Just in case you missed it...

   Just in case you missed it, July 2nd was a pretty important day. The date represents the mid point of the year, halfway, meaning there were 182 days before July 2 and there are 182 days remaining in the year after July 2. ( the exception being a 'leap year' of course.) To be more precise, the exact time of the mid point is 12:00 noon, or 1:00 pm for those areas of the world that are on daylight savings time.

   The mid point of anything can be viewed with different meanings and interpretations.

   For example, if you are having a good year, you hope the remaining 182 days continue in the same way. But if you are having a bad year, you hope that day 183 becomes a turning point for you and the remainder of the year is a bit more positive.

   July 2nd is the date for some memorable historical events too. I am sure we all remember the coronation of Emperor Valentinian in the year 437 when he assumed reign of the Western Roman Empire, taking over from his mother. 

   Interesting though. Although he was now the Emperor, his mother still called the shots! Some things never change.

   Perhaps you remember 1698, the year and date that Thomas Savery patented the steam engine. No kidding here. This invention really did change the world and the future.

   July 2, 1776...the date the Continental Congress severed ties with Great Britain, although the Declaration of Independence was not officially announced until July 4^th.

   In 1921, on July 2nd, President Harding signed the Knox-Porter Resolution, formally bringing World War I to an end. Unfortunately it would not be the last conflict involving the United States and others seeking power and control around the world.

   It all began, for Wal-Mart, in 1962, when they opened the doors for the first time in Rogers, Arkansas. And the rest is, as they say... history.

   July 2nd also appears to have been a very popular birth date. But to be honest, there are names on the list of people I have never even heard of, perhaps the one exception being Lindsay Lohan. We all remember Lindsay, right!

   The date also has its share of deaths too, some of the more notable names being Henry the Fowler (943), Earnest Hemingway (1961), Betty Grable (1973), and who can forget Fred Gwynne (1993) of the Munsters' fame.

   It's interesting there are no holidays or significant observances on July 2,nd unless you want to consider World UFO Day. But then ask anyone in the 'know' and they will quickly inform you there are no such things as UFOs, so... there is no real need for UFO day. I mean, when was the last time you saw a little green man (or woman) walking the streets of New York City.

   In case you are having difficulty with the concept of the mid point of the year in terms of days, here is another way of looking at it. As of noon of July 2nd, 4380 hours have past in year 2015 with 4380 yet to go. That means there have been 26,280 minutes to date, many of which I have probably wasted and another 26,280 to go. I wonder how many of those minutes I will waste too? And no, I am not going to break that time down into seconds. Now that would be a real waste of time!

   In our daily discussions with others, we use the expressions of mid point and halfway quite often. “How far into the book are you.?” “ Oh, half way.” How far along into the television show or movie?” “About halfway.” “I am thinking about coming to see the game. Do I still have time?” “The game is at mid point, just beginning the second half.”

   But I wonder what would happen if we knew when we were at the mid point of our life, the middle, half way? Would we make any changes?

   The challenge is that, for the most part, we really don't know when we have reached the middle. We have some ideas, we know when we have less time than more time, but the middle, I am not so sure. And how important is it to know when or where the exact middle actually is anyhow?

   July 2nd of any year may be a good day to sit down with a cool glass of ice tea, a few cookies and take a look back over the first 182 days, do a mid point evaluation. What went well? Are there things that need to change? What can I do to make the remainder of the year as good or better than the first half. 

   In fact, midday of any day could give you a similar opportunity. Is this going to turn out to be a good day or a bad day and if a bad one, what can I do to make it better. The truth may be that perhaps there may be nothing, but at least you're thinking about it.

   We don't really know how long we will live. Maybe, we need to treat each day as if we were halfway and make the future as good if not better than the past.

   And about that 'mid life' thing? Was that really the time I wanted to trade in the minivan for the red Corvette convertible?

                                      

On starting each day anew

   You know it's going to be a bad day when...
   You know it's going to be a bad day when you go to the kitchen in the early morning and find that you are out of coffee or you go out to start the car and you discover that you have a flat tire. And the spare tire.? Well... the spare is on the left rear wheel from the last flat tire while that's still at the local gas station being repaired.
   Or maybe worse,  there is a big puddle of oil on the garage floor. Is that from my car?
   You know it's going to be a bad day when  the tie you want to wear still has spaghetti sauce from the retirement party dinner held for your boss, two months ago. 
   You know that it may not be a good day because the shoes you had planned on wearing are now part of the toys in the dog's toy box. At least he has good taste. They were a pair of the ever popular Bass Weejans. 
   But is it the little things that determine whether it's a good day or bad one?
   After a seemingly good night's sleep, you hope that the new day will be free from worry and those little mishaps, those things that happen through no one's fault, that slow us down or distract us from the tasks at hand. (OK. you can blame the dog for the shoes, but if you had put them away where they belong....)
   Many of us live, or have lived hectic and busy lives, raising a family, working, sometimes feeling like that little mouse on the treadmill in that tiny wire cage.
   Even in a state of 'quasi-retirement', each day can still be very busy, fixing things, repairing things,  doing those little odd jobs around the house that didn't get done over the past some forty years or more and if something happens to disrupt the plans for the day like a bright warm sunny afternoon...oh well, there is always tomorrow. 
     Sure. There are some days that I wish I could do over, that didn't go the way I had hoped or planned, either the result of poor planning or maybe no plan at all, or because  some unexpected event  took me off track. Or was it just a day when you say to yourself..."I should have stayed of bed". 
   Not every day starts out as a bad one or a good one for that matter. But for those days that appear to get off to a bad start  by the end of the day there may have some things that happen to help  put a new perspective on things, on life. 
   Perhaps you meet a friend you haven't seen in years and you realize the two of you look exactly the same as you did 20 years ago, well almost. Or while looking for your favorite hammer in your tool chest you find something  you thought you had lost, which you did, but then, all of a sudden, you remember the 'safe' place you put it so that you wouldn't lose it, right next to your favorite hammer. Right!  :)
   But on this particular morning I was waiting patiently for the rain to stop so  I  could finish cutting the lawn I poured myself a cup of coffee and picked up a book from the pile in the corner of the room,  Hmm... Ralph Waldo Emerson. I wonder what he might have to say?
             “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson
   OK Ralph, I get it!

A disclaimer......
   My intent had been to write about some of the funny excuses people will offer because they are having a bad day, you, a bit of humor. But earlier this week, the country was focused on the terrible event in Charleston SC and as I worked around the yard I spent some time wondering how someone could get to that "state of mind" to do such a horrific act and wondered why events like this are happening on a more regular basis. Life didn't seems quite so funny just then...
My point, this week's blog didn't end up the way I had planned.

Why did the chicken.....

   Without a doubt, for those of you reading this, most will be able to finish the sentence. It is one of the age old questions that continues to haunt mankind. Well, maybe not haunt, but, at least over the years, a question that has developed a life of its own. But why?

   The question may be very simple...why does a person or animal cross the road? What is it about the other side of the street that causes one to step off the curb and possibly venture into new territory?

   Now for the animal world it may be a very easy question to answer.

   This morning, for example, on my way to the auction, squirrels darted from property to property, from tree to tree and in all cases they are able to avoid getting hit by a car or truck, except if the driver, coming in the opposite direction toward me, decided that he wanted to hit it and swerved into my lane in an attempt to flatten the little fellow against the pavement, a squirrel pancake. With his focus only on the squirrel, it was a quick maneuver on my part that avoided an accident.

   Just out of town, there was a muskrat-like critter that had gotten himself stuck in the middle of a bridge and it was funny to watch as he raced to find a path across the bridge to safety. I can only imagine how his little heart must have been pounding.

   With late Spring and early Summer finally here, the nights are busy with all kinds of wildlife moving about, skunks being no exception and within about a mile of each other two skunks had failed to navigate beneath the wheels of a vehicle and had met with a sudden and I assume painful death, albeit a rather smelly one, as the scent still hung low in the early morning air. 

   And in case you weren't sure, or had forgotten, skunks don't move very fast, in fact, I think they waddle, so the likelihood of crossing  in front of a fast moving car with success is doubtful and as a driver you can only hope that you saw the skunk with time to avoid contact. Have you ever hit a skunk and then parked your car in your garage?

   Near the river, going to the auction and then later coming home, I passed two turtles as they slowly made their way across the road to get to the other side. 

   In some places turtles are a protected species and often there are even warning sign about Turtles Crossing. Sometimes people will even stop, pick them up and move them out of the busy traffic. The challenge for the turtles is to get safely to their nesting place. The challenge for the human is to not interfere with Mother Nature's  processes.

   Earlier in the week we decided to take a quick trip to Bangor and hopped on Rt 95. Rt 95 is a four lane highway with newly posted speed limit signs of 70 MPH. (Yes. We do have four lane highways in Maine.) About 4 miles from home, appearing to be stranded in the middle of the busy highway, was a turtle, still alive, but... for how long? With cars speeding by in both lanes it was impossible for anyone to stop or even slowdown. If he were fortunate enough to get safely from one side of the highway to the other, he (it was probably a 'she' looking for a nesting area) was one very lucky turtle.

   Crossing streets and busy highway this time of year can be very dangerous and challenging as the amount of roadkill will attest. So, here is a potential word of warning to those who may venture out to cross the road to get to the other side.

   Currently the legislature is in session in Augusta and according to the news reports there is a lot of bickering and fighting taking place this year between the Democrats, Republicans and let's not forget the Governor. Those elected to serve and represent us, yes even the wildlife,  race back and forth between home and the State Capitol almost daily, their minds possibly on things other than their driving.

    My suggestion...Fair warning! Whether you are a turtle, a squirrel, a chicken, a duck,  a skunk, or even a Democrat, Independent, or a Republican, you may want to look both ways (twice) before stepping off the curb and venturing across the busy road or highway in order to “get to the other side.”
   After I had posted this, a friend commented that I had not mentioned the 'turkey',  wild fowl often seen in large numbers in the area. (It's interesting how turkeys, like thinking birds, will hang out together.) I know they are constantly crossing roads and highways, I just haven't seen any here for a while. Perhaps they are all meeting in another part of the state for a while......

                                      

Sometimes all you need is just a quiet place to sit...

   Compared to other places along the East Coast, the sun comes up pretty early in the morning in Maine and the closer one lives to Downeast, the earlier it seems. But the early sunrise also means an early sunset. Either way, there is an opportunity to view some of nature's artful handiwork, with its blend of light, colors and sometimes even sounds. How and where it is enjoyed can be equally as Maine-like.

   Although still an hour or so before sunset, a walk to the top of the local ski slope gives a 365 degree view of the surrounding area and even during the short visit, the area changes in appearance as the sky begins to darken, first with the  colors, then with the long shadows cast across the river valley as the sun sets behind the surrounding mountains and evening settles in.

   The early morning can also offer a different view of nature's work. Lucky and I are often on our early morning walk (waving at passing cars, remember) as the sun peeks over the horizon, lighting up the sky with a rainbow of colors and accented with rays of light poking between the trees. And just in case you need a reminder, while this is not a city and we do not have many tall buildings, we do have trees, lots of them and some of them get  pretty tall too.

   But there are other ways to enjoy sunrises and sunsets and not ever leave the comforts of the house. It's called having a porch and with some comfortable chairs, wicker perhaps, it  can be just the right place to sit and read, watch the sun come up in the morning or drop below the horizon at night. It can serve as a place to enjoy the peace and quiet of the surroundings, with the exception of the occasional chorus from the frogs and tree toads at night or the early morning songs from the birds.

   Like most other things, the porch has a history and development of its own and while one may think the porch is a uniquely American invention, it's history dates back to the medieval time in Europe.

   Porches became very popular in the United States, especially in the Southern states, just prior to the Civil War. They were an important part of many Southern homes, most commonly built on the front of the house, as a place for people to get away from the heat of the daytime sun or a place to cool off in the evening. Often being located near or surrounding the front door, they also served as a place to welcome guests and weary travelers.

   Porches became a bit more popular in the Northeast after the war when returning soldiers, having enjoyed the pleasures of the porches in the South, began adding them as additions to their homes. But their popularity never seemed to catch on due in large part to the styles of the New England houses, not being conducive to the architectural features of a porch, and the short season to enjoy the outside. Who likes sitting on a porch in the middle of a snowstorm?

   Now, what is interesting is that our house looks like a home that belongs in the South on a plantation somewhere, white, two story with lots of windows and four large columns across the front supporting the roof over... a porch. It's a very southern style look and some in town refer to it has the 'house from the South'.

   On the back of the home is an additional “sun room” similar to a porch, with windows so it can be used in the winter months and screens for the warmer weather. The view from the sun room looks out over the pond and woods of the back yard. And, the sun room faces to the east, a place to catch the early morning sunrise with that first cup of coffee.

   The front porch faces West, a place to in the rocking chair and view the evening sunsets, if Lucky and I haven't climbed to the peak of the local ski slope.

   Now I know that every day does not necessarily begin with a beautiful sunrise or end with a picturesque sunset. It's just like life. But regardless of the time of day, having a place to enjoy a few quiet moments, even with the frogs, during what sometimes turns out to be a very busy day, can be peaceful.

   Oh, by the way, even in the middle of a rain storm it can be comforting and peaceful to sit and watch the lightening dance across the sky and listen to the thunder roll. It can still be a quiet place to sit and......             
                                         

 

                                         Crab apple tree in full bloom in the evening sunset.

The early morning wave.....

   Through rain or snow, sleet or hail. No, this is not going to be about the postal service, although there are several things that would make for an interesting column or two regarding the postal service and its ability to get packages to different locations around the country in a timely fashion. Those might be a topics for another week.

   The rain or snow and most of the time sun I am speaking about takes place on my early morning walk with Lucky. I am usually up by six each morning and after a quick cup of coffee, Lucky and I take our first of several walks of the day. It's not a long walk, just long enough for him to stake out his territory on either side of the road for the other dogs in the neighborhood who will take the similar walk. But today, this is not about Lucky, but about the early morning wave.

   I live in a small rural town in central Maine, a residential community. Many who live here work in nearby towns. Homes in the neighborhood are well maintained and lawns are neatly mowed. It is a nice, generally quiet neighborhood and at this early hour of the day, one might expect not a great deal of traffic traveling through the “hood”.  But...to the contrary. And not only are there cars, there are joggers, bikers and on the weekends, a number of early morning walkers.

   Lucky just turned 5 years old, so the morning walk has become pretty much a daily routine for the past few years now and through the snow and freezing rains of winter or the spring and summer showers there are very few days that we  are not out on the road as the sun comes up.

   The bikers and joggers, most wearing headphones or ear buds keep a steady pace as they pass. Some nod, other manage a subtle wave, some even say “good morning.” Over time, Lucky has come to recognize some of them and he ignores them now and continues to set the pace for our morning walk.

   Even the cars that travel through the neighborhood have become familiar to both Lucky and me. I think he recognizes the sounds and maybe the colors. Perhaps he can tell the difference between a Ford or a Subaru, but I doubt it. For me, however, I recognize folks behind the wheel by their morning wave or lack of one.

   Actually, it can be quite entertaining to watch people as they turn the corner. There are those who keep their eyes focused on the road, staring straight ahead, ignoring us as we patiently wait for them to pass. There are others on their cell phones, talking up a storm. 
   Others will acknowledge us with a slight signal of the index finger, either left or right hand. Some call this the Maine wave I think. (Perhaps the Maine legislature can pass a bill naming the finger wave as the 'official state wave'.)

    There are others who often give a thumbs up, perhaps a commentary on my fleece pajama bottoms with the Red Sox logo. No, I am not going to shower and dress at this hour to take Lucky for a walk.. Besides, if they can be worn while shopping in at the local grocery store.....now there's a sight  :)

   Then there are those who wave each and every time I see them, whether it be first thing in the morning or later in the day as they may be on their way home. And to be honest, these are the folks who I look forward to seeing each day. It means that maybe, just maybe, all is right with the world, at least for today.
   As silly as it sounds, that early morning wave can set the tone for the entire day, for me and maybe for them, no matter if it's sunny and warm or there is a fresh three inches of snow on the roadway. (Now, I am sure it may be the Red Sox fleece pajama bottoms that sets the tone for some folks for the day. I mean, come on. But at least I don't wear them in public, like at Walmart.)

   One of the things I have noticed recently is an increase in the traffic in the early morning hours. Birchwood Terrace can be a short cut for many for getting from one side of town to the other and with all the pending and current road construction work, people may be looking for an easy way to get around the congestion. This particular morning seemed to be extra busy with new cars and trucks. Even Lucky noticed. He didn't like that black pickup truck at all! 

   So, to the new travelers through the neighborhood at six in the morning, welcome. Keep it under 30 mph and by all means, don't forget to wave.

                                            

                                               

Old wives tales, truth or fiction....

   It was a bright sunny day, late in the month of May. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the north, a warning of  an impending cold night and potential late Spring frost. 

   We walked the streets of the Old Port in Portland, Maine, and even though it was a Friday, there seemed to be a number of tourists. You can always spot the tourist. They all are looking up at the sky, hoping to see a sea gull and are wearing brand new LL Bean sweatshirts (no, the sea gulls are not wearing the new sweatshirts). 

   I am sure they  just wanted to get an early start on the long weekend, part of Maine's financial growth plan to improve our economy. We really do like the people from away to come spend their money here, even if it does make for congested streets and highways.

   After a few hours of  shopping, (Lucky and I window shopped) it was time to return to the house  to enjoy a glass or two of wine before the family barbecue. A glass of wine, some cheese and crackers and an interesting discussion, what more could a body want? 

   Somehow the discussion focused on old wives tales and how true they may have been. Were they truth or some form of urban legend? I mean, how many times did your mother warn you about something like... “stepping on a crack will break your mother's back”. Was she really that worried about her back being broken?

   I can remember my grandmother looking out the window and if the leaves on the trees were turned up, she made sure she took an umbrella with her if she was going out of the house to the hair dresser. In her mind, without a doubt, it was going to rain!

   There are old wives tales about all kinds of topics. Here are just a few of my favorites.

   “If the nose itches, company is coming. If the thumb itches, it will be unwelcome company. If your left hand itches, money is coming your way. If your ears are ringing, someone is talking about you. The right ear means they are saying good things. The left ear means they are criticizing you.” No wonder there were times that it is really noisy in my head!

   “Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning, Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” But what's it mean if there is a red sky at noon time? Oh...lunch time.

   “An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples are good!

   Cat's have always held a special place in wives tale and folklore. For example...

   “If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.”
   “Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.”
   “A cat on board a ship is considered to bring luck.” OK. Who takes a cat on a boat?

   I have spent years on my hands and knees looking for that 'lucky four leaf clover'. Perhaps I would have better spent my time buying lottery tickets. The result would probably have been the same.

   This is one I had not heard before, but maybe does explain a thing or two.

   “To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.”And my disappointment, not having any hair to comb anymore!!

   I will often heat up a bit of milk on a cold winter night to make some hot chocolate. I can still remember my grandmother warning me to not let the milk boil over. It's bad luck.

Really Gram?

   This is one I am not too sure about either.

   “You sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.”

Truth is I can sleep regardless of which direction my head is pointing, whether it be north, south, east or west. As long as my eyes are closed....

   Stars also seem to be a common topic for wives tales and folklore. What child has not been told that... “all wishes on shooting stars come true.” Well, I'm, still waiting! 

   Or, “star light, star bright. first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight.”

   Unfortunately, it didn't work for me last night. Maybe for a wish to come true it needs to be both the first star and a shooting star. And the chances of that happening?

    It was time for another glass of wine and that was a 'wish' I could make come true. My hope was that when I got back from pouring myself another glass the discussion would have changed... and it did. But now everyone was talking about 'deflated balls' and Tom Brady. Hmm. I wonder if Tom has any old wives tales he would like to share? 

It's not always easy to come up with 500 words...

   Panic. Disappointment. There has got to be something out there to write about, but I just couldn't come up with anything. For the last consecutive 166 weeks I have always had something to say. Include the 2 ½ years of writing for the newspaper before that and it has been many weeks when I have managed to write about something.

   Admittedly, some has been good and others, well, not so good. But I always had something to say. But this past week, for last Sunday's usual post, I had really disappointed myself. After 166 weeks...nothing!

   Some of the time I get my ideas and 'inspiration' from the news, whether it be world, state of local. But it was a terrible week in the news. The devastating earthquakes in Nepal, the train crash in Philadelphia, a “shoot-out' of biker gangs in Texas, a Governor threatening to campaign against those 'we elect' to represent us if they don't pass his version of a new taxation plan.

   No question about it. The news has been terrible and maybe really affected the way I saw the world last week. I'll admit it. Perhaps I need to turn off the television or turn down the radio for a few days. Even the Red Sox have had a terrible road trip on the West Coast.

   But then, while riding in the car, there was a very heart warming story on MPR about a small town coming together to help a family struggling with the serious illness of their young son and the financial toll it was taking on the family. And the purpose of the story, to show there are people in small towns across the country who still care, who still help.

   I don't always get my ideas from the news reporting. I could have written about the scene in the parking lot at the local food store, where a teenage boy, and I assume his mother, were engaged in a loud, verbal and quickly moving toward a physical confrontation argument, loud enough that it attracted a great deal of attention from those walking to and from the store to their cars. Someone must have called the police, for just at that moment a police car came around the corner. As the office got out of his car, the mother got into her vehicle and drove away, leaving the boy standing in the parking lot. (My suspicion is that the police may already know the family.)

   One of my favorite spots for inspiration comes from the local auction. Each Sunday from March until December several hundred people from near and far gather to talk, spend money, brag about their latest rare find and to share in the joy of one of Robin's famous egg, cheese and ham breakfast sandwiches. But this week, with the exception of the sandwich, there was little, if any inspiration. In fact, folks seemed to be a bit testy. But that may have been only me. All these new people, where are they coming from? Someone needs to teach them how to 'bid'.

     On the corner of my desk sits a wooden block, the size a child might use to build a fort or castle, a gift from my daughter. This block has pictures and author's names and partial titles of many of the classic, squeezed on to the 6 sides of the two inch block. Yes...it's a writer's block! And despite how firmly I held it in my hand, there was no inspiration from Steinbeck or any others.

   I really felt as though I had let myself down this week, and my readers too. I had set a goal, but.....something went wrong this week.

    I had two choices. I could sit around all day and fret, frustrating myself even more or...I could get outside in the fresh air, under a bright blue sky, and work in the garden, pulling the few remaining weed of last year and begin planting this year's crop of brightly colored annuals. I opted for choice number two. And besides, the Red Sox game wouldn't be on until later in the day. Let's see. 4 pm West Coast time is....wow...really late here!    :)