What's The Word?

I watched The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), an action movie with a message set in Apartheid South Africa, staring Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine this afternoon. As I began watching a song I haven't thought about in a long time popped into my head, Gil Scott-Heron's 1976 protest song Johannesburg. This song was released at a time in history (before the Internet.) when government officials could keep information about its own people's struggle to end a centuries old political system that was both racist and oppressive from the rest of the world.




Gil Scott-Heron

Hey!
Said, what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard
From Johannesburg?

Tell me, what's the word?
Sister, woman, have you heard
From Johannesburg?

They tell me that our brothers over there are defyin' the Man
And we don't know for sure because the news we get is unreliable, man
Yes, I, I hate it when the blood starts flowin'
But I'm glad to see resistance growin'

Somebody tell me, what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard
From Johannesburg?

What's the word?
Tell me, woman, have you heard
About Johannesburg?

They tell me that our brothers over there refuse to work in the mines
They may not get the news but they need to know we're on their side
Yeah, now, sometimes distance brings misunderstanding
Amen, deep in my heart I'm demanding

Somebody tell me, what's the word?
Tell me brother, have you heard
From Johannesburg?

I know that something's happening

Tell me what's the word?
Sister, woman have you heard
About Johannesburg?

And I know that their strugglin' over there, that ain't gonna free me
Yeah, but we all got to be strugglin' and if we're wanna be free
And don't you wanna be free, free?

Somebody hear!

We ought to come together

They tell me that our brothers over there refuse to work in the mines
They, may not get the news but they need to know we're on their side
Yes, I, I hate it when the blood starts flowin'
But I'm glad to see resistance growin'

Somebody tell me, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
So, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
So, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
So, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
Get from the drum
(Johannesburg!)
Say, haven't you hear?
(Johannesburg!)
You got to get one
(Johannesburg!)
Somebody, tell me what's happening
In Johannesburg

LA's like Johannesburg
New York like Johannesburg
Freedom's ain't nothing but a word
Ain't nothing

Said, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
So, what's the word?
(Johannesburg!)
Say, haven't you heard?
(Johannesburg!)
Somebody tell me what's happening
In Johannesburg

(Garbled)like Johannesburg
Detroit's like Johannesburg
Freedom ain't nothing but a word
Ain't nothing but a word

Let me see your ID
Let me see your ID
To prove that you...

I'm Dracman!

(Peer through the credits)

Oh, Darn

Another day goes by without me getting all the things I wanted to do done. (Could that sentence be anymore tortured?)

This I Truly Love

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
-Edna St. Vincent Millay,

In my backyard.

Wild Kingdom

Look what we found on our morning walk last week:

It's a coyote den, front and back entrance. That mount of dirt is right behind the back entrance.  Here is what it looks like inside:

Front entrance showing how the den goes down and then curves for safety.  You can see sunlight streaming in from the back entrance in the middle of the photo.

Back view.  I put my camera farther down in the hole in this shot and  I think the flash from the camera blocked the sunlight from the opening at the other end.  The dogs were the ones who found this den and approached it very cautiously.  Both put the snouts down the hole but quickly lost interest in it. Because of the  freshness of the dirt in the pile behind the back entrence we think this den is being used.  Coyotes are timid and do not like being around humans and dogs and whoever lives in this one may have taken off when he/she heard us approaching.  We stumble across old dens all the time but this is the first one we found that looks as if it is still being used. Way cool.

Our Anniversary

Shep & the Limelites

Anniversary, anniversary
Tomorrow will be our anniversary
I'm so glad, So happy
To know that you're still mine
(Congratulations, congratulations)

Together we shared
All the heartaches and the tears
And I hope it will last
For a very long time

One, two, three years ago
That's when I fell for you
Four, five, six years will go by
And I promise to keep on loving you

Tomorrow will be our anniversary
I'm so glad, so happy
To know that you're still mine
(Congratulations, congratulations)
I... love... you

I know I've been missing for the last few days but I have an excellent reason. Last Friday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. We pull up stakes, drove to Denver, dropped the dogs off at my sister's house, drove to Colorado Springs and celebrated our anniversary by staying at The Broadmoor for a day and night. We loved it so much we have decided to spend a longer period of time there on our 25th wedding anniversary.

Crazy, Man, Crazy

Walking the dogs in the mornings is becoming more enjoyable as the cold winds have died down, the grasses are greening up, and the birds are back. The birds have added a wonderful audio component to our walks for the last couple of weeks. Each morning we are treated to a symphony of Turkey gobbles, Meadowlark whistles, Ring-necked Pheasant squawks, Field Sparrow songs, with the occasional honks of Canada Geese flying overhead thrown into the mix.

Along with the grasses turning green there are numerous plants starting to appear. One unknown-to-us-plant is now growing in such abundance that my husband decided to pluck a sample of it to bring home and identify.

After perusing our copy of WEEDS OF THE WEST he discovered that the plant we found growing in such great numbers is Silky Crazyweed.

"Even though silky crazyweed is much more toxic than Lambert crazyweed, all livestock species can be poisoned by eating plants in this genus. Horses never recover once they are poisoned. Cattle gain weigh slowly and often have abortions, while sheep abortions are common from eating these plants. Livestock generally avoid eating crazyweed until feed is scarce, but once they have eaten it, they seek out the plants.
Non-standard name: locoweed."
-WEEDS OF THE WEST pg 339

Locoweed! I could not believe it, locoweed was big in my imagination as a child. I was actually looking at the plant that was portrayed as a villain and a danger to horses and men in at least one episode of all the TV westerns- and some of the b-western movies- I watched as a kid. Heck, locoweed even showed up in the cartoons I watched. Just look at what locoweed does to Popeye in this excerpt from Rodeo Romeo (1946):




Locoweed is just crazy, man, crazy.

Hope Springs Eternal

Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.
-Unknown

Fair Warning

Light Shadows 5