Bread and Roses

As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.
-Verse 3, song adapted by Mimi Farina from a poem by James Oppenheim, 1911


According to Wikipedia, Macy's fireworks display costs $350,000. That's as close as I could get to finding out how much Seattle spent on its really wonderful show last night over Lake Union. My pics are lousy because I don't have the right camera, but they are good enough (until the battery ran out) for a remembrance of a lovely evening with new friends and a GREAT VIEW from Pat's porch. I would have tried for a skyline shot before it got dark but for some serious power lines blocking an otherwise breath-taking view.


In these tough economic times, is it a good use of limited resources to blow up $350,000? A couple of the women in our group were aghast at the fireworks that private citizens were sending up prior to the main event. Some were almost as good as what we were all waiting until 10 pm to see. "Why do they waste all that money?" someone said, with murmurs of agreement among those who heard her remark. No one thought the city or the taxpayers were wasting money, at least they didn't say so.


Is it because $350,000 is such a drop in the bucket in a multi-million-dollar budget? Or because it's already a done deal and they had no real say in the matter? Is it better to entertain the poor than to feed them? I'm just sayin'.

What would Jesus do?

America, America, God shed his grace on thee.






I love this last one for its silouettes of small boats afloat in a Red Sea.