It is funny about the lot of us.

We place a great deal of weight on the weather.  I think this began when we, a big collective “WE” of the United States, were mostly those good old farmer-types.

Things really depended on the weather then.  Much more so than now.  Sure, nowadays, the commute in to work gets a little crinkly when there is snow in the forecast…. and such.

But back when everyone was driving horse-drawn-carts on dirt roads, and farming, and the like…. well….. a little rain could make things quite impossible.

Yet now.  It is ALWAYS a big dang deal.  And people get paid to make it that way.   We call them Weathermen.   Meteorologists.  And of course… the sponsors.

But never mind all of that.  Here is where WE are funny …. at least we in the Midwest.

When fall & winter are approaching… and we’ve just had a balmy summer… and our buns are still tan…. we get out our coats and hats, and gloves and such…. when the thermometer gets down to 50 degrees.  “Honnnneeeey…..  Time to turn the furnace on… and it is only late October,” we say.

But in the spring.  Yes.  The spring, after months of subzero temperatures, and snow piled high… when those winds outside get to 50 degrees… people put on shorts, and flip  flops, and begin leaving doors wide open.

Same temperature.  Two reactions.

Yeah, I sorta’ think we humans have a tendency to “meet the reality of now”….. with a lot of influence from our past experiences.

Okay.  Forget about the weiather.  Let say you meet Joe.   In the first few sentences, you find out Joe is a lawyer.  And perhaps you had a bad experience with a lawyer.  So part of that past history might influence how you feel about the guy… without really knowing him at all.  Now that’s not really fair.

Yet…. this same exact thing helps us to survive.  The old lesson about putting your hand on a hot burner.  It hurt like the dickens the first time you did it.  So your best guess… it is going to hurt you like the dickens again.

And there I will say it.  This reaction to the present, based on past experience,…. can go either way really.  It  can be a good thing or a bad thing.  It can help guide us… or lead us astray.  But how exactly do you know?

How do you know?

“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein

There are a lot of different kinds of firsts.  Some people seem to  think of things first.  They are the inventor types.   Others like to run to first.  They are athletic.  And some, like to be first in line.  They are, well…. ambitious?

But I am talking about another kind of firsts.  First times.

Do you remember the first time of things?  Not adult things…. like the first time you had sex, or, got a speeding ticket, or having a baby for the first time.  Most everybody has memory of those sorts of things.

But I am talking about when we were little creatures.  The little things.  Like the first time you smelled a really great flower.  Or the first time you tasted chocolate ice-cream?  How about your very first letter delivered by mail, or wrote your own name, or tied your shoes?

I don’t have a lot of early memories about doing things for the first time.   At least… not these little nice things.

On the other hand, I do remember the first time  I broke a bone.  The first time I got spanked, and the last time (they were one in the same).  I can remember  seeing someone get stung by a bee  for the first time.  And also….the first time I got really, really scared.  These are all not-so-nice things.

I wonder why this is.  Why we can remember some things and not others.  Especially those early “hard firsts” and not the easy, nice, good little firsts.

We all have different brains.  In theory, they work mostly the same.  Yet on the other hand… each human brain is totally unique and extraordinary in itself.  Smart Einstein brains.   Brains that have a knack for fixing lawnmowers.   Brains that know how to cook.  Others that are master negotiators.

Noggins that can say the alphabet backwards.  Brains that are good at meditation.  Woodworking brains.  Shoe makers. Boat drivers.  Artist brains.  House painter brains.

So every one is different.  As are our memories.  I don’t know why this is.

But if you can remember the first time you saw a fish swimming….  or those sorts of things…  I think you are lucky.

We should probably be very glad for the good memories we can draw upon.   They are reminders of the right things in life.  The sweetness of being alive.  The good firsts we’ve had… and all the good ones yet to come.

“We must always have old memories and young hopes”  – Houssaye quotes

Tonight we went to a dinner theater. It was a murder mystery dinner theater. We had a lot of fun… and our table figured it out. But so did a few other tables…. and we didn’t win the big prize.

I don’t know what the big prize was… but we sure did not win it.

None the less… we shared the evening with some really nice and interesting people.

Who knew.

You expect it all to be about the baked chicken and rice dinner… when in fact…

the poison jelly fish, the BMX stunt driver, … and conversations about new windshield wiper blades were the highlights of the evening.

Another Whodunnit. Always something in the works.

Yep it is true.

So many times we go in to a situation, or an event, and we have a set of preconceptions, or expectations.

And most of the time, the outcome is quite different than what we expected.

Be it a community meeting, a work project, a basketball game, or a dinner theater.

You just never know if it is going to be Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with the Lead Pipe, or Miss Scarlett, in the Library, with the Knife.

Life is full of pleasant surprises, and curious mysteries.

And when I am happiest… is when I come to the realization…. that I may not have all the answers.  And that is okay.  In fact…. that is the way it should be.

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” – Oscar Wilde

Pine Cone.

Like… an Ice Cream Cone.

Without the Ice.

There is a cow standing in the near vicinity… so cream might be in the picture.

But no ice.  (Oh goodness.  Please.  No more ice.)

Just the Pine Cone.

Okay.  Here’s the deal….

If a pine cone falls from a tree in the forest, and no one is around to hear it… does it make a noise.

Simple answer.

Of course it does.

When the cone hits the ground, it says…. “Ouch”

Unless, of course… it hits the cow.  Then it says… “Pardon Me.”

Either way.  At that point, the pine cone still hanging, up on the branch, hollers down… “Hey Little Dude.  Get up.”

Positive anything is better than negative nothing. – Elbert Hubbard

Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.  –  Richard M. DeVos

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.  –  Zig Ziglar

Boy oh boy.  When I was a little bit younger, I used to be about as competitive as they came.

I am pretty sure this was sparked… the first time I went into the church at Our Lady of Mercy… and I saw a bunch of the statues giving the “We’re #1” Sign.

I still have a little whiff of this competitive zealousness in me.  But not like back in the day.

When it came to sports, I was cutthroat.  No hold bars.  I used to sacrifice m body just for the sake of the game.

It started when I was a little chimp.  Or chump.  I used to play softball for North Riverdale Little League.  It all started when I was about 8 years old… maybe 7.

Part of the Little League Motto was “I will Play Fair, and Strive to Win. But Win or Lose, I will ALWAYS Do My Best.”

Play fair.  Check.
Strive to win.  Check.

DO MY BEST. All caps and bold letters… CHECK.

Around tournament time is when I really got a taste for it.  Holy smokes, how I would want to win.  I could taste it.

But it made me nervous too.  Sometimes, I get such a case of nerves, I would throw up before a game.  One of my coaches, Bev Johnson, sat me down one day.  She said… “Polly.  Those girls on the other team are the same as you.  Everybody puts their pants on the same way.”

I didn’t know what the hell she meant….   which was okay.  BUT…. it was the WAY she said that made ALL the difference in the world to me.  I would go on that field, and play my little heart out.

Bev Johnson was my all-time favorite coach.  It was the WAY she made us feel about ourselves, and playing ball… even as very young girls.  We knew we were strong and smart, and able.  We knew we were good enough to win….. but at the same time… JUST like everybody else.

Bev died some years back.  I heard about it long after the fact.  It is one of those times in life, that  I wish I had told someone just how much they meant to me.

I’ll try not to let those times slip by me again.  I’m competitive…like that.

And if there is a heaven… Bev is probably there.  With the Angles all around her…. giving the #1 Sign.

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”  – Oscar Wilde quote

Dear Dog-God of the Universe,

I heard my human doing this, so I thought I would give it a try too….. except for I can’t get down on my knees….  cuz I don’t really have any.  But any woof…

She said she didn’t quite understand the “why” of it all… but that she was very glad for a lot of things.

She was thankful for her partner in life, her family and friends, and all the good and kind people in each day.

She said she was grateful for health, and life, and shelter and food and warmth.

She even said she was thankful for me… and my sissies.

Dog God… if you are listening…. since she is so glad of us…. could you convince her to give us a few extra biscuits?

Thanks Dog-God of the Universe..    Beggin’ Strips are my favorite.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

Some days seem busier than other days.  I figured this out.

They seem busier, and fuller…. because they ARE!

There are times when the old schedule gets to be a little crazy-go-nuts.  And when a few of these days start to string together in a whole row…. all I have to say about that is ….

shhooooooooo-wwwweeeeeeeeeeee.

The other thing I have to say about that is…

it is probably best that I am not the  president of corporation… or prime minister of some foreign country.  That could be big trouble for ALL of the underlings. And the minions.

Heck, it is probably good that I am not even the leader of a girl scout troop.

Some people have a knack for all of that.  They can throw five balls up in the air, and juggle them flawlessly.

But not me.  I am not a leader, a motivator, a designator, or a juggler.

Oh wait.  Holy crap.  I am a pretty good juggler… but in the literal sense.

Okay, back to the multi-tasking, leadership, manager, deal.  I just don’t have it in my pickle jar.

I seem to be the brass tacks kind of gal.  I roll up my sleeves and get it done myself.  And as long as I can get it done, one thing at a time… I am good as gold.  But we of little brains have limits.  And when I reach those limits… again…. I tell you…  it is like the Golden Carriage at midnight.

Yes.  I too explode and turn back into a pumpkin.

So.  There you have it.  I have shared yet another highly personal detail about myself to you.. my dear and close 538 friends on Facebook… many of you whom I know so little about.

I may never know if you are a white horse… or a little white mouse… when the clock strikes 12.

No matter… if you are a princess, a pee-on, a fool, or a czar…. it takes all of us to watch the clock go round.

Tonight I went to a lecture given by a guy who works for National Geographic.  He films Extreme Adventures for NatGeo.  Great films.

It was interesting indeed.
Some things were apparently clear.

1. There are truly amazing places on planet earth.
2.  To get to some of these places you have to be some kind of warped freak of human nature.
3.  This guy was off-the-charts freak-of-nature-ish.
4.  Everyone has successes and failures in life.
5.  You won’t find your successes unless you try.  This may, on occasion, involve risk.
6.  Sometimes things go terribly wrong.
7.  Listen to what your gut instinct  tells you.

This is what I learned about me:  I love to shoot photography.  I love to draw and write.   I will probably never do these things going over a waterfall in kayak, or jumping off a cliff.  My office is on the second floor of the house.  That is risky enough.

“Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.” – Frederick Smith

There are many who say…. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?  But can you teach a new dog old tricks?

Do you ever feel like you have a chip on your shoulder?

How about you AND the mouse in your pocket?

Or it could be that…. you have a monkey on your back.

What the heck…. have you been killing two birds with one stone?

What is the answer to all of this?  Well.  If it were a snake would it have bitten you?

Yes… the message is as plain as the nose on your face.

It may have hit you like a ton of bricks.

So many phrases, so little time.
The only reason I am thinking about any of this tonight, is because someone used one of these phrases with me today… and it occurred to me that we probably rely on these more than we think.

They soften on our language… or the emotions around what we are REALLY trying to say.

For instance.  “Well… Louise really let the cat out of the bag.”
That is the nice way of saying Louise was not thinking… one little iota… when she told everyone something that she shouldn’t have.

Or… how about….
“I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.”  The translation:  I can’t believe you are p*ssed off at me.

When it comes down to it….It could be all about the pot calling the kettle black.

And there you have it.

The bottom line may be as simple as this:  It is important to be honest in life.  But sometimes… saying what you think, or mean…. might not quite be appropriate.  Or it may do more harm than good, in some situations.

And often times… it is not easy to know what is best to say… and what is not.

Occasionally you just can’t tell if what is showing on the outside… is the same thing as on the inside.  Oh… you know what they say… You can’t judge a book by its cover.
And if we miss?

Well… I think it is best if we  simply don’t cry over spilt milk.

Because… as the big dogs on the porch say….
There is more than one way to skin a cat.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

I’ve written and re-written this thing ten different times tonight.  And I still can’t quite get it right.  I’m always afraid I will upset someone.

So I’ll just put it out there.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the third photograph.  I’ll tell you why in a moment.

We all like different activities for a wide number of reasons.  That is what makes us “individuals” among many.

I have a lot of friends who like things from one end of the spectrum to the other.  There are some who like to paint, practice meditation, dance.  Others like to go hunting, to go shopping, or to go berserk.  Some play softball, and others play cards.  There are those who like to cook…. or clean… or sew… or build.  You see.  It goes from A to Z.

I like a wide range of activities.  Some more than others.  Drawing, photography, writing… are among my favorites.  I like a good game of something too.  Fond of nature… yes I am.  As long as I can get a hot shower, and a clean, warm bed at the end of the day.

But there are two things I have never liked… and probably never will.   One of those is …. ice-cream with chocolate syrup and whipped cream….over waffles.  (Bad experience as a kid.)

And the other is hunting.  Now I know folks do it for food.  But I still don’t quite like it… for a couple of reasons.  (Bad experiences… again.)

Our neighbors were hunting deer.  They say the like the meat and such.  That’s fine… if you can end the deer’s life painlessly.  Instantly.  (I hope they do the same for pigs, and cows, and chickens, when they go to slaughter….  although those conditions are far from humane either.)

But back to the chase and shoot scenario.  Our neighbors.  They shot a deer this winter and it ran toward our property.  They asked if they could come check our acreage for the wounded deer.

Yes, we said.  Find it.  Put it out of its misery.  But they had no success.  They found and followed the blood trail.  Mary went with them to try and assist.  No deer.

After the fruitless search…  I became upset.  All I could think of was the wounded deer … in the thick of this god-forsaken winter.  I cried about that deer.   And worried.

But guess what happened yesterday … I found her. On the Deer Cam.

Yep… here, in the third photo down… you can see her front and center.  Wounded…. gun shot.. ..  but mending.

So that is one reason I don’t care for hunting.  She suffered because someone was a crappy marksman.  She had to survive an already horrible winter… with a bunch of buckshot in her.  I bet that hurt  a LOT.

Maybe it shouldn’t matter to me.  But somehow, I feel a connection to those deer.  I feed them.  I  very sit still and watch them.  And.  They watch me.

Hypocrite?  Maybe I am.  Yep, I had a Roast Beef sandwich for dinner tonight.  With Velveeta Cheese of all things.

But the deal is…the truth is …..I simply don’t know how it all should work.

One thing IS certain though.   There will be no waffles with ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream for me.  THAT is where I totally put my foot down.  For sure.

“It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness” – James Matthew Barrie