As a public service

source: XKCD

 the subtext reads:
There's a supposed Mark Twain quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.
It isn't really by Mark Twain, but I don't know who said it—I just know they've never been to McMurdo Station.

Out of practice

The truth is my phone and tablet are nearly impossible to use for blog posts because of physical challenges. The PC is in an inconvenient location so I have to make it a habit to go and sit down and write a post. Sadly, it isn't a part of my regular routine any longer. That means the time I would spend blogging has been filled with other tasks.

So, you might ask what's filling my time. It all started with texting "Good Morning!" to some family members, which has expanded to many family members and a bunch of acquaintances. Then someone introduced me to Wordle. Next, MB and I did a river cruise that ends in Paris, so I started learning some French from and online language app. I'm no longer learning French because I switched to Spanish. I has two years of it back in high school and have a pretty good base to work with. If that isn't enough, somebody else introduced me to Connections , which like Wordle can be a real time waster user. The worst of it all is I have daily activities the take me away from the fun and games listed above.

Anyhow, it will take some time to get back into the swing of things where it comes to the Blog.

Maybe I can come up with cat pics on Fridays, like Mimi suggested?

. . . and finally

Christmas Eve

 

...and continues some more

Fourth Sunday of Advent

 Peace!

This!

 

. . . and continues

 The third Sunday of Advent

Joy!

It continues

The Second Sunday of Advent

Prepare the way.
 

It begins

What's that you say? 

Tomorrow is the first day of Advent, the Christmas season.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
It was relatively quiet at People to People compared to previous years.

That just meant we had plenty of leftovers to take to Loaves and Fishes to feed others.

No!

Yesterday's post had nothing to do with what I posted the day before.

It was purely coincidental.

. . . and I like trains

How you know it's time to take away the keys

 

As alluded . . .

 . . . photo explanations.

...Approaching the Minneapolis Airport on Monday morning

...Somewhere over Gillette, Wyoming

...Descending over the Sierras into Sacramento just west of Donner Pass

...The Foresthill Bridge near Auburn, CA, rumored to be the third highest bridge in the U.S.

...The Sacramento River kinda wraps itself around the airport

Maybe I'll add some context later.

time will tell

A friend emailed this.
Seemed like it's worth passing along.

 In the following analysis the French Professor Bruno Dubois, Director of the Institute of Memory and Alzheimer's Disease (IMMA) at La Pitié-Salpêtrière - Paris Hospitals, addresses the subject in a rather reassuring way:

"If anyone is aware of his memory problems, he does not have Alzheimer's"

1. I forget the names of families .
2. I do not remember where I put some things .

It often happens in people 60 years and older that they complain that they lack memory. "The information is always in the brain, it is the "processor" that is lacking."
This is "Anosognosia" or temporary forgetfulness.
Half of people 60 and older have some symptoms that are due to age rather than disease.
The most common cases are:

- forgetting the name of a person,
- going to a room in the house and not remembering why we were going there,
- a blank memory for a movie title or actor, an actress,
- a waste of time searching where we left our glasses or keys .

After 60 years most people have such a difficulty, which indicates that it is not a disease but rather a characteristic due to the passage of years .
Many people are concerned about these oversights hence the importance of the following statement:
"Those who are conscious of being forgetful have no serious problem of memory."
"Those who suffer from a memory illness or Alzheimer's, are not aware of what is happening."
Professor Bruno Dubois, reassures the majority of people concerned about their oversights:
"The more we complain about memory loss, the less likely we are to suffer from memory sickness."
Now, for a little neurological test.....

Only use your eyes.

             1- Find the C in the table below!

             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
             OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

             2- If you have already found the C, then find the 6 in the table below.

             99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
             99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
             99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
             69999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
             99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
             99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

             3- Now find the N in the table below.
             Attention, it's a little more difficult!

             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMM
             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

             If you pass these three tests without a problem:
             - you can cancel your annual visit to the neurologist.
             - your brain is in decent working shape!
             - you are far from having any relationship with Alzheimer's.

             Share this with your over-60-friends, it can be reassuring.

Advice

If life is giving you melons, it is highly likely, according to medical experts, you are experiencing symptoms of dyslexia. 

Yes, I remember

I'm remembering where I was on this day and that I spent a goodly part of that day planted in front of a television.
I looked back through the archives, such as they are, on both blogs.
There isn't anything profound and in most cases nothing in reference to the date.

Pickings may be a little slim in the following couple of weeks.

As most of you are aware, MB and I are active members of Lions Clubs.
This week her club's district convention starts on Thursday.
She is a delegate to the convention.
She is also in charge of Hospitality and the Catering Chair, meaning we shall be busy through next Sunday.
We already have a pretty good stock of supplies for the Hospitality room on Friday and Saturday.
We have to be there on Wednesday for the final arrangements with the hotel.

The following week is my club's district convention.
I have no specific duties at the convention . . .    yet!
But as a Past District Governor, it would be bad form not to show up.
Besides, there are a couple of places I want to go while we are up north.
I guess I should mention the convention is at Anderson this year.
We will be away again from Wednesday on.

The week after that we are flying to Milwaukee.
MB's granddaughter [yeah, and mine] is being confirmed.
We don't miss things like that if we can help it.

Then we'll be home until June.

and we're having fun

Frustration

Why does the media and, then in turn, the clueless public on social media seem to believe information is being withheld as a part of a cover-up on the part of the Navy regarding the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and the container ship?

It's not a cover up.
Of course there is information that isn't being made available. It has been locked away where nobody can tamper with it.
That's standard procedure for a collision at sea, even a minor [my word] one that only involves dents and scratched paint.
Sailors are even segregated so they may not discuss the incident until the inquiry is complete.

I know one thing for sure.
Those who were involved would like very much for the information to get out so they can put the incident behind them (DAMHIK).

Something else I know is that it is surprising that something like this has happened in that vicinity before.
Those are extremely crowded waterways with all manner of watercraft of all sizes and shapes traveling in all directions at any time of day or night (DAMHIK).

There was obviously an error on someone's part . . .   maybe even more than one someone.
Don't judge until you know all of the facts and can apply personal knowledge or expertise to those facts.

GOML!

Then I saw this . . .

stolen from APOD

 Click the image!

Lemme see here . . .

Just some notes:

• The Rain Festival continues in Washington [it's really not as bad as some natives make it sound]
• Friday the 13th fell on a Tuesday this month
• It took forever for the laptop to boot this morning [I wonder how long it's gonna take the PC to boot when I finally reconnect it?]
• My primary email is out of service because of a fiber cut somewhere south of Chico
• The Weather Service has issued warnings, advisories, and watches for excessive heat in the Southwest [that includes most of the interior valleys of California]
• Today is the anniversary of my high school graduation [I was surprised as much as anyone]
• I'm going to Costco again today [if you don't hear from me by Monday . . .  ]

yeah, right

It's Flag Day

I was gonna post this elsewhere

. . . and write something original about a reunion I'm attending this weekend.

October 27                                   "It's funny how life is lived forward -- and understood backward." "Living Life Forward," Vail, Arizona, October 2005 No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

Obviously I changed my mind. If there's nothing here after tomorrow . . . don't worry.

it means there's no wifi

Friday's feline Buck would loved this

from the usual source

prolly woulda posted it
yesterday