Are There Extraterristials?

Are the Extraterrestrials (ET for short) out there somewhere.  What are the odds of there being ET's out there?  And if so, what are the odds of communicating with them?

The known universe is extremely large, beyond my apprehension.  Just take a good look at one of Hubble Space Telescope's deep field pictures:

Just look at all the galaxies!!!  All those galaxies have many, many stars and most of those stars have planets.  That means there are so many planets in the universe that there is no number I know of that could express just how many there are.  Now, don't you think that on some of them life of some sort must have gotten a start.  It could be as simple as lichens but you have to admit that the are odds are very favorable for life on other planets in other solar systems and just think, there may be multiple universes, the multi-verse theory.

There is one huge problem.  The distances are so very great, that it would take thousands of years for even radio waves to reach them.  The closest galaxies are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, 160,000 light years to the LMC and 200,000 light years to the SMC.  If there is life somewhere in these two closest galaxies, there would be no way of knowing unless they invented radio back 200,000 years ago or so.

The distances are just so very great that we may never know if there are any planets with life.  Even if there were, the life may be nothing more than lichens or one celled organisms that far back in the history of our universe.  So, are we alone?  I don't know but I would like to think that we are not.  Now go outside tonight and see if you can spot any flying saucers or aliens or. . . just have a good day, you hear?

Which is the Right Side of the Bed?

OK, I am confused.  I have read different ways to tell which is the right side of the bed and they don't always agree.  I have heard that if you stand at the head of the bed looking down over the bed, that your right hand is on the right side and your left hand is on the left.  OK, but I have also heard the same thing only standing at the foot of the bed looking at the bed and the right hand side would be on your right side.  Trouble is, they are opposite and both can't be right.

Now, if I ask you what side of the bed do you sleep on, what would be your answer and how did you determine which it was?  Sometimes simple things get me confused (grin).

I think I will just go to bed but to be safe, maybe I will sleep in the middle.  That way, if you ask me tomorrow which side of the bed I slept on, I can just answer, neither.  Now I went and did it.  When I go to bed tonight, I will probably just lay awake and wonder which side of the bed is the right or the left.  Hope you all have a good night's sleep and hopefully, will see you all tomorrow.  Have a great evening, you hear?

Them Bones, Them Bones

My wife went out for a walk around our driveways and of course I decided to sit in my rocker/recliner and watch TV and look at stuff on the internet.  Yes, even at my age I can do two things at once (grin).  Then my cellphone rang and it was my wife saying I should come out and see the strange bones she found.  So, I put on my cowboy boots and headed on out.  She showed me the bones and guess what, I have no idea what they are or from what creature they came from.  I laid them up on the hood of my jeep and put my pen beside it to give you something to compare it to for size:

I have seen a lot of bones, but never have I seen any with such perfect round holes in it.  Sure does have me puzzled.  I wonder if my daughter-in-law is missing any ducks or chickens?

   

Ok, then I found some white feathers.  That is extra evidence that it was probably a duck or a chicken:

                

Then a little further along, I spotted a big fungus lunching on a tree stump.

                

OK, that was the extent of our walk.  I did look up in the sky and saw a lot buzzards flying around, so I hurried into the house before they were able to get me.  Dang, I didn't know I looked THAT bad.  Now, you all take a walk and tell me what all you see and have a great day, you hear?

A Windy Day

A front came through here in the middle of the night and boy, did it get windy.  I don't mean a pleasant breeze.  It was bowing quite hard and still is now at 4:00 PM.  Well, you might ask, how windy is it?  Well I will tell you.  I just saw some birds that looked like they were flying backwards.  Well, not really, but a lot of them are just walking around.  Of course the high winds do not keep them from stuffing themselves at my bird feeder.

My son and his wife have ducks, chickens, goats, etc. and the wind was so strong that the chickens who were facing away from the wind laid the same egg multiple times.  Yep, there ain't nothing between us and the north pole except a few strands of barbed wire and that type of fence doesn't slow the wind up much at all.

The wind sure does trim the dead limbs and branches out of the trees.  We have a big limb that fell from a tall oak and is being suspended by brush and bushes.  That is dangerous for any person or creature that wanders under it.  After it calms down, I may go out and see if I can pull that large limb down.  It is fairly large, I would say it is about six or seven inches in diameter.

I took this first picture to show the thick brush where it landed.  If you look closely, you can see it in the middle of the picture.

Then I zoomed in on it.  As you can see, it is fairly large and I sure wouldn't want to be under it when it finally falls to the ground.  Of course that may take a long time for it to fall or maybe it will just stay where it is until it rots away.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Why I don't buy Lotto Tickets.

I don't purchase lottery tickets anymore.  Why?  You may ask.  Well, I really don't want to win.  I love the life I am living, I love where I am living, and I am quite comfortable, so why would I want to mess all that up by winning the lottery.  I have enough to eat (sometimes more than enough), a roof over my head, a nice motor home sitting out in the drive way in case we want to take a trip, an old tube type color TV (but I mostly watch the old black and white shows, especially the old westerns), etc.  I have a loving wife, two dogs that keep me smiling, and my son and his family live on the back of my property.  So you see, I can't think of anything that I would want that would make me happier than I am right now.

I definitely feel blessed.  I guess the only problem with us and our dogs is that we are getting old.  I was born back during World War Two, have seen a lot and have done a lot, and don't really want anything more than what we now have.  So, why buy a lottery ticket?  If I won, I would have to put up with a lot of hassle that I really don't need.  So, that is why I no longer purchase lottery tickets. 

Scary Words, Statements, and Questions

What words, statements, and questions scare you or make you feel very uncomfortable?  First, let me say that not much scares an old fart like me, except maybe the death or sickness of a loved one or a pet.  The longer you live the more death you see.

Some death is good for us.  We kill animals, fish, vegetables, grain and fruit so that we may have food and survive.  We kill bacteria to keep us well or to cure us from sickness.  Therefore, we must surmise that killing can be good.  Unexpected death is not good, whether it be a family member, a friend, a pet, or whoever.

For a single girl, the doctors statement that "you are pregnant" can be scary, especially for the father to be.

When you are doing things you shouldn't do and someone walks in and asks "What are you doing?".

When you loved ones tells you not to do something and you don't listen and get hurt or break something or. . .

Taxes, fines, trials, surgery, commitments, illness, and for some, the unknown.  Now tell me, what words or short phrases scare you?  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Took a Little Walk

My wife and I took a little walk out the driveway, and noticed our neighbors standing down along their fence next to our driveway.  We walked down and had a great chat with them.

Our front yard looked like a swamp.  Here is a picture of it, yep it is quite wet.  We have had a lot of rain.

Along side the inner driveway, I noticed all these black colored small round berries.  Since they are still there and the birds have left them alone, I must surmise that they are poisonous, although I do not know for sure.  No, I ain't going to taste any of them.

That was an enjoyable walk with good neighbors and a beautiful day.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

What Is Your Talent?

Everyone has some things that they do better than normal.  Some are athletic and can do physical things that normal people can not.  Some are more intelligent, some are more beautiful, some can understand and solve scientific problems, some are extra strong and lift more weight than others, some can run faster, some can run further, some can give great speeches, and some can sing better.

They say if you don't use your talent you will loose it, like a weight lifter who quite lifting weights looses his muscles.  Since I haven't used my talent in a long time, I have lost it.  So, you may want to know, what my talent is.  Well I will tell you.

When I was in grade school, we had a wonderful music teacher that thought he saw some talent in me.  One year, at the end of the school year, the senior choir put on a big performance.  That music teacher asked me to sing with them, in fact, he wanted me to do a solo.  I stood in the front row of the choir and when my turn came to sing the solo, I was told to step forward.  When I did, most of the audience laughed because I was just a little kid that didn't seem to know what to do.  When I started to sing my solo, everyone became quiet.  They said I did a great job.

As I grew up and after I was grown up, music and singing was a huge part of my life.  I played trumpet in the band, but I sang in the choir and in quartets and also did solos in church and for weddings.  I have to say that my favorite was singing in a barbershop quartet.  Loved that close harmony.  I don't sing any more.  They say if you don't use it you lose it.  I guess I may have lost it.

Is there a moral to this story?  I guess if there was one it would be to use you talents or lose it.  Now I know that each and every one of you have a talent and I want you to tell us what it is and a little bit about it.  Now, use your talent and have a really great day, you hear?