200 Posts! How IS This Possible?

        We Better Have A Party Then!!! 

Also, I would just like make public a note of appreciation to all of you readers, commenters and guest writers, and of course LoneStar who for some reason known only to himself is a stalwart co-conspirator.  Thank you kind sir.

Here's to all of you.  MM, Fifi, Lady Bikki, Karla, pointman, Raps, Prof. Farns, Neithan H., Priscilla Black, PeterCat!, JettieG, Bakokitty, mawskrat!, Deputy Dogge, nana!  I have seen a few others pop up too, Capt America and Yolan.  CoolBrew!  david Christoph.  If I left anyone out its because I'm Silly.  I think Zephyr came a couple times.  Who else?  I have seen MOTUS herself too!!!  Not to forget Gerard Van der Leun!

I would love to see more guest columns from some of you that I have not heard from yet!

So what do you all think?  I think our little spot here is a pretty cozy little hangout on the 'net.  I have had a grand time with you all and can hardly believe its been so long!  I have never been known for my consistency.  Ahem.  

Some of us hanging out at the back porch.....

I hired some Mariachis!

Oh yeah, we have a little Champagne!  Belly up!

I'd love to see you all for real and have a real live party someday!

GOD'S HIDING. by contributor Fifi

 

GOD’S HIDING

 

I'm sitting in a pew, thinking how nice the atmosphere is at my church, and wondering why it's so hard to carry good vibes and good intentions forward into the week.  Would the effect be more long-lasting if I attended church daily, like the old Italian ladies in our New York neighborhood used to do?  Maybe I could just move in, be roomies with God.  No doubt the Almighty could get my dog to stop obsessively licking the carpet.

 

Anyway, all these musings turned into a poem.

Get offa my cloud!

 

 

GOD'S HIDING (Sedoka format)

 

God's hiding in church.

He's afraid to go out there.

Even friends act like strangers,

In so-called "real life."

The bus system's confusing,

And He doesn't like the food.

 

It's familiar, church.

He knows what to expect there.

Worshippers, saying He's great.

Inspiring music.

People flowing love and joy

To Him and one another.

 

Differences aside,

They reflect, considering 

Their souls, and the greater good.

Seeking God's counsel,

Lifting their hearts to the Lord,

Suffused with noble intent.

 

Beyond the oak doors,

He doesn't recognize them.

Permanent middle fingers

Out their car windows,

Disregarding marriage vows,

Slack-jawed before glowing screens.

 

He understands pain

And the impulse to escape.

But why won't His people heal?

Sunday ritual

Washes out Saturday sins.

Monday, life's dirty again.

 

It's not His failure,

Though He feels it acutely

And weeps when they've all gone home.

"Jesus Christ!" He says.

Holy Spirit, what the Hell?"

The Sacred Posse kvetches.

 

That good church feeling,

It just doesn't last for me.

But lately -- it's peculiar --

I feel Him around.

Maybe He's decided to

Bring the mountain -- well, you know.

A Post by Contributor Nana and A Question

 What did you want to become when you grew up? There were a few things I thought would be cool, but being lazy, procrastinating and a scaredy cat, there was no crown for the ‘queen of the world’, no Pulizer, no opera career, no saving the world of sick and injured animals. 

Well, I did become a few ‘whats’ - mom, wife, nana, friend - but I discovered I didn’t have what it would take to put in the time, work and practice to become any of those other things. Having talent, and/or desire, wasn’t enough, just kept doing whatever was “easy”. 

Then, I became a ‘who’. One of my two precious boys gave me a daughter (in-law) who I love to pieces, and then - my Grandgirl! She’s the Love of my life, the Sun in my sky, my Heart. So, I’m called nana. But I’m not just a ‘what’, I’m a “Who” (nana, nana”, love the sound of that voice), and as I "grew up" I became a fairly good wife (now widow), a pretty good mom, friend, sister, fantastic nana of course  :-), so the ‘what’ and the ‘who’ kinda melded together, no degrees required. I sing (as does the Grandgirl). I kinda string a few words and sentences together (thanks, pbird, for letting me try that out), and my Pulitzer is a cute little yellow chickie. :-) I could have been a ‘what’ if I’d put my mind to it, and there's not a thing wrong with being a ‘what’, we need those ‘whats’ and not everyone can be one. But I’ve finally stopped thinking of myself as a failure, cause becoming a WHO is what I’ve actually ‘grown up’ to be, what I was meant to be, what we’re all meant to be, and it’s all good. 

***

My question is did you plan your future, did you end up where you thought you would?

How would you define success at this point in life?

What is most important now?

 How did it all work out?

***

I should mention that the nosy questions are my nosy questions. pb

Just As Good As I'm Forced To Be?

What does it count for?  If I behave myself it won't save my soul.

Why does our behavior matter?

What keeps me in line, if I am?

Is it fear of fire?

Possibly this shows a misunderstanding of reality.

If I love my Lord God I will study to find out what he considers to be proper living.  Its both simple enough for your pre-school child to understand and also meat for scholars of the Book.

Ha Rabboni, the dear Teacher in Hebrew, said to love the Lord your God above all things and your neighbor like you love yourself.  Its simple, but deep.  What is love? How can one love his neighbor like he loves himself?  Who is my neighbor anyhow?  Well, in obvious terms, he is one who lives along side.  This could be on any plane.  To love him in this way is to what, do that which benefits him the most?  To help him to Heaven.  To be a friend?  If he needs a couple of things provide them?  

In addition, how do you love God?  Its emotional sometimes and a great deal of the time merely a matter of will.  I will obey whom I love, if he is someone I should obey.  Obviously.  lol.  

But, sparks fly out of my old nature.  I am stubborn and lazy.  My heart is in the right place, but my flesh is a real rounder.

Every day has the same decisions to be made.  It isn't going to be automatic.  Always decisions. Some of this stuff is cultural I think.  What might be impossibly rude and crude some times and places is unremarkable in other places and times.  

I need a humble and contrite spirit.  I am in deep doodoo.  God is God and I am me.  Its about making a connection.  Filling in the valleys and making low the hills.  If it were up to me by myself I would be lost, as would anyone be.

That's how it looks to me tonight.  With tears.

I should mention, while I'm at it, that this was drawn and painted freehand by my youngest girl a couple of years ago, as a Christmas card for me to copy and use.

The Rings Of Good Sense, Good Taste, and Like, Wisdom, Man!

 The occasion of watching a cheesy Australian tv show last night got me thinking in this direction.  It had some of the weaknesses that we noticed in the newish Blade Runner follow-up.

Both have terrible writing.  You keep thinking why did he say that?  Motivation seemed erratic and arbitrary.  In Darby and Joan, we only watched two episodes, the Joan character's affect towards the man Darby was pointlessly hostile.  Maybe that passes for perky in the writer's mind. You know, powerful, ie, bitchy, women. Yawn.

I hear similar terrible things about the new Lord of The Rings, spin off.  What is wrong?  Have people lost the ability to write effective fiction?  Have people lost the thread entirely?  Why can't they portray an effective, believable story?

While I'm thinking about it, there was a rather good series from the BBC called The Last Detective.  Quite pleasing and well done.  Also, I actually cared about the characters!  Episode 4 was almost Shakespearean. 

But back to good sense, good taste and wisdom.  I was asking the universe how one acquires such things.  It seemed that the universe said well p, its like this.  None of these things can be imparted by just being told about them.  No little self-help course, or magazine article is going to graft good taste, wisdom or common sense onto a person.

Well then, time?  Will time do it?  Time will help.  It gives a chance to observe and learn from life.

The young need to see good decisions made around them all the time by their elders.  This way, if there is some discussion also, they might learn to judge a situation.  This is true even of slippery, subjective matters such as good taste in clothing, art, music, literature and comportment.  You like that?  "Comportment" lol. 

The mind of the "student" is also pivotal, IMO.  Must be willing to learn. Must be an observer of life.  This might be the most important thing in life altogether.

God grant that we geezers so full of good sense, good taste and much wisdom also have minds eager to learn.  

What do you think? 

We Come To The Day Of The Week When Opinion Counts Even More Than Usual

             Ask Birdy                                               

 As of yesterday, several questions have been posited for our perusal.  Some serious...some facetious.  But this is us after all.

1. Fifi asks how much character counts in the blood sport of politics  today.  Would we accept a flawed person if they got the job done?
2. MM wonders, at this late date, why is there air?
3. Neithan, asks what is the difference between POP and IMAP in email.  Good grief.  I never could figure that one out either.
4. Did I miss anyone?  
5. My question as always:
   
   
6. Professor Farnsworth wonders what is the actual deal with all those women wearing yoga pants when they really ought to check it out in a mirror from behind and front actually.  Who loves ya baby, but keep it at home?
7. Why is there Do Wop?  Why do I love it so much?

    

Super Sekrit Lore, Or Some Thoughts On Making Paintings

As you can probably well imagine, this has been going on for some time.  I think they gave me crayons and stuff to keep me out of their hair.  

I was thinking of analyzing some of how I go about making a painting and what I think about the process.  I hope this doesn't turn into a boring self-absorbed retrospective.  But, sometimes people ask me about this stuff.  

Now, I have always been of the frequently stated opinion that if you have to talk about a painting, to explain it, then it didn't work.  It was like having to explain a joke.

 

A lot of my approach is because of extreme impatience. 

First thing I will do is "break" a surface, so that it doesn't scare me with it bland perfection.

I'm not thinking much about narrative.  I'm thinking about the physical paint and how it looks.  The brushstrokes, the handwriting, are desperately important to me.

This is why I am so offended by obvious fakes.  People should be able to see that the handwriting is wrong.

Sometimes, I have gotten a bit of narrative in mind.  I'm trying to create an old effect like something I imagine from the past.

I guess really, I am thinking of a painting as a physical object and I am trying to make it "pretty", or satisfying to look at in some way.  I try to make it attractive, even decorative.  My child, the painter in NYC, works much much harder than I do.  She deserves the fruits of her labor.

I think of them to myself as painted boards.  That keeps me in perspective!

The one I am working on right now, I am pretty happy with so far.  But I think I will not post stages as I go along.  I found that caused me to think too much about the viewer and not enough about the paint.  So when its done I will try to photograph it so that it looks something like it will in real life.

I don't know if any of that helped at all. lol

So, I like to watch this character restore artwork.  Very interesting series.