Blather

So many thoughts, so much to say, and so little space before the readers get bored or angry and move on. So I'll make it all as brief as possible (for me, too, since I have other things I need to do as well).

Happy Halloween/Blessed Samhain to all and to all a good day and night. Tonight is a special night when the walls between the worlds of the living and the dead are thinnest. It is a time to remember those who have gone on and to, in some societies and beliefs, to set out a little something for them (food & drink) to honor them. It's not such a bad idea, whatever your religion or beliefs, to remember the ones we have loved and who have passed beyond the veil. These are the people who have helped us become who and what we are, good and bad, and who we still think of. Of course, this is also a time of year to remember the opposite side of the coin of death--LIFE! This is also a time that reminds us of the promise of rebirth and the continuity of life. Don't forget to celebrate life as we remember the dead.

Sadly, and her children left this morning. I was sad to see them go. The time went by so quickly this weekend but we had a good time playing games (I actually lost), carving pumpkins, celebrating the season, watching horror movies (one was good, the others had nothing frightening about them at all except that they were made and people were paid to write and act in the atrocities that they were), and talking. I also made a pot of butternut squash soup and toasted pumpkin seeds to go on top with the sour cream. The kids didn't like it, but their taste buds are still clogged with candy and junk food. It's not their fault, it's just biology. It took me many years to appreciate a good dry or red wine. My palate was immature.

They left this morning for a Democratic rally in downtown Denver at Lincoln Park across from the state house, but not before informing me one of my computers was haunted and dialed up to get online twice during the night. I figured out the problem, but it wasn't haints. It was a rabid program accidentally downloaded when J downloaded some graphics for his PowerPoint presentation for school. No big deal. Just happens sometimes and I seldom use that computer for anything but printing since my main computer was configured improperly and doesn't recognize printers, something I have not had the time or inclination to correct. It was so quiet when they left and I missed them. I always miss them.

The rest of the day I caught up on sleep I missed during our marathon talk fest Friday night/Saturday morning that ended at 5 a.m. We did all the usual fun stuff: shopping, cooking, talking, and just spending time together. I'll go down to see them in December when I take my FCC ham radio operator's tests.

Yes, you read that right. I'm going to get a ham radio operator's license and I'm learning Morse code. I've been told I'm progressing nicely, but it doesn't feel comfortable yet. This morning I had an email from my mentor and friend that said backsliding and plateaus are normal just when I was beginning to believe I was too old to learn and my brain was fried. Well, I haven't been studying that long either. I've only been at this a few days and I tend to get antsy if I don't catch on right away. I need to remember I'm blazing new synapses and not adding new nuances to knowledge I already possess. It's a whole different game. I have six weeks to get it all down and I'm sure I will, but I'm used to learning things a whole lot faster. I'll get over it and I will keep plugging away until those synapses are hard wired. Code will play a big part in a story I've planned to write.

Another bit of my past surfaced this weekend, someone I hear from very seldom--usually when he's updating his contact lists. Now that he's retired (he retired at 49 from the Fire Dept in Columbus, Ohio and the Bomb Squad) and has all this time on his hands he says he misses me. He probably just misses all the days, weekends, and afternoons we spent working on his planes (a Cessna-152 and a home built Cozy), walking his five dogs, and me teaching him how to get the most use out of his computers and peripherals. We did have a good time together, but all of a sudden he misses my physical presence. I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. I have to admit I enjoy spending time with him, too. He was an interesting character, a life long bachelor who loves animals more than most people, and a quick wit. I saw Message in a Bottle with him, and several other movies. We worked good together when we pooled our resources and cooked or just when we spent time together, but time and people (especially me) move on.

Into this maelstrom of remembrance and thoughts of the past rang my mother's strident tones. "Who have you begged, borrowed, stole from, or murdered this week?" she asked when I picked up the phone. I told her the list was very long and indiscriminate and she laughed. She had been reading a magazine and came across the word/herb Rosemary and thought of me. She said my father didn't remember how to make my scalp tonic and I explained it again. They won't remember it even though it is very easy so I'll just make up a batch for them, put it into a spritzer and send it with clear instructions.

Rosemary is a very useful herb in cooking, but it also promotes blood flow, which, in the case of the scalp and thinning hair, is very important. An infusion (or tea for the uninitiated) of rosemary used as a final rinse, and massaged into the scalp, when washing your hair will increase blood flow to the scalp and promote hair growth. Don't believe me? Ask if my hair isn't thicker. My father even noticed it when my parents were here and he asked me how it happened. Herbology is a fascinating subject and I've been studying for a long time.

Since I have been offline for a few days, I got back online this afternoon and began perusing my friends' journals and came across a very interesting and thought provoking post by the usually absent . You ought to check it out.

Basically what it says is that if you are unhappy with the way your county or state treats your civil liberties or your choice of marriage/commitment partner you can take yourself, your family, and your loved one(s) where they will honor your life choices, thus depriving the previous county/state of your tax and consumer dollars. In other words, make your choices known with the currently most powerful force at your command--your money.

Taking that thought a bit farther, it might not be a bad idea to consider moving offshore to Mexico, Pakistan, or India to take advantage of the lower cost of living and go where your job has migrated. You may get less money than what you earn in the U.S. but at least you can continue working and taking your job back. That would also send the legislature of this country a message: If you're going to let companies send my job elsewhere I'll follow the job and deprive you of my tax and consumer dollars.

You may not want to live in a foreign country, but this country is rapidly getting pretty foreign as the government solicits immigrants from all over the world, even to the point of financing their move, while it ignores the native population and their needs/concerns. It's just a casual thought on a dark and snowy night full of shadows and howling winds--at least here. Do with it what you will, but consider your options. You are the captain of your own life and if you fail to guide your vessel the tides and currents will take you where they will and not where you will.

That is all. Disperse.