BLOG 21/52

31 Sunday May 2026

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HANGING OUT THE LAUNDRY

In the upper Amazon at its beginning, everyone has a chore.

I was told by a woman working to sweep a floor,

We don’t have welfare; we work more.

We have a rule for all to follow   

No work, no food to swallow.     

It works well for us all.  

We love to eat

We think it’s

Neat.

__________________________

What is Fair?

The news is currently filled with debates and new laws about transgender individuals in sports. Should a man who wants to live like a woman be in the same race with other women? I think it’s too bad that they’re going to settle this argument in court with a new law – a red line you shall not cross– that can sometimes feel unfair to someone.

  I have a way to let transgender women compete with women but not against them. Transgender people should still be able to compete. This is part of their freedom, which we are so proud of in the United States. How do we make it fair to all involved? In most areas there are not enough transgender individuals to compete against themselves in any one area. We need to make an adjustment.

  Using colleges as an example, we could see how one plan would work. In most competitions, the first, second, and third trophies are awarded to the individuals who crossed the finish line in that order. This works well and is fair within the group. The colleges would form a women’s group and a men’s group, but not have enough for the transgender category. Perhaps only one or two transgenders would run in that particular race. Some transgenders would run in the race with the women, others with the men, depending on what they prefer. The women would be competing alongside them, not against them. They would be competing with other transgenders across the division/country. Prizes would be awarded to the women in the race, as normal. The transgender time would be logged into a central location, where the stats for transgender individuals are kept as a separate group from the women. For example, there would be a first, second, and third in the transgender 100m race within the Division, not the individual school.

   It is fair and does not discriminate in any way. A group would need different rules, but the team may allow one transgender for each 8- or 10-members on the team, or a percentage like 5, 10 or 15% of the team. They would be regular team members, and no other accommodation would be needed. We would have to get over the idea that if someone is different from us, it doesn’t mean we are better than them. 

_________________________

I had some bird seeds in my garage 

And didn’t know what to do with it.

I decided to plant it in my garden.

A bird grew up where I planted

The seeds, but now I had nothing

To feed it.

BLOG 20/52

20 Wednesday May 2026

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HOME ON THE UPPER AMAZON

When the river rises every year, your feet will stay dry

Your house is on stilts and is up relatively high

The dog is lying at the top of the stairs

It is easy to see with his white hair.

This is the home where

 The dog lives

Along with his family

On the edge of a river that gives

Food for them to eat, so they can all live.

This is the kitchen in the house on the river. It has it all.

You cook with a wood fire and red-hot embers

Your eggs are fresh from the box below

The stove is just right, not too tall.

Cooking is simple but

Rather slow.

This is the washing machine every family has one.

They work best in the morning, about dawn, but

Not very well in the hot midday sun.

They wash all that is soiled.

If it is very bad, it has 

To be boiled.

They only last a short time

And are replaced with the next in line.

BLOG 19/52

09 Saturday May 2026

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THE AMAZON, THE BIGGEST RIVER IN THE WORLD

I have been fortunate to have visited this magnificent river three times.

Each time you go to a different area, it doesn’t matter where you start.

It will amaze you as it works its way on a path that winds

Through the jungle to a very different, unique part.

The animals are watching you all the way

Glad to see you if you don’t stay.

It’s their private home after all.

You are allowed to visit.

And have a ball.

But move on

Don’t stall.

_________________________

          As we age, we should share our insight and knowledge with humanity. As we get older, we should not accumulate. Rather, we should shed our responsibilities to find our real self and live as who we are rather than who we were to others. I will choose to see my life not as another book to be written, but as a rock in the stream of life, to be reshaped by the waters as they rush past me into something new. 

          Success is no longer a goal. Wondering how a bird makes its nest is. I must leave the intoxication of success for the peace of metaphysical endeavors. We are happiest when we are striving for the things in life that are embedded and personal in our world. No Fear, only love and kindness that bring joy to me and others around me. I can only do this if I discard the various layers of denial of my physical and mental evaporation as I age, and leave the competition in life to a younger generation.

My car has a button for pretty much everything 

There’s even one that says rear wiper.

I have been too shy John Deere The bugs are to push that one 

And wondered how they knew

I could use that.

BLOG 18/52

30 Thursday Apr 2026

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THE PANAMA CANAL  

The Panama Canal is an amazing and wonderful endeavor

 Ships can now pass between two oceans forever.

A bridge was needed so cars could pass

So, one was built and built to last

It has a beautiful design

And it lights up at

Night just

 Fine.

________________________

           One of the greatest realizations I have had as I look around me, and one that brings me great joy, is that I can say, with a smile on my face, that I know nothing, and it is true. In reality, none of us knows anything because all we think we know will change with time. It is a great relief not to have the troubles of the world on your back. It gives you permission to enjoy the years we have and to share them with those we love on some of the world’s great rivers.

When you let your mind drift back to the past

 You will experience both joy and tears

Both of which are enhanced

With a couple of beers.

I asked my wife what women really want. She said

A tent of lovers, or maybe it was an attentive lover,

I really wasn’t listening.

BLOG 17/52

20 Monday Apr 2026

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HELPING THE COAST GUARD

The Coast Guard is great. They practice every day

Perfect practice makes perfect, or so they say.

Because they are practicing relentlessly,

They are very quick to get underway.

Making boating safe for you and me.

And it is good that there is no fee

For you or me, when we

Are at sea.

______________________________

Something I did not realize.

    When half the country. Just over 50% votes in a leader to be their representative to the world that is a convicted criminal, a tax Dodger to the extent of $430 million from the IRS, and a blatant liar when he gives talks, as proven by the fact checkers, it means they, the voters, approve of all of that which makes them the same as their chosen leader.

    Perhaps all the countries should deport the Americans in their country, because obviously, they condone hate, racism, and criminal activity. I’m sure that they don’t want that garbage in their country.

________________________

I finally figured out why they call me a grown-up

I groan every time I get up.

BLOG 16/52

11 Saturday Apr 2026

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I ALWAYS WANTED A CAT.

I lived on a boat

And often went to sea.

I always have a cat to keep me

Company.

Some were small,

And some were bigger

One was so large I kept her 

Company.

Sharon’s Cat.

My wife, Sharon, liked cats too

Our boat was too small for two cats at sea

So we took her cat back to Africa

To live a life in the woods and roam free.

We will visit when we can. We like Africa too.

I am sure the cat is happy it is not in a cage in a zoo.

__________________________

I like to drink hot coffee in the morning.

Every morning, I have a cup or two.

It helps me to make mistakes

Faster the entire day

through.

BLOG 15/52

03 Friday Apr 2026

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I LIVED HERE

( AT LEAST FOR 3 YEARS)

LIVING ON MY BOAT

Each day when I look at the bay

It always says, “Good Morning.”

Some days it is calm and bright and

The greeting is “GOOD MORNING.”

Other days it is windy and rough and

Its “Good Morning” is almost sarcastic.

Once in a while, I find it hiding in the fog.

I try to cheer it up, but it will not speak.

I suppose we all need solitude at times.

That is why people walk their dog.

_______

Of all the doors you have opened in your life

Some brought you joy; others made you cry.

Both are needed to have a

Full life before

You die.

________

Why would you eat snails?

Because fast food isn’t good for me. 

BLOG 14/52

29 Sunday Mar 2026

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ISLANDS

     There are islands in all the seas waiting for us to visit if we please.

   The girls will dance

    For you each night.

    Everyone is happy

   There is never a fight

    They are so pretty

    You cannot resist

 You ask them to dance

     Again, before they

           Dismiss.   

 The sun slowly fades into the night      

The lights come on to our delight.

      The dancers glide onto the stage

         They know every movement 

         They have practiced all year

         We sit marveling at their skill

         As we eat and drink our beer. 

__________________________________

Tomorrow is Easter, April 5, 2015. This morning, I got up at 4:30 am and watched the moon hide in the shadow of the Earth, an event that helps us define who we are and what we are. It made me reflect on my life. What came to mind were the Easters I spent as a child. They were some of the happiest times in my life that we old folks who live at the end of the street still enjoy, in our journeys through memory.

            In my family, we all gathered at my Aunt Aggie’s house. There were about 20 of us. The years were in the early 1940s. She and Uncle Leo had about an acre of land right on the Los Angeles River somewhere in “the valley.” I have no idea now where that would be, but it was rural. She had a goat that she milked, and my cousins and I would go out to see if we could milk it. We were primarily city kids, and milking a goat was a skill we didn’t possess. My aunt would squirt the milk into our mouths from three feet away. Of course, it would get all over us, and that was part of the fun.

            Being right across the street from the river, the cousins (there were four of us who lived close enough to be there) were given the duty of collecting enough crawdads to put in the salad. The L.A. River was all mud banks back then, and it was full of crawdads. We even had a swimming hole in it and went swimming if the weather permitted us to, without our mothers thinking we would get too cold and get sick. My mother and all my aunts would prepare the meal, and of course, the crawdad salad was my favorite part of it.

L.A. River circa 1940

            As I write this, there are tears running down my face. These were wonderful times. Now the river is all cement. No more crawdads. No more swimming hole. No more goat milk. All of those people are dead now, except two of my cousins and me. I don’t think any of us have had a crawdad salad or gone swimming in a swimming hole or milked a goat for a long long time. What a travesty that is.

BLOG 13/52

17 Tuesday Mar 2026

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MANTA RAYS 

They are huge, 14 feet across

When they arrive at the scene, they 

Instantly become the undisputed big boss.

They get close enough for you to stroke

They’re quite sociable and scary

But don’t care much

About human

Folk

______________________________

What does it mean to be alive?

          This is the fundamental unanswered question of most, if not all, religions. Fortunately, it is not our job to find the answer. As painful as it may be for some, it is beyond human capability. We can define the word scientifically without issue for most of us, but when it comes to the spiritual realm, it becomes impossible. We can only make assumptions, which we choose to accept as facts, and that is okay because all facts are based on assumptions. 

          There are a few assumptions we make about life on Earth. One is that it must reproduce something at least like itself. We used to believe that if it was alive, it needed oxygen, but we found some life forms that don’t. That opens a whole new way of thinking about the Universe.

          When I was in college in the 1950s, one of my professors commented, “The only bad thing about becoming a scientist is you will be included in a small group that realizes that they know nothing.” It is sometimes hard to live in a society that thinks it knows everything. My dad told me that life would get harder, so I just handle it. I did, and it was fun. I enjoyed every minute of my 92-year life, even though I am not sure of what it is.

          My mother told me my life was only worth what it was worth to other people, and that to help them, I had to keep myself healthy, which had to be my prime job. I thank her for sharing that with me. I have been a caregiver for 28 years of my life. 

           I do not know what the ultimate meaning of life is, but her interpretation has worked for me. When the world around you seems to be going crazy, remember you are a tree, and your roots are deep and strong. The earth does not give way; you will survive the storm and enjoy the good weather ahead if you handle it. 

BLOG 12/52

12 Thursday Mar 2026

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THE PELICAN

It is a very special bird, the pelican

He can store enough in his beak 

 To last him at least one week.

 More than his belly can. 

He is truly special, just 

Like you and me

The Pelican. 

__________________

Where do we learn how to live?

          We all want and believe different things. Parents want their child to attend school and come out believing what they think about religion, politics, other people, and everything they hold as true. That is fine, except it is unlikely to happen in a school supported by taxpayers; they all want something different. I believe in and support private schools. What I do not support are individuals who attempt to dictate what should be taught in public schools. Their children should be in a private school.

           I also get upset about colleges that graduate people with majors that have little or no money-making skills. They want to have a family and pursue the American dream, just like the rest of us. All they end up with is a loan to pay off, and no skills to earn money to do it.

           Every counselor should learn from the one who collaborated with my son. He asked my son, “If you could be anything you wanted, what would it be?” My son said, “A poet.” The counselor walked over, picked up the newspaper, and turned to the want ads, saying, “Let’s see what jobs are available for a poet.” My son became a biologist who also writes poetry.

          Our brain is housed in a container we call a body. Like all containers, ours will wear out. In recent years, the repair people (doctors) have had some fantastic tools to work with and are pretty good at repairing them.

          We used to eat fresh food from the farm, but it is now very difficult to do so. The food we eat must be beneficial for us; we are living longer now.

           When I was born, life expectancy was 60 years. I’m now in my 92nd year and don’t see any reason to die for at least a few more years. I consider that a significant change, and I enjoy adapting to it.

____________________________

“We are what we eat“

Is a popular saying.

I don’t think that is true because,

I am not dead yet and

Everything I eat

Is.