3.28.2020 – Where do homeless go

Where do homeless go
to stay home? Hoping, praying
for someone to care?

Every day heartaches grow a little stronger

I can’t stand this pain much longer

I walk in shadows, searching for light

Cold and alone, no comfort in sight

Hoping and praying for someone to care

Always moving and goin’ nowhere

I know I’ve got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Thank you for dear, sweet Motown.

What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted
Jimmy Ruffin – released on Motown Records’ Soul label in the summer of 1966.

As I walk this land with broken dreams
I have visions of many things
But happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion
What becomes of the broken-hearted
Who had love that’s now departed?
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe

The roots of love grow all around
But for me they come a-tumblin’ down
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
I can’t stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows searching for light
Cold and alone, no comfort in sight
Hoping and praying for someone to care
Always moving and goin’ nowhere
What becomes of the broken-hearted
Who had love that’s now departed?
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Help me

I’m searching, though I don’t succeed
But someone look, there’s a growing need
Oh …

This version by Joan Osborne was recorded with the Funk Brothers for the Standing in the Shadows of Motown Documentary on the Funk Brothers – The unnamed musicians with the most grammy’s in record label history.

3.5.2020 – driving rain driving

driving rain driving
nothing delicious to it
dark that absorbs light

“There’s really something rather delicious about walking in the rain,” says Willie Keith walking in the rain in New York City in Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny

“You wouldn’t think so if you had do it,” says his girlfriend.

It started raining here in Georgia sometime in December or November.

In the last three months Georgia has had over 25 inches of rain.

50 inches of rain in a year is normal for Georgia.

The current 14 day outlook from today shows only 4 days without rain in the forecast.

That 50 inches per year average is more than Michigan’s 33 inches of rain but Michigan has 52 inches of snow.

Looking out at the rain is down right depressing.

Driving in it.

Driving in the rain.

Driving in the driving rain.

Operating a motor vehicle at speeds that should scare me over rain slicked pavement that not only takes away my ability to stop my vehicle but through some trick of physics, also absorbs the light right out of the air so I can’t see why I might need to stop my vehicle.

This is stupid.

This is scary.

It is scary that even though I know its stupid, I do it anyway.

It is stupid that I am not more scared.

Why do I do this?

Like the people in their accidents will say, “I never think it will happen to me.”

2.15.2020 – get your stuff, get out!

get your stuff, get out!
the ink is black, page is white
What … What year is this?

Three Dog Night released “Black and White” back in 1972.

I remember watching an animation drawn to fit the music on the Sonny and Cher show.

Turns out the song was first released in 1956 by (BIG SURPRISE), Pete Seeger.

Side note, if you follow this blog, Pete Seeger keeps popping up doesn’t he?

This week in Adairsville, GA, a landlord couple settled out of court for a discrimination lawsuit.

They kicked a renter out of a house they owned, knocking on the door and calling the renter a “n—– lover” and telling the renter she had two weeks to move out.

In a later conversation with the renter, the landlord said, ““I don’t want them in my property. Maybe you like black dogs, but I don’t,” she said on the call, according to the lawsuit. “So just get your stuff and get out.”

Understand these are not allegations.

This is what the landlord ADMITTED that they said in the settlement documents to avoid losing their other rental properties (which have now been registered under their kids names).

What had the renter done?

She had coworker’s family over for a play date.

The coworkers family is black.

You can read the story here, written by my good friend Jonathan Raymond at 11Alive.com.

It is 2020.

I have to so much to say boiling inside that the words are steaming out of my fingers but this is a family blog.

What ruler can I use to measure my feelings?

Again and again I am told I don’t live in the south, I live in Metro Atlanta.

They are not same place.

Our Church is a very healthy mix of White, Black, Hispanic, Asian and any one else out there.

Our Pastor, who grew up in the Atlanta area, has had churches here for the last 40 yeas and is a past President of the SBA, says there is no other church like ours in the area.

I find it hard to believe.

Or maybe I don’t want to believe it.

Maybe I believe it but I don’t want to accept it.

But when I read stories like this, I have to believe it.

People do feel and think like these landlords.

But I don’t have to accept it.

Color is skin deep.

Racism, still alive and well under the surface, goes all the way to the bone.

Black and White – Pete Seeger Lyrics from the album the album Love Songs for Friends & Foes (1956).

Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
And now a child can understand
This is the law of all the land
All the land

Chorus with child’s voice:
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write

Their robes were black, their heads were white
The schoolroom doors were closed so tight
Were closed up tight

Nine judges all, set down their names
To end the years and years of shame
Years of shame

Chorus with child’s voice:
Their robes were black, their heads were white
(Whistling the tune)

Oh, the slate is black, the chalk is white
The words stand out so clear and bright
So clear and bright

And now at last, we plainly see
The alphabet of liberty
Liberty

Chorus with child’s voice:
Oh, the slate is black, the chalk is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write

Oh, a child is black, or a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
What a beautiful sight

For very well, the whole world knows
That this is the way that freedom grows
Freedom grows

Chorus with child’s voice:
Oh, a child is black, or a child is white
(Whistling the tune)

Oh, the world is black, and the world is white
It turns by day and turns by night
It turns by night

It turns so each and every one
Can make his station in the sun
In the sun

Chorus with child’s voice:
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
And now a child can understand
That this is the love of all the land
All the land

Chorus continued with child’s voice:
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write

Black & White -Three Dog Night Version

The ink is black
The page is white
Together we learn to read and write

A child is black
A child is white
A whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

And now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land
All the land

The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day and then by night

A child is black
A child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light
And now at last we plainly see
We’ll have a dance of liberty

The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black
A child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day and the by night
A child id black
A child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

2.9.2020 – drive across seasons

drive across seasons
winter to spring back again
east west Atlanta

Woke up yesterday to a gray, cloudy but dry morning.

We had plans to go to Woodstock, Georgia, north of Atlanta, for a baby shower.

Ominously, son Lucas, who was hosting the party and texted everyone, “We are still on!”

30 minutes later he texted, “come at your own risk.”

By 8AM, here in Gwinnett County, north-east of Atlanta, it started to snow.

At first just a little, then a lot.

Wet heavy snow.

Brought back memories.

Lots of memories.

Discussions started about the party.

Go or no go?

For people born and raised in Michigan, driving in snow is no big deal.

Unless you happen to be in Atlanta.

There, no one else knows what to do.

There, roads are not cleared or salted.

There, roads are built without shoulders.

The 10 feet you might have available for a shoulder is turned into another, barely wider than a car, traffic lane.

There, roads are carved out of ridges, ravines and hollars with 20 foot steep drop offs on either side.

Winter, snowy weather car travel in the south is not designed to accommodate cars.

My solution was to go explore.

I needed gas in my car.

I said I would go get gas and make an assessment.

I was back in 10 minutes.

Got less than 1 mile from the house.

Cars were everywhere.

Even on the roads.

But everywhere else as well.

I pulled into the a driveway and turned around and felt lucky to get home.

“Nope, no way”, I announced when I walked in.

The party was postponed to Sunday.

My daughters in the city of Atlanta wondered if we were nuts or scaredy-cats.

They accepted the decision but sent photos of clear roads and no snow from just 10 miles away.

Later that same day, my wife and I had to take our son to downtown Atlanta.

This had been planned to be a part of our day after the party.

It was a very quick trip as by this time everyone was staying home.

It was around 2PM and the snow had stopped and was melting fast.

Driving out of Gwinnett County we soon left the snow behind.

By the time we got to our destination in East Midtown Atlanta, there wasn’t even a hint of snow and the roads were dry.

My wife and I passed the time in a cafe over Latte’s and Beignets and the sun poured through the windows of the cafe.

Driving home, we could see the edge of the storm front up ahead.

We left the sun behind and entered into the clouds and fog and cold and gray.

I felt like we had driven across the seasons in just 20 miles.

Somewhere I read that spring time advances 5 minutes or maybe it is a day for each degree north or something like that.

Trying the google and I can’t find the actually figure.

Earl Shaffer, the first person ever to walk the entire Appalachian Trail titled his book, “Walking With Spring“

South to north, walking with spring, is one of the best lines of pure poetry I ever read.

We went west to east and left spring behind.

Winter, up north winter, has come for a time to North Georgia.

I don’t mind to visit winter, but I would not want to live there.

2.8.2020 – snow snow go away

snow, snow, go away
come again some other day
I don’t want TO play

In my brain is a quote from some character in some book somewhere.

It’s a quote from some rich guy who lived in a huge house.

The quote was, “101 rooms and I spend my day searching for the warmest one.”

I got nothing against snow.

Except for the way it is cold.

The way it piles up.

The way it needs to be shoveled.

The way it makes me slip and fall,

The way it makes my car slide and crash.

The way it turns gray and ugly.

Aside from those things and a couple hundred other things, I agree that it can be pretty.

Walking in a heavy thick falling snow is an incredible experience.

If I was a real poet or artist I might be able to describe the light of a full moon on freshly fallen snow.

Moon shadows!

But more than that, I want to be warm.

Hotlanta?

Bring it on!

String of 90 degree days from Memorial Day to Labor Day?

Sign me up!

Tshirts and shorts and warm breezes, WARM BREEZES, at the 4th of July fireworks?

That is my choice to celebrate independence.

I spent the first 50 years of my existence in West Michigan.

I have shoveled TONS of snow in my lifetime.

I pushed countless cars out of the snow.

I have removed wet socks innumerable due to snow and slush.

Went to bed last night with predictions of snow.

Woke this morning.

Prepared myself and looked out the window.

Flowering tree was blossoming in the back yard.

And no snow!

Celebrated with another cup of coffee and a plate of frozen Walmart waffles.

Here is to no snow!

UPDATE – in the words of the Sponge Bob narrator, 2 hours later ….

Bleechhhhhh

Bwahahhahah

11AM – don’t need this

Oh well