Out and About – Winter 2022-2023

I leave later today to return to my homeland of Australia for a month-long visit. It’s been over three-and-a-half years since I was last in my first home. To say I’m excited about the prospect of reuniting with family and friends after such a long time apart – the longest since my relocation to the U.S. in 1994 – would be an understatement. I am looking forward to it immensely.

Before my return to the Great South Land I want to close the book, so to speak, on the winter I will soon be leaving behind. I do so by looking back on this particularly snowy (and unpleasantly icy) season with the latest installment of The Wild Reed’s “Out and About” series.

Yes, I know it’s a bit premature for my friends here in Minnesota who still must endure another several weeks of winter while I fly off to the end of summer in Australia; but, be that as it may, here’s a review of the people, places, and experiences that were most meaningful to me in the American winter of 2022-2023.

Above: My Christmas tree was in my bedroom this past Christmas season.

This was because its usual spot in the main area of my attic abode has been taken over by my ficus tree (left), a tree that actually dates back to the late 1980s when it was in the office of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM). This was a number of years before my arrival to the U.S. from Australia and my subsequest working for CPCSM and thus my inheriting of this tree in 2003.

It’s been with me ever since, in four different living situations – in St. Paul (2003-2011); with my good friend Tim in two different houses (one and two, right next door to one another) in south Minneapolis by Minnehaha Creek (2012-2016 and 2016-2018); for a brief time on Chicago Ave. just south of the creek with my friend Connie and her cat Charley (December 2018-October 2019); and now here in my current home in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis (2019-present).

Above: Adnan . . . in winter light.

. . . And opening his holiday gift from me – a copy of Sonia Choquette’s book, Trust Your Vibes.

Above: My “best mate in the States,” Deandre (left) with our mutual friends (and his new housemates) Margaret and David.


Left: Tyga! . . . Deandre’s animal companion.

Above: Christmas dinner with friends (clockwise fron left) John, Noelle, Jackie, Alicia, Scott, Liana, Amelia, Dee and Phil.


Right: What a handsome crew!

Above: Another lovely Christmastide gathering. I’m pictured with (from left) Chloe, Kathleen, Mary and Joey.

Above: Seeing in 2023 in my attic apartment with friends (from left) Joseph, Kathleen, Calvin, and a sleeping Frodo.

Above: Lunch with my dear friend Joan at the Highland Grill, St. Paul – January 6, 2023.

I traveled to the Minnesota town of Montevideo on the weekend of January 14-15 to join in the celebrations for my friend Elva’s 86th birthday (above). Elva is the mother of my good friend Angie.

Elva was so happy I made the trip from Minneapolis to Montevideo to celebrate her birthday. As was I!

Above and right: With my wonderful work colleagues having a Hawaiian potluck lunch in solidarity with one of our colleagues who was actually holidaying in Hawaii.

I’m honored to be part of Mercy Hospital’s Palliative Care team, a consultative and interdisciplinary team comprised of incredibly competent and caring health care professionals. I’m the interfaith spiritual care provider (or chaplain) on this team, a position I’ve held since the autumn of 2018.

Above: On Saturday, February 25, members of my work team and I enjoyed lunch at the famed Owamni restaurant in Minneapolis.

Above: Dinner with Joan at another great local restaurant, Heather’s in south Minneapolis – February 15, 2023.

Above: With my dear friend Phyllis – January 28, 2023.

Above: Lunch at Pizza Lucé with my friend Brian – Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Above: My moon-gazing hare in the backyard became a blizzard-gazing hare on February 23, 2023. It was soon completely covered over by snow.

Above: The view from my south Minneapolis attic abode of the massive January 4, 2023 winter storm.

Above and right: Home, sweet home! My attic abode and sanctuary in the Seward neighborhood of south Minneapolis, where I’ve lived since October 2019.

Above: Adnan – earlier this morning, February 28, 2023. My saaxiib qurux badan (“beautiful friend” in Somali) recently paid me a great honor by writing the following to me.

I just want to say a sincere “Thank You.” . . . I won’t go into detail what for. Just know I greatly appreciate you and your constant kindness as well as unconditional love! You’re an awesome person.

Thank you, Adnan! I love you too, buddy.



NEXT:
Central Station – Sydney, Australia

and

Out and About – Spring 2023


Winter 2022-2023 Wild Reed posts of note:
• Honoring the Darkness While Remembering the Light
• Solstice Storm
• Cornel West: “Our Anti-Imperialism Must Be Consistent”
• The Christmas Miracle
• “Our Knowledge of Others Is Always Partial”: Garth Greenwell on the Morality of Fiction
• Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies: Quote of the Day – December 28, 2022
• Marianne Williamson: “We Must Challenge the Entire System”
• In This Time of Liminal Space
• The Light of This New Year’s Day
• Saaxiib Qurux Badan – January 4, 2023
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the Legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
• Kahlil Gibran on Self-Knowledge
• After Record-Breaking Snowfall, a Walk Through the Neighborhood
• Phillip Clark on the Magi as Archetypes of “Witchy Faith”
• Interiors
• Remembering and Emulating the Visionary and Radical Martin Luther King Jr.
• University of Antwerp Honors Patrice Lumumba
• For Rita Coolidge, Love Is Everywhere
• Ditching the Crime, Keeping the Sin: Thoughts on the Pope’s Call to Decriminalize Homosexuality
• Taking the High Road
• The Way of Love and Healing
• Reed Brody: Quote of the Day – February 6, 2023
• A Favorite Burt Bacharach Song
• What It Will Take to Abolish the Police
• Kiki Dee and Carmello Luggeri: “A Classy Duo”
• A Vibrant Relationship
• Here in This Falling Darkness
• Bernie Sanders: Quote of the Day – February 16, 2023
• Michael Meade on “Slowing Downwards”
• Happy Birthday, Buffy!
• Carnival: “A Necessary Release of Pagan Expression in a Christianized World”
• Pope Francis on Lenten Fasting
• From the Palliative/Spiritual Care Bookshelf
• Kimi Djabaté
• Marianne 2024
• Winter Vignettes
• Carl Anderson: “Still One of the Greatest Interpretations of Judas on Film”

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Out and About – Autumn 2022
• Out and About – Summer 2022
• Out and About – Spring 2022
• Spring . . . Within and Beyond (2022)
• Out and About – Autumn 2021
• Out and About – Summer 2021
• Out and About – Spring 2021
• Out and About – Winter 2020-2021

For previous Out and About series, see: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Images: Michael J. Bayly.

Out and About – Autumn 2022

With the winter solstice just around the corner, it feels like a good time to look back on the autumn just past with the latest installment of The Wild Reed’s “Out and About” series.

So without further ado, here’s a review of the people, places, and experiences that were most meaningful to me in the autumn of 2022.

Above: With my dear friend Joan – Saturday, October 1, 2023. We’re at a party celebrating our mutual friend John’s birthday.

Back in 2015, Joan accompanied me on a visit back to Australia. For photos and commentary on the wonderful time we shared, click here.

Above: Some of my fellow members of Mercy Hospital’s Palliative Care team – October 4, 2022. We're celebrating our colleague Steph’s birthday. From left: Maddie, Kate, Steph, and Jenna.

Mercy’s Palliative Care team is comprised of incredibly competent and caring health care professionals, and I’m honored to be the interfaith spiritual care provider (or chaplain) on this team. It’s a position I've had since the autumn of 2018.

Above: At La Casita Mexican Restaurant in Coon Rapids with my work colleagues and friends – Wednesday, October 25, 2022.

From left: Kari, Amy, Jenna, Steph, me, Nikki, Maddie, and Kate. . . . Yes, we’re a great team!

Above: I’ve become friends with many wonderful people at Mercy Hospital, including Allan and Aaron who work in the coffee shop.

Sadly, both guys left Mercy at the end of autumn. Shortly after, Aaron texted me the following message.

We really did appreciate your company and compassion, Michael. You are such a true soul, among so much negativity that was surrounding us. I’m not lying when I say Allan and I enjoyed every second we had with you and relished every conversation and interaction with you. . . . You, Michael, were the closest and realest individual we talked to. . . . Allan and I both loved you and your presence. Every time you showed up in the coffee shop and we got excited to see you, that wasn’t a facade. We genuinely were excited to see you. We both had very little to be excited about in that place, but people like you kept us afloat.

Above and below: Alan and Aaron perform in an alt-rock band, and I was one lucky guy to get to see them perform on the evening of Thursday, November 12, 2022.

Above: Autumn in Minnesota. For more images of autumn beauty, click here and here.

Above: My best mate Deandre – October 1, 2022.

Above: The celebrations for my 57th birthday got off to an early start with a wonderful breakfast with my friend Abdulrahman at Heal Mpls (Minneapolis) on October 12, 2023.

Above: A visit to the Prayer Tree on my 57th birthday – Sunday, October 23, 2022.

For my special birthday post featuring more photos of the various get-togethers I had with friends, along with a beautiful song by Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri, click here.

Above: Dinner with friends Calvin, Kathleen, and Joseph – November 20, 2022.

Above: My friends Dee and Phil, celebrating Phil’s birthday – December 2, 2022.

Above: A lovely portrait of darling Amelia – November 28, 2022.

Above and below: The arrival of wintry weather – November 29, 2022.

NEXT: Out and About – Winter 2022-2023

Autumn 2022 Wild Reed posts of note:
• Summer’s Parting Gift
• Ruth Ben-Ghiat on the Return of Fascism in Italy
• Becoming Miracle Workers
• Norman Solomon’s “Objective Look at U.S. Foreign Policy”
• Buffy Sainte-Marie on Indigenous Peoples’ Day: “There’s an Awful Lot of Work Yet to Be Done”
• The State of the COVID Pandemic: “We’re Collectively Walking An Immunity Tightrope”
• Vaccines and GMOs: Two Very Different Debates
• The Autumn Garden
• The Revolution Will Be Televised
• A Great Honor
• An Essential Read Ahead of the Midterms
• Deeper Understandings
• The End Is Not the End
• Marianne Williamson on the Current Condition of the U.S.
• Phyllis Bennis On the Need For a Ceasefire in Ukraine
• Autumnal Thoughts and Visions
• Progressive Perspectives on the U.S. Midterm Election Results
• Brigit Anna McNeill on Hearing the Wild and Natural Call to Go Inwards
• Photo of the Day – November 14, 2022
• Petula Clark: Luminescent at 90
• Jen Perelman: Quote of the Day – November 17, 2022
• Urbanscapes
• Andor: The Star Wars Franchise’s “First Piece of Universally Excellent Television”
• A New Beginning
• Remembering Chadwick
• Christine McVie, 1943–2022
• Chauncey Devega on the Ongoing Danger of the Trump Cult
• Happy Birthday, Mum!
• Rob Sheffield Pays Tribute to the “Peaceful and Stormy at the Same Time” Songs of Christine McVie
• Jeff Foster on the Healing Power of “Holding Space”
• Together Again – Elton John and Kiki Dee
• Dwelling in Peace
• Trust and Surrender
• Judith Butler on the Reactionary Movement and Fascist Trend Opposed to Diverse Ideas About Gender
• Cuetlaxóchitl
• Honoring the Darkness While Remembering the Light

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Out and About – Summer 2022
• Out and About – Spring 2022
• Spring . . . Within and Beyond (2022)
• Out and About – Autumn 2021
• Out and About – Summer 2021
• Out and About – Spring 2021
• Out and About – Winter 2020-2021
• Out and About – Autumn 2020

For previous Out and About series, see: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Images: Michael J. Bayly.

Out and About – Summer 2022

I half-jokingly refer to the summer just past as “my summer that wasn’t”. This is because for much of it I was hampered in my movements and outdoor activities by a bout of debilitating sciatica, a condition I’d been living with since the end of 2021. Thankfully I had back surgery at the end of the summer which seems to have greatly alleviated (if not completely ended) my sciatic pain.

Despite living with sciatica for most of the summer, I managed to have an enjoyable and active-as-possible time. And so here a look back at the people, places, and experiences that were most meaningful to me in the summer of 2022.

Above and below: “Take me out to the ball game!”

Above and below: Amelia and Eddie – September 11, 2022.

Above: My friend Deandre and his cat Tyga – June 24, 2022.

Above and right: On the afternoon of July 3, Deandre and I enjoyed the musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.

Above: My friends John and Noelle (Amelia’s grandparents) – June 26, 2022.

Above: Lunch with my dear friend Noelle at the Good Earth restaurant in The Galleria in Edina, MN.

Above: When in a high-end store in The Galleria I saw a beautiful serving plate that featured a French postcard set under glass by artist John Derian.

I later discovered that the art of cutting and gluing paper images to surfaces and/or under glass is called decoupage. Derian collects antique fruit, flower, and animal prints and then, through decoupage, makes them into plates, platters, paperweights, lamps, tabletops, umbrella stands, vases and shadow boxes. His designs are handmade in his studio in New York.

Above: Celebrating my dear friend Angie’s birthday – July 9, 2022. Pictured with Angie is her husband Bryan and mother-in-law Dar.

Above and below: Fun, friendship, and beautiful views at Pelican Lake, Glenwood, MN, on the weekend of Angie’s birhday celebrations – July 9-10, 2022.

Above: With friends Darlene and Tom White – July 23, 2022.

Above: A portrait of my friend Adnan in the summer garden of my south Minneaoplis home – August 25, 2022.

Above: My attic abode – among the trees and clouds! 😄

Above: In the garden of my friends John and Noelle’s St. Paul home the morning after my lumbar Hemilaminectomy surgery – August 31, 2022.

Although my sciatic pain was now thankfully gone, the incision area on my lower back was very tender and sore, hence the need still for my cane. A week after this photo was taken, I was back at work and no longer needing to use a cane. Three weeks after my surgery, however, my sciatica returned, though not as severe as before. In the months since, it has gradually abated.

Above: A summer 2022 self portrait.

Said my friend Angie about this photo: “I can see in your face and eyes that you are no longer suffering in such awful pain. I’m so grateful and happy for you! This is a handsome photo of you and really expresses your loving, gentle and patient soul!” . . . Thanks, Ang!



NEXT: Out and About – Autumn 2022


Summer 2022 Wild Reed posts of note:
• Say Yes to the Light
• Progressive Perspectives on the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
• Gabbi Pierce on the “Evolution of Gender”
• The Secret to Achieving the Most Wonderful Things
• Declaration of Interdependence
• Afdhere Jama’s “Love Song to the Queer Somali”
• “Creative Outsider, Determined Innovator”: Remembering Berto Pasuka
• Yes, the Children Too
• “He Deserved to Live; He Deserved a Chance to Heal”: Remembering Tekle Sundberg
• “It Is in Our Hands”
• Heather Cox Richardson: It’s Up to Us to Prove That Democracy Is Still a Viable Form of Government
• Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Pope’s Apology Is “Just the Beginning”
• “Queer Love Is My Divine Companion”
• “Come for the Racism, Stay for the Autocracy”
• Cornel West on the Legacy of James Baldwin
• Where Soul Would Have Us Go
• Olivia Newton-John’s Legacy of Healing
• A Trying Time With Sciatica
• Dyllón Burnside: “For Me, the Term Queer Just Opens Up Space”
• Progressive Perspectives on Liz Cheney
• Summer Vignettes
• Alex Vitale: “There Are Good Reasons to Defund the FBI. They Have Nothing to Do with Trump”
• Being the Light
• Heroes Are Never Really Gone: Remembering Chadwick Boseman on the Second Anniversary of His Death
• Historian Nancy MacLean: The Threat to American Democracy Is at “Red-Alert Stage”
• Marianne Williamson’s Politics of Love: The Rich Roll Interview
• First Signs of “By Far the Most Paradoxical” Season
• “Royal, Yet Servant-Hearted. Regal, Yet Hard-Working. Crowned, Yet Kind”: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
• The Queen and British Colonialism
• Tarot: A Compass For Journeying Toward the Truth of Who We Are and Who We Can Be
• In the Garden of Spirituality – Pema Chödrön
• The Unforgettable and Unique Grayson Hall
• Summer’s Parting Gift

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Out and About – Spring 2022
• Out and About – Autumn 2021
• Out and About – Summer 2021
• Out and About – Spring 2021
• Out and About – Winter 2020-2021
• Out and About – Autumn 2020

For previous Out and About series, see: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

Images: Michael J. Bayly.