Monthly Archives: June 2018

Links about Depression

Recent celebrity suicides — Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain — shine a light on something our society generally avoids discussing: depression. In fact, we avoid talking about any sort of mental health issue as if it were the result of a … Continue reading

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Onward Through the Blog…

a doodle for my 400th post from Buller’s Back Porch…

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“The Great Beyond Near” — Songs of Will T. Massey

for Glynda Cox “One of the greatest moms of the Austin arts scene has died,” her 2008 Austin Chronicle obituary said. With partner Peg Miller, she ran the Chicago House, a coffeehouse-performance space known for hosting up & rising Austin … Continue reading

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Some Summer Songs

Happy Summer Solstice! This longest day of the year kicks off the summer season — officially. In places like Texas, of course, it’s already been summer for months, of course (part of why we moved to Colorado). With all that … Continue reading

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Twofer Tuesday — Death & Life a la Alan Watts

Alan Watts — philosopher, Zen Buddhist, Episcopalian priest, noted writer and speaker. His thoughts and insights permeated much of the consciousness of the 60’s counter-culture, popularizing Eastern philosophies in Western culture with his book, The Way of Zen, and radio … Continue reading

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Aging Ever Onward

Once upon a birthday, Granny sent me an oversized card that read on the front: “It’s your birthday, so you’re a little older!” Inside, it added: “SO WHAT! So is everybody else!” Thanks, Granny. Welcome to the real world where … Continue reading

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Gun at the Schoolhouse in 1901 Rural East Texas

Our guest blogger, my grandfather G.M.C. Massey, wrote 2 versions of many events. Here’s 2 renditions of a story concerning his younger brother defending himself against a school rival’s knife attack. Back in the School-Year of 1901 & 1902, that … Continue reading

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Inspirational, Insufferable — and, yet, Logical

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, And remember what peace there may be, in silence. If that sounds vaguely familiar, you may even heard a heavenly choir rising behind those spoken words in your memory. If you were alive in … Continue reading

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“Cost of Living” — Lyrics of Will T. Massey

Another in a series of posts featuring the music and lyrics of Will T. Massey Songwriters talk about writing a “rent-payer” when they pen a song popular enough to earn them royalties for years to come. This early song of Will’s … Continue reading

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On Redesigning the Death Spiral

I’ve written before about the fearful attitude many people show towards death and dying. Some people are so fearful that they worry that to even say the word out loud will open some Black Hole of Death in the corner of … Continue reading

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