Winter Doldrums

Now that the holidays have settled in and the slush of the winter's doldrums is upon us. The season of sparkle lies frozen under a drift of snow, liberally seasoned with a handful of road salt, and those dull sunless days have descended upon us once more. The only remedy is to escape!

Book that ticket to a tropical paradise or fly off to a grand ski soirée in Aspen or Biarritz. Where ever your magical, therapeutic destination might be, you can always count on it to stimulate and revive.

That is unless you are unfortunate enough to land in one of those new and random, climate change, "got ya" spots ...

That's right, the new year is full of new surprises! 60 degrees in Chicago in February, or 100 plus in Australia. Roll the dice and take your pick, cause where ever you go Mother Nature has a surprise in store for you. Unless of course, you go where I always go this time of the year - that's right. The desert! Where the weather is always unstable as the temperature can vary from 30 and frosty to 90 and sunny, but the pool is heated and the jacuzzi is always ready for a whirl ...

The perils of climate change are with us for sure, but we are adaptors aren't we? We helped make it, so why not try to enjoy it while we can?

See you there!

The Stealthy Beast Approahes

February is approaching like a stealthy beast. The hour is upon me that society has designated the official end to all things juvenile and anything involving fun or abandonment.

It is the dawn of my Medicare Birthday! A day to both dread and celebrate at the same time ... a time to reflect and regret, or maybe rejoice and enjoy?

The one thing that I have come to terms with over these past decades is that there no time or season that really defines us. In fact the mere fact that we have survived (and hopefully prospered) these many years is a major accomplishment, if not a miracle indeed!

It seems that I have always been here, where I am am right now, but not with all the conviction that I now posses. You see, there is a most definite thread in our lives that if kept strong and intact will lead us though life's happiest and most difficult moments as well. The essence of pure light that demands us to feel and be real - to live and love, and transcend all.

Before you think "how pompous he is" or " what does he know", let me just say this. I have spent my life as a student and then as a teacher. I have listened and learned many times over. I have loved and lost, have rejoiced and grieved. But the one thing that has sustained me, I think, is that rather ethereal and illusive moment when all becomes clear for an instant and the universe makes sense.

Now having said that, let me caution you to beware! Because if that moment is not captured immediately at the time of exposure it may be lost much as a photo and the next illumination may never occur.

So once again let me say - life is everything, it is joy and happiness, it is sorrow and pain, it is all that we desire and all that we disdain. It is the culmination of our soul searching for light and it is the beginning of our infinite plight.

Live life in the moment - but make that moment profound!

The Clouds of November



The skies of November bring us a transcendent moment when souls can pass energies back and forth from earth to the cosmos and beyond.

It is in this magical month that the universe seems to open to us, and allow us to view the inner most secrets of it's awesome magnitude.

The sun has all but left us for a time and the crystal cold clouds envelope our souls it is a moment of final reflection before the winter solstice signals the rebirth.

So let us sing the songs of the ancient Druids as in the Celtic Age and perform the ritual of oak and mistletoe so that we may live forever in the reincarnation.

Happy Christmas Tide!

Here's Johny!

I have always said that if you really want to know how to live life then get involved in it.


Not that you must become totally immersed in it, after all we all need to come up for air on occasion, but you must know how others celebrate life before you can enjoy your own - the kinda what not to do approach I think.

While watching the goings on at the mall shops and restaurants this season, I realized that I am lucky to have experienced these moments of total euphoria and, dare I say pandemonium. Now I can return to my somewhat sequestered life and enjoy the tranquility knowing that others are more than doing my part in this holiday mayhem.

There is something about sitting at home and sipping an eggnog or apple martini with your partner and a few close friends in front of a cozy fire - few being the operative word here. Whether at home in Chicago or in Hide A Way, Texas life is good as long as you are in control.

I guess being an air sign makes a difference. My partner Chadwick is a Taurus, an earth sign, and is of course very comfortable around crowds of people. He loves the thrill of shopping, theatre, entertaining and all. This is good because being Aquarian I tend to retreat from humanity at times so it helps to have a partner who can stir the fire every now and then and I feel that I keep him grounded and happy. We complement each other very well indeed.

So, i guess what I am saying is, while it is important to participate in life and to live it fully, it is equally important to know yourself and how much of life you really want or need to sample as well.

A Hide A Way Morning

Over the river and through the woods, to our Hide A Way Cabin we go ...

With the magic of All Hallows Eve still swirling in our rear view mirror, and the electric energy of a bitterly contested election crackling around us like lightning from a passing Tyler thunder storm. It is refreshing to find peace and solace in the dappled sunshine of East Texas - of all places. To wake up to the silence of a Thanksgiving Eve morning at the Cabin with the only sounds breaking the silence being a few wild birds and the occasional Fox or brown squirrel scurrying through the under brush.

After all the threats of succession and the oaths of revenge begin to evaporate back into the atmosphere from whence they came, a strong but calming voice is heard that is the denouement of the main event. Barbara Bush, grand lady of the Republican Party, offers up her sage word's of wisdom "People spoke. Move on, get on with it. I want to do other things and not be ugly". 

There is something about being in the belly of a firestorm that somehow diffuses it. Kind of like being in the eye of a tornado I think. If you can withstand the clutter going on around you than you have a pretty good chance of surviving the ordeal itself.

So on this very special Thanksgiving Day, let us all hope for unity and understanding so that we may mend our wounds and heal our country. After all is said and done we are   still going to have compromise if we expect to survive and prosper as the great nation we are ...

A most Happy Thanksgiving to one and all - y'all!

Remembering to Remember

It is 4pm on the 14th of November 2014 - exactly 5 years since my partner Jack passed on and entered back into the cosmos. Funny how time comes and goes and in different degrees. This year seemed to loom a little more ominous than past one. Perhaps it is that I am remembering things more clearly than I did in the last years of seemingly endless sorrow.

I have adjusted, kind of, to my new life and have even found a new partner, who brings me great joy and happiness. So what is it that lingers in my soul to bring me these sometimes feelings of sadness and remorse?

I believe it is merely the fact that I am still, and always will be, in love with Jack - and should be after all those years of sharing and togetherness. It would be a sin to think that I could or should put those feeling away and forget that which has brought me such joy, and to who I am.

The challenge however, is to not let the feelings of the past perfect interfere with the new and profound feelings of the now!

The past perfect was just that and it will forever influence my feelings, like it or not. But the future is and must be lived in the present and I for one find it present perfect for me.

So thank you again Jack for your love without reservation, and thank you Chadwick for your ever growing love and understanding of who and what I am.

Life can and must be lived in the past, present and future perfect, if not they are all diminished!

The Twilight Place

Last night I dreamt of a twilight place

Where book lined shelves held empty space.

A withering tree stood tall in grace,

Reaching up to the sky through a ceiling break.

As the light came in and illuminated this scene, the call of a blue bird resounded and it's song was sweet to all that had seen.

Be strong my children it seemed to say, tomorrow is coming to rescue today. As the fresh air of fall caressed the room, both summer and winter joined into the tune.

They all sang together and the light did ignite to conjure up energies long held tight. A beautiful moment in time and with grace brought the springtime of wisdom to live in this place.

Stand tall my children and follow the sun, the call of the blue bird will guide you to one. Be one with nature, be one with the sun. Be one with each other and tomorrow will be won.