Month: February 2022

I woke up a few mornings ago to the news that Putin had finally invaded Ukraine.  It had been imminent for weeks, but finally here it was.

Some time in the past I had read a lot of Nostradamus and remember two of his predictions … that the third big war would involve the bear predominantly and that one factor at the beginning was to be the death in Paris of a Prince.

Back in those days I could think of only one Prince alive  who was widely known and from an important family who fit that description, Prince Charles.  Now, with the cultural and political changes undreamt of back then, a “Prince” could be interpreted to mean any prominent and powerful man or possibly any such person.

And an observation, not a judgment, developed over the years is that short men are often also small.

Stay tuned …

~~~

Last tuesday there was a nature episode in my neighborhood.  At dinnertime there was a flock of geese foraging in the area just across the street.There were so many of them I couldn’t get an accurate count, but I think there were somewhere between 26 and 30 pairs. 

They weren’t too noisy, probably because they were busy feeding.  The most noise was when there was a dispute over feeding territory.

And another observation of feeding patterns was the ease of seeing who were the top females in the flock.  Just look for those whose crops were fullest.

~~~

For years I’ve been an Agatha Christie fan.  I’m not sure I’ve read all of her writings, but probably most of them … novels and short stories.  

Poirot was my favorite.  I’ve seen three actors portray him … Ustinov, Suchet, and now Branaugh.  Didn’t see the Malkovich version or any of the others.

Ustinov’s hairnet was a bit fey.  

Branaugh’s backstory was enlightening and the OCD was hinted (straightening the corpse’s foot) but without much followup.  

And the braggadocio of Branaugh’s Poirot came across as more selfagrandisement than a mere statement of fact.

Can you tell that I am an aficionado of David Suchet?

I think my appreciation was born when I heard him explain (in an interview) that Poirot’s distinctive walk was the result of putting a quarter (halfpenny?) between his butt cheeks at the beginning of every filming when he would be on camera and use it as a reminder until the shoot was finished.  It caught the little Belgian perfectly.

I miss Suchet’s Poirot.

~~~

My morning walkabout is still a single circuit of the center of the Village, about a quarter mile.

I can now do it with minimum need for heavy breathing even when holding a conversation with my walking companion.  Next goal is the addition of two short loops at either end of my street.  That won’t add much distance, but it will be an interim between one circuit and two.

~~~

I am on a rather extensive learning curve into the electronic age.  

I am just now getting familiar with the DirectTV ins-and-outs.  To that has been added a DVD player.  This requires three separate remotes.

The problem right now is the “touch” required.  

I have just learned the “almost” touch required by my phone.

Now I am having to learn the two remotes which require a “positive” touch and instantaneous next entry.

I’ll keep practicing.

~~~

It has been a confusing few days, ever since Putin declared war with his invasion of Ukraine.  I have been in conflict trying to decide to speak out in the blog, or ignore what is happening.

I find I have that need to close with the same subject with which I opened this post …

I ask that as you read (or choose to not read) the following, you remember the response of a US ship Captain in thePacific all those years ago – “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”

Ukraine has honoured 13 soldiers who were killed defending a tiny island after reportedly swearing at a Russian ship that ordered them to surrender.

In unverified audio clips, the borders guards defending Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea are told to “lay down your weapons” or “be bombed”.

“Russian warship, go to hell,” they respond.

Ukraine says they were then killed by air and sea strikes. Russia denies the account, saying they all surrendered.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded each of the guards the posthumous title of “Hero of Ukraine”.

“On our Zmiinyi Island, defending it to the last, all the border guards died heroically,” Mr Zelensky said.

In the audio recordings, shared by a Ukrainian government official, the soldiers can be heard exchanging barbed comments with the Russian vessel.

“This is a Russian warship,” one voice says in the clip. “I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise you will be bombed”

According to the audio, the Ukrainian soldiers can then be heard speaking amongst themselves, agreeing “this is it”, before their final “go to hell”.

According to Ukrainian officials, those were the last words heard from the island before Russia began strikes and Kyiv lost contact with the island.

The official Russian account of the incident differs dramatically. Moscow said the 82 Ukrainian soldiers on the island surrendered it to them voluntarily and made no mention of carrying out strikes or inflicting casualties.

… and …

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60539193

     … BBC News

With fear and apprehension, I say take care of yourselves.

So,‘til next week …

Well, the geese weren’t around for a short time.  Seems a coyote found them in the bushes next door. I was feeling sad.  Then this morning, during my walkabout with my neighbor, they were back.

I was so happy to hear them again that I stopped to look up while they flew overhead, completely forgetting their propensity to poop in flight.

I am blessed with their return.  Hope the coyote has moved on. And was soooooooooooo lucky they didn’t poop while I stood there looking up enjoying.

~~~ 

And speaking of geese … I just saw an article about some area (I didn’t read the entire post and don’t remember whether or not the place was mentioned) where an entire flock of geese was being used as an insect control method.  

I knew of this use.  Can’t use chickens since they eat everything available, not just unwanted weeds and insects.

Additional thought was the use of goats in some areas to clear unwanted plants in fire-prone areas.

Geese and goats.  

Great combo …

~~~

Have recently been subjected to praises of air fryers by a neighbor and one of my sons.  I decided to get one which the neighbor will buy for me next time she goes to CostCo up in Oregon (no sales tax).

Will also ask her to check out the availability of electric tea kettles. I first saw one in a Cornish inn/hotel and didn’t know what it was or how to use it.  Now I want one.  It will take up less counter space than the microwave while delivering nearly instant tea water.

~~~

I also need to get some stuff for the extra room … sheets, bed pad, pillows, bedside rugs, bookcase, etc. Maybe someday on a trip to Yreka followed by lunch at Casa Ramos.

~~~

Recently, following the sale of the farm and the purchase of my current home, I learned I will need to file a tax report.  George and I hadn’t done a tax return in 40+ years (too money poor) so I have no idea what to do. 

Then I learned of an organization called JEDI right here in Mt Shasta who will do tax paperwork by professionals at no charge.  They even post a list of what you need to provide them by way of information.  And it doesn’t require an appointment.  

I will begin gathering the paper work and go sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Will let you know the result.

~~~

Also due to the real estate transactions I find I am the owner of an “estate” and need an attorney to make sure my children don’t get caught in the morass of probate when I die.

I never thought I would own enough to be an estate owner.  

That process will start with a phone consultation next tuesday with an attorney with whom in the past (as an amateur radio operator) I did  communication during an annual running event sponsored by the local Rotary Club (it hasn’t be held in the past two years).

Who ever thought I would need an attorney or that volunteer work would be a valuable asset …

Too bad there was no way to keep me out of Facebook jail due to my opinion about the difference between musicianship and burlesque-like performance.

Oh well …

~~~

To end the week, a thought from an indigenous young man …

A man slaughtered a big cow, lit the grill and said to his daughter, “Daughter, call our relatives, friends, and neighbours to eat with us… let us feast!”

His daughter took to the street and started shouting,

“Please help us put out a fire at my Dad’s house!”

After a few moments, a small group of people came out but the rest acted like they didn’t hear the cry for help.

Those who came ate and drank until late.

The stunned father turned to his daughter and said to her,

“The people who came I barely know them, some I had never seen before, so where are our relatives, friends, and neighbours?”

The daughter said, “Those who came out of their homes came to help us put out a fire in our house and not for the party.”

The lesson is that those who don’t help you during your struggle, shouldn’t eat with you at your party.  Those are the ones who deserve generosity and hospitality.

— Darnell Benally

So,‘til next week … Be among the ones who deserve to share in the party.

Long blog this week … 

~~~

Remember me telling you about hearing geese overhead and wondering why they were still here in winter?  Well it had a very simple reason.  Evidently some of them never went south this year.  There is a gaggle of adventurous souls (in pairs since Canada geese are monogamous) in the bushes in a line along the east border of my and my neighbor’s parcels.  

I saw them a few days ago when I heard them and went out to see what was going on.  The hen turkeys have been displaced by the geese.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera within reach, but it is now near my side door where I can grab it next time I hear them.

~~~

Last monday was my first time around the Mountain as far as Weed.  

I had my n95 mask with me and was at a table with five friends who were all also masked until we were eating, at which time we all had our masks down under our chins ready to pull up rapidly.  Talking through the masks was a challenge but we managed.  

Maybe I’d better concentrate on brushing up my ASL and teaching our group some basics.  Talk about a challenge.

~~~

Mark’s family is in lockdown.  Kamille and Paul were both tested positive (I think I told you that).  Paul tested negative at his next test and went back to school monday, but Kamille is still positive and is in quarantine.  At least her symptoms are lessened and she can begin to eat again. 

Mark is still negative but is maintaining distance in case he is a carrier although his tests have all been negative.

I saw him yesterday as a result of misplacing my phone.

I stopped putting it in my pant’s pockets because it kept falling out and I knew it was only time until it was broken.  So on monday I put it in a pocket the jacket I had taken with me and left them both in the car.

At the end of our meal, one of my friends cleared the table of all our trash.  I had packed about half of my lunch/dinner to take home for my dinner, but didn’t think of it as I went out the door, still chatting with some of the others.  

The friend who had cleared the table then went with me to the library where I returned the books I had gotten last week and we both got new books.  As we parted, my friend said that  she must have tossed her take-home pack in the trash when she tossed the table stuff because she couldn’t find it.  At the time, I didn’t know I didn’t have my phone so we split up and both went home.  

When I got home, I couldn’t find my phone.

Panic …

I thought to call my phone and listen for the ring.  

Stupid!  

How could I call my phone since I didn’t have my phone? So I went next door.   I didn’t think to go back home and have the neighbor call my phone since I thought I had already checked there.  

I then used her phone to call the Community Center where we had lunch and asked that they check the luncheon trash and was told it had already been collected.  So I decided to retrace my steps and went back to Weed. 

In the meantime, one of the city employees, the one who had told me the trash had been collected, went out to check and the trash was still in the dumpster,  but when she called my number, which I had left with her, there was no ring heard.

When I got there I asked to go back and listen for myself.  Still no sound heard.

As a last resort, I needed to go to Mark with my tail between my legs, since I knew he’d know what to do next.  I had tried to call him, but he wasn’t answering.  So I went to find him back in Mt Shasta.  When I found him, we met (at a distance) and he had learned about my phone and said “Mom, your phone is at home either in your office or one of the sofas.”  Seems there is a way to track your phone.  I need to learn how to do that.

Although I thought I had checked everywhere, I trusted his know-how and went back home to look again … this time in the office and the sofas.  

Nothing in the office. That left the sofas.   I had put the phone in the jacket pocket but for some reason hadn’t recognized the extra weight and evidently when I tossed the jacket over the back of the sofa, neck down, my phone had fallen out between cushions.  I let Mark know, and also let the lady at the Community Center know.

Did you know an embarrassed red face creates heat? 

End of story.  

I need to find one of those contraptions that go over your shoulder to carry my phone.

~~~

So here’s another tale to end the week.

I recently rejoined Facebook (I had been in FB jail for quite some time, probably over a statement I made stating that I think female solo musicians should look like musicians and not like burlesque performers) and saw this post … 

It is long but well worth sharing …

“I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said, ‘I’m Wasu, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk, I’d like you to read my mission statement.’

Taken aback, I read the card. It said, ‘Wasu’s Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.’

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wasu said, ‘Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.’

I said jokingly, ‘No, I’d prefer a soft drink.’

Wasu smiled and said, ‘No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water, and orange juice.’

Almost stuttering, I said, ‘I’ll take a lassi since I’ve never had one before.’

Handing me my drink, Wasu said, ‘If you’d like something to read, I have Good Housekeeping magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Bible, and a Travel + Leisure magazine.’

As we were pulling away, Wasu handed me another laminated card, ‘These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.’

And as if that weren’t enough, Wasu told me he had the heater on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know he’d be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

‘Tell me, Wasu,’ I was amazed and asked him, ‘have you always served customers like this?’

Wasu smiled into the rear view mirror. ‘No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about power of choice one day.’

‘Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle. If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining! Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’

‘That hit me right,’ said Wasu. He continued and said, ‘It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.’

‘I take it that has paid off for you,’ I said.

‘It sure has,’ Wasu replied. ‘My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year, I’ll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.’

Wasu made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. 

I hope we all decide to soar like an eagle and not quack like a duck.”

—  Summer Grace Vanni

So,‘til next week …

Latest event in the Village was the removal last monday of the holiday wreaths on the street lights.  I guess we are all on notice that the holiday season is over.  

Next up is Candlemas (today), but I don’t know of anyone who celebrates that in any way.

~~~

Some unidentified space radio signals, coming from somewhere in the Milky Way, which recur approximately every 18 minutes were recently “discovered” by a research student.  It reminded me of one of my favorite movies “Contact” and another recently released movie “Don’t Look Up” the starting point of which is the discovery of a potentially dangerous (to Earth) comet discovered by a graduate student.

The discovery of the radio signal has ignited a lot of back-and-forth in several talk forums, both scientific and social, with several possible sources both spatial and physical offered.  I will be following these discussions.  

I’ve been a SETI follower ever since the Sagan days.  At one time I even offered the use of my computer for help in tracking radio aberrations, but that was in the days of ultra-slow dial-up and so my involvement went nowhere.  

I think the big ears array out Hwy 89 to the east near Hat Creek is now a SETI outlook.  I’ll have to check into that.  Might be worth a field trip.

~~~

California has returned a swath of land to the local coastal Sinkyone (and that is not a spelling error but rather the indigeneous tribes’ phonetic spelling … ovidtest.gov) which includes a stand of redwoods.  The tribes will manage the land along lines taught by their Elders.

I hope I live long enough to see the results of proper land management.

~~~

I recently came across an Antwerp flash mob which was good fun … “You’re the one that I want” … and most of the mobsters were either not yet born when the movie came out or were most likely pre-school.  Enjoy … !!!

~~~
Made my first go-round-the-Mountian last friday.  Left home about 1030, did some banking and got a first try (at the Raven Tree shop in Mt Shasta) at learning what the local Ravens might appreciate.  Will set out a small offering in the morning, watch as I can, and bring what is left (if anything) into the house at dusk so squirrels, racoons, bears and other nocturnals are not encouraged to get in the habit of coming up onto the porch.

Then went on to Weed to the library to return some books and pick up some new reads for the coming week.  For me, reading with an actual book in hand is absolutely the best.  

That opinion is not meant to be  dissing electronic reading.  Just part of my “I choose for me … you choose for you.” philosophy as is Bingo as a social thing.

I am still reading the Gaslight series by Thompson, but only three more in the series to go.  Soon I will have to find a replacement.  Maybe go back to the Mary Russell series. 

And I have leads on a couple of other series which I’ll  try out.

Available mysteries without lots of gore, explicit sex, and profanity are outnumbered by the hard core stuff and not always easy to find.

Oh well …

I think mondays will be my regular Mt Shasta and Weed days.  We’ll see how that works.
~~~

I am still watching for Jenny on her morning walkabouts and joining her for an abbreviated version whenever.

I think I told you that neighbors to the east down the street from me had started an unscheduled walkabout of their own, possibly inspired by Jenny and (to a lesser extent) also me.  Susan is not able to walk by herself following a stroke and a fall which resulted in two broken wrists.  As a result she uses a seated walker which she pushes, walks slow, and drags one foot slightly.  Husband Dave doesn’t like going at her pace so we do it without him and he keeps tabs from home windows.  

I went to “visit” them last friday afternoon and after a bit of social time (more about that in a later blog) we agreed Susan and I will meet occasionally after our “therapeutic” naps and do a short, non-strenuous walkabout … me with my walking stick and her with her walker.  

First outing was yesterday and Susan and I were joined by Jenny who had to drop out after just one circuit because of her tendon problem. We were moving too slow for her ankle’s need for movement/exercise.  

The complete circuit is a quarter mile so Susan and I did okay.  Jenny does four circuits when moving at her own pace.

~~~ 

One of the hosts of “The View”, Whoopie Goldberg, was suspended by ABC News for two weeks after she drew criticism for declaring that the Holocaust was “not about race.”

I agree with Ms. Goldberg.  It was not about race.  It was about religion.  Those sent to the death camps were forced to wear the Star of David and were reviled as Juden.  Neither the badge nor the title were racially based.  The cause was Hitler’s hatred of Jews … maybe an attempt to deny his own Jewish heritage?

“The View” and ABC News owe Ms. Goldberg an apology and need to read up on history. 

~~~

Words for contemplation …

I’ve seen a better day, but I’ve also seen worse. I don’t have everything that I want, but I do have all I need. I woke up with aches and pains, but I woke up. My life may not be perfect, but I am blessed.

So,‘til next week …