A Tale Of Two Cities -- Completed -- May 18, 2026

A love story. 

Incredibly good book. 

Not sure if high school kids today can read it.  

My Night Of Music Is Beginning Earlier Tonight -- April 18, 2026

It's hard to believe it's been 20+ years. You said it would take eight years (?) to forget each other. 

It's been 20 years and the memories for me have only intensified. 

I'm doing fine. My wife and I are both in good health; our life revolves around our grandchildren. Our  "physical" situation could not be any better; the situation I cannot allow to change. But that doesn't mean I'm not an emotional wreck on most Saturday nights thinking back to those halcyon days in Yorkshire.

**************************************

"Nothing Takes The Place of You"

The Hillbilly Moon Explosion covers this one also. This is a nice break from the better-known version.

Hands On The Wheel -- Willie Nelson -- April 14, 2026

Link here.

Just the links right now:

Willie Nelson. 

Linda Ronstadt. 

Hank Williams and Anita Carter. 

Anita Carter was the wife of June Carter, and thus, the sister-in-law of Johnny Cash. 

Star-Crossed Lovers -- Definitely Not In This Case -- March 28, 2026

AI prompt: would an astrological event ever result in a female born June 1, 1951, and a male born August 14, 1951, ever result in "cross" or a "square" precluding in a thwarted romance, i.e., two starry-crossed lovers.

Reply: 

Back To Pately Bridge -- Where My Heart Is Tonight -- March 23, 2026

***************************
Back to Yorkshire

Link here. 

The Great Pretender -- January 27, 2026

Link here. 

Not A Day Goes By ... Posted January 14, 2026

... that I'm not thinking about you. 

Nothing. Just haven't checked in with you in a long, long time.  

AI prompt: Is there a term to explain the type of brain activity when one thinks about something completely unimportant but comes up over and over in between thoughts required for "real life?" I'm not talking about "daydreaming" which can last for several minutes, but I'm think of those random thoughts that pop up throughout the day. Do neurologists / psychiatrists have a "word" or "phrase" for that kind of mindless thinking? 

I guess it would be "wonderful, positive, mind-wandering." I never want it to go away. It's all I have.  

 

Link here.

 

The Rings Of Saturn, W. G. Sebald, Translated By Michael Hulse, c. 1995, German; English Translation, 1998

The Rings Of Saturn, W. G. Sebald, Translated By Michael Hulse, c. 1995, German; English Translation, 1998

It is not uncommon to find this book on a list of the 100 most important books in English. It was by pure happenstance that I came across this book. Being a "walker," this was a book I wish I could have written. Regardless it immediately reminded me of our walks in Yorkshire.

From the book:

A fictional account of a walking tour through England's East Anglia, Sebald's home for more than twenty years. The Rings of Saturn explores Britin's pastoral and imperial past. Its ten strange and beautiful chapters, with their curious archive of photographs, consider dreams and reality. As the narrator walks, a company of ghosts keeps him company -- Thomas Browne, Swinburne, Chateaubriand, Joseph Conrad, Borges -- conductors between the past and the present.

Chapter I

In August 1992 when the dog days were drawing to an end, I set off to walk the county of Suffolk, in the hope of dispelling the emptiness that takes hold of me whenever I have completed a long stint of work. 

Chapter II

It was on a grey, overcast day in August 1992 that I travelled down to the coast in one of the old diesel trains, grimed with oil and soot up to the windows, which ran from Norwich to Lowestoft at that time. 

Chapter III

Three or four miles south of Lowestoft the coastline curves gently into the land.

Chapter IV

The rain clouds had dispersed when, after dinner, I took my first walk around the streets and lanes of the town.

Chapter V

On the second evening of my stay in Southwold, after the late news, the BBC broadcast a documentary about Roger Casement, who was executed in a London prison in 1916 for high treason.

Chapter VI

Not far from the coast, between Southwold and Walberswick, a narrown iron bridge crosses the river Blyth where a long time ago shiops heavily lade with wool made their way seaward.

Chapter VII

It had grown uncommonly sultry and dark when at midday, after resting on the beach, I climbed to Dunwich Heath, which lies forlorn above the sea.

Chapter VIII

The day after my visit to Middleton I fell into conversationt with a Dutchman named Cornelis de Jong in the bar of the Crown Hotel in Southwold. 

 Chapter IX

After Oxford, I headed inland travelling on one of the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company's red buses, going through Woodbridge to Yoxford where I set out on foot in a north-westerly direction along the old Roman road, into the thinly populated countryside that lies to the south of Harleston.

Chapter X

Amongst the miscellaneous papers left by Sir Thomas Browne treating such diverse subjects as practical and ornamental horticulture, the urns found at Brampton in Norfolk, the making of artificial hills and burrows, the several plants mentioned in Scripture, the Saxon tongue, the pronouncements of the Oracle at Delphos, the fish eaten by our Savior, the behaviour of insects, hawks and falconry, and a case of boulimia centenaris which occurred in Yarmouth, amongth these and various other tracts, there is also to be found a catalogue of remarkable books, Musæum Clausum or Bibliotheca Abscondita listing pictures, antiquities and sundry singular items that may have formed part of a collection put together by Browne but were more likely products of his imagination, the inventory of a treasure house that existed purely in his head and to which there is no access except through the letters on the page.  

See this link. 

Sir Thomas Browne, physician, 1605 - 1682 (who was born about a decade before William Shakespeare died). Describes bulimia in a woman who was 100 years old.

 

 

 

A Few Months Of My Entire Life -- Will Last To The End Of My Life -- November 9, 2025

 

October 29, 2025

Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about you, Pat. Not a day. 

Let Me Go My Merry Way, Charlie Rich, link here.

A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke, link here.

Movie Night -- Vertigo -- Hitchcock -- October 22, 2025

I relive our time together every time I watch this movie. 

TCM this month: Hitchcock on Sunday nights.

With Hulu I can watch / catch Vertigo. 

But how did this ... what led me to this tonight, of all nights. I watch it often, maybe once a year.

It started with the intro by Ben Mankiewicz. He mentioned "Sight and Sound."

Link here. 

Something called "Sight and Sound," British Film Institute -- had a brilliant idea. It started in 1952. 

Every decade -- every ten years -- "Sight and Sound" comes up with their list of the top films of all time.

1952.

1962,

1972.

1982.

1992.

2002.

2012.

2022. That was the eighth (8th) time "Sight and Sound" came up with the list. 

It's quite a story.

2002: Citizen Kane was #1.

2012: Vertigo was #1.

2022: 

• #1: Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles;
• #2: Vertigo
• #3: Citizen Kane
• #4:
• #5....
• #8: Mulholland Drive ...
• #19: Apocalypse Now ...
• #25: The Night of the Hunter...

It's amazing...I see the movie in a completely different light knowing that "Sight and Sound" named this their number one movie, knocking out Citizen Kane, in 2012, and then letting it drop to #2 a decade later, but still ahead of Citizen Kane, #3.

I've never had any problem with Citizen Kane at #1, but seeing Vertigo again tonight with the ranking of "Sight and Sound" I have to admit Vertigo does have a much more emotional pull on me.  

Six months from now: would I rather re-watch Vertigo or Citizen Kane?

 

Italy -- October 7, 2025

 This has nothing to do with "us," but I would love to share it with you.

***********************
Arduino

Link here. Even the wiki entry is too "challenging" to read, but this snippet was interesting:

Arduino is in the news today because it was just acquired by Qualcomm. 

As good as being there, today. Across the alcove from me, on the wall -- La Victoria Arduino. Wiki.

Ivrea is a city / neighborhood in Turin, Italy, the major Italian city in the northwest arm of the country:

"Piedmont" -- simply a fancy name for foothills. 

I think I became most cognizant of the "piedmont" when reading about the clay in North Carolina some months ago -- maybe a year ago -- but time passes quickly.

The Piedmont, one of twenty regions in Italy; its capital is Turin. 

Going deeper into this rabbit hole. I recall Turin being mentioned early in the Covid-19 pandemic ... curious ... 

 Absolutely fascinating.

 Oh, back to where I started, full circle:

This is not simply idle chatter -- well, I suppose it is -- I've been in Italy many, many times -- but I don't think I've ever been to Turin, but I've been close. Wow, I miss Italy. 

 

I Could Put Myself Into A Deep State Of Depression -- August 26, 2025

Thinking of our days in Yorkshire.

Headphones on.

Playing music as loud as I can; try to drown out the memories that make me sad.

Reminiscing -- August 22, 2025

Making breakfast this morning -- memories of Pateley Bridge. Twenty years ago, Friday, looking forward to wonderful weekends in Yorkshire. Some days, now, more difficult than other days. But in the big scheme of things, I have no complaints, doing well. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Yorkshire.

Someone Once Told Me -- August 13, 2025

 .... it would took eight years to get over an unrequited love. 

Not true. Has it been twenty-one years?

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. And the memories seem stronger than ever. 

Google maps, satellite photos, and street views of Yorkshire bring back bittersweet memories.

I haven't changed a bit ... except normal aging process and "slow" at that. 

Visits to Menwith Hill.

Movie Night -- Ingrid Bergman Night On TCM -- We'll Always Have Yorkshire -- August 5, 2025

Movie night, tonight.

First, Notorious. Whoo-hoo!

Then, Casablanca! Another whoo-hoo!

As time goes by ... link here.

By the way, one of my favorite movies, Brassed Off -- I "own" it through Amazon. Many memories, Pat.

Tonight Would Be A Great Night For Wine And Escargot At A Most Exclusive Restaurant With The Most Beautiful Girl .... August 5, 2025

Link here.

Cistercian Abbeys -- July 29, 2025

Many, many Yorkshire memories.

Rievaulx Abbey, pages: 74, 102, 106 - 108, 160, 180, 260, 306-309.

Rievaulx Abbey, wiki.

Cistercian abbeys, from another blog, posted March 11, 2010. Licorice and Rievaulx Abbey.

During my multiple visits to Yorkshire between 2002 and 2004, a close friend introduced me to the abbeys in the shire. We visited them all, and visited them more than once. I think Rievaulx Abbey was one of my favorites.

Today, while tutoring a student, somehow the subject of licorice came up. We were curious about the origin of licorice. I guessed licorice originated somewhere in Africa or possibly southwest Asia. Wow, was I wrong. It originated in southern Europe.

But this, from Wikipedia, almost made me fall off my chair:

Pontefract, an old medieval town in West Yorkshire, England, was the first place where liquorice mixed with sugar began to be used as a sweet in the same way it is in the modern day. Pontefract Cakes were originally made there. In Yorkshire and Lancashire it is colloquially known as Spanish, supposedly because Spanish monks grew liquorice root at Rievaulx Abbey near Thirsk.

Maybe more later, but this is enough memories of Yorkshire for me for the moment.

Yorkshire, Pontefract, Licorice -- From ChatGPT -- Not Formatted -- July 29, 2025

Pontefract: 30 minutes southeast of Leeds.

How did we ever miss Ponefract???

Ah, Pontefract, licorice, abbeys, and Yorkshire — now that’s a rich mix of English heritage, botanical oddities, and medieval intrigue. Let’s unpack this in layers:

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📍 

Pontefract, Yorkshire, England

• Pontefract is a historic market town in West Yorkshire, England, located near the River Aire and within the district of Wakefield.

• It was once a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War and is most famous for:

  • Pontefract Castle — now a ruin, but once among the strongest castles in England (where Richard II allegedly died).

  • A center for liquorice production (more on that in a moment).

---

🍬 

Pontefract & Licorice (Liquorice)

• Pontefract has a centuries-old connection to the licorice root plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra.

• Licorice was originally grown in monastery gardens — notably at Pontefract Priory, a Cluniac monastery founded in the 1090s.

• Monks used it for medicinal purposes, particularly as a remedy for coughs, stomach issues, and inflammation.

• Over time, licorice cultivation spread, and Pontefract became synonymous with the production of licorice sweets, especially:

  • Pontefract Cakes – small, round, stamped black licorice discs, originally a medicinal lozenge.

    • The stamp traditionally featured a castle or a stylized fleur-de-lis.

    • Often produced by companies like Wilkinsons and Haribo (which still makes them today).

• What’s unique: Pontefract is one of the few places in England where licorice was historically grown outdoors, due to its relatively mild climate and rich soil.

---

🕍 

Abbeys and Monastic Roots

• Pontefract Priory (now gone) was the religious anchor that first cultivated licorice for herbal remedies.

• Not far from Pontefract, in the larger Yorkshire region, you’ll find other dramatic abbey ruins with a licorice or herbal tradition:

  • Fountains Abbey – a magnificent Cistercian ruin near Ripon.

  • Rievaulx Abbey – another Cistercian monastery nestled in a North Yorkshire valley.

  • Kirkstall Abbey – near Leeds; this one is often linked to monastic herbal gardens.

• These abbeys had large gardens growing everything from thyme and rosemary to medicinal plants like comfrey and licorice.

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🗺️ Yorkshire: The Larger Context

• Yorkshire is the largest historic county in England, divided into North, South, East, and West Ridings (West Riding includes Pontefract).

• It’s known for:

  • Medieval heritage (castles, abbeys, battlefields)

  • Rugged landscapes (Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors)

  • Food culture — including licorice, Wensleydale cheese, and Yorkshire pudding

  • The Wars of the Roses — Pontefract was an important military location.

---

⚗️ Fun Historical Connection

• King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries (including Pontefract Priory) in the 1530s, which ended monastic licorice cultivation… but the trade in licorice as a sweet took off during the 18th and 19th centuries, especially when sugar became cheaper.

• Pontefract’s shift from monastic medicine to commercial candy is a neat arc of economic history.

Major Mark Hoggan -- 2007

Oksol Bruce A Col AIA/SG 

From:bruce.oksol@lackland.af.mil

To:mark.hoggan-02@fairchild.af.mil

Cc:oksol@yahoo.com

Tue, Jun 5, 2007 at 4:56 PM

Mark,

Thank you for the update.  I did not get back to Menwith Hill, which is

one of my biggest disappointments this year, but perhaps for the best.

I have great memories, and perhaps going back, the reality would not

have lived up to expectations.

Having said that, I would like to return someday -- to Yorkshire, not

the installation -- as a civilian.

My official retirement day is 1 July 07, having served at that time, 30

years, 7 days (one retires the first day of the following month of the

mandatory 30-year retirement date).

Mike was fortunate to have had such a long time in Yorkshire, but I'm

glad to see he's a volunteer to a northern tier location; it has to be

tough for the USAF to get folks to those locations.  I'm from Williston,

two hours west of Minot, and even though it's my (ancestral) home I

really could not enjoy living there (permanently).

Are you at risk of deploying to the Mideast? Bring me up to date on your

chidren.

Things are quiet here -- my last month in the USAF.  Hard to believe how

fast it went by, and I still feel very young.  I feel blessed to still

be in good health.

I had a nice retirement / family reunion in southern California last

week; it was easier for me to be out there with family, than to have

family (on both sides) try to fly to San Antonio for retirement

ceremony. 

I will copy this to my home e-mail address so I have yours.

Keep in touch.

Bruce

-----Original Message-----

From: Hoggan, Mark E Maj 92 MDOS/SGOPF

Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 3:31 PM

To: Oksol Bruce A Col AIA/SG

Subject: update

Col Oksol,

How are things with you? I wasn't sure if you have already started your

summer events yet.  I just wanted to let you know I heard from Mike

Shipman- apparently he is PCSing to Minot- closer to family. He thought

about retiring, but looks like he's staying in for another tour.  Did

you ever get back to Menwith per chance?

Hope all is well with you and your family.

Mark