Happy New Year

Two things happen to the man who forgets God and leaves him out of the situation. He becomes utterly and completely disorganized. He loses the power to face life and to cope with it. In the time of trial, life is unlivable without God. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 274)

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I maintained my daily reading schedule throughout the month of December. This morning I read the last page in twenty books I was reading at the end of the year. In all I read, at least, forty-one books. There were others that I checked out of the library and just scanned. I created a list of the books I read using the CSVed program I downloaded. This morning I signed on to WeRead and changed the status to "Read It" on all of the books I had marked before as "Reading." Later today or tomorrow I plan to return to WeRead to post the books I plan to read in 2010.

Nebraska University dominated and won the Holiday Bowl against Arizona in San Diego last night. I didn't watch until the end because the score was so lopsided.

This year I have enjoyed:

• helping with the Bowie Seniors Computer Club website
• making lots of Facebook friends
• blogging and reading the blogs of others
• learning how to use the Ancestral Author program
• posting my personal bookmarks to Delicious

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the fun!

Mr. Dickie

Truth

When you are living the truth, you offer others hope. When you are living the truth, you cause other people to realize the truth about themselves. When people see the glory, the grace, the peace of your life, they are inspired. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 6 December)

Only misconceptions need to be supported by elaborate arguments. Truth can always stand alone. (Anonymous, in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 15 December)

To face the truth may confront a man with a sore and difficult situation; but to refuse to face it confronts him with a tangle out of which there is no escape. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 244)

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Yesterday we experienced winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. Trees fell on cars in some areas of Washington, DC. The house creaked and groan for many hours. There was a noise coming from the back of the house. When I investigated I discovered that three of the storm windows were not in the right position. I wonder why I didn't check them the day I turned off the water to the outside faucets. Shouldn't that be part of getting ready for winter? Melva suggested we go out for a while in the afternoon. Since there was no pressing reason to be outside I declined the invitation. I didn't want to run down the street chasing my hat.

I brought twenty books upstairs. I'm getting ready to start my 2010 reading program on New Year's Day. I'm having trouble deciding which books I want to read. There are too many candidates in the stacks of books I set aside in the basement. I also always select several books from the current year to read again. I'm thinking about that now. I'm certain I'll want to read "Until Today!" by Iyanla Vanzant again. I have been reading that book over and over now for several years.

Mr. Dickie

History of New Year's Resolutions on 43 Things

History of New Year's Resolutions on 43 Things

Need some help with your New Year's Resolutions? You might enjoy visiting this site.

The End Is In Sight

... allowing others the right to be wrong reaps its own benefits. (Daily Reflections, 21 December)

It is well that there is no one without a fault, for he would not have a friend in the world. (William Hazlitt in One More Day by Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 16 December)

There is a soul force in the universe, which if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results. (Mahatma Gandhi in Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant, 2 December)

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As a result of the Christmas greeting exchange I made another Facebook friend. This year the number of cards received is way down. That's all right, because the number of Christmas Emails is up. I really like the Email greetings because we get more news, along with updated addresses and phone numbers.

I'm on schedule to finish my year-long reading efforts on Thursday. I've set aside two stacks of books as candidates for my 2010 daily reading.

I think I have finished adding names to all of the Notes in my Boughner genealogy GEDCOM file. This project took more time than I thought. I've run some tests while doing the updates. I can make two genealogies from this file. The Daniel and Catherine Boughner family is the larger report, about 300 pages. The report for the family of Adam Henthorn and Nancy Hood is about 260 pages. If things go as planned I'll announce that these reports are ready in early January.

Mr. Dickie

TSA: Dumb as Ever | The Agitator

TSA: Dumb as Ever | The Agitator

I thought about writing something like this to post to my blog. This piece says it better than I could have said it.

At least the government provides us with some neck muscle exercise as we shake our heads from side to side.

This reminds me of what happened years ago at The Library of Congress. The policy was to let outside researchers work in areas with little or no surveillance by staff members. Books and artwork from books kept disappearing. Finally to stop the theft, management decided to no longer allow members of the staff access to the stacks. As far as I can remember no case of theft was ever brought against a member of the library staff.

Mr. Dickie

This Bugs Me

Lately I've notice more and more often the first page of websites I visit run a video script, assuming that I want to view the video without asking me. This bugs me! It seems like bad netiquette. Shouldn't we have the option of deciding whether we want to sit and wait for something to load?

Some Things You Change

"Marse, some things you change, and some things you manage." (Kathy, friend of Marci Alborghetti in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 18 December)

Coming Up For Air

Do something unusual, something different, something special. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 17 November)

My hobbies are creative activities that improve my physical and mental well-being. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word for Healing, p. 277)

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I took a Christmas blogging break yesterday. Thanks to everyone who sent Christmas cards, letters and Emails. We especially enjoyed the photographs. I put the photos up on the kitchen wall.

Cyndi came to spend Christmas with us. She arrived on Thursday night and left this morning right after her mother left for work.

Last night I found the Hardesty book I was looking for in the basement. I think there are several biographical articles in the book that can be included in the Buskirk and Foggin GEDCOM I'm working on. I wonder how I missed this information in the past. I haven't mastered editting of the family and marriage data in a GEDCOM. I suppose I could figure it out if I read the GEDCOM specification. I added a Fedorchak article about the Buskirk family to the supplemental section of the genealogy I'm working on.

Cyndi ordered The Del McCoury Band album - Family Circle to give me for Christmas. At the beginning of November I bought myself, Mountain Soul II by Patty Loveless. I got lucky and found it on sale for $10.00. This morning I'm listening to Karen Akers - In a Very Unusual Way, that I bought used on December 17th for $1.41. We weren't able to listen to all of the Christmas music we have on CDs and tapes.

I noticed that one of my genealogy friends from AOL is a Facebook friend of another AOL genealogy buddy. Yesterday I sent a friend request and before long I received a favorable response. I got a big kick out of how Facebook helped me find this friend by showing me the friends of a friend. In the last month I noticed several relatives in this way.

Mr. Dickie

Issues

... we can be in emotional contact but don't have to react to someone else's issues. (Touchstones, 13 December)

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming,
The goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in an old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny,
A half-penny will do,
If you haven't got a half-penny,
God bless you!
(Christmas poem remembered by Mr. Dickie since his childhood.)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
2009

Today, I will let my friends know just how important they are to me. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 16 December)

Clear thinking means we don't allow ourselves to become immersed in negativity or unrealistic expectations. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 14 December)

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:16 (RSV), Daily Guideposts - 2006, 13 December)

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To everyone who reads Mr. Dickie's Blog either on Google or Facebook we hope the year 2009 has been good to you, that you, your family and friends have had good health and good jobs. To those with health issues we pray that the new year will bring better days.

We appreciate the efforts our friends and family make to stay in touch via letters, telephone calls, Email, blogs, and Facebook. It was great to see more photos this year than ever before.

In spite of another computer disaster when my laptop stopped working I have managed to stay connected to the Internet. This was my year to finally get a high-speed Internet connection from Verizon FIOS. Phone callers to our house like this because after many years the phone line is open.

In October 2008 AOL dropped free website support. This created another mess. The genealogy website I'd maintained on AOL was no longer available. During the year I have been slowly posting some of the information again. Some is on my two Google genealogy blogs and some is on my private Google "group" and "site." If you are interested is seeing the private genealogy information contact me for further instructions. Some documents I made available for the first time.

I've been busy posting to the Internet all year long. I've enjoyed taking an active part in posting to the social networking site, Facebook. On Facebook we kept in touch with relatives in Panama and made friends with several members of the younger generation of our family in this country. As of December 22nd I'd posted over 280 bookmarks to the social bookmarking application Delicious. I posted 208 times to my genealogy "News" blog; 347 times to my Arrow Prayers blog, 124 times to the genealogy "Obits" blog, and 370 times to "Mr. Dickie's" blog. That's approximately 1,330 posts for the year.

It is my hope that if you took the time to find and read anything I posted that you found something interesting, useful or thought provoking from time to time.

Let's stay in touch in 2010.
Mr. Dickie

Phone Calls

We suffer from the past, and we spoil our future because we neglect the present. (Anonymous, A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 17 November)

Every person should make a small effort, even the smallest effort, to improve the general well-being of humanity. (Anonymous, A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 18 December)

... honor people and their process even when it looks dysfunctional by your standards. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 16 December)

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We are still waiting for the snowplow to return. We think they only came once. In a way that's a good thing because we haven't had to clear the end of the driveway over and over.

Yesterday I enjoyed phone conversations with former co-worker, Noel, and high school friend, Thad. Both Thad and I can take advantage of unlimited long distance calling.

Mr. Dickie

Can You Dig It

Speculating on other people's attitudes and motives is a waste of time and effort. To search out the reasons for my own is a voyage of discovery. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 3 December)

Be aware of the things you do that diminish and distort your sense of wholeness, worthiness and your ability to make your own choices and decisions. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 7 December)

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The county didn't do a very good job clearing the roads. The snowplow that came into our development got stuck at the bottom of the hill. Out on the highway much of the snow was still covering one or two lanes as of late afternoon. I should have asked Joaquin to clear away the snow directly across from the driveway. What do I know! School is closed today, as it should be.

My joke of the day, "Don't bother to send us that Christmas card with the beautiful snow scene. We already know what it looks like."

Mr. Dickie

Digging Out

Death, when it approaches, ought not to take one by surprise. It should be part of the full expectancy of life. (Muriel Sparks in The Promise of a New Day, 20 November)

What is important in knowledge is not quantity, but quality. It is important to know what knowledge is significant, what is less so, and what is trivial. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 14 November)

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The snow storm left a significant amount of snow on the ground. The snowflakes always seemed to be small and the wind was never too high. They predicted a record amount of snowfall and they were correct. At our house there was at least two feet of snow on the top of the minivan when we woke up this morning. Melva hired Joaquin to clear most of the snow from the driveway and the parking apron. Melva and I cleared the snow out of the outside basement stairwell and off the cars. Melva wasn't able to go to work today. When we attempted to go to the bank, about 2:00 p.m., I backed into a snow drift in the street at the end of the driveway and promptly got stuck. Neighbors came to help me dig the snow away from the wheels and from in back of the minivan. We put a mat under the right front wheel and the cardboard from a box of Cheerios under the left front wheel. Then I was able to back into Jim's driveway where all four wheels were on pavement. That did the trick.

Mr. Dickie

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

To hoard information is pointless. It is a manifestation of deep-rooted insecurity, and a need to feel superior by withholding, but knowledge is empowering only when shared. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 332) [Perhaps this is something that folks doing genealogy should contemplate. REH]

Passing through denial is the first step toward acceptance. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 2 November)

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Last night it started to snow. This time the storm is coming from the south. This is somewhat unusual. Predictions are for a record breaking amount of snow. If they come true Washington, DC will most certainly be shutdown for a few days. Once again we are reminded, "We are not in Charge." Maybe Christmas will have to be postponed.

Mr. Dickie

Who Else Will Do It?

Do not neglect the opinion of your enemies. (Anonymous, A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 29 November)

Many of us use the excuse of not being able to do something perfectly to enable us to do nothing at all. (Look To This Day, Alan L. Roeck, 23 November)

I'm taking risks, facing fears, making changes, speaking up, and making myself available to life. (Courage to Change, 21 November)

Holiday Season

In the holidays ahead, I will continue to do the things that have been special . I will abandon any pattern that gives me no joy. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 17 December)

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Today Melva and I are going to attend the Christmas luncheon of the Bowie Seniors Computer Club in Laurel.

There was an interesting story on page one of The Washington Post this morning about how a young woman used Facebook to locate two people who found her on a doorstep as an abandoned baby many years ago.

Mr. Dickie

I Read Two Books

Act the way you want to be and soon you will be the way you act. (Dr. Johnnie Coleman in Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant, 7 December)

Take time each day to quiet your mind and reflect on the here and now. (Susan Smith-Jones, Choose to Live Each Day Fully, Day 311)

When you decide for someone what they can or cannot do, what they should or shouldn't do, what they need or do not need, you are standing between them and God. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 7 November)

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I finished reading two books yesterday. This morning I added them to my little file of books read in 2009. I own one of the books and I borrowed the other one from the library. For many years I have been interested in exploring ways to simplify Christmas. The book, "Simply Your Christmas - 100 Ways to Reduce the Stress and Recapture the Joy of the Holidays," by Elaine St. James offers one hundred suggestions we might try if we are interested in achieving this goal. Making any changes in the holiday routines may meet with strong resistance from your friends and family. In her book, "Bright-Sided - How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America," author Barbara Ehrenreich suggested that too much positive thinking may be what brought us to the current economic crisis. She places much of the blame on positive thinking ministers and coaches such as: Mary Baker Eddy, Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Joel Osteen and Anthony Robbins. I was surprised that she didn't attack the twelve-step philosophy as well. Because I've been involved in lots of self-help and twelve-step reading myself for several years the book was very thought provoking and somewhat upsetting.

I'm working on another genealogy project. I'm editing a GEDCOM file about the family of Samuel Buskirk, getting it ready to produce a genealogy of over 150-pages. This branch includes the Foggin family which has links to the Henthorns. And it includes the family of Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's. Late last night I remembered that I have several articles about the Buskirk and Foggin families that appeared in the newspaper column of Catherine Fedorchak. I was able to locate a copy on one of my Zip disks. I'm going to attempt to include them when I produce the report with the Ancestral Author program.

So far no one has accepted my offer to join my new private Google genealogy "site". Yesterday I granted access to my private Google genealogy "group" to two people, one is a new friend and the other is a someone I just contacted again after a break in communication. I'm hopeful that some of the other folks working on similar genealogy interests will be willing to share more of their information on the Internet in 2010. I'm willing to help post their work, if they are willing to share.

Mr. Dickie

Make Time

It is not necessary for you to let "everyone" know "everything" about you. In fact, it is probably wise that you don't. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 12 December)

It is possible to make time for anything I want to do if I want it badly enough. (Daily Reflections, 9 November)

May I understand [and accept] the full extent of my disabilities. (Food For Thought, 7 December)

Ancestral Author

Words of wisdom inspire us, but they have value only if we can take them into our hearts and use them in our daily lives. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 6 December)

If you are waiting for something to happen before you begin what you want to do, it will never happen. (Iyanla Vanzant, Acts of Faith, 30 November)

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I'm working on a project to learn more about how to use the genealogy program, Ancestral Author. I recently loaded the program on my working computer. I lost it when my laptop failed. The program reads GEDCOM files and creates either an ancestor or descendant report from them. The program can create a title page, table of contents, end notes and sources and an "every name" index. You can create and include text files for Preface page, Acknowledgment page and Epilogue page. Images can also be included on the text pages you create. The names of people in the report are hyperlinked. The output is a file in the PDF format which can be shared with others. I'd forgotten how to include the text files.

Mr. Dickie

Knowledge

I realize that the knowledge I have obtained in the process of living, or the access I have had to education, is my opportunity to be of service. I will share my gift with anyone who requests it and be grateful for the advantages I have had the privilege of receiving. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 332)

The most important knowledge is that which guides the way you lead your life. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 14 November)

Some behaviors really are inappropriate, annoying, hurtful, or abusive. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 3 December)

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I did some note posting with WhizNote yesterday. I'm trying to learn more about how this program works. I typed the notes from many PostIt notes that were laying around near the computer keyboard. The problem with note taking on paper is that you can never find the note you want. I wonder why it is so difficult to learn to use our computers for this purpose.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. today. I didn't try to go back to sleep. I did my daily reading followed by reading from two other books I'm currently reading. I'm having lots of trouble with my eyesight. This week I'm planning to fill the prescription for new glasses. I wonder if the eye problems are due to aging eyes or the drugs the doctors have me taking.

Mr. Dickie

Holiday Season

Before you rush into the holiday season, take a few moments to recollect your own favorite Christmas memories. (Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Christmas, p. 5)

One of the most difficult problems is maintaining a balance between dealing with [a] ... chronic problem and wanting to live without it. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 7 December)

I Don't Get It

If we are always making the wrong decision[s] ... we may need to learn why we insist on defeating ourselves. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 27 November)

It is tempting to our ego to feel that we can exercise control over the lives of those around us, but it is counter to reality. (Food For Thought, 30 November)

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I don't get it. How can the president of a country engaged in wars in two countries receive the Nobel Peace Prize?

Google Fast Flip

Google Fast Flip

I just found this interesting way to read the latest news.

Crisis and Challenge

You have survived life-threatening, life-altering crisis and challenge to prove only one point: that you can and have survived! Be at peace with the way you proved the point. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, December introduction)

Junk Mail

Accomplish small tasks. They may have nothing to do with solving the problem, or finding direction, but this is what we can do in the interim. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 7 December)

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Funny isn't it how we complain about all of the junk mail that we find in our mailboxes and all of the Spam that arrives via Email and yet we continue to forward Email messages ourselves?

Yesterday was the first day of enrollment for the next series of computer classes at the Senior Center. Everything was ready thanks to several volunteers who did their part to update the course descriptions, the class schedule, and the pointers to the various webpages.

Mr. Dickie

Christmas is Coming

Life consists of numerous invisible, imperceptible changes, changes that began at birth and end with death. It is not possible for us humans to observe them all. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 7 December)

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Yesterday we brought the Christmas decorations and tree down from the attic. This is always a lot of work because one bedroom closet must be emptied before I can put the ladder in there. This morning, before Melva got up, I put the artificial tree together and was lucky enough to get all of the lights working without too much ado. I can't put things back in the closet until the tree is decorated because we don't have anywhere to store the empty boxes except in the attic. The decorating process goes on for several days.

I've been reviewing how the WeRead application works. There are several things I noticed during the review. First, I would like to run the application by itself. When I registered, months ago, I linked to WeRead from Facebook. I can go to the application directly but I can't figure out how to sign on unless I am on Facebook. I thought there was a way to make WeRead post to my Facebook wall when I wanted to brag about reading a book. I couldn't find the button to click. And finally, I wish WeRead would track the "date read" for each book. I want that information because I like to compile an inventory of books read at the end of each year.

Mr. Dickie

Pearl Harbor Day

Photo: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 Dec 1941, USS Virginia

If you're longing for a simpler Christmas, it's time to challenge the belief that the holidays are about crafting decorations for every room of the house, loading tables with foods that aren't on your diet, and shopping for -- or handmaking -- gifts of questionable value for everyone you know and many people you don't. (Elaine St. James, Simply Your Christmas, p. 12)

I will not let my inner peace be disturbed by the confusions around me. I will be gentle and tolerant, while maintaining my right to my individuality. I will listen and appreciate, and not judge the source of what I hear. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 7 December)

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Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Sixty-eight years ago on December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked our Navy at Pearl Harbor. It's often called a "surprise attack" even though there had been many indications of Japanese intentions beforehand. A study of the events leading up to the event indicates that it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if our leaders hadn't had their heads in the sand. This anniversary day is a good time for all of us living today to ask ourselves whether we learned anything from the actions or inactions of our antecedents.

Yesterday I announced on my genealogy "News" blog that I have created a "Henthorn Genealogy" website using the Google sites application. This website will be private. I must know the people who request access and I must know where their genealogy interests lie. Those who wish to gain access must also register with Google. Initially the website will be used to stage various reports I prepared in the PDF format. All of the reports are already in place.

I also declared my intention to share information about the available files via a PDFWeek on my genealogy "News" blog. And, I stated that I would be willing to share individual files as Email attachments, with people I know, if they request a specific report.

In light of the fact that there has been little interest in my private Google genealogy group I am aware that this is an experiment which may not prove popular.

Mr. Dickie

Year-End Inventory

If we do only what feels good and what is comfortable, we do not grow. If we do not stretch our minds, we vegetate intellectually. If we do not discipline our bodies, we become physically flabby and weak. If we do not exercise our good will, we stay emotionally immature. (Food For Thought, 6 December)

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As part of my year-end inventory I'm compiling a list of the books I read. Because I no longer have a database program on my computer I couldn't keep track of the books in my book catalog. Instead I used a 3x5 card to take notes about each book I was reading and I recorded the books I read in the WeRead application on the Internet. I believe I forgot to remove the cards from some of the books I read. Since the list is only for my own enjoyment it really doesn't matter. I'm gathering the information in a comma delimited file that I'm building one line at a time. Maybe next year I'll use the CSVed program all year long to keep track of the books as I finish them. I noticed that there are quite a few cards for books I checked out of the library and never finished reading.

I watched parts of the football game between Nebraska and Texas last night. I wasn't impressed with either team. I suppose that's a tribute to their defensive units. I was watching at the end when Nebraska had the misfortune to lose the game when the other team kicked a field goal with one second left on the clock. Talk about "the agony of defeat."

Mr. Dickie

Inventory

A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to learn and grow by this means are necessities for us. We ... have learned this the hard way. More experienced people, of course, in all times and places have practiced unsparing self-survey and criticism. (As Bill Sees It, p. 161)

Year-End Inventory

As I look back over this year, I will consider calmly my actions and attitudes, just as though I were evaluating the progress of someone else. I will not make it an occasion for guilt and regret. I will blame no one else for anything that happened, for I have learned ... that I am not a judge of others. This day, and the days to come, will be filled with opportunities to make more of myself. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 1 December)

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The first two Christmas cards arrived yesterday. That always brings home that our Christmas letter hasn't been started and all of the Christmas decorations need to be brought down from the attic.

I used to maintain several Approach databases in the DBF format. During one of my many computer disasters I lost access to this program. It never occurred to me to make paper copies of my music and book catalogs. While I still have backup copies of them in the DBF format I don't have a program installed that can read or update that format. Recently I installed a free copy of a program called CSVed.

CSVed: (http://csved.sjfrancke.nl/index.html)

This, very powerful program, can read text files and display them in a table format, much like the database programs do. The neat thing is you can create the records using any text editor. Described simply, each field of information is separated from the next by a comma delimiter. Yesterday, to test the program, I created an Email address file to store the addresses of former co-workers and new friends at the Computer Club. If you have some information you'd like to store and display in an easy to read format you might want to take a look at his program.

Yesterday I bought a shrink wrapped copy of the CD, Sara Evans - Greatest Hits and a nice copy of the book, "As Bill Sees It" at the thrift store. You never know what you are going to find.

Mr. Dickie

Walking

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Melva's flowers)

What clutter in your house is due to excess? Who might benefit from a donation of your excess goods? What prevents you from cleaning house and donating the excess ...? (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 24 November)

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I went for an hour walk yesterday. First I walked to the pharmacy to pick drop off an order. Afterwards I continued to walk in the neighborhood. The battery in my Oasis player needed to be charged. I took the headset radio instead. Sometimes I wonder if I forgot to turn these devices off when I finish listening to the music.

Mr. Dickie

Old Fart Pride

OLD FART PRIDE

I'm passing this on as I did not want to be the only old fart receiving it. Actually, it's not a bad thing to be called, as you will see.

Old Farts are easy to spot at sporting events; during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Old Farts remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them.

Old Farts remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, The Cold War , the Jet Age and the Moon Landing. They remember the 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to mention Vietnam.

If you bump into an Old Fart on the sidewalk he will apologize. If you pass an Old Fart on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. Old Farts trust strangers and are courtly to women.

Old Farts hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

Old Farts get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don't like any filth or dirty language on TV or in movies.

Old Farts have moral courage and personal integrity. They seldom brag unless it's about their children or grandchildren.

It's the Old Farts who know our great country is protected, not by politician's, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.

This country needs Old Farts with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in their country and decent values.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Old Farts!

Pass this on to all the Old Farts you know.

I was taught to respect my elders. It's just getting harder and harder to find them.

(Author unknown, circulating on the Internet)

Keeping Busy

The choices I make today will affect the quality of my future. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 29 November)

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I'm working on a project to improve the ability of the computer club to keep the information about classes up-to-date. Enrollment for the next series of classes begins on December 8th. There's a link on the Senior Center website that needs to be changed to point to the club's website. We rely on someone else to make that change. The goal is to eliminate redundancy and make it unnecessary to make changes on the Senior Center's website in the future.

I'm interested in learning more about two freeware program I found: CSVed and WhizNote. I downloaded and installed both programs on my computer. The CSV program can read comma, separated, value text files and display them in a database table. The WhizNote program can be used to take notes which can be linked together, much like hyperlinked webpages. Both programs appear to have lots of functionality. There is good documentation. Perhaps I'll write more about them if I can find the time to learn how to use them effectively.

I Don't Feel Like Blogging

Yesterday and today I just didn't feel like blogging to this blog or my Arrow Prayers blog. Instead I posted to my Obituary blog and did some work on the Bowie Seniors Computer Club website.

Obsolescence

To wait for moments or places where no pain exists, no separation is felt and where all human restlessness has turned into inner peace is waiting for a dream-world. (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Touchstones, 15 November)

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I've noticed lately that many of the freeware and shareware programs won't run on my computer because it uses the Windows 2000 Professional operating system. In reviewing the programs installed on the computer I'm using now I have also noticed that there are quite a few programs installed that I either never used or forgot about. My computer isn't the only thing around here that's obsolete.

Mr. Dickie

Genealogy News

I see how necessary it is to accept changes in my patterns of living - if I really hope for a serene and orderly existence. Some people don't know how badly they need a new way of life until disaster overtakes them. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 21 November)

******

I'm working on creating some new folders on my hard drive, my floppies and my Zip disks. The idea is to use more folders to help me more quickly find the files when I want to look at something.

I'd forgotten how useful the GenViewer program can be when I want to quickly review the contents of a GEDCOM file without loading the data into my genealogy program. This could be very useful when I'm considering producing a Register report with the Ancestral Author program. I'm trying to learn new ways of preparing reports when I want to share my information.

Melva and Cyndi decided to attempt some day after Black Friday shopping today. I'm glad there's nothing I have to buy.

Mr. Dickie

WINDOW GAZING

WINDOW GAZING

This is a photo blog that I found. The first photo was of The Duomo in Milan, Italy. Very impressive!

Quieting Our Minds

When we withdraw from the hubbub of the world around us and quiet our minds, we are making room for great things to fashion themselves together. (Touchstones, 9 November)

Thanksgiving

Lord, help us to remember when it is easy to forget those less fortunate than ourselves. While we sit at our Thanksgiving tables surrounded by family and friends, others are lost and alone. While we share bread, others go hungry. While we are sheltered from the cold, others are homeless. Lord, help us to remember those less fortunate than ourselves and be thankful for our many blessings. Amen. (adapted from Table Graces, p. 63)

******

I reinstalled the free program, GenViewer Lite, on my computer. This one quickly displays information from GEDCOM files. There is a version that sells for $20.00 which offers much more functionality. I think either version of the program can be a big help to me in using the Ancestral Author program to produce PDF reports. Perhaps I'll write more about this on my genealogy blog in the days ahead.

Mr. Dickie

Computer Club Website

Accepting our friends and family for what they are rather than what we idealize them to be, is part of growing up emotionally. It is our own weakness and insecurity that causes us to try to make gods out of other people. (Food For Thought, 5 November)

Our lives are happier and our emotions more even when we realize we are choosing our reactions. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day)

******

The website committee meeting of the Computer Club was quite interesting. Five of us were able to attend. Bob brought his laptop and gave a PowerPoint presentation about his view of the website issues. We used the conference room and the projector. The WiFi connection to the Internet worked perfectly. As usual I learned things I didn't know and had to think about issues that had never come to mind. We discussed the fact that we don't have feedback about how much usage the website gets. We all agreed that it would be a good idea to have at least one visitor counter on the website. They also made me aware that it's possible to install a "Message Forum" on a website using free, inserted, HTML code. I became aware that I didn't have a handle on the website password. That's because I have it hard coded in the FTP program. I reviewed my notes to make certain I had that information. Barry suggested looking at the applications of Bravenet. In the evening I installed their visitor counter and message forum software on the website. All of this discussion about the club website reminds me of the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Mr. Dickie

Christmas Cactus

Get rid of your bad thoughts, inferior attitudes and limited behaviors and good will be attracted to you. It's not easy. It's not magic. But it works, miraculously. (Iyanla Vanzant, Acts of Faith, 6 November)

******

At a Computer Club meeting I suggested we might want to create a Google group where we can exchange information and help each other. Today at 1:00 p.m. the website committee will meet to further discuss the idea. I'm not strongly vested in the idea. There would be some work required to create the site and maintain it, especially if we decide to make it private by invitation only.

Melva's Christmas cactus' are blooming. She has several of them. One with white flowers and one with white/magenta flowers are in bloom. Shouldn't they be called Thanksgiving cactus? One of the three poinsettia plants is also starting to set the red bracts.

Mr. Dickie

Shareware

I will not be frightened of growing older, for I intend to do so with the pride and integrity developed with age and experience. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 1 November)

Thought is the glorification of truth; therefore, bad thoughts are those which have not been thought through to the end. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 5 November)

******

I found the website of Vernon Buerg. He was one of the first programmers to offer "shareware." He wrote the very nice DOS program, LIST, that I used for many years. I think the is a Windows version of the program. I'll have to spend more time looking at the website.

I also found a program that can be used to catalog computer files. I intend to go back to that website to learn more about it.

Mr. Dickie

Conger Week

Meditation is something which can always be further developed. ... it is essentially an individual adventure which each one of us works out in his own way. (Daily Reflections, 8 November)

I strive for balance in my life by finding peace in my own company as well as in the presence of others. (Susan Smith-Jones, Choose to Live Each Day Fully, Day 323)

I am the only one who can decide which great things I will begin today. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 6 November)

******

Saturday I completed two weeks of posting information about members of the Conger family to my Google genealogy "News" blog. When I started I thought I only had enough articles for one week, so I dubbed the project, CongerWeek. I have no idea whether any members of the Conger family have found the blog.

The fifteen day test period for a program I was testing, ClikView, ended yesterday. I liked the program. Now I need to decide whether I like it enough to spend $35.00 on it. I own several other programs that are much more useful which didn't cost that much including my genealogy program, RootsMagic.

Mr. Dickie

I Don't Get It

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Hydrangea in our yard, grown from cutting)

Today, I'll be grateful for all my relationships. I will open myself to the lesson and the gift from each person in my life. I will trust that I, too, am a gift in other people's lives. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 7 November)

I will accept all that I am, and resolve to change those parts that are not working for me. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 341)

******

So what's the deal with that Oprah Winfrey? Yesterday she was weeping on her show, saying goodbye. For all of the talk on television, radio and the articles in the newspaper you'd think she wouldn't be back on Monday. Give us a break. Her last program is scheduled for September 2011. She still publishes (monthly ?) a magazine with her picture on every cover. And, she is in the process of starting a cable TV channel with Discovery to be called, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). When she gets her "own" television network won't she be on television twenty-four hours a day. Maybe that's something we should all cry about.

Mr. Dickie

Don't Give a Hoot About Tattoos

Owl Tattoos

I just couldn't resist.

Don't even think about clicking on the link,
if you
Don't Give a Hoot About Tattoos.

Driving Myself Crazy

I remember those happy days and often wish I could speak into the ears of the dead the gratitude which was due to them in life and so ill-returned. (Gwyn Thomas in One More Day by Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 5 November)

Our parents ... provide the buffer between life and death. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 333)

******

I downloaded and installed another copy of Ancestral Author. I was able to get it running. There are many program settings. Of course I've forgotten what most of them do and how I had them set on the other computer.

I spent time on the phone talking to a lady in Utah about Conger genealogy. Afterwards I tried to extract some information for her from a Conger file I have on a Zip disk. There must be something wrong with the file. I'm not sure I will be able to do what I wanted to do.

As part of my program to "drive myself crazy" I straightened up the 3x5 cards and other notes laying on the table beside the computer. Then, later in the day, I realized that the notes I need to finish my CongerWeek project disappeared. I looked through all of the papers several times and didn't find the note. Just before I turned out the lights in the computer room I looked at the 3x5 cards one more time. This time I looked at both sides of each card. I wonder why I didn't think about doing this before. I found the note I needed to do my posting today.

Mr. Dickie

RootsMagic Installation

When a person is always carping and criticizing and complaining his irritable anger ceases to have any significance or any effect. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 195)

I will keep myself aware of the many blessings that come to me each day and remember to be thankful for them. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 14 November)

******

Recovering from any computer disaster is never easy. Yesterday I was in the proper frame of mind to start work on trying to install my genealogy program, RootsMagic, on my old desktop Gateway computer. I found the CD in the closet and it installed without any problems. Then I downloaded and installed the latest update for version three (3.2.6). I created six folders for the program to use. To test the program I loaded a GEDCOM backup for the Briggs family from my thumbdrive. Once the data was loaded I posted the "Preparer" information for the file. Then I ran some tests by creating and viewing several reports in the PDF format. Everything seems to be working. There are six or eight GEDCOM files on the thumbdrive.

I also sent an Email to the company that sells the program Ancestral Author. I didn't have a backup copy of this program. I want to install that program on the computer too.

I have four more Conger articles ready to post to my "News" blog. That's enough information to last through Saturday. I'll bring my CongerWeek project to a close then.

Mr. Dickie

Facebook Fun

Photo: Mr. Dickie (San Blas Mola - Panama)

Often we are ungrateful to our fellow-men. Few of us have not at some time owed a great deal to some fellow-man. Few of us at the moment, believed we could ever forget; but few of us in the end satisfy the debt of gratitude we owe. It often happens that a friend, a teacher, a doctor, a surgeon does something for us which it is impossible to repay; but the tradegy is that we often do not even try to repay it. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 218)

******

Yesterday I enjoyed making Facebook friends with the wife of boyhood friend, Gail. Melva and I also had a first Facebook instant message chat with Melva's niece, Cecilia, in Panama.

Today I'm going to continue my CongerWeek postings. I have two more items to post.

Mr. Dickie

Difficult Times

Photo: Mr. Dickie (San Blas Indian Mola - Panama)

If you have difficult times, if you suffer from the loss of loved ones or from fears about the future, remember that life exists only in the present and direct all your thoughts and memories to this present. All your anguish about the past and your worries about the future will disappear, and you will feel freedom and happiness. (Anonymous, in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 17 November)

******

I found a Zip disk with Conger genealogy files in Personal Ancestral File (PAF) format. The computer I'm using now has a copy of PAF installed. I was able to read the file and use copy and paste to extract the "notes" for: John Belconger, Job Conger and David Conger. Yesterday I posted the notes for David Conger to my genealogy "news" blog thus extending my CongerWeek. Today I'll post the other two notes.

Melva is trying to get one of her sewing machines fixed. We found another repair shop in the shopping center where the double thrift store is located on New Hampshire Avenue. We will need to make two trips to the shop because we didn't take all of the accessories. The shop owner suggested that throatplate "A" works better.

Mr. Dickie

Be What You Want To Be

... when you depend on others to validate and acknowledge your experience, you can only be "what they think" you are worth being. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 21 October)

******

I found a way to quickly extract some of my notes from one of my Conger files. This evening I posted the notes of David Conger to my genealogy "news" blog. I also prepared two more pieces for posting tomorrow. I'll continue my CongerWeek for a while longer.

I bought a copy of Marc Anthony's CD - Mended at the thrift store. We didn't have any of his albums. Most of the songs are in English.

I made this posting after supper because I accidentally made two posts to my Arrow Prayers today. I decided I didn't want to fix the problem.

Mr. Dickie

Where's My Book?

Wait until the time is right. It is self-defeating to postpone or procrastinate; it is also self-defeating to act too soon, before the time is right. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 12 November)

******

I looked for a book, off and on, for three days. It's one I'm thinking about reading in 2010. Yesterday I noticed that I couldn't see the books behind two or three wooden statues on a bookshelf. I knew, as soon as I realized that the statues were blocking the view, that the book I wanted would be in that spot. It was!

Saturday afternoon we had a surprise visitor. Phillip stopped by for a visit. His parents built a house in our neighborhood many years ago. We hadn't seen Phillip for many years. We enjoyed catching up on news about his family, his father and siblings.

Mr. Dickie

Conger Week

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 365 Ways to Change Your Life by Suzanne Somers, Day 342-43)

******

Today is day seven of CongerWeek on my genealogy "news" blog. I posted two or more articles each day of the week. Because I still have several more that I can post I'll probably extend CongerWeek until I've posted everything I found in my GenRepts folder.

It's been raining or misting off and on for about three days. This is coming from tropical storm, Ida. It hasn't been too bad at our location.

Mr. Dickie

AskSam

Image: Corel

Upon earth you are in charge of things which are not really yours. You cannot take them with you when you die. They are only lent to you. You are only a steward over them. They cannot, in the nature of things, be permanently yours. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 209)

******

I found a folder with some of my AskSam files on one of my Zip disks. The program is also on that disk and it works. I was able to read every file, except one. Now I have another project. I want to determine whether there is any genealogy information in the files that I might share on the Internet.

Mr. Dickie

Mark Twain Quotations

Mark Twain Quotations:

"Mark Twain Quotations, Newspaper Collections, & Related Resources"

File Recovery

What is over is over and cannot be replayed except in our minds. (Food For Thought, 30 October)

Either you will learn to take your thoughts captive or the deceiver will take you captive with your thoughts. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 6 November)

******

While reviewing some of the files I have saved on Zip disks I found a program I bought years ago. I never have understood how we can tell whether a Windows program can run as a "standalone program." The purpose of the program is to convert files from one file format to another. On the same Zip disk I discovered a folder with genealogy text files I created with the word processor, AmiPro. I did a test to see if I can convert the files to plain "text" files. I was so surprised when it worked. I believe there are many files in that folder I don't have available anywhere else. Once converted I can share them on my Google blogs.

Mr. Dickie

Veteran's Day

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Phlox in our backyard)

Support yourself with kind thoughts, loving words, and self-empowering acts. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 309)

******

I woke up this morning with some vision issues. I suppose I'm still not over the migraine headache of two nights ago. I wasn't able to do my morning reading. I wore my drop-in sunglasses when I went to a doctor's appointment. I let them give me both flu shots.

I'm remembering all of the Veterans today, especially those I served with and my comrades who lost their lives in Vietnam. I pray that the leaders of this country will take positive steps to withdraw all of our servicemen and women from harms way.

Mr. Dickie

Flashing Light

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Tiger-Lily in our front yard)

Parenting is the most valuable assignment of your life. You are responsible for guiding the life of a human being. Everything they become, good and bad, is a result of your example. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 291)

******

I was able to copy 123 photos of 130 from my thumb drive to a Zip disc. Once the photos were on the Zip disc the computer was able to more quickly create the on-screen thumbnails and to upload the photos. I uploaded the mola photos to my mola album on Facebook. I had to use the "old" method which can only upload five files at a time.

Last night, before going to sleep, I laid down to watch some television. They showed one of those commercials with flashing lights. I didn't see it coming. By the time I looked away it was too late. Within a matter of seconds I experienced vision problems. I turned off the TV and the light and went to sleep. I wasn't surprised this morning when I noticed that the residual affects of a migraine headache are still there on the left side of my brain when I move my head too quickly. It's too bad I didn't notice what product they were selling, so I could write them a letter and refuse to buy anything they are selling.

Mr. Dickie

Digital Photography

We are not satisfied with our real life. We want to live an imaginary life, a life in which we seem different in the eyes of other people than we are in reality. (Blaise Pascal in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 2 November)

Do what you do, to the best of your ability, with a loving intent, for the good of all involved. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 21 October)

******

We went to Bethesda, Maryland yesterday to visit with Cyndi. We watched some of the football game between Washington and Atlanta. Washington continued to struggle and the injuries to the players continued to mount up. Washington lost the game.

I had 130 photographs on the card in my digital camera. I asked Cyndi to help me copy the photos to other storage. We put them on a CD and on a thumb drive. We also uploaded twenty-five of them to Picasa. When I got home the first thing I did was check to see if I could read the CD with the desktop computer. It worked. This will allow me to use some of the photos on my Google blogs. Other CDs that I made at the Senior Center don't work on the desktop computer. I don't have a clue about why that happened.

I found a folder on my computer with enough Conger files to allow me to have a Conger Week on my genealogy news blog. I posted two articles on Sunday.

Three of my online friends celebrated birthdays this weekend. I posted birthday messages to two of them on Facebook and sent an AOL Happy Birthday Email to the one who isn't on Facebook.

Mr. Dickie

Emotional Detachment

Of course I must be concerned with what happens to the people in my life. The purpose of emotional detachment is to keep myself from being drawn into crises of ... [other peoples] making. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 3 November)

Fake it until you make it! (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 13 September)

******

Yesterday we had a nice November day that allowed us to continue doing our fall yard work. I set the lawn mower lower hoping that this would be the last time I need to mow the grass this year. I also dug several wild raspberry bushes from the flowerbed along the back fence. In doing so I found a large root leftover from when we cut down the Bradford pear tree. Melva worked in some of the smaller flowerbeds. She spread a couple of the bags of mulch that I went to purchase when I first came outside. We both think we are almost done with all of the outside yard projects. I still have to find someone to replace the damaged flooring in the shed. The work is never really done.

Mr. Dickie

Text File Viewers

Perhaps it is time to overturn some of your decisions. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 27 October)

Clean up any emotional messes that have not been dealt with, and make amends to any persons you might have hurt along the way. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 327)

******

I'm searching for a program that will allow me to quickly view "text" files without opening the file with the application that created it. This would be useful when I want to review genealogy information for possible sharing on the Internet. The program should display the directory structure in one box, the file names in another and the actual text of the file in a third area. I found two programs that I'm testing. Fast Text File Viewer has a nice simple design. I discovered three problems with this program. First, the website of the programmer is no longer working. Second, there is an annoying "nag" box that displays after about every five files viewed (I can live with this and would have to because I probably can't buy a version without the "nag".) And finally, there is a DLL missing message that comes up sometimes. I have a hunch that this happens because I changed the folder and file names when I installed the program. I don't like blanks in folder and file names. The second program I found is called, ClikView. This program is much more powerful. You can view many different file formats and you can view image files. This one is shareware, with a fifteen day trail, it costs $35.00. There's a rather extensive help file.

Mr. Dickie

Seeing the Light

True revelations will always motivate us to change and take action. What is the point in seeing the light if you don't follow it. (Jacqueline Stanley, Reading to Heal, p. 59)

******

The size of the group at yesterday's computer club meeting was small. There was a Veteran's Day event in the big room and the chorale group took part in the activity. Many of our members are also in that group. We learned that, at the present time, we are not going to be able to use the Senior Center's new laptop computer at our meetings. This is going to have an adverse impact on our ability to put on good programs. I presented my suggestion that we should shutdown the club's Yahoo group and create a new group on Google. The response was mixed. I provided the URL for the group of the Alamo user's group. The club president suggested we table the idea until the next meeting to give everyone time to think about it.

Today, Melva and I went to Emmittsburg, Maryland to visit the Grotto of Lourdes near where Catholic Saint Elizabeth Seton lived. We have been there several times. It's about ninety minutes from our house when traffic on the Washington, DC beltway isn't bumper to bumper. After we left the Grotto we stopped at Thurmont, MD to eat the luncheon buffet at The Cozy. They were busy. We sat at one of the two booths in the bar. I ate way too much and didn't feel good afterwards. Silly boy!

Mr. Dickie