tis christmas

tis christmas and like the old charlie brown christmas special i'm wondering what it all means. when your'e a kid it means toys, toys, toys. and a week off from school. then we get older and buying gifts for family and friends and maybe a nice holiday dinner is the norm. but this year seems different. the mood seems .......gloomy. maybe the economy has gotten people down.maybe the true meaning of christmas has become lost over the years. i don't own alot of ''toys'', haven't lived in a house since i was little and have no desire to acquire alot of stuff. i do like getting together with the family and friends, sharing good food and some fine red wine. on that note i was in millis, a small town i grew up next to, this past sunday for a holiday party. some good friends have been hosting this event for fifteen years or so and they finally invited me....heehee. i only knew a few folks, the hosts brother and family and a couple of others. the food was great, the mood jovial and at the end of the day they had a raffle. i didn't realize the proceeds were going to a local foodbank but as i drove home that day i thought what a wonderful idea that was. giving, so others can have.......now that is the true meaning of christmas. linus got it right and no, charlie brown was not a blockhead, he was a good kid. he was just like the rest of us. merry christmas everybody.....jack frost

winterize

how do you stay warm in winter? layered clothing, hot toddys, another log on the fire? for those in northern climes you have to be creative. oh, i suppose if you have the time and money you could just flee winter's grasp and head somewhere, anywhere the temperture doesn't fall below eighty but for the majority of folks that is not an option. it's not just the cold, it is the dark, unrelenting night, the boredom of confinement, the narrowing of our lifestyles that tends to drag you down and put a freeze on things. you just don't come home after eight hours of work, grab a glass of wine and the newspaper and sit out on the porch, an open porch, and relax when the thermometer reads twentyfive and the wind is blowing in your face. it would be nice to follow the sun, to not have to deal with all the miseries that winter brings. maybe this year,maybe not. i''ll let you know. til then, i will do as i always have done and what my ancestors did.....struggle to stay warm and keep the faith....the faith that spring will be early this year

twilight zone

''there is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. it is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. it is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. this is the dimension of imagination. it is an area we call ''THE TWILIGHT ZONE'' ROD SERLING. 50 years ago the ''twilight zone'' debuted on television. it ran for only five years but it left a lasting impression. the creator of the show was a remarkable man named rod serling. he was only fifty one when he passed away in 1975 but his story lives on today. i saw a show on him years ago, probably on pbs and it recounted his early years in BINGHAMTON, NY. something he said on the show caught me. he spoke of a geographical womb, a place where you feel safe, at home. his was binghamton, mine is southville, a small town in southeast massachusetts. he was a great writer, an interesting presence in early television. if you ever get a chance, try watching some of his shows. they usually air around new years or perhaps just throw in a cd somenight, for your approval. take good care bloggers and enjoy a cool, october eve........jack c

fall is calling

summer is too short, winter never ends, spring is a renewal and fall is an old friend, the leaves are already falling and the animals seem to sense, there is a time to go, no sitting on the fence, the earth is slowly turning, a little farther from the sun, for us in the northern hemisphere, this is not alot of fun, so we gather in the outdoors and sing praises to the fall , perhaps thinking we can stave off winters icy call. .........sorry folks but we both know whats coming next, jack c

homeland

this afternoon i went down to medway, my hometown. i only live the next town away but i don't often visit. i don't know why. it's comfortable driving the backroads of my youth. there is always new things but it's the old stuff, the house where i lived, my grandmothers place, the town park where my friends and i spent countless hours wasting.......countless hours. the park was named after my grandfather, five years after he passed on. my grandmother was around for the ceremony and i'm sure my grandad was watching from above. it's not a grand park or anything, always had a water problem. i made my way to the far end, a green bridge and made some casts. two small bass later i left but not before i ventured up in back of the b ball courts where 35 years ago lay a pretty good size series of fields dotted with irregular stone walls heading in all directions. now it's heavily grown over but there are still paths that wind there way to..... who knows?there were signs of teenage activity, ie. empty liquor bottles hidden behind ancient pines. its good to see things haven't changed totally. certain memories always come rushing back when you go home, some good, some bad but always interesting......have a nice sunday trip down memory lane yourself today, jack c

nature

it has been awhile......two weeks now. blogging is definitely a winter sport, at least for me. this weekend past i did go to new hampshire to visit my brother and his wife. nice time, great weather. we took the kayaks out, first to a small lake and then to a meandering river on sunday. the river trip was the best. the powdermill river takes its time flowing through barrington, in western new hampshire. it zigs then zags with no rhyme or reason, at least to me. water plants line the sides providing perfect cover for a large variety of fish. great blue herons sit quietly waiting for their chance to swoop in for a meal. it was a little windy so finding a spot amongst the weeds to place the kayak was quite the trick. summer in new england does not last but when it is here, it's a treat. fishing turned out to be productive too......one large pickeral, his smaller brother, perch and kivers were plentiful. the kayak is a wonderful way to ride the river. sitting low, gliding slowly or paddling madly, you can't beat it. exercise and enjoyment all i wrapped in a ten foot molded plastic floatation device. sounds fun?it was.....see ya round the bend, jack c.....ps. i'm off to maine next wednesday, the 29th for a few....long live summer

summertime

yes it is summer which means there is no time. there is time but it moves with the pace of a sultry humid night. i'm not sure i could take summer the whole year round [i can hear most of you screaming ''why the hell not?''i like summer, just like i like spring, fall and yes winter. each season serves a purpose. summer time is to slow down, take it easyyyyyy. it would be nice to take the summer off, at the beach or perhaps a quiet lake. summer is a time to linger, read the paper a little slower each day whilst sipping on the morning coffee. sand castles and body surfing would fill my days while red wine over a soft sunset would lead me into evening.....a perfect summers eve. fall is right around the corner along with responsibility and cool air and clarity to follow. i'm not ready yet, summer is just starting to sink into our senses and i'm going to enjoy it all. on that note....i''ll see ya around, jack c

icons

farrah,michael,ed mcmahon.....three icons of the sixties, seventies,eighties all passed away this past week. people are born and people die every day.....not just famous folk.when the famous die there is usually a treasure trove of artifacts that appear all over the media, reliving the glory days. michael jackson, being the youngest and possibly the oh how to put this, the oddest of the three has garnered the most press. like elvis he will remain the king. people will show up every year at.....neverland? and leave flowers and makeshift shrines at his grave. in death , just like in his life i doubt he will find peace. there will be sightings, fan clubs insisting he lives and all the other hoopla that surrounds the other king, elvis to this day. farrah's death and the accompanying stories will be a little more subdued. the brave way she endured and the stuggle to live will be noted but her days in the spotlight are over. she was famous long ago, mostly for being beautiful and that's how she will be remembered. ed mcmahon's generation is already passed, he outlived most of his contemporaries and though we can still see him in black and white on the early tonight show clips that holds little for todays youth based culture. thats what happens when you live too long, your'e forgotten before you even pass. well thats enough from me today, i'm heading out to enjoy what we in new england call summer, be good and take good care, jack c

ark time?

did the earth stop spinning? it must have, why else would this low/high whatever system you want to call it seem to be sitting on top of ......new england?, east coast, where is it not raining? i'm sure there are a few stretches of barren wasteland somewhere on the globe that has not been inundated by the cold, wet stuff. it is june, the 18th to be exact and summer is near. at least in concept. in reality summer could not be farther away. now i'm not complaining. it might sound like it but i'm not. really. i'm only making an observation. you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing. thank you bob dylan for that little gem. the real reason i'm blogging is today, at 3:04 i became a great uncle once again. my darling niece had a beautiful baby girl and that makes me very happy. i''ll head up to the hospital tomorrow to say hey and check her out but tonight i'm toasting her arrival with a glass of red and listening to the rain outside my window. here's to you mia catherine, live long and prosper....love dear old uncle jack

oh, to summer

the last days of spring, it's cool and green and new, before the summer burns away the mornings drop of dew and promises that were written on winter's icy breath lay bare in open fields to die an early death and all along the hillsides, sprinkled deep amongst the trees lie remnants of an earlier time, one closer to the seas and every day we live upon this madly spinning rock shows us just how far we've come and how far we have to walk.......jc.....ps. has anybody seen the sun? just asking

the moon in june

yes it is june, half way through another year. amazing when you think of it. a fellow blogger from o' canada writes today that it SNOWED yesterday. well, more sleet than snow but still...it' springtime in new england which means the weather outside changes almost daily. it's been on the cool side mostly, which i like. the heat come july is always welcome but when the humidity kicks in and you can see and taste the air it becomes dreadful. it only last a short time but it can seem a lot longer. i'm not a big fan of air conditioning but i can see why we have it. i adjust fairly well to the stuff but it just kills most folks. well here it is friday night , round 6:30 and i'm tapping away, just had my last glass of wine and i'm working tomorrow. the excitement never stops....heehee. take good care and i''ll catch you on the rebound....jack.......ps. snow....in june.....the indignity of it all...

waterunderthebridge

i watch the water flowing by and wonder where it goes, does it rise to the heavens and then return in measured, steady flows? six hours in six hours out the tides are keeping time, sometimes savage as a bullet, sometimes gentle as a rhyme. water is essential, it keeps us all alive, so i search the perfect pool and take an awkward dive and hold my breath and watch the bubbles arrive............june is here, yeahhhhhh...jack c

to the cape

today is sunday, the 24th day of may. monday is memorial day. summer is creeping closer day by day. i'm off to the cape later to try my hand at striper fishing. every year from roughly may to october striped bass cruise the coastal waters of new england in search of a good meal. and i'm in search too!!i''ll be fishing near the railroad bridge tonight[ an elevated structure that rises and lowers when a train passes. it's quite a feat if you see it first hand.] the canal is an amazing piece of work that slices through a long stretch of the cape making it an island instead of a peninsula, which it once was. a great place to walk, ride your bike, rollerblade and watch all manner of ships pass. it's a wonderful place to relax and take in the great outdoors. only an hour away [massachusetts not being one of the larger states, but we don't mind] it is an easy day trip. traffic can be brutal but where isn't it? cars seem to have clogged most known roads and a few others less known. can't live with em, can't live without em......so true. i would like to have seen the cape, the old cape, about 100 years ago. long stretches of sand, little fishing villages and green everywhere.....almost heaven. well thats my blog for today, if the fishing goes well there will be an update. till then, enjoy this day and every day....jack c

sunstruck

i've noticed my blogging frequency, and others, seems to have dropped in relation to the weather. in january it was easy to plop myself down every night in front of the old keyboard and blog to my hearts delight. but now it is spring and the warm air has drawn me outside to bask in its glow. just sitting on the porch, glass of wine in hand and watching the birds flutter about is wonderful. spring is a renewal, an awakening sort of. the world is green today and all manner of wildlife is taking advantage. i threw some bread out to the street yesterday and in no time at all a half dozen sparrows and a lone starling descended to spar over the crumbs. its also fishing season, the stripers having made their way up the coast to spend the summer fattening up and hoping to avoid the barbed hook of the angler. i love the ocean and i'm drawn to it too. the waters are still cold and i'm not ready to take the plunge but just going down to the shore puts a smile on my face. memorial day is coming up [its crazy how fast a year passes as you get ....older] so i''ll have an extra day off from work. that's always a good thing. well i guess i''ll see ya around, hope all is well in your neck of the woods. enjoy the day wherever you are...jack c

mothersday

today, sunday the 10th of may, with a cool breeze whipping through my windows, is mothers day. i'm off to york, maine to meet various brothers and sisters, along with mom to enjoy the brunch at york harbor inn. moms getting along in age, something you don't realize until your birthdays start adding up. i've never really been that close to my mother, her and dad divorcing when i was 15 or so. me and my younger brother stayed with dad while my little sister went with mom. the older kids were on their own. she stayed in touch over the years, finally settling in maine. time has caught up with her now as nagging ailments have dogged her for the last ten years or so. but she's stubborn and really doesn't listen to most of the family. today will be bittersweet, a time to reflect on the family as a whole. there will be flowers and cards and laughs, always laughs. its easier to laugh than cry. every family is different but some truths are universal. it takes years to figure this thing called life out and then its over. they say youth is wasted on the young and i'm beginning to believe that......take good care everybody and have a lovely sunday, jc

may 4th 1970

this is not an easy post to write. thirtynine years ago tomorrow, may 4th four students were gunned down at kent state university in ohio. it's an incident that should not be forgotten. america was at war with itself in the late sixties, early seventies. all across the land college students were protesting the highly unpopular vietnam war. it was a generation thing. our parents, the greatest generation could not understand their own kids. we, later dubbed the boomers, could not understand the world we were facing. then it happened. kent state. they're killing us. tin soldiers and nixon coming....four dead in ohio. words to angry song released just after kent state. i was 13 that spring, still in eighth grade. i saw the picture.....yes the famous picture of a 14 year old runaway with her arms spread, kneeling beside a fallen student. who fired the rounds? who ordered live ammunition? it was a crazy situation all the way around. national guardsmen, most only a few years older than the students had been called in by the governor of ohio. student protesters had burned down the rotc building the night before. all across the land students were decrying the expansion of the vietnam war. nixon had secretly ordered bombings in neighboring laos. when word leaked out everything fell apart. classes were letting out that day and students were passing through and wondering what all the commotion going on was. then the shots rang out. then jeffery miller, allison krause, william schroeder and sandra scheuer lay dead on the ground. they had nothing to do with the protests, nothing to do with anything. just college students passing between classes. then they were dead. its been almost forty years since that day in may, a day we should never forget. they would have been 58 ,59 years old this year. probably have their kids in college. every year for awhile there were rememberences held. it was a dark chapter in american history. it gets less coverage every year, its too hard to remember for some folks. i remember though, i still get angry, i still cry when reading accounts of that day. this country we live in is still divided, still haunted. say a prayer tomorrow, for the families and friends of jeffery, allison. william and sandy. we can't forget.......jack c

summertime

i know it's only the 26th of april, smack dab in the middle of spring but it is HOT, HOT, HOT. these last couple of days have late july written all over them. i'm not complaining, not after what seemed like six months of winter. all the blossoms in bloom, gardens strutting their best, bees all a buzz......it feels great. last night, with the warm air blowing in my windows felt so right. here in the northeastern part of the country we don't get this weather too often. oh it gets hot and we do get those humid days that wilt even the hardiest souls but.....it never lasts. it, meaning the weather, likes to change its mind a bit. temps go up and down like the dow jones. rain appears and disappears at a moments notice. today i'm wearing just a pair of flip flops and old jean shorts[ calm down folks, no pics available...heehee]the sun is still shining brightly, well it should be, it's only a quarter to four, and i'm waiting till the sun retreats from my front porch so i can read a little more of the paper. i know this hot stuff won't last, spring will return and those summertime blues will be put on hold for a month or two but for now i''ll enjoy the heat, the lazy day and perhaps a glass of red. yes, that's what sounds good, take care blogers....jack c

thats all folks

it's noontime, the 20th of april and i'm sitting here at the ol' computer, watching the redsox with one eye and tapping away with one finger. go ahead and laugh but that is how i type. i'm supposed to be working but alas i choose not to. it is patriots day and though it's a holiday for very few folks i decided to join the few and stay in bed today. after working 50 something hours last week with a nagging cough and stuffy head i thought today would be a good day to catch up. i saw a promo for a new show on the history channel [i think...] tuesday night about life on earth without people. interesting concept if you think about it. what if everybody disappeared, gone, blotto. the only things to remain would be animals, insects and what we left behind. nature would slowly reclaim its turf. it would take......a thousand years?....two thousand? before all our manmade work would return to dust. cities would no longer exist, roads, cars, everything would over time would just cease. and then what? it's hard to imagine because everything we know, all that we built is based on.....us. people. take away the people and you have?....could it happen? i don't know.....but i will be watching, tomorrow night. cuz i'm curious and well rested. heehee.....take good care blogworld, jack c

hoarse

i'm not feeling well today. actually i woke up monday with the proverbial frog in the throat. i'm trying to fight it. i have to work the whole week, plus saturday. just have to....and yet i ache. not alot of energy, quieter than usual [and thats not easy]. i hate feeling this way. i had been good for the last three months but without warning the easter cold struck. been going to bed earlier than i'm used to, which is okay.not much on the boob tube. my computer has been acting up so i'm trying to catch up on old blogs. i'm sure ya''ll read about captain richard phillips and his rescue. i am happy he's safe but the way in which it happened will lead to more trouble down the line. thats just the way the world works. it's brutal, it's harsh and it doesn't slow down for anybody. well , gotta go now.....sipping on some fine red and getting ready to crash. it will be a challenge to see who lasts longer...me or the computer. take care bloggers, hope to see ya soon, jack c

happy easter everyone

quick blog....just wanted to wish everybody in the world a happy easter. i know this is not the best way as my audience is somewhat limited to the people who actually read these words. pass it on pray tell. i think most of the world has some beliefs, though they differ greatly. it would be nice to put aside our differences for one day and reflect on the world today. a man named jesus died for our sins and his life and death still reverberate strongly. faith.....faith is what holds us together in times of trouble and faith is what carries us forward daily. so say a little prayer to whomever you believe in tomorrow, whatever faith you are and try and remember why we are here today. and say a prayer for captain phillips and get him home soon. i knew the man, he was the brother of a friend i met many years ago living in worcester. played some basketball with him in the late eighties and haven't seen him or his brother for some years but they were good people and i hope for a safe return. it brought back memories when i saw his picture all over the newspapers. take good care captain, jack c

round world

since i got home today i've had a guided tour of manila, courtesy of my friend half crazy, smelled the beautiful flowers of northern california with shey and dined at a quirky little pub in the english countryside with veronica, my lovely host. and i'm not a bit tired. thats what i love about blogging. its everywhere, its anytime. blogging has shrunk the globe. the internet has reached the loneliest outposts and the next town over. a person can share breakfast with the world if he wanted to. by the time i finished putting some jam on my bagel that piece of minutia can be the talk of europe or instant fodder for bloggers united. [i'm sure thats a land....heehee]here i am, living in the northeastern part of the usa and blogging has made me realized how some truths, some hopes and fears, desires and pain are universal. drop a stone in a pond and the ripples will reach the shores in a steady, measured wave. what happens in one part of the world affects everyone. as easter approaches we might do well to remember the old saying.....do unto others as you would like them to do unto you....or something like that. take good care and stay safe, jack c...........a quick poem for you.......''under an atlanta moon i walked past photographs and twisted glass and felt a calmness about the place, the night was warm and i strolled on , the air was filled with taste. i thought about home where i'd be soon as i wandered through the haze and at just that moment a shiny light quickly caught my gaze.''

opening day

the red sox were to open their season today but rain got in the way. cold rain. it's forty something and damp on this 6th day of april. oh yes i'm home too! i didn't take the day off just to watch my beloved sox but a day off is a day off. a three day weekend beats the standard two days off anytime. i tried my hand at fishing but a quick downpour soon ended that notion. i tried reading some blogs and there's not much going on[ though the blog the tidings of magpies has a wonderful poem in it]i did fall asleep round noon, a nap being one of lifes little pleasures, but was rudely awakened by the phone. thats allright, i didn't want to sleep the whole day away. right now i'm just sitting here feeling as blue as the weather, perhaps a shower will charge me up. oh one more thing before i go....in most towns around here the church was always the tallest building in town. the spires reached up to the heavens with a stylish grace. standing in my driveway i can see the red tile of sacred heart and off in another distance the castlelike walls of saint marys. beautiful buildings really. stepping back into the street a little i see the golden dome of the town hall with an outstretched eagle crowning the top. not a bad view from my dead end street. all three buildings are at least a century old and built with great pride by the local townsfolk. and maybe with the help of deedee i can show you them sometime.....ciao, jack c

thats me

thanks to my friend deedee i now have a picture of me on this post. i'm guessing its at least 25 years old. i recognize the tshirt as one i picked up in brattleboro, vermont. probably on the way home from one of our yearly pilgrimages to the great state. actually we went north on memorial day weekend and once again on labor day.we had found a nice reservoir smack in the middle of the state, just outside rutland. parking our caravan of vehicles underneath the NO CAMPING signs we walked a narrow goatpath of a trail for a half mile or so to a nice peninsula with a rather large rock standing guard. once we set camp if was off to gather firewood and explore. the whole setup resembled a squatter's camp, which it kind of was. day hikers would stop and chat and marvel at our little paradise. we offered food or drink and whatever we might be smoking at the time. most folks partook and then ambled off to other adventures. sitting around the campfire at night was always the best. we'd cook and swap tales of past trips make plans for the next day. once the sun set the woods took on a whole different aura and every noise was magnified. alot of people woke the next morn with bleary eyes and aching backs from sleeping on the hard ground. i haven't been back to chittenden since the early eighties but i'm sure i would recognize the place and 100 memories would come flooding back. it was a different time and a special place and it will always remain that way. so as i look at that photo [and that stache] i will remember my friends and the times we had.....jack c

i miss winter

i miss winter, i truly do. the snow, the ice, the ever present cold. oh i forgot the long hours of darkness, the layers of clothing, the sand that sticks to everything. what about the dead batteries, broken windshieldwipers, the frozen car seats. wait, theres more. the slip on the steps, the snowball in the face, the wind howling through leaky windows. yes there's much to be said for winter in the northern climes. fortunately this is a pg blog and most of the words would have to be bleeped out. but i do miss winter and i can't wait to miss it this year. but hey, there are no mosquitoes and that ain't half bad......jack c....[april's fool]....todays question.....who said april is the cruelest month?

good morning

it is a cool, soggy morn here in new england as the hour approaches eleven and i'm sitting here at the computer reading blogs and commenting here and there. yesterday was much more spring like and i was outside quite a bit. i went up to hopkinton to do some fishing[ no luck though] and just enjoy the sunshine. hopkinton is a quiet little town except in a few weeks when they stage the boston marathon. then it becomes home to thousands of runners and thousands more spectators who line the route to cheer on the runners. its truly a sight as wave after wave begin the long journey to boston. i have never run the thing and i doubt if i could. running long distances has never appealed to me though i was usually active growing up. but yesterday was a good time to pass through hop town on my way to the reservoir. i grew up 5 minutes down the road and it brings back memories as i drive round the old neighborhood. its funny but after not living there for over forty years i can still remember who lived where and what happened one year so long ago. the trek to school down highland street brings back feelings of nostalgia and you find yourself back in 1965, third grade, coming home on the last day of school with a good report card in hand and all the time in the world. of course the images are black and white, just like the television we had as kids. i''ll head up ther again soon. in search of rainbow trout and daydreams of yesteryears....till then world, peace out and have a lovely sunday, jack c

food for thought

everyone has a favorite food, something you eat daily.mine is bread. great for breakfast, toasted that is, a sandwich for lunch, maybe some hot rolls for supper. i love all kinds of bread. pumpernickle, rye,wheat, foccia, raisin....the list is long. i guess bread was invented fairly early in the scheme of things. it nourished the first people to walk the earth[if not the first then the second wave were eating some form...]when i was a kid i used to make little cubes out of bread almost like clay and eat them. it gives the bread a nice texture. french toast is always a great way to start the day .a sandwich wouldn't be a sandwich without bread. my father used to make a simple loaf of wheat bread using a can of beer. i like a can of beer with an italian grinder...in homage to my dad. it's one of the earliest foods i remember eating. i know its a big source of carbs and dieters are always warned to limit it or eat weight watchers bread, which tastes like cardboard to me. i'm getting ready to pop a bagel into the toaster to help balance out my second glass of wine so i''ll wrap up my blog about bread and say goodnight. anybody out there in blogville have a fave food? let me know......bye 4 now, crusty old jack...........a loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou

mountain high

i'm thinking of climbing this year. it has been a few years since i threw on the ol' backpack, laced up my well worn boots and headed north to the green mountains. yes vermont, the state where i first climbed in 1979 and returned several times since. the biggest mountain is mt. mansfield, a little over four thousand feet and located in northern vermont about 20 miles east of burlington. its a wonderful place. i've climbed it a half dozen times over the years, the first trip in 1984. i have climbed with friends and alone. its always better to climb with somebody.......just in case. i have done day trips, up and back and stayed overnight in rough cabins that cling to the eastern and western sides. you meet some great people hiking, some doing long stretches and others just out for the day. some folks i have met are heading the entire length of the appalachian trail, which goes from georgia to maine. they're the diehards, people who have the time to do such a trek. i have hiked mostly in 3 or 4 day intervals,carrying my sleeping bag and food stuffs. but as i got older i do the climb, look around and them back to the car routine. a nice soak in a hot tub back a the hotel is greatly appreciated. so is a trip into burlington, a beautiful little city on the shores of lake champlain. it has several colleges and a lively downtown that contribute to the whole experience. i first laid sight on this funky place in 1982 and i thought i was in heaven. besides being the birthplace of ben and jerrys it has a great vibe and is in the middle of some of the most stunning scenery you''ll find anywhere. the hippies who gathered here 40 years ago may be gone but their children and their kids keep the tradition alive. they love the green state and all that it stands for. and i do too!. i have to get back to the mountains, yes i think i will. i hike, therefore i am.....see ya round, jack

ode to spring

spring has sprung eternal, though one would hardly know, judging from the temperture, it feels alot like snow. the days are getting longer, things are slowly turning green, i know we are not there yet, we're sort of inbetween. the remnants of winter lay scattered across the land, the streets look old and crooked and the gutters filled with sand. the creatures of the night sense something in the air as they wander through the darkness still dressed in winter's wear. soon the flowers will explode, a symphony of hues,and i will walk upon the grass, my feet naked, without shoes. yes spring has sprung eternal and we will welcome it at last, like some dear old friend from a not so distant past. so throw your windows open and let out a hearty cheer, somewhere spring is lurking, its very, very near. ............there, i've done my part so don't blame me if we get socked with the white stuff, heehee...jack c alive and well

lottery anyone

i play the lottery, i gamble hard earned money in the hopes of ......more money. i don't spend alot. i do spend everyday. the number game, powerball, big this, big that. i like to daydream about what i would do if i ever hit it big. its natural to think about what if? the family would no doubt get some money, friends would benefit too. i'm not greedy. i don't need a dozen houses, cars galore. i've never had alot of money in my life and most people i know are in the same boat. living paycheck to paycheck is not easy. i see the millions that are doled out [stolen] by corporate hucksters and the seemingly endless tax money swallowed up by our ''public'' servants while ballplayers of every stripe hold out unless their demands are not met. and i wonder? how much money is enough? a mr. madoff stole FIFTY BILLION? what was he planning for god's sakes? did he really think he could get away with it? he is going to jail but so what? the moneys gone and NOBODY knows where it went? he's not going to tell. the corporate gouging thats been going on will continue until the next big scandal. real reform, from the top on down will never happen. when the foxes are in charge of the chicken coop nothing good will happen.oh there will be senate hearings and new laws drafted and a heightened awareness of how greed eats away at society but in the end its like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic, it just doesn't matter. so i''ll spend a few bucks today and tomorrow and continue my daydreaming. it's better than the reality we see out there, take care and i''ll see you around, jc

back to mass

yes i'm back. my trip north went well, for all intents and purposes. saturday i walked along the beach, albeit briefly. toooooo cooooold. not to mention the wind. the beach in winter is a starkly beautiful landscape. it looks the same in winter as in summer, just a bit less crowded. the gulls still angle for anything edible, their cries still haunt the dunes. the tides follow their daily rhythmn, charging forth and then a full retreat in six hour measures. broken shells, bits of wood, glass and the remains of some unfortunate sea creatures dot the sands. in warmer weather it's a treat to doff your shoes and sink your toes deep into soup. the winter pretty much says no to such flights of fancy. i took today off from work. figuring quite rightly that a good nights rest is what i need. tuesday will come soon enough and my work routine, getting up early, to work by 7 will await me as it always does. whenever i do get to the beach i think about what i would do if i didn't have to work. it's mostly just daydreaming but it does help. now it is time to open a bottle of red, sit back with a few newspapers and enjoy the quiet. also time to catch up on some blogs........cheers to all you good folks, jc

north, again

yes i'm heading north again. up to maine, the pinetree state. maine used to be part of my state, massachusetts, many years ago. it's got a lovely coast line, drawn as if one was shivering to death whilst trying to map it. for good reason. from november to maybe....may it is always winter up there. i go up to see some family members who migrated north in the late eighties, 1980's. known for lobsters and moose [the state, not my family..] maine is a rather large, at least for new england, wilderness. once past augusta, the capital, maine keeps on going and going till iy spills into canada. most of the area is made up of numbered townships, vast sections dominated by trucks hauling lumber and hardy souls exploring the wilderness. i have been a good ways downeast, as the northern coast is called but i never got to the top. i love all the wildlife one encounters if you know where to look. or if your patient. beavers, eagles, the aforementioned moose, bear, deer and an other assorted creatures prowl the woods. i'd love to live up there someday, a small out of the way pond or lake would be preferable. i can hack the cold...well now i can. as i get older i'm sure winter loses its charm. but the idea of going back to nature does hold a certain fascination with me. a place where i can write, observe and quietly blend in with the surroundings. yes, north it shall be.......till then, i''ll be around, jc

the daily news

first let me say, i grew up on newspapers. they were an important part of daily life.my father would bring home the record american every evening and we would race to the car to see who would snag the first edition .....and wish father well of course. over the years breakfast wasn't complete if there were no box scores or comic section to smudge with butter or spill juice upon. you can see why the 1st reading was highly prized. information was not a 24 hour loop as is todays musings. older folks watched the 6' oclock news and maybe stayed awake for the late edition but there were no stations that ran tickers along the bottom of your screen or devoted so much talk and analysis to every possible happening in the world. and it's worse or better today, depending on your view.....now you can be in touch with my space, facebook, twitter dee, twitter dumb and a host of ever changing technology sweeping around the globe in maddening speed. the newspaper, as it is presently constituted, is doomed. gone the way of the pony express and everyone's 401k's. i for one am going to miss them. there is something about the printed word, black ink set against a bone white paper that can't be easily replaced. you can call me cranky, outdated, a curmudgeon, you can mock my views and laugh at my futile attempts to hang on to the past. the mere fact that i'm typing away on a computer instead of sending off a sharply written letter to the editor probably brings smiles and knowing looks to the next wave. that's okay. just bring me my paper, early if possible and let me start the day off the way i always did. at a leisurely pace, without all the connections, blurs and beeps of the modern world. happy readings to ya''ll, jc.........

waking up

this whole daylight savings thing can really throw a person for a loop.yesterday, sunday for you avid followers, started out late and then became slowwwwww as the day wore on. i was out till one the previous night, late for a person of my age,[it's always good to beat them to the punch] and when i arrived home it was time to move all the clocks ahead an hour. it sounds simple, doesn't it? lose an hour of sleep but you gain an extra bit of daylight on the back end. why the jetlag that ensues? around 3 o'clock on sunday i felt comatose. sitting on the sofa, watching a bit of telly i suddenly felt like i was preparing to hibernate. everything just slowed to a crawl. is this natural?i hadn't even had a glass of red wine yet. i never really felt that way before. at least i don't remember....[iknow, i know, the mind goes first.....actually i do believe the legs take that prize] anyhoo, i do tend to ramble on these blogs, thats my choice. you can do pretty much what you want to do on these blogs. everybody's is a bit different. mine are just words. maybe i''ll slip some photos into the mix when i can figure it out. i know it's simple but i have no real experience with these things. i do think it's interesting that i can send these words around the world and read other folks comments. that to me is amazing....of course i'm old. and sleepy.......bye 4 now, jc

weddings

good morning world, it is a beautiful saturday, the sun is shining brightly in my corner of the universe and i'm going to a wedding later today. the groom is the son of a longtime friend, someone i have known close to fifty years. [if you are paying attention thats almost my whole life....] it's funny to know a person for that long. he and his family were already living in the town that i first have memories of when our clan moved in, circa 1959. sometime the following spring i'm sure we met in the large rock strewn stretch of land that seperated our houses. within a few years our families had grown to six kids apiece so peace and quiet in the neighborhood was not an option. we were only neighbors for eight years before we moved, first just down the road abit and then back to the town where i was born. it's not really a far trip, twenty minutes or so but when you are twelve and without automobile it seems like a million miles. we stayed in touch, even sharing an apartment for one years in the late seventies. his future wife and my younger brothers future wife , who were best friends, soon came along and that was the end of our apartment days. i worked for him for a five year period at a package store his folks owned and my brother moved off to the wilds of maine. we don't see each other as much as we did in the days of our youth so today, his son's wedding day will be special. we'll laugh alot about things that happened years ago, things only we know and we''ll wonder where the time has gone, along with our hair. it will be a nice day, a nice way to spend a cool saturday in march....among friends. take care everybody and enjoy this time we have, love and peace, jc

the river

i grew up near a river. it was on the other side of some railroad tracks that ran parallel to its own course. we played there alot as kids growing up in the early sixties. today's parents would be horrified to see their son tromping off to play in such unchartered waters. we thought nothing of it. the 2nd week of april meant getting up real early and gathering at various bends in the river. we plied the cool waters with our little zebco rod and reels with worms or kernels attached to shiny hooks. every once in awhile i might manage to snag a trout but for the most part i just caught cold. but it was fun and it was ritual for my brothers and friends. being a kid in the sixties is different than today. in a way we seemed to have the last innocent childhood.there were no playdates, xboxes or virtual friends. organization hadn't ground the fun out of sports. imaginations ran wild along with neighbor kids through backyards in summer. you NEVER wanted to be inside on hot summer's eve. we played capture the flag, red light, hide 'n' seek and shot at each other with homemade bows and arrows.and batted rocks, with sticks no less.in winter we sled, all day long. we threw snowballs with abandon and made a few bucks shoveling driveways. yes thats right, we shoveled. its different for kids today. we expect everything to be mapped out , planned to a t right from the start if only you can get into the right preschool then surely harvard and a bright future will follow. the pressure to get good grades, no, great grades starts oh so very young. i think the mad rush to grow up has resulted in unintended consequences. more and more children today are feeling nostalgic for a past that went by in a blur.when they grow up too fast something gets lost along the way. the pure joy of being a child changes and becomes forever lost. and thats a shame......goodnight and sleep tight, jc.....remember, teach your children well

i love to laugh

i love to laugh. sometimes i laugh when i'm nervous, sometimes i laugh when i want to cry. there are some laughs you cannot stop. i love the laugh of children. of course i also laugh at politicians and their promises. certain things make you laugh that would appall the next person. i'm not totally politically correct as they say. i find amusement in odd places. i like to make people laugh. its all in the timing but i won't begin to tell you what is funny. everybody is a little different. some folks loved the three stooges, others got their jollies with the marx brothers. there is highbrow humor and gross out stuff, juvenille and sophisticated. i love the simpsons but i also get the family guy. mean isn't bad in the humor world, its just......funny. dictators and presidents have felt the wrath of a sharp pen. doonesbury made nixon and his ilk cringe. alot of people don't think its a funny cartoon anymore, that its lost its zing. i don't think so, perhaps his audience has changed but mr. trudeau still has that edge. so if you wanna be happy, well adjusted and the life of the party, learn to laugh. bye 4 now, jc.......so what do you think is funny? tell me

icecream and baseball

i know icecream and baseball don't exactly go hand in hand, at least not at first glance. however they are usually are enjoyed in warm weather, one good thing to think about as i look out at a fresh batch of new snow building higher and higher. summertime means baseball, six months of homeruns and late inning disasters and sleepless nights and all that goes with it. i've been a fan since the early sixties, when heroes were real and all they had to do was play ball. there are no heroes left today, not in the way we knew them. sports reflect society and today that means.....anything goes. we've discovered ballplayers to be human, flawed and that not good enough. have you ever seen so many unhappy people making sooooooo much money? the owners are getting richer, the player's salaries continue to skyrocket and the fans? we are the only ones poorer for the whole experience. i''ll still watch, from afar. going to any professional sport requires more cash than i carry. i''ll save my money for a black raspberry icecream on a sugar cone. much more satisfying and a whole lot less messy. soon it will be opening day, the flowers will be in bloom, icecream trucks will roll through your neighborhood and all will be right in the world. for now........whats your favorite flavor?.bye 4 now, jc

whats wrong

whats wrong with this world? it is the year 2009 and most of the world lives in grinding poverty. disease, lack of basic human needs and seemingly endless civil strife continue to plauge us as a people. i live in the united states, universally hated and loved at the same time. but can the world survive with some nations taking a large percentage of the resources and other countries buried in debt and misery. there will never be peace on earth, between jews and moslems, catholic and protestants, and all the hundreds of other ''little'' wars that wrack our planet daily. nobody thinks long term anymore. we desperately grab for oil, gold, water without thinking how this mad rush to use up everything actually hurts the earth. as long as we have ours, forget about everybody else. if you drop a stone into a pond the ripples will reverberate to the other side. if youdrop a bomb in one country something bad usually happens someplace else. you would think we, as a people would have learned something after all theses years we have inhabited earth. that we might have evolved into somebody better, smarter. i wonder.......what just have we become? jc

oceans

i love swimming in the ocean. well its not really swimming what i do, its more like a pathetic dogpaddle that would embarrass most canines. but it is fun. i don't get to the ocean often enough. the season we call summer in the northeast part of the ol usa is rather.......short. winter turns to spring and before you know it , summer is half over. its not fair, surviving long periods of near total darkness [a slight exaggeration ] and freezing weather and then when it finally heats up....poof, the moment is over. but i do love strolling along the beach, especially early morn or sunset, scouring the sands, keeping a sharp eye for sand dollars, bits of shells or some well worn driftwood to claim. and digging my naked feet into wet sand.....its....heavenly. no doubt. if we climbed out of the primordial soup millions of years ago, and i suggest we did, then that might explain our fascination with all things ocean. for years we have explored the good earth and studied the stars in search of clues to help us understand how it all began. perhaps we should look a little closer, or deeper for answers. in the meantime i''ll be keeping an eye peeled for the perfect wave to ride or a quiet stretch of sand to reflect upon. to all you owls out there, enjoy the night and remember to give me a hoot sometime...heehee, bye 4 now, jc.........todays thought from one rita r.....if you add water and flour together, you get glue. add some sugar and eggs to that and you get a cake....what happened to the glue?

almost cut my hair

i used to have long hair. if you graduated high school any time in the 70's, yes 70's, you had long hair. all you have to do is look at yearbooks from that era. i know the whole hippie thing started in the sixties but you can't tell from a yearbook. but the seventies....that was a different story. everybody from the freaks to jocks[ thats the way we talked, really] grew their hair long and wild. it was before the big hair bands, the mousse, styling your locks. i think disco had a hand in this new look, damn disco. we, at least most of us, were anti fashion. we wore the same clothes, day after day, our hair just grew, anywhich way.salvation army was our old navy. madison avenue had co-opted the movement. they couldn't sell us anything, we weren't buying. of course we were naive to think it would last. it only took a generation or two to become slaves to the marketplace. now they have us, hooked on the latest, have to have it, sneakers that cost more than our old speakers, televisions that could pass for an suv and phones that become obsolete before we can figure out how to use them. i don't have alot of hair left, at least on my head, but i'm thinking of growing it again. maybe a moustache too! my own private protest. i know its like tilting at windmills. historically dissent has never been looked upon too positively. against the war? unamerican, demand clean air?, leftist wacko..expect honesty in politics? yah, right. ita okay though, i'd rather march to a different drummer than join their band....its probably disco anyways....what is so funny about peace, love and understanding anyways? i''ll ask my elvis, you can ask yours....jc

it is a small world

the world has definitely gotten smaller the last 30 years or so. here i'm blogging away, sending out my words of wisdom[?] to anybody or everybody. all you need is a computer and i swear there are more of those than automobiles in the world today. instantly i can read about other people and their lives and hopes and fears. and after reading for awhile you come to realize how alike the people of this planet really are. oh sure there are some crazies hell bent on destroying everything and some other folks who want to take every last dime for themselves but they are not the majority. most of this earth is made up of ordinary people doing the best they can to eke out an existence. they want to go to work, raise a family and leave the place a little better than they found it. this will, to move forward has sustained us for thousands of years and will continue despite our sometimes misguided ways. goverments and religion, armies and madmen have long tried to exstinguish the flame of hope, lets pray they never do.....jc

rain on me

its sunday afternoon, i just returned from a visit to the pinetree state and its raining. could be worse. the rain is melting what little snow we have. in maine, at least in my brother's yard, the snow is deep. they're expecting alot more over the evening well into monday. my brother lives in southern maine, not in the mountains to the west of him and with a whole lot of maine perched above him. but he does get more snow than he bargained for. and cold too!! when its 30 degrees down my way the temperture frequently dips to single digits or below. and he is only two and a half hours away. so i''ll take the rain. april showers do bring may flowers. theres nothing like watching flowers and trees silently explode into life as the earth slowly curves toward the sun. its magic....its springtime and i am looking forward to this year like no other. maybe its my age, maybe after seeing so many springs one realizes there might not be alot of springs left. so get out there and enjoy. its a cold and wet february day but magic is in the air. bye for now, jc

world at war

there doesn't seem like there will ever be peace, a period of time where the world was not at war. and maybe thats the way its supposed to be. think of it. almost from the start man has been killing, pillaging and just plain making war against their fellow man. i'm not sure when we started recording everything, written and oral, but the stories all seem about....war and conquest! maybe war is just a way to keep the world from overpopulation [like the automobile].sure mother nature takes its toll, earhquakes, floods, famine and disease do their part. but war, brutal, efficient and totally discriminating has killed.....i don't know. how can we tabulate the deaths. how many people have died since the beginning? how many were killed? are we violent by nature? necessity? is it a survival strategy? if we ever gave peace a chance, what would be the result? i want to know.......jc

rhythm of the rhyme

i like a simple rhyme. its not considered poetry by some folks, its too , well, simple. so i won't call it a poem. but i do like rhyme. the crazy old lady of amherst, emily dickinson, wrote some wonderful verse. she could spin magic, with just a few words, about snow falling on trees or thoughts about birds. see, its fun and easy. ten years ago or more i was standing on short sands, a lovely little beach in york maine. digging my feet into the cold, wet sand and gazing out on the horizon i couldn't help but think.......a little slice of ocean, a little spit of sea, as i watch the waves roll in i see eternity. i'd like to think emily would have been proud. if anybody out there would like to add some prose of their own or maybe just an old fave, feel free. the world needs more rhyme and flowers and laughter, more sunshine and definitely more miss dickinson.......goodnight all, jc.......and pumpkins in fall, asleep in the field, blissfully unaware of the pleasure they wield......i can't resist...heehee

dancing with the stars

what is out there? i mean up, way up and beyond. are there other earths? how far has anybody actually traveled? we see with the naked eye the sun and moon, thousands of twinkling stars and constellations with ancient names. we have satellite images of distant planets, rocks from the moon, dust from mars, at least i think we do. but what lays beyond? heaven? hell? a cosmic pinball machine? does anybody really know? are we supposed to know? as a child i always wondered what would happen if you could travel beyond. once you get past our galaxy, our solar system....then what? an identical one? a parallel one? a thousand light years ahead or behind? what does one find in infinity? questions like these have been around since man first gazed at the stars and tried to put some meaning to it all. who knows why we continue to dance with the stars? and to wonder? jc, lost in space

wow

wow, two readers liked my idea of extra pounds magically disappearing once spring rolled around. i may be on to something. there are a million or so blogs crisscrossing the universe right now so i can accept not being visited more often. after all there no pictures orother gadgets attached to my blog, only words. and unless i'm selling something fantastic or arrange the alphabet in a more pleasing manner than i currently do my readership will remain countable as the fingers on one hand....with a few left over. sooooooooo, here goes.....''the first and only all powerful, miracle breakthrough, earth shattering chocolate splurge diet'', GUARANTEED to blow your mind, take inches off your hips, be the envy of your neighborhood and reduce global warming. and the best part? its free. now you are probably kicking yourself right about now asking how is all that possible ........its only chocolate? my advice to you...try some, just a nibble at first.mmmmmmm...tastes good doesn't it? no need to thank me, just enjoy......jc...ps. and tell your blogger friends you read it here first

its a lovely day

it is a lovely day....for anything. the possibilties are endless. the sun is slowly starting to warm things up. a bit too slowly for some but you can't rush nature. it has its own rhythm and though it occasionally it does get out of whack it is remarkabley consistent too! our bodies are also in tuned with nature. we too sometimes feel out of whack. we store a little, well sometimes alot of extra weight during cold months. it fuels us for the long, dark periods that make up winter in the hinterlands.of course as everybody knows those pesky extra pounds magically melt off as soon as springtime beckons....heehee!!! so go ahead and splurge today, have some chocolate candies from a loved one. perhaps some fine dining later tonight. its valentines day, show how much you love somebody special. its only one day......the other 364 days or so are negotiable. take good care and enjoy. and please remember, a healthy mind, a healthy body, a healthy earth......jc

where we live

just reading some comments on majority of two, a wonderful blog by the way. everybody seems to have a connection to where they are from. it doesn't have to be some exotic locale or storied city.[of course it could be] it does seem to be about where we were born. we might move away at an early age or we might die there but there is something familar, something thats hard to put a finger on. the earliest images of life seem to be implanted, hardwired almost into our very being. a very talented man, rod sterlng of twilight zone fame called it a geographic womb, somewhere you felt...safe.i was born in the small massachusett town of medway, my family living there at the time. but my earliest recollections are of southville, where we moved when i was almost three. thats where i started school. south union, a four story brick building on a hill that still brings back certain memories. its an art center now, i actually walked its worn hallways 15 years or so ago. to me it was the center of everything. the house we lived in from 1959 to 1967 is still standing. it was in need of alot of care , almost in disrepair. i was very happy to see somsbody buy it in the late nineties and fix it up. i never wanted to leave that house but i have also never set foot into it since i left. someday i would like to own that house, return to southville. its where i belong, its where i was happy. i left too much behind........bye for now, jc

a whimper or a bang?

just wondering how the world will end. will it be an astroid smashing us to smithereens? [quite possible] or perhaps a foolish human error, somebody pressing a button followed by alot of people pressing buttons [equally possible] or maybe we''ll just keep on reproducing until we exhaust all of our natural resources and slowly peter out as a race. the mayans, a long gone people actually predicted a date for our demise. december 21st, 2012. that was the last day of their calender. maybe the guy who made the calendar just didn't go to work the next day and it slipped his mind. this little planet of ours has a strange and violent history. how it manages to keep its orbit, so precise, so in tune with everything else out there is truly miraculous. i'm not sure whats in store, i think smarter folks than me have studied long and hard and their guess is as good as the next person's. anybody out there want to throw their hat into the ring? me, i''ll just keep on spinning with the rest of you and hope gravity's hold on us lasts for awhile longer....jc

georgia on my mind

georgia, the last state in the way of our destination. we were dropped off on the outskirts of augusta. it was around 3 that afternoon but it was along time ago so don't hold me to it. we thought about checking into a motel so i went into the nearest one to inquire about their rates. they were very reasonable but our funds were limited so we went on our way. lets hitch for awhile and see what happens. route one leaving augusta is a lonely road and i suspect even now, thirty five years after the fact it would still a quiet backwater. one ride from a , well....i think he was a redneck farmer type didn't get us too far but the next ride would be interesting. i think he said his name was allan and he only dropped us a little further down the road, a small patch of cotton field called wadley. he let us out and said if we didn't get a ride we could stop over to his place, a sprawling, somewhat rundown farm just down the road a bit. after standing along the road with no traffic whatsoever passing by and the pitter patter of rain beginning to fall we decided to take him up on his offer. well allan wasn't home at the time but a friend welcomed us in , gave us each a beer and said al would be back shortly. in one room, actually a double size room stood a pingpong table and nothing else. we played a few games, had a few beers and really took to the place. allan, the owner, was in his late 20's, early 30's and farmed soybeans for a living. the farmhouse used to be an orphanage and that reason alone saved it from being razed on sherman's march to the sea. the civil war had been over for more than 100 years at the time but the south hadn't forgotten, nor will they ever. another product they grew, very locally we were told was soon produced and we sat around that evening catching a good buzz and playing some more pong. a very nice evening indeed. that night we met a few more friends of theirs including one annalee the brazier queen. a very cute young lady who apparently had driven her car through the plate glass window of the local brazier burger, thus earning her the nickname and some infamy along the way. all in all one of the highlights of the trip. we hated to leave but florida beckoned and we still had to find our friends. next stop, waycross or bust....jc

just walking

i was going to write more about the trip south today but i''ll save that for another blog. today i went for a nice walk through town. it's forty something degrees with a nice breeze, a great day to poke around. water is everywhere today. the streets have little rivers running along their sides and i like the sound as the water falls into the drain. even though the temps will fall again tomorrow days like today always raise your spirit. spring will be arriving soon and all around rebirth will begin. time to shed the heavy layers and get out in the world. i''ll be watching for more signs and just enjoying it all, taking in what nature offers. it's better than television, it's free, ii's even good for you. now as long as the goverment doesn't get their hands on it......i'm off again. see ya around town, jc

forever young

these days i'm trying to remember, thirty something years later always take on an almost mythic sheen. in the telling and retelling even the most common everyday occurence takes on an added importance. we were all of ninrteen that year, one year removed from highschool, with no plans, no money but charged with dreams of better things. from my present life nineteen doesn't seem that far away but i know it is. on the third day of our trip, october 3rd to be exact, we cruised through the carolinas, stopping in batesburg, a small south carolina outpost to wet our whistle. phil, our current chauffer, since picking us up one day earlier, seemed in no hurry to finish his trip and we were just there for the ride. we stopped at a small, kinda rundown looking establishment and went inside to enjoy a cold one. there was a lone pool table in the back and me and mr. stu decided to play a game or two. as i was racking the table a young lady came out to us wearing a t-shirt and panties and asked if we had any quarters for the jukebox. we smiled and said sure. we had heard about southern hospitality and reckoned this was it. i'm younger than stu, about a month so when he got shot down while ordering a beer and i didn't, well i had to laugh. we went out to the front of the bar after he kicked my ass in pool and saw the young lady who had inquried about quarters dancing on the bar. a thousand miles from home and we were in a strip bar. heehawwww. we didn;t stay long, money was tight but i couldn't help but notice six or seven little shacks, no bigger than some doghouses iv'e seen, about fifty yards behind the bar. yes, this was a brothel, deep in the heart of dixie. a very conservative dixie. we took off that afternoon

and headed into georgia. we had no idea how are fellow traveling companions were doing. these were the days before cell phones, text messaging and all the other modern conveniences. yes,these were the days we remember.how did we ever survive? more, more, more...jc

south we go

waking up round three, though i don't recall ever sleeping, we realized we had camped out on a traffic island. the first day of travel had got us to new jersey, not great but we had survived. i say that because later that day while thumbing on the turnpike a pair of nj's finest stopped and asked for id......in case we were later found dumped on the side of the road. a charming thought but not one that had entered our minds. i used to recall every ride, from start to finish but time has slowly melted a few details. but i do know, just outside of washington, northern virginia to be exact, a red car with a confederate star license plate pulled over late that afternoon and as we ran to catch up with it i remember thinking this could be interesting. and interesting it was, turns out the driver, a man named phil, was from our home state. he was driving his sisters's car to alabama and he didn't mind the company. even though he was a complete stranger we felt safe, we settled in for a long ride, georgia as it turned out. day two had gone swimmingly and now we prepared for the deep south......to be cont. next;batesburg and beyond

florida again

34 years ago a small band of like minded friends pulled up stakes and headed south. we really didn't plan too well, we weren't sure what we would find or even if we would return. my traveling companion was the inscrutable stu. besides thumbing up and down 109, the main drag in our burg, we had no real experience with the great wide world. the first few rides got us down to the nutmeg state and then the thought of passing through the world's greatest city drew the first [of many] pangs of fear. driving through would have been scary enough but standing on the interstate somewhere in the bronx was something else. we weren't welcome and the citizens of this fabled borough let us know. luckily a grizzled cop stopped by and yelled at us to get outta town any way but the method we had chosen. we hopped a train and headed to jersey relieved to be going but not sure what lay ahead. this is probably not the most politically correct thing to say but as we rode silently out of the city, we stuck out like two snowballs in a coal bin. i wondered what they thought, two white kids, dressed like lumberjacks, clutching backpacks and staring at the floor, what the hell are these two doing here. the florda sign i carried, homemade the night before probably brought amusement but nobody was laughing. i kept tapping stu on the arm and asking when are we going to get off this train. soon we glided into new jersey, departed and made our way off into the night. the country was big and we had along way to go. the road is a different place, removed from the comforts of home, an ever changing experience that can tire you out. now we had to find somewhere to stretch out, if just for a few hours........cont.

time off today

its monday, the second day of february and thats all about the reason i need to take the day off. i did go out to watch the super bowl with some friends and i did indulge in some drinking of alcohol, but not very much. i've found as i have gotten older my intake of such substances, whether legal or illegal [my favorites...] has slowly but not alltogether [see my red wine blog] diminshed. its just that i get a certain amount of flex time off during the year and i decided to well.....flex. its good for the mind and body. i'm about to throw a roaster chicken in the oven and open a bottle of red. sounds good, doesn't it? i sent out my taxes today and since i make a wage that would make me a rich man in some impoverished backwater, it should have been easy........should have. the forms i got from both state and federal would not have been any easier to decipher if written in mandarin or perhaps one of the so called dead languages. are they out of their freakin minds? has anybody at the treasury or department of income actually read these things. i'm not asking them to understand these forms, just read them. maybe its their little joke, a way to keep us in control. the revolution will never make it past the first few paragraphs, no way, no how. we''ll be left dazed and wandering around in circles, scratching our heads and mumbling about tenninety nines and railroad exemptions. they''ll pick us off easy with helicopters and riot squads. no, before anything happens in this land of ours[ and it is ours] we''ll have to figure out the tax stuff.page by page......till then, i'm winging it, peace jc

nd day of februarynd

birds in winter

just out feeding the birds. i'm not sure why all birds don't fly south for the winter, it seems like the right thing to do. survival for any creature in colder climes must be tricky. finding enough food and water, on a daily basis and then heading back to nests or some other refuge must take alot out of animals. try staying outside for even a couple of hours on a brutally cold day and i think you''ll have some appreciation for what animals go through. it ain't easy. thats why i like to spread a little birdseed around this time of year. its enjoyable to watch the action as all sorts of birds who don't make the trek south vie for the precious foodstuffs. squirrels, crows , bluejays and a variety of small birds gather together and alternate between eating whatever they find and flying off to nearby trees and bushes so larger predators don't swoop in for a quick snack. birds are interesting creatures, evolved over a long period of time and i hope to keep watching them. their survival is a good way to measure ours. be good and stay warm, jc

saturday

its saturday morning, the sun is shining and its barely 20 degrees........perfect. its a good day for a walk to clear the cobwebs. a long walk around town, maybe take the bike path that meanders through like an oasis. the walk will do my body good. the long winter of darkness is slowly changing, and while spring in new england is definitely not in the air the promise of better days lies around every corner. this is my 52nd january, if my math is correct and rather than moan about the weather, complain endlessly of blocked storm drains and dead batteries i will celebrate today and every day that i can get up and put one foot in front of another and make my way out into this great ,vast universe of ours and and simply enjoy the beauty of it all. as we get older we tend to treat time differently, value it more, realize its not infinite, it will end as surely as it began. its the cycle of life and we're stuck in the middle. i'm off to see the wizard........jc

high school

i graduated high school in 1974, a mere 35 years ago but oh so much longer when you start to compare, to look around. we thought we knew everything back then but now a combination of technology, a greying of the grey matter and the unrelenting wave of information have ganged up to make us....stupid? theres just too much stuff we have to know. if i could make myself stay up 24 hours a day, read twelve newspapers [a dying medium i know but i love them] watch all the news shows, listen to hundreds of radio stations and blog myself silly i would STILL be falling behind. theres so much i want to know but its hard to seperate the important things from thefiller that fills our minds daily. that might be the idea, bomb us with everything and we remember nothing. a happy society is a confused society? this whole world we live in could just be a goverment plot gone awry. we''ll never really know, will we?it would explain why we continue to let politicians and wall streeters to ''manage'' our money, our lives. is free will gone? have we ever really had it? i'm dying to know, and thats probably when i will.........next blog, more stuff from the past, love ya''ll, jc

florida dreaming

no i'm not dreaming about florida today because the temp outside is below freezing, the windchill is downright nasty and snow is in the forecast......its because 34 years ago come october myself and three friends left our small new england town, our lives and our families and stuck our collective thumbs out and headed south to the promised land, florida.we picked a tiny spot on the map, halfway down the eastern seaboard and made vague plans to meet. the spot later turned out to be nowhere really but it didn't matter. we traveled in twos, mr. stu, resplendent as ever and myself formed one hitching duo. the other half of our traveling party consisted of a newly formed couple, who shall remain nameless as it wasn't the most popular decision in their respective families, needless to say. i don't know why i'm being so guarded, after all these years. the one or two readers i have were either there or knew thereof. for those who stumble across my rantings, enjoy. however, the other two, hereas known as mr. ace and miss face, years later got married and to this day astonish the children with tall tales of chilvary and undying love amidst the swamps of Fla. the children however just think they were crazy. somewhere in the middle lies the truth. it was quite the trip and i'm sure after all these years some of it will remain lost to time. a few nuggets will continue to surface as we gather round campfires and annual gatherings and rehash the old days. the trip will always define us, as a group, a group of friends who one day, along time ago abandoned reason and our little lives for a journey, a journey we are still making. i''ll write some more as memory permits, peace out, jc

leaving maine

went up to maine this weekend, family stuff. maine is a hard place to visit this time of year. actually went down to pine point and walked on the beach. why you ask? because it was there. i love walking on the beach and just because it was24 degees with a howling wind wasn't going to stop me. i mean i felt no inclination to jump in nor did my sister nance. we were just killing a little time before a late lunch and figured it wouldn't kill us. well i am writing this so we were right, to a point. beside a healthy dose of fresh air and a stinging across my forehead we found several sand dollars and a new found respect for the gulls who hang out here all year long. i do recommend the beach to people who like to get out and reflect but they might be wise to wait for some warmer temps. as for me, i'm going back up in a few weeks. just because i can. and for family......jc says goodnight and godspeed

night in winter

just got in, its winter in new england and cold has settled into our bones and in our minds as well. the temp changes slightly from day to day but its at night when the cold muffles out the usual sounds. where the insects rule a summer night and the soft winds beckon you outside to see a shining moon at its best, the winter night is silent, almost dead. most everthing is hunkered down, barely moving. spring will come in a burst of green, the dead will rise, the earth will tilt and a brand new spirit will move among us. but for now, for a little while longer, winters boot remains. jc........buenos noches

friends

i think as we get older you start to look around and maybe gauge how you look and feel by the company you keep. i've known a quite alot of people for quite alot of time and its always interesting to get together and compare war stories and remember the good old days. of course these days talk of funerals and do you remember that kid we used to go to school with are more prevalent than perhaps the things we used to ponder, like do you wanna play frisbee and smoke some bones? of course we did but thats another story. most people , well most people who are now well into their 50's will tell you they feel no different now as when they were slumming about in their 20's.....its a lie of course but a mostly harmless one. the reflexes slow, hair recedes [i;m speaking only of myself] and i also believe attitudes tend to change too. whereas most things tend to be black and white, right or wrong in your youih, age sort of irons out the differences and mellows the judgement. the many shades of grey rule the day as we get older. i'd like to think its wisdom calling but it just might be a surrender, a quiet peace. well enough sad talk for today, its time for some red wine and relaxation.........jc says goodnight

smarts

i was wondering the other day, do we, as a people get smarter as we age? the old saying used to be with age comes wisdom. i'm not sure if that is really true. we get forgetful as we get older, we tend to remember happier times as we get older as opposed to bad things. i know there are moments from the past that you would swear on a stack of pancakes that it happened exactly that way and then well, maybe.....doubt creeps in. the moment that once seemed so crystal clear becomes smudged like a dirty window. memory is a strange part of our lives, like a recording, an inner voice that everyone has . the problem is , like the body, the mind ages too. wo don't always notice at first the subtle changes. it might be a natural defense, the slowing of the clock, a reminder of what is due. on that note, i bid adieu, take good care gentle readers and don't forget, stay in tune.....jc

one day

one day, one day is all it takes. all around you, everything you ever knew, loved, believed in, hoped for, wanted, lost and wanted some more can change in an instant. the sun will shine tomorrow, somewhere. children will be born, people will die, rivers will flow, goverments will fall, the entire history of the natural world will happen in one day and then repeat itself the next day. today we wonder but tomorrow we hope...... one day, thats all we get, jc

i drink red wine

i drink red wine, i love the stuff. i'd like to meet the first person who decided to crush some grapes and bottle the juice.i'd like to shake their hand. it looks good in a glass, mysteriously swirling about. i smell it before it hits my lips. i drink red wine, mostly in the winter though any time is good. some crusty bread, a crumble of cheese and a full glass of cabernet, perhaps someone to share it with, ah those are the good things in life. when you reach a certain age in life and perhaps some of your dreams remain miles away and you begin to take stock.....well its always good to start with a glass of red wine. you can't change the past and i wonder about the future and whats in store and you can lose alot of sleep and worry yourself sick but i know i shall have a glass of red wine and somehow i will end up just exactly where i'm going. we came into this life, naked and afraid but when they bury me i hope to be accompanied by a bottle of the red. no more no less. jc

onosnow

like a true, stoic new englander, i have been tramping around outside today, pushing little piles of snow into bigger piles, all the while the snow keeps coming down oblivious to my best efforts. i'm sure theres an allegory in there somewhere but for now i''ll continue my quest. why you ask? why on earth would anyone live in new england from november till......april? may? well i was born here, i do love the lay of the land, the historical charm of it all, a certain baseball team and many more reasons too numerous to list . however when we reach single digits, not too often, but when we do and the sun goes on vacation for a spell and ice grips our gnarled fingers while we try and free our cars from winter .....i can see how ninety degee weather and beautiful surf and soft white sand creeping across my towel does hold a certain appeal. and maybe someday thats what life will be....but not today. today i'm back outside, fighting the drifts, stoic as ever. jc

code

i know what will liven up this blog o mine, code. i could encrypt secret messages, biblical in form, and plant them throughtout. it worked for that divinci guy. soon people from all over the planet will be drawn to these wise tales woven into a long running narrative [hell, i got time]....in my home town people lined up to see a tree bearing [i'm told] a likeness of the virgin mary. i know folks oui there are desperate to believe, to believe in something. most of our heroes are long dead, the current crop just don't cut it. now i'm no prophet, not even particulary religious and i haven't wandered the wilderness for the last forty years but i do know a little and a little can go along way if you desire, desire to know more. one foot in front of the other, small steps. i think i would have taken that apple too, if offered. jc

feeling bloggy

home today, head and body ache. not doing too well this winter in my battle against cold and flu militias, the little bastards. just wondering where these words go? do they traverse the planet, unread, unloved? do major publishing houses, feeling pinched by traditional sources, scour these pages in hope of mining a few nuggets? if so i better be careful of content as well as spelling as my ancient computer contains no spellcheck [i glance at the screen every once in awhile, that's my spellcheck]also my habit of pecking away at the keys keeps me from getting too far ahead of myself. anyhoo, my coffee cup beckons, the great cold outdoors lies before me like MT. EVEREST and intrepid traveler must begin today's journey, look forward to ya''ll again, jc