Wondering If the Dust Will Go Away, etc..

We have dust.  Not just ordinary dust.  This dust has crossed the Atlantic and blew into the Gulf and came ashore here in Texas.  Where did it come from?  Well, the news says it came from Africa.  I wonder if it has a visa or at least a passport?  Had to go to town this morning and on the way home I took a couple of pictures.  Do you notice that the sky is more grey than blue?

OK, I guess the grey color doesn't show up too well in the pictures, but take my word for it, there is a lot of dust in the air.

Now, to change the subject, I want to mention a couple of things that took place awhile back on this date.  In 1953 the first Corvette was finished and this date is considered the Corvette's birthday.  Remember the '53 Vet?  

And a year earlier on this date in 1952, the Guiding Light soap opera appeared on television.  Before that, it was broadcast on radio for fifteen years.  It was the longest running drama on the air.

 

Overall, it was on the air (either on radio or TV) for 72 seasons!!  Now that is hard to believe.  It had 57 seasons on TV.  I remember it on TV from way back when I was a kid.  My Mother use to watch it and later on, my wife watched it.  Of course, since it was on, I watched it, too.  Let me know if there is dust where you live and you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About Some New Furniture.

Now that my room is finished, I have to start thinking about some new furniture to put in it.  So let me see what may look good in there.  How about something modern:

 



 Of course I like the rustic style, something that would remind me of a cabin in the woods.  Something in wood and brown leather, like this:

You know, for a change, how about something elegant:

But my wife found just the thing, and I must say it does look really nice, but I think she was thinking small whereas I was thinking big:

I guess she was expecting some hobbits or some very little people to drop by for a visit.  If any of you were planning to stop by, maybe you better go on a diet first.  But anyway, please have a great day, you hear?

Wondering Why The Internet Was Down.

My Internet service was not working yesterday.  Now, for a husband and wife who spend hours everyday on the Internet, that is a catastrophe for sure.  It isn't until you loose something that you find out just how much you miss it and have used it and have depended on it.

If I want to know a meaning of a word, I go to the Internet.  Same thing if I want to know about almost anything, I look it up on the Internet.  How did we ever survive with out the Internet?  Oh yea, we looked things up in the dictionary or the encyclopedia or some other specific reference book.  I still like to look things up in hard copy books.  There is something special about holding a book in your hand and reading what it says without being hooked up to the internet or relying on a battery or making sure you have a good connection.  Just ask a fellow blogger who has a house full of books, http://sixbearsinthewoods.blogspot.com/.  If or when the grid goes down, including the telephone network, books may be all we will have for information.

I did call the provider and got to talk to a technician, but before I did, I plugged my telephone into the jack that I use for the internet.  The first thing she said was that my line may not be working.  Of course I told her that I was using it to talk to her.  To make a long story short, we did get everything back up and running properly and I got my blog posted yesterday, although a little later than usual.  Sure is good to have the DSL line back.  Am I spoiled?  You bet your sweet bippy I am and I enjoy being spoiled.  I sure hope you all are spoiled, too, and that you have a great day, you hear?    

 

Wondering When Things Will Get Back to Normal?

Boy are things in a mess around here!!  I couldn't believe how much crap stuff I had squeezed into my office.  Of course every single bit of it had to be removed.  It is now scattered all over my home creating road hazards to my wife and I and places to run, hide, and play for the dogs.

The workers finished up on the room yesterday.  Would you like to see a picture of what it looks like?  OK, here it is.  Do you like the flooring design and color I picked?

 

It looks a lot better in person.  The picture does not do it justice.

 

Now I have to go through all that junk that came out of that room and try to decide what to throw away and what to keep.  I have a tough time throwing anything away.  That means that I am really going to have a tough time deciding on what goes back into that room.  The eight foot long two place work/computer table that was in there will not go back in.  It was great while I was working, but isn't needed now that I am a retired gentleman.  Well, maybe I ain't a gentleman but I don't do any more design engineering work anymore.  In fact, I don't like to do any kind of work anymore.  I have to be prodded into it.  But then, there are a few days I just feel like working.  Of course they are coming fewer and further between.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About Water Leaks.

Back on last Friday (6-20-14) I posted a blog about discovering a leak under my house in the middle of the night.  The plumbers came the next day and did a temporary emergency fix until they had time to come and do the job correctly.  So, yesterday was the day they returned and a crew of four spent the entire day at my place.

I have a lot of places in my home that uses water.  There are three full bathrooms with tubs and showers and sinks, there is a large gas hot water heater, there is laundry, there is a kitchen sink and a dishwasher, and an external spigot so I have a place outside to get water and attach a hose.  With all these different outlets, there is a lot of fittings, like ells, tees, etc.  The crew replaced all the fittings with new, better designed ones.  Then they replaced all the insulation and covering.

They said that some of the pipes had been chewed on, so I set a trap and caught a coon.  I hope everything will be alright now and that the fix lasts awhile.  I will be on the alert for animal signs and if there are any, the trap will be set again.  BTW, the first thing I caught in the live trap was a cat.  When I opened the door and let it out, I do believe it broke the sound barrier getting away and into a nearby thicket.  Now I have lots of water and my pipes are full but my wallet is a lot lighter, for sure.  You all have a great day today, you hear?

No Post This Morning, Maybe Later.

You will just have to wait awhile for Dizzy's words of wisdom. . . OK, just senseless ramblings. . .

Wondering, Bridge or Cable.

One year ago today, a fellow named Wallenda decided he wanted to be on the other side of the Colorado river.  There were a couple of problems.  One was that there was no bridge.  The other was that the river was way down in a gorge near the Grand Canyon National Park.  So, he did what any red blooded boy would do, he strung a cable across the gorge.  How he did that I have no idea.  It would take a mighty big diameter cable to be able to just support its own weight for that distance.  And of course, the bigger the cable diameter, the more surface he had to walk on.

This next picture shows the depth of the canyon near the place where he strung the cable:

 Back when I was young, I could stand next to the edge without any fear at all.  Not so, now that I am old.

Here he is part way through his daring walk:

That yellow thing hanging down from the cable must be used to try to stabilize the movement of the wire.  I looked at other pictures that I didn't post that shows that they are about three or four feet long.

The huge size of the cable must have made it easier to walk on but how the heck did they get it strung from one side to the other?

Just looking at that last picture makes me dizzy.  Oh, that's right, I am already Dizzy.  So, choose a wide bridge to cross and have a great day, you hear? 

Wondering About Candy

Candy, now that is a sweet subject, for sure.  I am willing to bet that 99.9% of you like some sort of candy.  Then, too, I would guess that there are some candy that you don't like.  I don't care for several kinds of candy and one in particular, I hate.  I hate liquorish or any thing flavored with anise.

Most people like chocolate and there are many types to choose from.  This next picture shows dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate:

 

Which type do you prefer?

 

 

I prefer dark chocolate way above all the rest:

 

 

Yes, I like chocolate, but lately I have been craving that sweet and sour taste.  There are two kinds that I like.  The Sweetarts are my favorite and if I can't find them, my second choice is Bottle Caps.

The last time we went grocery shopping, the store was out of them.  Today, when we were returning home from the flea market, we stopped at a small convenience store and I got the only three boxes of Sweetarts that they had.  Now, I am stocked up for a little while, if I ration them (grin).

I know you all are just so sweet you don't need candy, and of course I am sweet too, so that is why I have to also have the tart part just to even things out.  Now, all you sweet people out there, have yourselves a great day, you hear?

P.S.  My wife just said "the reason I am craving candy is that I am not getting enough vitamin C, and I don't mean the "C" in Candy!!''

Wondering About 60's Music.

Do you remember the music of the 1960's?  I graduated from high school the Spring of 1961 so the music of that era was what I listened to and danced to.  There were some great groups that sprang out of that era.  It was the season of folk rock.

Some of my favorite groups were The Beach Boys (who my wife to be and I went to see in person), Peter, Paul & Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, and many more.  And the songs that they recorded; Good Vibrations, Stewball Was a Race Horse, Hello Mary Lou, Mr. Tambourine Man, and Bridge Over Troubled Water.  Now tell me that I didn't grow up with some mighty good music to listen to.

Do you remember any of these songs and groups?  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?
 

Wondering About Water and a Beetle.

I woke up in the middle of the night.  Since I was awake, I figured I would get up and visit the bath room.  When I flushed, nothing worked.  What??  You guessed it, for some reason there was no water.  The first thing I did was go out and shut off the gas hot water heater.  Yes, I know there are safety features on it but I feel better just shutting it off completely, pilot light and all.

I then went outside and there was a lake forming around my deck.  I took some skirting down and crawled under the house.  Yep, Niagara Falls!!  A pipe must have broke or a fitting came apart.  By then my knees were aching from crawling around in the cold well water.  I then went over to the well and turned off the water to my house.  This morning I called the plumbers, ran down to the gas station/mini store and bought some water, and now we are just waiting on the plumbers to get here.

I saw a neat looking beetle when I came out of the convenience store.  I tried to take a picture of it but some how it took a video instead.  (So far, this has not been my best day)  I guess I will post the video and see if it will show up here:

By the way, I did not step on the beetle.  When I left, he was a live and well.  Now, you all have a great day and maybe mine will change for the better, you hear?

Wondering How Time Changes Things.

Time changes everything.  Everything is done differently during different eras but some things don't change as much.  You know, like a masterpiece painting, like the Mona Lisa.

 

 This next set of six pictures shows just how she may have changed or how the artist would have depicted her if made in different years.  You know, I think there is a lot of truth in these:

 

Not just art has changed.  Let us look at more recent changes that I am sure most of us can remember.  Take the reaction to bad grades back in 1969 (or before I graduated in 1961) by the parents to the reactions of parents today: 

 

 Then there are parents who think they are kids again and believe they can fit in elementary schools' swing set seats:

 

 See, we are not always as young (or small) as we feel!!

Then of course divorce is quite common today, where as back when I was a kid it was practically unheard of except maybe a few in the motion picture industry.  This greeting card would never have been seen way back then:  

 

I hope you got a chuckle out of today's post along with remembering just how time has changed things.  Most importantly, you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About Ancient Doctors.

Since I need to get a prescription refilled, I got wondering about ancient doctors.  One little bit of ancient history I dug up was to my liking and I think it should be made into a law for today's doctors.  It said that in ancient China, doctors could receive fees only if their patient was cured.  If the patient's health deteriorated, the doctor had to pay the patient.  Now, that sounds like a great idea, don't you think?

 

The ancient Chinese were not the only ones who had ancient doctors.  The Egyptians also were great physicians.  They preformed complicated operations and mixed up drugs and medicines of all kinds. 

 

 And of course, if they failed to cure you, they cured you.  Well, not exactly cured, like a ham or bacon.  They dug the brains out and other stuff and actually embalmed them with spices and minerals and stuff.  (I use the word "stuff" when I don't know what the heck was used or had way too many things to list, take your choice.)

I hope that none of you need to see a doctor or get embalmed!!  But I hope all of you are healthy and I insist that you have a great day today, you hear?



Wondering About Some Big Motorcycles.

My wife and son had business to take care of at the same location so, as I told you yesterday, my wife went with my son.  On their way back, my son stopped to get some stuff for his Harley.

 

There was a lot to choose from and I don't know what he wanted or needed or purchased.  But while they were there, he took a picture of my wife standing next to a big chopper:

 

Now that is what I call a BIG bike:

 

I wouldn't want to mess with anyone who could ride that bike!!  They should have painted it blue and called it Paul Bunyan's Blue Ox.  Here is a close up of what it says on the tank:

 

It says that it is the world's biggest Motorcycle.  I don't know for sure, but it is way too big for little old me.  So, you all go out and ride down the highway and feel the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth and have a great day, you hear?



Wondering about a Mysterious Hole.

My wife and my son wanted to go to the same place this morning, so my son said he would pick her up and they could go together.  Sounds like a plan to me.  Yep, I can stay home and watch TV, play computer games, read blogs, etc.  Maybe even take a little nap.  NO, that plan didn't work out for me.  I was informed that I had to cook for the dogs this morning because they are use to eating at noon and she may not be back in time.  Yes, we cook for our dogs.  I am cooking ground turkey with Ramon noodles and green beans as I write this.  Think I better go check and stir it up a bit.  Be right back.

OK, turned down the heat an let it simmer awhile.

To save my son time, my wife and I walked out to where our driveways come together and waited for him there.  That is where I spotted this strange hole and wondered what or who made it.  It is not very big but it is the shape of a heart.  At least I think it looks like a heart.  Here are a couple of pictures that I took of it wile I waited with the wife:

In the above picture, you can see leaves and grass, which will give you an idea of the size of the hole.  It wasn't very big, probably less than 3 inches wide.  This next picture is a closer view:

OK, can someone tell me what the heck made this hole and what for?  I have never seen a heart shaped hole like that.  It may have just been a fluke that it was shaped that way, you know, kind of like an accident.  Way too big to be from a doodle bug, unless it was one from a galaxy far, far away.  .  .  OK, now you all have a great day today, you hear?

Happy Father's Day.

Today is Father's Day and I hope all you dads out there have a happy Father's Day.  Father's Day is a relatively new holiday here in this country.  Mother's Day has been around a lot longer.  A campaign to have an official Mother's Day began back in the early 1900's, but it wasn't until later that a special day was set aside honoring fathers.

My father, who passed away many years ago at a way too young an age, was the best dad in whole world.  I am sure that there are a lot of you who think your dad was the best in the world and that is the way it should be.  I was blessed with the greatest parents and only wish all parents, me included, could be as great.

Not going to go on and on, just want to say Happy Father's Day, and hope everyone has a great day today, you hear?

No Post Today.

Too many unpleasant things happened on Friday the 13th that I have to now take care of.  Should be back posting a blog tomorrow.

Thanks,
Dizzy

Wondering Where Pioneer 10 is Now.

Something happened on this date back in 1983 that had never happened before.  It was the first time that a man made object left our solar system and headed out toward the Taurus constellation.

 

Since then, there have been quite a few, but Pioneer 10 was the first one to do so.  We had no idea where it would end up and just in case it was discovered by an intelligent race of beings, it carried a plaque prepared by Carl Sagan.

 

The above picture shows Sagan holding the plaque he designed to be placed on Pioneer 10.  Want to see a close up view of the plaque?  OK, here it is:

 

It is a gold-anodized plaque that measures 6" by 9" and displays a drawing of a human man and woman, a star map that shows the location of the sun, and another map that showed the flight path of the probe.

 

It is hard to believe that it was launched that many years ago and is still going where man has never gone.  Now, be careful today, you all know that along with a full moon, it is also Friday the Thirteenth, but have a great day, you hear?







Wondering About Earth's Seasons.

Have you ever thought about the changing seasons and what causes them?  Of course you have and you say you know what causes them.  Most of you would say that the part of the Earth that is in summer is tilted closer toward the sun so it gets more of the direct rays and thus more heat.  That is true, but some of you believe that the tilt of the Earth changes from season to season, right?  Wrong!!  The Earth's tilt does not change through the seasons.  The axis of the Earth is always tilted at about 23.5 degrees.

OK, if the Earth's tilt doesn't change, than why do we have changing seasons?  Wouldn't it be one season all year long at a specific point on Earth?  OK, stop reading for a few seconds and think about it.

Maybe a little head scratching is required?

Then again, maybe a pencil placed near the brain will help stir up the thinking process.

 

I think this kid has it. . . well, maybe not:

I can see that this last guy also has nothing:

 OK, the diagram below should make things clear.  The Earth always has a 23.5 degree tilt but the tilt always point in the same direction as shown here:

 

 

If the Earth's axes rotated and always point toward the sun, we wouldn't have any change of seasons.  Now, I am wondering if that had been the case, how would life on Earth had evolved in that scenario?  OK, I guess I have that to wonder about the rest of the day.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?





Wondering About Toy Tops.

When I was growing up, I was given a toy top that would whistle loudly if you could get it spinning fast enough.  It was made of metal and felt quite heavy for its small size.  The way it was used was to wrap a cord around it tightly and then throw it as hard as you could, either overhand or underhand depending on how experienced you were, and just before it came to the end of the string, you jerked back on the string to stop its forward motion and add some extra spin.  If it was thrown fast enough and if you jerked back at the last split second that some of the cord was still wrapped on it, it would whistle loudly and spin and spin and spin for a long time.  My parents house had a few dents in the wall from the times I didn't quite get the string jerked back in time.  This is the kind of top that I had:

 



 Of course there are many, many varieties of tops.  A lot of them were made of wood:

Of course for the younger kids and those who have not perfected the tops shown above, there was always this style of top:

If I remember correctly, that red handle on top was attached to a twisted rod that when the rod was pushed up and down it would cause the body of the top to spin.  Some of these tops would also whistle or make some sort of other noise.  I don't know about today's kids, but when I was young, tops could entertain me for hours and hours, especially the one shown at the top of this posting.  Now, just because these tops spin, try not to get dizzy because I am Dizzy enough for all of us.  Have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About the Dog's Small Yard.

I stepped out the back door, through the screened in porch, and out into the fenced in dogs' yard.  I fenced in a small area for the pooches, so if they wanted out, all we had to do was open the back sliding door and let them out on the porch.  The left bottom square of screen on the outside screen door was detached at the bottom and a short ways up the sides.  This made a perfect flap for the dogs to go out and in by themselves.  Now, if I could only train them to open the sliding glass doors. . .

Anyway, I noticed that a hickory limb that was overhanging their yard was forming a couple of nuts:

We have a lot of hickory on our place.  Just a little bit over from the hickory nuts was this trumpet vine getting ready to bloom.  I will see if I can catch it when they open and post another  picture, but for now, this will have to do: 

 

Also, along the other side of the dogs' yard is a mimosa in bloom and trying to compete with the wild grape vines and the rest of the jungle around the yard: 

 

The picture below is the one I cropped for the above picture.  This one shows a little more of the thicket around the dogs' yard:



 

That was a short tour around the small fenced in dogs' yard.  Hope you enjoyed it.

 

We had a thunderstorm come through here in the middle of the night and watered the wild flowers.  So, I bet there will be more popping up all over the place.  Of course, it is into the Texas summer heat and they may wait until late fall, winter, or early spring to pop up.  Now, you all have a great day today, you hear?



Wondering Why Most Plants are Green.

Have you ever wondered why most plants are green?  Why couldn't they be red, or orange, or yellow. . . wait a minute.  They are.  But only in the Fall when they change colors and then fall to the ground.  But why are most leaves and plant life predominantly green when they are growing and healthy?

 

The simplest answer would be that they absorb all the other frequencies of light and reflect the green light.  It seems the chlorophyll can turn all other frequencies of light into something usable, like sugar to feed their growth. 

 

I must say, that I think nature picked a soothing color.  At least it is soothing to me.  I feel the most relaxed when I am in a cool, green forest.  What about you?  Do you think nature picked a good color to paint the trees, grass, moss, etc. with?  Now, I hope you all have yourselves a really great day, you hear?

Wondering About the Painted Bunting.

We have a pair of Painted Buntings that come to our feeder.  They are simply beautiful, especially the male.  All that beauty has almost been their downfall.  Since I don't have a camera that will do them justice, I found pictures on the Internet.  This first picture is of a male:

 

 Isn't he beautiful?  Have you ever seen all those colors on one bird?  It looks like someone hand painted it, but no, it is naturally that way with all those colors.

This last picture is of the female.  She is a beautiful bird in her own right.  Maybe not as gaudy as her male partner, but pretty just the same:

 



The reason they are fairly scarce it that because of their beauty, they were trapped in South America and shipped mostly to Europe as caged pet birds.  Now that is illegal but they are still on the decline because of the loss of habitat.  I feel blessed to have seen a pair of them.  They have come back to the feeder many times.  I even saw them this morning.  They make my day and I hope you all will have a great day, too, you hear?