It's Halloween as I post these pieces. I should have written something about Ray Bradbury, an aficionado of this celebration, and on Thomas Wolfe, whose birthday was October 3 and who loved the month of colorful leaves and cooler temperatures. Ah, well.  I do what I can.

Tomorrow is All Saints Day in the Catholic Church. Happy birthday to a young woman I treasure above riches. 

To get the articles, I guess it's click and paste. One of these days I'll figure out how you can just click.

At any rate, enjoy. 
https://www.theepochtimes.com/book-review-beauty-delight-wisdom-blown-away-by-the-critical-temper_4057092.html

https://www.theepochtimes.com/gems-from-the-gilded-age-the-wit-and-wisdom-of-mark-twain_4053502.html

https://www.theepochtimes.com/wisdom-and-wonder-the-magic-of-fairy-tales_4002994.html

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-world-the-flesh-and-the-devil-christopher-marlowes-the-tragical-history-of-the-life-and-death-of-doctor-faustus_3959841.html

All these articles originally appeared in The Epoch Times. 

“Early to bed, early to rise,” Benjamin Franklin wrote in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” “makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Franklin practiced that adage, rising at 5 a.m. most of his life. Though in his Paris years he sometimes neglected the greeting of the dawn, for the most part, he woke early, worked until noon, took a break for two hours to eat lunch, his main meal of the day, and then returned to his work until early evening.

Most human beings throughout history have lived by such a solar clock. They rose with the sun to plow their fields, perform their household chores, attend school, and prepare their meals. For them, darkness generally meant the day’s end and bedtime. Candles, kerosene lanterns, and oil helped illuminate that darkness, but those implements were costly and lacked the brightness of even a cloudy day.
Then came electricity, and our sleep habits were never again the same.

Dawn’s Early Light: It’s Still Valuable

Today we think nothing of flipping a switch, exchanging darkness for light, and staying awake to all hours of the night. Except for the obligations of work and school, we can if we choose hit the sheets at dawn and sleep till mid-afternoon.
But is that a wise or healthy practice?

The online article “Are Morning People More Successful?” presents research showing that early risers are more proactive, healthier, and happier than their night-owl, late-rising counterparts. Our motivation is highest in the early part of the day, not yet worn down by demands and problems. For this same reason, our powers of cognition are at their peak in the morning. Doctors have found that “our inner-cranial volume is actually larger when we first wake up,” allowing us to tackle difficulties better in the early part of the day.

Google “successful people early morning,” and we find descriptions of many Americans who credit waking early—in some cases, between 3 and 4 a.m.—for enhancing their professional performance. Some of these morning risers are wealthy entrepreneurs, but others belong to the middle class, with research showing they generally earn more than those who spend part of their morning tucked into sleep.

These financial advantages are worthy of our consideration, but as we can see, the beneficiaries are individuals. Can waking early bring similar benefits that might enhance our relationships and family life?
MeditationOne young woman I know, the mother of seven school-age children, rises every morning at dawn before her husband and the kids, comes downstairs, pours a cup of coffee, and sits in a comfortable chair near a window overlooking a nearby stand of trees. She says her prayers, and then reads either from a spiritual book or a novel. This is her “alone time,” when she prepares herself mentally and spiritually for the day. As the kids drift down to join her, sleepily rubbing their eyes, she often moves to the sofa to sit with them and enjoy some quiet time together.

Another woman I know follows a similar tactic, kicking off the sheets at dawn, pouring her coffee, and then praying and reading scripture to prepare herself for the rigors and demands of the office.

Others greet the sunrise with meditation or other devices designed to bring on a spirit of peace and recollection, gaining a strength they can then share with family, friends, and fellow employees.

Prep Time

For some of us, early mornings are ideal for mapping out plans and strategies. Sleep has usually erased our fatigue and our worries, and we are ready to face new challenges.

Several people, including myself, use some part of this time to make a “to-do list.” We may lay out the day’s schedule hour-by-hour, or else string together a list of tasks in no particular order and then scratch them out as we complete them. A homeschooling mom I know even uses this quiet time to chart out the week’s meals and makes shopping lists for the items needed.

The young contractor who once lived across the street from me appeared nearly every day at sunrise, loading various tools into the back of his pickup truck, readying himself for the day’s construction projects.
“Preparation,” the old saying goes, “is half the battle.” The stillness of these early hours, when the world is just awakening from its slumbers, can provide the solitude and the energy to look ahead at the day’s tasks and formulate our plans.
Make It Easy on Yourself

Most parents have experienced those mornings when they’ve raced around getting the kids ready for church or school, scouring the house for Johnny’s missing shoe or trying to braid Sally’s hair, with the vital minutes ticking away.

And most of us have surely endured that awful occasion when we kept pushing the snooze button on the clock, then groggily squinted at the time and leaped out of bed, dashing into the shower, getting dressed, skipping the morning cup of coffee, and hustling off to work hoping against hope to make it on time for that important appointment.

One simple solution for eliminating this chaos is to set that alarm half an hour earlier and then abide by its summons. Wake the kids earlier as well; they’ll appreciate having some extra minutes and avoiding the morning sprint. Gathering up the children’s schoolbooks in the evening, preparing bagged lunches for them or for your own workday the night before, setting up the coffee so that you need only punch the switch when you stagger into the kitchen: these measures can also bring a slower pace to frenetic mornings.
More Tips on Becoming a Morning Person

To become an early riser first and foremost demands you become an early sleeper.

I am an early-morning person, but in the past five years, I’ve also spent too much time reading or watching YouTube videos late into the evening. Not a good combination. In the morning, I’ll often wake thickheaded with a lack of sleep.

If you typically go to bed at midnight, and you want to move that time to 10 p.m. so as to arise earlier, try rearranging your bedtime schedule incrementally over a period of time, moving back bedtime by 15-minute or half-an-hour segments over a period of days and weeks. Sleep is important for our minds and bodies, and you don’t want to rob yourself of rest by staying up late and getting up early.

When you begin waking earlier, set yourself a mission for that extra hour or two in the morning. We’ve already looked at some ways people make use of that time. You might follow their example, or come up with your own ideas like working out or answering emails. Whatever the case, when you go to sleep know what you are going to do when you wake. Otherwise, there is little point in waking early.

Finally, as much as possible, make your hours of sleep a routine, a habit. Becoming one of the morning larks as opposed to a night owl may take a while, but once you achieve your goal, keep to that sleep pattern.

Larks Versus Owls

In the article “Are You a Morning Lark or a Night Owl?” the writer reminds us of the advantages of rising early, but also points out that the natural “sleep clocks” of human beings vary widely. Some people, the morning larks, thrive on the a.m. hours, with their energy and resources dwindling during the late afternoon and evening, a time at which others, the night owls, are just hitting their stride. Many of us fall between these two extremes, staying up late some evenings and breaking out of sleep on other occasions early in the morning.

Here we’ve looked at the advantages waking in the early morning can bring to us. In my own case, if I started my days past 9 a.m. I would feel as if half the day was already shot, but I am certain some readers would disagree. For them, the peak of their day might be 6 p.m. or later.

Whatever our approach to wakefulness and sleep, we probably don’t want to practice what Edna St.Vincent Millay wrote in “First Fig:”

“My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!”

​Whether larks or owls, we all need our rest.

Originally published in The Epoch Times: https://www.theepochtimes.com/rise-and-shine-how-we-greet-the-morning-matters_3923009.html

Here's a piece about homemakers, the soul of civilization.

​https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/homemakers--the-last-bastion-in-our-cultural-chaos/

Let's hear it from our betters!

Here's another piece recently published that addresses what it means to be a target of our elites. 

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/the-elites--abuse-of-average-americans/

It was originally published on Intellectual Takeout. 

All my best,
Jeff
​

Yesterday a four-year-old grandson told me he wanted to be a cowboy someday. I told him there were still cowboys, but not like the ones in the John Wayne movies he loves. They're mostly men who ride after cattle, rope horses, and take care of ranches. 

Yet lots of guys have a cowboy in them. They ride after professional goals, throw a rope around various ambitions, and eat a lot of dust on those trails. They fight the bad guys, protect their women and children, and sheath themselves in honor. Men like that still exist. 

G.K. Chesterton was not a cowboy, but a man of romance and a knight. Here's a piece about him:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-goodness-and-greatness-of-g-k-chesterton_3927584.html

All my best to all of you this Sunday evening,
Jeff

​

Hello to anyone still reading this neglected website,

No posts tonight of pieces I've written and published elsewhere. Just my fingers talking for a few minutes.

Yesterday the bottom panels of my Honda suddenly deteriorated, so I've spent the last couple of days even more isolated than usual. No trips to town to the coffee shop or library. Tomorrow I'll drive it--slowly and carefully--to the repair shop and see what they can do. While I'm waiting for word from the shop, I'll walk around town, visiting the coffee shop, buying a few groceries, and maybe strolling to the public library. It will be good to get out of the house and see some human beings.

I'm grateful for that.

About six months ago, I began saying a prayer of gratitude every morning. I've forgotten a few times, but mostly I remember. It's pretty informal--I'm drinking coffee and often sitting on the porch, watching an occasional deer lope across the yard--but running through the things I'm grateful for--the fact that I have another day on this earth, my kids and grandkids, my siblings and other family members, my friends, and the dead I loved and love--makes a difference most days. It takes me out of myself, which is so often a fine thing, and reminds me that the greatest adventure in the world is just being born and living on planet earth. 

If that sounds maudlin or overly-sentimental, so be it. Even in times of trouble and hard times, I'm glad to be a part of this dance of life. 

I guess what I want to say tonight is that I hope the same is true for you. Even if you're in the pit of despair, I hope you can find something to be grateful for, some small thing that lifts your heart. If we look for those things, if we look really hard, we can find them.

Today I was writing a piece for a newspaper about G.K. Chesterton. I didn't include this particular quote, though I may yet, but it describes how I feel sometimes: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

"Happiness doubled by wonder:" what a wonderful way to make our journey in this world. 

Sleep well, and thank you for listening. 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old," George Bernard said. "We grow old because we stop playing." 

Adults need their "playtime" too.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/diversions-amusements-and-leisure-the-importance-of-play-for-adults_3903607.html

​

  

https://www.theepochti
​  Sometimes reminders of the magic of childhood can get us through the day. Here's a look at Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses:"

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-mr-rogers-of-childrens-poetry-robert-louis-stevenson_3906130.html

​

​Summertime.

Now there’s a word and a season with some magic.

For most adults, summer brings homegrown fruits and vegetables, vacations, and a slower pace of life. For me, summer bestows the special pleasure of drinking coffee early in the morning on my front porch before the day heats up, enjoying the chorus of songbirds and the breeze slipping down from the hills.

For kids, summer means a break from books, tests, and teachers. Even with the COVID pandemic, surely summer delivers a sense of freedom and adventure to the younger crew, who, for a few months, are less regulated by a clock and routine.

After watching how some families with children spend their summers, talking to my own children about their plans for my grandchildren, and remembering what made my own boyhood summers special, I blended some of these ingredients together and came up with the following recipes to help make this summer a special one.

Give the kids lots of free time. Sure, sometimes they’ll complain of boredom—“I can find something for you to do,” my mom used to say, and that was a threat, not a promise—but boredom can be good for kids. It forces them to invent their own amusements, to pick up a book, to drift around the backyard looking mopey until they notice the ant war taking place on the sidewalk.

Even more, this freedom allows them to exercise their creative powers. It acts like a gymnasium for the mind, a workout room where there are no instructors or trainers, just a place where they can pretend and dream. One of my granddaughters, for example, has a box filled with tiaras, stoles, and princess dresses, and she often dresses up and glides about the house pretending she is royalty. She has discovered one of the greatest human gifts: imagination.

Have them play outdoors. Beyond a stand of pines at the back of my house is a yard loud with children laughing, talking, shouting, and screaming. For three or four hours a day, this gang enjoys the fresh air and running barefoot through the grass.

And so should we all. Studies have shown that Americans spend less than 8 percent of their time outdoors. That figure sounds remarkably wrongheaded, but when I consider other homes in my neighborhood, which have front porches no one ever uses and appear deserted except when residents drive away in their cars, that number makes sense.

Sunshine and fresh air are vitamins for us all. Let’s make sure our kids get their fill.

Get to know your own backyard and take the kids with you. The old observation that people who live in New York City never visit the Empire State Building applies, I suspect, to all of us. Here in Front Royal, Virginia, for example, we have various attractions—the Virginia Beer Museum, the home of famed Confederate spy Belle Boyd, a Civil War museum, a dinosaur park, Skyline Caverns, and battlefields an hour’s drive away—yet I would wager many who live here have never visited some of these places.

Introducing our children to local amusements and museums is an inexpensive, fun, and educational way to spend a summer’s day. It’s also a great time to bond as a family.

Start a family night. Putting aside a night or a weekend afternoon once a week to be together offers another opportunity for bonding. Playing cornhole in the backyard, heading out to a baseball game or a round of miniature golf, taking an hour for charades or a read-aloud, watching a movie: the point isn’t the activity, it’s the time spent together.

A few nights ago, some neighbors who are moving took a break from loading boxes into a truck to play baseball with one another and with their children. These kids are too young to remember the specifics of this evening later in their lives, but that’s not the point. What they will remember, deep in their bones and flesh, is their parents, aunts, and uncles playing with them, helping them swing the bat and hit the ball.

​Do my sons and daughter recollect me playing soccer with them in the small gravel parking lot of our bed-and-breakfast when they were in elementary school? Maybe, maybe not. But somewhere in their consciousness is the memory that we engaged, that for a few minutes on summer evenings we kicked a ball around and connected.

Wherever we live—a condo in Miami, a farmhouse in Kansas, a trailer park in North Carolina—we can create activities that give gifts and graces to our children as well as to us, and that will strengthen family ties.
And summer is the perfect time to do just that.

First published at Intellectual Takeout: https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/let-s-make-summer-great-again/

Thinking of days gone by, and watched this scene from "Cool Hand Luke," where Luke, a prisoner, has received news of his mother's death. 

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG9tuuznL1Y

A brilliant performance. Not much else to say.