“In and Out of the Adirondack Woods,” Kate Field (1869)
“I had sought the Adirondacks in many a summer dream.”
Culture
“On the death of my family’s dairy farm”
. . — Abe Voelker Editor’s note: I am taking the liberty of reprinting Mr. Voelker’s tragic story, since it is being repeated, almost verbatim, here in the NYS North Country. . This Christmas, like every other, I traveled to northern Wisconsin to stay with my parents on the dairy farm I grew up on. …
In Memory of George and Barbara Bush
. — Michael J. Fournier, Guest Editor . Should You Go First Should you go first and I remain —To walk the road alone, I’ll live in memory’s garden, dear, —With happy days we’ve known. In Spring I’ll watch for roses red —When fades the lilac blue, In early Fall when brown leaves call —I’ll …
“Bang bang, you’re dead!” School shootings
. — Calvin Luther Martin, PhD . I write this while news sources frantically piece together the circumstances of a school shooting in Florida. At least 17 people, students and teachers, killed. At least 14 wounded. The death toll will likely rise as the critically injured succumb to wounds. Kids shot and killed by another …
Mike’s Point of View
— Calvin Luther Martin, PhD . Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. The book was a classic when I was a young man. Pirsig published it in 1974 — after 121 publishers had rejected it. It sold over 5 million copies. One hundred twenty-one publishers were pretty darn …
“Two Little Mice” (a poem)
. Two little mice Swift, soft, furry Scurry from some recess Or hidden little nest In the palace of my mind Two little mice Feet padded Noses pink Whiskers long Teeth razor sharp Two little mice One called Fear The other Anxiety Explore Every corner Of the palace of my mind Two little mice Play, hide Tease, fight …
Witness to Revolution: Istanbul with Susy Cantwell
. — Susy Cantwell* . For two centuries my homeland, Hungary, was a province within the sprawling Ottoman Empire. As a child, I thrilled to tales of skirmishes between heroic Hungarian patriots and villainous Turks. Time has a way of healing old wounds. Hungarian bitterness toward Turks would eventually be displaced by hostility toward more recent invaders. Hence, when the opportunity arose to spend several …
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Panties & Burkas: Travels with Susy Cantwell
. Editor’s note: When I read the newspapers about the Middle East my reactions run from horror to incomprehension to anger to sorrow. Somewhere in that pile of news — that mess — there are real people living real lives, or at least trying to. I yearn to meet these people — the ordinary people. …
Miracle on Mill Street
— Calvin Luther Martin, PhD . How much would you be willing to pay to spend a night in this? (Here’s a few close-ups.) . Still undecided? This might sway you. . . Imagine waking up to the dawn chorus of larks and sparrows, and gazing out on the rolling, bucolic landscape through this splendidly arched window. A …
Winter solstice
. — Calvin Luther Martin, PhD . Winter solstice. Christmas eve. And I am a hibernating bear, deep within the cave of winter dreams. All my life I have sensed a strange convergence between solstice and Christmas, like two vast planets wheeling into near collision. Then each slowly spinning off on its separate course into …
Antidote to the (ghastly) world news …
— Calvin Luther Martin, PhD I was 17 at the time. In Southern California. A college friend, Mike Madden, had invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family, since I couldn’t go home for the holiday. Mike and his mom lived with his mom’s dad, a retired medical doctor. I remember sitting in the living room with …
Sisters Café: (Hopefully) Coming Soon to Downtown Malone
News Flash (November 5th) Andrea Dumas just won a seat on the Malone Village Board! New to political office, she ran against two incumbents — and prevailed over both. (We’re delighted to see Joe Riccio returned to office. He’s a wise and thoughtful man, and essential on that board. Brian Langdon did a creditable job as trustee, and deserves …
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Rock Star? Malone?
A warm summer evening. Fair Week. The stands jam-packed. The excitement is palpable. A rhythm & blues legend is about to perform. The crowd explodes in applause as four young men take their position on stage. Four singers who will be inducted, seven years later, into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of …
Some Good Wead
—Calvin Luther Martin, PhD Detail from dust jacket of “The Horse in Art,” John Baskett David Minnich, Director of the Wead Library, was honored this week by a gift of books from Dr. Nina Pierpont (my better half). Pierpont made the gift to celebrate Mr. Minnich’s century of service as Librarian. (If not a …
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”
Click on the image, above, to play. In the new window that pops up, click in the middle of the red box, where it says “Play.” (Ignore the website itself. This version of the cartoon was widely available a year ago, Xmas 2007, but seems to have disappeared from the web this year–except on this …
Old Salt
—Calvin Luther Martin Watercolor (artist unknown) First, click here to listen to this tape-recorded message. I took it off my telephone answering machine a little over a week ago.
Meditations
You are welcome to post a meditation here. Preferably one you’ve written, though not necessarily. If you have a short piece written by someone else which has especially spoken to you, go ahead and post it. Be sure to give the author credit and, if possible, the original source it came from. Your meditation might …