What Am I Doing Here?

A little poetry, a little photography, and a little commentary with a bit of food and humor along the way. That is how my blog continues to move along in these days of pandemic and political polarization. Here is a small sampling of recent blog posts. 

Commentary

If past is prologue, then a letter from some white Birmingham ministers in 1963 illustrates how nice established society continues to respond to racial inequities to this day. “How Shall We Respond to Dr.King’s Dream?” takes a look at how we’re doing.

“War Is (Still) Not the Answer” written just after the U. S. pulled its troops from Afghanistan, offers a few thoughts on why I side with the Quakers on matters of war. 

“Can anyone say that we are a life-affirming culture when we cannot keep our children from being gunned down in their schools?” “Why do we Sacrifice Our Children?”  has been one of my most-viewed posts lately and, sadly, one that has been posted several times before. 

On a different note, “Giving Thanks Prayer by Native Americans” shares an old indigenous practice. Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants writes that the various Native American tribes have one thing in common: “we are rooted in cultures of gratitude.”

 A Place for Poetry

“Autumn Gold” presents a photo of a ginkgo tree I happened upon one day and the haiku that it inspired. In November, I was amazed to find a perfect camellia blossom. In “Last Blooms,” I posted my photo and another haiku from that encounter.

And speaking of haiku, the art of legendary singer Tony Bennett has served as inspiration for a series of haiku. “Tony Bennett and Me” offers the links to those featured on my Saturday Haiku feature.

“Autumn: A Time to Settle” is a re-post of one of my poems which has also been featured in the Birmingham Arts Journal.

“Remembering Brian Hawkins” offers my recollection of a poet and spoken word artist gone too soon.

 Just for Fun

“Backyard Birdland” is a bit of whimsy I caught on video in which a towhee and a squirrel argue over a birdbath. Earlier in the year, I captured a video of goldfinches feeding in the flower garden. In July, it was pure luck that I photographed a hummingbird face-to-face with another hummer as he zoomed in toward the feeder.

Food and Humor

Because sometimes we need to lighten up, I often post a cartoon on Fridays and will occasionally share a recipe I am excited about.

“The Queen’s Drop Scone Pancakes” shares my discovery of the recipe that Queen Elizabeth presented to President Eisenhower when she visited the U.S. back in the 1950s.

“The Way Bach Wrote It” and “Tell me you haven’t had this dream” are two magazine cartoons I’ve shared and “Buster Keaton – The Art of the Gag” is a short video I found on the creativity of early filmmaker/comedian..

There is always Music

There is music every week – each Monday, in fact. One of the most popular music posts was Bob Dylan’s cover of StephenFoster’s “Hard Times.”

A camellia blooming in November

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