Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Caught up in love

For those unaware, while among the human species females tend to be the more decorative of the sexes, in Nature it generally is the male who flaunts the colors while the female blends in with the flora and fauna of her environment to ensure greater safety and security in a predatory world. This is because Nature generally considers the giver of life -- the female -- to be the more valuable of the mates. Form your own conclusions about that among the couples you encounter. As for our pair of quack-quacks here, as I often say, do not judge me on the quality of my photographs: The only purpose these ducks serve is to be a sort of illustration or link for the written words and the music. For instance, it does not require much imagination to visualize our many-splendored drake to be singing the song posted below to his well-camouflaged companion. Love comes in many forms.

Life, death, fate & memory

A few years ago, I spent a month in Knoxville, Tennessee, where one of my daughters was a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. (You did not know that, did you?) I watched her dogs while she and her then-boyfriend went to Yellowstone National Park. (I am particularly skilled at watching dogs; we almost are like cousins .... or something like that.)

I spent a few days canoeing on the Tennessee River and photographing (yes, me, with a Nikon in one hand and a Canon in the other) odds and ends -- mostly in museums and cemeteries.

In a "city cemetery," a number of tombstones caught my eye, but one in particular actually gripped me. It was for a young man. I cannot recall the precise details without checking my notes from the time, and I have moved so often in recent years that I am fortunate to know where I am, much less where my notebooks are located. Beyond that, I do not care where they are.

So, relying on memory for approximate dates, the young man died in 1898 at age twenty from "a fever." A block away from this city cemetery was a military cemetery. I went there next and, eventually, found myself standing beside a tombstone for another young man who had the same last name as the man in the city cemetery. He also had died in 1898, in Cuba, as a member of the American Expeditionary Force during the Spanish-American War. He was twenty-two years of age.

On both tombstones, the names of the parents were carved. The two were brothers, children of the same man and wife. I thought how cruel life must be to some, while it is so kind to others. It had been more than one hundred years since those deaths. I wondered then, while I stood in the cemetery, and I still do at times, if anyone other than me had thought about those two brothers and their parents during the century past.

By the way, both parents were also in the city cemetery, I discovered the next day, dead within another year after their sons. Heartbreak, I think. What else could it have been?

The re-birth of an idiom

Some of you might have read it, some of you might have figured it out, but next to novels, my favorite "objects" in the world are motion pictures. I saw a film the other night, "Maybe It's Love," in which there was an expression I had never heard before.

One character said to another: "Thanks, you're a regular."

I never had heard the expression before: "You're a regular."

It makes sense.

I have decided that my mission in life (well, one of them) will be to reinstate this expression into the idiom of Americana, although I do not think I would like anyone to call me a "regular." It would destroy my image of myself.

Anyway, it is amazing how easy it is to get an expression or a thought or a concept moving. By the way, this film was made in 1935. Watch it sometime. It was terrific.

Less thought & more walk

The four seasons really do influence my mood, greatly. Sometimes, I think that is the way it is supposed to be for everyone. As for me, I tend to work more hours and play less in the summer because the warm, sunny days make me happy. And, I often have said (and written) that I hibernate during January and February, and that if I could eliminate two months from the calendar, it would be those two. Of course, I meant it in the sense of the weather.

I have spent some time thinking (sometimes, I do this too much) about the seasons, and recently decided to try to live them as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed them all in an outdoor sense, actually loved them all in that sense, and pretty much ignored their climatic inconveniences. What child cares how much he sweats in summer's humidity or if he becomes chilled in winter's frigid winds?

Much of my distaste for winter has come from having had to drive in atrocious conditions on the road to a story when I worked as a reporter, or to and from work in town and home in the "outlands" during blizzard and icy conditions. It is amazing I am still alive, in a sense, considering some of my highway "adventures" during snowstorms.

But, it is absolutely fantastic to walk on an ice-covered lake at night in the dead of winter, or to wander through the twinkling snow in woodlands under a full moon. I love moments such as those, so this is where I will concentrate my "adventures" for now.

Less thought and more walk is the moral here .... I guess.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

what abeautiful post!!!!and that poem!!very very good!!

it is strange i think..whenever i write to you..the next day you have punblished something!!good!!

i think the natureit is best..and we are the nature agree??refering to your photo..male things has to look good to capture theur darlings ,,but it is interesting !!

about my blog..it is a shame all of it..i dont know what happens to it..a year ago someone invited me to join their blogs..and after that time.i have had much trouble with my blog.i even can not log in to it myself..i dont know what to do about it..have tried to make a new one..without any suceed..and all my messages goes to my sons emails..boy!!i dont understand anything of it..
but today i have tried in a hurry to do something about it..you see every photo i create on the blog..goes to my android telphone..and when i delete then from there.( i can not have all those photoes on my cell phone)they vanish from the blog..Strange..eh??.

ok..iam very glad you told me about that about those ravens..ia m very supersticious..and it is a relief to read your comment about it..

i will try to stay more on the blogs and take some photoes..you know before i took photoes all the time,,one day i took a look at masself and what did i see??i was becoming fat and not looking good..ithought whats the use of doing all those photoes??it do not get me anywhere..so i decided enough is enough..now i do take the photoes in my head as ay do my walks..i say like alice in wonderland i rather jump into the photo and live it for real!!

ok..this was a long letter.sorry!!

today we have these beautiful weather..clear sunny sky..very cold..icy streets and it feels good!!i love summers but winthers too!!

i am very happy you do allright my friend..tonight i dremead about you agian..we were travelling the high roads in america..nice!!

here is a video for you..about have gun ..wiill travel

http://youtu.be/uFYxc2F0PbI


see you later!!

Anonymous said...

i could not find that movie??may be its love from 1935..who are the actors??i could only find..crime and punishment!!

Fram Actual said...

No reason to be sorry about writing a lengthy comment, Anita. It is enjoyable to learn what you are doing and what is on your mind.

So, you believe "male things" have to look good to capture their darlings, do you? That probably explains my lack of success at capturing the little darlings. Thinking back, however, I was voted the "best dressed boy" (among other things) my senior year in high school. I never even realized other students thought that of me until after the fact.

You have discovered the old television series, "Have Gun, Will Travel," I see. I frequently watched it on cable last winter at the townhouse where I was living while I was eating supper. There are many differences between the television character and I. For instance, he is a gentleman and I am a ruffian. He is wears black and I prefer colors. He is rugged looking and I am adorably cute.

By the way, the actor in that series, Richard Boone, is descended from Daniel Boone's younger brother, Squire Boone. Since you probably have no idea who Daniel Boone was, I am not sure why I mentioned that particular fact.

"Maybe It's Love" is the name of the film, Anita, and Gloria Stuart, Ross Alexander, Frank McHugh and Ruth Donnelly are among the cast members. Remember, this motion picture was made in 1935, so you are not going to find it easily and, unless you watch movies from this era on a "regular" basis, you probably will not have heard of these actors and actresses.

Anonymous said...

Oh baby i am a master in finding old movies i will look for it when i am awake..daniel boone..i have heard that name..must google..think he was a indian seeker..or musician..i know you are goodlooking..from your photo..of a young one..but are you not a gentlman..? I think you are..i think..you are a very soulful person..you are fishes right? ..ok time soon for my day to begin..i sleep better now in this chilly november time

Bitch said...

So many things are coming in your mind.

Of cause it is sad to read on tombstones about two young man in their early ages. And the two where brothers. So bad!! So very sad!!!

The expression "You're a regular" can stand for a lot of things.
My mind is going to a whore house..
But maybe I am to extreme??

I can only applause, that winter for me also is a season for cocooning. Maybe for having nice conversations with friends.
Sitting near an open fire and having a bottle of wine with cheese snacks etc. beside me.
Listen to classical music.

But to walk under all those beautiful conditions you are mention VERY SPECIAL!!

Send hugs around the world..
Monika

Fram Actual said...

Daniel Boone was an Indian fighter, an explorer, a hunter and the founder of a few settlements in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, Anita. He was what some would call an American original. I have mentioned him in a few posts, and once ran a painting illustrating him as envisioned by artist Thomas Cole. The painting appeared on this page on August 20, 2010.

Yes, I swim with the fish both in earthly waters and among the stars of the zodiac. Very soulful, indeed, I am, but whether or not I am a gentleman depends upon the nature and the manner of person with whom I am dealing. My response to anyone usually is that of a mirror. I was sort of teasing in my earlier remark.

Fram Actual said...

Yes, Monika. The story of these two brothers and their parents is a very sad tale. Beyond this, it amazes me still that I would encounter their tombstones while wandering aimlessly looking for monuments to photograph in two separate cemeteries situated a mile apart in a state and a city a thousand miles away from my home.

The way my thought patterns work, I do not think it was an accident that I did encounter them. I believe it was supposed to happen. It was written somewhere in a book of fate, and I need to discover why.

Well, while American films during the 1930s are characteristically risqué, I do not think the reference was meant in the sense of a customer in any manner of establishment. In fact, from what I have learned, it was a variation of the term, "regular guy," which meant, in effect, a nice guy, a typical guy, an average guy or one of the guys. Anyway, you have convinced me its reinstatement in common usage will not become one of my "missions in life."

To live in a city during winter is a chore; to live in the countryside is a thing of beauty and often an opportunity to experience many magical moments.

Kaya said...

"The four seasons do influence my mood greatly..." I read this and immediately thought it's about me. I also think that it is for everyone. I love summer and I love spring when everything is awakening and promising.

You gave me a great advice to think about seasons as children. I like it. I am glad to read about this advice here in this post.

And ohh, I agree that it's absolutely fantastic to walk on ice covered lake. Not sure about night but I think it might be beautiful and very light from moon and snow.

"You are regular..." Interesting idiom. I can't get completely its meaning . Regular and ordinary? Or regular and normal? Or regular and.... Who knows else? I have to think about it. Ok, Fram, go for your mission and reinstall this idiom into Americana but I would not like to be called regular by anybody else. Sounds like you are not much of all and dull, dull and dull.... And regular people don't brake rules. And if they don't break rules they don't risk and they are stocked with their lives.

Hello Fram, for some unknown reason I was caught by the end of your post and right now I am at the beginning.

Aha, these are the most beautiful birds on Earth whom Fram likes very much. That is true, these ducks are great. I like him, he is so colorful and so handsome. Very cute and she of course is plain and modest. You took such a lovely picture, Fram. And title of your blog is very, very romantic.

I also love very much the song. It's great!!!

Greetings from Kaya.

Daliana Pacuraru said...

Well, my tarantula female is bigger , more colorful, more aggressive than her male. She kills her boyfriend after mating. What do you say about that? There are no rules in nature regarding this..ha ha...eh...predators are also part of the nature....Yes, love comes in many forms...

Well, about your strange situation in cemeteries....life always give us signs...and we call them coincidences but they are not.I don't know why you, why them....

I belive that nothing is 'regular' in this world. This 'regular' concept is invented by humans. Regular, normal, ordinary, standard....is a way of doing things or living life or like my neighbour or your neighbour is a way to judge people without thinking too much. Regular=flat speaking in terms of an landscape .
Well, I have to think if I am 'regular'(I am?) or if I give reasons to someone to call me 'regular' . Hope not.
Well, winter is next door.You are right. I have to assume, to take thinks like they are. Winter is almost here. Yes. But I am not happy at all.Because I am not a wolf like you. I am a princess.
I like this song. It is a love song. It is for winter? ha ha
See you!

Fram Actual said...

The unusual element for me about these ducks, Kaya, is that they are not North American ducks. I have no idea of their name/species, and I never have been curious enough to attempt to learn it. I would like to have seen them in flight, because the flight mannerisms of ducks is as different as their colors in many instances.

Yes, I think most would interpret being called a "regular" just about the same as being called an "ordinary" person. I have no idea how a "typical" woman might feel about this, but I can assure you that any number of "average" men would like it. In many ways, the term signifies acceptance among one's peers -- someone who is reliable and trustworthy.

Being on a frozen, snowy lake under bright moonlight might be comparable to being on a desert under moonlight, except with the scenery seeming to be much more alive. That might be the best way to put it: A frozen lake is alive at night under the moonlight; during the day, it simply is frozen water.

Since I have no favorite season, I feel lost. You are fortunate to have some.

Fram Actual said...

Yes, Wind, I think I did use too broad a brush stroke, even when considering that the word "generally" was part of the sentence. I had ducks on my mind, but even there one or two species exist among them where the feathers of the male and female are pretty much identical. I "think" I must "re-think" my impressions.

I am not certain why me and why them in terms of encountering those tombstones in that cemetery in unfamiliar country, but I really do think there was some manner of design behind it.

But, under the category of actual coincidence, in my post I wrote this: "By the way, both parents were also in the city cemetery, I discovered the next day, dead within another year after their sons. Heartbreak, I think. What else could it have been?"

I learned this morning that the medical community has just accepted the concept of "heartbreak syndrome" as an actual medical disorder. Science finally is catching up with reality in this instance.

I do not think anyone would accuse you of being a "regular," Wind, although it is possible your tarantulas think of you as one of them. Teasing, I am just teasing ....

No, I am not happy about winter, either, but I have decided I will try to appreciate it and to enjoy it more. And, in reality, the humidity of August in this part of the world drives me indoors just as much as do the frigid temperatures of January. But, I suppose a princess whose aunt had a real castle under her control does not worry about these minor inconveniences. Teasing again .... sort of ....

Love songs, including this one, are for all seasons; you know that.

Daliana Pacuraru said...

This duck is called 'Mandarin Duck' and we have a lot( here on the lakes).Is kind of a lazy duck!They climbs the trees instead flying!
I have never seen this duck flying!

Anyway it is a beautiful bird .

I wish you all a beautiful weekend!

Kaya said...

I am back to tell you that being regular isn't not bad thing as I thought when I read for the first time your post. I am changing my mind about it . Being regular is being simply yourself without any pretense. Am I correct or not but I like to think this way for a while.

Simply Kaya.

Fram Actual said...

So, we have here a pair of lazy Mandarin Ducks. Thank you, Wind. My curiosity is satiated.

It is interesting to note that the most colorful North American duck is the Wood Duck, and it is possible to draw similarities among the colors between it and your Mandarin. Add to that, while I have seen Wood Ducks in flight, they also spend a great deal of time in trees and often nest in them. Who knows? They might be cousins.

Another mystery solved.

Fram Actual said...

I am not sure how to respond, Kaya. Has it been a while yet?

What I mean is that certainly, it is possible to simply be yourself without any pretense and be a regular. But, it is not as easy to define as that. Many people who are themselves without any pretense are not very nice, and probably would not be considered a regular unless other circumstances were part of the overall picture.

There often are more factors involved.

Something special ....