OT ~ Welcome to Saturday!
Sit-a-while
on swinging porch
where tin-dippers and
sweet water
in cool touches
meet lips
from hand dug wells.
“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.” ~ T.S. Eliot
Good morning good people,
"Three years and a billion miles past Pluto, NASA's New Horizons probe is on the verge of at least one more pioneering, once-in-a-lifetime milestone: a New Year's Day flyby of a small body known as 2014 MU69, unofficially dubbed Ultima Thule -- "beyond the known world" -- in a NASA naming contest.
Like Pluto, Ultima Thule is a denizen of the remote Kuiper Belt, a vast realm beyond the orbit of Neptune populated by uncounted dwarf planets and a reservoir of frozen remnants left over from the birth of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.
Little more than a dim point of light to even the Hubble Space Telescope, Ultima Thule will be the most distant object ever directly explored, a record that likely will stand for decades to come if not longer.
If all goes well, New Horizons will race by its target at a velocity of 32,000 mph -- nearly nine miles per second -- at 12:33 a.m. on New Year's Day, passing within about 2,200 miles of Ultima Thule's as-yet-unseen surface." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-horizons-on-course-for-new-years-day-fl...
They say the sun will come back
at midnight
after all
my one love
but we know how the minutes
fly out into
the dark trees
and vanish
like the great ‘ohias and the honey creepers
and we know how the weeks
walk into the
shadows at midday
at the thought of the months I reach for your hand
it is not something
one is supposed
to say
we watch the red birds in the morning
we hope for the quiet
daytime together
the year turns into air
but we are together in the whole night
with the sun still going away
and the year
coming back
~ W. S. Merwin
On the first day of viburnum
I followed a school bus for five miles
past the magnolias and the copper lions
to the shad-men rocking and sleeping in. their bleached boats.
I had just read Pound again and I was thinking
of his brain floating by me in the universe
and his dead body lying face up at Rapallo.
I picked him some violets, for his bitter nose,
and one or two strands of dry forsythia
for his empty hands, something to wave and wave
as he did his bitter business with Kung and Jefferson.
Later that day as I was driving past
my silver cliffs I stopped to pick him some grass,
and thought, if he could wait, I’d get him radishes
or daisies, when they come. Dead poets like him
are all for flowers, they still like to sniff
and stare in the air—vaguely—like sensitive horses,
their eyes filled up with grief and yearning.
If I had the casket before nae I would put
a sunflower in the paw—he wouldn’t mind—
as if he were lying there waiting to jump up,
waiting to shout, “It’s me, it’s me, I live
for beauty, I live for justice,” and then sink back
on the satin pillow, his hair falling over the edges,
the crimson gone from his face, the yellow back.
Dear poets of Perigord, dear poets of New York,
I stopped at a small park on the way back
to think about the centaurs and the white oxen.
I thought we’d share the light between us, I thought
we’d talk about Flaubert and his contempt
for la bêtise moderne, or for that matter
we could talk about the Venice of dreams
or we could turn to American poetry
since World War II and the function of government
to dirty the water or we could just sit and rage
at the new mushiness and the new anemia.
For silence he could stand there staring at the trees
or look at me in the face without a word,
the way he did at the end—for my own silence
I could go back to his death in 72
and what has happened to me in the last ten years
or I’d go back to 1948
and what it was like to read Personae, to sit
on the stone benches and read, or I’d return,
as I always do, to the hatred of Jews, to Pound’s
own home-grown vicious boring bêtise, but mostly
I think my mind would drift away and the humming
and the breathing would just take over, a concentration
on something bright and tender, some dear memory
of southern France, the road below Carcassonne,
the smell of dust and rain. My last flower
was sticking out of the ashtray,
a piece of honeysuckle or mock orange,
and I was driving up the river. I ended
snorting the honeysuckle—that’s what it was—
and watching the seals go by. I was thinking
of Wyndham Lewis, I think, when Pound disappeared,
and when he sang his bitter song again,
a kind of whistling on the passenger’s side,
I was already looking at the orange sky
and thinking of the frog’s glass throat and the green light
that gives him his wisdom, and I was thinking again—
one last time—of the steps of San Salvatore
and the towers floating in the water—1982,
city of Easton, the iron railroad bridges,
the old stone houses, the first American flag,
age of the Reagans, horrible and disastrous.
Near Perigord ~ Gerald Stern
May your feet in balance steps glide upon the waiting reaches
walking in sand on beaches
feeling grains of time tickling your toes
salt water cleaning old wounds
sinking deep into universal horizons of love,
splendor and friendship in this happy New Year.
Comments
I wish to share a personal pleasure ...
arriving to work on Christmas day, waiting on the main table outside the Ski School office was a two-foot tall metal sculpture of a skiing Santa with poles and skis on a weighted pendulum with an attached card saying "To Santa from Santa." Broke my old heart.
Have a wonderful day, everyone.
nice poetry and a lovely gift
Thanks for sharing them both.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
You are most welcome, Marylin, my pleasure that you
are here.
May the new year bring a bountiful garden to you and family in all ways: love.
Life among our new, “progressive” Silicon Valley overlords
https://qz.com/1494111/googles-caste-system-is-bad-for-workers-and-bad-f...
Creepy but thank you
Wow. That's terrible. I appreciate the link. Google sucks even worse than I thought.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Thanks for the link, reminds me of a turn-around that must be
made at universities and colleges, the taking advantage of young aspirants of knowledge by subbing them or paying them meager stipends for teaching; impacting the very core of learning and our socity's advancement. "All for the almighty dollar!
Peace be to you in hopes music you love fills the new year. Cheers.
Good foggy morning, smiley ~~
Foggy mornings are best enjoyed
in the comfort of one's home,
with a cup of tea in hand, warmly
enjoying the activity outside.
We got a bunch of snow yesterday and the fog has set in this below zero morning! Time to open the blinds.
I sure enjoyed the tunes this morning. I especially enjoyed the Jethro Tull tune, so awesome on that flute, as I saw Tull in concert many, many times.
Have a beautiful day, folks!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Hi Raggedy Ann, love snow, especially gliding on it and
its wonderful warm blanket and the quiet after a big storm.
Hope wishes you two have for this new year materialize, water needs are met, and so on; love and cheers.
Did you get to the slopes today, smiley?
The Santa on skis sounds adorable. Maybe you can post a picture of it?
To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.
- Kevin Alfred Strom
Yes, taught four lessons today, and the special one
was two little sisters seven and newly eight years-old, skiers almost parallel when i began and with a few inside leg drills along with balance over the platform work, the two brought the joy of the day in their immediacy in improvement; amazing talent these little ballerinas--yes, they have been taking ballet-- demonstrated; making my work easy.
More snow for you? Hope so.
Have a great new year, snoopy, and hugs and love to you and the pups.
Yay for you!
We got some snow a few days ago but another storm is supposed to hit us tomorrow. It's been very cold here, down to 10. I'm hoping for enough for me to be able to go to the golf course and cross country ski whilst it's this cold. We sure don't have the type of winters we did when I was a kidlet.
To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.
- Kevin Alfred Strom
Hey, like i've written, lots of friends on the slopes
there, close ones; so, it's not impossible that i could visit your state someday and we can take the pups and share the wilderness; wow ... plan on it, it may happen.
As our friend down under says, "Sweet Dreams."
Good morning, Smiley. Went straight for the J. Tull, of
course, thanks for that great piece. 35 degrees here this morning, that's quite cold for us and scary close to freezing. We seldom get hard freezes, but annually have 2 or 3 days of temps in the 30-32 range.
Farmers' market day, about a mile and a half walk each way, get veggies, fish, and a cuppa Peet's on the way home. Today we'll also get a pound of fresh ground Major Dickason's Blend while we're at Peet's. After that it's all about how much energy do I/we have left. There's tons to do out in the yard and garden, as always.
Thanks for the poetry and Paco & Al, of course, a nice morning treat. Reminds me of all of the music I'm supposed to be tracking down and organizing.
Have a great weekend and new year.
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 --
Hi el, J.Tull has been painting wonderful
pieces for a long time, glad you enjoyed. Let's talk later about a possible youtube channel of all our music of c99 as a way to earn a few bucks for the site, been thinking on it for some time and your comment reminded me that it may work; i'm well aware, as most of us, with the invasion of privacy issues with the platform of youtube; but on the other hand, most of us use it here regularly.
Major Dickason's Blend, sounds splendid. Fortunately. my best friend lives in Hawaii and keeps me supplied with varieties of fresh Kona coffee, so in that regard, i'm all set and lucky.
Understand about the energy, i reduced my health questions response to sharing with friends and co-workers who inquire that i'm like a battery, only so much energy for a day before i need recharging. We are still here, old friend, must be a reason.
Love to you two and cheers to a splendid new year.
Love that Santa remembered to give Santa a gift for being
on the good list. Building memories for the children is what Christmas is all about.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Hi dk; best moment for this santa this season was
when a tiny girl sitting on my lap looked pensively into my eyes--i wear those on the nose glasses in costume without lenses--and she said, "you have beautiful blue eyes Santa Claus."
Working with children, teaching them to ski, even at advanced levels, is a reason to get up and go in the mornings.
Haven't said thank you to you lately for all you do for c99; know your work and dedication to our collective cause is appreciated.
May your winter be blissful and your new year the best ever and remember, if you need a travel mate to Europe ...
Love.
Good morning
Smiley and all...
Thanks for the music and words. Santa on a pendulum sounds fun. 36 degrees here, way too cold for the over wintering birds. The polar vortex is slip slidin’ around again which will make for interesting winter weather for all.
Off to see the rosecrusian museum over the hill. Have a good one...
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
Hi magi, a quick perusal of the museum's
website encourages one to visit, would love to spend time there.
On a bucket list that's growing longer ...
Hoping you've a fruitful, marvelous and artful new year. Cheers and love.
a late good evening
the museum was great and worth another visit some day. At one point it had the biggest collection in the world. no more. probably in the early 50s. interesting section on alchemy of all things.
saved this one for you. I thought it was the best one...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4XZWZ91kfc]
best new year to you too sir, may it be filled with light and love and harmony
and good health...
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
:) ... cheers ...
Ran across this London performance of Cohen's and saved it last week; thanks for Tom, love Tom.
Sporadic banging noises woke me up at 3am this morning
during one of our seasonal wind storms. Listening to the angry gusts of wind blow the trash cans that were left curbside down the street, I prayed that the branches from the towering deodars would not snap off and damage the electrical lines, or worse.
Fortunately, when morning finally came, the extent of the damage was limited to broken branches and empty trash bins cluttering the streets. Upturned garden furniture in positions like stick figure yoga poses were tousled throughout my yard, while the lanterns I had hung in my fig tree were scattered higgledy-piggledy god knows where.
The sky is a bright blue today and there is a crisp chill in the air. Sunshine is highlighting the yellow and orange leaves dusting the neighborhood like a colorful snow fall.
Life goes on...
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Glad it was not as bad as it sounded!
I love wind. Growing up in northern Iowa it blew the mosquitoes away in the summer. But scary wind is scary wind.
Now there is scary rain. Last Wednesday it rained hard all day long. Turned out it wasn't so bad. Gravel roads only washed out a little bit.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Me too!
Glad to hear the rain did not flood you out. Mother Nature sure can be inhospitable sometimes, eh?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Hi zoebear, mother nature wakes us at times, simple,
windy reminders of the preciousness of being; you know i prefer the wilderness were it not for my love of people or my need for others to fill in the spaces of wonder and fright with hugs, i would go there like Jeremiah Johnson in a heartbeat; especially had this feeling as a young man, "The call of the wild, as London wrote most poignant and beautifully.
Keep on writing in this new year and may joyous creativity spill from your dipper. Love.
Thank you Smiley
For the encouraging words and the wonderful video! Jeremiah Johnson has been on my "want to watch" radar for awhile. Think you just selected my New Years Day movie choice
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Bloodless for now
Heard this song "Bloodless" a few times, finally tracked it down to a video and the lyrics.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/01/663000810/first-watch-andrew-bird-is-bloo...
It's both clear and murky, like when the gentry are quoting the psalm with such uplifting lyrics as "and your innocence will be like the dawn" while showing a bullet-riddled wall.
Like 1936. In Catalonia.
Whaddaya'll think?
Excellent video . . .
I am going to have to watch it several times.
On another note . . . either you or I need to do an essay on the Cuban urban farming link you put in a comment. It is worthy of much more discussion.
Happy New Year!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Cuban farming
A friend sent me that link. That's all I know about it. But it deserves a lot of attention. Cuba is a far more functional society than we know. Despite 60 years of full-scale opposition from the next-door world power, including economic strangulation and outright invasion, they seem to be coping and thriving, enough to export medical care around the world.
American cities should study Cuban farming and land use.
I'll see if I can find more on the topic.
I'll post that link again:
https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/cubas-urban-farming-revoluti...
About the video: I heard the song a few times, and some of the lines really caught me. The video has a lot of subtle detail, like what is the symbol on the 30's car flying a flag? Who's the generalissimo? I watched it several times, stopping it for details. And I think a lot of the lines mean something very different than they first seem to. Plus the music is excellent, reminds me of Riders On The Storm, but with pizzicato violin, subtle and expressive percussion, great singing. The flip side of the vinyl single is "Capital Crimes". I think I'll have to look for more of Andrew Bird's work.
Pindar, "innocence will be like dawn and
the justice of you cause will shine like the noonday sun."
What do i think? Perfect, thank you much for bringing this tune and vid. Makes my evening whole.
The best to you in coming year. Cheers.
Digging deeper into the "Bloodless" lyrics
THose lines caught me when I first heard the song, but actually reading the lyrics:
The full verse has the "gentry" reciting those lines as part of a "well known" psalm. In context, he's talking about the Spanish Civil War: fighting the fascists and clergy. It's almost like a cleric is reciting those beautiful lines to put the people to sleep. That's why I said the song is murky: it's art, not lecture. But it's clear on one thing. We need to wake up and present a united front or they'll beat us. Here's his descriptive paragraph from his record site
(https://bodega.lomavistarecordings.com/collections/andrew-bird/products/...)
"We find ourselves in a cold civil war. Everyone is playing their part too well. Certain actors are reaping power and wealth from divisiveness. Echoes of the Spanish civil war when fascists and clergy win because they put up a united front against the individualistic and principled (yet scattered) left. We can turn this ship around but need to step back and be honest with ourselves about what's happening while it's still relatively bloodless."
What do we need to be "honest with ourselves" about? Makes for a good discussion.
Smiley, I'm glad you enjoyed the link, and many happy years to you as well. Thank you for the essay and links.
...
~ Hemingway
Thank you, Pindar, for being here.
A lot to learn from then
At a big demo, I once saw a group of old men carrying a "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" banner. They were American volunteers against the fascists. Seeing them made Spain palpable.
I've started delving into Homage To Catalonia. Orwell signed up with the first group he encountered, a non-Stalinist communist group. THey eventually got suppressed. There was a lot of rivalry between communists, other communists, and anarchists.
I haven't heard this kind of overtly radical song on pop radio in a very long time...
glad to find people to discuss this with.
Holiday Greetings & Salutations! Hoping, Smiley,
that whatever recent woes you were experiencing in regards to your 'boss man,' have been resolved. As mild and kind as you are, I can't imagine how the Dude/Dudette would have a problem dealing with you, or, with your fellow employees that you're trying to help.
Got a bit of news about Part D, but it can wait, since I'd rather not spoil folks' remaining holidays.
Hope the weather's that's coming your way isn't too bad. Sure you probably welcome snow, but, sounds like there will be blizzard conditions in some parts of the country.
Take good care of yourself. And thanks, as usual, for the lovely OT--in particular the NASA update, and the super talented Brooklyn Duo!
Have a wonderful New Year's Day!
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Big 'ello Mollie, been thinking about and missing you.
hope you two are well. Do you have a new pup yet?
Well, as to the workplace, so far i haven't been asked to leave and maybe a little light got through the corporate brain, time will tell, i guess.
Damn, as you predicted, we are in for the fight of our lifetime over healthcare; Medicare is in danger from the Democrats in compromise. So glad you follow the details, our voices must be loud in the days ahead.
Love you, Mollie, happy new year and cheers.
Thank you, my Friend--can always count on you
to be kind and gracious! Means a great deal to us--Mr M thanks you for your best wishes, also.
(Sorry, late to reply.)
Hey, bet the so-called Family Farm that your employer won't be so dumb/irresponsible as to risk losing an employee of your high caliber. So, very much hope that you'll continue to soldier on. Especially, since it sounds as though you have a wonderful job, particularly, for someone who loves to ski.
Promise, you'll be one of the first to hear about the new Pup. We know which Girl is ours, now; but, won't be bringing her home until mid-January. I've debated posting a photo of her, but, decided to wait, in order to get one that doesn't look posed. She's a doll, though. (not that I'm prejudiced, or anything
)
I may have posted this previously, but, here you go, anyway,
Have a very wonderful day, tomorrow, Smiley!
(Hope you get to share it with your loved ones.)
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
It was a chilly,
damp, grey day here in south-central texas today. I like this weather though and the dog appears to think the weather is heavenly. He seems to have an extra amount of energy and thinks he should be outside in this brisk air all day. So the dog is having fun but I have been a bit too busy to stop by here much.
I have some catching up to do here and am looking forward to doing that when things settle down for me. It is nice to see you all though and thanks smiley for the OT. Wishing you all the best in the New Year.
Nasa Update: Sun Ra
Sun Ra applied to a NASA arts in space program. I have an image of the application, but can't figure out how to paste it in. The tools here all seem to want to link to a url, and I have NOTHING in the cloud. On purpose.
Use your imagination! Picture Sun Ra and his Arkestra in space!
Thanks smiley
for your eternal good cheer and warm heartedness, and for spreading the enjoyment of art in so many of its forms.
May the new year bring you and all good health and happiness.
[video:https://youtu.be/ZOWqQsOwzjw]
A favorite ...
hum, if the link doesn't work, try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkZ_ihsn404
Love you.
So passionate and melancholic at the same time.
Love to you smiley.