dpedeciswriter

[dpedeciswriter]

The Winter Solstice

In the Northern Hemisphere, the 21st of December (this year) is the day when the sun begins its long journey north. It’s the shortest day of the year and the longest night. Almost imperceptibly at first, the days grow longer. It’s the triumph of light over darkness. The Latvian sun symbol. There are many variations. The return of the sun is greeted with many rituals in Latvia and the other…

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Too Many Refugees

Forever a Displaced Person? My heart breaks for the many refugees in the world today. Like the poor, it seems that refugees will always be with us. Despite what the Bible says, too many people who claim to believe the directives in the Bible don’t want to take in refugees. Wandering like ghosts. It’s decades since my parents and I were refugees from the Soviet invasion of Latvia. Such refugees…

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A Book and a Cat

National Cat Day Until I saw a friend’s post on social media, I didn’t realize that today is National Cat Day. Leo in the pocket of Cameron’s flight jacket. Sad to say that I no longer have a kitty. I don’t live in a place where I could have a cat. Maybe someday in the not-too-distant future. But, since it’s National Cat Day, I decided that this would be as good a time as any to promote my…

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Vitriol--umm, not quite...

Merriam-Webster defines “vitriol” as bitterly harsh or caustic language . One reason I haven’t been writing blog posts in the past few months is that I don’t want to spew vitriol all over my site to the disgust of my followers. But today my cup runneth over and I need to vent. Writing is a source of solace for me. During the time I’ve been absent from my blog, I’ve been editing a novel I hope…

[dpedeciswriter]

Baltic Way 34th Anniversary

A Demonstration for Freedom Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania I’ve been so obsessed with my own concerns, such as where I’ll live after August 31, that I forgot about the anniversary of The Baltic Way until a social media post that reminded me. On August 23, 1989, at 7 p.m. approximately two million people in the Baltic States joined hands to form a human chain that reached from Vilnius,…

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Offensive Cover?

Ripped from Today’s Headlines? No, my novella is not porn. No, my novella is not about real people. the characters are based on real people but they are products of my imagination. Here’s the offensive cover. It’s not the heart. It’s the hammer and sickle, symbols from the old Soviet flag. One of my cousins-in-law has faithfully read almost everything I’ve written. He even read my ebook of…

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White Tablecloth Festival: Celebrating Latvia's 2nd Independence Day.

(Yes, this is a repost from last year. My post, “Lights Out!” explains why I’ve been distracted. The only thing that has changed is that more and more Latvian communities are participating in White Tablecloth Day) (Thank you to my friend for allowing me to use her photos. She prefers to remain anonymous. You know who you are) On May 4th, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Latvian SSR adopted a…

[dpedeciswriter]

Lights Out!

For the past week, I’ve been without electricity in the bedroom and bathroom of my apartment (flat) In response to my maintenance request, the office sent an email saying that my request was being “reviewed.” How long does it take to review a simple maintenance request? I could review James Joyce’s Ulysses in less time than that if I had read it. I know the complex is understaffed, but this is…

[dpedeciswriter]

The Latvian God of Spring

A father deity Illustration by Jēkabs Bīne  (1895 – 1955) To me he looks a bit like Atilla the Hun. The back to back E is one of Ūsiņš symbols. He and his horses are the bingers of the sun .You would expect that the day honoring the god of spring would be the equinox on March 20th. However, Ūsiņa diena (Ūsiņš day) is celebrated on April 23. I don’t know the reason for this discrepancy. So, I’m…

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Great Mother Goddess: Māra

Ancient Latvians had a pantheon of deities. Māra by Ansis Cīrulis, 1883 – 1942 The goddess is referred to as Dear Māra or Beloved Māra. Many of the ancient deities were female. At the top of the hierarchy was a trinity of deities, two of whom were female. Dievs, the male, was the top-ranking deity, the father of the world. Laima, the goddess of fate was one of the three. Māte (Mother) Māra is…

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Latvian Wonder Dog

The delights of revising a childhood favorite. Kriksis meeting his new best friend in Rīga. The title of the book is Kriksis Trimdā in English Kriksis in Exile. My latest read. Some of my followers are Latvians but probably many of them don’t speak, let alone read Latvian so why should they or anyone who is not Latvian care about a Latvian children’s book? Hopefully, my post will prompt…

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19th Century Life in the Far West

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Ft. Nisqually, Living History Museum

Pt. Defiance Park, Tacoma, Washington Present day reality has not improved any so for a short while, I’m escaping to the past. I love history and I love the fort. During the mid-19th century Fort Nisqually was an outpoast of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It’s a cool place to visit and a fun place to take kids.s My photos from a fews years ago helped me with discriptions for the historical novel…

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Write Happy

Was I wrong yesterday to imply that people can’t make their own happiness? Only partially. For many people, such as those living in war zones, in places where there have been natural or man-made disasters, or who are dealing with dread diseases, it’s probably impossible. For those of us in less dire situations we can grab a bit of happiness here and there. I love to write. When it goes well,…

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Do People Make Their Own Happiness?

Shibboleth (Noun) a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning. (Merriam-Webster) Or is it just a smug, self-satisfied shibboleth that happy people to tell others that their unhappiness, even their misery, is their own fault. “We’re not to blame. Fate is not blame. You are.” An easy way to write off less fortunate others.…

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Homeless Plants?

My anxiety isn’t just for me losing my home, It’s also about my possibility of my plants losing their home. Most low-income housing that I’ve seen has no balconies. So, what would I do with my plants if I have to move to such a place? For most of every year I have a mini jungle on my small balcony. There is barely enough room for both me and my plants. My autumn fern is about ready to take over…

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The Seven-hour Lunch

It’s a Latvian thing. It’s apparently a French thing, too. Peter Mayle wrote in his bestselling book, A Year in Provence, that he and his wife closed the deal for the house they were purchasing over a five-hour lunch. It was probably such a short lunch because it was a business lunch. No doubt it’s an Italian thing, too.. Possibly this sort of lunch happens in all of Europe and maybe even South…