Stephen King's latest book is a delight. In the upper echelon of his output. Huge book, 1075 pages. Another plus, as far as I am concerned. I read it in four days, it never bogged down.
A forum. Freaky-styley or eloquently rendered rants, opinions and Big Dreams. Poems and sorrows. Wonderments...
Monday, November 16, 2009
Beer And A Book...
Stephen King's latest book is a delight. In the upper echelon of his output. Huge book, 1075 pages. Another plus, as far as I am concerned. I read it in four days, it never bogged down.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Great news for wolves!

Fish and Wildlife spokesman Tom Buckley says the rule "will no longer stand."
He says the agency has ways to deal with livestock kills "and remains committed to assisting the local livestock operators in any negative impacts they may have related to wolves."
Environmentalists complained the three-strikes rule favored the ranching industry and was a major roadblock to the effort to recover the species in the wild. Ranchers responded the policy targets wolves that grow accustomed to preying on cattle.
Several environmental groups sued in May 2008, asking the U.S. District Court in Arizona to stop the removal policy." The Associated Press, November 14, 2009
"Evolve Happy" Update...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Beer and a Book
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
How I Feel Today.
It's a thing I'd rather shirk.
But then I wouldn't get paid
no progress would be made
and I'd feel like a jerk.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Seeing a memory with the mind's eye...
While bicycling north, James & I stopped at a grassy place below the parking lot of a roadside motel. We sat down to meditate*. While doing so (eyes closed), I heard a human holler at his dog. I heard the dog come running up to us. I heard and felt the dog sniff me. I am certain that the dog was a German Shepherd. All this happened and yet I continued my meditation. I have always felt that the dog did not bite me because I was so obviously non-threatening. Centered and peaceful.
This event happened in 1976. The other day I mentioned to one of my customers at work that it had been my goal to leave the country for the Bicentennial. She looked very puzzled and asked me, "Why?". I said it seemed like the thing to do. Really! Remember all of the crass commercialization centered around the Bicentennial? Oh, irony.
*Transcendental Meditation
Sunday, October 18, 2009
dream piece...
Monday, October 05, 2009
Everything Is A Photograph
cosmos breezes spatial foreground
green oak
Sunday, September 27, 2009
dream snippet...
Friday, September 25, 2009
'An Awesome Book' by Dallas Clayton...
Awesome Book Tour from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Beer & A Book...
With tomatoes...
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has done it again. Their new Harvest is a fresh hop ale; the hops from New Zealand, picked and flown to California. Delicious.
I picked up Lisa Grunwald's book 'The Theory of Everything' at the library booksale quite a while back. I've been on a fiction kick this summer, so began reading and got sucked in to the story quickly. Read until some time past midnight, even though I had to get up at 5:00 a.m. the next morning!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
dream segment...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Daily Acorn...
Our cat Tyga brings us an acorn every morning. She carries it up from the woods to our front doorstep. Usually it is just an acorn cap, but this summer she has taken to whole nuts. This morning's offering is a lovely two-fer. Thank you, Tyga-boo.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, September 04, 2009
Assateague Island as therapy...
I had not been there since 1989. Unbelievable, but true. Somehow I knew that I had; HAD, to go this summer. So my daughter, my dog and I went; the last weekend of August and into the first week of September. It was a total healing experience. All the depression that had been affecting me since late Summer 2008 just melted away as soon as we hit the beach. I felt centered and alive. It was also the Full Moon that week, so I was inspired as well.
Rhiannon & I took early morning walks every day. The surf was rather rough, so she did not enjoy getting in the water. We still made a game of it, and enjoyed ourselves. She was into the sandpipers, that was her favorite beach experience.
Melian got a bit of sunburn the second day, but that did not deter her from having a very enjoyable time. At one point she asked me, "Mommy, we are coming back here next year, right?" To which I responded with a enthusiastic, "YES!" I had taken her to Rehoboth Beach in Deleware, and Virginia Beach before, but this was her first trip to Assateague. She dug the ponies and the Sika deer. We had a campsite rabbit pal, and red-wing blackbird visitors.
Is it next summer yet?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
the deeper question
blacktop driving road
my only concern is
which one of these are leaves
and which ones hopping tree frogs
Thursday, August 13, 2009
dream segment...
*Later I read Charles de Lint's book 'The Mystery of Grace', and don't you know a lot of it takes place in a garage? Grace is a mechanic!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Dream segment...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Thank You, Keith Olbermann (as always)...
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Happy Birthday Jerry Garcia...
Jerry, I miss you so much. I am very glad that my daughter got to see you before you clocked out. RFK 1995.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesdays @ Fosters...
"All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace"
which Brautigan wrote in 1967. 1967!!
And suddenly I'm welling up with tears for the beauty of him,
and the loss of him,
and I want the entire world to read this poem.
So, here:
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace"
I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.
I like to think
(right now please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.
I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.
Thank you, Richard
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I love a night-bloomer!
And yet, as it turned out, the remaining stalks continued to bloom right up until the first frost; just one or two blooms at a time! Fabulous!
Beer & a Book...
'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' is an intriguing, deep story. Dogs! Complex emotions, unexpected events! I loved it.
"Scarlet Lady Ale" is a delightful ESB from Stoudt's Brewing Company in Adamstown Pennsylvania. Lots of flavor, lovely color. I must find more brews from this company.
Friday, July 17, 2009
"Catch-22"
When I am depressed, it is a monumental act to just get out of bed.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Propriety...
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Beer & a Book..."Spring Edition"...
"Troegenator" is a tasty, carmel-y double bock out of the Troeg Brothers brewery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Highly recommended.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Piece of a dream...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
(eclogue)
on the fields in
the lowlands
there is a chuck jones cartoon playing across the sky
sam & ralph clock in
and it begins
Friday, May 29, 2009
Word of the Day
Meaning: a poem in which shepherds converse
Thank you, Merriam Webster, for this entry. But, seriously? What a niche genre!!! Would any one care to submit a poem in this style?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
rain like drums
i am scared
i am not centered
time is roaring past me
i need to stop
and see
i need to feel
i need to be
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
dream segment...
the alarm wakes me up and i don't know how i decided to react...
Monday, April 20, 2009
midnight
bring out a ball of pain which i
hold in my hand, saying "this is that which is holding me back from life"
you reach out, and lifting the orb from my palm
say "i will take this from you and
destroy the anguish"
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
dream segment
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Russian dream...
Monday, March 30, 2009
EARTH HOUR 2009
Candles and woodstove fire. Talk about movies we've seen recently, and Roman history. Laugh a lot. Play with and love up Rhiannon. Melian plays "Animal Crossing" on the DS. The cats lounge about and come over for head rubs. Joonie attacks my hair, and purrs. (March 28th, 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
Monday, March 23, 2009
slice of dreaming...
Monday, March 16, 2009
3/16/2009...moon in Sagittarius...
pay attention to
those things that i love
settle into
what brings me peace of mind and contentment
of late
my attention diffused and wandering
in depression/it
has given me a sense of time flying away
a feeling of fatality and pointlessness
of self
dream segment...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
amalgam of workplaces dream...
Monday, March 09, 2009
dreaming of breakfast...
I am in the kitchen doing dishes when i remember this dream piece. The memory is so strong that i am not at all sure whether it was a dream or not. So when i am doing my shopping after work, i make sure to buy some all-natural pancake mix just in case!!
dream segment...
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Beer & a Book
'Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers' by Daniel Ellsberg is truly riveting due to the in-depth detail of his research, clearances, education and emotional perspectives on the Vietnam war situation. I am learning ever more about this historical period during which I grew up. Recommended quite highly. Visit Ellsberg's website here...
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"Court Rules Cleanup Tab For Mines and Other Hazardous Sites Should Not Fall to Public"
"WASHINGTON - February 26 - A federal court has ruled [2] that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must close a loophole that -- for more than 25 years -- has made it easy for mining companies, coal ash dumps, and a host of other polluting industries to skip out on costly cleanups by declaring bankruptcy. The case concerned EPA's failure to issue "financial assurances" standards that ensure that polluting industries will always remain financially able to clean up dangerous spills and other contaminated sites.
Attorneys Lisa Evans and Jan Hasselman with the public interest law firm Earthjustice represented the Sierra Club and environmental groups in New Mexico, Nevada, and Idaho in the case, decided late yesterday by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, based in San Francisco.
Environmental advocates hailed the decision as a victory that paves the way for new federal rules that would require hardrock and phosphate mine operators, metal finishers, wood treatment facilities, and other industries to post bonds covering the cost of potential future cleanups.
"By not promulgating financial assurance requirements, EPA has allowed companies that otherwise might not have been able to operate and produce hazardous waste to potentially shift the responsibility for cleaning up hazardous waste to taxpayers," Judge Alsup wrote in the decision. The undisputed evidence before the Court demonstrated that such financial assurance requirements result in better environmental protection and faster and more thorough cleanups.
When the Superfund law was passed in 1980, lawmakers gave EPA three years to start putting financial assurance regulations in place. More than 25 years later, these regulations remain unwritten. Under the terms of the decision, EPA has until May 4 to identify the industries that will be first subject to these financial assurance requirements.
"This victory paves the way for the new administration to correct a longstanding environmental problem while saving taxpayers billions of dollars at the same time," said Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who argued the case before Judge Alsup. "New standards will push companies that deal with toxic substances towards more responsible practices."' read the rest of this good news here...thank you Earthjustice and Common Dreams!
Another Installment of "Beer & A Book"...
Yes, your favorite series is back with two more heavily-enjoyed selections. Visit the 'Family of Secrets' website for ongoing information about this book and the research involved (and evolving). Visit Victory Brewing for information about this delightful Imperial stout, "Storm King".
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Oh, Joy; cuppie cakes!

On February 8, Melian & i went to the theatre to see "Coraline"...we got there a wee bit early so we browsed "Borders" before the film. We had been having cupcakes on the brain for a while , so i looked at the cookbooks and found THIS fantastic, delightful cuppie cake cookbook. Yay! So far we have made:
Banana Cupcakes
Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Basil Pesto Cupcakes
We also found 'Screaming Monkey' there...with eyes that burn!!!
"Hop Devil" I.P.A.
This brew from Victory Brewing Company (located in Downingtown, PA) is just fabulous. The hops flavor is multi-layered and perfect. It tastes green. It smells wonderful. Highly recommended.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
"A Commodity Called Misery"
Joe's article seems to me to be in the spirit of evolving happy. Check it out.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
dream segment...
later, i am at home, talking with Melian & Chuck in the living room...outside we hear a huge grizzly bear who is growling, roaring actually, right at the other side of the wall, Chuck says, "watch him put an arm through the wall", and i say, "don't say that because he will"...so of course no sooner are my words out that here comes the bear's huge paw through the wall, wood splintering...Melian & i run out to the car, she has grabbed an umbrella...when we get in, i realize i don't have my keys, but there they are in the driver's seat! I tell Melian to press the clutch pedal...in our haste & fear i have gotten in the passenger's side and she the driver's...we are going to start the car and swing by to get Chuck as he runs out of the door...the car is my 1966 Bug...
What is Bookcrossing, you may ask? Well if you had not noticed the widget to the left, here is a link for you!!!
Look Who's Gone Organic!
Oh, I Don't Know, I Think I May Prefer a Nice Velvet
Here is a remake of a graffitti from the early 1990's which used to reside near the post office. Eventually the original was painted over.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
"The World's Top 10 Pesticide Firms - Who Owns Nature?"
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pu...
According to the report, the world's six largest agrochemical manufacturers, who control nearly 75% of the global pesticide market, are also seed industry giants.
It's worth breaking this down by company.
Bayer: the world's biggest agrochemical company is also the world's seventh biggest seed company.
Syngenta: the world's second largest agrochemical company is also the world's third largest seed company.
Monsanto: the world's biggest seed company is the world's fifth largest agrochemical company.
And DuPont: the world's second biggest seed company is also the world's sixth largest agrochemical company.
All these companies are gene giants.
Weed killers (herbicides) account for about one-third of the global pesticide market, and around 80% of GM seeds involve herbicide-resistance.
The worldwide market for agrochemicals grew last year by nearly 10%. this article from Organic Consumers Association...be sure and click on the link to the ETC Group report in full...
Friday, January 30, 2009
Just finished reading this wonderful book...
And, "What?", you may ask, is the next logical step in reading material? Well, it is:

The 'Fermenting Revolution' website is here. This book is so "me" that it is hilarious. When I had my first microbrew (Anchor Steam Beer) back in the day, I was in love, and never looked back. One of my standard sayings is, "Quality not quantity". I've done a bit of homebrewing also, and find it a very enjoyable experience. I used recipes from 'The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing' by Charlie Papazian. Two favorites were "Dark Sleep Stout" (roundly viewed as "Orgasm in a Bottle"), and "SandiBottom Red Bitter". Visit Seven Bridges Cooperative for some supplies & ideas.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another mug meets its sad end...
Who would have thought that placing a half mug of espresso down on the counter would have caused a spontaneous explosion? Much less with a 3-second delay? I thought the espresso carafe had exploded, certainly not this heavy glass mug! Oh no! MY 'PEACE COFFEE' MUG!! I have such bad luck with these clear glass mugs. My "Snowpea" mug, my Grateful Dead dancing bears spiral, and now...