Not all dreams are nightmares . . .
Monday, June 23, 2025 , It's the Moon's day . . .Morning in TulseyTown, as I build the blog for today, is surprisingly mild. The weatherfeather indicates afternoon heat indices in the upper 90's with moderate Southerlies.
Shakespeare set his play A Midsummer Night's Dream on this night. Tonight is Midsummer Night's Eve, also called St. John's Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It's a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead, and that's where the word "honeymoon" comes from. It is a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, "Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking. – Garrison Keillor made note of it in his repost for this date.
"The course of true love never did run smooth.” - Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1
The less people know and the worse off they are, the more certain they are of their decisions and their opinions. And the more people know and the smarter they are, the more uncertain. It's easier to be certain when you don't know very much. – Dr. Kelly McGonigal
The more Trump asserts his certainty, which is all the time, the more he reveals how much he doesn't know. The dude hasn't a clue and is no doubt internally grasping at straws, believing the last thing handed to him by someone he trusts simply because they never disagree with him. To disagree with him is to challenge his certainty, and that is his Achilles heel.
Trump administration officials are already walking back Trump’s boast of “complete and total obliteration.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said it was “way too early” to assess the amount of damage. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said that “no one, no one, neither us, nobody else, could be able to tell you how much it has been damaged.” – Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American.
A single person — Donald J. Trump — has released the dogs of war on one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and done it without the consent of Congress, our allies, or even a clear explanation to the American people. Anyone who has doubted Trump’s intention to replace American democracy with a dictatorship should now be fully disabused. – Robert Reich, “The Dogs of War.”
Trump's power trip is a danger to the world and not just American democracy. He is an American Hitler. Perhaps it’s worth reminding ourselves: Our democracy has a flaw and we must fix it.
The Week Ahead – Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse.
Spekin of war: Today is the 711th anniversary of the “Battle of Bannockburn.” Ifn ya got inny Scot blud in ya y'allredy new. If not, ye shud.
Compassion is that which hears the suffering of others. In fearful conditions, our own noise can drown that out. Wisdom is in part a recognition of our interdependence; fear can hide that from us. – Sallie Tisdale, “Alone on the Bodhisattva Path,” Tricycle, 4.6.20.
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream . . .
— Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Act V, Scene 1
A dream unto itself: The Mendelssohn Overture
The pilgrim who traded tomorrow . . .
Sunday, June 22, 2025. It's Sol's day … as it has been for nearly a week. Strong Southerlies bring yet another hot day to TulseyTown. We're on the Western edge of a heat-dome covering about 2/3rds of the U.S. Forecasts indicate the heat wave easing up by the middle of the coming week. Yeah, but, it'll still be Summer in Okieland.
Trump has done what he swore he would not do: involve the United States in a war in the Middle East. Maybe find something else to ponder this Sunday. The world will still be with us tomorrow.
Left to our own devices, the natural state of the human brain is a wandering and critical mind. Meditation helps bring that chaos into a more peaceful state [where joy manifests naturally]. – Barbara Holmes in Meditations, The Center for Action and Contemplation,
Meryl Streep turns 76 today. Widely regarded as the best actress of five decades, if not in all film history, she was born in 1949, Summit, New Jersey. Nominated 21 times for the Academy Award lareate, she has won 4 Oscars and a boat-load of other international awards.
It's the birth date of Kris Kristofferson. The Oxford laureate actor and three time Grammy winner was born in 1936, Brownsville, Texas.
The pilgrim who traded tomorrow for today.
The sound of sunrise . . .
Saturday, June 21, 2025. It's the Satyr's day . . . The Summer Solstice is full on us today with longest day of the year. Moderate to strong Southerlies bring sunny skies to TulseyTown with extremely high U/V indices, although somewhat cooler. Real temperatures this afternoon in the low 90's. Heat indices are forecasted in the upper 90's.
Joy is the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens. – Br. David Steindl-Rast
There are an overwhelming number of significant developments taking place simultaneously right now...In spans like this, the urge to tune out, to become desensitized, to accept apathy becomes increasingly compelling. This maneuver is part of the authoritarian playbook. – Joyce Vance, The Democracy Index.
Today is the birthdate of French philosopher, novelist, and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre. The champion of existentialism was born in 1905 Paris.
And William, prince of Wales turns 47 today. The heir apparent to the British throne was born in 1982, Paddington,London, England.
American men are in crisis: The landscape of jobs in the US has radically altered the configuration of who does what and for what benefit. – Allison J Pugh, “Men at Work” at Aeon.
Some of our most progressive doctors don't address diet, gut health or mitochondrial health. That's because their “allopathic” education has largely ignored these variables. The science of longevity has given rise to a more “functional” approach to medicine. You can get a glimpse of the evolution and state of the present art in this conversation with Dr. Mark Hyman and the godfather of Functional Medicine, Dr. Jeffrey Bland.
The Sound of Sunrise
“I paint with my qualities and faults” – van Gogh by Julian Schnabel.
There are no faults in creation.
Perfection is the name for Existence.
An attempt to create meaning
when meaning has already been created,
ourselves we separate
from the very joy we seek.
The reason for a flower?
An epic poem of book length likely
becomes incomprehensible.
Better a painter to her canvas, hearing
at sunrise the single note sounded
from the monk's gong from across the mountain lake.
– jab