Holy smokes! Twenty years of Out of My Hat!

I just realized that today is my Blogoversary!

I have been fortunate enough to get to meet several of my fellow bloggers and readers, and have enjoyed the virtual connections that I have made in the past twenty years. Many of the bloggers that I once followed have long since disappeared into the virtual void, but a few are still posting regularly. 
It's too bad I can't reach out to virtually invite all of those previous posters and readers to drop in and say hi for my 20th blogoversary party.

But you are here!
Thank you for stopping by.

John

Short sleepers

I've generally considered myself to be a short sleeper. It seems that six hours is a full night's sleep for me (still) and I often managed on 4.5 hours per night when I was working. Sometimes I will add an additional sleep cycle and get 7.5 hours, but I typically wake up and get up after 6 hours.

However, it appears that short sleeping as a genetic trait is pretty rare, so I don't know if I am a genetic short sleeper or not. The odds of getting struck by lightning are greater than the odds of being a genetic short sleeper.
I suppose it's too bad that I am not more productive in my waking hours. I am content to sip coffee and scroll the internet in the morning, read books during the day and evening, and likely enjoy a good cigar at some point on many days. Short sleeping should not be wasted on an untalented, uneducated, and unmotivated person such as myself. More waking hours should be associated with doing more for humanity or contributing to society in some small way. I consider that staying away from people on most days is my gift to society.

It is interesting to read about it and find that science is discovering more about it and has narrowed down several (4) genetic markers associated with short sleeping. I don't know if power napping is associated with short sleeping in any way, or if I am just fortunate enough to have both. 

I suppose it is a blessing that I am content to contemplate life and not be bored with these extra hours I have every day.
If you had an extra two hours every day, how would you spend them?

John

More on books and reading

It's been just over 3 weeks since I dropped my Kindle Unlimited subscription and I have not been without something to read in that time. In fact, I find myself rushed to finish what I'm reading because a book I was waiting for became available through the Libby app.
One of the downsides has been that some of the authors that I enjoyed reading seem to have published their works with Amazon and they are only available through Kindle by purchase or free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

I haven't even checked out any of the many free e-book sites that are out there and I still have more than I can keep up with. 

What a privilege it is to be able to read, to enjoy reading, and to have an abundance of material literally at my finger tips!
Also, having the leisure time to be able to sit and enjoy a book is a privilege that I do not take for granted. I am grateful for this life I have.

What are you reading?

John
 

War Crimes

War crimes are such a weird concept to me.
War itself is such a violent act against humanity that defining some parts of war as criminal and other parts as acceptable is just mind blowing.

Way back in the mid 60s when Star Trek was introducing some pretty progressive ideas by imagining a future world, there was an episode where two neighboring planets had been at war with each other for centuries, but they had cleaned things up by using computers to determine the number of casualties in an attack and those people would then voluntarily report to death chambers. 
The war went on, but there was no physical destruction of property, no rebuilding, no damaged infrastructure.
You can read about it here.

Don't we do the same sort of thing when we say we are at war, but certain civilian areas can't be attacked?
Don't we take away a reason for negotiating an end to that war?
Instead of putting an end to killing, we make rules around acceptable killing. 
We demand humane treatment of prisoners of war when war itself is an inhumane act.

I agree that the bombing of civilians and civilian targets is wrong. But I also happen to think that bombing another country because we have a dementia ridden, psychopathic, rapist, narcissistic pedophile as a president is wrong. 
Every part of this war (yes, it's a war) is criminal, and yes, I believe that both Trump and Netanyahu should be held responsible on an international scale.

I'm venting here because I can. It's difficult to have a solution to a war that never should have been started in the first place. There was nothing to win and everything to lose -- which we already have lost.
Sometimes the first step out of the hole you're in is to stop digging. 

I do love where I live, but there are times when I am ashamed of the things my country is doing. This is one of those times, and ashamed is an understatement. I am angry that we are killing and being killed to satisfy a demented president's ego.

John

Wednesday Words: about grace and gratitude

Today's Wednesday Word is not one that has a surprising meaning or background story. It is simply one that I have had a little change of perception or attitude about. We see it in different forms -- grace, gracious, gratitude -- all from the Latin gratia.

I was thinking about this because last week I had lunch with a friend and former pastor/preacher. As we sat down to eat, he asked if I wanted to bless the food (give thanks, say grace, etc,). I declined and let him do that.

Here's the thing (for me).
I don't ever want to reach the point where I take the good things of life for granted. I always want to express my gratitude, but I do believe there are different ways to do that. 

"Oh, this is really good!" is an expression of appreciation and of gratitude.
The enjoyment of sharing a meal with a friend is an expression of gratitude.
A smile, a hug, an acknowledgement of a gift or favor received -- all are ways of being grateful. 

At this moment I am sitting in a coffee shop, sipping an iced cold-brew, using the hot-spot feature of my new smart phone, and typing words on my Chromebook that will travel great distances and be read by a handful of people.
How could I not be thankful for the life that I have?
I often joke (sort of) about being a curmudgeon-in-training or about being a grumpy old man.
I'm not.
Mostly, I do want people to leave me the f--- alone, but that's just because I am so thankful for the quiet time that life provides for me!

Today, I will do a little of the outdoor work that I've been putting off because of the midsummer heat and then I will be thankful for the simple little pool that I have as I enjoy a cigar and evening drink. 

Will you be grateful today?
How do you express gratitude in ways other than simply saying -- Thank you?

Thanks for reading!

John

Wednesday Words -- Lights out!

How about a new alliterative category for Wednesday?
I'm about tapped for wisdom. Although I've often been called a wise-a$$ or a wise-guy, I've seldom been thought of as a truly wise man.

And besides, words can be fun.
For an older generation of kids that played outside all day, the streetlights coming on was often the signal for kids to head home for the evening. Not always, though. We played kick the can, hide and seek, tag, and many other games with the neighborhood kids well after dark.
The electric street lights came on automatically and stayed on all night. Nobody had the job of lighting the gaslights when the sun set or extinguishing them when it was time for everyone to be safely at home for the night.
Although there are many good reasons for streetlights to remain on throughout the night, it's weird to remember that electricity or even gas jets haven't been around for most of the history of humanity. For most of our history, turning out the lights meant putting out a fire. Nighttime light came from candles, lanterns, or fireplaces.
Today, lights out is as simple as flipping a switch.

Our word curfew comes from the French couvre feu which means cover fire.
The French were the first to use street lamps in an effort to reduce nighttime crime in Paris. When it was time for the street lamps to be extinguished (couvre-feu), it was time for everyone to be at home.
Instead of be home when the streetlights come on; it was be home before they go off -- curfew!

And now you know.

John 

Monday Motivation

It is a beautiful Monday morning in the Ozarks of SWMO. The early sun is bright, but not yet too hot. The avian community is doing its noisy morning routine of feeding and chirping loudly as they go about their business. The traffic sounds from the nearby highway are man made background noises that rudely infiltrate the natural sound of birds, bugs, and the occasional sounds of horses or cows from the rural farmlands that are not too far away.
My coffee is good and life in the Ozarks is pretty sweet right now.

As I look out at the field that needs to be mowed soon, I am picking out an area to solarize for my native grasses and wildflowers area, 
The process of solarizing will involve measuring out a 40' by 100' (12 m x 30 m), cutting that area as low to the ground as I can, watering it heavily, and then covering it with clear plastic for the rest of the summer and let the sun heat and kill the existing non-native, invasive fescue grass. I need to have the area ready and hope that the rain in the forecast for later this week will be accurate.
The solarization process recommends burying the edges of the plastic to trap in the heat which adds a lot of work and I may find a work-around for that part.

I also have a smaller area that I need to solarize closer to the house. It's a plot that I had tilled a couple of years ago for flowers that is now full of Johnson grass and weeds. I was going to plant popcorn and sunflowers there this season, but it needs to be re-worked and I think solarization is going to be the way to go.

I'm not sure what motivates me to do this stuff. I definitely think a native meadow that doesn't need to be mowed and feeds the birds and pollinators is better than mowing the fescue pasture land that works nicely for grazing cows but pretty much sucks for anything else.
It will take some time to convert the field doing just 4,000 sq ft at a time, but it is doable and less expensive than doing a field kill and replant all at once. 

That's my next project and will pay my pool tax for the coming week. 
My weekend project was building this poolside table for drinks, snacks, phone, etc. As with most of my projects, it was made more difficult by the fact that I have no experience and don't really know what I'm doing. At least it will be functional.

All-in-all, it's Just another day in the life of John.
Happy Monday!
Here's to a grand week!

John

Christian Nationalism: maybe it's a good thing

I do not really think that there is anything good about Christian Nationalism.
However, I do see some good coming from the boldness of our current nationalist movement in the US.

The Christian Nationalist movement that we see now has always existed in a much more subtle form. It has existed in the God and Country services, in the congregational reciting of The Pledge of Allegiance at camps and vacation Bible schools, even in the quiet display of the American flag in churches across the country. 
Christian Americans have been trying to convince all Americans that we are a Christian nation in subtle ways for a very long time. 

Now that it has made the national spotlight and is rearing its ugly head at the highest levels of government, many mainline Christians are beginning to see it for what it is and are questioning or leaving their long time faith communities that support or are okay with this perverse type of Christianity. People are beginning to see that they have been following a religion rather than following Jesus and are waking up.
Yes. I said it. They are becoming "woke" and realizing that being woke is a good thing.

I do not, in any way, expect to see a large national revival of Christianity sweeping our nation.
I do expect to see, or rather feel, the subtle change in the spirit of a nation as more and more followers of Jesus begin to be less about following religion and more about following the actual teachings of Jesus.

Megachurches are just monstrosities build to glorify themselves and scream "Look at us! Look at us!" They are not temples built to honor God. They are what happens when capitalism corrupts religion. They have money, they have influence, and they have power. They have become their own gods.

People that follow Jesus will do so without fanfare.
They will take care of the earth and take care of each other and few people will take notice.
People that follow Jesus will encourage other people to do the same -- not by loud preachers and fiery sermons, nor with flashy worship services, but just by simple words of encouragement and actions of love.

I still have a few friends that are church pastors. I am not much of a church person myself these days, but I respect the work they are doing and the challenges they face. The world would certainly be a better place with more people like them and fewer loners like me.
This Sunday morning they will encourage gatherings of a few dozen to a few hundred people. They will encourage them to follow the Jesus of the Bible and not the Jesus of Christian Nationalism. They will love their people and encourage them to love one another.

I will sit on my deck, listen to the birds, watch the clouds roll in, and tap out meaningless words on my Chromebook.
Even as I write that the world needs more people like them and fewer people like me, I am not making plans beyond finding myself in this present of mine. I don't think I'll be a church guy anymore. It is far easier for me to hear God while I am tending to flowers than it is when I am in church.
I am hopeful that raising the mirror to see Christian Nationalism in our churches and in ourselves will encourage more people to seek the true Jesus and leave the religion and all of its idolatrous trappings behind.

Love God.
Love one another.

That's not the doctrine of Christian Nationalism.
It's the teaching of Jesus.

John

Tax free Friday

Early to bed
Early to rise...

I was tired last night and called it quits earlier than my usual midnight to 1 AM bedtime. Going to bed at 11ish means I'm awake before 6, but that's okay. It's a pretty morning to be out on the deck. I don't expect to be out here too long. I think I'm going to go out for coffee this morning -- mostly because I just didn't feel like making any and also it has been a minute since I've done that.
Currently I am sipping a diet coke while listening to the morning avian community get about their day.

In spite of the Midwest July heat, I have been getting a fair amount of outdoor work done. I consider it to be a self-imposed pool tax. 
Work first
Pool second

Having said that, I am considering a tax free Friday. 
If my daughter in-law can do her Work-from-pool Friday, I can do a tax free Friday!
There are things that need to be done and things that I will do, but it's nice to give myself an out once a week. 
Honestly, I'm pretty generous when it comes to giving myself time off!

Hmmm...
Time to find a coffee shop.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Don't tax yourself too much.

John

Unsubscribed

Last month I unsubscribed from Kindle Unlimited.
It wasn't because I didn't use it. I used it all of the time. I unsubscribed because it seemed to be wasting money to read when there are many sources for free e-books, including the Libby app which allows me to get books for my Kindle reader from my local library.
Unfortunately, my local library is rather small and seems to have a limited number of e-books available, but I still feel like it's a better deal than paying to read.

I am currently reading John Grisham's The Whistler (fiction), as well as Richard Rohr's The Tears of Things (non-fiction). The Grisham book is from the Libby app. Rohr's was purchased from Amazon with credits I had earned on Kindle.
I'm on the waiting list for a couple of other books from Libby.
In addition to that, Chris needed to drop off a couple of books at the library yesterday, so naturally, I grabbed a couple of fiction books (Lee Childs, Jack Reacher). 
What was I thinking?

What are you reading?
What are your book sources?
Actual books, e-reader, both?
Does anyone still read magazines -- online or print?

Just wondering.

John

What is wrong with you?

Self esteem
I believe that self esteem is how you feel about yourself. 
It is an assessment of your overall value as you see yourself.
It is not a comparison to others.
At least, it's not supposed to be.

I think that people tend to compare themselves to others rather than make personal assessments based solely on one's own abilities, talents, and contributions. 
Not only does this give us a false perspective on personal value, but it also makes tearing others down a convenient (yet false) way of making ourselves look better.

I believe that people that are often critical and judgmental of others have very low self esteem.
I should probably point out that I don't have any psychological background or education. This is just an observation and a part of my personal growth.

I have found peace in learning not to compare myself to others
While I do enjoy it when others think well of me, my identity isn't tied to what others think of me.
I am confident and comfortable just being who I am.

By most standards, I have little to offer to society.
I have no formal education.
I have no power or influence.
I have no wealth.
I offer no product or service to make the community a better place.
My sole contribution to society is that I am a consumer, and I really try to keep that to a minimum.

It is weird how somebody with so little value to society can be at peace with who they are, and yet here I am.
If I were to spend the rest of my mornings sipping coffee on the deck,
the rest of my days tending to flowers, reading books, and relaxing in the pool,
and the rest of my nights back on the deck smoking a cigar, sipping a drink and listening to the night sounds,
I would be a happy boy.
I'm pretty sure that Chris would be bored with such a life, but I could honestly be okay with it.

Yes, I like to travel a bit.
Yes, I want to visit my kids and see my family now and then.
Yes, I like occasional interactions with friends, such as meeting for a meal or going out for coffee or a beer.
But with or without those things that bring added joy -- I am content and at peace with who I am.

Even as I write that and watch the golden finches fly back and forth between the black eyed susans and sunflowers, I know that I am far from perfect. If I am going to really enjoy life for a long time I need to improve on my quality of life and change some habits.
I'm getting more serious about that.
Being overweight and out of shape is more what I am than who I am.

So...
What is wrong with you?
Honestly, you are really the only one that needs to answer that question. 
1. It shouldn't be a comparison to others, and 
2. An honest assessment should also ask and answer -- What's right with you?

I'd offer this as a starting point --
Nothing is wrong with you.
You are probably not perfect. Like me (and most others), there are definitely things you need to work on.
But I truly believe that you are created by The Creator as an expression of love -- to love and to be loved.
I hope that you will see that in your own self assessment.

John

Monday evening

It's Monday evening and I just finished book #33 for the year. 
It's a nice evening temperature-wise and the deck is a pretty nice place to spend the evening. 
I may need to get some kind of mounted light fixture so that I can enjoy the pool at night. That may also require a bug zapper of some type. We don't have the nighttime bats like the Puerto Vallarta kids have.
Today was the 7th day of having the pool. It was filled last Tuesday and I have been in it every day.
I'll try to get the lawn mowed early tomorrow so that I can spend the afternoon relaxing in the pool. We should have just gotten one of these when we moved in six years ago.

I was out for breakfast with a friend this morning so my normal morning routine was disturbed. I am spending my Chromebook and quiet time on the deck this evening. 

I avoided writing about the nation's 250th anniversary celebration over the weekend. Honestly, I am a little torn on the subject. I do very much love the life I have here in the USA, but I have become more critical of many of the methods that we employ to maintain this way of life. The deep divide that exists, not only between the US and her allies, but between political factions within the US deeply concerns me. 
Whether it is within our borders or between our allies (or even our enemies), intimidation and violence shouldn't always be the first method of attack. We should have matured beyond the playground bully stage of life.
We have earned a reputation that I do not like and fear that it will take quite some time to overcome. I truly wish that we (humanity) could have more of a global community and look out for one another. 

In astronomic news, we have passed the point on our annual trek around the sun where we reached the farthest point from the sun and the slowest part of our orbit. The earth will begin to pick up a little speed as we get closer to the sun. 
I haven't done much star gazing lately. I should do that again. Recently the night sky (day sky, too) has been a bit hazy with some Saharan dust high in the atmosphere. Soon we will be contending with smoke from the Colorado fires. Our summer weather patterns are a little strange this year. 

I hope you have had a good Monday to begin your week. 

John

Friday Fun Fact

Did you know that applause and explosion come from the same root?

Our current use for explode or explosion is quite different from its original theatrical use in ancient Rome. 
A loud rhythmic clapping was a way to force a poor actor off of a stage in humiliation. The loud, organized clapping was so disruptive that the performance could not continue and the target would be forced to exit in shame.
Ex = out
plaudre = clap
They literally clapped them off the stage.

Applause (also clapping, but less organized and less disruptive) expressed approval of the performance, while what came to be explode expressed extreme disapproval -- both clapping, but very different intentions.

I'm not sure how the loud, disruptive noise morphed into our current understanding of explosion, but figure it probably came into being after the invention of gunpowder and its thunderous clap of released energy.
I'm sure this weekend's firework celebrations of the USA's 250th year will be filled with both explosions and applause!

John
 

Wednesday Wisdom

Today's wisdom is stolen from a well known sneaker brand --
Just do it!

I get the idea of delayed gratification and waiting until the time is right, but sometimes the priorities are wrong. Sometimes there isn't a good reason to wait or the thing we are waiting for isn't well defined.
Whether "Just do it" refers to exercise, taking a trip, or getting into a cold pool -- Do it. Do it now.

I have wanted to get a pool for quite some time, but always managed to talk myself out of it. It is easy to talk myself out of anything that costs money. I'm too cheap to spend much money on things for myself (other than decent cigars, bourbon, or tequila). We finally got one!
It's a pretty inexpensive one, but it's also a bit of an experiment on if it will be worth it. 
My pre-experiment hypothesis is that it most definitely will be. In fact, the real danger is that pool usage will interfere with actually getting work done. I may have to impose some rules about work time before pool time -- kind of a Just do it after I've mowed the field!

We got one of the pools with an inflatable ring at the top. the base is quite a bit wider than the top ring, so a poolside table for drinks, Chromebook, Kindle reader, etc. is a bit tricky. I'm currently looking at floating tables or I may just craft something from a few boards and a cut up pool noodle. In any case, I am not waiting to find something to use the pool. 
I waited a whole hour after it was filled yesterday to get in! The water temp was a cool 68 (20C) degrees, but I was in and enjoying the vibe for about an hour. I'll be doing more research on maintaining a pool and largely learning as I go. 
Looking back, I can't think of a good reason why we didn't do this when we first moved into this house six years ago. 

Today's plan :
Weed eat the yard around the house and flowerbeds (I mowed it yesterday)
Load the smoker with a half pork tenderloin and some burgers
Mow the field
Get in the pool

I'd better get busy!

John

Half-way Point

June comes to an end as does the first half of the calendar year for 2026.
Rather than review the high and low points of the past six months from a national or global perspective, I am just going to take a very narrow look from my own viewpoint.

Early in the year, I finished my sixth winter of working in the crisis cold weather shelters for the homeless community of Springfield MO. The organization around the shelters continues to get better even if the overall number of available beds has not. I really don't know what next season will look like for me. I know there is a need and a place for me within the shelter where I've been working, but I would also like to spend more time in a much warmer climate during the winter months. 
As soon as the season ended this past spring, I headed to Puerto Vallarta for several weeks. April was a lovely time to be there, but January would be a better time to be away from here!  

The spring here has been quite lovely. Even the early summer temps haven't been too bad. Our house stays relatively cool with shaded porches on both front and back and a nice airflow through the house. We make use of the attic fan that our builder says nobody uses anymore and we have been pretty comfortable without using the air conditioner. 
I think we used it back in March when we had an unusual stretch of several 90 degree days, but that's been it. It may come on today or during this week's run of high temps. 

I am back to my cold-brew iced coffee for the mornings. I am thinking about fighting nature and moving to an earlier bedtime and wake-up. I enjoy my slow mornings, but that often puts my outdoor work into the hotter part of the day. If I get up a couple of hours earlier I can still have my slow mornings and start work before it is too hot. Overall, it's not that much of a deal. Summer is my thing and sweat doesn't bother me that much.

The yard work feels good, but I am out of shape for the heavier stuff. I really need to work on that. I am carrying far too much weight and not getting enough exercise. It's an old tune that I keep repeating, but I think I'm finally going to do something about it. I've started using the exercise cycle several times this past month. I'm going to make that a regular thing in the coming months. Setting exercise as a habit is going to be more difficult than it once was. Truly I have been less mentally motivated to move as I have gotten older.
Plus, I like to eat -- too damn much!
It's true -- you can't out-exercise your bad diet.
Damn!

Let's see what the second half of 2026 holds.

John

Monday

As happens on many occasions, after spending a day of manual labor I am extremely happy that I was fortunate enough to be able to sit on my butt in a climate controlled environment to pay bills and put food on the table. 
I will be back at it again today, but at least this is voluntary and I take frequent well deserved breaks to sit my fat, old ass down and keep from hurting myself too badly.

It does make me realize that recognizing and admitting to the physical limitations of aging are difficult things. We all know older people that shouldn't be driving, or walking without assistance, or living on their own (or shoveling dirt during triple digit heat index) anymore. 
We remember being able to do those things but neglect the gradual changes and the cumulative impact those changes have over the years. 

I do need to be more purposely active to battle some of the aging effects, but I also need to make peace with some of the new limitations I am encountering. Today, I will be doing both -- working hard in the heat and taking frequent breaks because it is the safe thing for a fat, old guy to do. 
At the end of the project I will have an above ground pool to relax in. I'm sure it will be worth it.

John

PS -- just a friendly reminder to my US readers

Favorites

Be honest -- Do you have a favorite coffee mug?
It's the one you will always grab if it's clean and available,
The one that never finds its way to the back of the cupboard,
The one that you never give to somebody else to use. 
It's your mug -- your favorite mug.

This simple mug is almost 50 years old.
I bought it from the Tulane University Bookstore when I was a freshman in the fall of 1978. It once had a rubberized emblem like this one glued to that circle on the front of the mug.

Although the emblem was lost decades ago, the mug has continued to be with me. It was my work mug that was in my locker for my ATC career, and is now used more often than the other mugs that occupy my cabinet.
To be sure, there are other favorites in the daily rotation of coffee mugs. Most were gifts and many are a little larger than the standard mug size. I really don't know why this one is the favorite. I dropped out of college after a year and rarely think back on those days.

Do you have a favorite mug for your morning coffee?
If you are commenting on Facebook, let's see some pics.
If not, tell me about your favorite. Was it a gift? Does it have a quote or pic that is meaningful to you? Is it a souvenir from a memorable trip or event?

Maybe I'll share some other mug pics in future posts.

John

Friday Fun Fact

 

John

Home

It feels both weird and comforting to be back on the deck for my morning coffee and quiet time after spending a few days away. I pulled out the Chromebook just once on my short trip and didn't spend much time on it. I need to get used to spending less time on both the Chromebook and cell phone. I do realize that I will be spending some time on my phone over the next few days as I get to explore and get used to my new one. It came in while I was gone and I'll get it activated today.

Although I haven't actually spent any time watching any of the World Cup play, I am very grateful for the reminders of just how wonderful this country can be. It is a little distressing to be in the position that it took a bunch of visitors to point out our abundance and wonder. It is just too easy to focus on the distressing stuff -- and God knows we have plenty of that too!

I brought back a couple of new potted plants for the deck. My Mom's peace lilies  had become root bound and needed to be re-potted. She wanted to keep the original planters she had, so I divided them and made three new pots plus two reduced sized plants for her original pots. These flowers are from my Dad's funeral from February of 2020.
I chose small pots as peace lilies tend to do well in smaller pots and slightly root bound. I am a little concerned about having divided them rather than just moving them to a little bit larger pot. I am afraid that dividing the root system will be too traumatic.  I left the original two pots with Mom, brought two home, and left one for my younger sister. I hope they all survive. 

I also added a couple of outdoor plants for Mom and took care of her hummingbird feeders. 
I'm not sure how I got to be the gardener guy. I'm mostly just faking it and learning as I go. I am happy that Mom enjoys sitting outside and looking at her hostas and flowers.

Although I have plenty of gardening work to do at home today, it will need to be pushed back to another day. An unexpected trip to the dentist this morning and taking care of phones and other stuff this afternoon will take a significant portion of the day. It is nice to be retired and have lots of time to do whatever needs to be done -- including morning coffee and quiet time.

Remember -- Spend 20 minutes a day in nature, unless you're too busy. In that case, spend an hour.

John

New Tech in Old Hands -- Look Out!

I'm getting an upgrade!
I'm not really much of a tech guy so it has never been necessary for me to have the latest or greatest in cellular technology. Typically, I go with the free phone or the cheapest one available. Back when Samsung's Galaxy S10 was something, I had one because it was a part of the deal when we switched our cell service. My new phones since then have been pretty inexpensive Android options.
Now we are switching again and I will be getting a Samsung Galaxy S26+.  I'm sure it is way more technology than I need and I hope that the bells and whistles won't distract me from living life away from the virtual connection that it provides.

I think I'd much rather be relaxing in our pool (above ground, arrives next week) with a book than chasing fake (or even real) news stories on my phone. 

I am enjoying my coffee on the front porch this morning. 
One of the downsides to living in a rural neighborhood is the lack of good internet service. Our electric co-op is now providing high-speed fiber internet and is laying the cable on our street this week. Although I measured the easement and placed the front flowerbed and fence to be out of the easement, my idea of where that is and where it actually seems to be may be a little off. One of their little flags is inside of the flowerbed. I am hopeful that it will be okay.

We have been using T-Mobile's 5G internet service and it is sufficient for our low-tech needs. To switch to the more advanced high speed fiber would more than double our internet cost. T-Mobile has a pretty good deal to switch our cell service right now and that's what we are doing with our phones. By switching now, our actual cell service will go up $10 per month, but our internet will go down $25 dollars per month. Plus we get two $1,100 phones for the low, low price of paying the sales tax.

I have to admit, the available tech is both convenient and concerning to me. I can understand the savings to businesses as their apps help to efficiently automate many things, but I also wonder about the alienation of many older people that don't use cell technology at all or only to call or text. 
Many restaurants have online menus, online pay, or just assume that everyone has a smart phone. Other businesses are trending that way, as well. Most of the time I am okay with less human contact and am willing to adapt. Sometimes I'm not.  I'm sure that advancement in AI technology will soon make human interaction less necessary when it comes to customer service and problem solving.

The ability to connect my phone to my truck is nice for navigation and listening to music, NPR, or something on Substack. I haven't been much of a follower of any podcasts, but that may change. It's also nice for incoming calls and texts. 
The amount of tech you can carry in your purse or pocket is truly amazing! We can be connected to people on the other side of the world almost instantly. It's too bad that so much energy goes into spreading fear and nonsense rather than making the most of the global community. 
Haters gotta hate.
smh

Just let me know when somebody develops a robotic gardener. I'm pretty sure I would be a better supervisor than I am as a laborer.

John

Thursday Theme -- no alliteration necessary.

I think it is time to move away from the Thursday Theology posts. 
Do I come up with a new theme for Thursdays, skip posting on Thursdays, or just post whatever and whenever?
Hmmm...

For today I am enjoying the many posts from visitors to the US during the North American World Cup. It is nice to be reminded of the vastness of our country and its diverse landscapes, cities, and cultures. One European visitor commented that back home Americans are criticized for never traveling outside of the country. He said we don't have to. We have so much to see and do in the USA that we really don't need to travel abroad to experience diversity.

While we do have so much here at home and even have cultural differences within the US, I think there is still a great benefit to be had from traveling abroad. And though there is much to experience from a visit to the US, there are still many things that are unseen as we deal with the realities of a capitalistic society that has gotten a bit out of control.

I think the posts that compare the food here to what is available in their home countries are the best. One post compared the college Freshman 15 to the World Cup 15 and complained that they would have to buy new clothes for the trip home as they are putting on so much weight that they won't have anything that fits them.
One British influencer has commented that Great Britain conquered many lands around the world for spices, but doesn't use any of them in their food! The flavorful varieties of food were a bit of sensory overload. 
It is true that there is such an abundance of food and portion sizes are extreme, but food insecurity is unfortunately very real for millions of Americans. Affordable food, affordable housing, affordable healthcare are all things that are challenging for many of our citizens.

I am happy that people can come and experience the beauty and diversity of the United States. We are truly blessed with an incredible country. We have bustling cities and pastoral farmlands, majestic mountains and beautiful beaches. There are lakes, rivers, canyons, forests, small towns and villages, country roads, and endless highways. We have crowded apartment buildings and rural homes on acreage.
And we have the foods of many cultures and the fusion of flavors as people add their own flair to the recipes of others.

Yeah, I love my country.
I am not really happy with our leadership right now. Frankly, I am embarrassed by it. And although I didn't vote for what we currently have, I'll accept my responsibility and own it -- this is who we have become. 
It's time we change that. 
We can be better than we are.

If you have an idea for a Thursday theme to replace the faux theology, please feel free to share it. Otherwise I may just leave this space blank for a time.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Sometimes wisdom is simply a matter of awareness -- you know, being woke.
The world we live in is a marvelous place; full of wonder everywhere you look.
It is both simple and complex.
It can be minuscule and infinite.
It is brilliant and it is invisible.
It can be calm and peaceful or violent and destructive. 
Unfortunately, it is often ignored or taken for granted.

Pay attention to the world around us.
Be aware.
Be woke.

John

June 13, 2026: Just another day in the life of John

24,106 days
3,443 weeks and 5 days
792 months
66 years

However you choose to measure it, that's how long I've been living out my existence in this gig called life.

Although I believe I have learned a thing or two over the past 66 years, I doubt that I have left any kind of indelible impression in the vast timeline of humanity. Fortunately, that has never really been a goal.
Nor have I accumulated great wealth, nor achieved great power.
By any standard of comparative measurement, I have led an insignificant life. 

But here's the thing -- 
I am content.
We have a nice home and a quiet life.
Our kids are grown and doing well.
We have enough.

I really don't know what we should be striving for in life other than to survive.
I don't know if we should be conquering other people (whether that is locally or globally) or helping them to survive, as well. 
Should life be a competition to see who can accumulate the most things? live better experiences? control the most people? 
Should we dismiss the present in view of achieving some future reward in an afterlife?

At 66 years old, I have few of the things that would indicate I have had a successful life when judged by our US standards for success. 
I have no education.
I never worked beyond a small facility in my career as an air traffic controller.
I never owned a successful business, nor achieved any kind of celebrity status.
Outside of a very small circle of people, nobody knows nor cares about the existence of John Hill.
And that is okay by me!

Day #24,106 marks a new personal record for me. Completing it successfully will mean that I get to see Day #24, 107 tomorrow.
Success!
Hopefully, I'll see you then.

John

Thursday Theology

I often think that Thursday Theology is a poor label for these posts because it is obvious that I am no theologian, nor do these posts in any way fit into a framework that could be considered as theological.

Unless...

Unless you think of theology as something other than a study of God and the religion that a majority of the theologians analyze and break down.
And that would be me.

I see theology as a seeking to understand The Divine and the relationship between humankind and The Divine. I truly have more questions than I have answers as I seek this understanding. The answers I receive only seem to give evidence that no (or few) theologians have a great understanding of God and how God relates to us. It seems to me that their idea of God is far too small to actually be God.

And so I continue to seek and to understand with my own weak brand of what qualifies as real theology.

John

What does your idea of God say about you?

More for me and less for thee is a lousy way to live

I have noticed that being more contemplative leads to some unexpected sadness.
I truly feel sad for humanity as it seems that so many people are unhappy with their lives. 

Why do we feel the need to compete with each other?
Why do we think it is acceptable to tear someone down to get ahead of them?

I understand the survival instincts that are primitive and an innate part of our being, but we are able to reason beyond our most primitive instincts. Getting more for me doesn't always have to mean less for others. Communities build together to make more or better situations for everyone. 
We (in the US) have become so capitalistic that we would prosper by taking away from those in need and celebrating our success while ignoring the great suffering that we have caused.
What is wrong with us?

It is ironic that people use the word "woke" to put down a segment of the population that is aware of suffering and injustice.
Indeed, we are "woke."
We see the things that they do not. To see and be aware of such things is not a bad thing. To call out evil and injustice is a good thing. I think their anger comes from knowing that there are people that are aware of the evil deeds that they are doing or supporting through political actions. They are the ones that need to wake up!

This morning I am happily sitting on the deck. Groucho the cat is dozing on a sunny spot on the deck rug. I have finished my coffee and a small sparrow is chirping loudly from the top of the post that holds its bird house full of babies. I think he is waiting for mama to exit the nest so he can feed the little ones what he has gathered for them. 
Life is pretty good here. The only stress I have comes from the weeds that need to be pulled or needing to mow (again), or deciding if I'm going to brave the exposure to people at the baseball game on any given home stand evening.

Competing for more has never really been my thing. That's why I ended my career at a small level airport at the lower end of the ATC pay scale. I have enough. 
Ours is a simple life. We have a nice home in a semi-rural area. We can afford to travel to visit the kids. We don't worry about having food to eat.

I'm going to run some errands this morning, meet someone for lunch, mow this afternoon, smoke a cigar and sip bourbon this evening. The most stressful thing I have to do today is leave the house and encounter people that are in competition with each other. 
I will end the day in the same way I begin the day -- sitting on the deck enjoying the sounds of nature.

Just another day in the life of...

John

It's not really about politics

I really don't think of this as being a political post even though it is about a politician -- namely, President Trump. 
The thing is -- it has nothing to do with politics, but has everything to do with a person that is just a narcissistic asshole. 

Last night's stunt of going to the NBA game at MSG was all about Trump. It took away from the game and from New Yorkers being able to celebrate their team in the championship series. He made access to the venue inconvenient for everyone that spent hundreds (even thousands) of dollars to be there and cancelled all of the street celebrations and watch parties anywhere near MSG.
Not only did he not care, but he condescendingly said they can go home and watch it on TV. 

He's never shown any interest in basketball. This was just another hate-filled stunt to generate attention.
Frankly, I am tired of it.
I can endure political differences and people with opposing political views. 
He has no political views nor policies. 
He inspires hatred, causes division, and only does what benefits him personally.
He is like a mob boss in the highest office of the land.
He does not care about the US nor its citizens.
He does not care about our allies.
He does not care about humanity.
And he does not care about the states nor the individuals that have supported him beyond getting their money and their votes. 

He is ruining our democracy and our global reputation and the entire GOP is complicit.

I have no answers.
Just needed to vent.

John

Competing or Overlapping Social Media Accounts

Between Facebook, Instagram, Substack, e-mail subscriptions, and the few blogs I follow I am finding many duplicate posts from good writers and sources. I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the noise and think I need to consolidate most reads to just one source so I can spend less time sorting through what I have read and haven't read.

I think I am going to follow most accounts on Substack and save Facebook and Instagram for the more personal accounts from family and friends. I need to drop a bunch of e-mail subscriptions.
Honestly, there are many days that I feel like I should dump it all. 
I mean, how much real benefit is there from the time I spend on social media? 

How do you use the various social media platforms?
Do you use one for everything and stay off of the others?
Do you use one for personal stuff, another for pics or videos, another for news and information, etc., etc.?

I'm just wondering how others deal with the media's constant need for our attention and money.

John

Thursday Theology

 There are far too many "Christians" with a political mindset and far too few with a Jesus mindset.

John

Morning Rethink

This getting started earlier in the day idea is only going to work if I get up earlier. For some reason I have slept later than usual these past couple of mornings. I don't know if I am going to need to adjust my bedtime to something earlier than midnight to 1 AM or set an alarm (not likely), but sleeping until 8:30 and having enough time to enjoy my coffee is always going to give me a later starting time when it comes to working in the yard/gardens. 
I am going to have to play around with this for a little while and see how I can adjust.

In the meantime, I am enjoying my iced cold brew this morning and listening to the local avian population, already busy with their day's work of finding food and feeding their babies.

As for me, I will get busy without the usual internet/social media scrolling. Perhaps I will make a Wednesday Wisdom post later this evening. 

Have a lovely day!

John

It's time to make the coffee!

Typically, 8 PM isn't the time I'd be making coffee, but since I'm making a batch of cold brew it works out very well. My usual method is to use 150 grams of coarsely ground coffee in a two liter jar and to fill it with tap water. That will be covered and remain on the counter overnight. I'll strain out the grounds in the morning and that will leave me with about 1 1/2 liters of concentrated cold brew that I dilute at a 1:1 ratio, giving me 3 liters of cold brew. 

Admittedly, this is a little light and you may want to use more coffee (175 g) or dilute it a little less. For me, this works well chilled and poured over ice with a little heavy cream and maybe a splash of vanilla. For this batch I am thinking about skipping the water dilution and going 1:1 with milk and a little vanilla.
If you are strictly a hot coffee drinker, you can heat this up and you will find it to be less acidic than your normal cup of hot brewed coffee.

My normal morning is a scant liter of pour-over brewed hot coffee, but the iced cold brew is also pretty good. Currently, I am drinking a bulk Ethiopian coffee and I am thinking that I will also throw a cinnamon stick into the brewing process.
Oh yes, this is going to be good!

Tell me about your coffee.

John

June 1

This was one of those Mondays that I met a shelter volunteer friend for breakfast. It is a fine way to begin the day and in this case, the month. During the cold weather season I worked on Sunday nights and he always volunteered for the Sunday night shift. After the shelter was shut down and the Monday morning clean-up crew arrived, we would go out for breakfast. We have tried to keep that up on Monday mornings and I think we have settled on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

We really don't have a great deal in common other than our ages and similar outlooks on life in general, but we have a comfortable friendship and easy conversation. We both have Red Access Memberships to the Springfield Cardinals but we rarely see each other at the ballpark.

I did manage a little quiet time before our breakfast meeting, but decided to save the blogging for this evening. I forgot that it was the first of the month and meant to step on the scale for a weight check this morning. I guess I'll have to do that tomorrow. 

Although I didn't have a separate exercise time today, I do feel pretty good about the work activity for the day. Tomorrow I'll work in some exercise to go with the activity of yard work. Most of this week will be a little cooler than yesterday and today, but as the summer days get warmer I may move my online time to the evening and try to begin the work/exercise part of my day a little earlier. Maybe that will help me to get more than two or three hours of work in before calling it a day. 

Maybe not.
We'll just have to see.

It's a beautiful evening in the Ozarks of SWMO. It's a comfortable 81 (27 C) degrees and the night sounds are beginning to make themselves heard as the sun sets in the west.
There is nothing particularly extravagant or special about my life, and yet I feel very blessed to live it. 

Rest well, my friends.
Let's do this again tomorrow.

John

Let's talk about June

The Ozarks of SWMO have wrapped up May with a week of cooler temps and quite a bit of rain. While the skies are still overcast this morning, I think the rain will be moving on for a few days and we will see sunshine and summer temperatures around 90 (32 C) degrees.
That works for me.

My head is telling me that I need to make a June plan to get some regular exercise. My body is groaning at the mere thought of it. Working in the yard is an easy out when it comes to being active, but it really doesn't make a good substitute for regular exercise. I think that a daily walk, bicycle ride, or even time on the stationary cycle would be a good start. I'm afraid I will have to make some changes surrounding my slow mornings and early coffee and quiet time.

Now my head is groaning.
I like my slow mornings and easy beginning each day. Changing it seems sacrilegious.
I feel like this is one of those times when the present John needs to think of the future John and make decisions based on what is best for him. 
Something I read recently said that we often make decisions in the present that harm the one person that we should be loving the most -- our future selves.

That hits hard.
The food, the friends, the habits of today all have an impact on who we will be in the future.
I remember an old man telling me, "John, if I'd known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
I should have paid attention to him 20 years ago rather than waiting until now.

It sounds like that falls into the same category as tree planting -- The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Oh! That reminds me -- I have some trees I need to plant!

Plant trees
Get exercise
That sounds like a good plan!

John

My Summer Indulgence

Baseball.

That's my summer indulgence.
I think this is the fifth year that I've had a Red Access Membership for the Springfield Cardinals, the AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. I have always bought the cheapest package which includes ten ticketed reserved seats in one of the cheapest sections, and a general admissions pass to all of the home games. The pass also includes perks like discounts at the gift shop and concession stands. 
The GA pass does not include any of the promotional give-aways during the season. I have to use one of my ten reserved seats tickets if I want a freebie.

Last year the team won the Texas League Championship and I think I attended 20 games -- most of them by myself. This year's team is off to a slow start, but I've been fortunate enough that they have won all of the games that I've attended -- 5 so far.
Even in those five games they have struggled to generate good offense. Defensively, they're doing okay.

I generally park a few blocks away from the stadium and walk to save the $10 fee for parking closer. I also limit my concessions so this doesn't become an even more expensive habit. 
Today is another humid and overcast day, but we are not expecting more rain this afternoon/evening.
Due to Thursday's rain out, tonight's game is a twofer double-header. The last double header I went to the first game and then left to meet with friends at our midweek Barchurch. I may or may not stay for both games tonight.

What's your favorite summer indulgence?

John

A pic from last night's game.

Streaming Services

There are so many different streaming services that one could go broke in subscription fees. If I just wanted to watch my favorite sports teams or sporting events I could end up spending an additional $100 per month -- one for Cardinals baseball, another for Blues hockey, and a few more for different MMA promotions. Fortunately, I'm not that tied to any sport that I feel like paying extra for the privilege of following a particular team. 

Nor am I a big TV watcher in general. 
Living in semi-rural SWMO cable TV isn't an option for us. Satellite service is expensive and I have found it to be unreliable. Our internet is T-Mobile's 5g service, which is the best affordable option I could find. Through it we get enough bandwidth to watch two TVs and operate our phones and my Chromebook. We have a paid streaming subscription to Netflix, Prime Video that comes with our Amazon Prime subscription, and we get HBO Max as a perk to our cell service. Roku gives us access to several other services and news, but we still don't have access to local news or programming. In the past we have had paid subscriptions to Peacock (NBC), Paramount+ (CBS), ESPN+, and maybe a movie channel or two. 
Although there are shows that I watch on TV, I think I could get along just fine without it.

I had considered renewing my subscription to Paramount+ this year when the UFC signed their multi-year contract with them, but I don't like the idea of supporting a network that is so willing to sell off its integrity to a corrupt administration. I don't think I can say I'm boycotting it since I wasn't a subscriber before they gave me a reason not to be one.
I guess I'm just too cheap to pay to watch TV.

The one subscription that I do indulge in is Kindle Unlimited. I know that I could get free e-books from a number of other sources (including our local library), but I enjoy the "free with subscription" library through Kindle Unlimited. At some point, I may give that up as well, or trade it for a subscription to something else. I'll probably read around 60 e-books this year and could easily find more than enough material without the subscription fee.

What are your necessary and indulgent streaming services and subscriptions?
I feel like ours are relatively few, but they still add up to a significant monthly dollar amount.

John

A Longer Summer -- I like it!

Just as Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning to summer in the US, Labor Day is its unofficial end. Due to a simple quirk of the calandar, this year Memorial Day fell on the earliest date and Labor Day will fall on its latest date. That gives us (unofficially) a few more days of the summer season!

I like it!

I will take as many summer days as I can get.
It does appear that this summer might be warmer and wetter than usual. We are getting an early glimpse of the wetter part as it looks like today will be another dreary and damp day here in the Ozarks of SWMO. I don't mind the gentle spring rains that we've been getting recently, but the severe weather is a different story. There has already been severe hail damage and flash flooding in our area during some late April/ early May storms, and the forecast looks like the summer may be full of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. 
I guess summer has its downside, too.

My morning coffee on the deck is a wonderful way to begin a summer day, even an unofficial summer day such as today. 

As I have been contemplating the personal therapy that regularly posting seems to provide me, I have been trying to envision what Out of My Hat will look like in the coming months. The end of July will mark 20 years that I've been publishing here and the blog has changed as much as I have.
And that's a good thing!
I'd like to write more often, but don't like that this has turned into a type of daily diary. I guess I will have to figure that out. I'd like to be writing about something or sharing something that is beneficial rather than posting about another day in the life of John.

Here's a little celestial trivia for you.
Did you know that the earth is slowing down during this part of its annual orbit?
Because of its elliptical orbit it will reach its greatest distance from the sun in early July (aphelion). This is the point at which the earth is travelling its slowest. As the earth gets closer to the sun, it travels faster. It takes several days more to get from the March equinox to the September equinox than it does from the September equinox to the March equinox. 
Science is cool.

Enjoy your longer summer (my northern hemisphere friends)!

John

Do you have a hobby?

Maybe I just think of a hobby as more than it is.
Is a hobby just something you do to bring you pleasure?
Is reading a hobby?
Is enjoying a cigar a hobby?
Or does a hobby need to be an activity?

If you were to ask me what my hobbies are, I would probably say that I don't have any hobbies.
And yet --
I do enjoy reading and have finished 27 books in the first five months of the year.

Enjoying a good cigar is more than just sitting and smoking.
I want to know my cigar. I want to know its origin. I want to taste the cigar and note the subtle changes during a smoke. I want to value the time that it takes to smoke a good cigar and honor the skilled craftsmen (or women) that rolled it. 
It's weird, but I find there is purpose to smoking a good cigar.

Maybe it is more like the practice of meditation, and less like a hobby.
I know -- it's not a healthy choice. 
That is something to consider.

Taking care of the yard and flower gardens is just something I do -- often a bit reluctantly and not very well.. I enjoy the results more than I enjoy the work that goes into it. The work part often feels like -- well, work! 
I suppose it is the closest thing to having a hobby that I can think of.

What are your hobbies?
What activities or projects have you made a regular part of your life and who you are?
Do hobbies serve a valuable function or are they overrated and unnecessary?

John

Five People

One of the blogs that I visit regularly made reference to this quote this weekend:

It got me thinking.
First of all -- I can't think of 5 people that I spend time with.
Secondly -- are authors, bloggers, social media connections counted in the people you spend time with? Same with phone contacts or text messages? Or news outlets?
And finally -- While I understand the thought, isn't this really just a bullshit thing that sounds nice or is there some real documented evidence of this?

Certainly, we are influenced by people that we are surrounded by and the stuff we read or listen to, but do we choose to surround ourselves with people and information that affirms who we are or that challenges who we are?
If we assume that this is a true statement -- Who are your five people, and do they make you a better person or a worse person than you are on your own?

Overall, I think I do a good job of shielding myself from toxic people. Most of the time I just stay away from all people. Yesterday, I actually went to church for the first time in a very long time. Today I will be going to a ballgame. 
But being out where people are isn't the same as being with people in a way that influences behavior. I suppose an exception should be made about church people, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

There is a line in the Bible that says -- Bad company corrupts good character. 
We should be careful about the people we choose as friends. 
Maybe we also need to think about why people would choose to include  or exclude us from their friend circle.

John

#ThingsthatmakeyougoHmmm

It's Friday! (but that's not a big deal for a retired guy)

It's coffee on the front porch this morning. It's cool and overcast and I am wondering what I might accomplish today. I don't think I'll get much done in the way of yard work/gardening today, but I do need to replant some nursery garden plants into their containers for my container garden experiment.
I also have some large flower pots that I need to get filled, and a few succulents that need re-potted.

While I do enjoy messing with plants --  especially flowers, I have to admit that my limited knowledge of gardening can be frustrating. One would think that the vast amount of information that is available would be an advantage to an amateur gardener, but there is so much conflicting information and everyone is a self-proclaimed expert with an opinion. Research can be time consuming and frustrating.
Gardening isn't supposed to be frustrating.

I am also disappointed in the poor base of the gravel portion of our driveway as grass and weeds growing through the gravel have been a constant issue. It is the one big complaint that I have with the construction of our home. I know that a concrete drive is expensive and I may look into the cost of an asphalt driveway. It's frustrating. Our home looks nice, but the driveway sucks.

I have almost finished my morning coffee and the battery on my Chromebook is getting low. I'll probably sit here for a little longer before I start procrastinating in earnest about the day's tasks. 
It's Friday and the beginning of a long weekend as we observe (not celebrate) Memorial Day.
I hope your day is a good one.

John

My Plans vs My Expectations

In a few hours, Chris and a friend will be on their way to visit the Colorado kids and I'll be left home alone for a week. In spite of the cool, rainy forecast, I hope to catch up on the gardening and unending yard work in which I seem to have fallen far behind already. 
I may go to barchurch tonight and I have a ticket for Monday evening's baseball game. I am not expecting any other people gatherings other than those encountered while running errands or something.
I may decide on a coffee shop morning at some point. Coffee and a little conversation might be a nice change. Hit me up if you're interested.

While I truly would like to get lots of work done, the cool, damp weather may end up being a convenient excuse for not doing much. Some days it is just difficult for me to get motivated to do much.
As with most readers, my reading list is longer than I can complete in a decade and still growing, so sitting with a book and a beverage is always an option. 

Even as I make the plans to work a bunch, my expectations are that I will work more than I might normally, but not accomplish near as much as planning John would like. In the end, I know that I will remain a happy boy. 
I do expect to fire up the smoker at some point. I have a new meat thermometer that I need to try and a pork butt that will be good for a test run. I may also throw a turkey breast on the smoker while I'm at it. 

Big plans, low expectations.
Slow mornings. 
Easy working afternoons.
Quiet evenings with a cigar and a beverage.
Just another day in the life of...

John.

Books (and upping my reading game)

I'm thinking about upping my reading game.
In 2002, the Norwegian Book Club compiled a list of the 100 best books of all time as voted on by 100 writers from 54 different countries. You can find The World Library List here.

I know that I have read some of these like 1984 or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in school, as well as several Shakespeare works and some of Poe's writings. I can't honestly say that I remember much about them. A number of these titles are on our book shelves or tucked away in boxes. I have to say that I find the list and the challenge to read these 100 books to be quite intimidating, especially the list of foreign titles.

Nevertheless, since I generally have more than one book going at a time, I plan to start checking some of these off -- even if it's just to say that I have or to sound more intellectual than I actually am.
I am about 85% of the way through my current non-fiction read, so maybe I'll be reading some Shakespeare over the holiday weekend.

What are you reading?

John 

Mind, Body, Spirit

I feel pretty good in two of the three -- mind and spirit.
That's not to say that they are completed projects. Like a garden, they need regular care and maintenance.

The body, however, is a wasteland of neglect. It's been fed crap and been sitting idle for far too long. My short bursts of activity are no substitute for regular exercise. Even a daily walk would be better than the nothing I have been doing.

Yesterday, I decided to combine the task of mowing with exercise and used the push mower to mow about half of the yard area near the house. I'm estimating it is about 1/2 to 2/3 of an acre. The plan is to finish it today.
I'm not going to lie -- I feel it this morning.

Wile it is true that some yard work/gardening is laborious and makes for good exercise, most of it is just activity. Activity is better than nothing, but I don't know that it is of great benefit to one's overall health and well being. Some time ago there was an old man that told me, "John, if I'd have known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself."

I would like to stick around and enjoy a long life, but I don't want to be miserable and unable to get around or be on a ton of medication.

While Monday Meditation tends to focus on the mind and spirit, today's thoughts are more about bringing the physical body along for the ride.
Reading and puzzle solving games are good mental exercises that I get on just about a daily basis.
Regular meditation and awareness of the life and nature that is around me and within me takes care of the spiritual stuff.
Unfortunately, I really don't do anything for the body.
That needs to change -- not just for today me, but also for future me. 

I recently read that without knowing it, we often hurt the person we should love the most by the decisions we make today. That person is our future self.
Hmmm...
That's probably worth thinking about.

John

Retirement does not suck -- or does it?

I've had a few conversations with soon-to-be retirees, and a few questions and comments about how I have adjusted to retired life. I found this article to be an interesting one, although I'm not sure that it applies to me in a significant way.  

While I very much enjoyed my career as an air traffic controller, I don't think that I ever really made that my identity. The same can be said about being an evangelist, except I would say that my identity was more tied to that than to the full-time gig.
I also very much enjoyed the magic hobby while never really identifying as a magician.

Oddly enough, perhaps the common thing of the three is teaching. 
I don't think I would do well as a classroom teacher where students are forced to be there. College level courses that students choose might be different. 
I think preaching and teaching have many similarities and the magic was really just a tool I used in sharing lessons from the bible.
I think I would still enjoy sharing information in a similar way, but it isn't something that is a part of how I see myself or necessary for my well being.

I think I am mostly quiet because most people aren't really listening and talking is just a waste of time. People want to hear themselves speak. They don't really want to listen. Some people will engage in conversation by asking questions and then interrupt your answer to continue to dominate the conversation. 

I am glad that I truly enjoy my retirement. I'm happy that the transition was an easy one for me. I can certainly see how it might be more difficult for others of my generation.

Perhaps the most striking statement from the article is -- "The CDC, incidentally, reports that men over sixty-five have the highest suicide rate of any demographic in the United States."
If you are nearing retirement or already facing the breakdown of losing your purpose or identity, maybe it is time to reach out for some help.

Personally, I'm content with the old, retired guy identity.

John

Thursday Theology

I've been thinking (WARNING!!!),
Does it really matter what I think about (or if I think about) God?

I recently saw an illustration that showed if our sun was the size of a single red blood cell, our galaxy (the Milky Way) would be the size of the United States of America!
Our Milky Way Galaxy is just one of around 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe.

I mention the grand size of the universe to justify my thought that the Creator of all of this probably doesn't care what John thinks about God (or about anything else, for that matter).
However, I do think that what John thinks about God matters to John and to the people with whom John interacts.

A God big enough and powerful enough to create such a grand universe is too far outside of my understanding capability. 
Having said that, I feel that it is important to note that I do believe in the existence of a Creator, and God works out to be an accepted name for this Creator. In all honesty, I'm still trying to work out how the person of Jesus works into the whole picture. It is contradictory to say that we are too insignificant for God to take note of us and then also believe that this same God would personally visit us to set us on the right path of how we are to live and love throughout our insignificant lives.

From observing nature from its simplest parts to the vastness of the universe, I have deduced that our Creator loves harmony. From the instinct driven societies of ants to the trillions of complex galaxies that exist, there seems to be both chaos and order and yet both exist in a harmonic dance that defies understanding.
While nature tends to create things in order, it also devolves into chaos.
It's the circle of life. (cue The Lion King music)

Some life circles are relatively short and small. In the case of our sun, it is a bit longer -- about 10 billion years.
My point here is that I really can't begin to comprehend eternity. I need to keep things at a level that I can understand. I understand that I can be a decent person today, or I can be a jerk. I think I have spent more than my share of time being a jerk, so maybe I'll try being kind today. 
It is a little weird that a one time Southern Baptist evangelist no longer cares about eternal life but instead believes that he (I) needs to focus on the actual life being lived. It's also weird that the teachings of Jesus are more about living life than about what comes next.
Hmmm...?

John 

Wednesday Wisdom

I know that the algorithms that drive social media accounts tend to fill your feed with the things you respond to most often -- whether they be self affirming or fear mongering, your reactions drive the types of ads and articles that will appear.

Here are a few of the things that have appeared in my feeds recently.

This is an excerpt from a longer thread. The question asked poses some interesting thoughts.

These next two were together and I think they fit me well. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It is just true that they fit well.

I really do enjoy my alone time.
I like working alone in my yard and garden.
I like my morning coffee time alone.
I like going to ballgames alone.
I don't mind long drives alone.

Don't get me wrong, here. I also enjoy time with people.
I enjoy meeting someone for breakfast or a drink.
I don't mind going to a game with somebody.
I enjoy conversations about life and finding out what other people are doing.

It's true that I will choose to be alone more often than I will choose to be with people, but having the choice is a privilege that I will take advantage of as often as possible. Oftentimes, guarding one's spirit means sheltering it from people or at least certain types of people.
Understanding that some people need people and other people need quiet is a distinction that many fail to recognize.

"You do you," is a nice sentiment, but it doesn't always work in real life. 
Many times "doing you" means catering to the needs of others.

I doubt that today's post actually shares much in the way of wisdom. Maybe it will give you a different perspective so that you can find your own wisdom from within yourself.

John

Nature's Ongoing Joke

Why are the weeds so proficient and yet I struggle to cultivate flowers or vegetables?
It seems that agriculture is man's constant war with nature. To produce abundant crops we use pesticides and herbicides and genetically modified seeds. Nature naturally (of course) spreads her seeds and plants grow!
It does seem kind of crazy, doesn't it?

We seem to spend a lot of time and energy fighting against nature when working with nature seems to be more beneficial. Currently, the US government is working against green energy like electricity generated from wind. It appears to be a personal battle rather than a scientific one, but there really isn't a surprise there. Empirical evidence and intellectual knowledge have little to do with anything our current administration does.

Although I rarely undertake household projects myself, adding some solar power on a smaller scale is one that I have considered in the past and may look into again. I'm not interested in trading an energy bill for a solar panel installation bill or I'd just hire somebody that does that. I definitely need to do some more research.

We did add an old energy saving device recently -- a clothesline! 
I can't say it uses solar power because it's on the shaded deck. At best it uses indirect sunlight, a little wind, and mostly just allows clothes to hang and dry naturally.
It is a retractable pair of lines so that it is out of the way when not in use.
While the deck prevents direct sunlight, it also screens line items from the devastating effects of birds that have been feasting on the nearby mulberry bushes! It is also much more convenient than carrying baskets of wet laundry down the steps to a line in the backyard. 
Chris wasted no time in using our newly installed air dryer and hung our freshly washed sheets and pillow cases out to dry shortly after I finished putting it up. I am certain that it will get plenty of use throughout the summer. It probably won't save a great deal in energy costs, but it is nice to do a little something that feels a little green and is better for some of our clothes.

I suppose it is time to figure out how I am going to work with and against nature today. There is always work to be done.

John 

Sunday morning thoughts

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and mothers!

     * * * * *

I've mostly enjoyed being lazy these past few days. The outside work that I have accomplished has been pretty minimal. I need to get busy. I haven't yet caught up on the work I missed while gone and yet new things are piling up while I'm going to baseball games or smoking cigars!
Unfortunately, I am unburdened by worry and it will all get done in due time -- or maybe it won't.
As I said -- I am unburdened by worry.

Thursday morning I began a Thursday Theology post that went unfinished and unpublished. I didn't delete it (yet) and I may get back to it at some point. It is difficult to express my thoughts on God and how all of the faith/spiritual stuff now figures into my life and personal being. It's quite far removed from how I once believed it all should. My personal deconstruction has gone much further than others that I have talked to about their own deconstruction journey, so it feels a little lonely out here. Heresy has few friends -- even among heretics.
I think I still have too many questions to be able to say that I firmly believe in something. Maybe I will continue the post by finding those things that I do believe in (for now) and work around the things that I will forever question.

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What are you reading?
I have read 24 books of my 52 book goal and am currently reading The Buddha and the Bee: Biking through America's Forgotten Roadways on an Accidental Journey of Discovery by Cory Mortensen (non-fiction), and The Watchmaker's Daughter by C. J. Archer (fiction).

Be well, my friends!

John

Wednesday Wisdom (and other thoughts)

When I decided to cut my Mexico trip short, I noticed that the Springfield Cardinals would be in town this week and had a day game on Wednesday (today). I was looking forward to going -- until the forecast is for 50 (10 C) degrees at game time! 
Watching baseball in long pants and a jacket is not my idea of a great time. I've done it (Wrigley Field in April), but I think I'll take a pass today. There will be plenty of baseball later in the season.

I have gone from getting sweaty walking home from the coffee shop and getting into the pool to sipping my home brewed coffee in sweat pants and a sweat shirt. (side note: Why is pants plural?  I'm not wearing two of them.) It's a good thing I didn't pack them away with some of my other winter clothes.
 
     * * * * *

I've been thinking that I don't really like that Out of My Hat has turned into more of a daily diary than a blog with any kind of significant content. The thing that keeps me writing is that it seems to be good for me. Even the decision to write or not write brings a kind of thoughtful balance to my day. It's more about writing things down for my own benefit than about sharing thoughts. Reading comments and getting feedback is a bonus. Finding that others sometime have the same struggles and similar experiences or thoughts is comforting. Misery loves company, right?
The decline in overall readers over the years no longer bothers me. I'm sure that reducing my Facebook friends list from nearly 1,000 to around 250 and leaving the evangelical world had a lot to do with that. 
I'm doing just fine without the large community of fake, judgmental people and no longer feel pressured to live out a dual life myself -- the life people expect of me and my real life.

I very much appreciate my quiet, contemplative retired life.
I may not be doing much to bring about peace in the world, but neither am I doing much to stir up strife.
Maybe that's a win.

I'll keep writing for me, but maybe try to address significant content a little too.

John