Open Thread -- wide open


~

Today it is whatever you make it!
Have fun...

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Caucus 99% style Wink

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enhydra lutris's picture

expend great amounts of time and effort to achieve the empty mind. Wu, wu wei, shunyati, samadhi, so many things, things that cannot be opbtained by striving, but only by letting go.

Of course western (pseudo)science, pshrinkology, tells us that:

There is a rare condition in which people claim to experience no thoughts or have no inner monologue. This could be a symptom of trauma, depersonalization, or other dissociative disorders.

A quote which sould be a symptom ot too much TV, advertising, sugar, coffee, or superstitious dabbling in the realm of id, ego, and other unnatural concepts.

Be well, enjoy the stillness, and have a great one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Lookout's picture

...is what you make it!

Another lovely one here. We're having an old friend and fellow retired teacher over to help eat leftovers today. We'll hang outside down at the camp house, and with mid sixties for temps won't need a fire.

Next week we're due our first freeze. Tomorrow we will have to double cover the lettuce. The broccoli, kale, collards, mustards, and cabbage should be fine but will probably throw a light row cover on them over night.

Hope smiley is doing well. Thank for the OT Q!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

sounds like a mellow Saturday your way.
Have had a couple days rain, but warm and windless.
Sculpting a model sailboat for entertainment.

IMG_2500.JPG
IMG_2502.JPG

Spoke to a blood brother in Fla. yesterday.
Similar outlook as mine.
The plan to make us old goats disappear ain't working.

Cheers!

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

teak hull, and captain wrong-way at the helm
a modified pipe stand

fun stuff

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@QMS

this is the final version...

IMG_2505_0.JPG

moored beside the wind vang
small fleet

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Over and over Lao Tzu says Wei wu Wei: Do not do. Doing not doing. To act without acting. Action by inaction. You do nothing yet it gets done...

It's not a statement susceptible to logical interpretation, or even to a syntactical translation (into English); but it's a concept that transforms thoughts radically, that changes minds.

Tao Te Ching
Ursula K. Le Guin

thanks EL

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@QMS -Paul Robeson

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@aliasalias

nothing is something

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It is damp and windy here at Toledo Bend. I have a small fleece throw wrapped on my head, sort of Muslim Woman-style. Hope the cabin neighbors don't shoot me.

Dear One turned on Fox News this morning and heard Cuomo, by tamping down on religious gatherings, is an Autocrat. Thus, the word of the day is Autocrat. I am an Autocrat for suggesting Dear One prepare his own lunch. Oh, and an Autocrat for suggesting he check out the weather in the actual town where I will be driving from in the morning, not the town of destination. I am considering it a compliment by now.
Take care!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp
and a burka on the head
what could one possibly want more of
(besides a cane pole) Wink

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mimi's picture

I wished I had one, ie an empty mind and a parking space. My sister has one, a parking space and an empty mind.

I can't watch TV and am mad if I have to join her at the TV. I want silence. I don't want to think about what people say on TV. She needs the noise, because if not, her head is full of thoughts she would like to forget.

But truth to be told, she doesn't want to forget, she mourns since 23 year her husband's and for 9 years her daughter's death. I think she likes to be the victim of an unfair God, who had served her a bad fate. For her everything and almost everyone was so unfair in life to her. In fact everything was served to her on a silver platter, just not her loved one's deaths. Those came, one unexpected and the other expected, but the expected one never entered her mind's consciousness.

She seldom follow what is said on TV and til today she doesn't understand what the corona virus is. She does understand and loves to see history documentaries. And she needs noises and light. So the house has two running TVs and at least four rooms with all lights on.

I can't sleep if the lights are on or the morning sun peaks directly in my face at 4:30 am.. She has the TV on and reads at the same time. Usually she reads books from the end to the front and several times. She reads fiction. I never read fiction, so my sister thinks I don't read books at all. She is almost right there.

So we have both a lot of problems to keep our minds empty They are too full.

We have our first freeze here too. Oh, should I tell you about neighbors who fight over parking spaces? I fear your mind would freeze if I did. Let's talk about next spring.

Sigh. November, December and January and February the worst months of the year here in our woods of the world.

So I have the fights with my leaves. Either they are too wet and get heavy to bag, or they are too dry and fly all over the space, or they are just way too many and nobody in the house takes care of them. I drown in mulch and dream of a magic de-mulching device.

In my next life I live in a sub-tropical climate area. At least the leaves don't fall down.

I can't get any wider open with my thoughts. They seem to fall through.

I do not want silence in the garden. The garden feels like a graveyard. Any natural occurring noise is too noisy for my sister, she needs the TV noise. I want noise in the garden, wished kids would be here and play.

ok, so much for wide jabbering.

Close your mind, it's too wide open, mimi, I say to myself.

I need to make a peppermint tea now. My nose and my feet are too cold now.

Be well, cheers.

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@mimi

Empty minds and parking slots.
No noise inside, need outside noise.
Fiction sisters freezing leaves.
Mulching the mind.

Have fun!

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Having a mad, mad, mad free Green Saturday sale!

Caucus 99 % caps going for virtually nothing.
If I have your mailing address will send one.
Otherwise personal email me or see the member
contact link on the left side bar. Can't remember who
bought them before, but one size fits all.

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mimi's picture

[video:https://youtu.be/7B_lN3RbXFs]
Now I am sure you are ready to eat all the leftovers from Thanksgiving.

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mimi's picture

@lotlizard
Frigging internet that keeps haunting me. I think I have and had a strong case of PTSD finding a Germany that I had no idea of existed and still feel not at home with again today.

If it were not for all the great documentaries that were written and shown on German TV today I would have never understood what happened to Germany after the 1980ies. Reunification is still a mystery. It seems more divided than ever before to me.

Ok, if I have no PTSD, I must have covid. Everything in my brain hurts.

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I asked them what music they liked that no doubt, we had it.
Van Halen.
So, we played "Jump!"
Van Halen, RIP.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Situational Lefty's picture

I don't have time for that and I don't think anyone else does either.

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"The enemy is anybody who is going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." Yossarian

mimi's picture

@Situational Lefty
Once in a while I try to tease snoopy with something she certainly would not like to watch or read about. I am sorry you did not get it. I hope snoopy understood me teasing, the title of my comment should have made it clear, I thought.

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snoopydawg's picture

@mimi

and I know why you posted it for me. lol you are so sweet to think of me...

Smile

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

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In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

QMS, for the extra open open thread yesterday. I saw it late and had no useful words in me but, an extra thanks for catching it.

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@randtntx

got rid of a bunch of hats in the process.
Like you, I had nothing, so tried to fill a void.

Best wishes,
Scott

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Sent you a pm, scrolled back and saw this.
Doh! @QMS

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

smiley7's picture

hitting another home run. Smile "Today is whatever you make it!"

Misjudged my travel time needs by about 24 hours. Was relieved to see the plate was covered. Cool sailing sculptures; carry on mate.

I can say mate as i write to you from the ocean, sitting at table pictured below:

where the winter sun rises over the ocean and sets over the ocean.

Lucky man, i am, project completed, closing done, metamorphosis begins ...

Please do set aside at least six c99 hats, if you have that many left, and i'll forward a check to you when i return home in January. Hoping to gift them to local friends.

Loving the sounds of waves, Mahalo good friend.

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@smiley7

Carolina on my mind. So glad you made it thru the morass with head intact.
The surf is quiet here today. Sunshine and lollipops.

Best,
qmess

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smiley7's picture

@QMS

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@smiley7

good on ya

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smiley7's picture

@QMS

thoughts coalescing faster than i predicted they would as to what to do now as a winged butterfly.

In the meantime, quieting down to nature, little noise from the outside, healing.

Thanks for understanding.

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@smiley7

change is good

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