Life Specifications

To expect life to be tailored to our specifications is to invite frustration. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 9 July)
30/Jul/2010 8:28

Complacency

Complacency is an enemy, easy to recognize in others but difficult to admit in ourselves. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 15 July) 29/Jul/2010 8:57

Metro and the NTSB

Refuse to accept your limitations and those things you think you can't do, and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. (Sue Monk Kidd in Daily Guideposts - 1986, 24 July)

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I let the grass get ahead of me. As a result I spent a couple of hours yesterday doing yard work. I used a full spool of cord in my weed wacker running out with about a square foot spot still untrimmed. There were four bags of grass ready for the Wednesday yard debris pick-up.

There's a front-page article in The Washington Post today about the release of the National Transportation Safety Board findings on the fatal Red Line subway crash last year.

"The NTSB found that nearly half of the 3,000 track circuit modules Metro uses could seriously malfunction and that a quarter of its rail cars, the oldest in the fleet, offer little protection in a crash, posing an "unacceptable risk to Metrorail users."" "...the board recommended that the troublesome equipment and old rail cars be permanently removed as soon as possible. The NTSB has no statutory power to enforce its recommendations..."

Some say there's too much government regulation and oversight of American business. Others say there is too little. We might even be lead to believe that an agency called the "National Transportation Safety Board" has the power to insure our safety during our travels. If you are putting your faith in the NTSB - Happy Trails to You!

Mr. Dickie

Power To The People

It's a principle as old as creation that having more things does not bring great personal satisfaction. (The One-Year Mini For Men, 17 July)

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Power was restored to the water pumping plant and the water usage restriction was lifted. The most severe storm damage on Sunday was in Montgomery county, Maryland to our west. Huge trees and power poles are down. Traffic lights are out, impacting traffic in many areas of the city. Power crews were called in from out of state. They say these crews will start working today. The power companies are already saying that they may not have all of the work done by Friday. The last time we experienced this kind of power outage was in 2003 during Hurricane Isabel.

Mr. Dickie
27/Jul/2010 9:53

Bad Weather

The truth is, a lot of stuff we simply do not need to know about. (Toni Sortor and Pamela McQuade, The Word On Life, 11 July) 26/Jul/2010 10:26

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Yesterday we had a bad windstorm come through the Washington, DC area. The power was knocked out in Montgomery county, Maryland. There was no power at the main water pumping station. Therefore, we are under water usage restrictions again today. At least two people were killed by falling trees, a boy in Virginia and a lady in College Park which is about three miles from our house. There are still many power outages this morning including many traffic signals. It will probably be several days before things are back to normal.

One pot with some dried flowers broke when it was blown off our picnic table. I went out side as the storm arrived at our house and moved several of the larger potted plants that sometimes fall over when we get high wind.

Mr. Dickie
26/Jul/2010 10:31

Self-Pity

Self-pity comes from concentrating on the negative aspects of life. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 9 July) 25/Jul/2010 9:48

Some Progress

Other people are going to be exactly the way they are, independent of your opinion. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 122)

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Yesterday I walked for forty minutes in the neighborhood. I learned that one house on The Court sold and another rented. That's certainly a good sign.

I figured out how to access the Facebook phonebook and how to install the "Share" buttons on my Google blogs. It's frustrating and challenging when I can't find enough information to make something work.

Mr. Dickie
24/Jul/2010 9:41

For The People, By The People

The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain this sovereign control over its government. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
23/Jul/2010 8:25

Have A Plan

It is intelligent to have a plan, but neurotic to fall in love with it. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 120)

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I took a short walk yesterday. On one street there are at least four cars without tags sitting in driveways. One is in a bag. Just around the corner there is another house with three untagged cars sitting beside the house. A couple of houses down the street there is a pickup truck full of junk parked on the street. This truck has valid tags, but it is never driven. If you live in a county that stays on top of this kind of situation, give thanks.

The Obama administration was embarrassed by over-reacting to some video clips of a speech made some time ago. The African-American lady who made the speech appeared to be racist because the clips were shown out of context. In a blatant case of "reverse racism" the White House demanded that the Secretary of Agriculture ask her to resign. He got in a hurry and forced her to resign without allowing her an opportunity to defend herself. Later, when the entire speech was aired and the lady was interviewed it became apparent that the administration had over reacted, turning a molehill into a mountain. In a way it is comical that the first black president is demanding black people to resign from their jobs.

Melva and members of her quilting class are getting together for lunch today. They chose Thursday because Melva doesn't work on that day anymore.

On the 19th I made the 600th posting to my Henthorn Genealogy News blog. I wonder how often someone finds all of those pages. It's somewhat difficult to avoid posting the same information twice. I try to discipline myself to take the time to check what's already posted. My memory isn't good enough to allow me to recall what's already available. It's wonderful that Google provides this free space where I can share the information I've accumulated over the years. I like being able to quickly and easily post information I want to share. Much of what I post probably isn't available anywhere else.

I bought three HP thumb drives on sale at Staples. I don't think my old computer will recognize them. Bummer!

This morning I finished reading "Staying On The Path," by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. Each page of the book has from one to three quotations from the speeches and writings of Dr. Dyer. You can open the book at random to any page and find at least one thought provoking item. I enjoyed reading the book. It was fifty-cents, well spent.

Mr. Dickie
22/Jul/2010 8:58

New Google Blogger Feature

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have most; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. (Franklin Roosevelt)
21/Jul/2010 8:51

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There's a new feature available on Google blogs this morning. Google bloggers can install buttons which easily allow blog post sharing. I added the buttons to this blog and to my Arrow Prayers. After I test I'll probably add them to the two genealogy blogs.

Mr. Dickie
21/Jul/2010 9:06

Keeping Silent

Even a fool is thought wise if he keep silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. (Proverbs 17:28, in The Word On Life, Toni Sortor and Pamela McQuade, 11 July)
20/Jul/2010 12:12

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The yellow finch is visiting this morning. The pair only comes to our yard when they can eat the seeds of the coneflowers.

I swapped all six CDs in Melva's car this morning. One of them was a CD of Vincente Fernandez that I purchased a while back. I had to take it out of the shrink wrap.

One of my Library friends on Facebook suggested that I become friends with another co-worker. I noticed he lives in North Carolina.

I'm still busy working on my Conger GEDCOM edit project. I still can't tell how many more hours of work will be necessary. The idea is to made changes which will result in a much better looking product once the data is loaded into RootsMagic.

Mr. Dickie
20/Jul/2010 12:17

Correction

Be grateful for correction. Don't shun corrective criticism; welcome it as a means for self-improvement. (John MacArthur, Truth For Today, 3 July)

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I didn't do any blogging yesterday. Instead I continued to work on my Conger GEDCOM edit project. I also posted several "summaries" to my genealogy blog.

Once in a while I have been using the Facebook chat capability to talk (using my fingers) to some of my relatives. Yesterday cousin Diane, in Florida, and I had a nice visit about the activities surrounding their daughter's college enrollment this fall.

Mr. Dickie
19/Jul/2010 9:03

Worrying

You can spend the rest of your life, beginning right now, worrying about the future; and no amount of your worry will change a thing. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying on the Path, p. 151)
17/Jul/2010 9:16

Earthquake

Everything you "have to have" owns you. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 133)

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Sometime early this morning the Washington, DC area experienced a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. Melva said it woke her up and she saw some items in the bedroom moving. I slept through it.

Mr. Dickie
16/Jul/2010 8:54

Hire A Hall

The wisest thing to do with a fool is to encourage him to hire a hall and discourage his fellow citizens. Nothing chills nonsense like exposure to air. (Woodrow Wilson, The Witt & Wisdom of Our American Presidents, p.61)

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If you are on Facebook and would like to try blogging you can make use of the Facebook "notes" to see if writing is something that works for you. There's very little set-up involved in posting to the Facebook notes.

Mr. Dickie
15/Jul/2010 10:01

Average Citizen

In this country of ours the average citizen must devote a good deal of thought and time to the affairs of state as a whole or those affairs will go backward. (Theodore Roosevelt, p. 44, in The Wit & Wisdom of Our American Presidents) 13/Jul/2010 9:17

Behaving Yourself

You don't have to continue to behave the way you have behaved just because you always have.
(Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 159)

Choices

You are doomed to make choices. This is life's greatest paradox. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 147) 11 Jul 2010

Let It Rain

President Grover Cleveland

Every citizen owes to the country a vigilant watch and close scrutiny of its public servants and reasonable estimate of their fidelity and usefulness. (Grover Cleveland, The Wit and Wisdom of Our American Presidents, Roy Wetherington, p. 44)

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This morning we received some very much needed rain. It's probably going to be too little, too late. We will take what we can get.

Yesterday I did some photo editing using the edit capability of my camera. Any altered photo is saved with another name. I cropped some photos and added borders to others.

I went for a walk in the neighborhood yesterday. That didn't work out too well. I picked up and threw away many copies of the county "junk" paper. Then I noticed some vision issues and later on I had a slight headache. I'm pretty sure the bending irritates my bad back and this in turn causes the headaches. We all must learn to operate within our limitations. Easier said, than done.

Mr. Dickie
10/Jul/2010 7:53

Visitors

If I am always ready to take offense and be hurt, I'm selling my contentment very cheaply. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 28 June)

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Yesterday afternoon Wichita High School - East, Class of '57 classmate and Philadelphia resident, Thad Greb and his wife Ann, stopped by in their RV. The four of us went out to eat at the Texas Roadhouse in Bowie, MD. It was the first time we'd seen the RV.

Mr. Dickie
9/Jul/2010 9:43

Water Everywhere

What is the best and most loving thing I can do?
(As Bill Sees It, p. 172)

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Today there is a water main break in Rockville, MD. It looks like Old Faithful. We are lucky, this pipe doesn't impact our area.

Yesterday I resumed watering the outdoor plants. I see some damage from the heat and lack of water. I'm hopeful that most plants survived the water crisis. I had to use the Internet to find out when they lifted the water restrictions. I never saw the announcement in the paper or on television.

Mr. Dickie
8/Jul/2010 9:56

Put Up Guideposts

Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. (Jeremiah 31:21) Be aware of your decisons and follow the way you know is right. (Toni Sortor and Pamela McQuade, The Word On Life, 24 May)

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This morning there was nothing in the paper about the lifting of the water usage restrictions and the local news channel didn't mention the crisis during the 8:00 a.m. newscast. Should I be surprised?

Yesterday it was so hot that other parts of the infrastructure, besides the water delivery system, began to fail. Electrical cables overheated and burnt up, steel rails on the subway and the railroad began to bend out of alignment. At our house I had to go up in the attic to disconnect the worn out exhaust fan because we heard it rotating when we thought I'd turned it off.

Mr. Dickie
7/Jul/2010 9:21

This and That

You can't live a long time and not have trouble.
(Daily Guideposts - 1986, 27 June)

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It's going to be very hot today. We are now in the fifth day of water usage restrictions. We will probably lose some of our plants before this is all over.

Yesterday former co-worker, Noel, called from Florida. I enjoyed the conversation.

I bought another CD with photographs. This one is from National Geographic. I also got a nice Reba McIntire CD - Love Revival.

I'm working on a big genealogy edit project. I'm making changes to my Conger GEDCOM file that I want to load into RootsMagic. I expect to be working on the project for several weeks.

Mr. Dickie
6/Jul/2010 8:08

Meditation

Meditation is not what you think. (Anonymous from Indiana, As We Understood, p. 217)

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Yesterday we went out to eat lunch at Plato's the Greek restaurant in College Park. They were very busy. We sat at the counter.

In the evening we went to visit Cyndi at her apartment. She and Melva prepared our meal. Afterwards we watched some of the 4th of July show from Washington, DC and some of the show from New York City. We all liked the fireworks in New York.

Our neighbor, Jim, hung a big flag on his front porch. I went over to take three photos. I put the photos on the computer and then sent them to him in an Email attachment. He posted them to his Facebook wall and album. Neat!

Mr. Dickie
5/Jul/2010 8:44

Predicting The Future

You can't predict the future. You can only plan to the best of your ability and move forward in faith. (Toni Sortor and Pamela McQuade, The Word On Life, 26 June)
4/Jul/2010 10:05

Water Issues

Perfection is a long way off, but improvement can be made to happen every day. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 13 June)

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The WSSC is still working on replacing a sixteen foot section of a ninety-six inch water main in Montgomery county, Maryland. The leadership was hoping to get a 75 million gallon reduction in water use by the water usage restriction they imposed. This morning they announced that the reduction was only 25 million gallons. We have been lucky so far. There have been no major fires in either county. They are being careful about predicting when the weakened pipe will be replaced. This incident is a very good illustration of how quickly everyone can be in trouble when the infrastructure breaks down.

Mr. Dickie
3/Jul/2010 10:22

Thomas Carlyle Said

Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. (Thomas Carlyle in The Promise of a New Day, 2 June)
2/Jul/2010 8:03

Sharing

The more you let go of people and things, the fewer obstacles you will have on your life's journey. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 105)

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I'm enjoying the project to share some of my Conger data with my friend, Gene, in Iowa. It's also frustrating because it points out the many issues I have with my computers and with my genealogy files.. It points out the importance of sharing with others.

Mr. Dickie
1/Jul/2010 9:29