The Tongue.

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I have spent a lifetime putting a little panache into the things I do. And here’s where it all began. Continue reading →

Dodger Stadium, 1962.

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“I’m surprised how much I remember about that first Dodgers game.” Continue reading →

Old Style Sit Down Dinners, Snacks & Fast Food.

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Mother always grimaced when Dad decided to fix Pinapple Upsidedowncake. Cleaning the baked brown sugar out to that crusty iron skillet was nearly impossible. Continue reading →

The art of giving presents.

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“Not too many years back, my son gave me a plumbing fixture for Christmas. I often chuckle when I take a shower, just thinking him and that particular gift.” Continue reading →

The Songs of the musical, “Hair.”

Love the music of “Hair” and recall, fondly, my hippie days when we all smoked funny-looking cigarettes and listened to it. I thought I’d share some of it I found on YouTube: . Aquarius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhbxI5eVnM4 Manchester, England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4lvdlP-BhQ I’m Black … Continue reading →

A view from the rim of the great canyon.

It was so splendid and overwhelming, but humbling, too. The countless layers of sediment that had been built up and, through the ages, tilted and jumbled by shifting geology, then cut away again by the relentless river.  It was an inspirational sight, and I thought I … Continue reading →

The Eagles Have Returned to Yukon Harbor.

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By Russell Neyman. There are mornings when I feel especially connected to Old Colby and the morning rituals that date back hundreds – more likely, thousands – of years.  The place simply sings.  I feel like sharing what things are like here this … Continue reading →

The First Street Foursquare: Goin’ Semi-Rural in the Pacific Northwest.

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You can see downtown Seattle from the front porch, but you’d thing you were in the middle of nowhere. Continue reading →

The Local Watering Hole, est 1887.

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  This is the local hangout, where Buster and the boys bend elbows and tell lies. In the late 1880′s it was known as the Willie’s Barber Shop, where the proprietor, William Bohguss, shaved lumbermen when they came to town on Saturday nights … Continue reading →

Sorry to Spoil All the Endings for You, But…

We hate to ruin the surprises that lay in wait for you at the end of these movies, books, and plays (actually, we don’t mind at all) but……REDRUM IS MURDER SPELLED BACKWARDS WILLARD KILLS KURTZ SCARFACE DIES JESUS DIES SPOCK DIES … Continue reading →

The Nine-Cow Woman.

The young chieftan wanted to start his own sub-villiage, so he approached the tribe’s king to get his blessing and advice.  The king liked the young man, adding that several wives would be needed if he were to succeed in the venture. It would be important that he built many huts, a pen to keep livestock, and farm enough grain to support the people and animals.

The warrior knew this, and carefully laid out his plan for a village. He explained that there were other young men who wanted to join him, and he pointed to a site on a nearby hill where he planned to live. The king consented. ”When the times comes, may I purchase one of your daughters to start a family?” he asked. The buying of women was the way of that Africian tribes in that place and that time, and cattle was the primary means of barter.

The king had always liked the young man, and was glad about the news. “Absolutely,” the king responded enthusiastically. “Get your villiage built, raise some cattle, then come back to see me. I have many daughters, and I will give you a good value for your money.”

A year passed. The young chieftan arrived at the king’s hut with a small herd of cattle, indicating that he was ready to purchase a wife. “Take your pick; all of my daughters are over there, in that special maiden’s hut.”

After a short while, the younger chief returned, bringing with him a young woman who stood in dirty clothes, bent over, and dirty. “This is the woman I want to purchase, Your Highness,” said the suitor. “I will offer you nine cows for her.”

The king was taken aback. “Are you mad? Of all the daughters I have, this one is the most miserable and disagreeable. She is always frowning and moody; she does not sing nor does she dress well. She is certainly not worth nine cows! Two, three cows at best, but not nine cows.”

“Sire,” said the chieftan, “I know what I am doing. I insist on giving you nine cows for her. She will be my queen.”

Reluctantly, the king accepted the offer, insisting that the younger man deliver the payment in increments of two or three cows at a time. “I do not want anyone to know that I charged you so much for such a miserable bride.” The young man made his payment, and took the woman, unimpressive as she was, back to his village.

He said, “She was
always beautiful; You
saw her as worthless,
and I saw her as a
nine-cow woman.”

Several years passed. As was his custom, the king wandered among the subvillages, to see how things were progressing and to gather knowledge of his people. He happened upon the same young chieftian’s group of huts, and was immediately impressed with all the prosperity and upbeat mood there. He couldn’t help notice a beautiful woman walking head held high through the townspeople, smiling broadly. Her warmth and energy was clearly spreading to those around her. “I see you are doing well, son,” said the king. “And that woman — she’s absolutely beautiful. Who is she? Is that my daughter — the one you paid so much for?”

“I always saw her as worth much more, Sire,” said the younger man. “And when I treated her like she had greater value, she became a queen. She’s my nine-cow wife. She was never anything less, in my eyes.”

Thanks to Jim Cook, my LifeSpring instructor, who passed this story on to me many years ago. –RN. 

Not Having a List is on my “Perfect Partner” List.

Many years ago, I took a LifeSpring Relationships class (a lot like Est) and one of the assignments was to take out a piece of paper and make a list of the traits of a “Perfect Partner.” I quickly dashed off what you’d expect a single, healthy heterosexual male might want. My wish list described a woman who:
     — was smart, patient, and creative.
     — could be demure and nextdoorgirl-ish, but still magically transform into a mind-reading sex machine who would always climax when I did.
     — had a killer, athletic body without pimples, wrinkles or sags, and her breasts looked perfect whether she was standing, sitting, or lying down.
     — independent and able to support herself, but still willing to make me feel manly and allow me to be in complete control.
     — musical, creative, neat, and a good cook, to boot.
     — attentive, sensitive, and considerate.

OK, I’m exaggerating a bit, and the list was actually called the “Perfect Relationship” not “Perfect Partner. No man is that selfish or materialistic (I’m not!) but you get the point. My list actually called for a nice, pretty girl who liked the same things I liked, but it included about 15 or 20 things. My qualifiers weren’t uncommon, but when you totaled up all the requirements, it was a tough bill to fill. I “asked for” lots of good food, music, and sex mixed together with adventure and conversation, but it still created an extremely narrow definition of potential partners.

So, when everyone was finished, the instructor asked several of us to read our lists. I was somewhat surprised by what other people included, because there were mothers who simply wanted some attention from their children, children who wanted acknowledgement from their parents, and people who simply wanted respect from society on the whole. I read mine, drew an appropriate number of chuckles, nods, and smiles, and began to sit down.

Then, I had a sudden afterthought: “Can I add something to my list?” I asked.

“Sure,” the instructor said.

“I’d like someone who doesn’t have a list!”

And that’s the point. We all go into relationships “shopping” for a Perfect Partner based on preconceived notions, when it seems to me we need to spend more time finding the beauty in people. We want partners to “measure up” but can’t “measure up” ourselves. While I am the first to appreciate a nice butt and a good backrub, I know that we all should go into these things with an open mind. Sure, a woman needs to be attractive to get my attention, but in the end it’s the inner beauty that really counts.

For those skeptics who think this is a setup and that I’m justifying my own shortcomings, no, I’m not an ugly, warty, slob with excessive body odor and a zero bank account. (Well, maybe sometimes.) I’m actually a caring, sensitive man who is not too unattractive for my age. It’s just that I’m smarter now, and not as easily distracted by things that I once thought were important.

So, here’s my current list:
1. A non-smoker who likes herself.
2. A smart woman, who smiles and is willing to laugh.
3. Someone who can BE beautiful.

I could probably delete numbers one and two, because the third one really says it all.