FRIENDS

               One friend in a life time is much, two are many, and three hardly possible.

                                                                                    Henry Adams

              Henry Adams was an American, writer, historian and commentator.

FRIENDS

     Close friends (make)the music sound sweeter , the wine taste richer, the laughing ring louder.

                                                                                           Judy Viorsy

                   Judy Viorsy was a newspaper reporter and wrote many books.

99 BOTTLES OF BEER

                      I have told you many times that I was a teacher in  middle school grades for all my 37 years of teaching. I received many interesting assignments. I liked changes because it made things more interesting.

       One of the assignments I liked was outdoor ed. For many years I was given an outdoor ed class to teach. We covered food, clothing, map reading and safety. Of course the kids had to try out what they learned on field trips. We went back packing in the fall. We winter camped in November. We cross country skied in the winter. We stayed at Youth Hostels.(That's another story)

     So we took the bus to all these  activities. I didn't have a bus license so I got to ride in the back of the bus to patrol all the rowdies, We usually had a 3 hour trip so there was a lot of time to get bored. Some kids listened to their walkman. (This was a long time ago.)Some read a book in all the noise. Some brought games. However, In the back of the bus where I sat with all the rowdies there was a lot of singing. One tune I remember them singing was 99 bottles of beer. I  don't remember any of the words. I think it was a repetition where each number had a made up verse until they got to one. They were enthusiastic as  they tried to make up silly lines. And let me tell Middle school kids can get very silly

    So after hearing 99 bottles of beer many times, I do not remember one line. The ride back  home was  usually much quieter.

MIRRORS

          THE BEST MIRROR IS AN OLD FRIEND.

                                                 George Herbert

THE FLAG POLE CLIMBER

        I have written a few times about attending a one room rural school back in the late 40's.  In all ways it was different from what we have today.

        Many times we would go to school an hour before it started. Not because we liked  school , but so that we could play. There were 17 kids in the school so we were much like one big family. For play we had one ball and one bat. Did we play ball? Well not often. There were seventeen of us so that ends full sides. Some were in first grade so we lose some players there. Some of the girls wouldn't play.

        So what did we do. In a school yard there are many things to play with. We went into the school even if the teacher wasn't there. We made toy farms. We built roads in the dirt. We played in the barn but the was a no no. One kid kept an eye out the window in case the teacher was coming out.

  Very little supervision took place. 

   So one thing every little boy had  to learn was how to climb a flag pole. This was  strictly against the rules but rules only mattered if you got caught.

    So on one of these early morning school times , I decided to climb the flag pole. The teacher was walking to school and was about half a mile away. I didn't think she could identify me from that far away. Kids think adults can't see! When I was at the top we all heard a yell. The teacher had seen us but we weren't worried as she wouldn't be able to identify us. Well, she didn't identify me but took the opportunity to lecture all of us about climbing the flag pole.

COMMENTS ON COMMENTS

          A few weeks ago I changed things on my blog. It was my intention to post a comment every day.

         I admit that I have been struggling the last while. I've found topics hard to come by and the writing wasn't up to what I expected of myself. I've also discovered that my aging slows things down.

         I've had a list of quotes that I wanted to use on the blog for a long time. I wanted to make a side bar with a quote of the day. I collected the comments in my teaching days as I had a quote of the day on the chalk board to get kids attention before I entered the classroom. So my secret for comments was  to get them out of the local paper. Today you can find books of comments.

         I've had some comments on the change. I know I lost some followers but, I also gained some. Some expressed their opinion which was great. I like to see both positive and negative comments. I also like the comments on the way the blog was written before.

     I appreciated one comment more than any other and it didn't make it on to the blog. My son said, "  Dad, it's just not you!" I appreciated his keen sense of who I am and that he will miss that part. By the way he said , " Dad  go back to what you had before."

   A funny thing is happening. I seem to be writing as many posts as before so you are getting two types of blog.

   Thanks for reading from 2008. I've learned so much from this activity. I've found so many interesting  on line friends.

SEND KEYS

      NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN IF YOU HAVEN'T   HIT THE SEND KEY.

                             Dave Shipley and Will Schwalbe

           This quote could apply to many more situations.

WINNING

    When you win, say nothing.  Paul Brown

    It's interesting that Paul Brown was a foot ball coach.

CONSCIENCE

             A clear conscience is usually the sign of a poor memory.

                                                Steven Wright

           Steven Wright was a stand up comedian, writer, film director and actor.

I'M A HOTTY

      Yes I mean the kind of hotty  where females are attracted to me. Well some of you have already said there's something funny here. There's a story behind this one. Something is being twisted here.

     Yes, there's a story.

   I'm a regular walker. I walk the same route. I visit with people and their dogs. Sometimes I tell people too much for my own good. There's a beaver dam and bridge  where people visit and watch beavers. One day a somewhat elderly woman showed up. She had bright pink hair and said she was 79 , a hairdresser and still working. She was talkative and nosy. She asked people questions that were very  out of line.

     A few days later I met the same woman. She was driving by in her car. She would stop in much the same place. One day she commented that she had a nice car. A few days later she asked if I wanted a ride in her car. 

    I figured out why she stopped me in the same place. She saw me walk by her place and jumped in her car and caught up to me.

   That was just far too creepy. I changed my walking route and got rid of her.

FRIEND

       A real friend is one who walks in when the rest walk out.

                                                                 Walter Winchell.

                 I haven't heard about Walter Winchell for a long time.

SUMMER TIME

         Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

                                                    Sam Keen

       Sam Keen 1931 to 2025 was an American author , academic and philosopher.

CIVIL LIBERTY

                    Man's fear of ideas is probably the greatest  dike holding back human knowledge and happiness.

                                                                               Morris Leopold Ernst

                     Morris Ernst was a lawyer and civil libertarian.

                    He was born in 1888 and died in 1976.

PATIENCE

      Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.

                                                         Chinese proverb.

     Patience goes a long way in many stages of our life.

FOREST FIRE SMOKE

        There is much complaining about forest fire smoke coming from Canada to the US. Smoke is one thing that causes poor air quality. There  are many conditions humans have that are made worse with poor air quality. I sympathize with these people.

     However , this is a bit of a rant. It bothers me greatly when complaints are made that 

Canada isn't doing enough to control forest fires.  In particular , le plus grand orange's comments bother me.

     What is burning in Canada is the boreal forest The boreal forest stretches right across the whole country. There  are no breaks . Good luck in fighting fires in the boreal forest. However, we make a huge effort. Just think of the size of this forest. Why is the smoke worse now? Just think climate  change. When I was a child in the 40' s, we had far fewer fires. I rarely remember smoke.

     We have had smoke here but the  air quality has not been terrible. I do not look at air quality numbers

    There are forests in the US but they are fragmented. The growth is different and the plants do not burn as easily as in a boreal forest.

     The boreal forest burns very easily as  the needles are dry.

    When I  start a camp fire I use paper. Aboriginals use dead spruce branches with the red needles. They call it gas. It blazes up   very rapidly.

    

ILLUSION

       Better a dash of illusion and a hearty appetite for life , than a feast of reality and indigestion therewith.

                                                          Henry A Overstreet

             Henry  Overstreet was an American writer and lecturer. He was born in 1875 and died in 1970.

SUFFERING

      Often it's just a lack of imagination that keeps a man from suffering very much.

                                                                                              Marcel Proust

        Think about this one as it says so much .

ICE CREAM

       Tomorrow is International Ice Cream Day. I love ice cream. In fact , my family has liked ice cream for three or four generations.

       Last  week was a family reunion. Not a reunion like in the old days with many people. This reunion had 25  people. I could not make it as I don't drive very far anymore. My two children did not make it as one is in Chicago and one on the west coast.

    They did set up  messenger feed for me so I got to  see all the people and activities. I also had some good chats. 

    Oh ya! this post started out on ice cream. I got lost. So for the reunion somebody showed up with a three gallon tub of ice cream. Other people showed up with their favorite toppings. Sorry  I missed it.

   When I was a child in the late 40's , we did not have electricity and therefore no freezer where we could keep ice cream.  We did make our own ice cream and we could buy ice cream. Dad  would come home with a brick of ice cream and we would eat it right away before it melted. A brick of ice cream was similar in size  to a pound of butter.

    There were  also huge insulted containers which were used to ship ice cream. It would keep the ice cream frozen for a few days.

    Did I ever tell you I like ice cream?

    Happy International Ice Cream Day.

CHANGE

                   Things do not change; we change.

                                                                  Henry David Thoreau

BELIEF

            A belief which leaves no place  for doubt is not a belief, it is a superstition.

                                                                               Jose Bergamin

         There's some pretty deep thought from Bergamin on this quote. When I'd copied this quote I missed the author. I found out that all I needed to do was google it.

       So far some of these quotes have been humor and some advice and others comments on life.