Nature vs Nature

The storm that came through last night did some damage to our flower beds around the yard. I don't know if you can really call our flower beds natural since they are there because of our design and construction. Maybe it's more like nature vs nurture with our gardens being the nurture part.
In any case, many of the sunflowers are bent over almost to the ground, the cosmos and zinnias are also damaged, but all appear to still be rooted. The arbor with its wisteria is blown over and many of the delicate buds are off of the hibiscus plants. 
That's the visible assessment from a distance. I'll see what it looks like when I get out and up close.

We lost power shortly before midnight, but it was back on around 2am. I doubt most of the neighborhood was aware of that until they woke up this morning. 

And maybe it isn't so much Nature vs Nature or Nature vs Nurture, but more a battle between Nature and humans as we continue to exploit the earth and her resources for our immediate benefit without thinking of the consequences of refusing to live in harmony with the world around us. The unusually severe weather patterns of this summer are no doubt connected to the climate change we are experiencing. We went from severe thunderstorm warnings last night to heat advisories for today. 
While it is true that we do our share of driving cars, consuming energy, and using paper and plastics, we are trying to reduce our carbon footprints. 
Our thermostat is set relatively high in the summer and low in the winter. We recycle plastic, paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, and aluminum cans. I often wonder about the benefit of recycling vs the emissions of driving the 35 miles to and from the recycling center. I try to combine my recycling trip with another needed trip into Springfield, but still...
I still need to look into getting solar panels for our home.
My new Ford Maverick hybrid is built and sitting in a plant in Mexico. I wonder if it will ever offset the carbon emissions of being shipped from Mexico to central Illinois and then driven home. Like many things, the actual cost of energy savings may be a more costly way and the best way might just be to do less driving or use less plastic or paper vs recycling what we do use.

I'm going to try to make peace with nature today and see how much of my flower gardens I can restore. 
What's your plan for the day?

John 

Did you know ... ?

Did you know that our alphabet used to have 27 letters (or characters)?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z &

Yes. The symbol we use for "and" was the 27th letter.
But when reciting the alphabet, kids were not supposed to say "...X Y Z and," or "...X Y Z and and."
They were taught to say "...X Y Z and per se, and."
"and per se and" became ampersand, but was later removed from the alphabet.

John

I missed it! Blogoversary #17!

It was Tuesday, July 25, 2006 that I posted my very first entry at Out of My Hat. 
Tuesday, July 25, 2023 marked 17 years that I've been posting. The blog, its content, and its personality have all changed to reflect my own evolution throughout the past couple of decades. There are a couple of fellow bloggers that have been here since the beginning or at least the early days. Many more have moved on to other platforms or just disappeared into the virtual cloud.

If you're interested in that first post, you can find it here.
That book has never been written, although I occasionally think about it.
I have written more than 2600 posts over the years, made a few virtual friends, and even managed to meet a couple of fellow bloggers in different parts of the country. 

I expect to keep writing for the time being. It's more therapeutic than anything. I don't keep track of readers like I used to. For a while I was getting regular hits from about 30 countries and around 100 or more hits per post. I lost a number of readers and friends over the years from posts that didn't sit well with them. It seems to be the way of things now. Some made a big deal of the differences, others just quietly disappeared. Some of them I miss. Most of them I don't.
Now I write for myself and am happy with the few regular readers that I have.

If you are here and read Out of My Hat regularly (or even occasionally), thank you. 
I generally share my posts on Facebook and Twitter (now X) if you want to follow me there, or you can subscribe directly to the blog.

Retired ATC
Deconstructed Southern Baptist Evangelist
Former Magician
Struggling follower of Jesus
Curmudgeon in training

John

Early to rise...

My sleep pattern has been off this week. Part of it has been intentional, but it is a little more extreme than I was looking for. Typically I go to sleep between midnight and 1 AM and then get up around 7 or so. I have my coffee and quiet time and make a slow start to the day. Since it's been getting hot early, I thought I'd go to bed earlier and start my day a little earlier. This morning I was awake at 4:30, up at 5, and sipping coffee on the deck by 5:30.
The sun is up now and it is already starting to warm up. I need to get a little yard work in before it gets too hot -- watering and more weeding of flower beds. I'm also going to try starting some new hibiscus plants from clippings. Mowing will have to wait for another day.

By the time it gets too hot for a fat, old guy to be working in the heat I will be relaxing with a cold beverage and either smoking a cigar or playing around with my ukulele. I may skip the More Than at 425 tonight. I'm still recovering from all the people-ing on Sat/Sun/Mon. 
We'll see how that goes.

It's not yet 7 AM and I'm ready to get to work. 
Have a great day and keep cool. It's triple digits for SWMO again.

John

Dr Appointments

Not a fan.
I suppose you get to the point of realizing the necessity of them, but they still seem like a waste of time to me. I am fortunate that I don't have them often and remain pretty healthy for a fat guy. My lab numbers came back in good shape from my annual physical a couple of weeks ago, but there are a couple of areas that need some attention.

This morning I have an appointment with a dermatologist. My old dermatologist passed away a couple of years ago and getting into one as a new patient is difficult here. I was able to get a referral and an appointment from my family doc. Early morning appointments kind of suck because I'd rather start the day slowly and more peacefully. On the other hand, I've found there to be less waiting on a doctor and staff that has gotten progressively further behind as the day goes on.
I have become better about the sitting and waiting bit as a retired guy, but I'd rather not spend hours in waiting rooms if it can be avoided so I generally try for morning appointments.

There is a gentle rain this morning and it is a nice (but brief) way to start the day -- sitting on the deck, good coffee, morning sounds, light rain.

Do you have a regular morning routine?
Does it throw your day off if it gets disturbed or missed?
Do you schedule things like appointments in a way that preserves your morning routine?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

 Mother Teresa

Musically Inclined -- or not

I've been thinking about taking up the guitar ... again.
It has been a few decades since I've played. There is an old twelve string in the basement, but I'd really need a new guitar if I were to play again. I'm not sure that I'm up for spending the money on a new one or even on a good used one since there is a good chance that 1) the desire to play may be short lived and 2) it really is only for me while sitting on the deck and irritating the birds, bugs, and other more musically talented creatures.

So I came to a decision--

When we were in Mexico a couple of friends played (and sang to) a ukulele. I know a couple of others that have played the ukulele and have even dabbled with it myself in a long ago, distant past. Recent checks on Facebook Marketplace have landed me an affordable instrument which I will pick up in a couple of hours. Soon the old guy will have a new hobby/musical instrument to work on while sitting on the deck. 
In all honesty, it will probably only remind me of just how musically inept I am. 

Coincidentally, one of the friends in Mexico that played the ukulele is named Luna and the ukulele I found is a Luna ukulele!

Expect no videos nor public appearances. This instrument is for personal use only. Consider it just another retirement experiment.

I am looking forward to learning to play it and will enjoy learning some songs as well. I have a feeling Groucho the cat will not be pleased as I disturb her peaceful afternoons/evenings on the deck with my strumming and crooning.

John

Bad Habits -- sort of

I picked up some bad habits while in Mexico last month.
The kids live in a very walkable community. Everything is close by and walking is pretty safe at any hour of the day or night. It is a resort area with a vibrant night life, plenty of affordable restaurants, and there is always something to do for both locals and tourists. We were going out pretty much every night.

In our first week back home I was out with people 4 of the 7 days. This week it's going to be 3 of 7. 
What is going on?

To be completely honest, most of it is pretty cool. I probably wouldn't go out if I totally hated it. I do tend to be ready to leave before most people as my energy wanes and my tolerance for people diminishes, but I am usually with people of my choosing and people that I enjoy being around. There may not be a lot of those people and I find it interesting how different they are from me and from one another. 

Tonight we will be at a Springfield brewery listening to some of our friends play. Their little cover band has really grown in popularity and I am so happy that they seem to be playing somewhere most weekends. They have a great following and so most of the venues where they play end up packed full. We usually see other people that we know and have a good evening of conversing and listening to music.

If we were in Puerto Vallarta next Monday night, we would be at a little neighborhood bar/restaurant listening to one of our new friends play his acoustic guitar and sing popular covers and some original stuff, as well. Our small group of PV friends would be there supporting him, conversing with one another, and enjoying an evening out.

I wonder how these friends from very different worlds would get along with one another. 
Since I tend to gravitate toward people that have open minds and open spirits, I think they would mesh pretty well. Daily life in PV is much slower and has so much less stress than daily life in the US. 
But even in the busy (often stressful) life of the US, music has its way of calming (or energizing) the spirit and releasing the stress. 

Being out in public may not be as bad if I get to choose the people I'm with. I prefer smaller groups and even smaller (one on one) conversations within those groups. The problem (as I see it) with going out in public is that too often the public shows up!
sigh

John

When Our Focus is Wrong

Most of you that know me, know that I ride a motorcycle. As a rookie rider I undertook a long cross country trip and included some riding that was probably too advanced for my time in the saddle. While I definitely lacked experience, I was not totally unprepared. I read and watched motorcycle training videos to help prepare me for my solo ride.
My planned ride included riding the famed Tail of the Dragon, an 11 mile stretch of US 129 with 318 curves. I took a few rides along MO 125 and rode some of the twisty roads in Northern Arkansas to prep me. The instruction that I kept seeing to avoid ending up in a ditch or straying into the oncoming lane of traffic was to focus on the road you want to ride. If you focus on the ditch, you'll end up in the ditch. If you're watching the center line, you'll cross the center line. Watch where you're riding and you'll ride where you're watching.

It works.
Mountain bikers, trail runners, skiers -- are all taught the same thing. Look where you want to go. If you focus on the obstacles you want to miss you will invariably end up hitting them!

So...
Why do Christians and church leaders tend to focus so much on sin?
Isn't that counter-intuitive to the results we're hoping for?
Wouldn't reminders to be kind, to love our neighbors, to follow Jesus -- be better ways to encourage real Christianity than the constant turn or burn fear mongering that seems to be the bent of all of the outspoken, loudmouthed evangelical preachers, teachers, and disciples?

What if we stopped focusing on what we need to stop doing to get to heaven and started living like we're already living in the presence of God? 
What if salvation isn't about saving us for an afterlife heaven, but to allow us to experience heaven now?
What if Jesus wasn't about getting us from earth to heaven, but was about bringing heaven to earth?
"...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (is here)."
Remember those words?

Just thoughts in my head this morning (after scrolling my Twitter feed).

John

The Games People Play

I'm talking about real games, not the bullshit mind/manipulation games. 
I had taken a rather long break from playing Wordle and Quordle, but I have recently picked them up again. I like that it is just one puzzle per day so I'm not getting sucked into playing for long periods of time. I also play a couple of block puzzle games from time to time. I have a cribbage game on my phone but I haven't played it in quite some time.

Do you have a go-to game that you play on your phone, tablet, or computer?

I know I'm old, but I still think the classic tetris is one of the best computer games. I'd love to find an app with the classic game.
I recently read about people that had never played solitaire with actual cards and weren't sure how to deal the cards to begin a game.
Do people still play cards?
There are so many card games -- hearts, spades, euchre, rummy and its variations, bridge, casino, pinochle (that's a weird name), and countless others. 

I don't usually like playing games with strangers. I'm a little competitive and that can be hard on relationships. It's safer just to talk. I can filter my comments easier than changing my competitive nature. And to be fair, it isn't that I have to win -- I just don't want to lose. There is no fun in losing. 
I think solo computer games suit me just fine.

What are your time kill games?

John

Meditation and Focus

In a small side conversation from Thursday night's More Than session at The Venues at 425 I was talking with a young woman about meditation and our meditation practices. Mine has become very casual and much less purposeful than it once was. I think I need to get back to something more purposeful. Meditation is good for more than being present in the moment. It also teaches presence as a habit -- something that is very absent in Western culture.

Let me explain.
People often think of meditation as emptying your mind of thought. They find it pretty impossible to do and get frustrated and give up on it. Meditation (for me) is more about focusing on a single thought or single thing. It can be a mantra, a sound, your breathing, an item, a practice such as walking a labyrinth, doing yoga or tai chi. It is possible (even likely) that random thoughts can enter into your presence. Practice teaches you to recognize the thought, label it and set it aside for later, and return to your focal point.
This simple discipline can benefit us in other areas of life, as well. It can help us to stay task oriented when reading or studying. It can keep us from responding emotionally to a crisis or conflict. It can help us to be better listeners when friends or loved ones need to vent. 
Being able to focus on listening without needing to respond is an ability that few people have and having such a friend is a gift that even fewer ever receive.

I think that the internet, the news media, and so many social media platforms have re-wired our brains to be easily distracted. Everyone seems to be vying for our attention and unless we are focused and purposeful, we tend to move quickly from one thing to the next and never really appreciate where we are or the people we are with in the present moment. The vibration of our cell phone usually wins in the attention battle between the person we are with and the person texting, calling, or posting to social media.

I think I will re-evaluate the notices I get on my phone and how I use it during the day. I may also take another look at my social media accounts and friend/follower lists. I am most certainly re-assessing my daily meditation practice.

As most of the Western world is pretty far behind on the practice of meditation and the ultra-conservative Christian groups even label it as demonic or a pagan practice, I'm curious if any of my readers have a regular (or even irregular) practice of meditation.
Anyone?

John

What's Going On?

I think our trip to Mexico and spending time out with the kids and their friends nearly every night has been a bad influence on me. We got back home on Sunday, spent Tuesday (July 4th) with friends all day, Thursday was More Than at 425 (midweek church group), Friday night (last night) I was out to see friends play at a local taproom, and I'm thinking about finding a place to go watch the fights tonight.
Plus I have meetings or gatherings scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights next week!
And I had the morning coffee shop experience yesterday!

What in the literal hell is going on?

A funny observation about last night:
The band was Kit Barley & The Creekside Bandits. (You should follow them on Facebook if you are in SWMO) They have a pretty decent local following and usually pack a venue. There's another introvert follower that I've seen at some of their other gigs. He comes alone, sips a few beers throughout the night, and listens to the music. We usually acknowledge each other's presence, might share a few words of conversation, and quietly enjoy the evening. I get that guy.

I like going to Kit Barley gigs. The band has a really good energy about them and the voices harmonize quite well. The lead singer/lead guitarist is one of those people that just makes me feel good about being around him. 
Do you know somebody like that? Somebody that you see and instantly your day is better?
He's one of those people for me. Actually, the entire band is like that, but I think he is the focal point of that vibe. I am happy for them that they have been playing quite a bit this summer.

Overall, I usually have a positive evening when out to hear Kit Barley. The positive energy from my friends in the band more than offsets the energy drain of being around people. Most people exposures aren't like that for me. 

Maybe I'll skip going out for the fights tonight. 
We'll see.

Find some people or things to recharge today. When you are fully charged, you can share that energy with others.

John

Coffee Shop Morning

Good morning from Architect Coffee Co. in south Springfield! I  had an 8am doctor's appointment for my annual physical today and decided to treat myself to a coffee shop coffee today. I'm doing the thumb tappy thing and typing this out on my phone.

This place is packed at just before 9am on a Friday morning! There are a number of business meetings, several studying students, and quite a few casual get-togethers over a cup of coffee. It's apparently quite the meeting place.

It's far too noisy to be a morning quiet time for today's coffee, but watching people interact and catching bits of conversations is interesting. Even though I am not always a fan of interacting with others, I am always an observer of people interactions.

Last night was the return to weekly meetings at The Venues at 425 (formerly known as Barchurch). It was a kind of forced interaction to encourage people to get to know one another and build relationships with The Venues being the beginning common ground. 

I think it went well. It will be interesting to see how it evolves. I'm also interested in the perspective of others that were there. I don't know if I'll have much of an opportunity to hear the unfiltered comments. I'm sure there will be tweaks here and there, but it was a good first night.

I'm going to retreat to the quiet of my car and finish my coffee on the road. All of this noise, a literal assault on the ears, is a brutal way to begin a day. I'm grateful for my quiet deck.

Be well, my friends.

John

Listen

I think listening is a lost art.
I don't even know if "art" is a good word for it, but people really aren't interested in listening anymore.
They just want to talk. 
Maybe a lost skill is a better way to look at it.

Oftentimes they will disguise their need to talk as conversation, but they aren't really interested in your half of the speaking time. Too often, people interrupt the speaker to give their reply before the speaker is finished, or even change the subject to something entirely different. I've actually had people ask a question and then interrupt my answer to respond, interject a comment, or ask another question.

A recent gratitude prompt asked to think about the person that you can count on to listen to you. I think you probably need to pay someone (a therapist) to have someone that will listen to you without judgement.

Why is it that we feel so certain that what we have to say is valuable, but we tend to dismiss what others have to say?

Maybe that's why writing this blog seems to be so therapeutic. I know I can write freely and without interruption. I'm not too worried about the judgement part. I've come to expect that. 

Do you ave a go-to person that will listen -- really listen to you?
If so, I think you are probably quite lucky?

John

Work Day

The Fourth of July holiday interrupted my self-imposed get-caught-up-on-yard-work schedule, so I'll be back at that today. I used the push mower to do about half of the yard on Monday and will use it again today to do about half of what's left. I'll finish mowing the yard and get to the weed eating /trim work tomorrow. Any way you look at it there is plenty of work to last for days. The heat index is already in the mid 90s (35C) and is expected to be around 106F (41C) in the early afternoon. I should probably get started soon so I can get today's part finished before it is too hot.

Working outside does a number of things for me --
* it gets me outside in the sunshine
* it gives me something physical to do that isn't too strenuous
* it keeps me grounded (in touch with planet earth)
* it keeps me away from people

I have to admit that I am really enjoying just sitting on the deck this morning and getting reconnected to the rural sounds and natural vibe of home. There is a very calming energy from the earth and all of its beauty. I think it is medicine for both body and spirit. It's almost enough to keep me sitting here soaking it in rather than getting up and getting to work. 
I'll just have to look forward to being back here after the work is finished.

Be well, my friends.
Be at peace with others.
Be at peace with yourselves.

John

July 4th

I'm a bit sad and ambivalent about celebrating today. As much as I do enjoy the freedoms I have living in the United States, I am distressed at last week's SCOTUS rulings that reverse affirmative action policies and make it okay to discriminate against people for having a different set of beliefs than you do.
Literally, WTF?

There is so much "us vs them" now that there isn't room for WE the people anymore. Even though there isn't an armed conflict between factions, we are engaged in a type of cold civil war that is increasingly becoming more volatile. Perhaps the thing that saddens me most is that evangelical Christians have such a large role in the divisiveness, choosing to judge and hate rather than following the love your neighbor teaching of Jesus.

I'd be happy to sit at home and watch the Cardinals lose another baseball game vs going out and celebrating. Truthfully, I wouldn't waste my time with the Cardinals tonight, but I would prefer to be quietly smoking a cigar on the deck and listening to my new friend Dan Schaefer on Spotify. 
Check him out and give him a listen when you can. (I'm working on upping his US listening algorithm.) 

Anyway, I'll be out with friends and enjoying some good food and the company of others. I'll likely refrain from the whole celebrating an America that I'm not too proud of at the moment. 
It's nice to have that freedom, too.

John

Home

It is good to be home!

After a good night's sleep in my own bed, I am sitting on my deck, sipping my morning coffee, and listening to the familiar birds of the back yard.
There are flowers now where they hadn't yet blossomed when I left in the back flowerbeds. I am looking forward to checking the status of the vegetables in the small garden boxes and other flowers. I'll mow the yard portion of the lot today and work on the rest of it later in the week. 

I am going to have to be a little more appreciative of the life that I've taken for granted. Simple common things like air conditioning and potable water from the tap are not always common things in other countries. Smooth roads, wide lanes, and interchanges that accommodate high volumes of traffic will again be the norm, as well as actually needing to drive to get anywhere. 
Although I am certain that I could adapt to the city life of Puerto Vallarta, I am definitely a fan of the quiet and peaceful rural setting where we live. 

I'm going to keep this short today. Just reflecting without needing to come up with words is what I'm feeling this morning. I am really looking forward to an afternoon or evening cigar later. 
Be thankful.
If you interact with others, be kind.

John

¡Adios, Puerto Vallarta!

It is time to return home after being here in Puerto Vallarta for the past four weeks. Travel days are never fun, but at least we'll get to stress over the tight connection we have in Atlanta this evening. The time between arrival and departure is an hour and forty minutes, but we'll need to go through US Customs and recheck Chris's one checked bag, so it should be tight. It would be nice if our flight out of PV could arrive a little early. The ATL to SGF flight is the last one of the day.
I looked into an earlier flight out of PV, but there wasn't one available. No worries. It's not like we have jobs to go to tomorrow. We may just be spending the night in Atlanta.

I have a book to read, my phone to scroll through, and a couple of movies downloaded in case there isn't anything on the flight that I want to watch. I should be just fine for the day.
It will be nice to be back home tonight (hopefully).

I don't know when we'll be back to PV. I'd like to be in Mazatlan next April for the total eclipse. That would be a great way to end the Midwest cold weather season. It would be cool if the kids could join us for that.
Since the path of totality cuts through the middle of the US, we could also just travel across the state to witness it, but that wouldn't be as much fun as getting together with the kids for a beach vacation. Anyone else making plans to witness it?

Whether we're back here for the eclipse or not, this trip has given me new motivation for learning Spanish. I did brush up on it a little bit last month (May, actually), but I think I'll continue to work on it. It would be nice to be functionally fluent when visiting here.

¡Hasta la proxima!
(Until next time!)

John

Welcome to July (Bienvenido a julio)

It's hard to believe that half of 2023 has already passed by and we are moving into the second half of the calendar year. While it might be more cultural (at least in the Western world) to want to get off to a running start, I think I'll take July 1st being a Saturday (sabado), the sabbath as a sign that I should rest and reflect before moving onward in the search for my life's purpose.
Actually, I'll probably take a couple of days to do that since tomorrow is a travel day as we make our way back to the Midwest furnace of Highlandville MO.

I do hope to hang on to the prevailing attitude of community that exists here in Puerto Vallarta. Life moves at a much slower pace here and people tend to see each other and take care of one another in a way that is very natural and organic. That also seems to be one of the main reasons that so many US expats are living here. The US and Canada (and some Europeans, too) folks that we have met here range from retired to much younger people that are still working. The working folks (like Aaron and Jenny) either work remotely and earn US or Canadian dollars, work for local companies, or have established businesses here. 
Income levels range from enough to get by and live in paradise to doing very well and living with a mix of more modern amenities while still managing a more simple and less demanding daily lifestyle.

I already have a simple, less demanding lifestyle than most. I may have to consider getting out more. I have enjoyed the experience of meeting people and sharing life with others during this past month. I am aware that doing that at home poses different challenges as it seems to be more of a challenge to find open minded people to converse with and share life and stories of life. When you can't go to freakin' Walmart without seeing someone that feels the need to open carry --  well, it does make me want to just enjoy my quiet little corner of the world on the screened in deck.
Also, traditional gathering places both here and at home tend to be bars, breweries, or restaurants with bars, and that really isn't our thing. Maybe we need to find more local music groups to follow since that is something we both enjoy.
Maybe I should just get a pool and have a few people over from time to time or enjoy it without other people. 
Hmmm...

In any case,
I have a pretty darn good life.
I have enjoyed being here in PV for the past month, but I will enjoy being back at home, as well.

Happy Canada Day to our northern neighbors.

Live well, my friends.
Be kind.

John

The last sunset of June