Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Nice night to count stars

I am not at all certain how many nights I have spent sleeping under the stars and would not even hazard a guess, but it has been many/many/many. Try putting a number on that.
Zigging and zagging between the Utah and Colorado border presented an ideal opportunity to attempt a count of the stars. Estimates for just the Milky Way alone are between 100 and 400 billion, and that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in context to the amount in the universe, whose numbers of galaxies escalate into the trillions with each containing billions of stars .... sort of an overwhelming / frightening / humbling thought, is it not? Whenever you feel a smidgeon of arrogance creeping into your life, spending a night under the open skies counting stars is a good way to return to reality.
I ordinarily do not unholster a pistol in unfamiliar territory because the sound of gunfire often draws attention .... sometimes unwanted attention. But, opportunities for "trigger time" are something less than abundant for me these days .... so, guess what?
David Bowie is a favorite of mine. I saw his Glass Spider Tour a number of years ago right here in Saint Paul. During that concert Bowie and the cast performed, "Modern Love," as the finale. It is here today for those who never saw the Spider. The other piece, "Heard It in a Love Song," by the Marshall Tucker Band is here because it sort of is a cowboy song and suits me, and because it is a "purrtee little love song."

8 comments:

Kaya said...

Desert, open sky with many many stars scattered all over it...
Fram, that is a great way to be so close to universe.

About a pistol. A year ago I was determined to buy a pistol to feel safe when I am in the desert but changed my mind. It scares me to have a gun.
David Bowie is a very good! He is so full of energy!

Fram Actual said...

Living in a city has many advantages but, depending upon the priorities of the individual, many disadvantages as well. Chief among the disadvantages, in my view, is being cut off from much of Nature in both a real sense (touchy-feely) and in a visual perspective. That is the primary reason I prefer "country" living.

In regard to firearms, I would suggest you find a gun shop which offers lessons and take one, preferably with a revolver in .22 caliber. Revolvers are considered safer than semi-automatics, especially for inexperienced shooters, and .22 caliber has virtually no recoil and is the quietest. If the lesson puts you more at ease, take another and another continuing them and moving on to semi-autos in larger calibers. After a few lessons with a variety of handguns in a variety of calibers, that is the time to make a decision if you wish to purchase one.

The bottom line is that no one and no place is completely safe at any time, but owning, carrying and knowing how to use a handgun ups the odds in your favor.

You just sort of clarified why David Bowie is among my favorites.

Thank you, Kaya, for coming and for writing a note for me. Take care, be safe and always have your camera within reach ....

Kelly said...

I see you are traveling!! So good! I am happy you are having adventures and enjoying life! Stay safe and well and happy Fram❤️

Fram Actual said...

Nothing elaborate or especially fascinating in regard to these "jaunts" of mine, Kelly. They are mostly on the order of the old-fashioned "Sunday afternoon drives" except they usually last for a few days at a time. Actually, I do not like driving or the tedious tomfoolery involved with flying in these times, but I do enjoy wandering, if you see the difference. What I need is Scotty and his transporter.

I miss our conversations from days-of-old .... but, I guess that is why we are blessed with memory, so we are able to hold on to the past .... and, I do think of you more often than I care to admit. Life offers many mysteries with few opportunities for solutions, so we usually are left wondering and asking ourselves, "What if?"

I hope all is well and fine for you and for those you love, Kelly. By the way, one of my family members is now running with Lauren Alice Avery .... the blonde Avery ....

Carry on, M'Lady ....

Anita said...

Wow!
Has something new happened recently?
Your last posts are beautiful..Full of life and love!I adore it.Most be one nice day out there ..I quess shooting call for attention..but i bet you do it anyway..Wish you more and more all good and Happy Summer..Remember life is very short..Enjoy every moment and share your happiness!
Kyss og klem

Fram Actual said...

I suppose breaking away from the routine of day-to-day life a couple of times this summer loosened me up a bit, Anita, but otherwise it is the same, old me doing the same, old things, living the same, old life. I am tempted to say, "bah, humbug," but that would be a leap too far at the moment. Actually, I think I have found sort of an inner contentment or, in the least, have grown patient in ways and about things I never have been in the past.

Also, my mood lightens when I am in the midst of Nature.

And, yep .... you are dang tootin' I pulled out the pistol (two, in fact) and tried shooting the moon a few times .... I think I missed it, though.

Yes, life is short and summer is short, so I will be trying to make the most of both. In terms of the summer, we have reached the summit and now are on the back slope advancing upon the valley of autumn .... too soon it will be here .... maybe, this year it will be a winter to follow the sun .... we shall see ....

Take care and stay safe and be happy, Anita .... kyss og klem ....

Kelly said...

How wonderful your extended Sunday drives sound. I love the peace I find in wandering. Sometimes these adventures come with the music cranked up, the wind in my hair, the open road ahead and the excitement of the unknown; other times it is in the quiet of nature and green open spaces or white sand and blue seas...this is the good stuff in life, isn't it? Sometimes life becomes so complicated and we get lost. It feels good to come home to one's self again.

Like Anita, I love the most recent posts. I actually left a message on the Queen post but for some reason the computer deleted it. I liked my comment so much that I felt I couldn't recreate it so I just let it go...

Did you see the Bohemian Rhapsody movie? I loved it so much and it haunted me for quite some time. My friend Cathy and I were talking about it. The music was so great! How did we miss it? And yet, every time they played a song, I remembered it. Funny how music shapes us. We were busy having our babies and doing what young families do which definitely did not include dancing the night away in nightclubs! Changing diapers, fixing boo-boos, keeping the home fires burning...you know the drill.
Anyway, I loved the post you wrote and the songs. Your voice is always memorable, always makes me smile and always opens me up to new thoughts and I do love that.
So Mr. Bitter Bryce has turned to Mr. At Peace...who would have thunk it :-) I can see you now sitting cross-legged on your meditation pillow...Ohmmmmmm
Well, maybe not :-)
But that, Sir, makes me smile too!
Always,
Kelly <3

Fram Actual said...

These are the final few lines of the song, "Heard It in a Love Song:"

Always something greener
On the other side of that hill
I was born a wrangler and a rounder
And I guess I always will

Those words might seem like a stupid way to begin a reply to your comment, Kelly, but I think they are appropriate because my "mood of the day" begins with what I see when I awaken and look out the window. The mood sometimes changes or jumps around as the day moves along -- which means I am sort of an environment governs my mood individual. Incidentally, the composer of that song, Toy Caldwell, was a Marine wounded in Vietnam who died at age 45 .... I am always looking for links.

I suppose that was the long way of saying I am a transitory guy who one day might be singing while "dancing in the rain" metaphorically and the next day be quoting Ambrose "Bitter" Bierce, who I admire and sort of envy.

No, I have not seen the film about the band Queen. The reason is quite simple: I absolutely cannot stand the actor who plays Freddie Mercury. It has nothing to do with his acting talent. It stems back to earlier film and television roles. I find him (the actor) repugnant and cannot handle watching him. Although, I will admit I cannot think of any actor I believe could adequately handle a portrayal of Freddie .... who, I feel, was uniquely unique.

This simply is the way I am: There are actors / writers / singers / newscasters I greatly enjoy and others I cannot stand. I suppose many people are that way. The feeling has no real rhyme or reason to it; it is purely instinctual. I do not like to be that way, but I am.

Those words might seem like a stupid way to conclude a reply to your comment, Kelly, but I think they are appropriate because they comprise what I consider to be a segment of an accurate portrait of me. I think of it as a flaw, but, then again, perhaps it is a vestige of a primeval survival instinct ....

If all that seemed garbled, just remember one of my theme songs is Led Zeppelin's, "Dazed and Confused" ....

As for you, young lady, I still worry about you swimming in an ocean filled with sharks .... I mean really .... I doubt I will ever swim in an ocean again unless surrounded by a platoon of Marine Recon types ....

Seriously .... take care and be safe and think of Fram the Fortunate once and a while ....

Something special ....