Author: stevehaarman

The day is cold, with a few flurries of snow

It is what you expect in the middle of winter

There are several weeks to go before

Warm weather is here to stay

Snow mountains go out one hundred yards

The spindrift is made up of snow particles

Swirling like an upside-down tornado

There is beauty if you are willing to kiij

The woods seem neutral. There is little wind

The world is in an uproar with earthquakes

In Turkey and Syria. The death toll is in the

Thousands, and the damage is unbelievable

The communists send a balloon across our

Country gathering as much intelligence as

Possible before Joe-Joe bravely says shoot

It down. Our southern border is open to 

Everyone. Fentanyl is killing 100 thousand

Of our addicted citizens each year, and we do

Nothing. Those in charge are not investigated

The FBI and the CIA, along with the very fake news

Are covering up not only Hunter Biden, but the

Role, they played in changing the outcome of

The last election. Joe-Joe spared us from the

Fight he had with Corn-pop and how the kids

Laughed when the hairs on his legs curled up

When he was a lifeguard. Now he must be laughing

At the unemployment, he brought about by

Shutting down oil exploration, the pipeline

That would safely take the oil to Nebraska

For refining. He was booed, hissed, and called

Out as a liar a few times bus mostly his side

Of the isle nearly broke their ankles while

Standing to applaud his lies. We had to wait a

Long time to hear the rebuttal by the governor

Of Arkansas, because Joe was shaking hands,

Hugging and sniffing for what seemed like an

Eternity. The mainstream media couldn’t get over

The heroic job that Joe did while reading his

Composition of falsehoods. Sarah Huckabee

Sanders gave a precise state of the union and

Offered solutions and encouragement. It was

Well received and so the night ended.

Stanski

February 10, 2023, ^

This is not new!  Fabrications by the anchors

on-network broadcasts are commonplace.   

When there was still a semblance of journalism,

it was often embellished by adding

elaborate adjectives and adverbs.

They did not actually apply, except in the mind of

the announcer, who felt akin to the rich, the ambitious,

the poets, the pirates, and the kings. 

Truth blows holes through their accounts. 

People actually died, in one way or another,

because of their presence on the scene of a disaster,

protest-march, parade, war front or

other shock scene of the day.

They, in their suits, ties, coiffured hair, and bronzed skin,

sit in the majestic studios selling whatever narrative

they can get away with to advance their agenda. 

They read stories prepared for this expressed reason,

often interjecting a personal affirmation, giving it that

“we’re all in this together” feeling.  This is not journalism,

still, they receive awards for journalistic excellence and

are applauded by their peers who are also narrative readers.

Lies are repeated, the story grows, then more lies are added,

all to shine a favorable light on the liar.

The anchor, exposed recently lied about being in a helicopter

downed in Iraq by a rocket-propelled grenade. 

He lied about seeing a body floating face down in the floodwater

outside his hotel room in New Orleans at the time of Katrina.

Pictures showed that the whole area was dry. 

He lied about events in the Houston Astrodome during his

discourse of declaring who was responsible for this act of Nature. 

He lied about being sick with dysentery caused by

drinking flood waters accidentally. 

He saw fear, death, depravity, firearms being brandished,

looting and other nasty things, apparently from some room

in a five-star hotel in the French Quarter. 

All claims have been refuted by police,

hospital personnel, health directors and the like. 

Still, because of this outstanding work on Katrina,

he earned an anchor position, which was being vacated

at a network, by another myth raconteur.

Unfortunate as it is, that is the way it was.

STANSKI

FEB 9, 2023, ^

People ask me what I am doing.

I am here, just standing and in

wonder of the conditions in this

country that we are experiencing

under the leadership of the man

who put “Corn Pop”, a playground

character in his place. This happened

a long time ago, but it is apparently

foremost in his mind. That is what I

am doing. I am bewildered by the

open border, where illegals are crossing

into our country by the thousands.

Fentanyl, enough to kill every citizen,

is coming from China through Mexico.

The cartels are engaged in sex trafficking

and human slavery. I am amazed that

fossil fuels are not being explored for

and the drilling for them is off-limits.

I cannot believe that our service people

are committing suicide at alarming rates

and service to them is being denied. Who

would think that safe pipelines which

transport fuel for refining would be closed

down and the delivery of such is left to trucks

and railroad cars. This occupant does not

enthusiastically support Israel, and does not fight

for law and order in cities. He doesn’t believe

in reducing taxes. Did not support states’ rights

during the pandemic. I am stunned that he has

no intention of reducing the national debt but

only adding to it. I am alarmed at how we are

racing to socialism, and everything done and

not done are aiding this movement. I am here

wondering how so many people have abandoned

critical thinking. We are undergoing shortages

on many essentials and inflation is increasing

every month. I am standing here amazed at

how this occupant will declare that we are

doing well and that he and his administration

have accomplished so much. He is confused

on so many things and has made grave mistakes

,such as Afghanistan and the Chinese balloon.

He and his family appear to be on the Chinese

payroll. He vacations almost every week. To

witness this is amazing and I hope we wake up soon.

Stanski

February 8, 2023, ^

The world is full of questions. The Syrians and Turkish people

just suffered a terrible earthquake that killed many hundreds

of people. The Turkish people have twice tried to annihilate

the Armenians Thee two events took place close to 100 years apart.

The Armenians were neighbors to the Turks and did no harm to the

Syrians. We have gang wars in our country. Members of these gangs

die in territorial fights. They are buried and forgotten. The Turks and

the Romans before them attempted to conquer the world and govern it.

Many lives were lost in the warfare. People were displaced and separated.

They began new lives, although with heavy hearts, as they would never

see their loved ones again. As the Ottoman empire eventually collapsed,

the English, Germans, and Spanish began their attempt to conquer their

neighbors. In some areas, they were successful, and in others, they lost in

their effort. Some of the Africans enslaved other Africans and sold them

to other countries, using them as a commodity. In our country over a

period of years, we ended many Indian cultures and took over the land

as we moved westward. Slaves, however, were purchased and put to

work in the fields or whatever chore their masters needed done. The

Indians, in a way, are receiving reparations through their casinos. The

Africans were liberated and made their way and contributed in many

ways to our success. Five and six generations later, their people who

were never slaves are seeking reparations for what their ancestors,

who they never knew, went through. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese

perished at the hands of the Japanese in the 1930’s. Over six million

Jews at the hands of the Germans. Many other events of annihilation

took place throughout history. Jesus said to help our neighbors. It would

be hard to help and kill at the same time. We still have war victims and

ordinary times give us plenty of people to help as a result of flooding,

hurricanes, and tornados. We cannot forget the misery caused by

dictators. We also have people needing help because they are out

of work, out of resources and have many needs. These are the people

we are trying to help. It is an awesome responsibility, but must be

addressed and if not by us, then who? Now is the time to imitate the

good Samaritan.

Stanski

February 7, 2023

Our cherry outlook was dimmed by the dark

gray clouds. They appeared to the eye as you

looked up over the snow mountains, which had

been around just a bit too long. We were praying

for warmer weather, but none was promised by

the Channel Seven weatherman. So we resolved

to take it as it comes. There were plenty of things

to do before spring was upon us. We were thankful

for how good we had it, especially when we thought

of the many who were suffering in the world. Even

in our own town, there were children who were hungry

and unhappy. Their folks spent money for alcohol or

at the casino, Always wishing for the big payout. The

more they lost, the meaner they became, and they

lost their sense of perspective. To put it mildly, they

were miserable, angry at themselves, and thought

nothing of taking it out on their children. The school was

an afterthought. Whether their children did well or

failed was of no concern. Most of these children fell

behind, and some dropped out of school and became

addicts. Some suffered from depression and had no

place to turn. The counselors and the ministers had

no answers and could not refer the children

to someone who could help. The life and spirit of the

town seemed to be on the decline, and no one took

a deep interest in the welfare of the community.

Hope was a forgotten word. Still, there were citizens

and leaders who thought we could do better, but their

enthusiasm was short-lived, and they gave up. The do

nothings and the let the cards lay where they fell did

not relish victory and were reluctant to try anything

new. It is a sad story and not unique to our community.

There are successful cities and we should try to follow

their lead but, sorry, it looks hopeless. New leaders

may be the only hope.

Stanski

Feebruary 6, 2023, ^

The birds are quiet today

Tree limbs are still and

The temperature is cold

No animals are roaming

Evidence of the sun along

The horizon as brightness

Is prevalent in multi-shades

There is no doubt that this

Is the middle of winter

We acknowledge that

Spring is getting closer

This fact lightens our burden

And makes us feel like

We have accomplished

Something. We have a means

Of keeping warm, but at

The great expense as the bills

For energy keep increasing

As does the tab for food

Flurries are dropping to

The ground, ever so slowly

We do not need more snow

Mountains of it are everywhere

And snow-machine enthusiasm

Is at a peak as they travel

Hundreds of miles to take

Advantage of the well-groomed

Trails in the U.P., spending

A week here before returning

To their families and work

Down below. They are trolls

And their bravado is not

Appreciated as much as their

Money is. We know what we

Have and don’t need to be told

By them or anyone. Meanwhile

The lake is very calm and the

Sky is gray. So it goes.

Stanski

February 5, 2023, ^

I AM HERE

I see sunshine in the woods. it has an orange-yellow tint.

It lifts me. Everything is possible. Along the shoreline,

the small mountains of snow reflect the sun. The whole

of the lake looks frozen, and the sun shines brightly off of it

almost looking like a cloud. There are clouds above, which

are different shades of gray all the way to white. Winter

is amazing in beauty. All the trees have snow on their

limbs. It is eight above zero at the present time.

We are halfway through winter, and most are eager

for spring. The sun has been scarce, and we have had

cold and snow throughout the season up until now.

It will warm up. It always does, and we will be able

to resume our usual outdoor activities. That fact

makes us happy, but when the warm weather

comes, we will find something to complain about.

Our time is right now, and we have to make use of it.

People want to know what you are going to do

next and my answer is I am here, that is all that

matters. What I do I am doing now. Let us pray.

We prayed and asked and answered a few

questions. Everyone seemed to be at peace.

This was my first time joining them. I came

uninvited and was received well because we

were acquainted and they liked me for the

many things I had done for them. We have

now, regardless of the sun and weather. We

should not be idle but have some agenda that

we gladly carry out. We have the moment and

nothing else matters with respect to ourselves.

We pray, give thanks, and move on to the

next thing. This may frustrate those who

have no plan, but it is satisfactory to us.

Stanski

February 4, 2023, ^

You are who you are. If that

makes you unhappy, then

it is up to you to do something

about it. A champion golfer,

if he wants to stay sharp,

hits a thousand golf balls per day.

A runner must keep running.

A six-week layoff and he is back

to square one and has to start all

over, building slowly back to what

he once was. We make mistakes.

We make corrections. If we want

to be happy, we must do things to

make others happy. We start to do

little things and keep building up to

the point of doing things we never

thought of doing when we were

unhappy. Our growth, if we keep at it,

can be phenomenal, and we surprise

ourselves and those around us.

These sorts of things are the miracles

of life. If we did not take the initial step,

we would still be forlorn. We learn to act

when things are not right. We have been

given all of the instructions necessary and

have bee promised that there would be

someone with us to help us. It is now up

to us to find food and water for those in

need. We may begin small, but keep

increasing our efforts until they become

second nature to us. We begin to like

who we are and begin to bring others

together to assist us as the problems

increase and are discovered. At this point

to ignore what we know we must do

would bring us back to unhappiness.

If others fail or find that the effort is

too much, then we find new people

who will carry on with the opportunity.

We are finding our place in the promised

land and in reality, that is what life is all about.

Stanski

February 3, 2023, ^

The loss of a loved one is real and grief,

though modified by temperance, remains forever. 

Rough edges are smoothed

allowing us as bearers to

be calmer and more serene.

Our human frailty

does not allow us to give up a bond

that seemingly anchored us

in our identity and was part of our self-worth. 

Life is a precious gift and

we do not stop living without purpose. 

We become a monument of sorts for

the one lost, a proof that someone mattered. 

We will not and do not forget. 

Scrapbooks, picture albums and

conversations often become sidewinders

that bite us with reality,

bringing tears and wounded hearts which

again will need time for healing. 

This is the story about

what love does when absolute. 

It is a treasure of gold

that we will not spend for ourselves,

but will sometimes share with others. 

Nothing new in our life will alter what was

because the new is something different and unrelated. 

We, in a sense, have a new story. 

It, too, will end and

we hope it is not us

who has to write the final chapter.

But if it is we will write the story

With grace and dignity.

Stanski

February 2, 2023, ^

God is always wanting to come closer to us,

and in his eyes the whole of our span of

mortal life is meant to make us accustomed

to his nearness. God love us and love is always

humble and respectful; it will not force itself

upon the beloved. God cannot love us to the

full, that is, give full scope to his love, be as

lavish with us as he wishes unless we let him.

If, from his side, our lives in this world are an

opportunity for him gradually to hive himself

until we are capable of receiving him fully,

from our side they must be seen as a response

to his loving advances, allowing him to train

and fit us. There is never any question of the

initiative lying with us or of our having to get

on the good side of God in order to win his

favors. All that has gone before is and attempt

to show how, in our ordinary daily lives we

should respond to God, surrendering self.

It is not a part-time time thing; it covers

and must cover the life in heaven. It is prayer:

God incessantly giving himself, man opening

himself to this gift. Ruth Burrows presented by:

Stanski

January 31, 2023,  ^