Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Frost Bite Today, the coldest day of the year so far Minus eleven degrees, minus thirty with the wind chill Frost bite in less than ten minutes on bare skin I get bitten just thinking about it They closed the schools today That frost is not going to chew on me Think I’ll just crank-up the heat and settle-in with a good book It’s supposed to be twenty degrees tomorrow Heat wave!

  Pilgrimage Surf’s up at Niagara Falls. The St. Lawrence Seaway has become the St. Lawrence Sea. The East Coast has retreated west in the breezy, tropical winds of climate change. Sea foam licks the new Appalachian shore as coastal cities are flooded to oblivion.  Americans retreat with the flood, a grim pilgrimage.

  I Predict Climate is changing. The South this winter is moving North, as blizzards’ bull’s eye is Kentucky, and snow days are predicted as far South as the Gulf Coast. Orange you glad, Florida, as temperatures there drop to the 30’s. Meanwhile, out West, whirlpools, what’s left of them, are becoming like dust devils. Singing the blues, yet, America? While oil barons at their black tie events celebrate their fortunes, wearing haloes as if they're doing something good. I predict that this modern day Sisyphisean boulder, with oil on its own slippery slope, will befall these errant barons ending their reign.

  This Is How It Will All End? Ancient pyramids shaped like volcanoes. Why? Perhaps to portray the volcanic power of Earth, and that of the pharaoh buried within. Exploding mountains still occur, as do deep-sea vents. Are these hot potatoes how it will all end?  Man has no control over magma coming from deep in our planet. Man does have control over what he does or doesn’t do on Earth’s surface causing climate change.The Los Angeles wildfire is a smoke signal for the rest of us. Many dead, and 1000’s of homes just smoke and ash. What provided the kindling? Dry conditions for the vegetation - fiery tumbleweeds - and hurricane-force winds. Mankind dried the kindling. After the fires, mankind must end climate change, or climate change will end man. 

  1 Degree I don’t want to open the thin, gauzy drapes today. It’s not like they seal off the cold. I don’t want to look out at the cold, white snow. I have enough trouble keeping myself at 98.6 degrees without reminding myself that it’s 97.6 degrees colder outside. I still like the change of seasons, especially when they change to warm.   

  What My World Needed Out of the blue sky flew a blue bird, a blue jay at the bird feeder. It was a blue ribbon event for me because he got me out of my blues. “Just because I’m the color blue doesn’t mean I have to be bummed,” he seemed to say. And I had to agree. After all he is a colorful bird, just what my world needed at the moment.   

  Life is Love In my 78th year… My heart keeps beating My lungs keep breathing My eyes keep seeing My nose keeps smelling My ears keep hearing My tongue keeps tasting My hands keep touching My brain keeps thinking My emotions keep emoting My life keeps living What powers these gifts? My heart not just beats, but loves The power of love Given to me to share