Whoever was the first to coin the term “dominant species on the planet” should have also spent more time addressing the responsibility that comes with that assumption. We need to do better, for the sake of all species and the Earth, not just ourselves.
“Forest, Soil, Water, and Wildlife are mutually interdependent, and the ruin of one element will mean, in the end, the ruin of them all.”
~ Peter Matthiessen, “Wildlife in America” (1959)
As we head outdoors into the gardens and flower beds with springtime now, let’s also carry this wonderful thought along from the 13th century poet Rumi, below.
In the garden of life, plant only love wherever you may go, and watch it blossom. Wishing everyone a wonderful and Happy Mother’s Day weekend! — Jim (and Red!)
“Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.” ~Jon Bon Jovi
“The greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child.”
– Thomas Edison
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“Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj ~
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Well folks, I finally broke down and ventured out for new eyeglasses last week. They arrived yesterday, so the ol’ “bear-maker/storyteller/whatever-he-is” has new glasses to work with. Finally! A support in the old glasses had broken in July and things have been more or less out of focus than usual the past several months, held together with rubber bands.
Ralphie from “A Christmas Story”- “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!”
That, and the “old” glasses were vintage 2001 before kids started traipsing off to colleges one after another. When did the cost of a pair of eyeglasses start to rival the price of a major appliance or qualify as a major prize award on “The Wheel of Fortune”? Holy cow!
With the old glasses being 13 years old and the new prescription vastly changed, there is quite a bit of adjustment going on getting used to the new specs. Hopefully the “transition period” will be short (a week or two the doc said) and then allow for much faster work not only on making things, but also on catching up on both a long list of story research, things to read and new writing projects. A major headache last night but so far so good today! So stay tuned, the world is coming back into focus. I can actually see individual leaves on trees now! Wow! It makes me wonder if the Impressionists painters were actually doing stylized work or if they were just poor bummers too, in need of new glasses?
Vincent van Gogh- “The Alpilles with Olive Trees in the Foreground”
And so much to catch up on. Stories to finish, research to do, maps to make, cover designs, book trailers. Not to mention teddy bears and the holiday season! Quite a list and stack, indeed.
Stack of Books and Research
I went with Duck Commander styled frames, with a Camouflage Design on the inside of the arms. I figured it would help me get around with Little Red Bear and the Little Fairydiddle gathering story tidbits now. It’s good to remain undetected when sneaking about in the backwoods digging up story ideas like a chipmunk gathering acorns. And, they make me look a lot younger, if I say so myself. Not a day over 93. Have a lot of reading, research and work to catch up on. Off to it now.
“Hey Red! I see a varmint sneakin’ around that tree over yonder. Probably a dad-blamed weasel. Should I plug ’em with my Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle With a Compass in the Stock?”
Ralphie from “A Christmas Story”
Thanks as always for visiting and reading. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! “SEE” ya later! We have a lot of work to do. — Jim (and Red!)
Ralphie from “A Christmas Story”- New Glasses!
James Milson - The Writing Pages 