Jacque's Toast

sat on their park bench like bookends. There hasn't been a tip of the hat or a raise of the glass written in the last little while, but not because great things weren't happening! Going on a journey with two old friends through the misty mountains, camping along the Russian River with other old friends, sitting comfy in camping chairs that parents bring to their kids' little league game, drinking turkish coffee, eating coffee cake and wearing bucket hats to shield ourselves from the sun all while taking in the magnificence of the winding river. Then there was a moment of farewell, where two friends said their goodbyes, after a long summer of working, studying and adventuring. This past week especially there was many sincere, intentional moments to be conscientious of, and what happened yesterday just topped it off. Yesterday I checked my messages and had one from a dear old friend from another country, who I hadn't seen in over a year. Turns out he is in the area wit...

Apples in the fall! A little while ago I picked the most delectable looking peach off our peach tree in the backyard. The peach tree itself is delectable as it sprung up out of nowhere. No one in my family ever planted a peach tree, but a few years ago it sprung up from among the bamboo shoots. At that point, no fruit adorned its branches, and there were some that doubted it ever would. But now, a few years later, and we have been harvesting small, soft and delicious peaches all summer. I ate the peach and it provided me the perfect space to let go from an otherwise exciting day. It was my last day at work for the summer, which made for many emotions, including excitement and pride and a little bit of sadness at having to leave a great organization with a lot of great people. Biking home, people flung profanities my way the entire ride home (a few of them may have been my fault, but not all of them) and after stashing my cycle I hustled to water the chickens and the garden and harves...

A Toast to the Different Shades of Green And a Toast to the Utter and Complete Intricacy of Just One Single Flower

Nowadays with snapchat, instagram, Facebook and twitter it seems like there is always someone in our face. Some people thrive with this sort of constant contact and communication, and some people find it distinctly overwhelming. To escape this, one can go alone somewhere, without a phone or computer, and achieve quiet. This stillness, without high frequency noises buzzing in the periphery, allows for some calm, for time to hear ones own thoughts. However it is hard to have quiet time with other people. That's why people say its good to have alone time every now and then. But the other day I discovered how nice it is to have alone time, without being alone. After being on my computer for most of the morning, I took my lunch break and walked up a steep street to a little patch of grass along the median, thinking I would just sit and be still for a half hour. When I got there another man seemed to have thought similarly, and was sitting with his knees bent up to his chest, arms back ...

Walking around a deserted but normally popular, populated shopping area was kinda fun. Being so early in the morning, all the shops still had their CLOSED signs dangling from the front glass, but the sidewalks seemed to be open. The only people out and about were the early morning watchman, who for some reason patrolled the street though not a single shop was open, and someone cleaning the sidewalks. There were other people in and about, bakers baking the morning muffins, shop assistants fixing up the window dressings and baristas bustling around. i thought i would get a coffee, since it was so early out and extra energy is fun but even the starbucks didn't open until nine which caused me the mildest of mild flash of frustration, but really i didn't fuss because, i calculated, i had just saved probably something close to $3.75. i just sat myself down on a bench on a corner and looked around, a sunglasses hut still shuttered to my left, and a few waddling pigeons to my right. i...

immense, vast, wide, deep, powerful, strong and blue all words employed meant to describe only you. your propensity to meditation is rivaled only by sedation spark sudden inclination, spur on rapid motivation, the fundamental station for so much animal and vegetation- then there is the color, no one really knows, for whichever way the wind blows, she changes what he shows, softly flows with a gentle breeze yet also holds power to cascade mass monstrosities with a blink of an eye thou decimates entire cities. all of a sudden back- calm and serene, you glazing shimmering sheen seem to transform in a second to a behemoth unseen. the ability for violence hath not been subdued, consistently forgotten or apparently misconstrued the dangers and threat posed will cause mass regret leave a trail of blood, tears and financial debt who cares not for its victims, rich and poor alike the great equalizer is death, as it raises high to strike but suddenly retracts, smooths out and ...

The word meld is an interesting one. According to the dictionary definition on merriam webster, it is a verb "t o declare or announce (a card or combination of cards) for a score in a card game especially by placing face up on the table". I have never used the word meld for this purpose, nor have I ever heard anyone else use such a word. Not even Grandma who plays bridge with the best of them. Below that definition of meld is the one I am more familiar with, meld as a verb meaning to blend. The first known usage of this word was in the year 1936, and stemmed from the intermingling words "melt" and "weld" (merriam webster). Melt and weld coming together to make meld makes sense, but I'm not entirely sure why meld, as its own word, was deemed necessary. In any case, it is a word, and I am using it to help delineate today's toast, so please, do get over it. Today as I indulged in a heaping steaming teeming plate of pasta, my thoughts began to wander...