Saturday, May 2, 2009

No Ordinary Girl,

That would be Julia of course!
No Ordinary Deck, that would be our new deck, which I hope you will visit soon, it is even better than we had hoped for.
No Ordinary Lake, if you have read any of my past Blogs you already know this to be true. If you haven't read them, please go on and read an assortment and get a feel for The Lake and the Birds and Animals of The Lake.
No Ordinary House, in spite of still being unfinished, this is definitely No Ordinary House, please come and see us and see it for yourself, we'd love to show it to you.
No Ordinary Guy, well THAT is debatable. Feel free to leave a Comment on me!

Leaving a comment is easy.

If you would like to leave a comment on one of my posts it is easy to do. Go to the word 'comments' just at the end/under the Post and click on it. Type your comment in the empty box. Click on the box under and a drop down list appears, select and click on Google if you have a Google Account, if you don't have a Google Account or don't know, select Anonymous. (If you select Anonymous please leave your name in your comment so I know who you are.) Then click Post Comment. It should go, occasionally it will say 'try again', if it does just click Post Comment again and it should go.

Thank you. David

The Eagle has landed . .

. . . a Carp! Yes you read it right, the Bald Headed Eagle that occasionally graces us with it's presence landed a Carp, a big one. I checked it out after he had finished eating and it was 26 inches long. There did not seem to be much point in weighing it because some of the fish was gone - including "The good bits", - ask the Eagle what the good bits were! It is amazing that a bird was able to catch a huge fish like that, drag it struggling, I'm sure it struggled, up out of the water, and carry it to land. Onto my lawn to be precise, where it "had its way with it". When he had finished, an Osprey had a go at it, and then the Buzzards moved in to finish off the remains. Whatever was left disappeared overnight. I later located the remains - by smell - they had been dragged under my shed, presumably by a Raccoon or a Possum. A perfect example of the drama of "The Circle of Life." right here in my own backyard.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Conservatives/Liberals

I'm reluctant to do this post, and I should take time to think about it and develop it, but I'm not a Conservative, although I am in some ways, we all are. My Conservative genes say "Don't do it", but my Liberal genes tell me "Do it.". Which will win? Bush once said "I'm a Conservative, but I'm not a nut about it." I've always liked that statement, one of the few things I've liked about George. If I think about it more, it implies that he thinks Conservatives, or at least some of them, are nuts!
It seems to me that Conservatives always expect disaster, but on the other hand Liberals always expect Nirvana. They can't both be right, in which case they must both be wrong!
I guess there is just no way to join them/us, "Never the twain shall meet", as someone once said, although I don't think he/she was referring to Conservatives and Liberals. But, if we/they don't meet or come to some understanding or agreement then I'm afraid that I fear for our survival.
Our/their differences are great, but if we don't close those gaps, they will only widen and we all know what happens to walls with cracks in them - they fall.
United we stand, divided we fall, then let us unite, join hands with your brother Conservative/Liberal, try to understand them. It is easy to exaggerate our differences - "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives think they deserve everything they've stolen.", "We can all be thankful for something, I'm thankful that I'm not a Liberal / Conservative.". Platitudes, smart sayings, but not at all helpful in cementing the cracks in our society.
I think that I have decided not to do this posting, it would be too divisive, the very thing that I am trying to avoid among us all. So I won't do it. Don't read it!

David, Love, XXX

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Curiosity - Grandchildren, curiosity, your, and our, salvation.

Curiosity is one of the most important traits of a genius. I don’t think you can find an intellectual giant who is not a curious person. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaeangelo, Albert Einstein, William Weber, Richard Feynman, they are all curious characters. Richard Feynman's adventures in particular came from his curiosity.
But why is curiosity so important? I'm going to list four reasons:-
a) It makes your mind active instead of passive.
Curious people always ask questions and look for answers in their minds. Their minds are always active. The mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger with use, the mental exercise caused by curiosity makes your mind stronger and stronger.
b) It makes your mind notice new ideas.
When you are curious about something, your mind expects and anticipates new ideas. When the ideas come they will be recognized. Without curiosity, the ideas may pass right in front of you and you may miss them because your mind is not prepared to recognize them. Just think of how many great ideas have been lost due to lack of curiosity?
c) It opens up new worlds and possibilities.
By being curious you will be able to see new worlds and possibilities which are normally not visible. They are hidden behind the surface of normal life, and it takes a curious mind to look beneath the surface and discover these new worlds and possibilities.
d) It brings excitement into your life.
The life of curious people is never boring. It’s never dull or routine. There are always new things that attract their attention, there are always new ‘toys’ to play with. Instead of being bored, curious people have an adventurous, more exciting life.
Now, knowing the importance of curiosity, here's how to develop it:
1. Keep an open mind. Wide open. Don't reject ideas. Don't be closed to anything.
You should be open to learn, and relearn. Some things you know and believe might be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and change your mind.
This is essential if you are to have a curious mind. Be open to learn, and relearn. Some things you know and believe might be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and be prepared to change your mind.
2. Don’t take things for granted.
If you just accept the world as it is without trying to dig deeper, you will lose your curiosity. Never take things for granted. Try to dig deeper beneath the surface of what is around you.
3. Ask questions relentlessly. Like you used to as a child.
A sure way to dig deeper beneath the surface is to ask questions: What is that? Why is it made that way? When was it made? Who invented it? Where does it come from? How does it work? What, why, when, who, where, and how are the best friends of curious people. I don't necessarily mean just ask people, do that too, but "ask" books, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, libraries, the internet, any reliable residence of learning and information.
4. Don’t label something as boring. This is too common nowadays.
Whenever you label something as boring, you close one more door of possibilities. Curious people are unlikely to call something boring. Instead, they always see it as a door to an exciting new world. Even if they don’t yet have time to explore it, they will leave the door open to be visited later.
5. See learning as something fun.
If you see learning as a burden or a chore, you won't want to dig deeper into anything. That will just make the burden heavier. But if you think of learning as something fun, you will naturally want to dig deeper. So look at life through the glasses of fun and excitement and enjoy the learning process..
6. Read diverse kinds of things. Different, unusual, not what you "normally" read. Spread your self out - and your mind.
Don’t spend too much time on just one world; take a look at other worlds. It will introduce you to the possibilities and excitement of the other worlds which may spark your interest to explore them further. One easy way to do this is through reading diverse kinds of reading. Try to pick a book or magazine on a new subject and let it feed your mind with the excitement of a new world.
One more thing, don't just listen to "music" for hours on end, read, learn, enjoy life. Do something, anything, else.
Oh, yes and One More Thing, Remember I Love You. Grandy XXX

Liquid Sunshine.

We seem to have been getting a lot of this years rare commodity lately. The first three months of the year it was very rare, with a 138 year low, but although April appears to be making up for it, with almost double the normal amount, we are still low on liquid sunshine for the year. Enjoy it little flowers, as the heat of a Maryland summer approaches and threatens to dry and shrivel you up along with all of us. Maryland summer arrived last week when temperatures suddenly soared to 90 degrees for 3 days and we were all sweating and looking for summer clothes to put on. Julia started frantically putting winter clothes in boxes and asking me to bring down boxes of summer stuff. Now Maryland has done it to us again, from a high of 92 on Tuesday to a high of 58 on Wednesday, as usual we don't know what hit us. Julia has stopped putting winter away and doesn't know whether to get winter stuff out again or not! The contractors were shivering out there yesterday in their T shirts and shorts whereas only a day earlier they had been frantically downing Big Gulps loaded with ice, pouring ice water on towels wrapped around their heads and bemoaning the lack of sunburn lotion and their burned necks and shoulders. Ah, Maryland, yes this is Maryland, where, "If you don't like the weather, hang around for 15 minutes and it will change." is our Mantra.

Enjoy, David.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Whirled Peas!

With our new President making such a positive impression on Countries and Leaders around the World it seems to me that the time may be right to take advantage of this new found friendship and idealism for him to invite Representatives of every Country in the entire World to meet and try to work out some form of co-operation in at least a few of the problems common to the whole World. He could make some suggestions for discussion, such as Climate Change, Pollution, Energy Use, Etc, and invite the other Countries to make suggestions. Maybe a committee of a few representatives from each Continent could meet to select a list of things to discuss. Each Country could be invited to submit say 5 topics to be considered. Obviously only a limited number of topics could be discussed, there simply would not be enough time to discuss every subject put forward by every Country, but a number - say 20 or 50 - could be selected by the selection committee. (Surely many Countries would have the same choices.) So that there was at least a chance for every idea to be chosen, all of the subjects not chosen by the committee could be put in a barrel and 10 more pulled out at random - in front of witnesses - on TV. These 10 could then be added to the subjects already selected.
In this way every Country could join in with their ideas to solve or improve the Worlds problems. This would not mean that any ideas hammered out had to be put into effect, just that countries come together and pool their best ideas.
Some ideas may be so obvious or so good that they could be implemented right away by some people. Some countries might want to implement some of the ideas to solve their individual problems or combine and solve each others problems by working together. May be one country has something to dispose of and another country is looking for it. (A real simple example, I had 20 bags of cement that got wet and I needed to get rid of, how to get rid of 20 bags of cement? Take and put them in someones dumpster? I told everyone that I saw and lo and behold a neighbor had a hole that they needed to fill in. Two problems solved at once!) (One person has a huge pile of leaves he wants to get rid of, someone else wants something to make compost with for their garden. Instead of a trip to the dump for one person and a trip to get compost material for someone else, the two are combined and two problems solved.) Small examples of what can happen if we talk to each other. There is no reason this shouldn't happen on a global scale- if we would only talk to each other. Any success would get World Wide attention and encourage even more co-operation.

Just an idea from a simple man with Liberal ideas who thinks that simple ideas like Co-operation and Tolerance could go a long way to making this world a better place to live in, even if it were practised unilaterally. Good often rubs off on the people around you - ever noticed how you tend to go out of your way to see the girl or the guy who always smiles at you and says something nice and try to avoid the one who is always sulking and complaining?

Love from David.XXX

Good Morning Grey Day.

Yes it is a grey day here today. (Or should that be gray? When does one use Grey and when Gray, or are they totally interchangeable?) The Lake is very wet looking! In fact it has started to rain.
An update on the Birds of the Lake. The two Canada Geese continue to be highly visible, the big male Swan continues to chase them off almost continually. The Osprey are conspicuous by their absence. The egret(s) are still here, I am actually only seeing one but as there were two initially I am going to assume that the female is sitting on the nest somewhere. The ducks are here, but not as many as I have often seen, the Swan also chases them off, so maybe that is the reason. I expect things will return more to normal once the swan cygnets are born. I know where the Swans nest is now and if the rain stops Bradley and I could row down there to see it. Larry came today with the railings for the deck and they are installing them in the rain! Well the rain is welcomed by the garden anyway, the lawn, trees, bushes seeds and everything else will be happy to see it.
Time for breakfast. Bye. David.

Good Morning Sunshine.

Up early today as Bradley has to be at school by 7.00. Is it just me or does that seem rather early? I shouldn't complain though because I would probably advocate something like this if I had the choice, "To make them lazy teenagers see what the real world is going to be like when they have to go to work." Oh boy does that ever sound like my Grandparents! Now I KNOW I'm a Grandfather!
When I looked out at The Lake this morning I saw a very raw, grey sky and a slightly rippled grey Lake surface. Harry The Heron was standing just to the right of my pier - Harry is an early riser - and a 'piece of wood, that looked to be about 10' long' was floating the the left of the pier. Wait, it was floating very fast and within seconds had floated under the pier. It did not emerge from the other side, I think it must have been a Muskrat. I saw him last week swimming away from the pier, the last time I saw a Muskrat here was maybe 20 or 30 years ago when we used to come here with Sarah at weekends. I'm pretty sure it's not the same one! Well gotta go and get Bradley off to school.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Late post

I had to run that last post even tho it is late and I have to get up early to take Granson Bradley to school because I got so many e-mails asking me where my Blog for the day was.
I promise to try not to miss agin. I have some more news about The Lake but it will have to keep until tomorrow. Good nite everyone.

GPS

A very short Blog today, I worked all day and our Grandson Bradley is going to be staying with us for a week while Sarah, Roy, Zach and Jonny go to Disney World.
The GPS, how have I survived for 67 years without it? If you don't have one and have resisted getting one, as I did, thinking "I know how to read a map, I don't need that", well I am now officially a convert. It is not perfect, but like me, it is close! I have only had it for a couple of months but it may have paid for itself already in saved gas and saved time, by not being lost. Also you don't have to keep stopping to look at a map. Working in and around D.C. as I do now, there are not a lot of places to pull over! It will even direct you to the nearest Starbucks!
In short, the GPS is the best thing to come along since sliced bread.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Today dawned bright and clear.

I woke late today, it was past 6.00 and the sun was already up. The Lake was bathed in it's bright light and there were four ducks splashing and paddling around right in front of us. Most of the larger birds seem to have gone, I haven't seen an Osprey in a week or two and it's been at least a week since the last Great Blue Heron graced our pier or the waters around it. Where do they go? The Cormorants also seem to have abandoned us, I miss their little heads and necks moving around the Lake disappearing as they dive and reappearing 20 to 30 seconds later. Much nicer than the pop ups we get on our computers! I was concerned when there were so many of them that they would eat all of 'our' fish. But it would appear they know how it works better than we do. I was especially intrigued the way that a flock of them swimming on the Lake would usually all be facing the same way and would often almost all dive together, and the way at least one would stay up - a look out? Well at least the ducks are still here, and I did see one of the pair of Egrets yesterday. And of course the big male Swan is still patrolling. I must do some research and try to find out where the birds go, when the baby Swans will appear and a host of other things that I would like to know. Julia just wants to know when those baby Cygnets are going to be here.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Don't forget - -

The world is not just given to us by our Fathers, it is also borrowed from our Children. Would you cheat your Children? I thought not, I want to keep "our" World as nice as I can for my Children and Grandchildren. And hey, Grandchildren, that applies to you too! One day you will have Children and Grandchildren, make sure you leave the World in at least as good a condition as you found it. Start NOW!
Hows this for a thought - if you make the World better in one way, you make it better in every way. I bet you can think of a way to make the World better. Now all you have to do is do it!

The Greatest Show

Yes it's a great Show on The Lake again this morning, the blue sky and the white clouds and the peach and pink colors of the sunrise are all reflected in the not quite perfectly still water. There are some small ripples ruffling the surface.
But the Greatest Show was last night, we had the most fantastic lightening show I think I have ever seen in my life - and I am 67 years old (I know, I know, I don't look it do I?) - I watched sheets of lightening lighting up the sky over and over again. There were some 'lines' of light going from clouds to ground, or ground to clouds, whichever way it is they go, some of which were huge, but mostly it was sheets. There were even some lines of light that went horizontally. The really eerie thing about the show was - there was no sound! We never heard even a slight rumble, it was just light, like a TV show with the sound turned off. I watched for more than an hour before I fell asleep.