Quote of the Week

In a world where you can be anything, be yourself. 

- Etta Turner

Man is the only creature that will try to be something or someone he's not.  Be yourself and what you accomplish will be your own.

The Stalker

http://callmelindi.deviantart.com

Stalking is something that happens to other people.  You know famous people, important people.  I never figured that would be me.  She is beautiful, I will admit, and I suppose I'm partly to blame for my situation.  I took pity on her and friended her because...well she lives with a bunch of real dogs.  

Now I find her waiting for me when I get home.  She appears from out of nowhere whenever I venture outside.  She boldly shows her affection for me and tries to force her way into my home. To get my attention, she throws herself at my feet, and when I try to leave her, she chases me down and trips me.  She even attacked my hubby.

To make matters worse, she lives next door and can scale the fence in two seconds flat.  Who knows...I may have to become a hermit.  Where is the "unfriend" button?

This is the face of a stalker!

She really is beautiful.

You know I'll find you!

Her moods can be as explosive as the pistol she was named for, but in all fairness to the lovely Beretta, she has calmed down some, and I no longer fear a feline home invasion.  Maybe living with six humans and a pack of dogs is sometimes just too much for her and she needs a little one-on-one with a cat person.  I can understand...that would make me a little nuts too.  I guess she could use a friend.

Quote of the Week

Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in few.
- Pythagoras

Some words of wisdom from another of the great Greek philosophers.  Also for those who remember some of their grade school geometry, this is the fellow for whom the Pythagorean theorem is named.  Philosophy and math makes an interesting  combination plus he also founded a religious movement called Pythagoreanism. 

Okay, how many of you have known someone who, however likable, could talk for an hour and you were none the wiser for having listened?  Out of all the words they used, most are repetitious and only a very small percentage of them actually contained any real information.  Sometimes it's as if they are on an audio loop and you would desperately like to push pause.

I could spout out a lot of words about why I think this happens based on the individuals and their different life circumstances, but I won't.  I'll just leave you with this thought:  Talk less and say more.

 

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.  – Alexander Graham Bell

Bell, a creative man with a sensitive nature and talent for the arts, produced his first invention at the age of 12.  He invented a machine for dehusking wheat, normally a laborious process.  He was later, and most well known, for inventing the telephone.  

I wonder what he would think about how his invention has evolved over the years.  When you couple this with the quote from the Chairman of IBM a few weeks ago, I think both men would be amazed at the Smart Phone which combines the computer with the telephone.

It seems to me that Bell's quote is quite clear.  We miss opportunities by focusing on the past rather than looking ahead.  The closed door is the past.  We can't change that.  The open door represents future opportunities.  When the door opens, step inside.

Beneath the Poplar Tree

I planted this tree a little more than 20 years ago as a seedling that I dug up from the woods next to our house.  It started out in a large soft drink cup and when it outgrew the cup and looked like it was going to make it, I planted it.  My guess is that it's nearly 2 feet in diameter and at least 50 feet tall.  Although the tree did all the work, I am very proud of having grown it from a mere sprout. 

So many people around here now are cutting down perfectly good trees and leaving their yards looking sad and naked.  It just breaks my heart when I see those lovely, healthy trees destroyed, leaving only ground out stumps and piles of sawdust.  I guess it is the fear of what might happen one day.

We are having a tree taken down, too, but for safety reasons only.  If it were healthy, that old maple, with all it's interesting character, would remain there shading the house for many years to come.  Fortunately, it is on the north side of the house and the neighbors have a large elm nearby so there will still be some shade. 

This is why it has to go.  It is so hollowed out it's a wonder it's still standing, but to look at the top of the tree, you'd never know it.  We (mostly me) have been putting this off for a long time but each year the hollow gets bigger and bigger and sooner or later, something will set up housekeeping in there, or it will go over in a big puff of wind...not a pleasant thought.  So Friday down it comes [sniff].

For now, cheers from beneath the poplar!