Many thanks for what you do here, Gerard.
Your work makes all of our lives a little better.
JWM
Geoff C. The SaltineJuly 10, 2022, 7:29 PM
Slacker you are. The Webb has first shots up.
Hope all is well, talk to you soon Mr. V.
Love G. and J.
pbirdJuly 10, 2022, 8:21 PM
Blessings from a long time pest…lol.
AnneJuly 10, 2022, 8:27 PM
OMG! You cannot for one moment think about quitting. You work is read by far more people than you realize. People, who do not sign in, or write comments. Lurkers you might call them–I believe most of them are decent people and they find comfort in your work, your thoughts, and your ongoing willingness to make so many good things available in one place. I don’t know if you can see how many are out there–it does not matter. You just need to accept that there are many! We need you –probably more than any woman in your life ever has! The very hardest of times are coming soon and your work will help us to do what is right and to be strong.
Charlie S.July 10, 2022, 8:50 PM
Looks like Paradise to me … being a Bidwell descendant and all ;>}
Willy RuffianJuly 11, 2022, 4:33 AM
When I was your age we didn’t complain about working 12 hours a day,7 days a week. We were grateful for the opportunity, also we had no shoes and were covered in shit.
Tom HylandJuly 11, 2022, 6:48 AM
The opening page to Gab this morning is a column of videos and memes focussed upon the Biden crime family, the WEF, the Dutch uprising, and several other situations of interest. Great stuff here. Take a look. https://gab.com/
jdJuly 11, 2022, 6:57 AM
So glad your are taking a day of rest, Gerard, and
filling it with the things that are important. Thank you
for letting us know too since we would worry about your
absence as we do about all our loved ones.
ghostsniperJuly 11, 2022, 7:55 AM
Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one.
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son.
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white,
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion.
–Mike Pinder, 1967
I forgot to tell you that it is absolutely right for you to take a break–maybe even a weekly day off?
John FisherJuly 11, 2022, 9:00 AM
Good on you. Now make it a habit to take Sundays off. We’ll still be here when Monday rolls around.
BJuly 11, 2022, 9:33 AM
+1 to Anne’s comments. Long-time lurker here and I stop by daily.
anthony gaudioJuly 11, 2022, 10:24 AM
Rest my friend. You have been posting up a storm lately. Thanx.
FooJuly 11, 2022, 12:51 PM
As you were, brother.
Pace yourself.
We cant afford to lose you. You fight.
KCKJuly 11, 2022, 2:22 PM
Take whatever time you need, because we need you rested and ready.
On a recreational note, I went to Elvis last night. Very enjoyable, with some rather interesting technology and visual devices. They certainly respected the music, and The Man.
Lance de BoyleJuly 11, 2022, 2:38 PM
“…rest of the day off”?!
Talk about white privilege.
We were so poor that we couldn’t take the rest of ANY day off.
We worked 60 hour days, 12 days a week, 567 days a year.
And we LIKED it.
ghostsniperJuly 11, 2022, 2:57 PM
Lightweights.
We did that shit for 11 centuries, and still.
Got no time to die!
Dyin’s for pisswilly’s.
VanderleunJuly 11, 2022, 3:39 PM
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o’clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for a dime a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle if we were LUCKY!
Later we used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o’clock at night and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for a nickel every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.
Casey KlahnJuly 11, 2022, 5:08 PM
…and the trouble with the youth nowadays is they’ll never believe you.
Lance de BoyleJuly 12, 2022, 12:33 AM
Ha! You were coddled.
We would walk home uphill for 30 miles under the snow, wearing only a top hat.
We lived in an empty beer can.
Dad beat us with a tree and then tore us limb from limb between two horses.
Oh, for those halcyon days!
JackJuly 11, 2022, 3:48 PM
Years ago….seems like every damned thing in my life today was “years ago”….I used to take an occasional canoe trip down the Illinois River in NE Oklahoma. It was always best to go during the middle of the week to stay away from the drunk and rowdy rednecks who swarmed that charming stream on the weekends.
That river winds through a lot of rock and outcroppings that look very much like that shown above and I remember remembering that I could feel the sacredness of that river when out there alone with my lunch, a paddle and fly rod.
All of that beauty has changed now of course. Too damned many people, too many chicken houses whose effluent trickles off of hillsides and throws the river’s nitrogen levels into despair. And worst of all, there are just too many damned people who have no regard for anything, not even themselves.
I grew up in the Deep South behind good pointers and setters and there were lots of bobwhites. My grandfather taught me to shoot long before commercial farming ruined quail habit. He also taught me how to use a fly rod and how to clobber the bream and bass by slipping along quietly in a tiny aluminum flat bottom boat years before running up and down a lake in a high speed “bass boat” became the way to “fish. And, he taught me to understand and manage horses long before private ownership of huge tracts of land and individual mini farms fenced off all of the property over which we used to ride. He taught me a lot of other things too, too many to list here.
It’s most important to inhale love and exhale gratitude and my hope, no matter how this site goes, that you enjoy every minute of your time.
rocdoctomJuly 11, 2022, 5:37 PM
The rocks and outcrop yes but that forest cover is not northeast Oklahoma. I still fish the Illinois with a fly rod. Different rod and set up for trout vs stripers
ghostsniperJuly 11, 2022, 5:48 PM
Is that a european elk? ——————–>
VanderleunJuly 12, 2022, 8:26 AM
I believe it is. Good call.
AnneJuly 12, 2022, 9:14 AM
Very nice piece Jack!! I am an owner of a piece of land in “that” river valley. We battle the issues of overcrowding every day. The time will have to come soon when Republicans and Conservatives give voice to protecting our “sacred” spaces. A voice as loud as that of the environmentalist. A voice that will acknowledge that not all land must be developed–some not even by a little bit. A voice that acknowledges city developers have an obligation to develop large swaths of their profit to the development of local parks–which substantially reduces the impact of weekend tourists on that beauty which every human being in the world has a right to know “is there” and to dream that someday they too will get to see it, to feel it, and to hold it in their heart’s memory when they return to their small condo unit in the city.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
LATE LIGHT by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Enjoy your well-deserved Sunday evening off.
Many thanks for what you do here, Gerard.
Your work makes all of our lives a little better.
JWM
Slacker you are. The Webb has first shots up.
Hope all is well, talk to you soon Mr. V.
Love G. and J.
Blessings from a long time pest…lol.
OMG! You cannot for one moment think about quitting. You work is read by far more people than you realize. People, who do not sign in, or write comments. Lurkers you might call them–I believe most of them are decent people and they find comfort in your work, your thoughts, and your ongoing willingness to make so many good things available in one place. I don’t know if you can see how many are out there–it does not matter. You just need to accept that there are many! We need you –probably more than any woman in your life ever has! The very hardest of times are coming soon and your work will help us to do what is right and to be strong.
Looks like Paradise to me … being a Bidwell descendant and all ;>}
When I was your age we didn’t complain about working 12 hours a day,7 days a week. We were grateful for the opportunity, also we had no shoes and were covered in shit.
The opening page to Gab this morning is a column of videos and memes focussed upon the Biden crime family, the WEF, the Dutch uprising, and several other situations of interest. Great stuff here. Take a look. https://gab.com/
So glad your are taking a day of rest, Gerard, and
filling it with the things that are important. Thank you
for letting us know too since we would worry about your
absence as we do about all our loved ones.
Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one.
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son.
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white,
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion.
–Mike Pinder, 1967
Catch and Release is where it’s at.
Any day on the river is a good day.
I forgot to tell you that it is absolutely right for you to take a break–maybe even a weekly day off?
Good on you. Now make it a habit to take Sundays off. We’ll still be here when Monday rolls around.
+1 to Anne’s comments. Long-time lurker here and I stop by daily.
Rest my friend. You have been posting up a storm lately. Thanx.
As you were, brother.
Pace yourself.
We cant afford to lose you. You fight.
Take whatever time you need, because we need you rested and ready.
On a recreational note, I went to Elvis last night. Very enjoyable, with some rather interesting technology and visual devices. They certainly respected the music, and The Man.
“…rest of the day off”?!
Talk about white privilege.
We were so poor that we couldn’t take the rest of ANY day off.
We worked 60 hour days, 12 days a week, 567 days a year.
And we LIKED it.
Lightweights.
We did that shit for 11 centuries, and still.
Got no time to die!
Dyin’s for pisswilly’s.
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o’clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for a dime a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle if we were LUCKY!
Later we used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o’clock at night and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for a nickel every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.
…and the trouble with the youth nowadays is they’ll never believe you.
Ha! You were coddled.
We would walk home uphill for 30 miles under the snow, wearing only a top hat.
We lived in an empty beer can.
Dad beat us with a tree and then tore us limb from limb between two horses.
Oh, for those halcyon days!
Years ago….seems like every damned thing in my life today was “years ago”….I used to take an occasional canoe trip down the Illinois River in NE Oklahoma. It was always best to go during the middle of the week to stay away from the drunk and rowdy rednecks who swarmed that charming stream on the weekends.
That river winds through a lot of rock and outcroppings that look very much like that shown above and I remember remembering that I could feel the sacredness of that river when out there alone with my lunch, a paddle and fly rod.
All of that beauty has changed now of course. Too damned many people, too many chicken houses whose effluent trickles off of hillsides and throws the river’s nitrogen levels into despair. And worst of all, there are just too many damned people who have no regard for anything, not even themselves.
I grew up in the Deep South behind good pointers and setters and there were lots of bobwhites. My grandfather taught me to shoot long before commercial farming ruined quail habit. He also taught me how to use a fly rod and how to clobber the bream and bass by slipping along quietly in a tiny aluminum flat bottom boat years before running up and down a lake in a high speed “bass boat” became the way to “fish. And, he taught me to understand and manage horses long before private ownership of huge tracts of land and individual mini farms fenced off all of the property over which we used to ride. He taught me a lot of other things too, too many to list here.
It’s most important to inhale love and exhale gratitude and my hope, no matter how this site goes, that you enjoy every minute of your time.
The rocks and outcrop yes but that forest cover is not northeast Oklahoma. I still fish the Illinois with a fly rod. Different rod and set up for trout vs stripers
Is that a european elk? ——————–>
I believe it is. Good call.
Very nice piece Jack!! I am an owner of a piece of land in “that” river valley. We battle the issues of overcrowding every day. The time will have to come soon when Republicans and Conservatives give voice to protecting our “sacred” spaces. A voice as loud as that of the environmentalist. A voice that will acknowledge that not all land must be developed–some not even by a little bit. A voice that acknowledges city developers have an obligation to develop large swaths of their profit to the development of local parks–which substantially reduces the impact of weekend tourists on that beauty which every human being in the world has a right to know “is there” and to dream that someday they too will get to see it, to feel it, and to hold it in their heart’s memory when they return to their small condo unit in the city.