J.B. Sommerset

This post is for those of you here in the states, not my friends over seas. To the rest of the free world, I feel obligated to apologize for what comes next, because it’s not just going to affect us. It will have ripples that will change everything. This election was the “go ahead” for the Putins, the Kim Jongs, and the Victor Orbans of the world. For that, as an American, I am sorry. To start with, I am so utterly disappointed in so many people today. I did not vote for him, I voted for Harris. For me, the choice was obvious, and oddly enough, it had nothing to do with politics- we’ve been down that road before with this man, he lied then, like we knew he would. Last night we cast our ballots and let the statistics show the nature of our character and basic values we care about. America voted a 34-time felon, twice impeached, con artist into office. We vapidly put the keys to the country in the hands of a narcissistic mad-man and his cronies. A man, who, by our own adjudication sh...

"The End of the Horizon", J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Hello again! And welcome back. This week has been physically challenging for me, I finished a retaining wall, and it was just me doing it. So my back kind of hurts, but I have this stone wall out front now, and that's kind of cool. With all that struggle, I still fill accomplished because every time I look out that window, I am going to see that wall. Hooray! I can't say that for most of the jobs I have worked through out my life. That's why this week the quote is about crap jobs we all worked at one time or another. Here you go, served up cold, just the way we like it. "The most grievous injury a person can suffer on the job is the loss of the self, the soul, and forgetting purpose." J.B. Sommerset  Cheers!

"The Way Down", J.B. Sommerset (C) 2024 This should have been posted on Friday, I was, however, indisposed. So I am posting it now. One of the things about living on a mountain, and it being the fall, is that you have to get prepared for winter. This year, I have been chopping a lot of fire wood, and winterizing the house. We did alright last winter, but it was a mild winter in comparison to the one before it. This morning is the first morning since Friday that I have been able to sit down to update. So here it is, your quote of the week, it all about autumn: "Fall is the reminder that all things end, even suffering, and also that there is reprieve in the ending of things."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"The Way Down" (c) J.B. Sommerset 2024 Posts have slowed as the weather gets cooler. In the words of Jon Snow, "Winter is coming". Which means that I have been preparing for the colder months. We get lots of snow up here- around 7 feet and the temperatures frequently drop down below zero (Fahrenheit). Last year we hit -19 in January and it stayed that way for a couple weeks. This year, who knows? So I have been chopping wood and doing the maintenance on the craw space, the shop, and the snow plow. This year we had a nice stove installed. There are a lot of power outages up here, and it's nice to have a way to keep the pipes from freezing. We are going to run out of wood any time soon. We live in the middle of the forest. Our driveway is 2 miles long and every year trees fall across it and become firewood. This year everything will be ready when the snow falls, or at the very least most of the way there.  So, stay tuned, there will be more news and stories.  

"The Little Blue Flower" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 I am not sure if I have posted this one before, but this is an election year and all kinds of talking-head lip-service is occupying our time. So things get a bit jumbled. This one is about bureaucracy. I hate bureaucracy more than most things. Most of it is unnecessary, and what isn't gets buried by the rest. So, here it is, your quote of the week: "Bureaucracy is an always will be the hammer the privileged use to keep the poor and impoverished subservient to their agendas..."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Little Yellow Flower", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Folks, I am not one for drama, but sometimes people just start things because they can't live without the rush of endorphins that accompanies rumor spreading, bickering, gossiping, complaining, etc. I, in fact can't stand this kind of behavior. Some events recently led me to coin a new quote. So here it is, this is my reply to people who complain that they don't like the way people see them when they behave in certain ways: "You can't show up to the party with a big 'Shit-stirring stick' and expect that people think you are a baker..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

                                                      "Moe Mushrooms", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Living way up here in the mountains I have to admit a few things. One of the hardest and most obnoxious is that nature does some hard lessons on all of us mountain folk- and also that there is nothing we can do to change that. For instance, forest fires, I dread July and August every year now, because everything is on fire for two to three months. But, and this is a hard understand, there isn't much I can do about it. So this weeks quote is an admission to it: "Mankind's power over nature is and always will be an illusion as far as nature is concerned. There is no amount of action that will stop the rain from falling, and no amount of begging that will save us from the flood. In essence, we are and always will be at it's merci. We have no power to cha...

                                                    "Mountain Moon", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 It's been a long couple of weeks, summer is winding down and there are a lot of projects that I need to get caught up on before the snow flies. Like all the wood choppin' and the stacking of at least a couple of cords. So, needless to say, I am very sore, and there is so much more to do. This week my "quote of the week" will reflect that. So here it is, short, simple, and almost like it was said by another old timer standing in his underwear on the front porch: "It will quit hurting when the pain goes away..." J.B. Sommerset. Cheers!

"The Red Belt" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2023 I was watching the news the other day, I know, I know, I shouldn't do that... anyway, I was reminded of how slanted the new is in this day and age. I noticed how certain news networks only play the part of the action that supports the narrative that bolsters their agenda. This is nothing new, I have noticed this many times, it's one of the reasons I don't watch the new much. Here's a quote that represents how I feel about news in these modern times.  "He who controls and filters the context of events can effectively control the narrative and change the meaning of how people see the truth..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Sand Between Toes" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2023 I have a family, and like most families some of them "ain't right". There has been some drama in the last few months and I won't bore everyone with those details. But here is a quote that I think encompasses some of the way people feel when confronted with the unpleasantness of family matters. "When we are sick out immune systems purge the poison- the viruses, the bacteria, the toxins. Emotions do the same for our spirit. When we are wronged, our anger is the inflammation of our soul trying to purge that wrong."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Mushrooms on the Mind" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2023 (Designed as tattoo art for a client) This week is more of an except than it is a quote. I was going through and editing one of my old works and this stood out to me. I wrote this years ago, I never thought I would work on it again, yet here I am. This one is from "Stories from Umbria". I liked it so much I decided to make it the quote of the week. The strange thing is, I don't remember writing it. "When we die, we are as children in the folds and voids contained within death, that is to say, what ever comes next. Lost in those vast infinites of unknown and incomprehensible experiences. In that place we shall be as children in the dark, much like when we were brought into this world, alone, weak, and ignorant to our predicaments. We will be as tadpoles in a vast pond, and sadly, many of us will be food for what ever lives there- the beasts that live on the other side of life." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Well it's that time again, this week has been busy and I haven't had the time to find something new for the audio book of the week. In part because I have been binging on short stories, this week I have been revisiting one of my favorites " Thomas Ligotti ". Such a juicy and plump set of works. He is a dark delight, and there is a lot of his stuff that I just haven't got to yet, so hear is a new one, at least for me. Enjoy, "The Red Tower" by Thomas Ligotti.  Cheers!

"Mist on the mountains" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2023 Up here, on this mountain I am frequently alone. It's never really bothered me, sometimes I wish there were some company, but I am never bored or unhappy with where I am, in part it's because it's not the first time I have lived this remote. Years ago I discovered what it was like to be surrounded by people, but still feel alone. It was then that I started to understand that it wasn't a need for company that made me feel alone, but it was that the quiet gave me space to hear my own voice in and that was the start of my self exploration. So, this weeks quote is about isolation and being lonely. I am pretty sure this has been said before in a different way, I just don't know who said it or when. "If you take the time to get to know yourself, and learn to prefer your own company, you will never be lonely." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"The Rift" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2023 I was talking to an insurance company the other day, wait, hold up, don't click off... This post only starts with something as boring as an insurance company. It's the quote of the week, so it's the situation that inspired the quote. It needs some context. I kept hitting the prompts trying to talk to a real person, and all that happened was that I got sent around and around- I didn't even get a lousy tee from it. Nothing got accomplished in that two hours of my life. It was all about bureaucracy. Here's your quote of the week: "Bureaucracy is a tool of unimaginative and boring people. It's purpose is to bind and control those who think beyond rules and regulations." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

This week I just fell like crushing some skulls and making some dude lament me. That's right, we are going straight Robert E. Howard this week, well, his legacy at least. It's some premium " Conan the Barbarian " goodness. This one is a lot like the last audio book, Tarzan had 23 follow ups, well, Conan had 21 adventures (by Howard ). I plan to own them all someday, but these collections get quite expensive.  This week, I am going to step outside the Robert Howard series, and look at some additions people have written in the Conan sagas, and there are more than I can count. We are going to go with " Conan The Swordsman ", by  L. Sprague de Camp , Lin Carter and Björn Nyberg . A collaboration, great! This is o ne I have never read, so I will be doing this with you this week. I take it the legend himself  needs no introduction so enjoy your skull crushing this week. Cheers! 

"The Bleeding Trees" Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2024 This week I was watching an old movie, in the movie all the characters are irredeemable garbage people. All of them, except for the deceased character- he was an angel, or so the the audience was led to believe. Close to the end of the show, we, the viewers learn that he was the reason the whole conflict started (through gratuitous flashback, I might add). It got me thinking about the duality of the nature of mankind. We are all a bunch of trash pandas who are capable of doing wonderous things. I said something I thought would make a good quote of the week. It popped out in conversation when I was discussing the movie with a friend. I though I'd post it, so enjoy, here it is, your quote of the day. "If you are lucky enough to be recognized as a hero, and you want to stay that way, make sure to die before all your followers find your garbage..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

  "The Way Less Traveled" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes we say absurd things, things that just slip out. Sometimes we feel bad about those things we say. Sometimes we are just impressed with how strange it is. Here's one that just slipped out years ago, I decided to write it down and now I bring it to you guys... Keep in mind, this was said in different times, and in stranger days. "Don't be a dick and give the gift of religion to anyone, they most likely don't deserve that kind of treatment, are you trying to start a war? Oh, and get off my door step with that book, we are all full up on Jesus here." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

  "Trillium" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) My last quote of the week was about how mankind fails at happiness because he destroys it to find more. Part of the reason for this is that we also have no gratitude, instead we have anger, and a lot of it. So, here's your quote of the week: "It's a shame so many people prioritize anger over gratitude, no wonder there is so much pain in the world- that's what we have made a priority..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

  "Shroom Twins" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes it's good to reflect on the state of happiness in the world. Sometimes it's good to take a blook around and see who is and who isn't happen and why. No matter the reason chances are the problem is one of personal view points. This one is mine, I might have posted this back in the 2023s, but I think it deserves a repost today. So here it is, your quote of the day: "Mankind seems to be the only animal on the planet that will ruin his happiness and wellbeing in the pursuit of more happiness and wellbeing..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!  

  Sometimes I go looking for shows with certain actors in them just to see what those gifted sons a bitches are up to. I feel certain actors deserve follow up. This week I got curious about our favorite malcontented sheriff from Duffer-ville: David Harbour of Stranger Things . So, what has good old Jim Hopper been up to recently? David is one of those actors who's in more movies than most people think. He just shows up, does a fairly good job and then fades into the background like " Homer Simpson into that hedge" . David's filmography is fairly long, and he's in a number of my favorite shows and movies. From Stranger Things to the Marvel franchise he does a little for everyone. And who could forget one of my favorite quirky, gorey, and slapstick Christmas Movies- Violent Night ? But what has he been up to recently?  The good news is he's still acting. A quick search revealed a couple of new movies and some Netflix work. So, I decided to indulge. You might h...