If global warming is a hoax, are the wildfires also?
Those crazy Canadians are sending us their wildfire smoke again. But it can make for colorful skies. This here sundown over the boathouse is from last Sunday evening—with no edits or filters!
How are sundogs made? Magic!
I just spent a week in Portland for my daughter’s college graduation, staying in a favorite old inn on nearby Lake Oswego. Now, usually when I’m in that area, the weather makes sure I’m wet, cold, and missing Minnesota. Not this time! Summer was in full bloom, even in the skies. The elements in the atmosphere applauded with this celestial magic!
“Sacred is the prayer that asks for nothing,
While seeking to give thanks for every breath we take.”
~Prince, d. April 21, 2016
Prince could do it all—write, play (nearly ALL instruments), sing, dance, design, lead, act, create controversy, and more, to say nothing of his mystical mysteries and spiritual aura. I know; I got to see him dozens of times, often up close. So yeah, I remain a devoted fan, and create something naturally purple and arty on the anni of his passing every year. 4ever missing the Purple Majesty.
A goat’s head. Crabhouse menu. Beaded sunshine. They all came home with me from far away, and make my house a beloved museum of memories.
My property is packed with mementos from travels worldwide. Big tip: Select small souvenirs (art, okay?), as they are easier to schlep in your luggage, and you can fit MORE of them in your home. My sauna is lined with small, exotic masks. Carved human forms in indigenous garb stand atop the bookshelves. Painted scenes from Grenada to Stockholm line the sun porch walls.
One problem (and another Big Tip): Sometimes, the memory blurs about what came from where—and some (especially carved masks) can look rather alike. So…Go ahead and write a short Sharpie provenance on the back. As the years go by, that’ll kick that memory in!
As a friend once said, “Moments make memories.” So do these many precious keepsakes.
I did it! After procrastinating for years, I finally pulled out an old anthem to accompany Dad’s choir on a sunny Sunday morning.
Long-term travel may be the most fulfilling way to escape. Once ensconced, your home base, real-world worries, and to-do lists fly off like pigeons. That’s only occasionally possible, though, so sanity diversions become essential. Playing music provides one way for me to elude over-thinking (fretting? …pardon the guitar pun!). And I surprised myself by volunteering to accompany my dad’s church choir in Iowa last Sunday.
Do these things…while we still can!
Please understand…I used to be good. But that takes…practice. Doesn’t most anything worthwhile? So working through my part for the anthem became a humbling reminder. Back in the day (a long, long time ago), I could sight-read what now took several days of…practice. Plus some new accessories, amp & gear shifts, and trial/error.
But of course, the effort was worth every tedious doubt along the way. I sounded pretty dang great, which reminds me to keep playing with that stuff (and those skills) more often. Escape is essential. And sometimes, when life isn’t aligned to do so with a suitcase, a guitar case will do.
As they say in church, keep the faith.
Today’s FotoFriday selection dates back to summer, 2012, from a lovely seaside village. I’ve seen countless wondrous countries, yet few (if any) can compare to Denmark in kindness, cleanliness, community, and pride.
My 50% Danish heritage makes me biased, but Denmark remains a little country that can—and always attracts way more attention than their tiny population of ~6 million might suggest. Now, their autonomous territory, Greenland, is under attack by the Trump administration. Not literally, but…not yet? Denmark’s fierce independence goes back to the the 8thcentury AD. And both peoples knows how to say, “Bug off, Bully!”
Ah, kjaerlig Danmark. Bliv staerk!!!
Not my best snow art creation. But when you only have a few minutes until your face freezes, you throw standards to the wind and work fast.
The Content Committee apologizes for two frozen-lake FotoFriday shots in a row. But such is life around here. I insist that spending some time outside every day remains essential to sanity. And the Dark Daze are not so bad; one gets creative. Cleans out closets. Unplugs and seeks a rarified, zenny peace.
As for the “Travelog” label in the categories, that’s the Committee’s sense of humor. See, this Thought Leader ain’t going nowhere warm. (Though I will. Someday.) Even though I have spent entire winters—and longer—away. But things change. So why not enjoy this singular experience while I still can? I won’t live on this beautiful body of water/ice (that’s become part of my soul) forever. Frisbee with Heinies on the beach can wait. Hope I can!
Be. Here. Now.
Keep the faith…
Fish atop frozen water. Skate your troubles away. Snowbirders may say chilly things about our winters, but we here in MN find the cold offers many a way to BreakAway.
BreakAways come in all sizes and climates. While some in MN spend winters escaping indoors (when they’re not dreaming of flocking south), others find mini-BreakAways like ice fishing a soothing way to evade world woes and find some peace. And if they’re lucky, some fish for supper. While not for everyone, the fishers usually look utterly unplugged and relaxed.
Christmas in my world shrinks every year, including the present pile, as family passes on or ventures afar. But the memories live on, and a little color and light still help make the dark season bright.
Do you remember sliding down the stairway to see what Santa brought? Feasting all day with mountains of homemade family specialties? Shopping and wrapping for months? Concerts and festivals and parties and gatherings that assured you were exhausted by 12-26 and had 5-10 extra pounds by 12-31?
Many…most?…people do. Even those of different (or no) faith embraced the Christmas spirit, or parts of it—and other faiths have robust year-end rituals and celebrations also.
I’ve had the great luck of spending the holiday season in many countries and locales. IMHO, even those of little faith would be moved by the smiles and songs of Caribbean islands, Mexico, and most any new, unfamiliar culture.
Well, everything changes. And Christmas has been, gradually, for a loooong time. A recent survey that got much media attention found that we should even toss the turkey! Folks would prefer pizza (44%), tacos (38%), burgers (31%), or take-out Chinese (34%). And as for attire, 47% would rather spend the day in their pajamas than dressed up.
As one who cherishes the memories of all relatives gathered and getting along convivially for festivities that went on for days, I’m sad to see the flame fade. But of course, nostalgia gets us nowhere. Most of those people have passed. And research finds that lately the holiday hugging is also scarred by the usual suspects: politics, burnout, commercialism, pressure, isolation, and on and on.
Moreover, religion and traditional rituals in general continue to diminish from most people’s priorities. A preacher from a church nearby recently told me, “You know, we have 13 ELCA Lutheran churches within 7 minutes of here. Long-term, the remaining populations, realistically, could support maybe 2 of them.”
What’s replacing that void in our communities and customs and hearts. Football? Narcissism? Screens? Taylor and Trump?
Sure. Still, I hope everyone finds something to believe in that’s more than all that, bigger than themselves, and brings peace and love to kinfolk and beyond.
In other words, keep the faith.
PS Happy Solstice!
Unexpected delights like a lovely wreath on a frozen porta-potty offer a fitting visual metaphor for the holiday season.
The neighbors’ porta-biffy is def spiffed up for the holidays. This helps us remember that the season, while festive, has ups and downs, sacred and profane, joy and melancholy, merriment and loneliness, and—around here—warm hearts and cold air. My stocking hat goes off to the hardy workers that toil outside ‘round the calendar. To them I say: Stay warm, and keep the faith.
1 kid, 5 islands, 69 days
Here's my son’s blog from an '08/09 BreakAway in the Caribbean.
1 planet, countless cultures, 120 days
In 00/01, when the internet was a pup, I went RTW and posted these words and pics en route.
