Thankful Sunday, October 27, 2019

I am thankful that my spell check is fixed.

The old-fashioned spell check my mother used.
I still like to look in it sometimes.

I used to be a good speller. I got 100% on all of my spelling tests in grade school. I was runner up to the school champion at the spelling bee in 8th grade. I really never gave spelling a second thought. It was easy. Just use the phonics spelling rules, learn a few exceptions and that was that.

I was enlightened, when I had kids, that spelling was not so automatic for everyone. When Wally was learning to write, we thought he was just writing gibberish. That was until we got a program that read what he had written. And by golly, it was full of words, sentences, and stories. However, my mind that spelled most things correctly couldn't comprehend Wally's way of spelling. He helped me understand that spelling was something that was easy for some and not for others. But it was easy for me.

Jump ahead a few years to when word processing, including spell check, was widely available. Then I no longer had to remember how to spell everything, but I was still pretty good at it. Spell check was mostly catching my typos.

Leap ahead more years and the "use it or lose it" principle was starting work. I got used to spell check spelling for me and I wasn't so good at spelling anymore. I knew that I just had to approximate the word and spell check would take care of the rest.

And now today, I don't know how to spell most complicated words and especially get mixed up with all of the short vowel sounds in words. Is it an e, i, or a that goes in that syllable? I don't always get it right. I have come to depend on spell check for that.

So when a couple of weeks ago, the spell checker on our email program stopped working, I was at a loss. The checker never found any problems, but I knew that wasn't right. I certainly hadn't sent out a weeks worth of emails without one spelling mistake. After some investigation, I figured out that the dictionary had been deleted. I fixed that and I'm back in business again.

So for the fact that the spell checker on my email program is fixed and I don't have to depend on my poor spelling skills, I am thankful.

Note: There is certainly a lot of discussion to be had about the pros and cons of how technology is changing our brains. Specifically in this case, whether or not it's good that spell check has taken away many of our spelling skills or that it has relieved us of spelling hassles so we can concentrate on other parts of communication. But I'll save that for another time.

(And we won't even go into auto correct, the old grammar rules we are losing with texting, etc.)

Random thoughts

Time for another random post of whatever jumps into my head. Well, not actually that because even I don't think I could make sense of all of the thoughts that bounce around in my head. I guess it would more appropriate to say that this is a post with no theme, no purpose, no main idea. One that would probably fail as an English assignment. But thankfully, those days are behind me, so let me ramble on.

I've had my first cold-weather cold. I could have picked it up anywhere, but I suspect it was the system-wide work meeting I went to last Monday with a couple of hundred other people. I was pretty miserable for a while, but I am on the tail end of it now. Perhaps the hardest part of the whole malady was not going to work for a couple of days. I could have functioned and done what I needed to do at work so it was hard to stay away. But I have finally learned that it is not being fair to my co-workers if I show up sick with something that I can spread to them. And maybe I would have been fooling myself to think that I could have functioned just fine, because I did more daytime sleeping than I ever remember doing while I was home those couple of days.

Last weekend, I acted on impulse and bought a bag of 50 tulip bulbs from Costco. My thinking went something like this. The picture is so pretty on the bag. And I love tulips in the spring. And we don't have any. And it won't take that long to plant them. And the price is good. So into the basket they went. However, there was one detail I forgot about when I was convincing myself that I just had to have them. I didn't have any beds with the right sunlight to plant them in. I was so proud of myself that I got down to business and prepared a new planting spot. But then there was a second problem that reared it's ugly head. The bulbs needed to be planted 6 inches deep and every inch I dug was filled with rocks, some big, some little, but all spade stopping size. I enlisted Ward's help and with a total of 4 man-hours, we planted 39 bulbs. I'm not sure where the other 11 will go, but by golly, the ones that are already planted better come up next spring and be beautiful just like the picture on the bag she says with a sneer instead a twinkle in her eye. It may take another couple of days before I get back to appreciating the time I spent in nature planting some of her wonders. :)

Recently on vacation, Ward and I visited Glade Creek Mill in Babcock State Park in West Virginia. The mill and its surroundings create a very photogenic scene and have been photographed many times. I was happy on this visit that I finally got to take my own picture of it. Lili of Creative Savv suggested that it would make a good jigsaw puzzle and I agreed. I thought it would make a perfect gift for Ward for Christmas since he loves to work puzzles. I have done this before with other pictures we have taken and found that if you get more than a 100 or so pieces, it can be very expensive.  Anyway, as I was researching "homemade" puzzles both on the internet and in our puzzle supply, guess what I found? A 1000 piece puzzle of the Glade Creek Mill. I don't remember having it, but in my defense, Ward is in charge of what is in our puzzle inventory. So I don't think I need to make another puzzle of that scene. I'll cross that one off my list of To Do's before Christmas. Now what am I going to replace that idea with? Think. Think. Think. Nope, I've got nothing.

Last night we had a few family and friends over to celebrate my sister's birthday. It was fairly low key with help from several directions. However, I think was the biggest help to me, was Theo. Because I have been staying away from the kitchen while I've been sick, I told him what we had planned so far and he took care of everything including the shopping and preparing. And for that I am thankful.

Being thankful seems like a good place to end, until next time...

Thankful Sunday, October 20, 2019

I am thankful for little things.

Yesterday was a busy day. Besides yard work, errands, and laundry, we were getting ready for a birthday dinner we were having for my sister.  Throw in a bad cold and it was turning out to be a rather tedious day. 

In the afternoon while I was folding laundry, my son called me to the back deck where he showed me a praying mantis on the railing.  It seemed to be enjoying the sunny spot it found on the cool day. We saw praying mantes frequently at our old house, but this was the first one I had seen in our yard since we moved.

Finding that small wonder of nature made me happy.  Sometimes it's the little things that can bring a smile to my face and for that, I am thankful.

Thankful Sunday, October 13, 2019

I am thankful for fall flowers.

The weather has been unseasonably hot. The weather has been dry. The weather has been cool. And through it all, flowers are still blooming. And for this fall beauty, I am thankful.

Here are a few of the flowers I'm thankful for in my yard.

The ever-faithful begonias have continued their bright blooms from early summer through now. I have definitely found the right flower for along our front walk.

And speaking of begonias, I've shown you before the begonias from last year that seeded themselves behind the bushes in the front. Now they have little blooms on them. You have to look hard to find them and I call them my secret garden.

One even made it the backyard and sprung up in the corner of the sidewalks.

When we first moved in, I planted these two mums to fill up a space. They were small, but have come back every year, bigger and better than before.

And speaking of bigger and better than before, these mums have also grown every year since we've been here. They were already in the bed when we moved in but have expanded by almost two feet over the last couple of years.  I have thought about moving some of them, but they are so happy in this spot, I am hesitant to do that.

These mums also play host to a lot of insects like this bee...

...and this cucumber beetle. I'm not sure what I should do with this beetle. Let it be, or get rid of it so our cucumbers won't be attacked by it next summer. More research needed on this.

Near the yellow mums are yellow cosmos. I got seeds for them from a friend in August and decided to plant them even though it was late in the season. I'm glad I did because we are enjoying the bright blooms now.

The canna lilies are starting to fade, but are still giving a nice shoot of red. 

Reflections

On our vacation, we toured the Weston State Hospital, formerly and now known as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. It was an interesting but not a fun place to visit, but we did because Ward had talked about wanting to see it for years. I found out on this trip that his desire was mostly to see the architecture of the grand old building up close. He likes to see how things are made.

Hospital in my town, internet source

Visiting it was a very difficult decision for me. I grew up in a nearby town that also had a state hospital. I had a childhood of memories to go with it-some good, some bad. The hospital in my town sat on a big hill overlooking the town. It was a long, Gothic, red brick building with a foreboding appearance that we could see easily from our house. Most days we could hear continual yelling from some of the patients there. We could also hear the constant squeak from swings that patients swung on all day long. We had patients write to us, begging my mother to help them get out. I was afraid of the place when I was little.

When I got older, I went with groups to sing carols and take cookies. My sister went with youth groups to play pool with other youth who were there. Sometimes we would babysit for doctors who lived on the grounds. And sometimes, my friends would be admitted there to deal with drug problems. But everyday, we lived the rhythm of our lives by the whistle that would blow at the hospital--7 am, noon, and 5 pm.

It was an important employer for our town and our neighbors and friends' parents worked there. And some of the residents were important people in our town, too. Teddy was the paper boy whom everyone depended on to be the first out with the paper. Robert had the most beautiful speaking and singing voice I'd ever heard and frequently visited churches to preform. And Esty, who did different jobs for people, was the hardest worker and had the most colorful expressions I had been around. Sometimes she would come help my mother and we would work all day trying to keep up with her. Those are just a few of the people from the hospital who integrated into our town.

After I became an educated adult, I learned that during the 100 year history of the hospital, that sometimes things were bad. Very bad even with the best of intentions. I wasn't sure that I could enter a hospital that was so similar to the one I grew up with. I had very mixed feelings about it.

But I did enter the other grand, Gothic building for a tour. And as soon as I entered I was surprised as  tears started to flow.  But they didn't last. I was able to tour throughout the building--some of which had been restored and some that was in disrepair. One of the things I was worried about was that these tours were taking advantage of the people who used to live there and who were treated there. I felt better after the tour to know that they were very respectful of the former patients. I was also happy to know that people who had grown up with the hospital were leading the tours. They seem to have a knowledge and empathy that I don't think you could have gotten from someone outside of the area just stating facts.

I'm still not sure how I feel about my visit to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I don't yet totally understand the strong reaction I had to just walking into the building, but I do know that it has occupied my thoughts.  I may share soon some of the actual history of the hospital. It is very interesting just as a history lesson.

Note: All the revenue from the tours is put back into the building to help with restoration.

Thankful Sunday, October 6, 2019

I am thank for fotor.com.

When I first started blogging, I used the free photo editor Picasa. It worked great.  Besides basic edits, it made collages and blurred things out. Then Google bought Picasa and retired it. After that, I have been on a long search for a replacement. I had PicMonkey for a while, even bought the advanced version, but it was awkward to use and, in my opinion, wasn't worth the cost. Then the other day I found a free version of fotor.com. It's the standard set up. The program offers you basics and you can pay for more advanced features if you want. I was thrilled because with the free version, I found a way to blur out personal things in a photo so I can post it.

So for the free photo editing app, fotor.com, I am thankful.

I am also thankful for my cousins, some of which I saw at my recent family reunion. However because of fotor, you won't be able to see them very well. Just as I had planned. And for that, I am thankful.

Home again, Home again jiggity, jig

or My Trip Back Across the Mountains

For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.

Day Seven:
Chips, Cataracts, and Cats

We decided that even though we had been enjoying this trip, it was time to go home today. 

We couldn't leave West Virginia without getting a bag of Mr. Bee
potato chips, the only potato chip made in WV. They are made in Parkersburg
which was the 1st part of our trip.

We had about a five hour drive back, so we decided we would stop along the way at Swallow Falls State Park in Maryland and take a hike. On the map it seemed just a little out of our way. But it seemed a lot our of the way as the GPS took us on miles and miles of dirt roads to get there. Earlier in the week, we had been happy to explore several places on back roads, but when you are starting to think about getting home, they can be annoying after an hour or so. But we eventually found the back entrance to the park.

 The park had a loop hike that went past four different falls on the Youghiogheny River. The water levels were very low so the falls were much smaller than normal but they were pretty all the same.

On the way out, we finally found the front entrance to the park.

We are home now and the car is unloaded, but much of our stuff will have to wait until tomorrow to get sorted and put away. The cats are demanding that we pay attention to them. Even though Theo took good care of them, they have missed our laps.


Until next time...

Day Six, My Trip Across the Mountains

For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.

Day Six:
Moving, Mines, and Mental Hospitals

Today we moved our base from Beckley to Weston. It was another hot, dry day but most of our time was either spent in the car or touring indoor things.

Before leaving Beckley, we made one last stop at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. In 1953 the city of Beckley bought the abandoned Phillip mine and reopened it almost 10 years later as an exhibition mine to help to educate the public about coal mining. 

We took a tram down into the mine that was driven by Marvin, our tour guide. He was a retired miner and said that he had had just about every job in the mines except electrician and boss. Here is he is showing a bird cage that would house the canary that helped monitor air quality. When the bird died, you had about 15 minutes to find fresh air.

The mine was forced out of business in 1910 by bigger companies. We were seeing the mine as it operated in 1910 when it closed. However, they had newer machinery displayed for us to see along the way.

Outside the mine were representative buildings from a coal camp. Each one had been in a coal camp and moved to this area. And each building had a guide who had lived in a coal camp or had a relative who had lived in one. Everyone was very friendly and eager to tell what they knew about their particular area.

Each building had a guide, that is, except this one which was too small.  This was a bachelor's shanty meant for one person.

Inside of the bachelor shanty. Looks pretty nice because apparently his grandmother embroidered and crocheted things for the inside.

A little more information about the miner's shanty.

Coal has been an important part of West Virginia's history and continues today as an important part of the state's economy.  It has provided many jobs--but jobs that are dangerous with long term health effects. This exhibition mine gives a small glimpse into that.

After that stop, we headed north to our destination of Weston to tour the abandoned Weston State Hospital, formerly and now known as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The hospital building was begun in 1861 before West Virginia became an independent state from Virginia in 1863. After the Civil War, it was completed and admitted its first patients 1864. Construction continued throughout the years.

The hospital operated until it closed 1994. It remained abandoned until it was bought by Joe Jordon in 2007. He has begun restoring it and is giving tours to help with the expenses. We had an excellent tour guide who went through what happened in different locations of the 1/4 mile long building and the changes of treatment for mental illness throughout the years. It was an informative tour about a very difficult subject.

Until next time...

Day Five, My Trip Across the Mountains

For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.


Day Five:
Gorges, Girders, and Grist Mills

It was another warm day with no rain. Our main goals of the day were to visit the New River Gorge Bridge and do laundry. We accomplished both and more.

The New River Gorge National River is run by the National Park Service. The park is 53 miles along the New River which has cut a deep gorge through the surrounding mountains. There are trails, overlooks, historic sights, visitor centers, trains, and many other things. So our first stop was at one of the visitor centers to get help to plan our day.

After we watched an overview movie, we decided the first order of business was to take a hike to one of the overlooks. The weather was hot and the trail went up hill both ways. Or at least on the way back. I got tired. but I survived. The scenery was beautiful along the way.

We saw wilted azaleas all over the area. Southern West Virginia is in a drought and drinking water is threatened because some of the streams are 75% below their normal water levels.

At the end of our trail, we got a good view of the bridge that crosses the gorge. The bridge is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. For scale, the white dot on top of the bridge is a big truck.

At another spot, we got different view of the bridge.

And Ward climbed lower to get a better look at the girders.

As the afternoon was heating up to near 90, we decided to go to nearby Babcock State Park.

Besides camping and hiking, Babcock is home of the Glade Creek Grist Mill. It was assembled from three other mills and is a replica of a nearby mill. It operates on the weekends. 

On the way back to our hotel, we drove through the bottom of the gorge and got to see the New River up close.

We had dinner tonight at Tamarack. Tamarack is a collection of arts and crafts made by West Virginia residents. It also has artisans demonstrating how their work is made. After we ate, we enjoyed browsing the variety of handmade items there.

Until next time...