For many years we have been advised to “Keep Calm and Carry On”. The iconic poster has become one of the most recognizable pieces of British design in history, though its journey to cultural prominence follows a fascinating path. The poster was originally designed in 1939 by the British Ministry of Information as part of a series of three motivational posters intended to boost morale during the anticipated bombing of major cities at the outbreak…
The town of Ushuaia, which calls itself the end of the world (Fin del Mondo) has its origins as a penal colony. This follows in the tradition of many countries that sent the most desperate prisoners for incarceration to lands as distant as they could find at the borders of or beyond the reaches of their boundaries. One of my favorite movies has always been Papillon, starring Dustin Hoffman, and Steve McQueen as French prisoners…
I have spoken before about my extended cadre of siblings. The two that I have been closest to for the longest (other than my full sisters, Kathy and Barbara) are Diane and Sondra. Back in 1962, when we were living in Madison, Wisconsin during my mother’s graduate years spent there getting her Ph.D., my mother got thinking that for various reasons it might be a good idea for me to go visit my father in…
We’re almost at the end of February and for whatever reason this year February in the North County of San Diego seems particularly wonderful. It’s 8 AM and we are about to get in the car and drive to Phoenix but in typical fashion I am ready and raring to go a full 45 minutes before our scheduled departure. Buddy is off with his doggy pals at daycare either wondering when we’ll come back or…
My high school buddies and I have been exchanging emails of late for the first time in many many years. The main topic is our days of motorcycling through La Dolce Vita streets of Rome in the late 1960’s. It’s fascinating to hear the recollections and perspectives of guys in their 70’s remembering their days of youthful exuberance from when they were 16-18 years old. Those days our heads were filled mostly with testosterone and…
My kids have outdone themselves this year for my 71st birthday. I always try to make each of their birthday’s special and always have. When my daughter turned 21 in college, I took out a big ad in the campus newspaper, wishing her a happy birthday. This approach seems to have rubbed off on them and every year they get me something for my birthday with varying degrees of effectiveness. Effectiveness defined as getting me…
This morning, I was listening to MSNBC as I drove to the bagel store for our Sunday morning bagels. Ali Velshi was speaking with presidential historian John Meachum and Meachum was referencing Frederick Douglass who said, among many great things, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” That stayed with me as I drove on my errand. This has become a Sunday ritual for me and I almost always call ahead to the…
Yesterday the news arrived that Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100 years and a few months. It reminded me immediately that my mother died eight years ago at the same age of 100 years and a few months. I liken their two lives for a great many reasons. Both were born in rural communities to parents who owned farmland and…
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go, I am inclined to be lazy. The word sedentary was designed for me. I am both a home body and I am contemplative at all times, which predisposes me to sitting and thinking or sitting and watching or siting and listening, and as most of you know already, sitting and talking. When I garden, I like to sit. I now have nine benches on the back…
Today is Boxing Day, an occasion that really came into the vernacular in America in the last few years. The term comes to us from England, where it is traditionally celebrated on December 26th. It originated in Britain during the Victorian era, though some of its customs trace back even earlier. The name has a few potential origins, but the most widely accepted explanation relates to the practice of giving “Christmas boxes.” These boxes were…