Homage to a departed one.

Tonight I pay homage and celebrate the life of one of the most courageous fighter I have ever known.  A very brave but gentle Lady finally gave up a hopeless battle against Cancer and went home.  My sister in Law Julie Ross is no longer among us and she will be missed.

Facing a relentless Cancer that furiously invaded her body Julie fought a long and brave battle.  She is now where there is no more pain or suffering.

Julie was to me more than just my Sister in Law, she was a person who spoiled me with a large amount of Sisterly love and regardless of my many shortcomings always made me believe that I was the best person she ever met.  I could have microwaved salt water and Julie would have consumed with enthusiasm declaring all along that it was the most outstanding feat of gastronomic marvel she ever had a change to swallow.

Julie had an insatiable curiosity and was a dedicated Genealogist in a constant search for the next layer of her ancestry. If somebody, given time, had succeeded to trace his or her lineage to Adam and Eve that would have been her.

Julie, her husband Henry, Jinny and myself had the rare opportunity to take a trip on the East Coast last year and thank to Julie it was really a marvelous trip of discovery, her child like enthusiasm took us in many wonderful places.  It was a too short but marvelous Saga punctuated by a small conflict due to my total trust to Sarge my GPS and Julies distrust of the beast and total confidence on her sense of navigation and multiple maps. I wish I would have deep sixed the GPS and gotten lost in Julie Map oriented adventures!

I will miss her very much!

Farewell  my little Sister, rest in Peace, you have touched many, many lives for the better.

Memories of November 22 1963 In Massawa.

On this day November 22 1963, I was serving aboard a French Minesweeper named « La Dieppoise » usually based in Djibouti. We were in the Red Sea port city of Massawa in Eritrea then the site of the Ethiopian Naval Academy for their Graduation Ceremony. Along with us were a British Minesweeper, a Norwegian Ships, and an American Destroyer. We were tied up directly ahead of the American Ship that was flying the Red Charley pennant of the US Navy Red Sea Squadron.
I was a young buck sailor, not even a US Citizen at the time.
When the news came out, in a state of stupor all the eyes were of the US Ship, his flag at half-mast. As tradition dictate all the ship then struck their colors at half-mast and a heavy cape of sadness overcame the crew of all ships. All in the sudden, we knew that right now no flag, no Nationality, no uniform and no language that would be truly important obstacles. We knew that some brothers by the Sea were dealing with a heavy heart.
That evening, in the part of town that usually would have been overflowing with boisterous, inebriated white uniforms of all shapes and the assorted usually nervous and tense Shore Patrols a very different mood prevailed. None of the brawny challenges and confrontation would be seen. Even the most chauvinistic and stubborn bullies would find the most basics English necessary to express to US Sailors their sympathies and support. Cigarettes were offered, beers were offered to people who usually would have been targets, and games to some epic bar fights.
That day left in my mind an indelible memory of great sorrow and friendship of the Sea.
I never met the Man, he was not even my President, but somehow this young sailor felt, as the song says, that He was a Friend of Mine and that a glowing Treasure has been stolen from us all.
Rest in Peace Mister President.

The Good King

He was a good King, a King who cared deeply for his People and governed with a firm but gentle hand.  He often travelled in disguise through his Kingdom seeking ways to improve the lot of his subjects.

On this particular day, His Majesty had decided to go visit this newfangled invention: a full of wonder Department Store equal to the best that London or Paris had to offer.  The concept was in its infancy and did intrigue the Monarch very much.  As he was strolling from marvel to greater marvels, all in the sudden, at the turn of an aisle, he stumbled on a young man holding a distressed child.  The child was crying, “I want my Mommy, I miss my Mommy” in a sad voice interrupted by large sobs, bid tears rolling down her chicks.  The Man, her Dad he assumed, was trying his best to comfort the child with that clumsy way of a Dad obviously suffering almost as much as the child does.  The King was also deeply upset, thinking of the future life of the poor child deprived of the tender love of her Mother.  He was much troubled by the injustice of the situation, wondering what he could do to ease their pain.  However, the issue was promptly resolved when Mom came back from the restroom.

Bird love.

This morning those two little bird, a female and a male Cardinal, warmed up my heart and showed me that, indeed, beauty is all over in this world. I am talking about beauty of the heart. As usual this morning I dropped some seeds and peanuts by the Stump. Usually I go back inside, but the morning was so nice that I decided to stay on the patio and savored my morning cup of coffee. The presence of a large creature close by do not seems to concern the squirrels and chipmunks. However, they must have been occupied somewhere else. This couple of Cardinals flew in carefully, from safe branch to safe branch then landed in one, in their estimation, properly out of my reach. It was obvious that the little pile of seeds was their pole of interest. Finally, carefully the male flew in and landed close to the treasure. I assumed that he would partake and enjoy, letting the female miss the bounty by lack of courage. Instead the male picked one seed then flew to the branch next to the female and gently, oh so gently deposited the seed in the female beak, flew back in, picked up another seed and repeated his caring action and after a few more repetitions finally started feeding himself. Finally, the female emboldened herself and flew in closer once that the safety of the situation became a little more obvious. You will never know how badly I wanted, then, to be able to hug those two little birds!

Reflections on a walk along the banks of Chattahoochee River and the Rottenwood Creek.

 I needed a little step out of my routine this morning. I wanted a blend of exercise and of mind cleaning to reset a heavy heart. I went for a hike on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and the Rottenwood Creek where there is a nice trail. I got some nice easy exercise but, most important, a reminder from Nature of where things really are in this life of ours. At first I walked, my mind trying to refocus then little by little, I became more aware of things around me. Nature was putting up a show. Not a spectacular display, no giant waterfall, exotic and very colorful or awe-inspiring panorama. Just one little tiny thing here and there. A pretty flower or two, a harmony of form and shade. Survivors or decaying goners, harmony of contrast. A totally out of place lump of strangely shaped concrete incongruously out of place providing a gentle contrast to some pretty innocent and retiring plant. Each one a gentle form of simple beauty on its own, but blending in a quiet ensemble. The lesson was gentle and to the point:: Regardless of my oddities, my propensity of feeling sorry for myself, odd character, accent and different taste I am not outside I belong to an harmony! That thought soothed my heart and sent me on my way to a better day.

The Story of the Pili-Pili Bird, An African slice of life.

Gather ‘round and let me tell the story of the Pili-Pili bird.

On a cold miserable night of the winter in a lonely prairie of Africa, a little Pili-Pili bird was seating shivering and miserable on the branch of one of the few trees.  He was cold and starving, having not been able to find food or comfort in the harsh winter for days . His instinct was telling him that he might not see the sun rising over the horizon and soon would be dead of starvation and cold.  Suddenly the Earth shook, the tree swayed and a herd of elephants walked slowly by.  One of them dropped a large pile of dung and left.  The Pili-Pili bird gathered whatever little energy he had left, flew to the warm bounty and gorged himself. Soon he was warm, and fed.  Life looked altogether much more enjoyable and out of gratitude he started singing from the top of his tiny lungs, celebrating his good fortune. A hyena attracted by the song pounced on him and devoured him.

The Old wise People of the Prairie will tell you that if one is full of shit one should keep quiet!

Tough time on the Freeway this morning….thanks to NPR!

Tough time on the Freeway this morning….thanks to NPR!  I drove Jinny downtown this morning and on my way back home, I encountered one of those traffic jams that Atlanta seems to have mastered and turned from a mild irritation to an excruciating pain.  In brief in was stuck on the freeway, surrendered by a bunch of not very happy folks.  I was nursing my patience, listening to NPR when a very serious gentleman came through the airwaves and started a very serious discussion on the issue of Iran Uranium Enrichment.  A sobering subject if there was ever one.  The problem was that this gentleman had one of those voices where at time the beginning or end of a word comes with a slight whistle sound.  Combining by a slight radio distortion and my less than perfect hearing the two words “Uranium Enrichment” became “Geranium Enrichment.”  At first, it was OK but as the expose was becoming more sinister in the explanation of the possible consequence of said Geranium Enrichment and that the gentleman was repeating the expression more often, it became very funny.  Soon I started giggling and very quickly find myself in total hilarity right smack in the middle of a freeway turned into a parking lot, surrendered by increasingly angry motorist.  If look could kill I would have been terminated with extreme prejudice right there on the spot by the murdering stare of two Ladies in the car on each side of me.  The result of those reactions succeeded only to drive my hilarity to a higher level and I owe my survival only to the dissipation of the traffic jam allowing all to go on their ways!  Geranium Enrichment did in fact put my life in grave danger!