Little One, I Will Be Honored to Be the First to Gently Dab the Make-Up of Joviality Upon Your Pale Virgin Skin. Together We Will Apply the First Red Nose and Pause to Let the Moment Soak Over Us. Do Not Listen to Those Who Hate Clowns: It is Not Hate But Fear That Drives Them, Fear of a Life Style They Do Not Understand. Accept With Pride Your Inaugural Hand Puppet.
Little One, I Was Once Just Like You: Alone, Adrift, Twelve. I Was Wandering the Carnival Games of the Traveling Circus When My Clown Mentor First Found Me. It Stays With You Forever, the First Time a Clown makes a Special Balloon Animal For You and You Alone: It Becomes the First Secret in the Journey of the Clown.
Little One, Know That the Way of the Clown Begins with Acceptance. This Can Be Harder Than It Sounds, Which is Why We First Practice Acceptance in Small Dark Rooms: Let the Polkas Steady Your Heart.
Little One, We Wear Make-Up Not to Hide Shame But to Shame Others into Accepting Joy. It Is Not an Easy Life; Tears Will Be Shed, There Will be Soreness.
DENVER - Guillermo Vicente Vidal, or Bill, was the youngest of three brothers born in the city of Camaguey in Cuba. His father was a pharmacist and his mother was a stay at home mom. They lived a comfortable lifestyle as a middle class family with nannies, maids, a cook, and even a gardener. But after 1959, everything would change as Fidel Castro took control of Cuba.
"Within that year, all that celebration started spiraling into chaos. Where all of a sudden properties were confiscated. Your neighbors started turning you in for being a counter-revolutionary and it was mayhem," recalls Vidal. "The schools were taken over by the militia, and the Catholic church was thrown out of the island."
Little One, in The Brotherhood of the Clown We Accept Each Other Unconditionally: Do Not Pass Judgment When A Consoling Shoulder Rub Would Be Best. The Life of the Clown Calls for Lots of Consoling Shoulder Rubs.
Little One, You Will Grow Into the Bright Red Smile Painted on Your Young Face. It May Seem Too Big at First, But You Will Learn to Accommodate It: Do Not Be Afraid.
Little One, You May Not Understand Much of Your Training at Your Young Age: Some of It May Seem Unnecessary or Even Inappropriate. This, Indeed, is Your First Lesson: You Must Always Trust Your Mentor Clown. The Second Lesson: Some Lessons Are Secret.
Little One, Many Generations of Clowns Before You Fought the Long Hard Struggle For the Acceptance You Now Enjoy. If These Older Clowns Ask For a Gentle Foot Rub Now and Then You Should Honor the Request With Respect and Dignity: Remember, You Are Now Walking in Their Over-Sized Shoes.
Do Not Strike That Tone with Me, Little One: Whenever a Circus Leaves a Town There is an Unmarked Grave Left Behind. The Way of the Clown has Consequences.
I Would Never Mean to Hurt You, Little One: Sometimes This World of Unfairness Makes Me So Angry. I Must Remember to Swallow the Anger and Paint My Smile Even Bigger.
I just asked Joe if he would care to share some of his pics.
He's due in town in about a week. But he could send them anytime.
It's inspiring because he's 80f'n years old.
My landlord was that old, walked every day, prided himself on his mad walking abilities, miles are nuth'n to him, then suddenly he turned all creaky and stiffened, and gnarled and curled, inflexible, unable to walk or move or anything and suddenly died. And now I keep thinking that's going to happen to Joe. The difference is, Joe drinks like a fish. OMG, hard drinker, and my landlord was tea totaler. (I don't know what totaling tea means. The crossword people explained it and I still don't know)
If Joe sends good ones I'll post them. Joe doesn't know how to work electronics. I doubt he uploads his own photos. He barely knows how to turn it on to show them.
My landlord was that old, walked every day, prided himself on his mad walking abilities, miles are nuth'n to him, then suddenly he turned all creaky and stiffened, and gnarled and curled, inflexible, unable to walk or move or anything and suddenly died.
He was doing what he loved to the end. There's a blessing in that.
sadly, this will happen to all of us at some point, if other diseases or accidents don't get there first.
I love hiking, especially if it's a relatively secluded and mountain location. Every time I do it, I always confirm to myself that it's my favorite activity. It's just the perfect combination of relaxation, fun, exploration, exercise, and challenge, and my mind goes into hyperdrive just wandering though all kinds of thoughts on every possible subject, while also slowing down and syncing up - rebooting. If I have a dog or two with me, as I usually do, It's just unbeatable. There are other things that are more exciting, or more challenging, or more relaxing, but hiking is just the perfect amount of all of it. The perfect recipe.
That plus the closeness of nature, the connecting to it the same way our kind has for millions of years, and taking all that in. The quiet, the independence, the self-reliance.
It's all that, and more, and I love it so much, that I'd rather do it than anything, but still I don't do it enough. It's so hard to get started, to pack the necessities, and get in the car, and drive to a trail head. Every time I actually get to it, I always say to myself "what the hell is wrong with you? You love this, and yet it was so hard to get you here. Just go next time." So here I am again and another great day has passed with me not going. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I think I can at least take the dogs for a walk out back in the fields and search for my starter plants to propagate the elusive Eriogonum parvifolium - (Sea Cliff Buckwheat). Off we go.
It's all that, and more, and I love it so much, that I'd rather do it than anything, but still I don't do it enough.
I know. Well said. Summers are short here, and often busy. My big plans to hike at least one 14er/year are often dashed by my own procrastination and poor planning.(and ass-sitting) It's already snowing up at the top.
I wanted to hike to the top of Handies Peak in SW Colorado this year, but the early fires in the vicinity stopped me. There - I'll blame it on the fires. I never hike alone in the high country. I'm too afraid of lions tigers and bears.
(check out the panorama at the link. You can see so many other cool 14ers, like Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre, and, I think, to the south-- the Rio Grande Pyramid. Vestal and Arrow too. So cooool!)
This is some serious hiking. I mean serious. There are too many technical climbs in the mix for a piker like me. I cannot even believe a little kid climbed them all. I ruled out most of them years ago. I don't even want to climb Longs Peak. Longs is not technical - it's just a scary bitch.
These guys are walking between all of CO's highest peaks, and hiking/climbing them.Nuts. How exhilarating, though. Hats off.
35 comments:
Sheesh, another post about Congress?!
Speaking of clowns: In today's newspaper insert "USA Weekend" the cover consists of an image of Reagan and Tip O'Neill
w/ the following headline:
"When politics worked..
With today's Washington mired in gridlock, MSNBC's Chris Matthews recalls a more civil time"
*Spits.Out.Coffee.*
Before or after he called Republicans Nazis?
A video collection of Chris Matthews' civility.
I know what you're thinking. But April, you're not very civil.
I know. But I also don't have a TV show. I'm just a lowly blog commenter, a tiny innocent kitten,
a micro-voice on the head of a pin.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, I Will Be Honored to Be the First to Gently Dab the Make-Up of Joviality Upon Your Pale Virgin Skin. Together We Will Apply the First Red Nose and Pause to Let the Moment Soak Over Us. Do Not Listen to Those Who Hate Clowns: It is Not Hate But Fear That Drives Them, Fear of a Life Style They Do Not Understand. Accept With Pride Your Inaugural Hand Puppet.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, I Was Once Just Like You: Alone, Adrift, Twelve. I Was Wandering the Carnival Games of the Traveling Circus When My Clown Mentor First Found Me. It Stays With You Forever, the First Time a Clown makes a Special Balloon Animal For You and You Alone: It Becomes the First Secret in the Journey of the Clown.
Little One, Know That the Way of the Clown Begins with Acceptance. This Can Be Harder Than It Sounds, Which is Why We First Practice Acceptance in Small Dark Rooms: Let the Polkas Steady Your Heart.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, We Wear Make-Up Not to Hide Shame But to Shame Others into Accepting Joy. It Is Not an Easy Life; Tears Will Be Shed, There Will be Soreness.
DENVER - Guillermo Vicente Vidal, or Bill, was the youngest of three brothers born in the city of Camaguey in Cuba. His father was a pharmacist and his mother was a stay at home mom. They lived a comfortable lifestyle as a middle class family with nannies, maids, a cook, and even a gardener. But after 1959, everything would change as Fidel Castro took control of Cuba.
"Within that year, all that celebration started spiraling into chaos. Where all of a sudden properties were confiscated. Your neighbors started turning you in for being a counter-revolutionary and it was mayhem," recalls Vidal. "The schools were taken over by the militia, and the Catholic church was thrown out of the island."
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, in The Brotherhood of the Clown We Accept Each Other Unconditionally: Do Not Pass Judgment When A Consoling Shoulder Rub Would Be Best. The Life of the Clown Calls for Lots of Consoling Shoulder Rubs.
Chris Matthews would have stood shoulder to shoulder with Fidel Castro.
Today - the tea party are the "counter revolutionaries".
Ack. Capitol Peak knife edge.
(Or perhaps Pyramid peak?)I think it's Capitol. These are technical climbs. Sheesh.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, You Will Grow Into the Bright Red Smile Painted on Your Young Face. It May Seem Too Big at First, But You Will Learn to Accommodate It: Do Not Be Afraid.
The Maroon Bells in Autumn.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, You May Not Understand Much of Your Training at Your Young Age: Some of It May Seem Unnecessary or Even Inappropriate. This, Indeed, is Your First Lesson: You Must Always Trust Your Mentor Clown. The Second Lesson: Some Lessons Are Secret.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, Many Generations of Clowns Before You Fought the Long Hard Struggle For the Acceptance You Now Enjoy. If These Older Clowns Ask For a Gentle Foot Rub Now and Then You Should Honor the Request With Respect and Dignity: Remember, You Are Now Walking in Their Over-Sized Shoes.
"I'm just a lowly blog commenter, a tiny innocent kitten,..."
"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Little One, A Clown Should Approach Life as a Kitten Approaches a Soap Bubble. That Is Why We Bubble Bath. Do You Want a Bubble Bath, Little One?
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Remember, Little One: Some Lessons Can Only Be Learned in the Clown Van.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Oh, Sweet, Sweet Clown Van. The Magical Secrets Only a Black Light Can Reveal.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Do Not Worry, Little One: These Are Special Clown Hand Cuffs.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Do Not Strike That Tone with Me, Little One: Whenever a Circus Leaves a Town There is an Unmarked Grave Left Behind. The Way of the Clown has Consequences.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
I Would Never Mean to Hurt You, Little One: Sometimes This World of Unfairness Makes Me So Angry. I Must Remember to Swallow the Anger and Paint My Smile Even Bigger.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Will You Help Me Paint My Smile Even Bigger, Little One? It Is Fun To Do Special Things Together.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
We Can Paint Ourselves in Places That No One Else Will Even See: It Will be a Special Clown Secret That Only We Share.
Naked Clown Tutor Robot says:
Aren't Clown Secrets the Bestest Secrets, Little One?
Somehow I Don't Imagine That Lem Will Post Many Clown-Themed Items in the Near Future.
April, are you hiking?
I just asked Joe if he would care to share some of his pics.
He's due in town in about a week. But he could send them anytime.
It's inspiring because he's 80f'n years old.
My landlord was that old, walked every day, prided himself on his mad walking abilities, miles are nuth'n to him, then suddenly he turned all creaky and stiffened, and gnarled and curled, inflexible, unable to walk or move or anything and suddenly died. And now I keep thinking that's going to happen to Joe. The difference is, Joe drinks like a fish. OMG, hard drinker, and my landlord was tea totaler. (I don't know what totaling tea means. The crossword people explained it and I still don't know)
If Joe sends good ones I'll post them. Joe doesn't know how to work electronics. I doubt he uploads his own photos. He barely knows how to turn it on to show them.
You gotta mix whiskey with your beer.
Twain says so.
Irishmen at least. Something about the belly needing to be polished.
Chip,
I like to hike and walk. I do it for enjoyment and scenery. (and exercise)
If ya don't move it, ya lose it. I need to stretch more. Stretching is important.
My landlord was that old, walked every day, prided himself on his mad walking abilities, miles are nuth'n to him, then suddenly he turned all creaky and stiffened, and gnarled and curled, inflexible, unable to walk or move or anything and suddenly died.
He was doing what he loved to the end. There's a blessing in that.
sadly, this will happen to all of us at some point, if other diseases or accidents don't get there first.
I love hiking, especially if it's a relatively secluded and mountain location. Every time I do it, I always confirm to myself that it's my favorite activity. It's just the perfect combination of relaxation, fun, exploration, exercise, and challenge, and my mind goes into hyperdrive just wandering though all kinds of thoughts on every possible subject, while also slowing down and syncing up - rebooting. If I have a dog or two with me, as I usually do, It's just unbeatable. There are other things that are more exciting, or more challenging, or more relaxing, but hiking is just the perfect amount of all of it. The perfect recipe.
That plus the closeness of nature, the connecting to it the same way our kind has for millions of years, and taking all that in. The quiet, the independence, the self-reliance.
It's all that, and more, and I love it so much, that I'd rather do it than anything, but still I don't do it enough. It's so hard to get started, to pack the necessities, and get in the car, and drive to a trail head. Every time I actually get to it, I always say to myself "what the hell is wrong with you? You love this, and yet it was so hard to get you here. Just go next time." So here I am again and another great day has passed with me not going. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I think I can at least take the dogs for a walk out back in the fields and search for my starter plants to propagate the elusive Eriogonum parvifolium - (Sea Cliff Buckwheat). Off we go.
It's all that, and more, and I love it so much, that I'd rather do it than anything, but still I don't do it enough.
I know. Well said.
Summers are short here, and often busy. My big plans to hike at least one 14er/year are often dashed by my own procrastination and poor planning.(and ass-sitting)
It's already snowing up at the top.
I wanted to hike to the top of Handies Peak in SW Colorado this year, but the early fires in the vicinity stopped me. There - I'll blame it on the fires.
I never hike alone in the high country. I'm too afraid of lions tigers and bears.
(check out the panorama at the link. You can see so many other cool 14ers, like Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre, and, I think, to the south-- the Rio Grande Pyramid. Vestal and Arrow too. So cooool!)
This is some serious hiking. I mean serious.
There are too many technical climbs in the mix for a piker like me. I cannot even believe a little kid climbed them all.
I ruled out most of them years ago. I don't even want to climb Longs Peak. Longs is not technical - it's just a scary bitch.
These guys are walking between all of CO's highest peaks, and hiking/climbing them.Nuts. How exhilarating, though. Hats off.
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