No Black Thursday

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Posted by on in Community, Historical, Slow Food, Striving

November 24, 2016, Julian, CA-  This little town, northeast of San Diego, has been our Thanksgiving hub, for three of the last four years.  Only in 2014 were we diverted to Aram’s ship, for what was an estimable meal, in its own right.  Otherwise, Julian Cafe has been an irresistible venue- for one of the best traditional Thanksgiving meals this side of the Appalachians.

Julian appeals to Aram, because it reminds him of Prescott and Flagstaff.  The oak forests that surround the town, and the Laguna Mountains, to its southeast, are of immense comfort to one who was born , and spent his first years, in a forested landscape.

It appeals to me, as all mountain towns do, because Saugus ( my home town), and so many towns in New England, are similarly entwined with rugged landscapes and a wealth of historical nuggets.  Julian’s history is inextricably linked to the California Gold Rush.  Southern California had several spots which, while not as noteworthy as the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, nontheless contributed to Gold Fever.

What appeals to neither of us is Black Thursday, as some have taken to calling the afternoon and evening of Thanksgiving Day.  There may be some LIMITED need for some people to pick up groceries, in the morning, as I did on behalf of Aram and his housemates, around 8:30 this morning, at the local Ralph’s store.  I can’t see either of us shopping for deals on Thanksgiving, ever.  I understand some want that to be their Thanksgiving tradition, but I stay with family remaining focused on non-commercial pursuits.

We had another awesome meal, with his two housemates along.  This will be the last time, though, for at least three years, as he heads across the Pacific, in a few months’ time.  That made it an especially treasured repast.

 

Thoughts on Thanksgivings Past

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Posted by on in Family, Personal Values, Slow Food, Striving

November 23, 2016, El Centro-  Upon stopping in this slowly revitalizing “capital” of the Colorado Desert, in southeast California, I made it my priority to enjoy breakfast for dinner, and have at a combo, of sausage links, scrambled eggs, hash browns and Chocolate Peppermint pancakes, at the local IHOP.

A flood of Thanksgiving memories ensued, which I now share.  My first memories are of Grandmother Kusch saying that it was a fine thing I enjoyed Roast Turkey with stuffing, as it would be my birthday meal, on many a year.  This was when I was about six, or so.  Most of the school time memories of Thanksgiving time were of the maudlin:  Paper Pilgrim hats, or, as I preferred, Wampanoag headdresses.  I later learned that the Native Peoples of the Northeast were not so given to such attire, though the deerskin clothing that accompanied them, was genuine.

Sis and I liked to mix the various kinds of soda, which we called tonic, in Bostonese.  Root beer mixed with orange Nehi was one of my favourites.  I imagined the crispy bottom of the stuffing was “buffalo meat”, for some strange reason.  Whatever, the whole meal was always marvelous, and I have been able to eat turkey, in various guises, for days on end, throughout my life.

I’ve had mostly fond memories of Thanksgiving, while wishing the good will would always be there.  in 1985, it was, until someone realized it was also my birthday, and she was angry with me, for various things I had not done, in the months prior, and a tongue lashing ensued.  Our subsequent Thanksgivings, and my birthdays since,  went much more smoothly.

I can only recall one Thanksgiving when I was alone.  It was 1981, and I ate at a table for one, at Swiss Village, in Payson.  The service was spotty, and I came away from the meal, vowing to not be totally alone that day, ever again.  I have since kept that promise.

Many Thanksgivings were observed, courtesy of the Robbins family, in Prescott, with two kinds of turkey:  Oven-roasted and deep-fried.  Both were exquisite.  There was also a tofurkey.  It was not exquisite.  The Robbins’ were once known as the family Rabinowitz, but homogenization took that away.  They remain one of the most noble families I’ve ever known.

For the past four years, Aram and I have gone to Julian Cafe, northeast of San Diego.  Penny worked in Julian, for a year, in 1981-82, so the place has a wealth of fond memories- and some of the most delectable apple pie, anywhere.

We will head there again, tomorrow afternoon.

 

Unwitting Problem Solver

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Posted by on in children, distraction issues, Education, Inspiration, Social

November 22, 2016, Prescott-  

We had a two-day work week and, as ever, many children were wound-up, in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Some were excited because of a good time ahead.  Others were agitated, because of the harrowing conditions, or sheer boredom, that await them for five days.

A little guy who just wanted to play, while waiting for his bus to completely load, led us to ponder the safety issues that would ensue, were he to just be left to his own devices, during the wait for a student who is released later than our class.

The answer was obvious, and our students’ time in the classroom will be increased, starting Monday.   Since they are more comfortable in the classroom than they are sitting at the bus dock, I anticipate a decline in the agitation and ennui that have been surfacing, in ways that only unsettled children can express.

This leads me to again draw the conclusion that listening, even to the most seemingly counter-intuitive ideas, can bring a surprisingly simple solution.  The boy in question will be praised as a big helper, when school resumes on Monday.

Dakota, 2016

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Posted by on in distraction issues, Spiritual, Striving

November 21, 2016, Prescott-

Beneath a pale moon,

above sacred ground,

misguided footsteps

go on the offensive.

In a battle over water,

the liquid itself

becomes a weapon.

Icy water, cold hard rubber

and pepper spray

all make for a rude awakening.

There are no dead,

in the wake of

the raid by the new cavalry.

The dead hearts are

miles away,

in a corporate boardroom.

Wider and Deeper

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Posted by on in Community, Personal goals, Social, Striving

November 20, 2016, Prescott-   So much water has gone over the dam, these past few weeks.  I am glad things are slowing down, for the upcoming 3-5 day holiday.  I say this, as I have no intention of partaking in either Black Friday or Thanksgiving Day shopping.  I used to gag at the thought of the latter, until a friend on the East Coast said it was her family’s way of relaxing.  Still and all, to each their own.

I am getting close to the end of being 65.  More about that, over the weekend.  Another digression, in the way of summarizing:  I finished reading “Moral Tribes” and re-reading “To Kill A Mockingbird”, about two weeks ago.  Now, my literary focus is on “The Brothers Karamazov”, my first foray into the world of Dostoevsky, and a re-reading of “The Celestine Prophecies”, as well as my Baha’i studies.

It’s raining here, for a day or two.  I hear Massachusetts is getting snow.  We are bound to have strange swings in weather patterns, over the next 10-30 years, whether people believe in climate change or not.  If the President-elect is indeed in denial about such things, he’s lucky to have his private residence in a penthouse. Change tends to happen, whether one expects it or not.

Back to business: My focus right now is on dignity- a God-given right of every sentient being, especially of every human being.  Year ago, that mold was set for me, one evening in VietNam.  A hard-nosed, traditionalist Army sergeant happened by where I was sitting, one calm evening.  I was an unabashed progressive, back then, so our conversation (which was completely civil) focused on how each of us saw things differently- AND neither of us was hurting the other, by our view of things.  We got along very well after that.

I have drifted away from politics, since then, though fairness and acceptance of different points of view, instilled into me by my father, remain the driving forces in my dealings with others.  I can’t imagine my life, if one person, or group of human beings, doesn’t matter, equally as much as the next. Everyone I encounter needs to be treated with respect.

Throughout my life, I have spent time with different people, or visited different communities, rather than staying put in a small group. This will continue, working around the constraints of a full-time job, over the next five years. While I also like having a home base, reaching out to others is nonetheless still my wheelhouse, as those in business like to say, these days.

The circle has been wider, for some time now.  The objective now is to make it deeper.

Foot Soldier

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Posted by on in Service Activities, Social, Striving

November 19, 2016, Prescott-

All my life, I have looked towards inclusiveness and unity.

All my life, I have shunned the limelight, or any sort of elitism.

All my life, I have felt it best to not get too close to those in power,

whether the entity be large or small.

I am most comfortable in the background,

and as a result, have chosen to be one who shows up early

and leaves late.

That, ironically, brings two things:

The gratitude of those in power,

and the disdain of those who also might be striving.

This evening, I was given a modicum of recognition

for helping the logistics coordinator of this year’s Hope Fest,

into the wee hours of the morning.

This evening, I stood up, acknowledged the gratitude he expressed,

then faded back into the woodwork.

This evening, I also lost a friend,

for having been singled out, however momentarily.

I remain a foot soldier, though.

It’s a place where I feel secure and competent.

 

Chaos, then Gold

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Posted by on in children, Personal goals, Striving

November 18, 2016, Prescott-

Unbridled, misdirected energy

needed my ropes and corral posts.

The skittish ones accepted it all,

even hugging me for having set boundaries.

The self-loathing one,

who has bought into the garbage

spewed forth by her haters,

kept a quiet discipline,

craving my approval,

even as she denied her own.

The over-indulged one,

can’t quite conceive

of the need for boundaries.

Sound familiar?

All in all,

the day made me feel

a golden presence,

at workday’s end.

Tourniquets and Cures

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Posted by on in children, Education, Poetry, Striving

November 16, 2016, Prescott- 

Young boy who was so unsettled,

when among hostile peers,

is a role model for new classmates,

in his more suitable learning environment.

Two Early Childhood specialists, in a row, have

found themselves as ducks out of water,

in a room full of older special needs children.

The word is that a teacher qualified to work

with said group is coming on board.

A soon-to-be-retired public official wants

to go on ignoring “working class” people.

The wheels of the Change Train are grinding,

more slowly and fitfully than expected.

Some genuinely talented public servants

are emerging, in the wake of all this.

Stay tuned.

 

 

Functional

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Posted by on in collaborating, Historical, Poetry

November 15, 2016, Prescott-

The longest week of November is nearly halfway gone.

I take one day at a time, on this gig,

so it does not phase me,

that this is the most quotidian segment

of a season that features a plethora

of holidays.

A colleague was unaware of some functional facts,

regarding our planet’s geography.

She is no longer so much in the dark.

It seems, in this day and age,

that some would prefer

the Dark Ages.

Thinking, and being functional,

were so much easier then,

or so they suppose.

 

Creative

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Posted by on in Family, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Striving

November 13, 2016, Prescott-

Yesterday, I contented myself with walking along an old BLM service road- going up and down a couple of moderately steep hills, for the sake of maintaining stamina.  It worked, and among other things, I slept very soundly. Today, a couple of short hikes, a visit with a couple of disabled veterans, and two meals with small groups of friends, filled the day nicely.

 

More importantly:  Thirty years ago, today, a bundle of creativity came into this world.  He has never ceased to amaze us, his extended family, with his repertoire of novelty.  Now, in order to more fully extend the range of his film-making, he has established residence in Los Angeles. I look forward to seeing more of his work, in various film festivals.  It is indeed just a matter of time before his name and face are recognizable.

Creativity has brought an enormous passel of what makes life worth all that we must endure.  If necessity is the mother of invention, certainly ingenuity is its midwife.  I look forward to what’s next.

Bringing people together, takes the greatest degree of creativity.