the Wakefield Doctrine

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

A year passes, another approaches. As I trust I made clear in this week’s subtitle… the year that approaches has crazy, un-balanced, written all over it.

Nineteen?!! I guarantee no one has ever sat back in their wingback chairs, a fire throwing glowing orange shards of light against leather-towering bookcases and, looking at their companion said, “Why I concur, 1916 was most exciting, nearly as un-predictable as, say, 1958.” From a shadowy corner of the library, “Edsels ruled!”.

Guess what I’m trying to say is, when you look at the number 2019, when you type it out* when you see it in stationary stores… the number just plain looks un-balanced.

Not that those of us here at the Doctrine have a problem with ‘unbalanced’ lol  As clarks, we favor instability. Seeing how we are capable of believing anything, we necessarily shun the stable, un-changing view of the world and such.

But thats not for a couple of days.

Lets do something different for the last TToT of 2018 (see?! “Eighteen… you can count on me staying 18, well for as long as you’d like me to! Rest assured, I’ll be the same, ole reliable 18. yes, sir.”)

Thanks and gratation out to Kristi for keeping the light on this here bloghop here. It’s a dry-rock in an unpredictable river and we look forward to a bunch more of photos of Una and Phyllis and cryptic references to life, reality and path(s) with heart.

Thanks always to the Wakefield Doctrine for being the reason to wander into this funhouse of a virtual world.

1-10 (follow the link-blue path backwards in the time…. )

I was half a keystroke from deciding to hold this post until tomorrow… I thought to myself, I thought, Hey, get the most from the post, save it as a end-of-year thing.

Fortunately there remains a part of me, (the part very much in evidence when this blog was created), that said, in a reasonable, measured tone, “What the &)$*(*@&(*&$N are you saying?!!? Save it!?!? As in don’t interact with the external (albeit, virtual) world because…. it’s a chore!?@?!”

Fortunately Friend of the Doctrine, Cynthia stopped by the blog this afternoon. She didn’t say anything about how I needed to stop acting immortal and participate in the present. It was easier (and more of a gift than that)… by her presence, I was reminded of that which I know (but sometimes willfully forget)…. and so this post.

Thank you.

*Full Disclosure: I was about to type ‘write’

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clark, scotts and rogers)

Despite our temporary hiatus, the force of habit developed over five years or so is not to be ignored.

A normal person, confronting the tie-loosening, laid-backedness that is quite common in workplaces, classrooms and most public areas could be forgiven for suggesting, “It’s not an official Ten Things of Thankful bloghop so you can write anything you want, throw your hair to the wind, let your tie down… go crazy.” We would smile and, if in a somewhat charitable mood, reply, “What a great idea. Merry Christmas and yo ho ho!”

But lets get pictorial on this post.

Both Phyllis and Una are TToT Post emerita and surely need no introduction. Phyllis has a talent for the exercise of what is sometimes referred to as whimsical gratitude. Which is a good thing for me, especially at this time of year.

Example: we use a moderate amount of firewood, mostly for special effects. The wood stove has a glass door, more efficient than a fireplace, still attractive in the paleo-security sense. We have a guy for the wood. He’s a scott. His thing is that he kiln dries the wood. This has the effect of making for a fairly effortless fire. This is important because, as I’ve implied, we have a fire in the stove maybe twice a week during the season. In any event, the supply was approaching the replenish level at the end of last summer. Bob, our scottian fire chandler doesn’t like being predictable. So the way it works is, I call and say, ‘Hey Bob! I need a half a cord of kiln-dried wood.’ He says, “Yeah, why the *&$^ not? Don’t know when I can get there… real busy, ya know? Send me an email.” So I did. Last September.

In the meantime I finished constructing my firewood stack base thingie. The rectangle with beach rocks and sand contained by 4×4 lumber?  Looked kinda like a kitty litter box for giant, zen cats*. In any event I finished this week. Put a top layer of white marble chips (accidentally erased the photos…lol) and it was ready for Phyllis to stack wood.

No wood.

Yesterday, out of nearly nowhere, Bob showed up with the wood. Phyllis was out at the time. When she got home this is what she did:

Like I said, gratitude with a touch of whimsy.**

And, the stacking?

Mimi and Denise are, I believe, in TToT-mode more traditionally that we are here at the Doctrine. You should stop over at messymimi’s meanderings and GirlieontheEdge. tell ’em the Doctrine sent ya.

* photo:

** whimsy, (according to dictionary.com)

2. an odd or fanciful notion.
3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy