These structures will rise again; and no doubt so will the indomitable human spirit that somehow knows instinctively how to regroup and rebuild. I know too that the old lesson will be written on the hearts and minds of the people who lost so much: no Thing matters, as long as love survives.
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Santa Barbara Burning
Thursday night a Santa Ana windstorm struck the Southern California coast: and our beautiful former town was suddenly on fire. It was sad to watch from up here in the NoCal territory, as blazes sprang up throughout the Southland – but especially hard to observe the conflagration in our American Riviera, where over 100 homes went down in flames. Some of those were the dwellings of people we know, I fear; but all were incalculable losses for those poor families. A further heavy blow struck as we discovered that the beautiful hilltop retreat house, Mount Calvary, was razed and utterly destroyed.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
.... Time Passes: And Why Not?
.... I love ellipsis in text; my love for them little dots almost matches my passion for the ubiquitous (in my oeuvre, at least) semi-colons and liberally sprinkled parenthetical asides.
Why are these little rows of period punctuation so useful to me? Critics have opined that ellipsis is often used when the writer cannot think of anything interesting to add to an already useless bit of prose. However, as you can see, I like to use this handy little technique at the beginning of a sentence. I suppose it's possible that I employ ellipsis when I can't think what I want to say. Yes, that could be it! Now that I think about the matter, I believe that a nice downhill push from four little dots can really set me rolling – as you can see herewith.
.... However, all digression aside, I do want to update you, reader (and I'm sure there is only one of you – in fact, it may be that I have met the Reader, and it is me, to paraphrase the immortal Walt Kelly).
It's been over a week since I wrote here last; the election of Barack Obama took our collective breaths away, so perhaps that is why I've been derelict in my duty? On the night of November 4, youngest son Jim set up a fantastic chat room for the family, easily accessible and highly amusing and exciting for all of us. It was a joy to share the historic event with my liberal gang.
After that night was over, we've just been getting back on keel here at the Woodland Cottage. We've done some shopping, some reorganizing of the house, some financial work connected with all that. And I've been reading voraciously – and writing small commentaries on what I've read, sort of mini book reports. I've been thinking of posting these here, from time to time, just for fun – and maybe to encourage any readers to check out the oldies but goodies on my "great books project" list.
Life is settling into a more organized pattern now, as we ride through this lull between the move-in, the summer and autumn visitors, etc., and the coming holiday season. It's nice to have a log fire going in the parlor on cool evenings, as we listen to all our beloved music CDs that have been packed away for so long. (John found a wonderful wall-mounted display case for the little disks, assembled and mounted it on the wall above our stereo cabinet, and filed all the music in good order.)
November was set aside as our quiet month, and so it has been; we thank God. We also look forward to Thanksgiving "down south" and to the beautiful season of Advent and Christmas ahead.
Why are these little rows of period punctuation so useful to me? Critics have opined that ellipsis is often used when the writer cannot think of anything interesting to add to an already useless bit of prose. However, as you can see, I like to use this handy little technique at the beginning of a sentence. I suppose it's possible that I employ ellipsis when I can't think what I want to say. Yes, that could be it! Now that I think about the matter, I believe that a nice downhill push from four little dots can really set me rolling – as you can see herewith.
.... However, all digression aside, I do want to update you, reader (and I'm sure there is only one of you – in fact, it may be that I have met the Reader, and it is me, to paraphrase the immortal Walt Kelly).
It's been over a week since I wrote here last; the election of Barack Obama took our collective breaths away, so perhaps that is why I've been derelict in my duty? On the night of November 4, youngest son Jim set up a fantastic chat room for the family, easily accessible and highly amusing and exciting for all of us. It was a joy to share the historic event with my liberal gang.
After that night was over, we've just been getting back on keel here at the Woodland Cottage. We've done some shopping, some reorganizing of the house, some financial work connected with all that. And I've been reading voraciously – and writing small commentaries on what I've read, sort of mini book reports. I've been thinking of posting these here, from time to time, just for fun – and maybe to encourage any readers to check out the oldies but goodies on my "great books project" list.
Life is settling into a more organized pattern now, as we ride through this lull between the move-in, the summer and autumn visitors, etc., and the coming holiday season. It's nice to have a log fire going in the parlor on cool evenings, as we listen to all our beloved music CDs that have been packed away for so long. (John found a wonderful wall-mounted display case for the little disks, assembled and mounted it on the wall above our stereo cabinet, and filed all the music in good order.)
November was set aside as our quiet month, and so it has been; we thank God. We also look forward to Thanksgiving "down south" and to the beautiful season of Advent and Christmas ahead.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
HISTORY TEST
Shall we be released?
I saw the light come shinin’ this morning, when we awoke to greet Election Day. After a long, long weekend of rain and dark clouds, this Tuesday dawned bright – the light sparkled and glinted off the remaining raindrops as the sun rose higher, over the tops of the redwoods. And we rose, had a coffee and a look at the many clan-mails coming in on our computer terminals, and then dressed in a hurry and headed down to the village fire station to become part of this historic referendum.
I thought of our youngest grandson, Seamus McCune Smith Blau, whose great ancestral namesake was the first black doctor of medicine licensed to practice in New York, so many years ago. Now his parents, and the rest of us, have the privilege of choosing the first black President of the United States; some day perhaps Seamus will be the first Blau President!
But the great hope for our country as we await the election results tonight is that we may be released from the tyranny of the madmen who have plunged this historically Greatest Nation On Earth into near-darkness.
I do not imagine that Barack Obama will be the answer to all the cries of the poor, the hungry, the wounded in war; but the rising up of the American people to vote for Change is a fine thing to observe.
The firehouse crew told us there had not been such a huge turnout for the polls there in Boulder Creek in their memory – and given the apparent age of many of them, that’s a long remembrance.
The test will not be over, if Obama is elected today; it will be just beginning, for him and his chosen band; and it will not be an easy or short road to justice and peace.
But, O God, let us have the opportunity to place our feet on that road, and strive to turn this poor old world around.
I saw the light come shinin’ this morning, when we awoke to greet Election Day. After a long, long weekend of rain and dark clouds, this Tuesday dawned bright – the light sparkled and glinted off the remaining raindrops as the sun rose higher, over the tops of the redwoods. And we rose, had a coffee and a look at the many clan-mails coming in on our computer terminals, and then dressed in a hurry and headed down to the village fire station to become part of this historic referendum.
I thought of our youngest grandson, Seamus McCune Smith Blau, whose great ancestral namesake was the first black doctor of medicine licensed to practice in New York, so many years ago. Now his parents, and the rest of us, have the privilege of choosing the first black President of the United States; some day perhaps Seamus will be the first Blau President!
But the great hope for our country as we await the election results tonight is that we may be released from the tyranny of the madmen who have plunged this historically Greatest Nation On Earth into near-darkness.
I do not imagine that Barack Obama will be the answer to all the cries of the poor, the hungry, the wounded in war; but the rising up of the American people to vote for Change is a fine thing to observe.
The firehouse crew told us there had not been such a huge turnout for the polls there in Boulder Creek in their memory – and given the apparent age of many of them, that’s a long remembrance.
The test will not be over, if Obama is elected today; it will be just beginning, for him and his chosen band; and it will not be an easy or short road to justice and peace.
But, O God, let us have the opportunity to place our feet on that road, and strive to turn this poor old world around.
Monday, 3 November 2008
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
Election eve; it's raining cats and dogs as I write this, turning very dark at 5 PM, as Daylight Savings Time is gone for another year. And we wait.
All our hopes are as high as we can push them; but it's still very hard for me to believe that the past terrible eight years of criminal idiocy and governmental tyranny will really come to an end with this historic 2008 election.
I am not a political animal, and I have no way of making any prognostications about how the voting will go tomorrow. All I am able to do, I will do: and that is, pray for our dear country, tonight – and cast my ballot tomorrow.
It happened before in America: Richard Nixon came and went, and we had the Kennedy era for a while. A turn-around is possible, I know. But I also remember what happened after the Camelot days came to a bloody end – terrible and deadly events ensued, tragedies that all but destroyed the hopes and dreams of my youth. I've also lived long enough since then to see how the mistakes and evil decisions that marred the end of the 20th century are still bearing bitter fruit even into the 21st.
Hindsight can make misanthropes of us all; I guess it is only hope, that "thing with feathers" that flies before us into the unknown, that will make me go out tomorrow morning and cast my vote upon the waters once again.
All our hopes are as high as we can push them; but it's still very hard for me to believe that the past terrible eight years of criminal idiocy and governmental tyranny will really come to an end with this historic 2008 election.
I am not a political animal, and I have no way of making any prognostications about how the voting will go tomorrow. All I am able to do, I will do: and that is, pray for our dear country, tonight – and cast my ballot tomorrow.
It happened before in America: Richard Nixon came and went, and we had the Kennedy era for a while. A turn-around is possible, I know. But I also remember what happened after the Camelot days came to a bloody end – terrible and deadly events ensued, tragedies that all but destroyed the hopes and dreams of my youth. I've also lived long enough since then to see how the mistakes and evil decisions that marred the end of the 20th century are still bearing bitter fruit even into the 21st.
Hindsight can make misanthropes of us all; I guess it is only hope, that "thing with feathers" that flies before us into the unknown, that will make me go out tomorrow morning and cast my vote upon the waters once again.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
"It was a dark and stormy night ..."
Boo to all of you! Our Halloween really lived up to it's long promised potential. All the old hands had told us that winter begins on October 31st up here; and by gum, it did, this year! The rain began yesterday and continued all night (dampening jack o'lanterns all over NoCal, I fear). We stayed inside, cozy and warm, and had great chili and TexMex Cornbread, and went to bed early. Boulder Creek doesn't get wandering ghouls with edible plunder on their minds; the festivities are usually down on Route 9, when merchants stay open late and hand out free candy to kids – while their guardians buy merchandise, they hope.
So the rains continue; and we shut-ins are enjoying it mightily. I baked cookies this morning (how much cozier could we get?) – Granola/Oatmeal Everything drop cookies, with raisins, nuts and chocolate chips: need I add, they are scrumptious with a cup of green tea, right now!
If the power goes out (and it probably will) we have lots of candles placed around the house in strategic locations; our wood stove is ready to go, and a nice stack of logs plus kindling are nearby. We can activate our oven and stovetop with that old-fashioned implement, the kitchen match; and we have food in the freezer that we can use up in any long-term power outage. To top that off, we have nice wooly sweaters of all sorts, and a new down comforter for the bed (both warm-fuzzies courtesy of Leenie, bless her). We don't have to go anywhere!
I hope you all are enjoying this turning point in the year, with the departure of Daylight Savings Time tonight; we expect to be waking up earlier and going off to sleep earlier in the coming days – and that's just as it should be for winter hibernators.
Looks like we'll have another dark and stormy night tonight; lovely!
So the rains continue; and we shut-ins are enjoying it mightily. I baked cookies this morning (how much cozier could we get?) – Granola/Oatmeal Everything drop cookies, with raisins, nuts and chocolate chips: need I add, they are scrumptious with a cup of green tea, right now!
If the power goes out (and it probably will) we have lots of candles placed around the house in strategic locations; our wood stove is ready to go, and a nice stack of logs plus kindling are nearby. We can activate our oven and stovetop with that old-fashioned implement, the kitchen match; and we have food in the freezer that we can use up in any long-term power outage. To top that off, we have nice wooly sweaters of all sorts, and a new down comforter for the bed (both warm-fuzzies courtesy of Leenie, bless her). We don't have to go anywhere!
I hope you all are enjoying this turning point in the year, with the departure of Daylight Savings Time tonight; we expect to be waking up earlier and going off to sleep earlier in the coming days – and that's just as it should be for winter hibernators.
Looks like we'll have another dark and stormy night tonight; lovely!
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