Slender stocks
Proud conductors swaying in the light breeze
Spend an hour or two
Listen
Frogs bellowing sorrowful tunes
Ripples
Dripping with empathy
For long lost friends
Swish of grass
Cut down to their wits end
Without the other side
Understanding lives
Older than ever imagined
Strong and sturdy
Yet slender and beautiful
With thousands of arms
Always sympathetic
Always sheltering
And that faint, faint howl
Crying
Lonely in the moonlight
Running from its fears
Dark enveloping blue
Clouds mocking the darkness
blocking once remembered stars
feeble attempts
of once noisy creatures
shivering
slinking along
falling
graceful sounds put an end to this sweet lullaby
but why wait?
rhythmic nights
only give us sorrow
when thoughts come drifting out
why worry?
when you can dream

This is one of two poems Emma wrote for me. Kate & Mom bought me a Minnetonka fur hat to keep my head warm this winter. Also got the National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to the Constellations since we can actually see the stars up here. Ann got me Paradise by Elmore Leonard who she knows is my favorite author, almost bar none. (Salinger & Carver, Jim Harrison, Robertson Davies, & Cormac McCarthy may be right up there with him.) When I was in hospital for my by-pass and afterwards recuperating she fed me two or three paperbacks each week. And they kept me alive for 5 years more. And the gang of girls also gave me Indecision 2004; a set of three DVDs from The Daily Show. This is kewl cuz I didn't start watching until late in the year.
And Kate said I was kewler than her, but I'm not. Thanks girls.
And now I'm cooking up a dozen jars of my famous Hot Toamto Jam. Yummie!

It just occurred to me that 64 years ago this afternoon my mother was canning tomatoes when she was interrupted by me wanting to join the crowd at our already full house in Ashton, Iowa, pop 503 in 1941. Sister Sybella says she took over the canning while Ma went upstairs to accomodate me. Sybella claims she also changed my diapers that night and they were milky white so I guess they didn't feed me any Iowa August tomatoes. Along with sweet corn, THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
Brother Daryl once took a few bushels of Iowa dirt back to Austin in which to plant his tomatoes. That's extreme but slightly kewl too. Like Derb.
And yes, it rained again today as I drove Ann & Kate & her friend Megan to the train station in Hudson.

And they spoke amongst themselves saying: "It is a crock of shit and it stinketh!"

And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said: "It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odour thereof!"

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying: "It is a container of excrement and it is very strong, Such that none may abide by it!"

And the Managers went unto the Management Committee saying: "It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength!"

And the Management Committee spoke amongst itself saying unto one another: "It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong!"

And the Management Committee gave counsel unto the Vice Presidents saying unto them: "It promotes growth and it is very! powerful!"

And the Vice Presidents went unto the President saying unto him: "This new plan will activily promote the growth and vigour of the company with powerful effects!"

And the President looked upon the plan and saw that it was good. And so the plan became policy.

And that's how shit happens.
* My neice Jeanne sent me this.
Update
Finally rented the apartment so I am quite relieved. 74 year old retired man who has walked the Appalachian trail twice; first time at age 60. Nice guy, talks a bit much much he is not uninteresting; knows about trees and has lived around here all his life, goes to Florida from January to April each year, has a girlfriend up in Maine. No pets and doesn't smoke, drinks a bit of wine with dinner. I'm thinking this one was worth waiting for but we'll see.
He paid me 4 months rent in advance and liked the place as is. Plus he has a NO MORE BUSHIT bumper sticker on his truck. Kewl.
Do you think he might be a shill for a terrorist cell?

How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten.
1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for eternal darkness;
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb;
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner 'Bulb Accomplished';
7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was literally 'in the dark' the whole time;
8. One to viciously smear No. 7;
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

Quotes from when Clinton committed troops to Bosnia.

"You can support the troops but not the president."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
--Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
--Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
--Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

Here is the list of people who wanted to rent the (still vacant) apartment.
1. A toothless woman with a 14 year old who had her friend drive her here and fill out the application. She makes $400 a week from two jobs, evening shift and night shift. Pass.
2. Two young black people, both pushing 300 pounds, the woman is working as a domestic for one of Columbia County's more affluent families. He didn't want to say where he worked. Pass.
3. A jive 40 year old male divorcee who didn't want to get too explicit about his background but wanted to move in immediately. Pass.
4. A totally reliable 67 year old bachelor, part-time retiree after 26 years at the same company in Chatham. Doesn't smoke or drink. He decided it was too expensive so I lowered the rent to $600 but he still passed.
5. A non-smoker-drinker landscape gardener, divorcee after 40 years of marriage, who was a bit discombobulated about the whole thing. He passed even after I offered a few more amenities.
It goes on and on...
And I was told that it would be easy to rent the place.
Any takers for a 1 bedroom pied a terre in Columbia County?

MacDries says, "I'll take those six pints and no complaints."

The Fulton Fish Market, our downstairs neighbor for the past century or more is now gone; moved to Hunt's Point after countless false annopuncements; I first heard they were moving in about 1981. I say good riddance with only a bit of nostalgia. I wont miss the noise or the smell but I suppose all those Yuppies coming in will be pretty disgusting.

The geezer hits 64 on the 28th (will you still love me?). If I knew I was gonna live this long I shoulda woulda coulda taken better care of my body.

Having a show of paintings in Sioux Falls, SD - Augustana College which opens on the 30th. Reception on September 9th 7-9pm. Y'all come if you're in the neighborhood.
I'll post a digital tour later, if you miss it. Should be one of the cultural events of any season since I haven't shown anything in about 20 years.

Back at'cha Shrub. You little twerp!
Go HERE to see the whole tape.

For The Latest Dries Art GO HERE
For The Latest CyberToonz GO HERE
I've never actually watched an episode of The Simpsons (I'm more of a Pixar kind of guy) butt...
*Dislaimer

Go To: MacDries Design

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