Image by kenne
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the landscape – the loneliness of it – the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it – the whole story doesn’t show.” – Andrew Wyeth
The Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, 2009 at 12:47 PM EST.
kenne
“All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” ~ Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
“The Hunters In the Snow,” oil painting on wood by Pieter Bruegel
This work of Pieter Bruegel is a favorite of many people, but most know of his paintings only because of this painting, “Hunters in the Snow,” a scene appearing on many Christmas cards. His paintings are beautiful because of his compositions make one of opposites, based on Eli Siegel’s principle of aesthetic realism: “All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making of one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves.”
opposites are onekenne
In July of this year, I read a NY Times Book Review of Elijah Wald’s book, How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘N’ Roll – An Alternative History of American Popular Music. Although an informative review, I didn’t rush out and buy the book. However, after reading Shaun Mullen’s review on his blog, Kiko’s House, my interest has perked. Here’s the link (click here) to his December 7, 2009 posting.
kenne
(photo source: http://beatlephoto.blogspot.com/)
Wendy Barker , Writers In Performance Series Appearances -by kenne
“We missed you,” I said as we began the drive from the airport.
“It was like missing a major family reunion,” she replied, in reference to her not attending last year’s annual celebration of Emily Dickinson’s birthday. Not having Wendy at our annual party was like not having a birthday cake.
As we talked, we tried to remember how many years she has been a part of the Emily Dickinson panel discussion and the poetry reading at the Corner Pub – most of this decade, we agreed. The conversation continued at a pace driven 
by so much to share in so little time, as if we could make up for time lost.
One might conclude that making up for time lost was the reason Wendy was arriving the day before the annual Emily Dickinson birthday celebration. to read her own poetry that evening. Even though she had become synonymous with the Writers In Performance Series, Wendy had never read strictly from her own poetry, which was about to change that evening. Now it was going to be Wendy’s turn to do Wendy and not Emily.
On the evening of her solo series performance, Wendy read primarily from her most recent work, Nothing Between Us – The Berkeley Years, a novel in prose poetry published by Del Sol Press. The book focuses on the late sixties, a period of time that was both explosive and exciting in our culture’s history. Before reading from the book, Wendy provided a synopsis of the times, which set the stage for her beautifully penetrating prose poems.
So impressed with her outline of the sixties, the video I have prepared contains a précis of her preface to the reading, and the prose poem, “Teaching Uncle Tom’s Children.”
One of my joys over the years of being involved in the Writers In Performance Series has been photographing most all the series, which includes numerous Wendy images. With each, I have tried to capture the essence of this talented writer – not an easy task since so much of her work is made more elegant with the combination of skill, ease and grace of her spoken word. Hopefully this video will allow you to experience the essence of her elegance.
kenne
While taking photos of the recent fund rasier, I was able to get some video from which I produced this video.
kenne
Linda and David Darnall have a dream, a dream to establish and maintain a non-profit organization committed to the use of horses in the growth and development of challenged youth and their families. For over three years David and Linda have been working their dream, Panther Creek Inspiration Ranch (PCI Ranch), while providing the majority funding for the ranch. 
Recently burden with many of the economic challenges facing most people during these difficult times and the continuing growth of challenged youth needs, several people in the community have stepped-up to help generate additional PCI Ranch support.
It was just a few weeks ago when the PCI Ranch advisory group began working with Linda and David to have a fund-raising event, which would help expand Ranch services. As with any planned expansion, the PCI Ranch was facing both short-term and long-term needs. In order to meet some of the short-term needs of serving additional youth after the first of the year, one option was to hold a fundraising event by year’s end. 
Some of us, having been involved with planning, organizing and coordinating fund-raising events, advised that there was too little time to effectively conduct all the tasks involved in having a successful event. But, Linda and David were determined to move forward, taking on additional responsibility where needed.
Making a long story, short, this past Saturday many people gathered to celebrate the third anniversary of PCI Ranch by holding a very successful event, Denim & Diamonds Bar-B-Q, at Augusta Pines Equestrian Center. By any measure, and under saddled (pardon the pun) odds, those attending experienced a very well-organized, professional fundraiser. I was impressed, and feel the long-term value will net exponentially more than the funds raised Saturday evening. The evening was a real inspiration for all attending.
You can learn more about PCI Ranch at http://pciranch.org and click on “Make a Difference.”
kenne
Ken Grumbles, Dave Pierce & Joe Hill — image by kenne
Whether in a pub, a concert hall or someone’s living-room, poetry put to a chant, rap or song has a way of stirring the inter feelings of all of us and will generally create a memorable experience. Such was the case the Friday before Thanksgiving. Dave Pierce invited some of his friends over to connect with the word as music with two of his fellow American cantautori, Ken Grumble and Joe Hill. What an enjoyable evening of singing, story-telling and pickin’! The following video represents only a fraction of the evening, and like so many snapshots will mean much more two those, who by the presents, will add so much more to this 4 1/2 minute video.
kenne
