Sunny South? Freezing!
March is often a cruel joke
Wet, Muddy, Cold, Mean
From the 1972 movie, Jeremiah Johnson;
Jeremiah Johnson: Would you happen to know what month of the year it is?
“Bear Claw” Chris Lapp: No, l truly wouldn’t. l’m sorry, pilgrim.
Jeremiah Johnson: March. Maybe, April.
“Bear Claw” Chris Lapp: March maybe. l don’t believe April.
Winter’s a long time going. Stays long this high.
March is a green, muddy month down below. Some folks like it. Farmers mostly.
skillfully reckless
recklessly skillful, driving …
one handed, down low
Imagine if you will a thrill ride at Cedar Point or Six Flags.
On this ride, 100 people are sitting in a car with 25 rows of 4 seats with the latest in roller coaster padding and harnessing to hold the riders in place.
In front of each seat is a box with four large buttons. From left to right, the buttons are red, blue, green and yellow.
The ride starts and as the cars zip along they pass different colored lights.
As each rider passes the colored light, they must reach forward and press the matching colored button.
If any rider misses a light or presses the wrong button, the car jumps off the track and crashes and 10% to 25% of the riders are killed and the rest badly injured.
Would you get on this ride of your own free will and put you life in the hands of the other 99 people in your car?
The name of the ride is I85 and I get on twice a day.
My morning shower …
freshwater dripping, like diamonds
too much of the world
Standing in my morning shower, watching the water drain around my feet, I can’t but think of Paul Simon’s ‘Diamonds of the soles of her shoes.’
She’s a rich girl
She don’t try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
He’s a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose
I read where the number of people worldwide without access to fresh water dropped drastically last year. What changed was that people who lived with 30 minutes of a freshwater source were no longer counted.
What I want to know is how much of the world can take a shower, wash their clothes or get a drink without ever having to wonder if fresh water, let alone HOT fresh water will be available.
I read recently where the City of Atlanta has a three day supply of water in case of catastrophic electrical failure.
And then there is Flint.
As a side note, Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’, may be the last ‘Album’ that I bought NEW before the CD era.
Last note, the too is correct and not a typo – get it?
Consider the lilies
God so clothed grass of the fields,
shall he not clothe you?
Adapted from Matthew 6: 28-34 –
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
or the NIV
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I read the NIV daily but some verses for this old guy just sound better or maybe at least, more familiar in the King James.
It is a reoccurring theme with me but in all the conversations we had about moving and living in the south, no one, NO ONE ever mentioned the beauty and the riot of colors of spring time here.
rain is over, gone
flowers appear on the land,
the winter is past
Many people will recognize these words from the Bible, Song of Solomon, Chapter 2, Verse 11:
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (KJV)
The reason its recognized for many may be due to long time Detroit Tiger Radio Broadcaster, Ernie Harwell, who would quote these verses at the beginning of the first radio broadcast of the season. (I cannot recall if it was the 1st pre-season game from Florida or the season opener, or both.)
And I have an Ernie Harwell story to tell.
This was in 2004 I think, when I worked at WZZM in Grand Rapids, and the company that owned WZZM, GANNETT/USAToday also owned the Detroit News. I often worked with the web staff of the News on different online projects.
So the News contacts me and asks if I can help get an audio file of Ernie Harwell and his Bible reading online that the could be used on the Detroit News website (detnews.com).
I told them I was happy to help, but that I would need an audio file.
They said no problem, it was all set up. They gave me Ernie’s home phone number, he was waiting for my call and all I had to do was make a recording when I called.
The station, of course, had a ‘phone to digital recording’ all setup in an edit bay where it would be quiet. I checked with the newsroom and they said go ahead.
I got in the edit bay (a room a little bit bigger than an old phone booth), I sat down, adjusted my chair, looked at the machine and picked up the phone and dialed Ernie Harwell.
This, for a West Michigan kid, to call Ernie Harwell, was beyond belief. I kept telling myself, be professional, be professional, DON’T BABBLE.
The phone rand and I hears HELLO in my ear in the most famous radio voice ever. If you lived in Michigan in the 60’s and 70’s and it was summer time, you didn’t need a radio to follow the Tigers, because someone else would have the game on loud enough for you to hear anywhere you went.
And Ernie was not one of those in love with his own voice and there would be long pauses in the narrative that was punctuated by the sound of popping which you knew was the sound of kids stomping on paper cups in the bleachers at the real Tiger Stadium.
“Hello”, I say, “Mr Harwell, this is Mike Hoffman with the Detroit News …”
Ernie cuts me off and says the News had called him and he was all set to recite if I was ready.
I gave Ernie a countdown and there was that voice and those words and then it was over.
I thanked him very much. I might have got in that it was an honor to speak to him and we hung up.
I sat back in bliss, heart pounding, a gift of the sound of words in my head,
I looked down and saw that I have neglected to press record on the machine.
I went from bliss to panic in a heartbeat.
Now what to do.
I sat still for a second, then picked up the phone and called Ernie back and in a stumbling explanation said, “The ENGINEER did not get the recording started in time and we missed it.”
Ernie laughed and we did it all again with the recording running this time and we said goodbye.
I thought it was funny that Ernie did not question my story that an engineer had messed up.
Went from feeling bliss and warm and comforted to SUCH A DOPE, GEE WHIZ.
I uploaded the audio file for the Detroit News and went back to work.
Never told anyone and I am positive Ernie never thought about it again, but I cannot hear these words without thinking of my phone call with Ernie.
No Haiku For You 