Visitors of Another Kind

On this quiet and peaceful summer day, we were infiltrated by visitors of another worldly nature. As I gazed out across my back yard, my sight was to be interrupted by these uninvited worldly guests. They were there in bold and brazen view with their hatchlings in the unmowed tall grass.

What was I to do, call Homeland security, after all this was my homeland and I was being invaded, for all I knew they could be terrorists, trained by terrorists to invade and infiltrate my domicile for what purposes I was not sure of.

But maybe, we could accept each other on equal terms and live in peaceful coexistance. This is what I can only hope and pray will be the case.

There was a Crooked Man

Historical Perspective

The content of "There was a crooked man" poem have a basis in history. The origin of this poem originates from the English Stuart history of King Charles 1. The crooked man is reputed to be the Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie. The General signed a Covenant securing religious and political freedom for Scotland. The 'crooked stile' referred to in "There was a crooked man" being the border between England and Scotland. 'They all lived together in a little crooked house' refers to the fact that the English and Scots had at last come to an agreement. The words reflect the times when there was great animosity between the English and the Scots. The word crooked is pronounced as 'crookED' the emphasis being placed upon the 'ED' in the word. This was common in olde England and many references can be found in this type of pronunciation in the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

There was a Crooked Man

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house

Text and Graphics From: Lost Lyrics of Old Nursery Rhymes

Deserata

Found in Old St. Paul's Church
in Baltimore, Maryland circa 1692
Writer Unknown

• Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. AS FAR as possible be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story

• Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lessor persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

• Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many people strive for high ideals.

• Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it transcends time and space.

• Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of Spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

• You are a child of the universe, no less than the tress and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you , there is no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

• Therefore be at peace with God, whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Take Care. Strive to be Happy.

Terror in the Sky

The following is what happened to me when I lived along the Suncook River, in Epsom, NH. I have since relocated to the beautiful State of Maine.

Today, I was watching The Weather Channel, watching one of their extreme weather shows. At first I was blocking out the severity of the show, but then started thinking about my recent brush with death(Disaster) and realized that what they were talking about happened to me. I lived in a home, whatever it was, it was my home, my place to live and a storm came through and the aftermath was that my home was destroyed.

When this happens, it's like a certain numbness overtakes you, it's like going into shock, since you can't imagine that what belonged to you has been taken away from you in one way or another. I guess it is so overwhelming that it is hard to comprehend. I guess I am trying to describe how it feels to be struck in such a manner. It is not easy to comprehend. I think I could say you feel like refugee having all your sacred possessions taken away from you. You are stripped of all your possessions except for the clothes on your back.

This is a view of the back yard, the oil tank was tipped over, the oil line kept the tank from floating away. In the background you can see what is left of the screen house that used to sit on the other side of the back yard. Ok, it needed repair, it's now in pretty tough condition. The water is still 10 to 15 feet above normal, so the back yard is still badly flooded.

Ginny is pointing to the water line where the water came up on the trailer. Inside the water measured 18 inches deep. Behind Ginny is where the front stairs used to be. They are just totally gone. Sigh. Very frustrating.

What we didn't know at that time was the muck left by the river was filled with disease organisms. Our dogs were to come down with Giardiasis, a water borne disease spread through contaminated water. If this had not happened, we would of salvaged much more of our belonging. But because of the disease, I have had to abandon most of the stuff we could have saved.

I have brought stuff up to my new place, but will be throwing it out because of the threat of this disease reoccurring.

How did I get from the disaster to this new place. It was mostly due to the efforts of FEMA and other groups, such as Catholic Charities and the Red Cross. What FEMA gave me basically covered what I paid for the trailer, it just worked out that way. The trailer was not worth salvaging or repairing, so I signed it over to the the park manager. He was supposed to destroy it and remove it from it's location. I haven't been back there, so I don't know if that was done to the property.

The new place is high up on a hill. I expect I am safe from future floods, but we do get some pretty strong thunder storms. So am I safe from extreme weather. I hope so, but that is only a guess. Here in Maine the incidence of earthquakes is low, the same for tornadoes, but not for summer thunderstorms. Usually they are not that extreme, unless of course the trailer took a direct hit from lightning. Lightning is a possibility and of course hurricanes are a possibility, too. One thing I am no longer living in a flood plane, I better check that out with the Town of Carmel for the official answer to that question.

One Step at a Time

Since sometime last year, I have been going barefoot whenever I can. Whatever the merit of it is, I know it feels good and has toughened up my feet. Ok, I have to wear shoes to work, but that was primarily last year. everyone talks about having a better connection with Mother Earth when you are barefoot, something I can wholeheartedly agree with.

Most of the time I am barefoot inside the house, walking on the lawn and driving the car. Not a very rugged undertaking. Some which I read about on the Internet go hiking barefoot and other rough activities. I guess I am still a bit chicken to treat my body in such a harsh way. I think everything has to be in balance and to treat one's feet in such a harsh way is not about achieving balance.

Since I have moved to Maine, I am no longer working and hence almost exclusively barefoot. What a great feeling. I love mowing the lawn in bare feet. You can feel the softness of the lawn beneath your feet, all the while ones foot fits the contour of the terrain. And I am thinking that my foot never bent in these odd ways when shoes held them rigidly in place. And all this while I have not had any complaints from my feet, no tired sore feet or blisters, etc. Back when I wore shoes, I had plantar fasciitis, it lasted for 2 to 3 years with varying pain, soreness and suffering. I had to get special foot inserts to properly support my foot aches to correct the situation.

Today when I go barefoot, I have no pain or suffering from this condition. I believe that going barefoot keeps your feet in the proper condition and actually prevents or heals Plantar Fasciitis. this is from a laymans point of view.

Now there are times when barefoot can't be done or should not be done, such as walking on rough terrain such that you will hurt or damage your feet, remember to keep all things in balance. So at those times I wear sandals, I have a pair of quality sandals which I wear. I have had them for almost two years now, so a new pair will be needed soon. What will I do when winter comes, well I will have to protect my feet in some way. Right now I am not sure what or how I will do it. But in any case it will be done with reverence to Mother Earth and in a way in order to maintain balance with all that exists.

Disaster of 2007

The following is what happened to me when I lived along the Suncook River, in Epsom, NH. I have since relocated to the beautiful State of Maine.

Once again I have been hit by disaster. Last year in 2006, the water came within 6 inches below the bottom of my trailer. I escaped all damages. But this year was to be different. The water came 18 inches within the trailer. What this meant was that all the flooring and side walls had to be replaced. considering the age of the trailer, meant that this was not possible to rehab this trailer. The water was up to the bottom of the windows on the shed and the bottom of the windows on the trailer.

The aftermath was that everything was covered with this slimy sludge. What we didn't know was that this sludge was filled with disease organisms. The result was that my dogs came down with Giardiasis, which would spread through a kennel where I had my dogs boarded. This reiterated our need to find a new place to stay and to abandon the trailer.

On May 16th, the Town of Epsom, showed up at my doorstep and declared that they were here to inspect my domicile to determine the safety of such dwelling. From the above photo it is easy to see what the end result would be. This meant that we immediately, without further ado, had to move somewhere other than my house. So,we kind of moved in with the relatives. Whomever would tolerate us from moment to moment.


As luck would have it, we had located a place that I could afford, it had to be under $50,000. Only problem it was in Carmel, Maine, a bit of a jaunt from Epsom, but wasn't out of the question. Two acres of land, a relatively new trailer and it's own utilities such as water and septic. The only big problem the trailer was a bit beat up inside, needed new flooring throughout the trailer, but had new windows in the trailer, a big plus. The large windows gave a majestic view of the property which was mostly open fields and lawn. This was a beautiful location for myself and the dogs, I doubted if I could find anything better for the money and time was short, I had to take whatever was available at that moment. Ginny of course had to accept that this was the best we could do, maybe she was delighted at the prospects of moving to Maine. At least we were up on a hill away from any potential flood waters.

So now, we have been here a month, got the floor done in one room, enjoying the peaceful quiet of living in the country with the birds and all the other woodland animals. Yes, there is lots to keep me busy, mowing one and a half acres of lawn, working on the house and just being here is a pleasure in itself. I have decided my working days are over, yes, the extra money would be nice, but I can survive on what I am getting from my retirement and social security, so why the hell not stay at home and putter around the yard. Anyways the apple trees need to be pruned and I am planning a garden for next year. I might even set up a wood working shop for myself. And thats only a start of things that need doing.