Coloring With My Black Crayon

I have these wonderful photographs of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad that runs in the high mountains from New Mexico into Colorado. I took them one fall while on a solo vacation without my wife and family. I'd maxed out the number of vacation days I could keep and it was a case of use them or lose them.

The photos were of a double header steam train (two engines) running through the mountains gold with fall Aspens and red with other trees. I had climbed to high places and took great pictures of those dark black engines in the gold and red landscape with a strong blue sky and perfect cumulus clouds. Smoke and steam add to the dozens of great scenes I was able to photograph. After two days of photographing the train all along its line, I made it down to Albuquerque and called back to the office, as I was required to do even when on personal leave.

My boss came on the line and made me promise not to hang up on him until he was completely through talking to me. Now you know that was going to be bad. The Board had promoted someone to a high management level. It was a woman who basically was an enemy of mine, Worse she would be my boss. And even worse than that I could no longer report directly to him as I had been doing for five years. He kept talking to me. Assuring me that he would fix this as soon as he could. He needed me back there with him. He would take care of me, and so on and so forth. He kept me on the telephone a half hour, maybe more. He would not let me go until I gave him my word that I would not quit and would return to the State and come back to work. My children were young. My wife wasn't working at the time. And by manys' standards I was over-employed and over-paid where I was. I was stuck.

I gave him my word. After my time off I went back to work. It was much worse than I imagined. It could haven even been called nasty. I lost my staff, my budgets, my grants, my projects (except for the ones no one cared to have). People were, indirectly, even killed because of her insensitivity. I spent three years working for a very unpleasant person before my old boss got back into the good graces of his own board and pulled me back under his wing. I rebuilt and went forward.

I had those photos developed. They were very very nice. Maybe even the best I had ever taken. But every time I looked at them they reminded me of where I was at the time and what came after that. They are upstairs in a box somewhere buried in the thousand of photographs that I have taken. Until tonight I haven't thought about them in years. Still, I think I'll just leave them there. Maybe, after she's dead, .....

Living Room Breezes and Dining Room Ice, I Needed New Windows

The wind chill was minus 17 degrees (F). My furnace was going full blast. Auxiliary stoves were on in each room and yet the breeze I felt while sitting in the living room was about 5 MPH and there was ice inside the windows in the dining room. Global warming, that so claimed tooth fairy by the Republicans, had created so much moisture at high latitudes that the Northern Jet Stream had been disrupted and had disappeared for the first time in an . . . ever (?). The upper atmosphere system great wall of air flow was no longer blocking the Arctic air from falling down into middle America. It was damn cold. I was damn cold. Wife was damn cold. Even the cats who couldn't stand each other were huddled together. This was unacceptable. New windows came yesterday. There are seventeen double hung windows and four picture windows. They have 7/8" space between panes. The panes are covered in special stuff and there is inert argon gas between the panes. There are air pockets and air space and this and that and they fold in and fold out for cleaning and are made in America to boot. It is cold in Oklahoma today, 38 degrees with a breeze. Walked out into my dining room from my bedroom this morning and it was quiet and warm. Warm! It was warm. First thing you got to know is that I have 14 windows and two doors on the front of my house that faces south. The house was designed in 1916 to allow maximum sunshine into the home during the sun's low angle months of winter and to allow air flow and no sun into the house during the summer. Trouble is there are only three windows that would still open, so there was no summer air flow. In the winter if the sun doesn't shine then it doesn't heat the house through the windows. This design was great in 1916, and was great these days too, on sunny winter days. But now, with the new Acrtic Invasions, it was not so great. When it gets cold, things shrink. The old windows were caulked and such but the extreme cold this year caused them to actually pull apart in places. Just enough to let air through which made them colder and so they shrank even more and then they pulled. . . well, you get the cause and effect. My heating bills and body were casualties of global warming. So we went window shopping. Holy shit Sherlock. To replace the 21 windows on my front and SE and SW corners was going to cost my first born and all her children to the third generation be sold into bondage to pay for it. OK, the replacement windows were going to cost between 1/4th to 2/3rds the original cost of my house when I bought it 33 years ago. Yes, they would save me money on heating and cooling. It would only take between 11 to 25 years for me to break even. After the sticker shock wore off we vowed to go ahead with it. It would cost not less than $8,000 and as much as $22,000. So I delved into the pros, cons, lies, and claims of several estimates and a whole lot of web research. Lesson one, make them vinyl. Lesson two, put some sort of solar shield covering on the window panes. Lesson three, they must be at least double paned. Lesson four, one inch between panes is more than twice as good as one half inch between panes. Lesson five, inert gases between the panes is much better than dead air. Lesson six, weld bonded frames are better than any other kind. Lesson seven, do not let water get behind, under, or around them. Lesson eight, the installer is 80% of the success of a good window. Lesson nine, put no (or very little) money up front. Lesson ten, a large chunk of all the window companies have gone bankrupt or have been absorbed into other companies since the 2008 economic meltdown, so there is really damn little history on a lot of this stuff these days. So, go with the survivors who do have a history. Over all lesson: a good window is needed but a good installer is crucial. First thing I did was blow off the box store/mega store's highest estimate. Second thing I did was try to balance cost to quality to energy savings to good installation. Finally after I figured out I did not really know shit about any of this I went with the very good windows and the installer with the best record and lots and lots of traceable references. Final cost only equalled one third of my house's original cost to me or about 11% of its current evaluation. Did I mention how quiet it is? Did I note how warm it is? Am I happy with it all? I don't do happy. I like my new windows however. One can hope that during the next Arctic blast they won't fall out onto the lawn. We shall see.

Bright Moon Shinning : My Pictures

March 19, 2011

Moon is 14 % closer and 30% brighter than normal.

White Elephants

The elephant is a prominent icon of strength, fertility and intelligence in many cultures, including Chinese, Indian and African. It is a respected animal of insight, cherished by many. In Buddhism, the elephant is one of the eight holy animals, and in the Hindu religion, the Ganesha is the God with the head of an elephant.

In both a mythical and religious role, the Elephant is seen as a mark of magnificence, able to be worshipped and honoured. In many folklore and war stories, the elephant has been seen as enchanting and alluring - in ancient China, the Elephant was a war animal, often given as gifts to the emperor by the King of Siam, during the Kang Hsi era. This animal could always outdo the opponent and prove both its dignity and discretion.

The pure white Elephant, which is one of the Seven Treasures of Buddhism, is believed by many to be the embodiment of the future Buddha. It holds the same holy place in India, Indochina and Thailand, where the only people who are permitted to ride an Elephant are the king and deities. Because of these precedents, it is known as a figure of royalty, supremacy and stateliness.

The Elephant also holds a very potent position in Feng Shui. The mother of Buddha had dreams about a pure white elephant directly prior to Buddha’s birth; it is for this reason that the Elephant is now an icon of fertility, being used by couples or singles who desire a newborn. It is an auspicious omen, providing protection for the beholder.

In Feng Shui, those who have an Elephant in their house will be blessed with many beneficial sanctions. Here are some Feng Shui tips to achieve that:

1) In Chinese, the word “elephant” is phonetically similar to “Prime Minister”. The elephant is thus regarded as a symbol of vigour, aptitude, power and prominence and can be used to enhance the luck of the head of a household or company.

2) For businessmen, display a pair of Elephants in a distinguished spot on your desk in your office, facing outwards. This will provide you with fortification from your opponents, as well as induce victory on your business ventures.

3) Display a pair of Elephants indoors, beside your main entrance, facing inside- this will create a flow of good luck into your home. If they are displayed outdoors, then they should be positioned facing out, as they will safeguard the home in this arrangement.

4) If you and your partner are trying for a child, placing the Elephant in the West sector of your home (the corner of descendant luck, according to Feng Shui Bagua 8 Life Aspiration formula) or in the bedroom. Caressing its trunk every night before slumber will increase fertility, enhancing the chances of a new baby being conceived.

5) Make a wish when rubbing its trunk. The Feng Shui elephant is also known as a grantor of wishes.

Blood Etc. For The Cause

Spent the morning at the VA hospital. No, nothing wrong, I mean nothing other than the dozen or so regular things. I was giving them body stuff for the long term study on Agent Orange affects on the troops. I did get a little concerned when the blood collector took out 7 large vials to take blood samples. Yes, she filled each and every one of them. I did notice all the old guys had caps on with their branch of service and wars displayed on them.

They have a little store there that sell all sorts of patriotic stuff. Maybe I can get one there.

It did remind me as to why I have avoided the VA lo these past 40+ years. It is very "Military". My wife went with me. No not to give me support and help. She went with me to make sure I actually got there, and then staid there and didn't walk out after the first encounter with....whatever...

It did seem as though for a place full of "infirm" hobbling old dudes everything was a long way from every other thing there. I worked out a hypothesis that what they were doing was testing to see if the patient could actually be helped or not. If the patient could make it around to all those places then they were healthy enough to be cured. If they couldn't make it then why bother with, them they were hopeless any way. I could be wrong.

Every time I got through with a specific clinic they would say, "Thank you for your service to your country". I actually heard that said more times today at the VA than I have heard it said to me otherwise in my entire life.

However, I don't really believe there was much fervor as they said it. Do you think they might be required to say that? It was sort of like the big sign over the front door that said, "Welcome American Heroes".

Yeah, right.

When The Earth Moves Things Happen

Brand New Imports for Sale

Slight water damage a few dings.

Earth's Axis:

"Already, just over 36 hours after the quake, data-crunchers had determined that the temblor's force moved parts of eastern Japan as much as 12 feet closer to North America, scientists said — and that Japan has shifted downward about two feet."

Acapulco Mexico

"The shores of Acapulco's beaches were this weekend teeming with masses of fish packed so tightly they looked like an oil slick from above.

Thousands of sardines, anchovies, stripped bass and mackerel surged along the coast of the Mexican resort in an event believed to be linked to the devastating Japanese tsunami."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365538/Japan-earthquake-Swarms-fish-coast-Acapulco-caused-tsunami.html#ixzz1GS7WWOIi

"Delighted fishermen rushed out in wooden motor boats, abandoning their rods and nets and simply scooping the fish up with buckets."

It is an ill wind that blows no one.

Alien Life!!! ??? OK, Now We Are Past That, What's Next?

I guess I had hoped for a little more than a bacteria for an encounter of the third kind.

But what the heck, hello little guy, welcome to earth.

Is this our proof that alien life exist elsewhere in the Cosmos?