October 5, 2016, Prescott-
A large rally took place, yesterday, in nearby Prescott Valley. It was the biggest show ever to hit Yavapai County’s largest city. I wonder about something, and not just because of a recent Facebook post.
How close, in actuality, are the two dominant candidates for President?
(This is a short post, but the thoughts generated will be of long-lasting import, methinks)
October 1, 2016, Flagstaff-
A Jill of all trades has been
working tirelessly,
for nearly a decade,
to keep her children on track.
A long-lost friend
surfaced today, to give
a scholarly presentation.
He and I will be
at another location,
tomorrow.
Feast or famine,
with certain friends.
What seemed like
a rivalry between
two institutions
for which I care deeply,
is more a matter
of systemic transition.
These are things I learned, today.
September 20, 2016, Prescott-
The world is rife with givers and takers.
Most of us fall somewhere in between.
Where I was raised,
children are expected to need.
Adults are expected to stand tall
and provide.
There was a time, not long ago,
when my little family and I
were sorely in need.
Temporary help came,
and was repaid, in due time;
not quickly enough to suit some of my readers,
but fast enough for the creditor.
I have made a life’s work,
of providing for children and teens
in need of comfort and reassurance.
This continues,
and my little ones are secure,
in knowing they will not be left behind.
There are those who react to need,
with rage, coarse insults and threats
to life and limb.
Their way will not be ascendant,
for long,
if at all.
Love survives.
September 19, 2016, Prescott-
The child had had enough.
He stood and told off a surreptitious bully,
who of course denied having said,
what I heard him say,
under his breath,
from across the room.
The intended target of abuse
does not have to suffer,
for the colour of his hair.
I think red, to be a fine hue
for a coiffure.
All colours of hair are good.
A certain public figure
voiced the opinion
that some, who hold views
contrary to hers,
are deplorable.
Have we not had enough
of tossing human beings
into one scrap heap,
or another.
Outmoded or disreputable viewpoints
can be deplorable.
People are not;
regardless of their opinions,
or their physical attributes,
or their life experiences.
People are worthy of being treated
with dignity,
even when they don’t carry themselves so.
Children are always worthy of dignity,
because they are still works in progress.
September 14, 2016, Prescott-
Practicing defensive stances
guaranteed to put a raging child
in a place safe from harm to self and others.
Use these techniques properly,
I am told, and the child will
feel stability.
I will guard their precious souls
with my own life, if necessary.
There is a fine line, though,
between security and retaliation.
Let no one cross that line,
lest they deal with me.
“No child thrown under the bus”
has been my oath,
for years upon years.
Thanks, “Handle With Care, Inc.”
for the training today.
September 12, 2016, Prescott-
Meetings tire me,
more than the antics of children.
So, as I sat through the proceedings
in a stuffy second-floor room,
I took in all I needed,
through careful listening.
Then came afternoon.
Cool outside,
stale and debilitating, within.
My thoughts wandered
to the school district clerks,
who will occupy these rooms,
after a renovation next year.
The process is ongoing.
I had a nice time,
at a birthday party last night.
It was a good transition,
from the dark memories of
that day, fifteen years ago.
New friends, and old,
drummed, sang and ate
delectable barbecued meats
and all manner of side dishes.
Friendship and camaraderie are ongoing.
Today is my brother’s birthday.
Far off, in Atlanta, or
somewhere else on business,
he keeps setting the bar high
and setting his employees straight.
Communication is ongoing.
September 10, 2016, Prescott- This was a day of gatherings and of paying attention to “urgent” messages. I have learned that the latter is usually a matter of perception. The former is how we survive and thrive, as a species.
I made my usual visit to the Prescott Farmer’s Market, buying a bit more than usual, so as to bolster the contents of my evening healthy shake. A trip over to a yard sale, organized by Baha’i friends, gave me a chance to pick up some books and other items that should capture the interest of the children in my care.
Then it was off to a memorial service for John A. Mortimer, about whom I wrote, two weeks ago. The chapel service was solemn and done with military honours. I found it touching and lovely. The gathering at our American Legion Post, afterwards, was packed, as befits his memory. One who fully lives, until the age of 96, is unlikely to be bid farewell, without fanfare.
John had the full send-off, and 87 or so people gave him all the love and respect he had earned.
The above was part of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing, June 6, 2014.
Today is my mother’s birthday. No one has been, and is, more of an influence as to how I have turned out as an adult than Lila Mae Kusch Boivin. She it was, who kept after me to pay attention to my surroundings, to be proactive, to not use my affliction as a crutch, to not wait for an invitation to be of help to those around me. She it was, who did everything on my behalf- from getting after a hard-edged teacher and a know-it-all school counselor, when she felt they were failing to meet my needs, to seeing that I didn’t wallow in self-pity, on any one of a dozen occasions in my adult life, not the least, when my beloved wife passed to the next plane. On all the occasions when she thought I was tuning her out, it turns out that I was actually storing all that instruction, and have put it to full use, ever since. She it is, who is behind my survival and relative success.
She wants to live on, fully, and no one is more behind her on this, than yours truly. Happy 88th, dearest Mother. (My nephew is conveying our collective sentiments, in this photo of three years ago.)
September 8, 2016, Prescott- I have been contributing heavily to the classroom’s instructional day- basically running the Social Studies lesson, in a pinch. Next week, I will be in training for two days, so hopefully the others will not run out of their own ideas.
Random thoughts- Has anyone read Jerzy Kosinski’s “Being There”? It is a tale of a novice running for President, and being elected. Sound familiar? My preferred candidate asked a news analyst, “What’s Aleppo?” I am disappointed. I knew what Aleppo was, and where it was, when I was 11. This candidate needs a crash course in geography. We must not be content to “all go into the garden.”
The people who thought that another candidate would be the poster child for the resurgence of ignorance, are finding out that he senses an actual chance of winning the Presidency, and is thus refining his efforts. Whether this will work for him is anyone’s guess. Many feel that a leopard does not change its spots.
I am opposed to people acting out of ignorance. When I have so lapsed, the reaction has been swift and brutal. Take the time to enlighten yourself, before, as Abraham Lincoln once said, “opening your mouth, and removing all doubt” ,(about being thought a fool).
September 3, 2016, Prescott- How does one go about a fine day, with a cash shortage until Wednesday? Well, I made sure there was plenty of food in the house, with a brief visit to the wonderful Prescott Farmers’ Market. A long-standing pile of recycling was divvied-up, among its various recipients. A large pile of laundry found cleanliness. I also paid off overdue bills from summer, the last period I will ever be without a steady flow of cash. Of course, there will be a short few days of adjustment, as different ones present their charges, between now and the 7th. That means one more windfall for the bank, but no matter- it’ll be the last such one. I will tell them not to spend it all in one place. After the 7th of September, all’s well again.
My word is the most important thing. I will go to the greatest of lengths to keep a promise. That has meant other forms of deprivation, (social and with regard to time). It all pays off in the end, when others keep their word to me. I have, in any case, resolved to never again repeat the reneging on a promise, such as we had to execute in March, 2010. Six months from this coming Saturday, my atonement from that broken promise will be complete.
Tonight found me at Planet Fitness, with a nearly empty exercise area. It’s helping greatly; the belly that was getting ample over the summer is again shrinking steadily. Of course, my return to regular hiking will also keep things in check, as will a renewed sense of portion control and no longer giving in to others pushing desserts on me, so that they themselves don’t feel guilty about indulging. We could all do better, in that regard.
Tomorrow, I will enjoy two gatherings with friends, but then will come a climb up Juniper Mesa, and my first night hike in a couple of years.
September 2, 2016, Prescott-
(A brief thought, on a sultry night, in which I am lying low.)
You cannot understand, why I take up for men in blue.
Do you not see, that the worst among them represent what will happen,
should the best among them feel abandoned.
You say, “But you don’t understand, that WE don’t understand
their tendency to rush to judgment, and juryhood.
The police speak a language that is indecipherable, in these parts.
This is a language of both words and gestures, often simultaneous with one another.
Their speech and body language, are hard to understand.”
Hmm. I see the problem of dealing with snap decisions.
The police officer weighs in on the young men gathered up ahead.
“I think I’ll need backup- and have a bus ready.
You never know what tricks some of THEM may have up their sleeves,” he opines,
as the air feels thick with words and gestures, from one and foreign to the other.
I, the translator and peacemaker, get weary- as well as wary.
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