Happy B-Day Adolphe

My first husband and the father of my two sons, introduced me to jazz, via Earl Bostic, an extraordinary sax player. The saxophone itself was invented by (and named for) Adolphe Sax. To both men I say "Thank you, for the sexiest music ever invented."

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

I love Bob Dylan. Everything about him, especially his gravelly voice, pointed lyrics, and brazen eccentricity. In my next life, I want to be Dylan. 

If I Were a Cat

I'd lie on my mother's breast

nurse for a while

then sleep the sleep of the well-fed

I'd dream

of chasing daisies in the field

Waking, I'd stretch long and deep

open my mouth so wide

butterflies would rush in

If I were a cat

I'd make playthings of small creatures

bat them about

pretend to free them

then reach out, grab them by the tail

and eat them

If I were a cat I'd taunt the dog

pretend to fall out the window

then pull back at the last possible moment

laughing at his stupid expression

If I were a cat

I'd find a partner and have dozens of babies

Each perfect, just like me

Our Sisters in Iran

My first job in Hollister was teaching 8th grade algebra. One of my students, a young girl from Iran, was really struggling with the concepts so she stayed every day after school to get extra help.

By the end of the school year, she had brought her grade up to a B and was honored at the year end assembly with a "most improvement" award. Her parents were so proud.

She wrote the following thank-you on my white board. I can't remember the exact translation but her sweet smile said it all.

Juneteenth

I grew up in a small town in central Texas where there were almost no people of color but everyone there knew about Juneteenth.

Though Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was effective January 1, 1863, it had little effect on slavery as most of the south was still primarily under the control of Confederate troops.

On July 18, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with 2000 troops. The next day he is said to have read the contents of Executive Order #3: "The people of Texas are informed, inaccordance with a proclamation of the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."

Long celebrated in Texas, since the 1980s Juneteenth has grown in popularity throughout the US. Let us take a quiet moment this day to remember the men, women, and children victimized by this dark chapter in our history, and to renew our commitment to fighting injustice wherever it is found.

Happy Birthday MC

MC Esher (June 17, 1898-March 27, 1972) is best known for his graphic works and prints that visualized the impossible and conceived the most complex mathematical and geometrical ideas, captivating mathematicians, crystallographers, and biologists.
(for more information see www.meridian.art.au/art/artists/MCEscher/)

Notes to John RE: My House

Day 7: 121/80

Mystery

I found this photo among those I took from my Oklahoma City aunt's albums. I have no idea who it is. But I wish it were me, sitting side-saddle, ready to ride across the Territory. 

Two Steps Forward, One Back

Life is just too damn complicated sometimes. But, since the alternative is not much fun, I keep pushing along, slow and steady, hoping there's a big hunk of lettuce waiting at the end.  

OMG

I just spent the last 48 hours cleaning and reorganizing my small space. And there's still crap shoved under the coffee table, a 2-foot stack of photo albums on one end of the sofa, and enough junk sitting in the corridor that it's risky to navigate it in the dark. But there's hope!


Day 4: 121/77