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 A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
Weather? Yup I looked there is some. Pa. near Lake Erie is presently showing a negative air turbulence for the area. There is light to moderate ability to ice your wings??? Watch your wings.  With a wind speed of about 60 knots.  Its been overcast out there today with temps ranging from 45 degrees to 50 degrees.  depending on the time of day.Yesterday it was sunshiny all day.  I liked that better but, we lost a lot of snow today and so I am happy. Bye bye  snow for now.I was reading up on how to blog today. One of the things you need is a subject so mine is weather today. My horses were amazed. They spent the whole day yesterday and today outside. I figured out why people in their 60's and above head south this time of year. The older you get the harder it is to put up with cold and snow. Enjoy it while we can.  I'm going for a snack. We watched movies all day. And, yes I took the dog for a walk on the lovely green grass.  |
Invent a club that you think would be popular, but that you also wouldn't want to participate in.  The easy part of this is participation. I’m no longer wanting to participate in any local organization even if they would let me.   Inventing a club means having a special need that should be addressed by a group of people.   Maybe a local group would be able to research every, without bias, political nominee. Then present their findings in an organized way to voters who are seeking the information. Not as easy as it sounds. The trick might be the without bias part.   |
Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1996, Garth Brooks refused to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist, saying that Hootie And The Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did. Have you ever, or would you consider, turning down an award of any sort because you insisted someone else was more deserving?    Yes! Of course this is easy to say since I never had the opportunity. Well not exactly! One of my cousins gave me credit for something I thought she did. Together, We started a dinner for the homeless in town on Thanksgiving. Later someone wanted to know who had the idea first. We pointed at each other and said, "She did."  I watched those awards. I believe Brooks was upset because he had been winning so many awards and he did not want the limelight that year. He felt they should be spreading the awards around. This year the Academy Awards are in hot water because they are not spreading awards around. Is this not just the way award politics is handled. There are lots of instances where excellent movie makers in all phases of the industry go on making movies for years with out any particular acclaim. It is just the way it is until someone steps up to change the system. After while, even if the rules are changed it will sink back down into degradation until someone else notices and works to fix the system. Maybe we need an Academy of fixers for the systems.  |
Describe the last time you were moved to tears by something beautiful.  It was probably watching American Pharaoh win last years derby. So many people wanted the horse to win. Best of all the hose wanted to win. Horses are athletes. The jockey on the track afterwards, while news media was interviewing him from the back of American Pharaoh made a point to try to impress the news person with Pharaoh's individual effort. Often the media gives the credit to the jockey and leaves the horse out as if it is just the jockey and trainer who worked. This pretty much shows the ignorance some people have about the horses who run these races. The animal gets emotionally involved in the race. If they enjoy racing they look forward to it with excitement. If they don't enjoy their job they can be evil about the way they tell the trainers and riders their feelings. Horses are very intelligent and expressive as they accomplish what ever work they do. Many times, after they retire they are not as happy as when they are running a race or in training. Their attitude about their work can depend on who is handling their care. What is that phrase? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
War Chest Wednesday! From the War Chest... Are you an optimist, pessimist or realist? Explain why you think so. Do you think your friends and/or family would agree or disagree with you? Hmm-mm. Now I know why it is called War Chest Wednesday. I think I'm a realist. Friends or Family might disagree because the human definition of realism changes from person to person. It changes with your view of life. It changes with amounts and types of knowledge. It even changes with the mood a person is in from day to day. Maybe it changes with the local news? I can be optimistic about a lot of life. Realism can create optimism or pessimism when it looks at facts. You have to look at facts and statistics to be a realist. Maybe people get closer to realism as they age and have experience behind their views. A definition: Realism = The attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly. The older you get the more prepared you are by life to deal with situations accordingly. |
Talk Tuesday! Pick three of your fellow challengers this month, and come up with a word, phrase, or saying you think they would wear on a t-shirt based on what you've read of theirs so far.    1. Prosperous Snow (Neva):  " Poetry Interprets Life"2. Blue Moon  "Survival in Developmental Stages"3. Amyjo  "Seeking Buckets to Hold Information" |
Mouth Watering Monday! You're attending a Pot Luck lunch (or dinner)...what dish are you bringing to share with everyone? The last potluck dinner I attended was a neighbors Pig Roast. I took a very large dish of Spanish rice. It was made with hamburger, peppers, rice, tomatoes in a sauce. It was quickly emptied. Other dishes present besides the pork were potato salad, corn on the cob, cheese noodles, breads, cakes, cookies, beet and soda pop. I have carried cakes, green beans cooked with butter and mushrooms, turkey, deviled eggs, tuna casseroles, and other yummy things to pot luck dinners. Now I think I might eat breakfast. |
| The Sunday News! Several media outlets have reported that 2015 was globally the warmest year in history. How does it make you feel when someone with limited scientific or meteorological knowledge tells you that climate change isn't real or shouldn't be a legitimate concern? Wow! Wow! Wow! I went brain dead over this one. Even if global warming was not an issue taking care of the earth to leave it to new generations of human children without evil intent would be an issue. There is ample evidence if people want to see it. Humans are in denial about a lot of things. If people won't read, you can't make them. Sometimes people are afraid of what they don't understand. It only means more financial difficulty. The town councils and managers have to find ways to get people involved so they have understanding and push back objections carefully. It makes me feel bad that I have knowledge that people won't accept, if I do tell it. Other people make their own choices. Where I live, doctrines that are hundreds of years old raise their ugly heads within the public. If I have a chance I point at some book that was written to shine light on facts. I try to keep it away from being on a personal level. After all who am I, nobody. I have time to read things other younger people don't have time to read. I spend my time writing or catch a subject in the news and go online to research it. Sometimes I find an answer sometimes I don't. It is interesting, that people who don't agree will start terrible rumors about anyone they don't agree with. So, just keep bringing up facts that matter when the opportunity exists. And don't start unnecessary arguments that don't help understanding. In one of my college bio-geography courses we argued about solar panels. People around her scoff at wind energy and solar panels. The teacher was the only one to back up my I'm for them arguments. I live in an A-frame house. Heavy snow is not an issue. Ice and water also not an issue. People refer to it as a pyramid or triangle. It is just a house. There are good things and bad things about living in an A-frame house. If you like walls without angles don't build one. There is a lot of wasted space because of angles but it is useful as dead air space when heating is installed. Two years ago a community up near the lake began an argument in their town council about installing a wind farm. The pro people were voted down after a lengthy argument. According to the con's they are noisy, dangerous to wildlife and totally inefficient. Back in 1962 I lived on a farm in North Dakota. The entire farm was run by electricity produced from a windmill. It was an older model than you see today. But, still very efficient. They had TV's, milking machines in the barn, refrigeration, lights and fixtures you use every day. I was living in an apartment there and I was impressed. Yet their footprint was less than ours where I now live. In our county we have REC. People are afraid to use alternative power. Because they won't be participating in the REC. Or, REC will make their life miserable, etc. REC does not need to go away. It needs to encourage these people to get with the program. Rec does have programs now to encourage people to use Electricity to heat houses and a worthwhile water heater program. I think they will expand when they have funds to use for expansion. A lot of change and expansion problems are about the money involved even on an individual level. Pennsylvania has made some head way in how it looks at supplies of electricity. Younger people will be taking over the companies and schools are teaching environmental realities. I have to believe the younger generation will be equipped mentally and educationally to change the economic problems, environmental problems etc. I have relatives that literally blocked my educational endeavors as a young adult. If I had earned my college degree I would have been more of a influence for environment. |
Creation Saturday! You have a choice between building a giant snow fort or sand castle...big enough to live in. Which one would you pick, how would you do it, and what would it look like? Do I have to live in it? Sand castles and snow forts are from two different climates. No matter which you choose it has to be compacted. Sand castle require sand and water to be half and half while building. To build the base you need it to be 2 or 3 feet in diameter of compacted sand. You need it to be able to carry the weight of the walls, towers and buildings. Carving, tamping and compressing the sand with lots of water will make it work. A snow fort to live in has to be enclosed in order to keep in body heat. Snow blown by wind has lots of oxygen which will insulate well. Igloos built by the Canadian Inuit can contain small heaters. They keep in heat. The heat can slightly melt the inside walls and then refreeze them which causes the walls to become stronger. It is built in a circle with the walls leaning progressively closer to the inside as you go. A parabola shape? I don’t really want to live in a snow house but after reading about both these structures I have to say I think the snow house is the most efficient. The only thing about the sand castle is it is built in a warmer climate and probably has that in its favor since you probably are not in any danger of dying from the cold. If you are living on the street. It is better to head for a warm beach, build a sand house and sleep in it until or if it dries out and collapses on you. Good luck crawling out from the debris of either. The sand castle has the fun of being in the shape you create because you probably are not going to worry so much about heating it but just living in it. |
| Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Personal computers have revolutionized nearly every aspect of our lives...in what ways have they been most important to you?    "Let me count the ways" It is better than a stack of books. I find health problems defined. I use recipes for food. How to includes, crocheted scarfs and hats, dog coats, garden planting and lots more. I'm working to learn Spanish. Did you know you can take free online courses from very good colleges in business, chemistry, languages, etc.? You can meet and talk to people from all over the world. You learn about their lifestyles, environments, and family. I went on line for the first time in the year 2000 when I was in college. In a chat room I read about two people. One lived in the USA. The other lived in a European country. They had a habit of chatting with each other at a certain time of day. The one in Europe suffered a heart attack while he was preparing to write his chat. He managed to message the person in the USA who called the city overseas gave the location of his friend to the operator, who sent health workers to the residence and in the long run saved his friends life. They had only met in the chat room and only shared comments about their lives. I was hooked on the internet for sure. Even though there were extreme cautions in the church and among friends about computers being from the devil, the end of the world was on its way, etc. An acquaintance even recommended a book she read about supercomputers that were taking over the world. Sure there are people out there who are afraid of the information age. I say bring it on. The more we know the safer we are. The thing destroyers hit first are schools, libraries, books, and now the internet and personnel computers where people store information, photographs, and other living memorabilia. Yes. I like personnel computers and the internet it expands out world. |
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