I climbed the hill managing to avoid the hidden patches of ice. I listened to the wind call out my name and the names of anyone with the ability to listen. The black winged sentries repeatedly cawed at my approach until I finally got the joke and laughed right along with them.
The straight and high pines that stab with green at the sky appear happy but much of their happiness is overshadowed by the loneliness that comes in missing old friends. The strong Elms are now but a memory. Wizened Oak grew old and died, never to re root or be replanted. Neighboring Apple trees were neglected and were cut down for romantic and aromatic fires.
The stone walls told stories of those men that pulled them from the ground and lined them up endlessly through hill and wood. They have seen them all come and go.
At the far end of the road you will find the old cemetery dating back to the American revolution and before. The most well preserved stone is thus so because it is facing opposite its neighbors; never seeing the harsh weather head on. It is also not made of the traditional granite but of slate. The grave is that of the first free black man to reside and die in town.
Although it is cold and breezy, I have the strong compulsion to make love. Like the buck in rut I smell the earthy delight of life. I breathe deeply and draw the energy deep within me.
I don't know if I am sensing something intuitively or if my increasing levels of pain are telling me something. Regrets. Desires. Anger and sadness.
My strength wanes.

Everyone likes to hear a few words from the audience. Like any other side show, I have experienced the coming and going of many bloggers. I have seen many frequent commentators that are now a distant memory. There was a time when I had a great give and take with some bloggers from PA and GA and a few x-military types. Then the war was thrown in our laps.

Then there were the Taoists with a few Buddhists thrown in for good measure. When you talk of the stink of religion existing even within the halls of monasteries, you sound more like a curmudgeon than someone who warns you to not step in shit.

But these relationships come and go.

It's said that in order to have a blog that generates interest with a high hit count, it is important to stick to a topic that everyone can relate to. It is also recommended that you tag your posts so that search engines can pick you out of the crowd.

I don't.

I believe that in This Being Human..... I reflect the multi faceted and fractured construct that we call "being human" and in so doing, my topics range from sex to religion, drunkenness to enlightenment, joy to depression. I've spoken of rage and compassion and of opposites being a portion of the whole. There are two sides to every coin but there is only the one coin.

Search engine words that have led to This Being Human.....have been very interesting but yield very few similarities. Other than Taoist and Buddhist and meditation searches, the rest are as varied as my posts. The greatest percentage of visits are from the USA, with the rest coming from Belgium, The United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Poland, Norway, France, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Not sure what that all means. My bud from South Africa has disappeared as well as my visitors from Australia.

Being the sensitive bloke that I am,

I miss many of those that used to stop by.

There are places I remember

All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments

With lovers and friends

I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living

In my life I've loved them all

I am a pretty good cook. My father, who retired from his job at the State Hospital as the dietitian, often held a second job as a chef. Mind you, the chef of those days specialized in Baked Stuffed Lobster and Shrimp. He had spectacular corn fritters. He pushed through whatever the menu called for.

He worked for restaurants such as, "The Oasis, The Four Winds, The Chetwood." I really don't know how he did it.

My oldest son also likes to cook. There's something about the process of creating and the result of someone being delighted by your accomplishment.

This is my Lamb Stew. Everyone went, "ewwwww" at the idea of it. Everyone went "Mmmmmm" at the eating of it and had several bowls.

I think that I've bored you enough, so...

I was going to post about the Easter holiday and how it pertains to the Christans and Easter's relationship to the Tribes of Judah, and how it also fits into the religious traditions of various cultures around the world.

Then I thought....well, the only thing that really matters to me is, that you all have a great day. Be it your religious holiday, a day off, or day where you get together with family.....

I just want to say, "Happy Easter" regardless of how you or I may view it.

"Happy Easter"

Happy Saint Patircks Day & the approaching Spring

The traditional pathway that we once counted on, March - In like a Lion, out like a Lamb. April showers bring May flowers, etc... has not been followed by Mother Nature for more than a decade. Sure, you would always have those extended periods of cold weather or showers that extended into the month of June. But the axiom was nevertheless a given.

This Winter in New England did appear more traditional with snow early and many substantial storms. More like those that I experienced as a small boy growing up in a small New England town. So, it is with great hope that we will have a long missed traditional Spring. You know the kind. After a hard winter, you are blessed with the gift of bright sunshine, mud, melting snow and birds of all kinds singing in unison.

As I walked this afternoon, the melting snow that formed little streams upon the side of the road brought back memories of my childhood. We lived on the top of a small hill. The melting snows would accumulate and roll towards the bottom. That which missed the catch basin due to the stream being wider than the drain opening would continue downward towards the Field above the river.

When I was younger than ten or eleven years old, we would take the remaining snow and make large Hoover Dams and hold back the water until much of the street was flooded. An occasional car would pas by and they would often humor us and pass by slowly. (Boy, times have changed!) We would build little snow houses below the dam and let the water build with our anticipation. We would place a small indent into our snow structure, letting the weight of the water and the fractured dam do its thing.

With great fanfare we would watch the water flood the street and gorge the drain with water too vast to be swallowed. Great fun for little boys!

You can feel Spring in the air. Mud on your shoes. Birds are singing. The Sun warms you quickly. Is that too much to hope for?

wee bit o blarney

A married Irishman went into the confessional and said to his priest 'I almost had an affair with another woman.'
The priest said, 'What do you mean, almost?'
The Irishman said, 'Well, we got undressed and rubbed together, but then I stopped.'
The priest said, 'Rubbing together is the same as putting it in. You're not to see that woman again. For your penance, say five Hail Mary's and put $50 in the poor box .
The Irishman left the confessional, said his prayers, and then walked over to the poor box. He paused for a moment and then started to leave. The priest, who was watching, quickly ran over to him saying, 'I saw that. You didn't put any money in the poor box!
The Irishman replied, 'Yeah , but I rubbed the $50 on the box, and
according to you, that's the same as putting it in!'

King of the Forest

Talking bout politics...Again!

First of all, I don't know how anyone with any level of intelligence can justify our involvement in Iraq. Just because McCain wants to "stay the course" and because he is a Vietnam POW doesn't make it the right path.

Do your homework. There have been many well educated and/or military personnel that have spoken up against our involvement from the start. But in true patriotic fashion, they have been black balled and silenced.

Regardless, in true Taoist fashion, I believe that change starts with you and me. It starts within the community. Think globally: Act locally.

We really need to begin at home. Democracy abroad is a failure when things are so bad at home.

We spoke about Social Security and a few other domestic issues. Remember?

Well, on a more local basis, I would enact a few other ideas.

Public Schools: You and I. WE pay for public education. For the public good. You see the state that it is in. I would propose (read force) the following;

Attending public school and carrying a C+ to B- average with good attendance would pay for a two year college degree of trade equivalent.

There would be mandatory school uniforms. Casual business attire to logo shirts; let's not complicate the issue here. If a family did not comply, all entitlements would be suspended upon review.

Guns....There is this Liberal view that if we tighten gun laws then we would all be safe. Then there is this Conservative view that we should all own tank artillery if we can afford it. C'mon people.

IF you are caught with a gun committing a crime, they should lop off the offending hand. After a thousand gang bangers are back on the street with their jack-off hand gone missing, gun crime will go down.

It has been proven that the certainty of punishment is a greater deterrent then the severity. If you KNOW that jacking-off will be made difficult and just not a maybe....

Man, I got a million ideas......

I am so sick of the lame ass crap that we tolerate day in and day out.

You would think that with all of the great Americans that are out there...we would have more to choose from than the few that we have.

The proverbial shit that rises to the top is not good enough for me!

Wherever you go, there you are

Your warm, loving, romantic nature is being noticed whether you realize it or not, dear Leo. Perhaps you feel sometimes that there is not enough excitement in your life - especially your love life. Don't think that this means you need to change yourself in order to be more pleasing to others. The truth is that your stability and your quiet, loving nature are extremely nurturing and comforting to those who understand and appreciate such qualities. The last thing you want to do today is put up a facade of being someone you are not. - horoscope for today

I've been such a baby lately. Last night, I could have easily cried. I hate that about myself. I don't like it when relationships fall apart. I don't like to see anyone suffer. I don't like conflict.
But.....I won't let some one's boot be placed upon my neck. I won't tolerate outright bad behavior. I will, however painfully, be true to myself and do what I believe is right.
But, as in all things, there must be balance. To compensate for what I perceive as weakness in myself, I can get my hackles up; much like a cornered animal. Although my mouth says nothing, my mind is saying, "don't fuck with me." I suppose that this is why one might be surprised and suspect that "something must be really bothering me" when I become quiet and dig my heels in. I'm preparing for the kill.
And this makes me want to cry.
The balance is there when I am cultivating it. You've heard me speak of Tai Chi & Wu chi. Like when you're dancing. You move in unison with the music of your life, whatever your life may be playing at the moment.
I was recently reminded that the more you resist something, it will equally push back; or repeat itself. You know. Those oft repeated life lessons.... Life is a teacher.
I said enough.