Monday, January 20, 2020

A Choice Land

Image result for book of mormon

. . . yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
1 Nephi 2:20

Choice is the land to the righteous and pure,
where all may live happy whether rich or obscure.
Under the wing of our Almighty Chief
there's very small cause for much sorrow or grief.
Our land is a blessing, a nourishing gift --
as long as into error we never do drift.
Help me to cherish my birthright this day,
to let finer instincts hold ultimate sway.


Sunday, January 19, 2020

Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.


Image result for kjv bible



Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Proverbs 15:16

Oh Lord, I ask for just one thing
from thy limitless wellspring:
affirmation that I dwell
in thy grace, where all is well.
What is there to lack, I trow,
when thy cherishing I know?




Saturday, January 18, 2020

Photo Essay: Repurposed Images.



My Norwegian angels.
Two-dimensional
and complicated.


It's complicated.
No me,
but the balloon.



Life is made up of
sharp points
on dull sticks.



Bald of bark.
Bulging and bleached.
Orphan wood.



It was hot and sour soup.
Or chili.
It's impossible to remember every taste.



My bestselling autobiography:
"Loitering Through Life."
Available only on Mars.


Drinking baby oil
in Thailand.
Don't ask.



Families are like milkweed pods;
either packed too close together
or drifting too far apart.

And there was no contention

Image result for book of mormon

And there was no contention among the people in the forty and fourth year; neither was there much contention in the forty and fifth year.
Helaman 3:2

People sans contention are a wonder, to be sure;
God will so protect them that their nation will endure.
Cannot peace and harmony be found today the same,
instead of constant argument that leads to wrath and shame?
Give me strength to keep the peace, O Lord, I do implore;
soften all my words and help me concord to adore!

Photo Essay: Postcards to my President. Vol. 19











Friday, January 17, 2020

Magyarországnak egy mandula problémája van



Budapest városa aggodalomra ad okot.
Magyarország fővárosa a vírusos feliformia robbantó populációjával foglalkozik, amelyek eredetileg India szubkontinensen jöttek. Az önkormányzati hatóságok veszteségesek magyarázzák, hogy miként alakult ki a városban a mongúz, amely híres a harcokról, majd azután mérgező kígyók, például Cobras megragadásáról.
Az egyik elmélet az, hogy az állatokat először egy már elromlott sörfőzde vezette be a városi környezetbe, amely „Mongoose” elnevezésű pilsner sört készített az ital nyilvánosságra hozatala érdekében a sörgyár tucatnyi mongoózt importált Indiából, és ketrecekben jelentette meg őket előcsarnokukban. Amikor a sörgyár csődbe ment, a tulajdonosok egyszerűen kinyitották a ketreceket, és hagyták, hogy a lények magukat keressék.
A vadon élő állatok szakértői szerint ez valószínűtlen, mert a mangó egy trópusi állat, amely nem képes megállni a minden télen Budapesten előforduló fagyhőmérsékleteket. Az állati aktivisták szerint azonban a mongózok behatoltak a szennyvízcsatornabe, ahol a hőmérséklet mindig hetvenöt fokos balzsamos, és étrendjüket úgy alakították ki, hogy kígyók helyett patkányokon zajlanak.
Bármi is legyen az ok, a város felhelyezi a „KÉRJÜK, NEM TÖLTSÉG MEG a MONGOÓZISokat” jelzéseket, hogy meg lehessen akadályozni, hogy az opportunista állatok kártevőké és rozsdássá alakuljanak, ami már megtörtént a város galambjaival.

Photo Essay: Burt Gummer, Where are You?


After binge watching all 5 Tremors movies on Netflix,
I felt the cinder block walls of my apartment closing
in on me. Time to get out and hunt down some grub!
That's what Burt Gummer would do.


I see people are taking my lemon bars.
I made them from scratch this morning
and put them out in the back lobby with a 
card inviting anyone/everyone to have a piece.
As of 3:30 this afternoon there were only 3
pieces left.



Outside in the street there's this abandoned
sandwich board.
It's been there for two weeks now,
and I'm tempted to snag it for myself.
There's always something you can do
with a good sandwich board.


Ain't nature grand?



Walking east on 100 North. The wind is
as bitter as my ex-mother-in-law.



What does a giant rooster have to do with
a pawn shop? These are the kinds of 
mysteries that make walking fun.




The Pest House, where I used to work.



Ah, if I remember correctly, this place
serves up some good roast beef.





The place is pretty much deserted at 2 p.m.
on a Friday afternoon.





I ordered something called
'Frejol con Seco.'
Basically, pot roast supposedly bathed
in a rich cilantro sauce. I saw no
sign of any cilantro sauce, but the beef
went down well with the rice and some
mild salsa verde.


.

I reckon I'll come back here again the next time
I want a substantial cut of beef. I see they
have bistec con pappas fritas on the menu.

Stopped at Fresh Market on my way home for
a can of creamed corn. I'm gonna make fiesta
cornbread tomorrow morning, with a cheddar
cheese topping. I'll eat a big piece for breakfast,
and then leave the rest out in the lobby for 
whoever wants some.
Friday night is closing in on me, just like
the cinder block walls did earlier.
I don't feel very happy, not even with a belly
full of pot roast.
It's hell being all alone sometimes --
tonight I don't think I can be much
of a survivalist.
Burt Gummer, where are you when I need you?







A Poem Inspired by a Story from Robyn Dixon.


Robyn Dixon. Washington Post.

Robyn Dixon graduated from the Presbyterian Ladies College, in Burwood, Australia.
She has a great fondness for Moscow, and its mules.
She speaks several languages fluently, including Doktorskaya Kolbasa and Sardelka.
Her ambition in life is to learn to play the orchestrion.
She's worked for various newspapers since before ducks had legs.
For her work at the Washington Post she has received the Orders of Nakhimov, Kutuzov,
 Ushakov, and Nockitoff.

MOSCOW — Eight years ago, President Vladimir Putin decreed that Russia must become a leading scientific power. That meant at least five top-100 Russian universities by 2020, and a dramatic increase in the number of global citations of Russian scientific papers.
Now a group at the center of Putin’s aspirations, the Russian Academy of Sciences, has dropped a bombshell into the plans. A commission set up by the academy has led to the retraction of at least 869 Russian scientific articles, mainly for plagiarism.      @RobynDixon__
The Russians have been stealing stuff
from other countries, pal,
ever since old Lenin stole
his ideas from Pascal.
No concept is original with any of those bums
(They even stole the formula
to manufacture Tums.)
So when their academics,
under prodding from Poo-tin,
steal from one another,
why, it's really not a sin.
They're trained to filch and not to think;
pickpockets of the mind.
Lend them some eyeglasses
and they'll want to steal you blind!


He doth love the stranger



Image result for book of mormon

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
Deuteronomy 10:18


Tis easy loving those we know,
who then will love us back.
But when a stranger's at the gate,
do we care that they lack?
We feed them at a distance,
give them castoffs with disdain;
never want to shake their hands
afraid that they might stain.
If kindness to the stranger 
is not bred into our bone,
I think someday before the Lord
we'll have to stand . . . alone.