• Carolina Posts,  Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    Carolina Bear

    The lost boy in his cold weather garb

    When my oldest son was four or five, he told me an amazing story about a bear he saw visiting our house in rural Stem, North Carolina. The land where we lived backed up to a large undeveloped tract near the present Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Lands. The area was chock-full of Whitetail Deer and other wild creatures, but I never saw a bear there. I thought my son simply had a vivid imagination.

    My sister lived for many years in the country north of Wilmington, NC, and she told me Black Bears often came out of the nearby swamp and ate horse feed in the barn behind her house. She resorted to making a feeding station

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    Tomalo de Corazon

     

    Ulanhot Dzibilchaltun http://bfnionizers.com/product/cm1601-ranger-one-dual-wire-constant-monitor/?add-to-cart=2518 , a Mayan site north of Mérida

    Take it to Heart

    Today we mark the winter solstice. Although the name solstice comes from sun, sol, and stop, stit, nothing stops.

    When we observe and connect to our surroundings, concentrate on the natural flow of life, we are reciprocally connecting with all of humanity—past, present and future. Perhaps rebirth is the best metaphor for this season—new beginnings.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays,  images

    El Día de Muertos

    This is an appropriate day to return to this blog. I have been sick for way too long. No more.

    This morning I wandered through the Panteón, the nearby cemetery packed with graves, small mausoleums and statuary. Today friends and relatives of the dead fill the grounds.

    They are there to remember, honor and care for their loved ones.

    One group of old men gathered around a monument to a recently departed friend and passed around a bottle of mezcal while they softly sang a song of remembrance to their amigo.

    Others worked to whitewash their loved one’s marker and placed on them bright orange marigolds, flores de calendulas.

    This is a day people in the US should consider observing.

  • Creative Non-fiction

    Edward James’ Fantasy Life

    June 6th I made a guest post on  fabiolaofmexico ‘s blog, My heart of Mexico. Thank you Fabiola I love your blog.

    One interesting comment to Fabiola’s blog about my post was from another blogger, La Potosina, pointing out a video from her blog of the Fantasy Gardens. Check it out.

    Her blog, Aculturame is very interesting with several posts catching my attention. One in particular was about Cahokia.

    I recently read Native Roots, How Indians Enriched America by Jack Waterford. In the second chapter,  Pyramids on the Mississippi, Waterford discusses Cahokia. I suppose I have driven by it on the Interstate and never knew it was there. So, also check out that post.

    ***

    Here’s a repost of my post on Fabiola’s blog:

    The Fantasy Gardens of Xilitla

    Edward William Frank James in his fine red bathrobe

    This goofy looking guy created one of Mexico’s more unusual tourist attractions.

    Mexico has a long history of accepting immigrants, refugees and travelers from all across our world.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    The Rooster/El Gallo

    Pesky Rooster at Dawn

    It’s been a long, dry winter in Puerto Vallarta. I’ve been sick with gripe, flu. We’ve moved across town to a much quieter place—except for this rooster.

    He’s a really little guy and has a harem of just one little hen, but he’s extremely vocal. He starts his quiquiriquí, crowing, at 4:30 am, then again at 5:30, 6:30 and finally signs off around 7:30 as daylight breaks.

    My landlord tells me he is una mascota, a pet, of our next-door neighbor. He told me to get a slingshot and pelt the little strutter.

    I’d be afraid to hit him with a rock as I might badly injure or kill him. So, I’ve decided to embrace this particular noise and the soul currently inhabiting this little rooster body. And I determined to learn to live with him.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    Día de los Muertos

    day-of-the-dead-altar-fs

    Looking at individual altars set up in doorways, on porches and even in yards, parks or other public places during the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico, I am struck by an unexpected realization. There is nothing spooky, macabre or sinister about this celebration. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. Viewing photographs of those now dead, seeing objects that are reminders of their lives on these altars and offering a little rum, tequila or some of their favorite foods there prompts memories of loved ones. This is a commemoration of lives gone before, a celebration of the continuous nature of life.

    Unlike Halloween in the US where trick-or-treating while wearing scary costumes has become a contest to see who gets the most stuff and plays the meanest tricks, the Mexican celebration is a time for introspection.

  • Poetry

    A Dare?

    inca-dove-fs-22

     A tiny Inca Dove, Tortolita Colilarga, flew into the casita where I was writing today

    He landed on an interior windowsill and we studied each other for a moment

    I see this bird and his mate side-by-side in the jardin every day

    I glanced outside and there she was—his companion—waiting on the stonewall

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