Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
‘Ola’s Tree’ (Landscape orientation) A photo of the area of our property we designated for Ola’s grave. The view is from just beyond the enclosed area, facing back towards the house, which dominates the upper third (center) of the photo. It (the house) is prominent as it’s an ‘orangey’ brown, while almost everything else is green. The eye is drawn first, however, to the rising diagonal line of a rail fence entering the scene from the lower right center. Only one rail is visible until it encounters a round, vertical post. The rail is inset into an oval hole about six inches from the top of the post, which in turns shows it’s post-like nature with the skewed circle of it’s top surface. The up slanting path of the fence has advanced enough that we can see two rails continue on past the post (like one of the fork-things in the kitchen that look cool but only get used when the cook is trying to lift something hot from a roasting pan and you know whatever is being moved is gonna try and escape). Both rails extend to the right at an up-slant until they terminate in an end post. The rails and the posts are light-wood color (which means ‘once brown, now faded pale-into-white brown’). The undersides of the rails have the darkness that lets us know they are round (as opposed to angular). Thin dark green squares overlay the trapezoid shape of the fence section. The squares are very regular and once enough of them are detected, they connect and look like what they are, interconnected space manifesting as green vinyl wire fencing. (Think: a strip of bubble wrap, except not rounded and doesn’t make the irresistibly fun sound when you squeeze them.) The central feature of the scene is not Ola’s grave, which is in the left center, and shows as three quarters of a rectangle. Even though there’s a young pine tree obscuring the lower left side-corner of the grave which, in turn is a mottled sand-color rectangle with a light gray border, it’s not what captures the viewer’s interest. The center of the photo (or perhaps better to say, center of attention) is what at first glance seems to be a tilted pine tree with a prominent, if not narrow trunk. Following the dark two-tone trunk (light on the top, darker on the lower half of it’s cylindrical shape) up, to the left it finally shows branches, like the brushes used by chimney sweeps, only green instead of black. If one follows the trunk downwards, slanting to the ground, an oblong of light catches the eye. (Another case of a dark cylinder lit from above, the light doesn’t bounce off the tree trunk as much as it embraces it.) The line of this new section rises in an arc and then immediately dives back to earth. Now the pre-cortical brain is in full archetype mode…. snake? (“nah, too big!’), pipe stuck in the ground?!’ (“yeah, right this is a well-thought out yard feature.“) Dragon? (?! … now that you mention it!”) lol
Each week Josie Two-Shoes invites all to share whatever experiences that may have elicited a sense of gratitude. The standards for inclusion (of ‘Things of Thankful’) on a list are very liberal. Items, (for inclusion – on a list – in a post – linked to Josie’s blog) might arise as the result of encountering people (due to deliberate intention or frivolous whim), visiting places (familiar or exotic) or confronting things/events (both planned and spontaneous). The underlying theme is two-fold (ish): by reflecting on circumstances that create a feeling of gratitude, one is more likely to encounter it again. And by posting it (here in the bloghop) one has the opportunity (privilege) to see a portion of another’s world. (As the followers of the Doctrine will attest to, the more you can appreciate the reality of another, the more enhanced is your capability to not be limited by the time-worn shackles of ‘everyone knows’ and ‘that’s just the way things are’. We accept that we all live in a what is, to a degree, a personal reality and, paradoxically, it is only by developing the capacity to accept that fact, are we able to change in improve how our own personal lives play out. ya know?)
Suspect I don’t need to include a comforting statement about how this here bloghop here is totally ‘Freedom Hall’ and the only requirement for acceptance is good intent. Now that I think of it, ‘I think we’re all bozos on this bus‘. (Totally beyond the chronological reach of most, if not all readers, at least in the direct, contemporaneous experience. That last line is from the incredible Firesign Theatre. Go ahead click on the first link, it won’t be awful…ok, maybe confusing, but funny. I think I’ll make that Item One!)
So on with the show!
1) The Firesign Theatre the only true comedy album(s)
2) Exception to implied (but not intended) inference of Item 1, the albums of Bob Newhart. Now, before someone says, ‘yeah, but Robert Klein, David Steinberg and Albert Brooks, all funny guys, they had albums! What about them? Well, the thing is, what (imo) Bob Newhart did as comedy was meant to be heard and was, (still imo) independent of the visual element. Think about any comedian/comedienne, you watch them as much as listen to them, because they’re constantly sending all sorts of non-verbal messages. Very much a part of what makes us laugh.
3) (Keeping in the theme of the things of the distant past), shout out to zoe and her Six Sentence Story bloghop. The writers who participate in her bloghop cover the waterfront in terms of writing styles and, of importance to me, remarkable writing skill. That last is important to me, as, ever since coming to this place, I’ve been trying to learn the writing thing. Nothing better than to hang out with them whats got the thing you seek.
4) Speaking of groups of remarkable humans, lets hear it for the Graviteers! Val, Joy, May, Lisa, Sarah and Kristi
5) Una
6) Una Garden, Phyllis and Una
Phyllis gathers produce and Una stands watch. *(landscape orientation) Center left: Una sits on the bench that runs along the edge of the deck on the back of the house. Her body is facing the camera (sorta) and, being fairly close is quite identifiable as a dog. As opposed to other, more at-a-distance photos, where she presents as a shiny black shape with legs and triangular ears. Una has her head turned to her left, watching Phyllis who is standing, (slightly bent at the waist), between the ‘n’ and the ‘a’ of the garden. She is adding a green vegetable-thing to the yellow vegetable-thing in her left hand. Phyllis is wearing a blue tee shirt and blue and white striped (vertical stripes) pants. Rumour has it that she’s wearing her pajamas to pick the morning harvest. But, for the record, you didn’t hear it from me. Una, as usual, is a study in black, with beige forelegs and paws. She is watching Phyllis intently, as although our backyard is not visible to the neighbors, it is sometimes the rabbit equivalent of the local burger joint (veggie burgers, of course). The grass surrounding the garden is varying shades of green and a bit over-grown. The background (behind Phyllis) is comprised of pine trees which show as telephone-pole-vertical-trunks of a variety of diameters, cross-hatched with green needled branches. If you stare just at the trees, it has a decidedly oriental painting feel.
7) the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
8) (hey! what’s a reflective* post without a music video?)
9) * ‘reflective’: in this context, the word ‘reflective’ is what is referred to in the Wakefield Doctrine as a ‘rogerian expression’ (pronunciation: roe jeer ree ann) This linguistic filigree is the equivalent of the sparkling shiny teeth of the scott and the paralyzing complexity of (any) effort of a clark to explain the simplest of things. As readers should know, rogers are the personality type that are associated with being ‘a Herd Member’. The mainstay character of the reality that causes people to grow up as a roger is contained in a single word: quantifiable. (In the personal reality) of a roger, the world is quantifiable, understandable and… in that wildly out-of-left-field way that makes the Wakefield Doctrine the fun insight that it is, emotion, Yep! rogers exist in a reality grounded in emotion, yet manifestly quantifiable. Better take a run over to the page on rogers. (If you’re a new reader, it’ll help. Although, if you’re a new reader and you’ve read this far…. welcome to the Doctrine!)
Anyway, a rogerian expression is a delightfully incorrect use of a word, the ’10’ in the world of malapropisms. As a matter of fact, a sure sign that you’re being hit by a rogerian expression is the outburst of shocked laughter that serves as a buffer against the assault (of perfect incorrectness). Anyway, that link in the previous paragraph? The page on rogers will have an entire section on ‘rogerian expressions’. Try not to surpass on reading it.
10) SR 1.3
Click on this, yo
About clarkscottroger
Frist to say, nice post!
“the paralyzing complexity of (any) effort of a clark to explain the simplest of things.”
So true. We, who find the simple difficult and challenging, and the difficult, somewhat of a piece of cake lol. I second your #7. Don’t leave home without it :D
Switch up on perspective photo-istically speaking.I agree! It could very well appear a dragon:)
I remember Firesign Theater! Damn that was long ago. Bob Newhart still holds up. No need for visual. I imagine what the days of radio (in place of tv) were like listening to Bob :)
Produce from the garden…excellent!
We do tend to find something irresistible in the never-ending branches of information always present, even in the simplest of things.
I am loving Ola’s tree, and perhaps it is a mystical guardian dragon, one should be so honored to have their resting place guarded in such fashion! The entire area of Ola’s grave speaks of love and devotion. Once again, your description is a masterpiece of writing in itself!
“I think we’re all bozos on this bus” definitely brought back memories and made me laugh in it’s apt correlation to our extended blogging tribe. Adhering to the “freedom hall” approach is part of what I think makes reading everyone’s posts so enjoyable, it would be dull indeed if we all did it in regimented form, showing no personality of the writer. I am happy that everyone has embraced the “do it your way” concept, it works! :-)
Firesign Theatre, now there’s a reference from the wayback time machine! I agree with you on Bob Newhart.
The concept of hanging out with people who have what you seek, or who manifest what you desire to, is the most effective course of self-betterment I know. Conversely, hang out with those who coerce you into mud wrestling, and a wrestler you shall always be.
Your Graviteers are indeed a committed bunch, I am impressed with their determination to keep up with the program and even moreso with reporting in! Repeated enough, it becomes a pattern and then a lifestyle, and a healthy one at that!
Sweet Una, her eating style is much more refined than my Toby the tomcat who eats with the manners of a starving coonhound, those his size and shape indicate that he is clearly well fed.
Cheers for being able to garden in your pajamas, that’s one of the plusses of living in a bit more remote area. I am out on the deck every morning in my nightgown refreshing food and water in the feral cat feeder, one can get by with such things as we age, any neighbors near enough to see me can write it off as “the old woman and her cats”. :-) I am sure your local rabbits are cheering for this year’s gardening endeavors.
Your music video of choice this week is another good one from the time machine. Makes me want to travel back for just a week or so to remember how good it was.
Now I’m off to read more about Rogers, always something more to learn here at The Doctrine. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend, Clark, and keep the good stuff coming!
It is very much Ola’s tree as she was the direct cause of it growing as it appears in the photo. i.e. up from the ground, immediately curve and dive to the earth and then climb for the shy. She used to dig in that corner of the yard and dug enough next to the tree when it was just a sapling, maybe 1993 or so. It tipped, almost fell over, but continued to grow. Never touched it (to support it or shore it up). It just grew.
Firesign Theatre came out, when I was a sophomore, I believe. Very funny stuff.
Agree about the effects of the company we keep. As long as I can repress that part of me who feels un-deserving and out-of-place among those in the writing crowd that I’ve sought out. (The point of the blog, from the start, was simply to acquire the writing skills to do justice to (and promote) the Wakefield Doctrine.)
The Gravity Challenge is a fun little activity, nice to have constant to lend a little… consistency (lol) to my online existence.
Una is my role model for as much of life as I am capable of applying her lessons (to my life).
Have a good week, as well.
My brother used to work at a factory and he’d bring me home so much bubble wrap. I used to love to pop those bubbles and found it rather relaxing, until my wrist began to ache that is. Ha.
Love number six and how you described such a sweet early morning scene at your home. I don’t blame her for wearing her pjs out there. I’d do the same.
lol I think they outlawed bubble wrap as being too addictive.
Una does take her responsibilities in our little pack quite seriously, we do things and she stands guard, totally having our backs.
Your yard is one of the coolest yards, ever. Vinny insisted on walking the trails a couple times to make sure we got to 10,000 steps on that Thursday night. So thankful for the Doctrine, too.
And, let’s see. Am back from another few days in the woods. I’m getting my fill of nature, yo. I may have to re-learn how to live in town. haha. The description of Ola’s grave is something right out of a descriptive fiction novel. Nicely done!
Just let Una out (last trip for the night) and realized that we apparently are running some kind of fitness club for dogs and rabbits. I go out first to get them to leave, sometimes I miss one and Una takes off and chases the rabbit out of the yard at the far gate. Sorta like a greyhound racetrack, except not greyhounds and a straight track.
Sounds like a good re-charge, your time away for the trip and the retreat. Maybe recharge is not the word, maybe reassertion of an aspect within, which becomes not more powerful, rather a more sound element of your self, a source of power.
Good to have seen the corporeal Calhouns… (lol I just wanted to use the word corporeal)
Your intro explanation is fucking fabulous.
lol
thankee Mz Campbell
I think you should try feeding your dragon some of that dragon fruit shown over at my TToT. I would be avoiding that dragon. It looks like something to trip over. HaHa
It has been quite a while since I’ve listen to Bob Newhart. Love his humor. Brown Eyed Girl is another oldie.
Una seems to eat her breakfast at a slightly slower pace than our labs used to do. One would have thought they never had anything to eat because of how fast the food was gobbled down.
Love that guy, I (try) to take something from his style when writing, Una enjoys her meals, we feed her three times a day, pretty much because I am able to get home for lunch. (It may have been in a reply that I explained the origin of the tree, which was Ola digging around the base (when it was a mere sapling) and both were too stubborn to give up.
lol