Birches

The Rogue Speaks:

Yikes!!  Saturday Centus really crept up on me this time!  The Ryder Cup is on, and you know I can't miss that!  While we were lounging on the couch with our coffee, the children were playing games in the office.

Plus, we took the dogs to the beach at low tide so they could run off some of their energy.  Then, Mulligan was so filthy from trying to catch fish in all the seaweed, that when we got home, I had to give him a bath in the tub!  I have some great photos of playtime and the beach, but Blogger is being hateful, and won't let me publish them!!

Jenny's prompt, which is in bold type, is sure to produce some interesting posts.  We only have 106 words, including the prompt, and this is what I came up with:

Birches
 

 

“But you’re like Frost’s “Birches,” bending, but never breaking.”
 

“Don’t try to pull that crap on me!  I have bent as much as I intend to!  We’ve had this conversation before, and I thought I made myself perfectly clear.  I’ve had enough of your lies, your promises.  Face it!  I’m way smarter than you, and you’ve never gotten away with anything for very long.  This is it, pal!”
 

“What do I have to do to get you to believe me?  It won’t happen again!  You know I love you!  I really do!  I’m done with her.”
 

“Sometimes you bend, sometimes you break!  I broke.  Get out!”

 

 

 

Please remember that I am now posting on Mondays as well.  This started out as an art blog, so my Monday post will be about artsy things.  I hope you will mark your calendars and come back to visit, and leave a comment!!



S is for SKILLS

The Rogue Speaks:

NO MARGARITAS UNTIL AFTER CLASS!!!

 

 

Shortly after I moved to the Southwest in 1998, I began teaching painting classes. I had a great group of students who soon became my friends as well. We had so much fun! They were eager to learn, and after several months in a teaching center, they decided they could learn more and have more fun in the comfort of my home. They told me it would be better for everyone because I wouldn't have to pack up my supplies and drive to the center. Plus, they said, we could have Margaritas in the afternoon after class was over. Well, that certainly piqued my interest!

It was great fun for a lot of years. Then sad things began to happen. One student's wife developed dementia and they moved back east so he would have family to help him out. Another student had been fighting cancer for years and was finally overcome by it. Still another student, whose husband had been seriously ill for many years decided that she could no longer make the trip with him to the southwest for the winter. This sort of thing makes you very sad and takes away your creativity, so for a while I stopped teaching.

I felt very creative for all those years that I was teaching, and I have come to realize that teaching other people the skills you have learned makes you a better artist. It makes you think beyond what you learned years ago and makes you want to experiment and improve. This is what my students have given me--more knowledge, and more creativity, and a desire to be a better painter.

If you want to do something better, teach what you do know to someone else. It will make you think about what you don't know, and make you want to learn. Share you knowledge with others and you will get a delightful return on your investment. Plus, if you are really lucky, you can drink Margaritas in the afternoon with people you really like.

GOT THE BLAHS????

The Rogue Speaks:


Another week has come to an end, which means it's time for Jenny's Saturday Centus.  I just spent a hard day on the Jekyll Island fishing pier, so this will be short and sweet.  Since I came home empty-handed because of the size limitation on crabs (body must be 5" or longer across), I have to figure out what to cook for dinner.  Hmmm, steak, maybe!  Quick and easy--just like this post.

GOT THE BLAHS?

 

 

 

"And if I am elected, every man in America will get the car of his dreams, I'll make every woman rich AND thin, and every child will have a PONY!"

"Marge! Listen! I can have that Corvette! Why, you could lose 200 pounds, and plus the 10 kids we have, we'll finally get that pony ranch we've always dreamed of!"

"Yeah, sure."

“But, Marge…”

“Don’t ‘but, Marge’ me, Fred!  That guy and his cronies are the ones who got us into this mess!  You think that if that clown is elected, we’ll be any better off? Blah, blah, blah!!!  I’m voting for Obama!!!”



R is for RUNNING

The Rogue Speaks:

Running?  You think I run?  I would secretly love to, for all those endorphines one gets, but my poor feet would be screaming at me after the first 50 yards!  Anyway, it's not THAT running.  It's running for office!  Some of my friends have suggested that I should run for office. Never gonna happen!  It's too much work, and for someone way smarter than I am.  Hmmmm..wait a minute.  Romney's running, and how smart can he be??  I mean, come on!  He tells his rich friends one thing, and the rest of the voting world something else.  How smart is that?  "Hey, Mitt!" she whispered, "You're running the wrong way!  The road to the presidency is the OTHER way!"

So Jimmy Carter's grandson was really pissed off about remarks Mitt made about his beloved grandfather, and he secretly video taped Mitt speaking to a group of wealthy voters.  It seems that Mitt doesn't really care about the votes of the 47% of people who don't pay income taxes, because they won't vote for him anyway.  Well, guess what, Mitt?  I'm not in that 47%, and I wouldn't vote for you if someone held a gun to my head!  What kind of person wants to be president of only 53% of Americans?

To paraphrase Aristotle in his Rhetoric,  Book II, Chapter 16, "Rich men also consider themselves worthy to hold public office; for they consider they already have the things that give a claim to office.  In a word, the type of character produced by wealth is that of a prosperous fool."

I guess the thing that really angers me is the way people like Mitt, the so-called conservatives, tell some groups what they want to hear, and others, something entirely different.  In my book, that's called sociopathy.  A sociopath has a way of finding one's weak spot and playing on it.  In the case of Mitt's wealthy group, of course that is money.  In the case of the average conservative voter, it might be abortion, or same-sex marriage (two things that are NOT going to get this country out of the financial mess it's  in because of deregulation).  The people who don't pay taxes because they LOST their jobs are not going to vote for Mitt anyway, so he doesn't care about finding their obvious weak spot, since he helped to create it. 

Mitt told his wealthy group that he wants to change people's thinking about "entitlements" like Social Security and Medicare and make them stand on their own two feet.  I am on Social Security, and yes, I AM entitled to it BECAUSE I PAID into it all my working life.  It's MY MONEY, Mitt!!!  And I am on Medicare for the SAME REASON.

According to Mitt, middle class income is $200 to $249,000.  That is sooooo disheartening to me, because all this time I thought that Rod and I were in the middle class.  Mitt goes on to say that the $100,000 income is "below middle class."  Somehow, this just doesn't compute with me.  Does it compute with you?  Is there a new slice on that pie chart?  Does it say that $100,001 to $199,999 is "JUST below middle class?"  I'm confused, Mitt!  Your obfuscation is making my head spin!

When I started this blog, I had intended to write about the arts, but over time, it has morphed into something quite different, so I have decided to post more than twice a week.  Starting this Monday, I will begin posting three times a week.  Mondays will be devoted to the arts, and artists.  Please come back then.

Alphabe-Thursday is the brain-child of Jenny Matlock, Off on My Tangent.  I hope you will read the homework of her other students.

POST SCRIPT:  For those of you who would like to read the entire transcript of Romney's speech,  go here.http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/full-transcript-mitt-romney-secret-video

In addition, it seems that I misspoke regarding Carter's grandson (my hearing is VERY poor, as many of you know), so please read the comment made by Deb at Storybeader.  She was kind enough to correct me.

WHY LOVE DIES

The Rogue Speaks:

It's time again for Saturday Centus, presented for our edification and enjoyment by Jenny Matlock.  Each week, we are given a prompt, and one hundred extra words with which to create a story.  This week's prompt is in bold type, and here is my story:

WHY LOVE DIES

“Joss, your words are puzzling to me.  I thought you loved me.  Now, you don’t want to be married any more?  How did this happen?  Are you in love with someone else?”

“No, I’m not in love with someone else.  And, yes, I did love you, but you have destroyed that love.  Your life is all about you, Fiona.  You never admit when you are wrong, and you never say you are sorry and really mean it.  You are an adult, for Christ’s sake!  Grow up!  Stop blaming everyone else for your problems!!!

“You have a whore, don’t you!!”

“Good-bye, Fiona.”

Q is for QUICK!!! Jump On It!!!

The Rogue Speaks:

Every week, my sweet friend, Jenny Matlock, sponsors a meme called "Alphabe-Thursday."  We write our Thursday posts from A to Z.  This week, we are on the letter "Q" and this is my offering:

"QUICK!!! JUMP ON IT!!!"

U.S. Consulate - Benghazi, Libya

As you all know, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other diplomats were killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in  Benghazi, Libya in another example of radicals run amok in their so-called religious beliefs.  They were spurred on by other religious radicals, which is par for the course these days.  I fail to see anything holy about these holy wars.

U.S. Ambassador, Chris Stevens - Rest In Peace, Friend!

 

The Romney handlers, who obviously have NO sense of decorum or sympathy, jumped on this senseless act, and the hasty comments made without approval of the Obama administration, and tried to use it for Romney's political gain.  What on earth were these idiots thinking????  Is nothing sacred?  Are they so desperate to smear President Obama that they don't even take the time to think?  "Quick!  Let's jump on this!! It's a great opportunity!"

Chris Stevens was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly for his country, OUR country.  For God's sake, can't the Republicans, just for ONCE, put aside their pettiness and greed to honor him??  In his haste to bash Obama, Romney did not first, in his initial comments, offer sympathy to the families of those who were killed.  Is this the kind of man you want in office???  I certainly don't!!!  SHAME ON YOU, MITT!!

Sara Palin chimed in on this issue as well.  She said that Obama doesn't have a big stick, and "he needs to grow one."  What kind of talk is that from someone who claims to be a devout Christian???  Come on, you conservatives!  Don't make my case for me!  Put that rubber bracelet on!  You know the one! It says "WWJD!!"  What Would Jesus Do!!!  Stop all this phony baloney crap and LIVE YOUR ACKNOWLEDGED FAITH, or just admit that it is all a sham!!!

"Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, for inwardly they are ravening wolves."

That's it for this Alphabe-Thursday.  Miss Jenny has a big class, and they are all waiting for you to read their homework papers!!  I hope you will comment on mine.  As my friend Tony says, "comments are like crack to bloggers."

THE COLLECTION

The Rogue Speaks:

The Collection

"I want to buy your words."

"What??"

I want to buy your words."

"Yeah, o.k., I get it. You want to buy a vowel? Hahahahaha! Really, it's only words, and words are all I have....." 

"Your words are not like other’s words. They speak to me."

"That's so sweet!! What exactly are you offering?"

"97."

" 97 dollars???"

"Well, 97 of THESE."

"Sand dollars! You want to pay me in sand dollars? Your collection?"

"Uh huh."

“I can’t take your collection, but I’ll give you my words.  I’ll write them down. You can keep them in your box with the sand dollars.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Why??”

“Because I love you.” 



This Saturday Centus was brought to you by all the sand dollars on Jekyll Island beach, and by Mulligan and Lizzie, who sniffed each and every one they found today.  The prompt for today is in bold type.