homage to education and the one room school house, and to a time when life was a bit slower, but no less complicated than it is today. The language is incredible and the story so compelling I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to reread it.
Those are mine. What books have you read repeatedly? I’m always looking for my next favorite. Looking forward to suggestions.
Peace, people!
Praying for Eyebrowz 