On Birthdays

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was the best one yet -- cards from family and friends, singing phone calls from friends, greetings from my children, friends on Facebook, Internet greetings, taken to lunch, gifts and a birthday dinner at home with my son and his family. And it isn't over. In Pittsburgh tonight, I will be with my daughter and her family and we will go to dinner. It is almost overwhelming.

As I was dressing to go to lunch, I thought about my parents. I was an only child. Mother said that they had hoped for more children; I was every one of their hopes rolled up into one. They lavished positive energy upon me and gave me a lot of love, common sense and values.

We lived together for 21 years, a long time, really -- and yet, in the scheme of things, not very long, really.

In my heart, I carry my parents with me each day, wherever I go. Yesterday, on my birthday, I wore Dad's watch.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

~ Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher (600BC-531BC)

The First Chapter Continues

The first chapter of my third book continues to get larger, having passed 11,000 words or about 40 book pages. I am finally past the toughest slogging and have the end of the chapter in sight -- a dramatic moment when the Council of Women throw out the old leader and install a new one, the main character's father.

The final straw for the council came when the former chief took his guards on a ceremonial junket and while they were away, the village was raided and five young women were taken captive, not to be found again.

"An author should ...
12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it.
13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.
14. Eschew surplusage.
15. Not omit necessary details.
16. Avoid slovenliness of form.
17. Use good grammar.
18. Employ a simple, straightforward style."
~ from "The Literary Offenses of James Fenimore Cooper"
by Mark Twain

A Day of Music

Yesterday, Joan and I were up early for a rehearsal at 8:45 am. She was accompanying three men's four-part pieces and I was one of the seven singers. Two of the three selections were difficult but beautiful; the third piece was a Canon or round, in four divisions. The church was in 1723 stone barn, converted to a sanctuary. The service lasted until 11:15.

Then we were off to a three hour rehearsal with a Lutheran Church Choir, filled with 80 energetic singers. The rehearsal is for a Christmas concert on the afternoon of December 6.

Throughout the day, I was reminded of the debate in the early days of the Reformation about the best way to present church music -- either as Unison singing or singing in parts.

John Calvin was against singing in parts, which he thought distracted from the words. The best vehicle for a text, he thought, were many voices - male and female -- singing as one.

Others who had thoughts on the matter -- such as Martin Luther -- encouraged singing in parts, believing that the beauty of voices in harmony, emphasized the meaning of the words.

The debate went on for over 200 years. John Wesley, who with his brother Charles Wesley, founded the Methodist Church, was a proponent of Unison singing -- that is until he heard Handel's "Messiah" performed in London in 1742, with the composer conducting. After that, he thought that "fugueing" was acceptable.

Joan and I were exhausted when we finally returned home at 5:00, collapsing on our accepting couch and love seat for the remaining football games. Running through our heads from nine hours earlier, though, were the strong strains of "Contate Hodie," meaning "sing today." And Joan was still complaining about having to play the piano accompaniment in four sharps (the complaining started two weeks earlier and will continue on into the new week) although she handled it beautifully. Sleep was close at hand.

An English singer (named, Gordon) complained of Handel's method of accompanying during the Messiah. If Handel persisted in accompanying him in this manner, the noted singer threatened to jump on Handel's harpsichord and smash it to pieces. Handel is said to have replied:
"Oh! Let me know when you will do that, and I will advertise it.
For I am sure more people will come to see you jump, than to hear you sing."

On a rainy, chilly Autumn day

The sky today on the East Coast is overcast, producing a darkness in the house that a lamp brightens. Rain is falling lightly outside, knocking down some leaves whose time has come to fall. The clock ticks loudly on the wall as my wife rehearses on the piano.

Dear reader, I give you today some thoughts about rain and Autumn:

A wind has blown the rain
away and blown the sky
away and all the leaves
away, and the trees stand.
I think,
I
too, have known autumn too
long.

~E. E. Cummins

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

~ Emily Dickinson
Nature XXVII, Autumn.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

~Robert Frost
Nothing Gold Can Stay.

Autumn wins you best by this, its mute
Appeal to sympathy for its decay.

~Robert Browning

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall.

~Johnny Mercer.
Originally a French song "Les Feuilles Mortes"
with lyrics by poet Jacques Prevért.

The Chinese Restaurant

I have a favorite Chinese Restaurant that I visit for lunch about once a week. Yesterday, while sitting in their nicely decorated space, I was struck by the contradictions of the lunch.

Although it was a Chinese Restaurant, I was there to have Japanese Sashimi; my waitress, a pleasant college-aged young woman, was neither Chinese or Japanese -- she was from the Philippines. And, the music playing in the background, was a "smooth jazz" saxophone slurring "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." By the time I had finished my last morsel of pickled ginger, Frank Sinatra was kickin "New York, New York."

Aaaah, my Fortune Cookie -- half vanilla and half chocolate. It read, "The world will always welcome talent with open arms." Perfect...but vague.

You can only go halfway into the darkest forest; then you are coming out the other side
~ Chinese Proverb

Fearing the "Plot Dump"

Even though my days seem full and the yard work that needs to be done is embarrassingly large, I still have found time to write a page of my third novel, pretty much every day. Much of what I am doing is "exposition" -- setting up characters or situations in the plot for later resolution and/or action.

Because this first chapter seems so long, I fear that I am guilty of a "plot dump," although I am hoping that it is really an "info dump," which is a less sneering appraisal. Here is an example of character dialogue one should avoid:

Joe: Who's at the door?

Mary: Oh, it's my uncle, who was released from prison yesterday after serving ten years for stealing the family jewels from this very house, although the jewels themselves have never been found and are rumored to be buried in a secret chamber guarded by the ghost of my late grandmother.*
* quoted from "the Free Dictionary by Farlex"

I have not re-read my writing so far, but ... could be. Let's hope for info dumping, instead of the above.

Over 10,000 words and counting.

Sippenhaft

Last evening, I watched "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise. Although I was aware of this unsuccessful 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler -- headed by a Nazi military officer, Count Claus von Stauffenburg -- I wanted to see the dramatization of it to understand more about it, and also because I generally like Tom Cruise movies.

Count von Stauffenburg's plot was foiled and he was executed along with others involved in the event. I then wanted to know about the Count's wife, Nina Schenk Grafin von Stauffenburg, and what happened to her, after her husband's anti-Nazi treachery. They had four children when he was executed and his wife, Nina was pregnant with their fifth child, born after his death.
As the result of Count von Stauffenburg's failed attempt, his wife and family were subjected to "Sippenhaft." I didn't know this word, but it didn't sound good.

Sippenhaft means "bad blood" and/or "kin liability." It is an ancient concept that many other countries developed and used before the Nazis incorporated the practice into their laws. It is among the ways that the Nazis kept discipline in their country during the war, because if you were convicted of some heinous act -- treason, cowardice, espionage -- you could cause your family to be severely punished also, as a way of eliminating the "bad blood" in the perpetrator's lineage -- and the "bad blood" in future generations.

The rule of Sippenhaft exposed your family and extended family to horrible punishment -- perhaps even death -- as the result of your act. Count von Stauffenburg's wife, Nina, was arrested and imprisoned; her children were taken from her as the result of the Count's attempt on Hitler's life. Later, after the war, Nina was reunited with her children.

Nina von Stauffenburg never remarried and lived to the age of 92, passing away in 2006.



Nina Schenk and Claus von Stauffenburg in 1933. They were married two months after this picture was taken.

Today's Page of the Third Book

As the sun is shining but it is raining, I managed to write a page+ today. I am still on the first chapter -- 9,000 words, probably 30 book pages. I have used 6 Fleurons so far to indicate a passage of time. I'll reconsider this as a chapter when I re-read it, but for now, I am going on.

For your amusement, here is a part of what I wrote today -- totally out of context. It is a partial recounting of a Native American Flood Story:

One morning as Eagle and Crow awakened with the rising sun, they were surprised to find a Turtle swimming around their stump. With interest, Eagle and Crow watched as the Turtle disappeared under the water, out of sight, and then popped back up on the surface with a fish in his beak. Chewing and waving his head back and forth, the Turtle enjoyed his catch. The Turtle went down again. This time, when he returned, the Turtle had a fish AND mud in his mouth. Crow and Eagle looked at each other excitedly.

“Can we get Turtle to bring us dirt so that we can build land? How can we get Turtle to understand what we need him to do?”

Eagle had an idea which he explained to Crow. “Let us catch fish and give it to Turtle and when he understands maybe he will bring us mud for our land in exchange."

Over and over the two birds caught fish and laid it on the stump for Turtle. After time, Turtle began taking the fish, but still fished for himself. Sometimes when Turtle came to the surface, he had mud on him. Eagle with his long wings would scrape the mud off Turtle and place it on the stump. Through many attempts, Turtle finally understood that he could bring them mud and they would give him fish in return.

It was a long process, but they had nothing else to do, no place to go. Gradually, Crow had a pile of mud on his side of the stump and Eagle had a similar sized pile of mud on his side of the stump.

Turtle was a hard worker, keeping Crow and Eagle busy bringing fish to their side of the stump for Turtle, who seemed to be always hungry for more fish. Crow and Eagle shared the burden of feeding Turtle equally and each took their fair share of mud from Turtle, building more and more land beside their stump.

To stretch their wings and to satisfy their curiosity, Eagle and Crow would sometimes fly out over the water to search for any signs of land. Nothing had changed, but they knew their mud piles were growing and that over time they would each have built a new world. “We will share our world, equally,” they agreed.

At their stump, their mud piles were growing everyday. Turtle was tireless in his muddy work and also tireless in his hunger for fish. One morning Eagle and Crow noticed a slight change in the waterline on their stump; the water was going down.

“The flood must be ending,” Eagle said excitedly and off he flew to survey the effects of the lowering waters.

Since we no longer have flooded earth, Eagle and Crow must have succeeded -- but not without conflict. I hope you have enjoyed this unedited snippet.

Where are the Jobs?

In 1983, I was functioning as Vice President of Broadcasting Operations at Warner-Amex Cable in Pittsburgh. It was the first interactive cable system built in a major city. Our cable engineers laid the most sophisticated two-way and fibre optic cable at the time; I could see instant ratings on channels because our system touched the set-top boxes every ten seconds. It was the cat's meow of cable then.

When we started building the plant in 1980, Warner and American Express in a joint venture borrowed $100 million dollars at the prevailing rate of interest at the time -- 18%. When Joan and I bought a house in Peters Township outside Pittsburgh, our interest rate was 16.5% Of my monthly check as VP, 42% went to the mortgage. Not a good arrangement.

In 1983, Warner-Amex sold the Pittsburgh Cable System to TCI and John Malone. While we were meeting our subscriber goals, we could not make enough money to survive and the 18% interest rate was at the heart of the problem.

As part of the sale agreement, TCI renegotiated the cable contract with the city and got rid of many onerous, but unprofitable provisions of the contract; much of the work and the work of my department was taken to a centralized office in Denver, and all of were terminated. For the first time in my life, I had no job!

I found myself standing in a line in Washington PA, seeking unemployment benefits. The line was long and very slow as each man or woman who sat down with a counselor had their life story to tell, or had to explain how their job search was going or what their options were when the unemployment compensation ran out.

It was depressing and scary to stand in that line. How many weeks would I have to come back here? How much time would I have to commit? (I had already been standing there for over an hour.) My successful self-image was shot down by standing in that line. So, I got out of line; I could not take the cross-currents of guilt and fear and failure that were washing over me.

I did find work, thanks to my friend, John Mullin, who hired me -- but I have never forgotten the feeling and the fear I felt while standing in that line.

Today, millions of our citizens are standing in that same unemployment line, each day, each week. Earlier this year, our Congress and our President, acting in our behalf, passed a "Stimulus Package" to fund shovel-ready projects and get people back to work.

In this era of having to do things so quickly that legislators haven't time to read what it is they are voting on, I ask -- where are the jobs? Why hasn't it been a priority to get the money flowing into the economy to fund small business opportunities and large projects?

Where are the jobs? Not ones that have been saved. New Jobs. Where are they? 9.8% of our citizens are unemployed. That is roughly 16,000,000 adults. What is the hold-up with getting the money to the projects? Where are the Jobs?

One Page a Day

So far, I have been faithful to my goal of one page a day on my new novel. Today may be the first break, however, as my son and Grand Son are coming over for Dinner.

My son loves a good steak so I will be preparing pan seared, oven-finished Filet Mignon. My Grand Son, at age five, is a picky and difficult eater, but I know he likes French Fries and Applesauce -- favorites for Jason. A Garden Salad will also be offered. Oh, and for the toast -- Sparkling Apple Cider.

I believe in ceremony and tradition; they bind people together and create memories which can be carried around for a long time -- even for generations. I am hoping that Grand Son Jason remembers dinners at Grammy Joan and Grampy Ron's house.

I know that he looks forward to coming over here, but I am pretty sure his motive is ... Ice Cream (no sugar added) with sprinkles, which will be dessert. Now, that's his idea of a tradition!

“Science and technology revolutionize our lives,

but memory and tradition frame our response"

~ Arthur Schlesinger, Jr

Hymns and their Stories

For the past 12 years, Joan and I have been presenting programs for churches and like organizations based on hymns and the stories behind them. This has been an interesting avocation -- and a joyful one -- since I am a singer and Joan is a talented pianist; additionally, hymns is an extension of my interest in history, which was my undergraduate degree.

Together, we have presented at over 110 churches and locations, ranging from the beaches of New Jerseys Shore to my birthplace, Scioto County Ohio. We have worked in auditoria, Sanctuaries, basements, and one of our favorite locations, a 1723 Barn turned Church.

Some churches want us to replace the sermon on Sunday, so we will present five hymns and stories; others want us to fill the whole morning service with music of the season, so we will present eight hymns. Organizations ask us to be their Holiday entertainment with a spiritual flavor and ask for a 45 minute program -- leaving time for Saint Nicholas' appearance.

Our busiest times of the year are Lent and Advent/Christmas. For the month of December this year, we have four bookings, calling for three different formats; one program will be repeated. I have begun working on these programs because of the lead time for us to rehearse and for me to organize and write the program into some sort of flow or theme, which is delightfully complicated by being invited back to a place and therefore not repeating what we did the last time we were there.

Among my favorite hymns of the season is "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day." The text was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863 during the darkest part of the Civil War. Longfellow was the premier American poet of the 19th Century. The words that he strung together had a rhythm and a beat and a resonance that made them memorable:

"Listen My Children and You Shall Hear
of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”

or

"By the Shores of Gitche Gumee,
by the shining Big-Sea Waters"

or

“ Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree
the Village Smithy Stands”

The year of 1863 had been a terrible year for Longfellow. His son, who had been in he war, was living now at home, recovering (but he never did) from a paralyzing wound. And in the summer of the year, Longfellow lost his beloved wife in a freak accident at home, a fire. Longfellow, himself, was badly burned trying to save her. Afterwards, he grew a beard to cover his burns.

And yet, the poetry flowed from him:

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to all.

President Obama's Priorities. What are they?

After writing yesterday's blog article on Management by Objectives, I wondered what President Obama's Objectives are? What is the shorthand list in his billfold? What priority is given those objectives? Is it ...

1. Health Care Reform
2. The Afghanistan War
3. The Economy
4. Energy -- Current and Future
5. Homeland Security
6. Immigration Reform

If your order or your objectives are different, Mr. President, go ahead shuffle my list around.

Whatever the President's Priorities are regarding the major issues that he is spending his time on, shouldn't we -- the American People, the populace, the voting public, the tax-paying public, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, the multi-cultural employers of all politicians in Washington DC -- shouldn't we know what the President's Priorities are and in what order? Which one is most important? What is the next priority. The next one?

I don't want a speech. Please show me that President Obama is more than a gifted speech maker; besides, I've seen that.

I don't want generic statements that don't answer anything; I've heard enough of them from the Administration.

I don't want yet another appearance by the President on shows featuring NBC, CBS, and ABC anchors or late night hosts. I've seen that.

I don't want another Prime Time Press Conference/Joint Session of Congress appearance by the President. I've seen that.

I don't want to watch Robert Gibbs mesmerizing the White House Press Corps by massaging the answer from President Obama. I've seen that.

I don't want another Town Hall meeting arranged with school children/Firemen/Veterans/auto workers/immigrants/unemployed. I've seen that.

What do I want?

Give me the list of your priorities, Mr. President, printed in the newspapers -- not on the Internet -- officially from the President of the United States. Issue a Press Release that newspapers can print as is, with the same message and the same words on it, paper-to-paper, city-to-city, the same Press Release -- no chance for misstatements, no misunderstandings, no misinterpretation, no context, just a list. A one Page Press release -- ONE PAGE -- "The Priorities of the President of the United States." #1 is the most important; #2 next important, etc. It can be done in one page -- ONE PAGE. Sign it!

I pay my taxes. I always have. I deserve an answer; I want my answer. Show me and all Americans the list of your priorities, Mr. President.

Ronald D. Giles

One-a-Day

I have admired people who are so well-organized that the old saw "when you want something done, give it to a busy person" applies to them. I experienced this somewhat when I was working with Warner Cable and they instituted a Management by Objectives (MBO) program for its divisions. The division's objectives for the year/month dictated my objectives and those who reported to me, tied their objectives to mine. I won't bore you with the difference between Common Objectives and Special Cause Objectives, nor will I debate the merits of MBO versus modern quality management techniques, but I will say that I was organized--by day, by month and by the year.

After considering for a while, how I can manage promoting my current book, "Cottonwood Pass, A Novel of Suspense... ," work on creating four musical Advent Hymns and Carols programs, visit with Children and Grand Children, occasionally go shooting, write articles for this blog, perform routine maintenance on home and cars, pay attention to my wife, and write pages for my next book, finishing it by March of next year -- I have come to a conclusion.

I have decided to commit to the "one page a day" discipline of other writers. Name the time and get to it every day. Obviously, if you fulfilled this commitment, then one would complete a 365 page novel in 365 days. Of course, I might write eight or ten pages every so often, so maybe that works.

Truthfully, I don't set out to write a book of a certain length but rather let the story dictate the length. So writing for 365 days is arbitrary and it sounds long. If I think about it as writing a single page a day--400 words or so -- it sounds do-able. Yes I can, Yes I can, Yes I CAAAAN.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
~ Ernest Hemingway

Cheerleaders

Recently, Joan and I went to a High School Football Game and were struck by the contrast between today's game experience and those of our high school days. Yes, the players were big and strong; yes, the coach was fired up; yes, the stands were packed. That part was the same.

What was different were the cheerleaders. Joan pointed out to me that the Cheerleaders did not "lead" the crowd in cheers, but were rather putting on a show or a display with not many people, other than the parents of those involved, paying any attention to them. In a time out, the Cheerleaders would create a lift and then toss a young teenage girl around, but at the same time the announcer was loudly promoting the concession stand over the PA, the band was playing in the end zone and the people in the stands were talking and joking -- all while the Cheerleaders were tossing and catching.

What happened to the megaphones and the cheers that everyone in the stands joined in on and the Cheerleaders led?

Push'em back, Push'em back, waaaAAAAAYYYY BAAACK!

or 2-4-6-8. Who do we appreciate? The Tigers.The Tigers. The Tigers! YAAAAAAY

Or, when the game was firmly in your team's hands, the Cheerleaders would lead the crowd in
Warm up the buses, warm up the buses, cause weee win. Weee win. Weeeee WIN!

From Pittsburgh, my son-in-law reports this cheer from 20 years ago when the Cheerleaders would sassily put their hands on their hips and point their fingers at the opposing side and the partisan fans in the stands would follow them, standing up with their hands on their hips and pointing, cheering ...
U-G-L-Y.
You ain't got no alibi, cause you Ugly.
Whaaaat?
You Ugly.
Whaaat?
You Ugly. You Ugly. You UGLYYYYYYY!

Everybody on your side knew the cheers and all joined in; everybody on their side all knew their cheers and all joined in. It was fun and not mean-spirited. At some point, the opposing sides' Cheerleaders would come over to our side and lead a cheer.
Thank you for having us, thank you for having us. Yaaay. Yaaay. YAAAYYY!
And we would applaud and they would strike a pose, shake their pom poms and then run back to their side, while all the people on our side would talk about them ("our girls are better looking," or "their outfits stink"or "I think there was something living in that blonde's hair.")

I appreciate the athleticism of today's Cheerleaders and their skill at lifting and holding and climbing and falling, but they are really not leading the crowd in "Cheers." Rather, they are ... well, performers. Nothing wrong with that, really. I... just prefer Cheerleaders.

"I guess he's simply becoming an old fart with his memories and his Pall Malls."
Kurt Vonnegut, "The Slaughterhouse-Five," 1966

Squirrel Stew

I have been reading other Author's blogs. I suspect that secretly, I am seeking sympathy while remaining anonymous. I have the urge to write, but I find other things that need to be done or things that I want to do and move them up on my list, pushing writing down; I have always been undisciplined.

Today, I am going shooting -- Sporting Clays. It may surprise some of you to find that I own and use guns. I grew up in a family where both my mother and father knew how to hunt; squirrel and rabbit stew were dishes my mother would prepare in the fall and winter of the year. Here is a short excerpt from my first book, "On Harrisonville Avenue."

My Dad loved to hunt and would take me with him. Mother would come too, sometimes, but stay in the car and listen to the radio and crochet.

Into the Bond Woods in September to hunt squirrels we would go,
tiptoeing quietly, avoiding sticks that would break or kicking dry leaves. Dad had a 12 gauge L.C. Smith double barrel shotgun; I was the spotter and retriever, since Dad’s eyes weren’t that good.

On one warm fall afternoon, Dad shot at three squirrels with 4 shells and didn’t hit one of them. As we were walking back, we were remarking nevertheless how good it was to be in the woods and breathing the fresh air. When we got back to the car, the trunk was open.

“Did you get anything?” Mother said cheerfully.
“No, but we scared three of them” said Dad as he looked in the trunk.

There was Mother’s Winchester 22 pump rifle and a dead squirrel.
“Dagnabbit, Gladys. Did you shoot this Squirrel ? “ Dad
sputtered.

“Well, what was I supposed to do, Paul,” said Mother.
“He sat there on the side of the tree and practically invited
himself to dinner.” And she chuckled and Dad laughed.

We had squirrel stew the next night.

Normally, it takes about one squirrel per person for a meal, but mother had ways of "extending" a dish when the situation called for it; mostly, her extensions meant adding more potatoes.
She would also add some canned corn. Of course, there were "scratchy" biscuits with her stews.

Ahhhh ... how easily I get distracted. I almost went for the recipe, but who among you needs a Squirrel Stew recipe?

So today, I will go shooting Sporting Clays with a friend from New Jersey. My guns are shotguns of all gauges; today calls for the Browning 12 gauge over and under. Or ... maybe I'll take the 16 gauge -- like the one Dad gave me.

Writing can wait until tomorrow, while I enjoy this day.

What Am I Missing?

Roman Polanski raped, sodomized and introduced a 13 year old girl to drugs and alcohol so that he -- at age 44 -- could be... well, Roman Polanski. He's a great film director and that's why we should say his unpunished behaviour is OK?

I don't think so.

For some who embrace the moral relativity of today, it's "aw, c'mon (pick one -- the guy's over 70, or he directed "The Pianist," or he's an artist,or it was a long time ago, get over it). Bull. He committed a crime against us all. When we allow that, it diminishes each of us.

And now, the self-absorbed Woody Allen comes to the defense of Polanski. Perfect. Lest we forget, Allen in essence began dating his own stepdaughter, Sun Yi-Previn, whom he had functioned as a Father to from the time she was seven. The fact that he is married to her now does not excuse Mr. Allen's behaviour, but it does help explain his support of Polanski.

Many in Hollywood and New York may wag their heads in support of Polanski, but society needs to stand up and call things wrong when they are just plain wrong. "No harm, no foul" does not apply in cases like this.

The Praying Mantis

The office in our home is where Joan and I spend most of our time during the day. My computer and I face the wall where there are two windows that look out upon our lawn and three of the six other houses in our neighborhood. The windows provide a lot of entertainment because of the animals that pass by them -- squirrels, rabbits, cats, deer, spiders, bees, hummingbirds, song birds, and recently -- a Praying Mantis.

The Mantis (a female, judging by the large size) has apparently found the hunting in our rose bushes to be profitable. She blends perfectly with the leaves and stems of the bush, even when she strikes the characteristic front legs up "praying" position.

As a species, the Praying Mantis is carnivorous and will eat anything, but mostly crickets, flies and grasshoppers. In turn, they are preyed upon by bats and birds.

They have some interesting behaviours and abilities. Their heads can rotate 180 degrees, and with three eyes, they can spot movement up to 60 feet away. Perhaps their most unusual behaviour -- and for which they are known -- is that the female will eat the male either during or immediately after mating!

Even knowing this, the male goes for it. I'll let the reader supply your own last line here.

Third Novel

I have not written for the past week or so as I have been concentrating on marketing the newest work, "Cottonwood Pass." Chapter one in the new book is becoming a hurdle and will be much longer than I had anticipated. It is now over 6500 words and has several scenes in it.

Part of the slowness of the process is that as I am writing, what I write causes me to stop and research the Hopewell Culture. The nature and habits of Freshwater Mussels halted me last. A statement in one of the archaeological references I have, noted that one mound, probably of the Fort Ancient peoples, contained a great number of freshwater pearls which seemed to me to be astounding. So, off I went trying to find freshwater biologists and malacologists who could answer questions about harvesting, eating mussels, shell uses, etc.; writing stopped.

The second novel has also consumed me -- with marketing it. I have been around marketing since the early 70's but I never quite "got it." Now, I am finding out the hard way. The latest revelation -- there is no way to track whether or not a post card was delivered and ended up in the hands of the right person!

Right now, I would rather retreat to the comfortable isolation of my thoughts and the keyboard and let the second book flounder on its own on Amazon. Oh, wait! Here is Powell's Book's requirements for self-published authors.

Coins

I was sorting through some old coins from a friend who asked me to look at them. The one I went to first was one I had not seen before -- a Quarter Eagle, worth $2.50 or one fourth of an Eagle, a $10 dollar coin. This series of gold coins has the image impressed into the gold rather than raised and this particular one is very small -- smaller than a dime.

She also showed me another coin I had never seen or held before. It was a half-dollar from the early 1800's, called a Capped Bust Liberty coin.



Finally, another coin I had not held -- an 1891 Seated Liberty Quarter.



I looked closely at them, using a magnifying glass to bring out detail that my progressive lenses didn't. There were symbols and words on them ...

... Stars, thirteen of them for the founding states.
... The Eagle's breastplate shield has thirteen stripes.
... In the 19th Century coins, the Eagle held both arrows and an olive branch in his talons, but his head was favoring the olive branch.
... In the 20th Century coin, the Eagle is only holding an olive branch.
... The slogan "E Pluribus Unum" -- out of many, one -- is on each coin
... The slogan "In God We Trust" went on coins first during the Civil War, and is on the latter two coins here.
... Lastly "Liberty" is on every coin.


I worry about our country and pray that we can still feel and appreciate those words and symbols in our divisive world today!

Farewell Toast to Amy and James

Some have asked about the toast I offered to Amy and James at their going away bash on Saturday, September 19, prior to their leaving for Thailand. It was a restatement of the old Gaelic Blessing:

"Amy and James --

The wine of today may dry
and the flowers of today may die,
but friends never say goodbye,
only 'Farewell.'

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again,
And until we meet again,
Take a part of us with you on your journey,
And we will hold you in our hearts,
Until we can hold you in our arms,
Again.

Farewell...
Bon Voyage...
Cheers !
Cheers !!
CHEERS !!!"

A Weekend in PGH

We are visiting our daughter and her family and will attend the Bon Voyage Party for our Niece and her boyfriend who have accepted teaching positions at a University in Bangkok, Thailand. Amy has also been named second Oboe in the Thailand National Philharmonic Orchestra.

I will offer a Farewell Toast, using a variation of the Irish Blessing that I wrote.

It is also our Grand Daughter Morgan's 11th Birthday. Tempus Fugit. We take her to her favorite restaurant, The Hibachi Grille, and then on to the High School where she and her fellow elementary school cheerleaders will join the high school cheerleaders at the football game tonight. I'll be the proud Grandfather in the stands!

"Cottonwood Pass, A Novel of Suspense ... " is available!!!

Last night, I checked and there it was on Amazon.com. For something that started last June with a spurious direction from "Jill" our Garmin GPS, this is fulfilling.

By clicking on the Book's Cover on the right of my Blog, you will be directed to the Amazon page.
In the meantime, here is the story behind the writing of "Cottonwood Pass."

***************************
The story behind the writing of "Cottonwood Pass"

Joan and I were touring the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (2008) and had earlier visited Aspen. We were headed north to Interstate 70 when our GPS commanded "in nine-tenths of a mile, turn RIGHT onto C-ought-unwod-Paas Rode." Joan and I both knew that this was not the major way to get to I-70, but we had trusted "Jill" (our name for the female voice coming with the Garmin) on many other occasions and she had always gotten us there through some shortcut, so OK. I took a right turn at the town of El Jebel onto Cottonwood Pass Road.

The road was a two lane affair that took us through a well-kept neighborhood; soon, the houses were far apart and the scenery was stunning. We were probably about 6500 feet when we left El Jebel, but now we were climbing higher past beautiful houses, built to capture the view.

The name "Cottonwood Pass" indicated that we were going to ascend a mountain and then "pass" over it easily which we were prepared to do, but when the road turned from asphalt to gravel, I became a little concerned. And then, when the road became narrow and rutted as we went up the side of the mountain, my radar was on full alert, even though we were in a Jeep Commander.

My full alert radar went to DEFCON 1 as Cottonwood Pass Road became one lane and steep, as I picked my way slowly around large rocks that had washed down the ruts in the snowmelt.

What happens if we meet another car coming the other way? What happens if I have a Heart Attack? Who would find us in this wilderness if we slid off the road?

I looked at my cell phone. NO SERVICE! That was it. I stopped and announced that we were going no further. Joan would not accept that we could not make it over the Pass and so she walked up to the next curve and disappeared around its bend. Returning, she reported that the road disappeared over the side of the mountain; we had to turn around.

Carefully executing a 23-point turn in a not-so-wide spot near us, I shifted gears to low as we crept back down Cottonwood Pass Road, not wanting to cause another landslide. As we crunched our way down the incline, my imagination began piecing together a fictional story about someone who did slide off the mountain. Was he injured? Did he have wilderness skills? Would he die? Was he murdered? Who found him? Why was he killed?

When we got home, I jotted down some notes. In the fall, some four months later, I began working on:
"Cottonwood Pass, A Novel of Suspense…"


RDG
To find out who Theodore Thompson is,
you will have to read the book.
It’s complicated.

About Playing the Violin

On the blog today, I thought I would share some one-liners (mainly about violinists) sent to me by my friend, Cliff Benham

***********************************


"When it starts getting tough, make faces." Itzhak Perlman


Anne-Sophie Mutter's disparaging remark...During a rehearsal of the Brahms violin concerto with the Boston Symphony, directed towards the violin section: "You sound like dogs."


"Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue has ever been putup to a critic." Jean Sibelius


There are more bad musicians than there is bad music." Isaac Stern


Bach: "It's easy to play any musical instrument -- All you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will playitself"


Jack Benny: "I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."


After he played a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall the NY Times music critic wrote, "Last night in Carnegie Hall, Jack Benny played Beethoven. Beethoven lost.


"Ruggiero Ricci: "An expert is someone who does everything else worse."


Dr. Albert Schweitzer (musician/explorer / physician/ missionary, etc.):"There are two refuges from the miseries of life--music and cats."


And how can we leave this list without that great violinist, HennyYoungman: "I've got all the money I'll ever need, if I die by four o'clock."


From a photo of a t-shirt worn by Zukerman: "I play with vibrato and do slides in Baroque Music. Deal with it."


Ricci, on the subject of playing the way he likes, rather than by some arbritary rules: "Now, I will play the way I like. Better to be a prostitute than a nun."


Heifetz: " If I don't practice for one day, I'll know it. If I don'tpractice for two days, the critics will know it. If I don't practice for three days, the whole public will know it."


Heifetz when asked about how he never messes up with intonation "I do not always play in tune, I just fix it quicker than anyone else."


"I occasionally play works by contemporary composers for two reasons.First to discourage the composer from writing any more and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven." -Heifetz


"Wagner was a musician who wrote music that is much better than it sounds." - Mark Twain


"That reminds me, I'm playing a concert tonight." -Fritz Kreisler, afterseeing a row of fish at a market...


Fritz Reiner: "It's not true that I hate musicians. I just hate BAAAAAAD musicians."


"You may be ready for Beethoven, but Beethoven is not ready for you!" ~Heifetz as guest soloist with a less-than-steller orchestra.


Brahms (to Eugene Ysaye after hearing Ysaye play the Brahms Concerto):"So, it can be played that way, too."


Henry Meyer (LaSalle String Quartet):"You paid for the whole bow, you will use the whole bow."


I think I prefer the Heifetz method of producing a twelve inch bow and offering it to the student because the current one is far too long...


"I'm one of the boys, no better than the last second violinist. I'm just the lucky one to be standing in the center, telling them how to play."- Eugene Ormandy


Albert Einstein, after playing the first movement of Schubert's String Quintet, in America: "Kid, ist das nicht wunderbar?"

Norman Ernest Borlaug, R.I.P.

In a world where importance is attached to sports figures or entertainment figures or politicians (deposed, embarrassed or otherwise), it is good to find a yardstick against which most accomplishments can be measured so as to put matters into perspective.

Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agricultural scientist, and an humanitarian; he has also been called the father of the Green Revolution, but in my opinion, for a different reason. He wanted plants to grow more fruitfully and thought that we could improve on the agricultural concepts of centuries ago, still in use today. Toiling in destitute Mexico, Africa and India in the 1940's he developed a strain of high-yielding wheat known as dwarf wheat and from there created other high-yielding strains of maize and rice -- cereal grains.

Dr. Borlaug devoted his life to ending the horrible misery of famine, and many credit him with saving more people's lives than any other human being -- an estimated 245 million so far. He did not seek fame or fortune and few people outside of the scientific community knew of him.

Borlaug was one of only five people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. He was 95 when he passed away in Texas, last Saturday.

Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- September 12, 2009)

Cottonwood Pass: A Novel of Suspense

I am told by the publisher that my book should be ready in a week or so. I certainly hope so. Here is the copy that will appear on the flap of the hard cover edition and also with the Amazon listing:

Running away from the sudden revelation of his wife’s marital infidelity, 35 year old Al finds himself surrounded by a murder investigation headed by the Monroe County Colorado Sheriff’s Department. While at times it appears that Al is the suspect, it becomes clear instead that he is the target of a secretive foundation headquartered off the road to Cottonwood Pass. The foundation is chaired by a reclusive multibillionaire who has cobbled together an operational philosophy using the thoughts of Plato, Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals,” and something called a “manufactured crisis.” While suspicion and danger surround him, Al tries to resolve his relationship with his wife and keep his job, both of which he appears to have abandoned. Set in the stunning Rocky Mountains, Al also comes into contact with a beautiful, red-haired detective, Sandy, who is with him through much of his adventure. It is the most intense and dangerous seven days of his life, as not all things are as they appear.

Politico 44 President's Calendar

Communist Goals in the US -- 1958

In the 1950's and early 1960's, there was a war between Russia and the United States. It was not a war of explosions and munitions; it was an ideological war of Communism vs Democracy -- the Cold War. Communism then was looking very strong, as more and more countries fell under the Soviet sphere of influence.

The Cold War was made more frightening in 1957, when the Russian Communists became the first in Space with the launch of Sputnik. Further, in May, 1961, Fidel Castro pronounced Cuba as a Communist nation -- 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Then in October 1961, the Russian Communists exploded the Hydrogen Bomb, the most powerful bomb ever, dwarfing the 1945 bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The tension was high.

Jan 10, 1963, Congressman A. S. Herlong Jr. of Florida introduced into the Congressional Record a list of goals of the communist party as stated in the book "The Naked Communist" (1958) by Dr. W. Cleon Skousen.

Dr. Skousen was a high level agent in the FBI. He spent some years in deep cover studing the communists. He also was a full professor at Brigham Young, and at one time had been the chief of police of Salt Lake City. Skousen was an interesting and controversial character, who lived to be 93, passing in 2006.

In his book, Skousen lists 45 goals of the Soviet (and American) communist party. Having lived through all the years of the Cold War, I find this list interesting. Keep in mind while reading this list, it was published in 1958, and even though there are 45 to read, I encourage you to make it all the way to the end.

COMMUNIST GOALS, 1958:

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament (by) the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Communist China. Admission of Communist China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellite countries individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs of organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the grounds that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand (or treat).

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41.Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42.Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

The Mural of Stars Signing.

It was 85 degrees and humid. I had thoughtfully chosen my dress, but failed to recognize that I had neglected to consider the effect of humidity when standing next to the slowly drifting Ohio River; my hair was a mess, but fortunately, I was wearing my Stetson straw fedora, which was on the fashion cusp of violating the old saw of putting your summer attire away at Labor Day.

While showing my daughter's two daughters -- Morgan, age 10 and Delaney, age 8 -- the Robert Dafford Murals, I was delighted to find at my shoulder my cousin Kevin and my cousin Linda's husband, Dave. Shortly afterwards, my cousin Linda and her Father, my Uncle Paul, then arrived. Paul is 80 and while he is in reasonably good shape after a triple by-pass, it was hot and humid and there was a long walk ahead.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," he said. Just the sort of positive thing he said to me when I was growing up "On Harrisonville Avenue."

On the Ohio River side of the floodwall, a crowd of about 200 was gathering around a yellow contraption. It was a "lift" designed to take a number of people to a height for inspection, or repair, or in this case a "signing." Someone said, "21 feet up to the Star." Great.

I found my wife, Joan, and our Daughter, Terri, with our third Grand Daughter, Cameron, age 3.

Cameron is a strong-willed, "I-can-do-it-myself" 3 year old. She had only napped for about 15 minutes in the car ride to the event and was a little unpredictable in the heat and strange environment, but Cameron was holding up; she had been in unpredictable situations before.

An attractive woman, Crystal, Mayor Jim Kalb's executive assistant, found me. She introduced herself and the Mayor to me, and asked me if any of the children would like to go up with me in the lift. Morgan and Delaney immediately said yes, while Cameron hid herself behind her Mother.

It was my turn to sign. Morgan, Delaney and I ascended two sets of steps and then were inside the cage of the Lift, ready for the operator to take us and the Mayor up to the star where he would introduce me.

"Wait," said my daughter from below. "Cameron wants to go with you." Terri helped her up the steps till she was inside the cage of the lift with me, her two sisters, the Mayor and the lift operator. I held her hand; her older sister Morgan held her other hand while Delaney had her hand on Cameron's shoulder -- and with a jerk, up we went.

"Smile and wave," 10 year old Morgan whispered to her 3 year old sister. "Smile and wave,' she said. So, I did, like Morgan was suggesting.

The Mayor asked me to say a few words (nobody prepped me for that) and I did, although I can't recount what I said.

I signed my star and we waved again and then went down. The girls were very pleased to have done that and I was happy they had too.

Thankfully on the ground, I was greeted by old school friends, some wanting me to sign my book for them. I hadn't seen them since 1960; a thrill for me.

Then I saw my friend, Jerry Jenkins. "60 years ago, I met Ron while in the first grade and we have been friends ever since." he told a newspaper reporter nearby.

The Star is nice and I am thrilled, but the feelings produced by family, place and friends, far outshines the reason we were there.

Traveling

Today, we begin our journey to Southern Ohio and my appointment with a bucket truck. We will be stopping at the Hopewell Culture Center in Chillicothe as well as visiting Mound Park in Portsmouth.

Southern Ohio is the most important center for the Mound Builders culture which included the Adena Peoples, the Hopewell Peoples, and the Fort Ancient Peoples (which may have been the predecessor of the historic Shawnee Tribe.)

At one point, there may have been 150,000 people in this region, many of them connected by a road, sometimes referred to as "the Hopewell Road" that was 200 feet wide and with 15 foot high embankments, stretching for 60 miles between Newark and Chillicothe.

My destination, Portsmouth, OH was built over the ruins of the largest earthworks from the period. Portsmouth sits at the confluence of the Scioto River and the Ohio River. The artist Robert Dafford, who painted the murals on the flood wall has this interpretation of what they would have looked like.

Very impressive!

Of course, Dafford's Mural takes me back to the reason I am traveling there -- to sign the Star on the flood wall with my name on it

and the bucket truck!

Good News !!!

A proof copy of "Cottonwood Pass" has shown up. I have reviewed the changes and they are all accomplished. (Yes!)

Next is to notify the publisher of my approval and then it will be two weeks before they are ready to be ordered.

I need to get cranking on my rusting postcard mailing plans ... my email campaign...and my bookstore campaign...and my newspaper reviewers campaign...friends and neighbor reviews...my Kindle campaign...

Suddenly, I have a lot to do!

(Theodore Thompson is another story. I think his "author's Bio" in the book explains it -- or not.)

The 24 Solar Terms

Today, the temperature cooled dramatically, and I was reminded of The 24 Solar Terms.

The Ancient Chinese like many people, observed the behaviour and the movement of the sun. They kept their notes, year after year. With an accumulation of data, the Chinese began to apply their knowledge most importantly to their agriculture which underpinned their existence, but it was also applied to their everyday lives in things like clothing and seasonal planning.

The codification of their notes is called The 24 Solar Terms and it divides the year into 24 parts. This division was based on the geographic location in China, so it's accuracy is therefore geographic, but according to its observations, August 7 is the beginning of Autumn and August 23 is the limit of the Summer heat. September 7 is the beginning of the white dew, when morning brings dew drops on everything.

Listed below are the 24 Terms in the Chinese order of the Solar year.

"Start of Spring" around February 4th of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of spring.

"Rain Water" around February 18th of the solar calendar, indicating the gradual increase of rainfalls.

"Awakening of Insects" around March 5th of the solar calendar, indicating a relatively fast temperature rise and possible spring thunders.

"Vernal Equinox" around March 20th of the solar calendar, indicating the equal length of day and night.

"Clear and Bright" around April 5th of the solar calendar, indicating clear skies, fresh air, warm weather and lush plants.

"Grain Rain" around April 20th of the solar calendar, indicating the increase of rainfalls, which is good for grain crops.

"Start of Summer" around May 5th of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of summer.

"Grain Full" around May 21st of the solar calendar, indicating that the seeds of summer crops are getting plump but not ripe yet.

"Grain in Ear" around June 6th of the solar calendar, indicating the ripening of wheat crops and the beginning of a busy farming season.

"Summer Solstice" around June 21st of the solar calendar, indicating the extreme of summer in astronomical terms.

Minor Heat" around July 7th of the solar calendar, indicating that the hottest days are yet to come.

"Major Heat" around July 23rd of the solar calendar, indicating the hottest time of the year.

"Start of Autumn" around August 7th of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of autumn.

"Limit of Heat" around August 23rd of the solar calendar, indicating that summer is coming to an end.

"White Dew" around September 7th of the solar calendar, indicating that the temperature begins to fall, the weather is getting cold and there are dewdrops on grass and trees in the morning.

"Autumnal Equinox" around September 23rd of the solar calendar, indicating the equal length of day and night.

"Cold Dew" around October 8th of the solar calendar, indicating lower temperature, dew in the air and cold feeling.

"Frost Descent" around October 23rd of the solar calendar, indicating the appearance of frost.

"Start of Winter" around November 7th of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of winter.

"Minor Snow" around November 22nd of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of light snowfalls.

"Major Snow" around December 7th of the solar calendar, indicating the beginning of heavy snowfalls.

"Winter Solstice" around December 22nd of the solar calendar, indicating the extreme of winter in astronomical terms.

"Minor Cold" around January 5th of the solar calendar, indicating that the weather is getting colder, but the coldest days are yet to come.

"Major Cold" around January 20th of the solar calendar, indicating the coldest time of the year.

Unintended "positive" results

For the last three weeks, we have been presenting different Hymns programs at three different Churches. In each of these places I have been surprised by unanticipated, positive events.

This is made more amazing to me because in my career as a Television Producer and Director, the essence of those positions is "control" of everything -- there are no unintended effects; the effect of the production and the emotions raised is totally intentional. If something else happened that was positive, then you took credit for it, but privately, you had to say to yourself -- I should have thought of that; that wasn't very good of me. Of course, the negative unintended result was totally unacceptable. This was my career -- creating positive moments, not negative ones.

Yet, in these three Hymn programs, it is being demonstrated to me that despite all of my planning, there is another element in the mix -- and I can only ascribe it to the Holy Spirit.

Progress

I added 2000 words this morning. I am not sure that this is all of Chapter 1 or not. It has a good ending and it is tempting to move on. I'll wait till Joanie finishes reading it to get her impression.

I must get on to reviewing tomorrow's Hymn Program at Ambler Presbyterian Church. We always enjoy going there. Among the reasons is the rich resources that the congregation and the musicians have to offer. Tomorrow, we will have recorder, wind chimes and an actor. Joan and I rehearse for an hour each day at 4:00, so I had better get busy with my review.

Tough Going !

Today, I wrote 750 words and am ready to add another 1000 after the research that I have been doing this morning.

I feel like if I can just get through Chapter 1, which is laying the framework for the reader's (and my) understanding, I will have a lot more fun. Right now I feel like I am slogging my way through, one word at a time.

I have the outline, which encourages me to continue.

The Eighth Great Heat

I have started a new book today, writing 1085 words in the first chapter. It is an historical novel, and while I will not reveal the subject, it will be the most difficult writing I have attempted. I am not sure how this one will go.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) -- Rest in Peace. I pray for his family and the loss they must feel. He will be missed.

There should always be room in our society and government for "dissenting voices" and at times, Senator Kennedy was exactly that. He also had the priviledge of having the "majority voice" and he was that.

Sen. Carl Hayden of Arizona served the longest as a Senator, then Sen. Robert Byrd of WV and Senator Edward Kennedy of MA, the third longest serving Senator.

After the assassination of his brother, the President, and the murder of his brother, the Senator from New York, many people assumed and yearned for the ascendancy of the 36 year old third brother, Ted, to the Presidency. I was one of those.

But the Presidency would not happen because of events on July 18, 1969, when 29 year old Mary Jo Kopechne was killed, between 11:30 pm and 1:00am, in the car that Sen. Kennedy was driving, after he drove it off the road into a pond on Martha's Vineyard; the car landed upside down. Kennedy escaped, but Ms. Kopechne did not. The issue that would track him the rest of his career was the over eight hour delay before two fisherman found the car and the body, with no report from the Senator.

What was Senator Kennedy doing during that time? Was he contacting his advisors and constructing an excuse for his behavior? Were President John F. Kennedy's speechwriters fashioning a statement for him? Were his lawyers huddling with Massachusetts politicos to save the scion's Senate seat? Was all of this happening at once during the 8 hours of silence?

The Presidency was out; there were too many questions.

The ghost of that evening would haunt him the rest of his life and for many, would overshadow his accomplishments, casting questions about his motives for everything he stood for and anything he said.

There are some who would point to his castigation of President-elect Carter at the 1979 Democrat Convention as the most dramatic speech he ever delivered and there are others who would say that his 1989 allegations against Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, set the stage for the divisive atmosphere in politics we have today.

Others would say the Senator Kennedy stood for the best that liberalism had to offer and lived a life to prove it.

Dear reader ... I hope you will join me in praying for him and his family.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam (Gaelic for "may he rest in peace.")