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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Remembering My Sister
My sister died on February 19, 2010. On the day of her death, I wrote this in another blog, one to which I rarely post anymore: She fed people she didn’t know, she gave up her bed for people who needed … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
2 Comments
November 2: Thoughts for the Day
Think of the struggles of a farmer, facing fierce winters in Minnesota to build a life for himself and his family during the 1850s. Maybe his name was Olafsen, maybe it was Henriksen, maybe it was something else. It doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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Niña and Pinta and Friends
Yesterday was a full day. a drive to Fort Smith, some time examining two near full-size replicas of the Niña and Pinta (and recoiling at the thought of crossing the Atlantic in them), a visit to a very large and … Continue reading
Posted in Friendship, Philosophy
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November 1: Thoughts for the Day
I wonder who first conceived the idea of libraries? That person, if it was just one person, deserves our highest gratitude. The library is altruism at its very best.
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A Different Vantage Point
Fall has arrived, with indications winter may not be far behind. The forecast for the next several days calls for much cooler temperatures, with nighttime temperatures falling to just below freezing. Yesterday, when I captured the image below, was the … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Weather
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October 31: Thoughts for the Day
We are the recipients of time. Some of us with enough to fill a barrel, others with only enough to fill a thimble.
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Real Life
We were sitting around the sturdy wooden pottery workbench, watching the instructor create a piece of sculpture from raku clay. Initially, there were only two of us—first year students—watching, but during the course of her demonstration, a few other more advanced … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Just Thinking
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October 30: Thoughts for the Day
One month. Just one month is all it would take, I think. One month living as the “average” earthling lives, eating the same food the “average” earthling eats, sleeping where the “average” earthling sleeps, getting the same medical care the “average” … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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Books that Write Themselves
If you pay attention (and even if you don’t), you will be given the gift of a bizarre set of characters for almost any book you’d like to write, though I should warn you, others are writing the same books. … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking, Politics
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October 29: Thoughts for the Day
Most people would prefer to see you succeed in an undertaking than to see you fail, because most people understand the shoe could be on the other foot.
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Do Not Wait for the Muse
Yesterday’s writers’ club presentation by poet and educator Sandy Longhorn was interesting and informative. Though writing poetry is something I do rarely, her advice applies to anything I might write. First, before writing, she says: Read. Study. Only then write … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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October 28: Thoughts for the Day
Irony can be lost on a person whose mind is already made up. Indeed, irony can simply reinforce the stereotypes residing in the person’s brain. Let it go; the only intellect that can cure the problem is not yours.
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An Active Sleep Life
My dream world screams at me to come to grips with reality. I assume that’s what it is screaming. It is trying to tell me something, but it’s damn hard to interpret, inasmuch as it’s using a language of symbolism … Continue reading
Posted in Dreams
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October 27: Thoughts for the Day
If it weren’t for lemons and limes, the world would be a less exciting and flavorful place. Unfortunately, we have the capacity to do to lemons and limes and thousands of other life forms what we did to the ivory-billed … Continue reading
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Toronto
The reasons for starting I cannot recall, but I have occasionally been reading, online, The Globe & Mail. I suppose it has to do with the fact that I find much about Canada interesting and refreshing, though I’ve learned that even perpetually polite Canada can … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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Weaving a Tapestry Without Fabric
I managed to weave the following components into a productive and enjoyable day: Solar powered driveway lights. Birthday party for a seven-year-old boy. Face mask intended to block silica dust from entering my lungs. Wine. Jack Daniels Old Number 7. … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
2 Comments
October 26: Thoughts for the Day
Explore almost anything deeply enough and you will see connections and interactions that would have been nearly invisible on a more cursory examination. Mathematics, astronomy, cartography, botany, sociology…the list is endless. More interesting, perhaps, is that even matters that on first blush … Continue reading
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Posting on the Go
To everyone but myself: feel free to ignore this post, which is just a test of my ability to post from my tablet.
Posted in Just Thinking
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Democracy
I have just spent almost an hour reading about various proposed amendments to the Arkansas State Constitution and other ballot issues and initiatives for the election. It is no wonder the number of votes cast on ballot initiatives are, as … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Politics
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October 25: Thoughts for the Day
Lack of use will wither the mind into an impermeable shell, bone-dry and leather-hard. At that point, it’s incapable of absorbing even a single new thought. But with proper mental exercise, it can stay pliable; it can be open to ideas that challenge even the most … Continue reading
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Empty Stretch of Sand
I remember a time when I was young and fragile and inexperienced in the world. It was winter in south Texas, a time when the wind was constant and cold. I walked alone along the emptiness of Padre Island, feeling kinship with the … Continue reading
Posted in Memories
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October 24: Thoughts for the Day
Here in the forest, the sounds of night are not soft. I open the door at 4:30 a.m. and listen to a cacophony of noise; insects, birds, animals of all sorts. They are hidden from sight, but unafraid to be … Continue reading
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Smoked Dreams and Wishes
Last night, as I grilled zucchini and onions and jalapeños and a smoked jalapeño sausage for dinner, I thought of the smoker I left in Texas. If I had that smoker today, I would be able to smoke home made sausage, something … Continue reading
Posted in Dreams, Food
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October 23: Thoughts for the Day
Today is my niece’s birthday. That makes me think the world is a fortunate place to have people of her caliber in it. Happy birthday, to one of my favorite nieces! Now, as to other matters: we can wish and … Continue reading
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Post-Birthday Assessment
Last night’s birthday dinner was not the Bar-B-Q of my wishes, but I wore shorts and a t-shirt as we sat, dining alfresco, enjoying the Tuesday night special of liver and onions at Tanner’s Terrace on the Green, overlooking the Granada Golf Course. … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Religion, Writing
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