The Changing Seasons

THE DARKNESS OF MORNING

There was a time, a few weeks ago, when I set out on my morning walk or run, that the little birdies would be singing their good mornings to each other before the sun cleared the mountain east of town.
Not now.

When I set out lately, it is still dark, with no hint of light or color in the eastern sky.
And all I hear are crickets.
Zillions of them.
And a dog or two barking at probably nothing sufficient to warrant such a vociferous response.

I get amused at myself on occasion in this environment because I am generally afraid of the dark.
This goes back to my very early childhood when I had horrible nightmare.
I was about two - small enough to still be sleeping in a crib and wear pajamas with feet in them.
I still remember this dream/incident to this day.
Down to the last detail.
I will not go into the details here (refer to my autobiography for that, ... oh, wait, I haven't published it yet...) but sufficient to say that it started me off with a deep and abiding distrust of the sunless hours.
Sort of like a vampire in reverse.

This was true even when I was a teenager in Southern California.
My parents knew of my proclivities and took advantage of them from time to time. (like the one Halloween they hung a five-foot tall cardboard skeleton from the ceiling light in my darkened bedroom.)

Or the time my family went camping on the California coast.
My mom and dad (step-dad, technically) and me and my (male) friend (whose name I cannot recall at this time) were taking a leisurely walk at dusk along a deserted country road near the campground.
My parents were walking about fifty feet behind my friend and I.
We had just seen a couple of small bats flitting around above the big trees and had made a comment to that effect, when my dad, sneaked up behind my friend and I and rattled a small branch with dried leaves on it he had found lying by the side of the road.
The two of us set a new world record for the 100 yard dash before realizing that we had been perpetrated against.

With that background, I am amused at myself some mornings as I set out in the silent darkness.
Actually it is not really silent.
There are the afore-mentioned crickets.
And there are cars humming in the distance.
And if the breeze is from the southwest on a weekday, I can hear Our Guys shouting out their cadence slogans as they run on the Arsenal a mile away.

To make things more challenging, I do not wear my glasses.
But my distance vision is nearly good enough to not need them.
(I can read a license plate at about twenty feet or so.)

Most of the time I see no one.
But there are a few folks that are out at that hour (5:30 - 6:30) sometimes.
Like the older man (even older than me!) who walks in bermuda shorts and carries a shillelagh.
He wears his glasses.

Or the young black man who silently rides his bike slowly through the neighborhood.
He came up behind me one morning and set off my alarms.
But he just kept on going.
He wears a hoody and in the darkness you can hardly see his face (especially if one does not wear one's glasses).
From his speed, I surmise that he is going somewhere definite, but is in no hurry to get there.

Then there is the bald-headed man who walks his two small yapping dogs some days.
I can hear him (them) coming a block away.
And the barking (for no real reason) of his dogs, sets off all the dogs in the neighborhood to yapping back.
I am temped every time I see him to admonish him to teach his domesticated canines to not bark on a walk.
But I just wave and smile as I pass as fast as I can, to get away from his noisy animals.

I greet everyone I meet.
Most of them greet back.
And I wave casually to the few cars that pass my way.
You never know when you will need a friend.
Though my street is usually quiet, this is a high crime area with lots of drug and drug-related activity going on at night just a few blocks away.
On occasional nights I am awakened by gun fire.
So I carry my knife on my walks.

By the time I arrive home from my walks, the birdies are awake and tuning up.

THE RUN ...

... was good.
Sort of.
I was feeling pretty good and as I started out in the humid morning air, I had a persistent thought that I should try to go six miles today.
I audibly answered the idea, saying, "We'll see."
At the top of Hill One I flirted with accelerated breathing, but nothing distressing.
Near the top of Hill Two, more accelerated breathing.
But it quickly settled down.
Hmmm, six miles?
Maybe.

By the time I came to the point of decision near the end of mile three, I was not so sure about going for six miles.
There was a brief discussion about the option, with both sides presenting arguments.

I am not sure I am ready for it yet, the cautious side said.
You will never know until you try, the aggressive side countered.
I need to build up to it, caution shot back.
Just do it, aggression replied, it is only one and a half more miles.
What about possible injuries from taking too big a step, caution whined.
Nothing is hurting; what injuries?
I need to think about it, said caution.
Never mind, you just passed the turn-off.

And so, the six mile distance remained an idea.
Today.
And , indeed, there were no sore places during (of after) the session.
No ice picks next to knees.
No broom sticks poking left hamstrings.
No screwdrivers in hip joints.

But about one half mile from the finish, accelerated breathing came for a visit and stayed for the duration.
This did not stop me from a final sprint over the last fifty yards or so.
But it did vindicate the cautious side of me.
My time was about forty-two minutes so this was a pretty strong session.

A Must See

This is one of the most impressive political ads I have ever seen.
In case you have not seen it, here tiz......



More to come....
.

Date Of Up

Let the Royal Chronicles show that I ran 4.45 miles last Saturday.
It was a good run, even though I felt a bit fatigued.
It took forty-three minutes - longer than other sessions lately.
So the fatigue was not imagined.
But I finished strongly (or sprintingly).

I know you both will be enthralled to know that I have modified my workout/exercise plan.
Instead of a weight workout for legs on Tuesday, I ran three miles.

The logic for this is that instead of lifting 55,000+ pounds (total weight lifted [weight x reps x sets] in a typical leg workout) in a wider range of motion weight workout for legs, I am going to lift 1,045,440 pounds (5280 feet x 3 = 15840/2.5 [stride] = 6,336 steps x 165 pounds) in quick (2.5 per second) partial reps.

I will see how my body responds to this adjustment.

So now I am walking three miles on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings.
I run on Tuesday (three miles) and Saturday (four point four five miles) mornings.
And I do upper body weight workouts on Monday and Thursday.
As you see, there are no days "off".
For now, a three-mile walk is the "off" day activity.

FOR THE RECORD

I do not believe that Senator Barack Husein Obama was referring to Governor Sarah Palin in his "put lipstick on a pig" comment Tuesday.
The McCain campaign would do well to not try TOO hard to make something out of EVERY little thing that Mr. Obama says.
It could be seen by an increasingly aroused electorate as silly and a waste of time on the trivial.
That could backfire on the Maverick and his gang.
They should stick to the themes of change and the inexperience/ineptitude of the Illinois senator himself.
He is an easy target from those angles.

The Republicans have of good thing going with Governor Sarah Palin.
Go for the ride.
Let her run.
I think she has good political instincts.
I could be wrong, but she could be the next Ronald Reagan of the American conservative political movement.
She may look thin on experience (compare her experience to that of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt) but often, great people rise to greatness out of common/average beginnings.
So far I am very impressed with the lady.

More dream dialog coming....
.

Dreams

In the last week, I have had two dreams that involve Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin.
Both dreams have to do with an interview and a segment of debate.
I have written down as much of the details of these dreams as I could recall, for your amusement.
Following is the first installment:

INTERVIEW

Rachael Maddow MSNBC:
As we just saw in this video clip of you speaking at your church, you said that the American troops were on "a mission of God". Do you really believe that? And if so, why?

Governor Palin:
I believe that the effort of our brave soldiers to free the Iraqi people from a tyrant and totalitarian regime is a method that God can use to help open Iraqi society to more modern influences. Influences that can help the Iraqi people gain...

Rachael Maddow:
But how is that a mission from God?

Governor Palin:
I believe God wants all people to be free to live as they want to. Free to work where they want, go to school where they want, worship where ...

Rachael Maddow:
But the people of Iraq already have a religion. Isn't the intervention of the United States in their country forcing something on them that they do not want?

Governor Palin:
No. The only thing we forced on anyone was on the corrupt government of Saddam Hussein when we removed them from power. Now the Iraqi people are free to ...

Rachael Maddow:
Well, okay, back to the comments you made in your church. With such strong personal religious beliefs, do you believe in the separation of church and state?

Governor Palin:
Yes, I do. That is part of our history and it is part of our culture.

Rachael Maddow:
Well, some would argue that such strong personal religious beliefs could keep you from governing in a way that was equitable and fair to all people, especially those with beliefs different from yours. For instance, your anti-abortion stand limits the choices of women who become pregnant as the result of a rape.

Governor Palin:
I have a record as a mayor and a governor that demonstrates that I can work with all kinds of people and work for them as well. Taking a position in defense of the unborn is a moral choice that sometimes has difficult consequences. But the woman who has experienced a sexual assault, as traumatic as that is, is not facing certain death, just a few months of inconvenience. The baby, on the other hand, if facing certain death, if abortion is the ...

Rachael Maddow:
But, Governor, some would say that such strong positions on morality because of your personal religious beliefs forces those moral beliefs on many who may not accept those religious beliefs.

Governor Palin:
That would be true no matter what moral code was used to pattern our laws. But law, almost by definition, is a moral code. So there has to be some basis for our ...

Rachael Maddow:
But what do you say to the many people in America who do not agree with your religious beliefs and who do not agree with many of your political positions that are based on those beliefs?

Governor Palin:
I say to all Americans, you need to examine your choices before you, and choose the party and the ticket that will move this country beyond the business-as-usual pattern that has been in place for the last twenty years or so. I understand that not everyone will agree with me on every issue, but a presidency of John McCain will change how ...

Rachael Maddow:
But, Governor, don't you think that most Americans are uncomfortable with a candidate that has religious views that differ from their own?

Governor Palin:
I that depends on the candidate and the religion. I haven't found any opposition to my religion in Alaska when I ran for mayor or governor.

Rachael Maddow:
So are you saying that your strong religious beliefs will not affect your policy decisions?

Governor Palin:
No, I am not saying that. What good is personal religious beliefs if they have no effect on your day to day life? I am saying that my personal religious beliefs will guide me to make good policy decisions that will benefit the American people.

Rachael Maddow:
But, Governor, many Americans do not share your personal religious beliefs. Many of them are uncomfortable supporting a candidate with religious beliefs that are so different from theirs.

Governor Palin:
Are you suggesting that the only person suitable for public office is an atheist?

Rachael Maddow:
Of course not, I just ...

Governor Palin:
...Is the only value of religion to fill in a slot on a resume?

Rachael Maddow:
No, but, Governor ...

Governor Palin:
...Does the possibility of someone being offended by one's personal religious beliefs mean those beliefs must be ignored?

Rachael Maddow:
No, I am just asking you how you are going to address the concerns of many Americans who do not share your strong personal religious beliefs.

Governor Palin:
I am going to address those concerns by being consistent with my well-documented moral principles, and will govern with fairness and impartiality, just like I have as a mayor of a small town and I have as Governor of Alaska.

Rachael Maddow:
Well, moving on ....

..............................

More later....
.

Wedding Fotos on Photobucket

Here they tiz....

http://s394.photobucket.com/albums/pp23/Steev45/Josh%20n%20Teesh%20Wedding/

Hope the link works....

Okay, I checked this out and you can get to Photobucket with a copy, paste of the link into the URL address field.
That is not the slick link thingy I was wanting/expecting, but it will have to do for now.
But I am new at this.
If you want to look at the slide show, you can select that at Photobucket (it worked for me...).

There are several of these pictures that are too blurry (caused by dim light, shooting with telephoto lens, moving the camera, etc.) to suit my taste and so were not posted by me here, but are included at Photbucket.

DON'T BLINK 2

The posting by BasfsoGp got me to thinking about the general subject of "transitions".
Specifically, the growing up of one's children.
There are several songs about the subject.
The most recent is Don't Blink.

But there are several others written several years ago.
One of them has been recycled as a video about going away to war here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnI9pq60PX4

The song is "Watercolor Ponies" by Wayne Watson.

Here are the words of two more -

"Somewhere In The World Tonight" by Wayne Watson

Somewhere in the world today
A little girl will go out ot play
All dressed up in mama's clothes
At least the way that I suppose it goes
Somewhere in the world tonight
Before she reaches to turn out the light
She'll be prayin' from a tender heart
A simple prayer that's a work of art

And I don't even know her name
But I'm prayin' for her just the same
That the Lord will write His name upon her heart
Cause somewhere in the course of this life
A little boy will need a godly wife
So hold on to Jesus baby wherever you are

Somewhere in the world out there
That little girl's learnin' how to care
She's pickin' up her mamas charms
Or maybe, swigin' around in her daddy's arms
Somewhere in the world to be
Through the future's not real clear to me
Theirs could be a tender love
Grounded in eternal love above

And I don't even know her name
But I'm prayin' for her just the same
That the Lord will write His name upon her heart
Cause somewhere in the course of this life
A little boy will need a godly wife
So hold on to Jesus, baby wherever you are


And a song from the 70's, "Where Are You Going" -

Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two,
turn around and you're four,
Turn around, you're a young girl going out of my door.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you're a young girl going out of my door.

Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turn around and you're tiny,
turn around and you're grown,
Turn around, you're a young wife
with babes of your own.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you're a young wife
with babes of your own.

Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my darling, my own?
Turn around and you're two,
turn around and you're four,
Turn around, you're a young boy going out of my door.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you're a young boy going out of my door.


And here are four more piktures from/about the wedding.




For BasfsoGp, here is a couple of shots to provide some perspective on how the closeup shot looked in the room.
It was quite dark for photography.



Here is another "perspective" shot of the two little munchkins.




Just for the record, here is the printed program.




And here is the inside of the program.
.

And Mo Pichahs

.
.
.
.
I have more pictures (see? I do know how to spel it.) but they are mostly pictures of the rehearsal dinner setup and odd candid shots.
I will be glad to post them is there is any interest.
Otherwise, they will remain for family distrubution.

Mor Pichers and Sum Thots

THE RUN...

... went surprisingly well.
I was tired from all the festivities on Thursday and Friday.
Plus, I did some work on the walls in my house patching the remaining holes in them.
I felt tired when I woke up but was determined to go the long course (barring any semi-catastrophic physical issues).
And I did.

My breathing, which is my gage to how strong/well I am/feel was right on the verge of level three rapidity after mile one (not a good sign).
But I was set on going the long distance (such as it is these days).
So I just settled in to loving the more rapid respiration rate.
The governing thot being "this is normal".
And I was reminded of my racing days when, in order to achieve good (as in, low) clock numbers, I learned that I had to push myself into rapid breathing after the first quarter mile of a 5K race.

So, I settled in to the pattern and made peace with it.
It is not my favorite way to go, but it is survivable.
And to my surprise, I was able to produce a bit of a sprint for the last fifty yards or so.
I was happee.


AFTER THE RUN

After my run Saturday morning, I found myself in a melancholy mood.
Upon reflection, I decided that it was the result of a combination of things.

One - My little Josh is now a man.
(Actually, he was before Friday but part of me was not taking that in.)
While part of my brain "knew" that, I realized that emotionally I have not embraced that fact.
So now it is time for dad to grow up and get a grip on reality.
I hate it when I have to do that.

Two - it was nice to be around the saints of Morgan City again.
After spending thirty years with a group of people it is not easy to leave that environment.
And seeing/visiting with them again was nice.
And it was troubling.
Many of them were teenagers - or less - when I last saw them.
Now, many of those same "kids" are married with babies of their own.
That makes me feel old.
And I realized I missed these folks.

And some of you may be thinking, this "problem" is self-induced.
To which I say, yes, at least to some extent.
But life takes some turns sometimes that cannot be anticipated.
And once some events take place (or decisions are made and acted upon) you cannot go back and start over.
And even if we tried, "things" will never be as if those events/decisions were never made.
So we are left with "things" in an altered state - maybe not as we wish them to be.
So there was that.

But it was a happy time.
And I pray that Josh and Tesia will live happily ever after...
.

Mo Pichas

I took over 100 pictures so it will take a while to get them all posted.

Here is the link to the professional site -

http://www.amberfordphoto.com/JoshTesia/index.html

Somehow, theirs turned out better than mine.
In spite of that, I will continue to post my pictures for the next few days.

The Big Event

And this.....



More to come....

MANY NEWSES

RUNNAGE

The Saturday session was a bit of a tussle.
I am not sure why.
I may have been "sick". (or it may have been too much late-night viewing of REAL athletes on the Olympics.)

Several times a year some un-named and unwelcome invasion will come to visit me, but will have insufficient resources to overpower my immune system.
The resulting malady will be of such low magnitude that I will hardly notice that anything is going on.
It will only manifest itself as slightly sub-par performance during one of my workouts for a day or two or three.

The weather was sub-hurricane cloudy and warm - about 72 - with a nice, warm breeze of about 5-10.
The journey up Hills One and Two were more difficult than I would have liked.
The trip to the summit of Hill Two was particularly taxing.
But I made it.

Mile two and three were more pleasant which allowed me to daydream some.
It was only in mile four that I began to get weary.
There was a brief request from Whimp to stop and walk, which was unanimously rejected by Runner, Coach, and Running Central.
We all trotted on until the end, with a bit of a sprint for the last hundred feet or so. (more Olympic influence, no doubt.)

Then, after a shower and a hand wash of the running clothes, it was off to the planned men's group breakfast and workday at church.

SUNDAY

The walk around the neighborhood at 5:30 AM was done in the rain.
If you could call it that.
It was so light and sparse, I am sure that the oozing bodily fluids because of the warm temperature contributed more to the wetness of my shirt than did the rain.
It was enough to shut the neighborhood down.
Most of the dogs slept in, as did the humans.

MONDAY...

...was monsoon day.
Fay came and sat on us for nearly all the day.
I got a thorough and proper baptism running from my tax class to my car at noon.
Of course, when I got home, it was barely sprinkling.
Too late - I was soaked literally to the skin.

TA DA

I am pleezed to announce (and let the Royal Chronicles show) that the obnoxious wallpaper border that circled my living room is now all gone.
It took a lot of work (soaking, scraping, and pulling) to get it all off, but it is now gone and ready for its last trip - to the landfill.

Foam has been squirted into the last remaining holes in my walls.
This is different than the foam in the big tanks that I used previously, mainly because there is not enough volume to warrant more of the good stuff
The remaining holes are over the windows and door and it does not take much stuff to fill these cavities.
Thus, the little spray cans.
It looks like it will take about four cans.

Then I can complete patching the sheetrock.
And THEN - ta da - I can paint.

I am looking forward to the new colors (that I have been so strangely willing to delay. I mean, if I am really looking forward to the new colors, why have I put up with the muted beiges and off-whites for so long?).
Actually, when I first moved in, I did not mind the colors of the walls. (I DID mind the wallpaper borders, Grrrr... I HATE wallpaper.)
Anyway, I think that I did not know what I wanted to do with my house - color-wise - for several years.
But when I painted my bathroom, that helped me appreciate the difference color would make to the "mood" of the house.
I reelee like how my bathroom turned out.
So now I am looking forward to the color change in the rest of the house.

ION (in other news)

Josh and Teesh get married this Friday.
This will make less of a difference to me than it will to Mitchi.
He lives with her - for two more days - and she has enjoyed having him around.
I suspect that his move out will make her house much quieter.
And more lonely.
More adjustments.