In 2016, I effectively retired Transit Notes, a blog journal in which I used photographs, quotations, poetry, and my own writing to explore matters of interest to me. Without giving it much thought, I then reverted to Facebook as my primary means of connecting with others online. Time has proven, however, that Facebook cannot provide me with the creative, ad-free platform that I need for my online abode. Accordingly, I am in the process of radically curtailing my use of Facebook, while simultaneously kick-starting this newer blog, The Shape of Light.
To borrow a few words from T.S. Eliot in "Ash Wednesday," The Shape of Light will essentially be a journal of discoveries made in my remaining days of "wavering between the profit and the loss, in this brief transit where the dreams cross." If the these postings resonate with you, please feel free to comment. I always enjoy conversations about matters of common interest.
To borrow a few words from T.S. Eliot in "Ash Wednesday," The Shape of Light will essentially be a journal of discoveries made in my remaining days of "wavering between the profit and the loss, in this brief transit where the dreams cross." If the these postings resonate with you, please feel free to comment. I always enjoy conversations about matters of common interest.
I'm happy to see you landing back in a blog to express creatively, George. (And I'm glad this will post on FB, so I will be aware when you update it.) There is something important about being witnessed, and your photographs and thoughts have been deeply valuable and moving to me over the years. All the best as you seek peace and beauty in this time of extreme challenges.
ReplyDeleteI finally succeeded in getting Blogger to publish my replies, Ruth (had to switch browsers from Safari to Chrome), but inadvertently published my reply to you as a comment. You can find my reply printed beneath my reply to John "By Stargoose and Hanglands."
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DeleteWelcome back. I wondered where you disappeared to. Facebook is also one of the things I feel I can get by without. Looking forward to more of your excellent photos and observations.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, John. I'm a bit frustrated with Facebook — too much data mining, too little privacy, to many ads, and too much intolerance of malevolent people who are allowed to use the platform to advance lies in the support of agendas that would undermine the public interest. Whatever the csse, I think blogging is far better suited to my temperament and creative interests.
DeleteMany thanks, Ruth, for your kind, generous, and supportive comments about my decision to return to blogging. The blog format seems a better platform for what I want to accomplish creatively. That said, I will continue to use Facebook on a more limited basis — staying in touch with a few people like you, with whom I share common interests, and following some of the educational pages I enjoy, such as On Being and Brain Pickings. By the way, I continue to enjoy all of your Maine postings. So happy that you and Don have taken this risk and found such a rewarding and stimulating new life. As for the times, I find it almost impossible to escape the pain and sadness that comes from watching the country seemingly tearing apart at the seams. Hopefully, this will be an inflexion point from which something better will emerge. Frankly, I will never feel pride in my country again until we find a way to rid our culture of systemic racism. How we can go from Obama to this is beyond my comprehension. All we can do is move forward with hope that truth, decency, and good people will ultimately prevail.
ReplyDeleteGeorge how delightful to welcome you back to blogland and to my blog which I still enjoy doing almost daily. I lost my beloved farmer to a brain tumour in 2017 and moved off the farm and into the nearby town. Now almost 88 I soldier on - arthritis ankles make mobility difficulty but still enjoy life. On the subject of your politics over there - your feelings about Obama resonate with me too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for welcoming note, Pat. Sorry, of course, to hear about the passing of your beloved farmer, but I'm sure you are sustained by many good memories of the times you two spent together on your farm. I would like to ask you the secret of getting to 88, but I think you've already shared it with me: You "still enjoy life." Keep soldiering on! As the world fall into disarray, we need all the good soldiers we can find.
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