Tenting Tonight......Godspeed the 45th......

So the lyrics that have been on my mind for awhile now, come from an 1864 song, that I learned in music class in elementary school (thanks Carnegie Elementary)........It is perhaps amazing that on the eve of my 60th birthday,  I remember so well the lyrics from this song.  At the time I learned it, the Vietnam War had not started, we were at 'peace', yet the lyrics and sentiment stayed with me.   In fifth grade we made pillows with symbols on them for Camp Fire Girls.  I still have mine, the one symbol that has remained in place, and which I know well the meaning, is a dove of peace.   Again, we were not at war at this point in this country; war protesting had not become 'trendy', and then as now my heart breaks for those touched by war.  Those who bravely, and not so bravely answer the call, the loved ones left behind, the 'collateral damage' along the way.....but the lyrics of this song written so long ago, say it better than I....

Tenting on the Old Camp Ground....

"We're tenting tonight on the old camp ground,

Give us a song to cheer

Our weary hearts, a song of home,

And friends we love so dear.

Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

Wishing for the war to cease;

Many are the hearts that are looking for the right

To see the dawn of peace.

Tenting tonight, tenting tonight, tenting on the old camp ground

We've been tenting tonight on the old camp ground,

Thinking of days gone by,

Of the loved ones at home that gave us the hand

And the tear that said "Goodbye!"

We are tired of war on the old camp ground,

Many are dead and gone,

Of the brave and true who've left their homes,

Others been wounded long.

We've been fighting today on the old camp ground,

Many are lying near;

Some are dead and some are dying,

Many are in tears.

Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

Wishing for the war to cease;

Many are the hearts that are looking for the right

To see the dawn of peace

Dying tonight, dying tonight, dying on the old camp ground"

Let us send up prayers for safety of our Thunderbirds, the Oklahoma 45th,  and all in harms way, and comfort for those left behind......How can anyone tolerate the loss of 7 of our own since deployment the end of June, or in truth in the past 3 weeks?

Chain saw massacre part deux

I realize that many of you have been waiting breathlessly for the next installment of the great chainsaw adventure......so the Ryobi one+ items came and hmmm not to quote one of my heros, but not enough power.....so all of them went back....and I became determined to fix my corded chainsaw without the proper size wrench (wrenches we don't need no stinkin wrenches), or hex key....(the hex key wasn't returned to me by someone who borrowed the chainsaw)....anyhoo.....I fixed it.....got the chain back on and tight (also without benefit of the 'manual'.....)....Yay.....I always wondered when my dad and granddad's mechanical skill genes would show up.....proving once again...it's never to late to turn out like your parent(s).....!!!!

Unexpected....

I didn't plan this evening to be shooting pictures of  fireworks through barbed wire, in fact I didn't plan to take pictures of  the fireworks from this show at all.  In fact I even forgot that there would be fireworks at the Country Club not far from my new house.

It did bring back memories of many years in many different houses being able to see the fireworks from this same Country Club.

We were not members, of course, that is a privilege for the rich and famous in our town.   The picture with the barbed wire made me stop and think more than I had already on the meaning of freedom.   How many people have seen similar sights from behind barbed wire......what is the cost of freedom, and why do so many choose to do things that ultimately lead to the loss of their personal freedom......

Those musings also seem to fit with the irony of this shot.....

What a month

So as I look at my blog I see that I so far have written one post in June, and that was on the 3rd.....and here it is June 29......clearly after the unexpected death of a dear friend on June 3, the subsequent working with others to support the family, culminating with singing with the choir at his memorial service, I have been at a loss for words.

The fact that I started this blog after buying his used camera, so that I would have pictures to tell my stories (since as we all know a picture is worth a thousand words...)....hasn't made it easier.

I found myself doing many things to cope, and learned a great deal about myself in the process.   I helped a friend move on 3 different days, have spent much time in the yard pulling weeds, and Johnson Grass, mowing, moving (one more time) the 10 Holly bushes, digging up the landscape evergreens that I killed.......

So much of my life I have dealt with emotional pain by doing hard physical work, usually working at a stable, doing the things that make one's muscles tired, and cause much sweat and the dirt to cling...yesterday while attacking the unwanted grass in the yard, I realized that there was no way to tell if I was sweating or crying; I had water flowing down my face in rivers.

A friend said of our friend's death that he and someone else had been trying to make sense of it. They had commented that he was a person who did the things that he loved, and threw himself into those things, and that our lesson should be to do the same.

I pondered that in confusion for a moment and then realized that exactly 1 week after his death, I got HOPE.
The wonderfulness of her name (she was the second of 3 sister puppies, FAITH, HOPE and LOVE), is second only to the wonderfulness of her.

She is a good, potentially great dog, especially for a puppy, and Halle absolutely loves her.

So in losing my friend, I have gained a new reason to blog.....and it's the Story of HOPE.......

We are heartbroken......

We lost one of the great ones today, a man of many talents, a man with much love for his wife, children, step-children, and grandchildren.  A man quick with a smile, and love for his friends and of life.....An Edison grad, a music maker extraordinaire, a man dedicated to preserving memories for others through video, through pictures, through recording....

A man who became my friend, my mentor in preserving music for others, the person from whom I got my camera which has allowed me to take pictures, for my blog, to share with others, for therapy for me, and through this who allowed me to be closer to my dad, who was in so many ways like him, a photographer, a man who knew so much about so many things....

My heart breaks for his family, for our music family, and for the myriads of friends who loved him.

With each picture I post, my heart will say...thank you Moby for being my friend.

Judging a book by its cover.....

The other day I was looking out my sliding glass door and saw a huge cloud of birds flying.  As I watched I was struck by the gracefulness of their flight as a whole, it was like ballet in the sky, and I realized that once more I was watching a flock of Pelicans.  Yes, they are still here, and I have never seen anything so beautiful in flight as a flock of Pelicans.

To look at them, I'm not sure any of us would believe that they could actually get airborne, let alone fly well, and certainly not in the way that they do.

And one more time I realized as I was standing there marveling at the beauty, I did not grab my camera in time to capture their flight on video.

Hopefully I will have the opportunity soon, as their beauty is something I would love to be able to share.  The still pictures included here simply do not do justice to the beauty of their flight......

So much love, so little time

In the past several days, I have gotten word of the High School age son of a friend who is in ICU following a car accident.   He has not completely regained consciousness, although signs seem to point toward recovery for him.  This news comes along with the news that the middle school aged son of another set of friends has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Reminders that come with all too frightening speed that those we love (or ourselves) may be facing a life threatening event, or may be gone tomorrow, or even today.  

In the words of a song sung by our favorite son, Garth Brooks, "if tomorrow never comes, will (they) know how much I love them"......

.and have I done all that I can do to express that love by making things easy on those I love, if the life threatening or ending event happens to me?  Are my wishes in writing, are the people who need to know my wishes informed as to what there are and where to find documentation?

Tough conversations to have to be sure, but acts of love to do beforehand, so that those we love do not have unnecessary pain added if something happens to us.....and conversations to have so that if we are the ones with the decisions that we know what our loved one wants so that we can carry out their wishes in love as well.

And one of the most loving things of all.......Wear your seatbelt, insist that others in your car wear them, put children in child safety, and booster seats, and make sure that they are working properly.........

***Note:  the author of this post brought to you by a seatbelt/shoulder belt that worked.....