Sidetracked Charley

Peaceful Co-existence When in Rome do as the Romans do, was one of the earliest pieces of advice I can remember clearly. It had multiple versions and adaptations, from always treat the property of others better than your own to you are a guest here so behave as one and If you don't like the rules you do not have to play. Later in my rebellious youth I questioned the rules but quickly found I had the best success when I fit in with my audience or when in Rome once again. I have always behaved as a guest when travelling to new places. After all isn't travel about learning new cultures as well as taking 505 selfies before landmarks? You definitely never litter, you are always polite, you engage the locals in conversations not lecture them on your opinions of how things should be run, you never bring a boom box to a high mountain meadow or keep your cell phone on during a concert. Above all life works best if you follow the laws and rules of where you are at. And if you...

March to the End of Day I am a loner. The term these days is introvert. When I was a child my mother called me painfully shy. I stuttered so that seemed to fit. I chose the edges of life. The corners of a room, the far side of the playground beyond the swings. And because of my chosen position I became an observer. I admit to being a people watcher. But I would rather watch four footed animals. They behave better. Humans can be inspirational but they often disappoint me. The pandemic has been education in human nature. In adversity people show who they really are. I got a political call yesterday. I quickly informed the caller I had already mailed in my ballot. He impressed me when he didn't ask if I had voted for his candidate but congratulated me in voting by mail. He then asked if I needed anything. Did I have masks, and enough food? Or just someone to talk to. I informed him I was making masks for as many of my friends as I could. And in spite of two garden fails had f...

Petrified Forest Let me take this opportunity to express what a huge mistake the old white men of the United States are making. The Millennials cannot even cook their own breakfasts. Or cut their own hair. But that is a cheap line. I participated in a web conference yesterday about developing plans to open up the economy. First just because we open the doors does not mean they will come. Sixty-six days of staying to ourselves has taught us things. Gray hair is not such a bad thing for one. And it is possible to assemble your own Reuben sandwich. But the people in a row at the top of the webinar page were not young. And it occurs to me the same can be said for those of us on the board of an arts organization or the library board. In point of fact us long term volunteers have long realized that the young are not moving up into vacated positions on the village committees to support events and organizations which depend on volunteers. As as we cancel one event after another whic...

Cliff Pueblo 26 x 14 Mixed Media on Artists Canvas $820 Growing up surrounded by ancient history I have often scoffed at time. I have seen it as an artificial construct. Or as my father put it, "a gentleman's agreement." And to that end I was raised to always be punctual to whatever time was agreed upon. To do less would be disrespectful.  To be late is to say your time is more valuable than the others'. But time on that daily level is so short. What about time on the cosmic scale? Or all times at once as Einstein theorized. In the midst of this pandemic and self-isolation I am beginning to totally get what Einstein meant. Certainly the hours, maybe even the days do not matter. There are no appointments, gentlemen's agreements, to which I must be held. I have self-isolated before it was the thing to do. As a resident of a tourist area I always, like the Cheshire Cat, hide myself away during spring break. Now all of us should be doing the same. Forty-thr...

If I am going to be totally honest with myself I began to grieve for the loss of dreams on the day of Trump's inaugural address. And while we are being totally honest I did not listen to it. I read it. I have never been able to listen to him. The world he described was not one I welcomed. And one I began to fight the minute he was elected. I was mostly worried he would get us in a nuclear war. Instead he got us into a pandemic. One he refuses to admit to. Why do I think he chose this on purpose? If all the old people die he can eliminate SS and Medicare. And if it only happens in Democratic led states he can eliminate opposition to his re-election. All which should make me angry. Instead I just want to cry. Good I am self-isolating because I am crying and very unexpected times. Grief, a friend reminded me, is like that. Can you grieve for four solid years? Or is it a new grief on top of an old grief not yet moved beyond. But I accept this. This is the death of our nation. ...

As one picked to die in this pandemic I want my house and all its contents burned to the ground with me in it. I want the land to go back to as it was before the 1861 homestead act. Let this stand as my last will and testament. Jacqui Binford-Bell My study of plagues and pandemics in the earth's history this sounds best. I have never wanted to live forever. In point of fact I have lived longer than I expected. I have planned to take no extraordinary measures to protect my life beyond my 75th birthday which is still over a year off. I faced my death Christmas Even 2001. I saw myself in the light as I observed my body on the snow below me. I did not fight to return. I was pushed. I thought as I fell from the light, "This is going to hurt." And it did. Still do not know why I had to come back. Surely it was not just to be able to paint and photograph the beauty around me. That said I still feel I have much to offer to the world I live in. I know things which cann...

There are times when this seems so unreal. Certainly this is not happening. And this disconnect from what is happens a lot in the age of Trump. Moments like when he gave his horror filled inaugural address which now seems to be coming true. Or is it all just Orson Wells redo of War of the Worlds . I went out yesterday for just the second time in the month of March. I have been self-isolating at first because of spring breakers. They always bring colds and flu and chaos. I choose my times carefully. I am an early bird so beating the crowds is very easy. But now that the Covid-19 virus is around all that much more important. Quickly going around the edge of the market to get milk to make yogurt and some cheese I glanced down some of the rows to see the empty shelves, and a couple loading a cart to over flowing. Later I caught a glimpse of them putting it all in their vehicle with Oklahoma plates.  The roads were not empty as I had thought. Not only were we all being advised...