The local ponds are beginning to freeze again.
Overall our geographic area has been fortunate weather wise. We've had a few days recently where temperatures have spiked into the fifties.
So the ice on the ponds is not that thick, gray, opaque stuff that forms during extended weeks of freezing temperatures.
It's not even that semi-transparent stuff. You know, the seemingly solid ice that develops spider web cracks when you step onto it. The ice that has barely enough strength to support you as it cracks and pops beneath your weight - making you wonder if you should risk one more step forward or slowly edge back toward shore.
The ice that's forming now is that stuff you can see right through. The ice has just enough substance to it that the surface of the pond seems covered in permanent, unmoving ripples. Sort of like someone crumpled up a gigantic ball of cellophane and then tried to stretch it back out.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Family Organism
With the recent changes in my immediate and extended family, I've been musing on how life mirrors itself on different levels.
On the microscopic level, organisms such as amoeba and cells meet, merge, and create a new single unit. - Men and women meet, marry, and form the nucleus of a family.
Microorganisms grow and stretch, altering in appearance as they do. - Children are conceived and the family unit grows and changes in appearance.
Cells grow in size until they subdivide. The new, smaller life forms moving on to merge with other cells and the cycle begins anew. - The family unit reaches critical mass as children grow older, eventually split off, meet a prospective mate and the cycle begins anew.
I cannot imagine that the mirroring stops there. The universe is simply too large.
So now I turn my musings in a new direction.
If a cell or amoeba were to look outwards at a human body, it would appear the body went on and on infinitely.
When we look up into the sky at night, it appears to go on and on infinitely.
Which makes me wonder. - When we look into the sky, are we actually looking at an entity as much larger than us as we are larger than an amoeba?
And does that larger or supreme entity represent the enlightenment we all search for? And do we have so much trouble finding enlightenment because we are looking elsewhere for something we are already part of?
On the microscopic level, organisms such as amoeba and cells meet, merge, and create a new single unit. - Men and women meet, marry, and form the nucleus of a family.
Microorganisms grow and stretch, altering in appearance as they do. - Children are conceived and the family unit grows and changes in appearance.
Cells grow in size until they subdivide. The new, smaller life forms moving on to merge with other cells and the cycle begins anew. - The family unit reaches critical mass as children grow older, eventually split off, meet a prospective mate and the cycle begins anew.
I cannot imagine that the mirroring stops there. The universe is simply too large.
So now I turn my musings in a new direction.
If a cell or amoeba were to look outwards at a human body, it would appear the body went on and on infinitely.
When we look up into the sky at night, it appears to go on and on infinitely.
Which makes me wonder. - When we look into the sky, are we actually looking at an entity as much larger than us as we are larger than an amoeba?
And does that larger or supreme entity represent the enlightenment we all search for? And do we have so much trouble finding enlightenment because we are looking elsewhere for something we are already part of?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Dogs and Coats
The temperature here is rapidly dropping tonight and a damp haze is settling in.
Driving home, as I turned onto my street I passed a boy walking his dog.
The boy was wearing a winter parka with the strings of the hood pulled so tight that only his eyes and nose were visible deep in the fur trimmed covering.
A boy after my own heart, I thought.
Then I did a double take - the dog had no fur. The dog was not much larger than a cat so from the quick look I got, I could not tell if the canine was a hairless breed or it had recently been subjected to the attentions of a groomer.
Regardless, that dog needed a coat!
No wonder the dog was obviously straining at its leash. Doubtless the poor animal was shivering uncontrollably while his owner basked in recirculated body heat. The bulging eyes I had noticed on the dog's face probably did not normally bulge at all. The protruding eyeballs were probably the result of the facial skin having contracted in the cold.
I was tempted to turn around and berate the boy - but that would have meant lowering the window of my car and getting cold.
Driving home, as I turned onto my street I passed a boy walking his dog.
The boy was wearing a winter parka with the strings of the hood pulled so tight that only his eyes and nose were visible deep in the fur trimmed covering.
A boy after my own heart, I thought.
Then I did a double take - the dog had no fur. The dog was not much larger than a cat so from the quick look I got, I could not tell if the canine was a hairless breed or it had recently been subjected to the attentions of a groomer.
Regardless, that dog needed a coat!
No wonder the dog was obviously straining at its leash. Doubtless the poor animal was shivering uncontrollably while his owner basked in recirculated body heat. The bulging eyes I had noticed on the dog's face probably did not normally bulge at all. The protruding eyeballs were probably the result of the facial skin having contracted in the cold.
I was tempted to turn around and berate the boy - but that would have meant lowering the window of my car and getting cold.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
SFGTD
No, I haven't gone dyslexic. Though things ARE a little hectic this evening.
I thought I'd quickly share a great concept that I received via an e-mail forwarded by a friend.
Create a mental file folder in your brain and label it SFGTD which stands for Something For God To Do.
When your are faced with a problem or concern that is so large as to be beyond your ability to resolve it, slip the problem into the SFGTD folder.
Then focus on the things that you CAN control in your life, knowing that what is in the SFGTD folder will be resolved when and as it ought to be.
Peace.
I thought I'd quickly share a great concept that I received via an e-mail forwarded by a friend.
Create a mental file folder in your brain and label it SFGTD which stands for Something For God To Do.
When your are faced with a problem or concern that is so large as to be beyond your ability to resolve it, slip the problem into the SFGTD folder.
Then focus on the things that you CAN control in your life, knowing that what is in the SFGTD folder will be resolved when and as it ought to be.
Peace.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Except the One I Need
We are in the process of moving furniture around in our house. My mother will be moving in with us in a few weeks. Oh, I guess I'll need to come up with a character name for her in my blogs.
Some of the furniture we're rearranging is modular office furniture. I'm having to make a few customizations to one particularly large piece of furniture in order to make it fit into its new space.
I headed to my workshop where I have a pretty good assortment of tools.
Except - it turns out - the one I need.
In disbelief, I stood in front of my workbench staring at forty different drill bits. How could I not have the one size I needed?
Have you ever noticed how this frequently seems to happen? You can have the best stocked kitchen, the best supplied workshop, the best equipped studio; but when a big project is under way a key component is missing.
Not to worry. I intentionally started this project well in advance (I'm learning in my old age) in anticipation of a few snags.
Tomorrow I'll make my first of what I'm sure will become several trips to the hardware store.
Some of the furniture we're rearranging is modular office furniture. I'm having to make a few customizations to one particularly large piece of furniture in order to make it fit into its new space.
I headed to my workshop where I have a pretty good assortment of tools.
Except - it turns out - the one I need.
In disbelief, I stood in front of my workbench staring at forty different drill bits. How could I not have the one size I needed?
Have you ever noticed how this frequently seems to happen? You can have the best stocked kitchen, the best supplied workshop, the best equipped studio; but when a big project is under way a key component is missing.
Not to worry. I intentionally started this project well in advance (I'm learning in my old age) in anticipation of a few snags.
Tomorrow I'll make my first of what I'm sure will become several trips to the hardware store.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Quiet Before the Storm
I was doing some yard work today. Mother Nature gave us quite a treat with sunshine and temperatures in the fifties.
I knew from checking on the web that this weather gift was going to be short lived - rain and much cooler temperatures were quickly heading our way.
It was in between digging out a small holly tree that needed to be moved and pruning back some shrubs that I noticed the absolute quiet.
The breeze had stopped rustling fallen leaves, the geese in the nearby pond had stopped gossiping, and a new dampness in the air muffled any noise that might otherwise have reached my ears from far afield.
I was reminded of those times when, as kids playing outdoors in winter, we could always tell when a new coating of snow was in store for us. The air would go still, the leading edge of the weather front having already arrived. The natural light of day would changed from semi-brilliant to muted gray. And - like an enormous blanket - the suddenly damp and heavy air would mute any sound.
We often speak of quiet before the storm to describe events in our lives.
Mother Nature has been using quiet before storms for eternity.
I knew from checking on the web that this weather gift was going to be short lived - rain and much cooler temperatures were quickly heading our way.
It was in between digging out a small holly tree that needed to be moved and pruning back some shrubs that I noticed the absolute quiet.
The breeze had stopped rustling fallen leaves, the geese in the nearby pond had stopped gossiping, and a new dampness in the air muffled any noise that might otherwise have reached my ears from far afield.
I was reminded of those times when, as kids playing outdoors in winter, we could always tell when a new coating of snow was in store for us. The air would go still, the leading edge of the weather front having already arrived. The natural light of day would changed from semi-brilliant to muted gray. And - like an enormous blanket - the suddenly damp and heavy air would mute any sound.
We often speak of quiet before the storm to describe events in our lives.
Mother Nature has been using quiet before storms for eternity.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
It's All Good
As I've grown older, I've had to adjust my diet to stay ahead of reoccurring health issues.
Gone from my diet are breads, most meats, sugars, dairy products, pastas, and caffeine.
People sometimes ask me My gosh, what do you eat then? And I can understand their reaction because when I first reviewed what was left to build my meals around I was in something of a panic.
But I've discovered that from fruits, nuts, vegetables, poultry, and fish it is possible to build a truly satisfying diet. In truth, it does require a little more planning and effort but the results generally have me wondering why I haven't been eating like this all of my life.
Diet is on my mind tonight because on the way home from work I decided I wanted something quick for dinner. I wasn't in the mood for extensive meal preparation.
Subs, cheese steaks, pizzas and such are no longer an option, and places like McDonald's and Burger King are definitely enemy territory now. So I swung into the grocery store for one of those melts-in-your-mouth rotisserie chickens.
When I got home, thanks to the microwave, a baked potato was ready in just nine minutes, and a blend of frozen peas, broccoli, and carrots in another four. While they were cooking I was slicing the chicken - so dinner was ready in less than fifteen minutes.
On a damp, cold night what's not to love about a roast chicken dinner?
Gone from my diet are breads, most meats, sugars, dairy products, pastas, and caffeine.
People sometimes ask me My gosh, what do you eat then? And I can understand their reaction because when I first reviewed what was left to build my meals around I was in something of a panic.
But I've discovered that from fruits, nuts, vegetables, poultry, and fish it is possible to build a truly satisfying diet. In truth, it does require a little more planning and effort but the results generally have me wondering why I haven't been eating like this all of my life.
Diet is on my mind tonight because on the way home from work I decided I wanted something quick for dinner. I wasn't in the mood for extensive meal preparation.
Subs, cheese steaks, pizzas and such are no longer an option, and places like McDonald's and Burger King are definitely enemy territory now. So I swung into the grocery store for one of those melts-in-your-mouth rotisserie chickens.
When I got home, thanks to the microwave, a baked potato was ready in just nine minutes, and a blend of frozen peas, broccoli, and carrots in another four. While they were cooking I was slicing the chicken - so dinner was ready in less than fifteen minutes.
On a damp, cold night what's not to love about a roast chicken dinner?
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