201. cmboyce - July 25, 1999 - 9:03 PM PT
I too get the "tombstone" a fair deal. But sometimes I get a "freeze" and have to reboot. So now, when I write a long post, I copy it from clipboard to notebook (a document off the net), where I can always erase it later.
202. msgreer - July 25, 1999 - 9:18 PM PT
As my daughter is soon to come for a visit I find myself remembering how far the two of us have come together.
I remember the day she was 3 years old and 1 day.
It was a Saturday morning. I woke up thinking hey she's still sleeping
I will tip toe by her room, get the paper and read in bed. What a luxury. And I was still abit tired from her birthday party the day before.
As I went by her room I saw her sitting on the edge of her bed starring into space with a blank look. She was whiter than her sheets.
I went into her room and called her name.
There was no response. Not a blink of the eye. No movement. Nothing.
I went behind her and clapped my hands yelling her name over and over.
Nothing. No response.
I ran back in front of her and shook her.
All of asudden her arms and legs started seizuring. He head went back in a violent twist her eyes rolling back so I could only see white.
By this time her entire trunk..her entire small body was convulsing and foam came from her mouth.
I held her the best I could as I did not want her to fall off the bed and hurt herself.
I held her as tears streamed down by face uncontrollably.
this went on for 3 minutes. After which she urinated involuntarily and seemed to be in a deep sleep.
it wasn't a sleep. She had stopped breathing. I could get no pulse and she had stopped breathing. Her lips became cyanotic.
I don't know what happen next except I gave her CPR and she came around.
I picked this small limp body up and ran for my car. With her in my lap I raced to her doctors. She was in and out of consciousness.
She was hospitalized immediately. And I adventure together was just to begin.
There were years of hospitals and tests and medications and heartbreak.
But the important thing is we made it. We went through years together finding out what was wrong and how to fix it.
She even was hospitalized f
203. msgreer - July 25, 1999 - 9:24 PM PT
cont. for 5 years in Ann Arbor, Michigan to get her seizures under control. It took that long to get her off all the 14 medications she was on and find the right ones for her.
Damn, I lost some of this post.
Anyway, she comes home on August 11. She will get on a plane at Logan
change in Atlanta and fly home.
I have theatre tickets. She loves the theatre. We are going to the ballet. And a day trip to a favorite museum of hers. She loves sports and we swim everyday together when she is home.
She has a full time job and yes she pays taxes. This maybe of some interest to some folks who have often posted about the mentally challenged.
It seems so strange to me what some people assume about the mentally challenged. My daughter is an active part of her community.
She has a quality of life any -parent would be delighted with for their child.
So this is what I am remembering.
I am also remembering I don't have to think about those years anymore.
My daughter is the joy and light of my life.
I have been blessed beyond words. She has enriched my life. And I am a better person for having her as my child.
204. cmboyce - July 25, 1999 - 9:52 PM PT
Being relatively new here, I may not be aware of something everyone knows, or knows not to ask, but if I may: what is it that happened to your child, Ms. Greer?
205. msgreer - July 25, 1999 - 10:09 PM PT
My daughter lost oxygen during the birth process.
It was because of this she developed a seizure disorder and also is mentally challenged.
She is 29 years old now and lives in a lovely residence for the mentally challenged adult. It looks like a small New England university campus acutally.
She is doing fine. She has her problems as all kids do. But as well as she is doing she still requires a mother who is an active part in every aspect of her life.
That's basically the story. Unless you'd like to hear about her 1993 trip to Austria when she was picked by the US Special Olympic team to represent the US in the
'World Winter Games... she came home with a silver and bronze for skiing.
Yep, she skied the Austrian Alps. And with over 80 countries participating it was a pretty incredible time for me as I watched her come out of the gate and ski down the hill.
I often times call fraysters when they use the word retarded as we have worked (we meaning parents and advocates of the challenged) to rid society of that word.
It is used almost as a slang word to describe the disabled or even able body folks... ie... this person acts like a retard...
I can't stand it when people do this. We have worked years to get rid of the fear folks have toward the challenged. the word retarded scars people as they feel a retarded person may come to their home with an ax and murder a family member or something.
Being mentally challenged does not mean one is mentally ill. There is no correlation between mental illness and the challenged.
I point that out whenever I get the chance.
I have often posted about my daughter so alot of fraysters know about her.
Ever the advocate I speak up whenever this happens.
206. cmboyce - July 25, 1999 - 10:19 PM PT
Ms Greer,
I have read with pleasure your posts in Sports (I think; maybe the Corner) about the Special Olympics.
I sympathise with you about terminology, though you might want to bear in mind that "retarded" began its career as "challenged" has, that is, as a kinder replacement for earlier terms. I can remember being instructed in this usage as a child. So _some_ people (especially, I guess, older ones) may employ the term innocently.
207. msgreer - July 25, 1999 - 10:30 PM PT
I do not agree folks use the word retard "innocently".
If one has an ounce of understanding they damn well know what the word retarded conjurs up in people's minds.
It is a used without thought as to how it may affect another person.
Witness the ticket agent of a major airline my daughter always travels.
In their computer it give her history and says she is mentally challenged. When I check her in for a flight I pay the $60 to have her travel as an unaccompanied minor knowing the airlines will look after her... like helping her get to the right gates in Atlanta when she has to change planes.
One day I was checking her in and she was with me. The ticket agent said to me, not her, is this the retarded person who will be travelling today?
My daughter quickly responded "I am not retarded. I am not stupid.
I am challenged and I bet you are too".
One of her gifts is her verbal skills. She is high functioning in that area as we say. And like her mother she has no problem speaking up.
208. msgreer - July 25, 1999 - 10:39 PM PT
When I say I do not believe folks use the word retarded innocently is they know what message they are trying to get across when they use that word.
It is a put down. It suggests one who is slow or dumb or disabled.
And even worse one who is not a capable individual.
It is a word used from ignorance. There are far more descriptive words that can be used to get a point across.
If one accepts people using this word we will never look at the challenged as folks who have feelings and sensitvities as we all do.
Mentally challenged people are not dumb. I have been around this population for 29 years and I have yet to meet a dumb challenged person.
They are just like you and me. And they would appreciate it if others would see them that way.
209. Jenerator - July 26, 1999 - 10:03 AM PT
MsGreer,
Truly, a touching story. Did you get involved in the health profession before of after the incident with your daughter? I'm so thankful that you knew CPR. I'm also thankful that you shared this about you and your family.
210. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 10:17 AM PT
Jen,
thanks for your kind words.
i was already a nurse when this happen. i guess God got me ready for what was in store. Thank you God.
211. JJBiener - July 26, 1999 - 10:25 AM PT
MsGreer - I can sympathize. Whenever I hear or see some use the word "retarded" it makes me angry. To be honest, I don't even care for "mentally challenged". I don't like terms that group or categorize individuals. Each person has a unique set of skills and difficulties, and I prefer to think of each as an individual. I have known several people who would qualify as challenged, and they did have more difficulty than I in dealing with certain aspects of living. However, I found them to be kinder, gentler, and more understanding of others than I could ever hope to be.
When I was young I was told that God never takes something away without giving something in return. I interpret this to mean that we all have gifts and we all have challenges. I don't see my daughter as being any different from yours. They just have different gifts.
212. hashke - July 26, 1999 - 1:01 PM PT
One of the tasks for Marines in advanced infantry training at Camp Pendleton during WWII was to jump off a 50ft. tower into water filled with debris, chunks of wood, old tires, pieces of this and that. This was to simulate the kind of detritus that might be found around a ship debouching clusters of Marines into the water off shore, bodies, shell casings, and so forth.
We jumped in full combat gear, helmets, backpacks, rifles, boots. We were given a talk on correct procedure, told to cup the right hand under the chin, the left hand over the family gene treasury, cross the legs as we stepped off -- and for chrissake to keep our eyes on the horizon -- DO NOT LOOK DOWN AT THE WATER!
Before we jumped an experienced Marine gave us a demonstration. We all stared upward as he stepped off the tower. Something below must have caught his attention, maybe a bee or something. Maybe his fly was open. He looked down. He was flat-out prone when he whacked onto the surface of the water and he was knocked unconscious. An ambulance standing by hauled him off to the sick bay.
The impressive silence was broken by Sarge:
'Okay, Private hashke, get your sorry ass up there. You're first!'
I froze my eyes onto the horizon during that and the last two required jumps. The second ambulance remained parked throughout the rest of the exercise.
213. helpdesk - July 26, 1999 - 1:06 PM PT
"My daughter is the joy and light of my life. I have been blessed beyond words. She has enriched my life. And I am a better person for
having her as my child."
msgreer, what a moving testament to your love for her. And what a powerful testament to the need for connectedness we all have. I find it strange that so many people intentionally trend towards the solitary, which is counter to the family and social needs that we should actually be cultivating. "Cocooning" has it all wrong, imho.
214. theDiva - July 26, 1999 - 1:51 PM PT
CMB
Message #148
Vincent is the elder, and it was *definitely* a case of exploitation!
215. theDiva - July 26, 1999 - 1:53 PM PT
ACK!
Banks, youse guys are expecting!?!?!?!?! How *fabulous*!!!!! I couldn't be happier for you, congratulations and best wishes. You are going to be a wonderful father.
216. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 3:25 PM PT
JJBiener:
You write with such sensitivity about "our" daughters.
I believe as you do God gives us all gifts. My daughter is His gift to me.
And like your daughter mine is an individual who brings her own uniqueness to this world.
helpdesk:
I love being a mother. I have always loved being a mother. And I like being an aunt to my nieces and nephews. I love family.
As far as I am concerned if I die tomorrow I would want folks to remember me as the best mother there ever was. It certainly is the most important thing I have done and still do.
I agree with you about closeness.
I love that after dinner my daughter and I take walks hand in hand.
I love when we are driving in the car and one of our many special songs come on she starts singing it out loud and clear while placing her hand on mine.
I love cuddling with her when we read together at night.
And you know what I sleep better when she is home.
Even my friends say I LOOK different when my daughter is home.
We are connected in a deeply spiritual way.
How lucky can ya get?
217. AzureNW - July 26, 1999 - 3:37 PM PT
Speaking of being touchy about disabilities, I'll bet
I'm not the only one who has wondered how the Special Olympics decides who is disabled enough to qualify as "Special." Now that they have made such a big international event of it, there must be a clamor for the less than special and people much too special to participate, also. How do they handicap the contests of the handicapped without getting into an insulting categorization scheme?
218. hashke - July 26, 1999 - 4:07 PM PT
Hey, marj, try that post again will ya?
219. AzureNW - July 26, 1999 - 4:09 PM PT
msgreer, you must know that when people talk about the Special Olympics, they wonder how the participants are chosen. I made the mistake of asking my husband how he thought it was done once in private just after another solicitor had called, and you can probably imagine where the speculation went from there. Since you brought the subject up, how would you have answered? You can't really say it's none of our business, since it's a highly public campaign we are being solicited to support.
220. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 4:24 PM PT
AzureNW:
On the state level any person mentally or physically challengecd is welcomed into Special Olympics. There is no such thing as looking for the "less" abled or "moer" abled individual.
On the state level in winter and summer events each participant takes place in heats as in the Olympics. Based on their time in any given event they are put into a level of the sport they want to participate in thus making sure each person in is competing against others with the same skill level. Age is not the issue.
In the World Winter and Summer games each person is picked by the US Special Olympic Committee in Washington, DC. This organization keeps records of every participant in every state in every event.
As in my daughter's case when she went to Austria in 1993 representing the US Special Olympic team in skiing she was picked through a lottery system. She was living and competing in Massachusetts. So many folks are picked for each event. Then the notices go out and long questionnaires follow.
The Committee needs to know the psychological profile of each individual who will be travelling thousands of miles away from their home base... what are their needs? will they understand the rules of the team. I tell you they have very strict rules which must be followed and if a participant breaks a rule they are out whether this happens on the team plane over to the event or during an event.
221. AzureNW - July 26, 1999 - 4:27 PM PT
Thanks, msgreer.
That helps make more sense of a campaign that sounds like a waste of money on politically correct crapola.
222. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 4:30 PM PT
cont.
for obvious reasons they need a full physical history.
In my daughter's case she made the first cut from all the papers which were filled out. Then the next cut and then the final one. All this is lottery cuts. Names in the hat type of thing.
Of course it would be foolish to think the US Committee in DC does not take into account how each individual has done on the state level over the year. Hey, they want to bring home the gold.
It is not that different than the "regular" Olympics when it comes to wanting to win.
Basically you are trying out for the World games everytime you enter a state level event.
Did I answer all your questions?
The most important thing is everyone can participate. There is room for everyone.
And this is all done with volunteers.
223. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 4:34 PM PT
BTW, once my daughter was selected to go to Austria you cannot believe what fantastic experiences she had before getting there.
She was assigned a volunteer ski coach in Massachusetts who helped her learn how to come out of the gate for the event. The coach spent hours and hours and days and days with her.
They prepare these participants likenothing I have ever seen.
She also was flown to Lake Placid for a week of skiing and learning how to live in an Olympic Village. She also met the entire US Skiing Team at that time as they all were there.
And it goes on and on.
God Bless Eunice Shriver.
224. AzureNW - July 26, 1999 - 4:38 PM PT
You're very sweet and patient, msgreer. Thanks for taking time to answer my typically blunt question. I'll give a couple of bucks next time Special Olympics calls in your daughter's honor.
225. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 4:47 PM PT
Azure
That is the nicest thing I could hear.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
226. AzureNW - July 26, 1999 - 5:26 PM PT
msgreer,
I'm just glad you aren't angry with me for asking. I hesitated, then thought, what the heck. I know other people are curious about how contestants for the Special Olympics are qualified, too, and since I'm already generally despised, I can provide an opportunity to address the question with nothing to lose. If it ever comes up again, I'll explain that the entrants are chosen primarily on a lottery basis, and that everyone can participate.
227. msgreer - July 26, 1999 - 5:34 PM PT
Azure
The lottery is on the level of the World Games not on the State level.
There is no lottery on the State level. Anyone can participate.
228. jonesatlaw - July 26, 1999 - 8:15 PM PT
Msgreer- I agree with you wrt "retard". It's an epithet, like many of the hurtful words we use to defame ethnic, religious or national groups. However, I ask your indulgence with the sometimes misguided use of "retarded." I understand that not all persons whose IQ fall within the specified criteria are so because of a developmental disorder. However, their advocates have repeatedly changed the acceptable terminology- "developmentally disordered" "developmentally delayed", "mentally challenged." Not everyone has cause to be as informed as you. Sadly, the new terminology is often as misleading as the old. Terms for "those with IQ's numerically smaller than the bulk of the bell curve" are continuously corrupted. "Wench" was once inoffensive. I am sure that you can think of half a dozen terms for woman or girl which have unplesant connotations or are somehow offensive. Past medical and legal terminology- "moron" "imbecile" "feeble minded" are now offensive but were once as politically and professionally correct as what you propose now. What seems most offensive to me in the example you gave is not speaking to your daughter, but instead to you. I use interpreters in my work on occasion and have learned it is impolite to look at and speak to the interprete and not the person being indirectly addressed. The same thing applies to your daughter.
229. hashke - July 28, 1999 - 8:41 AM PT
A year or so ago while on a hike in the nearby wilderness, I stood on a hill and watched my German shepherd, Lobo, a hundred feet below me, start up four deer and pursue them. They flowed along the sagebrush landscape, with the deer quickly gaining and came at breakneck pace to a barbewire fence. The quartet of deer lifted into the air like porpoises and floated, all together, poised for what seemed like minutes, over the fence. The dog pulled up short. The deer, then running along a bit farther, leapt over a wide and deep arroyo, bouyantly, sailing through the air in slow motion, just as they had glided over the fence, and disappeared into the woods beyond.
230. hashke - July 28, 1999 - 8:59 AM PT
The sight of the gliding, floating deer reminded me that as a kid of fourteen or fifteen I used to routinely run at and jump over barbwire fences. Though I could not do this with the grace and beauty of the deer, I always managed to clear both feet by a sizeable gap.
However, one day I slipped, and a barb slashed a long, deep wound in my left calf. I managed to limp, bleeding, to the nearest help, my aunt Annie, she of the white, bunned hair, the quizzical smile, the gingham dress, the ankle-length white socks, and the sturdy black shoes. She patched me up and fed me a large helping of homemade pie.
231. hashke - July 28, 1999 - 10:18 AM PT
Aunt Annie and Uncle Fred were American Gothic with a sense of humor.
Sheeesh, where is everbuddy? Pak Gurubesar, Irv, marj, Rustler, joezan, tmachine, etc., etc. How about some antidotes!!! The unretold Socko/Irv train story comes to mind.
232. theDiva - July 28, 1999 - 10:26 AM PT
I want to post these reminiscences in honor of a college pal who passed away over the weekend.
Deirdre was my roomie's best friend from high school. At first glance she appeared to be your average Nice Irish Catholic Princess From A Good Family - dark hair, deep blue eyes, dimples, freckles, wholesome smile. But, like my roomie (strawberry blonde NICP), but the adorable exterior concealed a sharp intellect and a sly, wicked wit.
The three of us, plus a few more, went everywhere and did everything together, especially after we graduated, got jobs and partners and real apartments.
On weeknights after work, the pack of us would go to the movies, then take the subway down to Chinatown for dinner at Wo Hop. Afterwards, we'd stroll over to - oh, hell, I can't remember the NAME! - a real old-fashioned NYC diner (complete with blowzy middle-aged waitresses named Peg) on Canal Street for an egg cream. God, were those good. One night I ran out of cigarettes and instead of buying another pack, I decided to get a cigar from the box near the register. Deirdre, not one to shrink from adventure (!), followed suit. Naturally, the men couldn't allow us to do this without getting their own, either. My roomie, ever the sensible one, refrained, bless her heart.
The crew of us walked up Sixth Avenue from Canal, puffing on stogies and philosophizing about life.
There's nothing quite like the feeling of being 22 years old in Manhattan on a warm spring night.
God bless you, Deirdre, I'll miss you. Rest in peace, honey.
233. hashke - July 28, 1999 - 10:47 AM PT
Jeez, Diva, I hope it wasn't the cigar!
234. theDiva - July 28, 1999 - 11:02 AM PT
No. She'd just been sick for a long time, and finally gave in to it, I guess.
She'd been teaching biology at Fordham and working on her doctorate when she had to leave because of health problems.
What a loss.
235. Mazaska - July 28, 1999 - 11:15 AM PT
Diva,
Nice story.
May she rest in peace.
236. theDiva - July 28, 1999 - 11:48 AM PT
Thanks, Maz. This has yet to hit me. When we saw her at my wedding (6 1/2 months ago), she seemed okay physically and was her usual self.
I can't believe it.
237. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 7:40 PM PT
msgreer:
W.r.t. your take on the use of the word "retarded".
When I was 5, my sister - the 5th of 7 children - was born. As an infant she contracted scarlet fever, and ended up with epilepsy and brain damage.
Back then, "retarded" was a very kind word, and for years me and my other brothers and sisters had to pound that word into other kids, who thought it was ok to call our sister monkey girl, mongolian idiot, etc.
So, in our family (including my retarded sister), "retarded" is not taken as an insult (although we do consider calling someone a retard cruel and unnecessary).
Personally, I am often curious when someone is referred to as "mentally challenged". For instance, I was just made aware of a kid who was arrested for criminal sexual conduct. The person who reported the case to me mentioned right off the bat that the kid was "mentally challenged". Well, these days, that can mean just about anything. So I asked (as I always do in such cases), "What do you mean - is he emotionally impaired, ADHD, schizophrenic, reatarded, or what?"
The answer can make all the difference in the kid's treatment.
238. Mazaska - July 28, 1999 - 7:53 PM PT
I have a fiend whose second child was brain damaged due to hospital error in the birth process resulting in oxygen deprivation.
She's a very intelligent lady and waited awhile before getting him tested. her brother is a psychiatrist and he helped her to tell the difference between youthful restlessness and Attention Deficit Disorder. After all, her first child was a girl and she thought maybe boys were just naturally restless. There was also a bit of denial going on there.
Finally, when he couldn't sit through one cartoon, yet would spend 45 minutes pacing back and forth in the kitchen bouncing off opposite counters, plus losing control of his emotions, she took him in.
Obviously, he was diagnosed as ADD, but also there was physical damage to the part of the brain that has to do with emotional control. Sometimes the boy was ok, but it was like there was a line that was passed in which he would lose control. He would be crying and literally unable to stop, the same with laughter, and rage.
what I found interesting was that they didn't just fill him full of drugs, but put him in classes and therapy to actively teach him how to handle what his brain was doing to him. The attitude was, yes, it IS harder for you, but you can do it and here is how...
239. Mazaska - July 28, 1999 - 7:55 PM PT
The last I saw of him, 7 yrs ago, he was 7 yrs old, had been in this program for 2 years, and was doing quite well.
I lost track of the family as we moved in different directions.
(literally)
240. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 8:16 PM PT
Some of the gifts with which my sister has been blessed:
Immediately upon smelling something, she could always identify exactly what it is (provided, of course, she's had some experience with it). We used to test her when we were kids - we'd blindfold her, and put things under her nose. She could even identify salt by its smell.
She has a perpetual calendar in her head. She never forgets a birthday, and can tell you what day of the week any given date will fall on, in any given year. Curiously, this only works in forward - apparently she lacks a reverse gear here.
But her most amazing "trick" has always been this: If one of the family is looking for something, even if she is occupied with something, she always knows what we're looking for, and can usually say where it is.
As was mentioned earlier, this is not at all unusual in the mentally challenged.
241. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 8:18 PM PT
Some of the gifts with which my sister has been blessed:
Immediately upon smelling something, she could always identify exactly what it is (provided, of course, she had some experience with it). We used to test her when we were kids - we'd blindfold her, and put things under her nose. She could even identify salt by its smell.
She has a perpetual calendar in her head. She never forgets a birthday, and can tell you what day of the week any given date will fall on, in any given year. Curiously, this only works in forward - apparently she lacks a reverse gear here.
But her most amazing "trick" has always been this: If one of the family is looking for something, even if she is occupied with something, she always knows what we're looking for, and can usually say where it is.
As was mentioned earlier, this is not at all unusual in the mentally challenged.
242. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 8:19 PM PT
I KNEW that was gonna happen...!!!!
243. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 8:24 PM PT
...but can someone tell me how it is that the edited post showed up BEFORE the unedited post???
244. msgreer - July 28, 1999 - 8:31 PM PT
i am not suppose to be doing any typing as i have learned i have carpel tunnel syndrome. and i am in considerable pain..however..
the word retarded was considered avant guarde 10-15 years ago when enough advocates educated the public and the medical community the words you mentioned did not describe the condition these special folks
lived with. they are not idiots. special folksare quite smart as a matter of fact. and they possess the same feelings you and i do.
so society graduated to retarded.
but even that word is not appropriate and more times than not scares the hell out of most people ie..that retarded guy will come in my home and kill us all with an ax.
i heard this all the time when i was working to get community housing
for the challenged approved by an area outside of miami. this was long ago and it never got approved.
245. msgreer - July 28, 1999 - 8:35 PM PT
cont.
so now it is the '90's and the best compromise the advocates for special folks can get is to have the words mentally challenged accepted.
society does not change easily. society has an idea of what a special needs person is and it scars them.
heck, they look different. their speech may not be easy to understand.
and the list goes on.
for me i wouldn't give up having a special daughter for anything in the world.
she is rich with gifts.
i have to stop. God knows i could write on this subject all night.
it just hurts too much. but i very much enjoy this dialogue.
246. msgreer - July 28, 1999 - 8:37 PM PT
i will now be quiet and enjoy your posts.
247. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 8:37 PM PT
msgreer:
I agree - it's politically incorrect, and I won't use the word if I know someone is offended. But for purposes of clarity (mine, personally - but also professionally), I much prefer it.
248. msgreer - July 28, 1999 - 8:38 PM PT
you prefer which word.. i am confused.
249. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 9:08 PM PT
Um....retarded. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.
And sorry it took a little while to reply. They've been cutting me off, not letting me post until I give them some money.
HaHaHaHAAAAA!!!
250. msgreer - July 28, 1999 - 9:10 PM PT
the same thing happen to me...
they said hey, great love to have you with Slate...
sign up here for subscription.
TECHBOY!
251. joezan - July 28, 1999 - 9:14 PM PT
msgreer:
This is the second time they've tried this on me since March.
I guess ol' Bill G. musta hit a rough spot or something.
Anyways, good nite to you...
252. hashke - July 30, 1999 - 4:54 PM PT
A few days ago I hiked to a high ridge and stood looking out over an eternity of sky and the old landscape of hills and far away mesas. The sky was of an unforgettable richness of turquoise. A hawk started up and glided toward me, coming along the edge of the bluff at the level of my eyes, slipping and tilting in the breeze, no movement of the wings. He passed very closely by me and swam upward in the air to hover, stationary, a foot or so above a pinyon tree. He floated there, held by the headwind. I could clearly see the eye with which he watched us, my dog and me, and I noticed the fluttering of his trailing wing feathers. It was his wilderness and he seemed utterly fearless. He stood there in the air for the longest time and I thought that he would land on one of the branches of the tree. Never have I been so close to a hawk in the sky. I could nearly reach and touch him. Then he moved his wings and lifted himself away and as I watched him I saw above him three ravens, very high, wheeling and playing against the brilliant sky. For an instant all four creatures formed a marvelous geometry there and then the hawk plunged again to the edge of the ridge and slid off and away to merge with the patterns of slopes and stones.
253. AzureNW - July 30, 1999 - 5:06 PM PT
How would you paint a picture of something like that? I'm sure it could be done.
An impression of a birdseye view, particularly a raven's eye view, is something I would like to learn to paint.
254. hashke - July 30, 1999 - 6:59 PM PT
azure:
It would be difficult because of the surrealistic subtlety of the immediate ambiente and the great diffusion of light and space.
I went back out there today with a small hope of seeing the hawk again. He was not there, but a mourning dove sat on a nearby rock, unafraid, for it had not yet had in that remote country a meeting up with the great destroyer, homo fatuus.
255. AzureNW - July 30, 1999 - 8:04 PM PT
hashke -
The surrealistic subtlety of the immediate ambiente and the great diffusion of light and space might make the scene easier to portray if you could abstract the essential qualities of those elements. One picture I'm longing to paint shows the cascading boughs of a fir in a fine Spring drizzle, framed by the open Pacific, from the viewpoint of a raven preparing to dive into the air. I think I can capture all of the action of that scene in two dimentions of contrasting color and shape, to some extent, with some practice.
256. AzureNW - July 30, 1999 - 8:06 PM PT
Anyway, you captured the scene beautifully in words. Thank you!
257. AzureNW - July 30, 1999 - 8:11 PM PT
hashke -
I'm really looking forward to visiting your desert, but I don't want to hurry through it. I want to spend several weeks there. The more I hear you tell of it, the longer I want to stay.
258. hashke - July 30, 1999 - 9:46 PM PT
Thank you, azure. You will never be disappointed in the high desert country.
259. jonesatlaw - July 30, 1999 - 10:16 PM PT
Hashke- You describe a beautiful scene. It sounds like a good omen as well-the hawk looks at you and soars above the ravens. Sounds like you are sending someone beyond decay and destruction- have you inspired someone lately?
260. pellenilsson - July 31, 1999 - 1:09 AM PT
hashke had a nice post a while ago about deer floating over fences in slow motion.
I had a slow-motion experience myself last week when I took the boat to the other shore to collect the mail. My landing at the jetty was less than perfect and I had to stretch out to get a hold. And then it happened, the classical thing. Equilibrium lost, the boat drifts away slowly but inevitably and I end up hanging with hands on jetty, feet in boat and pot belly touching the water.
261. pellenilsson - July 31, 1999 - 1:12 AM PT
hashke
An experience like yours with the hawk is worth a life-time of hiking.
262. ethiopianeunuch - Aug. 1, 1999 - 11:37 PM PT
Ive got over 135 remembrances of unbelievable shows put on by Jerry Garcia and the Dead, The trouble is I can't really remember them. I know it was good though. Anyway, I do remember Jerry lookin down at us at the Keystone, Stone ,Warfield. I read a quote onetime where he said that he would pick out 1 or 2 in the crowd and concentrate ont them the whole show. If they were having a good time it helped him. It is probably just my imagination but I'm sure that he used us on many occasions......
.......................RIP Jerry /happy birthday/
263. hashke - Aug. 3, 1999 - 8:49 AM PT
jonesatlaw, pelle:
Thank you very much for those appreciative remarks!
I agree with pelle's fine observation that such an encounter is worth a lifetime of hiking.
The hawk is a western red-tailed hawk, called 'giní' by the Navajo. The ravens, Corvus, are termed 'gáagii', in emulation of their 'gáa, gáa' croaking. The Jicarilla Apache call them 'gáagee', the San Carlos Apache, 'gaagé', and the Mescalero, 'gaaye'.
264. hashke - Aug. 3, 1999 - 3:23 PM PT
pelle Message #260 :
That's what's known as a 'jetty belly'.
265. hashke - Aug. 3, 1999 - 3:29 PM PT
Les souvenirs sont un cors de chasse
Dont meurt le bruit parmi le vent.
Memories are a hunting horn
Whose sound dies away in the wind.
-- Appolinaire
266. stamper - Aug. 4, 1999 - 8:25 PM PT
this incident happened to me when i was around 12 years old. i got my first shot gun on my 11th birthday, a single shot iver johnson 12 gauge. it was big for me and almost knocked me down when i fired it but i learned to hold it tight to my shoulder so the kick was not so bad. i hunted doves mostly right outside our door in escalon, calif. there was this italian guy who from frisco named george peraso who had been hunting on our farm since i was alittle kid. he would drive all the way from frisco just to hunt doves. the limit was 10 and they aren't big enough to feed more that to or three even if you got a whole limit.
peraso would pull into the yard around 4 in the morning and when i heard his car i would bolt out of bed to hunt with him. before i got my gun i would just be his bird dog. he would shoot the dove and i would fetch it. if if was just wounded i would break its neck and carry it back to him. him and me got along good. late in the day he would let me shoot his gun which was a big thrill.
one time after i got my gun we was hunting on the side of this hill where there was a gravel pit. doves liked to come to the gravel pit to get gits of rock that went into their craw and helped grind the grain they ate. we would sit on the side of the hill above the gravel pit and pick them off as they flew in. one time i had one right in my sights and was about to pull the triger when at the bottom of the hill this guy jumped up and hollored don't shoot. i jerked upward and fired, missing the dove but dropping to dude at the bottom of the hill. he didn't have no permission to be on our property and i had no idea he was there but when i saw him drop to the ground i felt awful. i thiought sure i had killed him. of course, he was a 100 yards or more away and if you know anything about shotguns shooting number 9 shot you ain't going to kill some guy more than a 100 away. i threw the gun to the ground and ran dowen the hill. the dude had some pellets in his
267. stamper - Aug. 4, 1999 - 8:27 PM PT
face but he waqs o.k. peraso wanted to get him into town to a doc. but that old farmer would not hear of it. i said i would never hunt again but i got over it and have managed never to shoot a guy again. i almost got shot but that is another story.
268. uzmakk - Aug. 6, 1999 - 12:53 PM PT
Message #252 Hashke:
Beautiful writing. Beautiful experience.
269. uzmakk - Aug. 6, 1999 - 1:03 PM PT
Very interesting , Stamper. The Pennsylvania Legislature has just outlawed pigeon shoots. What do you think of that?
270. stamper - Aug. 6, 1999 - 4:25 PM PT
uzmakk
well i never hunted anything east of colorado so what those folks do back in pennsylvania is up to them and i rightly see where i have much right to an opinion about stuff i don't know anything about. lots of people raise pidgeons, some for fun and some to eat. i imagine either way is o.k. what's your take on it?
271. uzmakk - Aug. 6, 1999 - 6:38 PM PT
In a little country town not far from where I live they have a yearly pigeon shoot which is essentially a pigeon slaughter. These birds are released and shot, necks broken, etc , etc. Apparently the legislature thought that the practice was too barbaric. Thing is that the people who partake like it and who the hell cares if a bunch of pigeons are shot. I care little one way or the other, except that the government has decided that a bunch of country boys can't have a little fun. Bang. Bang. Anyhow, this pigeon shoot business will soon be a remembrance of things past as it will soon be illegal.
272. hashke - Aug. 7, 1999 - 9:05 AM PT
Uzmakk:
Thanks much! I appreciate your appreciation!
273. uzmakk - Aug. 8, 1999 - 5:46 AM PT
When I consider the suffering of a box of pigeons on a sunny afternoon in the middle of the summer to the suffering of people who work in the poultry factories of America I have to laugh at yet another great accomplishment of the PAState Legislature. Local talk show and peta crowed for a day or two over this great victory. Did that flag desecration thingy pass?
274. hashke - Aug. 9, 1999 - 1:35 PM PT
My wife and I were driving down the highway one day when a plane appeared over a nearby mesa and suddenly headed downward into nearby rough country. We sped off toward it on a dirt back road in time to see a cloud of dust up among some rolling hills. We, and a state trouper, were the first on the crash scene. The aircraft had missed the upsloping road entirely and had ended on its back in the brush. There was no fire.
The upsidedown pilot, tightly pinned in, was conscious but badly injured. His cargo was a collection of crates carrying 106 puppies. Six dogs were killed outright. The trouper radioed for an ambulance and we tried to console the blubbering pilot until help arrived. We did not dare try to pull him out of the wreckage because of possible back injuries.
The upshot of the story is that he had decided not to land in town for fuel and had simply run out. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and remained there for eight months with various bone fractures and severe internal injuries. My own flight-physical doc told me that he had then somehow managed to leave the hospital without paying his bill and had disappeared, owing the hospital a great deal of money.
The surviving dogs had long ago been shipped on to their original destination.
275. uzmakk - Aug. 9, 1999 - 1:52 PM PT
So there I was reading Ferlinghetti's "Underwear" with a pair of women's panties on my head at the GrapeSwine Coffee House in Montreal. Read well, I thought, the audience looked enthralled, but for a rough-talking lesbian hick bitch from out west who had had a few too many and decided to heckle me. The poem flowed in to meet the moment -- I turned to her without a break in cadence, fixed her in my gaze and continued with voice raised, "If I were you I would keep an oversized pair of winter underwear on hand, etc.(I don't recall the rest of the line, but it was too perfect.) She withered. I finished the poem to great applause. Truly, a poetic moment. Truly, poetic justice.
276. allaneq - Aug. 9, 1999 - 5:13 PM PT
Existing Fraygrants;
We would like to invite you to try the new Fray, currently available in beta here. You should notice some significant changes, and we encourage you to read the FAQ available in the Fray Beta thread, if you have any questions. Over the long-term, Slate is working to provide a way let our readers provide feedback to the editors, and to build more of a sense of community among our readers. We hope that the newly redesigned Fray is a step in that direction.
You'll notice that the new Fray is structured around Slate itself, with a thread per department. After the beta is complete, you will be able to easily post feedback to an article, using a simple link at the bottom of each page. As the reader comment is added to each department's thread, we will select the best posts from each thread in the Fray and posting links to them at the bottom of the article itself, for other Slate readers to peruse and comment on. We have also made a Tech Support thread available here, and during the beta test, you can post your comments, complaints, or bug reports in our beta test thread, available here. Take a look around, test the waters, and let us know what you think.
Thanks,
Wes Miller
Program Manager
Slate Magazine
277. jonesatlaw - Aug. 10, 1999 - 1:35 PM PT
Remembrance of Things Past- The Fray, a rough and tumble forum for people who thought about greater ideas, who cared enough about them to discuss them, who were brave enough to disagree with each other and/or popular opinion, and were capable of expressing themselves in written English. A dying breed....
278. hashke - Aug. 10, 1999 - 4:27 PM PT
Well said, jonesatlaw.
In #274 -- 'state *trooper*. Sheeesh.
279. AzureNW - Aug. 10, 1999 - 4:55 PM PT
I remember the time I got trapped between trusting two friends in the Fray, one telling me the other had taken advantage of my confidence. I pulled free of the trap with such unbelievable violence that it left me torn and left everyone who witnessed it stunned. It was a spellbinding self-revelation.
280. Fraaank9 - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:42 AM PT
Lets see...
( Fray related ? )
Having a certain Fraygrant ask me to e-mail her, and subsequently getting to know her quite well as one absolutely beautiful person, this in spite of our philosophical differences on a couple of fronts ... what a beautiful person!
( Non-fray related ?)
During the last month ( May) of what should have been my last year in college,I found myself walking across campus one day to meet with a prof about an extension on a paper I owed him. As I made my way across campus,I couldn't help noticing the familiar faces of several professors I knew as well as some well known campus activists huddled around a bench listening to a young woman engaged with the president of the campus in a discussion which was barely audible.The long faces of those around this young woman and the school president suggested to me that something serious had taken place or was coming down soon. I asked an obvious distraught professor who I knew that was standing nearby what was going on, and he told me that their department was being gutted with his job and those of his peers facing possible extinction.
( Continued )
281. Fraaank9 - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:45 AM PT
The discussion ended and the crowd of 40 or so students, professors and student aides eventually dispersed with a few mingling around in what seemed to be a collective state of shock. The young baby faced woman who had just had the courage to take the school president on this issue, was obviously still bothered by what the president had told her appeared dazed and confused. Around that point, another male student, upset about what he was just told about the class and department cuts, shouted, " Well I'm not leaving here until I get my classes back!". At that point, this young woman broke out of her daze and immediately joined in with, " I'm not either.Who else will join us here tonight to fight the class cuts ?!" She turned to another young woman nearby ( I didn't know it was her roommate at the time. I would find all this out later.) and told her to go home and get her sleeping bag. About this same time, I had been talking with others that were still there and I found out through them that some of my favorite professors were about to be given their pinkslips.I didn't give it a second thought as I quickly jumped at the chance to join in.
( Continued )
282. Fraaank9 - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:50 AM PT
( Continued )
That first night four students, including myself, found ourselves sleeping under the foyer of the administration building to protest this ugly event that was coming down in a matter of weeks. It was the first of what would eventually become a 174 day stay outside the main library ( I caught pneumonia at one point,so my stay was only about 140 days ).The group eventually topped off at about 30 before contracting eventually to a core of about 8 to 10 students, although thousands of students came by each day to bring us food,money or just an encouraging thumbs up.
The school president's reasons for implementing all these proposed cuts had its origins at the state capitol where the governor's forthcoming budget had less money being allocated toward higher education than the previous year. The governor at the time it seemed felt that schools should take a backseat to prison funding as more was being funneled into that area. The school president's response to all this budget cutting, and his eventual approach to it was one of "deep and narrow" cuts that he claimed would keep the university afloat. We obviously didn't agree and felt there had to be another way, including having our sports teams relinquishing their Division 1A status to 1AA, which would require less money to run and put money back into the classes.
( Continued )
Will this thing post this time ?
283. Fraaank9 - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:54 AM PT
( Continued )
Needless to say, the stakes we were playing for were quite high. Some 2300 classes were facing the chopping block in most of the school's curriculums with 120 tenured professors scheduled to be laid off along with countless other aides. The hardest hit were such departments as African-American, Chicano, English, French, and Aerospace along with many remedial classes that the school offered ( The Business classes were spared by the way ). The biggest surprise on the chopping block was the complete removal of the Anthropology department -- What kind of university does not have an Anthropology department ?
I won't get too specific about that summer except to say that all of us in the group paid a price in one form or another, but it was all well worth it, because in the end, our little ragtag group of students had won.
All those sleepless nights sleeping on concrete dodging skunks, trying to read in dim light, waking up at 5:30 to the sound of leaf blowers and garbage trucks, passing out flyers about our next rally, hassles and arrests by the administration and school police, speaking to classes about what was going on and how they could make a difference, organizing trips to the state capitol to talk to legislators, challenging the Mickey Mouse AS to help us with funding our cause, TV and radio appearances, writing editorials to the school and city paper and who knows what else I left off, was all well worth it despite the fact that it won't ever show up on our diplomas ( I don't know if I really want it there come to think of it ). The class cuts were restored and professor layoffs were eventually rescinded as the president and administration caved in.I believe our story made NPR as well as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times if my memory serves me correctly.
(Continued)
284. Fraaank9 - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:58 AM PT
(Continued)
We also had a lot of fun on many of those nights like the time some in our group decided to break in and go skinny-dipping in the school's olympic sized pool, and then there was the time that ... oh nevermind about that one. This is an experience I think about every day because, well, we did it.We won.
It was indeed a great honor to have been part of such a movement which prevented the loss of so many classes and tenured positions in the faculty. I am proud of all of those who made it possible and consider most of them close friends.
Well,there is my truncated version of an experience I'll never forget.
(I hope this damn thing posts and that's it !)
285. uzmakk - Aug. 12, 1999 - 11:44 AM PT
Here's a quick boating story that I promised Aldavis and Pelle when I was in the Playpen this morning.
So, I was still in highschool and had a 2 seater kyack that I had built and a couple of friends who were always ready for an adventure. It was a balmy day in Early Spring, temperature was way above average. So I call my friend and say, "how's about we take the kyack from Nyack across the Hudson and back" . Cool says my friend. For anyone familiar with the area, we are talking about crossing the Hudson at the Tappan Zee bridge.
To make a long story short, we took a leisurely paddle across the river, in and out under the bridge. The sun was getting low, and we decided to turn back and make a quick paddle for Nyack. SURPRIZE. The ice, and there was plenty of it still it the river, had moved in behind us and our way was barred, the ice along the eastern shore we had seen, it was thick and impassable, and the ice behind us was getting thicker and the sun was setting.
We are talking big chuncks of ice, many as big as Bill Gates living room. I was in the bow and used my double bladed paddle to push off from any ice that got near us. I don't know exactly how to explain this, but the ice was closing in, there wasn't enough room for a boat 36 inches wide to get between the chunks, and a band of this stuff, like the asteroid belt, blocked our way. The chucks would sumerge, pop up, submerge, pop up. Had we capsized not only would we have frozen, but we surely would have been crushed by the ice. Anyway, we made it. Just another close brush with death for Uzmakk of the Steppe.
286. Jenerator - Aug. 12, 1999 - 11:52 AM PT
Uzmakk,
You're a stud.
287. uzmakk - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:23 PM PT
ooooooooowah, that means quite a bit coming from you, Jenerator.
288. Jenerator - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:25 PM PT
Good, because I don't say it lightly!
289. hashke - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:54 PM PT
Good story uzmakk.
What kind of a concoction would crushed, frozen uzmakk be?
290. Jenerator - Aug. 12, 1999 - 12:58 PM PT
A human snowcone?
291. uzmakk - Aug. 12, 1999 - 2:40 PM PT
A Steppe Slurpee?
292. Aldavis - Aug. 12, 1999 - 10:40 PM PT
uzmakk
Great story. Mother Nature is a hard task misstress.
I had been fishing all week with a couple of friends so this day we decided to rest up and bag fishing. My crab pots were still out behi9ng the south jetty so I took my sons Grady White, a very fast 25' boat, out to pick up the pots.
Half way out the mouth of the Columbia I noticed a boat over by bouy 10 where it should not have been since fishing was closed in that location. We went over to take a look. You just don't ignore a boat that might be in trouble.
(cont.)
293. Aldavis - Aug. 12, 1999 - 10:53 PM PT
Sure enough, this boat had lost power and was drifting out to sea with about a hard running 5 knot tide. I asked if they had called the Coast Guard and they said they had but had gotten no response. I told them to put on their life jackets and I would tow them back to the harbour. They had no life jackets. Since there were two men on the boat, I threw them two jackets. Then I threw them a rope to tie to the bow so I could tow them back. They failed to put the jackets on, and as one guy was securing the rope, he fell in the river. If I had not been in the Grady, a very quick boat, I don't think I could have gotten to the guy, who by now was swimming for all he was worth but quickly going out to sea. My buddy made a perfect throw with our life ring and we got him on board. By then the Coast Guard had arrived, called by other boats in the area. The truth was that these guys had no radio, no anchor, no life jackets, no tow ropes.
The Coast Guard took control of the boat and we headed back to Ilwaco. When I learned the guy was a Democrat, I was tempted to throw him back.
294. pellenilsson - Aug. 13, 1999 - 2:06 AM PT
Nice stories, uzmakk and Al!
295. verdeazul - Aug. 13, 1999 - 6:14 AM PT
This nonsense ditty from the deep
past has been bangin' around my cranium
for days now:
One bright day in the
middle of the night,
Two dead boys got
up to fight.
Side by side they
faced together, drew
Their swords and
shot each other.
(A deaf policeman heard the noise,
so came and shot the two
dead boys).
verdada~
296. arkymalarky - Aug. 13, 1999 - 6:17 AM PT
If you don't belive this lie is true,
Ask the blind man. He saw it too.
Hi Verde! I'm so glad to "see" you here.
297. uzmakk - Aug. 13, 1999 - 9:30 AM PT
This was posted by Pellenilsson via Wittgenstein I believe--
I was expecting a surprise when I got home from work today. There was none. I was surprized.
298. BoomerJeff - Aug. 13, 1999 - 2:23 PM PT
My remembrance is the time I met Ronald Reagan. It was 1964 and I was staffing a Goldwater for President office at Wilshire and Barrington in West Los Angeles. I was 18 then and the voting age was 21.
Mr. Reagan came in for a meeting and introduced himself, and asked my name. He asked me why I was a Goldwater supporter and he listened quietly and respectfully to my answers. He thanked me for the time I was giving the campaign, complemented me on my understanding of politics, and said he was encouraged by the number of young people who were "gung-ho for Goldwater".
He then invited me to sit in on the meeting, which turned out to be a pretty high-level strategy meeting of the top officials in the California Goldwater campaign. This was a huge privilege for a teenage volunteer.
My admiration of RR is limitless. As far as I'm concerned we can thank him for his efforts in properly positioning government to permit the current prosperity. Without him we would likely still be mired in the "stagflation" of the 70s. He was instrumental in finally ending the cold war. Without his influence we might still be looking at a Berlin wall and a dominating Soviet Union.
I only hope another leader of his caliber emerges soon. I think Steve Forbes could be that leader. Too bad I've never met him!
299. hashke - Aug. 13, 1999 - 2:27 PM PT
Even as a young boy I loved to hike the hills and ranges of northern New Mexico. Nothing in my thinking is so informed by this land as the dazzling infinities of light and space, the vast spans of remote and unbroken distance. The sky here, alive and luminous, spills out over
the planes and slopes of the earth. There are sudden, unexpected essences in these landscapes that agitate as well as hush the mind, and I still see them through the eyes of a boy.
One day at early light as I was walking through the back reaches of sagebrush and juniper I heard a far away singing. I stopped and held my breath. I sensed that it was coming closer. It was a Navajo chant, sung joyously and with great vigor. How entrancing it was to hear that song in the wilderness on an early summer morning! The singer was at a distance and I could not yet see him. I felt that should he see me he would stop singing. An encounter would break the spell, so I turned off course and climbed a nearby hill where I waited out of sight. Then there he came, an old Navajo, strolling on the peneplain below the hill where I stood.
He wore a dark shirt. His white breeches were slit at the bottoms, his moccasins were of buckskin. His hair, pulled back, was bundled and tied with white string. There was a lean toughness about him, and he was singing at the top of his lungs as he swung along through the brush. He sang the ancient song in falsetto, as would the chanters among his ancestors have sung it. Here was a primal mysteriousness that struck deep into all spheres of instinct. It seemed to me that the totality of this limitless, fragrant land belonged only to him, that the qualities of this wilderness kept to him exclusively.
As he went against the low sun, he was tinged with orange and red light. He continued on his way, his song trailing him until he went out of sight and the chant itself faded and was lost among the sounds of the dawn wind.
300. pellenilsson - Aug. 13, 1999 - 3:24 PM PT
hashke
Your reminiscenses (sp?) of your hikes are really prose poems,
301. BoomerJeff - Aug. 13, 1999 - 3:46 PM PT
I remember that first summer romance while staying with friends who had rented a summer house.
To be 16, strolling barefoot on the streets of Balboa Island on a July evening, with HER, surrounded by the sweet lyrics of the beach boys blaring from all the car radios, singing directly to US about OUR lives... well, it just didn't get any better.
302. BoomerJeff - Aug. 13, 1999 - 4:06 PM PT
On the other hand, the summer stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, US Army Burn Center caring for vietnam burn victims.
Hellish mental images of scorched and blistered men suffering unspeakable pain and misery never go away for more than a day or two. One can only imagine, reluctantly, the even more agonizing memories of those who were in combat.
303. hashke - Aug. 13, 1999 - 8:59 PM PT
pelle:
Thank you! It is very difficult to adequately describe such experiences. Very elusive stuff.
Years later I camped out with the writer N. Scott Momaday in a remote, incredibly beautiful area of Monument Valley. We saw one morning through a large aperture in a sandstone rock a couple of Navajos riding horseback and singing. They were far away but we could hear them. In an essay Momaday describes the experience: "They were singing a riding song, and the song rose up to us with the clarity of a bell. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew then and there that the essential things of the world and the universe are in place, *in place*. They are fixed forever in their names."
In another essay he says of such sacred places that this is where "...you touch the pulse of the living planet; you feel its breath upon you."
Scott Momaday has the gift.
Btw, pelle, are you going to publish your history of Sweden in a volume, or series of volumes? Please keep us informed of that fascinating project.
304. AzureNW - Aug. 13, 1999 - 9:23 PM PT
"Years later I camped out with the writer N. Scott Momaday in a remote, incredibly beautiful area of Monument Valley."
hashke,
305. AzureNW - Aug. 13, 1999 - 9:27 PM PT
Tell me what he might tell me to read.
306. AzureNW - Aug. 13, 1999 - 9:35 PM PT
Please don't leave without telling me.
307. verdeazul - Aug. 13, 1999 - 10:32 PM PT
hashke...
You have the gift as well.
v~
308. arkymalarky - Aug. 13, 1999 - 10:52 PM PT
I love this thread. I'm glad it's going to be archived.
And Hashke, I agree with what others have said about your posts. The imagery in them is vivid and beautiful.
309. verdeazul - Aug. 14, 1999 - 1:10 AM PT
Ahh, arky...
If I were only 20 years younger...
Why, I'd be a hairier, healthier, feistier old
geezer (some of us be blessed with
'geezerness' at birth: a combination fully
functional bullshit detector/sense of humor is
already in place. As infants, we're the ones
who smile, chuckle and drool all the time).
I thought you would like to know
that my daughter won a substantial
scholarship to the Hastings College of Law
in San Francisco. She interned in the State
Public Defenders Office in Sacramento for
two summers while getting her under -
graduate degree. Classes start in about
2 1/2 weeks. She is excited.
Thank you for all your kindnesses.
azulio~
310. arkymalarky - Aug. 14, 1999 - 6:05 AM PT
Thank you, Verde! When I first came here your posts were among the first I noticed. I always loved to see your id pop up in an unexpected thread like politics, because I knew your post would provide a unique way of seeing some topic that had be beaten to death and would be put in the one-of-a-kind Verde™ way. I can still picture your beautiful art from Irv's old page. I hope you'll let him display it again.
Congratulations to your daughter! I well remember her wonderful poetry. My own daughter is much younger, and your daughter's accomplishments are a great example of realized potential that I hope for mine someday.
Take care, Verde. I hope to meet up with you elsewhere in cyberspace, and I'll bet whatever cybername you go by, I'll know you.~