Baseball Heaven or Pins and Needles?

Unusual for baseball, but the season is ending on a Wednesday night.  A month ago, the Red Sox were considered a sure bet for the post season.  I always cringe when those kinds of comments and predictions are made:  nothing is certain.  And, sure enough, the Red Sox hit a slump, and their post season presence is not certain.

The Red Sox are playing the Baltimore Orioles. I would like to see the Red Sox in post season play, so of course, I want the Red Sox to win.  The Yankees are playing with the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Rays lose, the Red Sox make it into the post season, but I think they have to win against the Orioles.  I do not know, I just know that this is close.

The point of all of this, is that the Red Sox will benefit if the Yankees win!  So, do you cheer for the Yankees to win.  If you are like me, you do, because you are a Yankee fan, as well as, or even more so as a Red Sox fan. 

For me, it is baseball heaven when it is perfectly acceptable to cheer for both the Red Sox and the Yankees to win.

This is an interesting baseball night. The National League has some interesting possibilities occuring also.  

I love close baseball. 

Somebody is Very Bright

I went to the South Plains Fair today for lunch.  There were a lot of school groups at the fair today. There was a group of very young children, I would say first or second graders at the fair. Over their own clothes, they wore tie-died two toned fluorescent green T shirts. These shirts made this group of children very distinguishable, and with the very bright color, a child separated from the group would be very noticeable. 

This is not a fool proof way of managing a group of small children.  A child could decide to get rid of the T shirt (but why would anyone, these shirts were way too cool!).  A determined adult could whisk a shirt off a child fairly quickly, if kidnapping was the goal.  But, the high visibility of these shirts really diminished the likelihood a child would get lost.

West Wing

I used to watch the TV show "West Wing, " and have to say it is one of my all time favorite shows. It probably will not be considered a classic because it was broadcast in a political era that made it very timely, but is probably not replicable or timeless.

Recently, I have seen DVDs of some of the seasons of "West Wing" at my library. I will have to check and see if I can go library shopping and find the seasons in order. That would be neat.

Imperfect Memories

I have a lot of vague memories of childhood that I can not rightly place.  I think we went to a wild animal farm in New York one time.   I am sure we went to Happy Land, or some other amusement park in the Berkshires, maybe Blandford.

My older brother went camping with the Boy Scouts, maybe in Chesterfield?  And there were dinosaur tracks somewhere in Western Massachusetts.

More solidly, I remember going to Benson's Animal Farm in New Hampshire, and sometimes, Grampa Nap would go with us. I think one of the attractions was a train that circled the grounds.

I know Grampa Nap had a chicken coop in his back yard, and Gramma Nap had a beautiful flower garden, with a plum tree in the middle.  What became of this?

Do you remember their collie, was her name Lady?

And our first dog, Spoodles? I barely remember anything more than a name.

I remember catching bullhead and bringing them home to live in the bath tub: that would have been a very short life span for those fish, but I think Dad at least released them into the river.

I remember hot summer nights, and almost every year, someone would try to commit suicide by jumping off the railroad trestle near our house.

And, often, a transformer would blow near Meme and Pepe's apartment, and there would be a live electric wire on the ground!

Uncle Joe liked to look for wild mushrooms. And Grandma Wojnar's visits were always special.

Uncle Louis came and he was a lot of fun.

Solidly, I remember making root beer, bottling it and letting it ferment in the basement. 

Sometimes, we made watermelon rind pickles. 

Meme and Pepe would pick butternuts, and shell them: they were difficult to shell, and from my child's point of view, more difficult to shell than walnuts or pecans. 

Yearly there was a grab-bag sale at Ward's Store. 

And, we could go to the store and by cigars for Pepe. 

We walked up to Weatherhead's to get ice cream, was it with Pepe or Grampa, or someone else? 

We went fishing at Munn's Ferry, or Durkee's.

I never got to go with Grampa Brown to the cemetery near Durkee's, when he went to mow. But I have been to the cemetery, anyway.

These are glimpses of my childhood past.  Fleeting glimpses, so ephemeral I am not sure they are real.  But they evoke memories of a childhood that was good, even with the sadness.

Continual Coverage

Having watched the Red Sox vs. Yankee game, I have now turned to the NASCAR race from Loudon, NH, on ESPN.  They are providing continual coverage, or NASCAR NONSTOP. When they play an advertisement, it is on the screen in a box that takes up more than half of the screen. The race coverage is in a much smaller screen.

I wonder how ESPN convinced advertisers that this was to their advantage. I certainly think it is. I do not usually show preference to advertising, but all things being equal, if I otherwise do not have a preference, I will use a NASCAR sponsor.

Baseball

I like post season baseball play.  And, I think it has become more interesting with games being important for deciding hosting advantage.  Just like the all star game win now impacts hosting the world series advantage. 

At the beginning of September, I cringed when I heard announcers talk about teams being sure to make post season play.  One of those teams is the Red Sox.  They have had a horrific September slump and are close to not making it. This weekend, the Red Sox have played the Yankees in New York. Frequently, I can get at least two of those games, but this weekend, I just got the early Sunday afternoon game, the first of a double header.  The Yankees won Saturday, and again today.  I usually do not care who wins when the Red Sox and Yankees play, although I lean towards the Yankees. I was wanting to see the Red Sox win this weekend, as I want them to be sure to be in post season play.  Oh well. What is, is.

Cat Nap Time

Early afternoon is cat nap time in our house. Sometimes, I interfere with this, especially if I have a loud TV show airing, or play stereo radio to listen to a sporting event, or have both TVs going to listen to a show, while I am busy working about the house.

But many weekend days are like today:  The girls were active this morning, but are napping this afternoon.  I have been up and down for various reasons periodically this afternoon.  Taki is on the bed, and every time I wander into the bedroom, she sits up and looks at me as if to ask if she can get off the bed.  Saki has been laying in the kitchen, facing the bedroom.  I suspect she has given the word: It is nap time. Stay in bed.

Kayaking

In 2007, a friend and I purchased sit on top kayaks, and started kayaking in the playa lakes of Lubbock,Texas.  The city regulates which playa lakes can be used for boating and requires the users to have a (free) permit in possession.  http://www.playlubbock.com/outdoor/fishBoatING.aspx 

My friend and I obtained the necessary permits and started using the city playas for kayaking.

Over the years we have seen more and more people using the playa lakes for sailing, fishing, kayaking, and rafting. This is exciting.  I am glad to see more people out enjoying the resources that Lubbock has to offer.

The reality is the lakes we use have very contaminated water.  My hope is that the more people use these resources, the more people will be concerned about water quality, and maybe something good can come from this.

The Panhandle South Plains Fair

The Panhandle South Plains Fair http://www.southplainsfair.com/  %20is   is a long time tradition in Lubbock, Texas.  I can not quote to you how many years the fair has been in Lubbock, but it is a tradition.

Some folks do not know that arriving early at the fair means that a person can enter the parking lot, and enter the fair without paying any fees.  I have taken advantage of this for many years, not consistently over the years, but when I have wanted to go to the fair.  From an early age as a child, I could not do rides that involved circling.  I do not care about midway games. But the exhibitions of vendors, animals and food concessions are available about noon or so. So attending the fair mid-day, before parking fees and entrances fees are charges is a great deal! .

Inter-Library Loan

I have heard about inter-library loan since shortly after I moved to Lubbock in 1977.  But there are so many book in the Lubbock Library system, I did not feel a need to use this resource until the last year or so. I am a reader of mysteries, and I prefer to read them in order.  I started reading a mystery series and discovered the Lubbock libraries do not have all of the books in the series. I shyly requested an inter-library loan, and discovered that my request was welcomed, and it was such an easy process.  Library patrons can request the inter-library loan in person at the reference desk of a Lubbock library, or they can access the process on line. I have not tried the on line process yet, but I will, some day.

What a wonderful resource for readers.

Shopping Libraries

Lubbock has four libraries in the city http://library.ci.lubbock.tx.us/: one in the East, one in the West, one in the Southwest, and the main library downtown. 

I have a list of many books I want to read, and very many are mysteries in a series. Of course, I want to read the series in order. I frequently get on line, and check out at which library the next book in a series is located.  I work east of the city, so can conveniently use that library after work. The most convenient to my residence is the southwest location. But I like to go to the downtown library because there are so many more selections at that locations. Of course, I can request the library to send something to the southwest branch to hold it for me. I usually do not do that. I just like to go library shopping.

I do use the inter-library loan system, which allows the Lubbock City County Library to contact other libraries in the network to access a book we do not have in Lubbock. That is a wonderful resource!

Recycling Vs Trash

I recycle. In Lubbock you have four recycling options:  You can take metals and battery to a commercial company that does that kind of recycling.  You can subscribe to a curbside recycling company, or you can bring your recyclables to a city drop off point. Or, you can do nothing.

I take my recyclables to a city drop off point. The place I use takes plastics, glass, aluminium, tin cans, newspaper, and computer paper.

The frequency of my needing to bring items to the recycler varies:  I have had to go more often recently, as I am recycling the plastic drink bottles I bring to work, and bring  home to recylce. Years ago, I brought aluminum cans to work, and left them, as they were recycled for cash for landscaping and employee parties.  But we are no longer allowed to bring aluminium cans of drinks to work.

I have met some interesting people at the recycling center.  I spent several minutes one time speaking to a man who was torn about his career choices. Recently, someone new to the community asked about recycling and how it works.  Acquaintances have haled me to give me good thoughts and information.

When I was a child, we recycled newspapers, as the Boy Scouts did this as a fund raiser every year: the newspapers were sold for paper pulp.  When I left New England in 1977, recycling was common. But not in Lubbock, Texas. I did what I could, to recycle.

Years later, Lubbock had a "blue bag" program which involved using blue plastic bags for recyclables, hanging them on the dumpsters, to be picked up. Not enough people participated to make it successful. How sad.  the local stores used blue plastic bags for our purchases, so no one had to buy a blue bag.  But, still, it did not work.

What is wrong with the citizens of Lubbock, that they are not more environmentally aware? It makes me sad and angry that this city that has such a "Christian" identity does not understand the importance of good stewardship of the environment.

I think this parallels what I learned about people in Lubbock and the use of alcohol: They preach abstinence, but on the sly, use, and hide their use from their neighbors. I think Lubbock citizens preach other Christian values, but do not practice what they preach.

I am Excited

Last year, I was asked to be the point person (PEARL Champion) for my unit, when we were upgrading our electronic medical record.  I was thrilled to be asked to do this, and although it involved some minor schedule adjustments, with the cooperation of my co-workers, and some extra work, I really enjoyed it.  My supervisor was supportive, and realized my department had direct line to updated information. It provided me some kudos on my evaluation. 

I signed on for phase two.  Some early activities occurred, and I even received a recognition for my efforts.  Then, the project seemed to die.  However, now phase two is in process, and I have re-committed to participating.  I had such a good time last time with the project, I hope phase two goes the same way.

Although our patients change, much of what we do from day to day is repetitious. I am blessed that I am offered the opportunity to participate in special projects. I appreciate the support of my supervisor, and hers, to allow me to do this. It keeps my interested in my job, when there are special things to do.

The Cat on the Top Shelf

Haiku likes to get on the top shelves in the garage.  I have seen her leap from the roof of the Vue to the shelf on the west, and from the shelf on the west to the shelf on the south. The last several times she has done that, I have gotten on the step stool, and brought her down. However, in the past, she has also been able to get down by herself.  I think she is still able to do so, but, sometimes, I need her down sooner, such as the morning I let her and Sake into the garage before I went to work. When I needed to leave for work, I had to get Haiku down. 

Sometimes, when we are in precarious situations, we need help.  Sometimes, we do not. Sometimes, observers think we need help when we do not.  

Handyman Work

I needed some handyman work done this week on my roof.  Well, I called the first one listed in the yellow pages, and set up an appointment for the work to be done.  It rained, so of course, the work could not be done. I expected the handyman to call me back to reschedule, be he did not. I did not call him.  I should have. My bad. 
The next day, when I got home from work, I realized the work was done.  So, I called the handyman and he told me the charges.  I asked where to send the check, and he said he would just come by.  We arranged a drop off, in case I was not in when he came by.  He actually set a time to come by, but did not do so at that time. Several hours later, he knocked at the door, and I was able to pay him.  He was working on Saturday. I suspect handymen work on Saturdays out of necessities.

He was very trusting, to do the work when I was not home to pay him.  I wonder how often he does this, and gets "stiffed" by his customers. I hope not often. I hope people are more honest than that!

Grooming

It is well known that grooming, and attention to personal appearance is an indicator of one's mental status in humans.  I think the same must be true of cats. 

Although Sake has always had too much fur, she groomed herself very well when she was younger.  I am not sure when, but sometime in the last 5 or 6 years, she stopped grooming as meticulously, and sometimes would have horribly large mats on her.  And she was very vicious towards me when I tried to take them off.

When Take arrived, Sake had some terrible mats on her britches.  I tried to cut them off, using my surreptitious scissors.  It got to the point where I loosened the mats, and they flapped, but that was as much as Sake would let me do... So, for several days, she walked around with this nasty mat flapping on her.  Then, finally, I grabbed her and cut the mat off. I know if felt better, because since then, she has let me check her britches, and let me cut off budding mats that occur.

But something else has happened:  she is grooming herself again, and keeping the major mats out.

Haiku, on the other hand, always groomed herself well until after Taki arrived. Then, I noticed she started having mats, especially near her hips.  She did not like me to comb them out.  But I did, regularly.  That persisted until Taki had been with us about three and an half months. All of a sudden, Haiku started grooming herself again .

I am not sure what made the difference, but whatever it was, I am glad. 

Triumph!

I am so blessed.  I have many, many positive things in my life: very few, but very good friends.  A physically distant but caring family. A good job. A spiritual awareness. Colleagues who appreciate my efforts on behalf of my professional organization. An opportunity to give back to my profession, my community, and my spirtuality combined in a board membership.  The opportunity to learn for learning sake in an adult learning program! 

Last week, I gave a presentation to the agency staff for the agency of which I am a board member.  Since then, I have had several spontaneous interactions with staff, telling me how much they appreciated my efforts.  That is so kind, and such an uplifiting feeling.

Today, I facilitated a book discussion for the adult learning program.  So many of the participants thanked me for introducing them to the book, and commented that they, too wanted to share it with people. 

At work, recently, a coworker commented on how I was always prompt and efficient when I was involved in a project. 

I make mistakes. I do things poorly. I am slow to respond sometimes. I get emotionally out of whack, and have poor judgement. I know that.

But I am ever so grateful when anyone compliments my efforts. Thank you to those who do.

All of My Girls

For years, Sake and Haiku could not be on the sofa or bed or at the dining table with me at the same time.  When I put replacement windows on the house, and opened the windows behind the sofa, that changed. While they could not sit near each other, they could be on opposite ends of the sofa at the same time.  As long as I did not make too much of this, the tenuous situation could exist.

As I have noted previously, the presence of Taki has changed the balance of power: although Sake is still the bitch kitty supreme, Haiku is no longer totally subservient and submissive. And, she makes her wishes known to me independent of Sake, something she did not do just a few months ago. Or, if she did, she was so hesitant and meek, she seemed uncomfortable doing so.  I did always try to acknowledge her requests and presence.  And, I still do.  The increased confidence she is exhibiting is tenuous, at best but heartening.

Until last night, though, all three cats have not been present and visiting with me at the same time:  until then, it was any two in combination:  mostly Haiku and Taki, but sometimes Haiku and Sake, or less frequently, Sake and Taki.  Well, last night, in the living room, Sake was on the arm of the sofa, Haiku was on the back of the sofa, and Taki was on the seat at the other end. I made the mistake of remarking on this, and  the moment went away. 

Tonight, all three were in the living room again, not on the sofa, but gathered around in companionable proximity.  All I was missing was a fireplace and a rocking chair.  But, that is okay, I am glad I have three precious cats.

9-11 Remembered

There were multiple remembrance ceremonies in Lubbock today, marking the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the United States on 9-11-2001.  There was a military ceremony at a local park on 9-10-11.  One of the local non-denominational churches in town had a remembrance service at the Civic Center.

I attended a ceremony sponsored by the Interfaith Council: It was on the lawn at the county courthouse.  Prayers and speakers represented the Christian, Hindu, Islam and Jewish faiths: these are the faiths of the victims. The Roman Catholic Bishop spoke in English and Spanish. We sang "America" and "God Bless America."

Afterwards, I went to the American Tribute, every year sponsored by the American State Bank:  Every year, at a local park observable from the very busy South Loop, American flags are erected in the park, and at night, they are illuminated. This year, the display occurs from September 8 to 13, 2011. There were many many families with children at this display when I went today.

Did your community do anything to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States of America on 9-11-2001?

Cooler Weather

The cooler weather blew in last weekend on 9/2/11 during the Texas Tech football game.  There was a dust blow, and we have had some moisture, including last night.  The night time temperatures have been in the 40s to the 60s, and the day time temperatures have been in the 80s and low 90s.

This has been so pleasant.  I am able to open the windows of the house when I am home, and let the cool air blow in during the evenings. I sleep with the windows open.  When I am home in the mornings, I am able to open the windows and let the air blow in.  I can shut off the air conditioner.

This is great.  The air in the house had become stale, especially with three cat pans, although I use baking soda to help reduce the odor. I really enjoy the fresh air.

I have been able to sit out some mornings and enjoy the newspaper while I sat outside with my orange juice and coffee. I have been able to sit out in the evening to read.  I have had to use the clip on mosquito deterrent. There is just enough moisture for us to have mud mosquitoes.

This is the West Texas weather we expect.

Weather on the Move

I turned on the Texas Tech Football game against Texas State University, after the about 4 hour Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers baseball game. It was part way through the first half.  The announcers mentioned the very strong wind blowing in.  The clouds have built and it is a little gray outside, and has cooled down considerably.  I went outside to look:  there was no wind, but I could see the dust blowing to the north.  The AT&T Jones Stadium is about a mile and two-thirds to the north and very slightly east of where I live. Well, the wind took lest than 5 minutes to appear outside my house.  It is very strong.

Cleaning

I used to try to clean regularly, forcing myself to do those chores I hate to do.  Because as a child, we had to dust all the knickknacks and whatnots my mother had, I have tried not to have too many, but they have collected over the years.

I tend to be a "binge" cleaner: I clean something when it gets really bad, and then I can notice the difference big time.  I have a hard time throwing things away, although this weekend, I did some of that.  My plan for the long weekend I took was to do some kayaking, read, and then do odd chores around the house as they strike me.  So, I have.

Emergency Preparedness

Make a kit. Have a plan. 

My house does not really have a very safe place to go if there is a tornado.  I have a closet in the master bedroom that has no external walls. But  I do not think it is all that safe. However, it probably is the safest place in the house if a tornado threatens.  And, I have used it as an emergency shelter in the past.

I have the cat carriers in the closet.  I only have two right now, and if we had an emergency today, I could put Taki in with Haiku safely, but I need to get one for her own, as she gets older.  I have sat in the closet, with Haiku and Sake in the carriers, a couple of times before. They do not like it. But Sake gets under the overhang on the foot of the bed in thunderstorms, and Haiku sometimes gets in the carrier (the door of which I leave open) when she is stressed.

Today, I rechecked my kit: I rotated cat food, and actually added some. I have some soups in the kit for me, and personal care stuff, and water. I replaced the flashlight batteries. It is advised to have cash and personal papers in the kit. If I take shelter in the closet, my purse with those items will be with me.

Living in the Economy

There is a lot of talk in the news about the state of the US economy.  The most recent statistics include that there were as many new jobs created as lost last month.  This is dire, and portends a possible recession.

The US mentality has a larger than life aspect to it: everyone wants something bigger and better than the prior generation, than the next person. To get there, we go in debt, one of the major problems with which this country and the world are dealing. The improvement in standards is part of what we call "the American Dream."  I am not sure "the American Dream" can be defined, but it includes being better off than your ancestors, owning your own home, your own car, having a good job that affords you a more than adequate lifestyle with resources left over for entertainment.  We take these things for granted.

Yet, as things go, many young people with college educations are not able to find employment that supports them, or supports the style of "the American Dream."  Many couples find they both have to work to provide for their lifestyle.  Young people graduating from college are saddled with huge debt due to the high cost of their education. Many young people live with their parents because they can not afford to live on their own, or on their own in the lifestyle to which they are accustomed, as was provided by their parents.  And, they are not willing to sacrifice to work themselves up to that lifestyle.

And, more and more Americans are living in poverty.  The gap between the rich and the poor is growing, and the "middle class" is shrinking. 

I have been one not to use a lot of credit.  I try hard not to run up a credit card bill I can not pay off monthly.   I try to save for major purchases and pay cash.  If I buy on credit,  I try to shop for low interest rates, or 0% interest if paid off in a certain time frame, and then, I meet that time frame. 

I used to buy compact cars, but recently, I have been a little more extravagant. When I bought my house, I purchased one of a value lower than "the formula" indicated I should be able to afford. I paid it off early, by some good fortune and circumstances that helped me to pay it off early, as well as by adding extra each month to the mortgage payment.  On the other hand, I have an excellent credit rating, due to my financial management.

I have never had any expectation that I would have things as good financially as my parents did.  I became a social worker, and social workers are notoriously underpaid.  I have not travelled extensively, nor do I have extravagant things in my home.  There was a time in my life when I could account for every cent I spent. I am not on such a tight budget anymore, and am able to afford to take care of most emergencies reasonably comfortably.

I  remember years ago being concerned about natural resources being used up before the next generation was able to enjoy their life: coal, oil, clean water, especially.  I wonder how lumber continues to be available. I worry about wild and natural foods being available.

I have chosen not to have children for a lot of reasons, most of which are too private to post here.  However, one reason was the awareness that the world population is expanding exponentially.  I believe this expansion bodes ill for the availability of a fair share of resources for everyone, and I believe humans are impacting the condition of the planet in a way nothing has before.  I believe this impact portends major changes in the balance of nature on this earth, and will dramatically change the environment. And, I believe these changes are already happening, as evidenced by the shrinking of the polar ice caps and glaciers.

The scientific evidence is that the earth has sometimes balanced these changes with other changes, and sometimes balanced these changes with dramatic pendulum swing type changes. I have to think we have set the earth on a dramatic pendulum swing of the environment. I am not a doomsday predictor.  I am just thinking that things have been changing and will be changing dramatically for some  years to come.  Whether or not I will see these things in my life time, I do not know. 

I am not trying to write about doom and gloom. I think we can make a difference by doing things, large and small to be more conscientious about our lives. I do not live the most "green" or "sustainable" (the new term for environmentally aware and eco-friendly) lifestyle. But I think we are all able to make choices that will have a positive impact, and fit our lifestyle.  I recycle. I catch water from the shower as it is getting warm, to use on my back yard plants. I do not keep my house very cold in the summer nor steamy hot in the winter.  I plan and combine trips so I do not double back on my errands.  I try not to use electric lights if natural light will do.  I use small lights for safety instead of large lights for convenience, when lighting my house at night.  If the weather permits, I open windows to air out my house versus using the air conditioner.

I could do more. Everyone can.  Some are green to extreme.  Many do not pay attention to anything they can do to help.

I think we can all make a difference if we make more efforts to live in balance: whether that is financially, or environmentally.   If we live within our means, limit our environmental impact when we can, and steward our resources carefully.

What can you do?