‘scared to death’

Ralph Yarl is home from the hospital and recovering, “a miracle” considering he was shot in the head before the “terrified” gun-owner shot him a second time as he lay bleeding on his front porch. He’d come to the porch to pick up siblings but rang the bell on a Street instead of an Avenue—or was it the other way around? The shooter fired through the glass in the door. Ralph is 5’8″ and weighs 140 pounds. Perhaps he weighs a little less after hospitalization.

A fifteen year old girl in Georgia is taking birth control despite being a virgin because abortion rights have been ended in her state. She is scared to death that the law might require her to carry a rapist’s baby to term.

This month I have been thinking about whether a better world might be possible? I thought, maybe yes, and wrote a book to find out how. And I did not intend to write any of this post today. But there you are. We never know.

The critter on the right is what we call a sand flea. This is a big one, about a centimeter long. Sand fleas aren’t usually not around much except when it’s warm. The critter on the left is something else. The sun was out. Briefly.
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LIARS&ICE

Word count, dental visits, complaints about the weather, lies, and the lying liars who tell them.

I hope I don’t often complain about weather or climate, but any time the snow and hail wants to stop for the season is not too soon for me. It hailed off and on all day yesterday, and I am sick to death of it. A few plants in the garden are sick to death of it too. These are the hill back behind our house.
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GARY’S WOODPILE

I should have got a photo. I caught Gary vacuuming his woodpile.

Somewhere in this photo is a hummingbird feeding off the rhododendron that began blooming a week or so ago. I can only spot it because I compared my photo to the view and spotted the smudge. We’ve had snow since, but the hummingbird is still alive.
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NEXT?

Gary and I are working on our future. Eventually the upkeep and isolation of the Arch Cape house will be too much. Our sons do not seem attached to the coast—oh, they say they miss it, but they seldom come out to visit. Once a year, or twice. They lead busy lives. That means we’ll be on our own for day to day assistance with what we’ll need if we try to stay there forever. Shopping, repairs… No simple workaround in our unincorporated community and no fewer local political issues. In our 70s and in good health, we manage fine now. We did, after all get the new roof on and Gary spread compost. We drive to Costco once a month. I’d like to think we might become ninety-something-year-olds who manage on their own till death takes us. But as a compulsive planner, I’m not counting on that.

We are working up courage to let go.

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MIRTH & day 4

I woke too early this morning. That happens a lot these days. Sometimes I can get back to sleep. Sometimes I go to work. Lately I am knitting and revising my novel. Doesn’t that sound wonderful to myself: revising my novel!

Rain falling out over the ocean.
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AWP & writing and courage

A review of my writing and plans for April. No kidding.

“Vogue Philippines released its April issue on Friday and its newest cover model is an 106-year-old indigenous Kalinga woman, Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay.” It would have been more impressive (on the part of Vogue) if this had been the cover of the US edition.

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NUDITY

Years ago, the Art teacher at the coastal high school where I was also a teacher for thirty years asked the Biology teacher to pick up a special-order book for her while she was shopping at Powell’s Book Store in Portland. (I was not that Art teacher—I taught Art in Washington State—this was Sandy, the reason I went on to teach English.) Diane drove 80 miles over the coast range to Powell’s and was horrified to discover that there was a nude on the cover of the book. Yes, a naked man! Michelangelo’s David. She was embarrassed to be seen with the book. No, I am not kidding.

WARNING: This marble statue of David (the one who slays the evil giant in the Bible) is totally naked.

A massive block of Carrara marble was cut and transported to Florence in 1464. The famous work was begun in 1501 and completed by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni at the age of 29 in 1504. Intended to be placed high as one of a series of prophet images, the seventeen foot tall sculpture was too heavy to move to that location and was instead sited in a square where the biblical hero was visible to all and recognized as a symbol of civil liberties. In more recent times, the marble showed damage from exposure and was moved indoors, and a replica placed in the square. Another replica of the six ton sculpture has since been placed in the originally intended location in Florence Cathedra
l.
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MAYA ANGELOU

I saw Maya Angelou in 1991 or ’92 when I took students to the University of Portland campus. She was spectacular. No lessor word will do. I had to post this here because the version I found at my favorite nonprofit website had someone else reading her poem. Nope. Nobody but Maya Angelou speaks her words. The background music is unnecessary, but I don’t mind too much.
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GOOD NEWS

Our granddaughter had her second heart surgery this morning. It went well. Minimally invasive and she may go home this afternoon. Incredible.

This photo shows a trapezoid, but is in a rectangular frame I already had, photographed at an angle to avoid most of the glare on the glass. The crying bird appliqué is by a friend who is living in exile and missing her home, but still making art. I’d lost track of Marina for a few weeks after she left Etsy, and then I discovered her posting on Behance and was able to get in contact and send her a card with a pieced leaf. She sent me a card in return that included this incredible hand-stitched linen piece. The crocheted cotton gloves on each side were my grandmother’s. Ladies used to wear gloves in public places. I am old enough to remember my mother putting on a hat and gloves to go shopping downtown.

There’s more goodness…

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