In Memory of Genie

Continuity

miles and miles i’ve
come
some walked
many run
alone and not too
and with you i’d walked
but just a few
but there was something
familiar in the pace
my mind recalls that
gentle face
somewhere, somewhen
my friend
we’d walked in step
before
and somewhere, somewhen
we’ll fall in step again
and share a few
miles more

© Perle Champion

When will the hate end?

This is from an old journal entry as valid today as on that other sad day.

Sad commentary that I have occasion to ask the same question time and again,  year after every year. ”We always ask why. There is no answer good enough. There is no reasonable, rational reason for the events of this day."  

Why?

I want to know what madness is,

and where its edges and beginnings are.

what path does a twisted mind travel

that can explain taking pride

in the slaying of innocents

what slight was so great that

it warrants wanton murder...

Walkabout

“Why are there trees I never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?” - Whitman

Most of my friends know I try to go Walkabout every morning at or a little before sunrise. It’s an unplugged walk of 3-5 miles.  The above quote by Whitman is as true for me as it was for him, but I don’t think anyone would hear those ‘melodious thoughts’ with the interference of earphones.  There's enough noise in the world.

My personal fringe benefit list.

Nature is all around. As I live in an old neighborhood, there are trees everywhere inhabited by all manner of creature. There are old houses (the once gated Glen Iris Park’s homes date from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s); old and new apartments (my 4-plex dates to 1938); various chain and local stores (I love the old Wilson’s now run by a lovely Indian family and Western Market is open 24-7) and then there’s the University.

The University campus if it can be called that begins just 2 blocks from my home.  Actually it encompasses a large part of the city. There are a myriad of sculptures gracing the front of their many buildings, so another fringe benefit is the art. I love photographing them in all kinds of weather and all times of day.  My right pocket carries my IPhone for pictures.  And then there’s the Muse.

The Muse walks with me often, whispering in my ear lest I miss some of the tree’s melodious thoughts.  My left pocket carries a small spiral pad with a pen clipped to it.  If you think walking while texting is dicey, try writing.  It’s a good thing I walk early and the foot traffic is minimal (a few joggers, dog walkers).  I do stop here and there and sit on a porch stoop, wall or the occasional bench when necessary. 

Health is the final and I’d say most important benefit of my morning Walkabout.  There’s no doubt that walking daily keeps me sounder of body, mind and spirit than I would otherwise be.  If I miss a day or two I feel the loss on many levels.

Tomorrow, I turn 67 and thinking I’ll actually park by Golden Temple and begin my
Walkabout there and head for the string of parks along Highland (haven’t been there in a while).  Might stop in at Starbucks on the corner before driving back home.

Later y’all.

Happy National Hat Day.

I have many hats. Some are plain functional; some are fashion statements. But whether functional or fashionable, all hats serve a woman living in the South. The southern sun will bake you to leather if you don’t take care.

Functional hats: Most people call them baseball hats. When I lived in Texas, we called them gimme hats, because most of them were free handouts with various company logos – gimme one of those please. I’ve never bought a one and I own many.

Not my favorite hat, but they are useful in my life. They shield me on my morning 5-mile walkabout from the sun’s summer rays, falling acorns and pinecones, and from the errant bird relieving itself from a tree branch or on the fly. I’ve worn them on the tennis court, playing water volleyball, Frisbee golf, gardening and more. They not only shield me from the sun, but just as important, they keep my wild naturally curly hair in check.

Fashion and function: My battered Fedora gets the most compliments, but it serves me well in winter. It keeps my head warm, protects me from the winter sun. And, as I hate umbrellas, it and my London Fog take the brunt of rainy days. Berets and Boggans are for the coldest winter days when the sun rises late and walkabout is over while it’s a hint on the horizon, and when the sun sets early and I have places to go.

So much of life in the south takes place outside: barbeques, weddings, receptions, fairs, Doo-Dah Days, Art in the Park, Parades, and on and on. So, I have a selection of straw hats for summer wear; my outback vented canvass hat; and I have fancy hats for weddings and dressy parties.

I am grateful to a lady I met when I was very young. I’ve long ago forgotten her name, but not her words, “Take good care of that pretty face. Clean it well, moisturize and above all else, wear a hat to protect it from the sun.” 

Yes ma'am. I've been hatted ever since.