Today I learned that my sister is safe from the freakish flooding in Southern Alberta. Whew! Shallow riverbeds + torrential downpour of 150mm or more of rain = scary floods.
What I learned today:
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So glad your sister is safe! You guys are having flooding up there, and down here we are so dry that we are burning up! There are so many fires right now! We really need things to even out.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Thanks for sharing good news Alix! Nothing better than to find out family (or friends) are OK. I finally heard from my hiker friend today - we had dropped him back at the trail nearly two weeks ago. Turns out his cellphone got so wet in the torrential rains he's been hiking in that it is now a dumb phone. No internet connection till he gets into a town.
I learned how fun it is to walk around with a purple wig and big red hat at work for the day. I'll get Shrek to take pictures tonight.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
lol, they're called contractors here. and yes, 75% of them suck.
when you find a good one, offer him food, water, and praise at every chance, then refer him to everyone you knoew.
i learned today, after coaching 2 little league alll star games, that talented kids who break down and cry after a bad performance aren't served/helped in any way by pressure from their parents.
the pressure might be from usual expectations, or from the parents' embarrasment that their 9 or 10 year old "stud" is crying, but negative comments in any form at that age doesn't work. maybe even hurts.
i hope to be able to bridge a gap, in a way, and teach them that even though they sucked, there's another way to look st each crappy performance.
struck out? you went down swinging. you'll get another "ups". watch strike three, and need to be more aggresive at the plate, and move in crowding the plate.
own the inside, make the pitcher try to jam you. they usually can't and freak out.
ground out to first with no outs and a man on second that moves to third? productive out.
defensive error? hell, baseball is mind numbing between exciting plays. learn to concentrate next time because it drones on, lol.
that's all. baseball is great as a mataphor for life. there's just so many ways to spin a statistic and learn from it. spin is a perspective. what you do going forward with it is all that counts.
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That is so true Tom!
We have a really good, reliable lawnmowing guy and he is certainly a keeper
I am thinking one of the handymen we had around for a quote the other day we may be keeping too and letting everyone know about him
We have a really good, reliable lawnmowing guy and he is certainly a keeper
I am thinking one of the handymen we had around for a quote the other day we may be keeping too and letting everyone know about him
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
ittle Bro, you and I think so much alike, it's scary. There is an idea taught in the church to which I belong that makes so much sense, it was a big part of why I joined it. And that idea is that everything that happens to you in life, good or bad, is a thing that can make your life better, when you look at it as a blessing. For instance, when I tore my meniscus, and it hurt to the point that I couldn't walk without crutches, my first thought wasn't frustration, or anger, or "why me", it was - no I know how other people with knee problems feel, and I can be more compassionate. When I badly burned my leg so many years ago, it taught me how to work around a difficult situation. I still needed to earn a wage, to support my family. I found ways to still work, in spite of ridiculous pain. When good things happen, it's a reward for something good that I've done, or gives someone else the opportunity to feel good about doing something for someone else.
As we live, wisdom comes with experience. And if we look at all of our past life, carefully, and at our present life, we can see something positive in everything that has ever happened in it. A positive attitude, and looking for the good in life, is a trait you are teaching those youngsters. And think what a great example you are being to to your own little guy.
I'm glad you my brother. You make me proud.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I learned of another friend who lost his home in the Black Forest fire. He lost a house, a barn, 5 cars, and a motorcycle. Also the trees on his property are all burned, and most of them will have to be cut down. Such a huge loss.
He has his life, his hot rod, and his motor home.
He has his life, his hot rod, and his motor home.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
He has the important things: his life, a place to live, something to get around with, and good friends like you who care. Hope he recovers quickly chopper.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
ittle Bro, you and I think so much alike, it's scary. There is an idea taught in the church to which I belong that makes so much sense, it was a big part of why I joined it. And that idea is that everything that happens to you in life, good or bad, is a thing that can make your life better, when you look at it as a blessing. For instance, when I tore my meniscus, and it hurt to the point that I couldn't walk without crutches, my first thought wasn't frustration, or anger, or "why me", it was - no I know how other people with knee problems feel, and I can be more compassionate. When I badly burned my leg so many years ago, it taught me how to work around a difficult situation. I still needed to earn a wage, to support my family. I found ways to still work, in spite of ridiculous pain. When good things happen, it's a reward for something good that I've done, or gives someone else the opportunity to feel good about doing something for someone else.
As we live, wisdom comes with experience. And if we look at all of our past life, carefully, and at our present life, we can see something positive in everything that has ever happened in it. A positive attitude, and looking for the good in life, is a trait you are teaching those youngsters. And think what a great example you are being to to your own little guy.
I'm glad you my brother. You make me proud.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
thanks very much, bro.
i recently heard a person talking about "god's will". i asked him how can you tell the difference between a person's will and god's will?
a very old and apparently very wise man replied, "god's will can be found in patience while serving other people when there's no personal reward involved".
i've been thinking a lot about that.
i hope baseball and scouting is a good start. i have a lot to make up for just to squeak by.
BT and GW, you're both tops in my books.
GW, you have the nicest nature of any man and your wife and daughters are lucky women to have you in their lives. BT, your compassion and grace will speak to those boys in ways their parents never could. As well, your example of how to be a masculine man and still shed a few tears will teach your son what a real man looks like.
I admire you both greatly.
GW, you have the nicest nature of any man and your wife and daughters are lucky women to have you in their lives. BT, your compassion and grace will speak to those boys in ways their parents never could. As well, your example of how to be a masculine man and still shed a few tears will teach your son what a real man looks like.
I admire you both greatly.
On a completely unrelated note...
Today I learned that you should NOT play chess online after a couple of glasses of merlot. You will get your butt kicked. Hard.
Today I learned that you should NOT play chess online after a couple of glasses of merlot. You will get your butt kicked. Hard.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
thanks very much, bro.
i recently heard a person talking about "god's will". i asked him how can you tell the difference between a person's will and god's will?
a very old and apparently very wise man replied, "god's will can be found in patience while serving other people when there's no personal reward involved".
i've been thinking a lot about that.
i hope baseball and scouting is a good start. i have a lot to make up for just to squeak by.
G.W.'s 3 states of "being good":
1. A Person is good because they are afraid of the consequences of being bad - he is a coward, but it's a start.
2. A person is good because they expect reward for their efforts - they are greedy, but it's better than being a coward.
3. A person is good because they believe that by being good, they will better the world, and expect nothing in return - They have progressed beyond being an animal, for animals do all they do to survive, and pro-create their own line. These is nothing more for them. A true person is one who works to improve the lives of all, to the best of their ability, and because of those efforts, improves his/her own life.
I have a good ways to go before I completely shed my animal nature. But I'm working on it. Witness me digging into a perfectly grilled, bone-in ribey, and you begin to see the animal nature in me come out.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
What about when A Person does the wrong thing for the right reasons, willing to face the consequences?
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
You just have to enter chaos into my perfect universe, don'tcha.
Wow that's such a deep question. Now I have to rebuild my paradigms. Is there ever a real situation where it is right to do the wrong thing; or is it that we are fearfull of the consequences of doing the right thing. Sometimes doing the wrong thing for the right reason makes life less stressful for the parties involved, but in the greater scheme of things, diminishes one's existence in some way.
See, now you've got me thinking again. I'll be thinking about this for some time to come, and will have to build a mental construct for myself to make the universe work again. Heavy sigh.
I was just joking. I will have to think about this, but I like thinking about such things. And I do know that there are no pat, simplistic answers such as G.W's rules for doing the right thing. But those rules do help me to be the man I want to be. And I don't want to be a coward, or greedy. And just how willing am I to face the truth, ro do the right thing in every instance.I have asked my wife to never put me in a situation where I judge anything about her looks, or what clothes she wants to wear. Invariably, that is a now win situation, and can require a "white lie" for any man. And I am so trying to not do that.
Life is such a complex game. And on that note, I will be writing a poem, inspired just a few minutes ago by the world around me, and how I react to it.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
GW, you'd never be lying if you told her that she is always beautiful in your eyes. That's how you show her to us so I know that would be truth.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
That doesn't work at our house. SO expects an honest opinion and so do I. So she never asks me if an article of clothing makes her look fat. She asks me if I prefer outfit A or outfit B. By the same token, I expect honest answers when I cook something and ask if she likes it.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
I've tried that. She likes to put a spin on that, and I usually end up getting hit by the rotten tomato that spins off.
No, it's best that we just avoid the subject. I truly do love the way she looks, no matter how she looks. I've gotten in trouble for not telling her that her hair is a little dishevled, or that she's gotten something on her dress, or that there's spinach between her teeth, stuff like that. I don't usually look at her. I instead look at people's personalities, and actions. She wants me to look at her outward appearance. That's not natural for me, at least since I got out of puberty. Yeh, even I was run by hormones at certain stages of my life, and even sometimes now, if I'm with certain guys, with no ladies around. But I make sure that even if I'm admiring the way a young woman looks, I keep my mind where it belongs. I refuse to be tempted toward infidelity, even in my mind. I knew that when I was at sea, my wife was beyond temptation. She knew the same of me. in fidelity to one another, we have been perfect (it may be the only perfection I have achieved in this life). Most of my shipmates couldn't understand that concept. Some of them ruined their marriages while in foreign ports. They got what they deserved, in my opinion.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
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