It is extraordinary how many people live with ghosts of wars and restrictions. Years ago I had a friend who spend WW2 days hiding in silence in a dark basement with his mother and sister in The Hague. He would sneak out at night to rummage for food scraps. He survived the war, his mother & sister did not. He came to the US with nothing, became a engineer, made wise investments and eventually lived a grand life. But he always left the lights on in his home and his refrigerator and pantry were always jammed with food. His nightmares of the dark and starving never left him. He remained the frightened little boy all his life. He gathered the courage to go into a movie theatre only once - to see Out of Africa.
On a much lighter note…I’m glad you have lovely Luna to amuse and brighten your life!!!
A change of pace from the recent subjects. An interesting new friend with a story to tell. The account of the German occupation on your island & fate of those who tried to escape is tragic history.
How interesting it must be living in a place where the reality of that period of time is a constant reminder. The past is always present. Those stories are truly compelling & lessons for today.
Luna has become the darling mascot of The Planet. She’s a delight & very welcome, of course!
She does indeed seem to be striking a pose, clever girl!
Here I am locating this newsletter some 20 months later, written just two + weeks before my life changed forever when I fell and fractured badly my femur, on 01/14/2022. Now I am homebound having some issues before but able to get out to drive and see the world that is my small town in western SC, USA. But the joy I find now viewing and learning about my world is the discovery of first this newsletter that has morphed into a group of nature and political pieces that have expanded my horizons beyond my former routine and found more friends all over the world! As an animal activist as well, I surely appreciate Luna, the beauty. I find that my fears of the dark and need to horde food for myself and my three fur babies 🐶😽😽 continue past the pandemic as lockdown continues for me and likely will until my journey is done. My family at Substack ( I have virtually no other) would have remained a mystery if not for the “great fall” that changed my focus forever. And so I am grateful to you, Alexander Verbeek, as it was your literary charm that drew me to this community these 20 months ago. The stories and photos, music, you post are enchanting so I thank you once again for being here as I searched for new meaning, purpose in my life. You will be pleased to know this novice had my “aha “ experience and FINALLY found my dashboard as a writer as well of comments, notes, chats, and am moving toward at least one newsletter for both utility and fun on fashion sustainability (with Evelyne Luethy) that of course I now recognize is so tied up in all the colliding issues of the day that it will be complex indeed.
As a postscript, the political arena after the midterm elections of 2022 has created the monster House Freedom Caucus that attempts to undo the victories of President Joe Biden and confound his climate agenda creating the need for great pushback on their looney tunes ideas and revenge for calling out the many lies and questionable actions of Trump and his cult of thugs. That is rising to a peak as I write relentlessly impacting all areas of our freedoms and lives. We remain hopeful as we must that Biden will prevail along with action on climate and the rejection of fascism
in our divided nation. His victory impacts the global order and so we fight on many fronts. I think of you walking the Camino Frances as we get posts as you are able and hope you will be our ally in your walk to the sea. Stay safe; be well! ❤️🇺🇸🌎🕊️
Love your stories, even the not so happy ones. War - what can I say? I'm lucky to live where I do. War causes so much trauma and that's being past down through the generations. And we are doing that to ourselves. We should built more bridges (not walls). Having said that the current situation is making it hard to not see a growing divide in society and the danger that lies therein.
Loving the Luna pictures. She knows how to strike a pose and you know how to capture it. Well done - both of you. And yes please, the world needs more Luna pictures! How is that even a question.
It is extraordinary how many people live with ghosts of wars and restrictions. Years ago I had a friend who spend WW2 days hiding in silence in a dark basement with his mother and sister in The Hague. He would sneak out at night to rummage for food scraps. He survived the war, his mother & sister did not. He came to the US with nothing, became a engineer, made wise investments and eventually lived a grand life. But he always left the lights on in his home and his refrigerator and pantry were always jammed with food. His nightmares of the dark and starving never left him. He remained the frightened little boy all his life. He gathered the courage to go into a movie theatre only once - to see Out of Africa.
On a much lighter note…I’m glad you have lovely Luna to amuse and brighten your life!!!
Beautiful photos & a very interesting story.
A change of pace from the recent subjects. An interesting new friend with a story to tell. The account of the German occupation on your island & fate of those who tried to escape is tragic history.
How interesting it must be living in a place where the reality of that period of time is a constant reminder. The past is always present. Those stories are truly compelling & lessons for today.
Luna has become the darling mascot of The Planet. She’s a delight & very welcome, of course!
She does indeed seem to be striking a pose, clever girl!
Here I am locating this newsletter some 20 months later, written just two + weeks before my life changed forever when I fell and fractured badly my femur, on 01/14/2022. Now I am homebound having some issues before but able to get out to drive and see the world that is my small town in western SC, USA. But the joy I find now viewing and learning about my world is the discovery of first this newsletter that has morphed into a group of nature and political pieces that have expanded my horizons beyond my former routine and found more friends all over the world! As an animal activist as well, I surely appreciate Luna, the beauty. I find that my fears of the dark and need to horde food for myself and my three fur babies 🐶😽😽 continue past the pandemic as lockdown continues for me and likely will until my journey is done. My family at Substack ( I have virtually no other) would have remained a mystery if not for the “great fall” that changed my focus forever. And so I am grateful to you, Alexander Verbeek, as it was your literary charm that drew me to this community these 20 months ago. The stories and photos, music, you post are enchanting so I thank you once again for being here as I searched for new meaning, purpose in my life. You will be pleased to know this novice had my “aha “ experience and FINALLY found my dashboard as a writer as well of comments, notes, chats, and am moving toward at least one newsletter for both utility and fun on fashion sustainability (with Evelyne Luethy) that of course I now recognize is so tied up in all the colliding issues of the day that it will be complex indeed.
As a postscript, the political arena after the midterm elections of 2022 has created the monster House Freedom Caucus that attempts to undo the victories of President Joe Biden and confound his climate agenda creating the need for great pushback on their looney tunes ideas and revenge for calling out the many lies and questionable actions of Trump and his cult of thugs. That is rising to a peak as I write relentlessly impacting all areas of our freedoms and lives. We remain hopeful as we must that Biden will prevail along with action on climate and the rejection of fascism
in our divided nation. His victory impacts the global order and so we fight on many fronts. I think of you walking the Camino Frances as we get posts as you are able and hope you will be our ally in your walk to the sea. Stay safe; be well! ❤️🇺🇸🌎🕊️
Stunning picture of Quebec.
Love your stories, even the not so happy ones. War - what can I say? I'm lucky to live where I do. War causes so much trauma and that's being past down through the generations. And we are doing that to ourselves. We should built more bridges (not walls). Having said that the current situation is making it hard to not see a growing divide in society and the danger that lies therein.
Loving the Luna pictures. She knows how to strike a pose and you know how to capture it. Well done - both of you. And yes please, the world needs more Luna pictures! How is that even a question.