Baby Birds

When we last left my friends, the Determined Sparrows, he and she won when I left them build their nest in one of the six Purple Martin birdhouse apartments. I don't know the status of their nest but I do know that the Purple Martins have occupied the other five apartment and are conducting business as usual. The sparrows fly up to their Purple Martin house nest all day, oblivious to their chirping neighbors, the Purple Martins. As I had mentioned in earlier blog postings, I have three blue bird houses that border my backyard. One of the bluebird houses is occupied by bluebirds and contains five bluebird eggs. The bluebird house in between, has a half finished nest that's been at that status for about three weeks. The remaining bluebird house has a five freshly hatched baby sparrows. Those are the baby sparrows pictured in this blog. I've also included a picture of the bluebird house which they occupy. I briefly opened the bird house to make sure the sparrows were still alive. A few days ago we had a ferocious thunderstorm blow through here in the late afternoon. During an earlier nor'easter, earlier occupants of this same birdhouse were drowned. They were only a few days away from leaving their nest when they died. These days there is a lot of activity in my back yard. The Purple Martins, swallows, sparrows, grackles, bluebirds, and robins. Even a noisey catbird made an appearance this morning. The Word must be out, the Tipton backyard is the place to be. The grasses and plants attract insects which in turn attract the birds to this Garden of Eden. The four birdbaths are in almost continuous use by all the birds. I thank my friends who read my previous blogs and urged me to keep my backyard open to all. That I have done after waging a losing battle trying to keep the sparrows out of the birdhouses they desired. Having done so, I see now that my feathered friends seem to have sorted things out themselves. Good show.

Robert F. Kennedy

Forty years ago tomorrow Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. I remember where I was when I heard the unbelievable news. I was working as a campaign worker for the RFK campaign in center city Philadelphia. His was the first and last political campaign I ever worked for. It was unusual for me to be working for a political campaign, let alone a Democratic candidate. I was a registered Republican and worked at Girard Bank, which was right across the street from the Kennedy Philadelphia campaign headquarters. Back in the Sixties, working at a large conservative Philadelphia bank, to volunteer for a Democratic candidate was not the normal thing for a bank employee to do. I talked my good friend Alice into also volunteering her time to work with me on the Kennedy campaign for president. I became a Kennedy supporter after I saw the Kennedy Magic up close during a motorcade he had been in some weeks before down Chesnut Street. Alice and I work on the fourth floor offices of Girard Bank located at the corner of Chesnut and Broad Street in center city Philadelphia. We had seen many political candidates parade and hold rallies near our bank. However, when the Robert F. Kennedy motorcade went down Chesnut Street, we witnessed something we had never seen before, pure magic. The hysteria, and unbridled joy of hope that here was a man to continue the Kennedy legacy and bring an end to the war in Vietnam. While I disliked the Vietnam protesters as much as anyone else, I did not believe in the continuation of the war in Vietnam. Why were we there? The Domino Theory? Our involvement in this war just didn't make sense to me. What also didn't make sense was the unending slaughter of our best and brightest. Today, forty years later, we are in much the same situation as we were forty years ago. We're in a war for which there is no clear reason. Our best and brightest are being killed and maimed for life. For what reason? To spread democracy? Or are we there to save face for a failed presidency? George Bush and Lyndon Johnson both got their presidencies mired in quagmire of a war that could not be won. They both appear to value saving face more than the lives of innocent Americans and the unfortunate civilians of the country that they chose to have war. Forty years later, we again have a young man on the horizon who is offering new hope for a way out of the mess we're in now. Like Bobby Kennedy, Barrack Obama is accused of lacking experience and is being demonized by those who oppose him. Like Bobby Kennedy, Barrack Obama's goal is to bring all of us together. To listen to Barrack Obama, I again feel that liberating feeling throughout my body when I first felt when I heard Bobby Kennedy speak. Like Bobby Kennedy, Barrack hits all the marks. What he says seems so right. To see in those crowds, the impossibly wide smiling faces of young people that greet Barrack Obama, I am again reminded of that day on Chesnut Street when I saw Bobby Kennedy mobbed by adoring throngs, grasping at his legs, standing on top of a car that slowly made it's way down Chesnut Street clogged with cheering admirers. Never had I experienced that feeling before in my life. That image of him, his legs being held steady by aids, as he attempted to bend and shake the hands of the adoring throngs, is forever seared in my memory. I've never seen anything like that until now. While I have not personally been to one of Barrack Obama's rallies, what I see on TV reminds me of the pure, unbridled joy that so many, young and old, are experiencing again. It is called hope. It is time for a change. When I renewed this blog some months ago with a new focus, "Retired In Delaware", I intentionally left politics out of it. However, I can't let this moment go by. Forty years ago we had the opportunity to change for a better life. We lost that opportunity because of a deranged individual with his own agenda. Hopefully, this time, Providence will look kindly upon us and grant this country a chance to redeem itself. Remember and honor the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy. To quote the last part of Robert F. Kennedy's speech at Indianapolis on the day of Martin Luther King's assassination:

"But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.
"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.
"Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Thank you very much."

Robert F. Kennedy, April 4, 1968, Indianapolis, Indiana

Ft. Miles at Cape Henlopen, Delaware

On this perfect day I decided to take Bill for a visit to Fort Miles on the tip of Cape Henlopen, Delaware. We lived in center city Philadelphia for eleven years and not once did we visit Independence Hall or the other historic landmarks associated with the early history of America. I didn't want to repeat that mistake again. Our home on the eastern shore of Delaware, is only about three miles from Cape Henlopen, Delaware. At the bed and breakfast where I work in Lewes, I frequently recommend Cape Henlopen as a must see local tourist attraction. Yet, I haven't visited this beautiful resource myself. Today that changed. My first visit actually was last Saturday. I had time to kill before I attended a beach wedding a mile down the road from Cape Henlopen. Cape Henlopen was just a short drive away so I took the trip, almost my default. What a pleasant surprise. Again, as has happened so often in my life, I have found that the treasures are hidden. Cape Henlopen is a beautiful park. At the tip of the cape is the old military base Fort Miles. Fort Miles was the military installation during World War II that was put in place to protect the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia. To walk those windswept acres is to go back in history at a time when our country was facing a serious threat from an enemy overseas. If there was an invasion of our shore, it probably would have been at Cape Henlopen. Thank goodness no blood was spilled on these shores. The view from the tip of the Cape is awe inspiring. The best things in life are indeed free.

Gossip - Part Two

Lots of feedback on my blog about gossip. That's good. Someone is reading my blog! Gossip. What is the first thing that come into your mind when you hear that word? It is apparent by the e-mails I've received about my blog on gossip, that the word gossip means different things to different people. My sister-in-law Barbara sent me a articulate and well thought out e-mail explaining why she doesn't engage in "gossip." She gave me the example of a lady friend she is helping with her computer skills. This woman often discusses with her "some problem with one of their kids or something else, just needing a listening ear." Barbara states that she would never repeat what she says to someone else as it could cause family problems for them. "One never know who know and who will repeat things yet again and they will get back to the person about whom you were speaking and cause hurt feelings. She needs my support and prayers, not my repeating and spreading what she has said." Of course I agree with Barbara, I would never repeat anything someone told me in confidence, even if they didn't mention that it was in confidence. Where I work, I frequently am on the listening end from one or another of my co-workers about some grievance they have against another co-worker or the owner. Never, never, never would I repeat anything I heard to another co-worker. I would not even repeat this information to my friends because they don't know my co-workers and it wouldn't be fair to them to tell complete strangers their personal business. To me this is just common sense. I have the same rule with friends, I would never repeat what one friend said to me about another friend (unless it was complimentary.) Why cause hurt feelings and what is to be gained by passing on such information? However, where I take exception with the advice my sister-in-law gave me was her advice "Talk about the weather, music, politics, even yourself if you have to, or talk about someone who is present." Okay, I'm going to wait until Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama is present so I can talk about them? This just isn't practical. I am a human being with opinions and live in a country where we have the free will to express such opinions. For instance, one of my friends recently went through a very traumatic breakup of a long time relationship. When another mutual friend asks how this person was doing, I gave my honest opinion. I didn't change the subject to weather just because he wasn't at the table "to defend himself." My opinion (which could be way off base) was that he was handling his breakup as well as could be but that he still carried a deep seated anger at being deceived for so long. We have all discussed this situation. The same was true of a situation I had a few weeks ago with friends I have dinner with on Sunday night at the Purple Parrot in Rehoboth Beach. Things were going along fine until I took offense to something a friend said. I overreacted and caused a scene. The next two weeks I did not attend the weekly meeting of friends. Did they talk about me in my absence? I would think so. I doubt that they would talk only of the weather of some other benign subject. Do I take offense that they talked about me without me being present? No. I expected them to talk. How else would they resolve the issue? Last week one of the group asked me to attend the Sunday dinner. I did. Did they talk about me after I left? I'm sure they did. Do I object? No, it is part of life. Now, if I told one of them something in confidence, which I have on occasion, and that information was passed on I would be upset. However, I believe I have a good group of friends who would never betray a confidence as I wouldn't betray their confidence. Have I made mistakes in the past? Yes. One time I mentioned to another party that my friend recently went through a breakup. That was a misjudgement on my part for which I was properly and duly chastised by my friend. Will I make mistakes in the future? I hope not but it could happen. The best I can do, and will endeavor to do with all my will power, is to respect the confidences of my friends but, at the same time I will continue to live, observe life around me, have opinions, and express those opinions. To me that is freedom. There is more to my life than just talking about the weather, politics and myself (how boring is that?) As another friend of mine stated:

It is the nature of the human beast to share in gossip--the malicious thing is the quality of gossip. I don't believe you would ever intentionally hurt another, in fact I would err on the side of good--you would try and preserve the integrity of the person just by your nature. And that is why you wouldn't make a good politician!

She knows me well. While I am by no means a perfect person, it is the "nature of the human beast to share in gossip". I would never engage in malicious gossip nor intentionally hurt another. When one engages in that sort of activity, it has a tendency to come back on them. No good comes of that kind of activity.

I just received a phone call from a friend of mine. She is going to Pennsylvania to see her friend whose husband is dying. Is she engaging in gossip with me? I don't know these other people personally. I've never met them. Should I instead discuss the weather with her since her friend wasn't present during this conversation? When she told me this information, I told her that friend's sister died over the weekend after a short illness. He knew she was dying and made a trip to visit her one last time. Am I engaging in gossip because he wasn't present during this conversation with my friend on the phone this morning who he has never personally met? I think not. If my life consisted of just discussing weather and politics, and, even worse, myself, what a dull boy I would be.

There are various views and definitions on gossip. Perhaps the following definitions from Wikipedia explain it the best:

Various views on gossip:
Some see gossip as trivial, hurtful and socially and/or intellectually unproductive. The Bahá'í Faith, for instance, refers to gossip as backbiting, and condemns and prohibits the practice, viewing it as a cause of disunity.
Some people view gossip as a lighthearted way of spreading information.
In a more sinister interpretation, restrictions on gossip could potentially paralyse the free flow of information and enforce straight-jacketed thinking and censorship in a community. The term "gossip" typically labels discussion the speaker disapproves of ("I discuss, you speculate, he gossips"). Compare freedom of speech

A feminist definition of gossip presents it as "a way of talking between women, intimate in style, personal and domestic in scope and setting, a female cultural event which springs from and perpetuates the restrictions of the female role, but also gives the comfort of validation." (Jones, 1990:243)

Perhaps the word "gossip" isn't the correct definition of what the information and opinions I am sharing. I am in the group that views gossip as a lighthearted way of spreading information. I prefer the free flow of ideas and not be a subject to straight-jacketed thinking and censorship in a community. Thus, I will continue to engage in one of the most precious freedoms in this country, freedom of speech. I just won't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater.

Gossip

As I groggily came to this morning in my bed, I went over in my mind again what my friend Harvey said about gossip. I thought to myself, "How am I going to get through my day without gossip?" As this dilemma roiled over in my head several times , I got up for breakfast. No gossip today? What am I going to talk about? After breakfast I checked my e-mails. The first e-mail was from a friend who was unable to attend our weekly gathering last night at the Feathered One. He said "bullfeathers...keep gossiping, that's what makes the world go round." That was reassuring. Maybe I'm not this bad person after all who whittles away his time with idle gossip. Later in the day I received an e-mail from another friend on the same subject. He said: "Geez -- No fun if you cannot gossip." This reaction from two friends whose opinion I hold in high regard. There. It is settled. I continue to gossip. However, I do have my rules. I never say anything about anyone that I wouldn't say to their face (and have on occasion). Also, I never knowingly say a falsehood or repeat malicious gossip. The conversation I was having last night concerned a long time friend of mine who is practicing major hypocrisy. I've told him myself but he uses twisted logic to justify his actions. He is a friend of mine and I like him very much but I thought it would be interesting to share this information with my friends at the table at the Purple Parrot last night. The human condition, always a fascinating subject. This is what we do when we get together. We either talk about ourselves (always a boring or interesting subject, depending on where you sit at the table) or others. Last night, after my friend Ed and I were chastised for gossiping, we talked about his need to get his original birth certificate in order to collect Social Security. Ed is adopted and doesn't know where his birth certificate is. The conversation continued on in this vein, birth certificate or no birth certificate. Ten minutes into this conversation between Ed and Harvey, I nodded off and almost dropped my head in my guacamole bowl. Nope. Back to the good stuff. Gossip it is. Good thing I didn't cancel my subscription to the National Enquirer.

Day's End

As the sun slowly sets in the west, another week has come to an end here in southern Delaware. Appropriately, the week has ended on a mixed note. Our usual Sunday night get together at the Purple Parrot was lightly attended. Only three of our group made it. Ed, Harvey, and me. Jack and Paul had other committments. Bob C. decided not to come. Wayne wasn't sure if he could make it because of his work schedule. Ed and I held the table until Harvey arrived at 5:30 pm. Ed is an old high school friend I've known for over 50 years (am I that old?) Harvey I met recently through friends here in Rehoboth Beach. Normally Ed and I would not cross paths with Harvey, a New York intellectual. Ed and I are just two county boys from the burbs of Philadelphia. But the small gay community of Rehoboth Beach provides strange bedfellows (no pun intended). Ed and I were engaged in gossip about a mutual friend of ours from our Pennsylvania high school days who is having a sexual indentity problem. When Harvey joined us, he listened for awhile then pronounced that we should change the subject because the person we were talking about was not there to defend himself. Oh. Culture clash. Of course Harvey was right but his statement did leave Ed and I momentarily speechless. Ed and I are guilty of gossip. No defense. Off balance, we groped around (again, no pun intended) for another subject. We came up with one but I can't remember which. Whatever it was, it wasn't near as interesting as what we were gossiping about earlier. Oh well. Looking back at the past week, it was quite eventful. I went through the trauma of thinking my computer's hard drive had crashed. It didn't but I had something just about as bad happen, my registry was corrupted. I knew I was corrupted but I had no idea that my registry was corrupted. See a pattern here? Tom, my Computer Guy, corrected my registry (at some expense to me) and I am now able to use my computer again, including uploading my precious pictures. The picture included in this blog was taken from my back deck shortly after I arrived home from the Purple Parrot tonight. A beautiful sunset, signifying an end to the week that was. I will try to implement Harvey's request to stop gossiping but it will be tough. I managed to stop smoking but this task may be more difficult. Does this mean I have to cancel my subscriptions to The National Enquirer and Globe magazines?

Alive Again!

I'm alive! I'm alive! Or a similar variation on the old Dr. Frankenstein shout of joy when he discovered that a gigantus bolt of lightening brought alive his monster. "It's alive! It's alive!" I can now upload my pictures. Thank you Jesus! There, I managed to get Frankenstein and Jesus in the same sentence. Am I excited or what? Yep! I'm excited.