We went to the mountains to see friends and family this weekend. It has been a tough time here in the Rocky Mountains. It rained on and off for six days. 34 more and I would’ve had to get out the ark. The devastation is severe and the brunt of the pain falls on simple folk. Dozens of trailers pushed against each other like toy blocks. Houses and cars washed away. People’s lives and hopes crushed and mangled
I was trying to figure out if it would’ve been better to have a hurricane or tornado to do me in. One short blast and in a matter of hours it would be over. Or is it worse to pray for a break over 96 hours and then 120 and on and on. Saying God couldn’t be that cruel. When will it stop? And the water kept rising. A poor man’s water torture. In Boulder Canyon a dam of debris cut loose and a wall of water 20 feet high roared straight downhill without regard for man or beast
The people are amazing. They are tough and for the most part silent .They have lived through drought and blight and horrific snowstorms. They know how to hunker down and if need be bury their dead Edwin Markham’s profound line “stolid and stunned a brother to the ox” is incredibly apt. True Grit III should be filmed right here.
As we drove down to Denver early Monday we were treated to nature at its best after seeing the worst. This time of the year the summer folk have gone home and it is still too early to strap on the boards. The aspens are changing and the shadows lengthen. The hills and roadways are quiet except for local folk going to work. Pick up trucks and campers on the side of the road mark the trailhead to the altars for hunters performing their fall ritual
The sun began to peak through in spots and clouds or wisps of fog lay hazily on the ravines and vales. It was really a picture to behold. No entrance fee. Just realize the rhythm of life. As we sped we left the sunlight behind and descended through the foothills and met the floor of the land we call Denver. It was still raining. “Hang on, help is on the way,” I wanted to say. Little by little those rays caught up to us in our Mile High City.The healing was beginning.
Throughout the day the temperatures rose and with them the spirit of some beautiful people. Smiles broaden and bikes and carriages were taken out of hiding. With over 320 days of annual sunshine we do not do clouds well. That orange ball is part of our psyche and our spirit.It is also a tribute to the resilience of man.
We will rebuild as has Seaside Heights and New Orleans. We will pick through the rubbish to find some little trinket or photo that will be the link to the past and the hope for the future. In the grieving process acceptance follows soon on the heels of shock and denial. Probably no different than the poor souls in the Naval Shipyard or Damascus or the mom of a murdered child in Chicago. This is life…. and death.
Mondays are special to me lately. I take singing lessons from a marvelously spunky and talented 31-year-old. She has had her own set of things to overcome but the smile is ever present. She pounds the piano and TTG belts them out. All of a sudden sounds come out of my mouth and they don’t sound half bad. The world is my oyster. Maybe I can do happy hour at the Holiday Inn in Lakewood.
But the residue of my lesson is the best. I drive the car or walk around singing to myself and sometimes the windshield is my audience. I don’t worry about this or that. There’s a stupid feeling of euphoria or even better the realization that whatever life throws at me will just be fine. It is really cool to be alive. Ted’s Head has got to work on that more
Later on I go to choir practice. I am not a holy roller but this is a neat part of my life. There are some real pros. Our director works us hard and that is good. All told if everyone showed up there would be about 130 in the peanut gallery and they all give it their best. If someone is off key nobody winces but it’s corrected with tact and compassion. Now that is a unique concept.
Maybe this week’s chaos is unique to Colorado or DC but I’m finally understanding that this is life. Maybe a new normal but it is the hand we are all dealt. We could hand wring but what is that going to prove? Let’s take the foot off the Obama,Wall Street, global warming and celebrity gas pedal just for a bit. Set it aside and well….sing in the rain or the sunshine wherever you may be. It’s good for the soul and the last I checked that was our most vital organ.
As Always
Ted The Great
Factoids:
The annual rainfall in this part of the woods is 15″. Boulder got over that in five days and has 32″ for the year. If it had been snow it would have been over 20 feet!
As of press time we still have over 500 people unaccounted for. Over 1500 homes have been destroyed. 650 miles of road are either torn up or destroyed.
Besides our roads our rail lines have been weakened. Not only Amtrak but a good portion of your daily coal comes in and around Denver. Over 15,000 citizens have been evacuated. Many by Chinooks and Medevac choppers from Fort Carson. It’s a small world after all. Pax.
Ted's Head 
Great column, Ted. You are the ultimate renaissance man. May you be singing in the sun for years to come.
What church are you going to these days that has 120 in their choir??? Amazing! OLOJ has 26 when our seasonal singers are all in town … Jay and my Upscale Singers troupe has between 25 and 30 … And even the Evergreen Chorale that I sang with in earlier days numbered just 80 — which was plenty of bodies to crowd onto a stage with risers. I’m glad you’re taking voice lessons, as am I: It’s lovely to have a better inkling of what we’re doing! Cheers! Mary Beth
MB This is a pretty awesome group. Last Sunday at the 7:30 we had 14. There were piano guitar, violin and drums. You don’t have to go to one particular mass. There are 6 . Prctice is Monday from 7:30-9 You have to get to mass 30 minutes before to rehearse and warm up. Trying to learn the ins and out of harmony as well as reading music. Glad to hear you are well and having fun. House is on the market and we will move to a condo. Makes it much easier for upkeep and travel. Say hi to Jay. Ted
Ted,
Great to see you last weekend.
I’d be interested in your views of Bill Maher’s recent Piers Morgan interview. He basically justifies Obama’s lies to the American people about ObamaCare because we are stupid. Query who is stupid here? The ones that saw the problems coming and questioned the President, or those that just take what he is selling hook line and sinker? This logic from liberal elites just kills me. In essence it’s, “we have to lie to people to force the ideas that we think are better for them, truth be damned.” While he might be right about America getting dumber, I don’t think the people that he is insulting is the right audience.
I suspect you don’t read Saul Alinsky (I have not), but evidently he has written that is OK to lie to gain a position of power, then govern as you wish. Sounds pretty unAmerican to me, but, sadly, seems a pattern with this administration and Congress. Yet, they continue to get a pass.
Would like to hear your reasoned view on this.
Good Morning: I try not to watch Bill Maher not for any thing he says content wise but I do not like arrogant people in any sense of the word. It is my most abhorred trait. You will always have the elite from either side. They think they know better on any issue you ask them. The true problem lies in the fact that we, meaning the populace and to a large degree the press never call them on it. They can make outrageous comments without much fear of retribution. We also tend to live in awe of high ranking people. I never quite get this but it is what it is.
We as a people and a country are disengaged. We don’t want to be bothered or even study problems that exist. We claim to be too busy which is bullshit. We claim not to have enough knowledge of the problem. Duh? We really have become a pretty self absorbed group. To wit. If I want to talk to my age group about such things they literally don’t want to do so. They want to speak of sports or their golf game. If they do engage it is at the expense of rational thought. They have such ingrained beliefs and prejudices they can not be collaborative in any way. This is not taking shots but reality.
I listen to conservative and liberal radio. I watched a black radical one morning for about an hour and a half. I wanted to hear what he had to say. He made some good points. It’s like religion. People are scared shitless to hear other views on the horrible notion they might make sense. I watched an interesting segment on Moyers about dogma and creativity. I really enjoy his show not because I am becoming liberal but he has extremely interesting people who get me thinking. I can’t say the same for Hannity although I do enjoy O’Reilly to a degree.
But I digress. Maybe it is my Jesuit upbringing but I question everything. If I don’t tear it apart and look at the guts how can I internalize it ? Dogma keeps people in line. Left, right and center. It has been a religious thing over the centuries. I hate it. But in the long run people accept it. I can’t rationalize lying to people for the greater good. We sell people too short. We think the truth can’t be hacked by the commoner or even more importantly they won’t have the mental wherewithal to understand. This elitism is beyond dangerous but our modus operandi right now.
The elite lie and get away with it. The only answer is the truth in a very coherent message. I don’t know who will do that? It is incredibly frustrating. Maybe Ted’s Head should take the gloves off at the expense of readership. You speak of passes. Watch a Sunday show. They ask a question and then the guest dances every where but an answer. The only guys good at this were Mike Wallace and Tim Russert. Let’s figure how to do this in a civil way. Just keep asking until you get an answer. Care to join me?
Thank you for YOUR thoughts and interest. Ted