the friday feed: ode to maize {april 14, 2023}

To keep with the celebration of National Poetry Month, the next three “Friday Feeds” will focus on food.

In 1961, Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, wrote “odas elementales” that were translated into English as The Elementary Odes. While food seems to be ordinary and mundane in our everyday lives, Neruda celebrates food. In his Ode to Maize, Neruda says that maize is one of the staple foods for the South American people. It enriches the diets, especially for the peasants, miners, and working people. The maize shoot is a green lance covered with golden grains. It is a weapon against hunger for the poor. When cornmeal reached the table of the hungry miners, it was a treasure. Its radiance lit up the miners’ and workers’ faces.

Ode To Maize by Pablo Neruda

America, from a grain

of maize you grew

to crown

with spacious lands

the ocean foam.

A grain of maize was your geography.

From the grain

a green lance rose,

was covered with gold,

to grace the heights

of Peru with its yellow tassels.

But, poet, let

history rest in its shroud;

praise with your lyre

the grain in its granaries:

sing to the simple maize in the kitchen.

First, a fine beard

fluttered in the field

above the tender teeth

of the young ear.

Then the husks parted

and fruitfulness burst its veils

of pale papyrus

that grains of laughter

might fall upon the earth.

To the stone,

in your journey,

you returned.

Not to the terrible stone,

the bloody

triangle of Mexican death,

but to the grinding stone,

sacred

stone of your kitchens.

There, milk and matter,

strength-giving, nutritious

cornmeal pulp,

you were worked and patted

by the wondrous hands

of dark-skinned women.

Wherever you fall, maize,

whether into the

splendid pot of partridge, or among

country beans, you light up

the meal and lend it

your virginal flavor.

Oh, to bite into

the steaming ear beside the sea

of distant song and deepest waltz.

To boil you

as your aroma

spreads through

blue sierras.

But is there

no end

to your treasure?

In chalky, barren lands

bordered

by the sea, along

the rocky Chilean coast,

at times

only your radiance

reaches the empty

table of the miner.

Your light, your cornmeal, your hope

pervades America's solitudes,

and to hunger

your lances

are enemy legions.

Within your husks,

like gentle kernels,

our sober provincial

children's hearts were nurtured,

until life began

to shuck us from the ear.

hello, old friend {april 13, 2023}

Hello, my old friend! I've had this bike a really long time and this is the first time I've ridden it in years. Eight years ago I bought a road bike and that became my go-to. The road bike has the handlebars that curve under and in the past few years my shoulders and neck got tired and sore from riding hunched over. 

Today I took "Old Faithful" out for a spin and whew...what a workout! It's been over two years since I've ridden my bike regularly and my legs sure did feel it. The differences in bikes were obvious. The road bike could be compared to a fine German engineered automobile and this mountain bike is equivalent to a Chevy truck. Mind you I have driven both and I like both.

But what I loved was gliding along the roads at my own pace, the wind blowing in my face, the sun shining on my arms, breathing in (and at times huffing and puffing) the fresh air. Such a sense of adventure and exploration.

🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲

You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close. ~ Unknown

wordy wednesday: oxford comma {april 12, 2023}

The Oxford comma—also called the serial comma—is one of the most divisive linguistic devices in the English language. Unlike when you should use an apostrophe and when you shouldn’t, this “rule” isn’t precise. As Grammarly editor Brittney Ross says, “Oxford commas are like the Ugg boots of the punctuation world. People either love them or hate them or don’t know what they are.”

The Oxford comma is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of things. For example, in “the flag was red, white, and blue”, the Oxford comma would be the one appearing before “and”. Proponents of the Oxford comma say it's necessary for removing ambiguity in sentences.

The use of the Oxford comma is a matter of style, meaning that some publishing styles stipulate its use while others don’t. In other words, it’s not incorrect to use the Oxford comma or not to use it, but it is advisable to be consistent one way or the other. AP style—based on The Associated Press Stylebook, the style guide that American news organizations generally adhere to—does not use the Oxford comma. 

Many opponents of the Oxford comma claim that it makes a piece of writing sound more pretentious and stuffy, and that it can make things seem cluttered and redundant. Many magazine publishers renounce its use as well, because sentences loaded with commas take up valuable page space.

When my son was in high school, a couple of his teachers were pro-Oxford comma and a couple were against. As he wrote his senior research paper drafts, I did some proof reading (I am in the pro-OC camp), and his teacher marked up his paper citing overuse of commas. I just told him to learn to play the game, figure out future teachers’ comma preferences, know the publishing style the teacher favors, and go with the flow. Who would have thought one little punctuation mark could cause so much controversy?

blue beer day {april 11, 2023}

Many years ago, the University of Dayton students were on campus during St. Patrick’s Day. College students + green beer = mayhem. The University powers changed the calendar to make sure that St. Patrick’s Day fell during Spring Break.

Seven years ago, Milano’s, a popular campus restaurant/sports bar started a new tradition, Blue Beer Day. It’s a celebration that involves a colored beer and provides a friendly environment to enjoy the A-10 tournament basketball games. The color blue represents the Flyer Faithful spirit that runs through the campus and community. The festivities begin at 7 a.m. with blue pancakes and other breakfast goodies, washed down with the early tapping of one of the many kegs of blue beer enjoyed throughout the day.

I had never heard of blue beer day until I drove down Brown Street past Milano’s on my way to yoga. The patio was full of people dressed in blue, enjoying their blue beer and pancakes, while the music blared. Ah, the life of college students…good memories!

monday's mulling: hands-free driving {april 10, 2023}

Put your cell phone down and keep your eyes on the road.

A new state law took effect on April 4 and it significantly strengthens laws in Ohio related to the use of cell phones and other electronic devices. Anything that involves using, holding or supporting a device while driving is off-limits. Previously, only teenagers could be pulled over for use of a cell phone while driving; adults could not be pulled over for it, but could be cited for it if they were pulled over for another reason like speeding, tail light out, not using directional signals, etc.

We are now in a six-month grace period where officers will attempt to educate drivers to break distracted driving habits following the effective date. After this grace period, law enforcement will have the authority to issue citations and fines will be assessed.

It took a while for this to happen and I’m glad it finally did.

ODOT has caught the spirit of the new law, too, with its messages to make drivers aware as well as amuse.

PHONE FREE DRIVING IS EGG-CELLENT

BUCKLE UP, SOME BUNNY LOVES YOU

happy easter! {april 9, 2023}

Finally, after all these years, in the sort of wee hours of the morning, I found the Easter Bunny! Isn't he the cutest? One of the best blessings ever. 

Happy Easter wishes to all.

 

hippity-hoppity {april 8, 2023}

 

A neighbor down the street loves to decorate his yard for holidays. Yes, it is quite commercial but he adds the religious significance as well. On the other side of his driveway is an inflated cross. At Christmas, the yard is filled with commercial Christmas decorations, while on the other side of the driveway is Santa praying at the manger. I appreciate his efforts to bring a smile to people.