Author: Vic Socotra

What Goes Up…

The big cold front started to tickle the Piedmont yesterday afternoon. It is coming southeast from the great Midwest and causing things to happen. The down-filled coats came out for the first time. They were not really needed until this morning, but the flat-screen treated us to a view of Marquette, Michigan, with images of […]

Arrias and His Muse: Winter Comes?

Author’s Note: My Muse hit me when I walked the puppies, after reading a few items from the news, the Belgorod, demonstration shots, etc… took a little while to germinate this morning… – Arrias Winter Comes? A crescent Moon in a cold blue sky, A golden glow in the east, The Sun is on the […]

Steadfast Noon

(A USAF B-52 with ordnance. The Big Fat Ugly Fellow (BUFF) is leading the big NATO nuclear exercise through the end of October). The two words were borrowed by planners somewhere deep in the bowels of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They are intended to convey a sort of non-threatening military strength- the “steadfast” part […]

Life & Island Times: Apolitical Blues

​Author’s Note: We just completed our civic duty this afternoon by early voting in this year’s election. Here’s hoping that these blues lift, and our spirits rise. -Marlow How Voting Became a Central Issue in the Georgia Governor’s Race – The New York Times Early voting in the Empire in 2020 Copyright 2022 My Aisle […]

Milk Signaling

(Paddle and Bottle, one handmade, of an antique signaling system of uncertain purpose and value). The consolidation phase of things continues at Refuge Farm. We are edging into the “distribution” phase, the part when things have been placed in boxes and stacked to be carried away by helpful profit-takers. Something turned up from the top […]

Life & Island Times: Milk Signaling

Author’s Note: We Remember fondly those multiple gallon Borden milk deliveries. We ate so well. – Marlow Re these protests . . . . All about us are familiar faces Worn spaces, weary faces Bright and early for their daily paces Going nowhere, going nowhere Tears no longer moisten our coke bottle thick glasses No […]

Too Big to Fail…Again!

(This is one of our old signs from around 2008. It is starting to fail around the edges, but we have a new Good Idea on how to fix it so we can use it again for the next big emergency. Our last great idea seems to be failing, so we are drafting the language […]

Life & Island Times: Old Age Shuffle

Editor’s Note: Marlow contributed one this morning that rocked us back. It was one of his song lyrics, old memory and new colliding. Problem was the graphic insert, very short memory clip of a senior citizen doing some dramatic tap-shoe moves. It is quite effective, but the only means to get it over to .html […]

Life & Island Times: Yellowstone

My Leonard piece earlier this week engendered a multi-day email back and forth with one of my longest tenured motorcycling brothers about the relative ranks of the roads, places, times, and peoples we’ve met over the years on the road together. Those included many, many tens of thousands of miles, half dozen countries, 50+ national […]

Life & Island Times: Songs to live — and die — for

Author’s Note: An update for your eyes. -Marlow Been livin under the soft glow of Savannah lights and its boutique hotels And, away from old streetlamps dwells a southern mademoiselle Well, it takes victims to the river where it casts its spell And, under the empire moonlight it sings a song so well If you’ll […]