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IF THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO SAY

By on • ( 51 )

This morning. I got up. Grabbed the door knob. It came off in my hand. It was just another one of those things.

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After the election, I spent November in shock. Literally. Shock. Waiting for someone to tell me this couldn’t possibly be true. When December came, I tried to ignore it. If I didn’t believe it, it couldn’t be true, right? I failed. Although almost half the people in this country do not believe in facts, I am not one of them. My not believing simply didn’t work. For me. This year. There are a lot more years to come and you never know. I may discover that simple denial will do the job. Anything is possible, isn’t it?

In January, I thought I was going to explode. I have a heart with a replaced valve and other stuff. I was sure I was going to expire. I didn’t die, so I wrote more. Everyone wrote more. When February came. I continued to write stuff, until the other day, I woke up and realized my brain had died.

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Completely.  Absolutely.  Dead. As a door nail, though why a door nail should be deader than, say a chair leg, I have no idea.

The weather turned delicious yesterday and we went out with cameras and took pictures. I came home, looked at Serendipity and realized I was very glad I take pictures. Until my brain wakes up, there are going to be a lot of pictures.

So here I am, telling everyone I don’t have anything to say. All I want is a lovely spring that doesn’t include several million caterpillars. Except I know about the caterpillars. They will be back and somehow, I will deal with them, though I am sure I don’t know how. But isn’t that what life is all about these days?

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We are living in a world that makes no sense. It’s full of things so horrible, I feel like I should cry while I laugh. So as if Scrotus isn’t bad enough, I’m going to have to deal with Scrotus and a zillion hideous, hairy caterpillars eating every last leaf on about a thousand oak trees.

Is there no justice in life?

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Categories: #Photography, Election, Humor, Personal

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51 replies

  1. denisebushphoto
    02/25/2017 • 11:52

    Well written and very heartfelt post. I try to concentrate on my goals, being with nature and photography. With regards to politics and social injustices I prefer to hope that democracy and law & order prevail. I guess I have withdrawn in a way, cutting back on social media and not believing everything I hear or read. I believe this is good for the artist’s spirit.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:58

      I think we will all need to cut back, if not entirely, than a good deal. We can’t battle all the time, but we can’t not battle at all. It’s going to be a VERY long time getting through this.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. swo8
    02/25/2017 • 11:20

    Just tighten the set screw Marilyn. It’ll work. Just maybe those caterpillars will be short lived this year.
    Leslie

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Rich Paschall
    02/25/2017 • 11:17

    There will be more justice if most will vote. What are the odds of that happening?

    Liked by 2 people

  4. queenofdanile
    02/25/2017 • 07:48

    I suggest replacing the door knob with the lever type. I’ve done it with most of mine, and love ’em. Doors open with much less effort or leverage.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:55

      That’s a really good idea. Especially because it’s hard to find the right size door knob for these old doors! And these doors are mainly to just keep the dogs out. They aren’t outside doors.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. judyt54
    02/25/2017 • 07:13

    The caterpillars will probably be back, but if history is any indication, they will literally eat themselves out of existence and go back to being the annoying icky caterpillar we barely notice. By the time they regroup, in maybe 30 years, most of us will be dead (or not far from it). They are, like lemmings or starlings, a force of nature.

    President? we have a new president? Fancy that. I don’t watch the news in any form, I dont read the speculative fiction that passes for news events, and my concern this year will be the garden, the cats, and getting out and walking more. In no particular order.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:54

      We had these caterpillars here in 1984. It took 32 years. So this year should be it for a while, anyway. Lord, I hope so.

      As for him, I’m not going away, but I have to find ways to cope, too. I can’t be hysterical all the time. It’s like everyone completely forgot World War 2, you know? They’ve lost that whole packet of information about how bad the world was, how we almost lost the whole thing. But now, it’s worse because it isn’t just the middle of Europe. It’s freaking EVERYWHERE.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Tish Farrell
    02/25/2017 • 05:25

    To me it feels as if there is no recourse; nothing we can do; as if the train has sped off the tracks and is just keeping on going. And none of it makes sense. In fact much of it is actually insane. And all of us, wherever we are, are threatened by the madness.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:49

      It is as if everyone completely forgot WWII. It’s gone, forgotten, didn’t happen. We lost that huge piece of the world wherein we almost lost our world. Here we are, doing it again.

      I do not know how to respond to it. It’s all the bad stuff back again.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Tish Farrell
        02/25/2017 • 14:01

        I’m wondering if it’s something to do with education system – yours and ours. History seems to be taught in discreet piecemeal chunks from unrelated periods, so there can be little chance to learn about process and change, or continuity. I can’t believe we’re heading back into the duck and cover era. Except it’s a tried and tested method of keeping us utterly anxious, and so befuddled that we don’t notice what shark-oil men actually are up to.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/25/2017 • 15:30

          I am full of questions. How to make history meaningful? Because the lack of it is probably HOW we’ve wound up back here. Again and again and again.

          I’m tired. I have been on the front edge of this battle for keeping the world alive. I really thought we were finally making at least a little progress there, but no, we are not making any progress. Anywhere.

          More nukes? More oil pipelines? Just keep filling up the world until there’s no room for anyone to breathe? Can we breathe? That we could be a terrible political failure is almost more endurable to me than our unwillingness to keep our planet alive. We won’t need to blow each other up. We’ll be out of clean water and breathable air … not to mention any kind of plants because we’ve killed the bees … long before we get to real war.

          Liked by 2 people

          • lwbut
            02/26/2017 • 02:50

            If it’s any consolation – the PLANET will survive – no matter what. Whether or not humans, along with many other creatures, will survive is the question and frankly i think the planet would be far better off without ‘us’. Mankind is the parasite virus living off and slowly destroying it’s hosts with only a few of us dedicated, as you are, to limiting the speed of our self-destruction. I wonder if such efforts merely prolong the hurt and agony of planet Earth or if they actually do any good in the long run? I saw DT’s comment about more nukes and tweeted that his logic equates to saying: “I don’t agree with mass murder of innocent people, but if innocent people are going to be murdered en mass then I’m going to make sure i murder the most innocents of anyone.” sad.

            love.

            Liked by 1 person

  7. Taswegian1957
    02/25/2017 • 03:39

    I understand how you feel, it seems as if the bad news never ends. Yesterday our Fair Work Commission agreed that it was fine to reduce Sunday penalty rates for workers in retail and hospitality. A lot of these people only work a few hours a week anyway. It could be the difference between whether they keep a roof over their heads. I try not to watch the news any more but you can’t run and you can’t hide from all the injustice in the world today.
    However, I do love looking at your pictures so let’s do that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:47

      We find watching the news seriously upsetting. Sickening, actually. I can watch some, and then … we have to do something else. Watch an old movie about Mrs. Marple or something.

      This IS an international mess. I think we have the worst head of government, but other places don’t seem so far behind. What happened? I don’t understand.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Taswegian1957
        02/25/2017 • 18:22

        I don’t know. Too many people got greedy I guess. I also blame reality television for the dumbing down of the population to the extent that they think electing a leader ought to be entertaining. And they don’t teach history so much any more.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/25/2017 • 18:39

          They don’t teach very much of anything anymore. They teach “tests.” If you pass the test, you move on to more education. That’s it. You don’t have to think, reason, or read. You just pass tests.

          Liked by 1 person

      • lwbut
        02/26/2017 • 02:38

        I understand with you it’s more personal as you have to live under it but your proximity has blinded you to Truth. Much as i detest ‘The Donald’ you can’t seriously believe he’s a worse head of state than Bashar al-Assad or Kim Jong-Un or Vlad the Impaler Putin surely?? As for what Happened? My theory is it’s all the fault of social media – it gives any jerk with an opinion the power formerly the sole prerogative of the media moguls – to share their largely under-informed opinions with the rest of the world in one click. Combine that with the DT’s (Delerium Tremens) colossal ego and desire for self-promotion/hunger for adoration/skill in using the age-old trick of divide and conquer and you pretty much have all you need to know about modern times.

        love.

        Like

    • Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC
      02/26/2017 • 14:25

      Taswegian1957: I am constitutionally incapable of *watching* the news. My stomach can’t take it. Even reading it leaves me shaking. Sadly, I take lousy photos and now have no desire to summon dwindling energy reserves to learn.

      I’m occupying my time listening to neuroscience podcasts – while many in America still believe that science is *not* a field of alternative facts, and before McDonald** cuts funding or shuts down their communication portals, when that information will become increasingly difficult to find as more and more people scream, “Do it to Julia!”

      Even as I’m certain that I was not born for the world in which I find myself since November, I wonder if we need to scramble to save the books and the crystal.
      xx,
      mgh
      ——————-
      ** as in his cousin Ronald, of hamburger chain fame – interesting how clowns resonate to the color orange and that so many people respond favorably to their hyperbolic behavior

      Liked by 1 person

  8. sianob
    02/25/2017 • 02:35

    No justice, no. But look for purpose. I’ll be looking for the photos too

    Liked by 1 person

  9. wscottling
    02/25/2017 • 02:32

    I feel ya. And I look forward to your pictures.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:45

      It’s not easy to shoot right now because the trees are just sticks in the ground. However, for the next few months — barring something evil like more snow — it’s always fun watching the various parts of the new season appear piece by piece 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC
    02/25/2017 • 01:26

    I relate TOTALLY – I am a zombie, struggling even to write what always before came easily. Unbelieving. Waking every day hoping it was all a bad dream – and seeing new crap in new headlines and blog posts ranting about or supporting Agent Orange’s latest tweet or speech or new target, rousing the rabble to rally the hate, each more difficult to believe than the last. And the rabble continues to be roused. UNbelievable.

    HOW did this happen? WHAT is his end game? Will we all survive it? What will be left of America if we do?
    xx,
    mgh
    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
    ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
    “It takes a village to transform a world!”

    Liked by 1 person

    • sianob
      02/25/2017 • 02:33

      lol. Agent Orange…

      Liked by 2 people

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 11:41

      Madelyn, I **LOVE** “Agent Orange”!!

      You get today’s gold star!! (Stolen from 45’s tower)

      Liked by 2 people

      • Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC
        02/25/2017 • 13:55

        Thanks Garry. I wish I could say it was original. One of my readers first used it in a comment about one of my articles. My reaction was yours. I grabbed it, and others have as well, so I can’t recall from whom I first heard it (it may have been writer DGKaye).

        None of us like to have our names linked with his – for a great many reasons – so we have various nicknames. This one does it best for me on almost every level, metaphorically, tho’ I do use others in other contexts. Respect must be earned.
        xx,
        mgh

        Liked by 2 people

  11. angloswiss
    02/25/2017 • 01:08

    Yesterday three was one of those discussion programs on Swiss Tv about carrot head. It got very emotional with people shouting, and he is not even our guy. Sorry but under normal circumstances he should be locked away, but it seems normality is becoming a dying species.
    Perhaps your caterpillar invasion was a once every ten year thing.
    Love the photo of you on the bridge. Could almost br me if you add a few inches. I always walk with a camera as well.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/25/2017 • 12:43

      Our president is the kind of guy that makes people shout a lot. It’s pretty bad here. The only way to keep from shouting and waving your arms in the air is to take a breather and do something else. In this case, pictures.

      The bridge is a little tricky for walking. It’s a lot easier to shoot it from below. It’s an old piece of that road and there aren’t any sidewalks. We don’t go up there either. Luckily, the area below the bridge is relatively flat and they have, in recent years, added some comfortable pathways. You can drive right to the edge with you car and if you don’t feel like doing much hiking, you can take most of the pictures you want in less than 100 feet from where you car is parked. It makes it much easier for us!

      It’s going to be a difficult spring. I’m hoping that we don’t get the full, total push of the caterpillars. Usually, you get two years, then they go away, sometimes for a really long time. But you know, it depends. They’ve been in this country — specifically Massachusetts — closing in on 200 years, so if they weren’t natural when they arrived, they’re pretty much part of the culture now. I just get all creepy just thinking about them. I hope for the best, but will have to deal with whatever comes. Fortunately, it’s just a few weeks. Just a few.

      Liked by 3 people

  12. slmret
    02/25/2017 • 00:31

    That door handle is a wonderful metaphor — I’d simply start laughing hysterically if that happened to me right now!

    Liked by 2 people