Latest news with #RobertFrost
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
What if Robert Frost's Neighbor Was Right?
'Something there is that doesn't love a wall, / That wants it down,' Robert Frost observed in his poem 'Mending Wall.' I am one of those somethings. When the speaker of Frost's poem wonders what use a wall might be that encloses no livestock, I wonder that, too. When he asks his neighbor just how it is that good fences make good neighbors, he is asking the question of my own heart. I was irked 30 years ago when our neighbor said she intended to install a free-standing fence between our driveways. 'For privacy,' she said. My husband and I raised no objection, but we disliked the very idea of the fence, which would block our view of the woods behind our neighbor's house and make things unnecessarily difficult for the creatures that came and went from there. It seemed unneighborly to humans and wildlife alike. We were a family who spent more time outdoors than in, always nearby when our neighbor pulled into her driveway. Once the fence was up, she was no longer obliged to speak to us. This, we suddenly understood, was the whole point of a privacy fence. Not to keep anything in or anything out but to render invisibility. To offer some approximation of solitude. We never became close, but as the years passed, we settled into an ordinary sort of neighborliness, stopping to chat when we happened to meet on the street, helping each other out in emergencies. She mostly stayed on her side of the fence, and we mostly stayed on ours. By the time she died two years ago, the unbeloved fence had become the scaffolding for pokeweed and native vines. Some of them I planted, and some came courtesy of our avian neighbors. Good fences, it turns out, make good perching places for birds with bellies full of berries and seeds. The fence had been built in a shadowbox style, and the gaps between the boards gave reaching vines room for twisting. Their flowers fed pollinators, their leaves fed caterpillars, and their berries fed birds and other animals. Carpenter bees nested in the fence's wood, and small birds nested on its crossbeams, perfectly camouflaged by vines. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woodburn: Some things I think I know…
The mile marker of a birthday is a good time for reflection and so today, four days before beginning my sixty-sixth lap around the sun, here are a few things I have come to know... Always double-knot your shoelaces. Never pass up a barefoot walk on the beach. Love is more powerful than penicillin. Never ever pass up a chance to gaze at a sunrise, or sunset, or rainbow. Always take the opportunity to gaze at the stars on a clear night — or at Starry Night and other masterpiece paintings. Speaking of art and masterpieces, these two bookend John Wooden-isms will carry you far: 'Make friendship a fine art' and 'Make each day your masterpiece.' Who you travel with is far more important than where you travel. All the same, Robert Frost was right: Take the road less traveled by. Even if wrongly attributed to John Muir, this advice is also right: 'Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.' Don't save the good china plates and crystal goblets and heirloom silverware only for special occasions. Do spend as much time as you can with people who lift you up and as little as possible with those who pull you down. Writing a thank-you note, or handwritten letter, is always a few minutes well spent. A good many movies and books are too long, but most hugs are too short. A positive attitude will positively carry you far. Never pass up a chance to hold hands with a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife or partner, child or elderly. 'I'm sorry' can be as healing as 'I love you.' Don't let your fears outweigh your dreams. One minute of encouragement following a defeat or painful failure is worth far more than an hour of accolades and praise after a triumph or big success. Artificial Intelligence worries me, but not half so much as Real Stupidity does. The value of a compliment is often underrated by the giver, but is rarely underappreciated by the recipient. This African proverb is right: 'There are two lasting gifts you can give your child: one is roots, the other is wings.' Do unto others as you would have them do unto your children or grandchildren is a better Golden Rule. We can always make room for one more at the dinner table, or in our heart. Maya Angelou was right: 'When you leave home, you take home with you.' The best travels, and life journeys too, often wind about a bit crookedly. Even a 'bad' road trip will give you some good memories to last a lifetime. It is not truly a favor if you make a person feel like you are doing them a favor. It takes worn-out running shoes to finish a marathon; worn-out brushes before you can paint a masterpiece; burnt pans to become a seasoned chef; and blistered fingertips to master the guitar. Some of my very favorite adults seem like they are just tall children. No matter your age, never pass up a chance to ride a Ferris wheel or carousel. If you can be world class at only one thing, make it kindness. JFK was right when he said, 'One person can make a difference and everyone should try.' My dear friend Wayne Bryan is even more right: 'If you don't make an effort to help others less fortunate than you, then you're just wasting your time on Earth.' Don't waste your time on Earth. Stopping to smell the roses is never a waste of time. Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@ His books are available at This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Woodburn: Some things I think I know…
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dear Graduates of 2025, I'm so ( happy / worried ) about you
Dear Graduates of the Class of 2025: I am ( thrilled / perplexed ) that you have asked me here to speak at your high school graduation. It's a real ( honor / indication ) that your first choice was ( me / detained by ICE ). So, let's start with a ( round of applause / moment of silence ) for all of you who ( worked so hard / were brought here as children ) and have now reached this time of ( recognition / reckoning ) and ( honor / fear ). We're all pulling for you and hoping you have an ( amazing future / escape route ) when ( opportunities / masked guys with guns ) knock on your door. We share your ( dream / dread ) and want nothing ( more / less ) than to see you and your families ( joined / separated ) in a spectacle of ( heartfelt celebration / cruel grief ). At a time like this, it helps to fall back on these Latin words ( carpe diem / habeas corpus ) as a reminder that if we ( just / don't let masked agents ) seize ( the day / you and your family ) without ( hesitation / due process ) you can ( follow your destiny / hire a good immigration lawyer ) to keep you ( on / off ) the road to ( the American dream / a one-way plane ticket to El Salvador ). I'd like to welcome all the ( parents and grandparents / white Afrikaners ) who have come great distances to be here today. I only wish we had the room to welcome ( your friends / brown people ) too. Now, to all of you in the Class of 2025, I'd like to remind you that as people like me approach our ( golden / incontinent ) age, we will be relying on graduates like you to ( lead the way / fix the robots ) in our ( exciting new world / nursing homes ). It will be your contributions to ( our shared future / other people's Social Security benefits ) that will ( fuel / pay for ) the ( technological innovations / essentials ) that will make our country a leader in new and more powerful ( high-tech technologies / obesity and erectile dysfunction medications). Sure, we let you down. Just look at the high cost of the ( American / Electoral ) college, which time after time, produces ( financially crippling / undemocratic ) results that saddle you with an unsustainable amount of ( repayments / repression ), that will become a chronic ailment like ( herpes / Trump's Supreme Court nominees ). We should have protected you better from the ravages of ( student debt / the Moms for Liberty ). As the ( great / banned ) poet Robert Frost once said: 'Many times my books are banned by people who never read two sentences.' Oops, that wasn't Robert Frost, that was ( Maya Angelou / name redacted by school board pending six-month review ). We find ourselves at a crossroads today, caught between the need for ( young minds / strong backs ) to grow and harvest our future ( AI innovations / fruits and vegetables ), while maintaining an ( economic / political ) system that is ( dedicated / hellbent ) on making sure those people are ( allowed to follow their bliss / treated as vermin). (Fortunately / Unfortunately) you are ( well / ill ) prepared to choose wisely, guided by your education's emphasis on combating ( hate / DEI ). It has ushered you into a new world that teaches us we all can succeed, even if the sting of discrimination still lingers to unfairly hold back ( some / white ) people. We, your elders, are counting on you to do what's right: To continue our work to make buying a home ( an attainable / a pipe ) dream. To raise children in a world without so many ( guns / drag shows ) that can lead to so much ( needless bloodshed / fabulous dancing). To create a better world, one free of predatory ( health care / Trump meme coins ) and ( curable diseases / anti-vax quacks ). And whatever you do, don't just ( rely on others / use Chat GPT ) to get by. Have faith in your own intellect and imagination to bring something new into the world. More: Dear graduates, congratulations for all you've (accomplished/endured) | Frank Cerabino I could go on. But our time is tight and I hear there's already a group of ( parents and students / commando-looking guys ) gathering outside, hoping to get in for the next ( ceremony / raid ). So, (godspeed / run ), Class of 2025. Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Florida Network. He can be reached at fcerabino@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fill-in-the-blank graduation speech a sign of our times. Opinion
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council to consider £4m household support fund
More than £4m could be allocated to helping people meet their essential household living costs in Barnsley. Councillors are due to discuss plans to provide millions of pounds of support to people in the district who are struggling with the cost of living. If approved the money would be used to help residents with winter fuel payments, school meal vouchers, energy costs and provide debt and budgeting advice. Barnsley Council said in previous years the funding, provided from the government's Household Support Fund, had been used to help hundreds of people. Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services, said: "Our work to deliver support through last year's funding helped many residents through challenging times. "I'm confident that this new round of funding will continue to make a significant impact on the lives of those who need it most." The council said last year it had provided a £200 Winter Fuel Payment to 2,008 households who would have not received any support due to the ending of the government's Winter Fuel Allowance. The funding was also used to help 1,322 households to claim pension credits who previously were not receiving anything, and 614 households to receive their correct entitlement. Since 2020 the council has received £16.4m through the government's Household Support Fund, but said it had been told the current round of funding would be the last with the scheme set to end in 2026. Cabinet members are due to discuss the additional funding on Wednesday. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North Barnsley Council
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Barnsley Council to consider £4m household support fund
More than £4m could be allocated to helping people meet their essential household living costs in are due to discuss plans to provide millions of pounds of support to people in the district who are struggling with the cost of approved the money would be used to help residents with winter fuel payments, school meal vouchers, energy costs and provide debt and budgeting Council said in previous years the funding, provided from the government's Household Support Fund, had been used to help hundreds of people. Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services, said: "Our work to deliver support through last year's funding helped many residents through challenging times. "I'm confident that this new round of funding will continue to make a significant impact on the lives of those who need it most."The council said last year it had provided a £200 Winter Fuel Payment to 2,008 households who would have not received any support due to the ending of the government's Winter Fuel funding was also used to help 1,322 households to claim pension credits who previously were not receiving anything, and 614 households to receive their correct 2020 the council has received £16.4m through the government's Household Support Fund, but said it had been told the current round of funding would be the last with the scheme set to end in members are due to discuss the additional funding on Wednesday. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
