September 16, 2013

White sheets

Colorado citizens needing assistance to evacuate are being asked by the National Guard to make themselves more visible to chopper crews by waving white sheets.



To our lurkers from freeperville: this is a proper use of white sheets.

September 16, 2013

One more time...

September 16, 2013

Disconnect

My congressman, Cory Gardner CO-4, accompanied the governor, both senators, and a couple other representatives on a helicopter tour of our flood-ravaged countryside. Their tour got extra media attention because they had the chopper land a couple times to pick up stranded residents.

His weekly newsletter arrived in my inbox last night. In it, he devotes four sentences to the flood crisis. Four sentences. Then he devotes four paragraphs to emphasizing his commitment to defund and repeal Obamacare.



There's a reason I refer to him as my alleged representative.

September 16, 2013

A Colorado Memory

About sixteen years ago I was privileged to watch the creation of a sand painting. It was round, and about twelve feet in diameter. The creator spent three days on it, and spoke to us as he worked.

He explained that it was spiritual more than artistic, often regarded as healing, that the process itself is deserving of respect because of its connection to spirit; because of this it is to be entered from a certain direction, and the work is done in deliberate order, just like the earth of which it is made.

He mentioned several times that humans have forgotten that they belong to the earth, not the other way around, that because of that forgetting we are losing the ability to hear the earth when it speaks to us. He went on to say that the earth has been lamenting the imbalance we bring, and that the earth will eventually have no choice but to fight back.

We respected his request that no photographs be taken. Having watched him work, I realized that it would have been as intrusive as filming someone at prayer. It doesn’t matter, the colors are still vivid in memory. And the same can be said of the vibrancy of his message.

September 14, 2013

Adapting to climate change

September 11, 2013

Colorado

September 11, 2013

Butter

Back when I was a kid they used butter to treat minor burns. Then somebody figured out that ice was a better treatment.

That’s how we progress. We get better information and adjust our thinking accordingly.

Unless we refuse to listen to anyone but the butter faction. Then we call the ice faction names and accuse them of worshiping the ice-appliers. . .

September 10, 2013

Moonwalking

One of our astronauts spoke of standing on the moon and looking back at the Earth. He observed that it was the same planet he’d always lived on, just seen from a different perspective.

Of note is what didn’t follow his observation: he did not accuse or disparage those who did not share his view. Rather, he endeavored to share what he had learned in order to increase our understanding. How ineffective that elucidation would have been had he included belittling name-calling in every conversation!

September 8, 2013

Neighbors

Our dates had been gone from the table for several minutes when we heard someone say there was something going on outside. My friend and I got up and followed others out the door.

A small crowd had gathered in the parking to watch one of the guys as he sat atop his wife pummeling her. I recognized the couple, they lived on my block and had a reputation for a very stormy marriage. But for me, that reputation was no reason to stand by and watch as she took a beating.

Sadly, my date was one of the men speaking to the guy, saying stuff like, “Man, you promised you wouldn’t do this any more” and “You need to stop.” They stood there yapping at him, hands in pockets, as he continued to pound away.

My friend and I stepped in, high heels and all, and pulled him off her; he was drunk enough that his effort to swing at us sent him sprawling on the pavement. She was bleeding and barely conscious, both eyes were blacked, but we were able to help her stand so we could put her in a car for the ride to the hospital. My date just shrugged his shoulders and explained that he hadn’t wanted to “interfere” in their marriage; next time he called I hung up on him.


That was many years ago, but for some reason I've been thinking about it this week...

September 8, 2013

Damn. There are days . . .