Meditations
Take Part In The Arrival Of Spring!
The saying Spring has sprung is misleading. The word sprung implies something that happened immediately, unexpectedly, as in She sprung out from behind the tree to surprise me. I guess one could say that spring has indeed sprung…if you’ve been living life with...
New Stuff
A couple of weeks ago I bought a bunch of new stuff and man did it feel good! First up were the shoes. I’d been wearing the same black New Balance athletic shoes for biking and walking for something like the past five years. They were worn out and no longer felt good...
Emma’s Barbershop
To walk through the door of Emma’s Barbershop in Santa Rosa is to enter a portal to the past. An old school barber’s pole stands in the window, spinning its red and white stripes into infinity. The shop is small and narrow, customers wait for their haircuts in...
One Tangerine At A Time
Donald Trump is once again wreaking havoc in the White House. Anger and hatred abound. Me? I’m out there spreading the love and kindness one tangerine at a time. We have several different types of fruit trees in our backyard but a little tangerine tree is by far the...
Solar Light Enchantment
Night begins to fall and the solar lights blink on one at a time, it’s a reliable progression. First is the light bulb replica, the incandescent variety basically unchanged since the days of Edison. It hangs from the bare branches of our Asian pear tree. Below the...
Buddha’s Got It All Figured Out
In this photo, Buddha’s eyes are closed in a state of silent meditation, his head tilted downward as he contemplates his navel, his body glows in stark contrast to the dull grey fence behind him. Buddha’s hands are in his lap, his thumb and forefingers touch in a...
Deep Dives
One of the readers of this blog recently commented on how much she enjoys the "deep dives" I do when I write about music. This got me thinking; in pretty much all of my essays, I really do dig in and get to the heart of the matter, I "go deep" as it were. After four...
Throwing Caution To The Wind
When I was 22, I decided to move from NJ to California. Two months later my friend Kenny and I were on the road west, traveling to a place I’d never been, that I knew next to nothing about and knew no one. I made a life for myself and am still here. In the summer of...
Blue Mug
Four mugs hang like silent sentries, standing guard over the coffee maker. They are led by my long time morning companion Blue Mug. Blue, sturdy and thick walled, is the leader of the pack. Its handle spans the entire length of the mug from lip to base. This mug is...
One Second
How long does a second last? As long as it takes for a hummingbird to beat its wings 70 times, as long as it takes for you to blink your eyes. The difference between winner and runner up in the Olympics is one second, it could also be the difference between life and...
The Best Job I Ever Had
On a typical day at Tower Records there was sex, there were drugs and there was most definitely rock and roll. Rock stars and movie stars were regular customers, members of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers could be spied browsing the racks. Famous bands would make...
Singing In The Rain
It’s a rain dance out there today, a veritable, seasonal soiree. Drip, drop, splish, splash, pitter, patter, an onomatopoetic smorgasbord of sounds. Cars whizz by on the freeway, their tires hiss like bacon on a hot griddle. Ducks are delighted. Frogs flip and flop...
Impressionist Oak
Last Monday was an absolutely stellar fall day so I decided to take a hike at Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa. Annadel is one of the crown jewels of Sonoma County parks. It has diverse ecosystems, many hiking and biking trails, a large lake, creeks and abundant bird...
A New Look
It's coming on four years since I began publishing this blog, so I figured it was time for a facelift, a new coat of paint as it were. Musings of a Late Bloomer was always a bit wordy so I shortened the title to simply Musings. There's a new tag line too. Reflections...
Thankful For Autumn
It’s all about the light. Honey golden and lemon yellow, soft and dreamy it cuts through the reds, yellows and oranges of the autumn leaves, illuminating them like electricity. When the sun is out on a fall day such as this, the foliage glows as if lit from within....
Thank You Mom
My mom, Marie Ann (Spadone) Ferrera passed away on October 15. Mom was a strong willed woman, mother and grandmother who would do anything for her family. She gave me so much and I loved her dearly. Thank you for teaching me how to ride a bicycle. You took me to the...
There Are Many Ways To Mark The Passage Of Time
How many ways are there to mark the passing of time? The slow sweep of the second hand as it makes its way around the face of a clock. The imperceptible, glacial movements of the minute and hour hands. The magical transformation of LED numbers as one bleeds into the...
Breathe
Breathe in the Buddha, weathered and worn but still flashing that beatific smile, he knows something that we don’t know. His once gilded body is now covered in bare patches, bleached bone white by years in the sun. Nothing lasts forever so one day our Buddha will be...
The Pitch Clock
Our hyperdrive, instant gratification, attention span of a flea culture has recently become more so: there is now a clock in a baseball game. Up until the start of the current season, there were no time limits in baseball, the only major sport without a clock. Since...
Destiny
So, the other day I’m driving west on rural Hwy 12 towards the Sonoma coast just outside the little town of Bodega. The lush green hillside is dotted with grazing cows, the road slick from last night's rain. It's clear, dry and sunny, a rare occurrence these past...
Silence
Silence is such a beautiful thing. In the hyperdrive world that we live in there are so few opportunities to experience true silence, those opportunities are there but you’ve got to seek them out, silence does not usually come to you. Silence helps me think, allows me...
Considering Guinnevere
While listening recently to the Crosby, Stills and Nash version of David Crosby’s “Guinnevere” I had a bit of a vision. Here’s what I saw. She is all green cat eyes, her liquid gold hair doing the wind dance, waving wild and free like ribbons in the salty sea breeze,...
Reflections On Blue
Blue is many things, it’s a color, a feeling, a state of mind. There is much under the umbrella that we call blue. It is said that eyes are the window to the soul and for me, no eyes provide a clearer view than blue eyes. I’ve often become mesmerized when I look into...
Where Do You Go When You Die?
Where do you go when you die? At one time or another every human has asked this question. The fear of death is the fear of the unknown, what happens to you after you die is the deepest and most perplexing unknown of them all. Philosophers, shaman, mystics, artists,...
Otter Encounter
This stretch along the Russian River, just over the hill from Riverfront Park, at times seems like a river otter highway. It’s a rare occasion when I don’t see an otter or two while I’m here. When I least expect it there they are, but always from a distance. My...
Beach Meditations
The beach is a place where a man can feel he’s the only soul in the world that’s real. Pete Townsend Driftwood…bleached bones. Tibia, fibia, a random scattering offered up by the sea, come to rest here. Finger bones, toe bones, skeletal remains of once living things....
Winter Closing In
The trees are nearly naked, their skeletal branches are stark against a white and overcast sky, a sky without definition. The thirty foot oak tree that stands outside our house has picked up the pace at shedding its small, light brown leaves. Like puzzle pieces they...
Before 8:00am
It’s before 8:00am and all things seem possible. Before 8:00am there’s no hatred; the mean, vicious and small minded all sleep in. Before 8:00am no one wears a face mask, fear is still in bed. While greed heads dream of more and more and more, the earth awakens and...
Childish Things
One day last spring I finally sold our daughter’s bicycle. She’s 17 now and drives a car. The bike had been collecting dust in our garage for several years now. It was time to let it go. This one was the last in the continuum of three bikes that she’s owned, and it...
October Rain
A week ago Sonoma County, where I live, received its first substantial rainfall of the season. By the time the deluge had passed, nearly 8 inches of rain had fallen over a 24 hour period. It rained last night. I mean it really rained. This was not the fleeting storm...
The Magic Of Seasonal Change
I get here and and just wait for the magic to happen. Sometimes the magic manifests itself in obvious ways like the sudden appearance of a river otter or the piercing cry of an osprey as it circles the sky above the river. Quite often though the magic of this place is...
Rain!
I was awakened at 1:20 this morning by the hypnotic notes of wind chimes; one deep and sonorous, the other high pitched and tinkly. The wind had picked up, something was happening. The rain began slowly at first, barely a whisper as the drops fell through our pear...
The View From Section 315
The first thing that strikes me as soon as I settle into my seat in Section 315 at Oracle Park is just how far I can see. The Easy Bay hills and its’ million dollar homes are clearly visible, miles away across San Francisco Bay. When conditions are just right the...
Senior Year
“Who knows where the time goes?” I awoke at dawn today with that bittersweet Judy Collins song swimming through my head. I pad down the hallway towards the kitchen to make my coffee, pausing at our daughter’s room to let her meowing foster kitten out. I get the coffee...
Fountains Of Life
I’m not going to write about Covid-19 or the delta variant or imbecile anti-vaxers. I will not write about California wildfires or European floods or the myriad other natural disasters fueled by climate change. There’s no way I plan to write about the world situation...
When You Were The Wind
Every so often, a line will come to me in a dream and be on my mind when I awaken. I keep a pen and paper by my side of the bed so I can write these lines down before they melt away along with the dream. Sometimes one of these little gifts from my subconscious becomes...
Let It Rain
Let it rain Cats and dogs, pigs and frogs Oodles, puddles, gushers, mushers Let it flow Meander, tumble, rumble A cascade parade Buckets, sheets, fill the streets Let it pour More, more and more Rivers, streams, dreams A wonderful gullywashing downpour A soaking...
Baseball Green
It was another lifetime ago. Actually it was just six months ago. Spring training was in full swing. Me, my son and our baseball pals were already making plans to buy tickets for upcoming games at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Another season with our beloved Giants...
Again
People's homes burn to ashes The air turns yellow with smoke We listen for evacuation notices Deciding what to take if we have to go People flee for their lives One step ahead of the flames Like a war zone The chatter and roar of aircraft fills the sky Heroic...
The Magic of the Movies
I miss the movies, the especially the smell of popcorn. I love to stand by the snack counter and watch the popper at work. The stainless steel tub rotates as it stirs the oil and unpopped kernels. When the oil reaches just the right temperature the staccato sound of...
Time Marches On
“Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” Judy Collins’ sad, sweet and achingly beautiful voice fills the room. I recently picked up a vinyl copy of this album for $1 at the only record store left in my town. The minor pops and scratches adding a little extra warmth and...
Driving To School
Today is crisp and clear, typical for a winter morning in Sonoma County. A thin layer of frost clings to the roofs of the houses and cars in our neighborhood. The sun has just begun to rise, painting the eastern sky in pastel hues of pink and orange. My son Sam and I...
The Kaiser
The 80’s were a pretty sad time for popular music. For most of the decade, the radio played some of the the worst pop drivel ever to have hit the airwaves. Then along came MTV and now we were forced to look at the bands too! Flock of Seagulls, Culture Club, Depeche...
Small Miracles
It’s not necessary to travel very far from home in order to witness small miracles. Case in point is the view from the large window in our kitchen. The window looks out onto our side yard. In spring and summer most of this area is taken up by a vegetable garden and...
What I Took
Last October, for the second time in three years, my family and I were forced to flee our home in the wake of the Kincade Fire. Fortunately, our home and neighborhood escaped unscathed. Having to decide once again what to take with us as we evacuated was a sobering...
One Acorn at a Time
My wife Carol and I bought our first house, the one we currently live in, in November of 2002. Our home sits at the end of a cul-du-sac in a quiet neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Santa Rosa, CA. On one side of our front yard is a thick row of hedges. They’re...