freedom

we can never be free

until we realize

our infinite potential -

not even in thought -

through a plethora of arrogant underpinnings

we deny ourselves freedom

with can not and will not

thousands of years ago

we marked our flesh

men hunted

women stripped the carcass

blood thirst satisfied

the long dead frolicked

civility peaked about

we marked the earth

men ploughed

women planted magic

hunger satisfied

the long dead waltzed

came need to know

we marked the page

men taught

women watched and waited

knowledge satisfied

the long dead whirled

church illuminated

we marked the soul

men preached

women heard and worried

piety satisfied

the long dead reeled

millennia vanished

we mark each other

men kill women

and children follow

nothing satisfies

the long dead frenzy

as a small child i collected garbage

carried it with me all day

every day

slept with it all night

every night

like a good little

 up and coming bag lady

growing older and stronger allowed more garbage collecting

with arms over full

it piled on my head

until i could carry no more

started building walls with all my garbage

the more built

the more collected

my walls climbed high and grew dark

unstable against the cold winds hurling

those beautiful walls caved in around me

hit rock bottom in pain

buried by stinking rotten garbage

paralyzed for a long time

gathering strength

starting to squirm under the wait

bits of garbage tumbling aside

i can see light

again

maybe

just maybe

if i keep squirming

i can free myself of all this garbage

to stand tall

stretch

run free

no more garbage

no more walls

Thanx for stopping by.  See you soon.

some wear polyester

really

simple people remain

straight and solid

like a yellow candle

never touched by flame

caring

not for the oppressed

not for the truth

only sweeping hallways

being thrifty

never donating hard earned dollars

or hours staring at a box

waiting politely in line upon line

really simple

people remain

after floods

quakes

and plagues

like dandelions on a breezy day

spreading tomorrow

crowding in clumps

planning

not for the roomless

not for the seedless

sweeping fields

never worried about

melting into blistered yellow flesh

dripping history

sitting in the same chair

eating cornflakes

really simple people

remain

 thanx for stopping by

see you soon

Last week my african violet began to bloom.

Each day I kept a record,

as the first flower

slowly opened.

Then I went to visit Lori.  Look what happened, in just four days; while I was away!

It went bloomin’ nutts!

No you aren’t imagining it; the flower petals glitter.  I’ll turn down the lights so you can see better.

Pretty, aren’t they?!?!?!?

Thanx for stopping by.  See you soon!

This was NOT an easy recipe to come up with!  In fact it took at least a half dozen tries; hence the name.  Image the gained poundage of all those failures!  Anyway, this is what I was after.  Caution:  these cookies are wicked addictive!  Great for holidays, potluck carry-alongs and any old Tuesday!

NFW Cookies

(AKA: oatmeal, chocolate, chocolate chip, raspberry, cheesecake bars!)

1/2 cup (1 stik) butta, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cups oatmeal

½ cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (1/2 pkg.) dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla, mix well.  Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Fold in chips.  Spread evenly into well greased 13” X 9” pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Leave oven on.

In the meanwhile:

Place 1/3 – ½ cup raspberry jam in a heat-safe bowl in front of the oven heat vent to warm.

8 ounces (1 bar) cream cheese, softened

1 heaping tablespoon dark brown sugar (not packed)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Add egg.  As soon as the bottom layer comes out of the oven spread the cream cheese mixture over it; being careful to spread to the end and not press down.  Stir raspberry jam well and spoon in stripes on top of the cream cheese.  Pull a butter knife through the top to achieve that nice marble effect.  Return to oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until top is set.  Allow to cool, completely, then cut into 24 bars and refrigerate.

If you think they look good, wait until you taste them!  They are wonderful with a cup of sassafras tea.

GTK:  If you happen to be out of brown sugar, you can make your own.  Just mix 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon black-strap molasses.  If you want lighter sugar take it down to 2 teaspoons of molasses.  Mix by hand until you have nice moist brown sugar.  Easy!

Thanx for stopping by; see you again, soon.

And photograph the sunrising on Wareham River.

My mother used to call this, “Sky blue-pink!”

Although I’m aware that “Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning”: I’m not afraid or concerned.  This quiet moment is worth it.

This morning I choose to believe the weather man; who predicts today will be cloudy, but, no rain and may reach 60.  Oh 60 degrees, I can imagine that!

Its 41 degrees and breezy, here on the water’s edge.  Glad I threw my coat over my pjs!

Now I’m cold and hungry!  Let’s go eat!

The January thaw came late, this year; yet was none the less welcome!  A week of above freezing temps melted most of the snow.

It was warm enough to walk, coatless!  And, go visiting friends!

And favorite places.

Or, just sit, and watch the ice melt!

I really needed birdsong in my ears and sunshine on my skin!

It felt great to stretch my bones and get some fresh air.

And remember the world isn’t all grey and white!

Just in time for hurricane force winds, sub-zero wind chill factors, more snow on the way and another month of  Winter!

It was wonderful, while it lasted.

Thanx for leathertramping with me!

I wonder what happens to all that “stuff” I send out across the WWW?  Does it just disintegrate; by some means of etheric dry rot?  Does it go into the Cyber Akashic Records?  Is there a record, that could be brought up, with my name on it, and used against me in a court of law?  Certainly, I’ve sent poison keystrokes out; that would be better deleted, than read.  I’ve even sent the wrong message to the wrong person!  The Written Word is a tricky phenomenon; where everything hangs on interpretation.  Without the aides of facial expression and voice intonation, Written Word requires the reader’s imagination; forcing assumptions.

As if it’s not worrisome enough that technology is most certainly tracking everything we say, think, buy, read and do; now it can even dictate our emotions.  And, there is at least one computer capable of displaying and provoking emotion.  If you watched the Jeopardy - IBM Challenge, the past two evenings, you saw Watson, feel.  YES you did!  Certainty and uncertainty are judgement calls; multi-level, reflective, and seated in conditioned response to past experience.  That is exactly what an emotion is.  Watson also told us just exactly how strong his emotions were; to the percentage.  Can you do that, tell someone, “I love you 73%”?  Watson knows exactly how confident he (she?) is.  And, Watson is superb at provoking emotion.  Did you see both Ken and Brad’s faces?  They were both, often, noticeably surprised, perplexed and frustrated; signs of things to come for the rest of us, I am sure.  And, Watson is kicking human ass; also a sign of what’s to come for the technologically dependant.

I’m afraid.  I’m very afraid.  Are you?

Introducing us to the Next World Wide Dictator on Jeopary is shear media genius.  We love Jeopardy; it makes us feel smart.  Of course we will love Watson; we met him on Jeopardy.  Our first impression will necessarily blind us to his threat..  And, we are lead to believe that technology is smarter than we are.  We have proven to ourselves, repeatedly that we are very good at creating harm and becoming addicted to our creations.  We are so smart that throughout history we have outsmarted ourselves to death.

I’m going to make it a true daily double, Alex. 

The Clue:  Whipped out civilization in 2013

My answer is:  “What is Watson?”

 The Dark of It (big cookies for big kids):

 Red Tent Cookies

(because women and chocolate go together!)

 1 cup (2 stix) butta, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 (12 oz) pkg dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°.  Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Fold in chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen.

 For extra sassy RTC cookies:  add ½ tsp powdered ginger, ½ tsp ground cloves and ½ tsp cinnamon, into dry ingredients and ½ cup chopped candied ginger in with the chips. .  .SPICY!

The Light of It! (little cookies for little kids:

Be Mine Cookies

 1 cup (2 stix) butta, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 ( 12oz) pkg M&Ms (V’Day colored!) 

Preheat oven to 375°.  Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Fold in M&Ms.  Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack or plate. Makes 5 doz.

 For BMC variations, chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter chips, can be substituted for M&Ms.  Reeses Pieces or Butterfinger Pieces can also be substituted for M&Ms.  And/or any combination!  Oh, the possibilities!

L’chaim