What ! You Stopped Caring

sorry to all the fans of the blog

Uncharacteristically, this interval has been the longest break in the chain. " I can still hear you saying that you'll never break the chain "  Fleetwood Mac

No explanation

well, lets try its been cold < NO>
the CB13 has been acting up < NO>

Ah, inspiration or lack thereof

and we've been on the road 
and some nights have been uncomfortable. My head has been aching. I picked up the Florida Flu. Yes, I managed to catch a cold or flu bug w/ the outside temperature at 50F or really 70 F.
And travelling north into cold then freezing cold, did not help.

Thus, I may be back at the old grind.

Alright words of inspiration ' Hang in there '
What ? Is that all you've got for this

Thats all I got for most situations

Saturday is Cold

sun tried to show but is fighting the cloud cover

we struggle on

the Week Ends

and its Fri

Of course, it starts cold or cooler w/ breezes

But winter is winter. A change of seasons, the way of life. The great cycles of the world. This is a very Buddhist vision of the world and life.
I like to think of myself as a failed Buddhist. Which by the way is not all that bad.
I never went to Buddhist church as a youth. That was the United Church which is prophetic b/c the Jodo Shinshu branch of Buddhism is akin to being the ' United Church ' of Buddhism. Hopefully, no person is upset w/ the comparison.
Then by accident or a communal effort on the part of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Toronto Buddhist Church, I was invited to take part in a skating party hosted by the Youth Dept of the Church.
Well, by design or the way of the process that the ladies envisioned, I was part of the leadership of the Youth Dept and by default the Church.
The Minister's wife then began my education in Buddhism stressing how as a science teacher it was natural for me to philosophically be a Buddhist.
Thus, failed Buddhist or incomplete Buddhist sort of describes me < religiously >. And see it is not that bad.

Mid-Week News

nada, really

They call this hump day, as in if you can make it through Wednesday - well, how far is Friday, sort of thinking.
My thought for the day is the saying 
" keep things in perspective " 

I've been having trouble dealing w/ that four word ode to normality or 
balm to nothingness

Sunny Continues and Cold

stays

If the day resembles yesterday, beautiful but chilly
Big blue sky and wind kicking up, is the guess.

Yepper, exactly as prognosticated.

Sunny Day

cold but sunny

a Pretty day and very busy for us

Simplify Your Life

is to-days slogan from

Lehmans, a country store that sells non- electric items for home and farm. Located in Mid-Ohio, the building is really a large barn w/ a store inside.
I've been twice and never get tired of just lookiing.
Kerosene lanterns, milking equipment, tools etc.

Yes, ' Simplify ' : I agree

Ah, but how ?

What Am I missing

outside our door the runners are competing in a road race - all sizes and shapes of people
and the newspaper is advertising for Gaspirilla or / the pirate parade

And we've never done either

I swam to-day. And where once I swam close to 100 lengths ( small pool ) I'm settling for approx 80 + ( and thats a small plus too boot )
Could I get close to 100 - Yes, but then I need to answer the question why do it ?
I swim seldom and pushing to hard will only bring on breakdown effects.
Fellow swimmers have blown out knees trying to breaststroke ( not me, I stink at breaststroke )

See, I am learning

I Need Alexander Pope

for some hope

The bloom is fading but the rash marks are spreading
TG for hydrocortisone cream even at 1 % its killing the itch

in Full Bloom

my contact dermatitis has gone berserk ( as in wild ).

Somehow I've ate or been in touch w/ an irritant.
I've had this before and it will go away.

Our problem b/c both M and I have the same or similar rash. She was way ahead of me ( By several days ).
She got prednisone  and I'm using diphenhydramine
( Benedryl ) tablets.
The process is a long one, after you've stirred up your histamines b/c you need to block the histamine response.
And naturally, scratching aggravates the skin and hence more histamine is produced.

A Little Jumping

the lyrics popped into my head - this AM

' When the frosts on the pumpkin
They all get to jumpin' '

And it was cool - cold this morning
But, of course, brillinat sun and blue skies

In world news, Brexit fails, meaning that the negotiated seperation of Britain from the European Bloc was voted down by Parliament.

This is where the Brits need the Zen Master
and a whole heap of outstanding luck - very outstanding luck

' There'll always be an England ' poorer but England


In local news, very local, very very local
I've got contact dermatitis again. Arms, legs and chest a bit
Taking diphenhydramine like candy, and spreading on diphenhydramine lotion.

nachos dinner

for us

We bought the nachos ( Across the Border brand ) and used left-over chili and chicken. We melted the whole kit and kaboodle in the oven.
My side gets olives and M s side doesn't

I figure that it cost us approx $3 b/c there is still chili and nachos left to use.
Did you know that ' nachos 'is named after a person ?
Really !

dance of love

say, what !

Is the bossa nova the dance of love ?
From a clue in the crossword this weekend

As well, from the crosswords - a beach made famous in the bossa nova song
" Ipanema " ?  I guess that I don't know all the lyrics

I'm in a reading frenzy 
1. Murder in Peking
2. the Keeper of Lost Causes
3. the Rule of Four

All titles are mysteries w/ Murder and Keeper about crimes as solved by police or individuals

Frenzy b/c I'm reading these books in 2 days or less.
Murder is a docu-drama about a real crime.

get happy

as a New Year resolution

From an  TV ad for - I don't know what
But the girl writes down ' get happy '

Reminiscent of the line from " Harvey " w/ James Stewart, from his mother Mrs. Dowd. ' In this life, you must be oh so smart or oh so kind, I've tried smart and I recommend kind '

Ah, I say ' passion ' for something - really anything will do
just care

And thats about sum total of my wisdom for to-day

OR ' Hang in there ' from ' Nobody's Fool ' w/ Paul Newman, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith and Jessica Tandy.
The repartee goes ' Well, hang in there '
Rejoinder ' Is that the sum total of your advice '
' Yep '

Your own Zip Code ?

Smokey the Bear and the President

We are 33706
And they never made a TV series w/ the numbers

Oh, and when you steam lobster
Your house smells like cooked seafood
for days after
it seems

I've got lemon juice sitting out to cover the odour

The lobster tail  was tasty

and so it begins

 did it sound threatening ? don't worry.............

The phrase popped into my head.

Trivia : name the two people ( or titles ) that get their own zip code ( answer to-morrow )

After the innuendo that the U.S. gov't has a catalogue of 57 types of aliens, the question above is benign.
Or so we would think

Well, the year is beginning and possibilities abound
along the lines of ' hope springs eternal '
( from out the human breast ) Wordsworth ?
Nope, got it wrong
Alexander Pope from ' an Essay on Man '
There is an Illuminati reference from ' the DaVinci Code '. Issac Newton's funeral was overseen by A Pope.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

books / music and now

for 2019
and vat else

Exercise should go on as it has.
When I bought the elliptical on the advice of the orthopaedic surgeon and the physio clinic that he runs
I sorta promised that I would give it a real try.
The ortho told me to forget the stationary bike and treadmill.
Keep the knee moving and back off if I got pain. The plan was softer, shorter or less intense but somehow keep moving. I recall that the ortho was examining my knee and upper and lower leg. Ortho looks up and says ' don't worry I'm not creepy or anything but I get to feel muscle so infrequently that I forget what normal is '.
That was back in 2003, the spring. I was trying for a 10 yr window where I would keep exercising.

And I'm on my second elliptical. The first lasted 5 years and I thought that that was amazing. There had been so issues early on w/ the ' scoreboard ' or display but it was a scoreboard, really. No maintenance b/c I didn't want to open her up. The alpha model started to make clanking sounds ( soft ) and I figured 5 yrs at 200 rides a year - bingo thats my money's worth.

The beta version of the elliptical cost a tad more 5 years later but........... you guessed it
takes a licking and keeps on not ticking or making bad sounds.

Speaking of backing off, my new pattern is 3 days on and 1 day off for rest. That is a departure from ' go for 6 days and see if you can make 9 w/out a aching knee '

for 2019 ?

continuing from yesterday

along w/ Corinne May
I ' discovered ' Diane Birch through the video series ' Live from Daryl's House ' that Daryl being Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates.
And I continue to search out Sara Bareilles.

As well, I've surfed for ' Hymn of Acxiom ' a piece by Vienna Teng. But lately, its been the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps out of Canton, OH that have become my favourite cover for this tune.

Alright for 2019. " Keep on truckin' Mama
                               Truckin' your blues away "
                                ala Donovan

Fish a little, try to accomplish something
What ? Haven't a clue

in the year 2019

I've fallen in love w/

Corinne May, a singer / songwriter out of California, and maybe the Tarzana area.
I was surfing YouTube for the song ' in the Bleak Midwinter ' b/c my James Taylor CD featured the song.
Under ' covers ' of the song, Yes, there she was performing in her fav tea shop / cafe. I have gone back at least 5 or 6 times - she is that mesmerizing.

Alright, I'm getting a little old for crushes but passion 
for anything is refreshing.

Meanwhile TV has enlightened me, the U.S. gov't has made contact w/ or assessed 57 different aliens. There is a mode of access for each type.
Oh, wow.
Someone needs to stop watching certain TV shows

in 2019

Part II considering my life

In music, means that we review 4 yrs playing the French horn in high school. My memories are heavy, as in that sucker weighed a ton after 2 blocks - and my football equipment as well.
However, to this day the sound of the French horn is always mellow and climatic. The soul of the orchestra for me or/ why I listen to an orchestra. The soaring horns.

I can play the harmonica and recorder by ear. But who would care

For the Year 2019

I was rather busy over the 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th.

I'm considering the story of my life. 

In the ' Ghost and the Darkness ', the character Remington ( great white hunter ) mentions how fast life goes by but more importantly how events blur. To wit, the memorable sunset, a phenomenal meal etc - these all fade or are obscured by the now or time.

I'm recalling good reads and how, maybe at one time that I might have extolled :
' the Fires of Spring ' by Michener ( ? )
' the Red and the Black '  by Stendahl

' the Lord of the Rings ' JRR Tolkien

' the Instrumentalities of the Night ' by Glen Cook
this last, of course, is the current favourite.

However, I'm being strongly pulled toward the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay. especially ' the Last Light of the Sun ' b/c it may have been the best but was the first.
The novel that introduced me to the writing of GGK.

And it is not wrong to measure my life in books. I'm not necessarily a fanatical follower of any of the above but interested and intrigued.
Furthermore, when parents ask me how to make sure their child succeeds in school, I always say ' make them love books '. Read for the love of reading.
Of course, I'm backed by countless academics and authorities that consider reading a fundamental fundamental - the basis of learning.

Happiest of New Years

to one and all

Wish for long life but one w/ health and family

Wish for riches but loved ones to share it w/

Wish for love and that they love you back

Hope your wishes come true

We may not get what we want
We may not get what we need

But please don't give us what we deserve

Weather : damp and ugly to start then the cold rolled in