Of Being

Of Being

I know this happiness
is provisional:

the looming presences—
great suffering, great fear—

withdraw only
into peripheral vision:

but ineluctable this shimmering
of wind in the blue leaves:

this flood of stillness
widening the lake of sky:

this need to dance,
this need to kneel:
this mystery:

~ Denise Levertov ~

(Selected Poems)

Coyotes

Coyotes

Is this world truly fallen? They say no.
For there's the new moon, there's the Milky Way,
There's the rattler with a wren's egg in its mouth,
And there's the panting rabbit they will eat.
They sing their wild hymn on the dark slope,
Reading the stars like notes of hilarious music.
Is this a fallen world? How could it be?

And yet we're crying over the stars again,
And over the uncertainty of death,
Which we suspect will divide us all forever.
I'm tired of those who broadcast their certainties,
Constantly on their cell phones to their redeemer.
Is this a fallen world? For them it is.
But there's that starlit burst of animal laughter.

The day has sent its fires scattering.
The night has risen from its burning bed.
Our tears are proof that love is meant for life
And for the living. And this chorus of praise,
Which the pet dogs of the neighborhood are answering
Nostalgically, invites our answer, too.
Is this a fallen world? How could it be?

~ Mark Jarman ~

(The Atlantic, May 2003)

Sadly Gone

How to Cope with Financial Stress and Anxiety

5 Ways to Cope with Money Stress
By Nancy Palmer

Take Up Knitting!

According to research at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, the repetitive motion and focus of needlework can elicit what's known as the relaxation response—a calming meditation-like state that slows heart rate and causes blood pressure to drop. In addition, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that knitting is associated with a lower risk of dementia for those 65 and older.

Probably not LACE knitting......or maybe when knitting HEELS. I'm just saying.....

Simple Recipes' "Quesadilla Pie"

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

~Lily Tomlin

Eagle Cam

Eagle Cam - NatureWatch will let you view a baby eagle RIGHT NOW sitting in its nest. Or one of its parents hovering over it. Cool.

Shifting the Sun

Shifting the Sun

When your father dies, say the Irish,
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh,
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Canadians,
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the French,
you become your own father.
May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.

When you father dies, say the Indians,
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the English,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light

~ Diana Der-Hovanessian ~
(Selected Poems)

::In Loving Memory of my Dad::

Blessed Summer Solstice

Photo: My "Mexican Bird of Pardise," front yard, 2009

Ahhhh, Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year featuring fire celebrations around the world. Enjoy the day and long twilight as the Earth then tilts towards the winter.

'School of the Seasons' by Waverly Fitzgerald has this to say about Summer Solstice:

"The summer solstice is the time when the sun is in its glory. This is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The date of the summer solstice varies slightly from year to year. This year it falls on June 21st. Summer solstice customs are also associated with a fixed date: June 24 the Midsummer’s Day. June 23rd is Midsummer’s Eve.

As the name “Midsummer” indicates, this is considered the height of the summer. Yet there is an undertone of darkness in the light. While we celebrate the power of the sun, we also note its decline. From now on the hours of sunlight will decrease.

The Fire and the Sun:
The great solar festival of the year is celebrated from North Africa to Scandinavia with fire. This is a traditional time for a bonfire which is lit as the sun sets. People dance around the fire clockwise and carry lit torches. In some places, they set fire to wheels of hay which are rolled downhill.

Flowers and May Day wreaths are tossed into the fire. They burn and die just as the heat of the summer consumes the spring and brings us closer to the decline of autumn and the death of vegetation in winter. As we begin the decline, it’s important to remember that the wheel of the year is a circle. The spring will come again. The sun will triumph over the darkness again. Thus, the circle is an important symbol. Wreaths are hung on doors. People gaze at the fire through wreaths and wear necklaces of golden flowers.

Before the calendar was changed in the 18th century, Midsummer fell on 4th of July. When you celebrate Fourth of July, think of all those brilliant fireworks and blazing Catherine wheels as devotions in honor of the sun.

St John and Honeymoons:
Midsummer’s Eve is also called St John’s Eve. The official version says that St John was assigned this feast because he was born six months before Christ (who gets the other great solar festival, the winter solstice). Actually it may have more to do with the story of St John losing his head to Salome. In ancient times, a ritual sacrifice was made to the goddess of midsummer.

Other midsummer symbols also accumulate around St John. He's the patron of shepherds and beekeepers. This is a time to acknowledge those wild things which man culls but cannot tame, like the sheep and bees. The full moon which occurs in June is sometimes called the Mead Moon. The hives are full of honey. In ancient times, the honey was fermented and made into mead. According to Pauline Campanelli in The Wheel of the Year, this is the derivation of honeymoon.

This is a traditional time for honoring water, perhaps because it plays such a vital role in maintaining life while the sun is blazing overhead. Several of the goddesses worshipped at midsummer — Matuta, Anahita and Kupala — are associated with moisture and dampness. St John baptized with water while Christ baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit. In Mexico, St John presides over all waters. People dress wells and fountains with flowers, candles and paper festoons. They go out and bathe at midnight in the nearest body of water. In the city, they celebrate at the bathhouse or pool with diving and swimming contests.

Herbs and Lovers:
Midsummer Eve is also known as Herb Evening. This is the most potent night (and midnight the most potent time) for gathering magical herbs, particularly St John’s wort, vervain, mugwort, mistletoe, ivy and fern seed. In some legends, a special plant, which is guarded by demons, flowers only on this one night a year. Successfully picking it gives one magical powers, like being able to understand the language of the trees.

This is also a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says “Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking.” According to Dorothy Gladys Spicer in The Book of Festivals, Irish girls drop melted lead into water and interpret the shapes it makes. In Spain, girls do the same with eggs. In Poland, they combine three of the symbols of the holiday for a divination. Girls make a wreath of wild flowers, put a candle in the middle, set it adrift on the river and tell the future by observing its fate.

Celebrating:
This is a great festival to celebrate outdoors. Go camping. Go out into the woods or up into the mountains or down to the beach. Find some place where you can build a bonfire and light it when the sun sets. Bring along plenty of flowers (especially roses or yellow flowers like calendulas, St John’s wort, or marigolds). Fashion them into wreaths, wear them as you dance around the fire and throw them into the fire at the end of the night. Bring along sparklers too (but use them carefully). Indoors, use whatever symbols represent light and warmth to you: golden discs, sunflowers, shiny metal trays, chili pepper lights.

Gather magical and healing herbs at night on June 23. Hang St John’s wort over your doors and windows for protection; toss some on the fire as well. Harvest your garden herbs now so they will be extra potent.

To acknowledge the gift of water in your everyday life, decorate the faucets in your house. Z Budapest in The Grandmother of Time suggests walking to the nearest body of water, making a wish and then throwing in a rose you have kissed to carry your wish home. She provides the following wishing poem:

Yes, you are here in the soft buzzing grass.
Yes, you are listening among the flowering gardens.
Yes, you are shining from the most royal blue sky.
Yes, you are granting me what I wish tonight.
Grant me a healthy life rich with high purpose,
A true partner to share my joys and my tears,
Wisdom to hear your voice giving me guidance,
Wealth to give to others as you have given to me.

Honoring Your Strength:
The sun is associated with will, vitality, accomplishment, victory and fame. As you throw your flowers into the fire, acknowledge your accomplishments. Write about these at length in your journal, perhaps while sipping a cup of tea sweetened with honey, or gather your friends in a circle and go around several times with each person boasting about their strengths. Assign a different topic for each round, for instance, aspirations, courage, achievement, competence. Toast each other (with mead, if you can find it). This is your night to shine."

M*M and B*B to those in nature celebrations.

"Whatever is dreamed on this night, will come to pass."

--William Shakespeare - On the Summer Solstice acknowledging the magic of this time

of Mid-Summernight's Dream

Cat Funny

Photo: ICanHasCheeseBurger.com

Heh. Swiped from Linda at RVVagabonds! What a great giggle.

Simply Recipes' "Circassian Chicken

"Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at."

The End of the Line

Great. Just great. No more fish. In the oceans. Are we stupid or what?

On another note, more here about killing of dolphins in Japan: CNN inviews Ric O'Barry

So Sad: Blue Whale -- One Dead, R.I.P.

Photo: Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures

"Pictured: The largest animal ever to have lived - tragically run down by a passing ship Mail Online"

Researchers believe the whale may have been hit by a cargo ship in the busy shipping lanes coming out of the city of Los Angeles. Staff at the university have not yet been reached for comment. The picture first appeared on National Geographic's website.

Water is churned up around the body of the whale as the research vessel fights to get closer to it, while seagulls perch on its upturned belly.

The Pacific Storm is 84 feet, or just over 25 metres long - meaning this whale must be roughly 22 metres long.

The image is so astonishing it almost looks unreal. The Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute is well-known for its research on blue whales, even participating in a documentary with National Geographic on the subject.

Blue whales are the largest animal ever to have lived - even larger than the dinosaurs. They are a sub-species of baleen whale, feeding mainly on krill, that can grow to up to 30 metres long, and weigh 100-150tonnes. Their mouths could hold up to 100 people, and their hearts are the size of a small car.

They are long-lived, also, with an average lifespan of 110 years. The blue whale is also one of the largest animals in the sea, capable of making noises as loud as a jet engine - though at frequencies too low for a human being to hear.

The majestic creatures live in all oceans of the world, though they are predominantly found in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific, and just above Antarctica. By the 1960s they were classified as being on the brink of extinction, and they are still on the endangered list - making the tragic loss of this one all the more poignant.

Whale deaths always upset me. Whether by nature or man, there just aren't enough of them left. Poor whale. Poor us.

"The real threat to whales is whaling, which has endangered many whale species."

-Dave Barry

Tank Man of Tiananme

Never forget. If China ever lands on our shores physically, (they're already here financially), THIS is what freedom of speech and movement will be like for us.

Behind the Scenes: Tank Man of Tiananmen - Lens Blog - NYTimes.com

The Worst Drive-Through Foods in America

Wow....is this bad or what????

THE WORST DRIVE-THROUGH MEAL IN AMERICA:

Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

2,618 calories 144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat) 2,892 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

And I guess I'll have to give up the occasional summer 'shake' at McDonald's. Look at this:

WORST MILKSHAKE

McDonald's Large Triple Thick Chocolate Milkshake

1,160 calories 27 g fat (16 g saturated fat) 168 g sugar 510 mg sodium

You’d be better off eating two Quarter Pounders than sucking down one of these belt-breaking shakes. Steer clear of milkshakes at the Golden Arches. If you must have a frozen dessert, order a vanilla ice cream cone to save more than 1,000 calories.

What a bunch of food crap. I think it may be safer to eat a half a pint of ice cream where I could at least READ the label.

Simply Recipes' "Jamaican Jerk Burgers"

Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.

~Jonathan Kozel

Ashes & Snow

Every time I see this picture I actually feel something like pain or love or desire. Feelings that seem to explode from my chest. From deep inside. A physical feeling. A heaviness. Sometimes it makes me want to cry....from love or sadness....sometimes both it seems.

This is one of my most favorite pictures. It's from "Ashes & Snow" by Gregory Colbert. How I missed his exhibition in Santa Monica a few years ago I don't know. How I found this picture? It was and still is hanging on a cupboard in Helen's house. I gasped the first time I saw it. And I've never let it out of my mind.

I recently found the online exhibition. You should first get a cup of tea or coffee and plan on a few quiet minutes of going thru. It's incredible.

TSA Has Your Junk Out Front

Airport security bares all, or does it? - CNN.com

I hate airports anymore. A few weeks ago I flew up to Washington state to visit Charlotte and Lobo. I didn't have to go through one of these scanners which I'm really glad about. First off, it's a HUGE invasion of privacy. HELLO 1984!!!!!!!! And it's not that I think anything under my clothes is something that hasn't been seen before...as it were. I just think this is a joke. I get on planes with pencils, pens, and knitting needles. All lethal weapons if you know how to use them. So are socks and tennis balls. This is just smoke and mirrors to make the American traveling public FEEL like our government is protecting them to the tune of big bucks.

When are we all going to have to wear 'traveling jumpsuits' issued by the government and donned at the airport? 2015 betcha.

In Loving Memory, Lobo the Great

Lobo passed away today. He was my Best Friend Charlotte's wolf dog. He was such a great animal. Always gentle and kind.