they come for the water

 

we turn the spigot counter clockwise and they seem to sense it within nanoseconds. the cool water cascades in a mist through the wild bird area in the back yard and the little beaks explode with mirth and chatter as they flit the branches of our serviceberry bush. never used to pay much attention to these little guys until marriage introduced me to recognition of finer things.

years ago, when hiking alone in various wild areas, i would hear the long sustained call of the chicadee when looking for his mate in the spring. it was so repeated and monotonous that i just called it the monotony bird when asked. but they have a lot of vocabulary. the best is the cheery chatter of falling water on a hot day.

little black bear visits his home

blackberries will be ripe, Jack salmon will be running, sea run cutthroats will be out. it is hard to beat the oregon coast in august. we will be staying at Raines Resort on the Nestucca river. now, before you get visions of golf courses and four star rooms with that modifier “Resort”, i will attempt to describe this very old (built in the twenties) string of quaint fishing cabins along the Nestucca River just minutes away from Pacific City Oregon. Raines is oregon the way it used to be; no internet, no phone, no credit cards- cash or check. with a fishing dock in the back of the cabins providing direct access to tidewater on the Nestucca. the rooms are very fifties chic with comfortable kitchens well appointed for the fisherperson who wants to cook what he/she catches. the back windows look out on the river and Cape kiwanda is visible in the distance when the early morning fog burns off.

 this photo is taken on the boat ramp next to the cabins at Raine’s Resort.

it is fun to sit out on the deck of the cabins and watch the antics of the anglers launching and pulling in their boats.

when the human commotion dies down you can watch river otters cavort.

but the real purpose for the trip is to spread Kay’s ashes and that is when the kid’s come in-they will be flying kites and making sand castles and wading through the surf just like Kay would have done.

the adults will be sipping beer and watching the dory fleet come in- but be sure to not get in their way- they really come in fast!

too much fun! and that’s what Kay was all about- too much fun!

the paper wasps are at it again

so i’m sitting outside in the heat watching paper wasps dip into the bird bath and head into the holes in the side of the gas grill again. i’ll let them work all day building their perfect little hexagonal condos then when dusk is approaching i’ll light the gas and incinerate their little development to get the grill good and hot for red hot juicy steaks. i just love destroying their little plans. chalk up another victory for dim-witted black bears.

somehow this reminds me of Charles Bukowski….

 

the poetry game

 

the boys

are playing the poetry game

again

putting down

meaningless lines

and

passing them off as art

again.

 

the boys

are on the telephone

again

writing letters

again

to the publishers and

editors

telling them

who to edit and who to

publish.

 

the boys

know that either you

belong or you

don’t.

 

there’s a way to do it

you see

and

only a few know how to

do it

the right way.

 

all the others

are out

and

if you don’t know

who’s out

or

who’s in

well

the boys

will tell you

again.

 

the boys

have been around a

long time:

for a couple of

centuries

at least.

 

and before some of

the old boys

die

they pass their wisdom on

to the younger

boys

so they can put down

meanningless lines

and

pass them off as art

again.

Charles Bukowski – from The Flash of Lightening Behind The Mountain

wealthiest 1% of americans pull no show!

 to my complete and utter astonishment, not one member of the 6 million and over club has answered our call to volunteer to help the US pay off the National Debt!

no doubt it is a busy summer what with jetting to Europe and all those debutante balls to plan. it is probably too much to ask multimillionaires to part with 12% of their net assets just to save the nation that gives them the tax deductions to get richer and richer. i got one pingback from warren buffet’s site though, so nothing ventured…..

and here i thought the wealthy 1% loved the good old USA more than their money. silly old bear.

guess it’s up to what’s left of the vanishing middle class to keep paying and paying while the wealthy get more tax relief and the national debt gets bigger and bigger. I wonder if Russia will take ALaska back when we declare bankruptcy?

c’mon rich folks- join Abe’s Army. make uncle sam solvent again!

announcing the formation of Abe’s Army- a volunteer force of wealthy americans who have 6 million or more in net assets. their mission- to donate 12% of their net worth to a special one time fund created solely for the purpose of retiring the National debt. This special one-time fund would remain in escrow until Congress passes a new federal bill which would make deficit spending by any branch of the federal government illegal. The target date of federal debt payoff would begin November 1,2008 and would continue until the grand finale on July 4, 2009. 

Those eligible for Abe’s Army comprise 1% of americans whose combined contributions would be sufficient to make the US solvent again and still have enough left over to run the country for two years at current budget.

We call it Abe’s Army because, we are convinced that this prominent republican would want america’s wealthy to rescue this nation’s honor and pay off our creditors which include Russia, China, Arab emirates and 73 other countries.

Once the debt is retired and the dollar is stabilized the economy of the entire world would improve  thereby creating more opportunity for creating more wealth for prudent investors. Also, we envision a new tax structure which is simple. All those who make over 1 million would pay an honest 12% of their income without deductions. This would be more than enough to balance the annual budget when combined with a flat tax of 5% for anyone who makes 60K to 1M per year. All workers making less than 60K would be exempt from federal taxes.

The 1% in this country who possess 6M or more in assets have benefited the most from this great nation and we need you now more than ever to help save the country. Won’t you join Abe’s Army today!

I know this is ridiculous and impossible but wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to show the world- that america is not finished with miracles yet!

The last few decades have filled our ears with tales of CEO’s bankrupting corporations and baling  out with golden parachutes worth hundreds of millions, politicians like secretary of state Rumsfeld enriching himself by tens of millions while in office, professional sports athletes making obscene amounts of money. Everywhere you look is another story of the rich getting richer while the majority of americans are not even sure how they can get by each day. this is a golden opportunity for the wealthy in this country to prove that they are decent human beings worthy of our respect rather than greedy thieves and patriotic hypocrites that the media reports continually. 12% should not be too much to ask to save a country which provides the freedom for you to become rich.

I believe that all americans need to do their part. the middle class has done enough. it is time for the wealthy 1% in this country to step up and make a sacrifice if they trully love this country.

insignificance and humility

sometimes i like to sit in a lawn chair and stare at the night sky in the summer mostly just to get cooled down before i go to bed. i stare at the sky long enough to feel very insignicant and tiny – a piece of space dust mote swirling in a dim ray of light. this helps me to realize that since i am not as important as i once imagined, then i need not worry so much about legacy or accomplishment or immortality or responsibility for solving the ills of the world. my brain case cannot hold it all…shipments of knowledge and pallets of wisdom cannot fit in such a tiny confined space. it is these times when i avail myself of the packaged published wisdom of more talented minds…

 

enemy of the king, 1935

 

I kept looking at him and thinking,

the ears don’t fit and the mouth

is foolish and the eyes are wrong.

his shoes don’t look right and his tone of

voice is an insult.

his shirt hangs from his shoulders

as if it dislikes him.

he chews his food like a dog

and look at that Adam’s apple!

and why are his favorite subjects

“money” and “work”?

why does he splash angrily

in the bathtub

when he bathes?

and why does he hate me?

and why do I hate him?

why are we enemies?

why does he look like a fool?

how can I get away from him?

 

“what the hell are you looking

at?” he screams.

“go to your room!

I’ll deal with you later!”

 

“have it your way.”

“what?”

“have it your way.”

 

“you can’t talk to me like

that!

go to your room!”

 

the room was beautiful.

I couldn’t see him anymore.

I couldn’t hear his voice.

I looked in the dresser.

the dresser was beautiful.

I looked at the rug.

the rug was beautiful.

I sat in a chair and waited.

 

hours passed.

 

it was dark.

now he was listening to the

radio

in the living room.

 

I kicked the screen open and

dropped out the window.

then I was out in the cool night,

walking.

 

I was 15 years old,

looking for something,

anything.

 

it wasn’t there.

 

-Charles Bukowski,  The Flash Of Lightening Behind The Mountain.

oh lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way

well, I’ve finally gone and done it. I parked the old ford and camper and bought myself a bike – no not a harley- a schwinn*. so now I can save fuel for those weekend fishing trips to Georgetown Lake by “pedalling like crazy just to give my arse a ride” around Missoula like my great grandfather John O’Sullivan used to say to his granddaughter, Kay. The price of gas and the weight of this old bear finally convinced me to get out and ride. it feels great and it’s just like they say- “it’s easy. it’s just like riding a bike.”

*I indulged my comfort ratio immensely by exchanging the stock Schwinn seat for a huge saddle seat at The Bike Doctor. I highly recommend it. unfortunately, they did not appear to have any John Deere tractor seats available but times being what they are, i guess we all have to make sacrifices.

summer evening at seeley lake

 

i could not see

loons

my back turned

rowing into wind

 

water slapped aimless

beyond the reach of mind

to grasp faith

 

a jump better made

by creatures wiser than i

 

their sinuous necks hidden behind reeds

while iridescent bodies navigate through lily pads

chicks on backs growing large

unceremoniously shaken off

into deep water

to begin their own gather

could somebody call god- we need a cleanup on aisle earth

 

the last judgment- frescoe painting on the sistine chapel by Michelangelo.

maybe i’m being a little hasty in this but floods? fires? Iran firing off missiles?

the human population of the earth is beginning to resemble a mold spore

that started 2000 generations ago and is starting to get a little out of hand

we reward the thieves and liars who run this world and perpetuate bad behavior. don’t get me wrong. i love my life. i work daily with the top 10% of humanity in trying to bail out the ocean with a teaspoon. we are surrounded with volunteers, many of which are in late seventies and eighties. they inspire with their willingness to roll up their sleeves every day and help people who need help badly.

 

but when people tell me that they support a guy who would continue policies based on lies and supported by the same rich corrupt and dangerous group that elected george- i have to wonder if maybe god needs to come down and thin us out a little. there apparently aren’t enough brain cells to go around for all 6.7 billion of us. i am sensing that the oblivious meter is not working on some people to support this guy…

unless you are one of the 2-5% of americans who are rich it makes no sense to support McCain. he definitely did not inherit a lot of brain cells. he wants to continue the iraq war ad infinitum… he likes more tax cuts for the rich…hasn’t a clue what to do about health care…social security…is more than happy to reward further bad behavior by any wealthy banker or CEO who will support him (Keating scandal)

now, i don’t know if Obama is necessarily the answer to all our prayers but i think i can tell the difference between these two. and since i don’t have over 5 million in the bank like 2% of americans i can safely say that McCain would be another Bush disaster for the other 98% of us.

saw a funny bumper sticker today which describes exactly how i feel about McCain:

“I am trying to see things from your point of view, but I can’t get my head that far up my ass.”

they don’t do what???

the manager of the missoula county animal shelter told me that Animeals turns away low income people who need food for their pets. when i called Animeals today to confirm this i was told that they discourage people who are low income from coming to Animeals for pet food. Quote; “We are phasing out the low income program.” when i politely asked what programs they are supporting the receptionist told me that they deliver food to shelters and animal rescue agencies.

I called a few of the agencies. the result-first the missoula animal shelter manager told me that they receive no food from Animeals, so I called the humane society. they told me that Animeals does not give them any food either. so, just wondering??? who is animeals helping??? apparently not low income poor people with pets and apparently none of the local animal shelters. just wondering. seems weird.

their website says their mission is to feed hungry animals. if poor people with hungry animals are being discouraged by staff members from going to Animeals for food for their pets what is their purpose???