Happy Birthday Jonas Salk

In the early 50s, people across the nation were terrorized by the threat of polio, a crippling disease that could lead to terrible crippling or worse, a life of confinement in an "iron lung." 40+ years later I became close friends with a Pittsburgh writer who was close friends with Jonas Salk, the doctor who developed an effective polio vaccine.

Just Thinking

Wind and water

sea and sky

love and laughter

you and I

Sunday Night

It's past midnight, a slow Sunday night. The turistas are long gone and only locals sit at the bar. The owner plays dominoes in the corner with a gringa wearing a faded Hussong's shirt. She chases tequila shots with a cold Bohemia. After three games, she's winning.

At Last

 My dream home, from the back.

The roof is finished and not a moment too soon. We had our first fall shower this afternoon, followed by a brilliant sunset. The next step is stucco.

I'm working on getting used to a new neighbor, a small harmless snake who is as wary of me as I of him. John has promised to "relocate" him to the pasture area.

The Voices

Crowded Room by Chester Gould

the voices in my head

      all mine of course

be patient

           work it out

it could be worse

        it should be better

your needs don't matter

            they matter too much

you expect too much

          he expects too little

don't ask

              and for god's sake

don't tell 

             how you feel

it'll work out

           or not

A Long Time Ago

In a land faraway, life was so much simpler. Or was it?

The Dream

 

An old damaged print of Gauguin's "Te rerioa" sits on the bookcase across the room. When I look up,  I see her eyes, then the hand that covers her mouth.  She leans forward,  as if to study the situation.

Sometimes

Sometimes the drive is so beautiful, it doesn't matter where I'm going or why. It's just important to keep on moving down the road.

Seeing Is Believing

 

As a child I believed that hummingbirds would die if they stopped moving. Consequently, I never saw them in any state other than flight. 

A couple of days ago I bought a small hummingbird feeder with a suction cup that allows it to be attached to the window over the kitchen sink. Now we draw lots to see who gets to do the dishes.

Dog Tags

“Dog tags found around the neck of a casualty, and only those tags found around the neck, stay with the remains at all times.”  
Captain Richard W. Wooley, US Army

He didn’t die on the battlefield though he would have willingly given his life for his country or, more accurately, for his family and friends. They, of course, would have preferred that he lived his life for them.
 
After the accident they found his dog tags in a dresser drawer, under the discharge papers (general: less than honorable but better than dishonorable). Too wounded to make any kind of decision, the mother took it all: the clothing, dishes, record albums, broken figurines, a tattered copy of The Anarchist’s Cookbook.

At the funeral, they draped his coffin with an American flag which they folded afterwards and presented to his mother. She promised to give it to his oldest daughter, someday. And she will, but not yet. For now, the dog tags lay on the shrine she’s made to honor all her lost loved ones.

Half Way to Heaven

 We're still a ways from an open house party but this was an exciting day. We hope to finish the roof next weekend.