May Afternoon

Something about this day.  Leisurely morning, with no responsibility greater than progressing a bit in my Spanish; an afternoon of gardening, punctuated by a pleasant nap;  a bit more prepping my garden for the starts, which will become my summer and fall dinners.  Now a light dinner and a beer on the deck, listening to music my daughter has shared with me, with a background of the wonderful children next door squealing and laughing as they play in their yard - oblivious to anything outside their sphere, including anybody older than seven.  

Is there anything better than a warm evening in May.

Jose's Visit Weekend

Enjoying the finish of a beautiful spring weekend, book-ended with time spent with some of my favorite people anywhere.  Thursday evening, I had dinner with Jose (Rico) Ramos, who is in town for a leadership meeting with the American Cancer Society - an organization he has dedicated himself to for decades.   We ate (and drank just a bit) at Deschutes in the Pearl district in Portland; I took him to Powell's Books (of course ... Portlandia).  It's been more than a decade since I last saw him, but our banter picked up right where we left off.  We shared some of best adventures I had during my sojourn in California.

I hope it will not be as long before we next get together, but I do hope he  will be gracious enough to at least age a little in the meantime.  

At the other end of the weekend, I had dear friends over for dinner Saturday.  The Newmans and the Beards have been family for the last twenty-five years, sharing weekends at the coast and the mountains, as our kid grew from toddlers to amazing adults.  Betsy and Bongo are newer additions, but have become integral.  

At dinner last night, we talked about the overuse of the term 'blessed', so let me just say how damn lucky I feel to have these people in my life.  

Mark & Andy

Hey Mark and Andy, 

On September 14, I'm going to be in Eugene for our quarterly Hooty Brothers Sunday liquid lunch.  

Are you guys around that weekend?  Interested in getting together for a beer and/or a bite on  Saturday evening, and a possible overnight guest?

On a related matter, whether that weekend works or not, would you guys be interested in coming up here for a weekend, and letting me show you some local brewpubs, or just hanging out here for food, drink, and maybe some football?

Love, 
Michael

David and Dave & Carolyn

Bon Jour!  

David, I'd like you to meet Carolyn and David.  

Carolyn and David are planning to be in Toulouse next month - a city they've visited before, and love.  I've mentioned you to them before when they were on their way to Toulouse, so Carolyn asked for an introduction.  I am beyond pleased to share acquaintance between us all, and to introduce you to one another.  

I'm cautious about 'over-introducing' people to one another, so I'll keep this minimal.  All three of you are interesting, kind, intelligent people, with good hearts, and lots of excellent stories to share.  Life has taken you to homes as varied as Indiana and Colorado to Vancouver Canada, Malaysia, and Lawd knows how many more (your stories to share, not mine).  I learn something new every time I speak with any of you ... and usually find us sharing laughter with each lesson.  

I hope you will reach out to one another, to see if connecting up next month will work.  My only regret is that I can't share the occasion.  I'll be somewhat homebound for a few months yet, as I break in my new replacement left ankle - but look forward to seeing each of you soon.  

Love, 
Michael

Children of Sanchez

Every child belongs to mankind's family
Children are the fruit of all humanity
Let them feel the love of all the human race
Touch them with the warmth, the strength of that embrace.

Give me love and understanding, i will thrive
As my children grow my dreams come alive
Those who hear the cries of children. God will bless
I will always hear the children of Sánchez. 

- Chuck Mangione, Children of Sánchez

Mark's Son

Hi Mark, 

I don't want to intrude - now, or any time, as you are going through the coming time with your son.  There is no 'right' thing to say, so I will try to keep it to a minimum.  

Any time you would like to share an update on him; he had a good/bad day, he felt well enough for us to go drop a line for some spring Chinook, or whatever--or if you would just like a sounding board to share how fucking unfair this is--I am your friend, and I'm here for you.  

I usually say too much, under the best of circumstances, to I'll leave it here.  Please give my best to Andy; I love you both.  

Michael

Mother's Day - 2025

Among my earliest memories was Mom asking me where it hurt, and kissing my 'owies'.  For those owies that were out of reach of kisses, she offered, and encouraged 'a few Hail Marys'.  As I wandered to and from belief in the supernatural, I never took a step away from belief in the healing power of her Hail Marys, and remain grateful for them to this day.  She taught us all the meaning of love, forgiveness, and empathy, traits I still look to as my north star.  

I don't say a lot of Hail Marys these days, but I am forever grateful to have this woman, full of grace, in my life.  Happy Mother's Day!

Everyone is Welcome

Remember back in grade school, when you were a youngster, still finding out where you fit in the world.  Each new grade presented new challenges; a different, strange classroom, tougher assignments, a 'musical-chairs' remainder of rearranged classmates.  It's really a lot to take in.  One of the few steady, reassuring things in a youngster's life is the idea that they are welcome, and that they are valued just as they are.  That trust establishes a relationship with learning that will last a lifetime.  

I am blessed with friends who teach at this vulnerable level; beyond getting the kids through learning objectives, the best of them focus on the emotional state of the young spirits entrusted to them.  

Signs like these play a surprisingly important role in that ... in reassuring an uncertain child that there is a place for them right there.  

It's difficult to imagine what provokes a school, or school district, to force a teacher to remove these affirmations.  But it's not at all hard to imagine what goes through the mind, and the precious, vulnerable hearts of the kids who see them disappear.  

These are strange times we find ourselves living in; fear, prejudice, and ignorance being passed off as values.  And it's horrifying to imagine that being passed on to the next generation.  

Everyone is Welcome

Costco - Chrstmas Eve

I hope this won't seem mean, but ...

[and don't we love sentences that start like that?]

I did a U-turn in the Costco parking lot yesterday, and went back home, because by 10:30, the competition for spaces was already ugly.  But I had to hit Costco again today, and planned to get there a half-hour early, to get a spot, and get in line at the door.  I checked their schedule online  this morning at about 8:40, only to see that they were opening, not at ten, but at nine.  Eek!  

I set aside my remaining half-mug of coffee, threw on the nearest clothes I could find, and bolted.  I got there about ten till nine, slipped right into a prime parking spot, and saw that they had already opened the doors.  I went in, and enjoyed one of the most relaxing Costco trips ever.  The few people there were in  good moods - smiling and laughing, casually chit-chatting about how pleasant the morning was.    I found everything pretty easily, then had my choice of checkout lines (well, not really 'lines', since there weren't any, but you get the idea).  I was out the door, shopping complete, and home by ten.  

That wasn't mean was it?  

Ricky Henderson

I've never been much of a dedicated sports fan.  I've enjoyed passing allegiances to Oregon, then Oregon State, but nothing serious.  But my move to the SF Bay area right after college in 1988 coincided with a high point for the Oakland As, and I was blessed With a convenient cohort of relatively new Chevron engineers, that didn't have a lot of competing plans for a summer weekend.  It was the first time I had been to a big league park, and I was floored.  The stadium was easily accessible via BART, and the outfield bleacher seats were cheap, with easy access to beer.  

Watching bash brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire, along with an all-star cast of teammates play extraordinary ball was a fine way to spend an afternoon.  It's probably the only time in my life, before, or since, that I could name the entire  starting lineup of a team in any sport.  

But, as cool as they all were, there was nobody who compared to Ricky Henderson.  As good as he was in the field, and as lead-off batter, once on base, he was a combination of poetry and Vaudeville.  Pitchers couldn't concentrate on the batter, because they knew that any instant, Ricky would steal another base.  If baseball can sometimes be slow and lethargic to watch, that was never the case when Ricky was on base.  

I could go on ... but it's December 23rd, and other responsibilities call.  

RIP to the stolen base king! 

Beauty - Eternal and Ephemeral

 

Beauty and love, like Matter and Energy, are eternal.  They are neither created nor destroyed; they merely change form.  

Even when they seem to disappear into loss and grief, these

It is both eternal and ephemeral.    

Self Description in Spanish

Parte Uno

¡Buenas dias!

¿Cómo están ustedes?  

Yo estoy consado, pero feliz.  Yo trabajo mucho, pero Miécoles, yo voy a ver mi hija, Madeleine.

Me llamo Michael.  Mi pronombre es él.  

Yo soy estadosunidense.  

Mi ascendencia cultural es irlandés, y lituano. 

Yo soy medio-bajo.  Soy alegre, chistoso, y extrovertido.  Soy liberal y estudioso.  

Yo tengo sesenta y nueve años.  Mi cumpleaño es El diesiocho de febrero.  

¡Gracias a todos, todas y todes! 

¡Hasta luego!


Parte dos

Spanish is an international language.  Partly due to its history of colonization and of importation of enslaved Africans to some of these colonies, as well as the resultant intermarriage and interbreeding - both voluntary and involuntary inter Spanish speakers are an extremely diverse cohort.  The social mixing among the rainbow of Spanish speakers is much more effortless than between races here, which is gratifying to witness.  

¡Buenas dias!

Yo soy Michael.  Yo soy de Los Estados Unidos.  Yo soy estadounnidense.  

Tengo sesenta y nueve años.  Soy un poco viejo.  

Yo Tengo una hija.  Ella se llama Madeleine.  Tiene veinte y cinco años. Ella es intelligente y muy guapa

Soy de estatura medio-bajo.  Soy medianamente fuerte y atletico, pero un poco gordita.  

Yo Tengo los ojos azule y tengo los anteojos.  

Tengo el pelo y la Barba gris, como el hombre más interesante del mundo 

¡Mantente sediento, mi amigos!  

Four Strong Winds

This seems the perfect song for autumn.  The days are getting shorter, and a chill is in the air.  The leaves have turned to the underlying color that emerges when they doff their green work attire.  

The harvest is in - time to look back over the season; to count our blessings, and balance our losses.  As nature retreats beneath the surface to prepare its reemergence in spring, so we take time to reflect, and consider what best to plant when the lengthening days begin our next season of renewal.  

Four Strong Winds

-----

Ian Tyson, the man who wrote Four Strong Winds, Sang it together with his wife, and ultimately former wife, Silvia.  Their musical partnership endured longer than their marriage.  Performing that together after their divorce seems to be an ultimate act of courage.  

Ian was as good as his word.  He settle in Alberta, living out his days on a horse ranch he was able to buy with the royalties he received from Neil Young's version of his song.  Here Ian and Neil share memories of one another:

Ian and Neil

Kinky Friedman

American culture lost a legend last week, with the passing of Kinky Friedman.  He, along with his band, The Texas Jewboys, were an underrepresented minority in country music.   

A sampling of his wisdom.  Some of these quotes make more sense in the context of his run for Texas governor in 2006.

Kinky-isms

Kinky Friedman - They Ain't Makin' Jews 

Fathers Day Musings

Wishing a happy, loving Fathers Day to all the fathers in my life; who strive to be worthy of that title - and who remember their own fathers with love, and seek, and in in their memories, a source of guidance  

My Father's Shoes

Rolland Garros Tennis Tournament

I was gratified, while channel surfing this morning, to see that NBC is referring to the clay-court tennis tournament underway in a Paris suburb as the Roland Garros.  I was in Paris twenty-six years ago, during this annual event.  When I asked around about the 'French Open', nobody knew what I was asking about.  Nobody there calls it that, and nobody seemed to know that anybody else did.  Like Wimbledon, it is named after the stadium where it is played – and the stadium that hosts this is named after an early French aviation hero, Roland Garros.  American television has just been very slow to respect that.  

Best Rock and Roll Album Ever!

I'm a little conflicted about my post last week regarding the budget negotiations.  I stand by every assertion in the post, but am trying to avoid politics on Facebook.  So, in order to avoid controversy or disagreement, I offer this simple observation. 

With all due respect for fans of the Beatles, the Stones, Elvis, or anybody else's body of work, I just want to point out that the absolutely all-time best Rock album is Bruce Springsteen's 1975 treasure, Born to Run.  

Each song is a masterpiece of lyrical poetry, matched with the only conceivable  instrumental accompaniment intense and evocative enough to complement the words - all with the intent of drawing the listener into the reality of tough sixties-era east-coast urban life life;  lived on the wrong side of the tracks, the bridge, the law.  

Any song from the album would prove the point; the exclamation of Jungleland is the amazing stop-you-in-your-tracks saxophone solo from the late Clarence Clemons.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW1RAYYs8RI

Seek Joy

Seek joy,
embrace joy,
Share joy.

Full Stop. 

Easter - and Magic

You know what I love most about Easter?  

It's a wonderful celebration for Christians of the signature miracle that defines their faith; along with celebrations among others of the return to growth and fertility, it is a time of hope and optimism. 

But my favorite thing about Easter is shared with Halloween, Christmas, and birthdays.  It is an opportunity for grown-ups to share a view with children that the world can be a magical, generous place, in which they are welcome, and loved.  

Fiftieth High School Reunion

I attended my high school reunion this weekend.  Not gonna say which one ... but the Senate Watergate Hearings were on TeeVee as we donned cap and gown. 

It's nice to see these folks I grew up with as we mature, and continue the process of growing up (yours truly possibly excepted).  Friday evening Abby's Pizza; Saturday dinner and live music at Sylvan Ridge winery; Ah! sylvan indeed, not to mention verdant, pastoral, perhaps even bucolic – but I digress.  Sunday, of course, was the mid-day potluck at Emerald Park, where we shared time together with everybody's (or their spouse's) best dishes.  Unlike that same park, when we were growing up, nobody offered to sell me any pot, and only one person witnessed to me about Jesus – and he is a lifelong friend, who backed off before I had to witness back to him about the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Bless His Noodly Appendage).  So it was all smiles.  

I love these gatherings!  With the mellowing of age, many who occupied the highest status have been chastened by time, and become truly enjoyable company – and a few of the wallflowers have sprouted into bold self-actualized extroverts.  

I'm already looking forward to the next gathering!