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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| Every day, as I walk or drive or sweep, I argue in my own head or preach, and I think, "This is what I'll blog about tonight." Then I sit down before the keyboard, and my mind is a total blank. I can't remember what I spent so much time organizing in my brain. It was so clear at that moment. The same is true for stories I want to write. I've got the basic premise worked out, the what-if's, the setting, the basic characters. But in my head it's not detailed in order. I work out a scene that comes near the end or in the middle, but haven't gotten the beginning yet. I have finally learned to write things down, so I don't have to go back to basics, but dialog and details go back to the drawing board. That brain just deletes everything, and I have to start the mental document over. One of the things I like about WDC is that it gives a place to store your ideas. When you move, you still have your cyber memory or even your PC memory. But back when I had everything on paper, I lost a ton of stuff, poems, a book, stories. I don't have poetry in me any more. That's never coming back. The stories are gone. I might be able to recreate the book because I spent so much time on it. But storing your unpublished works is a big deal. Things have gotten better for writers. Meanwhile, I keep pushing myself to be more disciplined on a day to day basis and find a system that works for me. |
| Not counting baby boomers, the older generations don't like using modern media in church or other such learning places. I've seen it in several types of settings. I used some videos from films with different interpretations that I thought were excellent and stimulating. People only a little older than me didn't like them and were put off by them. For instance, a stage production of the Cotton Patch Gospel really put off some folks, maybe 10 years older. I couldn't tell if they hated the Gospel interpretation in southern terms or the staged acting and rowdy display. I liked it a lot. I thought part of it had to do with educational backgrounds, maybe, and love of theater for another. Generally, after that I found they didn't like film as part of the lesson. Tonight at choir, we used a soundtrack for accompaniment because it had marimba and shakers and tambourines. I loved it. So did a lot of them. But a few hated it. They'd prefer live music, not canned. A live version of that, by volunteers, would sound pretty awful. I have seen a number of older folks get into the I-pads for reading the Bible. Maybe they can locate a passage with the ap that doesn't require knowing where it is, like with a real book. So they're not against all technology or media. Older folk still want to learn, are still willing to question their beliefs, and what they've "always" thought. It's a great sign of wisdom, being able to recognize they don't know it all. Using whatever means available to get through or to open new windows is worth a shot. |
| The garden is plowed! Not very deeply, but at least it's cleaned, raked, and turned over about 2-3 inches. We will go a little deeper when the neighbor isn't home. I'll trim more weeds about the yard tomorrow. Tomatoes will be first. We like green peppers and zucchini, too. We have chives on the back porch in several boxes. We usually have parsley and thyme. I'll have to work on that. My taxes have been refunded. I got a whole dollar back from the state! The tax preparer said he's never seen it come that close. That's out of the way for one more year. I even have an appointment for 2016 with the tax guy. I took a big box of old things to Good Will today. Another box is in the laundry room, clothes only, about 2/3 full. I've got two more boxes ready for the church yard sale, but they don't want them until May 1. We've got a bag of old clothes for the Vets to pick up. They sell theirs for rags, so we give them the unusable things, shirts missing buttons, etc. I've rearranged the dining room to make office space for my father. He uses it like an office; then when company comes, there are papers everywhere. He complains if I move anything, but I have to be able to set the table. So now he has a basket, a pencil jar, shelf space, and a drawer with all his supplies, including address labels. He seems to be okay with it. I even moved some files around in my computer, to folders where I might find things a year from now. These are all such minor things. But they add up to a feeling that I've made some progress. My mental check list has cleared off some things. I've even had time for reading and writing. |
| It's spring again. If I had not seen the daffodils and tulips, now gone, and the current azaleas and tree buds, I would know it's spring. Stink bugs have arrived. I don't know where they came from. I never saw them the first half of my life. In fact, I only recall seeing or hearing of them in the last ten years. They'll be here until fall. Then, we have tiny ants. They're everywhere. Bumble bees, carpenter bees, and hornets buzz around when we go out. Mosquitoes, I'm told, are out, but I haven't seen or heard them yet. I'm like a magnet to mosquitoes, so I don't want to notice them yet (or ever). Crickets are invading. The place is going buggy. And there is some larger creature, more like a groundhog, residing under our back shed. It won't belong before we get a few butterflies, and lots of other things, like the deer that eat our lilies and vegetables. Squirrels are a year round problem. They're just tree rats. The good has to have some bad with it I suppose. So this mixture of critters will arrive whether we like it or not. |
| The weather forecast was for rain. But I planned to go to the neighborhood "Spring Fling" anyway. I made a big batch of brownies yesterday to carry with us. Instead of the Elks Club just up the road, we used the public park next to it.The sun was shining, but it was really cold. The turnout was better than last year. We didn't have any politicians speaking or any updates on construction in our vicinity. We're on a mountain top next to a river. Instead of a catered dinner which usually runs short, they had two local food trucks, who were able to bring more than needed. It was good advertising for them. They'll get more business from our neighbors when they see the trucks about town or for catering. And it was fast and easy for us. The kids always have a great time. We chatted with lots of people we knew, and met a lot more. It was a nice neighborhood get together. We have a good area. The neighborhood watch guy is very active with emails. He alerts us not only to suspicious activity, break-ins, etc., but keeps us informed about things that affect us like cell towers. He keeps us up on local activities, school plans, and activities of residents in our subdivision, like musicians or artists. He also lets people advertise furniture for giveaways, or missing dogs and cats. It keeps us close and informed in a very positive way. It's a very pleasant and short dalliance with people we hardly ever see or don't know, but are within blocks of us. Worthwhile event. |
| Still my favorite night for TV. I re-watched one of favorite episodes of The Virginian tonight. It gets better every time. The woman looked prettier than I recall. The hero wasn't quite as pretty. But it was still very romantic in the end. True love, pure love, all that corny stuff that makes you feel like the world is a happy, wonderful place. The true wild west may not have been quite like that, with a few exceptions. This story actually takes place about the time Wyoming was becoming a state. Women got the right to vote there before any other state. They also had the first woman governor. The cattle drives were just about at an end by the time of this story. The railroad had pretty much covered the country. The range wars were still going on. There was a stark contrast between the big cities and the ranches and small towns. Tonight's episode had some outlaws who hid out with cow punchers, like outlaws work in construction these days--no background checks. But the true story was about a woman living on her own land without help, and a deaf mute. Both were alone and lonesome, misunderstood and proud. They needed each other. They were hard-working and honest. He asked her to marry him, not in words, of course. They made each other happy. She talked enough for both of them. He aroused empathy without making so much as a grunt. She seemed like a genuinely decent, caring person. Three times through it, and I still enjoyed it. It gets five stars from me. |
| I finally caught the movie The Forbidden Planet from 1956. It was on TCM and was halfway done when I found it. I was in time to see the famous brain of the planet and super subway system with the innovative special props for that time. They're mild by today's standards, but they worked. The surprising part is that the story actually makes sense. It was not as far-fetched or corny as I expected. It is still a classic Sci-Fi movie. I really wanted to see 22 year old James Drury, who is now 81. But he must have been killed off early. Or he could have been killed in the battle I witnessed, but didn't know which he was. I did see Anne Francis. She was just window dressing; you know the pretty blond in the short skirts, innocent, but not an intelligent participant. Leslie Nielsen was the commander. I wouldn't have recognized him, if I hadn't been looking for him. He's one of those blessed men who got better looking with age. Walter Pidgeon was the mad doctor who dies in the end. I highly recommend it, if you like Sci-Fi or the history of film. I hope they'll run it again, so I can see the first part and young Drury. |
| If anyone wishes to take an on-line college level course for free, I recommend Coursera. At the moment, it is without credit. They are working on that. These are courses offered by universities all over, mostly the U.S. They are not limited to American students. There are no entrance exams or transcripts; just find a course, and enroll. They are usually six weeks long. You have one week to complete each session. You can print out the lecture if you have bad reception like me, and can't understand more than a few sentences at a time. You have to answer a short quiz each week. You also have to participate in an on-line discussion of varying topics a certain number of times. There is a final exam, but you have to be very careful about the time limits and your entry skills. Failure to do it properly will look like you didn't take it at all. I took a class last year in Thomas Jefferson. The professor took an awesome and unexpected approach. He made all the lectures very relevant to today's world. I see they also offer "A Half Century of Kennedy". Obviously, it's his his influence that outlived him. It looks inviting, but the timing is bad for me. There are business classes, math, science, and philosophy. They are repeated regularly. Teaching assistants grade the work and overlook the discussions. There are all levels of education and ability participating. If you like learning just for the sake of learning, this might be just the ticket for you. Check out coursera.org. |
| We had an adventure today. It was very windy out, but the smell of rotten eggs was very evident outside. You could smell it in the driveway, the front of the house, the other side of the house, but not inside. I dialed the fuel company and handed the phone to my father. I put it on speaker phone so that he could hear her. (He still puts it up to his ear.) The first thing she asked was if he had hit the line while doing yard work. She tried to make it sound like he had done something to the line. (I could hear from the other room.) He told her the tanks were above ground, and the line is attached to the house. She said she'd call back. About 40 minutes later, she called and said Greg was on his was and would be there in about 10 minutes. An hour after that, the smell was still strong and making people cough. My dad was fuming about paying for the gas being lost into the air and worrying about something happening before Greg got there. He had me call back. I did and I asked if we should call 911 to avoid an explosion. She said no, but she would check on Greg's whereabouts. We all went outside to wait. Finally, a utility truck pulled into the driveway. It was a leak in the line right where it runs into the house. He replaced the part. Within 5 to 10 minutes from his departure there was no smell. We were lucky we were at home. What if it had gone on for days, and we didn't hang around outside to smell it? Maybe it had been going on for days, but the rain kept the odor down. If we had found it at night, we probably would have called 911. It's over now. The smell is real. If you find the rotten egg smell, and no rotten eggs, call for help. |
| One forgets how physical yard work can be until one starts pulling weeds, raking, and so forth. After a few hours, your back hurts, your knees hurt, hands hurt from pulling and digging. Tonight even my neck hurts. And this is the best time of year to do it. No sweat bees, few mosquitoes, cool temps. Even the ground was moist, so the soil yielded most of the weeds easily. It may burn a few calories, but I'm afraid it's not muscle building or toning. It involves some stretching, but there's a lot of being cramped up, or bent over in odd positions for extended periods of time. The progress in the yard is so slow. I spent two hours on one overgrown flowerbed, and it's only one flowerbed. The overall yard is still a mess. The grass is cut, and one flowerbed is done. Just since rain, weeds that have popped up in the cracks between the slate in the patio. My aging father made a mess of the shrubs last fall, but I'm no good with the electric hedge trimmer. (He isn't either.) Some older trees that are too close together need to come down. There are more flowerbeds. There's a brick wall to one side where Dad planted cacti that have taken over. They need to go, but you can't get near them. He's painting the lawn furniture, and repairing equipment. I'll keep at it until I go back to work. And I'll still do my walks in the park. Maybe I'll be healthier, and the yard won't look so bad. |
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