Truth

Truth is incontrovertible.

• Panic may reset it;
• Malice may distort it;

But there it is.

(Sir Winston Churchill in Chapter-By-Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 683)

30 November 2011

Crisis

In every crisis there is a message.  Crises are nature's way of forcing change - breaking down old structures, shaking loose negative habits so that something new and better can take their place.  (Susan Taylor in Black Pearls by Eric V. Copage, 22 November) 29 November 2011

Blackwater Falls, WV  (Photo: Mr. Dickie)

Let go of your attachment to responsibilities that others have given you without your consent.  (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Wisdom Of The Ages, p. 235) 28 November 2011

Manifestation

Remove from your vocabulary statements about anything that you do not want to manifest into your life.  Catch yourself when announcing your ailments, fatigues, or fears, and stay silent rather than radiating a self-fulfilling prophecy.  (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Wisdom Of The Ages, p. 221-22)

******

We accomplished a major Fall yard project yesterday.  I trimmed the edges of the yard and then set the mower one notch lower before mowing to remove as much grass and leaves as possible.  Rick offered us some of the mulch he had delivered to his house.  I brought many loads across the street and Melva and I spread the mulch in the front yard.  We worked until both of us were ready to drop.  Maybe we will try to mulch the backyard another day.

While I was out in front of the house, Paul C., the real estate agent, stopped to tell me he sold the house on Hendricks where there have been issues since 1978 when we bought our house.  If the deal goes through this house that's been vacant for a couple of years will have someone else looking after it by sometime in December.  I wonder if someone bought it on speculation.  That wouldn't surprise me.

I'm listening to Los Indios Tabajaras this morning.  Thanks Bob R. for the speakers. This is music I downloaded from the Freegal application at the county library.  Very cool!

Mr. Dickie
27 November 2011

History

[Throughout history] Dishonorable, cowardly decisions invariably have led us to corruption and destruction.  Honorable, visionary decisions have led us to creation and advancement.  (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 21 November) 26 November 2011

Daily Differences

Blackwater Falls, WV (Photo - Mr. Dickie)

We must not ... ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.  (Marian Wright Edelman, In God's Care, 19 November ) 25 November 2011

Blessings

Today be thankful for your blessings and share with those not so well-blessed.  Be grateful for your talents.  Use some degree of those talents to help those in need.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 19 November)

******

I'm working on a project to organize photographs stored on a 4Gb thumb drive.  My goal is to make it easier to find the photos I want.  I'm creating new folders with more meaningful names.  Then I'm moving the photos into the new folders.

The three of us celebrated Thanksgiving a day early.  Yesterday we went to eat lunch at Pirate's Cove in Galesville, MD on the West River, south of Annapolis and about thirty miles from our house .  We had crab soup and crab for the main course too.  We arrived when they opened which allowed us to enjoy our time together without children or much noise from others talking.

Mr. Dickie

24 November 2011

Flawed Processes

Flawed assessment and decision-making processes are what tend to get many people into trouble and bring them disappointment, resentment, failure, and severe negative consequences.  (Mary Ellen O'Toole, Dangerous Instincts, p. 28)

******

Last night while channel surfing I found a very nice two-hour program about ventriloquist Jeff Dunham on Biography.  I started watching at the halfway point.  They repeated the program again immediately following the one I watched.  I stayed with it in order to see the whole thing.

In Maryland, where we live, there are many state trust funds earmarked for specific purposes.  For example, Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.  Millions of dollars in taxation have been approved to obtain the money for these trusts.  I watched a television report about how the lawmakers are diverting these monies for unauthorized purposes.  Of course, there is little discussion because they don't want the public to be aware of what's going on.  It's one more indicator of the fact that our government no longer works and that we have elected the wrong people.  I'd venture to guess that this isn't a situation that is limited only to the state of Maryland.  Enough is Enough!

Mr. Dickie

23 November 2011

Companions

The quality of my journey is largely defined by the quality of my companions.  (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 9 November)

******

On Sunday and Monday night I watched the two-part documentary about Woody Allen on PBS.  I thought the show was outstanding.  I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the history of American film making over the last forty years.

Mr. Dickie

22 November 2011

Responsibility

Sideling Hill on Interstate 68 in Maryland

... responsibility for the pain that accompanies poor choice is always our own.  (Casey and Vanceburg, The Promise Of A New Day, 18 November)

******

Last night I was channel surfing when I noticed they were showing Part One of a two-part program about Woody Allen on PBS.  One thing I liked about this program was that Woody Allen himself talked about many aspects of his life.  Often this type of program relies on what others remember, rather than interviews with the featured person.  They showed the program twice.  That allowed me to watch the  part of the program I'd missed before I found it.  They talked about many Woody Allen movies I haven't seen.  I was particularly interested in the black and white film, Manhattan.  I was also reminded how much I enjoyed his movie Bananas many years ago.

Skype seems to be broken.  It crashes when I attempt to view my own profile.  This is the second time there have been problems running the program on my laptop.  I'm getting frustrated.

Mr. Dickie

21 November 2011

Present Company

Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland

I am in the company of people who are important to me every day.  (In God's Care, 13 November) 20 November

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa

The more we endure with patience and grace, the stronger we grow and the more we can face.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 12 November)

******

Last night I attended a Bluegrass concert performed by Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa at the Baptist Church in Crofton, MD.  I knew about the performance because Mr. Taylor posted an "event" on Facebook.  The bass and mandolin players came down from Ontario, Canada and the banjo player came from South Carolina.  There were other guests who also performed.  It was a wonderful show of just over two hours.  I took a few pictures during the show.  This time I got up and went to the front.  This made a big difference in how the flash worked.  I enjoyed talking for a few minutes with each of the band members.

Just before intermission they passed the collection plates.  During the break I purchased the latest CD of the band, "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Day" and the latest CD of mandolin player, Emory Lester, "Reminiscing Today."

Have you listened to any live music lately?  It's a good thing to do.

Mr. Dickie

19 November 2011

Peak Experience

A peak experience is more of an indication of what can be than a stable state of being. (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 6 November) 18 November 2011

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Yesterday morning, Cyndi and I attended the NARFE Health Benefit meeting at the Old Bowie City Hall.  We spent quite a bit of time talking to the GEHA representative.  We are both concerned about whether I need to make changes in the health coverage for Melva and myself.

After the meeting Cyndi dropped me off at the Senior Center where I attended the meeting of the computer club.  Member, Bob Davis, gave the talk on three interesting subjects: making your own two-sided, colored, business cards, wireless earphones for TV viewing, and 3-D television.  I thought he did a great job.

In the evening I used Skype to have a video chat with computer club member and Facebook buddy, Dan L.   Cyndi was on the other computer at the same time having a video chat with her friend in Germany. That was fun.

Mr. Dickie
18 November 2011

Wanting Things

Are you still wanting things that will be forgotten when they go out of style?  (Steve Case, Everything Counts, 12 November) 17 November 2011

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Yesterday Cyndi and I went to Bethesda to visit her storage bin.  We dropped off her bike and a box of items and picked up some winter shoes and clothing.

As part of my project to remove clutter from the house we stopped at the thrift store to make a donation. We dropped off twelve cartons of VCR and cassette tapes I'd recorded over time.  I considered about putting the boxes in Cyndi's storage.  When I came to grips with the fact that this would just put those boxes "out of sight and out of mind" I realized it was time to eliminate those boxes from our lives.

Cyndi and I ate lunch at La Madeleline on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda.  This was the first time I'd been to this place.  The Washington, DC restaurant used to supply food for WAMU-FM during the fund raising campaigns.  Two of Cyndi's girl friends arrived after we finished eating.  I moved next door to the Caribou coffee shop where I ate a couple of chocolate cookies while I read a book about Google Chrome in have checked out of the library.

In the evening I watched the two and a half hour Wednesday night, streaming video show from the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN on Music City Roots.  The show was a tribute to Tom T. Hall.  His wife, Dixie, was also there.  The hosts were Eric Brace and Peter Cooper.  There were many other performers on the stage.  I didn't catch the names of all of them.  The ones I wrote down were: Buddy Miller, Gary Bennett, Lloyd Green, Matraca Berg, Duane Eddy, Tommy Womack, Fayssoux Starling McLean (married at one time to John Starling of the Bluegrass band, Seldom Scene).  One song that made me laugh was, "Ain't He A Big Pig?"  Tom T. sang several songs at the end of the program.  He did a great job on "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine."  This time I was able to post a clickable link to the performance on my Facebook wall.  I wonder if any of my Facebook friends took advantage of it.  During the show I kept thinking about how much more interesting this program is than the Grand Ole Opry shows.

Mr. Dickie

17 November 2011

Suspension

To wait for someone else, or to expect someone else to make my life richer, or fuller, or more satisfying, puts me in a constant state of suspension.  (Kathleen Tierney Andrus in The Promise Of A New Day by Casey and Vanceburg, 23 October) 16 November 2011

Troubles

All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for awhile each day in our rooms.  (Blaise Pascal in In God's Care, 12 November)

Priorities

Maybe you will have to readjust your priorities.  Maybe you will have to say "no" to certain activities or demands.  Whatever it takes, make time to be alone with God.  (Billy Graham, Hope For Each Day, 18 October) 14 November 2011

Realism

To cope effectively with problems or to rise triumphantly to challenges may require courage, patience, sustained energy, and imagination, but it also requires something even more basic: realism.  (Joan Bel Geddes in Believing In Myself by Larsen and Hegarty, 4 November)

******

My timing is off.  I wasn't able to pick up my photos at Target yesterday.  Cyndi stopped at the store too early.  The photo shop wasn't open and the prints hadn't been made yet.  I'll make a trip out to the store later today.

Last night I spent time playing with, and listening to, some of my music while I read ahead in the books I'm reading on a daily basis.

The visual quilting book Cyndi ordered for Melva arrived yesterday.  The copy we have checked out of the library is due back at the library on Tuesday.

Mr. Dickie

13 November 2011

Emotional Detachment

The purpose of emotional detachment is to keep myself from being drawn into crises ... [of other people.] (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 3 November)

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day - 11/11/11

War is the greatest crime man perpetrates against man. 

(Zarathustra)

Integrity

Integrity demands that debts must be paid.  (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 30 October) 10 November 2011

Skype

Saint Elizabeth Seton Chapel at Emmitsburg, MD

(Photo by Mr. Dickie, 7 November 2011)

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.  (John Wesley, in Chapter-By-Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 680)

******

Yesterday, during a basement cleaning project Melva brought out three cardboard boxes that were stored under the stairs to the basement.  These were boxes I lost track of many months ago.  Near the top of one of them I found my copy of the 1870 census of Monroe County, Ohio.  I'd been looking for this book for so long I forgot when I noticed it was missing.  I wonder what other genealogy treasures I may find in those boxes.  Melva also found the box containing the ceramic pumpkin we never seem to display for Halloween.

What fun I had last night.  My very good friend from college days, Don Gardner, resolved a problem he was having with Skype and we were able to set up and enjoy a video talk between Missouri and Maryland.  This was my first call outside the local area.  It's a lot of fun.  I'm looking forward to making many other contacts in the future.  Cyndi has Skype working on the netbook too.  She already talked to her friend in Germany.

After downloading some photos from Panama I discovered quite by accident that there is a program that came with the Toshiba laptop that can be used to write music files in either the CDA or MP3 formats to disc.  I successfully tested the program by created two discs of Bill Evans piano music.  I played the MP3 disc in the player in Melva's Toyota.

Aren't we having fun?

Mr. Dickie

9 November 2011

Don't Borrow Trouble

When you borrow trouble you probably won't be asked to pay it back.  (Richard Henthorn after Casey and Vanceburg, The Promise Of A New Day, 5 November)  8 November 2011

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Yesterday Melva and I went to Emmitsburg, MD to visit the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes.  It was a beautiful day.  The trees were still showing lots of color.  We stopped to shop at two roadside stands.  We ate lunch at the Cozy Inn buffet in Thurmont, MD.  Thurmont is near Camp David, MD where the President has a weekend retreat.

I think the problem I was having with Skype disappeared when I turned off the screen on the laptop and just used the larger monitor.  I added two more contacts.  Cyndi got Skype working with the netbook computer and talked with her friend in Germany.

Mr. Dickie

8 November 2011

Charlie Byrd

Today maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.  Be thankful for all events in your life: sorrows and joys, failures and successes, the valleys and the mountains.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 29 October)

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I was trying to make Skype work with Facebook.  That didn't go well.  I have no idea what happened.  Now I can't get Skype to pop out of the tool tray.  I thought it was going to be easy to install and use Skype.  It's beginning to look like I got ahead of myself.  There's always something.

I'm listening to some Charlie Byrd music from his album - Brazilian Byrd this morning.  Yesterday I copied some music from my Oasis device to the Toshiba laptop.

Mr. Dickie

7 November 2011

Writing On The Wall

Just because you refuse to read the writing on the wall doesn't mean you haven't been warned.  (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 28 October) 6 November 2011

Today Is

Yesterday is a canceled check.

Tomorrow is a promissory note.

Today is the only cash you have, so invest it wisely.

(Warren W. Wiersbe, Chapter-By-Chapter Bible Commentary, p. 678)

******

When I ripped some music from CDs I saved them in the WMA format.  Later I learned that it would have been better to have them in MP3 format.  This format seems to work well with Google Music, Spotify and other things I like to do.  I downloaded and installed a program called: Switch Sound File Converter from NCH Software.  I used this program to convert the files from WMA to MP3.

I also downloaded and installed a file manager program called Double Commander which displays two file lists at the same time.  This is very handy if you want to quickly selected and drag and drop files to copy from one folder to another.  I made good use of this program during the music file conversions.  One feature that was particularly useful was the ability to search for files with a particular file extension.  For example: when I thought I was nearing the end of the file conversion project I checked to see if there were files with the extension "*.WMA" that I'd missed.

During the last week I installed the Skype program on the laptop.  I added computer club member, Dan L., as my first contact.  I received my first call this evening when Dan noticed that I had Skype running and called.  It took a minute to get my bearings and turn off some music I had playing on the computer.  We conducted a nice video call of more than thirty minutes. At the end we hung up and I practiced calling Dan back to make sure I could initiate a call from my end.  I think we are ready to encourage some relatives in Panama to get Skype working.

Mr. Dickie

5 November 2011

It's a Sad Situation

One cannot be deeply responsive to the world without being saddened very often.  (Eric Fromm in Believing In Myself by Larsen and Hegarty, 2 November) 4 November 2011

Relationships

[Reflect upon your personal relationships,] especially any that seem psychically draining. ... end or modify those relationships so that they are less of a weight.  (Eric V. Copage, Black Pearls, 20 October) 3 November 2011

Skype

Today eliminate procrastination. Complete the task before you.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 17 October)

******

Late yesterday afternoon Cyndi and I went to Lake Artemesia for a one-lap walk.  It took just over thirty minutes.  There were so many water fowl on the lake we couldn't count all of them.

I starting working on the project to install and learn how to use Skype.  The new laptop has a built in webcam and mic.  I'm hopeful we will be able to find someone in Panama who is interested in using this communication tool.

Here's a new amateur video I like:  The Look of Love

Mr. Dickie
2 November 2011

Mind Your Own Business

Don't make sweeping judgments on anyone else's problems, or suggest decisions that should be made.  Let the other person make them for himself.  (after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 15 October) 1 November 2011