Truth is...

 

 

Truth is we did a few bits of stuff that would smash memories like these photos above. ...Truth is we were dreamers and doers.

Going down to the creek and chopping down a tree? We marched with an intent to make a log cabin. It was an innocent thing, and my brothers Robert and Bill did the chopping while my sister sat under the lean to we had made. It was good enough dwelling for the time being. 

The tree fell down after a crack and bang.

Me with sister Mary. I was almost 9 and she was 4.

In the mean time Mary and I ran back to the house and borrowed an oiled plastic table cloth to help with the decoration of the future cabin. We scurried back and secured it to the lean-to with strips of cloth torn from Bill's shirt. 

Mary and I waited and watched, I told her how we would play in the cabin.

our lean-to was classier than this
how to make a lean-to

In the meantime, while the brothers tried to drag the fallen tree to a designated building spot. It was a hard hard effort while Mary and I cheered them on.

After the attempt we decided to come back after dinner to work more.

Days, weeks passed by and when Dad asked "Has anyone seen the ax?" we looked at each other, noting that the as lay in the lean-to. After dinner, while Mom and Dad enjoyed their after meal cigarettes and coffee, Robert sprinted to the lean to and retrieved it. 

Easter 1959

Before they finished their ritual, the ax was placed in the breezeway, partially hidden by another oiled plastic tablecloth.

We never talked about it as adults even though the strong memory of the uncompleted structure lingered in our minds. It wasn't until that part of the woods was cut down by a neighbor and he talked about the tree and the lean-to which still stood protected the oiled plastic table cloth. 

Our parents were smoking and then finishing their coffee that we now adults smiled, remembering the afternoons we spent time attempting that monumental effort.

Don holding Mary, me holding Bill and Robert with cowboy hat.

Not lumberjacks, 1959

I asked my mom if she knew we were walking to the the creek like ducklings behind Robert who carried the ax with pride while the rest marched behind him. She nodded in a way that told me that she really didn't know.

Mom had seen us walking in our duckling way but didn't stop us.  

I then queried why she didn't stop us. "Mom, Robert was 9 years old carrying a large ax, I was 8, Bill was 6, and Mary was almost 5! Why, why oh why didn't you stop us?"

She didn't have an answer. Mom figured that one of us would run to get help.   

In truth, we were stupid and shouldn't have been there: ax adventure in our hearts and no common sense in our heads.

But, it was a memory of 4 children with a dream that lingered after 50 years.

front row: me, Mary and Bill in 1968.
back row: Robert, Mom and Dad

To cross the Rubicon

Julius Caesar. crossing the Rubicon

Crossing the Rubicon? This is something that attributed to Julius Caesar as he prepared to break the law. 

This is what is written about the man, the law, and the Rubicon:

The Rubicon was a shallow stream in northern Italy. In 49 BC, it marked the boundary between Julius Caesar's assigned province of Gaul and Italy proper.

Roman law strictly forbade any general from leading an army across the river into Italy. Doing so was considered an act of treason and an automatic declaration of war.

On January 11, 49 BC, Julius Caesar chose to lead his troops across the river, famously saying "the die is cast", which started a massive civil war and led to the fall of the Roman Republic.

This was an amazing time in history which led to a series of events that changed the world.

 

"Light on flow, heavy on history."

 Application to modern history:

To make an irreversible decision that commits one to a course

 of action.
 

To make a bold, irreversible decision that determines your next steps.
 

To pass the point of no return with no chance of retreat. 

source

So then, how does this apply to you? To most people? If so, where has this taken you? Or someone you know?

Why did I write on this event in history? Good question. Why? 

Can normalcy ever be universal?

 

Is such possible?

"You're the extremist, not me!"

"People like you should not have freedom of speech!"

"WHAT? Me?  No, YOU should be silenced."

Far LEFT? Far RIGHT? Fights in the street?

   

Here are a few things that have happened 

the past few years: 

No Jewish/Christion/anti abortion people cannot cross campus or stand near a "peaceful protest".

Police can be targets of harassment and threats when they are upholding the law?

This may be a public park but YOU can't speak here...

YOU don't agree with us, so we can blow whistles and scream in your face... 

    

We will block the streets because we are protesting and we can. Too bad for you, Doctor. Live with it.

                           

 Lord, help us!

So tired.

What about these "Far __??__" ideas :

A.  Far ___ Girl Scouts with survivalist instincts who regularly steal one cookie from each box of cookies because they deserve it.

B.  Far ___ Lutheran Women's Knitting Society who believe Catholic Women's Knitting really suck and plan to unravel all their projects.

C.  Far ___ Community Soccer Team for Pre-schoolers who kick the daylights out of the referee because he always blows the whistle.

D.  Far ___ Baptist Church Choir who plan to defeat and possibly beat up Methodist Church Choir in Christmas competitions because they think that the Methodist soprano is a ringer. 

E.  Far ___ Irish Dance festival having an Irish soda bread food fight against a Ballet school at fundraiser because they all think they are so hoity-toity.

F.  Far ___ Patients in care facilities who sabotage orderly coffee room because orderlies are not solicitous enough when helping patients.

G.  Far ___  Sports shop employees who loosen skateboard screws because those **** kids listen to wrong kind of music and are just plain irritating.

H. Far ___ librarians who remove books by Maurice Sendak and J.R..R. Tolkien from shelves because they were suspected of being  alcoholics and leading  possibly promiscuous life styles. 

What should the Baptist choir do to take out the Methodist Choir?

   

Should the Lutheran Women's Knitting guild destroy the Catholic's guild knitted baby blankets?

Should the Girl Scouts take a cookie just because? Even if it is a slim mint?

Once the cookie is gone, does that make it right?