La Puerta de Chez Lynilu

How's that for mixing languages?

La porte de la maison de Lynilu,
or
La puerta de la casa de Lynilu.

Take your choice.

However you say it .... Hey, y'all, here's my door!!





And when I got through with the second coat this morning, rather than wash away the paint that was left in the roller and brush, I used it on the bench that sits beside the door. I noticed that the red on it was not a color I liked, and I was planning to paint it soon, anyway, soooo ......

The seat and the lower back are the new color, same as the door. I'll finish it out with this gorgeous red, then repaint the designs in new colors, too. But I've quit for todsay because the wind is kicking up. It is supposed to be windy today and tomorrow. I don't want sand all over the wet paint. I'll finish out the bench over the weekend.

I really like the color. It suits me, and it makes me smile. It is very lively, or as the color name implies, "Zesty"!!!

Quaking

There were two earthquakes yesterday in New Mexico. They were both in the northern part of the state, a very minor one near Albuquerque, and another, a 3.4 farther north. Tremors and shocks are actually fairly common in the State. There is a fault line that more or less follows the Rio Grande River and several smaller faults that run under and around the areas where the volcanoes once were. Hearing about these reminded me of being awakened in the middle of the night by one back in 1970 or 1971. That one was greater, I think 4.7. It is strange being awakened like that, because you're never sure whether it was real or a dream.

I was thinking this morning that my daughter was born in March, 1970, an for the next few months there were several tremors or shocks in Albuquerque. That surely says a lot about her impact on the world, doesn't it?

;-)

Stuff

I'm painting my door red. The name of the color is "Zesty Red," but that doesn't do it justice. It's like the color of chile peppers when they are dried. It's kind of like a deep, rich adobe red, vibrant, yet not bright like a cherry color. I primed the door last night and put on the first coat of red today. The color isn't even across the door yet, as I can still see the more lightly covered areas, but I'm happy with the color I picked. I think it is going to be gorgeous! When it is finished, I'll put up some pictures.

A friend on facebook mentioned that a red door means something in feng shui. I didn't know what, so I looked it up and found it is called the lucky red door, and it brings power, luck, prosperity, a sense of reality, and boosts energy or chi in the home. That's good! And to think, I just painted it red because I wanted to!

My hummingbirds seem to be moving toward migration. It's a bit early, and perhaps some will still be around for a while. I've noticed that the feeders aren't being emptied daily now. I'm filling them about every 36 hours. A month ago I was filling them two or three times a day! I think there are just 10-12 birds left now. They eat with vigor, but it's not enough to empty the feeders. I'll be sad to see them go and will look forward to their return in the spring.

Today was another slightly uneasy day as I worked with my niece and two nephews toward getting their parents, my sister and brother-in-law, into an assisted living home that is almost affordable. It is going to mean another move across the state of Texas for them, sadly. My job is to try to help my sister understand the financial reasons and the benefits of the move, to be sure she knows what is going on, an to be sure she doesn't feel ganged up on. Her kids, especially my niece, is adamant about the fact that this must be her decision, not ours. Thank god, that girl has a decent amount of Social Worker in her heart! We know what is best for them in most areas, but what is best for them emotionally is something only they, i.e., my sister, can say. She seems to understand the basics, but it has to be terribly difficult for them to move again in less than 3 years, to uproot from a new support system where they were just beginning to feel "at home."

The good thing is that if she selects what we all agree to be the best choice, my sis will be near Lubbock, just about 4 hours from me. I will be able to go see her every month or six weeks. She will be near where one granddaughter is going to school, and near her son whose two sons live nearby and the other five children from that family will visit for a long two months soon. She will be within driving distance of her twin brother in the panhandle and other relatives still living in west Texas. She will miss friends made in the Dallas area, but will gain more family contact. And my sis is friendly, she makes new friends easily. In fact she was selected as Miss Congeniality in the Ms. Senior Allen (TX) pageant last year. I know she hates to have to do it, but she will make friends again.

Still .... My heart aches for her.

On a totally unrelated topic, a good thing happened following the trip to Roswell. And if you're a guy, you probably want to quit reading now, unless you're weird, a perv, and you like discussions about women's lingerie! I found a bra at Target, their Gilligan & O'Malley line, several years ago that I loved. Then, a year or more ago, I wanted to buy a couple new ones, only to learn that they weren't making them anymore. I checked online, and they had none. I've been looking ever since for a reasonable replacement, but have found nothing. I really, really need some, and after seeing nothing similar for the 48th time at Target, I decided to go online to see if I could find something, now where to look, in preparation for making a trip to Albuquerque for such.

My search lead me to a few possibilities .... priced from $48 to $68 !!! OK, my boobs don't need solid gold encasements!! Puhleeze!! Have lingerie manufacturers escaped the knowledge that no one has big bucks now?? What is with that? Just before I signed off, I decided to check Target.com again to see if there is perhaps a similar replacement that just hasn't arrived at the store in Roswell. Holy cow! They had some of my bras! I assume these are some that were left over in some stores, and they are being sold online only. And guess what? They were priced at $11.88!! What? Well, yeah! Damn skippy I ordered me some! Woo hoooo!! I can be a sexy lady again for a couple years. I guess then it's all over for me! Look out world, I got a lotta livin' to do in two years! Get outta my way!!!

Tuesday Trivia

For starters, a little trivia about Autumn. Then a few things about construction. No, there's no connection, I just spun the computer and that's where I landed.



AUTUMN

Unlike the bright colors of flowers, which attract pollinators, or the bright "Warning Colors" of many kinds of animals, the bright colors of fall foliage are a byproduct of chemical changes as the trees start to go dormant. These colors have no apparent biological function or significance.

The most intense of fall color occurs in in areas such as New England, with almost pure stands of a few types of trees, such as maples and birches, that all turn color at the same time during the short fall season.

The most varied fall color, as well as the longest lasting, occurs in areas such as the southern Appalachians, where a dozen or more kinds of trees may change color at slightly different times over the longer fall season.

The change in day length (photoperiod) that causes the chemical changes in the trees leading to the bright colors starts June 21, the longest day of the year, as the sun starts to move south and the days become shorter.

Leaves have just as much yellow pigment (xanthophyll) in July when they are green as they do in October when they are yellow. In July the darker green pigment (chlorophyll) masks the yellow color.

Bright sunlight is essential for the production of the red (anthocyanin) pigment in the fall leaves: if a black mask is placed on part of a leaf before it turns red, the part of the leaf under the mask will turn yellow while the exposed part will turn red.

LONG TERM CONSTRUCTION

At the age of 26, Michelangelo began sculpting his monumental statue of David. He finished it seventeen months later, in January, 1504.

Although construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg started in 1015, it was not until 1439 that the spire was completed.

The Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall and 660 feet thick at its base. Enough rock was excavated in its construction to build the Great Wall of China.

The estimated weight of the Great Pyramid of Egypt is 6,648,000 tons.

The great Gothic cathedral of Milan was started in 1386, and wasn’t completed until 1805.

The largest stained-glass window in the world is at Kennedy International Airport in New York City. It can be seen on the American Airlines terminal building and measures 300 feet long by 23 feet high.

INTERESTING BUILDING TECHNIQUES

The Incas considered bridges to be so sacred that anyone who tampered with one was put to death. Among the most impressive Inca bridges were the chacas, or rope bridges, that spanned great distances over gorges and rivers.

A bridge built in Lima, Peru around 1610 was made of mortar that was mixed not with water but with the whites of 10,000 eggs. The bridge, appropriately called the Bridge of Eggs, is still standing today.

Japanese farmers, after removing the hulls from their rice crop and sorting out the white kernels, take the hulls from the leftover rice, mix them into a kind of paste, mold the substance into brick-shaped blocks, and build houses with them.

The Column of Trajan, built in 113 A.D. to commemorate the Roman emperor Trajan's victories against the Dacian tribes of the lower Danube, contains a continuous frieze a yard wide and 218 feet long in which more than 2,500 human figures as well as hundreds of boats, horses, vehicles, and pieces of military equipment are depicted. This great column, still standing today, rises 128 feet from the ground, is 12 feet thick at the base, and is made entirely of gilded bronze.

The Escorial, the famous palace located outside Madrid, was built in the shape of a gridiron because Saint Lawrence, to whom the palace was dedicated, was roasted on one.

The base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is large enough to cover ten football fields. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, it took 400,000 men twenty years to construct this great monument.

(skygaze.com)

Flying without Wings

Linda and I made another trip to Roswell today, this time to take down her exhibit and bring it home. It was amazing that what took a couple hours to put up was down in less than 30 minutes! As I finished taking down the last piece that required the ladder, I descended the ladder and missed the bottom step. That goodness it was the bottom one! I wasn't hurt, just jarred a little as I took a very long step to the ground, but I tipped the ladder just a bit, enough to bump my wrist and ended up with a bruise. Sheesh. I told Linda that I was filing Worker's Comp. She just laughed at me. I don't get it. The good thing is that now the right arm has a bruise to offset and/or match the left one with several small bruises from hauling tree branches yesterday. I look like I've been in a fight, but only from wrists to elbows!

And, of course, you know that as long as we were there, we just HAD to do a little shopping. We have become very proficient with our shopping. We enter a store like storm troopers, grabbing things on our list, then taking time to mosey a little, "window shop," if you will, and be out of the store in less time than most people can imagine. Believe it or not, we have mastered this so well that neither of us feels rushed in the process, and if we choose to take longer, neither gets uptight about it either. We be good at it!!

After our shopping was done, we headed to a restaurant that was recommended last time we were there, only to learn that they are closed on Monday! We tossed a coin and decided, before it hit the flip, that Red Lobster was calling us. We followed the voice and had a delicious lunch.

Next a stop at Papa Murphy's for a pizza to bring home for dinner, Dairy Queen for a Moolatte for the drive home, and we hit the road. On the way home we were laughing about how well we did in our swarming of the stores!

After dropping off Linda at her studio and unloading her things, I drove home. Look at the wonderful sky and mountains I watched as I drove.






Home again, home again, jiggidy-jog!

Devotion

I refuse to believe this face is saying anything but "Mama, I love you." Absolutely refuse.

Sunday Funnies

The toughest job in the world. Parenting. But if you can't find the humor in it, all is lost. So here are some assistants for finding the humor!






Don't do as I do, do as I tell you!!!

But some "secrets" need to be shared, don't they?




Ego? Parents?? Noooo.


Sometimes parents have to think before they speak. Or at least they should!

I know every parent in the world has had an experience like this....


An every parent has a built in warning system, but it has to be engaged!



Lastly, as parents, we need to be prepared. For what? For anything. Especially for preventative self-destruction!!!


Now, go out there an "parent"!! Or smile a lot because you're job is done, like mine!!

SometimesI just don't get people

What is it with people? I mean, really???

A couple days ago I was mowing my little patch of grass. I had made a couple passes when the mower choked. I originally thought it was bogged down with the amount of grass I was cutting. It had been almost a month since I was able to mow, and some of the grass was over six inches tall. I restarted it, but noticed the pull cord was stiff. Since it started, I didn't worry about it. I made another swipe, but it stopped again, and in an area that was not very tall, so I figured something else was wrong. I tried starting it once more time, but the cord was completely frozen. I began taking it apart, only to discover that the cord was inside a sealed unit, so I couldn't release it.

A friend was here, doing a little job, so I asked him to look at it. He showed me how to disassemble it enough to free the cord. I put it all back together, and pulled the cord once more. It started, but immediately shut off. Again. The cord was frozen. AGAIN!

My friend said he didn't know why it was doing that, and I said no problem, I know someone who is supposed to be really good at small engine repair, especially lawnmowers. So I called, and he wasn't home, but his wife said I could drop it off anytime. Fine, and I said he could call me so I could explain what was happening. My friend was headed back into town at this point and he said he would drop it to save me the trip. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon.

From here on it starts getting bizarre.

By 8:00 I had heard nothing, so I called. No answer. Five minutes later, the repair guy called me and said he could find nothing wrong. I was a little confused. Why didn't he call me to find out what was wrong? I hadn't told his wife about it, and my friend said all he did was drop it off and the wife opened the door and hollered, "Is that from Lyn? OK, just leave it there by the shop door."

I told him what was happening, and he said that he had simply pulled the cord and it started, and he didn't see anything further to check. He added a little oil and a little gas. I would have done that myself when I brought it home. I asked if the oil level as dangerously low (I knew it wasn't) and he said no, he just added it for good measure. I again said, but what about the cord that continued to freeze up? He said he would check it again in the morning and call me.

Yesterday, I didn't get a call. I called several times. No answer. I was in town, so I stopped by, and no one was on the property at all. I left a note, asking for a call.

This morning, I called at 8:00. I said, "I didn't hear back from you, and I'm wondering about what is up with the mower." He said it runs fine. OK, and the cord? It's fine, too. Alright, I'll come pick it up. Oh, he's not going to be home today, so I asked when he would be home for me to pick it up. His wife spoke in the background that I could pick it up as she would be home.

So I drove into town about an hour later, stopping at their place. Guess what? NO ONE WAS HOME!!! I picked up my mower which was sitting outside with several others, shoved a check in the screen door, and came home.

I just don't get it! Why are people so lazy, inconsiderate about returning calls? It drives me up the freakin' wall!

The mower works. I finished the lawn, purposely starting it several times, just to be sure. I'm glad it works, but I'm still pretty disgusted.

Sooooooo .... how's your weekend?

Rent-A-Kid

My Rent-A-Kid has gone home. I love Rent-A-Kid. He saved me a ton of work. We worked for 1.5 hours and we were able to get most of the original pile of tree branches cut up and out to the street, ready for pickup. My Rent-A-Kid is the best. He will help me to get rid of the remainder of the branches over the next few weeks, then he will be puppy sitting when I go on my trip to Tucson. He is a good worker, good to my pups, and just a dear young man. How many 16 year olds can get that kind of endorsement? Did I say my Rent-A-Kid is great? Rent-A-Kid is greater than great!

Jes' sayin'.

Tough Start to the Day

This morning is rough. It began with an innocent call from a friend whose cell phone is provided by his employer, and apparently their base is in the Dallas area, judging from the area code. The call woke me, and I thought it was from my niece who lives in that area when I saw "Cell Phone, 214-555-5555" on my caller ID.

I talked with the friend a few minutes, but with my niece on my mind. Then I called my niece. I'd meant to call for several days, and it seemed like a good time. We chatted a good while, as I got caught up with her. My sister and brother-in-law have been living with my niece and her husband for a couple years now. This is because of failing health with both of them, and it was a choice of a facility somewhere or one of their children. At the time, two years ago, it was pretty much a no-brainer. They needed assistance, support, and who does that better or with love, but family? None of their three children lived near, one in GA, one in northern NM, and one near Dallas, while their home for over 40 years was in West Texas. No one was close enough to check in on them even weekly, and honestly, they would have needed, at the very least, daily monitoring. A move across the state was the best possible solution.

Then several weeks ago, my BIL had a series of events that included falls and strokes, being in and out of hospitals and nursing facilities, and eventually everyone feeling that it is unlikely that he would be able to live in the family home again. The care will likely be too great for the family.

Now a new life phase is being approached by my niece and two nephews, with my sister as part of the decision making. They are considering where and how to best care for their parents. It is a hard task. Knowing you can't give adequate care at home leaves feelings of inadequacy, interlaced, I'm sure with relief, because after doing so for a couple years, they are exhausted. It is hard on everyone. I look at my sister and her husband who have lost their home, are living with one of their children, can no longer drive, can't make as many decisions about how, when, where, why their lives go from now on. Their losses are beyond listing. Even at their ages, 78 and 88, the losses are devastating. Who of us wants to be dependent on others in our "golden years"? I know I don't. It's a hard place for any of them to be, and while it is done with love at every step, it never feels adequate for the people you care most about in life.

As I spoke with my niece, I was drawn back in memory to my own parents in their final years. The scenario is so similar, except that we were able to keep my parents in their home with my brothers living near until mom, with Alzheimer's, needed constant care. This morning, we made comparisons, talked about how difficult it was in each situation for those involved, the emotional state, the coping techniques and the toll it takes emotionally and physically. I was reminded of my parents' situation, as well as the final months of my husband's life which were frenetic for me, and it is not possible to think of either of those without being sucked right into the grief associated with each.

I was sad, but relatively OK, following my chat with my niece. Then, however, I opened my computer and read a note from another nephew, reminiscent about my parents and how he still misses them. I do, too. He mentioned driving once by their home in a little town outside Denver, and I did the same thing. I won't do it again. It was too hard to see their home without their essence in it. My mom's field of irises was gone, covered with grass, and that alone broke my heart. As I wrote a response to my nephew, the tears began flowing. I probably need it, but more than an hour later, I'm still not able to stop it. Occasionally, I have a day like this when it just had to be allowed to let go and flood out of me, but I'm left wondering when this will become less painful, at least enough that I don't dissolve in a puddle like this every few months.

So I'm posting this in hopes that writing it out will allow me to buck up and move on for the day. I hope I can forget for the day. And I hope I never forget completely.

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts that came from comics. Right there, in those few words, you know this is going to be profound, right? :D

This one just says all there is to say about me and my car. I try. I really try! And if I know I'm gonna have someone in the car, I clean it up as much as I can, but my car is lived in! I don't know what to say.


I thought, "I know someone like that! It's .........!!" Really! This person can muck up about anything his hands touch. If something can go wrong, it will! Yeah, if he could, I would expect to find him like this!


OK, no real thoughts on this, it was just funny, period!


Have you ever been around someone wearing something that was just awful? And they didn't know it? It could be clothing, or cologne, or makeup, or whatever. Yeah, well. And you think .....



For about 25 years I had season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs football games. I loved going to the games, it was always fun, regardless of whether they won or not. No one could ever accuse me of being a fair weather fan, for sure! I have to admit that it was considerably more fun when we could use the "W" word, though.



Aren't naps wonderful? And isn't it wonderful to be able to create your own reality?



You know, it is so strange. I poured a cup of tea this morning, and it has never gone dry, all day long. I don't know why, but I keep drinking, and yet there has been tea in that cup all day! I wonder why?

I know life is good when I can find bits and pieces of mine in the funnies!

Swiss Cheese History

At dinner the other night our conversation turned to things historical, political, economical. One of the group is an English woman who was naturalized a couple years ago. She was discussing the process of becoming a citizen, preparing for the test. She had already live in the US for about ten or twelve years, and she knew a lot, but she wanted to be very sure that she was as completely advised as possible. She read in detail the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalists Papers, and any other documents she could ascertain to give her information about the process. She did this, also, because of her interest.

Once she got started, she was amazed at what she was learning. You see, in England when they study about settling of the Americas, their history stops with 1776! Then it seems to resume around 1950, when the us involvement became important again in their history. At first this seemed strange to me, but then I realized that history as taught in the US is similarly spotty.

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend "Lies My Teacher Told Me," by James W. Loewe. It is astounding and, frankly, shocking to learn what we aren't taught about the history of our nation. The books tend to leave out or note with a single paragraph, any events that are unpleasant, embarrassing, unexplainable as to our involvement or handling of situations. I don't know how anyone could read the book and come away without being stunned. So many populations have struggled and been held down/back and their stories are not known. Anyway, I've talked about this here before, and I won't beat it to death here today. But read the book, unless you're gutless, and I'll go back to my original story.

My friend thoroughly prepared for the exam, expecting to be challenged. She was ready. She took the sample tests on the internet and thought she would be OK.

Then she went to take the test, and was furious when the first two questions presented themselves.

1. What color is the White House?
2. Where is the White House located?

And she thought "WHAT??"

Now there were questions that were more challenging as the test wore on, and she was glad she was prepared, but she wondered why those two would be on the test. I have no idea.

She said she was glad that she learned so much in her study. We all said she probably knows more about the US and its history that we do. She was amazed to learn what she didn't know about the US, having been educated in Briton. And it was the first time she has realized how so much of the history of the US that related to England, post 1776, was acknowledged in her studies.

We talked a while about how history is manipulated in books, in classrooms, even in the media. it is a scary thought that we may know so little that we aren't clear, or fair, or honest in how we perceive both history and the situation in the world today.

I know most people see history as boring. I did for many decades, and then I had some dynamic college instructors when I returned to the classroom in my late 30s and early 40s. I began to absolutely drink it up. The dates aren't important. the general timeline is in order to understand the sequence, but what is really important is the events, the people, and the WHY behind each one. My friend feels the same way. You have to know to understand. and you have to know both sides of it to really understand.

OK, I'm going to end it here. I could go on and on, and it might be unbelievably boring. I don't want to do that to you. I do want you to be aware, to read, to listen, to not avoid learning the painful parts of our history, our politics, who we are. It will benefit you. And me. All of us.

Dear Deer

Shortly before I left for dinner last night, the dogs ran out back and barked like crazy. I went to see what was stirring them up, and I found:

He was standing just over the fence looking at my silly, brave little protectors. Can't you just imagine him saying, "What? What?? Don't you know me by now?"

He actually stayed put when I opened the door, and again when I took a few steps close to him. As he was muching, he took several steps in my direction, also. Before I was finished with the photos, he was probably just 8-10 feet away! Obviously, he is used to having me around!

Then I noticed his brother was near, also. As usual! I rarely see one without the other.

After three years of hanging out together I decided I need to give them names. I thought of Bucky and .... don't even go there!!! ....Chucky!!!

Here is the one who has always been a bit larger, sprouted horns first. See the little nubbins coming up on his rack? I think he is Bucky.




And the smaller one is Chucky. He doesn't have the third bump yet. As you see, he looks a bit smaller, slighter. Isn't that face adorable? He seems to be the more trusting of the two, more often coming closer to me than Bucky. I love the fuzz on the antlers.

I hope the time never comes when both of them do not return. I've become attached to them, as much as you can to a wild creature. Sunday afternoon I heard gunshots. Over and over and over. I'm guessing someone was practicing for the upcoming hunting season. I hope Bucky and Chucky stay right here in my yard where they will be totally safe.

Ready for fall?

Last night I had dinner at a friend's. She had lucked upon some shrimp and fresh tuna at a nice price, and decided to share it with us. Everyone brought a dish to supplement the meal, an impromptu potluck style. The tuna was outstanding, baked with just a little lemon juice and come capers. For my contribution, I had broccoli steamed just enough to be barely tender, drizzled with a little butter and a small amount of homemade seasoned salt. It was perfect, if I do say so!

We had all kinds of veggies from private gardens, grilled, cooked and raw. A homemade bread with wonderfully huge chunks of garlic baked in it and a dipping sauce of olive oil, garlic, basil and sea salt. [My eyes just rolled up in my head at the memory.]

Desert was in duplicate! One had brought a fabulous chocolate cake topped with chocolate icing, pecans and chocolate shavings, and our hostess had bananas foster on the menu. Wine, champagne, and tea at the end of the whole lovely mess.

I ate myself stuffed. Miserably stuffed. But I noticed that I ate far less than I've eaten at past potluck dinners. I guess that means my work to shrink my stomach is working. I've also lost another 3 pounds in doing so. It is a good thing, for sure.

Fall is here. Not just on the calendar, but really, for sure, here. I had a rain with some slight sleet (meaning, just a little and very slushy) shortly before I left last night. As I left the house, I considered taking a weater or jacket, but decided against it as the temperature was still nice. During dinner we heard the wind beginning to blow, at the end, so hard that it sounded like rain pouring down. The wind was from the north, very strong, very cold, just barely short of bitter. Last night's low was something below 38°. The highest I've seen on my thermometer today has been 56°.

It will warm up some later in the week, but I think we won't have anything near "hot" again this year. That's good. I love fall and winter. I'm ready for it, except for the winterizing tasks I need to do in the next few weeks. The normal stuff. Nothing big, just stuff, covering the A/C unit, cleaning and closing the storm windows, beginning the switch of summer/winter clothes, eventually emptying the lawnmower and hoses of their respective fluids, etc. Just stuff.

Are you ready for the change of season? I'm guessing those of you who are still enjoying(?) temperatures in the 90s aren't feeling the sense of season change, but it isn't far away. I'm ready!

Tuesday Trivia

I realized this morning that I missed Monday Movies, but no one said anything, so I'm assuming you didn't miss it either. Good. So ....

Tuesday Trivia. How about some fun with Games and Toys?

CLUE

Anthony Pratt, a lawyer's clerk from Birmingham, England, invented the game of Clue/Cluedo. He invented the game in 1943 with the help of his wife (who designed the board). In 1948 he submitted it to Waddington's Games in Leeds, who published it for the first time in 1949.

The game was originally called Murder, but the name was changed before publication. Cluedo was the original name of Clue before it was changed to Clue when Parker Brothers bought it in 1949.

The original ten suspects were Doctor Black, Mr. Brown, Mr. Gold, The Rev. Mr. Green, Miss Grey, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, Nurse White, Mrs. Silver and Colonel Yellow. These were changed to the infamous six - Colonel Mustard,Professor Plum, Reverend Green, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlett and Mrs. Peacock when the game was published.

During development, the following weapons were proposed to be in the Clue game: the dagger, revolver, rope, bomb, an axe, lead pipe, candlestick, spanner, poison and a hypodermic syringe.

Mr. Green is only used in the North American versions of Clue who replaces the original Reverend Green.

Clue is the only board game that has had a movie made following its plot. The Clue board game is available in over 40 countries including Japan and China.

CHESS

Chess is called the game of kings, because for many centuries it was played primarily by nobility and the upper classes.

The names of the pieces-- the queen, king, knight, rook and bishop came about during the Middle Ages, when society was extremely oriented towards war and rigidly stratified. During the Renaissance period, society became more dynamic and rules were added to enable rapid attack techniques. These include making the queen more powerful, and permitting pawns to move two squares on the first move.

The rook is named from an Arabic word rukh, meaning chariot. This reflects its ability to move quickly in straight lines, but not leap over obstacles. During the Middle Ages, when chariots were no longer in use, the rook was gradually modified to look more like the turret of a castle.

The folding chess board was originally invented in 1125 by a chess-playing priest. Since the Church forbid priests to play chess, he hid his chess board by making one that looked simply like two books lying together.

The Isle of Lewis chess pieces are the oldest surviving complete chess set known. Discovered on they Isle of Lewis, they are made from walrus tusks and show their characters in a range of bad moods - from anger to depression.

Lewis Carrol’s novel “Through the Looking Glass” was based on a chess game, much the way “Alice in Wonderland” was based on playing cards. The idea for picturing the country-side as a chess board came from Lewis Carrol’s days in Oxmoor, where his apartment overlooked a cultivated moor, separated into neat, rectangular farmer’s fields.

BOWLING

Objects used for a game similar to bowling, which date from 5200 BC, were found in the tomb of a young Egyptian boy.

In the third and fourth centuries, bowling in Europe was a religious ceremony, participants tried to hit the pin, or kegel (hence the word kegling for bowling) in order to be judged free of sin.

Dutch colonists brought bowling to America in the 17th century. The game consisted of 9 pins set in a triangle. It was regularly played in an area of New York City still known as "Bowling Green".

The Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) was founded in 1916 and has grown to 3.5 million members. The Professional Bowlers association was organized in 1958 to promote exhibition and arrange major tournaments. Interest in bowling, particularly in the United Slates, had its major spurt after World War II.

The American Bowling Congress (ABC), founded in 1895, is the governing body for tenpins. The ABC standardized rules and the scoring method, and it also organized the fast U.S. national bowling tournament, in 1901. Each year the ABC sponsors nationals in singles, doubles and five-man team competition for its members, whose numbers exceeds 5 million.

The introduction of the first automatic pinsetter in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1952 was responsible for much of the increase in bowling popularity. Previously, pins were set by young boys, and Bowling Alleys, as the establishments were called, often had poor reputations.

The Italian version of bowling, Bocce, which is still played today, is somewhat similar to "Lawn Bowling", an English game originating over 800 years ago.

RUBICK'S CUBE
(I was never good at this)

The Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion different possible configurations (or 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be precise) and only ONE solution.

The World Rubik Cube championship was held in Budapest on June 5, 1982. Nineteen National Champions took part. Minh Thai, the US Champion, won by solving the Cube in of 22.95 seconds.

At the World Championships, held every two years, there are also other official records to be fought for, including solving the Cube one-handed, blindfold; even using only bare feet! The most expensive Rubik's Cube was the Masterpiece Cube, produced by Diamond Cutters International in 1995. The actual-size, fully functional cube features 22.5 karats of amethyst, 34 karats of rubies, and 34 karats of emeralds, all set in 18-karat gold. It has been valued at over 1.5 million dollars.

The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian Professor Erno Rubik. Its worldwide launch took place in 1980.

If you made a single turn of one of the Cube's faces every second, it would take you 1,400 million million years to go through all the possible configurations. (In comparison, the universe itself is only 14 thousand million years old.)

The NM Chainsaw Tree Cutter-Upper Strikes again!

I was able to do some more cutting on the trees today. I wanted to show you how different they look. I took only a couple "before" shots, because I knew I had some in the computer. Then after I was done with the cutting, I looked in the computer for some shots of how they used to look. I realized that I have taken very few photos out back, probably because There wasn't much to see before! All I have is a few with snow, but it is good to show how low to the ground the trees grew.





































Here is a before shot of one tree.
























And after, with a lot of trouble because the sun is low.









Second tree before.


















And after, again, the back light was problematic.

























This is a third tree that I didn't take a before shot.













And all three after.


















See that low growth in there. That is mostly the scrub oak that I grouse about. It is going to be a removal job all of its own!












The main purpose to do this is to keep limbs away from the ground. In case of a wildfire, the trunks are less likely to catch the fire than the small, low hanging, low growing branches with pine needles. The other reason is to allow sunlight to reach the ground and help the little tufts of grass and wildflowers to grow. Under the trees, especially when it is so dense and low to the ground, those floras and new little trees don't have a chance. The ground is essentially bare there. I hope in another year, I will have a nice stand of those beautiful little greenies growing.



On one of the branches I cut down was this. It may look like a pile of sticks, but if you look closely, it is a bird's nest. It is just the bare bones of a nest.











It has been long abandoned. There is an intricate nest of sticks woven together, but the "filler," of leaves, lint, mud, whatever that particular bird used to form the protective net for the eggs is long gone. I am most impressed with the solidity of the nest, however, as it didn't come apart when the limb fell about 3 or 3.5 feet to the ground. I'm actually thinking what I might do with it, still attached to the limb. It would be an interesting thing to have on the deck, perhaps. Any suggestions?



I'm a little tired, but it is nice that the afternoon temp of 70° made it much easier on this old body than the last time I tackled the trees. I can probably finish the last leg of cutting in another day, but the task of cutting it up and hauling it to the road for pickup is still big. Thank goodness I will have help with that next week.

I'm going to fix a cup of tea and relax for the rest of the evening. Bye, y'all!!

Sunday Funnies

Words. We use them, misuse them, abuse them. We interpret them, twist them, invent them. What wonderful things words are!!



















Have a good day, and use your words!!