Thursday, March 12, 2020

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

 "The Laetoli Footprints" were discovered in 1976 at Laetoli, an archaeological site in northern Tanzania, where the prints of three hominins -- ancient human ancestors and most likely Australopithecus afarensis -- were preserved and fossilized in the ash fall of a volcanic eruption some 3.63 -- 3.85 million years ago. They represent the oldest hominin footprints yet discovered on the planet. It does not require a great deal of imagination when physically present at such a place to feel the lingering existence of the beings who made the prints and to visualize their trek. The photograph is from a reproduction at the Field Museum, Chicago, by James St. John. The video is here because I love the song and I love the voice singing it and, mostly, because if fits my mood. It is mislabeled, incidentally. The singer is not Cher. It is Kelly Van Hoose Smith, who played Cher in a 1999 Sonny and Cher biopic.
Sort of lost without a time travel machine
My usual routine includes taking my "puppy companion" -- Buddy -- outside before we call it a day. The usual time is around 1:00 a.m. -- give or take an hour either direction. About one-half an inch of new-fallen, moist snow was on the ground last night. As I walked through it, I noted the sharp, distinct footprints left behind. Between then and this morning, no more snow had arrived and the prints remained -- still sharp and distinct.
As I retraced the path this morning of hours earlier, I fancifully wondered if I might encounter myself on the earlier trek. My mind then went to, "The Lincoln Hunters," a long-ago science fiction novel by Wilson Tucker. The story, set in the year 2578, details the journey of historian Benjamin Stewart from an oppressive society of that era, who travels back in time to record Abraham Lincoln's Lost Speech of May 19, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois. The novel contains a vivid description of Lincoln in the early stages of his career as seen through the eyes of Stewart, a man from the sort of distant future.  
Other than being a superb tale with a number of historical side trips, the novel also sets forth the "classic theory" that two copies of a person cannot exist in the same location at the same time. Stewart has to make two trips to achieve his mission and witnesses his earlier self disappear .... which means author Wilson buys into the theory of occupation of the same space at the same time.
My fanciful being then wondered which of us -- me or my earlier self -- would vanish should we encounter one another while walking in the same footsteps. Since I am here writing this, obviously there was no meeting. My imaginative but logical self likes to think this is because my earlier self and my present self were not occupying the same space at the exact same moment .... hmmmm .... wish I had a time machine to test the theory ....
Remember, though, this is only a theory (but one that makes sense) and unless (or until) there is a "time travel machine," it can be only an unprovable notion among individuals who drift in and out of dream-like concepts.
Incidentally, like so often happens in tales such as this, Stewart was left stranded in 1856 and we last see him planning his future there.





23 comments:

Anita said...

Goodmorning USA!How are you?

Good but deep post today!

I am not sure if i follow you..But yes one can think of us in different Dimensions at the same time.

Ohh I loooove Your song today!
So calm and beautiful.Good for my ears and mind in these difficult times

It must be wonderful to be loved that way


Hope you are all good

Here I am in Carantene

Not sick but to take preventions

I will update on my blog in some time

Like Your post today ,lovely, Fram :)))

Anita

Fram Actual said...

When I begin writing in an ad-lib fashion, I do it in a manner similar to when I go off a diving board. I begin at the surface and go deeper and deeper. I can feel myself going through differing temperature layers of water, each colder than the one I am leaving. At some point, I reach a depth where I realize I am at my limit and need to get back to the surface. It is sort of a sensing of when you have reached a point of no return and understanding it is time to stop the descent and to begin the ascent. That is what happened with this post.

The song is especially beautiful to my ears and to my mind. The right combination of melody and lyrics can affect us all greatly -- and, often differently. Here is a link to what I think is the original recording of it, in case you are curious: https://youtu.be/lwGSKea-lGw

Politicians and viruses have a way of turning many people into lemmings, it seems to me. The coronavirus certainly poses a threat and must be taken seriously with many precautions, as you are doing, Anita, but remember the story about Henny Penny/Chicken Little and "the sky is falling."

Thank you, Anita, for finding your way to me again and writing a comment. I am glad you like the post and especially glad you like the song. I do not list songs I like in any particular order, but this one is among my very favorites .... vær trygg og sunn og lykkelig, byjente ....

Smareis said...

Olá Fram,
Enfim estou de volta ... Muito bom estar de volta aqui. Hum senti saudades! Primeiramente me desculpe pela ausência, eu até passei aqui pelo seu blog mesmo ausente no meu pra te ler. Seus comentários estavam desativados. Foi meio que louco esse começo de ano, o controle da minha vida ficou com uma pilha fraca. Perder meu mano não foi fácil. Quando uma pessoa está começando a entender a vida, ela muda e muda conforme as configurações. Os problemas na vida são como um labirinto: fácil de entrar e difícil de sair. Se você deixar tudo nas mãos de Deus, poderá ver a mão de Deus agindo em seu favor. É assim que vejo, sinto e sinto.

Bem, quanto a sua postagem, eu gostei muito e fiquei bem curiosa a respeito dessa imagem.
Sobre o filhote Buddy deve ser um lindo cachorro. Muito cedo esse passeio, deve ser bastante frio e muita neve. Cuidado!
Sobre o romance a qual você narra deve ser muito bom. Eu não sei se gostaria de viajar em uma máquina do tempo Fram, nem para testar minhas teorias, risos. Acho que o medo é maior que a curiosidade.
A música é muito bonita, e eu amei a letra. Sonny & Cher vou ouvir outras músicas desse casal.
Fram eu volto a ler outras postagens que ainda não li.
Sorriso pra você.
Se cuida!

Fram Actual said...

Smareis writes: "Muito bom estar de volta aqui. Hum senti saudades! Primeiramente me desculpe pela ausência ...."

Fram replies: It is very good to have you back, Smareis .... I have missed you more than I can say ....

You have written about your history with the sea of blogs, Smareis, so your periodic absences do not surprise me. The only thing that would surprise me in that regard would be if you left and never did return. To me, the blogs are similar to a job that you enjoy in many ways, but which has elements and burdens you do not like and sometimes wonder if your life would be better if you moved along and left them behind. I have a history of moving along every few years, so I wonder why I still am here doing this ....

There seldom are times during my life when I am without words, but the death of your brother was one of those times, Smareis. I used as a self-serving excuse to myself the fact that I am an only child and do not have the experience of sibling love to gauge the degree and the depth of feelings which exist between them. At some point, I came to realize that I should have written a simple, "I am sorry for your loss," and that probably/hopefully would have been sufficient for both of us. There is no way I can justify my silence back then, but I say it now: I am sorry for your loss, Smareis, and I am sorry I have waited so long to say those words. We all have strengths and weaknesses and must find ways to foster the former and to eliminate the latter. I am trying ....

Regarding this particular post, the photograph shows two sets of footprints, one small and one large, purported to be of our ancestors. The photograph lacks clarity, but there are others on the internet which are better if you are curious.

Yes, often there is snow and cold in the winter and rain in the warm-weather months to contend with, and the wind can be fierce, but Buddy and I go out in it no matter what the weather. I like the night, which makes it easier for me, and Buddy seems to simply enjoy the outdoors no matter what the situation.

My curiosity outweighs my fear, and I have a degree of self-confidence which sometimes crosses over into arrogance and which might get me killed some day, but the concept of time travel is marvelous beyond description to my way of thinking and I would not hesitate for a moment to climb aboard such a machine.

As I have said in the past, both the melody and the lyrics of this song are among my very/very favorites.

I am glad you are again on the blogs and again visiting me, Smareis .... take care, be safe, be happy and I say, thank you, for your smiles .... I think of you and send wishes for the best in life and living for you and for those you love ....

Smareis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Smareis said...

Eu acho que você conseguiu explicar corretamente como a gente sente em relação ao blog. Eu sinto exatamente assim do jeitinho que você explicou. Como um trabalho que gosto muito, mas existem algumas coisas que sempre me deixa com vontade de sair e não voltar mais... As vezes me pergunto porque eu ainda estou nos blogs. O mais engraçado que sinto saudades do blog quando me ausento. Eu tenho uma ligação com esse mar de blogs muito forte. Eu já tentei sair, mas algo me trás de volta. São muitos anos de blog, e não sei se consigo sair do blog algum dia. Preciso tirar um dia só pra achar todos os meus blogs que estão restritos espalhado pela rede risos. Eu já tive um blog que era a menina dos meus olhos chamava “Falando com o coração”. O amor pelos blogs veio a partir desse blog.

Sobre meu irmão Fram, ele morreu muito rápido, talvez isso tenha mexido demais comigo. As vezes eu penso que ele está lá na casa dele com os filhos e a esposa. Depois acabo caindo na real e entendo que ele nunca mais vai voltar. Ele passou por duas cirurgias em uma semana, e não resistiu. Foi rápido demais tudo. Ele entrou na cirurgia feliz conversando, cheio de planos e 8 dias depois estava morto. O destino da gente é como a nuvem, parecem rígidas por fora, mas se desmancham com o primeiro vento.
Quanto você não ter dito nada a respeito da morte do meu irmão, ou melhor, “Sinto muito”. Eu entendo, não se preocupe. Eu percebi que você estava ausente do seu blog e talvez nem sabia do acontecido.
Eu recebi muito apoio dos leitores do meu blog, me enviaram muitos e-mails, acho que foi por isso que voltei ao blog: gratidão pela força, e também muitas saudades do blog. Não sei ficar muito tempo longe do blog.

Passear a noite aí deve ser perigoso por causa de lobo, ursos e outros bicho Fram. Aí deve ter muito animal perigoso, sem contar o tanto de neve de madrugada... Aqui na minha cidade passear com meu cão a noite no máximo tem que ser até as 19hrs, pois a bandidagem está nas ruas. A quantidade de bandido aqui é demais.
Essa música que toca no seu post, eu gostei muito. A letra muito bonita e romântica também.

Ah, sobre o Léo Chaves, a dupla separou. Agora Léo canta solo, e Victor acho que vai cantar também. O Léo também dá palestras.

Fram quanto a máquina do tempo, eu realmente não entraria por meio de cair num lugar perigoso, ou no meio de uma guerra. Talvez se houvesse uma máquina do tempo que pudesse me levar em alguma parte da minha vida que já passou e eu pudesse mudar alguma coisa, ai sim eu entraria nessa máquina, risos.
Bem Fram, que bom que você ainda está aqui nos blogs. Acho que o blog tem alguma magia que prendem que entra nele.

Se cuida aí nesse teu passeio na madrugada com o Buddy.
Sorrisos pra você!
Eu volto!

Smareis said...

Fram, eu apaguei um comentário pois entrou duplicado.
Depois apaga esse. risos.

Fram Actual said...

Most of my days are spent in the "city," with only occasional trips either on the road doing a bit of exploring for a few days at a time or at the Dakota house. Subsequently, most of the walks Buddy and I engage in are in the city where only an occasional coyote or fox are seen in the sense of animals which offer a potential threat. At the Dakota house, there are no bears and no wolves, only one (maybe two) mountain lions, one bobcat, a fox or two and numerous coyote which might be considered dangerous. When walking outdoors whether in the night or in the day, I always have a handgun with me, but I have come to believe all life is precious and would not use it unless there was extreme danger.

In most metropolitan regions there are areas which have high crime rates and some places with low crime rates. I am in one which is extremely low. Most people know each other to some degree, socialize together on occasions, have neighborhood block parties in which police participate and we keep an eye on houses when owners are gone. Of course, figurative lightning can strike, as it did a quarter-mile from my house in Dakota when a woman and her 11-year-old daughter were murdered by an escapee from a facility for "mentally disturbed" individuals. That is the primary reason I carry a firearm.

I read a newspaper article today in which a woman said: "Every day we encounter somebody who woke up that morning and everything was fine in their family, and six hours later, their life is changed .... you realize that it's just one day at a time, one hour at a time." I try to live my life with that attitude.

I have watched your video with Leo a few times, and some others from when he and Victor were together. The amazing thing to me was that not only did Leo's English seem perfect, but there was no hint of any accent, either, which is so often the case when someone speaks a language other than their native-born. It seemed obvious to me Leo was the crowd favorite between the two and from observing the audience, it was clear that while most of his fans were women, a number of men seemed equally enthused about his performances. There is something within him which makes him appear to have both masculine and feminine attributes.

As I noted in my earlier note, I would not hesitate for a moment to climb aboard a time travel machine.

And again, I am sorry I was silent at the time of your brother's death.

I am not a stranger to death and I have no fear of it .... only curiosity. I do try to avoid funerals because I feel awkward and clumsy at such gatherings -- out of place and sort of lost, like a stranger in a strange land. I can count the number I have attended on my fingers. I have said on a few occasions that I do not plan to attend my own funeral, and actually my plans are to have a private burial ceremony. I am counting on my son to ensure this happens if at all possible and probably will be buried on family property overlooking the Missouri River in Dakota. It is legal to do so there.

I could walk away from the sea of blogs if a somewhat abrupt and dramatic event altered my life, but otherwise, I am not sure I could leave permanently.

Thank you, Smareis, for your return "voyage" to me. I think it is time for me to search out more Brazilian music -- some, as you noted, in which "the lyrics are very beautiful and romantic, too."

I think of you, Smareis ....

Smareis said...

Então Fram, ainda bem que não tem lobos nem ursos por aí. Mais os coiotes são bem perigosos também.
Eu assisto no Discovery Channel, (Alasca: A Última Fronteira) (A Grande Família do Alasca) La esses animais são muito perigoso. Nesse canal tem também Reality Shows muito bons. Alaska deve ter uma vista lindíssima.

Sobre a criminalidade, aqui no Brasil a coisa é bem complicada. Os bandidos são muito agressivos, a um mês atrás um vizinho nosso foi morto quando recebeu uma voz de assalto no farol, levou dois tiros na cabeça só porque demorou alguns segundo para passar a carteira e o celular. Deixou uma família por causa de um adolescente marginal.

Sobre o Victor e Léo, eles faziam muito sucesso foram 27 anos de carreira juntos. Estavam numa fase muito boa, no auge do sucesso. Mas uma briga entre Victor e a ex esposa gerou uma vendaval na carreira deles. Ela denunciou o Victor, dizendo que foi agredida por ele. Ele diz que não fez nada disso, mas mesmo assim teve processo e tudo. Ano passado ele se separam, e cada um tá seguindo sozinho... O Léo lançou seu segundo livro no começo do ano.("A grande arte de se reinventar").
Léo disse:(“Definitivamente, a gente vai voltar a cantar no futuro. Não houve briga, discussão, nada disso. Foi uma decisão muito lúcida, pensada e saudável. Há uma cobrança das pessoas para que a gente volte logo, mas têm que entender que estamos em um outro momento da nossa trajetória. Era um conjunto que dava muito certo, mas formado por duas partes diferentes, duas bandas diferentes, que agora querem seguir o seu caminho, querem experimentar algo novo”).
Eles ficaram muito rico com a música, acho que o dinheiro mexe com a cabeça desses artista.

Sobre a morte: eu gostaria que meu corpo fosse cremado e as cinzas jogadas aos ventos.
Aqui no BRASIL não pode enterrar corpo que não seja em cemitério. Acho que ser enterrado perto de um rio, ou de um lago parece até um filme. Bem legal.
Obrigada Fram pelo nosso papo por aqui.
Uma ótima semana pra você!
Se cuida!
Tudo de bom, e muitos sorrisos.

Fram Actual said...

Once upon a time .... I was offered a newspaper job in Juneau, Alaska, but said no for a couple of reasons. The editor and the photographer were guys I had worked with in Michigan and who I liked, but the situation for me just was not right for a move north and west at the time. It probably was for the best that I did not go because a year later the editor had moved along to work in Oregon and the photographer was back in Michigan. I have to admit, though, there are times when I wonder where I would be today had I moved north and west back then ....

What you wrote about Victor and Leo is interesting. I was aware of the problem between Leo and his former wife, but not about the history of Leo and Victor. It is not unusual for band members to move along in different directions because they have varying opinions about the music they wish to play and want to pursue success on their own. It also is not unusual for them to reunite for a concert or a recording, and I think it would be great of the pair did just that. Yes, I agree .... money almost always lurks in the minds of artists.

So, Smareis wishes for cremation and her ashes thrown to the winds .... that opens a portal into the realm of fascinating thought. I have enough of the blood of an archaeologist flowing through my body to hope my earthly remains some day in the far/far/far distant future will be recovered and studied and exhibited. It would be a form of immortality, I think. I also could be an enigma / a mystery / a riddle that way, I think: On this side there is Ötzi the Iceman -- on that side there is Fram the Iceman (or whatever). Who can say what will be in the distant future? Do you think for one second the hominins who trudged through the volcanic ash ever dreamt their footprints would still exist and be studied nearly four million years into the future? Imagination and random chance have no bounds .... March 16 is my birthday and this is my birthday wish ....

It is great, it is special to be able to "talk" with you again, Smareis. Thank you, for coming here and for the smiles. It has been a good day for me and, I hope, for you, as well ....

I think of Smareis ....

Smareis said...

Fram disse: É ótimo, é especial poder "conversar" com você novamente, Smareis. Obrigado por vir aqui e pelos sorrisos. Foi um bom dia para mim e, espero, para você também ...

Eu que agradeço Fram pelo carinho que você sempre comenta no meu blog, e o carinho com que responde a meus comentários. Conversar com você sempre é muito prazerosos e gratificante. Obrigada Fram!
Eu estou triste com essa pandemia que está alastrando no Brasil. Nosso Pais tá fechando tudo, as ruas desertas, comércio de portas fechadas, ta parecendo uma cidade fantasma. Tenho muita fé e esperança, mas sou de carne e osso e te confesso que ando muito assustada pois entramos no outono e isso é bem mais complicado. Sei que Deus está no controle e ele vai nos proteger de todo mal.
Hoje estou sem sorriso, mais lhe envio uma estrela pra iluminar sua vida.
Até mais...

Fram Actual said...

Dante Alighieri wrote a three-segment poem about a journey through the Christian concept of hell, purgatory and heaven .... the Inferno / Purgatory / Paradise. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant composed Led Zeppelin's song about a stairway to heaven. I think of our time on earth as people being on rungs of a ladder with individuals either ascending or descending in terms of the way they live their lives.

You, Smareis, I believe to be a special and unique young lady -- as someone in a steady ascent on the ladder of life. This is what I see when I read your posts and what others sense as expressed in their comments to your posts. My affection and admiration toward you are genuine.

In a religious sense, envy might be a sin, but I envy you your faith. I see the story of Cain and Abel as allegorical and know both of them exist within me to a degree and that they occasionally battle over which will be dominant. I am not at all sure what kind fellow Seth was, but I like to think he was a bit like me (or, perhaps more accurately, I am a bit like him) and able to maintain equilibrium.

There is no doubt the world will undergo many transformations in the years ahead as a direct result of this coronavirus pandemic and the futures of many individuals will be altered, some irreparably damaged. I cannot see, for instance, how a worldwide, economic depression can be avoided and I think the strong among the not-so-nice people will see this as an opportunity to take control in both financial and political ways.

Up to this point, my life has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic and it appears Minnesota is one of best and safest places to live. I have no worry or fear about myself and am able to view much of life in a sort of a detached fashion as an "objective" observer, but how other lives will be affected creates immeasurable uncertainty which results in worry and fear about their well-being.

What is happening now illustrates why I find the study of history so fascinating and the interworking of individuals so intriguing.

I occasionally use the David Coverdale admonition: "Be safe, be happy and don't let anybody make you afraid" .... to which I would modify to "don't let anybody or anything make you afraid."

Later, Smareis ....

A Cuban In London said...

I really enjoyed the passage about you and your puppy walking in the snow and coming back the next day to see the footprints left behind, I hope you're holding up well.

Greetings from London.

Fram Actual said...

There is no element of corporeal or mental or spiritual life which is designed for immortality other than the imagination of humankind, but it strikes me as wonderful that under certain conditions our footprints might last a few million years. It is sort of an unintentional, symbolic "Kilroy was here" script on a wall -- a trace that once upon a time "I" passed this way. I enjoy thinking about and playing with things like footprints and shadows, CiL. They provide a sort of nourishment for me which seems useful.

The last I was aware, there were fewer than 200 coronavirus cases in Minnesota and one death. Students in my familial circle are affected by having classes canceled, but my life is about the same as it always is .... for now I go and come as I please / no shortages / no longer than usual lines. However, as newscasters are prone to say: "We don't know what we don't know."

I assume others like myself have been drawn to read/reread George R. Stewart's 1949 novel, "Earth Abides." It is the story of a pandemic which ends life as we know it.

Thank you, for coming and for writing, CiL .... I hope you and your family are holding up well, too.

Kelly said...

I'm guessing you are the "anonymous" who visited my blog earlier? If so, I really hope you enjoy the novel I recommended. Reading preferences are so subjective, it's always a risk when making suggestions to others.

You've intrigued me with The Lincoln Hunters. I use to avoid time travel stories since I often struggled with the paradoxes, but have learned to go with the flow and embrace them. I'm off to check it out more closely...

Fram Actual said...

Good guess ....

I really hope I enjoy the book, too, and anticipate I will. I could tell when visiting your blog you are a voracious reader so you may have already read the novels of Jack Finney, but I want to specifically mention that his book, "Time and Again," is my absolute favorite time travel piece and, for that matter, my preferred story of any I have read pertaining to science fiction and fantasy.

My reading tastes bounce all over the place, and frequently center on fiction and nonfiction about the "plains Indian wars" and the 19th Century immigration movement to this region. Ole Rolvaag is among my preferred writers and through his novels I have been able to walk in his footsteps, in a manner of speaking. "Their Fathers' God," for instance, references many downtown Minneapolis landmarks which still exist and are recognizable. He lived there while the 19th Century drifted into the 20th.

Thank you, Kelly, for coming here. I hope you will enjoy the tale of the men who traveled back through time to hear and to record Abraham Lincoln's speech. I will visit your blog from time to time to enjoy your photographs and to look for tips regarding reading material. Take care ....

Kelly said...

I have not read Jack Finney (and see that he wrote Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and have now added Time and Again to my wishlist at Amazon. Same thing with the Lincoln book, which is only available third party. Have you read Millennium by John Varley? It's another time travel novel that I felt had an interesting take on things. (thinking of it since it was also only available third party)

I do read a lot (fiction and non-fiction) and have really expanded my taste in recent years, in part because I joined a book club. If pressed, I would say my favorite genres are historical fiction and mystery - a bonus when the two are combined. My favorite time period is probably Ancient Rome, both Republican and Imperial, though I also really like medieval Britain. As for non-fiction, I like science, history, and religion. At the beginning of the year, I did a "best of the decade" post and it was fun looking back at what I'd read over the past ten years.

My son and his girlfriend live in Minneapolis. We visited a few years back and I found it to be a beautiful and welcoming city. Quite a change from my rural south Arkansas existence.

Thanks (I think!) for giving me more additions to my reading wishlist.

Fram Actual said...

I actually live in Saint Paul (at the moment) which, if nothing else, has a far more interesting history than does Minneapolis. For instance, notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s -- including bank robber John Dillinger and his girlfriend Evelyn Frechette; racketeer and mob leader Al Capone; and the outlawed duo Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker -- stayed in the city at some point. On the literary side, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote part of his first novel while he and Zelda were living here in the family mansion.

I have heard of John Varley, but not read anything he has written. I will take a look at his work, since you mention it. I also will check out your "best of the decade" post. I am nothing else if not curious.

Yes, about Jack Finney. He was a "Hollywood type," among other things. His short story collection, "The Third Level," is considered a masterpiece by many.

I will throw another name at you: Richard Burton Matheson. Among his novels is, "Bid Time Return." The 1960 film, "Somewhere in Time," was based on that story. I spent a few days at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island once upon a time -- it is a fabulous place and the primary location where the movie was filmed. The hotel offers many "special packages," including a "murder mystery weekend," or something like that, which might interest you.

I enjoy historical fiction, as well. One of the "old timers" in that field was Edison Marshall. I think I have read all his novels, which includes one on the "Arthurian legends" and another about the lost Roanoke Island colony. Some of his novels also were made into movies.

I seldom read contemporary fiction ....

So, here we are again. Thank you, Kelly, for the suggestions and for your return here ....

Kelly said...

...and if you keep making these recommendations, you'll never get rid of me. I enjoy most Arthurian legend and my husband would probably be interested in the Roanoke Island story. So I'll look those up when I leave here. I'll check out Matheson, as well.

I just finished reading William Kent Krueger's latest novel (This Tender Land) which takes place in 1932 Minnesota, including St. Paul. I've read another stand-alone of his, but not his detective series set in MN. I've read a couple of other novels set in MN, too... always, seemingly, in winter.

Kelly said...

Oh... I failed to mention that Bonnie and Clyde met their end about 100 miles from here. Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Certainly not the romanticized pair portrayed in the movie.

Fram Actual said...

As I mentioned, I seldom read contemporary fiction (sort of a snobbery on my part and waiting to see if it still is around a few decades after publication), but I checked out William Kent Krueger and think I will give him a shot. His early reading including Hemingway and Fitzgerald is sort of the same as my own and I noticed his writing habit (early/early morning and long hand in notebooks) is an emulation of Hemingway.

The only "contemporary Minnesotans" I have read in substance (all their stuff) are Vince Flynn of the American assassin series and Frederick Manfred, whose "Siouxland" novels are historical in nature and centered on this region. I met them both a few times.

In regard to the Native American connection, a number of years ago I worked at a newspaper on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and saw the squalor many Indians lived in there. I have relatives through both marriage and blood who are (actual) Sioux and Ojibwa, have enjoyed a number of sweat lodge events and attended several pow-wows.

I might mention being able not only to survive, but to thrive, during a typical Minnesota winter is a hallmark of being Minnesotan. Once upon a time, I would tent and snow/ice house camp during winter, but now my style is to hibernate through January and February.

I never have seen the Bonnie and Clyde movie. It seemed to me casting Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty was very inappropriate. I am not sure why I mentioned the criminal connection to Saint Paul except in that it was sort of unique. The police department back then from the chief down had a policy of not "bothering" criminals who did not commit crimes while in the city.

So, I will offer no new suggestions about either writers or books and note that I have yet to take a look at your "best of the decade" books .... but I will .... take care, Kelly, and happy reading ....

Himawan Sant said...

Hello, Fram.
Your writing is good, I like to read it.

Have a nice days
Greetings from Indonesia

Fram Actual said...

Greetings to you, Himawan Sant, in far away Indonesia.

Thank you, for coming all this way to visit me and for writing a comment. I very much appreciate it. I just returned from your blog and will visit again later when I have more time to translate your language into mine. I hope you will come here from time to time .... take care and be safe ....

Something special ....