Yesterday was really cold, bone chilling cold. Desiring to move about, we decided to visit the Japanese Tea Garden on the Fabyan estate, a short drive by car from our home. After all the sun was out, the trees, stone lantern, and moon bridge would be spectacular with a cover of snow. Yes, the…
I am always surprised at how quickly things can snap out of control. I remember that summer afternoon. The image remains; seated in the warm sun, basking in the hospitality of the backyard of two friends. Jim was a traveling salesperson. He traveled from North Carolina to the Midwest, peddling sets of wooden-handled screw…
I received a link to a New Yorker article from a friend. The link lead to a seventeen page detailed exploration of the career and the present work of Attorney General William Barr. The piece was entitled, Trump’s Sword and Shield by David Rohde. Simultaneously drawn and repelled by the prospect of reading the…
Loneliness comes over me this morning. Is loneliness the default condition of homo sapiens? We are social beings because our physical survival is dependent upon others. Others have written since Homer that we have “being,” solidity as selves in and through the regard of others. What do others say of us, say about us? …
Where to this morning? I intended to compose additional thoughts on the Two Americas theme. The subject is depressing, like touring a social wasteland. I will delay another dive into that pool until tomorrow. In the meanwhile this fine tune comes as an antidote to the innervation of the post-industrial capitalism that besets us…
The Golden Globes. Of course, the Sunday night live broadcast on NBC is hard to walk away from. At the end of the day with the best of my attention, effort, and quotient of energy already spent — why not be mildly entertained by the first of the entertainment industry award season shows? I…
Friday morning at Starbucks, the room is a-twitter with rising and falling conversations from tables — not unlike a tree full of blackbirds. The sound of life, the exchange of advice, consolation, the ritual of community. I am fortunate to be here. My sleep of last night was interrupted by a strange early morning…
News Year’s eve. Everyone reflects. Some do it a little, I do it a lot. Cold enough to snow, just enough to whiten the ground: Nature’s proof that winter is present. How could I doubt? A few days of temperate weather in mid December is enough rhetoric in my mind, raising suspicion that climate…
The year draws down. Yesterday was warm. I decided to take a walk alongside the Fox River, to visit the FABYAN ESTATE which is close to my neighborhood. The day was gray, damp, unpropitious for photography. Determined anyway, I took my camera. The Fabyans, George and Nellie lived here from 1908 until 1939. George…
The day arrives, on the face of it, like every other day. Everything up to this day has been preparation, doing the work requisite to celebration. Not that the “to do” list of decorating, seeking out and purchasing the “right gift” for those whom you have a natural obligation etc. is without satisfaction. Work…
