This is post #1000
Yes, post one thousand. Many of the posts for the past few years have 25, 12, or 6 items within one posting. The total number of views is currently 451,942. The chief purpose of the blog is to cater to people of Camunian, Tri-Valley Brescian, Valtellinese, Valchiavenese, Alpine Bergamasque, Swiss Italian, or just in general: Lombard ancestry. The second purpose if to cater to anyone interested in the ancient folk traditions of Europe, or anywhere in the world, and to revive them in some form. The third purpose is to explore some other themes of culture.. often those overlooked, the natural world and universe, mysteries and folklore, or the light and dark occult.
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A couple of evenings ago I again got to hiking late, and I had about a 45 minute hike ahead of me. It was twilight already, and so I knew that I would be in complete darkness during the last 22 minutes of the hike through a wooded area. I still had about 22 minutes to walk through the grassy foothills first. At this point I heard a group of coyotes having what I call "a rally." This is when they gather and howl at twilight, but never did I hear this in this particular area; it was always far off in the distance.
These rallies are not to be confused with individual howls or many scattered howls when they hear the sound of a police car or ambulance coming from a nearby urban area. This is when they get together for some type of "shape up" to get ready and get excited to go out and hunt and forge that night. Most importantly for me was that these howls were emanating from a particular area which I had to transgress on my way back. There was no way to avoid it. When in a wild area, a human becomes part of the food chain in a way. The same dangers that raccoons, skunks, rabbits, etc. face out there in the dark, in this case coyotes, the human theoretically faces in the darkness.
When out there alone, you really are alone! It gets so dark and desolate; your cries for help would not be heard by anyone. I think there's a built in fear of the dark and wild from our ancestral memory of the dangers of the night for hundreds of thousands of years... perhaps millions of years. Although coyote or even mountain lions attacks are rare.. they're always possible. Also, rabid animals of many types are always a danger. The darkness truly does change everything. A 19 year old Canadian folk singer named Taylor Mitchell was killed by coywolves when hiking alone in a very remote wilderness in Ontario in 2009. I'm not suggesting that this area was anything as remote as that one, or that these coyotes are the danger that coywolves are, but officially at least she was reported to have been killed by "a pack of coyotes." Well, there are small groups of five or six coyotes out there; there's some reason for concern.
As I finally reached the mouth of the wooded area that I dreaded 22 minutes prior when I heard the group howling rally from this very location, I tried to think of it as a challenge. How many times in life can we challenge nature when nature has the advantage? I didn't ask for this, but often that's how challenges occur. As I got closer and closer to the dark entrance, I was forced to think of ways I could fight if I had to. I had my flashlight, whose batteries were starting to dim a bit after months of use. The mouth of the woods was at least visually a clearly black opening amid the large trees, a foreboding sight considering what I had heard earlier, and even the reports from last year of a mountain lion in the area, or how about a possible rattlesnake, or even the danger presented by a deranged person. People like Dennis Rader the BTK killer are out in the world.
As is always the case, as I entered the blackness I became part of the blackness. In theory, I was also a competitor in the dark. My eyes adjusted a bit, and I could then see the various vague shapes of the trail, trees, and the sky. There was an 8 minute walk through the darkest part before the trail would morph into the last 15 minutes of trail which was less ominous... a slightly wider trail with more sky, more light, a road in the distance. Did the coyotes move as a pack? Did they break up into smaller groups? Did they go solo? Every so often I heard some small animal make a noise, which was alarming. It's amazing to consider that had it been an hour or two earlier, this would just be a pleasant walk.
I moved the flashlight from side to side slowly, occasionally shining it far ahead along the trail, and once in awhile looking in back of me. I made it back to the street without incident. The threat level probably wasn't too high. People do camp in much more remote areas, in tents, with bears about, all the time. On the other hand, coyotes in southern California have known to drag children into the brush, never to be seen again. Its happened. There's a young woman who I encounter up there at times. She's kind've tall, and basically the coytoes probably wouldn't bother with an adult human. We're a mystery to them. However, it's often a matter of scale. They might think otherwise with a child. Our place on the food chain is an awkward one. We're supposed to be on top, yet can be taken down very quickly by wolves, rattlesnakes, bees, poison oak, etc.
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"The Grey" Ending Scene | HD |
1,392,803 views
After their plane crashes in Alaska, seven oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.
Stars: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney and Frank Grillo
Add me on instagram: zabed123 Movie: The Grey
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"Simply beautiful!!" -- OTRO
"One of the best and most emotionally powerful ending of all time with a depressing and haunting soundtrack. This ending is overlooked by too many ignorant and heartless people just looking for a f*****g wolf fighting. Highly underrated movie, one of Neeson's best." -- The Comedian
"Its not about wolves at all. Its about life.." -- Stan
"One of the most powerful and inspiring movies ever. Great acting by Liam Neeson as always. And this end scene is just amazingly good, right into the feels. And those people who think that the wolves in this movie represented real wolves and this movie was about just some men fighting against wolves are wrong. The wolves are just a metaphor for your worst fears and biggest problems in your life, which keep attacking and stalking you throughout your life and you either give up and die or face your fears and fight till the end." -- Racing Red
"I don't think people should look at this as a realistic depiction on wolfs and nature in general. It's moreover a poetic view on what life is about. Even though you know what the end result of your life would be, you still have the opportunity to fight for your life as long as you have it.
"The movie also proclaims that in many cases you don't fight for yourself only but also for the people around you. At the start of the movie is Liam Neeson's character suicidal because he doesn't think there's anything important to live for anymore. But after the crash he has this group of survivors to take care of and thus having obligations to keep himself alive for the sake of the others. One of the big drivers to keep yourself alive is your importance for others. If you don't feel important to others you don't feel obliged to live." -- Stefan
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The Grey — A Philosophy of Heroic Suffering
Why The Grey is a Forgotten Masterpiece (Analysis)
THE GREY - Movie Endings Explained (2011) Joe Carnahan, Liam Neeson
The Grey (Final scene) [FULL VERSION]
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Hoarding vs Minimalism
'Hoarders' is one of the original popular reality programs, and is currently airing new episodes on Monday evening on A&E. The polar opposite of a hoarder is a minimalist. The great majority of people lay somewhere in between both extremes. Naturally I believe that minimalism is best, but easier said than done. I think many people entertain a subconscious fantasy that one day there will be a personal or family museum somewhere, and that they must save everything for that day which will never come. The best you can do is have a home where we can feature some items, art, etc. for viewing. I admit I have a daydream about having a bar and/or eatery where I could feature unusual items of interest to me. Actually a couple of years ago I saw a property for about $300,000 which included a bar and some apartments in a location which I would like to perhaps live someday. Realistically, this daydream isn't likely to happen. Even if I purchased that property and tried to run the bar, I probably would use a different theme if any. In other words, I would do myself a favor by eventually doing away with things that are not of great importance to me... including some obscure items which may be mildly interesting to me. Like everyone else, I have some items of sentimental value which I would not part with. It isn't good to have too many of those types of things.
I never understood housewarming parties! Other people decorating your house for you? Your sports fanatic friend gives you a sports related item, your Buddhist friend gives you a Buddhist related item, your animal lover friend gives you an animal related item, and everyone takes a turn giving you an item and at the end of the day where's the room for the things that you cherish! It's so easy to hoard. Even if you take out some items for a project, suddenly you find that there is stuff everywhere; you had just condensed them for storage. The old question: do you control your stuff, or does your stuff control you? We can become a slave to the things meant to serve us. In my extremist minimalist philosophy, I believe that when people first enter a home they may want to buy, it looks beautiful all empty! Usually it's all downhill from there. For just one example, I have two full boxes of paperwork that I have to go through; much of it is just from mail. Having art and items around us which defines us is perfect, but it gets out've hand quickly. Even when people put things into storage rooms, they often don't come back. Subconsciously they really wish they could just "start over" again.
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-- John Matlock on college roommate Joe Roth
Joe Roth: A life that keeps on giving
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In memory of Taylor Mitchell: Clarity
RIPTaylorMitchell
'Clarity' written and performed by Taylor Mitchell from the album 'For Your Consideration' (released March 2009 by Back Road Tavern Productions, producer Michael Johnston)
The Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell was a rising star in the folk music scene with a unique soulful sound and a maturity way beyond her years. Having just released her debut album 'For Your Consideration' Taylor Mitchell was nominated for Young Performer of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2009.
Please support the following websites:
Taylor Mitchell Memorial Fund
http://www.taylormitchell.ca/index.php?show=24
Taylor Mitchell Website
http://taylormitchell.ca
More comments on the artistry of Taylor Mitchell:
Whitney Pastorek (Entertainment Weekly) on the songs of Taylor Mitchell:
"They're the work of an old soul, a girl whose voice is still finding its strength but whose musical character was already fully formed — her songs are wistful, traditional country-folk, certainly worthy of the classic mature beyond her years chestnut."
Michael Johnston, close friend of Taylor Mitchell and producer of her debut album 'For Your Consideration':
"[She was] a brilliant, bold and beautiful light that people were naturally drawn to. She was so young and talented. Her big dreams were a perfect match with her big, kind heart. She was always positive to be around, and people jumped at the chance to work with her. They saw in her the rarest of the gifts: an ability to sing, not only from the heart, but in a way that transcended her age and experience and became something universal."
Lisa Weitz, Taylor Mitchell's manager:
"Taylor was just the most generous and open-hearted person, a big soul. You felt that generosity of spirit and a big heart. Taylor was a seeker and a sojourner, a teller of tales. She had such a gift for storytelling and songwriting. She could capture images, places and people so masterfully. She was seasoned beyond her years."
con't....
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"You should live your life the way you think you're supposed to live it, and not listen to the naysayers, and do what you think you're meant to do."
-- Taylor Mitchel 1990-2009
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