IPod Epilog

       I have posted twice about  my ipod. I know some might say, "Well dry up!",  but I have one more observation.

      My first post covered how I got my ipod and began trying to find out how to use it. I made reference to kids helping me learn how it works.

      On my second post I dealt with how I had found out how to use the ipod and how proud I was of myself.

      Now when you write things you can always look back and see evidence of what you said and did. The facts stare you in the face.

      So now that I am using the ipod and enjoying it I have to look back and say , "What in the world was so hard about all that?" It's really easy once you get the hang of it. No wonder kids find it so easy to use ipods and many other electronic devices. So it's interesting to see how inadequate I felt and was almost talking myself into failure. It was a good learning experience and I will be much better prepared for the next challenge.

More Political Future With the Internet

         A few days ago I posted apiece about the influence of the internet on the Egyptian and Tunisian political upheavals.

        I asked many questions that I'm sure have been asked before and was quite certain that developments were taking place some where on the use of the internet for good or evil.

      I was most surprised to hear a commentary a few days ago to the effect that the Obama administration is looking at the effects of a total shut down of internet communication. In other words they were saying if we have to shut down the internet to control communication what might be some problems.

      I was amazed the hear this thinking from a democratic country. I could see a third world dictatorial country shutting down internet communication but I never thought a democratic country would shut down internet communication. I thought our right to communicate and free speech would have been held at a higher level. I'm sure that somewhere in Canada they are looking at a similar scenario.

      How sad that in countries that have a high regard for freedom and democracy that they would consider restricting speech and communication.

Alf and the Snowmen

         I have written about Alf  four or five times before. Alf comes to visit his Dad for two or three days a week. Alf's Dad is my next door neighbor. Alf is now seven. When he was three or four he was quite often in my yard and wanted to explore everything found in an old man's yard. Alf also would go in the house and his curiosity just overwhelmed him and he would walk through the whole house.

         Alf has given me much pleasure as he is cute, curious and courteous. So there are many questions. My answers only brought more questions.

        So a couple of weeks ago Alf and his Dad built two giant snowmen in their front yard. This is a yearly activity for them. When Alf comes to stay with his Dad he has to go out and visit his snowmen. So the other day when Alf came I thought I had better take a picture and show everybody two great snowmen and their owner.

       Having a youngster next door is always good for  contact with little guys who are full of ideas and curiosity. Nothing like that to keep you young!

More Mighty Microbes

        The old adage "Out of sight. Out of mind." could be aptly applied to mighty microbes. We can't see microbes with the naked eye so we go about our business as if they weren't there. This causes us to live our lives and make decisions which do not favor microbes. It's easy to argue for the protection of species which are noticeable and if they have spectacular features it's easier yet. To protect and conserve one species everything has to be considered. That one species fits into an eco system and that's the best way to protect the one species. An eco system is made up of interconnecting parts. Each species supports the other in some way even if it happens to be prey for another species.

       I taught junior high science for awhile. In one unit we had the kids bring a small sample of pond water. We showed the kids how to make a slide and use a microscope. When they looked at their water sample, there in front of their eyes were microbes. Now with a school microscope you don't see much, but they did find out about microbes and saw them move, their shape and color. They kept bringing more water samples as they were intrigued by what they saw.

      Microbes are common everywhere and have important roles to play. It was surprising for me to find out microbes are in snow and ice. Microbes on snow and ice you say? Yes. There are also insects on snow at certain times. Ever see snow fleas? I would like to see decisions on environmental issues start with microbes. We have water use issues. Various parts of society are competing for an ever decreasing amount of water. Decision makers only consider the water and not the life which is sustained by the water.

     I wish more people would become acquainted with microbes on a realistic basis. Then maybe decisions made about natural habitat might be made easier and more species would have a better chance of long term survival.

Mighty Microbes

        I have written from time to time about birds and animals....rabbits, deer, merlins, geese... Some bloggers I follow write about white tailed deer, turkeys, turkey vultures, magpies, harlequin ducks, Canada geese, gray jays, swans, moose, bohemian waxwings goldfinches roses. My list could be very long as about a dozen blogs I follow post on a regular basis about plants or animals. They are all excellent posts ...informative and well illustrated. All of these are rather sexy topics. People really like Bambi stories!

       I have never seen microbes covered in any of the blogs I follow yet microbes are very basic to life and crucial in many cases for life to continue. For example, we have about 40 000 different kinds of microbes in our gut. Most of these are very necessary to keep body functioning properly. If some microbes become over or under populated we usually have a problem. I was diagnosed with one little guy that was too populous and was given an antibiotic to knock down the population. So I ended up with less gas which was great.

      Our soil and water is populated with millions of microbes. When the prairies were ploughed first the  soil was very fertile. After cropping for a few years the microbes were depleted so we started using fertilizer and chemicals. Before the prairie was plowed there was equilibrium with carbon contained in the soil. Now much less carbon can be absorbed in our soil because the little microbes which do the job are almost gone.

    Forests and plants are full of and covered with microbes.

    Where am I going with this? I am a naturalist. (NOT a naturist. I keep my clothes on.) I hope to preserve as much natural habitat as possible. My friends keep saying that it's not being made anymore. Many would have us think that plants and animals we raise can replace the natural habitat. It doesn't. It usually brings problems. Mono cultures of plants are very susceptible to disease. Invasive species come in and compete with the natural habitat and destroy it. In the Chicago Wilderness Area area hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to bring back the natural habitat in the area.

     We have cleared much native habitat for agriculture so the native habitat which is left is fragmented and when not connected many species do not cope well. As a child, on the "isolated farm" less than half the land was cleared. There was an abundance of wildlife under those conditions. Today about 98% of that land is used for agriculture. It's like a desert as far as the population of native species is concerned.

    So I hope that if we look out for the mighty microbes we will also help the larger sexier species as well.

Rest Easy Pete

         When I began reading my blogs tonight I found the one that I had been anticipating, but it still caught me with a jolt of sadness. We all knew that Pete from Out of My Multiple Minds was not well as he had bravely kept us informed of his status. His last posts were gripping as he told about his fight to remain with us for as long as possible.

         The post I found tonight was simply called "It's Over!"  This post was written by his daughter and I thank her for informing us of her Dad's end.

        Pete only started blogging a few months ago. I was somehow lucky to blunder across his blog and I could instantly tell that it was a blog that was absolutely necessary to follow.

       What made Pete's blog such a hit was Pete. He called things as he saw them. He was passionate and did not back away from any cause. Many of the things he stood for were not on the popular side. He could tell an excellent story. He fussed and worried about what he wrote, but he naturally knew how to tell a story. Keep adding the detail and saved the climax to last. I remember following him down a long corridor to visit his sick friend. I thought the friend would be dead , but no his friend was still hanging on. The big thing was that Pete made the effort to visit his fast fading friend. Pete lost two very good friends in the last two months of his life.

      We need more Petes in this world. I will miss Pete from Out of My Multiple Minds.

       Much support to Pete's family at this sad time,

65th Wedding Anniversary: Awesome

        This weekend I attended a celebration for friends Betty and Howard's 65th anniversary. This is the first 65th I've ever attended and it was a very moving affair.

        Betty and Howard's five children put on a dinner and program to honor their parents. One son spoke of his parents and how they were a Mom and Dad and very family oriented. He covered happy occasions, sadness and how generally the family functioned extremely well. Their life was not just a smooth ride  

 as they also faced hardships and devastating loss. He described how his mother and father were extremely hard workers and that they also worked very hard for family growth as well. An excellent picture album was put together to show each child's life in the family as they grew up. All grandchildren were briefly featured as well.

      Some of the older friends and neighbors made comments which were humorous and also added to the description of this couple's life.

      As I reflected on this occasion I couldn't help but think about how vibrant and energetic this couple was and is. They each had tremendous energy as individuals and also put tremendous positive energy into their relationship. They also had time to participate in the community and were ever ready to help others. They are also both physically vigorous and enjoy life. The pictures gave a vivid description of the length of time that goes into a 65 year relationship. The styles through the decades made it simple to see how much time was involved.

       Betty and Howard certainly influenced their children in a positive way and have also

been an inspiration to many other people.