Songs Of Many Colours

Before anyone gets confused...today's picture is of a sidewalk mannequin in my hood.
I try to keep my YouTube channel peaceful...[the"let peace begin with me" idea].
So...I'm not likely to stand idly by...if viewers were to use the comments space...under my videos...to be "rude" or "crude". I find...so far...I have a high
tolerance level...for just about any other response flavour...even if it could be
classified as "dumb". Sometimes...there are comments...that are not "dumb"...but...
perhaps..."overly helpful". On one of my "sad" songs...part of a wide variety of
categories...a song maker worth his salt...has to probe in his work...one very
helpful viewer...exhorted me to "breathe"...more than once...in a comment posted to
the video in question...the inference seeming to be...some deep breathing...would push
away...the "shadows" hanging over me...in the song. Somehow...this struck my funny bone...given the great helpful urgency in the comment...was triggered by a song...I actually wrote...over fifteen years ago...after which time...believe it or not...I
have thankfully...continued to breathe...up to this day...that I am posting this entry. When I stand back...from being tickled...I can see that this piece of advice...
likely...comes from a spirit of helpfulness...and I do appreciate that. I look
forward...to creating around...what is real to me at the time...be it sad...or joyful
...or expressing any of the shades in between. I am also thankful...that people are
interested enough...to respond to my songs of many colours.............Quester.

Making Songs Again

Yesterday...despite the sun being out...and bringing possible distractions...was a
productive day. I made a song video...no big surprise there...I've been making many
for a while now. I hadn't written a song for a while...and I was beginning to wonder
...if I'd written my last...some time before. I'd been getting nudges to focus in on
getting it done...so yesterday I prepared my song making place for the day...well. I
consciously avoided sitting on the couch to do it...so that I wouldn't slip back into
a state of non-doing. Making your preparations...can be frustrating...given you want
to get ahead with the task at hand...as soon as possible. I sat between a recorder...and a play back back machine...with my microphones before me...and making sure I had good room for my guitar in front of me. My song melody was in place in short order...as I often say...melodies have always been my friend...and finally turned to getting some lyrics...to put with my melody. I made sure I was calm in my focus...and not intense...and words...slowly...began to come. After a while I had a first verse...and was tempted...to let things be for the day. However...I kept with it...and some time later...voila...I had three verses of a song. What a relief it was...although the song I came up with...was not a towering anthem...to know that my song making chops...were still there...and the path was open to creating more songs up ahead. In addition to being a productive day...it was also a very hopeful one...and I gave thanks...............Quester.

A Creative Artist's Approach

From early on...as someone who created...songs...poems...pictures...etc...I learnt that...you should wean yourself away...from becoming too dependent...on the things people say about your work...whether it was affirmative...negative...or totally missed the point...about what you intended with your creation. I resolved to keep working on
making my work better...and not allowing anyone else...to define my work or myself.
It's funny how this creator's outlook...has influenced...my list of do's and don't's.
For instance...in introducing a song I was about to sing...I have never said..."I hope
you enjoy this song"...seeing that at one fell swoop...if I did that...I would be
saying...it is your decision...not mine...whether this song...is any good or not.
Having said all that...like every other human being...I appreciate it...when strokes
come my way. It's warming to know...other people like a song...you yourself feel
good about having written. I have been very fortunate...that many have said
affirmative things about my work...and I am thankful for that. The challenge to do
what I do better...is ongoing...and likely...needed. In the meantime...thanks to all
who have taken the time to send a kind word...my way..............Quester.

Something Is Finally Afoot

The sun is shining...it's warmer than it's been for a while...there's something hopeful
about the light...and on my walk earlier this afternoon...the witch hazel...as seen in
today's picture...was blooming in my hood. I do believe something is finally afoot.....
What a difference a day makes...I think..................Quester

Not So Early Spring

This morning...the snow is back on the roofs of my neighbourhood...and whiting out the
green of the grass. I should have known...that those small patches of dirty snow...
clinging to the ground...since before Christmas...were simply waiting to be refreshed.
As I may have said before...by now...many kinds of flowers are usually out. There was
a good reason for them to hang back this year...temperatures...I think...that were
lower than usual. Yes...on the West Coast...we do get spoilt...with our "early springs". Perhaps this year...we are catching up with the rest of Canada......Quester.

The Graceful...And The Graceless

Two happenings out in my world...have reminded me of two classifications I carry in me
...about what I experience in my life...or witness in my world. They are the categories of the "Graceful"...and...the "Graceless". Let me elucidate...these are two broad categories...I put things in...when I have a mind to do so...while remaining open to new information...that mught cause me to upgrade...what I...at first thought was "graceless"...to being for "a good reason"...regardless of its appearances...and being particularly mindful about taking note of the "graceful"...and even applauding it...sometimes. Two recent examples of these two categories come to mind. First...the news that a toy manufacturer is naming two new dolls...after the Obama daughters. At this time...for me...that falls into the category of the "graceless"...and the "predictable" too. Then there is the story of "Sully"...Captain Sullenberger...who
brought his plane down like a feather...in the Hudson river...saved 155 lives...and when honoured spoke very briefly...saying he and his crew...were just "doing their job". Right now...this is just about at th e top of my "graceful" list. May the "Acts of Grace" continue...out in my sometimes crass world.....................Quester.

Herons...Poetic License...The Internet

Took this picture of a heron...at Lost Lagoon...in Stanley Park...the other day. It
triggered a memory of a heron song I wrote years ago...when I lived in Ontario. it
mentioned the heron flying south. i know that West Coast herons...seem to stay put...
during the winter...but to this day...I still haven't verified whether my Ontario heron...does indeed head south...when it gets cold. Perhaps...that is why...this Ontario written song...has never been recorded by me...i.e. the not being sure...whether the premise for it...was flaky...or not. Such are the perils of song making...sometimes your romantic side wins out...and you plunge ahead with the writing of a song...without checking facts about it. Of course...a bit of poetic license...is part of a poet or song maker's repertoire...but with something as large as bird migration...you don't make assumptions. Online sources of information...didn't exist
when the Ontario song was written. These days...an important tool has been added to
the song maker's tool box...the internet. So...today...I raise a glass...to herons
in the winter...close enough to take pictures of...and the internet...waiting to be
harnessed as a research tool...for those of us...who might easily get carried away...
with our rash use...of poetic license...................Quester.

Killer Whale

Sometimes...the song videos of mine I feel best about...are the ones I delay uploading
to YouTube. The reason is...I suppose a kind of over protectiveness...not wanting to
expose this "special child" of yours...to the indifference it might encounter online.
I feel really good about my song and video..."killer Whale"...and the opening guitar
solo I play before beginning to sing it. This is a video I could have delayed uploading for a long time...but...about an hour ago....I broke through my over protectiveness to upload it to YouTube. Here's a verse and chorus of this song...about a powerful...
and magical treasure...of the Pacific North West...and the World:
"As your gleaming body rises high...and your breath like rain falls to the sky...
And your mighty flukes beat the water drum...You are black of the night...
white of midday sun.......Under a coal black sail...strong and wild and free...
Ocean king is Killer Whale...Tiger of the deep sea...Child of mystery".......Quester.

Looks Like A Late Spring

After a week or two of being on the look out for "first flowers"...as I walked in my
neighbourhood...today...I went on an expidition...to the edge of Stanley Park...a rain
forest in the middle of our international city...armed with my camcorder and digital camera. It was quite cold...and the small patches of dirty snow...I still was seeing on
my way to the park...were giving me a good indication...of why there's been a "flower shortage"...the last while...i.e. cold enough for some snow to remain for over a month
...cold enough for flowers to hang back. The witch hazel blooming...in the foreground
of today's picture...was the main sliver of hope...that spring is on its way. Couldn't
spot any cherry blossoms...forsythia...or other blossoms...usually around...at this
time...at today's destination ...leading me to conclude..."looks like a late spring"...............Quester.

Sometimes...Purveyors Of Humbug

I don't like it when commentators in the media...make claim to some lofty principle...
in order to justify their interest...or their company's interest...in getting people
to watch their television shows...or sell their newspapers. I always remember when...
day after day...so much of the media...were blaring out stories about Bill Clinton...
and the prospect of his impeachment...some claiming..."the public has the right to
know"...when their coverage of that scandal of the day...was way over the top. It made
me write in my journal...what I thought was really under their invoking of this
principle...which was the lofty ideal that..."the public had the right to be titillated"...[the better to sell programs and newspapers]. Today...in some televison
program circles...the principle being invoked was...the new president promised
transparency...so why weren't our television cameras allowed in...to record the
second swearing in. Talk about much ado about nothing...and about people with their
noses out of joint...because they weren't on top of this piece of "news"...with their
cameras. Melodramatizing everything...the better to make programs they think people
will stay with...to see "the action"...I know is their stock in trade...but sometimes
they really do overlap into being purveyors of humbug...rather than the "tellers of
how it actually is"...they claim to be. Fortunately these days...for all its flaws...
we have the blogosphere..................Quester.

Survival Of The Wisest Revisited

There were Obama Inauguration parties...all over Vancouver yesterday...not to mention
the rest of Canada and the world. At a dismal time in his country...and the world...
this man is a messenger of hope...willing to make strong and needed changes. I
remember reading somewhere...a few years ago...that our world had reached the time...
when it was now a question of..."survival of the wisest"...suggesting...among other things...that a might is right approach to dominating the rest of the world...was over. Among many affirmative aspects of what Obama has promised...were his remarks...touching on the need for a "wiser" way of approaching the problems of the world...rather than moving to flex millitary muscle...as...by and large...the only way available. Many things he said in his inaugural speech resonated with myself...and I'm sure...millions of others...specially in the area of leaving...outworn ideas and ways...behind. There is a hunger across the world...for new and enlightened ways...that affect us all positively. I remember...a long time ago...writing in a song...that "paranoia" was not the way...all around...and certainly...in world affairs. One of my hopes...is that this new day that has started in the affairs of the world...will take us far beyond the limitations of a paranoid approach to state craft...and living life...to a place within ourselves...where we can walk...under the sun of freedom....................................Quester.

Time To Dance

"Time to dance...time to laugh...
Time for jubilation...
Time to join hands and sing...
We are all of the same nation"...
.........................Quester.

Change Is Happening

My entry today is late...and it's going to be short. I've been preoccupied today...
with looking at the lead up to the inauguration of the 44th president...of the U.S.A.
...on television. There are people all over the world...including Canada...who have
been uplifted by the possibility of a new dawning...with this new chapter...and people
thronging in Washinton...in the middle of winter...for the actual inauguration...at
noon tomorrow...I think are being kept warm...by the joy...and btotherhood/sisterhood
they are experiencing. I too...am looking forward to a new day dawning...despite
difficulties to be faced. I think that some change for the better...has happened
already...and I think there is a good likelihood...that there is more to come........
........................Quester.

Daughter Of The Cree

[Words from my song "Daughter Of The Cree"-Copyright-SOCAN. Now on YouTube].
"When the sun goes down
the train will take you north again...
Starting a sad song that I've never sung...
And there's nothing I can do
but stand and watch you go...
With the chains of years
of rambling on my tongue...
Shaylene you're a star
in the north country sky...
Laughing...learning...dancing...
daughter of the Cree...
Like the music of the wind
soft through the leaves of May...
You have taught me
how one day I may be free".......
.........................Quester.

Sun Through The Fog

We've been under the fog from an inversion for many days...which brought a rawness to
the temperature...reminiscent of some days during an English winter...that pushed you
to walk faster than you'd prefer...in order to keep yourself warm. Earlier this
afternoon...the sun returned...piercing through the mists...although the fog right now
...is still around. Today's picture was taken...as I walked...during the "sun window"...relishing a glimpse of the long absent "orb of hope" in the sky. May it return for much longer...soon..........................Quester.

"Way To Go...Sully"

[Photo: Detail from mural on Commercial Street...Vancouver].
In yesterday and today's news...I have felt uplifted...by "The Miracle on the Hudson"
...155 people being rescued when their plane had to land on the water...with no
fatalities...Hallelujah!. I am so glad that I can use the word "people" instead of
"souls"...in what I've just written...the latter term tending to be used...in accounts
of disasters. This is no disaster...this is likely to turn out to be the "feel good" event of the year. There are so many good aspects of this story...and I'm sure...books
will be written about it...but the thing that so far that has made me smile...is the
brilliant...decisive...and gutsy execution of the landing...by Captain Sullenberger
and his crew. We haven't yet heard from the Captain...given he has to be debriefed...
before he speaks publicly...but what an impressive job he did...making several crucial
decisions...in quick time...under enormous pressure...for the good of his passengers
and all. So...although on my Blog...I don't often produce lemming-like responses...
to stories in the news...this time round...especially with so much doom and gloom
around...I salute the Captain...and his crew. This story has really reminded me of
my connection with my fellow human beings...what affects some...can sometimes affect
us all...this event...I'm sure...has brought a relieved smile...to many.
Way to Go...Sully.........................Quester.

Blogging About Blogging

Today's picture is of a detail from around the main door of a school in East Vancouver.
Today's post...is my one thousand and sixty first post on my Blog. Who would have
thought when I first started blogging that I'd ever arrive at this point?. I think
what it illustrates...is what I call..."The Law of Things Accruing...i.e. anything
you keep returning to...and delivering on...will add up to over a period of time.
As for what it is that has accrued...with my Blog since I started it...who knows?.
Who knows...which entries I would keep...and which ones I would leave behind...if I
were going through them all with an editor's eye. I'd better not speculate too much on
that. Instead...let me see...what aspects of it all...I can look upon affirmatively...
without going over the top. Blogging has certainly helped me...to "keep my hand in"...
as someone who likes to write...although as can be seen on this page...my punctuation
has long strayed...from stuff I learnt in school about it. My excuse there is...as
long as what I say is understood...that for me is the main consideration. Perhaps...
it has helped my improvisational skills...a lot of the time...like today...starting
out with a blank page...not having any idea of what I'll be writing about...until
I start into it. I know...I've ended up writing about subjects...I never dreamt I'd
write about...and I feel good about this "extending of my expressive horizons".
One thing I've learnt about blogging...is not attempting to be "comprehensive" in
what I say. Today's entry is another example of that...and leads me into signing
off...until another day...when I may end up blogging about blogging........
......................Quester.

Poem: Cut Out The Middle Person?

"Having listened for years...
to those who readily express their pain...
over and over again,,,
has confirmed for you...
that solving the swamps and dragons...
of this voyage...
to a realm none of us are sure of...
always comes back to you...yourself...to do...
whatever emotional splatterings on others...
you allow yourself to do...
so why not cut out
the middle man or woman...
and deal with it yourself...
in the first place...
or...at least...transmute it into...
a song or a poem...
and get something out
of all that heartache...
bypassing ears that have
troubles enough of their own?"......
............................Quester.

Resuming My Walks

Was able to get a good walk in today...on sidewalks no longer icy. There has been a
melting going on for many days now...although small piles of dirty snow persist...safely away from the sidewalks. I took my camera with me today...but ended
up not even taking one picture. It seems that we are in that...fortunately short
window...where yards and surroundings that are so attractive...for so much of the year
out here...are really in a beaten back state...and the clumps of discoloured snow...also contribute to your not wanting to take any pictures. I'm sure that some flowers...perhaps the witch hazel...are out somewhere in my city...but I didn't see any today. Anyway...I am glad I am able to walk freely again...and anticipate doing a lot of that in the days to come. Regardless...we are now...edging our way towards spring.................................Quester.

Poem: My North Facing Window

"The Dodge tower
and the twenty hydro lines...
slash my already white scarred mountains...
The crows carve their February circles
in the blue air...
The occasional eagle
disdains the clouds clinging
to the safety of
the house pocked valley...
and circles slowly
out of the top of my picture...
The milk white mountain tips
burst upwards from the cloud vines
that suck at their power...
Sitting still on my perch
above Smithrite Row...
I watch them put together
the cross-word puzzle...
that is my north facing window......."
.............................Quester.

Tools For World Peace

This morning there was a comment from someone in Romania on one of my videos on YouTube. I never cease to be amazed that people in very distant places...are actually
viewing pieces of my creative work I put online. I feel privileged to have met up
with this new magical technology...that makes it possible for this to happen. Somehow
,,,as a creative artist...I lasted through decades...when such a thing was unheard of
...to this time...when the global village is actually coming to pass in many ways.
I only hope that more and more people...who put things online...see how lucky we are
to be able to do this...and instead of venting toxicity...and insulting each other...
use this gift...as a tool for bringing peace to our troubled world. I always remember
...years ago...reading the slogan somewhere:..."Let Peace begin with me!". It helped me to see that if I wanted World Peace...the only way that really made sense...was for
it to start with me...in my daily life. Although I've delivered on seeing this...
imperfectly...I continue to believe...it is an ideal worth reaching for. Peace.
...................Quester.

Always And Everywhere

{Words from my song: "Always and Everywhere"-Copyright-SOCAN-Now on YouTube]
"When all the wounding things...
People have said...
I haven't thought of for a while...
Rise up from their cages...
Baby I think of you and smile...
The wisest thing I ever did...
Among the foolish games I've played...
Was not to break this bond we share...
Always and Everywhere"................
..............................Quester.

External Vs. Internal Referencing

There was an item on the tv news yesterday...about men who have lost money...in the recent financial troubles afflicting our world...in different countries...who have
comited suicide. This also happened coming out of the crashing of Wall Street in the
thirties. The take on this phenomenon...by a psychologist interviewed...was that for
some of these very materially wealthy people...there identity...becomes based on being
a billionaire. When the stock market...or other financial emergencies...trim them
down to becoming a mere 500 million man...they feel destroyed at having lost their
definition of themselves...and taking their own lives can result. My interpretation of
these kinds of tragedies...is they come out of human beings...referencing themselves
externally...i.e. "I am what I possess and how I appear to those looking at me from
outside of myself". Years ago...I spotted the danger of externally referencing myself
...and consciously began referencing myself...internally...i.e. based on what was
inside of me...or could come out of what I carried in me...and not on my external
possessions. Living through my own imperfections...this outlook on life...has helped
me to keep on through difficult times. None of what I've just written...is meant to
put myself above others...I am sure there are many who deliver on their internal referencing...wherher they call it that...or not...much better than I have. However
I have good reason to feel...that there are at least 500 million reasons...for
defining yourself...based on what's inside of you...and what you do with it...rather
than...fleeting fame or fortune...or how others see you. May we all survive well
this troubled financial era we're in.................Quester.

Hockey Team Fan Reflections

"My" team in professional sports...is the Vancouver Canucks...of the National Hockey League. At moments when I'm not in my "fierce fan" mode...I can see some of the areas
of blindness...that are part and parcel...of having this kind of engagement with a
team. For instance...a player you like...can be banished to the minors...sometimes...
without it being quite clear why they were. Sometimes...a player can depart your team
,,,on his own volition...simply because another team offered him more money.
Management can make foolish decisions in drafting young players into the team...who
turn out to be busts...once they are tested in actual games...and so on. What is it
about being a fan of a team...that can on close inspection...sometimes be no more than
hubris...e.g. "our team will win the cup for sure this year". For me...one of the reasons I would give...is that hockey...is simply a beautiful game...with human beings
making flowing patterns...while gliding around on narrow blades on the ice. I think
that a team becomes "your team"...a lot of the time...because it's located in the
area you live in...and you are able to go to the games...or see them on television
...regularly. After a while of that...you identify...with a team...and tend to stick
with them through thick and thin...although...if a team frustrates you for too long
...or if you move to live in a new area...with a new team...desertions from the
team you used to identify with...can happen. Last night...my team won...and I was
able to see the game on television. I suspect that...if they had lost...this early
morning...of the following day...I'd still be in recovery...from that particular
bruising...and wouldn't be writing an entry about hockey. That's the way we fans are
...exulting or sulking...depending on the results...and recovering...if there is
need for it...in time to catch the nect game. "Go Canucks Go!"........Quester.

Won't Complain

The materially poor people...on the river I grew up on in Guyana...when asked how they
were doing...gave a variety of answers. One of them was..."fifty-fifty". My interpretation of that is that it meant..."my life is fifty per cent good and fifty
percent bad...and there's nothing more to be said about it". An old lady...on being
asked this greeting question...replied..."kitty katta"...refering to the the sound
the hooves of an old mule made...as it ambled along on hard ground. The answer I like
best...and may have even written about before on my Blog...was two short words in the
Guyana dialect..."me deh"...meaning..."I am here"...sometimes...perhaps...with an
unspoken rebuke...i.e. " can't you see I am still here?". Not as inventive...or poetic
...as the previous three answers...was the simple one...that perhaps told even more about the courage and grace of the river people...it was...simp;y..."can't complaint". Sometimes I think...it would have been more accurate...
had they said..."won't complain"...given that these people...in the living out of
their difficult days...would have actually had...a lot of reasons to complain...had
they chosen to go that route...but they understood...that they had to suck it up...
and keep moving forward...and how being perceived as a chronic
complainer...can drive other human beings...away from you. So...this morning...I
remember these people of my river childhood...and say...like they used to do...as I
send this message out into the world..."can't complain".............Quester.

"Hopeful Time"

Today I was out walking on sidewalks...with rivulets running by my feet...of rain and
"meltage" combining. Yes the rains have finally arrived...a day later than they said they would. Perhaps...this augurs well for the January return of flowers in small numbers...here are there. Perhaps I'm being a bit hasty in my anticipation...of my favourite season...spring. It might even snow again...although...one snow per winter has happened out here before. Anyway...here's to the first flowers of spring...which could arrive sooner than we think...or keep us waiting a while longer. However that unfolds...with the turn into the New Year...we...or should I say "I"...have arrived at "hopeful time" in this oasis...where the mountains meet the Pacific ocean...............Quester.

Life After The Holidays

I must admit...to feeling relieved...when the Christmas/New Year holidays...are over.
For me...it means...that I can begin again...to deliver on new approaches to the new
slice of time I've been given...or simply resume some old ways...that help me to keep
on. Places out in the world...that my life is in some way involved with...are now
open again...helping the flow of things...forward. For me...it's like turning a corner
...to resume movement forward...that may have been held up by the holidays. Yes...the
Monday following these winter holidays...is in a way...a time to celebrate...the
resumption of my life. Today...is that day...so here's...to a New Year...full of
creativity...peace...laughter...and good relations with others...and may this world we
live in...become more peaceful than it's been for a long time...........Quester.

Rain

Years ago...visiting Alberta...Canada...I told a friend...I was planning to move from
Ontario...to live on the West Coast of Canada. He replied with two encouraging words..."terminal mildew". He was...of course...refering to what is quite well known...which is...that it rains a fair bit on Canada's West Coast...sometimes affectionately...or not so affectionately called..."The Wet Coast". I...for some strange reason...[it was actually because I just couldn't wait any longer]...came to live in Vancouver at the end of October one year...which is actually around the time...the main rainy season begins here ...and sure enough it did...acquainting me first hand...and fast...with what people in the East...grab on to...sometimes...to subtract a bit from the beauty of mountains and ocean. I remember telling a friend from Toronto...who was kidding me about the rain..."sure it rains out here...but it's a dry kind of rain". For me...the beauty of my new home...vastly outweighs...whatever inconvenience the rain may bring...and...of course...inspired a deluge of new songs and other creations since that October move...including today's digital painting...and the song "Rain"...which I just turned to a video...and uploaded to YouTube yesterday. Today...the rain is back...melting the ice on sidewalks...that had become dangerous...with ice from the recent snows...that have stayed longer than usual. Soon one of the big gifts of the rain will become apparent...as the first flowers of spring begin to arrive...gradually...but in the month of January............Quester.

A Hopeful Night

Last night...went out to dine...with a nephew of mine and his partner...at a Malaysian
restaurant...in the West End of Vancouver. It was a night full of spirited conversation ...laughter...and a fine selection of dishes. It reminded me of why some people engage in this...often. Dining together and good conversation...is one of those things in life...that benefits all who actively take part in it. We walked to and from the restaurant ...on a road by the shores of English Bay. It was dark out on the bay...but on the shore...there were large trees...beautifully lit up with Christmas lights. It was also shivery cold near the water...and I found myself telling my two companions...that I was glad I was with them...on such a night...down there. I wouldn't have wanted to be on foot...walking solo there...or anywhere else for that matter...in that kind of chill. Seems like my many years away from the tropixs...have
still not inured me to the winter cold. Anyway...the cheerful thought we voiced...
was that it was January...and in January on the West Coast...the first slow flowers
of spring...actually...start appearing. A hopeful thought...on a hopeful night......
........................Quester.

Small Extra Steps

I wasn't going to write anout my New Year resolutions...but I'll mention a very
general one. It is to take small extra steps...as my day unfolds...without straining
or striving. Sounds like a contradiction...but for me it's not. Composing this entry...this morning...is an example of what I mean. When the thought crossed my mind...the thought that followed that was..."no...do it this afternoon instead"...I then reminded myself to take the extra step...now...and here I am. The not straining and striving part...is something I brought into my life a few years ago. I had experienced many times...for instance...striving to keep daily skeins going...with my Blog entries...and early on...pulled off some very long ones...but from straining to keep this up...I was finding...that I wasn't enjoying blogging itself. I had found over the years...that straining and striving...at something you want to get done in your life...can even...sometimes...lead to a revulsion for that thing...which can lead to no longer engaging in it in your life. Funny...I've been daily with my blogging for
over five months now...without any striving to deliver on it. Perhaps my long
practice at doing things...without strain...is paying off. But back to taking small
extra steps in your daily life...here's wishing that I can be mindful enough...to
keep doing that...beyond these first two days of this New Year...I've been given....
..........................Quester.

Totem Pole Of Kitsilano

Recently completed...and just finished uploading...the video of my song..."Totem Pole
Of Kitsilano"...to YouTube. This beautiful...very tall...totem pole...was an inspiration to me...when I first arrived on the West Coast...and was living in
Kitsilano. From time to time I still visit it...and am still uplifted by it. A verse
from this song: "Totem Pole of Kitsilano...you're circled by the city war...still you
stand so tall and straight...I wish your land was only green...under the evening star".
.................Quester.