Too old for a tree house???

These are stressful times in so many ways. Even though it isn't always easy to do, I do try to concentrate on finding happy things -- things to feel good about... things to make my heart smile and that might spread smiles to others as well.  They are out there ... sometimes closer than you might think. They are around in the small moments often easily overlooked.  I think it boils down to mindfulness... and sometimes to remembering.  

Just the other day I was thinking about growing up and about how much of my life I spent in trees when I was a kid running around in worn out  Keds. I think I have always had the tendency to try to avoid crowds, and there is a lovely peaceful quietness about trees.  I had favorite trees here and there... sturdy friends all. There were some scary moments in the climbing up and down, but the time spent reading while having a snack -- leaning up against the main trunk while high up ... too good to ever pass up... so worth the scratches and bruises.  Fellow tree climbers will understand how the world even sounds different while high up in a tree. It's peaceful and comforting somehow. You never forget the sound and feel of the wind moving through the leaves.

A while back there was a fun television show about tree houses -- adults having remarkable tree houses built -- homes really. I think it was called Treehouse Masters. I loved that show. Wish I could find reruns of it right now. What always concerns me most now though, when thinking about a tree house, is the ups and downs.  I don't even use a step ladder in my own kitchen very often. There was even a period of time that I accused my adult children of hiding my bigger ladders, but then I ran across them in one of the back stalls in my barn and had to apologize for the false accusations ... something I still find amusing in a twisted sort of way.  Anyway --  I think it is time to leave the tree climbing and tree houses to those under the age of almost 75.  I confess I have thought more than once though about having a tree house built in my back pasture.  The trees there are perfect for one, but methinks I missed the age related deadline.

The thing is now may not be the right time for tree climbing (or tree houses) for me, but ... there are the memories of once upon a time.  I will settle for that.  I have good memories of then. Actually I never had a tree house per se; the tree itself was more than good enough.  Now... I do think that I am too old for one. Tree houses rank right there with mini skirts and parachuting.  Life is like that sometimes.  I do, however, have a truly magnificent kite. That is a whole other story yet to be told. 

Laptops and Snapping Turtles

 So many important topics to write about these days:

"Elder Abuse Awareness Day: A commitment to protecting our seniors" was just "celebrated" on June 15th.

 Juneteenth and the meaning thereof...

Hunter's laptop and assorted or perhaps other sordid current events...

The national identity crisis of 2024...

The chaos of the world...

I will leave them all for others.  Today I am thinking about snapping turtles laying eggs in my mulch again, whether or not I should sow wildflower seeds in my entire pasture, and if we will ever have more than two days of low humidity in a row.  The thought has also entered my head wondering if there is anywhere else in the world that you need your furnace in the morning and ac in the evening.   That's all.  Ignoring important topics works for me. Sometimes the little things are also important.  

"In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these." (Paul Harvey)

I have a question...

Not a fan of self-checkout machines or of any kind of robots in general.  I like people -- most of the time anyway, and ... I always prefer chatting with a clerk to checking myself out or to feeling like I am dealing with a machine. I haven't even used an ATM in years. If I ever even had a debit card, I lost it in a junk drawer long ago. The one exception to this might be my Roomba which, although really stupid, does do a relatively good job of cleaning underneath all the beds, and for that I am thankful.  It doesn't seem to care though. It's not a bit fun -- just sits on the floor charging and waiting. It has no personality at all.  Then there is all the recent hubbub about AI. It is sort of an all of a sudden kind of brouhaha... and probably a bit over the top sort of thing.  We will see. I learned recently that AI has actually been in the making for a long time. I did not know this.

Speculation about Artificial Intelligence doesn't bode well for many though. An unnamed source of a Google search tells me that apparently IBM, for example, will replace some 30% of its "back-office" roles with AI within the next five years, That translates to approximately 7,800 positions.  The phrase "7800 positions" translates to 7800 people losing their jobs. (That is one big "back-office".) IBM has also slowed or stopped hiring for some clerical positions.  Other articles report of thousands of other jobs that have already been lost or are in the process of being eliminated by AI. "Other jobs" also translates to "more people" losing their jobs. Semantics are important.

I suppose that Artificial Intelligence has its place and has its good points.  For example, it can work without stopping 24/7 and some say that it reduces error and increases quality. AI handles data efficiently. The thing is though -- the mere thought of people being replaced by machines is disturbing to me. (I vow to avoid self-checkout if at all possible.) Humans have a way of giving things a nice, creative and lovely "human" touch - mistakes and all. I just hope that Artificial Intelligence doesn't totally eliminate the chance  for humans to communicate directly with one another.  The world would be a sad place without smiles and eye contact. An occasional hug is also a nice thing.

My question is: Who even thinks of this kind of thing? The answer -- the concept was introduced in the 1950's and continues to be explored over the years by many. An MIT computer genius named John McCarthy gave it the name Artificial Intelligence. AI has been coming for a long time. Maybe we will get as used to it as we have become to computers or cell phones. I know I can change.  I distinctly remember thinking that the idea of a microwave oven was ridiculous. I changed that opinion rather rapidly.  We will see.  I figure that human beings can just pull the plug or let the battery run down if AI gets too big for its britches. Hope so, anyway. 

Must mention in parting -- AI and robots, in addition to other concerns, give me the creeps, -- no matter how smart they are or how good of a job they do. 

...

Cash In Hand and The Old Fart Mentality

Credit cards definitely come in handy sometimes, and I particularly like their cash back feature that helps buy other "stuff", but basically I tend to be a cash person.  I like the security of having a few bucks on hand to pay for things.  I like real money. Electronic money is good until the power goes out or the system is hacked. (Off the wall side note: Have you noticed that many cashiers don't even know how to count back change?  Good grief.)  

The last time I was in Indiana visiting my son and his wife, we went to a restaurant that didn't accept cash.  What?!  That was my first exposure to the beginnings of a cashless society trend that I find most annoying primarily because it eliminates my freedom of choice. I am touchy about such things -- especially in this day of big government that wants to control everything from what appliances I have to what kind of car I drive.  Plus I also like the security of having some small amount of cash out of reach of the greedy hands of corrupt power hungry "leaders".  I have already helped pay for their second and third homes. That's another whole story.

There is also another side to consider.  The people you pay in cash also then have money to pay for things. It's a nice link and a cycle of support somehow.  There are also no fees added to the price of things. A lot to consider here. There is more privacy in paying with cash ... no electronic footprint that can be monitored by financial institutions or government agencies. There is no danger of exposure to the potential of being hacked or of identity theft.  It's a lot to think about. 

The current trend, as I see it, is tending to favor a cashless society and perhaps for valid reasons. I will, however, leave those reasons for others to write about as I don't find them noteworthy  -  or up my alley. Obviously, I favor the use of cash side of the argument. I simply don't see the potential dangers of a cashless society being worth it and I guess -- I just don't trust it.  Give me interaction with humans I trust over machines and technology put in place by "control freaks" any day of the week. I am comfortable, once again, with the old fart mentality. 

One ringy - dingy....

Was taking inventory the other day as I left the house, and I double checked to make sure I had my phone.  No surprise there.  It has become an extension of my being.  I sometimes wonder if the next version will have a way to attach itself to a human brain in some way.  Elon may be working on that as I type.  Who knows?  

Anyway...  I, of course, had the sudden memory of phones when I was a kid.  Back in the day, it was one phone line per household unless you were on a party line and that's a whole other blog. When the phone rang, I would run to the little alcove where the phone sat on a little table -- the phone was attached by a cord to the wall. It was black like all phones back then -- a rotary dial one -- again like all phones back then. There was an uncomfortable little chair in that little wall indentation -- I think purposely uncomfortable to dissuade one from long term sitting. And in my house ... next to the phone there was an egg timer. That annoying little thing was a "touch" thought of by my Dad, a man of few words --- most of the time. 

Here's the scenario.  The phone would ring.  Either my sister or I  (usually me) would run to answer it in the polite way we were trained to do.  Back then phones belonged to a residence, not an individual. If the call was for me or my sister, my Dad would put his newspaper down, get up from his chair and quietly flip the egg timer. His silent message ...  if you can't get it "solved" in three minutes, perhaps in person would work better. Ah memories.... 

On sort of a related note... I miss Ernestine. One ringy-dingy... Two ringy-dingy....

And then there were three...

Mr. and Mrs. Goose have been stopping by my neighbor's pond for several years now. Actually they fly back and forth between that pond and what I call the "horse pond" and the "spring pond" on my property. They seem very intelligent and are definitely very loud. I first noticed them arrive in March of 2018. I heard them coming in for a landing from far off. They come gliding in like those little water planes with the runners.   Anyway --  Each year they arrive about the same time in early Spring and stay for a week or so before heading off to wherever it is they go for the summer. I have always assumed that they fly across Lake Erie into Canada.  Don't know why -- just a hunch.  But this year they have stayed longer, nested, and so far have one little fluffy puff ball of a gosling wandering about with them.  It is fun to watch them parent this teeny creature who was swimming with them shortly after entering this world. My granddaughter enjoys watching them as much as I do and knows a lot about geese... that they mate for life, etc.  She has named the little fluffy puff ball George ...  because that seems a fitting name to her. I agree.

I confess that I have dragged my entire family into this geese watching adventure and we wonder if there will be more goslings soon or if George will be an only gosling. The geese seem to be a nice little family and we figure they will hang around here for a while -- at least until George is ready to fly away with them. Apparently that can take awhile. Maybe this will become their permanent home and they will stay until they migrate south in the Fall. I see a future of a lot of goose poop on my driveway if this turns out to be the case.  Don't mind that really. 

Anyway -- my granddaughter and I also think that their story would make a fun children's book.  We have been observing them and taking as many "phone photos" as possible.  Among her many other talents, my granddaughter is an excellent photographer.  She has been selling her photographs since she was eleven and is now thirteen.  Anyway -- this experience with a goose, her gander and their gosling, George, could really turn into something nice even if it is only in the "shared experience" department. Time shared ... of the Nana and granddaughter variety ...  precious.

  

Love and Deepest Condolences

In October of 2016, I wrote a blog that shared part of a letter written by a friend that I hoped would offer worthy tribute to my cousin, Kathy. In 2018 I shared these same words with the minister who was to speak at my sister's funeral and the words were incorporated into her eulogy. Now in 2024, I share again in hopes that they will help one family in particular and others, no matter where, who are dealing with loss and grief. 

From that blog in 2016:

Many years ago when a dear friend of mine died most unexpectedly, someone forwarded to me a letter that he had written to one of his aunts and uncles following the death of their son.  The words of this letter have remained with me, as some things do from time to time, and today I want to share his idea with you.  I know that people of a certain age have the loss of loved ones in common, and it is my hope that his words will be a help to you at some point as they continue to comfort me. 

In this letter -- my friend wrote that he always found it to be important to take some of what is the best of the person you have lost and to make those qualities a part of who you are or of who you wish to become. In that way -- each one of us lives on in another. It is a bond of love and respect. There is no higher tribute.

~~~~~~

It is with great sadness today that I write in tribute to my friend and neighbor of many years -- Terry Colwell.  Those of you who knew her know that she was an extraordinary person -- a kind and gentle woman, but at the same time, a strong and fierce warrior woman.  I only hope that I will be able to emulate even a little bit of the best that was her and in that be able to live in ways that will be a tribute to her ... one of love and respect.

My love and deepest condolences to her family and her many friends.