The Autumn Leaves ~

The leaves seem to be hanging on a little longer this year, just to give us some colorful cheer in these dreadful times. 

The Extraordinary ~

We lost two great personages in one week:

Queen Elizabeth II

Mikhail Gorbachev

Have Seen Him Before ~

 

 We are slowly learning to hate our enemy, Putin. 

Morning Walk ~ Urberg, Germany

 

A Nightly Visit ~

And there I was, in the old Bach choir again, not in the bass section but among the tenors now, singing away and reaching all the high notes.

Atmosphere~

cambridge.org

  When at the altar, you walk differently.  

Cassidy Hutchinson ~ Jan. 6th Testimony

cnn

Thank you for your reasoning and your courage.

Scarlett S. ~ Sadness for Our Region

Suedkurier

Scarlett S.

 A girl hiking in the Black Forest who disappeared in October 2020 and, in spite of continued searching, has never been seen since. 

The Gift ~

Nasa

He created Earth, then turned it over to us.

On the Scene ~

Seeing to it.

Morning Walk ~ Along the Rhine

 Waldshut, Germany

Morning Walk ~ Along the Rhine

 At the Swiss border. 

Symbolism ~

How appropriate, that Putin used half of Hitler's swastika  Z as his war emblem.

They told us ~

 Everyone should be carrying a weapon . . .

No Questions Asked ~

Down around the corner from where we live in Germany, a vacant house has been made available for Ukrainian refugees who arrived here with little more than their backpacks. 

Cradle ~

Nasa

He created Earth for us to be born on.

How It is Done ~

 We stand by and watch Putin, singlehandedly, provoke World War III. 

Vladimir Putin ~

 “It is obvious that we had no other choice.”

Looking the Other Way ~

We gave so little consideration to a bolder attempt to stop Putin. We spent years pleading with him and threatened with sanctions. He scoffed at them.

Sergev Lavrov ~ Russian Foreign Minister ~ 16th Day of the War

 "We did not attack Ukraine."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky ~ Democracy

  

                                        Washington Post

“We are alone in defending our state. Who else wants to fight with us? Honestly, I don’t see anyone.”

Pope Benedict XVI ~

 They told us that the Pope was infallible. 

Holocaust Remembrance Day ~ 2022

Gestapo

Lovers, there is so much

You can do
By just holding one another
Tenderly this evening—
Like rounded basins
Holding water in fountains
Before the soft curling fall
From one basin to the other.

They are bounding
Up the stairs now,
Clamoring they enter.
Stand facing them.

A nod toward the door.
Grab them, herd them down
To the street,
Hurl them against the wall.
Two shots fired.
Jew, left printed on the wall
Where they fell.

Source

Pope Benedict XVI ~

He thought that Holy Mother the Church was more important than the victims who were abused in it.

Follow the Leader ~

Getty Images

They told us to look at Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch not wearing a mask, while all the other Justices are wearing theirs. 

January 6th, 2021 ~ Washington, D.C.

 They told us that they were the real American patriots. 

Language ~

The really meaningful things in life are said softly. 

A Young Seminarian ~

Poems about these boys.

The Ultimate Luxury ~

 The morning paper delivered right into my mailbox.

They Told Us ~

 Don't get vaccinated. Ever.

We set the clocks back ~

We set the clocks back an hour last night and enjoyed the extra sleep, but the neighborhood dogs were up at their regular hour and were whining and barking for relief. 

They Told Us ~

 Beware of Moslems. 

From Green to Red ~

Overnight the bush has inflamed. 

 

The Stolen Election ~

Trump taught us how to create reality just by saying, over and over again, that a thing exists.

Cutivated Discord ~

They say that the Reds and the Blues are moving to areas in the USA where they can live separated from one another. 

Hunger for Mobility ~

Last Sunday, three lanes on the German Autobahn with back-to-back traffic for 100 miles, moving at 40 m.p.h.. No trucks allowed. 

They Told Us ~

Gerrymandering is good. 

They Told Us ~

White Supremacy matters. 

Learn to pronounce

Walk Along the Field ~

Today I saw a white and bluish field of daisies and cornflowers with a red poppy here and there, swaying in the breeze.

Looking Back ~

How obvious are the deficits of our enlightened, high-priced American education. Educated cavemen of conspiracies we are. 

Morning Prayer ~

[My students liked this prayer before class:] 

Father, we thank Thee for the night,
And for the blessed morning light.
For rest and food, and loving care,
And all that makes the world so fair.
Help us to do the things we should,
To be to others, kind and good.
In all we do, in all we say,
To grow more loving every day.

 

The Catholic Church ~

Cardinal Reinhard Marx

Amid all the upheaval in the Catholic Church 

the most important German bishop offers his resignation to the Pope.

Getting Free ~

Learn to follow no one other than your own heart and your own reasoning. 

Truth ~

 Truth has become a radio or a TV station. 

Resilience ~

The little airplanes of the heart
with their brave little propellers
What can they do 

against the winds of darkness,
Even as butterflies are beaten back 

by hurricanes
yet do not die

They lie in wait wherever

they can hide and hang

their fine wings folded

and when the killer-wind dies

they flutter forth again

into the new-blown light

live as leaves

~ Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Auschwitz ~

Spring came.

The ice melted,

Flowers refused to show,

The birds skirted round.

from: The Auschwitz Poetry

The Right to Vote ~

The told us . .  that they were devising laws to deprive certain American citizens of their right to vote. 

When Thinking about God ~

 Our conception of God is most likely connected with architecture, 

that constructs the illusion...

Gethsemani, Kentucky 

1940

Impeachment 2 ~

 Hitler survived impeachment, then committed suicide. 

His Second Impeachment Trial ~

They told us, cowards that they were, that Trump had not incited the Insurrection on Jan. 6.