Found a Poem..

I'm working over this poem for myself, hoping to get back to it here for some explication/rumination...meanwhile, I thought I'd share it w/you!

we shall not cease from exploration
and the end of our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
through the unknown, remembered gate
when the last of earth left to discoveri
s that which is the beginning;
at the source of the longest riverthe voice of the hidden waterfall
and the children in the apple-tree
not known, because not looked for
but heard, half-heard, in the
two waves of the sea.
--T.S. Eliot

Over 1/2 way...*sigh*

I just realized today that my summer is almost over, that I'm over 50 days out, and have only 30 days left. It seems I've done nothing, accomplished nothing, just dinked around. I really hate that.

I guess I've been building a new course, and I've been building a carport, too. I've maintained the farm (mostly) and done lots of gardening. I've spent quite a bit of time w/my family.

I haven't traveled. I haven't got my house in order. I have yet to get that playground built or the trees trimmed or the basement fixed or...

This entry is a bummer.

Maybe a guy can blame anxiety on These Modern Times, the culture that puts watches on our wrists and seconds on our microwaves. I bet back in the day, folks measured time more by days than hours, and even then more by seasons than days. A trip to town would be a day trip or an over-nighter. Things were more Intentional. Things were likely more valued.

Today I read an article on how our culture has such an excess of food we don't value it; we take it for granted. I've mentioned the slow food movement before, and I admire it. I've also read about attempting to have a meal from all-local foods (no bananas flown in from the Bahamas). I admire that, too. Getting to that point, even for a meal as an object lesson, is a good idea.

Back in my hometown they have a "home products dinner" that's entirely local produce. I think I might like to visit that again (last time was in the 70's). I admire it, now.

Circus circumspect?

Yesterday our family went to the Carson and Barnes circus. I'd read up on what PETA and others claimed about circus animals, and I was a little leery...but one son and I went for the set up, talked to the crew, scouted the animals' conditions, etc...and to the untrained eye, things looked hunky-dorey.

At the show itself, I was amused at how performers were billed as being from Circus Circus or from some exotic and distant country--the same cats I'd seen erecting tents and such that morning, the same folk who two acts previously had been from another country and another famous venue. Talk about economic use of personnel!

Other than that Tom Foolery, I was also amused at the way the circus attempted to hawk their wares, practically forcing extra cash from patrons. We were steeled up against this, and had, in fact, forewarned our kids NOT to beg. We were approached, I would guess on average, every five minutes: popcorn, pop, candy, souvenirs, coloring books, peanuts...and that was only after we were seated. Coming into the show, at intermission, and after the show, we were tempted with games, elephant rides, and more food. We were tight-fisted, held strong, and thus had some coin left afterwards to eat out.

The kids (ages 2 months to 6 years) just loved the show. Even my non-spectator child (the d0-er) was astounded, mesmerized. The aerial acts were amazing, and the dancing girl, Francesca, remains a feature in my fond reflections. The kids, of course, loved the clowns most of all. It did not matter to the kids that the show was only one ring, when billed as three. They did not care about the repeat, shape-shifting performers. None of them complained about the painful seating or the fact that it was 110 in the tent. It slipped their attention that virtually everyone associated with the show was Hispanic, speaking Spanish, and a wee-bit lackadaisical.

They wanted hoops of fire, white tigers, and more sequins, but I promised them all that if we ever go to Vegas or a really big show. For now, for a first-time circus experience, they had a blast, I had fun vicariously, and it was well-worth the money.

I'd like to take them to Wyoming, to a Wild West Show or Cowboy Festival/Fair event of some sort. I know they'd swoon over something like that!

This circus brought back memories of the one I attended as a child, you know, back before everything was so politically correct. It was a very large circus, with 3-5 rings, at least a dozen clowns in full regalia, monkeys and tigers and even a bear (as I recall). I was in the bleachers, high above the whole thing. I believe it was in Garden City or Dodge City.

I don't remember a whole lot from the circus, but I will never forget the Midway (obviously a thing of the past now!) : fat lady, strong man, frog man (deformed, smoked with his toes, walked on his hands); things preserved in jars, creepy snakes and alligators; midgets, giants, and tattooed people (again, back when that was circus fare); exotic people from distant lands regaling us with stories and magic!

Yes, we had television, but we seldom encountered anything remotely like this live and in-person. We had the occasional deformed calf born on the farm, but we never had seen people from other countries, differently-abled people, etc. I suppose the exposure was not all that healthy and likely demeaning (by modern standards) to some of the side show staff, but it was unforgettable--even after 40 years.

For me, the greatest show on earth remains the one in my home, with my kids meta- morphing constantly before my very eyes. They hail from the far reaches of imagination. The stories they tell, the gibberish they speak--unprecedented in life's more common thoroughfares! They baffle the senses with amazing feats (climbing on the back of the couch, flushing toys, overloading diapers). They are natural entertainers, performing 24/7, from gunfights to pirate wars, from fairy tales to historical re-enactments... There is never a dull moment in the family circus!

Ahoy--playground ideas ahead...

Building Things is something that brings me pleasure, from lego castles to model cars to raised garden beds and (this last week) carports. I find Building Things a close second to Fixing Things.

As previously mentioned on this blog, I am plotting to build a pirate ship playground, and as I am not restricted by ordinances, I am able to pick/choose standards of safety, etc. For instance, I am going to have a rope swing, for kids on my equipment are not going to strangle themselves w/the rope. (We have had a tire swing for some time now and report no fatalities.) I am honestly trying to plan for safety (no heads caught between ropes/bars, no falls of any great distance w/n the structure, reasonable slope to the slide, etc).

I am hoping to use unconventional materials, too. Why be limited to packaged deals, to new lumber, etc? Salvaged wood is better for me. Anytime I can Build Things of Salvaged Things--well, that's a double whammy for me. I know this: I'm going to build something out of old wooden pallets I'll upcycle into a building or part of this playground. I'm building cannons from rusty old sewer pipe. We'll make a ship's wheel from the remains of a garden cultivator. (I need a welder to make some of my dreams come true.) I want to get hold of old wooden barrel staves to make cool stairway railing, but that's hard to come by in KS. I'm looking into culvert pipe liners as a basis for a pipe slide. Half the fun is re-engineering materials into this themed playground.

It's also fun to combine form and function. Part of the rope ladder will be for climbing, but some will be just for looks. Some of the sails will be for shade as well as effect. The cross members on the mast (obviously I know little of ships, to date, or I'd give some technical name like spars or "yippin' yappies") will be the support for conventional swings. The pipe slide will run the interior of the ship, for the boys said "a stupid yellow slide did not look pirate-shippy."

Some over-the-top ideas we're entertaining include a real water cannon, a brig, and stage two... tie-in to a nearby tree house.

Ode to Captain EO

Michael Jackson reported dead, yesterday, June 25th...

My first exposure to him was through the Jackson Five. I was a kid in middle school, feeling all grown up, eating pizza at a tiny little pizza shack next to the movie theatre. I thought the music was snappy and that this kid fronting a whole family act had a lot going for him. As we both grew up, I came to admire him for some of the cutting edge work he did in video and stage presentation. Few artists caught our attention for flamboyant pizazz like Michael Jackson. Who else could create such a cult following? Elvis alone. I've always admired his ability to amp up the production value (admittedly sometimes over-the-top). The closest I ever came to a show of his was Captain EO in Disney World in 1987. That show did include impressive special effects, pyrotechnics, Muppet/puppet costuming, and blasting music--though MJ was only on screen.

In my opinion, all the weirdness that surrounds him is largely due to too much attention, too much media, and the burdens of celebrity. I have no idea if allegations against him were true, but I will always be fascinated with what he did on stage, even though I'm not a big fan of pop music. No matter what anyone may say, he will remain an American Icon for generations.

Blogging...what fer?

I am asked this all the time. I suppose this blog is not too exciting, not the drama that many people share. It's not heavy on political commentary or anything specific and there's not a lot of dialogue. So, why bother?

I ask my students to keep journals, so it's only fair they have access to my head/heart, too. Sometimes I like to post content that might be worth looking back at, and since I'm known to lose stuff, this is a good place for it. Besides, sometimes what I share helps my students, family and friends understand me better.

I keep more personal blogs and rants and such in other environs.

Blogging, outside of myself...well, some folks have an agenda to push, and a blog is just the place to pump out their propaganda. Others see it as a tool of enterprise, even companies and products have blogs. (Blogger has a blog.) I suppose the intent is to keep users, subscribers, fans, etc up-to-date and engaged. It's less bothersome than email.

I like to read subject oriented blogs, where people post pithy content on their areas of expertise. I personally think that this is one of the best things about the so-called web 2.0, where users can make the content, for so many everyday Joe's know so very much. That content knowledge can be very, very specific, too, like the guy who writes only about his Farmall tractors...or the young lady who documents her attempts at raising a giant pumpkin. I get a lot of good advice from parenting blogs, and I also get a sense of assurance that maybe I'm not so bad at being a dad. My favorite subject area at the moment tends toward futurists--crazy stuff is afoot!

Some blogs are just bleeding emo, especially over at xanga and myspace (if one considers those blogs). I get my fill of narcissistic, repetitive, goth drama high school blather very quickly.

I'm getting more and more into vlogs and podcasts, for they are convenient for me at work, where I can multi-task (listen as I tidy my office or check my other accounts, etc.) I like travel-blogs, too, for some folks are out there living the life I am too timid to, myself.

Above all, I enjoy reading blogs of people I thought I knew, that is, people with whom I have personal contact sometimes. Why? Because I get inside their heads; I get to know them on another level that seldom comes out in conversation, work, etc.

It's hard for me to remember life before blogs, and I've only been engaged in them two or three years!

Browncoats--STILL can't stop the signal!

I've made reference to the (short-lived, short-changed) TV series Firefly on more than one occasion at Musement Park. What a series! That show inspired an awesome film, Serenity!



I've downloaded the above to my iPod. I own the 11 episodes and movie on DVD. I regularly "convert" guests of our home to the whole 'verse as treated by Joss Whedon. I subscribe to the fansites, discussion groups, blogs, etc. that still (since 2002) thrive on the Juice of that brilliant creation.

I also have a wish list. I would like some shiny buttons reflecting all the catch phrases of the series/film. I'm also wanting to collect the Blue Sun travel posters of the series. (Those would go nicely in my re-engineered office environs!)

If anyone has yet to encounter these shows, drop everything. Walk out of work or discreetly download an episode when the boss isn't looking. That's all it will take. You'll join with the rest of us.