Point Made

A singular approach to eating Cake There's an old story about a man who was dating a woman named Cate. He was entranced by her beauty and charm but felt insecure with her in social situations because her attractive looks and glowing personality attracted so many men. Then he met Edith. Edith was plain looking and quiet in the company of others. She was intelligent, resourceful and talented. He loved her for her witty sense of humor. The two woman so different and yet desirable as life long companions. He dithered and dallied for he could not make up his mind. Because he must choice only one of them to marry. For alas, he could not have his Cate and Edith too. "Cake is a wonderful concoction. Its only function, however, is facilitating the eating of frosting.  This is so much more dignified than consuming frosting from a spoon." Jeffrey Jordan, from an essay "Why You Should Never Cook Broccolii" If the truth is to be known, I have spent a g...

Wonder Woman  and other images I've dragged through puberty into old age. Men, what is it about us? We're cruising along in life almost as tall as the shortest girl in our Junior High class,. Then we start growing hair in our armpits, and suddenly we want to play with the girls again. Of course, the games we want to play are not the games we competed in when we were five. My generation impregnated our dreams with images of women like Wonder Women (WW). She was tough. She was sexy. She was the kind of women, a young man could always dream, who would fall for him if they ever got the chance to meet. Why she would even notice a twelve-year-old kid much less fall for him was never on the table for consideration. Recognizing that Wonder Women is a fantasy that came to you when you started shaving, she is now a standard against which all other women will be judges. Yeah, we know there is no bullet repealing shield or bracelets, but sometimes you wish ...

Breaking News We're moving. It's not an 'if' question anymore. It's moved into the 'when' column. Having bookmarked Zillow and some of the major real estate company website's, we are out looking. Our current landlord had offered to sell us the house we currently rent from him. Unfortunately, we are unable to reach agreement on a sale price. Having lived in the home for a little over a year, we are aware of what needs to be fixed, replaced or lived with. Starting with the galley kitchen, which lives up to its name, if you're on a small boat. Then we need to replace the carpeting that might actually have a cure for Ebola hidden in the fibers. Outside, near Lake Maria, there is the tree that should be removed before it falls on the house or worse yet the neighbors. These are all items at the top of the list. Since he insists on finding value where we say there is none, we are off and running. This will be our fourth move in as many years. One silv...

I have a delightful granddaughter, who is named Violet. This week's venture into the confused and often curious mind of The Poppa Jeff has nothing to do with her. It has everything to do with the coming of spring and the appearance of said flower in our back yard. These flowers always remind me of one of my earliest memories. When I was a preschooler, my family lived on a residential street in Minneapolis. Across the street from our house was a park. In that park were a wild growth of violets. My sister, Marie and I would often harvest a few for my mother, Mary Jane and, when she visiting, my Grandmother Molly. Flowers Bloom on the Plain of Poop I can't honestly say that I was picking flowers for my mom on August 14, 1945, but I do remember some events of that day. I remember my mother coming out the front door and calling for me home. When I crossed the street, she picked me up and hugged me. I remember other women coming out of their houses ...

Scene at the Maiden Pool  Located in the NE Section of Lake Maria Full disclosure: I ripped off this reproduction of Rueben's famous painting from an internet site. It's titled, The Rape of The Sabine Women, representing a fable of Roman soldiers raping women. The story goes the soldiers came upon them as they were bathing. Images Images The Expansion Band  Performing for the volunteers for Habitat for Humanity I made my world premier this weekend. I was happy to be part of this gang of talented and dedicated musicians, who performed for an award and recognition dinner for the people who volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Do not bother to Google The Expansion Band. This group will change its name for every gig they play. If you look very closely at the right of the photo, behind the lovely and talented Lee Van Hulle who is playing guitar. you'll see a fellow wearing a dark brown fedora, leaning into his harmonica and hoping he'...