Weather in the Tries: Rain for Sunday, looks to be cloudy with sun breaks throughout the week, high of mid-low 60s until 68 On Thursday, going down to 55 after. Nighttime lows mostly in 40s, but next Saturday heading into 30s.

Hey! Thanks to all of you who contacted me to see how I was feeling. By the time you read the blog I was considerably better, perchance if you read it in the afternoon, I was back to my normal curmudgeonly self.

Boy Howdy! Have we gone overboard on Cancel Culture or what?

I agree it’s sometimes hard to separate the good guys from the bad guys, and what do we do when a bad guy is really, really talented somehow?

Years ago, I became in literary lust with a particular author. He wrote prose, he wrote poetry, and as far as I know, he still does. Good stuff, at least the stuff I read. And then it came out that he also used his fame and glory to molest women, that he used his fame and glory and higher status to his benefit, but not anyone else’s.

I immediately cancelled him out of my life. But I couldn’t toss his books. I just couldn’t. a) I’d invested too many dollars in them and b) I’d invested too much time and c) they were just too darned good. 

Life isn’t black and white. There are many shades of gray between the black and the white. Why should I give up good writing, something I enjoy, just because? Besides, he doesn’t come home to my house, he goes home to his house, his wife, his kidlets. But it’s hard to separate the Art from the Artist.

Take Thomas Jefferson. Please. I’m finding it very difficult to find any socially redeeming qualities about him. Yes, he was a fantastic writer of fiction. Read our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Aren’t they beautiful? Well, if you belong to the dominant caste, I guess they are. But if you belong to a lesser caste, they ain’t.

Speaking of the dominant caste in this country, what is it the White Supremacists say? If you have a bucket of white paint and put a single drop of black in it, it is no longer white? Well, they need to get their DNA done. All of us are at least 3% African American, and many are more. All of our ancestors walked out of Africa at one time or another.

And the Aryan Race? According to Wikipedia that is “a debunked historical race concept which emerged in the late 19^th century.” Some were pale, many were darker brown. Oh, my. It’s an interesting article, check it out. But then, the term “Race” is a human construct. It’s one way for the dominant caste to keep the subordinate castes subordinate.

But, back to Jefferson. He did write beautifully. And he did recognize his own hypocrisy. But from what I’ve read he did not free his slaves when he died, except for Sally Hemmings. He did not free his children by her, because he was in such horrendous debt, but he did allow them to “walk” and often asked trusted friends to help, especially with his daughters. Some of his sons helped build the college they would never be allowed to attend. I’ve also read in several places that his sons were unmistakably his. At least Washington freed his slaves on his death.

I wonder what threat or inducement Jefferson used on Sally to get her to return to slavery, for she was legally free when they lived in Paris. She could have left him at that time, there was help. I wonder if she thought she loved him. Once she got on the ship heading west, she was doomed. He owned her siblings, at least some. Perhaps they were the price she paid. He is said to have said that Sally had sons, he didn’t.

Something like twelve of our early presidents owned people. And then, we have President Abraham Lincoln who said, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.” (Definition of Democracy, August 1, 1858?) Surely, there are some socially redeeming qualities to those 12. They knew it was wrong, some freed their slaves on their deaths. I wonder if any of them kept families together?

Enough of my ranting. I had ancestors on both sides. No wonder I’m conflicted!

Photos of the Week:

Entertainment:

Alas no new movies or series. And, no, my love of K-Drama has not made me even a wee bit curious about Squid Games. Have any of you seen it. Whatcha think?

Books: Remember, if I finish a book, I review it here.

O.M.G!!! I finished reading The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze. What a fantastic book. I loved it. I am in deep literary lust! There wasn’t a single poem in the book (560 pages) I didn’t love. Some I loved more than others. I am in awe of his long poems where sections are numbered. Shucks, I am in awe of him!  If you don’t want to make a long-term commitment, don’t buy this book, but buy one or two of his smaller ones. Go to your library and check one out.   

I also got some other reviews up for books (novels) I finished a couple weeks ago—A Day Like This: A Novel —by Kelley McNeil, Peace of Music (Book 1 of 3) —by Denise Kahn, Swimmer in the Secret Sea —by William Kotzwinkle.

“I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel.” April 4, 1864 – Letter to Albert Hodges 

The two Lincoln quotes are from Abraham Lincoln’s Quotes on Slavery. 

Poor Sammy Brave Dog. The Zombie Leaf Warriors keep attacking him to eat puppy brains. Leaves have fallen off the trees, and the wind skitters them across the parking lot, or down the sidewalk, and he doesn’t like them at all! I suppose if I was his size and that close to the ground, and dried leaves blew in my face, I wouldn’t like it, either. He sends pupkisses to you all!! And Auntie Lenora sends virtual and socially distanced hugs to each and every one of you ;-)cancel culture