celtic_writer

Walden

Am re-reading Thoreau's Walden these days. The edition I have is small and compact, just like his philosophy. I came upon this passage:

"The Mexicans also practiced a similar purification at the end of every fifty-two years, in the belief that it was time for the world to come to an end. I have scarcely heard of a truer sacrament, that is, as the dictionary defines it, 'outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace'..."

Today I am 53 years of age. And I am thankful.

Territory of Spirit

When I was a child, I dreamt of monks. Quiet figures who owned nothing, who went about each day doing simple things. I could never see their faces, but I understood what was real to them. Silence, solitude, a life unadorned.

I always thought as I grew older, that I would write extensibly about spirit. It has always been what is most important to me. The belief of my childhood instilled in me a curious faith in life, that everything is as it should be. As an adult, I see organized religion as a cruel fate accepted by many. It leads to the crippling disease of the mundane, of instructing people how not to take responsibility for their own lives, in the here and now. I am happiest sitting on the bench of a picnic table, writing in the cool morning air. Travel is my religion now. It is a quest to continue to map out an expanding territory of spirit.

Doug, Walt and I share about 20' x 8' feet of trailer space. We also have the whole world outside. All have chores to accomplish every day. Walt only needs to be a Black Lab. Doug shops, cooks, does programming and all automotive/trailer repair. It is my job to do laundry, dishes, and to clean the small trailer kitchen, floor and bathroom each day. The cleaning takes about 15 minutes. Then I do my programming work. Then I am free to write.

There are deer here. This is a place of protection for them. They know no predators. Their babies, with white spots on their backs, walk close to your picnic table and look curiously at you with big brown eyes. I smile at them. They look back, switching their little white tails.

Soon we will be on our way again, to New Mexico. And there will be that strange light that only the desert at dawn can provide, a definite spirit of its own.

Texas Vocabulary on The Fourth of Jewel-Eye

Greetings from a place on earth called Canyon Lake, Texas, where it is currently hotter than the 9th Level of Hell. No fireworks allowed here. Too dry. And it is also a place of unique vocabulary.

Took Walt for a walk this a.m., and discovered that it is no fun to be a Black Lab in Texas when the sun is beating down on that shiny black coat. We had to soak him down in ice water when we got back. The poor lad was panting for at least an hour, front paw to forehead, trying to cool himself down. He is fine now, as he received as much cold water as he could lap, plus a medicinal helping of BBQ chicken skins at lunch to ease the pain.

Because it is The Fourth of Jewel-Eye here in Texas, we went to the local grocery store to pick up some holiday vittles. Being good Yankees, we inquired as to the whereabouts of spicy hot sausages to burn on the grill. The lady we asked at H.E.B. told us she didn't know if they had any of that "High-taleon" sausage, but we could "look right quick" over in the meat aisle. No luck. So we went to the Super-S grocery establishment, where some of the clerks had their faces painted as Texas state flags in good ole red, white and blue.

On the way to the "High-taleon" sausage aisle, I passed a couple in deep discussion about the possibility that they were out of holiday condiments. Both male and female were dressed in husband/wife matching outfits: camouflage shorts with matching caps and t-shirts with arrows pointing up that read, "Just Add Beer." The man asked the woman, "Are we outta Murkle Whip?"

Did find the sausage, and the cashier showed her gratitude for our purchase by telling us, "Thank yeeeeeeeeew. Y'all have a fun 4th."

There is lots of vocabulary in Texas. At TexasMonthly.com, Anne Dingus has collected quite a few Texas phrases. Go to http://www.texasmonthly.com/ranch/sayings/index.php for a sampling, including:

a) Talkative: "He's got a ten-gallon mouth."
b) Happy: "I haven't had so much fun since the hogs ate Sister."
c) Hot: "So hot the hens are laying hard-boiled eggs."
d) Immoral: "He was all over her like ugly on an ape."
e) Big: "That guy is so big he has to sit down in shifts."
f) Ugly: "She's so ugly she'd make a freight train take a dirt road."
g) Ugly 2: "He's so ugly his mama takes him everywhere she goes so she doesn't have to kiss him goodbye."
h) Crazy: "He's got a big hole in his screen door."

RODEO POSTER: Photographed on bulletin board outside Super-S Grocery Store, Canyon Lake, Texas