Heat wave!

It looks like September is beginning with the hottest temperatures of the summer here in SWMO. We topped the 100 degree mark yesterday and will be at our close to that for the rest of the week. Summer is hanging on!

I am okay with that.
Football season is starting, baseball will soon be coming to an end (sooner for us Cardinal fans), pumpkin spice lattes, beer, and other treats are back -- BUT IT IS STILL SUMMER!
While many people are ready to break out the flannel shirts, I will be wearing my shorts well into November and likely in December.

Admittedly, I broke out the long pants this past weekend as I am back to riding my motorcycle. The pants I use for riding are a lightweight, supposedly tear resistant, black fabric. They offer no impact padding, but might save some skin if I ever take a spill. I also have a Kevlar sweater for summer riding and a vented textile motorcycle jacket for when the weather gets cooler.

I haven't decided if I'll be riding or driving to meet Chris for lunch today. Riding when it is hot can be brutal -- especially in town where you have to stop often. 
90+ degrees, long pants, long sleeves, helmet, stopped at a traffic light on hot pavement, surrounded by car exhaust, and sitting on top of a running engine -- like I said, it can be brutal. 
At that point, even riding doesn't cool you down.

Okay. I just decided.
Besides, if I take the truck I can dump some of our recycling while I'm out.

What do you do when it's hot out?
Does it matter?
I have gotten soft about being out when it's hot.
I don't know if it's because I don't like being sweaty and feeling kind of gross, or if it's just too oppressive sometimes. I'm okay staying in where it's cooler.
Honestly, being out more would probably be less of an issue if I'd shed some of the insulation I'm packing. Fat guys and sweat are never a good thing.

Enjoy your day and stay cool.
I'm going to appreciate the sun and summer for as long as I can. 

John

Low Tech vs Slow Tech

It turns out that I'm both!
I have to admit that even though I see the great advantages of today's technology and can't begin to imagine what is in our future I am still far behind the curve when it comes to adapting my life to the available technologies. I am aware that some of my hesitancy is due to intimidation and ignorance. 
Not knowing is one thing. Not knowing what I don't know can be crippling. 

Friday morning I had a couple of notifications for verification of somebody wanting to access my Amazon account from another device. I did the recommended sign out of all devices and changed the password, but then I couldn't get my Kindle to reconnect properly. It showed connected to my account but wouldn't show my library or bring up the books I am currently reading. I have spent the past two days signing out, signing in, resetting factory defaults and starting over.
And over,
And over.

Honestly, I don't think I did anything differently today than I've been doing, but I am finally properly connected to my account.
Yay!
This makes me happy.

And while I am ranting about technology -- WTF is up with Google and its bullsh!t relabeling of Lake Ontario? 
Google Maps now has Lake America in the north to go with the Gulf of America in the south. 
What a bunch of ball-less cocks! 
All of the information and influence that they have as a tech giant and this is how they want to be known. 
smh

Maybe being low tech, and even being slow at being low isn't so bad.
I think I'll read my book on my recently reconnected Kindle.

John

Coffee time

I decided that a morning ride and a coffee shop stop would be a fine way to begin my Sunday morning. It will be hot again this week, so a little riding before it becomes uncomfortably hot seemed like a good idea.
I didn't go very far, just to the Mudhouse at the north end of Ozark. The single origin Guatemalan drip for a bottomless cup and the blueberry muffin make a good backdrop to typing away on my blog while observing the many others that are stopping in for their morning fix.

If you are in the SWMO area and would like to meet for coffee sometime, drop me a message. Whether by bike or truck, I'd be happy to meet you for a well brewed cup of coffee and a conservation. It crossed my mind that I could make it to church at The Venues this morning, but I decided that a solo ride and a cup of coffee while sitting solo at a coffee shop was much more aligned with my people coping tolerance today. 

A few short rides on the bike have been good. I don't feel the same about riding as I once did. There isn't the same feeling of freedom or stress relieving therapy that there used to be. Maybe I no longer need that kind of get-away-from-it-all experience. 
I have a pretty chill kind of life.

I will say that it is still enjoyable, but I would not say that the compulsion to ride still exists for me. I will likely use the bike for errands when it is appropriate, but don't see myself just going out for a ride like I used to do. On hot afternoons (like today) a more appropriate non-productive activity would be to lounge in the pool for an hour or two. 
I might know a few things about being non-productive!

I hope that you have a week with a balanced amount of non-productive time. 

John

Riding again

I finally did it!
After more than two years of sitting idle, my motorcycle has current tags and is ready to ride. 
I wasn't thinking about yesterday being the last business day of the month when I went to the licensing bureau, but soon realized why the wait was so long. It was hard to be too frustrated. Those procrastinators are my people.
I thought about leaving and waiting until Monday, but figured I was already there and waiting in line would be shorter than waiting until Monday. Besides -- I'm retired. Waiting is really no big deal.

I need to spend a little time getting reacquainted with riding. Yesterday's short ride felt good, but a little refresher riding on turns and overall awareness is definitely needed. I may take a ride today before the hot weather sets in again for a few days.

I don't think that extended trips are something that I'll be doing again. Even if I wanted to ride the 400+ miles to see Mom, she no longer has a car to use while there so I wouldn't be able to take her anywhere or pick up much in the way of groceries or anything. Besides, my hybrid Ford Maverick truck gets about the same mileage as the Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle!
But riding is enjoyable, so I'm sure I'll be out and about a bit. 
Having such an option is a simple privilege for which I am grateful.

Enjoy your weekend and keep an eye out for old guys on motorcycles.

John

Getting the bug or just getting bugged?

Every now and then I get the bug to renew my old habit of doing magic. 
The problem is that I would have to re-invent myself as a magician since I would no longer be doing church programs and I really have no idea how to go about getting regular stand-up gigs.

Close up magic as always been my favorite genre to watch, but I never really practiced it much because that wasn't the magic I performed and it takes a great deal of practice to make it look -- well, magical.

The process is:
Practice until what is difficult becomes easy
              until what is easy becomes second nature (natural)
              until what is natural becomes magical

Done right, it is so much more than doing tricks. It's performing an art, exhibiting a craft, providing entertainment and escape for an audience. Being a good magician isn't something you do. It is someone you are. And while I love the wonder and enjoyment that magic creates, I'm really not certain that I want to spend the time and energy (and money $$) to work on something that few people would ever get to see or appreciate. 

Work on the old stuff and find new gigs?
Work on new stuff and find new gigs?
Work on stuff for personal enjoyment until the itch is satisfied and move on?
Find another shiny thing to distract me from the pull of an old habit?

Magus, mage (plural magi)  -- Priests of the ancient Persians.

Today we would call them magicians, sorcerers, or wise men. 
Maybe I should skip the magic stuff and just work on the part of being a wise man. 

John

Remembering

In the short time since the death of Dolly Parton there has been a steady stream of tributes, life summaries, quotes, stories, and long lists of her accomplishments and stories. Though small in stature, everything about the woman was big.

I'm not going to recall her deeds here, but I have to say that remembering Dolly makes me wonder how I might be remembered.
And is it really all that important?

Remembering the accomplishments and deeds of one that has died is just recalling and appreciating what they did when they were living. Most of us will never have the money nor influence of a Dolly Parton, but that doesn't mean that we can't be kind, loving, and generous with what we have. I doubt that Dolly thought about being remembered as she lived her extraordinary life. She just lived life in an unforgettable way. 

I'm not likely to do anything extraordinary today. 
In fact, it is quite possible that sharing these words will be the most interaction with other people that I have today.
There is no kindness attached to sharing these thoughts. 
There is nothing inspirational about just existing for another day.
I won't be creating anything, nor discovering anything, nor making any contributions to my neighborhood or to the world around me.

I'll read a little, clean up my outdoor living area (deck), maybe take some recycling in -- nothing that will generate a memory for anybody.
And honestly, I'm okay with that.

I won't be putting up statues, building monuments, nor slapping my name in public areas to force people to remember me. I'll just live my life and allow you to live yours. If we're lucky, maybe a few people will remember something good about us when we are no longer here.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

I am learning this contentment.
I have more than I need, certainly more than I deserve.
I am sitting in a wonderful home, sipping good coffee.
Though mostly far away, I have an incredible family.
Although I have few close friends, I have had a good life with seasonal friendships.
My life is peaceful.
I am content.
Life has been, and is still -- very good.

John

Screen-time

I am spending less time on my phone -- at least, according to my phone.
I haven't actually checked, but I suspect that the phone app is likely one of the least used apps on my phone. Perhaps it would be better if I referred to it as my cellular device or my distraction from living or as something other than my phone.

Since I generally have one book that I read on the Kindle app, some of my daily time is spent there.
There are a few game apps that I play everyday, plus a few of the NYT games like Wordle, Connections, and Letter Boxed.
I have been spending less time on Facebook and Instagram and a little more time on Substack.

I think that deciding to wear a watch has reduced my screen time a bit. I don't really know why I ever need to know what time it is. I suppose it is an ingrained life habit. And I don't believe we really check to see what time it is, but we check to see how much time we have until ... whatever thing we expect to do next in life. How long until dinner, how long before we leave, how long until the game starts, etc.
By not checking my phone for the time, I am not distracted to check on messages or notifications or other updates that I would have just skipped or waited until later to read.
Opening anything is inviting the cellular black hole to suck you into the inescapable virtual void where you lose minutes, or even hours, of your day and life.

Having a smart phone does give me access to so much information. I use it for gardening info, recipe ideas, weather information, GPS guidance, updated news, and plenty of other things. I definitely don't want to go back to not having one. 
However, I also see that these ubiquitous devices can be a major distraction from actually living our lives and can be very isolating for people that truly need an actual community of people around them.

I am going to continue to limit and reduce my dependence on my phone and the distraction that it often creates. I have a few educational apps that I'll continue to use, plus my reading (Kindle) app. Using social apps to connect me to people that I couldn't connect with otherwise are good things. Using those same social apps as a substitute for connecting with people that I can have actual connections with might not be so great.
Less screen time.
More life.

John

Fall Gardening

It's about that time.
It is at least time to begin thinking about how I am going to approach re-working my fence line flowerbed. 
After learning (the hard way) that I replanted my irises wrong last fall, I am going to have to dig the road side of the fence up and replant them correctly. Even though they didn't produce flowers this year, they did multiply greatly. I will have an abundance of tubers to share if you are in the area and want some.

For the house side of the fence, I think I will try solarizing the bed to kill off the weeds that grew this year, as I neglected to keep up with it. 
My plan is to solarize this fall, cardboard and compost in March, sow zinnias in April.

My front yard bed is going to need some work also. 
I have a large Rugosa rose bush that needs to come out. I'm afraid the runners it leaves behind will be a nuisance for a long time. I think I will try to find a way to contain it and replant it where its thorny stems won't pose a problem and it can thrive. The flowers have a very pleasant aroma and other than its aggressive spreading, I really do like it.
I expect I could have a few plants available if anyone wants one. Just be aware -- it is an aggressive spreader and the runners can tunnel quite a distance before popping up unexpectedly (ask me how I know)!

I will wait until spring to thin my hostas, but should have some available. Maybe I need to get a boot at a local farmer's market and sell some plants. 
Ha! that sounds too much like a job! I'd much rather just share them with friends.

I'm going to save some seed pods from the moon flowers, but I haven't decided on where I want to plant them. I'm thinking about the backyard flowerbed so that I can enjoy them from the deck where I spend most evenings.

It will be a lot of work. 
However, I have found that gardening produces patience. So much of gardening is work now, reward later -- and often it's much later.

Today is going to be cooler with occasional rain, so I probably won't get much outside work done today. The thunder has been rolling through the clouds as I drink my coffee and plan the upcoming project. It is hard to believe that this week is already the end of August. 

Where has summer gone?
sigh

John

Sunday Self-assessment

I've been doing a lot of thinking about Christianity -- Christian Nationalism, Christianity as understood by, well -- Christians, and simply being a follower of Jesus.

The way I see it:

I don't believe that Christian Nationalism is anything like Christ -- not in name, not in morality, not in any way. In fact, it is generally in direct opposition to the teachings of the Christ, Jesus.

Christianity as understood by Christians isn't really too far removed from the crusaders or colonist of the past. While today's Christian churches and people may not go to the same extremes as the church of history, there is still both social and spiritual condemnation and isolation instead of the physical torture and execution of the infidels that refuse conversion. 

Followers of Jesus should be about caring for the marginalized of our society, taking care of people in need, speaking out against injustice, and doing that love your neighbor/love God thing.

I honestly don't really fit into any of these definitions.
While I certainly agree with the teachings of Jesus that expect us to love one another, I seldom even want to be around people, much less show them any sort of attention or care.
I don't know how monks or cloistered nuns can claim to be Christians without interacting with people, but I like that they've found a way that seems to work for them. I know that I am not ready for that extreme degree of isolation, but it would be nice to find some sort of middle ground where I can be a Christ follower and not have to deal with people.

Maybe it's time to admit that I am not really a Jesus follower, after all. I certainly can't claim any Christ-like qualities or regular practices. You can ask any mainline Christian today and they will tell you that doing good deeds isn't enough to call yourself a Christian.
In fact, according to most, you don't have to do any good deeds. Just call Jesus Lord, trust him as your Savior, and you are good to go! Maybe I should go back to believing that. 

Again, it would be nice to find some middle ground.

I know there doesn't seem to be any real point to this -- not for myself, nor for anyone else. It is just stuff I've been contemplating and felt like writing down. I know there are others that may have found themselves in a similar place. Maybe you'd share some insights for those of us still trying to figure things out.

John