Merry Christmas

 Every year I say the same thing. This is the best tree ever. Yes, this year, definitely we got the one with the best shape. Somehow, every year its true.

Day 2

Day 2

A beautiful poem You will only see here

Well another booth I stopped at at the fair was the small woodlot owners association. I got a few of their newsletters and this poem was in one of them.It is by Clark L. Stevens who was chair of the UNH forestry Dept 1938-1958. I think this is right up there with very famous and beloved poems.

If I could learn the secrets of the tree,
the art of living fully in one spot;
of using wisely that which is my lot;
to grow above my lesser company
though still a part of community;
to fight the menace of an inner rot
or outer parasite, for one cannot
of all such enemies be wholly free.


If  I could learn to alternate the days
of strong production with the days of rest
and in my older years provide the best
of strength, of beauty, and of shaded ways.
How fortunate indeed my life would be,
if I had the powere of the tree.

The Truth About the Birds and the Bees - Well just Bees

I just got back from the Fryeburg Fair and I asked the bee keeper at the honey booth how things were going with that honey bee disease. Bee discombobulation disease or whatever they call it - the thing that is killing them all off. WELL I got the true story of what is going on. It used to be that bee keepers could make a living selling honey. Then trade opened up with China and China undersold American honey and cornered the market. About 70% of all honey in stores now actually comes from China. Even if it doesn't say China it could come from China. Because, after China cornered the market in the USA, we put a big tarrif  on their honey and they started laundering their honey through other countries. So, U S bee keepers started having to find other ways to make money - so they started hiring themselves out to farmers just to pollinate their crops and traveling far and wide - not caring about hony production just selling their services for pollination. This has led to overstressing the colonies and using the bees in a way that nature never intended and that is a major part of the problem. I plan never to buy honey in a store from now on only from American bee keepers.

Bubka model of pole vaulting

Interesting drive home

On my way home from work I now get to view a bunch of decorated houses. There are two that stand out. This one I call OMG.

It takes 3 views to capture most of it and the pictures still don't do it justice.

And then there is this next one which is right down the road which I call "Why bother"

One string of blue lights thrown in a tree? Maybe it's just the contrast between the two but they both make me laugh.

Puddles

A few days ago Rick and I went to the Cape to visit with friends from Pennsylvania - (John and Fran). We left Wednesday evening after Rick slept awhile after working a 24 hr shift. It rained furiously the whole way. We stayed in an Econolodge because they allowed dogs and we had a free night. What a dump!! They had a hot tub but it was closed. Smelled musty - very yucky all around. We were supposed to meet John and Fran about 11:30 AM the next day, so we decided to walk the dogs along the beach in the morning. It was very windy but not too cold. I like the beach when it is deserted. The dogs had fun frolicking in the waves (but not too far in) Emma didn't like the salt water ( got some in her mouth right away) and Zoe is a chicken to begin with. But they got wet and rolled in the sand and had a lovely time. I had flip flops on (took them for the hot tub) so when it was time to leave, my feet were all sandy and there in the parking lot were - PUDDLES. So convenient for washing my feet off in clean, fresh  water. It made me think that it's been quite a while since I have waded in a puddle and it reminded me of what fun puddles can be! I used to read the kids the book "Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble" I played in puddles all of the time as a kid. I can't remember if my kids did or not.
Well, a pool isn't a puddle, but this reminds me of when Rick was opening the pool one spring and told the kids (plus Ashley) that they could "put their feet in" So, of course they wound up all of the way in with all of their clothes on. ( occuring one small step at a time - can we roll our pants up?)  We didn't have a pool when I was a kid, but I do remember that you can get completely soaked in a small puddle, too. Actually, I do remember that Kim, in Oklahoma, after the one or two rains we had in three years did have fun in a puddle.

Cut a Tree Down Safely

Europe Is Warning Us - Victor Davis Hanson - National Review Online

Europe Is Warning Us - Victor Davis Hanson - National Review Online

In line at the methadone clinic

   "THE FIRST ONE IS FREE"

Yes, this is my addiction and drug of choice. I line up at the drive-through most mornings for my fix - just like at the methadone clinic. I don't get the whipped cream or drizzle - not because of calorie concerns - that would be like ordering a big mac and a diet coke - what difference does it make. I just don't want to adulterate the perfect mix of espresso and chocolate and take away the bittersweet bite of the plain drink. When made correctly it is very HOT - the perfect temperature, actually. It is disappointing when it is not made correctly - but when everything is just right it is perfection in a cup. Not to mention the caffeine which stimulates the dopamine receptors in the pleasure center in the brain. 

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

      Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic", delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Spring

Daffodowndilly

by A.A. Milne

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead." 

It was 18 last night, but I know Spring will come. I can't wait to see the daffodils. I learned from Paul Rogers - the garden expert on the radio- that all daffodils are narcissi.

I also like "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." There is a field of dafffodils at Tower Hill Botanic Garden that reminds me of that poem.

Kurt Godel Quote

I don’t think the brain came in the Darwinian manner. In fact, it is disprovable. Simple mechanism can’t yield the brain. I think the basic elements of the universe are simple. Life force is a primitive element of the universe and it obeys certain laws of action. These laws are not simple, and they are not mechanical

Will: Why Liberals Love Trains - Newsweek

Will: Why Liberals Love Trains - Newsweek

The Quadrilogy of My Favorite Snow Shovel

Liberal media Bias and Reagan (and Obama)

When Ronald Reagan was President, I had not yet realized how biased the media are in this country. Reagan was portrayed as a genial boob who was somehow elected president by an idiot electorate. If you read the book pictured above, you will see that Reagan was extremely intelligent and he, himself, wrote many of  his  speeches. The man was Brilliant. How the media can get away with portraying someone as the exact opposite of what they are is just mind-boggling. They got away with calling the first President Bush (father of five and decorated WWII veteran)  a wimp. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton, the draft dodging, pot smoking (but not inhaling), not having sex but having sex, Pillsbury doughboy somehow didn't rate that wimp description. I think President Bush never smoked pot and never had an affair, but if he had I think he would have inhaled and actually had sex.

When we lived in Oklahoma, Michael Dukakis was hailed as the man who created the "Massachusetts Miracle" Right after the election (thankfully he lost) we moved to Massachusetts and I remember thinking " where in the heck is the MIRACLE??" The public pools and beaches were closed - there were no arts taught in the schools due to budget cuts - the state reeked and still does (politically).

Now we have President Obama whom the media portray as a genius. He reads everything off of a teleprompter. He can't pronounce Marine Corps. He doesn't know that there are 50 states. He's not smart at all - he's just a fantastic poseur. He and John Kerry are perfect examples of men who give the appearance of intelligence. They aren't plain speakers - they talk around things. I think if you speak plainly and to the point  the media will portray you as stupid.

On the 100 anniversary of Reagan's birth, I think people should read "In His Own Hand" and realize what a great thinker and man he was.

God of Wonders by Third Day

New England - Gotta Love it

"Bureaucracy is the death of any achievement." Albert Einstein

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO