Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night….Anon
Will wonders ever cease! When I came across these two women happily entering something in their notebooks, it struck me as unusual scene because of the dominance of digital media in our lives.
My wife just bought a paper notebook for herself and can’t stop raving about it. Makes one think, doesn’t it?
It’s heat haze! As I write this it’s 98 degrees outside and feels like 101! Couple that with the sheltering in place that we’re doing and it’s an exquisite form of physical and psychological torture.
#1 – Talk to yourself. There are times you need expert advice.
#2 – “In Style” are the clothes that still fit.
#3 – You don’t need anger management. You need people to stop pissing you off.
#4 – Your people skills are just fine. It’s your tolerance for idiots that needs work.
#5 – The biggest lie you tell yourself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”
#6 – “On time” is when you get there.
#7 – Even duct tape can’t fix stupid – but it sure does muffle the sound.
#8 – It would be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller.
#9 – Lately, you’ve noticed people your age are so much older than you.
#10 – Growing old should have taken longer.
#11 – Aging has slowed you down, but it hasn’t shut you up.
#12 – You still haven’t learned to act your age, and hope you never will.
And one more:
“One for the road” means peeing before you leave the house.
What’s next, used cars? I’m going to hide. This kind of shit may be catching.
This photograph is of the Arlington Street Church’s tower framed by some trees growing just inside Boston’s Public Garden. As images go it’s a perfectly nice juxtaposition of the natural with the urban environment. I like it but it’s nothing special. A “postcard” picture if you will.
However, in this time of Covid-19, it helps take the edge off my jagged emotional state.
This rather poignant, hopeful sign sits on a Washington Street on the edge of Downtown Crossing. On it flashes various messages relating to the virus. My wife was particularly drawn to this one. She’s photographing it for her diary.
We had gone to Roche Brothers in Downtown Crossing for some early morning grocery shopping. Not having had breakfast, we bought a snack in their fast food area and sat down outside to eat it, when out of the blue came a roving street preacher. He didn’t stay long but his decibel level left a very strong impression.
Photographers, especially those of us who roam the streets, are prone to thinking that what they photograph is an honest glimpse of reality. It isn’t. What we shoot is only one person’s reality — ours.
Our building has a backyard that is weedy and overgrown. The walls of the buildings that surround it are cracked and flaking. Yet in times past, this old birdbath indicates it had known better days. I hope this photograph brightens up your day.
