Author: Doug

Growing Satisfaction

People garden for a lot of different reasons: reducing household costs, increase food quantity, increase food quality, providing food for the less fortunate of their community, those who tend flower gardens seek to beautify their property, give shelter to certain insects and birds, and improve the aesthetics of their life. But one common thread that runs through it all at some level is that we do it because we enjoy it: when we grow flowers or vegetables we are also growing satisfaction and contentment.

satisfaction, gowing, gardening, dirt
Image courtesy www.Patheos.com

There is something therapeutic about working the soil with our hands, watching as seeds we planted push up through that soil, develop into plants and thrive under our attentive care. Then we EAT THEM, mua-hahaha! Sorry, I got carried away there. (read more…)

Howling in the Night

“Ticky-tack, ticky-tack, ticky-tack”.

The sound alerted that small portion of my brain that remains on-duty while the rest of me sleeps, “Strange sound! What is that?” Sentry queries Main Brain.

Memories are searched, the reply comes back, “Small-dog claws clattering on the granite-like tiles of the hallway. Someone is up. Must be Kathy.”

“Is that of concern?”

Main Brain, groggy with slumber considers this: Kathy rarely gets up at night. Cochise does, but Cochise’s 90 pound frame sounds very different from 20 pound Kathy as they traverse the short hallway leading to the kitchen for a drink.  Kathy often gets up when I do, but almost never before I do.  “Yes: this is an alert.” Main Brain swims up through the levels of unconsciousness. Continue reading “Howling in the Night”

6 Tips on Selecting Pet Food

pet foodThere is a bewildering array of pet food brands, and products within brands, out there to choose from. Products ranging from dry kibble, to canned, to fresh-frozen, to raw meat are available. All have some benefit, all have some risk. How do you decide which of these are best for your lifestyle and your pet’s health? Here are some tips to help you wend your way through the brand maze and select the best products to consider.

#1: The Pet Food Company

Many pet owners don’t trust larger pet food companies, thinking that a large corporation is by nature callous and uncaring. Smaller brands are more closely linked to their customers and likely to make better, safer products. However, statistics tell a different story. Continue reading “6 Tips on Selecting Pet Food”

Professional Jargon and the Turbo Encabulator

jargonThose who work within an industry tend to develop a jargon of their own to express ideas quickly.  Sometimes these are scientific terms, sometimes they are slang used as short hand, sometimes they are acronyms spoken out as words.  As long as these folks are in their own element, communication is fine.  Put a few of them in a crowd of the non-initiated, and most of the on-lookers end up bewildered.  “What language are they speaking?!”

This can happen with motor heads, computer geeks, programmers, sports nuts, and medical professionals.  Here is a fun look at what may be the very best example of confusing people with jargon.  Below the video is the explanation of who this fellow is and how this short film came about.

This is the first time Turbo Encabulator was recorded with picture. It was shot in the late 70’s at Regan Studios in Detroit on 16mm film. The narrator and writer is Bud Haggert. He was the top voice-over talent on technical films. Continue reading “Professional Jargon and the Turbo Encabulator”

Being Thankful Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving

thankful, thanksgivingToday is Thanksgiving Day, a holiday we set aside to be thankful for all we have.

Human beings are not wired to be consistently thankful or content with where and what they are.  Humans tend to be ambitious: seeking ways to be or get more than we are or have.  This is the driving force that has made us (in our opinions) the top life form on this planet.  But there is a down-side to this ambition: it fuels unhappiness.

To find happiness we must cultivate contentment.  Contentment is an appreciation of or gratitude for our current situation.  Every November Americans tend to think more about being grateful because of Thanksgiving, but it would be better if we could be thankful all year long. Continue reading “Being Thankful Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving”

Firewood Splitting Assistant

Tim is a friend of ours.  He used to be our next door neighbor and would help me cut and stack firewood, but a couple of years ago he and his wife were offered a great deal on a house she had always admired and they moved down the road.  He’s still one of my best friends, just a more distant neighbor.

I had the truck today — because I was doing a dog transport for the local animal shelter — and decided to stop in and see Tim on my way home.  We talked for a while.  His dog made it known that he needed to go out for a walk.  As we were leaving, Tim said, “Hey!  Do you want some firewood?”  He pointed across to the far side of his property where recent winds had broken off a small maple tree.  He’d already cut it up but had no use for the wood.  We use firewood for heat, so I’m always glad of a gift of firewood, especially when it’s already cut up and ready to load!  I thanked him and loaded it up.

firewood loadI figured I’d back the truck in to my loading dock, roll the wood splitter out onto the dock, split the wood as it came off the truck and stack it. Since it’s green wood, I won’t be able to burn it this year, it needs to season first. I’ll stack it on the far end of the “ready to use” wood stack and hope we don’t burn through the whole stack this winter.

Blondie Boomer Noises150205(2) 800x500Before getting started, I went inside to check messages and check on the dogs. While I was inside someone in the area decided to start some target practice with his blunderbuss.

Blondie Bear is terrified of gunfire.  (Read More…)

Magic Tomatoes

Some time ago I read that when winter approaches and you still have many green tomatoes on the plants, you can (if you’re growing determinant: bush type tomatoes) pull the whole bush up and hang it upside down in a garage or basement where they will be protected from frost and the tomatoes will continue to ripen. Over the course of the next few weeks you will continue to harvest ripe tomatoes from your upside-down bushes.

It is mid-November and I still have lots of tomatoes on my plants. Unfortunately mine are indeterminate (vine type) plants, so yanking them out by the roots is not an option for me. The full-size tomatoes only had a few dozen green tomatoes left, so I harvested those. We made a green tomato pie with some and I wrapped the rest in newspaper and set them in a cardboard box. I check them every couple of days and remove those that have ripened. These don’t have the robust flavor of a sun-ripened tomato, but they’re not bad.

tomatoesMy cherry tomatoes are still loaded with greenies. Earlier I pinched off the smallest fruits and all blooms to force the vines to concentrate on ripening the maters. I have been harvesting those that ripen at a rate that keeps my family, my mom, and a lady at church well supplied. Still, there are many green ones left and a hard freeze is expected. What to do?  (read more…)

A Quick Start Card for the Bible

quick start cardsIn our modern, technology filled society we are quite familiar with user’s manuals. They offer important (supposedly) safety warnings, not because we’re stupid but because we’re litigious.  If the manufacturer does not clearly state that we are not to shove our hand into a whirling cutter, some will file suit against the manufacturer for doing so and claim they were injured because they were not informed of the danger. The manual offers detailed instructions for the operation of the device, including helpful sections on maintenance, troubleshooting, and contact information for the manufacturer when you need service.

However, manufacturers know that in our rush to begin using a new device, we often refuse to sit down and read through the manual first. They, therefore, include a Quick Start card that tells us the most essential information to get us going. We will refer back to the manual as we have need of the other information.

The Bible is the operator’s manual for humanity. It gives us information of the product’s origin and development, detailed information for proper operation, tremendous trouble-shooting information, details on how to contact and communicate with the manufacturer and a peek at upcoming product improvements. And, like any comprehensive manual, it includes a Quick Start Guide: the book of John. Continue reading “A Quick Start Card for the Bible”

Does Darkness Exist?

It is purported that a young Albert Einstein once challenged a teacher, saying that darkness does not exist, in and of itself. Darkness is in fact the absence of light.

candle in the darknessI once took a cave tour. I don’t recall if this tour was Merrimack Caverns, Carlsbad Cavern or Mammoth Cave: I’ve toured them all. At one point in the tour the group entered a large chamber. We were taken to the very center of the chamber and warned not to wander off. And they turned out the lights.

We were forewarned, of course so those who felt uncomfortable with this could be kept elsewhere, for the experience was … disturbing. I thought I knew darkness. I was wrong. The darkness in that cave was so complete that it became palpable. We were encouraged to hold hands before the lights went out, I knew why once it was done. The sense of isolation was overwhelming. I could hear the gasps and whispers of others in the group, and I was holding hands with other tourists, otherwise the sense of utter aloneness was breathtaking. I could not imagine wandering around alone in such darkness trying to find an exit. We were told to let go with one hand and bring it, slowly, up to our faces: can we see that hand? No, I could not. Even when it bumped into my nose, I could not see that hand. The darkness was so complete. I also noticed that once we were no longer holding hands, and I had no visual cues, my sense of balance was suspect: I could not be certain that I wasn’t toppling over. Continue reading “Does Darkness Exist?”

A Snooze Button for My Brain

snooze buttonDaylight savings time ended last night and we turned back the clocks before we went to bed.  A good thing right? We get an extra hour of sleep!  Or most do.

If you depend on an alarm clock to get you up in the morning: congratulations on your extra hour of rest.  I haven’t used an alarm clock in close to two decades.  I have an internal clock that wakes me each morning between 4:00 and 4:30. Usually.  On some occasions, when I was feeling poorly, it lets me get some extra rest.

It worked reliably for me this morning, my eyes popped open as my brain played reveille – time to get up!  I checked my watch (reset to standard time): 3:00.  “No, no, no, Brain, remember: the time changed.” Continue reading “A Snooze Button for My Brain”