July 2016
Music Preferences
31/07/16 08:52 Filed in: Interests
I like music, especially certain types of music. There are a few types I don't enjoy much. My children like a whole different form of music over my choices. Now why is that. One can find out here.
Comments
DIY Cat Planters
30/07/16 08:48 Filed in: Interests
In Home Physical Therapy
29/07/16 20:45 Filed in: Interests
I had my first physical therapy session at home. Her name is Kathy and she got me going on some exercises for my knee. I seem to be coming along OK and able to do the exercises.
Shell Grotto in Margate
28/07/16 08:42 Filed in: Interests
Leg Wrap
27/07/16 08:37 Filed in: Interests
Just to historically note my big wrapped knee with an Ace bandage and my two compression socks to prevent blood clots. Very pretty look.
Home Today
26/07/16 20:25 Filed in: Interests
I was discharged from the hospital late morning. They keep a person 23 hours and then they send them home. We had to pick up my pain medication prescriptions on the way home and do a few other errands. I am tired and want to get home to my new recliner to heal. I did get 2 sets of flowers, one from Lisa and a great one from Bob.
Knee Surgery
25/07/16 20:20 Filed in: Interests
I went in early this morning and underwent right partial knee replacement surgery. In the hospital with an ice pack wrap around my leg and leg massagers. One large ace wrap around my leg too. Help to get in and out of bed while using my walker.
Jesse Too
24/07/16 16:33 Filed in: Family
What a cutie! He is at that very curious and I am going to get into everything phase Ryan (all babies seem to) went through.
Dusting
23/07/16 16:30 Filed in: Family
While out visiting today, Jesse is showing he is standing and close to walking. While he is at it, he feels the place needs a good dusting.
Noah's Ark is There
22/07/16 08:56 Filed in: Interests
There are ancient depictions of Noah's Ark and the parting of the Red Sea. They have been found in an ancient synagogue in northern Israel. History comes alive through time and from work of the past.
Painted House in Part
21/07/16 08:53 Filed in: Interests
While a bit on the dark side since I took this in the evening as the sun was going down, here is the main body of Scott's house in a darker gray color.
Piranha
20/07/16 08:48 Filed in: Interests
Can piranha strip a human to a skeletal carcass in no time? It looks like another Urban Myth is down the drain. While they could do this, it appears from this story description that they are unlikely to since they really are more shy than we think they are and usually bite and nip on people.
Rubber Duckies
19/07/16 08:41 Filed in: Interests
The Hellfire Club
18/07/16 08:35 Filed in: Interests
I like to read quick romantic historical novels for tension relief (though not much time lately for this). A number of the novels set in England have referred to the Hellfire Club. I tended to think this was more Urban Legend but it appears this was a real club of English notables and possibly even Benjamin Franklin in part. This piece lends the thought these men were just naughty boys though I suspect there were some truly illegal and possibly evils deeds done at the time.
Nielsen Ratings
17/07/16 08:27 Filed in: Interests
TV shows live or die by their ratings, Niesen ratings. The information tells advertisers which shows and which demographics are watching what show so they can purchase ads. Buyers and viewers drive input and then TV based on the ratings drives output, a bit of a circle. It is more complex than that and here is a history of Nielsen ratings.
Bob Painting
16/07/16 08:22 Filed in: Interests
The major project of Scott getting his house painted started this weekend. I got a picture of Bob putting on primer. The green color is the old color of the house.
Newfoundland
15/07/16 08:15 Filed in: Interests
Another spot that Bob and I would like to visit is Newfoundland. We were closer than usual when we were in the Canadian Maritimes. We read a fascinating book about this province years ago and have wanted to visit since. There is a historical site, L'Anse Aux Meadow, which is on the uppermost northern tip of the province. I'd love to see this area though it is a challenge to get there in a way. I came across this description of one intrepid traveler who made the journey.
Best Breakfasts in Britain
14/07/16 08:04 Filed in: Interests
I am not sure when we will get back to Britain again though I wish it could be soon. I did come across this page that offered some opinions of the best places there for breakfast. Check them out.
Mary Todd Lincoln and Her Mental State
13/07/16 11:33 Filed in: History
History has considered that Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, had many strange and difficult behaviors. There has not been one accepted theory of what may be the underlying cause of these behaviors. It has been said this was a trial to Lincoln in his life to deal with her problems.
One physician, a cardiologist, suggests that Mary Todd Lincoln may have had pernicious anemia due to a Vitamin B12 deficiency and this could have been a possibly inherited condition.
Read more about this theory and why Dr. Sotos believes in his theory.
One physician, a cardiologist, suggests that Mary Todd Lincoln may have had pernicious anemia due to a Vitamin B12 deficiency and this could have been a possibly inherited condition.
Read more about this theory and why Dr. Sotos believes in his theory.
The Biblical Philistines
12/07/16 11:28 Filed in: History
Book Tidying Up?
11/07/16 11:22 Filed in: Interests
I like to have my house and "stuff" organized as the next person. Have I achieved that? In a small way yet I am a collector/accumulator. It is just a fact. Some of the largest and heaviest parts of this are our books. I probably bought and brought home more of them than Bob.
Now I read this article about the magic of tidying up with a section on books. Really? The title of this article is the heartbreaking difficulty of getting rid of books. Now that is really close to home and true.
Now I read this article about the magic of tidying up with a section on books. Really? The title of this article is the heartbreaking difficulty of getting rid of books. Now that is really close to home and true.
The Somme
10/07/16 11:15 Filed in: History
It is almost a century later after the Battle of the Somme. Unbelievably, the loss of life for the British and the French was staggering at 1.2 million lives. That is inconceivable. More here.
"The observation that one death is a “catastrophe,” one hundred thousand deaths a “statistic,” is both callous and flippant. But it carries with it some truth. How do we begin to conceptualize death on the Great War’s scale? In England, the chosen medium is ceramic poppies, which have been laid before the Tower of London en masse. On August 5, when this memorial was inaugurated, just 120,000 were in place — still enough to encircle the building. By November 11, there will be 888,246 — one for each British or Commonwealth soldier who died abroad. The installation has a fitting, if macabre, title: “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.” "
"The observation that one death is a “catastrophe,” one hundred thousand deaths a “statistic,” is both callous and flippant. But it carries with it some truth. How do we begin to conceptualize death on the Great War’s scale? In England, the chosen medium is ceramic poppies, which have been laid before the Tower of London en masse. On August 5, when this memorial was inaugurated, just 120,000 were in place — still enough to encircle the building. By November 11, there will be 888,246 — one for each British or Commonwealth soldier who died abroad. The installation has a fitting, if macabre, title: “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.” "
Longyearbyen, Northernmost Town
09/07/16 11:11 Filed in: Interests
When visiting our friends in Walnut Creek, John and Josie Fike, they talked about visiting Norway in 2014 and going very far North to see the sites and visit a former au pair, Lisa, who lived there.
Here is an article about Longyearbyen, the most Northern town on Earth and is also in Norway.
Here is an article about Longyearbyen, the most Northern town on Earth and is also in Norway.
Coolside Bob
08/07/16 10:28 Filed in: Travel
I have tried very hard over time to keep political views personal or within the family. It is so easy to strain friendships and relationships over differences of opinion in this area. If you wish to avoid politics altogether, I would skip this post.
I do have to write though over what I feel are very disturbing, yet enlightening, comments by the current President where he recently spoke about those with an entrepreneur spirit in our country. I have heard the comments from his supporters that he meant “roads and bridges” in this speech. Hogwash! The recent actions where Welfare Work Rules can now be waived due to an Executive Order, not a change in law, puts it into context for me. Bob saw a sign in Halifax, Nova Scotia that said, “Who will be the workers?” One really does wonder where will be the workers to support all those who “truly didn’t build that”.
I built a small business, a veterinary hospital, from pure scratch. I had a baby and a small child when I signed a 7 year lease on a 1400 sq. ft. space and I had NO clients and patients. Who else carried the risk? I would have been stuck paying the landlord for rent if I failed, not the government, and not our current President. Was he there when I had to get up and check a patient at 1 a.m.? Was he there sharing the responsibility to keep a business functioning because you have 15 people’s livelihoods on your shoulders? I don’t think so. I have not been a fan of the current resident of the White House though I try to respect the Presidency. I often think he does not always respect it when he uses his office and thug tactics to pit different groups of Americans against each other. I just don’t remember this happening to such a degree in the past and am distressed to see what is happening. People are responsible for living with their choices in life. At least I believe so, though that seems to be less and less so now.
I do think Jon Lovitz hit it out of the park with this example of “You didn’t build that..” (VT)
I do have to write though over what I feel are very disturbing, yet enlightening, comments by the current President where he recently spoke about those with an entrepreneur spirit in our country. I have heard the comments from his supporters that he meant “roads and bridges” in this speech. Hogwash! The recent actions where Welfare Work Rules can now be waived due to an Executive Order, not a change in law, puts it into context for me. Bob saw a sign in Halifax, Nova Scotia that said, “Who will be the workers?” One really does wonder where will be the workers to support all those who “truly didn’t build that”.
I built a small business, a veterinary hospital, from pure scratch. I had a baby and a small child when I signed a 7 year lease on a 1400 sq. ft. space and I had NO clients and patients. Who else carried the risk? I would have been stuck paying the landlord for rent if I failed, not the government, and not our current President. Was he there when I had to get up and check a patient at 1 a.m.? Was he there sharing the responsibility to keep a business functioning because you have 15 people’s livelihoods on your shoulders? I don’t think so. I have not been a fan of the current resident of the White House though I try to respect the Presidency. I often think he does not always respect it when he uses his office and thug tactics to pit different groups of Americans against each other. I just don’t remember this happening to such a degree in the past and am distressed to see what is happening. People are responsible for living with their choices in life. At least I believe so, though that seems to be less and less so now.
I do think Jon Lovitz hit it out of the park with this example of “You didn’t build that..” (VT)
Rainbow Time after Storms
07/07/16 10:21 Filed in: Interests
I was able to get some photos of the rainbows that came up when a thunder and rain storm moved through the valley around Las Vegas.
The rainbow…
The rainbow…
Thunderstorms in Vegas
06/07/16 10:17 Filed in: Interests
While we were in Vegas, we had a number of thunderstorms that came during daytime, early evening daylight and also in the wee hours of the morning in the dark. I was able to get some pictures out our window of the weather. There was some reflection but still interesting.
Spending Time with Friends
05/07/16 10:14 Filed in: Friends
While in Las Vegas, we got to spend time with our friend, Dr. Marybeth Rymer. She was great about taking the photos for the Symposium and we had time to eat together and also take a drive up into the Red Rock Country. We also took her a jar of newly preserved home grown Strawberry jam. Yum.
July 4th
04/07/16 22:11 Filed in: Holiday
We had a quiet July 4th and it was a beautiful day. We saw a little bit of everyone today and BBQed but Renee had to work so there was not much time to enjoy grandkids and party with family. It can be good to have a quiet day out of all of this.
View from the Ranch
I got some really nice photos of the area. It was a lovely area to visit and photograph. Here are the mountains and the valley that one would view every day from the porch of the Spring Valley Ranch.
Spring Valley Ranch
Here is the Spring Valley Ranch house that is set up as a visitor's center at the State Park One can picnic and walk around close by. The area lives off of springs and a small lake to provide water to the fields and yard. Hay is grown and there are burros and beef cattle in the area. They hold outdoor movies in the area too.
Red Rock Country
This afternoon, since all the work and stress is essentially over, we took Marybeth's rental car up west of the resort to the Red Rock country and driving loop. There are trails and overlooks there. They have a neat visitor's center there too. It was hot but lots of fun. We also made it to Spring Valley Ranch, a state park, that is what was a working ranch in this area and also once owned by Howard Hughes (though he never visited).
