I had hoped to post a fresh Pearl today, but, that didn’t happen, & it’s too late now to get it done. Rather than blow it off altogether, here is another offering from the archives. It’s a pretty good Pearl, & I hope you enjoy it. My plan is to post an actual fresh Pearl tomorrow, so, we’ll see how that goes, eh? Meantime, y’all stay strange, be well, & happy as you may be….
“I respect your right to make an idiot of yourself.
Please respect mine.”
~~ Smart Bee, speaking for gigoid ~~
Main Street, Skagway, Alaska
Good morning…. That’s what it says on the label, anyway, though, from my viewpoint, I think I’d want a second opinion before committing myself too far. We’ll go with the odds, though, and just get on with today’s mess, for lack of a better idea….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.” — Elwood P. Dowd, “Harvey”
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NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope Anniversary Image
Rather than a video today, I’m including some artwork which demonstrates the extent of humanity’s exploration of our own Solar System. NASA, with some newer entries into the space exploration circle, has a number of projects taking place around the system, of which we…
I’d hoped to have a fresh Pearl done for this morning, but, oops…. A partially leaked new poem, and some recalcitrance from SB kept that from happening, so, here is an old one, from way back in 2012, on a stressful day when I used the computer and writing to keep from killing anything, or anyone. It apparently worked, so, I’m offering it up as sacrificial sublimation today, when my stress comes from other places, with not much less force, I must say. Nonetheless, I shall use some force of will myself, & have a fresh Pearl done for tomorrow morning. I hope, by then, I still have some readers left…. Only two of the regulars who are still dropping in saw this one back in ’12, so, if anyone stops by, at least they’ll find something they haven’t seen. I’ll be back, that’s neither threat , nor promise, but, fact…. Be well, & happy as you may….
Ffolkes,
As much as I enjoy these morning interludes with the blogging world, there is still a certain degree of fear that goes along with publishing one’s own writing for others to read. One is, after all, exposing the inner self to the world, which, historically, has a habit of treating inner selves rather shabbily, or even cruelly, especially when they are shown for the first time, and often thereafter. It’s perhaps the biggest risk we take by deciding to share our thoughts with the world at large, a risk that is very real, and anyone with less than military grade armor protecting their ego is in serious jeopardy….
My own fear is no match for my ego, though, never has been, so it’s never been an issue for me…. I couldn’t wait to start blogging, as I’ve had stuff to say about life and society for many years, with…
I’ve now taken a full three days without posting, or even thinking about it. I note the traffic at my blog has, well, disappeared, which is, I suppose, a direct result of not showing up every day. Ah, well, so be it; I just don’t have it in me right now to worry over it, but, I do miss the dialogue that goes with having an actual readership. To pave the way for tomorrow, when I DO plan to post, here is a fine old Pearl from my time spent in senior poverty, before the advent of SS. I was still an inadvertent opioid addict at the time, but, that didn’t seem to keep me from blathering in the slightest. I hope you enjoy it, and will be back en la mañana. Be well, and happy as you may. It’s my plan, and a good one. See ya soon, ffolkes….
Ffolkes,
In the normal course of events, I don’t spend a lot of time with dead bodies; it has never been, to me, an attractive way to pass the time, nor has it ever tempted me to stop doing even the most onerous chore in order to pursue such mundane activities. However, due to the circumstances I am about to relate, I’ve recently been compelled to spend far too many of my precious minutes in the company of more than just one or two of the poor devils, and I must confess to a certain degree of discomfort in that regard. I mean, it’s not as if they will bore me to death with unwarranted chatter. But, good gracious, my good fellow, must they smell that way?….
Okay, mildly amusing, and just the right touch of macabre I was shooting for. There are times when stopping is hard; this was…
“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Post-harvest wine country scenery….
Hajime…. As is sometimes the case, we begin today with an appropriate pearl of virtual wisdom; our selection is, in actuality, part of the composite pearl found in today’s final section, but, it fits in too well by itself in this locus to preclude using it twice….
“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon
in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.”
~~ Lin Yutang ~~
Those familiar with the way my mind works, (a challenge, for sure, but, not impossible, given enough exposure here on ECR….), will understand now why I use the word ‘appropriate’, as they will have noticed my complete absence from yesterday. Not a single word written, not a single email read, & only one blog visited, to leave a note for a friend in the hospital. In fact, the only time I spent on the computer yesterday was spent watching old movies, or listening to music. I am, as is also sometimes the case, unsure of just why I avoided all cyber contact, as it seemed an instinctual imperative more than anything else. I don’t feel even a smidgen of guilt, or even angst over not posting, and that, by itself, is a telling fact. To me, anyway…. It tells me blogging has assumed a lesser importance to my overall state of mind, replaced by the mere act of walking in the fresh air to be found out in the Big Blue Room….
So, my absence may have future repercussions for Exploring Consensual Reality. Not that my own explorations will cease; those words probably describe my life better than any others…. No, it merely bodes ill for consistent posting, or, for that matter, consistent writing, as my mind seems to prefer the more physically oriented rumination I find while walking in the wide world, seeking, and finding, moments of wonder wherever I go. As much as I enjoy the contact with others in the blogging world, (many of whom have become good friends, though never meeting in the flesh), it all seems less real than, well, the real world….
I have a problem with reality, I guess; the totality of what I perceive it to be often varies by a large degree from what others report, & I, like everyone else, tend to prefer my own perceptive ability’s take on it. This, as it does for us all, tends to create the potential for conflict, which, in my life, has been far too ubiquitous for my taste. I suppose that’s also the way everyone else feels about it, but, having dealt with what I consider to be more than my share of such issues, I am reluctant to enter into potentially contentious interactions, which is a long-winded way of saying I avoid people in general…. Go figure, eh?
I’m wandering, I know; it’s hard not to when wandering is what I have mostly been doing, in my head, for quite a long time. For now, I guess I’ll just stop, & go get this posted, as all the parts are in place…. I can’t say what will happen in the future, but, for us humans, that’s probably for the best, as our predictive abilities are no match for the vagaries of reality’s wondrous unpredictability…. Life is filled with ambiguity, so, for now, I’m going with the flow. I’ll let y’all know if I come up with any particularly valuable conclusions…. Until then….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Seeing death as the end of life
is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean”
.~~ David Searls ~~
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Today’s music is a default selection, chosen to accompany your reading today for the simplest of reasons; I’m lazy. That’s it. I just didn’t feel like searching out anything else, for this always hits the mark, as far as I’m concerned…. I do hope you enjoy it….. Really, I do, so why shouldn’t you?…. Abondanza, ffolkes….
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Classical Music
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Meander….
Inimitable, grieving, garnering mere bargains, to taste;
naked apes, priapic by nature and choice,
filled up the only valid chalice, laid it to waste,
nobody asked, nor ever raised a single voice.
Formidable, dreams becoming so real;
clearly extraordinary, in a tawdry sense.
Deals to make, illusions to steal,
busy, busy, building fence after fence.
True nature’s existence, so to speak,
rests interiorly, as well as in your face.
Duality’s persistent insistence ain’t weak;
ignorance of reality leaves not a single trace.
Herds of commonality congregate before portals
shaking each other by the collar as they dance.
Chasing their illusionary dreams, as if they weren’t mortals,
born believing they ever had a chance.
Irony lives deep in the human soul, part, parcel, post;
holding four aces, betting a pair of jacks, or queens.
Expedience beckons toward mendacity, at most,
fox mocking grapes, while it dances and preens.
The wheel turns, inevitable, ponderously mundane,
grinding grain, chaff, and dust.
Bolstering connections aids those who may abstain
from the paltry tale of the bold, and just.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/5/2016
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Naked Pearls
More notes on Life at Large….
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As for courage and will
– we cannot measure how much of each lies within us,
we can only trust there will be sufficient
to carry through trials which may lie ahead.”
~~ Andre Norton ~~
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“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon
in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.”
~~ Lin Yutang ~~
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It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes,
rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
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“Anybody remotely interesting is mad, in some way or another.”
~~ Dr. Who ~~
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“The virtue of all achievement is the victory over oneself.
Those who know this can never know defeat.”
~~ A.J. Cronin ~~
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“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle,
hugely accommodated to the usages of man’s life:
“Know thyself”,
and “Nothing too much”;
and upon these all other precepts depend.”
~~ Plutarch — Consolation to Apollonius ~~
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“There is a great deal of human nature in people.”
~~ Mark Twain ~~
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Such as it is, so shall it be. On that rather final note, I bid thee adieu until the next time, which lies in the relatively distant future. Not really, in a cosmic sense; in fact, it could conceivably happen tomorrow, or even again today. Who the hell knows? Not me, but, when I do, y’all will be the first to know. See ya, ffolkes; I’m off on walkabout for another day…..
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. Yesterday, in the intro to the re-blog, I mentioned I’d post a fresh Pearl today. Having said that gives such the status of a duty, in my world, anyway. So, to fulfill that duty, post I must, in spite of staying up late talking with new friends, sleeping late, & awakening in the throes of pain, thanks to Sunday’s kickball, and yesterday’s walking, which apparently aggravated the stress on my old bones from attempting to keep up with a pack of seven year old boys on the field. You see, another characteristic of the world in which I choose to exist is this: any duty makes such mere ‘feelings’ irrelevant to the need to complete a chosen task. No matter how tired, how miserable, or how weak I feel, duty comes first…. As might be surmised, this is both blessing and curse….
So, I decided I would fulfill the duty, but, adjust the time frame to suit my physical obstructions, by not worrying about what time this gets posted. Hence, as you see, we post, but, at a significantly later hour than the 6-7 AM framework I generally target. In fact, it’s after noon here in California, & I am just finished cobbling the pieces into a coherent picture. The operative word, fortunately, is ‘finished’….. Rather than carry on any further with the blather I’ve begun, which would probably devolve into a convoluted attempt to explain the whys & wherefores, always a tedious task, and, no doubt, an even more tedious read, I’ll cut this off with dispatch, & get on with the actual posting process over on WP…. Never thought I could be so efficient, did ya? Neither did I, but, watch this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.”
~~ Lucretius ~~
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Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke
I listened to this yesterday, & though I’ve posted it before, am doing so again, as the entire concert displays both most excellent musicianship by both artists, and a large helping of extremely witty, funny, and erudite repartee with the crowd, telling the stories about the song’s histories in their repertoire, and the people (some VERY odd) they met while learning the songs…. It’s all a good time, so, enjoy!….
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Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon Live
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Accentuated Lessons
Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.
Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.
Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.
Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.
Peace lies within, always…..
~~ gigoid ~~
9/27/2012
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Naked Pearls
Notes on life at large….
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“In every grain of wheat there lies hidden the soul of a star.”
~~ Arthur Machen ~~
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“There is more to reality than meets the eye.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“Although a cloth be washed a hundred times,
How can it be rendered clean and pure
If it be washed in water which is dirty?”
~~ Nagarjuna (c. 100-200 A.D.) ~~
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“You take your life in your own hands,
and what happens?
A terrible thing: no one to blame.”
~~ Erica Jong ~~
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“We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.”
~~ Anne Swetchine (1782-1857) ~~
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“If you realize what the real problem is —
losing yourself, giving yourself to some higher end, or to another —
you realize that this itself is the ultimate trial.
When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves
and our own self-preservation,
we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.”
~~ Joseph Campbell, “The Power of Myth”
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Once upon a time, I dreamed of becoming a great man.
Later, a good man.
Now, finally, I find it difficult enough and honor enough to be — a man.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
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How was that for efficient? Not too shabby, I think, even if the Pearl itself is rather a standard model. Oh, well…. The best thing about all of it is, I can try again, which I will do in rather a shorter interval than has recently been extant. Until that fateful hour arrives, I bid the a fond adieu, with all the usual caveats, good wishes, and admonitions to stay alert, and stay strange…. It’s certainly your best chance to grab the ring, if it does make an appearance…. See ya soon, in other words….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
The visit yesterday went well, but, keeping up with a seven- and two-year-old about wore me plumb out; I guess the kickball game with the neighborhood pack of kids contributed to that. But, it was a great interlude, and I got some good family time in, so, all is good to go.
Such frivolity, though, doesn’t lend itself well to writing this blog, so, once again, a fresh Pearl didn’t get any closer to done. I’ll work on that today during my recovery process, & promise to have on for tomorrow morning. Just now, I’m off to take care of business in the BBR, then home to rest and write…. I hope y’all enjoy today’s foray into past Pearls, & I’ll see y’all in the morning, or, as we like to say in California, en la mañana…. Stay odd, it’s better than even… well, it’s different, anyway. See ya….
Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico
Hajime…. Today’s effort, which has already suffered a start-over, is rather eclectic, general, and long enough to choke a horse. But, it’s okay, because it’s all proven material, having come from yet another deep dive into the archives. As noted previously, I’m leaving on a trip tonight, and won’t be posting tomorrow morning, unless I have time to find one to re-blog (yeah, that’s the ticket….). So, I’ve tried to put together a worthy one to hold y’all until I can return to the keyboard with something fresh…..
In order to keep from making it TOO long, I’ll make this intro short, as has been our habit of late. It’s a good habit, I think, especially considering some of the intro sections we’ve created in the past, many of which approached a…
Today, for the first time, ever, I get to visit with both my grandkids, together. It will be my first time at this; before today, I’ve only seen them one at a time, so, I’ll get to see how they’re doing at having a brother and a sister, still a new thing to them, as well…. This means, of course, no fresh Pearl for today, but, here is one from about a year & a half ago, on a not-so-memorable day, which, fortunately, produced a memorable Pearl…. I’ll do my best to come back tomorrow with a fresh one, but, only time will tell as to whether that’ll happen. In the meantime, please enjoy today’s offering, & for goodness sake, stay strange…..
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Dance of the Ferries, Victoria, BC
Hajime…. In an ugly chair, the old man sits, staring morosely at the computer screen before him, eyes fixed on the vast white space upon the screen, empty of all thought or fantasy. To look at him, you might think, “boy, that’s a tough-looking old guy….”, not able to see beneath the rough exterior, to the confusion and deep sense of pain within. As he blinks at the screen, thoughts swirl in his head, none of which translate into any coherent statement worth typing. He shakes his head, slowly, as the tears begin to fall….
I wish thee a good morrow, though I cannot claim to think it so. Today’s Pearl will be, for me, a saving grace, so, the way it looks from the…
Events encountered yesterday on walkabout (put in at least 3 miles…), which engendered further events to be accomplished today out in the BBR, prevented getting any work done on a fresh Pearl for today…. To sublimate the urge, here’s another re-blog from the nearly endless archives here on ECR.
This one was put together when I was taking the first steps out of Hell, where the kindly so-called ‘doctors’ at the Kaiser Pavilion sent me in their ignorance. This particular Pearl is one I remember, as it provided me with a healthy degree of distraction, as well as cathartic expression, using pieces of former Pearls to augment the material presented that day. I like it, so, it’s what you get today. I’ll see if a fresh Pearl can be cobbled together for tomorrow, but, don’t hold any breath, as it may, or may not, happen as planned…. You know what ‘they’ say about plans, even the best sort….
In any case, I’m off to the tune of the task-master, & shall return in good time…. which I hope y’all may experience while I’m gone…. a good time, that is. Until then, be well, be happy as you may, and for goodness’ sake, stay strange….
“If we find what is unique to each day, we will have freshness and the greatest fulfillment possible.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
Where’s my lap?….
Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when we have to trust the process; today is such a day. The Pearl is done, such as it is. It’s been a tough night, and morning, due to the night; ’nuff said on that, so, we’ll leave it in the past. Moving on, we have an archived politirant from 2013, unproofed, so it may be a bit pedantic, as I’ve learned a bit about writing since then. There’s a decent poem, and a decent old-school pearl. The music is a nod to the weather being suffered this winter by our friends in the Eastern US & Canada…. Thus, as you see, done, but for the blurb here, and at the end….
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
~~ Louisa May Alcott (1868) ~~
The road to SF via the Bay….
Hajime…. Good morning. Well, sort of. In any case, I have the elements of a complete Pearl, but, find myself with less than nothing about which to write here in the intro. Instead of fooling around, & trying to fill up space, I’ve decided to just say this…. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it, spare as it may be. That’s it. I’m still in a funk, mostly, so, this is what I’ve got. I’m pretty certain, in the long run, it won’t matter, but, even if it did, I don’t think I’d care. As has been my habit to say in the past, so be it….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing,
but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars…”
~~ Jack Kerouac, “On the Road” ~~
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It’s been awhile since I last used music from this organization, so, it’s time today, since I’m posting late. Here’s another link to some of the finest live music you’ll ever hear, from an organization that uses the power of music to teach humanity about being truly human…. Enjoy!….
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Playing For Change Redemption Song
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Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….
Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
no idea from where Ah came.
Ah does like a mystery tho’,
puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad fo sho,
Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.
If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,
Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.
‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,
‘n had lots of stuff go on by;
Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
never once used it fer an alibi.
He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,
school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.
Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.
Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.
Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think
to get around the block at least two times.
I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/6/2013
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Naked Pearls
A blank map….
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“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.”
~~ Lao-Tzu, “Tao Te Ching” ~~
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“Give me health and a day,
and I will make ridiculous the pomp of emperors.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
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“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced,
not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious,
but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”
~~ Tom Robbins ~~
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“When you follow your bliss…
doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors;
and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.”
~~ Joseph Campbell ~~
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“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.”
~~ Socrates (470?-399 B.C.), [quoting Plato] ~~
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“It is not length of life, but depth of life.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
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“It is good to have an end to journey toward,
but it is the journey
that matters in the end.”
~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~
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It’s probably clear by now, what you see is all you’re gonna get. If not, well, this should cinch it. I’ll be back, though I cannot say exactly when; life keeps intruding into cyberspace, & I can’t find any reason not to go with the flow. Until my return, be well, be happy, & be excellent to each other. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Between my personal demonic wars and the early morning visitor who disrupted my routine, I find myself without any significant work done toward a fresh Pearl for today. To let y’all know I’m not gone, but, only lost for a time, here is a re-blog from 2013, with a fine rant, some excellent repartee, and decent music, to boot. I’ll return in another day, or so, with a bit of luck ( which comes from hard work, as we know….), & provided the internet keeps functioning. Hopefully, I’ll still have a gentle reader or two to engage; the readership statistics go down when I’ve been inconsistent in posting. But, regardless of whether anyone shows up, I’ll be back, for this process still provides me with the best form of self-therapy I have ever discovered, & I won’t be giving it up until I”m ready to go off-grid entirely (a day not far off, cosmically speaking…). In the meantime, y’all be well, & happy as you may be…. I’m goin’ walkabout for the day….
“Anyone who has got a book collection/library and a garden wants for nothing.”
~~ Cicero ~~
The Survivor Bonsai ~ 100+ years old, survived Hiroshima Atomic Blast Image from UK Telegraph on the 60th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima
Good morning…. The rather simple title for today’s Pearl took me an inordinate amount of time to create; although there are no set parameters for the title, nothing suitable floated up in my mind, for what seemed like forever. I finally settled on the simple vagueness you see, simply because it was the first one close to acceptable. In a way, it reflects perfectly how this whole deal will progress today, as I just don’t seem to be able to pull it together….
Ah, well, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Well, I have, anyway. And, I don’t much like it here, so, I’m going to again go with…
Where’s my lap?….
gigoid 