Warnings

We must be warned that coffee's hot,
that smoking hurts the lung.
Knives are sharp and spoons are not,
and sunscreen blocks the sun.

We must not eat the non-food pack,
that freshens packaged foods.
Know calories might make us fat,
and sleep might make us drool.

Labels warn that water's wet,
and bullets might go bang.
Signs to warn of dangers met,
adorn each mundane thing.

We used to use our eyes and think,
to see, assess, then act.
Replaced with warnings bold in ink, 
a talisman of words and fact.

Heavy

A million years of sand and rain made me who I am
Built up, compressed, washed clean and worn down.
Rusty red, sandy blond, and streaked with black.
I defy the elements openly as an acrobat would 
For Newton pulls heavy on my ancient spine.
Yet I arch high overhead triumphant and grand
Shade from a withering sun for strangers below. 

Speculation

If only people understood how un-cool secret stuff really is… Scott Adams came close in this strip:
Dilbert.com

The super secret squirrels convened
Their meeting in the vault
Each day at noon they gathered there
Discussing who knows what

The watchers all looked in from out
As blind and dumb and deaf
As though they had no mouth or ears
To use for baited breath

Whispers swirled from left to right
Then back around again
Tales of conquests in the works
Cabals of greed and sin

Murmurings of secret tech
Sensors, planes, and tools
Laser guns and mind control
Oh man... 
Read the rest

The Parrot

Almost endless years of school
Countless hours of study
Promotions moving ever up
An awful sense of duty

To be the expert and make change
A constant goal since youth
Use of hands and head at once
Connecting truth with truth

Explore and build to meet demand
Reflect on what's been made
More to know you've done it right
Than strictly to get paid

A phantom of some lingering dream
Haunting daily chores
Wants unmet in truthful life
Like salt in open sores

No new ideas are his today
Great works he builds no more
He simply gathers and compiles
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Fog

I’ve always liked writing, but rarely get a chance to write things not formal, technical, or even worse… bureaucratic.  Given my background, you’d think anything artistic would have atrophied years ago, and in truth it probably has.  However, though unqualified and not particularly gifted, every once in a while I get an urge to dust off the non-analytical parts of my self and see just how much of it is left.

In a home filled with artistic, musical, and literary talent, I often end up filling the requirement for an audience.  It’s unlikely anyone would ask me to perform when … Read the rest

Kids fall asleep in the darndest places!

Updated 21 Dec 2014…

This one requires explanation.  Liz found Michael asleep on the piano bench.  He stirred, got up, and announced that he was going to go lay down in his bed.  However, when Liz came back a few minutes later this is what she found:IMG_8254

Apparently he had gone to his bed, pulled a blanket off, and gone back to the piano bench to sleep.  He stayed there for almost an hour.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASydney, 2002

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASydney 2002

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2004

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2004

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2004

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2005

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASydney 2005

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2005

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2005 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsaac 2006

IMG_1744Isaac 2006

IMG_6681Michael 2012

DSCF0204Michael 20013Read the rest

Good Ideas

The weekend after Thanksgiving we took the family up to Waco to a harvest festival put on by a group of anababtists who farm using traditional (non-mechanized) methods, teach traditional crafts, and generally do things a bit slower than the general population.  Along with selling their wares, they teach a series of seminars on self sufficiency, skills like blacksmithing and beekeeping, animal husbandry, etc…  It’s interesting and fun to spend a few days wandering, watching, and listening.  This year, Liz came home with a few “good ideas.”  Good ideas generally mean work… lots of it.

We’ve been meaning to put … Read the rest

Building the Back Yard

Every project we’ve done so far in the “yard” has been geared towards something that produces food or is food.  So far projects have included things like the barn, fence, chicken coop, electric to the barn and coop, water to the animals, etc…  The only thing I’ve done to the yard is to cut back the brush and let wild grasses grow in.  Not much of a yard, and not particularly good at keeping the mud down when it rains.

Now that some of the major projects are done, and all the animals have homes and water, I decided to … Read the rest

Syd’s Recital

Sydney got a new piano teacher recently.  For several years, she’s been tolerating lessons from Liz, but wasn’t making much progress.  About six months ago we decided to try farming her out to an outside teacher to see if taking Mom out of the mix would help.  Two teachers and several months later… boy did it ever!IMG_8245

Syd has found her soul-mate in the music world, and is enjoying learning and playing.  We almost can’t get her to stop practising.  Her teacher is working with her on creative stuff like improvisation and arranging pieces herself, which has really touched off … Read the rest