tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24645582090285960892024-02-19T09:00:52.494-05:00news, not blueswandering the web with a hankering for depressing, hard news ? apologies, but you won't find it here.
this place pops with what's positive in our little nugget of southeastern pennsylvania.the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-56646434214131506502018-01-11T23:56:00.001-05:002018-01-12T00:11:02.289-05:00a poetry project—"the labors of our fingertips: poems from manufacturing history in berks county" & an adieu to news, not blues.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>by jennifer hetrick</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b>when i created <i>news, not blues</i> in 2010, it came out of the need for better days in my own life in hard times and me realizing the world and its people outside of me needed this, too. once in a while, people who didn’t know me in-person would figure out that i was the soul behind this publication and would tell me how much they loved scooping it up in public at the handful of distribution sites which kindly offered to carry it. that helped my heart tremendously, and it also helped me to understand that my pursuit carried a necessity.<br /><br />the blur of my obligations began to take away more time from this community contribution which is finalized at everything printing in bechtelsville. by 2015, i couldn’t keep up anymore, and being literally too busy to live prevented me from updating our community sooner. one of the major endeavors which contributed to my dwindling life-minutes for this is what i’ll be using these final publishing moments to explain.<br /><br />positive news publications and online outlets are thankfully popping up here and there in the community, including the <a href="http://visitboyertownpa.com/">visitboyertownpa.com</a> (searchable as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/visitboyertownpa/">visit boyertown PA</a> on facebook) and <a href="http://visitpottstownpa.com/">visitpottstownpa.com</a> sites, which i co-manage with rachael kehler, the owner of <a href="https://www.peppermintstickcandystore.com/">the peppermint stick candy store</a> in boyertown, and pottstown-based website designer raymond rose of <a href="http://cwtwebsites.com/">CWT websites</a>. but my hope is also that more people will recognize the untapped inner-drives within themselves to be the go-getters for good around us because more will only benefit us, unlike negativity lacing traditional news venues.<br /><br />thank you tremendously to everyone who kept up with this publication for as long as they did, probably wondering where they heck it went for the past few years. you have been an integral part of heart-energy and pushing the good around us forward, which is vital.<br /><br />and now onto what i’ve been doing since 2015, besides attempts at authentic living, working many jobs, pulling relentless and determined sidewalk weeds while not in job-mode, and sprawling in the grass, under the sun (my absolute favorite practice in warm weather—i highly recommend it).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><b>a poetry project—<i>the labors of our fingertips: poems from manufacturing history in berks county</i></b><br /><br />in 2015, i started a three-year poetry project on the manufacturing history of berks county after i applied for grant funding from the pennsylvania council on the arts through the berks arts council.<br /><br />the project is called <i>the labors of our fingertips: poems from manufacturing history in berks county</i>. through it, i interviewed more than 70 seniors around our region who had worked in mostly long gone factories and mills in their earlier days, some spanning their job history back into even the 1940s. <br /><br />i hunted down seniors through word-of-mouth across my own jobs and connections, and i also hosted presentations in retirement and assisted living homes to gather my poem-sources.<br /><br />in 2015, 2016, and 2017, i interviewed at least 25 seniors each year about their memories in manufacturing and crafted poems from what they recalled, including stories stemming from places like knitting mills, metal-casting foundries, and candy factories. bulletproof vests, underwear, chocolate, trucks, goggles, sweaters, and kitchen stoves are just some of what the poems dive into across the first, second, and third volumes published through <a href="http://www.foothillspublishing.com/">foothills publishing</a> in rural new york.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify;">while i sell the books, which are pictured above, i also donated copies to the seniors who are in a particular volume as well as historical societies and libraries in berks county. the final kind of donation was offered so that those who can't afford to purchase the books can still appreciate them through requesting them from their own library, if the volumes are not already on the shelves there. and this is because i know very well what it is like to scrape by in life even while working hard and living frugally with a fierce pennsylvania dutch cheap gene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">i received state arts grant funding for all three years of the project, and community support and business sponsorships as well as book sales were a big part of helping this work which has taken a hardly measureable amount of hours to complete. it is one of many reasons i've been off the radar. i also began teaching poetry as a visiting artist in schools and state parks in 2016, and i teach a traveling poetry class, too. but doing poetry readings to share these writings around berks county as well as a few in chester county added up to more than 40 in total. my brain is a little too tired to do more math and see if the genuine final number is higher, in typing this at 12.56 a.m. before another early day of work. yet the poetry readings are worth mentioning because of their part here and also because they began to literally change my life, as i'd only mostly participated in open mics before this. as a writer, i've always enjoyed the comfort of hiding behind my words à la the wizard of oz. but in time, i felt the this work, my question-asking, the writing of these poems, and the poetry readings changing me while also bringing honor and a newfound dignity to seniors in a way which is often just not in the cards in our culture. it meant so much to them to have someone, a young person, a stranger, a female poet—sit down, ask them about their lives, document it all in line breaks, and stir forgotten glimmers of mattering in the world versus a sometimes lower self-worth tugging at the center of one day into the next. i felt humbled yet empowered to be the one ensuring that this handful of seniors would not have the significance of their contributions left out of sight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at the bulk of my poetry readings, which were in art galleries; museums; libraries; retirement and assisted living homes; senior centers; historical societies; schools; cultural centers; and episodes of art and poetry-geared shows on bctv.org, i often brought along poem-sources from my books as special featured guests to share more about their lives through questions from the audience. i heard again and again that this served as a favorite aspect to the poetry readings. a photographic evolution and the actual poems of these readings are on the blog for this project at <a href="http://thelaborsofourfingertips.blogspot.com/">http://thelaborsofourfingertips.blogspot.com</a> and on the facebook page for it searchable as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Labors-of-Our-Fingertips-Poems-1498233847098613/">the labors of our fingertips: poems</a>. i sell the books directly on my own (thelaborsofourfingertips at yahoo dot com or by phone 610.401.3392) and also online through <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/berkscountypoems">www.gofundme.com/berkscountypoems</a>. my teaching work can be seen at <a href="http://poetrywithjenniferhetrick.blogspot.com/">poetrywithjenniferhetrick.blogspot.com</a> and on facebook under <a href="https://www.facebook.com/poetrywithjenniferhetrick/">poetry with jennifer hetrick</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="text-align: center;">enjoy these poem-samplings from this project.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">from <i>volume one </i>(a full poem) </b></div>
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://thelaborsofourfingertips.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-glimpse-willie-kramer-born-1932.html">willie kramer</a>, south heidelberg township | born: 1932</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />i still have my cutting knives. but i spent<br />18 years in the color department before i began<br />slicing leather that soon became what people<br /><br />would later sit on in automobiles. i kept cups<br />of colors in front of me, starting in 1957.<br />i matched mixed paint to the samples car<br /><br />manufacturers mailed to garden state tanning<br />in fleetwood. we carpooled from cressona,<br />schuylkill county and had some icy-roaded<br /><br />scares on route 662 in the chillier months.<br />about 20 different hues took homes inside<br />50-pound barrels. they never put it this way,<br /><br />but i became an incidental chemist, regularly<br />measuring and weighing what i blended.<br />one guy applied a base coat. another fellow<br /><br />did a top coat. they called me a color matcher<br />until i spit up blood, spending several days<br />in the hospital. afterward, they moved me<br /><br />to the cutting department, where i worked<br />for 20 years—split only automotive hide<br />and had to work fast, following the patterns.<br /><br />one day, i saw three birds perched up high<br />in the factory. the mom and dad flew out<br />and sat on the street’s power line. they called<br /><br />for their baby bird to join them. the mom flew<br />back, chirping up a storm next to the baby. it<br />flittered out the window behind her, to the wire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-IhrT_MXDxDWjNrNJumX0WhangFPuMp5ts0C85Jk0xeb7eDexWyRUzSxegqfU6xSiUoBZ_LpC1pnM7dQ0Mwf8BI0uMqU900j-hvoB6q5qmXCpqHfcU0sXgZzmPnxmq1QgWzJznp4bjA/s1600/IMG_9439+b%2526w+edited+10.3.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-IhrT_MXDxDWjNrNJumX0WhangFPuMp5ts0C85Jk0xeb7eDexWyRUzSxegqfU6xSiUoBZ_LpC1pnM7dQ0Mwf8BI0uMqU900j-hvoB6q5qmXCpqHfcU0sXgZzmPnxmq1QgWzJznp4bjA/s320/IMG_9439+b%2526w+edited+10.3.17.jpg" width="201" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>from <i>volume two</i> (an excerpt of a poem) <br /><a href="http://thelaborsofourfingertips.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-glimpse-leonard-crowdell-born-1928.html">leonard crowdell</a>, boyertown borough | born: 1928</b><br /><br />crooked water in 1963—i noticed this in my drinking glass <br />on the RMS queen elizabeth as the captain announced our <br />invitation to glide to the side of the ship because lady liberty <br />with her quieted torch stood as that american symbol of what <br />touches the stretch of sea opposite my homeland—leicester, <br />england. the crew expected that ship to tip, tilt a little bit from <br />huddling onlookers reaching at its edge, gripping the rails, <br /><br />their eyes fixated on her wordless promise in copper. my <br />father bought me a construction set in my days of boy-world,<br />when i used a toy crane to pick up cargo of railway carriages.<br />he made shoes and boots; mother cut the patterns of dresses.<br />once old enough to have my own job, i worked for the bentley<br /><br />engineering company. how i digested the idea of moving <br />here on loan for great american knitting mills, inc. in bally—<br />apprehensively. but after 3 years, i told my boss i wouldn’t <br />be returning across that wide pond. my first day in the place, <br />a november morning, i toured the operation to examine those <br />broken machines i’d be repairing, and as we paced slow lanes<br />around the distinct lines of gold toes, we took in new history. <br /><br />president kennedy had just felt the sudden song of a bullet <br />meeting the brain. but with three shifts of socks to fashion <br />and orders to fill, production pushed pitiless responsibility…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>from <i>volume three</i> (an excerpt of a poem as extended haiku)<br />evelyn fehr, west reading borough | born: 1929</b><br />we all knew it by<br />anything but its true name,<br />the only jump rope<br /><br />factory around—<br />berkshire cordage mill along<br />furnace road. my dad<br /><br />worked there, said he would<br />get me a job, too, and he<br />did, in wernersville.<br /><br />each handle shined red,<br />brightly. the ropes’ colors kept<br />my young eyes gleaming<br /><br />in the later years<br />of the 1940s. i<br />tacked those wooden ends<br /><br />to the rope, slamming<br />my machine into action<br />by pressing my foot…</span></div>
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the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-21122125431399227932015-04-05T21:58:00.005-04:002015-04-05T21:58:44.508-04:00( reflections through a rearview mirror )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by bethany grandy</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">some of my happiest childhood moments were those spent riding in our steel blue station wagon as we embarked on a day of dysfunctional family fun. some of you may demur at my suggestion that sharing a confined space with family members for any extended period of time is enjoyable. yet, for me, those moments were the most transformative of my youth. in many ways, those car rides were the catalysts for my transition into adolescence, during which i was exposed to love, laughter, fighting, and forgiveness. as i blossomed into a worldly adolescent, i felt ever thankful for such memories which have shaped my life impermeably and forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as the youngest and smallest sibling of the grandy clan, i was always relegated to the backseat—situated squarely between the bodies of my brother and sister, as well as within the surveillance parameters of the rearview mirror. more often than not, my father was the one steering the wheel during these long drives. i felt his incredible power so viscerally, yet, through mirrored reflections, his silent struggles were illuminated. in the framed reflections of the rearview mirror, i saw him clearly for the first time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">warning: objects in mirror are closer than they appear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">all essay photos courtesy of bethany grandy</span></i> ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i may have been too young or stubborn (or both) to fully appreciate it then, but sitting directly in my father’s line of vision bonded us in profound ways—ways i cherish more and more with each passing day. i can so vividly remember how, in an effort to make me smile, my dad would glance back at me through the rearview mirror, stick out his tongue, and then quickly turn his attention toward the road without my mother, brother, or sister ever seeing. of course, this would elicit a whiny reaction from me like, “moooom, dad stuck his tongue out at me !” to which she would feign disbelief and playfully scold, “jace, stop it !” my dad would give a guilty wink to my mother in the passenger’s seat before returning his attention to the road ahead. those moments—when a smile danced across my father’s lips and joy reflected from his eyes—are evergreen in my memory. our laughter played as the soundtrack to his smile—and happiness, like the winding road ahead, seemingly endless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but not all memories are this quintessentially golden. in the nine years since his passing, i have compelled myself to purge the blind spots of my memory where the more painful memories dwell. more than once, i had a front row, backseat to the escalating tensions between my parents. i remember the wild eyes and frustrated sighs that were ominous precursors to every argument. although their fights almost always ended in forgiveness, tangents of these explosive exchanges have stayed with me—burning red in my memory. during these fights, tears streamed down my cheeks, like raindrops across the windshield during a storm. how good-natured conversations could turn volatile so quickly, i never understood. nor did i desire to. i only remember regretting those moments and silently praying for them to subside. my father had a fire in his heart, but sometimes, too often, it became an excuse for arson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for thirteen years, i watched as my father adjusted the rearview mirror to every conceivable angle until it reflected some kind of lost hope that he could latch onto. maybe he, too, was attempting to eliminate the blind spots in his life—and there were many of them. or, perhaps he was, as i still am, searching for comprehension in something that is vastly and utterly incomprehensible. i can still remember how, when he thought everyone in the car was sleeping, he would angle the mirror toward my brother, sister, and i and gaze at us with tender bewilderment. during those precious moments, my father reflected the very best of us, just as we reflected the very best of him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as i adjust my own rearview mirror while driving, i am consoled by the reciprocity i see in its reflection. indeed, i am the fragmented whole of my father’s fragments—a cracked mosaic crafted from the shards of his shattered soul. i am nostalgic for the moments and the miles that bonded us as father and daughter, but in memory, i am forever intimately and unconditionally connected to my father.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-39864758552374973352015-04-05T21:55:00.000-04:002015-04-05T21:55:13.409-04:00( brendan’s band: a new nonprofit for hearts in need )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>by jennifer hetrick</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the seventh of april this year is one of the most painful time-related, heart-tugging reminders for the family of brendan traylor of rural boyertown. on this day in 2014, they discovered that he had stopped breathing after proudly venturing home from rehab in florida a few days earlier, working hard to heal after delving into heroin and prescription drugs the previous summer while spending time with fellow teenagers. he had been 18 when his family lost him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">not everyone in this world has the strength to turn pain into an effort moving toward peace, when tragedy carves its way into the soul-knowledge of those who lose someone they love to the ends of this earth. but traylor’s grandmother, pat erb, shifted her grief into giving. she and several other volunteers created <a href="http://brendansband.com/">brendan’s band</a> as a nonprofit in the boyertown community as a way to not only educate locals on the serious drug problem that’s been under our noses, often at the hands of ignorance and living in bubbles of an easier world—but to serve as a multi-faceted resource for anyone who has stumbled into the devastation of how drugs are permeating our community. brendan’s band keeps families aware of all phone numbers relevant for getting help for their loved ones who are addicted, something erb and her family had a complete runaround with when they originally found out brendan was doing drugs. parents reach out to erb and other members of brendan’s band when they make this same heartbreaking discovery about their own children because when they’ve heard about brendan’s band, they know that she and those who volunteer with her are people who will truly understand their horror, lows, and desperate need for being around those who realize what they’re going through in what they’ve learned and wanting to help their kids. brendan’s band also helped to finally nudge pennsylvania’s legislators to update the state’s drug database, which had been let go for several years until erb began working to get local newspapers to put this information out in the headlines. by last autumn, the database received approval for updating, which took 60 days to complete. now, if someone tries to buy something like sudafed in one pharmacy, the purchase is recorded and noted with their identity so that if the person tries to buy it at another pharmacy, the transaction won’t be allowed to happen. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZPYSYEzl6F2bLafYm2y3v2_vCB2j1uZqqSaR3fF5SW3c3VnnE3HMsS1i6Lq-zOJ1v-Y-PeWEpq3n7ssRTwRQziLSggJtyWwM-LSrTPanBFLIDJk32Z7fxxRWlPFICr_WJXfcS3DxvGw/s1600/pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZPYSYEzl6F2bLafYm2y3v2_vCB2j1uZqqSaR3fF5SW3c3VnnE3HMsS1i6Lq-zOJ1v-Y-PeWEpq3n7ssRTwRQziLSggJtyWwM-LSrTPanBFLIDJk32Z7fxxRWlPFICr_WJXfcS3DxvGw/s1600/pic.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">all photos courtesy of kristie springman</span></i> )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><a href="http://brendansband.com/">brendan’s band’</a>s name is tied to brendan’s love of music, </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>paired with </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>the idea of banding together to support hearts </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>around drug use</i> )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">erb has also been mentoring a 16-year-old girl who has been clean for more than a month from heroin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">brendan’s band’s members appear at community events and offer educational material about drugs, resource hotline numbers, information for bringing lock boxes for prescription drugs into homes, and the addresses of local police stations where old prescription drugs can be disposed in drop boxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">erb and her daughter, brendan’s mother, kristie springman, learned months before brendan died that young people who are taking heroin don’t usually admit to it but instead say things like, “i feel sick.” parents often think their kids have just caught the flu or other viruses because they just don’t expect their kids to do drugs. and not believing that kids who come from good, loving homes will give in to trying out drugs is the naïve factor which keeps more and more families finding their way into devastation that could be prevented if drugs were not so easily accessible. it is often said that where teenagers are, you can find drugs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">brendan had said a hard no to drugs at least two or three times earlier in his life before the reality of peer pressure finally made him decide to try prescription pills and later heroin. while out of rehab months later, after the family realized something wasn’t right and arranged an intervention, he felt elated that he had worked hard to get off of drugs, since this is far from easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">brendan’s family knew him as a kind, loving, strong-minded teenager, something that isn’t always easy to say of young people today. one police officer who knew him began to shed tears when he learned brendan had died, commenting on how respectful of a person brendan had been to him. but when heroin and pills cut through, the chemical need changes everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a new support group called the next right step started in boyertown and will soon be joining the pottstown area as a resource to families whose loved ones are going through addiction. julie umstead is organizing these support groups to ensure that no parent or family member is alone in this struggle. to find out more, call her at 610.323.2328.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">more information is online at <a href="http://www.brendansband.com/">www.brendansband.com</a> and <a href="http://newsnotblues.blogspot.com/">newsnotblues.blogspot.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">julie umstead is a mother in lower pottsgrove township who recently started a support group called <b>the next right step.</b> it is for families who have loved ones currently going through addiction of heroin, pills, or some other form of drugs. there will eventually be support groups at four different churches in the pottstown and boyertown areas so that weekly meetings are available for parents and other family members who may need a place to turn to about these struggles on a regular basis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the first meeting happened at <a href="http://trinityboyertown.org/">trinity church</a> at 250 sweinhart road, boyertown, pa 19512 on tuesday, march 24. future <b>next right step support group meetings</b> are scheduled for april 28 and may 26 at 6.30 p.m.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">umstead is in the process of getting the remaining three church locations set around the area. she will be announcing the others very shortly, once she has the arrangements confirmed. to reach her, call her at 610.323.2328.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>insights from kristie springman, what she learned from her son's circumstances:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•people want to talk about it, these painful stories parents learn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•locking up all medications is crucial</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addiction is recovery, jail or, death</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•heroin and pills don't discriminate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addiction and recovery is forever</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addiction starts at any age</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•a 30-day stint in rehab isn’t a quick fix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•jail is not a cure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addicts have to create a new normal/life for themselves for a successful recovery</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addiction is a disease, just like cancer. nobody wants cancer. nobody wants to be an addict.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•you don’t know you’re an addict until you take that first hit, and then it’s too late</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•recovery is possible</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•how hard it is to not enable</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•having a loving family, lots of friends, a two- parent household, all the money in the world, or if you have children--these things do not prevent addiction</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•brendan’s death did not stop his friends from using, even though it felt like it'd be a wake-up call</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•teenagers think they’re invincible and that addiction and overdosing will not happen to them</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•once you have a loved one who is an addict, you won’t ever get that same person or relationship back</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•everybody’s rock bottom is different</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•when you think it’s not your child, it’s your child</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•you can’t control the addict--the drug controls the addict</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">•addicts are liars, thieves and very manipulative</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>when brendan was in rehab, i thought this was all behind us, that he’d come home and be “cured” of this addiction. i didn’t know this was a lifelong thing. it was like walking on eggshells when he came home. i felt like the only time i could breathe was when he was at his outpatient therapy or his NA meetings because that’s when i knew he was safe.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>brendan was so proud that he got his 60-day clean tag on april 5th, 2014. on april 6th, i believe he was in celebratory mode and over-celebrated with the prescription pills. he never thought death would happen to him like so many other teens.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>there was not one time in brendan’s life that i was ashamed of him, and i was so proud of him for staying strong and getting help. </i></span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-2180842856185979772015-01-19T13:54:00.000-05:002015-01-19T13:54:16.097-05:00( someday ) <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">someday</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by frank wolfe on october 4, 2014</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for richard fulmer </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my new favorite teacher </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who has always loved me</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and also teaches me </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">about love.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">through our kitchen window</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the evening sun glows on the basket of fruit</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and my tears are drying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i feel my body</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and hear the forever constant hum</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of the refrigerator</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and my thoughts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">over the phone we just played </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a serious game of basketball</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in your driveway</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when we were young enough to love each other </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with bumps and sweat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">now we walk in the autumn of things</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the cruelty and kindness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">is seeing through the glass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and wishing you could hold someone or something</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so tight that time stops</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but the sun has set</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so i get up and close the curtains</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and know that someday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we'll all be dead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that's not how i'd like to end this poem</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but i can't think of anything else i'm so sure of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and i love you.</span>the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-64094330141864022982015-01-19T13:51:00.000-05:002015-01-19T13:51:11.629-05:00( this guy ) <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this guy</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by frank kelso wolfe on august 10, 2014</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">if i knew a guy named frank </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and it was 3:39 in the morning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and i knew he was sitting tall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">at the foot of his unkempt bed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in the high backed leather swivel chair</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">seeing his own reflection </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in the black bay windows and elegant clay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(a distinctly different perspective</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">just four feet from where he used to lay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">twisted in the joyful pain of being alive)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">if i knew this guy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that he has trouble walking</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but can fly 'round the sparkling globe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">soaring above cities and seas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">clawing at constellations, gorging on galaxies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">seeing everyone everywhere forever</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">without ever leaving his room</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">if i knew he had chosen clay and pen and paint</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">over a future and the ways of many or most</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">if i knew as intensely as he the urgency of life</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the ecstasy and absurdity and aspirations </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of a gifted dreamer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who creates smiling faces and comforting words</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pleasing shapes he knows will last longer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">than the dying tribes of earth </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and never have to leave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">if i knew him and his silent tears</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i'd say how proud i am of him</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and how much i love him</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and help him to bed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and turn out the light.</span>the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-4492594479894725762015-01-19T13:50:00.000-05:002015-01-19T13:50:24.228-05:00( poem for my facebook friends) <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">poem for my facebook friends</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by frank wolfe on july 19, 2014</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who ponders pencils peaches and peers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and what we wish to share</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a man slipping on ice, a woman skating on it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the questions we comment on</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">which shade of green we would be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who is now in love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">which child is ill, or earned their blue belt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">why double rainbows and dancing dogs become important</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">our moments of waking toss us from year to year</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">computers connect us in modern solitary ways</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">while we yearn for the warm blanket of </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hand heart holds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that brought us comfort when reality was too real</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i caringly, needily, desperately, lovingly type to you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my friends, please be well</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">prepare yourself to hold someone bodily</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when the power goes out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when we discover what lies beneath the tenuous technology</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when we the breathing are all we have.</span>the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-44709146574955163872015-01-19T13:49:00.004-05:002015-01-19T13:49:47.217-05:00( poem for a friend ) <div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">a poem for a friend<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">by frank wolfe on october 1, 2014</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">around
here <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">when
it's autumn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">the
leaves turn to <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">you
are warmly <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">thought
of and loved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">just
for being<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">sunshine
makes it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">easier
as does your voice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">because
we all have our<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">victory
can mean many things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">waking,
dressing, smiling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">at
your face in the mirror even<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">holding
on knowing there will<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">be
light after dark <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">warm
after cold, strength after<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">moments
with you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">any
way at all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">beautiful
and good as gold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">around
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-92060332156909058432015-01-19T13:44:00.002-05:002015-01-19T13:44:22.722-05:00( what got done today ) <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>what got done today</b></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">poem by frank wolfe on august 1, 2014</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with the sun blazing in dubai</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">construction workers built a mirrored tower</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and wiped adam's sweat from their brows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a child in detroit dug through a dumpster</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and smiled at his luck when he found</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a half eaten happy meal and three cigarettes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">two red haired neo-hippie chicks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">skipped their health class and instead</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">went for ice cream: rum raisin and strawberry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">all the monks in a mid montana monastery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">planted acres of snap peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and silently prayed for the salvation of mankind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">nan went to the new grocery store in beijing </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and loaded her cart with organic vegetables</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">while hawks flew circles over mounds of e-waste.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">every single living human being breathed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">many smiled and had clean water to drink</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and poets mowed the lawn because they had to.</span>the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-69969704403150300762015-01-19T00:22:00.000-05:002015-01-19T00:22:08.609-05:00appreciating frank wolfe of royersford, pennsylvania.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for those of you who stumble across this blog and posts dedicated to frank wolfe, if you'd like to contribute your own words about him, too, please send them for posting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">please feel free to share a link to this blog online and via email with others to help them discover this place for remembering frank and keeping him at the surface of our living with his unforgettable essence.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SI2H8u7fDXJ_5zl16hQVceAp6z6gCW7hnTp3Uuul4_OSXrbb7ZDH38210EWQXSNe9oJUwES8rudpw0oBbblRRAzjapbiYEekMMKuKip_Px6J5FvBB6qOZ_08vNJR9uy4wLDldKwJif0/s1600/frankmatches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SI2H8u7fDXJ_5zl16hQVceAp6z6gCW7hnTp3Uuul4_OSXrbb7ZDH38210EWQXSNe9oJUwES8rudpw0oBbblRRAzjapbiYEekMMKuKip_Px6J5FvBB6qOZ_08vNJR9uy4wLDldKwJif0/s1600/frankmatches.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">( <i>frank kelso wolfe is easy to love and miss. his paintings are something we all </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>know to keep appreciating, as well as his lessons he found himself teaching us. </i>) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-30242355576217534062015-01-19T00:16:00.001-05:002015-01-19T00:16:33.268-05:00"his poetry was glaringly true and beautiful." -- in memory of frank wolfe.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">words contributed by elaine woltemate</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">frank was truly one of a kind. he had so many talents--it is hard to say which one </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">was greater than the other.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">his writing was deep and profound, getting one inside his mind and riveting one to look </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">into their own. his poetry was glaringly true and beautiful. to bare and share one's </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">soul was his aim, and he didn't miss the mark. to say it touched a person was only half </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the truth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">his art was simple and outstanding. he captured his thoughts on canvas and could paint </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">an object or even a concept without fault. its simplicity was the attraction, and his use of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">color the best. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa_jhtiuHaKusDo0qnwfBGNwfifIAg1JCoNU9JhSkOYogNOTH4hPI80rjiuqaNkGJRvr3Ogu0GWM6kEl1ZjmQ6_D98830E0zKo9JeAXLvnunDnWnGLuY8qcaaoNU8GOGL9zGiUB6gCMI/s1600/frankblue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa_jhtiuHaKusDo0qnwfBGNwfifIAg1JCoNU9JhSkOYogNOTH4hPI80rjiuqaNkGJRvr3Ogu0GWM6kEl1ZjmQ6_D98830E0zKo9JeAXLvnunDnWnGLuY8qcaaoNU8GOGL9zGiUB6gCMI/s1600/frankblue.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> this is one of frank's blue-hued paintings.</i></span> )</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the portraits were gifts of god. he did a remarkable job of detailing the qualities of his </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">subject without thought of gain for himself. they are outstanding and a talent unto </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">itself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i think of frank with love. why didn't he know how much we all felt for him. i wish i </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">had done more for him. we were just at a turning point when he died, and i will regret </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">forever that i did not have a chance to tell him.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i miss him.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-4283442062395642082015-01-19T00:08:00.003-05:002015-01-19T00:22:13.431-05:00"painting is a physical activity." -- in memory of frank wolfe.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">email & words contributed by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">joe glincosky | </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">mc blackbeard</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i had asked frank a while back what one would need to begin painting. this was his reply, and i think it would serve as a great help to someone on the fence about beginning to paint. i felt this was an important gift that frank gave before he embarked on another journey. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>from:</b> frank wolfe </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>date: </b>march 30, 2014 at 8:08:23 pm </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>to:</b> joe glincosky </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>subject: </b>painting</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">joe, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">thanks for these questions. i had fun and gained some insight while writing this. i have not been painting for a while for physical reasons, but have enough other creative outlets that it's cool. and i will get a fresh start when i am able to pick up the brushes once more. gonna sketch and sculpt and write tonight. are you considering painting ? talk soon. peace. frank</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>painting: essentials and top 3 rules:</b><i> essentials:</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">--motivation. desire.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">paint. acrylic or oil. (acrylics are easier to clean, and dry much faster than oils) colors: white, black, red, yellow, blue. perhaps a brown like burnt sienna or raw umber.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a thinning medium for oils, like cold pressed linseed oil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">cleaning stuff: water or turpentine (when using turpentines and such, you need good ventilation) / jars or cups. paper towels, and or cloths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">some sort of palette ( wooden, plastic plate, palette paper, etc.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">at least three decent brushes (sm. med. lg.) my teacher d. knoecklein told me if i was going to spend money on anything, make it on good brushes. there are many types and costs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a flat surface: canvas ( pre-stretched or stretch your own. wide variety of prices and quality), canvas paper, canvas board, masonite, wood, metal (for acrylics which are plasticky) foam core, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">an easel or some way to support the surface. should be comfortable. painting is a physical activity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a pleasant place to paint. good light. relatively few distractions. i usually listen to music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">an idea. ask yourself the question "what do i want or need to see?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">look at paintings. in books or on the internet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>top 3 rules:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">avoid judging your work so much at first. have fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">do it on a regular basis. make it a habit. your brush technique and sense of color and composition will improve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">practice your sketching/drawing skills.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulEqC7g8NwHFY7CghAX2aBxfrOYrw4fi_Ud7CPvqRVvDWbZjD_mX8_Yud4YJiPUYs__SLsoskggO5bHjan_XaXzXs9DV7YK7eE-RzZBa_Ake0xgQo6_xZNhcn_35FzPbrF5eGlHJyBL4/s1600/frankobjects.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulEqC7g8NwHFY7CghAX2aBxfrOYrw4fi_Ud7CPvqRVvDWbZjD_mX8_Yud4YJiPUYs__SLsoskggO5bHjan_XaXzXs9DV7YK7eE-RzZBa_Ake0xgQo6_xZNhcn_35FzPbrF5eGlHJyBL4/s1600/frankobjects.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">frank often joined curious sets of objects in his paintings. </span></i>) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">frank wolfe and i first met at the open mic at frank's (the old bull tavern,) in phoenixville. i had been the manager of the bar and had set the wheels in motion for it to happen, and pete benes was the driver. it started to catch some steam, and eventually frank came to scope it out and eventually perform, which was always a highlight. when we first met, you could feel the transfer of energy that frank came to master so well. we talked, and richard liston was with him. i had first met richard at rcb-the 3rd installment. i walked up on my wife, whom had given birth just three short months before, to find her bouncing off the ground and richard in a deep conversationalist trance. frank and my relationship would blossom over the course of the next years, including countless late night discussions in which we both listened equally as much as we spoke. one trip to the elmwood zoo with june and several in person appointments in dimly lit buildings. he was one of the brightest stars i've had the pleasure to share company with. over the course of our friendship, he had given me paintings unsigned, and specific ones that he deemed only for me to share with others. i commissioned him to paint two pieces which have found residence in douglasville, the site of the red corner benefit, as well as the painting that found its way on his mass card, notice the red corner. he was my friend, my pen pal (one way) and a true american spirit--my world is that much more empty with his passing--yet the things he schooled me on are invaluable to the rest of my days.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-86148437870194604842015-01-18T23:50:00.004-05:002015-01-18T23:54:38.043-05:00( raising the gentle giant from the water )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>words contributed by patrick mckinney</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>(this memory is from a tubing trip down the schuylkill river in douglassville with frank wolfe, jennifer hetrick, and patrick mckinney in the summer of 2013.)</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPJfVSamI4gCIFfKih_z5O9HJy1fSf3tV5iKmXQsk9ORXFDQwhw8e5-3omFbw6DXJmAJFPP5OCBAbr0_G8lRwgXcX_Gls0jsems0VVI8XAKgBqOcaKwFJ1_kNEkocHrkfyDBEkNk860/s1600/frankriver.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPJfVSamI4gCIFfKih_z5O9HJy1fSf3tV5iKmXQsk9ORXFDQwhw8e5-3omFbw6DXJmAJFPP5OCBAbr0_G8lRwgXcX_Gls0jsems0VVI8XAKgBqOcaKwFJ1_kNEkocHrkfyDBEkNk860/s1600/frankriver.JPG" /></a></div>
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( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">frank wolfe painted this river scene after the tubing adventures, where we also paddled </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">hard with our hands to dodge a big pile of dead branches and the pillar of an old bridge </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">in harsh and pulling currents-- quite the adrenaline-filled moments</span></i>. )</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the three tubes floated to the river's edge, and the adventure was coming to a close. we were greeted by river tube staff who immediately tried to extricate us from our watery domain. i was challenged and so was frank as we tried to remove our water-soaked booty from the large donut (or bagel, if you prefer). two staff members grabbed my hands and hoisted me up. i turned and helped frank, who relished the treatment with a broad grin and a glint in his eyes. it took three of us to free him, and he landed standing tall and proud, knowing that he made an accomplishment. </span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-78539618044744894432015-01-18T23:42:00.003-05:002015-01-18T23:54:55.345-05:00"we could live forever through what we write and paint." -- in memory of frank wolfe.<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">words contributed by charlie scott</span></b><br />
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i <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">first met frank wolfe at <a href="http://www.mc3.edu/about-us/news/87-about-us/news/8437-call-for-submissions-mccc-writers-club-27th-annual-fiction-and-poetry-contest">the writers' club</a> at <a href="http://www.mc3.edu/">montgomery county community college</a> 20 years ago. jeff cooper and i started <i>words at ransom</i> in order to publish and promote our poetry. jeff recognized frank's talents and suggested that we should do a frank book. i was reluctant since i didn't want to start doing other people's work. we hashed it out, and i'm glad that jeff won out. jeff would do the printing once frank and i had the finished product. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">over many weekends and countless phone calls, <i>my feets weren't made for color</i> evolved. we published two more of frank's books over the next couple of years. more important was a lifelong friendship that emerged. we often discussed our poems and stories, finding ways to improve them. when in the fall of 2014, he sent me a copy of <i>love and bagels, </i>i recognized most of the poems. but "in charlie's basement" stood out. i joked how he managed to immortalize my dog, rocky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">frank struggled with many things over the years, but making friends was not one of them. he cherished all his friendships. he would often be frustrated when friends drifted out of his life for a bit. he knew that he could be a difficult friend, over the past couple years. we talked about how he should reply to a "so how ya doin' ?" everyone was well aware that the knees hurt. so the next time i talked to him he says, "i'm just groovy !" i said, "bullshit, but let's move on." we never did work out how he could answer that question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i often told him his true talent was with the paints. he would do pictures that were a style all his own. from his words to fractures to triads, they were unique. my favorite frank painting, and i'm biased here, is the one he did of me. i didn't know that he was doing it. he took a pic of me from my daughter's facebook page where i was asleep on the couch and turned it into a painting. frank's parents gave it to me after his passing. i wish he was still here so that i could thank him for painting it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVcOrk-ZoTh9ISZvMsvjQrtbk8LWjfIqmU1FQl7159DP39V3Hxt6wFnFDHgPtWCPFmZ34JjbKx__KUzVfY9ivx28ynfhHSZXU7tM23ga5ZRxcYVvfk8zJWIwDCjLjUDSEn-dpl2mdXT4/s1600/frankspaintingofcharliescott.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVcOrk-ZoTh9ISZvMsvjQrtbk8LWjfIqmU1FQl7159DP39V3Hxt6wFnFDHgPtWCPFmZ34JjbKx__KUzVfY9ivx28ynfhHSZXU7tM23ga5ZRxcYVvfk8zJWIwDCjLjUDSEn-dpl2mdXT4/s1600/frankspaintingofcharliescott.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">this is frank's painting of charlie scott</span></i> ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we would talk about why we have to make our art. part of it is simply to get it out so we can keep our sanity. but often, we mentioned how it made us immortal. we could live forever through what we write and paint. as we grew from naive 20-year-olds into middle age, we realized immortality wasn't nearly as important as simply being remembered. i miss my friend every day. and have a feeling frank wolfe will be remembered long after i am gone.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-53902483471356496942015-01-18T23:31:00.000-05:002015-01-18T23:31:06.446-05:00( my friend frankie ) <div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">author’s note: this is a work of the imagination.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by ruth z. deming</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">there he is, frank kelso wolfe, coming down the stairs in his slippers and bathrobe. whistling, he looks around for his mom and dad. the kitchen clock reads ten-thirty. he’s slept late again, but who wouldn’t. it takes him hours to fall asleep. his mind is so active, so filled with ideas. already the little tablet on his end table is crammed with ideas for poems and paintings and sculptures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzXHPXiKSC2ZocR1iHi0zZFrKaZdlwNlLqdAEmxSteDVWjzwau51Ys84aOmWn6TZU7Bps-3pXsm7rqYSpnNsFzzkKePntRQaddMKHaX1QiLjZ8zNrlet-wthvUtJ9lvaRKv4b3mMueuk/s1600/frankinyellow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzXHPXiKSC2ZocR1iHi0zZFrKaZdlwNlLqdAEmxSteDVWjzwau51Ys84aOmWn6TZU7Bps-3pXsm7rqYSpnNsFzzkKePntRQaddMKHaX1QiLjZ8zNrlet-wthvUtJ9lvaRKv4b3mMueuk/s1600/frankinyellow.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">( <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>a self-portrait by frank kelso wolfe</i></span> )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a big man, with skin the color of cocoa, he fries a couple of eggs, along with four strips of bacon, which he drains on a paper towel, helping himself to one hot delicious strip, and licking his fingers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sitting at the table, he tries to taste each delicious bite, but his mind is racing again, off and running like a racehorse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“better not forget to take my pills,” he thinks. in the middle of the table is a huge white pill box. he pries open the “wednesday morning” container and empties five pills into his hand. <i>friggin’ mental illness</i>, he thinks. if only there was a pill to curb that appetite of his. all those pretty little pills – pastel blue, pink, yellow – plus a two-toned capsule that reminds him of a car they once owned with a black top and red body – they make him fat as a house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">downing the pills with a glass of tropicana orange juice, he remembers many a time when he purposely did not take the pills. talk about getting sick ! there is no sickness in the world like becoming psychotic. he gives a soft laugh. “jeez, what i put my parents through.” last year, he believed he was a famous stand-up comedian and was communicating </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">– </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">telepathically </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">–</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with eddie murphy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“mom and dad,” he said to his parents as they sat on the front porch. “i know it’s hard to believe, but eddie murphy – yes! – the eddie murphy is talking to me this very minute. he wants me to open for him at the <a href="http://www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com/">steel city coffeehouse</a>.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he shook his head in disbelief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“frank,” said his mother in that stern voice of hers he hates. “frank, did you take your medication ?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">she was a take-charge woman, like his sister nettie jean, while his dad, the retired assistant superintendent of graterford prison, liked nothing better than to putter in the garden and perfect the art of relaxation. frank still remembered when his dad was spokesperson for a hostage situation that ended with no one getting killed. well, that time, anyway. inmates in those days often came out to the house and helped do chores. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his dad, a superb chef, who did all the cooking – ah ! those luscious sweet potato fries dipped in honey mustard – would tenderly show the inmates, clad in orange jumpsuits, how to boil an egg to make egg salad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">frank would stare at these men, both white and black, when their backs were turned. these were real criminals, not actors on criminal minds. just ordinary people who robbed banks, assaulted people, and forged checks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the only thing frank did wrong was not take his medication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“eddie murphy ! do tell !” he gave a whoop and a holler and cake-walked around the front porch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his mother grabbed him by the arm and marched him into the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">she sat him down at the kitchen table, looked him over, and shook her head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">they heard a squirrel running across the wire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“the squirrels have more sense than you do, frank wolfe,” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">frank got into the habit of sequestering himself in his room after he lost his job as a certified peer specialist. he had actually earned money for being mentally ill. as a peer, he helped other mentally ill men organize their day and prepare for the world of work. in the morning, he would meet joe or big sal or bobby for breakfast at mcdonald's. he would pay for their breakfast and his own and while listening to them would down three egg, cheese, and bacon biscuit sandwiches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">but the pain in his feet, his knees, and his hips became unbearable, so he ceased leaving home and lost his job. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his strong faith in god never wavered, but he wondered why he was being punished. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he would call his friend ruth on the phone. what he didn’t know was that, if she was home, she would decide if she had the strength to listen to him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“hello, dahling,” he would say in a light-hearted voice. and then he would launch into a dissertation on his pain. “i’m holding on for one more day, sweetness. i go down the steps on my butt. it’s the only thing that gets me downstairs.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she was of no help at all, but just hearing her voice, a sort of raspy cheerful voice, made him feel better. for as long as the phone call lasted, he forgot his agony. he would have stayed on the phone all day, but she wouldn't hear of it. he could hear her doing things while he talked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">once, he heard her open a door and go outside. the birds were in a frenzy of chirping. they seemed to enter his own bedroom and fly all around, landing on his desk and computer and book shelves. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">until, of course, he got off the phone and was left in misery again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">oh, lord, why are you punishing me ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">books ! was there ever a man who loved books more than frank kelso wolfe ? frank was a bi-racial man, with a white mom and a black dad. back in the small town in ohio where they met and married, they encountered little prejudice. on his own, frank discovered <i>native son</i> by richard wright, the story of bigger thomas, who kills a white woman; <i>invisible man</i> by ralph ellison, who paints himself black and finds out what it’s like to be black in a white man’s world; and of course all the james baldwin books. who could blame baldwin, thought frank, studying his kind, yet sad face on the book jacket, for living as an expatriate in paris. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">frank also liked to page through his own books. he was one of those rare birds: a published poet. had he really written hundreds and hundreds of poems ? re-reading them, while lying in bed with a soft lamp illuminating each page, he silently thanked god for giving him the gift of writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">today i shall cut myself shaving, and slap on some aqua-velva,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">just so i’ll remember the sting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">last night i brushed my teeth, then drank a glass of orange juice,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so as to not take sweetness for granted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my bed, less and less a comfort, i make it every day despite</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the struggle of standing, finding pleasure in things well ordered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the delivery guy has become a friend, and i tip him well.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">he brings my lunch to my room, stringing out an</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">unsustainable situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i might never leave my bed, surrounded by my social media, and joy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when sunlight streams through my big bay windows, sequestered</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">except when nature calls, or i must have chocolate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">depending on the kindness and/or love of others,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i’ve realized it’s whatever gets you through the day,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the only absolutely necessary activity of daily living</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">is desiring to live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from his bed, his eye fell upon the book <i>the red badge of courage.</i> he was in too much pain to pull it off the shelf, but suddenly he had an idea. since he liked it so much, why not read it to his parents ? his dad, after all, was happily retired, and his mom could certainly take a break from her housekeeping duties. like her son, cecilia was a whistler. he loved the sound of her whistling as she dusted the living room, with its old-fashioned furniture. why buy anything new when there was such loveliness and comfort in what they already had. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the three of them sat in the living room. frank opened the drapes so daylight could flood the room. from the purple easy chair, he showed them the cover of <i>the red badge of courage</i>, with the american flag carried as a standard-bearer by the union soldiers, dressed in blue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“it’s about courage,” he told them in his soft voice. he dared say nothing about his failing courage in living with his physical pain. he cleared his throat and began to read.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>the cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting. as the landscape changed from brown to green, the army awakened, and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors. it cast its eyes upon the roads, which were growing from long troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares.</i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“wait a minute, sonny,” said his dad. “you know i ain’t so young anymore, and i can’t hear you.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“all right, dad,” said frank. he pulled over the purple ottoman and sat right in front of his father, who sat next to his wife with his arm around her on what they called their “green davenport.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as long as i read, thought frank, i will live. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and so they went through book after book. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he read them short classics like <i>the time machine</i> by h.g. wells, <i>the metamorphosis</i> by franz kafka, and<i> o pioneers !</i> by willa cather. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“never liked <i>o pioneers !</i> in high school,” frank confessed. “so i thought i’d give it another try.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“it’s good, frankie,” said his mother. “and you read it so well !” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">their son had lots of practice. he was a stand-up comic and poet at the steel city coffeehouse in phoenixville. a born performer, his youtube videos show him confidently striding onstage, with the help of a cane, seating himself at the mic, and speaking with intimacy and confidence to the audience, urging them to give him a round of applause. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the many sides of frank kelso wolfe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">my god, he thought at home. <i>what a legacy i leave behind</i>. he knew for certain there would come a day, he knew not when, when he would end it all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lying in bed one night, he reviewed his life. it was a great life, really. he knew this and hated to leave it, but he and the devil duked it out. in high school, he had been a scholar and an athlete. had he known at the time that mental illness would stalk him for the rest of his days, he would have snagged one of the pretty cheerleaders at high school. he was always attracted to white women, like his blond-haired mother. he remembered leslie, a short woman with huge calf muscles, who tossed that star-spangled baton so high in the air at football games you thought it would sail onto the planet jupiter. yes, that’s who he would have chosen, little leslie. wonder where she was now and if she’d remember him in the obituary notice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for three months, frank and the devil played catch-me-if-you can. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“today is the day !” frank would announce to himself, only to find there was something worth living for the next day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">suicide experts know that once a person makes up his mind to do himself in, a calmness comes over him or her, like a lull in the ocean waves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a wordsmith to the end, frank lay in bed thinking of all the words for death. he deemed it cheating to use the dictionary. his was the random house unabridged, which was almost as fat as he was, he thought. his favorite expression was “to croak,” a term his psychiatrist was fond of using. he loved his psychiatrist and was sorry to disappoint him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">should he write a note ? heck, his entire life of forty-five years served as his note. there was one thing he had to do before he went to the other side. that little nephew of his, jamie, with his black hair and smiling face, he must see him again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but the devil was at his back. he couldn't wait. he was suddenly propelled to take action. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he’d failed before, many many times. “failbetter,” was a term dreamed up by the poet and playwright samuel beckett. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this time, he would fail better than ever. he would succeed. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he placed his cane on his bed, along with one of the caps he loved to wear. his sister nettie said he looked “so debonair” when he wore them. dressed in a warm flannel shirt, khaki pants, and thick socks and shoes, which cushioned a bit of the pain when he walked, he looked around his room, his sanctuary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“goodbye room,” he said and blew it a kiss, after closing the door. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he went up to the attic and let himself out onto the roof. he startled a couple of doves who sat on the roof cooing like pigeons. everything he loved was in view now. his parents were downstairs and had no idea what he was doing. a neighbor across the street came out of her house in her white apron. frank didn’t even bother to wave. he was in the same kind of trance as when he wrote or painted. looking up at the blue sky, he had a sudden thought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this is the day of my death, october 7, 2014. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">spreading his arms out like a bird, he dove head first onto the ground. the crisp autumn air against his face and body gave him a few moments of joy. and though she didn’t notice, he smiled at the woman in the white apron and wished her peace. </span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-47346737715444161822015-01-18T22:57:00.003-05:002015-01-18T23:55:12.825-05:00"his kindness and insight was palpable." -- in memory of frank wolfe.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: center;"><b>words contributed by barbara read</b></span></div>
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<i style="text-align: center;"><br /></i></div>
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<i>*</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
although i was with frank in person only during those few days last march, he feels like a long-term friend, or part of my family. we often spoke on the phone, and i still cannot believe that that will not continue. his kindness and insight was palpable. i have great difficulty resting with the reality that i will not see him again. his painting, poetry, and humor stay with us always.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQNzZn02U4cExgjwmBL9VqIvYbibPX4vkftfU196cjEqH_hW6HnRiO5yRyC-Rjwj0q9NFE8WKwhod7rE5DUUY4cutki8GPSPy9ndkh31rTAy03IVMnKw8St_FmorUDsU5PXBoBo3Tslo/s1600/lovebyfrank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQNzZn02U4cExgjwmBL9VqIvYbibPX4vkftfU196cjEqH_hW6HnRiO5yRyC-Rjwj0q9NFE8WKwhod7rE5DUUY4cutki8GPSPy9ndkh31rTAy03IVMnKw8St_FmorUDsU5PXBoBo3Tslo/s1600/lovebyfrank.JPG" /></a></div>
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(<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> this is one of frank's bright --love-- paintings.</span></i> ) </div>
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love and light from him through and to all of us.</div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-43995116765002547702015-01-18T22:54:00.000-05:002015-02-05T00:21:10.365-05:00( in endearing memory of frank kelso wolfe: the man behind love & bagels )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by jennifer hetrick (jrh)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the first tuesday in october of 2014 became a morning which would later keep many hearts anchored far below the surfaces most of us can see and feel and know. this is when artist, poet, and comedian frank kelso wolfe left the physical realm of how we're all so used to these human bodies of ours. i have told myself many times since then that he did what he needed to do, and in a sense, it’s as simple as that, as much as it hurts that he is not tossing around jokes near us anymore.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oNhzTzVTqpb87SGQ_uQ9qSorzpx0msPsQZ9O-2KRFmfYAftfumoEXHjp6z96l2wbNa149lRK-8N4_EfgZ08kh2w_WwT2Xm8RZ0QUUchnD6GUkRVRIVIjnoL7Ph1HC2EgmntVuRuKr4/s1600/frank&pinwheel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oNhzTzVTqpb87SGQ_uQ9qSorzpx0msPsQZ9O-2KRFmfYAftfumoEXHjp6z96l2wbNa149lRK-8N4_EfgZ08kh2w_WwT2Xm8RZ0QUUchnD6GUkRVRIVIjnoL7Ph1HC2EgmntVuRuKr4/s1600/frank&pinwheel.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> frank performing at <a href="http://www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com/">steel city coffeehouse</a> in phoenixville in 2012.</span></i> ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and to call him just an artist, poet, and comedian is only doing maybe one-third of the work in describing how vast his talents on this earth were. but part of the problem is that words, even for those who work with them in a hugging-sense, are not always the only way in which the deepest of our feelings can be fed into the world. frank reached so many of us at the soul-level in our friendships with him, both when he was here, and i'm sure many of us can say, that reaching is still happening well beyond when we lost him. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuTGzw4oTnHLLhUTE4mQfqQnbg7eGVZ22VgJAi3jocakelmZ4QhwILWdytu9FS1U_RikDuqN-lnAiqqci5GSrN0c0KaBkRM6xwoaP8DBkzxPkgWXbZUTJv1r1_5OKAgPfj5fp1QmNKuM/s1600/frankcasabianca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuTGzw4oTnHLLhUTE4mQfqQnbg7eGVZ22VgJAi3jocakelmZ4QhwILWdytu9FS1U_RikDuqN-lnAiqqci5GSrN0c0KaBkRM6xwoaP8DBkzxPkgWXbZUTJv1r1_5OKAgPfj5fp1QmNKuM/s1600/frankcasabianca.JPG" height="218" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">(<i> this is one of frank kelso wolfe’s paintings, an interpretation of the poem “casabianca” </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>(about a burning ship) by elizabeth bishop, in the home office of jrh. </i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for those who didn't know frank, you were missing out more than your heart could ever fully let you know. he came into this world in 1969 and grew up in an old farmhouse on the property of the graterford prison near skippack in montgomery county. his father served as the assistant administrator there. eventually, he, his mom, his dad, and his sister nettie moved to what he often described (accurately) as the widest road in royersford, church street. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i can't remember how many times he told me he was voted shyest guy in high school, but i know i heard it on at least a few occasions. that's a word that gets labeled onto those who are more sensitive at existing, which is many of us who are still more connected to the deeply human and socially imperfect parts of ourselves.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUns-P3RhMMbjwsE70LQDZE43fviJ5gdbmrTRqDxVxrxtOJrqu7MBz5ZoJkSZ37uPUDvi0IoE4WSopZ4x8vDQnadDiUxx7DL9yLhY6zpCgHpEBOEmPcYUhc96NJvZdKJCW4sQ3sGyhGs8/s1600/frankminipainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUns-P3RhMMbjwsE70LQDZE43fviJ5gdbmrTRqDxVxrxtOJrqu7MBz5ZoJkSZ37uPUDvi0IoE4WSopZ4x8vDQnadDiUxx7DL9yLhY6zpCgHpEBOEmPcYUhc96NJvZdKJCW4sQ3sGyhGs8/s1600/frankminipainting.JPG" height="222" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">this miniature painting is on a tiny easel and is part-comedy, just like frank</span></i>. )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i met frank through someone telling me i needed to interview him when i was doing a <a href="http://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/where-art-plays-its-part-volume-x-performance-poet-frank-wolfe">15-week series on artists</a> for the limerick-royersford-spring city patch website. i sat at his kitchen table and asked him about his art and all he loved in life so thoroughly. we soon became good friends, and he later asked me to write <a href="http://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/frank-wolfe-shines-a-light-into-may-as-mental-health-2713179be1">an article</a> on him with may as mental health awareness month. i did. when i could handle being social for longer (i'm surprised at how many people can handle it for any stretch of time), we met at his house and did poetry workshops together, and we'd each offer two ideas for poem assignments, so we'd have a total of four across each of us. one of my topics i suggested in the past was watching rain fall at night. he liked the idea so well that he sketched it, using a street light to help show the rain's patterns leading toward the pavement. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and sometimes we'd go to otherwise poetry in collegeville on the third saturday night of each month, hosted by <a href="http://www.madpoetssociety.com/locations/towne-book-centre-cafe/">the mad poets</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_VSeCmKwS73jNa3vdkz-rrQRjMydGtqq3qhzXHRF0ZYnzgHby_yQNzEXLb5doc9pvJdHyt9weMuI3Bv9m6v-EM-9U6NIxFx-KoCY8Rz0ybAd5btgrZGGsMDTYvEiBIFOnRgKzIXzNSQ/s1600/frankatotherwisepoetry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_VSeCmKwS73jNa3vdkz-rrQRjMydGtqq3qhzXHRF0ZYnzgHby_yQNzEXLb5doc9pvJdHyt9weMuI3Bv9m6v-EM-9U6NIxFx-KoCY8Rz0ybAd5btgrZGGsMDTYvEiBIFOnRgKzIXzNSQ/s1600/frankatotherwisepoetry.JPG" height="294" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">frank reading at otherwise poetry in collegeville in 2013.</span></i> )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the last time i saw frank was at that poetry reading in collegeville. we hopped (or i did, anyway, but i got him to do a little bumping around as i did lunges and posed like the bending tree next to his car, and he photographed me mimicking the tree, next to its trunk) around the sidewalk by his car for two hours after the reading. we talked about life, about so many things. he played his new favorite song for me, which he'd been telling me i needed to hear, "talking backwards" by real estate, a band from new jersey. i think he probably heard them on wxpn 88.5 fm. i'm listening to it again now as i write this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">look up “frank wolfe love and bagels” on youtube, by the way. <a href="http://youtu.be/s0ec5SSBF7k">love and bagels</a> is the name of one of his books of poetry and also an onstage act everyone adores upon hearing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i have been telling richard liston (a great friend who frank introduced me to) and others for the past few months what richard and i have been telling each other since we had to say goodbye to frank—we are going to keep learning from frank. he's still teaching us. we're going to keep learning from him for the rest of our lives.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYk6g1q0meB5UWPWClVNfmhqImdr0dIgzPaJLeLuiG4DRmiyxWvc2AjMP6kjxADRq14UZyDamY3793StXlmY2OOwfcPYNphr9qWSu3x4jVfAdfZQlRu4zMc8zh7sdDQzIl3FMUYO51cI/s1600/lilyladiesbyfrank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYk6g1q0meB5UWPWClVNfmhqImdr0dIgzPaJLeLuiG4DRmiyxWvc2AjMP6kjxADRq14UZyDamY3793StXlmY2OOwfcPYNphr9qWSu3x4jVfAdfZQlRu4zMc8zh7sdDQzIl3FMUYO51cI/s1600/lilyladiesbyfrank.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">these are two copies of a sketch frank did of my lily-lady nieces jumping this past summer; </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">he planned to do surprise paintings of them for my siblings – jrh.</span></i> ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we wonder how conscious frank was of how there were so many little lessons in his art, in things he said, in what he wrote. part of me is sure he knew at least at some level. frank knew much more than he said. and he was always stirring conversations of contemplating true details of living—and really living. it's hard to explain, as the lyrics of "talking backwards" are really enveloping me right now, persuading the air just right. but to those of you who knew frank, you know about the conversations we had with him which were such epitomes of really thinking far into things in life, wondering about the authenticity of it all and if we were good people in all of these seconds, wondering if we will ever do enough for our loved ones who have done so much for us, even though they don't ask us for more, but we know they deserve so much more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">a self-portrait of frank.</span></i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sometimes we grew frustrated with him. we were too human, too american. it's a fault of all of ours and something we could barely have done anything about even if we wanted to. he knew. he understood. he was always forgiving us, even wordlessly. we would see it in his next smile in our direction. when i tell people about frank, those who didn't know him, i explain that he had a complex pain which doctors barely understood. i know i told him before that i realized feeling understood and relating with others is one of the most important things in the world, for people. i know he agreed, even if i don't remember our conversations about it. i can picture him nodding. and us losing him was the surest expression of him knowing it was all too much for him. he taught us how bad it could be for him, as much as he could throw smiles and jokes our way sometimes. for the moments when we were less understanding, it all compensated once we lost him, and we knew what he had to teach us. and we have so much to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">frank was a gift. it felt like a bad dream to lose him. it didn't make sense. so much talent fitting into one body almost seems unreal. so it's no wonder that he could only contain so much. sometimes when i think about the hardest details of my life, i know he is one of the few who would truly understand. even if he didn't go through the same exact experiences as me, we often had similar end results in our feelings and situations. and i realize how fortunate we all were for the understanding and parallel sense of feeling he offered to us in our hardest moments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">he studied art at kutztown university and had been a founding member of the writer's club at the main campus of montgomery county community college in blue bell. he published more poetry books than i have even seen, in total. and so many of us of his friends and family have his paintings, clay, and angel-peace cards in our homes. i will eventually be organizing exhibits of his work where i'll invite you to bring his art he gave you, and we'll vary it per show, per venue, maybe once or twice a year so that the communities in our area can keep learning from him. as i said, he has so much to teach us, even to those who didn't know him, which is why i am writing this. his spirit deserves to stay at the surface of our living and to keep making differences in the lives of people in southeastern pennsylvania and beyond. and i've never organized an art exhibit before. so please, welcome on your volunteering as well, because we'll need all the help we can get. and frank deserves it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">never has a man loved family and friends more. frank constantly talked about how fortunate he felt to have so many good people in his life who cared about him and saw value in his paintings and poems and who offered laughs back well across the stage when comedy spilled from his lips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i noticed that after he died, i felt myself gravitating so happily and readily to interviewing artists again, which i didn't even realize i had not done in a long time. i interviewed one after another and felt so grateful for what i was learning about their perspectives. and one night, as i was driving to an art show i was invited to in pottstown, i burst with knowing, on route 100, in my car, in suddenly understanding that every time i moved closer to loving art and what artists had to say about it—it was all frank rising up in me (this is a concept i borrowed with great love from listening to a book on CD, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweetwater-Creek-Anne-Rivers-Siddons/dp/0060837012">sweetwater creek</a> </i>by anne rivers siddons last month). and i cried in gratitude to finally grasp this. i began to sense him more often and understood why i could not get him off of my mind for three full months since losing him. i had originally begged my mom, who i lost when i was 20, to take care of him and make sure frank was okay and that he felt loved and safe. my mom had that caring, far-reaching kind of energy in how she wanted everyone to feel good, loved, and comforted. so i cried at realizing the two of them were now mingling as subatomic particles of great, vast love for those they left behind. i tell frank now that he is in art—that he is in everything. my mom is nodding easily as all of those particles. she knows it, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">right now, frank is teaching me how important it is to explore what our souls are. that is one of many huge things i’m learning from frank’s lessons. he deserves more pats on the back than the world can handle for how much he taught us and will continue to teach us. and a lot of it has to do with a form of honesty that never gets voiced, the more difficult parts of what it is to be a person, a human, a creature in a body with a consciousness deeply involved beyond our understanding. there are so many things we don’t talk about in life, the most raw and factual parts of ourselves. i hope that we can all begin to talk openly and truly communicate far into the language of our hearts and souls and bones because the world needs it more than anyone ever expresses, and frank knew this, too. we can’t afford to keep honesty out of our conversations anymore. frank taught us that. he is one of the greatest, most beautiful teachers we will ever have.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we have so much more to learn than we can grasp in a few human seconds. sometimes a choice is merely a matter of leaving behind pain instead for peace. today, i wrote a letter to my mom and told her how broken i feel. i've written frank three letters since he died. i'm not one to stop writing letters. frank once told me that he was certain i single-handedly keep the u.s. postal system afloat. some letters i keep to myself now. some i bury in the ground. some never quite get to the page and instead stay as whispers around my heart. but my gratitude for frank kelso wolfe, as i'll probably write in more and more letters as the years move onward, this fictional math we've created to gain some consistency between sunlight and moon hours, it just keeps growing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to see frank's artwork, visit <a href="http://www.frankkelsowolfe.com/">www.frankkelsowolfe.com</a>. and <a href="http://youtu.be/OApeFc_fUIw">here</a> is a compiled video tribute to frank. </span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-47986472957640212382014-10-29T21:22:00.000-04:002014-10-29T21:22:18.021-04:00( walking into webs )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">portraits of nature</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( walking into webs )</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by “porcupine pat” mckinney</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you’ve felt them outside while walking on a lawn or traipsing a trail in the woods—those thin strands of spider webbing that tickle your nose or stick to your shirt are commonplace at this time of year. fall is the season for spiders to think fanciful thoughts in family-ways, and because of that, their presence is more pronounced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">warm days and cool nights bring rise to morning dew that accentuates webs, whether on the ground or dangling between two logical spots. you swear that spiders must have some semblance of intelligence, given the engineering feat they construct, weaved not only in the name of utility but art, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>( notice the dark hole weaved into this web to the right </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>of this fence post; inside it is the resting spider who made it )</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">gossamer is the name for the flying airborne strands of extremely fine silk, aka webbing. spiders spin strands to launch themselves to move from one place to another. this is the art of “ballooning.” male spiders are on the prowl in search of a perfect match of female.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">although most rides will end a few yards later, it seems to be a common way for spiders to invade islands. many sailors have reported that spiders have been caught in their ship's sails, even when far from land !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the silk spun from spiders is a protein which functions as a trap or net to catch their prey. their silk is also used as nests or cocoons to protect their little ones and also to keep themselves suspended. spiders are also the only critters which use silk in their daily lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">spider webs have existed for at least 100 million years, as witnessed in a rare find of early cretaceous amber from england. insects can get trapped in spider webs, providing nutrition to the spider; however, not all spiders build webs to catch prey, and some do not build webs at all, like the wolf spider which prowls the ground in search of food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"spider web" is typically used to refer to a web that is apparently still in use (i.e. clean), whereas "cobweb" refers to abandoned (i.e. dusty) webs. those spider “webby” nooks and crannies now hold greater meaning.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">some silk strands are stronger than steel strands of the same thickness. the silk of the nephila spider is the strongest natural fiber known and is used to make tote bags and fish nets. in a certain species, spiders can use their web to capture an air bubble; with this bubble, the spider can survive and hunt under water where other spiders and insects would drown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">every web begins with a single thread, which forms the basis of the rest of the structure. to establish this bridge, the spider climbs to a suitable starting point (up a tree branch, for example) and releases a length of thread into the wind. with any luck, the free end of the thread will catch onto another branch. if the spider feels that the thread has caught onto something, it cinches up the silk and attaches the thread to the starting point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pioneer housewives might swat you if you smashed a spider in their cabins. they served as nature’s bug zappers back then ! spiders do their part by controlling the massive population growth of insects, especially insect pests. keep this in mind as you enjoy the prominent autumn display of webs and webbing all around you. </span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-18745593887623493542014-10-29T20:37:00.004-04:002020-09-15T10:08:32.014-04:00( the flows and currents of life ) <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by jennifer hetrick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">betsy groller of amity township understands the connection of water and what it is to be human, far beyond making sure we drink enough each day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as someone who practices reiki largely on animals and often remotely, with pet companions noticing the effects in the moment (a dog suddenly stretching out relaxingly after being curled up a ball on the floor—later learning these scenes matched the exact minutes of when she fit in a session), groller’s curiosities and comprehension have often fallen directly in line with how water takes its routes in natural places like oceans, rivers, and creeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and grasping what it means to truly fall effortlessly into the flows and currents of life, much as water does on the earth, has been a great asset to groller and those who connect with her heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for those who aren’t familiar with reiki, groller describes it as “a practice that originated in japan, which helps to bring about healing within your body physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. through gentle placements of hands, the reiki goes to the receiver or client and can bring deep relaxation, which can help the body to elicit a healing response.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>( the schuylkill river’s view from main street in union township, berks county )</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“it was through my own personal experiences,” groller says about how she began to stumble across conversations of the flows and currents in life, years ago. “i started really thinking about what i was going through at that time and how, if i let go of it instead of struggling, i would go in the direction spirit wanted me to.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she reflects that a lot of what made her suddenly shift perspectives is strains at the time in her 9 to 5 work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“when facing obstacles in my day job, which is how all of this really came about, i realized that i had to let go and trust, and my stress was reduced, and the tension at work dissipated,” she says. “i also believe that if part of my path at that time was to make a more physical change, that could have happened as well.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as water lets go, so did groller.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“changes by 'letting go' can sometimes be big or subtle, but it is still a result of letting go and going with the flow of our life, our path.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“so much our body is water, and that is why we are so affected by the moon and things which affect water,” she says. “but generally, we love water; we associate it with fun and freedom and movement.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">groller also points out that we need water in order for us to survive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">groller gives an illustration of how she views the currents and flows of water as a parallel to how we could live, away from the resistance that often holds us back and keeps us from being happy, whether we realize our role in this or not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“i try to think of it literally when we are struggling, it is like holding on tightly to a branch in a strong current of a river—it is trying to pull you in the direction you should go (our spiritual path), but yet we continue to hold on out of fear, the unknown, thinking if we can just make it up river (to the answer we feel we need), everything will be alright, when all we need to do is let go and float along with the current which eventually becomes a calm gentle current,” she reflects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>( besides waters moving along in oceans, rivers, and creeks, some visuals betsy groller</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i> says she thinks of in the practice of following the flows and currents in life, instead </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>of resisting them, are a soaring hawk or eagle and a leaf blowing in the breeze </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>in autumn and falling wherever it may land. )</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“water is constantly moving, but when water doesn't move, it becomes static, toxic, and i think that is very symbolic for us when we don't continue to move, to grow to change,” she says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">some authors whose works groller noted reading in the time when she became curious about embracing versus resisting the currents and flows in life are wayne dyer, louise hay, esther hicks, sonia choquette, amy rowland, thich nhat hanh, and deepak chopra.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">some examples groller gave of when we resist instead of embracing and allowing situations to move into better places for us are arguing with a child or feeling stressed about struggling financially and trying to fix the circumstances but seeing no improvements. our resistance is often behind more than we realize and can often keep good from filtering into our days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to find out more, visit at <a href="http://www.4pawreiki.com/">www.4pawreiki.com</a>.</span></div>
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the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-74837654281012137182014-07-01T23:45:00.000-04:002014-08-04T23:46:28.045-04:00( summer sunsets stimulate the senses )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">portraits of nature</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( summer sunsets stimulate the senses )</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by “porcupine pat” mckinney</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">mauve, bisque, vermilion, and puce are names of colors that don’t easily come to mind when speaking of summer scenery. all of the above can be found in a virtual artist’s palette featuring striking summer sunset scenery, though for a fleeting moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you’ve seen a sunset change in three blinks of an eye, especially on these longer days that are becoming shorter as we are now well into the south side of the solstice (google “sunset today in philadelphia” to see the exact minute of the sunset and how the time gets earlier and earlier, as summer weeks pass us by). breathtaking views tantalize the eye with resplendent colors, and prominently in this niche of the commonwealth, with its gently rolling landscape and huggable horizon-lines of treetops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“red skies at night, sailor’s delight; red skies in the morning, sailors take warning” is an age-old adage that speaks the truth to the student of nature and its inner workings. a red sunrise can possibly speak of an impending weather change in a negative direction, meaning to expect showers, high winds, and blustery conditions. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">those sailors should heed this natural warning for choppy waters, as a thunderstorm is not safe for life or limb ! no sailor should find an express route to davy jones’ locker too soon !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but, it is those red skies at night that add to the thrill of teasing that “inner artist” within us all. connoisseurs of sunsets typically love fireworks with that blaze of colors, and of course, flame-spent fall foliage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">why do sunsets happen ? this is a good question which has answers in how light and skies work together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sunlight that we see shining is actually a compilation of all colors of the rainbow. daytime finds sunlight shining through the atmosphere with some of the blue light being scattered by the molecules in the air. this is called “rayleigh scattering,” and this is the blue that you see scattered across the sky during daytime. it leaves sunlight looking yellowish as opposed to being a whitish hue.</span></div>
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(<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> a sky-view from douglass drive in douglass township, berks county</span> </i>) </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">during sunrise or sunset, that sunshine is blazing through a much thicker section of atmosphere because it has to pass across the width of the earth as well as through the vertical thickness of air to get to your eyeballs. (note: wildlife biologists call sunrise and sunset “crepuscular time,” and it is the time when most wildlife is active. you have both the day shift and then the night shift of critters active at this time.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">because of this, more and more of the blue light is scattered, so that there are only the red, yellow, and orange wavelengths left to reach your eyes because these hues move less quickly and stay more visible. different types of cloud formations and varying density and composition of the air dictate the specific colors, shapes, and patterns that you enjoy. sunsets are like mulberry leaves—no two are alike. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this is the “science” behind the ingredients that comprise our sunsets. the general spectator of sunsets is simply thrilled with the pageantry unfolding before their own eyes. summer sunsets “rock,” as some sky-spectators have stated !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">there are plenty of places to prop up a lawn chair or a spread out a blanket to enjoy the show. why not make it an evening “after-work” picnic ? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">there is no better way to end the day than to take advantage of the summery conditions and a freebie show in the sky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">experience a sunset along a water habitat such as green lane. the water’s mirror-like surface reflects, in fact, echoes the skies above the horizon. even along <a href="http://www.schuylkillrivertrail.com/">the schuylkill river trail</a> which parallels the river are some spots to check out the sunset scenery. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">higher ground is also a good idea, although be sure to leave before it gets too dark. one favorite spot are the lookout rocks at <a href="http://www.monocacyhill.org/">monocacy hill</a>. what a treat !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">summer is ripe for minutes spent outside, or even hours, if your schedule permits. make it your time to enjoy all that nature offers, especially the sunsets and sunrises, too.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-58975647813139277082014-07-01T23:39:00.000-04:002014-08-04T23:40:38.567-04:00an ode to those little orbs of rainbow parts.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">bubbles are everything that is fun in the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">go make some happen. seriously, though.</span></div>
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the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-22215612780754074082014-07-01T23:21:00.000-04:002014-08-04T23:36:46.417-04:00( art class -- through the eyes of a teacher ) <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by jennifer hetrick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in 2012, ronald butt retired after teaching art in the boyertown area school district for 33 years. while he spent time teaching at several elementary schools throughout the district, <a href="http://www.boyertownasd.org/Domain/15">new hanover elementary school</a> along route 73 and hoffmansville road is where he spent the majority of his time bringing a love of art to students.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in earliest memories tied to art, he says he recalls drawing a picture of his whole family, as a child, and that a black crayon played a major role in the piece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">an art teacher named alice gerhart, who butt had one quarter for basket-weaving at boyertown area senior high, is a lot of how he finally decided to pursue art and also teaching. her enthusiasm and art appreciation easily transferred to him, and while he originally thought he’d pursue a degree in business, gerhart’s influence led him to make the best choice he could have made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“there weren’t many jobs out there in 1979,” he says, noting that he felt grateful to land a career teaching art in the boyertown area after graduating from <a href="http://www2.kutztown.edu/">kutztown university</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“i respect individuality and everyone’s unique qualities,” he says, pointing out that he has always admired those who push forward with creativity in a world where that very part of life is often unconsciously discouraged, unfortunately. his appreciation of the great and wide-stretching value of creativity is a lot of what made him such a successful art teacher and an inspiration to so many children throughout the years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pablo picasso and vincent van gogh are two artists whose work butt says he enjoyed teaching to students because they loved working in those styles and doing their own interpretations on paper. keith haring is another artist he gladly taught students about in the classroom, noting that haring grew up in kutztown but had become famous on a national level.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">henri matisse is yet another artist he named as one of his favorites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in his final year of teaching, pennsylvania dutch folk art became a part of the curriculum, given its strong ties to local history and culture. butt says he found this part of his teaching especially rewarding, even more so as pennsylvania dutch culture in general is seeing less attention nowadays as the larger pop culture takes hold more and more, decade after decade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“i feel blessed to have taught in an elementary school setting,” he reflects. “i loved watching students play with clay and paint. there aren’t any problems with motivation. they just dive into it, and they’re so enthusiastic.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">self-portraits are something butt says always fascinated him as he encouraged children to explore how they view themselves. making them think about themselves in such a different way carried a value all its own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">(<i> a snowlady by the ever-lovely sammi mason </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>from art class with ronald butt in her childhood days</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo courtesy of abby mason</i> )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and seeing the younger ones wearing grown-up shirts where the sleeves were always much too big, all to keep their regular clothes clean during art class, stood as just another perk in working with such ecstatic kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“it’s a lot of work to accomplish something, and they learned that it was hard work that benefitted them,” butt says in noticing how elementary school students learned the lesson of starting from scratch and finally seeing a finished product as a piece of their own individuality on a piece of paper in art class.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ulROMB66dW-WWgME5jbKLBvqam1s3f3DBmrxYD6ufFxhSocsgGJtEgOk02Uy618Rb70G5H-rEzO01MfJcwfbwJIlu3lvz64tzExr1TlPaxGPsHVN87Si9gOE9EFs5_yDadzjh_9JVbM/s1600/james.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ulROMB66dW-WWgME5jbKLBvqam1s3f3DBmrxYD6ufFxhSocsgGJtEgOk02Uy618Rb70G5H-rEzO01MfJcwfbwJIlu3lvz64tzExr1TlPaxGPsHVN87Si9gOE9EFs5_yDadzjh_9JVbM/s1600/james.JPG" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">( <i>this delighted frog enjoying time around cattails </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>& a pond is art from the childhood of james mason </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>of new hanover township, in art class with ronald butt</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>photo courtesy of abby mason</i> )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“i learned to laugh more and that it’s okay to be off task sometimes and take a laugh-break,” he adds in what he took away from teaching children for more than three decades. children are often great at setting an example for others in this way, when we all get too serious as adults.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“art opens our minds and makes us more accepting of things around us,” he reflects. “art is the most important subject. kids need the opportunity to express themselves and the chance to think outside of the box. they need something different than math class sometimes, where you have to get the answer right every time.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">art is fortunately something different and more human, where right and wrong and what’s correct or not slip out of the picture, and instead, people are allowed to grow and understand more about themselves and the world—an unspoken necessity that’s important to all hearts. ronald butt is grateful for seeing this and spending 33 years of his life helping children to learn what joy art is and how it keeps us more alive. </span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-7912719867949937482014-06-28T23:07:00.001-04:002014-06-28T23:07:23.388-04:00emily neblock's feistily wonderful homemade mouthwash.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44Y0nttos8doJvBGFdZ4r_a9mNT98-cio0aBcDhRkcm5HEtqogRYaV4arKjhejGw0SHfedi-H9Ex6x_XH5ZUbzULaBPld9y0vHvfeVOQZEH4Ji3vRbfMtLDk_QH2nVIkOZhp3s-U-ox0/s1600/little.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44Y0nttos8doJvBGFdZ4r_a9mNT98-cio0aBcDhRkcm5HEtqogRYaV4arKjhejGw0SHfedi-H9Ex6x_XH5ZUbzULaBPld9y0vHvfeVOQZEH4Ji3vRbfMtLDk_QH2nVIkOZhp3s-U-ox0/s1600/little.JPG" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup water</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 drops peppermint essential oil</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 drops clove essential oil</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(or other proportions of drops, or other kinds of essential oils, to taste)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">be sure to make one batch at a time, as it may get funky if it sits out for a long time, neblock warns keenly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this mouthwash can be stored in the fridge, to last longer, or at room temperature for a few weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>smart usage instructions: </b>don't swig straight from the bottle; instead, portion it out in a little glass. shot glasses take on a healthier role if used in this arena.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">find out more about emily neblock's charming persuasions <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/emilyneblock">here</a>. </span>the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-73009165841671424162014-04-01T20:47:00.000-04:002014-06-23T21:14:27.172-04:00( ryan marie rettew: an angel’s wings tucked into that voice )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by jennifer hetrick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">anyone who has heard <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/ryanmarierettew">ryan marie rettew</a> perform knows that music and healing mingle like two peas in a pod, if music and healing were brightly green garden veggies for in-need bellies. and they just might be, if imagination stretches enough for the better around sound, soul, and earth—in this case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">rettew resides in coatesville, chester county but will be moving to bowmansville, lancaster county in the next few months and grew up in on the edge of berks county in elverson in her childhood days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she easily reminisces about those first music memories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“my dad played guitar, so there were always guitars in the house, and he writes his own instrumental songs,” she says. “as a little girl, i remember sitting around having my dad play his guitar. and i took piano lessons when i was eight.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">her grandfather played guitar, too, but more in the electric persuasion. she described him as looking a bit like an old rocker, to boot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">her dad is an acoustic guitar kind of fellow, just like his daughter who lulls crowds with an easy and genuine magick at her shows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when her school friends began signing up to learn to the play the clarinet, she wanted to tag along on that same wagon, but in the end, she decided to stick with piano.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">one year, she received her first two cassette tapes as gifts: ace of base and no doubt. “as soon as i got them, i was always listening, playing the songs over and over,” she says. “i’d have the order of songs and the words memorized.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she soon fell for the beatles, shortly after her first decade of having joined the world, this round. a track from “rubber soul,” released in 1965, swam through her in full swing of lyrics in her preteen days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“my family went to the community pool one day, and i sang ‘norwegian wood’ from start to finish and knew all of the words. as we were getting out of the van in the pool parking lot, to go swimming, my dad said, ‘you have to be the only 11-year-old who knows all of the words to that song,’” rettew reflects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">she soon began attempting to teach herself how to play the guitar and then took lessons in shillington and began writing her own music and lyrics. writing poetry in high school and college had great ties into her lyricism, which carries an often uniquely simple yet deep, soul-tugging appeal to it, getting to the heart of those who hear her music, all for the better. many who hear her listen in awe and have agreed that there is something mystically healing about how her plucking of strings and voice whisk together to bring songs to the air.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuOL7LF3TxnGOdn-zBSlvg20ZQ68-1wiAUc0zRHn5FAjcDh6RfXgjjCOaxODPe6x0720Vf5zP6QfgGp7fUc15545Uu9QFK84ugTR1mfQVQ0Xuym__4WygPYOc2ZdG2JtjrUY0lJ27gFg/s1600/samantha+stoltzfus+credit+to+all.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuOL7LF3TxnGOdn-zBSlvg20ZQ68-1wiAUc0zRHn5FAjcDh6RfXgjjCOaxODPe6x0720Vf5zP6QfgGp7fUc15545Uu9QFK84ugTR1mfQVQ0Xuym__4WygPYOc2ZdG2JtjrUY0lJ27gFg/s1600/samantha+stoltzfus+credit+to+all.bmp" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">(<i> ryan marie rettew at the other farm brewing company in boyertown </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>this past january - photograph courtesy of samantha stoltfzus</i> ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“i think that music has the ability to carry a message even in the wordless parts. a rest, or a pause in a piece of music is just as powerful to me as the notes and the lyrics. i think part of the reason i'm drawn to music of past generations is because i'm fascinated by the timelessness of it. i know that people listening to these songs when they were first written were as moved as i am, listening to them now, and i like that music can connect my present to the past. it gives me a sense of belonging with the world that i don't normally experience.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>upcoming shows:</b> <a href="http://chaplinslive.com/">chaplin’s café</a> in spring city on saturday, may 24 @ 8 p.m. | <a href="http://www.fujiyama.us/">the fujiyama japanese steak house & sushi bar</a> in pottstown on friday, june 13 @ 6.30 p.m. with fellow songstress & guitarist <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/emilyneblock">emily neblock</a> of downingtown, chester county.</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-38312399599931730742014-04-01T20:41:00.000-04:002014-07-07T20:47:09.390-04:00( an award-winning waterway in our own backyard )<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">portraits of nature</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">( an award-winning waterway in our own backyard )</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by “porcupine pat” mckinney</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">it’s been a major transportation route and helped to fuel the early manufacturing operations that built the communities which we call home today. it provides opportunities for recreation and socialization, from pulling out that big bass, to cooling your fanny during a meandering inner tube adventure. and now, the schuylkill has received accolades as pennsylvania’s 2014 “river of the year.”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZrpKrSNfmjtbBVVmsdXvVGo55_03mMsTVnB2vP6lYoRJfZCDGB52nv-CPRYLUiX9aTvGTezqY48N9Xs_anyFJF4VkJQh9R_R_VXl_6pjdHWUvF3RI2_h6gGmzwvdRm93lHVj6ctTv2c/s1600/river.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZrpKrSNfmjtbBVVmsdXvVGo55_03mMsTVnB2vP6lYoRJfZCDGB52nv-CPRYLUiX9aTvGTezqY48N9Xs_anyFJF4VkJQh9R_R_VXl_6pjdHWUvF3RI2_h6gGmzwvdRm93lHVj6ctTv2c/s1600/river.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">(<i> the schuylkill river's hamburg section </i>)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this is no small feat, and it took much work to achieve this prestigious designation. decades ago, in less environmentally-friendly times, this river served as a major dumping site because of the old adage “the solution to pollution is dilution.” everything from household garbage to open sewage and multi-colored chemicals emanating from riverside-based plants sent their own pollution contribution downstream to let someone else contend with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we fortunately live in more enlightened times that include a tip of the hat to the federal clean water act and much “sweat equity” invested by caring folks and organizations which exist to ensure that our waters are given well-deserved appreciation and gratitude. pennsylvania boasts of about 86,000 miles of waterways and ranks second in the nation (only alaska has more) for this bountiful natural resource.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“hidden stream” is the dutch translation of “schuylkill.” seafaring and wanderlust dutch (the holland-sprouted variety) visited the philly area in the 1600s and took note of the very wet and swampy forests at the river’s nexus with the delaware. this area of discovery is purported to have been around the former philly naval yards which is now a major business park near philadelphia international airport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the river commences in an abandoned strip mine outside of tuscarora in the highlands of schuylkill county. it then winds its way to port carbon, pottsville, hamburg, reading, birdsboro, pottstown, valley forge, and then philly, all the while gaining width and depth as tributaries enhance its flow. these river towns owe their early existence to the power and might that flowing water brings to an area. mill wheels turned, boats floated, logs pushed, coal washed, pots filled – the list of benefits received in gratitude of this waterway is endless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">it is the most major of all tributaries to the delaware river and its bay, while each county within its over 2,000 square miles of watershed hosts smaller “tribs” which help to build its flow. the little schuylkill is one, while maidencreek is another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you can also count on the tulpehocken, manatawny, french, and perkiomen creeks to be aware of their important role in feeding the schuylkill. there are numerous even smaller “tribs” and some un-named waters adding their sometimes slightly quiet-subtle, sometimes a bit faster-moving rushes of donations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">your opportunity to celebrate this river is more than ample. whether it is a gentle stroll or long bicycle ride along the schuylkill river trail, or a kayaking excursion and fishing experience, we are drawn to water perhaps because quite a large percentage of our bodies is made of it !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and appreciating the schuylkill river should be on everyone’s task list this year. we have a responsibility to the river and to ourselves to be certain that a heightened awareness of the river – through this award – creates actions continuing to improve its quality and the great gift of water that is so easy to love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&&&</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">web wanderings</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.schuylkillriver.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">www.schuylkillriver.org</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.schuylkillrivertrail.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">www.schuylkillrivertrail.com</span></a></div>
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the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464558209028596089.post-26272457079959501332014-01-12T18:34:00.004-05:002014-07-05T17:32:21.431-04:00( understanding the elegant language of flowers throughout the year )<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>portraits of nature</b><br />( understanding the elegant language of flowers throughout the year )<br /><b>by “porcupine pat” mckinney</b><br /><br />“(i’ve got some) red roses for a blue lady,” is an old 1940s tune sung by many performers, including andy williams. the lyrics speak to the listener through the color red—and also the rose itself—and is symbolic of a language that flowers and plants can convey for both sender and receiver. blue shades play a role, too.<br /><br />focusing on flowers, these beauties convey thoughtful messages, intriguing mystery, and showcase creativity all from a “language of flowers” that harkens back to victorian times. sometimes the message is easily understood, but it can also take days for the recipient to comprehend its meaning.<br /><br />the 2011 book <i>the secret language of flowers</i> by samantha gray gives attention to this subject in great detail and is a fiction that keeps this language alive in a world where few today might realize the meaning behind giving different flowers to others.<br /><br />professional florists, such as petal pushers of pottstown, can lend a hand by creating a themed bouquet that can help you to address whatever message you want to relate to a friend, family member, or romantic interest. it is important to note that a lot of meaningful flowers and plants can also be grown in your backyard or even found in a vacant lot ! also, keeping flowers in growing form versus cut has some deeper meaning to consider.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWQpjZMkbF8p-BO9iUKJobZLrGQoq8SFQq2G4N8XEtZEukw7RdK6u2_VLsX4ornIMAweMGNUHuYOhkCzA746RRR_5LJ835YqGZHGb9GCyReJZ1BcMGeqhTGKdTMvptNGfYYWRqkQeKs8/s1600/moss.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWQpjZMkbF8p-BO9iUKJobZLrGQoq8SFQq2G4N8XEtZEukw7RdK6u2_VLsX4ornIMAweMGNUHuYOhkCzA746RRR_5LJ835YqGZHGb9GCyReJZ1BcMGeqhTGKdTMvptNGfYYWRqkQeKs8/s1600/moss.JPG" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ( <i>this moss (maternal love) photo is by ''porcupine pat'' mckinney, taken </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>at an old canal lock in port clinton, schuylkill county </i>)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPX6X-A55ubR5exTEuD7JwP_2XIjmGqrzp9oTyi79EIsTMRd3Ls-QZgnnX_F6IN4-z4_x_1w2epYBN6M7_kRi8evmxEZbnLyUY6hWYzfTRyQTjOjWvkn9TXWO_-gm5Vm_qyyDjfPjK-Y/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPX6X-A55ubR5exTEuD7JwP_2XIjmGqrzp9oTyi79EIsTMRd3Ls-QZgnnX_F6IN4-z4_x_1w2epYBN6M7_kRi8evmxEZbnLyUY6hWYzfTRyQTjOjWvkn9TXWO_-gm5Vm_qyyDjfPjK-Y/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">( <i>tiger lily - wealth; pride</i> )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> start the new year off right by sending plants to those your care about very much. places like ott’s exotic plants in schwenksville has a beautiful selection of indoor plants, and when it warms up outside, glick’s greenhouse in oley offers plenty of herbs, perennials, and annuals for sharing in gardens and flower pots. care can be shown well through the kind gift-giving of plants.<br /><br />here is another example: a relative is applying for a job but needs encouragement for the job interview. let flowers and plants help ! that relative could then receive a bouquet that includes chamomile (energy in adversity), hollyhock (ambition), and basil (good wishes).<br /><br />here are some flowers and plants with their interpretations from the language of flowers: excerpted from kate greenaway’s <i>the language of flowers</i> (1885), with flower photo content from <a href="http://thelanguageofflowers.com/">thelanguageofflowers.com</a>. <br /><br />• alyssum – worth beyond beauty<br />• amaryllis – pride, timidity, splendid beauty<br />• carnation – woman’s love<br />• chickweed – rendezvous<br />• chrysanthemum (white only) – truth<br />• coreopsis – always cheerful<br />• daffodil – regard<br />• fern – fascination<br />• hibiscus – delicate beauty<br />• honeysuckle – generous and devoted<br />• hyacinth – sport, play<br />• ivy – fidelity, marriage<br />• lilac (purple) – first emotions of love<br />• moss – maternal love<br />• periwinkle (blue) – early friendship<br />• primrose – early youth<br />• rhubarb – advice<br />• sage (garden) – esteem<br />• shamrock – lightheartedness<br />• tulip (red) – declaration of love<br />• tulip (yellow) – hopeless love<br />• violet (blue) – faithfulness<br /><br />this list runs the gamut for opportunities for you to speak the language of flowers. the smile and joy that you know will be received makes it all worth the while, so enjoy communicating in this way !</span></div>
the garden harlothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146850986191831525noreply@blogger.com0