Poetry Sunday

I suppose it's a sign of advancing age, but it seems that I look forward to bedtime a lot more than I used to, and for different reasons.

In Praise of My Bed

by Meredith Holmes

At last I can be with you!

The grinding hours 

since I left your side!

The labor of being fully human, 

working my opposable thumb, 

talking, and walking upright.

Now I have unclasped 

unzipped, stepped out of.

Husked, soft, a be-er only, 

I do nothing, but point 

my bare feet into your 

clean smoothness

feel your quiet strength 

the whole length of my body.

I close my eyes, hear myself

moan, so grateful to be held this way.

There was a time, long ago, when I praised my bed for other things ... but here we are.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Monday Mountains brings your alpine fix. See you then!

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

I think I need a drink. Make it a double. No ... just run an IV from the bar.

Following the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the state's governor appointed his sister Darline - who has no national-level political experience - to serve out the rest of his term; Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth announced that military personnel over 30 years of age will now be tested for the adequacy of their testosterone level; in a prime-time speech from the Gilded House on Thursday, Der Furor attempted to prove his obsession with election tampering ... unfortunately, his offered "proof" actually undercut his stale arguments, and many news outlets declined to air his speech; Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has declined to discipline a pilot from the Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team who flew so low over a Pensacola Beach, Florida, crowd that beach chairs, tents and umbrellas were sent flying; and in South Korea, a man faces criminal prosecution for cheating on a fire engineer licensing exam by using AI-powered glasses.

This week, a collection of cartoons about being stranded on a desert island ... which, given the news lately, looks like a pretty good deal.

Somebody's been there a while ...

This would be what happened to me ...

I'm not sure I'd worry about it, but I don't always get a vote ...

I rather doubt it makes much difference ...

Uh, oh ...

Stranded in the social media/GoFundMe era ...

Trust this regime to figure out a way to monetize the situation ...

Boy, is that the truth ...

Well, it seems like a good location for a bridezilla film ...

I wonder if there's space for me to move in ...

And there you go - another collection of cartoons for your weekly humor fix ... I hope it helps.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for a warm and cozy Poetry Sunday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

Ah, yes ... another opportunity to plumb the depths of editorial and signage weirdness! Let's get it on!

Hmmm ...

Uh ... I think I'll pass ...

Out of the frying pan, into the fire ...

I'll take the unskilled mushrooms - they're probably cheaper ...

Anything I could say would probably get me into trouble, so I'll just leave this one here ...

Something tells me the manager didn't major in math ...

I need to see the other participants before I commit ...

I believe I'll go next door ...

I know the price of cheese is going up, but do they need to be so blatant about it?

Speaking as a professional emcee and event announcer, I think it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't use a microphone while you're hip-deep in water ...

Have a good day, and don't use electrical devices in water. More thoughts tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday returns.

Bilbo

Thursday Trees

As summer's heat drags on, we love our trees even more for the welcome shade they provide as well as the sheer beauty of their presence. Welcome back to the temporary home of Thursday Trees!

#1 - 

#2 - Have a seat!

#3 - Another great place for a bench, eh? 

#4 - 

#5 - 

#6 - 

#7 - Time to sit down, again ...

#8 - 

#9 - Plenty of shade and plenty of benches ...

#10 - One more shady spot to take a load off your feet ...

Trees ... so much more than lumber and paper. Hug a tree today!

Have a good day - preferably in the shade - and come back tomorrow for more Great Moments in Editing and Signage - more thoughts then.

Bilbo

Monday Mountains

Welcome to another restful edition of Monday Mountains. Sit back, relax, and let the natural beauty give you a mental hug ...

#1 - 

#2 - 

#3 - Alberta, Canada ...

#4 - Beartooth Mountains, Montana ...

#5 - Mont Blanc, on the border between France and Italy, ca. 1880 ...

#6 - Mount Rainier, Washington ...

#7 - Mount Shukshan, Washington ...

#8 - Patagonia, South America ...

#9 - Pinnacle National Park, California ...

#10 - Torres del Paine, Chile ...

And that's your alpine fix for today ... which one was your favorite?

Have a good day and a good week. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

Welcome to Musical Sunday and to this wonderful song from 2007 by Mary Chapin Carpenter, which provides a good antidote for the despair it's so easy to feel nowadays ...

Here are the lyrics -

Let's go down to the fields tonight

Where the grass grows 'round our knees

Lay down in the silver light

Tripping through the trees

Broken halo in my hand

The distance in your eyes

The past is gone, good luck, so long

Cross ourselves and hope to fly

No road maps, no signposts

No North Star, no lifeboats

No cavalry coming in sight

But we're all right

Let's feel small in the world tonight

Beneath the giant sky

Forget for once who's wrong or right

Just let it all go by

Close our eyes when we grow tired

And dream of where we'll be

And night gives way to another day

Have we ever woken up this free?

No road maps, no signposts

No North Star, no lifeboats

No miracles coming in sight

But we're all right

I never had a talisman

I never wore a charm

But it's not too late to believe that fate

Was always keeping us from harm

No road maps, no signposts

No North Star, no lifeboats

No miracles coming in sight

No voices to guide us

No angels beside us

No shaman, no mystical lights

We're all right

No omens, no compass

No Seer, no prophet

No cavalry coming in sight

But we're all right

But we're all right

We're all right

We're all right

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend - we're all right.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

If you had high hopes for July, I'm sorry.

ICE agents have murdered yet another person, this time in Houston, Texas; hundreds of venomous snakes escaped from flooded breeding farms as severe storms battered parts of southern China; Der Furor capped off his trip to the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, by insulting allies and enemies alike; researchers have declared a "catastrophic mortality event" as 145 gray whales have been found stranded dead on the West Coast, from Mexico to Canada, making 2026 one of the deadliest years on record for the marine mammals; the landmark housing affordability and availability bill became law without Der Furor's signature after he refused to sign it in an attempt to blackmail Congress into passing his voting restriction measure; and in Lebanon, Tennessee, a man was arrested at a Walmart store after employees reported him lying naked on a pallet of dog food.

This week, to help you cope with the slow death of American democracy, a collection of cartoons about wine. 

Funny thing - that's what my doctor said ...

I've been to places like this ...

I get this warning a lot ...

Yes!

Well, heck ...

Sort of like the zodiac, but for wine aficionados ...

I ask this question a lot ...

I usually go with the third option ...

I remember my college years, when Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill was the house wine ...

I've been to wine tastings like this ...

And that's the way we raise a glass to surviving another week! I hope you enjoyed this collection of cartoons about the delights of adult grape juice.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow to end the week on a high note with Mary Chapin Carpenter on Musical Sunday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo