The Beginning of Act 3

The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer
Read more about this painting here.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of this blog. At the time, the Covid pandemic was in its infancy. Too many people died. For those who survived, all were deeply scarred. Unfortunately, too many of them refuse to admit it. Five years later, and the disease's worst side effects have emerged full blown. Willful ignorance and irrational fear run rampant. Current leadership has proven incapable of resisting. Many of them are enabling it. We are in a crisis. However, humanity has faced terrible calamities and catastrophes before, some of them self-imposed, and survived. Therefore, I have hope...

Meandering Thoughts (#24)

https://projects.seattletimes.com/mlk/bio.html

Another political post. Someday I will elaborate my thoughts about heroes vs heroism, saints vs saintly deeds. Also, a discussion about "common sense" and why I hate the phrase, is in order. In addition, my view that lawyers and activists have been the greatest defenders of our rights and freedoms, while soldiers have protected our national security and interests, and police have served a different purpose, deserves an explanation. But all that will have to wait. For now, the topic is heroes and saints.

If you want something more professional direct from an historian, here is Heather Cox Richardson's post about heroism. 

Apparently it was a Long Intermission

Breakfast Table Political Argument by Norman Rockwell
Sorry, kid, it won't end with the election...

Tonight, I logged into my Blogger account believing it had been two weeks since my last post. Not exactly great, but well within this year's blogging habits. I assumed that I had only slipped up a little. Only upon seeing the date of my last entry (September 29th), did I realize my short slip had turned into a long slide of four straight weeks. Nowhere near as bad as my fourteen-week-long sabbatical at the beginning of this year. Yet, it feels a lot like I have given up on this project. A part of me wants to stop completely. However, another part clings desperately to a hope that whatever blogging I do will bear fruit someday. Since I am sitting here at my desk typing away, that optimistic part of my brain has won out.

Confessions (#24)

The first pickles of this season, and the first in a few years.
There were four large jars, but I gave one to a friend.
They should be ready for eating in about a week.

Tonight, I would rather be sharing my garden exploits, and some of the rewards of my efforts. However, someone has decided, for reasons unknown right now, to force the election conversation into a new direction. And everyone feels the need to opine online about it, much to the delight of social media profiteers and our nation's enemies. Well, I am only human. Here are my three paragraphs (and a quote).