Summertime ... and the livin' is easy.
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Ok. Who am I going to talk about this week? I've missed more #shoutoutsaturdays in a row than I ever want to admit. I'm going to stop speaking to myself if I don't get it in gear.
I started this post on the 26th of May. I got hung up because my first choice appeared for a frighteningly long time to have abandoned Steemit. Frankly that was depressing. But he's posted again several times lately, and I'm going to take that as a good sign. The place will be a little less lovely without him.
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One of the most interesting accounts I follow is @flashfiction. I freely admit his posts won't appeal to everyone. It takes a love of language, a certain poetic nature, a special perspective on life and some of your own "history" to appreciate what he can do with one or two sentences ... bringing sympathy and memories alive.
@flashfiction lives in a different world -- full of poignant moments and little gems of speculation and spirituality. There's both a "what if?" element in his writing ... and a "yes, I remember that, too" that can stop you cold for a moment.
One of my favorite pieces from him is this: "So the fly fell in love with the spider. Hooo, boy."
Tell me there's not a lifetime of stories in that.
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A completely different kind of writer is @mountainwashere. Boy is he ever -- different and here. He's a terrific writer, mostly left-brain scientific stuff. But he makes science come alive in fascinating ways. You may appreciate this recommendation more when I tell you he mostly writes about geology -- a subject I got a D+ in in college. The only grade less than a B I ever got in my life.
My father told the story for years about the college semester his daughter got 6 A's and a D+ in geology. He just couldn't fathom it. Me, I couldn't fathom geology -- and truthfully, I didn't much try. (It's a rock. Who cares if it's feldspar or schist?) @mountainwashere probably has a good answer for that. If there is one, I'm sure he's got it.
My point is, if he can interest me in geology -- that's a minor miracle. His series on the most hellish places on earth managed that. Try him. See if he can make science come to life for you too. It won't kill you to learn something once in a while.
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So as long as I seem to be into an “all along the spectrum” theme this time on #shoutoutsaturdays, I’ll put this one out for attention. It’s a guy called @moderndayhippie. He’s had quite a time of it over the past several months -- pulling up stakes, wandering all over the country, looking for a new home.
He thought for a little while (a very little while) he’d hit on a solution in Costa Rica -- but that turned out to be a bad idea so he’s back in the States now, looking to settle down in North Carolina after several false starts everywhere from Arizona to Wisconsin to Michigan. I mean this guy has put some miles on his van -- and if I were he, I’d be damn tired of driving.
He has kind of a mystical bent when he writes. Not as serious as mine, maybe, but definitely lives up to his name. Peace, love, karma ... and weed. He’s pretty good at making new friends if you’re into any of this. He’s easy to care about (and when he disappears on you for a while, you can’t help but worry.)
But if you’re interested in someone who doesn’t waste your time when you drop by for a quick hello and a snack (watch out for those Brownies!) ... follow him for a while. You may get hooked, too. (No irony intended there.) Like I did.
Back at the dock ...
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I am going to make posts on this tag a more regular thing. I'm back on my anti-depressants. (Natural stuff. Nothing with Big Pharma's ugly fingerprints on it.) I'm getting more sleep. I have my life organized better. I'm on a roll and ready to make this work. I'll start on next week's as soon as this gets published.
If you're reading this, do a post and put your choices out where people can see them. Visibility is a terrible problem on Steemit. Be part of the solution. Tag it #shoutoutsaturdays -- (It's the brainchild of @crazybgadvanture. ) Make it a thing.
Srsly.
Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.
The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.
Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.
So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.
The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us in our small section of the planet are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.
Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.
