Three Quotes

Out in blog land, some bloggers are taking the three quote challenge where they share three of their favorite quotes. Lois at TheEcoGrandma has shared hers and tagged me to do the same. It's not as easy as it sounds. As we all know if you have access to the internet, you also have access to endless numbers of meaningful, humorous, or helpful quotes.  So picking just three was next to impossible. However I "tried not to sweat the small stuff" and pick three that I have gone back to then and again over the years.

1. Everything you've ever wanted is one step out of your comfort zone. - Anonymous -

I am a cautions person by nature. I like to have things planned and predictable. My sisters say that I like to have control over things and I think they're right. That's how my cautious personality feels the most comfortable. And most of the time, planning is a very good thing. I find I waste fewer things including time and money when I have a plan. However, I think I miss out on somethings when I am always trying to be in control. 

One of the views from our spur of the moment hike.

So while I wouldn't exactly call me spontaneous or a risk taker, I am trying to get out of my comfort zone more often these days. For example, one time while driving the long drive back from my mother's house, I suggested we stop at one of the parks along the way for a hike. Usually the only stops are bathroom stops because we "have" to get back and do our laundry and whatnot to get ready for work the next day. Well, we did stop and had a lovely hike that took us to a great view. And we didn't really use up that much time. Now this is a favorite stop of ours. That was a small step out of my comfort zone, but one that had a big payoff.

When I thought about the quote more, I realized that I have more examples to share where I have stepped out of my comfort zone that have really made a difference for me, but it's time to move onto the next quote. I'll share those another time.

2. Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise.  ~Michael P. Garafalo,  gardendigest.com

Anyone who has tried to grow anything can relate to this one.  No matter how hard you try to plan (see quote #1), you have to realize that you can't control everything--especially Mother Nature. It might rain too much or it might rain too little. Storms may blow down branches (or whole trees) or hail may pelt your plants into oblivion. The bugs, birds, deer, rabbits, groundhogs, etc. may eat your whole garden one morning for breakfast. I've had all of these things happen to my gardening attempts--many times. When these things happen if "I didn't laugh, I'd cry."

The rabbits eat more than their fair share of what I don't want them to, but they sure are cute to watch.

So how do I deal with it? Sometimes not very well, at first, but then I remember Nature is a much bigger force than man/woman will ever be able to control and and you'll drive yourself crazy if you think you can. Then I try to shift my attention away from my garden to other parts of nature. How do thunderstorms form? Where are the rabbits' nests? What kind of bug is that? How many eggs did that bird lay? And I find that I get such enjoyment out of learning about those things that I forget about when my gardening doesn't work out the way I wanted. Well, I really don't forget about how all of my hard work was "changed" by Mother Nature, but I do try to "make lemonade out of lemons." That has been the whole purpose of my Second Looks. :)

(By the way, does anyone remember the Chiffon Margarine commercial from the 1970's with the quote, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" That is what has been playing in my head since I started writing about the gardening quote.)

3. He who laughs.....lasts. Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck had a great sense of humor especially about every day things and she was a great role model for us all. I try to channel my inner Erma and when I'm not in the best of moods, I try to remember that "Laughter is the best medicine" and do something to have a good laugh. It might be watching an old Andy Griffith show or a funny video on YouTube. Or I may just take a trip down memory lane and remember some of the silly things Wally and Theo used to say. Or maybe I'll check an Erma Bombeck book out of the library to read. 

Now for our laugh of the day, take a look at the titles of some of Erma's books.

• Just Wait Until You Have Children of Your Own, Doubleday, 1971. Written with Bil Keane.
• I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression, Doubleday, 1974.
• The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank, McGraw-Hill, 1976.
• If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?, McGraw-Hill, 1978.
• Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession, 1983.
• When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home, 1991.
• A Marriage Made in Heaven ... or Too Tired For an Affair, 1993
• All I Know About Animal Behavior I learned in Loehmann's Dressing Room, ISBN 0060177888 HarperCollins 1995

Thankful Sunday--July 12, 2015

Our library group lining up for the parade with the stacks of books and signs we carried.

I am thankful for the community I live in.

I live in a small community that was originally a rural farming town. While there are still farms around, it now might be better described as a suburban bedroom community for Washington, D. C. However, it still has its small town feel from years ago. That was evidenced this past weekend by Celebrate Mayfield* Days. This is an annual event that brings the area together for a little old fashioned fun. Friday night was a parade with fireworks afterwards and Saturday had the streets lined with vendors and activities for everyone.

Friday night I marched in the parade with my coworkers representing the Mayfield library. We were joined by 80 other groups from churches, youth organizations, and local businesses. And as always, Santa was the last one in the parade for a little Christmas in July. Whoever didn't happen to be in the parade was set up along the route with their picnic suppers watching. Although it was hotter than I would have liked, I had a lot of fun walking along and hearing the crowd cheer for the library as well as waving to my friends along the route.

Fireworks from Mayfield Days

After the parade Ward joined me at the fair grounds for the fire department chicken dinner which is one of their big fund raisers every year. As we were finishing our dinner, it was getting dark and it was time to find our spot to watch the fireworks. While there were plenty of people around, we had no problem finding a place for our blanket. The fire department put on a good show.  I could get a little mushy here and say that Ward and I felt like we were dating again. He has been working a lot of overtime recently and we haven't had much time to see each other. However, Friday was just about perfect as we snuggled together watching the lights in the sky.    Yes, that was a little too mushy. :)

Saturday had flea markets, a banana split eating contest, and a fun run among many other activities. I think you're getting the idea. I live in a place where simple things are still enjoyed. And for that I am thankful.  

*The name has been changed to be consistent with the Leave It to Beaver aliases.

A Second Look--July 8, 2015

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

The goldfinch are particularly bright during mating season.

Even though the deer have eaten most of the day lily booms. I can still find them here and there.

Grandaddy long leg's spider.

Hosta bloom

Can you find the well camouflaged toad?

The trumpet lilies are starting to fade.

Cameleon plant--This is a very pretty ground cover that the deer leave alone. However, like many ground covers, it really spreads. Knowing this, I planted it in a small area surrounded by concrete on all four sides. However, it has still managed to escape, but is not out of control.

The wren has added another egg and more feathers to line the nest.

Usually we see the hummingbirds hovering over the feeder as they drink the nectar. This one decided to stay awhile and rest her wings while she was sipping.

Driver's Licenses

The other day, I was reading an Archie comic from 1942 that got me wondering about something. The comic starts out with Archie in his new jalopy telling Betty that he just learned to drive yesterday. Just learned to drive yesterday and is now driving his own car? No time with a learner's permit? Could you indeed get a driver's license that fast or did you even have to have one in the early 1940's?

I had never really thought about it before, so I did some poking around and here a few of the things I found out. The first licenses were issued by Massachusetts and Missouri in 1903, but they were more like an ID card and no exam was required to get them. In 1908, Rhode Island was the first state that made you show your driving skills before they would issue you a license, and in 1913, New Jersey made you pass both a written and driving test before you could get a license just like today. Washington state was a bit more casual in the early 1920's when they only made you sign a paper that said you were a safe driver. No exams required. By 1935, 39 states issued driver's licenses but most of those did not require you to drive to get them. The last state to join the others and require a driving exam was North Dakota in 1959. I guess what all of this early history means is that it may have been entirely possible for Archie to have only learned to drive yesterday and be driving a car he owned the next day. And if you know Archie, he may have needed a little more experience before he set off on his own. But then I guess, there would be no story. :)

When I learned how to drive, I had to pass a written exam to get a learner's permit and a driver's test that required the dreaded parallel parking to get a official license. When I went to take my driving test, I was very nervous about the parking, but hoped for the best. My tester for the day got in the car with me and told me to drive down the road. (In our area, we had no official driving course, you just did what the policeman said.) It was a curvy two lane road which was typical for the area. After a little of this, he asked me to pull off into a gravel parking lot at a church and turn around. That was it. No three-point turns, no parallel parking, just an easy turn and back down the road to the police station. It was as simple as that and I had my license. I don't know whether the policeman was tired or I looked like I knew what I was doing, but I realize that I got lucky that day.

By the time my sons were getting their driver's licenses, things were a lot different. After getting the learner's permit, they had to log a lot of hours of different kinds of driving. Testing took place at a course designed to test various driving skills including the dreaded parallel parking. What I thought was really smart was the parking was the first thing on the course. If you couldn't do that, you immediately failed and didn't take up any extra time on the rest of the test. I thought that was a good efficiency measure on the part of the testing center.

So what did you have to do to get a driver's license?

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What to know some more details about licensing?

http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/exhibition_8_2.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5552087_history-drivers-license.html

Thankful Sunday--July 5, 2015

I am thankful for the bird feeder baffle.

We spent a long time trying to outsmart the squirrels from getting into the bird feeder with no success. Finally, this baffle seemed to do the trick. Oh, occasionally they get past it, but mostly they are baffled. :) Now the poor squirrels have to eat the abundant acorns, walnuts, and berries in the yard, as well as the dropped seeds below the feeder. But I guess to the squirrel, the seeds are always tastier when they come from the feeder. :)