272 phase one

 Dancing In The Light  by rcw

Today we venture into the WayBack Machine a la Peabody and Sherman....remember those guys? ....and the whole Rocky & Bullwinkle crew? Now that was edutainment at it's finest! Not just stupid lampooning and cartooning for the sake of a timeslot; there was some pretty heady stuff when the lines were read between!

 From Boris and Natasha to Fractured Fairy Tales and Aesop's Fables, my childhood was enriched by their stiletto one-liners and double meanings.  Who could forget the parody of Sleeping Beauty? The Mooseberry Bush and Upsidasium?We used to be graced by these cartoons on Sunday mornings, 7 a.m. i think it was....right before church.

Our church, St. Cyril of Alexandria Roman Catholic, had 9 a.m. mass for the school kids-1st through 8th grade.  Mom and Dad piled us into the car most Sundays, unless Dad was at work....which, as a florist meant most Sundays leading up to holidays.  Otherwise he was there with Mom, clean shaven and smelling like Old Spice.

Right before Rocky & Bullwinkle they had the old Davey and Goliath puppet show....kind of creepy, a puppet dog talking and all that. There was always some kind of trouble that Davey, the kid, would get into.  I forget if the dog, Goliath, instigated things or tried to talk Davey out of things, but his Dad usually came along to clean up the mess.  Of course there was always a moral involved.  For me the moral was simple....soon as Davey's Dad tied things up and everybody laughed, the show would be over and my heroes would be there; Mr. Know-It-All, Captain Wrong-Way Peachfuzz, Bullwinkle's Poetry Corner and his famous Hat Trick. 

Naturally i was always ready for church well before the Davey and Goliath show ended...smiling secretly when some commented on my zealousness toward sacred preparations.  And who's to say Rocky and Bullwinkle weren't every bit a sacred experience as all the other things that happen on the Sabbath- what ever you consider the Sabbath to be.  Even if you don't consider the Sabbath at all.

Today i got a chance to see a few of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons and they brought it all back...Sunday mornings a million years ago.

So for today, Fifty-Five is the New 272, the address of my house on the street where i grew up... attending Whatsamatta U every Sunday morning before church.

HigherGround Studio Version - Boo Boo's Bargain Basement Band

Fifty Five today is a good thing....it's about feeling accomplished, gettin' somethin' done. The song Higher Ground was written for the 1996 Prop 215 ballot campaign. Part prayer, part rallying song....it was great, all the verses came easy but we couldn't come up with a chorus. When we went to sleep that night, I dreamed that John Lennon came to me and said it was okay to use the words form Imagine's chorus, so that's what we did.

Not everyone agrees with my stance on medical cannabis, cannabis and hemp in general for that matter. That's okay...we can agree to disagree.

For today, Fifty Five Is The New Horizon....the Higher Ground.


HIGHER GROUND

Eternity with Old Friends

 Rainbow Ridge  by rcw

Old friends are life's truest blessings...they know how to pick you up off the floor when all heck's broken loose, and how to pull you back to earth when your head strays too, too far into the Nether regions. Since our last Blog visit, i had the chance to spend some quality time with one of my very special, long-term friends. We caught up, we laughed and sipped Margaritas on her back yard deck....stretched out on chase lounges like two ladies of absolute leisure. 

We talked about our dreams and how they changed through the years, our goals and which ones we attained...we talked a great deal about getting older and sounding more like our parents every day. We also talked about our concerns for the future. With so much going on in the world, uncertainty is a dish served at all gatherings and this was no exception.  My friend had just recently retired and was wending her way through the usual cavalcade of paperwork and calculating her post-paycheck budget.

My friend  sees this retiring business as a chance for a new start rather than an ending of life.  She wants to take up writing-with her rapier wit and phrase-twisting ability, I'm sure she'll do quite well. It's inspiring to be with others who see life's changes as opportunities rather than burdens or road blocks. Especially these days, when there are so many more "opportunities" than there used to be.

So, now I'm back home :) . 
I sure missed Jack while away, but it was good to spend a little time catching up, comparing notes....deepening ties.  
I encourage anyone who can to go find an old friend and spend some time with them. Talk about a playlist! There's nothing better than memories made and moments shared by kindred spirits.