Margie goes off with Jobe and leaves me alone; I see a dark cloud over my valley, my nation
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 1:35PM ;)
Lisa came out Sunday morning and took her mom and dad out to breakfast at Family Restaurant. Sadly, when I pulled out my pocket camera to photograph the occassion, I discovered that I had forgot to put the card back in - just like I had done when I had breakfast with Aaron Fox in New York.
Just like then, I did take a few pictures with my iPhone, but have not yet bothered to download them.
In the afternoon, Kalib and Jobe showed up with their parents. Lisa tried to entice Kalib to give her a hug, but he wasn't going for it.
I tried to get him to give me a hug, too. He didn't want to.
I don't feel too badly about it. I remember when I was small and I never wanted my grandmothers to hug me and it seemed just smothering and awful when they would do so anyway and then try to add a kiss on top of hug.
My one grandfather who still lived never did try to hug me. At that time, in the family and society that I was born into, males just didn't hug each other, period. We would shake hands.
I'm glad that nonsensical code is behind me now.
How awful it would be, never to hug my grandson - if only he would hug me.
How nice it would be to get the opportunity to hug my grandmothers, and kiss them on the cheek - my grandfathers, too - both the one who I marginally knew and the other, who descended into the earth before I had the chance.
The reason they had come out was to snatch Margie away from me and take her back to Anchorage is because Lavina had to go back to work today and someone needs to care for Jobe. That someone is going to be Margie.
From now until sometime in August, when a spot is scheduled to open up for Jobe at daycare, Margie will spend four days of the week in town, caring for him in the day and staying overnight in his family home.
I do not like the fact that she will be gone so much and I will be without her, but for little Jobe, it is worth the sacrifice. He is too little to be going to daycare, anyway. When he is with his grandma, I know he will be loved and cared for to the full measure of her devotion.
This will not be easy on Lavina, either, for she is a woman who loves being a mother.
;)
They had to load up a mattress for Margie into their Tahoe and as they did, Kalib went into the back yard to golf with Caleb. See how he keeps his eye on the ball and how hard he concentrates as he draws back the club to make the swing?
;)
His aim was right on.
Golf never interested me much, but this kid is a natural, I tell you!
;)
Uncle Caleb then prepared to give nephew Kalib a demonstration of what can be done with a different kind of ball - a softball that had just emerged from the snow.
Uncle Caleb tossed that ball and the three of us watched as it climbed high into the sky. I kept waiting for gravity to take hold and draw that ball back to the earth, but it just kept rising, higher and higher, until it was just the tiniest dot. Then it disappeared altogether. It looked as though it had gone into orbit.
Soon, it was time for Margie to go back to Anchorage with them - but after they put the mattress in the Tahoe, there was no room for her.
So I drove Margie to town. Kalib rode with us.
Jacob, Lavina and Jobe reached home well ahead of us. When we finally got there, Jacob came out to get Kalib, unbuckled him and removed him from his car seat. He began to carry him back to the house but then stopped, looked up into the sky and stammered, "what the...????"
It was the softball that Caleb had launched! Maybe three hours before! Finally coming back to earth! In Anchorage! I wonder how many orbits that softball made? Why didn't it burn up on reentry?
I tried to take a picture, but the swoosh of wind from that softball as it plunged downward to bury itself deep in the frozen earth beneath the snow ripped my pocket camera right out of my hands. Fortunately, it suffered no major damage.
;)
This is the bed they fixed up for Margie to stay in, four nights a week for the next four months. Lavina made certain that it included a stuffed Muzz, just for Margie.
I left Margie among family a bit after 9:00 PM to begin my drive alone back to Wasilla. According to the metadata, I took this photo at exactly 9:40:50 PM and it looks exactly as I feel, for inside me wages that ever present battle of light against darkness, of black clouds and night moving against the sun - even during this time when the length of the day steadily increases.
I feel this way for many reasons - some economic, the fact that I am in this house alone with the cats (always good company, by the way) but also because I attended the Wasilla Tax Day Tea Party rally. That rally was largely about getting out the vote to turn around a situation that many participants see as intolerable. They lost out in the last election and now they want to get out the vote and reverse that situation.
That is the way the American system is supposed to work; when it comes to choosing our leadership and the political course of our nation, we leave our guns at home and go to the ballot box. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we lose. When we lose, we gear back up and work toward the next election. And so it goes, back and forth over time. One side rises after the vote, then falls, then rises again, then falls again... and there is impeachment, should enough people and their Senators be persuaded that they had erred in the last election and that the situation has become too urgent to wait for the next election.
Voting. An act of light - one that keeps people from killing each other over political differences.
But there were also clouds darkening at that rally, not-so-subtle insinuations made by people who proclaimed themselves to be patriots, loyal Americans eager to defend the Constitution of the United States even to the point that if they must, they stood ready to nullify by violence the majority of votes, constitutionally cast in 2008 by other loyal Americans, in order to force an outcome more to their liking.
I do not attribute this attitude to all who participated, but the sentiment was there and prominently so.
It is the words of one man that keep coming back to me the strongest. When he was called to the mic, he did not rant, he did not scream, he did not yell. He was articulate and spoke softly, clearly, in words that he chose carefully. He referenced his military service and that of the sons that he had sent to war.
He said many things that I agree with and, in fact, that most Americans, be they Republican, Democrat, or Independent would agree with. I would say 95 percent of his words were along this line. While the comparison would undoubtedly offend the man, in Garrison Keillor's own unique style I have heard him say the same things this man did.
Yet, he spoke with a different end in mind. He made it unequivocally clear that as a Patriot and soldier, he had taken an ever-binding oath to protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic and stood ready to kill or be killed in order to do so. He said that domestic enemies now held the highest offices of the United States, that Barack Obama was not a legitimate President and was not his Commander-in-Chief. In other words, he stated his readiness to kill me and how many other loyal, patriotic, Americans from Wasilla, Alaska and elsewhere, in order to nulliy those votes that we Constitutionally cast in November of 2008, because he does not approve of the President we elected and installed as Commander-in-Chief. To be fair, he was still definitely a part of the "get out the vote" in 2010 effort, but he clearly implied what he felt needed to be done beyond the vote, should that effort fail to accomplish his larger goal.
There is no way around it. That is what he said. I can see no other way to interpret his words. And he was applauded.
Perhaps I make too much of it and it is nothing to be concerned about - just words spoken by a calm, angry, man exercising his First Amendment rights; words that will be blown away and forgotten in the winds of history.
Yet, he spoke as a movement leader to a small town audience of maybe 400 people, with more recycling in and out, their overall numbers growing. Others continually drove by, too busy to stop, but not to honk their horns in support. Over 1000 hot dogs were sold.
A lack of time has prevented me from posting the pictures that I took at the Tea Party rally and time is passing by and the timeliness of the event is fading. An argument wages inside me, should I still take the time to post those pictures and do my write up or should I just move on and let this do it?
I want to make that post, and I don't want to make that post.
I want to just move on, forget about it and just live a peaceful life and let others do the same, whatever their political leanings. We can work it out at the ballot box - but I'm not sure I can just forget about it. Perhaps we now all plunge forward in a direction from which no u-turn can be made.
Perhaps not. I don't know. It's too easy to get carried away by hyperbole.
Reader Comments (19)
Make the post, is my vote.
Use your alone time effectively!
Please try and write the post. Much Love.
First of all, thanks for the photos of Kalib & Jobe. Jobe looks so aware at his Grandpa, and is getting used to the camera that will be a huge part of his life.
Second, on the Tparty post....I'm feeling just like you. It's over & it was ugly. Why re-live it? But on the other hand, you will be doing your community a service by posting photos and commentary of these people's troubling attitude.
Please post. Your thoughts so far are worth continuing. But if you think that it would make life dangerous for you and those you love, we will understand.
Jobe is a very beautiful boy. Go Kalib! Move over Tiger Woods. LOL
Please reconsider posting your report and pictures of what you saw and heard. Such things are a very important additon to the conversation we must be having about the undercurrents rippling through the fabric of our Nation. Silence is consent and this is the TRUE way we lose our freedoms - by being silent and hoping that someone else will do the heavy lifting because it is unpleasant. I know this because I originally come from a place that in the not too distant past quashed any and all dissent and criticism of government. Besides our wallets, our vote is the most important freedom we own and it becomes stronger the more we use it.
I love your blog and your pictures. Thank you for inviting us to share your experiences and your family.
Namaste
Oh I hear ya about a empty house and rants of the tea party attendees.
My sweetie attended the rally and came back depressed.
He even made himself up "more white looking", because he didn't want to get harassed. When he and his buddy left, I pulled his braid out from his collar.
When they drove away, I got so scared inside. Would if someone at that rally doesn't like Indians and shoots him? Silly huh? Totally silly.
He said kind of the same thoughts. 95% good words with 5% of really depressing sad stuff.
3 days ago, he left for Taos to help his brother with the family house.
So one a good note. Black clouds mean rain and all the plants are thirsty now.
Your own "happiness meter" will let you know if more should be posted about the rally.
And my cat is happy cause it rained. He is a weird feline that scoffs at fish and stands in puddles.
What can I say. Its funny how people interpret the same words in vastly different ways. I was at the Tea Party, I applauded for the man you speak of, as I did for many others that spoke that day. Not once did I hear anyone preach violence as the answer to the problems we face today with the current govt.In fact, the voices of many said dont turn to that, use your voices, your votes, stand up for what you believe in. I do not support the current administration in any shape or form, and I clearly remember 8 yrs of a certain Presidents term when many vile, hateful things were said and done. How quickly we forget. People then complained that they werent heard, they were being silenced and now those of opposite opinion of the current adminstration feel the same...we're racist because we dont support the current official, our beliefs are just "rants" and a "waste of oxygen", etc. Its all rather silly. America is about the freedom to fight for what one feels is right and thats exactly what myself and many others are doing, as have others before us.
A black man who attended a Tea Party rally in DC last week had a very classy answer to a very asinine question. The young, blonde reporter asked him if he had ever felt uncomfortable at these events and he replied "No, these are my people....Americans".
Please post, if you can bring yourself to do it. I too am afraid of the currents that have been set in motion. The hate, the anger, the fear some people have, the untruths, the lies, the bigotry, the seeking of power to make others think the way they think, the screaming for freedom when we have lost none, the subtle or not so subtle threats. My heart aches for America and civility we seem to have lost; and the loss comes from those who are haranguing that they want THEIR America back. In the process, they've taken mine.....
Personally, I think this post said it all. You don't need photos. They couldn't be of people anyway right, without their approval? I've seen enough signs.
Since time immemorial there have always been voices of dissent. Some anarchists, some not. The anarchists always have bombastic speech. it's what they use in place of logic.
Hopefully the voices of reason, logic, and order will prevail.
Yes, thankfully, everyone does get to vote. Even the anarchists with the rhetoric.
You have to choose your battles. You can choose to post more about this situation and many of us will feel gloomy... or
...you can post something refreshing, optimistic, with hope that the power of intelligent thought to form conclusions and judgments, based on fact, will win out over vitriolic diatribe.
From many of us in other countries watching, (I'm only temporarily out), we wonder how certain opinions can be tolerated but we remember "free" speech. However, some forget that "free" doesn't mean it should be inflammatory, derogatory, and offensive to all the other human beings sharing the country / planet.
Nevertheless, as the old saying goes somewhat like this: I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your RIGHT to say it.
It's your battle...I'm hoping for something more uplifting....
Now, I kind of wish that I had never stopped and wandered through the rally at all, but had taken just take a few frames as I passed by and then posted one of those and let people make of it whatever they wanted.
So, to all who have more or less encouraged me to follow up, as much as I kind of wish that I had not made this post today I did and I now almost have no choice but to follow up.
Lisa, I take your comment seriously and I would hate either to offend you or make you not want to come back to this blog. I have always enjoyed your comments and would like to meet you in person. You caused me to seriously wonder if perhaps I had misinterpreted the speaker's statement, especially as I had not quoted him directly but had paraphrased according to my memory. So I found his words online in what to him would be the most friendly kind of source and then I reviewed them several times. The statement still interprets just the same to me. I still can see no other way to interpret it.
So I will publish that direct quote, along with an explanation of why it strikes me as it does. I will be very open to you or anyone who interprets it differently to look at the same words and explain why my more liberal bias has caused me to misunderstand and get it wrong.
Lynda - I certainly do not want to make you gloomy and I realize that not only you but most others come here because I tend to take a more positive approach to life, even when life goes bad, than do many bloggers. I will try to get back on track after this post.
In the US, photography is a recognized form of free speech protected under the First Amendment. It is legal to publish any photo of anyone taken in a public place for editorial and documentary use. It is legal even if the place is privately owned but the public gathers there - especially In the case of a political event.
What one cannot do without permission is to use those images in a product advertisement or the like.
I am tired, though, and in such a deep funk that I just may find myself unable to produce that post.
Thank you all.
"Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day" (Thomas Jefferson).
Oh no worries Bill! You dont offend me and I could never stop visiting your blog, I enjoy it too much :) The world is full of different opinions and that is what makes it so great. It's okay that we dont agree on this subject. If we agreed on everything conversations could get pretty boring in our little town couldnt they. I respect you, I respect your opinions and the way you state them and I am still a faithful reader of this blog.
Grandma Nancy I could HUG you right now!!!! You wrote what I have been sitting here trying to put into words. Thank you.
Bill, don't worry about posting something 'gloomy' or 'uplifting'. Just continue to post! What you already wrote reiterates what a damn good Journalist you are. It is enlightening. You treat your subject matter with honesty, fairness and most of all objectivity. Please consider making that Tea Party post...(if not for us, you should definitely document it for your family...the next generation(s) will be interested in your first-hand account). Out and out LIES seem to be taking hold a lot more than the truth. Go figure...
For me personally, having grown up under communism, you can only imagine how I feel about people that/who think Americans have lost their freedoms (absolutely ludicrous) .........suggest they go live in another country and see how quickly they will want to return to the US.
Have a great day and hope your deep funk vanished after getting some sleep.
You are AWESOME!!!
Your job is to present your views. The Tea Party is simply a bunch of people getting together to blame everything on everybody else. They put forth their beliefs. They need to be challenged. I wrote the post on the man in the store for you. I was thinking of you when I talked to him. It was interesting to me that he did look at me when I was talking. I did feel as if he was seeing something that he had not seen before. We all need to be speaking out. That's our responsibility. You ever read the quote on Mikey's sidebar? All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing - Edmund Burke
I feel like I've seen enough of these teapartiers and their signs. It's like that movement called "teaparty" has gathered some elements that generally have grievances against the government, and having a black Democrat as our President has drawn them out of the shadows. I ahve found these "Oathkeepers" to be 50s-60s chubby white guys who know they would not be physically able to carry out the "revolution" or "taking back" they talk about. They wish to incite someone younger, more unstable to kill government leaders, and in particular Pres Obama. There I said it. They don't have the testicular fortitude to do it themselves, but they Hope to inspire some person to do what they wish they could do. Speaking out and saying, 'this is not the American way' is the way we will induce these peiople to go back into the shadows. Once they realize there are more of us than there are of them, they will stop. The fact that this year's April 15 teaparty turnouts were generally much smaller than last year and did not have the support and attendance of major political leaders is something that will give them pause. Even Palin had the sense to not attend the banner events. But even though I've had enough of them, I would sincerely like to hear your thoughts of what you observed that day. I hope you'll be alright there by yourself with all that cat company! Give them each a little scratch behind the ears for me.
Great post. I, too, visit your blog for a mini-office vacation of sorts and I greatly enjoy your photos. You really touched on the tea party issue in an honest, respectful way. This country is built on diversity of every kind. The only way to have a free, diverse and healthy society is to communicate with one another respectfully, openly and without harm. I do not see the tea party as representative of any of those. I can understand where some of the viewpoints, passion and even anger is coming from in this movement, but there's no excuse for disrespectful or threatening behavior. My husband fights for this country and he has completed two tours in Iraq. He fights for freedom of speech and our constitution. Like you mentioned, my husband's Commander in Chief is Barrack Obama as voted into office by the American people. These are the facts. We have a system in place where tea party people can respectfully channel their energies and passions. Threatening and disrespectful words, signs and actions do NOT have a place in that system.
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