The rising cost of living?

 

Just because their app looks nice

Should we accept this sacrifice?

We overpay for beans and rice

So-called drinks three quarters ice

That used to have a lemon slice

Why must we pay a princely price

For meals that surely starve two mice?

Perhaps it’s time for thinking twice

What’s the buzz?

 What’s the Buzz?

Since it’s not bee season and there are no electric razors in the immediate vicinity and atmospheric conditions provided a long awaited opportunity the most likely origin of the sound that starts just before dawn and lingers well after the moon emerges —what the heck..let’s get to the point it’s snowmobile season.  The buzz?  Well it’s not the vintage 1901 steam-powered log puller that started this craze or the long-forgotten experimental Model T equipped with skis and a propeller.  It’s probably not a classic antique that weighed about half a ton and topped out at 20mph.  It is mostly a herd of two and four stroke  one or two passenger sleds sporting a 2 or 4 stroke engine and maybe an electric engine (but not likely around here)…. It’s a sleek machine with a fast response track and independent front suspension and the people who ride them  happily claim they are freedom machines leading to a feeling of speed and excitement in the quiet of nature.  

Well… we have no real ground covered with snow or not to stand on to dispute what most snowmobile riders might perceive, however, the data would suggest only some are freed by this winter sled like 7 out of 8 riders are male and most have some disposable income as owning and using these things costs an average of somewhere between $300 and $350 per month and over half the time guys with a little extra cash are hauling them somewhere  just to be able to ride.  Conclusion —freedom in the form of your Polaris, Yamaha, or Ski-doo isn’t for everyone and isn’t really free.  Oh and as a side note while this blog treats some syntax principles very loosely it should be noted that sometimes punctuation and spelling have significant and meaningful implications.  For example “ski-Doo” is one of the largest names in recreational craft  on water and snow… however the intended name was “Ski-Dog” but this mistake slipped through the editing process which smelled like doo  dog dog?   Oh this serves as such a reminder of how nuts English as a language has become.  How hard is it to avoid terrible mistakes?  Well let’s just say there is a fairly significant difference between  man’s laughter  and manslaughter as claimed by the apostrophe  and the precisely placed space.  

Now back to the buzz and what it might mean in the seeking peace and joy universe

Winter weather often represents a barrier to freedom and so do thoughts and routines that impact one’s ability to fully engage in change… so maybe people need to fight against such barriers?  If so the buzz is a happy sound.  Maybe the riders feel like they are in control of their lives and can conquer nature and will go to extraordinary lengths to prove it… and learn that such efforts are very costly and perhaps when one tries to conquer nature instead of honoring it’s cycles seeking peace and joy out of context might just be costly?  Then the buzz becomes a reminder that sometimes are efforts to conquer nature  only leaves us with a buzzing in our heads that is not particularly pleasant to anyone  after a while?  

On the other hand maybe some of the sled jockeys stop from time to time and take in the beauty of the land, smile at the sunlight shining on a newly coated winters cape and realize that we all spend a lot of time just skimming the surface  without daring to know what lies beneath?    

There is some fear that many sledders just go around and around on the same path and only worry about how fast they might be able to go while in the end they really didn’t see much or go far and maybe it’s important to ask what was their buzz worth?  And by extension maybe seeking peace and joy usually requires asking what’s the buzz and what is it worth?  

Stay safe

Christmas by the numbers volume 12

 Well… it’s been a few more than 12 days—technically, however if we can have a few weeks of Black Friday, Local Saturday and Cyber Monday..then the 12 day thing seems like it might be a little arbitrary too… However let’s carry on to day eleven and 12.  We’ve got pipers piping… Now we’re not talking plumbing although does it seem like whenever you have a houseful of people over during the holidays some plumbing issue always happens?  Oh and of course  for a lot of Christmas holidays  the two most famous plumbers in the world came to visit.  We all love Mario  and Luigi right?  No we  are talking about people making music blowing  on a flute-related musical deal.  Or thinking about it maybe since this seems like one of those Saxon folk tunes maybe it’s bagpipes.  Nowfor some functions like a funeral  or such bagpipes. Are. Awesome.   It is a bit of a miracle that. Guys wearing skirts can make them sound so good.  It’s hard to be sure. Why pipers of that sort wear skirts, however, if people who have mastered these pipes have suffered through the complaints of folks who suffered while the pipers were learning, then let them wear what. They please I say.  But we digress lets’get back to the flute type of thing… I think pipers were. Smart in marching band situations  because they could make some noise without having to carry something very heavy for miles and. Miles.  Maybe in seeking peace and joy we should give traveling. Through life a shot without always carrying all the heavy stuff around with us all the time.  

Now for the drummers…. Now the drums shout out loud “play attention to the rhythm of things.”  Again in the seeking peace and joy of life… maybe we could pay attention to the rhythm of things a bit more… Like for whatever reason the holidays have challenges for some folks every year and if we know folks like that maybe we can reach out and offer them a smile or two extra… and if it’s us maybe we can understand that. This rhythm is constant. Or this rhythm  is something I can encourage the other drummers in my life to change?   The point is…. That life has a lot of drummers and a lot of rhythms that repeat.  Also if you have 12 drummers drumming maybe as drummer  number 7 you could rest a bit or lay down a back beat instead of just marching along to someone else’s beat?    

Anyway the tree is bak in the basement and lights are. All tucked away so the twelve days of Christmas must be up.  Now don’t be. Afraid to start thinking about who gets what  next year.  

And speaking. Of marching to the beast. Of a different drum and a different rhythm… perhaps  this entry should wrap up with one of. Those 8 line rhymes about  a dramatic performance that. Fell outside the guide rails of what was expected… Enjoy

How long could are taut nerves  last?

Hopes were high the crowd was vast

The tension broke with a cannon blast

The students cheered but just half-assed

The Critics sat there all aghast

Hamlet played by the Simpsons cast

On a ship that sailed without a mast

The classics  going nowhere fast

Christmas By The Numbers Volume 6 or So

 So in a world of everything important being said in 30 seconds or less we can shrink 12 days of  Christmas into just a few more entries.  

There’s no doubt that this is a fictional song simply because in any legitimate “dance” event there would never be more males than females dancing….so the lords leaping could never outnumber the ladies dancing.  However, a lyric that mentioned five ore six guys two-stepping while the other lords were sitting on the bleachers or checking ESPN on their phones would be pretty hard to sing.  As for the maids ho are milking for a gift now there’s a gift.  The endless supply of milk beats a bird in a fruit tree especially if it includes the cows which could at some point be steak.  Now the question I might have would be… On the 13th day of Christmas would we be thinking about building a barn to handle the Christmas gifts and on valentine’s Day is the true love going to be dropping off off a pen full of prime Iowa pigs and maybe a stable full of palomino ponies?

Now let’s get to the peace and joy perspective on this…. 

We’ve got a couple more days of the song and they speak of musicians  which would go well with the dancers and because we are hoping that the new year contains some joy and since dancing usually reflects joy… it might be a good idea that no matter how many left feet you have… you should take a moment to listen to the music  and let your feet do what they might.  

Well this is being written on New Year’s  Eve so  it seems like a little extra  may be in order….. so here’s a little 8-line rhyme  to top this post off and if you listen carefully you can hear some pipers piping  to introduce the  final entry in 12 day saga….Happy New Year!

This year’s about to swap

And  This joint? it’s going to hop

So  watch out for the cop

As Teenyboppers start to bop

When the ball’s about to drop

The tunes they jam non-stop

The cork you hear it pop

Cheer loud we’re at the top