I so enjoy sitting out on the deck in the early morning.  I love to welcome the first cup of coffee to my lips.  Call this an addiction to caffeine.  I call it, good to the last drop.

Always then…. I like to take in a deep, deep breathe.  Like a Monk.   Not so much about meditating…. it simply facilitates oxygen to the brain…. which is another addiction of mine.

Seriously though.  I am very fortunate. We live in a beautiful place in Preble County, Ohio.  There is a meadow in front of our house.  It teems with life… especially when the meadow is green.  I prefer it this way.  It seems more to beautiful to me… then when it is brown, or gray, or white.

Yes, in these summer months, I like to watch the rippling of the meadow, and all that it has to offer.

This start of this day was filled with the usual suspects.  The two chipmunks who grow more and more obese every day.  The entire roster of  birds at our feeders.  Nuthutch, Titmouse, House Sparrow, Gold Finch, Chickadee, Wren, Cowbird, Red-Winged Blackbird, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Woodpecker, and more.  Check. Check. Check.   Often times, the litany of feathers and song shivers-me-timbers.

Every so often, we will get a treat.  An unusual bird, or a fox… or an Elvis sighting.

Today, I watched one of the most gloriously happy things I’ve ever seen.   You see…. we have had a Momma Deer around for quite sometime. We have suspected that she had an offspring.  She is around this place a lot.   But always by herself.

This morning,  apparently, it was time for her youngster to see the world.  She plodded down by the salt block.  And then…. her little sidekick came along.  He leaped and trotted with so much glee.  That little fella ran circles around his mom… again and again and again.

It reminded me of a Tether Ball, stalking the Maypole.  Around and around and around…..at the speed of light.  Okay… maybe at the speed of Rudolph.  But fast!

I had to laugh out loud as I watched.  There was reckless abandon in his manner.  This little guy was out playing, with Mom, for perhaps the very first time in his life.  There was an obvious  connection between Mom and her boy.

But then.  Suddenly  A NOISE. Momma Deer’s ears thrust into the air… as did her bobwhite tail.  So.  Within a second… she had warned her little one.  And with that… they both vanished away into the nearby trees… as quickly as they had come.

What a gift this was… to witness this interaction. This communication between a mother and her baby.

Every day there is something miraculous before us.  Something tremendously good right before our eyes.  It is there.

Sometimes, I let these moments get by without notice.  I am not aware enough, or happy enough… or feeling good enough to notice.  But sometimes, I do.

I like the days when I am able to see.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick

Today, I was struck.  Be at ease.  Don’t get exited.

I wasn’t struck by fist, or by lighting, or vehicle.  My sensibility was struck.

So if you don’t mind me doing so, I’d like to share a few of these strikings.

Bad Decisions.
Down in Louisiana, a man was out with three friends.  They had been drinking… apparently a lot.  I am not sure if they were walking or operating a vehicle, but they happened across an 11-foot alligator in the road.   The gentleman decided to drag it out of traffic.    Well, the aforementioned  alligator had different plans.  The thing railed around and bit the guy. On the hand.  Hard.  Eighty-stitches hard.

They man told officials…. the next time, he will call Animal Rescue.  Yep.  He said the next time.  Like I pointed out …. this happened in Louisiana.

Yellow-Carded.
Fox News staple Ann Coulter recently wrote a column arguing that “any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay.”  Now, I have heard it all out of Coulter’s mouth.  (Coulter’s case against soccer is pretty far-reaching: it’s “foreign,” you can’t use your hands, liberal moms like it,  and on and on.)  Shear decadence, I’ll tell you.

Honest to goodness.  Should this woman be reporting the “news” for anyone?  I think someone needs to test her for mental competence.  If you are a fan of Coulter’s … please share your comments, and perhaps, help me understand.

Being Four.
I went to Titus’ 4th Birthday party tonight.  Kids are just so dang expressive.  That is all there is to it.  If they are happy, or sad, or excited, or upset… YOU know it.  Right away.  They don’t mask it.  They don’t hide.  If it hurt, they cry.  If it is funny, they laugh.  Kids just wear it on their faces… as plain as the day is long.

Somewhere along the line, we start filtering this… as older kids… and then adults.  Some of us have WAY more masks than others.  I like it when kids completely put it out there.  No holds barred.

Great Idea.
Every time I see the GE commercial, I love it more and more.  The little girl is with various scenes, and says things like… my Mom makes trains who are friends with trees.  My Mom builds hospitals that can fit in your hand.  (Her Mom does a TON of other things in the commercial… and it doesn’t matter if it is a Mom or a Dad…. they are tremendously cool things.)   And. She finishes with… “My Mom works at GE.”

One of their observations … “We imagine a better world and we make it come true.”

This is total genius.

They speak to their role in their  research and development, and things scientific which help the world

But what would happen if this was EVERYONE’S “Catch-Phrase”?  But specifically to our talents, and our resources, and our abilities?  What if we all used this to move through each day?

“We imagine a better world and we make it come true.”

Yep. I have to say it.  “What IF?”

“I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.”  –   Nikki Giovanni

Today is June 28.

Some big things happened on this date in history.
I’m not kidding. June 28th is like one of the top mega-history days of ALL the 365.

Like how about  in the year 1119 A.D.  The Battle of Sarmada took place.  It does’t get any bigger than that!  Everyone has heard of the Sarmada.  I think it is short for Spanish Armada.  Maybe.

And here’s one for my buddy Harold!    Slink ahead four hundred years….  to 1524.  In this year, the Duke of Bourbon occupies Province. Who cares about living in  Province?  This guy was the Duke of Bourbon.  That’s like being the Earl of Sandwich.  Or the King of Beer.

Not to mention some other notables.  In 1820, someone thought enough to prove that the tomato is  non-poisonous.  This really is big.  Think of the spaghetti, and the pizza we’d be missing for all of these year.

Another great tester….. let’s shout it out LOUD for Gerrit Moll.  Mr. Moll measured noise of guns on this date in 1832.  Speak up.  He can’t hear you.

On of my favorites of June 28th…. In 1859…. the very first dog show was held.  It took place in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.  I am not sure which show it was… but I am guessing Lassie, or Rin Tin Tin.

And since we are talking about England.  In 1967…. that good old Beatle George Harrison was fined £6 for speeding.  Lead-footed rocker.

I almost forgot a big one.  In 1836… President James Madison died.  He was old.  86.   He left behind his wife Dolley Madison.  After his death… she had more free time.  She started baking cupcakes and such….. which Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Gang ended up eating all the time.  Thank goodness for that.

So there you have it.  The big day in history.    But really.  Aren’t they all?

“We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”  – Charles R. Swindoll

Sometimes, when I see things in real life, I imagine something completely different.

I do this  when I look through the lens.
A water tower, or a light post, or a rock on the ground.  Who knows what it will be.  But I can see it in a much different way.  Like I can flip little eyeglasses in front of my face, and it changes the perspective, or color, or texture.

I think that is why I like photography so much.  Because I get to look at things in this different way.   Somehow it feels comfortable and safe.

It never really happens when I do other things.. like washing dishes, or riding a bike… or working outside.

Just when I pick up a camera.  I like it that way.   My magical mystery tour.

There will be a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. ~Louis L’Amour

No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye. ~Elizabeth Bowen, The House in Paris, 1935

Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. ~Richard Brinsley Sheridan

What is in a barcode, anyway?

Well it depends…. if you are the a patron of The Down One Bar and Grill, your idea of a bar code is much different than the one I speak to this evening.

The barcode I am interested in is the one that came on your box of pencils, your socks, your pineapple, your blue jeans, or your favorite book.  The one with the skinny and fat lines… all in a little box on the side of the package.  THAT barcode.

Today marked the anniversary of the very first barcode being scanned.

It was a Thursday morning.  Up in Troy, Ohio of all places.  That is when the first unique sticker of white and black lines was magically “seen” by the red light.  It was a purchase of a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit gum.  Yep,the bar code was scanned at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974 at a Marsh supermarket in our own little Troy.  Why this locations, and circumstances, I do not know.

The first 10 scanners used to scan bar codes at the supermarket are now in The Smithsonian National Museum of American History.  The technology may be old… but it is far from obsolete.  The original inventor was George Laurer.  The dude HAD to be an OCD child, like me… I would suppose.  But he is the Father of the UPC.

I am glad for the bar code reader. Truly.  I can remember the day of price tags, and manually punching the keys on the old cash register.  You would have to hit the big “add” button and then move on to the next item.  The register made a great sound every time you rung something up.  Like a big… ka-chunk.  And when it was all done… the grand total made a ka-CHING.

Now, all we get is a beep.  And registers no longer ka-chunk or ka-ching.

Yet the bar code reader is an expediter.  Accurate, dependable, and universal.  Like the stealth bomber of the shopping world.

So…. I suppose…..  today, must be a big dang day for the barcode reader.. and for Juicy Fruit gum.  Not to mention the pride and joy Mr. and Mrs. Lauer must be feeling about their son.  And of course, Marsh Supermarkets… for having hosted such a distinction.

In fact, Marsh is so proud, that I got a free pack of Juicyfruit when I went through the checkout line today.

But I must warn you.  Such technology isn’t without controversy.  It becomes very easy to “track” things with the bar code, or the UPC code as we know them now.  The whole Big Brother thing.

So, if someone wants to tattoo a bar code on your forehead… or such.
Well.  Get your butt out of The Down One Bar and Grill.  I think that sort of thing goes against the Bar Code.  And, if you  have downed one too many… you never know what may happen.   After the beep.

“Doubt is the father of invention.”  –   Galileo Galilei

Today I went to the Humane Society of Preble County.  I did not mean to.  My car just pulled into the entrance as I was attempting to drive past.

You see.  A few days ago, a friend posted a picture of a little dog named Magoo on my Facebook page.  She said I needed this dog.

Great.  NOW the seed is planted.  Well, the deal with THAT …. is THIS.  Once I get something in my little simple mind, it is very difficult to shake it out.  Like tonight, I had the Reds’ Game on the television.   And what did they do?  They went and played the Armor Hotdog Song.  Perfect.  Now I have THAT little ditty rolling around up there with all the other clutter.

“… fat kids, skinny kids, kids with great big humps.  Smart kids, ugly kids, kids who like to wear red pumps… oh, hot dogs… Arrrrmor hotdogs…..”

Now it is in YOUR head.

Anyway.  Back to the Humane Society.  Why are animal shelters called Pounds?  I’ll have to look that one up.

Anyway.  Again.  Back to Magoo.  The Director Leslie Renner was there, and we talked about a couple of abuse cases in the area, and other things Humane-Society-ish.  And then I asked her about Magoo.    She arranged a private room and I got to meet the little guy.

Oh my gosh.  What a dear.  What a cutie.  Very smart and sweet.  He did not bark like all the other dogs.  He was very aware, and yes… energetic.  But he was a total darling.

But I knew when I met him… that he wasn’t going to be our dog.  He just didn’t seem like he would be the right fit for our family.  Years ago, I would have neglected this insight.  But today, I just knew.  And it was a good thing that I put this notion to rest.

So I left Magoo.  And when I got home, I was welcomed by these three smiling faces.  Each of which, I made an pretty quick connection with…  a long time ago.

I truly love  those times in life, when my head  and my heart and my soul all match up.  You just know it, and it feels right.  Sometimes that feeling or decision isn’t easy, but deep down inside, your inner self reassures you so.    You know in your gut it is the right thing to do.

Orrrrr….. it could be… that you are just getting hungry for an Armor hotdog.  The dog kids love to bite.

“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.” –  Andre Gide

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”  – Albert Einstein

Today, I learned some interesting facts.  Tidbits.  Snippets. Factoids.

And, for no apparent reason, I feel the need to hand them over to you.

So here we go.  Hang on to your noggin-toppers.  This is going to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys in a The Banana Republic store.

First up.

Back in the day…. people didn’t always say “hello” when they answered the phone.  When the first regular phone service was established in 1878, people said “ahoy.”   If your name is Chip… call me.  Chips Ahoy.

Next-ish.
I have always loved music.  I sing it.  I dance to it.  It is sometimes in my head…when I don’t want it there.  Like when you hear the theme song for The Brady Bunch… and then you can’t get rid of it.  But that has nothing to do with what I learned to day….. which is…..  “The first single issued by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens was titled “I Love My Dog.”  I love Cat Stevens’ music.    (Like.. “Can’t Keep It In.” and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out.”)  The bottom line is…. Cat must love Dogs.

Thirdly.
Some people like to show others that they have  double-jointed-abilities.   I think they mostly like to gross people out… with bending their fingers way back over their hands and such.    But get this. No matter how flexible a person is, there is no such thing as being “double jointed.”

Most of these “contortionists” suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  The Syndrome affects the collagen in connective tissue…. which normally helps tissues resist deformation.   So. In fact… these folks are suffering from a deformation.  Who would have guessed?  But you can let them know the next time they start doing party tricks.

Four. Tee. Fide.
Many artificial color additives are prohibited by law.  At least, in theory.  So.  Farmers will add marigold petals to their chicken feed as a natural color enhancer.  These flowers help to give their egg yolks that sunny, yellow hue.  I just bought eggs today, from my favorite chicken farmers.  They were pullet eggs, as a matter of fact.  But I didn’t know to ask about the marigolds.  I’ll inquire next time.  Sunny side up.

Five.  Like Five for Five at Arby’s.  But wait.  Wrong roast beef.

This is all about two all beef patties.   Now, you know, I love a good burger.  Yet. Only one McDonald’s in the world has turquoise arches. Those fashion-minded officials in Sedona, Arizona, thought that yellow would clash with the natural red rock.  I love Sedona too. However, I didn’t see the turquoise arches the last time I was there. Come to think of it though.. I didn’t eat at McDonald’s either.

So that’s it for Show and Tell tonight.  I guess it is a good thing to do, on a rainy night.

Or you could call someone, while listening to Cat Stevens, and cracking your knuckles.. right before you eat your eggs and Big Mac.  All in a days’ work.

Push through it.

Sometimes, that is just what you have to do.  Call it what you will.  The old nose to the grindstone.  The shoulder to the wheel.  Good old fashioned elbow grease.  Gumption. Tenacity.  Or sometimes, even just hanging on by the skin of you teeth.

Okay.  Just a moment here.  I have to shoot down another path while I am thinking of it.  Yes.  One of my infamous segues.

I watch two game shows.  Wheel of Fortune, and, Jeopardy.  Whenever I get the chance, really.  Some nights it makes me feel smart. Other nights… pretty dang dumb.  Either way… I like to watch.  But one evening … the puzzle on The Wheel was… “Nose to the Grindstone.”  It was “College Night Competition” or something.  They had all the letters except for the “G” I think.  Maybe not the “O” either.  Nonetheless.   They couldn’t get it!  Those kids had never heard the phrase… Nose to the Grindstone.

I think that may say a thing or two for younger generations.  I guess now they just say they had to bust @ss or something.   Anyway….

Back to the topic.  Wait. Wait.  One more sidetrack.  My brother made the dresses Vanna White wore…. when The Wheel was in Seattle, WA, not too long ago.  I love my brother.  He is so snappy like that.  I can’t sew on a button… but he is some kind of wizard with a needle and thread.

Okay. Now really.   Back to the topic.

Lately…. HERE on this project…..  I have been feeling stagnated.  Blocked. Stale. Clogged up.  And… obstructed.   There are times when the topics just flow.  But lately, it has been a real stretch.   So this morning, I decided to hang it up.  Blog no more.  Once and for all.

By midday I was visiting my Mom.  I read our Horoscopes to her everyday.  Mine talked about moving great distances just a mile at time.  Pushing through the feelings of frustration and such.   My Mom sat there quietly for a while… then she pointed her finger right at me and said… “THAT has to do with your writing.  You need to stick to it.  Push through it.  Find interesting topics and write about them.” (Another sidebar.  Most days, Mom thinks I am a farmer.  Other days, I am a budding cartoonist.  And still others, I am  some sort of computer programmer.)  She proceeded to give me about “40 interesting topics” to write about.  However….. she was repeating herself about every third subject or so.  I wrote them all down.  All four repeats …. times ten.

So here I am tonight.  Once again, “pushing” through.  My nose hurts from the dang grindstone, and my shoulder is tired from the wheel.  In fact… I will have to tell you… there is no skin left on my teeth.

But I think Mom, and my lucky stars are right.   There are a lot of interesting topics.  Endless, in fact.  I just have to walk that walk, one mile at a time.  One push at a time.

“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”  –   Robert Frost

“When all’s said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it’s not so much which road you take, as how you take it.”  –   Charles de Lint

“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself”  –   Buddha

If I were Newt Gingrich, I think I would change my name.  I don’t know the guy… but his name isn’t so great.  I mean, when I think of Newt… I think of the old scene with the witches around the cauldron, wearing the big tall crooked black hats  …. and sporting  hairy chins and all.  And they are saying “Toil and trouble… eye of newt…and…”

And.  That’s just “the Newt part” of the guy’s name.  His last name reminds me of a Grinch sort of character… who instead of stealing Christmas… steals Greenwich Village.  The Gingrich.

Yep.  Sure as ship… I would change my name.

Now Tippi Hedren.  THAT is a cool name.  Or how about Ava Gardner.  Those are TRULY  some names, now.

Okay… you are thinking… this… all coming from someone named Polly Cecile Constance Kronenberger.  Glass house.  Throwing rocks and that sort of thing.

I don’t argue.  My name is like some kind of hodgepodge on a sauerkraut sandwich.  Like succotash at a cheap buffet, or something.

In fact… I am the only Polly Kronenberger in the United States… the last time I checked.    As far as Polly’s go…..there are 35,019 people in the U.S. with the first name Polly.  By ranking, it is the 1,003rd most popular first name.   Or least popular… depending on the glass half full deal.  Mary, Patricia, and Jennifer are the top three.  I know a whole bunch of Mary’s, Patricia’s, and Jennifer’s.  Not so many Polly’s.

And…. there are 615 people in the U.S. with the last name Kronenberger.  Again… a relatively small number.  No pun intended.

But what’s in a name after all…
People are people.

I guess what matter more is what’s in your heart.
As long as your name isn’t …. Newt.

“Up. Up with people… there’s people where ever you go.”   – 1965 song by Paul and Ralph Colwell

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”  –   Ryunosuke Satoro

Casie and Taylor had not seen each other in a long time.  It felt like years, in fact.  They had been the best of friends, but moved away from one other just after Mouse College.

They studied together at the University of Wisconsin…. for obvious reasons.  I mean…. they were mice after all.  And up there… you could smell the dairy air.

But Casie got a job as a Sales Representative for Kraft Foods, and moved away to San Diego.  And Taylor landed a job in the Finance Department for Disney…. all the way down in Orlando.

They would write each other from time to  time.   They found one another on WhiskerBook.  And occasionally… on a “party” night out with other friends… Casie and Taylor would exchange a text message.  Just about this or that.

Friends… no matter the distance. For crying out loud… …. They would share cheese with one another… EVEN if it was a good wheel of Cheddar.

Then.  As chance would have it… they both relocated.  Incredibly… the two mice wound up in Hoboken, NJ.  But neither one knew of the other’s move.

Then one day at the park… by coincidence…. they met once again.  It was like they had never missed a minute in time.  Fast friends.  Comrades. Bosom buddies.  True friends, indeed.  They were together once more … and they were happy…  like a dog with a bone… or a cat with a moussss…… Never mind.  Back to the story.  The best of friends.. sharing their lives… just like in school.   Sitting down, yet again… and cutting the cheese.

They both felt their lives were renewed … like they had experienced mouse to mouse resuscitation.

And.  Tonight.. some friends dropped by.  I picked up a couple of pizzas.  You see… I like Cole Slaw with my Pizza.  It is kind of my latest little kick, these days.   They tried it that way, happily.  That’s how friends are.  Just like that.

“Friends are those who nourish the spirit” – Unknown