Author Archives: Drusilla Tieben (Dru)

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About Drusilla Tieben (Dru)

I am a former police officer, crime analyst, profiler and trainer. I hold a black belt in Aikido. In the past, I've had to make immediate decisions for people in life-threatening situations. I applied the law, martial arts principles, and life lessons, in a logical and ethical manner, and helped victims gain a sense of organization and control over their lives. I wrote a book entitled Discover the Life You Want to Live which is based on my career and writing experiences. I started this blog to help people solve their own problems and to give recognition to all the entrepreneurs out there who have a community and global view and aren't instant millionaires.

FEELING RETRO

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Today I came across the book Sundog, by Jim Harrison and re-read some of the passages. I had forgotten that I had modelled Wendy Blair-McFreel’s character (from the Caitlin Ferguson mystery series) on Robert Strang. This book’s protagonist particularly struck me as to how she should be portrayed. And, after binge reading all of his books so many years ago, I learned to love his prose, as well as his idea and creation of a novella. I would have loved to have met him and discussed his style.

According to Wikipedia,
“James Harrison (1937-2016) was an American poet, novelist, and essayist. He was a prolific and versatile writer publishing over three dozen books in several genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and memoir. He wrote screenplays, book reviews, literary criticism, and published essays on food, travel, and sport. Harrison indicated that, of all his writing, his poetry meant the most to him. Harrison published 24 novellas during his lifetime and is considered America’s foremost master of that form. His first commercial success  came with the 1979 publication of the trilogy of novellas Legends of the Fall, two of which were made into movies.”

Here are a few Jim Harrison quotes that are timeless. I think they are worth thinking about for today:
“One need only dabble in psychoanalytic literature to see how deeply idiosyncratic we are. Catholics and Tantric Buddhists have been wise enough to accommodate this lushness in human impulse; Protestants must subdue their heretical yearnings. They belong to the cult of self-improvement and hammer at their poor souls as if they were tract houses. The point is we are all quite different, and everyone tells us we’re not [emphasis mine]. There is this inescapable, incredible variety of perception and sensation, the little parcels of experience that add up to a whole not necessarily typified by any sort of symmetric unity, but the urge of life herself.”

“We achieve our dimensions for very specific reasons we ourselves ordain. In other words, we already are, at any given moment, what we, in totality, wish to be…. Scarcely anyone at any given time can locate himself in a meaningful sense.”

“I got this theory… that most people never know more than vaguely where they are, either in time or in the scheme of things. People can’t read contracts or time schedules or identify countries on blank maps. Why should they?”

“Don’t you wonder about these first affinities? I’m sure nearly everyone in the world has had them, with all their frightening intensity, which comes from our vulnerability at that age. We “love” before we know how to protect ourselves, pure and simple.”

“Symmetry is a term better suited to engineering than to people’s lives. By the time you wish to become something, you’re already something else…. I’m aware that everyone sees the world differently….”

So my short and sweet answer for today’s woes comes to this:
Be who you are. Learn to love others and yourself. See the world the way you need to see it. Stop the hate. Stop the madness. I love you all on the ponderous night. Stay safe and keep learning, keep reading, and hold your loved ones close.

Common Good

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I finished and printed out the first draft of my book, Silver Lore, the last Caitlin Ferguson mystery,  and it is now in the hands of the readers and editors. I am excited to wrap it up and move on to the next project. I will finish up the final Canyon Rangers, Rudy Gordon, novella in a few months, so hopefully all will be online before Christmas!

So right now, I have more time for blogging and my brain is bursting! I was thinking about the state of the world a lot today and this 80-year-business of slowly destroying industry and housing for the middle class in North America. When large corporations take over industry, and housing, people suffer, period.

When manufacturing was booming, the middle class was starting to get ahead of the curve. When the big corporate raiders took over (in the 1980s it was called Hostile Takeovers), they not only gutted the employees, laying off millions of people, they also invested their pension funds and lost a lot of the workers’ money in the stock market. They sent the work overseas, and huge losses were felt by the cities that created infrastructure and investment into these businesses. People had to move to find work, so these cities shrunk as a result of closing facilities and factories and sending the work overseas. This has happened over and over again, and today people are hurting. I am told that the Gen Zs who will be graduating in the next few years will walk into a stagnation job market and we will lose a lot of our talent to overseas firms, like Australia, the UK, etc., because there is nothing for them here, or at least jobs where they can afford to have food, housing, and all of the amenities that are necessary to live here.

And don’t get me started on housing! These corporations and pacts buy up houses and apartment complexes, evict and even arrest people to clear the buildings out so they can raise housing prices, are despicable. The new owners would rather keep them empty, because they get huge tax cuts, instead of fixing them up and selling them, therefore decreasing the available and affordable housing to people who need them. The community suffers as a whole, and owners who live out of state really don’t care. That is a sad state of affairs all because of greed. The Greed is Good! mentality is back and we let it happen.

So my questions to all of those who support you know who and his ilk are:
-Why are we letting them gut businesses for sheer purpose of the billionaires making more money at the expense of the workers and the cities who gave so much to bring industry in?
-Why are we letting them ignore the stakeholders at the expense of their shareholders making more money than they will ever need, increasing prices, and decreasing wages, and thus making the middle class become the low income class?
-Why is that right?

We lose our brightest minds to other places because they can’t find work. (Remind you of the Great Depression?) Today these practices are even more evil and it seems that We the People have accepted this as just business as usual. Good working people of all walks of life suffer, and have no resources to turn to because of Federal funding cuts. We are a divided people and that is just too unbelievable to me in this day.

“When the only purpose of business is to make as much money as possible in the shortest time, regardless of how it’s done, the common good is sacrificed. There can be no social balance. In pursuit of high profits, CEOs have ignored, circumvented, or worked to change laws intended to protect workers, communities, the environment, and consumers. They have abandoned the principle of equal economic opportunity [emphasis mine].”
[Reich, Robert B. Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America (p. 195). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]
READ HIS BOOK!

So I am reaching out to those who have small businesses and are feeling the pressure to sell out to reconsider. Please think about it before you take the big bucks from some corporate conglomerate. I understand that you want to make more money, but think about all those good workers who you employ. Think about the neighborhood that you live in and what you bring to it. I am sure what those corporations can offer you is more money than what you would see in profits of your business, but for the common good, think about that sale and the people that will suffer as a result. Think about the common good of your community if it is thriving in part because of your business. Just… think about it!

I love you all and hope you are continuing the good fight to keep democracy alive and well in these times of hurting humankind!

Thoughts of Friends

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Last night, I found this in my stash of miscellaneous thoughts and bad poems so I wanted to share:

Friends
When things are tough,
You’re all alone and it’s so rough,
Just remember your friends,
Who are always known.

They’re always there,
For you to share,
No need to hide,
They’re always inside.

They lead their own lives,
You may not hear,
From ones so dear,
For many years.

Suddenly, they reappear,
When you thought they’d forgotten.
How nice to see
Them in eternity.

Here are some others that I found enlightening from a blog site called Unwritten
https://www.readunwritten.com/2023/03/09/quotes-live-by-life-rough/
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”—Theodore Roosevelt 
Focus on what you can do, and do it with pride.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people.”—Taylor Swift
You never know if anyone is struggling. Everyone’s struggle looks different, and some hide it more than others. Don’t underestimate the power of kindness.
“Wherever you are, be all there.”—Jim Elliot 
As cliche as it sounds, it’s true: all we have is now. All we can really do is live in the present. You don’t have to love every moment you’re in, but try to be in every moment.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”—A.A. Milne 
You are amazing. It can be easy to forget when you compare yourself to others, but we’re all different in unique ways. The world will never have someone like you, someone with your exact talents and strengths. Never forget this.
“Not all those who wander are lost.”—J.R.R. Tolkien
How many of us can truly say we know what path we’re going on? I know I can’t, and that’s okay! Uncertainty is one of the few guarantees we have in life. can. Life is a journey, a book that hasn’t been fully written, so we may as well make the most of it.
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”—Robert Frost
It may seem impossible, but it’s true and worth repeating—life will go on. History shows us how much we’ve already been through. Whatever the future holds, we’ll make it.

So when the hazy days, bad atmosphere, and hot temperatures keep you inside and in your head, know that your friends are out there and will be there for you when you need them. It’s strange how they know when to call you (I have had visits from several this last week and connected once again). It’s amazing how life goes on and how you make it possible to continue to live and create wonderful life lessons.

Know that your first draft of your book is complete and out to the readers. Know that progress has been made and connections are happening for the book cover. Know that the zucchini and acorn squash will continue to give to you. Make something delicious and don’t worry about the rest. Have a terrific weekend and enjoy your friends and family. I love you all!

Beginnings and Endings and Living Out Loud

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I have been writing my whole life. I first wrote little stories for my family and kept a few tucked away in a file somewhere, fading into obscurity (we wrote in pencil back in the day!) They were silly but I made people laugh—a middle child thing. I wrote papers for college which weren’t always good, but it got me through the classes. Most of them were for English or Psychology classes, not always perfect, or scientifically accurate, but they sufficed to get me As for the classes.

I journalled during my travels, to my adventurous move beyond the 100th meridian. My career in law enforcement allowed me to publish a few papers through the various government agencies, which may or may not lie in a dusty bin or archived on microfiche (remember those?) in the Justice Department. All were in the non-fiction realm about how we were going to save all of the juvenile delinquents! In another paper I published, I talked about how we shouldn’t stomp into all the various Pagan and Wiccan, or indigenous people’s ceremonies and take their stuff, back in the day. Some of the guys even appreciated my advice. Ahhhh, the 80’s….

When I went back to college out west, I finally graduated with a bachelor’s degree and, while still working, began a non-fiction self-help book. It was published on Amazon back 2012. I consider it my thesis and my legacy for my child since I never finished my master’s degree. Most of the advice I provided still holds true to this day, and I still quote sections of the book to others who want to listen. (I know, I know….If you have filled out my 14 Essential Questions and been interviewed by me you understand what I am talking about.)

Then, my life and world got busy. I moved to another city, so I took some time to try on a new set of career clothing—the writer’s cloak for real. It was and still is a tough market to embrace and you have to love the art. It is not about making money (although that would be great!) but a labor of love and having something to say out loud. It took a discipline that I haven’t always adhered to in my early years. My very active brain is sometimes hard to settle down and complete the pages that need to be written every day. (Thus, the emergence of my Blog to write down all of the stray thoughts, to keep true to a story line, Ha Ha Ha….) https://drutieben.com/

In 2012, I started writing fiction, and I am now in the process of finishing up my first fiction series, a three-book series of fictional and mysteries (or mysterious), tales from my life and others I have met and enjoyed knowing over the years. It has been a long time coming (the first book was published in 2013), and it started out as a mystery series based on the various cases I hope that I helped solve, generally those cases that were a bit strange and caught my attention in that real world genre. The third book changes directions slightly, with more of a science fiction twist. It has meaning to the state of the world at this point in my life and how I wish it will turn out in the end times—in hoping for a positive and good ending to those who are different.

I am now ready for my next adventure. As I re-read parts of the first two books, I am happy with my growth. Beginnings are always rough and as you grow into your writing style. If you are like me and have had a change in careers, you hope you have embraced growth in your writing as well as in your life. It is inevitable that we change as we age. Life experiences become life lessons and we see the world differently from when we were young. Sometimes we see too much and focus on the wrong things, forgetting about the good things that happened to us because the bad things are so overwhelming that they take up more space in our brains. I like to think that my experiences gave me a head and vision full of wonder, exploring feelings and magical worlds that are on the fringe of the real world, worlds that we wish could take place in real life.

I still have thoughts of positive endings in both my writing as well as for humankind, dissimilar to those who wrote science fiction in the 50s and 60s. We have messed up a lot of things in this world, but hope is still out there somewhere. Those of us who continued to read science fiction in the 70s and 80s might believe that the dystopian worlds like Orwell’s 1984 exist back then (and right now), but in my world, the 90s brought back a hope of scientific and space exploration, revisiting the greats such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, Michael Flynn, and so many others, too many to name in this blog. That’s where I want to focus my efforts.

The 2000s have brought about genres that didn’t exist before, with crossovers into science fiction/fantasy, science fiction/mystery, and many others I’ve yet to explore. It allowed us to drift away into new realms. Even though today we feel like the people who believe in the Ayn Rand bull*#!t have taken over the world (you know who never read it, trust me!) we writers need to band together and send messages of hope and support based on a general caring and science to keep civilization intact, and to keep democracy alive.

Sure, the assassinations in the 60s brought a jerk into office (Hello! Nixon years) and became a blow to our idealistic selves. But as Robert Reich stated in his book: “Hope needs leaders to provide a moral compass. Those leaders don’t need to be vested with official authority…Millions of Americans wanted to believe that these men [Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy] would lead us to a moral high ground, a common good that would transcend the crass, selfish brutality of America…And now that both had been gunned down, there didn’t seem to be anywhere else for that momentum to go. We were thrown into a moral abyss…Humphrey’s loss to Nixon represented the end of the Democrats’ New Deal coalition, and it seemed to be the end of idealism. [Reich, Robert B. Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America (p. 107-110). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]
READ THIS BOOK!

And sure, the last year has been a wakeup call and a shock to us about not listening to the other half, so it drove us apart as a people and allowed people become more me-centric. Writers, bloggers, youtubers, and realistically, any citizen of this country must heed our moral and ethical responsibility, to push new generations into thinking about ways to increase the greater good, to bring back respect for the laws of the land and decency and kindness to all human beings. (And law enforcement should take heed: stop the violence on people, and get a spine to become better humans and enforcers of the law of the land, not the law of those rich and powerful!) We should not selfishly support the “It’s all about me, and I don’t want to help anyone else” society. We have to care for each other if we want to continue a peaceful and caring world. Otherwise, chaos will continue to rule our lives.

So I hope these writings have been good for everyone I have reached out to and that we take a moment each day to show concern for what is right in the world, respect each other and center our thoughts on all others, not just ourselves. Every day I live, I try to do my very best to uphold the law and what is right and just in the world. I hope you can say that you do the same.

Keep reading, keep listening, and take a break from your own brain every day. Just be kind to everyone and they will reciprocate. Learn a person’s name and say it back to them when you greet them. Respect those that are different. I love you all and hope you are inside away from the smoke and the heat.

It Has Been Happening for over 80 Years!

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I have been holed up in my office for the past week wrapping up the final novel of the Caitlin Ferguson series, with only tiny breaks to swim and work outside in the heat of the day to give the old brain a rest!

I also delivered the knitted scarves to all the beautiful folks who I briefly worked with early in the summer. I am grateful for them and all of the work they do. Thank you again City of Louisville’s Finance group for being such hard working people!

All the while life is still limping along outside of my quiet bubble and I hate to turn on the news. So I turn to my reading once again to learn about why the horrific things the government and people do and have been doing these things for over 80 years. I recently started reading an incredible book by Robert Reich called Coming Up Short.

Reich is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and he served as Secretary of Labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton. He was also a member of President Barack Obama’s economic transition advisory board. Time magazine named him one of the Ten Best Cabinet Members of the century; in the same year, The Wall Street Journal placed him sixth on its list of Most Influential Business Thinkers. He is board chair emeritus of the watchdog group Common Sense and blogs at Robertreich.org.—Wikipedia

There have been so many moments in history that should have affected change. Currently, with the atmosphere of “we don’t want to hear about it anymore” these moments are long lost. These moments become hard to digest for us sensitive types, but it needs to be said because it has been happening for over 80 years! Here are a few solid and horrible things that are happening. I feel they are important to mention here based on what he had to say:

Rise of Fascism
Rise of the Rich Getting Richer
Blaming the Poor
Blaming those who are not White
Rise of the white supremacists attempting to re-create their version of the “Master Race”
Making the BIPOC citizens, immigrants, the poor into the bogeyman and the enemy

Reich also thought that the majority of people accepted this more and more after decades is that the working class who started making money, becoming the middle class, felt ignored since the sixties. Our generation wanted more for the disadvantaged people and tried to make a difference. But those that felt hurt that we ignored them, started voting for those that they believed would support them. In reality, they didn’t care about them and ultimately the working class got poorer as the richest men got richer.

But there are a few good signs that maybe we can turn the corner. The struggle to prevent bullies attacking and exploiting the weak is happening. Maybe we can get back to a civil society where we stop the brutality and exploitation. Good people are filing lawsuits to stop abuses. Reich states the he has “…come to believe that there is no moral equivalence between bullies and the bullied, between tyranny and democracy, between brutality and decency. No individual can be free in a society devoid of justice. There can be no liberty where brutality reigns. The struggle for social justice is the most basic struggle of all because it defines how far a civilization has developed.” [Reich, Robert B.. Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America (p. 67). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

Finally, here are the questions posed by Edward Abbey in the 1960s that are still valid today that we need to ponder:
“Suppose we were planning to impose a dictatorial regime upon the American people—the following preparations would be essential:
1. Concentrate the populace in megalopolitan masses so that they can be kept under close surveillance and where, in case of trouble, they can be bombed, burned, gassed or machine-gunned with a minimum of expense and waste.
2. Mechanize agriculture to the highest degree of refinement, thus forcing most of the scattered farm and ranching population into the cities. Such a policy is desirable because farmers, woodsmen, cowboys, Indians, fishermen and other relatively self-sufficient types are difficult to manage unless displaced from their natural environment.
3. Restrict the possession of firearms to the police and the regular military organizations
4. Encourage or at least fail to discourage population growth. Large masses of people are more easily manipulated and dominated than scattered individuals.
5. Continue military conscription. Nothing excels military training for creating in young men an attitude of prompt, cheerful obedience to officially constituted authority.
6. Divert attention from deep conflicts within the society by engaging in foreign wars; make support of these wars a test of loyalty, thereby exposing and isolating potential opposition to the new order.
7. Overlay the nation with a finely reticulated network of communications, airlines and interstate autobahns.
8. Raze the wilderness. Dam the rivers, flood the canyons, drain the swamps, log the forests, strip-mine the hills, bulldoze the mountains, irrigate the deserts and improve the national parks into national parking lots. Idle speculations, feeble and hopeless protest. It was all foreseen nearly half a century ago by the most cold-eyed and clear-eyed of our national poets, on California’s shore, at the end of the open road. ‘Shine, perishing republic.’”—Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire published in 1968

And here is a poem that has relevance to this conversation:
“While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening to empire
And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the mass hardens,
I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots to make earth.
Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and decadence; and home to the mother.
You making haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stubbornly long or suddenly
A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed than mountains: shine, perishing republic.
But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the thickening center; corruption
Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster’s feet there are left the mountains.
And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant, insufferable master.
There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught—they say God, when he walked on earth.”— Robinson Jeffers, Shine, Perishing Republic, 1925

I strive with all my heart to see signs of change. I talk to young people and see that they are reading and asking questions. I see my generation going to town hall meetings, standing up and booing those people who were supposed to represent them when they continue to tow the ridiculous non-factual party line. I see them starting to speak up. My hope is that all ages see the faults in whom they have voted for in the past and realize we can all come together to have a better society if we keep up the good fight. This past year made us realize that by giving up, we put a bully in office. Now is the time to speak up. We can’t give up, or lie down and take it. Keep pushing, keep asking good questions. Keep reading and writing.

So I am asking everyone out there with a conscience:
Don’t give up! Take a minute and sit down and write!
Tell your story to your children and family. Make the impossible possible.
Let’s return to Truth, Trust, Civility, and Compassion.

Put Robert Reich’s book Coming Up Short on your reading immediate list and keep exploring how we truly can accept each other, protect each other, and stop hating those that don’t deserve our hate. We are all fallible and we need to learn to be brave.

I love you all and hope you will continue to read, observe, ask good questions and speak out!

We Are Not There Yet

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I have been finishing up my final novel in the Caitlin Ferguson mystery series these last few weeks. (I know – it’s about time!) All of the research that I have completed over these past few months, really years, led me to thoughts of why we are where we are at this point in the wheel of time. I just have a few questions today to put out to the world that are in need of answering:

  • Why didn’t we accept women and immigrants sooner and why have we returned to that place of non-acceptance?
  • What will happen when the money runs out?
  • What will happen when the media can no longer spew nonsense into the atmosphere?
  • Will we learn from this disastrous election, and figure out how we as a species work together?
  • Will we learn from past literature how to accept each other to accomplish mutual goals?
  • And what’s wrong with seeing both sides of our nature?
  • Why can’t we love literature and science at the same time?
  • Why can’t we have beautiful conversations without always trying to one-up each other?
  • Where has all the wonderful learning gone?
  • Why can’t we teach young people to love each other and learn to be uncomfortable with conversations to learn more about the world we live in? Why are we so uncomfortable with making our children uncomfortable?

I am going to keep reminding everyone to read and learn and read and learn and pass it onto the next generation, the ability to think many thoughts at one time. I am going to keep reminding people to learn the ability to marvel at science but also respect and marvel the beautiful works that have come from both good and bad fiction. It’s okay to love people for their beautiful lines of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. I am amazed every day at the works of writers who make the effort to create magical works of art.

And here are a few things that are good to know about this day:
Notable Birthdays for August 1
William Clark (1770-1838) – Explorer who led the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804.
Francis Scott Key (1779-1873) – American lawyer, poet and composer who wrote the Star Spangled Banner.
Herman Melville (1819-1891) – Novelist who wrote Moby Dick.
John Friend Mahoney (1889-1957) – Physician who pioneered the treatment of syphilis with penicillin.
Ann Calvello (1929-2006) – Professional roller derby racer.
Terry Kiser (1939-Still Living) – Actor who made several appearance over his 50 year acting career, but none more memorable as the character Bernie in the movie Weekend at Bernie’s.
Robert James Waller (1939-2017) – Author of The Bridges of Madison County.
Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) – Musician and founder of the rock band Grateful Dead.

Memorable Events for August 1
1855 – Castle Garden (NY City) opens as first receiving station for immigrants in the U.S.
1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th state to join the Union.
1881 – Angel Island (San Francisco Bay, CA) becomes U.S. Quarantine Station to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
1911 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman in the U.S. to earn an Aero Club of America Aviator Certificate.
1933 – is founded with plans to stimulate the economy during the Depression. The National Recovery Administration.
1941 – The first Jeep is produced.
1946 – President Truman established the Atomic Energy Commission.
1981 – MTV begins broadcasting and airs its first video, Video Killed the Radio Star (The     Buggles).
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/august/august-1-birthdays-and-events

So on this fantastic Friday, hug the ones who are near you and put out good vibes for anyone out there who is struggling with the day to day. Remember that the past cannot be changed but we can change our futures if we have the courage to do so. Love to all and hang in there!

Ultimately It Is How You Perceive Yourself That Will Solve the Problem

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On this day of whirlwind writing, doing, exercising and going full force, I re-visited this quote from one of my characters that got me pondering life’s mysteries. I want to keep on pursuing truth to the best of my abilities and help others when I can. When I look at myself in the mirror, sometimes I just see an old lady, with old lady skin. Other times, I see a person who has lived a wonderful life, solving problems when I can and helping out as much as I can. I want to others to experience what I have experienced. I keep on pushing people to see that we must continue to do the monkey wrenching from days of old, but in a more subtle way. We don’t want to get disappeared by those masked secret police (you know who I’m talking about). We must do it in the daytime, with our voices, and our written word. We must continue to make people care about each other and not hoard our wealth. (Are you listening billionaires?) We cannot be complacent! Complacency is the new evil of humankind. If we just wish it to go away, it won’t happen. We have to do and do and do. If we create some chaos, we will be become uncomfortable, but we must continue to increase that uncomfortableness and strive on. I hope you all are listening. Give those a push, those who need to get out of a rut. Give to those who are trying to do better. Give to yourselves for caring.

  • “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “The tragedy of life is not found in failure but complacency. Not in you doing too much, but doing too little. Not in you living above your means, but below your capacity. It’s not failure but aiming too low, that is life’s greatest tragedy.”—Benjamin E. Mays
  • “It takes courage to speak up against complacency and injustice while others remain silent. But that’s what leadership is.”—Rosabeth Moss Kanter

I reach out when I can and give an abundance of zucchini to others. I make wonderful meals with my bounty and share it with my family. It’s been a good life and I hope I live to 100! I will fight the good fight as long as I live. I hope you are doing the same. I love you all on this cloudy, smokey night.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

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How many of us are moving forward even in this bad news crazed world? How many of us are trying to rectify injustices that keep on happening? How many of us are just about ready to give up? Well, today I’m going to urge you to just keep moving forward, and do the best you can every day that you live. Don’t let your brain rest one bit. If you rest, you die. If a bear or mountain lion is chasing you in the woods (or out in the world such as your back yard – really happened to me), stand up and fight! Stand up and shout them out of your domestic domain! No more zoning out until you die! Blissful moments will come when we finish the fight!

Stand up and make a statement about civility, fairness, equity and inclusion, and loving one another! Stand up for people who just want the same things your family wanted when you came to this country. Fight for them as well as all of the scientific community who are trying to tell you about changes in our environment if we don’t stop those who are destroying it for us. Just keep moving forward no matter what. I know it’s not easy, but if you trust my words and make your own movement count, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We only move toward that end of the tunnel when we die! Even if we just don’t get there when we expect to, we must stop wasting time on silliness and retribution. We must keep striving for an end to the madness so we can go into the next plane of existence in peace.

Find that one beautiful and meaningful thing you can do every day that you live that will make a difference for future generations. It can be as simple as using less plastic, composting, or recycling. (HELLO! Wake up restaurants! Make it happen!) It can be planting a backyard garden or feeding others with the fruits of you labor when you have extras. Or it can be big such as all the protests we’ve seen of late. Anything is better than ignoring those in power who hurt the little guys in the end.

“If you do not have an absolutely clear vision of something, where you can follow the light to the end of the tunnel, then it doesn’t matter whether you’re bold or cowardly, or whether you’re stupid or intelligent. Doesn’t get you anywhere.”—Werner Herzog
“Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train.”—Charles Barkley (Good ole’Charles….)

So don’t wait for that train to run you over. Keep on living, keep on doing what’s right. Love the one you love, but love everyone and everything else equally. Enough said. I’m going to make more delicious zucchini recipes to be at peace for the evening.
Zucchini Boats!

I love you all tonight and hope for peace in the valley (and the mountains!) for everyone.
Jim Reeves Peace in the Valley

Do Birds Have a Cerebrum?

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I have been re-reading The Monkey Wrench Gang and one scene got me thinking. During their monkey wrenching, Bonnie is on lookout while Hayduke is destroying equipment that are clear cutting pine trees (not native) in the middle of the Kaibab forest. She drifted and started reflecting on the universe, and the birds quieting down for the night. “She…listened to the cries of birds, unknown and unseen birds, off in the forest, retreating to their nests for the night, heads nestled under fold of wing, retiring into the simple harmless dreams of avian sleep. (A bird has no cerebrum.)” [Abbey, Edward. The Monkey Wrench Gang (p. 238). RosettaBooks. Kindle Edition.]

Which lead me down the deep dark conundrum of a path. If humans are so smart and have a large cerebrum, why do they destroy everything that keeps them alive? Is it so simple that it is just about the money? The rich getting richer? I keep coming back to the air quality of late. A lot of it is due to the fires, but the brown cloud that we see in our big city and now the Foothills is disheartening. People used to come out here for health reasons (as well as New Mexico and Arizona) and now it only aggravates their poor lungs. I know when I first came out here the air was much more pure than Atlanta back in the coal-burning power plant and factory days. (Yes, I am that old!) According to a recent report: “Nearly half of the country lives in areas that received a failing grade for either particle pollution – fine particulate matter created when things burn – or ozone pollution, according to the report. Almost 43 million live in places that failed both pollution measures….The study comes as the new administration of President Donald Trump’s administration cuts jobs at the Environmental Protection Agency and sidesteps regulations on oil, gas and coal development.” USA Today Air Quality Report

And do any of us really have simple harmless dreams? Lately, I have had many anxiety dreams. The most recent one was that I am trying to check out at the old S. H. Kress Five and Dime in Athens, Georgia, in a line that goes all the way back to the toy aisle (where we spent a lot of time when we were children). People keep pushing in front of me and I never get to the checkout. And of course, I wake up in a sweat! And what does that dream have to do with my current state of mind? (I think this was because I was at Costco and there were a bazillion people there yesterday!)

So this week has been a whirlwind of weirdness, trying to come to grips with doctor’s appointments, completing things, fighting the heat, weeds, and rain, and generally feeling like I need to go out and hit something! (Take up boxing perhaps?) But, alas, it will get better as my eye heals and I can get back to exercising in the pool! My mecca, my peaceful time, my cooling off period. I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend. Do something wonderful out there! I love you all and hope you are well.

And by the way, I looked it up. Birds do have cerebrums. Funny.

Making Up for Lost Time

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Why do we think we always have to make up for lost time? Is time really lost? Are those tasks that we didn’t do in the past causing us to vigorously complete them now? Why is it so hard for us to focus on the present? Why are we compensating for our past? Is frantically pushing forward for the wrong cause the right thing to do? How do we get rid of the thorn in our side that won’t go away or in my case, a thistle in my finger?

Do we want to die forever seeking something from our past, or do we want to move forward freely and become a part of something bigger and better? When I was a younger, fit woman, I listened to cassette tapes with my favorite workout specialists such as Jane Fonda, Kathy Smith, or even Heather Locklear. (Whoa! Talk about the 80’s!) There were many walking tapes and I strode happily into the distance with these women, one step at a time. They inspired me and even talked about taking things One Step At A Time or Moving Freely Forward. I was always seeking a faster pace, better results from workouts, generally always looking for something leaner, better, more, more, more! What I failed to realize is that our bodies aren’t built to keep up that pace. We can never get back that twenty-something body. It is just not the way humans are built. The faster we go, the slower we gain results. So, I realized I could take that mentality and slow down just a little bit to enjoy where I am at any time in my aging self and let life evolve. After injury, or surgery or just life’s disasters, I keep part of that younger mentality, but get right back up and try something different that will work better at my age.

All the pills and ads in the world about weight loss aren’t healthy and obsessing of what we woulda, shoulda, coulda leads us down a path that is depressing. I keep trying for perfection, and yet I can also be happy where I am at this point in my life. I’m not giving up, just slowing down a little and I am learning to live with that. Every day is a journey to stay alive in this world of crazy. If I can focus on putting that one foot forward, I can focus on being the person I want to be at any given point in time. I can be happy with my accomplishments and future that is wide open. Can you say the same thing?

Here are a few great quotes to ponder on where you are at this very point in your life.

  • “You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”–Elizabeth Taylor
  • “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”–Harriet Tubman
  • “You were not made for failure; you were made for victory. Go forward with a joyful confidence.”–George Eliot
  • “Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”–Rainer Maria Rilke
  • “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”–Amy Anderson
    Quotes from: https://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/moving-forward-quotes/

So when the world goes to H#!! and everything dies, there will still be roaches, mosquitoes and thistle. All of our concerted efforts are for nought if we keep rushing by. So let’s just focus on what we can do for the rest of our years and slow down a little. We will never make up for our lost time, so just be in the moment every moment every day of your lives. And, yes, my metaphor (or punishment) for my lost time will be digging up that ever-present, blasted thistle in my flower beds! (Why is it sooooo resilient?) Arrrggh.

I love you all and hope you are thinking good thoughts and making magic happen for all those folks who need you!