Those Bags are not My Bag

What is it with people carrying bags on trains ? Has it gotten 200% worse the past year or have I just become older and more intolerant? Or maybe I am running out of blog topics? But seriously (cue laugh track here) everyone seems to have some type of baggage that they either swing like a bolero, or affix to themselves so they can squeeze into type spaces (invading my space specifically). On the LIRR in the past week I have experienced 3 hits or near misses to my nose by riders’ backpacks or shoulder bags. On the subway in that same time sample I have been tormented ( woe is me!) by at least that many gym bags, pocket books and shopping bags. So what is the underlying reason for this ? Backpacks are very popular and most people (grade schoolers and seniors alike) keep them on their backs (why do you think they call them backpacks?) even in a crowded subway. Add to this the fact that most people are entranced by their smartphones, oblivious to train etiquette and my entreaties (get your boom box antenna out of my nostril ! ) and every other human on the train and planet , and this is a volatile mix. The true answer though is not to complain or push back or follow suit with your own baggage attachments or bump stocks. Just make your personal footprint ASAP (as small as possible), with no baggage attached, and peacefully chant your mantra (only 4 years to retirement!) 

Basil news: The weather is cold so the basil children have been shivering and shriveling. Linda used the few remaining leaves last weekend as we bid a fond farewell to our sweet smelling herbs. Oregano is braving the cold like a real trooper and graced our mahi dinner yesterday. Next event will be the planting of garlic cloves in winter for a spring sprouting. Maybe we do on Christmas Day! 

Degrees of separation: (this is a new basil blog feature that connects seemingly unrelated concepts or people, by events or relationships in our lives and past) 

Thurman and Elvis
Thurman Munson was the heart and soul of the Yankees in their ‘70’s championship years. He was rookie of the year, MVP and led them to 2 World Series championships. He was also a pilot. In the summer of 1979, I was working at Amato’s food market in Rockaway Borough, NJ. The owner was Frank Amato, a very short Italian man in his 50’s who screamed at everyone and everything. We were all petrified of him. As I was making a delivery in the Amato’s market van on August 2, 1979, I heard on the radio that Thurman had crashed his plane and was dead. I couldn’t believe it. I instinctively pulled over to the side of the road, to focus all of my attention on what was being said. Frank Amato’s son was a classmate of my brother Joe. My brother said that he was a real hot-head like his dad, but much taller and wider. Frank had a pair of blue suede shoes that he often wore to school. Lord have mercy on anyone who stepped on those shoes while dashing through the crowded hallways between classes. As Elvis so famously sang “you can do anything but stay off of my blue suede shoes”. 

Elvis has left the blog. 

Keep the faith y'all

Google is killing people - well almost

A recent, somewhat dangerous project allowed me to stumble upon a chilling , shocking possibility. While painting the shutters last month I was perched at perhaps the highest altitude of my history, using grandpa’s extension ladder. While painting the bedroom shutters from outside, I was finishing up when I realized I had forgotten to paint the tops of the shutters. After a moments thought I realized that my concern was silly. The only way to see that the shutter tops were unpainted was from above, and nobody will be walking on our steep roof. And then it hit me like the cold breath of the grim reaper......Google earth, satellite photos. The complete view of the world, including 150 Lagoon Blvd. , from above. And zooming capabilities that could spot that woodpecker clanging on our chimney top....and the unpainted shutters. As I began to climb higher yet on the ladder, a sobering idea occurred, its origin unknown. How many others have had this same fear of embarrassing google revelations from the heavens, and have fallen to their death trying to avoid it? How many roofers, tree trimmers, flagpole polishers, hot air balloon seamstresses and the like, have plunged to their deaths, wrestling with the dilemma that I now knew was a losing battle. I retreated down the ladder to terra firma, relieved that I had not been googled to death.

Things get loose: Better tighten up! Everyone who has ever turned a screwdriver or fiddled a wrench, or lived beneath the shelter of an enclosed dwelling, knows that over time things get loose. The cabinet hinges need to be tightened occasionally. That water under your feet is a good indication that the hose on your kitchen faucet sprayer needs tightening. And if you neglect the warnings that say your eyeglasses are loose, you may lose your lenses, and your sense of direction. Also, in life, other more subtle, less tangible items get loose. Sometimes our mind gets loose, and we forget to concentrate on the things that we love, and the priorities that we should be concentrating on. Bruce Lee, the great martial artist, talked about “kime” (pronounced kee-may) or tight mind. It is the state of consciousness where your mind is very clear, and you are not overthinking. Your body is doing the job it has been taught to do through repetition , and it is clear and agile enough to respond and adapt to new input. When you are doing the right thing, and your mind and body is in a place it has been before due to good habits and proper preparation, kime is much more possible. Sometimes our discipline for working out or other personal responsibilities gets loose. Sometimes our relationship with others gets loose. Sometimes our vision for our own direction gets loose. Given that our lives are extremely busy, and complicated and proceeding at an ever increasing pace, this is normal and expected. As Archie Bell and the Drells once told us, all you need to do is tighten up!

Basil update: My basil seedling children are growing , mostly in pots but some have graduated to the garden. The recent stretch of sunny days and Linda’s motherly love and watering has inspired them and made them strong. The broccoli had a bad case of CBW (cabbage butterfly worms) which is now cured, but the month of crawling worms and being chewed on has taken a psychological toll. After a week of chlorophyll therapy with a vegetable psychologist , the broccoli is finally showing signs of bearing fruit. Parsley was initially very nervous and self conscious and her growth seemed stunted. I was worried that she was being bullied by the large and sour dill hovering over her. She seems to have found her sense of purpose and is now sprouting. Oregano has been gone for years and we are happy that he has joined us again. He is smelling aromatic and lifting the spirits of everyone within nose-shot.

I will post again in a few more years. Keep the faith y'all. 

Thanks for the advice, I will ignore it !

Growing up we all got a lot of advice from parents , coaches , teachers and religious instructors (you are going to hell, don't say you know me ! ).  Even as adults we get advice daily from possibly caring, often opportunistic sources like self help books, life coaches, TV doctors (Oz and Phil) and even our dreams (Andy Warhol told me to buy Google last night).  It can all become a bit too much if you get my driftwood, a real pain in the solar plexiglass ( malaprops intended ). 

For this very reason I have devised a revolutionary advice avoidance and interpretation system that will allow us to inflate our own egos and perhaps put some of those media smart alecs on the unemployment line. Known as the Wisdom Translation Filter, or WTF, the system gladly accepts advice as input, and magically converts it to proof of one of the 10 commandments or truisms that I have deemed essential to continued life on the  planet. Here is a simple real life example:

The car mechanic tells me "your truck has something very wrong with the emission system or the fuel line and may explode. You should have that checked out".  I immediately discount and ignore his advice based on commandment #3: Anyone with auto grease between their teeth is untrustworthy.  Mission accomplished as Jorge Bushelo would say.

The next example involves a foolish train conductor who smugly advised me to "move to another car because the AC is broken in this one". Due to intense training in the WTF dogma, the left side of my brain (know as the hippo-inertial lobe)  flashes the warning IGNORE IGNORE - IGNORAMOUS ENCOUNTERED. This is based on commandment #7: Any civil servant wearing more than 100 buttons on their hat has most likely suffered brain damage from toxic metal seepage. Avoid and ignore them at all costs. I stayed in the car and wound up losing 3 pounds. I happened to be on a diet and did not have to go to the gym that night. So the WTF system does work !

Although I would not force this philosophy (dare I say manifesto?) on any right thinking American, should you be looking to start a dictatorship or theocracy in another country, or at the local Knights of Columbus hall, it is a great base to build on. The 10 commandments are:

1.  Never pay more than $10 (tip included ) for a haircut.  What, you already knew that one? How did you know?
2. If you see a restaurant with a fairly long line of cats outside, they probably serve great seafood. 
3. Mentioned above.
4. Donald Trump's hair is a totally self sufficient ecosystem, similar to parts of the Amazon jungle. It absorbs oxygen and false praise and emits hate, bigotry, lies and UV rays that sometimes cause transition sunglass lenses to darken.
5. Decaf coffee and non-alcoholic beer should be outlawed. They make as much sense as invisible paint. If you don't want them, or can't have them, leave them alone. 
6.  Aliens have abducted a fairly high percentage of the New York population and replaced them with exact replicas. The one tell-tale sign of these creatures is a predilection for playing Pokemon Go. Once the leaders of the foreign planet have sufficient location info about earth (transmitted by Pokemon Go) , they  will invade the planet and appoint Ichiro Suzuki as supreme leader. Can't wait !
7. Please see above. 

Well that's it. Oh you say I should have 10 commandments? I will ignore that. 

Basil update: those vegetables are a loyal, tightly knit crew! I was eavesdropping the other morning  under the guise of weeding and watering, when I heard the basil, peppers and tomatoes talking. "We have to stick together. Here in the garden, on the cutting board, in salads, in their mouths, stomachs and beyond, don't ever let them break us up".  A tear came to my eye, or was that just the morning dew?

Keep the Faith y'all !

You don't want to do this !

As Adam Duritz of Counting Crows pleadingly instructs  in Murder of One "You don't want to waste your life!" Hmmmm, of course we don't want to waste our life, especially given that so many caring, talented people die young , and others with great potential live in countries where their skills are repressed or bring punishment.  

But remember what Spider man taught us, that "with great power comes great responsibility."   

In the good ole' US of A, pretty much everyone's potential is unimpeded by external forces , although money, connections and the proper ethnic profile certainly help. 

You can pick and choose how you want to give back, to charities, or embracing volunteerism in many ways, be they religious, political or cultural.  One could argue that by giving back, contributing to the greater good, we can securely conclude that we do not waste our life.  I beg to differ.  

"Now some guys they just give up living, start dyeing little by little, piece by piece. Some guys come home from work and wash up, and go racin' in the street." This Is Bruce from Racing in the Street  off the Darkness album.  I do believe it is true that when you ignore what your talents are, and stop doing what truly gives you your identity, then yes you do start dyeing, or at least that magical force inside you that makes you unique starts to die.  So keep racing in the street, even if it is en route to the early bird special at Red Lobster.    

I had an ancient history teacher at Manhattan College who was asked by an engineer why he needed to know anything about ancient history.  Professor Hazeltine responded: "when you graduate and get a job you must decide whether you want to come home from work each night and watch TV and drink beer in your tee shirt. Is that a satisfactory life?"  I guess the point was that we must be open to all types of knowledge and never stop learning.   

We are in violent agreement with you Adam, we don't want to waste our life ! 

To distill all of the above into one  sentence, y'all better fulfill your potential by doing what you do best to the nth degree and in the process make this world a better place. If, ny ding so, you happen to make 12 trillion dollars and became a national hero/heroine, then God bless you.  

Murder Mystery:

Only recently did I come to know that a "group" of crows is called a "murder of crows".  Thus the autobiographical "Murder of One" mentioned above. The whole crow story in the song also sounds like a reference to Don Juan from the Carlos Castaneda books, who did happen to turn into a crow.

Basil Report:

Normally it is mid-May when I feel safe from the frost to plant my precious veggies. Given 

the recent insane temperatures, this year it may be June or July. 

Keep the faith brothers and sisters.

Sent from my iPhone

The Holy Trinity

In my speech to the academy I will thank the holy trinity for making this blog possible. Linda for gifting me the new exercise bike, Kaila for reminding/inspiring me to blog, and Kristin for donating her old iPhone 5 to the cause. Aha, you may ask, how did these 3 occurrences intersect to make this blog  happen? 

This simple formula shows the relationship:

 (Exertion on the bike + desire to blog) * music from Iphone = creative result 

For me the creative energy starts to percolate as my heart rate increases, especially as the sweat starts to flow (bringing me closer to God),  as exertion creates relaxation and some type of portal opens. Unfortunately I do not lay pen to paper regarding my thoughts until much later. The primary ideas are now created with some details, but the fleshing out is a future activity.  Another formula pertaining to the efficiency of the final creative result:

Quality of music * (100 - days between workout and blog completion) = blog quality.   

Now that you know the mechanics, let's get to the subject matter:

U2's album (I use that term in a nostalgic, sarcastic way, protesting the fact that current musical media has no cohesive or logical quality) "How to dismantle an atomic bomb" is the value of the 

 

music from iPhone 

 

variable In above equation.   On to the review of the album and my life so far:

Vertigo: great starting track, when I heard it on the radio so many years ago  I thought it was "a band trying to sound like early U2"

Miracle drug: it exists, but you must make it yourself, not with a chemistry set, but by determination and a keen sense of perception and trust. Sometimes though it has no effect and that is why you need your coffeemaker.  

Sometimes you can't make it on your own: so simple and so difficult for many to learn.  In the midst of doing the right thing and making your loved ones proud, you may forget this.  Don't worry, we (and Bono) will remind you. 

Love  and Peace or else: ah yes irony at play here.  This song came on 10 years ago when Bob Denk and I were riding in the car and  I advised him that this was U2.  "I'm not that old. I know it's U2". You go Bob ! Given the state of the world where, in fact, is Love and Peace? 

City of Blinding Lights: anthemic, cascsding, innocent, you can't fool

us though Bono you ain't so sensitive and vulnerable are you?  And that group "ooh, ooh,ooh, ooh,ooh actually reminds me of the end of Born to Run.  

All Because of You: Very simply, we can interpret this to mean that we are a product of our environment. The collective "you" has made we who I am and created my frame of reference and my world view. But in more personal terms we all have important people in our lives that have made us what we are. Thank those people every day.  

A Man and a Woman: Is that high-pitched vocal at the end Bono or The Edge ? My money is on The Edge. "When the soul needs, the soul waits". What is so magical and important about waiting? Don Juan emphasized this with Castanada: "A man of knowledge waits, because that is all he can do. He waits and he sees. "

Crumbs from your Table: Bono's range takes us to "The Edge".  What does the song mean ? Who cares, this is the quintessence of U2 and cannot fail.  

One Step Closer: "to knowing". Hanging out to dry in my old clothes.  Does Bono have old clothes? Yes we are all searching for knowledge, often in dumb places.  

Original of the Species: apologies to Chuck for the title. A typically simple U2 diddy, with Bono's great voice and clever lyrics making it all work in a way that makes you think that things come way too easily to that Irish lad.  

Yahweh: yes yes Bono is spiritual and any Christian must trace his roots back to Yahweh, Hebrew for "I am who am".  Just as you think it's boring The Edge wakes up and chimes in.  Sufficiently religious sounding that it makes you feel guilty about not liking it.  

David Bowie RIP: wow he is gone.  A key contributor to the soundtrack of my youth. When they open the Ziggy Stardust exhibit at the Smithsonian in 5 years, Bowie will have written, produced, performed, or influenced 50% of the music being listened to on the personal  headphones by the attendees, and perhaps people around the world.  Ziggy....played....guitar !  

Basil Update: To plant seeds now or just buy plants then, that is the question ! Please help me decide. 

Keep the Faith, and pray for Trump's barber !

Seize the moment - shoot the praying mantis !

This post is about  my last post so it could be called a meta post.  But my last post never happened so I am not sure......about anything. I created it as a note on my iPhone and while doing some final refinement ....poof it was gone. I googled the issue and went to the App Store and looked for a backup on the cloud. Needless to say it is still gone. 

Ironically the lost post was about time. Integrating it  with my current theme makes me wonder if I waited too long to post it. Or perhaps I didn't spend enough time backing it up,saving it to the cloud.  Was I too hasty in making my changes and thus the fatal error?

Recently In Arizona I noticed a praying mantis on the outside wall of our house just above the garage door. As most people these days, instead of savoring the moment, I ran for my phone to take a picture. Once inside I was distracted and forgot about the religious insect. The next morning I remembered the little green guy and went out with my phone. He was gone. I had missed my chance to get a photo, and also the chance to simply observe at close range this beautiful unique creature. The fact that we rarely see these alien-like life forms makes any sighting a special moment, one to be valued. 

So what is the lesson here, pertaining to time? As Patti Smith said, we must "seize the possibilities".  We must take advantage of the moment, now, because we don't know quickly it will be gone, or how many other times we will experience this unique opportunity. How purifying to live totally "in the now" with no thought of tomorrow's responsibilities or yesterday's mistakes, or even the next breath. 

Although these may be thoughts for the "high and lofty", I think slowing down and taking the time to understand the uniqueness of each moment and certain special occurrences, helps counteract the frenetic, random pace we often live at. Well gee, it looks like I am out of time, so I leave you with this: remember to seize every moment and possibility you can, recognizing the unique joy and lesson it provides. Now back to work, and don't miss that deadline !

Basil Update: the basil is now hibernating at the Arctic Circle , staying warm beneath the torsos of snoring polar bears. Sleep well my children. 

Keep the Faith !

Breathing ? I don't have time for that!

Time is very important. What would we do without it? Without the order maintaining dimension of time, I would dress for work before showering (messy),  floss after brushing (heresy!) and get cremated before I die (ouch!). But many or most of us think we don't have enough of it. I don't believe this is true.  

Most of our lives are quite busy, quite complex , because we actively choose to juggle work, family life, wellness activities and the arts. "The arts" is a very subjective term which runs the spectrum from going to the Met, ballet or museum, to spending  time at the shooting range, chicken fights or watching Duck Dynasty. It is the effective prioritization of these time consuming activities that will allow us to have the quantity and quality of time that we desire. Unhappiness occurs when we incorrectly prioritize the activities that are competing for our precious time.  You see, our time on earth is not infinite. Ben Franklin said  "you may delay, but time will not".  Wow do you hear that, gentle Ben is telling it like it is. You can delay your fatherly duties by missing your daughter's dance recital or tennis match, but by the time those activities bubble up to your priority queue, it may be too late to make a difference or you may be dead.  

They say that time is money, so these  2 commodities are certainly linked. When people feel that they have no time for "play" (sports,the arts,wellness activities,snake charming) because money making activities are more important, trouble is brewing. In addition to showing your friends and family that they matter, engaging in play isolates you from your work life, enforcing the idea that you actively choose your destiny, and are not a slave to work or "the man".  That meditation class may cost a few bucks, but if the deep breathing lowers your blood pressure, it is worth it's weight in gold. Funerals are expensive ! 

So choose wisely, as it truly is your choice. They say that "you can't take it with you" and that is true. You also cannot take "them" with you. So spend your money wisely but spend your time with your loved ones even more wisely.  Only you can be the judge of what your time is worth.   

Basil update: the basil plants are gone, victims of a nasty rainfall and that gluttonous Parsley plant (I hate him/her/it). Next year that Parsley gets put in a corner - and it will still flourish. Sweet basil planted from seed is flourishing with a pretty yellow hue. As one dies, another is born.  

Keep the faith y'all and please pray for the pope !

Did You See Us ? We Saw U2 !

This past Saturday night Linda and I were at MSG to see U2 kick off the NY edition of their Innocence and Remembrance tour. Kristin and Kaila gave us the tickets as a gift, and boy are we glad they did. The tickets were marked "BS" so we wondered if our daughters had pulled out all the stops and gotten us back stage passes (let's get there early Lin so we can visit with Bono), but as we soon learned that stood for bar stools. The seats were great and that's no BS !

In 1982 a band in New Jersey named "The Watch" played the gamut of popular New Wave tunes and that was my first exposure to U2. They played "I will follow" although I did not know at that time it was U2. Saturday night Bono stated that "when we started out, we were classified by some as a punk band. And in many ways we still are". After 33 years, its nice to get that genre classification from Bono, although U2's complex music and profound, relevant, socially conscious lyrics are far from punk to me. But who am I to question Bono, the Pope of Rock'n'Roll ?

About 3 songs in, The Edge played the opening chords of "I will follow" and I began to realize that seeing U2 live is unlike anything I have experienced. The crowd was now jumping, fists pumping, and shouting the lyrics as the rules for the evening started to emerge. Perhaps more than anything else a U2 concert is a major technological extravaganza, and although I had heard and read about this, I was pleasantly caught unawares. A huge screen ran the length of the real estate between the main large stage and the distant smaller round stage beneath us. It was 50 feet high and displayed live close-up feeds of the band, video footage, special affects of the live action, animation and U2's famous word association stream of consciousness.

The band never stayed in one place, all members walking, dancing, and running  from stage to stage, under and through the massive main screen, based on how high it was hanging.A rollicking Mysterious Ways was played to a reggae (calypso ?) beat, Bono dancing with a fan  from the crowd. Bono invited 2 fans from the crowd to dance and hang with him, apologizing to another holding a sign "great guitarist", saying that "I've gotten into trouble with the band before by doing something like that".  Bono plugged the smartphone from one of the fans into the main input feed and her texts, icon's and Bonos face and all activity flooded all screens.

Larry Mullin strapped on a portable drum kit reminiscent of the Fife and Drum bands of the American Revolution era for a very stark, stripped "Sunday Bloody Sunday". To think the Fife and Drum era preceded our own civil war by 100 years made this song about a watershed moment in the Irish Civil war even more poignant. A full drum kit was moved twice between the 2 stages, and when a piano appeared on the stage beneath us, with just Bono and The Edge visible, we knew something important was about to happen. As The Edge played the opening notes, I thought "One", but I was setting the bar too low. "October, when kingdoms rise and Kingdoms fall". Wow, I think this was the high-point of the concert for me. From the 1981 album of the same name, this very short diddy features just Bono's voice and the piano. Afterward, his voice I am sure recovering from notes designed for a 1981 Bono, he revealed that "I haven't sung that song in  25 years".

Bono explained that his mother Iris, died when he was 14, and dedicated the song by the same name from their latest album to everyone in the crowd who lost a loved one at an early age.

Crowd pleasers Vertigo (the only offering from Atomic Bomb), With or Without You, City of Blinding lights and Until the End of the World (1 of 3 Achtung Baby titles), Bullet the Blue Sky (1 of 5 from Joshua Tree!) were notable. Encore of Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For, Where the Streets have No Name and One (sung mostly by the crowd) sent everyone home happy.

Observation: Bono is a huge presence, and truly seems to care about the fans. He introduced the band at least twice, and explained what a large part they play in his life. His stories and philosophical meanderings were priceless and left you wishing he did more of that. A Springsteenesque story-teller he is not.

Startling Observation: perhaps dues to the lights and effect of the video and animation, Bono often reminded me of Robin Williams. DOH !

Grade: B+, if you are a fervent fan, or have never been then upgrade to A.


After seeing U2 in the greatest city in the world with Linda, what can one say other than:

Keep the Faith and Grow the Basil !

Say nothing ....do nothing ....

On this the 15th of June, the first day of my 56th year, I was taught a great lesson. This is the same lesson that I have been learning for at least 40 years. Wait for it........

Our world in 2015 demands immediate, informed action, especially in NYC where time is money and he who hesitates is lost. But often, over and over, I have wished that:
1) I hadn't sent that email so quickly
2) I hadn't rushed to judgement
3) I hadn't listened to my colleagues, my peers , my rabbi (oy!), or the media and had just let things play out.

Not sure why this seems the logical choice, whether waiting a day or 2 allows us to cool off emotionally, or if it's the fact that the universe takes 24 to 48 hours to converge and restore all dimensions to normalcy.  Obviously this knowledge is "anecdotal"

This is why I am not a day trader, or a general on the ground directing troops to victory or their death, or a suicide hotline operator.  Where split second, devil may care decisions are needed, deep knowledge and vast experience make those decisions instinctive. But equally instinctive, in normal life, should be the decision to act or wait.

Given the influence of media and technology on our society (more data updated constantly) I think we need a default reality check that says ignore your first reaction and maybe your second, and see if reality has changed. When it does, and you take a breath, you can now synchronize with new data arriving, and gauge how quick and decisive the appropriate response should be.

At my age, once you've resisted the first and second impulse to respond, you've forgotten what the problem is. Ah, the joys of senior citizenship. My next post will deal with procrastination, the dangerous result of taking the above mentioned philosophy too far.  Will have that post... well not sure, whats the hurry, whenever.

Basil update: those pesky tomato plants are shielding the basils from mother sun, so they are skimpy. But once the weather gets hot (I mean hot !), nothing will stop my basil children. Also growing basil from seeds supplied by a famous producer, and in weeks they will join the ranks.

Keep the faith, and share the love (and basil).

I Love that Tree...Let's Kill it !

This past weekend we finally dismantled the final, dead, piece of the Rhododendron tree in our side yard. This was the tree that flowered in all its glory for 2 weeks a year, as a huge living impressionist painting, a staple of our lives.

Recently, it was just a tree, and we noticed its declining color and health matter-of- factly, coldly viewing it as a nuisance, an obstacle to the spreader each time I fertilized. But I remember when.....

Originally our side yard was such an overgrown wilderness, that we had no idea that the tree existed. After we blazed a trail with our machetes, chain saws and Miller High Life, using more chutzbah than expertise, this pink and white giant dominated the landscape. We used the lower branch as a swing for Kris and Kaila, as endless numbers of film store developed pictures can attest. When Kris and Kaila got older, they used it as a swing for the younger  neighborhood kids, and the tree's legacy grew.

Over the past 10 years,  more and more of the tree died, but since the girls were out of the house, it carried little emotional meaning. This past weekend, the final death march was performed.

The tree came down quite easily, as the branches and trunk were brittle, void of life as the saw buzzed through  its minor girth,  my shaking arms offering more resistance than the tree itself. After much ado about cutting and cracking and creaking and pulling,  the site of so many years of life, laughter, joy, remembrance,  and nostalgia, consisted of a large hole, and a somewhat resistant root. I, in the role of executioner, and wielding an ax long dormant in our shed, was ready.

But alas, this was a labor of love, like burying an old friend. Ironically, this friend was not being interred in the earth, but freed from it. The final result was a perfectly neat, fairly level circle of grass and top soil, ready to sprout and be green, with no sign of the beautiful, living treasure that enriched our lives and was a unique part of our early family.

As we learn each Spring, and with the passing of loved ones, life moves on, and we get back to our normal routine, our regular loves, fears and passions. Those no longer with us will forever inspire us, guide us, define us, comfort us, but we march forth to the next challenge, living, creating and embracing life. That's just what humans do.

Keep the faith and spread the love y'all !

The Car Wash and the Horror it Brings

Linda and I went to the car wash the other day for the "early bird special", as we are seniors and have been conditioned by our visits to AZ. As the car rolled through the machinery of the car wash, on the propelling rails, through the bands and the brushes and the sprays, I came to a startling realization: A person from an indigenous, isolated tribe in Borneo would view this futuristic, buzzing metal machine as a god or monster as it rolled through this droning, mechanized tube.

How silly, we would all think, that this primitive group of leaf wearing hut dwellers would be mesmerized and horrified  by something we take for granted. This same tribe of hunter/gatherers from an era past, probably eat flying beetles the size of a small bird that, no doubt, would scare the bejeezus out of all of us. Most likely they consider them gods, raise them as pets, and consume them in ritual acts for religious and nutritional purposes. Pick your poison, pick your horror.

Speaking of sheer terror, it certainly has been humid, and boy am I afraid of mildew. Yep, that's what magically materializes in the basement when it is hot and muggy and you don't turn on the air conditioner, dehumidifier, or nuclear reactor imported from Iran. I am starting to understand why the Borneo tribe opted out of the suburbs.

Basil Update: 2 lovely basil plants are in, collecting sun and sharing their earth with Tomatoes (2) and Jalapeno and Parsley. More plants to come. The grass is healthy, and nurturing the collection of infant seeds we have planted, overseen by the Cypress, that we are coaxing toward health and greenery.

As my Borneo brothers say, Y'all keep the faith !

Time: shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Yes that lyric from the Pink Floyd song Time, sounds very morbid, but it is as accurate as a clock, not good, not bad, just real. It does make you think about a few things though. Like "how do I want to spend these next 24 hours". Or "what should I accomplish in the next year ?" John Lennon poignantly wrote "life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans". Aha the plan !

So you may not realize this, but you are a planner. Many of you will object, and rightfully so, that you are not sufficiently organized to plan, or don't have the proper time or money to plan, or maturity (that's my excuse) to know how to plan. But you are wrong ! Unless you are an infant, or a homeless person, or an addict you definitely plan. And I am sure many homeless people and addicts plan too, but just sayin'....... Your  planning may be what subway you will take next, or what restaurant  you will go to on Saturday, or what laundry you will visit Friday night, or what channel you will next flip to.  But you plan, and when you do, you are paying homage to the gods (lower case, people, Tea Party stay out of this !) of time.

Time is not infinite. Oops I am fibbing, time is infinite. A second is infinite, depending on how many times you want to slice it. YOUR time is not infinite, our planet's time is not infinite, so Earth, use it wisely. Bruce Lee, perhaps our greatest martial artist, and a part-time  scholar and philosopher, described time's impermanence and value perfectly. He said that our lives are like hour-glasses, and when the sands of the hourglass go from the top to the bottom, they can never be reversed. There is a finite amount of sand, and a finite amount of life.

Make sure you use your life wisely.

Does this mean that each moment of our life must be staged, planned, put in a spreadsheet, approved by the Pope, and posted on social media?  Of course not. the greatest moments of life are unplanned, spontaneous, and hopefully don't result in incarceration. There are many philosophies on how to avoid  being  the person who regrets the fact that the sand has run out and you have still not changed out of your pajamas. Unfortunately, or fortunately, we live in a world, country and sensibility where "time is money". "Ya, you sit on zee couch for sirty minutes, und you pay me zee fee, ein hundert dollarz" Money dictates that you have to spend a certain amount of your finite life working, becoming educated, making out your taxes, and maintaining your house. Culture, your ego, and your peers have decreed that you must spend a portion of your hour-glass contents going to the gym, putting on makeup, and getting a tattoo.

So do we create a "Time Budget" ?  I will spend 50 hours a week working, 10 hours running , 7 hours watching TV, 3 hours at the bar/restaurant, 3 hours developing my creative side, and 2 hours per week on spirituality (not spirits, that was the bar time, no double dipping !).

Or do we create the "10 Commandments of time"? (showing only 4 due to short attention span)

1.  I will never plan my life out longer than 6 months because the chaos theories of Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park makes those plans too risky.
2.  I will never spend more than 1 hour trying to figure out how to cut my commute by ten minutes.
3.  I will never spend more than 2 hours waiting to play 40 minutes of racquetball.
4. I will spend 10 days or more waiting on line to get front row tickets to see (insert your favorite singer, athlete, origami folder or queen bee for drones)

You get the idea.

Simply put, take heed of  Adam Duritz's advice "You don't want to waste your life".

Basil Update: home depot had very few plants so we did not make any purchases this weekend. The grass is getting greener, literally and figuratively, so we are excited about the planting season.

Keep The Faith (whatever yours is ) !

It's a perfectly rainy day

"OMG another rainy day, what ever shall we do ?" This is the familiar refrain in March/April/May when we might as well presume precipitation in New York. And I understand the possible vitamin D factor (no sun, no fun, where's my gun!), but I still sometimes question what all the fuss is about.

Yes of course rain can be downright dangerous when it reaches biblical proportions like when Irena and Sandy and Noah's ark all occurred. But when it's a shower, or gentle summer rain it can be downright poetic and contemplative. And what of the rain in Hawaii that comes each day for 20 minutes, waters the palm trees, spritzes the odoriferous homeless people, then gives way to sunny blue skies. Now that's the optimum situation, often referred to as "God's sprinkler system" (lie). And, of course, in areas of drought, like current Cali, rain gives life, restores order, saves money and reduces alcohol consumption borne of "nothing else to drink dude ! "

When the whole world reacts in the extreme, where do we look for reasonable, sound, moderate thinking ? To Rock and Roll ! That's why rock and rollers love rain, or at least have learned to coexist with it, writing some amazing songs in tribute to its relevance. Linda's favorite "November Rain" by GNR, the Temptations' "I wish it would rain", and, reverently, the Who's "Rain o'er me" from Quadraphenia. CCR boasts 2 classics, "Have you ever seen the rain" and "Who'll stop the rain". The answers to those questions are "yes more and more" and "nobody", so we better learn to appreciate rain and live with it.

Basil Update: I have a sense that the ground is fertile, especially given the fertility dance that I have been performing of late in full headdress constructed of empty Coors Light cans. Early May we will hold auditions for aspiring basil, parsley, pepper and tomato plants (at Home Depot garden center) and select the most impressive. In this endeavor, the rain is our partner.

This Just In: Keep the Faith y'all !

That's not me- is this identity theft?

Biking in the preserve the other day I concluded that biking changes who I am. Of course, all of our thoughts and beliefs, and especially our actions, contribute to make us the person we are. But certain things, biking for me, has such a big impact that I can make the bold statement: Biking changes my DNA ! I  understand that the millions and billions (pronounced milly-unz and billy-unz in honor of Carl Sagan) of my readers may say, "you have no scientific proof of this " ! , and they would be right. So you will either have to take this as unqualified reality based on faith, or conclude that I am a mindless twit. Your choice.

To further support my claim, please see the George Sheehan classic work "Running and Being", in which Dr. Sheehan more or less steals my theory stated above and runs with it, making lots of money and quite a reputation for himself. The fact that Sheehan wrote his book in the early 70's, long before I  had yet mastered multiplication tables is a minor point but should be noted. Sheehan observes that becoming a runner does provide  some people with a feeling of inclusion, as they are now part of the running "culture",  more easily finding their place or niche in the larger world. This new found acceptance is NOT what running provided for Sheehan, nor what changed him. It was exactly the opposite.  He found that the long periods of solitude, while exerting himself to the maximum, struggling with his ego and at times his own laziness, began to mold and change him.

Whether it is yoga, walking, running, biking, meditation, quilting, woodwork, blender drinks or coin collecting- be thankful you have a passion and do it - as often as possible. I personally prefer sports and other endeavors that make you sweat, as it reduces the effect of the Guinness Waistline Syndrome, but that is up to you.  As Joseph Campbell has taught us "follow your bliss !"

Garden Report- tomatoes were the veggy/fruit of choice this year, and they are still ripening on the vine. Basil withered mid summer due to its large parsley plant neighbor that horded all the sun. I gave both of them a stern "can't we all all just get along?" talking to.

Until next week/month/year/decade, Keep the Faith !

If You Can't Find it, Blame the Terrorists

At the risk of evil blog stalkers gaining this information, I feel compelled to raise the world's awareness. Imagine this scenario: 2 minutes left in the Super Bowl, Eli Manning driving the Giants down the field for the win, when suddenly attendees and viewers alike hear an audible pop, then nothing. The teams  are gone, the fans are gone, the stadium's gone. Huh ? Sounds like a David Copperfield stunt right ? I have information from unnamed and possibly nonexistent sources that terror organizations are enlisting the most talented magicians to plan diabolical events as just mentioned. Think of the damage to our country's spirit, should the  Pope or President suddenly disappear while giving a televised speech. The TV camera zooms in to the podium, where a single bowl of Chile or power ranger action figure now fields questions from the press. The question from Homeland Security would obviously be "where are these leaders, football teams and stadiums going?" I am beginning to ask the same question about this post. Some of my readers will say, "this could never happen", but in the words of Mad Eye Moody, "Constant Vigilance !".

The Higher Selfie: much has been written over the years in spiritual and religious texts about the "Self". This is not to be confused with the "self" or , for that matter, the "shelf", which is where many of these texts sit at the library, and where flammable and poisonous liquids reside in my garage. But the "Self", in eastern religions such as buddhism, represents the transcendent nature of each of us,
which seeks knowledge and enlightenment, similar to the "soul" of  Christianity and other religions. A worrisome campaign has been started by liberal groups, to re-invent this concept in the sacred texts, replacing the "Self" with the "Selfie". Conservative political  affiliates have stated that newly released manuscripts from the White House shredders  implicate President Obama as an accomplice in this project. According to tea party members currently incarcerated for vague IRS infractions, Obama's team has tainted classic texts such as the Upanishads, Rig Veda and Bhagavad Gita by inserting selfies of celebrities such as. Red Sox slugger Big Papi, Martha Stewart, Lady Gaga and Boy George where previously the Sanskrit term for "Self"  appeared.  Religious scholars and clergy alike are aghast at this high-tech sacrilege. The Dalai Lama himself was quoted as saying: "There in nothing but Self, as the Self is the unknown, and the Selfie looks best on an I-Phone". Rumors have persisted for years that the Dalai had a dalliance with Steve Jobs and ever since remains steadfastly loyal to Apple.

But on a serious note: 
I apologize for the above omission, but I have nothing of a serious nature to report.

Keep the Faith (and grow the Basil)  !

The End of the World

Yes it is true, you may say, that the end of the world is as likely as me kick-starting that rusted out, neglected old blog machine again. This past Sunday was sunny and warm and I was in the mood for creating some good old gumption. And nothing , Robert Pirsig often said, creates gumption better than cleaning up, and sorting, and creating order. For those uninitiated, who have not read "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance", gumption is defined as a positive, confident, energy that that allows and encourages you to believe that all things are possible. So lo and behold, after cleaning the shed of the following:

1. A pile of grass seed created by the mouse in residence munching on a bag of Scott's sun and shade seed
2. 25% of the wire (lamp, speaker,monster cable) from a rent lawn bag
3. Old drop cloths, that were older sheets and blankets
4. A variety of items that needed rearranging, repositioning,sweeping or to be transported to the garage

I  was filled with gumption at the sight of the clean, orderly space that now consisted of, well, open space. I thought the job was done, but a strange, subtle curiosity behind my eyes nudged me forward to move a piece of stockade fence to the side.....and there it was. The blog machine.. dirty, rusty,all but shouting "I will not start". I felt my gumption waning, and realized I had perhaps one last moment of action remaining. I quickly pulled the cord, nothing, then again...more promising, and again....and IT ROARED.


Thus, here we are. The blogging season has begun.

Please join Now (The Human Race)

Why is it that some people just don’t seem to belong to the same race? I am not talking about unconventional or unique people, but those that just seem to “not get it” in one way or another. There are two types, based on my research:

        1)  Waiting for the invite: Some people are harmless, and friendly enough, they just seem like they need a kind soul to just say, “come, be one of us”. These are the people that walk on the boardwalk in summer wearing UGGS, work shoes and dress shirts with cuff links. These  misguided people use full service gas even though they are not rich and fully able, they jus cant figure it out. They still read physical encyclopedias  and plant tulip bulbs with a spatula.  Once embraced by  the collective soul of humanity , they too will have the common knowledge that we all take for granted.

       2) Not yet evolved: These are the people that may or may not have technical and aesthetic knowledge, but do not value cooperation, civility and respect. These are the people that show up 30 minutes late for the only Barbara Streisand concert in a generation,  and spend it consuming 1000 calories of soda, popcorn and box wine. This primordial group runs the spectrum from those that talk loudly on their cell phones about  stock investments and social diseases to those that would  participate in a hit and run accident. 

 I see dead people when I bike:  Biking the other day, I reached a point where I was riding along the Bethpage parkway for a short while, and I was reminded of Robert Pirsig’s recollections in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  As he rode across country on his motorcycle, he looked at the faces of people driving to work in the morning, and they looked so angry, desperate, tired and hopeless, that he thought they looked like dead people. Is this how some people approach work each day, or each day in general? The answer sadly is yes. What can you do to help, you ask? Remember that each day, in the words of Don Juan, “is nothing but controlled folly”. Yes we may be doing a very serious job, and people are counting on us, banking on us. But we are most productive when we are relaxed, and humor and insightful thought is relaxing. So please do make that joke, reference the high and lofty, take a moment to be kind and complimentary, and people will appreciate it. And success will seek you out. And you will make the office busybody very nervous. 

 The Season of Death:  Yes  you are correct, this is the uplifting section. Although the weather is warm, the growing season is mostly past, so the tomatoes are gone, and the basil and parsley are slowly waning. The parsley has long stalks and flowers, yet the end is near. I look at these herbs that have served us well, and there is a feeling of nostalgia. That hot summer day seems like only yesterday (which was 70 degrees by the way), and within weeks we will be freezing.  And before we know it, the ground will be covered with snow. The days are darker, seemingly shorter, yet the sun and night sky are crisper and clearer. We are changing, adapting, growing….wiser, stronger, closer…How many shopping days ‘till Christmas? 

Peace All

A Lesson from Klaatu

 It has been far too long ago that I last posted, my dear readers, er reader, ....is there anybody out there!!??
Sorry, but yes far too long between posts and I promise to correct that, however painful it may be for the faithful few who do read this unorthodox blog of mine.

As you all know, I get inspiration from inanimate objects, have mentors such as Basil  plants, and often learn my most pungent (or is that poignant?) lessons from my two-wheeled teachers, a succession of mountain bikes. The first was Al, my Mongoose Rockadile AL. In gratitude for his teachings, I bent several of his rims and he now sits in solitude, rusting and dusting away in my shed. Who said a teacher's retirement isn't grand?
Then there was JP my JeeP, $99 Black Friday special who taught me volumes and served me well, until I brought him back to Sports Authority for servicing, where he expired at the hands of an undercover pet groomer posing as a bike technician. My current teacher and mountain bike is Klaatu, a K2 Zed 4.4 beauty, far superior to those previously mentioned in technology as well as wisdom. A brief encounter with a couple of racing bikers, described below, was the vehicle for my latest lesson.

Wide tires: - This past Sunday, as I entered the preserve where I bike, I encountered 2 guys on racing bikes. If you don't already know, racing bikers and mountain bikers, of which I am one, do not mix. They are separate castes, but more on that later. I gave them a good 30 seconds to pick up the pace, and when they did not, I passed them using the proper protocol with a cheery "good on your left" as I zipped by. Given the fact that racers don't like the mere sight of a mountain biker on "their" trail, they certainly don't like the site of a mountain biker's backside as he passes their faster bikes. They were in pursuit. As I emerged from the woods they were on my tail, but as I crossed over the  highway grass median (looking both ways for traffic), they stayed on the paved shoulder and proceeded down to the traffic light.

This surprised me until I realized, they have racers with thin tires, and can only ride on pavement. Hmmm how limiting, I thought, how inefficient, how illogical. They are specialized, aesthetic. My mountain bike has wide tires, I can ride on pavement, gravel, grass, dirt, a stream. They must stay on the straight and narrow of the paved trail.

Klattu has taught me many things, and I had a feeling I was about to learn a life lesson. I asked myself if I had wide tires as I traveled the path of life. Can I go anywhere, both literally and figuratively? Can I live in cold and hot, city and rural, east and west, other countries? More important, do I have wide enough tires to converse with the CEO, and in the next breath joke with the janitor, respect the senior citizen walking so slowly in front of me, smile as the infant on my train cries and cries? Can I solve analytical, aesthetic and philosophical problems, while simultaneously fixing the faucet, planting the shrubs and grouting the tile. The racer may get to his destination faster than I, but can only take a specific path. Should he encounter debris along the way he is done, a certain blowout. On the trail my wide tires can withstand all obstacles, but can I translate that to challenges that confront me in daily life, at home work and school?  The racer has one path to his goal, the arrival and speed so important. The paths of the wide tires are many, often the destination uncertain, the results unexpected, the journey most essential.

Do you have wide tires? I hope that  I do, and now think of this question throughout my day.

Lucky readers of this post are privy to the "New Inventions" feature which highlights the latest technological or imaginary innovations that I have either used myself, or fabricated while daydreaming in the most recent Global Town Hall at work. The first of many hopefully:


Google Drone: This new app is a joint effort between the US Dept. of Homeland Security and a rogue droid development team based in Tel Aviv. For a fairly large fee ($250,000 first time, $200,000 for each successive), you can have a cutting edge technology military drone seek out, lock in and vaporize the person, pit bull, or nail salon of your choice. One requirement is that the target must own a registered Iphone or Droid OS based smartphone, and be running google maps or another supported GPS-based location app. "What was that you said about me on on facebook?" Just plug in the offending creep's phone number, add to cart, and voila, problem solved. PayPal is accepted.

Until next time, "Constant Vigilance"!  

Happy New Year ! (A Bit Late)

Yes the new year's festivities have come and gone, and with 2012 have come resolutions, reflection on the events of 2011, and more importantly the NFL playoffs. How 'bout those Giants !!!! And of course, the personal commitment to bettering ourselves (resolutions) presents great fodder for bloggers like me who are usually clueless about a topic. So at the risk of being corny, and prompting reader's eylids to flutter and shut, here we go:

Positively 4th Street: Such a cliche that most people disregard it, thinking positively is the most magical trick in the human psychology bag. Always look for the best in a situation, person or vampire, and results will be optimum. In the work place I have found that being positive in most every action and statment convinces others that anything is possible. Caveat: be a realist, but express realism in a positive way.

That's the Spirit: Regardless of your religious or spiritual ilk, it is important to realize that there is more to life than the here and now, your debit card balance, and what flavor ice cream you are having for dessert. Plus, when things go terribly wrong, don't you want a higher power to blame? Honestly, there are too many circumstances that occur in all of our lives that illustrate the fact that we are being helped, Protected and educated by a higher or collective power. Once you open your mind to that possibility, your potential for success and happiness increases exponentially. Gary Zukav, in "The Seat of the Soul" explains that our soul is connected to all other souls, past and present, former family members, friends, etc. Ask them for help, guidance and , perhaps, winning lotto numbers. Whether your god is Christ, Allah, lightning, Vishnu, or Justin Bieber, take time each day to "worship", and reap the rewards.

Please Humor Me: Yes, I am churning out the cliches today, so why stop now. Laughter truly is the best medecine, but don't think you need to wait for sickness to use it. That being said, being a tad mentally ill certainly helps in becoming a quality comedian. There are very few situations and venues that do not lend themselves to jokes and laughter. Of course, each moment in life is unique, and the appropriate form and level of humor must be considered and supplied. In the work place, stress often fosters extreme, non-sensical situations that warrant absurd, side splitting humor. In more formal, or serious situations, humor may need to be witty, subtle and high-brow. With the proper delivery, intelligence and sensitivity, a good zinger or pun brings insight, relaxation and unity. Look for humor, and you will find it.

I think You're Crazy..Like Me: They say that there is a fine line between insanity and genius, but that doesn't mean you have to be a genius to be a little nuts. This is definitely the case for me. At times I am downright stupid, but I am always (and always will be) disturbed. Not disturbed to the point that I need a straight jacket (I am very happy with my leisure suit, thank you) , but just unconventional enough to see the world differently than most. The masses think that you are crazy if you don't think like them, so to distinguish yourself creatively, philiosophically or otherwise, you do need to be a bit "crazy". Interpret situations as nobody else, find the good when the mood is starkly negative, embrace the mundane tasks of daily life with vigor, and you are in fact crazy. And someone I would certainly admire.

A Penny for Yor Thoughts: You will truly go where your thoughts lead you. Think of your self as a failure, ordinary person or unqualified success, and this is the persona that you will project to your co-workers, friends, classmates and pet reptiles. Whether it is through meditation, visualization, or reading your favorite motivational authors, feed your brain with the fertilizer that is best for you, and realize that you are truly special, as my home-boy Mr. Rogers once said.

Look Ma, No Brakes: When I was a kid in the 60's, the "Look Ma No " jokes were very popular. They were visual jokes that were a take off  on the kid riding a bike not holding the handlebar and stating "look ma no hands" . The jokes were more gory and depicted a deformed or de-limbed kid .... you get the rest. Pertaining to the self-imposed limits on our success or potential due to what our friends, family or society tell us, there is a lesson here: don't use the brakes.  When Linda and I bought the Prius, we learned about "hyper-miling", a concept of driving that hybrid owners adopt to maximize the MPG they get. It involves breaking as little as possible, coasting wherever you can, and slowing when needed to avoid a full stop. The only hard and fast rule is that you never do something to put yourself or others in danger. That should be our motto in life: stay off the brakes, keep going forward, slow but don't stop, but be wary if you will hurt yourslf or others. Oh yeah, and whether it's food, coffee, love, or a silent prayer, don't forget to fuel up. 

Happy New Year!!

Excuse Me Madam, but Your Deviation is not Standard

Hmmmm, don't you love those words that can be both a noun and a verb. At the risk of approaching lexicon lunacy, they really get my motor running.

One such word is deviate. Depending on whether you are a liberal or a conservative, deviating from the status quo can be healthy and refreshing, or forbidden and criminal. But regardless of which tent you camp in, straying too far past the "standard deviation" could brand you as a deviate. "So counciler let me get this straight. Are you saying that partaking in this activity to an extreme degree is the cause celebre for this verb to noun transmogrification?" Oh lordy, how the mind at times takes itself on such flights of fancy, making one long for the days of electro-shock therapy and ice-pick lobotomies! Such good, clean fun.

Deviate: this word, seldom used today, invokes in many the feeling of disgust (noun and verb !!), shame (ok enough already, you've proven that the concept is not unique in any way), and other negative emotions that make the individual want to make a citizen's arrest, or at the very least cross this person off the christmas card list.

Variations of Deviation: one can be a social deviate (most often used from my memory), a political deviate, a religious deviate or academic deviate. Given the fact that we do not live under totalitarian rule, and that quality of prose and common sense is not required, we could come up with examples of deviate behavior iin every walk of life. Although the word is not frequently used these days, many people (conservatives, Tea party members, encyclopedia salesmen and Rednecks alike) are quick to condemn those that in their minds deviate too far from their values.

Woof Woof: Speaking of deviates, I was listening to Iggy Pop's "I wanna be your dog" the other day and it gave me a strange feeling. It brought me back to my youth, when I looked at the family dog with jealousy, wishing I could walk on all fours and fetch the ball and stick. As a child I often got down on my hands and knees with our dog to play, and never did I feel more comfortable. It struck me, I am truly a dog stuck in a human's body. Hmmmm, they allow gender change operations. Why not a species change operation? I know it sounds like absolute insanity, but just wait a few years. Did anyone think 50 years ago about the possibility of the transgender concept? Anything is possible, sadly.

Mind Bender: OK, let's get back to somehwere close to reality for a moment. You will all be happy to learn that I have planted my basil for the year. Linda and I have been very busy planting shrubs, flowers, grass seed and praying that it would get warm and sunny. Despite the facts that our prayers were not answered, everything we have planted is thriving. And the cardinals are singing and flying around our back yard like kamizazees! So take a deep breath, point your face to the sun, and say Thank You that the wretched winter is over.

Keep the Faith my Fellow Farmers !