1965 in the Rain

As a little kid, I used to love playing in the rain....splashing in the puddles, building make-shift dams in the mud under our neighbor's back porch, just letting the water hit my face and run down my cheek....it felt like I was being baptized by Mother Nature.

Back then, kids were able to go off by themselves for hours without causing an Amber Alert.

I wonder....were there just fewer perverts and crazies back then or did we just not hear about it so much?

Our neighborhood had its share of characters. Most were harmless and lovable. We did have a neighborhood bully or two, and had a few imported bullies as well but for the most part I steered clear of their shenanigans.

We did have a few questionable older folks a couple of blocks over.  At about eleven years old I had a run-in with one of them and swore that nobody would ever be able to do that to me again. Immediately after the event I got back on my bike and just rode and rode 'til I was too tired, then went home and took the longest shower in my life.

I let the water run all over me, bathing me, soothing me.....rinsing the tears and hurt, shame and rage away.
It reminded me of the rain, of standing out in it and feeling alive.

Later that night there was a fluke thunder storm.  I watched through my bedroom window as the night's rain rinsed the world clean. 

I managed to get over the incident on my own, due in part no doubt to my own unique survival methods which somehow always made me lose time. But for the most part, to the world at large I was just an eleven year old that summer...and I still remember playing in the rain.

For today, Fifty Five Is The New 1965 in the Rain....because.

Parrots of North Beach

Was clearing out my computer files and came across this.

I won the Poet of the Month for December 2008.  I entered the contest on a hunch and after being encouraged by Philip Hackett, one of the Beat Poets here in North Beach. I won
 the contest! (I think it had something to do with the punch line)

 The Foundation for Creative Expression
presents
The Beat Museum Poet of the Month
December 2008

---

Winner

Randelyn C. Webster

San Francisco, CA

For the Birds

The famous parrots of North Beach
Are either loved or hated.
Some treat them as a treasure
Some just want them abated.

Tourists mostly love them
Locals mostly, too...
Except for the complainers
After all that's what they do.

Criticizing and finding fault
With almost everything
From the color of morning sky
To when the church bells ring,

These people are more apt to find
Flaws on the Mona Lisa...
And don't tell me they wouldn't gripe
About that tower in Pisa!

Some think it's just unnatural,
That the parrots don't belong...
Is it due to their green plumage?
Or the shrillness of their song?

Or is it because they're different
They aren't native, they are strange,
The unfamiliar oddity
To those who can't stand change

There were meetings and petitions
Writ to rid us of our birds,
Citing noise and health codes...
Citing feathers, citing turds.

They didn't think we'd notice
Didn't think that we would care
If they removed our parrots...
But we stopped them then and there.

And so for now the parrots reign,
Our emeralds of the sky...
They've found a home in North Beach,
And there's little wonder why—

For we are a unique place,
We give different its due—
And on behalf of all odd birds,
Either like it or flock you!

So for today, Fifty Five Is The New Parrots of North Beach....may they fly free forever!

Investigation

Been a few days again, life gets busy.
Thanksgiving with Jack's family was nice. The people are all genuinely friendly and open, all great cooks too! They seemed to like my "Apples Exploration" too.....apple pie, apple cider, apples and squash dishes....kinda went apple overboard, but they watch Iron Chef and Iron Chef America so they got it....secret ingredient was Apple, right?

And now a few political moments:

Curtains and Whispers  by rcw

The average age of a Republic is 200 years, I think according to Alexander Dumont. Our Republic has been "rotting from within" for a while, politically and financially.
I'd like to think our country can be different, that we can pick ourselves up and learn from history....learn how not to repeat the negative or destructive behaviors and learn how to do things better.

At this moment the "lame duck" congress is meeting, trying to pass certain policies and laws before the end of the year...among them is the "Bush Tax Cuts."  The present majority (called Democrats) want to end the tax cuts for "the very wealthy."  The present minority (Republicans) are not in favor of the Democrat's idea because they feel it will destroy what little economy we have left.

Personally, I am not interested in politics, I want our country to survive. I think this is the wrong time to be raising taxes...for anyone.  I believe they should keep the tax cuts and do something more, grant incentives for businesses, small businesses and start-ups so that they:
          1) hire people   2) include living wage and reasonable benefits packages for their employees who continue passed the standard probationary period    3) invest/reinvest in the American based portions of their business
             The incentive could be, what else? Tax breaks.  And why not? If they're putting money into our society's economy to improve the conditions, why not give them a break?
Let's look into this....honestly.
      What is wrong with becoming a success in business? And what's wrong with wanting to encourage reinvestment in our nation's economy?  And what's wrong with offering incentives to do this?

We recently visited a friend, who was under the impression that the Bush Tax Cuts benefited only the very rich.   When we explained that the present congress wants to make it so anyone above the $250,000 annual income (gross) would have their tax bill raised, they at first said "$250,000 is a lot of money."  But when examined from the point of view of a small business person, there's nothing much left at the end of the month once all bills, expenses, fees, employees and benefits, and so on were paid each month.
    This seemed to shock our friend, who hadn't considered that   a) the $250,000. was the total income, not the income after expenses....hmmm  and b) the media (the news stations they listen to) claimed the tax cuts were only for the very rich.

      I am not interested in political affiliation...rather I am interested in our nation surviving, intact.
That's not going to happen if we don't improve our economy.  We can't improve our economy if we force the only people with REAL money to send their money to other countries or bury it in the back yard until this mess blows over.  It AIN'T going to blow over without some sort of PRO-ACTIVE and SUSTAINABLE action.....like not taxing entrepreneurs and businesses to death.  We need them to invest in our economy.

On a separate note, while I'm spouting opinions:
Wikileaks-Julian Assange.....why is he permitted to run free when his actions, along with his informant(s), are clearly forms of treason.  
Why is he and his informant(s) permitted to walk around free?  Now, I believe we kinda knew most of what was in the leaked documents, at least in our guts, but it really is dangerous and a violation of national security to have these documents flayed about like linens on a line.

What gives?  Who benefits from this?
Why haven't we, through our leaders, raised a big stink about this?
Between the national security and the economy, who are these people REALLY serving?
Have our nation's leaders truly gone mad?

The whole situation is a big jumble of nonsense swirling in a broth of idiocy, seasoned with the spice of destructive behavior...a bad stew!

Anyway, for today Fifty Five Is The New Investigation....seeking answers from something beyond what the media tells us; and solutions of common sense NOT politics.

Dreams of a Medical Cannabis Community Center

SFPC 350 Divisadero Street  Holiday Celebration

Sorry it's been a couple days.....life gets crazy sometimes.

Everywhere I go, people ask if the Patient's Cooperative is going to open again.  It was a very important thing for the patients and for the community.  More than a "pot club," the Co-Op was a place for the community to gather for everything from memorial services to political debates, and what ever else was needed.

I believe the Medical Cannabis Community of San Francisco needs its own community center, larger than what we had at 350 Divisadero Street....offering services for patients, their supporters and the general public as well.  It is my prayer that this happens.  I believe that it will. 


Would I want to be the director again?  No. Would I want to be involved at all?  Yes....of course, but only if it is really based on the concepts of Compassion, Hospitality and Service rather than greed, greed and more greed.

So for today, Fifty Five Is The New Dreams of a Medical Cannabis Community Center....bigger, better and more effective than anything ever before for the people who need it most!