Ancient Conversations With The Patinas Crowd

 November 11, 2024

   Since we live across from the cave that Cave Creek is named for, I often start my day by giving a shoutout across the canyon—"Good morning, Ancient Ones!" I've never received a vocal answer, but my friend Rod Tinamus assures me that if talking to them makes me smile, "they have answered you."

Talking to The Ancient Ones

Uno & The Ancient Ones

   Yes, apparently they kind of bum out my dog, but I have great respect for their legacy and so does the horny toad coming out of the wall, courtesy of Chuck Weaver (yes, Weaver's Stance is named for his dad, I believe).

   Here are just a few of the fine folks who came by Patina's last Saturday.

   This is Craig Schepp holding one of the four paintings he bought. Yes, the model for this is Flint, the guy in the below photo!

Flint Carney, DeAnne Giago, BBB and

DeAnne's old man, Joseph Wolveskill

(Both photos by Rooster Rob Mathiash)

   Meanwhile, my high school Civics Teacher, Tom Dugan, 87, showed up to give me grief about my penchant for talking in class sixty years ago.

   When I complained, at length, The Mucous Bastard sent me to the principal's office—again!

   Speaking of crazy Zane Bros, Wonderful Russ dropped in and proceeded to keep us all in stitches for the entire time he was there, which is to say, until the store closed.

Wonderful Russ and Rooster Rob yucking it up.

   Also in the house was Dan The Man Harshberger who threatened to give Tom Dugan a wedgie just over the principal of the thing. Dan, of course, was in the Mohave County Union High School Civics Class I was in. The only difference between us is he knew how to keep his mouth shut.

BBB, Big D and Rooster Rob

   When Harshberger and Wonderful are in the house all seriousness goes out the window.

   Today, of course, is Veteran's Day so I would be remiss without giving thanks to this great guy.

Allen P. Bell, U.S. Army Air Corp,

 from Thompson, Iowa

   As you might expect, some of the conversation at Patinas, got around to the election and what it means. I think the following quotes have a bearing on where we are headed.

The More Things Change. . .

"I feel like the pandemic was a turning point, and the world is in retreat now, being dragged back into the past. I might even go so far as to suggest that it's becoming more medievalized. Globalism is in flight in a big way, with social media, once so promising, now reaching a dead end. . .perhaps in this era we live in, older stories may reveal a kind of unexpected resonance."

—Haruki Murakami

   And to add to Murakami's point:

"Every decade or so, the world is tested by a crisis so grave that it breaks the mould: one so horrific and inhumane that the response of politicians to it becomes emblematic of their generation—their moral leadership or cowardice, their resolution or incompetence. It is how history judges us."

—Jo Cox, October 13, 2015