A Biblical Plague

I really feel like I have been infested with a Biblical plague.  I have chronicled my automobile and cell phone problems.  Thursday night, my skin infection returned from out of nowhere! And, today, while I was doing laundry, my drains backed up.   So that put the kibosh on laundry.  The drain clean out was covered with leaves, so I thought I should clean that area of the backyard.  And, of course, I ended up cleaning the entire back yard.  I did not even plan to do that this weekend. I will say that between the celebrex and my physical therapy exercises, I am getting stronger.   It only took about 2 hours to rake the entire yard, with only two rest breaks.  That is about what it used to take before my back started bothering me.  Of course, I am very sore tonight.

On the other hand, the snow and freezing rain we had last weekend and early this past week knocked most of the leaves off the trees around my house, except the Bradford Pear, to the east.  I sometimes do not even rake leaves until New Years, because I want to wait until they are all down.  The last couple of years, I have raked a couple of times for two reasons 1) I get tired of looking at the leaves and 2) it takes me so long to rake.

I still have to do the front and alley, but that is not so bad.

I did some serious house cleaning that I was not planning to do, but did not mess with the bathrooms until I can get the plumber in. Nor did I wash the kitchen floor, for the same reason.  I called, but it was about 1 PM, and the on-call guy had 8 calls ahead of me.  I will check in the morning and see what the prospect is for repairs tomorrow.  Amazing, at 10:15 PM the plumber called.  He has had a long day, but says they only take weekend call once a month.  He was willing to come out tonight, but I told him not to: the cleanout is in a corner of the backyard where there are no lights, and he will have to get on the roof to do the washing machine cleanout.  So we have an appointment for noon tomorrow. That makes me happy.  I will be able to do the laundry in the afternoon.

The car starts once, but does not hold enough of a charge to start again. I am hoping it will start Monday morning so I do not have to bother a neighbor to get a jump start, but either way I need to be able to get to the repair shop. 

The injection that Sake received last Tuesday just did not work as well as the first time.   She runs to food, but does not eat.  She smacks her lips, but does not eat.  She did eat some baby food chicken, some hard treats, some turkey wing meat, and liver tonight. Just a little of each.  It is so frustrating. She eats a little at a time, but will not go back to something she has eaten earlier in the day.  I am thinking the next step is to have her teeth extracted.  I hate to do that, because she will have so much trouble grooming. She will just have to let me help her more. 

Well, the cell phone works.  The car is safe in the garage.  I can renew my library books online or by phone tomorrow.  I did get groceries today, but had to get a jump start to get home.  It takes almost nothing to start the car, so that is weird. 

One thing that has come out of this is that I can now back the car into the garage.  I did that for the first time Wednesday night, and I bet it took me 30 minutes. Maybe not, but I sweated over it and did it inch by inch, correcting and recorrecting.   Yesterday, it did not take me that long, and today, it took even less time. Of course, I still need to be careful, but it is nice to know I have that skill.

What is really weird, is that I do not think twice about backing the car out of the garage, it is just a straight shot, but sometimes, I end up crooked off the driveway.  Well, I am glad I have learned this new skill!

Does Shelburne Falls Have a New Identity?

I could have sworn that I wrote about the filming of the movie Labor Day, http://www.recorder.com/home/6721923-95/movie-magic-is-latest-draw-in-the-falls based on a novel by Joyce Maynard of the same name.  But, if I did, I could not find the posts.  Well, that is okay, I sometimes have strange titles and strange labels for my posts, that make no sense to me when I go back to read them. So, if I did write about that, why should I think I can find it? 

The reason I would have written about Labor Day last year was because it was being filmed in Western Massachusetts, mostly Shelburne Falls, but also in the Franklin County Jail, and other areas in Massachusetts.  I followed its filming in my home town newspaper, The Greenfield Recorder http://www.recorder.com/ and I read the book, Labor Day http://www.joycemaynard.com/Joyce_Maynard/B__Labor_Day.html. I have been anticipating the release of Labor Day, http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/labor-day-movie-jason-reitman-release-date-december-25-2013/ which is apparently set for near Christmas 2013.  Why it would not be released near Labor Day 2013 is beyond me, but I think this has to do with Oscar politics, and holiday box office numbers. So, maybe, it is not beyond me.

So, today, I was reading The Greenfield Recorder again, and once again Shelburne Falls is being used as a location for a movie http://www.recorder.com/home/6721923-95/movie-magic-is-latest-draw-in-the-falls The Judge http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872194/.  I think this is a great economic boost for Shelburne Falls, and from all reports in The Greenfield Recorder, the locals are as enamored with this cast and crew as they were with the Labor Day cast and crew. 

I think it is great that Shelburne Falls, and the surrounding area is being used for movie locations. That is so neat.

This is not the first time that movies have been filmed in Western Massachusetts http://www.mafilm.org/made-in-mass/.  The most memorable for me is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061184/.  Another was The Edge of Darkness http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/ but frankly, the movie stunk.

So, does Shelburne Falls have a new identity as a movie location?  Does two movies, two years in a row, make it so? And why do people in the film industry know about Shelburne Falls.

I have to wonder. Shelburne Falls has a very famous resident, Bill Cosby http://billcosby.com/ , who has a residential compound in Shelburne Falls.  Mr. Cosby resided in Shelburne Falls because he was a post-graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, http://www.umass.edu/ in Amherst, Massachusetts. Early on, the University of Massachusetts had liberal "university without walls" standards. Mr. Cosby could actually use some of his television programming as part of his PhD thesis material.  That is as it should be. It was so educationally about appropriate family and parenting values, and the television venue ensured it was mass marketed in a way that other educational material would not be received.

I do not know if Mr. Cosby was influential in the filming of these new movies.  If he was, I think Franklin County owes him a thank you, at least.  If not, well coincidences  are not always as coincidental as we believe.

So, now, I have another movie for which I have to anticipate the release.

So, I am not a Rolling Stones Fan, But This is Pretty Neat

So, the Rolling Stones http://www.rollingstones.com/ have a place in my life but I never really liked their music enough to buy their records.  I think my favorite song of theirs is "Satisfaction" and I do like to listen to them, mostly because I like the music of that era.  But I thought it was neat that Green Valley High School  http://www.greenvalleyhs.org/ choir http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=182914505   http://www.8newsnow.com/story/22215823/local-high-school-choir-to-perform-with-the-rolling-stones  from Henderson, Nevada was asked to back up The Rolling Stones for an encore song "You Can't Always Get What You Want." when The Rolling Stones perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena http://www.mgmgrand.com/entertainment/grand-garden-arena.aspx this Saturday.  So cool. 

I am not sure the high school students get it, but their parents do, according to the news stories.

What a fun story and great opportunity for some high school students, who 50 years from now, may "get it."

Keeping Up

I am a methodical, habitual person.  People tell me I am organized. I think I am inflexible and a creature of habit.  Yet, in my line of work, I have to be, and am flexible all the time.  But, my comfort zone is a planned and scheduled day in which I can guesstimate a time table and accomplish the tasks I had planned to do that day.

Part of my routine is to take care of personal business in the evening.  This might be household chores, errands, a planned reading night or other tasks.  I plan my social events so I can still keep up with other things.

The past week and this week has been filled with unplanned social events.  So, I find myself trying to squeeze in moments to "keep up" with what I would have been doing.  Trying to keep up with my idea of what my schedule should be can be draining. But it is something I have always done.  That does not make it right.

And, for some reason, I have been inordinately tired the last few weeks, so working, reading or knitting later into the night has become more difficult.

Imagine my surprise, some 20 plus years into my working career, when I realized why weekday holidays made me so tired. Dummy!  I tried to get 40 hours of work done in 32 hours.  When I realized that, I adjusted and made my short weeks more manageable.  But it took me years to get there. What is wrong with my thinking that I could not figure that out!  I am a bright person. But my goal orientedness creates such a tunnel vision in me that that did not dawn on me for years and years!  Dah!

This is always a busy time of year, with holiday activities.  But I am not even dealing with those yet!  It is just other life stuff that is infringing on my activity calendar.

Well, all will get done. Deadlines can be broken or changed. Life goes on.

Regimented

I am a creature of habit.  And one of my habits is that I generally know how long things will take, and plan my activities accordingly.  Sometimes, I am surprised. Today was one of those days.  I spent much longer at the library and the check out line at the store than I had anticipated. I used to get antsy when I had to wait like that. Now, I just mellow out and enjoy the opportunity to watch people.

This is good.  I do not want to be such a creature of habit that I can not be spontaneous.

The Wind

The wind was stout tonight. No stouter than many nights, but much stouter than others. But it roared and hummed.  It occurred to me that the reason the wind makes these noises has less to do with its velocity and more to do with many other factors.

Some factors include the direction of the wind. But more important, some of the factors that effect the sound that the wind produces includes the obstacles around which or through which it has to traverse.

The wind takes on a life of its own: It might be strong enough to move objects that we had no idea were that movable. It might move objects to new heights that we did not realize those objects could reach. It might be persistent enough that it blows sand and dust for miles and miles, transforming the landscape by the movement of particles.  It might be strong enough that it blows flames, cinders and embers to perpetuate wild fires that take down everything in their paths.

The wind is powerful. People who do not live in the wide open plains do not develop a concept for the strength and persistence of the wind. Understanding the power of the wind, the persistence of its force, the destructiveness it can call up is part of learning to live in West Texas, or the Plains of America.

The wind is a companion in the South Plains. But it can be an enduring hardship and a bitter enemy.  Learning to live with, appreciate and respect the wind is one of the hardest lessons for a West Texas transplant.

Cycles and Spring

We have a therapy module at work related to relaxation and stress management, but it is really about the cycles of life. It makes the point that when we have a down cycle, we can rest assured that this can change, and we can have an up cycle.  This may happen automatically, but we can impact this by making some positive change, changing the things we do that are influencing the down cycle to stop it and make it an up cycle.

When you think about it, the seasons of the year are about that.  Spring is an up cycle that occurs after the dormancy cycle of winter. Spring becomes a time of renewal and refreshing, with plants blooming, and birds and animals giving birth to a new generation.

Many humans also refresh at this time of year.  We may start the year with new year's resolutions that so often do not last but a few days or weeks at the most.  For Christians, we then have the structured opportunity, at Lent, to start afresh with a time of change and renewal:  we can choose, of course, at any time, to start anew, but Lent gives a time, supported in a religious context to make a sacrifice for the veneration of the Lord.  Sometimes a sacrifice or commitment to a greater good makes it all that much easier for us to keep that commitment. Public acknowledgement of the commitment also provides us with additional impetus, as so many of us have such a strong desire not to fail in public, not to "lose face." Additionally, the support from a group (religious or otherwise) is known to help us to continue on a difficult course.  So Lent becomes our dormancy period during which we maintain our sacrificial commitment, in preparation for renewal.

Like so many of the Christian festivals, Easter is borrowed from or coincided with non-Christian rites of passage celebrating the renewal of the year.  The religious context also provides us with an opportunity to renew our religious commitments.  But it seems to be a basic part of humanity to celebrate the passages of time and give thanks for the changes we acknowledge with those passages.

If you have reached Easter keeping your commitment to a renewal plan, congratulations!  It may have been easy or difficult, but the point is you kept your commitment. 

If you reached Easter but did not keep your commitment on the way, all is not lost. We can be resilient, and make commitments to ourselves and others anytime along the way of life.

The thing about cycles, is that they do not require a change in season for the cycle to change. All it requires is a change in ourselves. Sometimes, it only requires a small change. And, let's face it, small changes are much easier to accomplish than are large ones. And, small changes can provide a foundation: Upon each small but successful change, we can add another, until we reach the larger goal.

Life is a series of changes.  At some point in time, some of us are fortunate enough to learn that instead of floating along with day to day living, we can take control of our lives, and be responsible for the direction we are traveling. The Gandhi quote "You must be the change you want to see in the world" is a succinct admonition leading us to this knowledge. 

When better to be this change, but in Spring, during the time of renewal, after our time of dormancy, when we are poised and prepared?

I Am Blessed

I had conversations with two very good friends tonight. I am thankful that I have these friends and that we can have these conversations.

What more is there to add.

Posthumous Recognition

I recently attended an event during which someone was posthumously recognized for the kind and socially correct acts in which he engaged during his life. It was a nice ceremony, and very meaningful to his family.  I did not know the individual, but he sounds like the sort of person I would like to have known. 

I regret that he was not recognized during his lifetime by this group honoring him.  I am not sure why that did not occur, but it is what it is. It made me start to think how many of us wait until someone has died to acknowledge how important they are, how much we appreciate their efforts, and how much they mean to us.

It is sad that these tributes will not be heard by the one about whom they are offered. Why is it that it is often only at death that we take pause to pay tribute. Are we really that busy?  Or just too self centered?

Is there someone in your world, maybe a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, a community figure, a mentor, an almost stranger whom you admire?  Is it time for you to inform that person how much they and their efforts, beliefs, values, principals, mean to you?

The Butterfly Effect

I had heard something like this before, but never as graphically as when I read it in a novel a while back.  The butterfly effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect.  And, since reading it once, I have heard it alluded to many times. 

The butterfly effect alludes to the fact that one butterfly flapping its wings may alter an air current that may alter the path of a storm, such as a tornado, and therefore, influence what impact the storm has   It has been more eloquently stated that my succinct version.

The point is, we do no know what effect in the future some small act we may take today will have. We do not know what seeds we plant. How a thoughtless act, good or bad, may impact someone to change what they do, with a resulting ripple or domino effect.

For some of us, the concept of "pay it forward" takes this into consideration: someone does a kind deed for us.  We can not pay that person back, due to whatever circumstances, including maybe the deed was truly a random act by a stranger whom we will never meet again, so will not have the opportunity to repay.  But, when faced with the option in the future, we do a kind deed for someone else, possibly a stranger, also maybe randomly, not expecting any pay back, but hoping this person, too, will "pay it forward."

Another example or version of this is the nursery rhyme, "For Want of a Nail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail_(proverb) . This is an excellent example of the progression that can occur from a small act or omission. 

When we go about our lives, maybe we need to spend more time thinking about the consequence of our small actions.

A Kind Offer

I had and I took the opportunity to go kayaking again today. I went to Dunbar Historical Lake. The weather was beautiful.  There was someone on the water when I got there, and two more people showed up just as I did.  Some other folks showed up even later on!  I have never seen so many people on this little lake. (It was not crowded at all.)

The last set of folks to come to the lake while I was there were coming back from the dam end when I was getting out of the lake.  This was a women maybe a little older than me, and her grown son.  She immediately offered to give me her phone number, so I could call and we could go together. She said it is safer than my being on the lake by myself.  She is right, but how kind and generous that is to offer that availability to a complete stranger!  I took her number.  I will call her tomorrow, and give her my number, so she can also call me if she wants to go kayaking, too.

A Pile of Papers

Today was a day off, but unlike many of my recent days off, I was not in the house much.  I had an appointment, I ran errands, I went to lunch, and then I did several hours of yard work.  The weather was gorgeous, and I did not want to be inside, although a possible severe thunderstorm prevented me from going kayaking.  But even when the storm blew in, I was protected enough on the front porch to be able to sit outside.

So, this evening, I have been at the computer for several hours. The TV is turned off, and I have been concentrating on the computer.  When this happens, I tend to neglect the cats.  They have been fed, but I am not spending much time conversing with them, watching them, or otherwise being present to them.  While I did some of that during the day, it was obvious to me tonight, they wanted more of that.  Especially Taki and Haiku.

I have a TV tray next to the computer chair, which usually contains a stack of papers. Tonight, both Taki and Haiku were after the papers, which ended up on the floor so often, I stopped picking them up. 

I really try to be attentive to the cats, and most days and evenings, when I am home, I do spend time with them.  I am having a different night tonight, feeling productive, and have wanted to take advantage of that feeling. It does not happen often.

Gorgeous Weather

We have had some wonderful weather recently.  The warm, balmy weather has been great, and continues into the evening. I have been able to sit outside after work, and to do some yard work.

I sat out again tonight. It was a little cooler tonight, and the wind came up a little bit.  But it was still pleasant.

After the chores, I have had a chance to have dinner outside, and to sit and read outside.  This is  a great time of year to live in Lubbock.

The Year of the Girl

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America celebrate their 100th anniversary this year http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2011/yearofthegirl.asp and they have declared 2012 as The Year of the Girl.

I do not know how my name showed up on the Girl Scout list, but I received an invitation to attend the local celebration during which we will recite the Girl Scout Promise, and be able to put something in a time capsule.  I think I have two Girls Scout pins, and if I do, I may put one in the capsule.

I really recall my years as a Girl Scout with extreme delight and fondness.  I think one of my regrets as an adult was not to be involved as a leader to help foster the program.  I do buy cookies whenever I can. 

When I sold cookies as a Girl Scout, we took orders. Now the Girl Scouts get cookies and sell them by going door to door, or setting up in various places: parking lots, store fronts, front yards.  I can not pass a Girl Scout cookies sales without buying some.  I usually buy two boxes at a time, but by the time cookies sales are done, I have purchase 14 or 20 boxes of cookies.  I am very pleased to support the Girl Scouts.

Flowing Tassles

I have a throw that is made of knitted blocks sewn together. The finishing of this throw included placing long flowing tassels at two of its ends.

I use the throw sometimes when I am on the sofa in the living room, but also when I am sitting at the computer and the room feels too cold. I also use a space heater for those times.

The flowing tassels of this throw feel so elegant. The throw itself keeps me warm, but it is not as warm as some other throws I use.

The All Lubbock High School Marching Band

I have written before about the All Lubbock High School Marching Band appearing in the 2012 New Years Day Rose Bowl Parade. I watched the parade, to see the band and to scope out the other participants.  Not one was bad.  I will say that when the All Lubbock High School Marching Band was on TV, they received very good coverage.  The announcers did not appear to be knowledgeable about Texas: the announcer said they were from East Texas.  Also, they named the high schools, and I heard Monetery, Estacado and Coronado, but not Lubbock High, although they could have said that and I missed it.

The local television channel that announced the parade, KTLA, http://www.ktla.com/entertainment/roseparade/bandvoting/ktla-roseparade2012-bandpoll-voting,0,1245.poll posted video of the parade, including the bands.  They also sponsored a poll, and I voted.  It was interesting to me that the All Lubbock High School Marching Band received 43%, second only to the Siloam Springs High School, at 44%.  Go All Lubbock High School Marching Band!

The All Lubbock High School Marching Band

For years, I have not watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade http://social.macys.com/parade2011/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n#/home nor the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade
http://media.roseparade.net/mediaGuideBand.asp?id=763

For some reason, this year, I was interested in watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It was fun, and enjoyable. 

And, let it be known, this year, it is my intention to watch the parade on January 2, 2012.  There is a special reason for my interest: this year,  the All Lubbock High School Marching Band  https://www.facebook.com/AllLubbockMarchingBand will be performing at the parade.  If you do not go to the link, the band is the combined bands of the four Lubbock High Schools: Lubbock High (where Buddy Holly went to high school, and Bill Clinton spoke in the gym), Monterey, Coronado and Estacado High Schools http://www.bandtravel.com/alllubbockband.html.  The bands have been doing a LOT of fund raising to allow them to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade http://www.tournamentofroses.com/TheRoseParade/TheParade/Participants/Bands.aspx.  The bands have also received a great deal of community support, which is only as it should be.

Maybe, this year, you will watch for the All Lubbock High School Marching Band during the parade.

One of my co-workers is the mother of a band participant.  In addition to marching in the Rose Bowl Parade, my co-worker said the band will march in a Disneyland http://disneyland.disney.go.com/ Main Street parade, and they will spend time at Disneyland.  In addition, they will go the Knotts Berry Farm http://www.knotts.com/.  I believe they have other activities planned on their itinerary. 

I know that for many young people from Lubbock, this will be an experience of a lifetime. More poingantly, for many young people from Lubbock, it will be their first trip out of the South Plains, unless it was involved in a band trip.   What an opportunity to introduce young people to parts of the world other than Lubbock.  This is a great experience.!

Indecision

Sake likes to sit in the garage in the mornings. More mornings than not, I have to herd her back into the house when I am ready to go to work.  This morning, she was in the garage, and as I went in and out as my morning routine requires, she watched me, as if expecting me to tell her it was time to go into the house.  She seemed to want to go in, but could not decide for a while. Eventually she decided it was time to come into the house.

Later in the morning, she asked to go out. But, then she was not sure. I carried her outside, and she sniffed into the wind. She does not like wind. She decided not to go out.  A few minutes later, she asked to go out.  She was not out 20 minutes and asked to come in. But even then, she was not sure.  That is okay. She can go in and out today. One of the luxuries of a day off for me is to be able to give her that option.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is the greeting I sent to my family and friends this year.  I hope they do not mind if I share it here:

 

To all of you, my wish is for you to have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.  Every day I am reminded about how much I have to be thankful for: Family, Friends, Freedom.  Opportunities to enjoy and appreciate life. The opportunity to believe in God and express my beliefs safely.  Health and the opportunity to seek health care if I need to. A community in which I can live without having to constantly worry about my safety, and to know that when I have a concern about my safety, there are services in place to help me. A country that appreciates these things, and those who safeguard these things for us, and sets aside times throughout the year to commemorate the people who safeguard these things.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Vacations experiences

Last year, in the autumn, I took a driving trip to northeast New Mexico.  It was a short trip, but filled with long hours of comfortable, back roads but good highway driving, sightseeing, good eating, comfortable hotel time, and in general just nice, relaxing time.

The leisure, release and relaxation I enjoyed on that trip sustained me for quite some time, and even now, as I recall it, I can  also recall the relaxed feeling I experienced.

That is what a vacation should engender: nothing rushed, nothing stressful or hectic, nothing untoward.

This past June I took a trip that was very nice, but not as relaxing.  There were some issues: driving an unfamiliar car, driving in a big city instead of small towns and country roads, an airline issue which was minimal from my perspective, but still, a little stressful.  It was still a great vacation, but not as refreshing as my trip to New Mexico last autumn.

As we go through life, we can appreciate the changes we make, and what works and does not work for us.  I know myself, and driving trips are so much more pleasant for me.  Having control works for me.  Back roads and country atmospheres work for me.

But, if I did not experience other environments, other changes, I would not appreciate what works for me.