M is for Model Engineering Show

Last weekend, I went to model engine expo with Ward and Theo. The show consisted of an entire convention hall filled with model engines and related things. Most of the engines were small scale, steel replicas of steam engines. Work to construct them was carefully done including making and casting molds for various pieces. They were remarkable works of craftsmanship and engineering. However, the expo did not hold my attention nearly as long as it did Ward's and Theo's who were also excited by the tools that were offered for sale. So while they were studying the finer points of gear ratios and vises, I took a few pictures.

There were rows and rows of various sizes and kinds of model engines.

Ward was interested in the Cyclops nail remover. It must be able to remove some pretty big nails because it was very heavy for me to lift.

An attraction for many kids (and adults) was this large course for remote control trucks.

There was also a lake for remote control boats. We were very impressed with these kids who didn't even dip a finger in the water. We commented to Theo that he would have been swimming in there at their age.

These men were watching a welding demonstration.

This was a working model of a factory where one engine drove all of the machines.

At a display of rings for sale, this man was trying to figure out the birthstone for April. 

This was a demonstration of a computer controlled milling machine.

This WWII veteran was my favorite spectator of the day. He quietly moved from display to display without comment.

L is for Lineman

My father was a lineman for the electric company.  He spent his entire career climbing poles and working with high voltage wire, and it was a job that suited him well. He loved being outdoors and physical work. In fact, when he was offered managerial positions, he declined because he didn't want to be inside all day. His mother should have known that this might be the career he would chose when she saw him as a boy jumping from tree to tree playing tree tag.

However, there were parts of the job that were difficult and that's what I remember most. Daddy had to go out anytime day or night in the worst weather because that was when there was usually a power outage. Severe thunderstorms with lots of rain. My father was out. Ice storms. My father was out. Deep snow. My father was out. Sometimes for days. One time he worked 54 hours straight without a break. Luckily since then, there is a rule that you can't work that long at any one time. But linemen still work very long hours in very difficult situations.

Which brings me to one of my pet peeves--people complaining about how long it takes to get their electricity back on after a storm. When it takes more than a few hours, the complaining starts. News reporters go out and get man-on-the-street comments about how bad the electric company is and how things should be fixed by now. No one seems to think about what might be involved to get the electricity working again. It takes a lot of hard physical work usually done in severe weather conditions.

Enough lecturing. But you know, we all have buttons that can be pushed and you just learned one of mine.

The picture is of an amazing cross-stitch done by Aunt Martha. The man on the pole looks much like my father did including the blue jeans and work shirt he is wearing.

K is for Kindness

Yellowstone National Park

I think people are inherently kind. It's in our DNA because it helped our chances of survival at one point in time. If we were kind, we would be more likely to be included as part of the group that provided food, shelter, and protection. Or some such thing like that. Playing armchair anthropologist is fun.

But I really do believe that most people are kind. Oh, there are times when someone is having a bad day when they aren't showing their kinder side, but I think that is more the exception than the rule. To prove this point, I asked a few people for examples of little acts of kindness that they had done or had had done for them recently. At first some weren't sure they had anything to say, but with more thought, they had a lot to say. I think this means that kind acts are so much a part of our everyday life that it takes a minute for us to remember them. Here are a few of the examples I got. (For consistency, I am writing all of these as if the person were the recipient of the kindness.)

--I was getting ready for my first high school dance and was having a problem tying my tie. My neighbor helped me tie it.

--I had been having some difficult days at work and one of my coworkers showed up with balloons to brighten my mood.

--I was stretching to reach something off the top shelf at the grocery store and a stranger helped me reach it.

--I had been to an auction and a stranger helped me carry my purchases to my car.

--I had my baby in a backpack and his shoes fell off. A stranger jumped in and helped me pick them up and then volunteered to carry some of my other things.

--I was having problems with my homework and my neighbor sat down with me and figured out the whole lesson.

--I hadn't been feeling well for a while and a friend brought a meal to me and did the errands I needed done.

--I had been feeling really down since my husband died, and a friend called.We had a long talk and I felt much better when we were done.

--I couldn't find a quarter to get a shopping cart at Aldi's one day and a stranger gave me one.

--I asked the neighbor to borrow a tool for some plumbing I was doing and he not only lent me the tool, he helped me with the whole job of installing the hot water heater.

--I got a book that I had mentioned once that I would like to have from a friend completely as a surprise.

--"I had been staying with friends for a couple of months while I was recovering from a knee operation. Yesterday I packed up all my stuff drove back to my house. One of the friends with whom I was staying, packed some cookies and raspberries in a container and hid it in my car. This morning when I was thinking, "Woe is me, I have no food in my house! What shall I eat for breakfast?" I discovered the wonderful gift. There has rarely been a finer breakfast than chocolate chip cookies with raspberries."

--There is a remarkable woman and her family who live on my street. The woman is battling an aggressive form of cancer. As a thank you to the neighbors for all of our support, they threw a block party. The party was an example of great cooperation and kindness for all involved.

--I was at a market with my mom and I was really bored. A big guy (teenager) organized a game of tag for us. It was a lot of fun.

Yellowstone National Park

And now an example of my own. A couple of years ago, Ward and I were vacationing in Yellowstone National Park. Besides enjoying the breathtaking scenery, we noted what a good mood everyone was in. Even in the crowded areas, there was no jostling for the best vantage point or annoyance with the line for the bathroom. This good mood extended to helping each other when people were trying to get a picture of their family or themselves with beautiful scenery behind them. In one of these spots, I was trying to get a picture of Ward with a waterfall behind him when a young man offered to take our picture together. We gladly agreed. After he had gotten a couple of pictures, a woman offered to take a picture of our whole family and insisted that the young man join us in the picture. At that point, it was just easier for him to join us than try to explain what was really going on. So we got a nice picture of ourselves with a kind young man who was our "son" for that time. We all smiled as one kind act led to another--with a twist.

Have you done any random acts of kindness recently or had any done for you?

J is for June

J is for June and the rest of the Cleavers

Many of you know that my aliases for this blog are based on the Leave It to Beaver sitcom from the early 1960's. However, some of you new readers may not realize this. My husband is Ward, my sons are Wally and Theodore (Beaver) and I am June. When I chose these aliases for my blog world, I didn't think much about them except there were the right number and gender in the Cleaver family, and they were from a show that made me smile. I remembered that Beaver and Wally always got themselves into scrapes that frustrated their parents but from which ultimately everyone learned a lesson. Since picking the Cleavers, I've leaned a few other things about the show:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_It_to_Beaver

--The makers of the show wanted to get gentle laughs. If anything got a really big laugh, they changed the script to make it more of a chuckle or smile. 

--June wore pearls and heels when she was cooking and cleaning around the house. This was often made fun of because it was so unrealistic. However once I heard an interview with Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played June, and she explained why those wardrobe choices were made. Apparently the hollow at the bottom of her neck looked strange on film, so they had her wear pearls around her neck to fix the problem. Also, as the actors who played Wally and Beaver grew, they wanted her to be taller than them so she would to still look authoritative as a parent. Thus, they had her put on heels.

-- Leave it to Beaver was the first TV show in which the kids were the main focus and not the parents. 

So there you have it. Leave it to Beaver in a nutshell. Gotta go now because Ward is calling.

But Wait There's More:

 If you read here very often and you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that several other major and minor Leave It to Beaver characters show up in my posts. They are aliases for various other family members and friends.

I is for It's a Second Look

Okay, I know that It's stretching It for today's "I" theme to be "It", but I haven't done a Second Look this week. It's time to get one in.

Our first daffodil bloomed this week and others are following. There are still crocuses and snowdrops blooming, but they are on they are fewer in number. We saw more goldfinches at the feeder this week. Maybe they're here to coordinate with the daffodils. :)

Here are some things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

The first daffodil 

Also new this week, the pieris japonica bloomed.

The deer are enjoying the day lilies that are coming up. :(

The hellebore I planted last fall is blooming.

Crocus are blooming, but not as many as before.

The last of the snowdrops.

Sparrow and goldfinch pair

The female cardinal flew away just as I was taking this picture.