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H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 12:45 PM Jul 2020

Life

Entering Onondaga
-- Joseph Bruchac


The old man
must have stopped our car
two dozen times to climb out
and gather into his hands
the small toads blinded
by our lights and leaping,
live drops of rain.

The rain was falling
a midst about his white hair
and I kept saying
you can't save them all,
accept it, get back in
we've got places to go.

But, leathery hands full
of wet brown life,
knee-deep in the summer
roadside grass,
he just smiledand said,
They have places to go,
too."



(My son was mowing the lawn -- though it really doesn't need it -- when I heard his voice calling me from my work in the garden. There was a toad on the grass. He, too, believes in saving every single one possible, rain o0r shine. Hence, that toad is now exploring my garden, totally unaware that a virus named Donald Trump is threatening the earth. It's back to the garden for me, hoping to see more toads a'hopping about. And, hopefully, I will have a bit more to say on this OP/thread this afternoon or evening. Or night, for that matter, as I've had difficulty sleeping lately. Until then, have a good day .....and keep in mind that every day of life on this living Earth is indeed a miracle! -- Pat)

24 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Life (Original Post) H2O Man Jul 2020 OP
You really are gifted malaise Jul 2020 #1
Thank you! H2O Man Jul 2020 #5
Have a wonderful with your daughter and the rest of the family malaise Jul 2020 #9
Ah, the toads. I too love the toads, though where I live they are scarce. panader0 Jul 2020 #2
Nice! H2O Man Jul 2020 #8
"A star is simpler than an insect" - Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal emeritus Kid Berwyn Jul 2020 #3
Hello! H2O Man Jul 2020 #13
Just wonderful!! Alliepoo Jul 2020 #4
Thank you! H2O Man Jul 2020 #14
I hope you can rest. MuseRider Jul 2020 #6
He had better rest malaise Jul 2020 #7
I learned a valuable lesson H2O Man Jul 2020 #11
Obey the doctor malaise Jul 2020 #12
In so many ways MuseRider Jul 2020 #19
So are you malaise Jul 2020 #20
So are you malaise Jul 2020 #21
Thank you H2O Man. smirkymonkey Jul 2020 #10
It's a beautiful day here H2O Man Jul 2020 #15
Where are you in upstate NY? smirkymonkey Jul 2020 #16
I'm an hour south H2O Man Jul 2020 #17
It's great that you are working on Brindisi's campaign! Good for you! And for him and all upstate smirkymonkey Jul 2020 #18
Anthony is a good guy. H2O Man Jul 2020 #22
I just read up a bit on Claudia Tenney from New Hartford, very close to us. She sounds like a smirkymonkey Jul 2020 #23
Yes, that is H2O Man Aug 2020 #24

malaise

(267,845 posts)
1. You really are gifted
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 12:51 PM
Jul 2020

Hence, that toad is now exploring my garden, totally unaware that a virus named Donald Trump is threatening the earth

You are an oasis in the middle of the Con's desert.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
5. Thank you!
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:14 PM
Jul 2020

Taking a quick break after bring in bags of beans, cucumbers, and peas. I've got 25 types of crops in .....including various herbs and spices for canning the food. My daughter is coming from Boston on Sunday for a week -- I haven't seen her since last year. A couple of the garden's beds were planted specifically for her (others for each of her siblings). She is quite the social-political activist and besides sitting near the garden and cooking out at the fire pit, we'll be talking about what we need to do to be fully prepared come Election Day. For we must stomp the Trump cult.

Late last night, I was thinking about our conversation yesterday, while watching some outstanding documentaries. I was thinking about John Lewis, a man I never met, but that I loved deeply. I wish I could have met him, simply to say, "Thank you, Sir." And I was thinking about how this November's election is actually an update of the ugle, brutal confrontation in Charlottesville. And no, there are not "good people" on both sides. No. There's good and evil, and I say that not ijn a religious sense .....but in the context that Dr. Michael Stone defines in his works on psychopaths/ sociopaths. And actually, for that matter, in a religious, moral, and ethical context, too.

malaise

(267,845 posts)
9. Have a wonderful with your daughter and the rest of the family
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:20 PM
Jul 2020

Enjoy your lovely fresh food - and Thank You Sir

Tell her malaise says the Con is finally going to be publicly humiliated by the majority of an entire country.

panader0

(25,816 posts)
2. Ah, the toads. I too love the toads, though where I live they are scarce.
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:03 PM
Jul 2020

Except after a big monsoon shower. There is a large BLM (Bureau of Land Management) pond
adjacent to my house. Usually, every year it fills in July from the rain. The toads living deep in
the mud cracks come out and roar. Years ago, when I first heard them, I thought it was a loud
engine. I followed the noise to the pond, and there were thousands and thousands of toads
coming up to mate. The surface of the water and ten feet back around the pond were filled with
loud croaking toads. However, the pond went dry all last summer, and so far this summer too.
When they finally get they chance they will be horny toads.
No shortage of javelina or coyotes though.....

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
8. Nice!
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:17 PM
Jul 2020

I have a record amount of tiny frogs growing in my pond this year! I love both frogs and toads. It's an outstanding year for humming birds, dragonflies, and praying mantis here, too!

On the down side, a gray wolf killed one of my favorite cats last week. Nature can be beautiful, as well as ugly.

I hope that all is well your way!

Kid Berwyn

(14,653 posts)
3. "A star is simpler than an insect" - Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal emeritus
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:04 PM
Jul 2020

From an interview with Krista Tippett:

There’s no complex structure, whereas even a small insect has a layer upon layer of structure — protein, cells, and all the rest of it. And so, the smallest living thing is indeed more complicated than a star. And also, to go back to your point, everything about humans is very complicated. In fact, it may seem ironic that I could talk with some confidence about, uh, a galaxy a billion light years away …

https://onbeing.org/programs/martin-rees-cosmic-origami-and-what-we-dont-know/

Thank you for grokking, H2O Man.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
13. Hello!
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:32 PM
Jul 2020

I've been outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather. Each day, I'm able to do a bit more. Today, while feeding the fish and birds, one of my very large koi came up to the edge of the pond -- causing my son's puppy to growl for the first time! (grin)

He's asked me to keep an eye on her while he goes to the store. I'd forgotten just how active a puppy can be. Yikes! She's a ball of curious energy.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
6. I hope you can rest.
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:14 PM
Jul 2020

I love frogs and toads too. I had a 3 legged toad that lived in the barn for an entire summer. He had some nice digs and good food that I brought to him because when he hopped he went in a circle missing that one back leg. He loved to be petted. I wondered about that for a while until I noticed he would not move at all until I gently rubbed the side of his head, he would lean hard into it. With all our rain this year they are jumping all over the place.

Rest and feel better, no sleep is a bad thing and as bad as things are now they are just getting ready to hop into overdrive. We need your cooler head with the wisdom you provide.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
11. I learned a valuable lesson
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:25 PM
Jul 2020

last week. After my doctor put me on "Round Two" of medication, and insisted I rest, I was determined to prove to myself that I am as tough and capable as I was at age 26. It seemed realistic at the time. So I went out to weed the garden, generally a low-risk activity. One, I should add, that I enjoy more now than I did at age 26. Patience is a virtue .....though stubborness and stupid are not. Anyhow, as my older son approached me to say, "Get inside and rest, Old Man!," I attempted to stand up. I ended up stumbling -- as if none other than Iron Mike Tyson had just smashed me with a brutal left hook, for approxinately eight feet. I remember thinking, "Don't fall in the kale bed that you planted for Chloe!" I didn't -- instead, I fell upon a sturdy stone wall that easily supported me weight.

My son carried me inside, and reminded me that my doctor instructed me to just get high, read, and watch television. I was compliant for several days.

malaise

(267,845 posts)
12. Obey the doctor
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:31 PM
Jul 2020

I stopped fooling myself about what I can and cannot do earlier this year. I still walk 20K a week and exercise but I cannot do what I did even two years ago.
Some friends who walk on the same path we do said they were trying to catch me and I howled with laughter. They are both in their 80s and hadn't walked for weeks. I told them they made my day because no one would suggest I walk briskly these days.

Eventually age catches up with all of us.
By the way rosemary and mint tea does help you sleep as does passion fruit juice.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
19. In so many ways
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 04:27 PM
Jul 2020

getting older sucks. I wish my mind would catch up with my body. I NEVER go to the doctor unless my back is against the wall. Medicare covers it but I just resist now for other reasons than the cost of it. LOL, I am learning slowly that I am not even 50 anymore!

You and H2O man both are needed so stay down and rest and get better, both of you. Malaise, you are awesome.

malaise

(267,845 posts)
20. So are you
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 04:34 PM
Jul 2020

I have very good health care but won't waste money to hear the doc tell me to take pills. Niggles come with age and I'm passing on all pain killers. I had a fabulous life to date - can't remember being sick and reality tell me that all good things come to an end. .

malaise

(267,845 posts)
21. So are you
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 04:34 PM
Jul 2020

I have very good health care but won't waste money to hear the doc tell me to take pills. Niggles come with age and I'm passing on all pain killers. I had a fabulous life to date - can't remember being sick and reality tell me that all good things come to an end. .

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
10. Thank you H2O Man.
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:20 PM
Jul 2020

Very nice sentiment for a lazy Friday afternoon.

Hope you are able to get some sleep this weekend. I know how unpleasant it can be when you are deprived of it. But there are always people here at every hour of the morning to chat with if you are suffering from insomnia. It beats tossing and turning. Take care and be well!

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
15. It's a beautiful day here
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:36 PM
Jul 2020

in upstate New York. This is the nicest summer that we've had in some time. My younger son and I both love it when it's 90 degrees or more. Mostly it has been in the mid-80s, which is very pleasant.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
16. Where are you in upstate NY?
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 01:42 PM
Jul 2020

That is where I am from. The Adirondack foothills. A little village north of Utica. It's really beautiful up there. Just one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever been. Lush, green, rolling hills. Acres of gorgeous deciduous trees, lakes, creeks, ponds. Fresh air and clear skies. I just love it up there. Further north in the Adirondacks is also amazingly beautiful as well. I really miss the lakes a lot. The ocean is nice, but I am more of a lake person.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
17. I'm an hour south
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 02:15 PM
Jul 2020

of Utica, not far from the Unadfilla & Susquehanna rivers. I lived for a couple years in Herkimer as a youth. My youngest daughter lives in Utica part-time, and Cooperstown part-time. It's all a beautiful region. Fascinating history, too.

I was doing some work on Rep Anthony Brindisi's re-election campaign yesterday. He's doing a great job for our district. With the corona stuff, I haven't been going to his campaign HQ in Utica this year, but am doing internet, phone calls, and organizing for the fall letters-to-the-editors effort.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
18. It's great that you are working on Brindisi's campaign! Good for you! And for him and all upstate
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 02:25 PM
Jul 2020

NY'ers.

The whole state really is beautiful, isn't it? I don't think many people know that. The cities are a bit depressed and not much opportunity, but the land itself is just spectacular.

MA (where I live now) is a lovely state as well, but I really don't think it can compare to the beauty of NY. When we drive back home through the mountains and the lake region it's just breathtaking. It's really kind of an unknown treasure.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
22. Anthony is a good guy.
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 07:06 PM
Jul 2020

He wants to come to one of my son's next boxing matches, but 2020's season ended early. Maybe next year.

Also, Claudia Tenney, running again, is one of the most toxic republicans in the country. A terrible human being, who makes Betsy Devos appear well-informed on reality.

A while back, one evening out on the lawn, my son asked me why I like this area so much? I told him that I have walked the streets of many cities, a few countries, and swam in two oceans. I like other places. But I do particularly love upstate New York -- despite a large republican majority. I keep in mind a teaching of the holy man Black Elk, who noted that everywhere is the exact center of Earth. That's how I think of my property.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
23. I just read up a bit on Claudia Tenney from New Hartford, very close to us. She sounds like a
Fri Jul 31, 2020, 08:39 PM
Jul 2020

nightmare. Anything you can do to make sure she doesn't succeed is a good thing.

It's kind of sad that there are so many conservatives in upstate NY, but I actually happen to know of a good number of liberals from my area as well. Fortunately the state is carried by NYC which is solid blue.

Is Black Elk of the book "Black Elk Speaks"? I read that book in college and very much enjoyed it. In fact, I think it is something I would like to read again. It would be very comforting for these times.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
24. Yes, that is
Sat Aug 1, 2020, 10:47 AM
Aug 2020

the Black Elk I was quoting.

When Anthony was running to take Tenney's seat in 2018, none of the (all) republican town boards in this county endorsed her. While they didn't officially endorse Anthony, almost all of them were clear that they were going to vote for him. She hadn't done a single thing for our region while in office ....only looked to promote herself by attaching her lips to Trump's ass.

My son -- a Democrat in a highly republican town -- ran for office a few years back. His opponent only got five votes, compared to my son's 545. So even in this setting, a lot of the republicans have common sense, and will keep an open mind regarding what is in the community's best interests. Still, it is hard when the number of registered Democrats is less than either republicans or independents.

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