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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Speaking of Trees
I’ve begun reading The Secret Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, by Peter Wohlleben. In the foreword to the book, Tim Flannery suggests the reason many people fail to understand trees is that humans live our lives on … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Science
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Truth versus Perspective
I may attempt the 30 poems in 30 days for April this year, as I did last. But I might not share the poems so widely. I’ve already written one for today, but I’ll share something less gripping (;-) in … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry
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Ideas and Power
Ideas are only as powerful as the people who believe them. Powerful people exert their influence in innumerable ways, ushering ideas into pragmatic expression. Powerful ideas need not emerge from the creativity of powerful people; ideas that become powerful simply acquire … Continue reading
Posted in Ideas, Power
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April Launch
Tomorrow is the first day of April. Perhaps that transition will give me the kick in the rear I need. I need to work on the yard, the driveway, the deck, the bathrooms, the roof, the garage, and the workspace … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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Before Bed Ramblings
I spent an enjoyable evening at a dinner for eight. My wife and I joined six other people from the Village Unitarian Universalist Church for conversation, camaraderie, and a very nice meal to which all participants contributed. The view from … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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Encroaching Nature
The raccoon is at it again. He/she or they are indulging their taste for sugar-water by robbing the hummingbird feeders. One time before, when this happened, I borrowed a neighbor’s live trap, nailed the beast, and released the offender in the distant forest. … Continue reading
Exhuming Memories
Writing fiction is a dangerous endeavor, for it relies on a combination of experience and creativity. As we write, secrets seem to emerge from caves we think lie buried under a thousand layers of memories and experience. But are they truly secrets … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writing
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My Revelation: A Thirteen-Year Extra-marital Affair
I am awake because threats of severe weather for our area continue around us. Earlier, we had two severe thunderstorm warnings and one tornado warning. Fortunately, those warnings have expired, but the atmosphere south and west of us looks favorable for … Continue reading
Posted in Film
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Renaissance
The opportunity exists, in the midst of a Trump-incited plunge toward base vulgarity, for a renaissance of decency and decorum. The opportunity exists for a return to standards of behavior that value humanity and compassion. Key to seizing that opportunity is … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Hope, Philosophy, Wisdom
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Stronger Than I Thought
I’ve broken out of my dry spell, discussed just two posts ago, I guess. First, it was the roadrunner, photos of which I posted earlier today, and now it’s a memory that haunts me and touches me in ways I cannot … Continue reading
Posted in Emotion, Friendship, Memories, Poetry
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Roadrunner on Deck
First, my disclaimer: 1) I am worse than an amateur photographer—my skills are an affront to photography; 2) I was inside the house, looking out; and 3) the windows are both dirty and coated in fresh pollen, as is every … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Breather
I’ve not been in the mood to write lately. It’s not that I have writer’s block; it’s just that I’ve had nothing I wanted to write, either fiction or nonfiction. That happens from time to time. So I allow myself … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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We Shall See
Slowly, quietly, as gradually as spring spins through summer and fall into winter, I have grown moderately tolerant of religious belief. To a point. I have become willing to countenance ideas that I find odd and even absurd; not as truth, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Dining for Decency
We spent the better part of today looking at dining tables, a repeat of yesterday’s endeavors. We’ve found a few table/chair combinations we like, but we’re not quite ready to bite the bullet. Though the pursuit of a new dining … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Stoicism
I tried to maintain my composure, but it was a losing battle. Why is it, so very long after the fact, I am unable to maintain the stiff upper lip we hear so much about? As much as I know … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Promise
I have promised myself for untold months that I would sort through and select for self-publication the dozens and dozens of short stories, vignettes, poems, daily utterances, and assorted other output of my typing fingers. To date, my promises have … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Servitude
I spent part of the day yesterday viewing a decrepit old plantation house and some of the grounds and outbuildings of a 3000 acre plantation. As I toured the grounds, I compared in my mind the home built for the … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
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Dark Room
I sit in a dark room, waiting for my wife to awaken so I might emerge from the darkness into the day. Until she is up, I must slink around in the darkness of the B&B room, keeping quiet and … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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Switch
Good actors can display emotions at will, as if they simply flip a switch. Their emotional demonstrations appear effortless, but they are not. The perfect combination of subtle changes in the mouth, eyes, cheeks, forehead, and manner of speaking occur only … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Time in Two Dimensions
Time is a mirror, reflecting the ravages of ill-tempered experiences thrust onto a searing hot griddle made of broken promises. Time is witness to drowning, dreams dashed against icebergs hidden beneath the cold water flowing through merciless veins. Time is artificial, capable of … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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Pollyanna or Pessimist
I spent a little time this morning reading that “the good old days” were fresh and clean and innocent. The old days were unlike the era in which we live, an era in which war on prayer and decency and decorum threatens … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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Piano Man
This crude, but clever, joke will find its way into my fiction writing some day, in one form or another. I’m not much of a humor writer, but this might be the perfect vignette to set the stage for a … Continue reading
Posted in Humor
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Windmills
A new nation, conceived in liberty, and fiercely and unwaveringly dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal. That’s what I’m after. Among the many questions such an objective summons are these: 1) would this new nation exist … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Beginning the Struggles
I posted a flippant question on a social media site recently, telling friends that I planned to write a story about a town I invented, asking who would like to be in the story. Eight people responded, giving me feedback on the … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writing
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Musings of Mattering
The reason behind my refusal or inability to complete projects remains a mystery. It is not laziness. I am not lazy; I will work long and hard to accomplish tasks that must be done. No, it’s not sloth; I suspect … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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