Tuesday, February 27, 2018

My favorite day in February

This painting of a double steam engine train in snow is an oil on canvas by Howard Fogg. He had a bachelor's degree in English literature and was enrolled at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts when World War II interrupted his education. He became an Army Air Corps pilot and flew seventy-six combat missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. After the war, Fogg was hired as a company artist for the American Locomotive Company. He described himself as a railroader with a paintbrush, and his work was noted for its accuracy and realism. For the record, there are places in Minnesota where this might be the actual landscape.

Happy birthday, grandpa ....
Today is my grandfather's birthday. It has been a number of years since he last walked upon the Earth, but I think about him literally every day and my memories of him are clear and sharp.
I often credit my mother for my fascination in and with books, but my grandfather deserves a substantial amount of the credit as a role model in that regard. He read more than any other man I am aware of and he owned a near-countless number of books. Western fiction and non-fiction -- which is to say, tales about cowboys -- detective stories, mystery pieces and similar books were his primary picks.
He was full-blood German and had spoken that language at home until he began school. He loved polka music, and he always had his radio tuned to a New Ulm radio station when he was at home. During summer months, he often sat outside in a rocking chair beneath the shade of a tree with his radio and a few books, sipping lemonade as he read; during winter months, he sat inside the house in the same rocking chair with his radio and a few books, sipping beer as he read. He worked for the Great Northern Railway thirty-nine years, and would have made at least to forty years had not a heart attack forced him into retirement. He loved horses and had raised them as a young man .... I think he had been born out of time -- a few decades to late ....
When another heart attack took his life a few years later, his last word was my grandmother's name -- Rachael ....
I wonder/wonder/wonder
Do you ever wonder what if?
I like those words, too .... almost as much as I like "once upon a time."
Do you ever wonder where we were before our arrival on planet Earth? Do you ever wonder where we will go after our corporeal departure from planet Earth?
I have been thinking (and wondering) about those things more and more during recent months. Too much time on my hands? Very possible, but beyond that, the more I read about ancestry linkage, genome study, DNA and RNA and the multiple pre-human species which inhabited our island drifting in this mystical, mysterious, possibly boundless universe, the more questions I have and the more confused I become.
I like to think my questions will be instantly answered the moment I die, but I have no hope they will be then or at any time ever after.
As Ernest Hemingway once wrote: "Life is a cheat and don't forget it ...."
Depending upon how one views life, old Ernie might have been correct ....



17 comments:

Anita said...

It is a serious post today Fram with no right answers. First I want to greet celebrating you grandpa from Germany birthday He seems to be a good man. His lasts word "Rachel."...She must had ment alot to him..


You know Fram working as a nurse I have seen many pre-death and post deaths and been to many many funerals-What can i say?How death will be for a person depends..pain..delutic..alone..family..surroundings..Whos is there right now?Life last days medicine(Morphine and tranqulizers)??
For me..I remember every one.Sitting holding hands for hours..Letting them go..Its all right let go..Looking after and washing before they become stiff..Preparing the family and love ones for the news if there is somebody(Many many dies alone after how we live today)There is so many things one has to do with the corpse..But most of all..Do it in respect quietness and peace.


What are the last words??Sometimes nothing.Sometimes peace is around..Somtimes very very afraid..As a woman told me..Just now when I love my life i have to experience this.So how do I fit my words and behavial ?
I dont now but let my inner quide lead me..Its a sad happening every time.


I think what one is most happy of and finds comfort beliving while living life will be what you experience those last seconds...What is really happening, no one can tell.Our brain is not developed to know it.
Fram.Maybe its so simple there is no after life.We are earth becomes earth.


I will leave these serious reflections for now..


The music Fram..Roy Orbison is my fave this time..A love so beautiful!


Today -Out with layers of long underwear ,wool knittings ,Canadian Goose Jacket and pants-in this Siberian Cold we are having right now
(Someplace 50 cold outside and 19 indoors!Well up in north Norway!!)


Happy Day Sunshine and see you soon😊😊


Fram Actual said...

Yes, it is a serious post today, Anita. Your response is serious, too, and very well thought out.

My grandfather and grandmother -- those who were my mother's parents, in this instance -- had been a "couple" since they were teenagers and had many difficulties to overcome during their lifetimes. They relied heavily on one another in every way imaginable.

I do not think I could do your work, Anita. I had a friend when I was a college boy who was the "night man" at a mortuary. He said he neither liked nor disliked the job, but it provided him with a fine opportunity for undisturbed study. There have been occasions when I have been able to question morticians and others who worked for them about their experiences.

My first newspaper work beyond high school and college publications was for a weekly in Wolf Point, Montana. I was age twenty-four, had been in and out of college, in and out of the Marine Corps, in and out of my first marriage, seen a number of deaths which were not from natural causes and often had the chance to sit down for coffee and a talk with a middle-aged woman who helped prepare bodies in a mortuary for their funerals. I pointedly asked her once if she ever had observed/felt/sensed anything which could be described as "a spirit" leaving a dead body. She pointedly replied that yes, she had, and went on to describe a few experiences. In some ways, that was the starting point for my questions.

There is a story in Snorri Sturluson's, "Heimskringla," about thirty Jomsvikings taken prisoner at the Battle of Horundarfjord. They are about to be beheaded when one said: "'Here I have a dagger in my hand, and I shall stick it in the ground if I am conscious when my head is chopped off.' He was beheaded, and the dagger dropped from his hand." The story goes on, but the point has already been made and there is no record (in Snorri) if anyone present sensed "a spirit" leaving the body.

You seem to be handling your role as a nurse regarding death rather well. Most of all, I like what you wrote about tending to the dead "in respect, quietness and peace" .... and letting "my inner guide lead me." I also like your idea that how a person accepts death during the final few seconds of life depends upon what the individual's beliefs had been during life, and that there can be happiness and comfort for those whose beliefs were positive.

Now, I will leave the serious reflections, too.

Yes, I enjoy all of "Roy boy's" music, and favor this song of the two in this post.

Cold weather has never left Minnesota, and now eleven more inches of snow have arrived to make the world around me entirely white. Total snow cover is somewhere around eighteen inches.

So, Anita, dress warmly and enjoy these last few weeks of winter as best you can .... take care/stay safe/be well and see you next time .... between you and the sun outside my window, my day is being good to me ....

Kaya said...

Painting is wonderful! I love the snowy atmosphere, the vastness and the steaming engine train. Howard Fogg is a very gifted artist with a great passion for railroads and trains.

Fram, your grandfather was an interesting man, he liked to read. There is saying about people who like to read,

"A reader lives a thousand lives. The man who never reads lives only one."

You grandfather lived a thousand lives. And he was special! Thirty nine years to work for the Great Northern Railway says a lot about him.

Blessed memory of your grandfather!

About the questions and the answers. I believe that our mind asks questions and our soul and heart knows the answers. I hope it makes sense...

I like the song " I'll Stand by you..." It's so beautifully performed.

Excellent post, Fram with a very beautiful memoir of a very special man.

Fram Actual said...

I very much agree, Kaya .... the painting is marvelous and Howard Fogg is a master artist. I looked at several of his pieces -- as well as the works of other "railroad specialists" -- and could have selected any number of them from among those I saw to use as my illustration. What appealed to me most about this scene was that it stirred memories of my boyhood. As a teenage hunter, I frequently walked atop railroad tracks such as these with a shotgun in hand and with a dog working each side to flush pheasants; now I walk rail lines simply to enjoy the countryside.

Yes, the saying about those who read is quite accurate, I believe. In the case of my grandfather, I think it would be safe to speculate his thousand lives mostly were centered in the "old West." I wish I would have spent more time talking with him, but he was a quiet man and did not speak a great deal to anyone about anything, and I was a boy mostly interested in the things boys do with other boys.

Kaya writes: "I believe our mind asks questions and our soul and heart knows the answers. I hope it makes sense."

Yes, it makes a great deal of sense, Kaya, undoubtedly for most people most of the time. I think in my case that I might not have the confidence/faith/belief in myself to fully accept that concept. A guy named Jake Holmes once wrote and recorded a song he called, "Dazed and Confused." It was later recorded by Led Zeppelin. I think those words sort of describe my life -- at least, to this point in time.

Both songs here are terrific from my point of view, and, yes, Chrissie Hynde sings it beautifully.

Thank you, Kaya, for coming here and for writing a comment for me and for your kind words. My grandfather was special to me and I make no secret of my love and my feelings for him ....

Liplatus said...

I watched Howard Fogg art online. His subjects are the trains.
Very realistic beautiful paintings.
His paintings described in his 2018 calendar appear to be on sale.

Good memories of grandfather, He lives in memory.
Even if we die, our love will never die.

I also sometimes thought of life and death.
Death is as natural as life, we have time here on earth until it ends.
If I were anonymous here, I could tell you how I've been close to death.

These experiences, I'm not afraid of death.
We do not know what after death, it continues spiritual / soul life without a physical body?
I have experienced the near death of a loved one, after what may be behind the border of life and death
I can not tell you more when I'm not anonymous.

Thanks for the beautiful music.
Serious post, but life is not merely a delight.

Anita said...

Hi Fram The good and Brave--Just a bookreview of Winther in Maine.I think one has to be a manhunter or deerhunter or soldier to understand the full of this book....What doesnt he know about ting and tang how to be a Sniper Killer Shooter..And he knew alot since his grandpa was in the first world war and his father in sec w.war.and him??He has a very good pattern lee-enfield -rifle from first www though..and he knows very well to use it..

I didt like so much the ending though.But he did a revenge (the scenes in the woods are just fantastic)
Now I am looking for The Egyptian by Mika Waltari but it seems to be out of order..only as a classicfilm on you tube

Ok see you around sunshine!

Fram Actual said...

I have read that as long as someone is alive who has memory of someone who has died, the dead one remains alive, as well. It is nice to think that, to believe that. I know my grandfather still lives in my mind ....

After some of my experiences, Liplatus, I consider myself fortunate to still be among the living. There was an occasion, for instance, when I took a step to my left. If I would have stepped to my right or not moved at all, I would have been a dead man. I had a "falling through a white tunnel dream" one time, during the course of which I discovered I could not breathe. I have written about the experience in a past post, and will not repeat it here now. Needless to say, I fought my way out of the dream (in a manner of speaking), or I would not be here writing at this moment.

It was interesting to me to learn you have no fear of death. It would be foolish, I think, to fear what is inevitable. I do have a great curiosity about death, but I am assuming once an individual is dead, that is the end of the story in terms of any manner of recognition. In a religious sense, I would label myself an agnostic -- one who neither believes nor disbelieves in any form of god or any afterlife.

If you should wish to discuss these matters further, it should be possible to find a means where maintaining a level of anonymity is possible. I want to maintain mine, too. I consider myself to be a very serious individual in most respects, and enjoy reading/discussing/studying both relevant and irrelevant matters in a number of areas. I thrive on learning, and it is frustrating that so much about life and living is cloaked in unanswerable questions.

Yes, life is both pleasure and pain, good times and bad times, sunshine and darkness.

I am glad you liked the music, Liplatus. I have another post going up on March 5. The two songs accompanying that piece are heavy-duty rock 'n' roll.

Thank you, for coming and for your words. I very much enjoy your company and very much appreciate those who are willing to share their thoughts and beliefs ....

Fram Actual said...

So, Anita thinks "one has to be a manhunter or deerhunter or soldier to understand the full of this book." That will make it all the more interesting for me when I read it. I will be curious to discover how well I understand it.

When I was checking out reviews of, "Julius Winsome," it seemed even most of those who did not like the story (and/or understand it) still recommended it, and most of the reviews that I read were done by women. Yes, I am very curious.

"The Egyptian," was among the required reading novels in one of my college courses. I found a few other Mika Waltari works which had been translated to English, "The Roman," and, "The Etruscan," being two of them. I thought none that I read was as well done as his story about the pharaohs. I also have seen the film version, but recall little about it.

Historical novels are among my first choices when I am looking for a book to read, Anita. They would seem to be a natural selection for someone like me, whose college majors were literature and history. James Michener and Edison Marshall are two of my favorite writers in that genre. Many stories by both were made into films. I am hesitant to recommend a specific novel by either man, but I have several by each man in my personal collection, if you would care to stop by and browse through them .... teasing, sort of ....

Thank you, for your return visit, Anita, and for your comment. Take care, and see you here and there ....

Smareis said...

Oi Fram! Tudo bem! Saudades de passar para te ler. Acho que minha pausa se alongou um pouco mais do que tinha dito. Mais enfim, atualizei e espero postar com mais frequência esse ano. Enquanto isso seguindo por mais um ano.
Estou gostando de ver sua animação. Você tem postado com frequência. Pois é Fram, março é um mês de muitas lembranças e saudades de pessoas queridas que se foram.

Adorei essa fotografia, que linda essa paisagem. Lembrei-me de um trem com uma Maria fumaça que passava dentro da minha cidade quando eu era criança. Foram muitas lembranças. Depois de um tempo desviaram os trilhos para fora da cidade, mais o trem ainda existe, fizeram algumas modificações e ele transporta cimento de um Estado para o outro. Hoje os metros são de tecnologia avançada, mais esse com Maria fumaça a gente quase nem vê mais. Parabéns pelo seu avô, deve ter sido um grande homem.
Muitas vezes Fram algumas perguntas ficam sem respostas. E sempre que a Ciência insiste em tudo saber, esbarra nos próprios limites da mente humana. Muita resposta a gente só pode ter depois que partir desse mundo. A proximidade da morte, quer a nossa, quer a de parentes e amigos, nos assusta. Mas no livro sagrado Deus nos incentiva a enfrentar a morte com coragem: “Quem está vivo deve tomar isso ao coração. ” Por que “tomar isso ao coração”, ou seja, refletir seriamente sobre a morte?
Um motivo é que nascemos com o desejo de viver e de desfrutar a vida em paz e segurança. Só a ideia de morrer, ou deixar de existir, já é por natureza repulsiva. É difícil, para não dizer impossível, aceitá-la. Deus é o único que sabe responder todas as nossas perguntas. Se não for nesse plano ira ser no outro.

Gosto da música do vídeo. I'll stand by you - The Pretenders .Eu vou ficar de pé por você, adoro. O refrão dessa canção me traz algumas boas lembranças. Roy Orbison - A Love So Beautiful . Que orquestra maravilhosa. Gostei bastante. Hoje sua escolha musical foi excelente. Andava com vontade de ouvir boa música. Gostei muito da postagem, uma homenagem a seu avô.

Estava com saudades de te ler Fram. Um bom mês de março e uma semana cheia de coisas boas.
Envio sorriso nesse lindo arco-íris que acabou de aparece de frente pra minha janela. Aqui o sol apareceu depois de uma chuva. Lindo de ser ver. A muito não via um lindo arco-íris como esse. Eu louvo ao Deus por isso.
Fica bem e se cuida.

Smareis said...

Eu vou voltar depois pra ler suas outras postagens passada que não li ainda.
Fica bem!

Fram Actual said...

You have been gone for a very long time, Smareis -- way, way too long. I was beginning to worry.

I noticed that you posted today and I went there and read your words, but I decided to wait until my evening before writing a comment for you. At first, I thought you were writing about the United States in your post, and then I realized it was about your own country, about Brazil. It would seem our two nations are facing very similar difficulties and our view points about politicians are very much the same.

A railroad track is about a mile away from where I live, and I hear train whistles almost every day, usually at night. As a small boy, my grandmother took me with her on the train from southern Minnesota to northern North Dakota to visit her sister. When I lived in Michigan, I rode a train from Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Canada, northward to Hudson's Bay, then spent a couple of days at Polar Bear Provincial Park before returning on the train. There have been other journeys by train, and I hope for a few more. I think it is a great and grand and enjoyable way to travel.

I am glad you enjoyed the music. I have a new post going up for March 5, and the music accompanying that one will be heavy-duty rock 'n' roll. I guess we will discover then how much you enjoy two songs by Uriah Heep. This band will be performing in Minneapolis on March 10 .... my son and I will be attending the concert.

Yes, I did and still do love my grandfather very much and I miss him very much. I do think of him literally every day.

I am not sure how to respond to your thoughts and feelings about death and unanswered questions. I think my post and my responses to other comments expressed my own thoughts and feelings rather thoroughly. I am not at all frightened about death. I think it is absurd to be frightened about the inevitable. It is more that I am angry about it -- annoyed with the thought that at some point along the way, a switch will flick and that, in all likelihood, I will have no more knowledge about anything than I did before the "lights went out" for me as I walked the surface of the earth.

In a practical sense, I believe overpopulation could be the ultimate cause of the extinction of human life on earth. If death were not part of the equation regarding life, can you imagine all the billions who already have lived who would be trying to coexist now? It is entirely possible there is a "grand scheme" to life and death .... I simply do not know and I cannot find the faith within me to believe such a plan exists, or even to believe in the possibility of it.

You, Smareis, are fortunate to have such faith .... envy is a sin in Christian doctrine, but I envy you for your faith.

Anyway ....

I will return to your post in a while and write a comment for you. I have been visiting your blog occasionally .... sort of checking up on you, in a manner of speaking. I am glad you are well and fine, and I do hope you are more active on the sea of blogs this year.

In the meanwhile, thank you, Smareis, for your smile and for the good wishes. I have missed your presence very much and I do think of you every day -- literally. I send you my wish for good fortune to surround you and those you love ....

Smareis said...

Então Fram, uma pausa as vezes é importante, o problema é que a gente sempre vai adiando a volta, e ai vai se alongando a pausa ainda mais.
O Brasil está a desejar com esses governantes. Se você conhecesse o Brasil você iria ver como meu País é bonito. Tem cidades que parece pintura de tão bonita. A beleza é incalculável. Alguns municípios brasileiros chegam a ter sua população maior do que países do mundo, como é o caso de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. Enquanto outros não chegam a ter 10 mil habitantes (há vários municípios brasileiros com menos de 2 mil habitantes); outros têm áreas relativamente grandes (como é o caso dos municípios do Amazonas), chegando às vezes a ter áreas maiores que vários países do mundo (Altamira, no Pará, por exemplo, tem uma área quase duas vezes maior que a de Portugal e cobre mais de 1% do território nacional, sendo considerado o maior município do mundo). Com essa grandeza que é o Brasil os governantes aproveitam para enriquecer em vez de governar e fazer um País melhor. O Brasil tem tudo pra entrar na lista de primeiro mundo. Falta é presidente e governo com caráter.
Sobre a minha fé Fram, tem época que anda enfraquecida, mais ela é meu antidoto, meu combustível. Quando a nossa fé aumenta, nós conseguimos ver muito mais além do que é natural: vemos o sobrenatural de Deus em ação. Ter fé em Deus é acreditar na sua existência e na sua onisciência. Minha religião é Deus, não processo outra religião.
Desculpa Fram eu esta falando tanto sobre fé, sei que você se diz "ateu", mais dizem que os ateus são muito fervoroso, e acredita sim no criador de todas as coisas. Se tem uma coisa que nunca gosto de postar no meu blog é sobre futebol, politica e religião. Acho que cada tem o seu. Eu falei sobre politica na minha postagem porque em outubro e nova eleição e o povo continua cego ao dar seus votos. Gosto de ficar longe desses tema.
Desejo uma boa semana Fram!
Se cuida ok?

Fram Actual said...

Brazil is a fascinating nation, I am sure, Smareis, with much to offer those who live there and those who visit there. I sometimes think of traveling to Brazil, but the part of me which likes to challenge Nature almost always thinks of the Amazon River as the place to go.

I like it that you have pride in your country. I have pride in mine, too, but history demonstrates that no nation survives forever. Birth, growth, decline and death are part of the equation both for people and for countries. I am glad you are adamant about using the electoral process to get those out of office who use power to enrich themselves, rather than to improve Brazil and life for all who call it home.

I think, perhaps, you misunderstood me. I am not an atheist. The definition I am looking at for an atheist is this: "A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods." I consider myself an agnostic. The definition I am looking at for an agnostic is this: "A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God and of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God."

I also sometimes describe myself as part-follower of pantheism: "A doctrine that identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God," and part-follower of deism: "A theological/philosophical position that combines the rejection of revelation and authority as a source of religious knowledge with the conclusion that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a single creator of the universe."

Anyway, somewhere among those descriptions is a guy who calls himself Fram and who admires and envies Smareis for her religious faith.

I enjoy discussing all three -- sports and politics and religion -- but not arguing about them. Life is too short for arguments. In any case, if we shared a common language, understanding each other would be easier for us.

I wish you a good week, too, Smareis .... at the moment, my world is in the midst of a blizzard. Take care and stay safe and I think of you ....

Smareis said...

Pois é Fram, o meu País é maravilhoso. Penso que o mundo em geral sempre tem curiosidade em conhecer o rio Amazonas. O Rio Amazonas é o maior rio do mundo em questão do volume de águas, e também em relação à extensão. A maior parte da região em que o rio corre, é coberta por vastas florestas, formadas por matas de várzea e também terra firme. Vale a pena conhecer a beleza do Amazonas.
Na verdade Fram é muito complicado falar sobre religião. Você é um homem muito inteligente, que eu admiro respeito e gosto muito, sei que você entende tudo que eu escrevo, sem falar meu idioma assim como eu entendo o que você escreve. Como é complicado falar desse assunto religião né????
Eu acredito num Deus que criou todas as coisas, que me protege e me guia todos os dias. Eu acredito que Deus existe, eu seria muito louca se não acreditassem, sou grata a ele todos os dias pela minha vida.
Quanto eu disse você ser ateu talvez eu quisesse expressar de outra forma pra você. Desculpa-me se não expressei bem. Eu vejo em você um homem de fé Fram. Bem lá fundo eu sinto que você acredita no DEUS que criou todas as coisas e que lhe deu o sopro de vida, por mais que circunstância lhe dia o contrario.
Sei que os Ateus não acreditam em um DEUS e negam sua existência, enquanto agnósticos afirmam que ele (ou eles) pode ou não existir, mas nós não somos capazes de saber com certeza. Agnóstico é aquele que considera os fenômenos sobrenaturais inacessíveis à compreensão humana. Um agnóstico pode ser teísta ou ateísta. Um agnóstico teísta admite que não tenha conhecimento que comprove a existência de Deus, mas acredita na possibilidade da existência de uma ou mais divindades. Por outro lado, o agnóstico ateísta também admite não possuir conhecimento que comprove a não existência de Deus, mas não acredita na possibilidade que exista uma divindade.

Pra finalizar Fram, quem conhece o livro sagrado, jamais negará a existência de DEUS. Deus existe assim como eu você e toda a criação dele.
Desculpa Fram por ter alongando tanto sobre esse tema risos.
Boa semana!
Um sorriso dessa madrugada quente de verão. Tem uma bonita estrela passando aqui. Já coloquei o meu sorriso. Vejaaaa!

Fram Actual said...

Smareis .... eight inches of wet, heavy snow fell overnight. I am old-fashioned in the sense that I shovel snow rather than buy a snow blower. Consequently, I am feeling physically drained this evening, which affects me both emotionally and mentally. In a sentence: I am too tired to think clearly and want a day or two to "digest" what you wrote in your comment about religion before I write a reply.

As for Brazil and the Amazon River, I can write a few words even without the ability to think clearly. One of my "heroes," for lack of a better word, is Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States. I have read the two-volume Edmund Morris biography of Teddy and a few other books about his life.

Roosevelt and Brazilian explorer Candido Rondon led an expedition in 1913-14 designed to explore the "River of Doubt," a tributary of the Amazon River. The Roosevelt-Rondon expedition succeeded, but only barely. There is a book about the trek, "The River of Doubt," by Candice Millard. I have not read it yet, but I want to and think it would be "cool" to attempt "to paddle in Roosevelt's wake," in a manner of speaking. Absurd/foolhardy/ridiculous .... I know, but we only live once.

So, Smareis, thank you, for your most recent comment and for sending your smile to me via a beautiful star. I will respond within a few days with a few thoughts about religion .... until then, take care and keep your eyes open for more beautiful stars passing by ....

Smareis said...

Então Fram... Manda um pouco dessa neve pra cá. O calor aqui está insuportável. A gente anda derretendo por aqui, risos.
Essas paisagens cheia de neve tem um lindo cenário pra fotos.

Fram, não precisa, de verdade responder sobre religião ok? Eu acho que tudo isso é muito particular muito de cada pessoa. As vezes eu falo muitoooooo, principalmente se tratando do meu CRIADOR. Tenho muita gratidão.

Vi que uma estrela passou por aqui agora...
Boa semana com muitos sorrisos Fram.



Fram Actual said...

I think even if I loaded an aircraft with snow, it would melt before it reached you, Smareis.

Snow does create beautiful scenery -- the most beautiful, I would "argue." I suppose that is what I like most about the winter months, because frigid air certainly does not appeal to me.

I do not think the word inspiration applies here, but my mind is akin to tabula rasa (a clean slate) at the moment. I do agree with you that religion is a private matter in one sense, but, to me, since I question it and enjoy discussing it, religion is an open topic worthy of thought/consideration/debate. I do want to write about it to you from my perspective, but I also do need to wait until my mood is right and I can organize my thoughts. Perhaps, that is the basis of inspiration.

So, Smareis, sooner or later my "religious self" will emerge and I will write about it to you.

I hope you will see many stars and send them northward to me ....

Something special ....