Well.  The Big Can Do is a No Can Do.

I don’t have the energy tonight to say a single thing.  So, I decided earlier this evening that I would check my stats for last night’s column.  And, if last night’s “readers” were “below” a certain number…. I would take this night off.

As the horse said to the unicorn… “Just what is the point?”

Or, consider this:  “The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line.”

Today, of all things…… is National “Don’t Waste Time Day.”  Oh…. we need another “day” to celebrate, now don’t we?

The people who make up these days have beat me down.   In light of of that … I succumb to the peer pressure. I shall observe “Don’t Waste Time Day” and offer you the following.

I often collect bits of information.  This seems like the perfect time to share some of those items… since we will NOT waste time.  So.  Here we go.

You can circle the earth 1. 4 times … with the amount of Nutella that is produced in one year.  I am not sure how thin or thick you would have to spread the Nutella for this equation.  That is a mystery to me.

In 1972, a bomb exploded on a plane.  A woman, named Vesna Vulovic,  a flight attendant, was on board that Yugoslav Airlines plane.  Yep.  She dropped 33,000 feet out of the sky and survived.  I am not sure how.  Maybe she landed on the Nutella.  (Incidentally, she was award the Guinness Record Title for the “highest fall without a parachute.”)  I’m sure she was thrilled.

Here is just a funny deal.  In 2005, a guy named Ronald McDonald robbed a Wendy’s.  In New Hampshire.  He broke into the safe at 1:30 in the morning and an alarm went off.  He was apprehended.  What a Bozo.

Since we are talking funny….. here is a scientific fact for you.  Rats laugh when you tickle them.  The guy who figured this out is named Dr. Jaak Panksepp.   He reports that …. “more neuro-scientific experimental work has been done on rat-laughter than of any other species, including humans,” he said.  If those rats figure out we are also poisoning them… I could see some type of lab-rat-rebellion on the horizon.  I can almost hear them laughing.

Finally, continuing on with animals.   Some stray Russian dogs have figured out how to use the subway system in order to travel to more populated areas in search of food.  Now… if only those Russian Dogs lived closer to the equator…. they could have all the Nutella they want.

And it all comes full circle here on “Don’t Waste Time Day”…… because…..  we learned, we learned, we learned.

I have a thing I like to say… when I can remember to say it.  But, all of that in a moment.

Do you have those certain times that bug the heck out of you?

I’ve sort of had that kind of a week.  In just the past 7 days or so… I’ve been accident prone to cuts.  I managed to slice a good bit of the tip of my finger clean off.  The next night, I cut the top of that same hand cleaning the basement.  Tonight, I cut another finger on a food processor blade.

A few days ago, I was schlepping big bags of deer corn out to the trough.  It is getting increasingly harder for me to toss around a 50 lb. bag of feed.  Especially when it is 29 degrees outside, and I am freezing my hiney.  Anyway, I was walking through the mud with a big sack of corn, and twisted my knee.  The older I get… the more susceptible I get to soreness, and the aches.  And the cold.

Tonight I was in the midst of a hot shower, and realized my bath towel, was still hanging on its towel bar… on the other side of the bathroom.  I totally do not like to get out of a hot shower, and walk nakers over to get a towel.  It shivers me timbers.

So.  With all of that said…. my phrase is… “In the greater scheme of things, this truly isn’t any big deal at all.”

And it is the truth.  So I have a few minor cuts.  Sure, it is an annoyance.  But today I passed a guy at the store that did not have either one of his legs.  I count my blessings.

And the twisted knee?  Well, at least I can walk… and carry… and see where to go.  Not only that, but I can afford to buy deer corn.  And the cold?  I have a coat, gloves, hat, and a house… with a furnace… and heat.  I count my blessings.

Boy… that missing towel after my shower?  Again.  Hot clean water. Soap. Shampoo.  And on and on.  I count those blessings again.

In the greater scheme of things,  I am so lucky, fortunate, and blessed.  I just have to remind myself sometimes… when I drop the ball… and forget.

It is also good for me to remember that I can start over… any time I want.  It is simply a matter of seeing the greater scheme of it all.

Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.  —  Earl Nightingale

People change, that is for sure.

In my younger days, I used to be more “social” than I am these days.  Truth be told, I was a bit of a party girl.  I would hear the word “Party” and I would say what time.

As it is… and for a lot of different reasons… my little party girl self is long gone.  Merely a fleeting memory of flipping beer caps like little Frisbee, and eating jars of a jalapeno peppers… just because I could.

These days, I am much more introverted, and I take great satisfaction in finding blessed solitude.  I call it blessed solitude because a lot of times, it is my favorite place to be.  In introspection.

It is in this state of self-examination, soul-searching, and contemplation,  that I think my best ideas.  It is also in this time… that I  think my worst ideas.  Oh the perils of introspection.

A lot of people don’t like to be alone.  But….. solitude isn’t something that should make us uncomfortable or frighten us. On the contrary.   Solitude is something that should truly excite us.  It  should bring joy into our hearts.

It is when we spend time by ourselves….. alone…… that we can find what is  hidden deep down within ourselves.  Hence, the joy.

It is in those times that we spend time along….  and in a place of silence…. that we can discover our inner beauty, or true happiness…  the love in our hearts….. and the light in our souls.

A very smart man named Rumi, once said  “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”   Or, if you prefer the Bible version, you can find it in  Luke 17:21……  “They can’t say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ You see, the kingdom of God is within you.”

This is what spending time alone in silence does to you. It quiets the mind and it awakens the heart.

It is all within us… love and happiness.  If we find the place of appreciation, we also can find abundance and contentment within ourselves.   I think it is good when we can get to know ourselves in this way.   Because when we know ourselves in this way, only then is it possible to know others.  And to appreciate their goodness and love.  And be with one another in all of this.  Alone… Together.

I listen to a lot of music these days.  Mostly Alternative.  But… as I drove around today, I had iTunes Radio playing in my car …. streaming through my iPhone.   And tonight, as I cleaned, I listed to Pandora… piped into our little speaker system.  We have come a long way baby.  And I love it.

But…..little did I know.   Today is a big dang day… in history.
For you, for me…. for everyone from The Talking Heads to Taylor Swift.

On this date, in 1877, Mr. Thomas Alva Edison…. YES…. Edison…. invented the phonograph.

While other inventors had produced devices that could record sounds, Tommy A’s phonograph was the first to be able to REPRODUCE the recorded sound.   AND…..  there in lies the Magic.

His phonograph originally recorded sound onto a tinfoil sheet phonograph cylinder…. and as I mentioned before…. it could also reproduce those sounds.  And just like THAT…. the music industry was born.    The phonograph was later known as the gramophone.  Hence… the Grammy’s.

Alexander Graham Bell made several improvements in the 1880s….. including the use of wax-coated cardboard cylinders.  There was also a little  cutting stylus-deal…. that moved from side to side in a “zig zag” pattern across the record.  It made little grooves… and such.

Of course…. other improvements were made throughout the years.   You know…. like the turntable and its drive system… with the scratchy needle…. and of course, the sound system.

These days … the starlets walk down the red carpet… and accept their awards for their recorded sounds.  We applaud them.  We support them.  Their music makes us feel good.  Or bad.  Or happy, sad, wired, or glad.

Nonetheless…. music is a thing of beauty.  It touches our hearts… right through our ears.  Thankfully, someone figured out how to record it…. and then reproduce it….. for all of us.

So tonight, crank up your favorite tunes.. and do a little swirly dance in your living.  Give a shout out to Alex and Tommy and all the boys & girls …. who got our toes to tappin’ and our fingers snappin’.

We Got the Groove.

This evening, I went to the grocery store.   As I walked in the door, I saw a woman with a tall metal cart.  It was stacked high with white cardboard boxes.  Inside of those boxes were dozens and dozens of donuts.  Glazed ones, pink-iced ones, sprinkled, chocolate, caramel nutty, and so much more.

She was as cute as could be, with her plumpness in stature,  her rosy cheeks, and her joyous disposition as she worked away.  She had come from the bakery… or at least I was assuming so.  Judging from her cart, her hair net, and her apron with smudges of icing across the front.  Anyway, she stacked the boxes of donuts on a wire shelf near the front of the store.  It will be the first thing most people will see tomorrow morning as the enter the grocery.  Day old donuts.  Cheap.  Stacked by Darla.  At least that is what I was calling her in my head.  Darla the Donut Stacker.

It made me smile.

Fifteen minutes later, I was back at home.  On the TV screen in front of me, were images…. horrible images from war-torn Syria.  Small children pointing out snipers in crumbled buildings, and rebels dragging dead bodies through the street.  Gunfire, and injury, and destruction.  Chaos.

It made me cry.

And that is the thing.  On any given day…. we will see thousands of images, and hear just as many sounds.  We are in a constant swirl of sensory stimulus.  In this diverse world of ours…. those images are far and wide.   They could be happy, sad, scary, or fun.  And we are affected as such, if we are aware.

But the truth of it is…. my mind wanders like I am on the open road.  I think it almost has to.

So.  A little later….. I  watched a report on being mindful in life.  Being in the moment, where ever that moment may be.  The featured individual was Jon Kabat-Zinn.  He is an MIT-trained scientist who’s been practicing mindfulness for 47 years.  But if we take this literally, like he suggests….  for instance….. only thinking about eating while you eat, only thinking about walking while you walk, and on.   Well… how do you ever get anything done?

I don’t think it can truly be down to the extreme that he suggests.  It leaves no room for imagination, abstract thought, and the subsequent actualization of those thoughts.    At least… I don’t understand how.

I can be present in some things though.  Like taking notice of Darla the Donut Stacker…. and finding the presence of joy in that that moment.

But once again… this is yet another example of me having more questions about life than I have answers.  Sometimes….  I wish I could understand it all.  And in the next breath….. I am thankful that I don’t.

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ~Albert Einstein

You know…. sometimes it all may be very simple… and sometimes…. not so much.  Often… it is a whole lot of both.

I’ve written this thing a dozen times tonight, and I keep coming back to the same places.  Which are:
1. We don’t always have to be right.
2. We can learn lessons from anyone, anywhere, anytime.

In our place here in the world….. the teachings abound.  We should soak it up. The existence here on earth is so dang vast and expansive.  We just have to be wise enough to figure out what it IS we are supposed to learn.

The real lesson of life is not about knowledge.  And it certainly isn’t about being right.   It is all about experience and understanding.  Again… it can come from anywhere.  The acorn on the ground…. or the squirrel on the fence… who is about to pick it up.

If we live with an open heart and an open mind… we just might be a whole lot happier.   It is a good thing, I propose…. that we allow ourselves to get the most that  we can from every situation that we find ourselves in.

Squirrel nuts, or not.

Part One.

Tonight…. we went out to eat dinner at Orchid’s Restaurant at the Netherland Plaza Hotel, in downtown Cincinnati.  It was spectacular.  As always.  My oldest nephew is the Head Service & Waiter’s Captain.  He is so dang good at it.  Honest to goodness.  And I am not just saying that because I love him dearly…. he really is amazing at what he does.

It is a good thing in life… when you can be remarkable at what you do.

But I digress, a bit.  So.  Dinner at Orchid’s.  The food was completely and ultimately decadent.  Truthfully… it was pretty perfect.  I wasn’t very hungry… and only wanted to consume one course… the main course.  But I ended up eating about six courses… thanks to my nephew.  The abundance and combinations of flavors were spectacular.

I’m digressing again.  My brain is sluggish from all rich food in my belly.

We were joined by our dear, dear friends, Jan & Colleen.  We love those two.   We had a whole boatload of fun…. despite the woman at the bar… who’s cackle resonated throughout the restaurant.  Like fingernails on a chalkboard.   But.  Truly, I can’t imagine a nicer evening.  Well… unless Ms. Cackler hadn’t been there.

But the reason for our outing was the best thing.  We went out tonight…. to celebrate December 12th.  For on that day…  my Mary was born.  By far….. It is my favorite day of the year… for that very reason.   I am so thankful to have her in my life… my partner and my best friend.  I am blessed because of her.  My life is better because of her.

So.  Happy Birthday Mary.  You bring an abundance of flavor to my life… and I am grateful.

Part Two.

Uh-Oh.  As mentioned…. we love our friends… our Jan & Colleen.  We do.  But they are Bengal’s Fans.  They have a Bengal’s Flag.
… And now.. Stanley our Steelers Bear has their Flag.

Like I said… it was a perfect night.

P.S..  If you EVER want to see your flag again… all in one piece… send the bear those little Honey Granola Bars from Orchids.  Or else.

One of my favorite things to do, is to start the day with Mary.  We have our coffee, and sit in front of the big window that overlooks the meadow.  We talk about a lot of different things,…. the day ahead… the yesterday behind.  But all the while we watch the wildlife.

The birds, the birds, the birds.   The deer, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, and whatever else may saunter through while we are enjoying our daily dose of Java.

It really is quite a nice way to start the morning.

Today, the birds were in full form.  Flocks of Goldfinches, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, Doves, Titmice, Sparrows, Wrens, House Finches, Blue Jays, Cardinals… and a few sordid others.

And in the height of the feeding frenzy today… a hawk swooped down… dove into the bushes… and came out with a small bird in its clutches.  It all happen in a flash.

The unlucky bird was a European Sparrow.

How could I tell, you ask?  Well…. as the Hawk was flying away…. I could hear a little, muffled… “VIVA LA FRANCE” coming from the region of its talons.

Thankfully, European Sparrows are nuisance birds… so the Hawk sort of did us a favor.  But it upset me… none-the-less.

When we created this bird feeding area, we didn’t have an “All-You-Can-Eat-Smorgasbord” for Hawks in mind.  That was not our intention… not one bit.

But.  Nature is just that.   Ever-Adapting and Uncontrollable Nature.

And.  As with most of life… we have little control over what happens.  Not ultimately.  Sometimes our best intentions turn upside down in the day-to-day scheme of things.   That is just the way of the world.

It doesn’t make it any less upsetting though.  When things don’t go our way.  I guess the best we can do… is accept the process and the outcome.  And if we want different results…. we try different things.  And try, try, again.

The control may not be ours.  But the ability to adapt…. IS.

 Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.  — Stephen Hawking

 As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser.  — Wendy Carlos