It’s the season for,
Family, cleaning, cooking, much easier when…
Husband Out From Under Foot!! 🤗
And then I thought…
I was thinking about what I’d write for today’s blog when I was interrupted. The web page was one I’d left open because there was a link I wanted to follow but hadn’t been able to get back to yesterday. The page was “A Fair Critique of my ‘Letter to Roy’” Scot Loyd’s follow up to his original post (see my previous entry).
But it’s not the Critique, although it’s well worth reading in its own right, it’s what sprang out of one of the comments that captured my attention. I’m only going to say it’s a mind opening conversation. You’ll need to set aside 40 minutes to view Drew John Ladd called me out on racism, maybe a little bit more to stop, think, rehear, ponder.
I watched it and then I thought…
Things put aside…
I’ve been sorting. Sorting through inboxes, piles, etc. Not looking for anything specific, just looking to see what was there, what was still relevant. Not a lot, but one item did, it was a printout of a blog entry by Scot Loyd headed: A letter to Roy. He’s the black guy in my pictures.
Unlike most of what I’d sorted through that one avoided the wastebasket and went on top of a small stack of things I wanted to read again or follow-up on. The letter to Roy sounded more like something I could have written, 20 years earlier. Certainly not in 2020 about a friendship in 1989…
I’m not naive. I have little doubt, after watching Clergy fawn over… Well, let’s not go there because this blog entry isn’t about that. It is about the follow up, A Fair Critique to my “Letter to Roy” to those posts and, I think, a connection to Scot Loyd‘s blog today:
The sad reasons some are losing respect for the Church, and what we should do about it.
scotloydUncategorized February 23, 2021 5 Minutes
Several years ago, I posted this question on my facebook page: “For my friends who don’t attend church anywhere or did attend and have stopped, if you are willing to participate and be honest, I’d like to know why? You won’t receive any judgment or even a response from me unless you request one. I believe if, as a leader in a Christian Church, I can better understand the reasons people no longer attend church maybe I can better understand how to eliminate obstacles to the gospel. If you are uncomfortable posting feel free to inbox me. Look forward to reading your responses and thanks. Any takers?”
A common theme that runs throughout is that people feel judged when coming to church…
Sometimes there’s a deeper reason why we’re led to put things aside until later. A timely post?
Just a Tree…
Just a tree
in late spring or early summer,
In mid winter,
with more snow coming,
It’s time to look forward
to grass being green
trees being in leaf
It’s just a tree
a little summer relief.
Well, it’s about time I got back to posting. I know I’ve made some stabs at starting and then fell short… Covid-19 of course not helpful when we’re living a more isolated life. It has giving me a chance to begin doing some of the things I find comfort in. My art, training, and a bum shoulder that required some Occupational Therapy got me working out. And of course some clearing out of the old… Thus, I wandered into eBay and that led to small Art Trading Cards, like the one illustrating this post. So now I have several of them on eBay and several more waiting to be listed.
So, along with the change of national leadership, I’m changing up my eBay connection. The name it’s currently under was a spur of the moment, we need to called something, idea. And so far it has been pretty much stuff-n-such4u (Stuff and such for you) but this blog is soon to be renamed and the eBay connection will carry the same name. I’ll leave you wondering what they’ll be called… So, look for another posting here soon…
Too quickly…
coming too quickly,
to its riotous, pandemic, end.
not quickly enough.
Change is in the air…
As we change seasons, Haiku Journey is changing. For a while I’ve maintained, not too regularly during these days of Covid-19, three separate sites. Now I’m paring down and merging the sites into a new single site – look for a name change in the near future.
Regardless of which site you’re familiar with the address will bring you to the main site with all the past content you enjoyed in either Ledyard Walks, Compliancy Write (Garden Odyssey). Going forward haikus, walking, gardening will weave in and out of the fabric of this blog.
I hope you’ll stick with me as we explore this new world…
July slipped by
Un-noted, unattended,
I could blame it on ennui
from half a year and more,
of plague,
but…
Before dawn
Shooting star, bright joy,
Lighting the darkness of night.
Now just memories…
Not Walking…
Right now we’re not walking as a group. As you can see in the side bar where I list future walks we’ll be waiting for all Covid-19 precautionary measures are lifted before rescheduling Breakfast Walks.
Meanwhile, none of that should stop you from getting out, AND SAFELY, enjoying an outdoors walk.
We’ve done one walk together in the past week and I’ve been out on a short hike recently.
Niantic Boardwalk is a great place to walk. The day we were there we had no problem keeping a very safe distance from other walkers. One, because the boardwalk is now one-way – FROM THE HOLE IN THE WALL TO THE NIANTIC DRAWBRIDGE (that’s opposite to the initial announcement in The Day); and everyone was obeying the one-way requirement (i’m not finding that when grocery shopping). The sun, views, and fresh air lifted our spirits and put smiles on our faces. We had face coverings ready in case we needed them but the safe distancing and one-way traffic didn’t require their use.
Yesterday, I took a day to explore some of my favorite trails in Pachaug State Forest. I got there early, walked one loop without seeing anyone. On the next loop there were other hikers behind me for part of the trail but they’d soon branched off. I finished that trail without encountering anyone else. Lots of birds busy in the forest, calling, and flitting around, trout rising and taking flys off the surface, enjoying old favorites and new plants blooming,…
So if you can get out there are things to enjoy and lift your spirits. Please do it safely and respect the safety of others. Distance yourselves from others, have face coverings to wear when passing within a close distance from others.
Be safe, be well!
On, and On, and On…
We go. Not everyday, not unsafely, not always to a trail, park, or other open space. Spaces under blue skies, in the sun, with the breeze blowing softly through the trees. Where birds chirp, woodpeckers hammer trees, the fox trots by, stopping on the woods edge to look back and see your salute to her freedom.
Here in Ledyard, in fact anywhere here in Southeastern Connecticut, there are plenty of places to get out, shake off the cabin fever of waiting for a turning of the virus.
The problem may be the plenty part, as in too many cars at this trail head, too many others already in the park, too many…
But, there are still plenty of open spaces. I walk, now, most often on a few streets near my home. Streets that are safe, there aren’t very many of those in Ledyard because of the traffic even in this time of reduced commuting, and aren’t congested with others walking them.
I’ve changed the time of day that I’m walking, yes, even those walks near home, to not be out when others without the freedom to pick very early or very late times to get out might want to walk. And, this may be the appropriate time to mention that since we’re not exercising social distancing, or wearing face masks, in the house my wife and I walk together many times – with masks or similar barriers and social distancing ready to use if we meet others on narrow pathways.
Here are some Ledyard suggestions for walks: Colonel Ledyard Park Trail, Nathan Lester Park, Poquetanuck Cove Preserve, Pike-Marshall Preserve, Burton Property, Avery Preserve, and 5 others. Go to the Ledyard Parks and Recreation website for a printable booklet of these hikes.
Going further afield there is the Connecticut College Arboretum, Denison Pequot Nature Center and Coogan Farm, Barn Island, Stenger Farm Park, Sprague Land Preserve, Valley Falls Park, and 27 trails in North Stonington. All have additional information and maps available online. Moving even further out are Kettle Pond, Ninigret, and Thurston Pond in Rhode Island.
When you plan one of these outings you should have several nearby alternatives in the event your first choice appears overcrowded. The more vehicles at a trailhead can be a good indicator of trail usage. This is especially true for trails you’re walking for the first time.
I’ll be back next week with more tips and trail suggestions…
Until then; Be Safe, Be Well, Distance, Mask!!
Haiku Journey 