Theory........

    January 2023, is about history. Days, months, years certainly seem to fly by. Perhaps it’s a factor of our maturity. Think about it. When a child is five, it seems to that child that Christmas will never come. When one is eighty Christmas seems to come almost every month. Why that difference in perspective? Perhaps it has to do with life experienced. When one is five years old, a year is one fifth of their experience. If a person is eighty years old, one year is one eightieth of life experience. Obviously one fifth is much larger, ergo longer.

Well, that’s my theory and I’m sticking with it.😊

Takk for alt,

Al

A destroyer running parallel to our aircraft carrier. The navy called them 'tin cans' and they provided a much rougher tide than the carrier. 1962

Norwegians say.......

     This morning was a test of the Norwegian adage “There’s no bad weather only bad clothing.” The air temperature for the morning walk was -12, and the wind chill -20. Wind chill, of course, assumes a person outside without clothes. Possessing good clothing, walking Kaia was fine. She possesses a fine fur coat so thrives on this cooler weather. She retrieves the bottles and cans she finds in the park. Apparently she has a need to bring me something and now that hunting season is past there are no pheasants to fetch. There was one other dog walker in the park who made a long detour around me while his dog lunged and barked. Kaia totally ignored them while demonstrating how a good dog behaves.

Takk for alt,

Al

       Standing in formation; Okinawa 1961....I'm in the picture.

Dog friendly...

     It’s always been interesting to observe human reactions to dogs in an elevator. Occupancy of a 15^th floor condo in downtown Minneapolis, as I did, gave significant elevator time. Trygve and Kaia accompanied me, serially of course, on those elevator rides. Now there are four floor elevator trips in the OFH.

    Dog friendly persons quickly reveal themselves in the confines of an elevator that holds a dog. They are the ones who immediately engage the dog, while sometimes ignoring the human who accompanies that dog. Other persons simply ignore the dog or may ask “What breed is that?” A few shrink into a corner as far removed from ‘four legs’ as possible.

    For 20+ years I’ve gone to a barber who came from Mexico where she still has a house. She’s VERY dog friendly. Her dogs are so important to her that she drives to her place in Mexico so she can take the dogs with her and not trust their care to another person. Currently she has two pugs and a chihuahua. Yesterday when I went for a haircut the pug, loose in the shop, came over to me while I waited. When I sat in the barber chair Maria draped the cloth around me to shed the clipped hair. Immediately the pug, under the cloth, climbed into my lap and settled down. She/he slept in my lap until Marie finished cutting my hair. Yes, I consider myself dog friendly.😀

Takk for alt,

Al

                 Mt. Fuji after a snowfall.

Mt. Fuji

      In all of the photos in travel books Mt. Fuji is pictured with a full snow cap. Leaving semi-tropical Okinawa for cold weather training in Japan, this was our first view of Fuji. It was about the beginning of November 1962, and the lack of snow was seasonal not an effect of global warming. Looking through the thin layer of clouds a little snow is visible on the highest part of the peak. The tents in the foreground was our housing.

Takk for alt,

Al

This comic re: Crankshaft's flametrower brought to mind yesterday's blog picture of using a flamethrower to burn trash. That picture was in Japan in a washout. The soil on the slopes of Fuji is largely ash and subject to dramatic washouts with heavy rainfall.

Fortunate

     Overnight we received one of those little nuisance snows, perhaps 1-2”, that bother those who have to shovel. As a former home owner, (well there’s The Little House but no need to shovel) cold seemed preferable to snow. Why? There is no need to shovel cold! Fortunately commuting is not part of my daily routine. From my kitchen table I can see the traffic on I-35E as it descends the hill from Mendota Heights to cross the Mississippi river. The speed of these vehicles gives a good indication of traffic conditions. Sitting with my breakfast observing the commuters reminds me of my good fortune...Yes, more for which to be grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                  Burning the trash.

Gratitude!

    It’s been awhile since I waxed eloquent about life as an inmate of the OFH. Entertaining is sooooooooo easy, just bring the guests to lunch or dinner. They, then, can choose from a special of the day or from a full menu. No food prep., no setting the table, no dishes to do and a quiet dining room that does not blast loud music. It’s a great atmosphere for conversation. What’s not to like? To top it off guests presented a loaf of homemade bread. Indeed, life is good and I’m grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al

            Actually had a haircut there several times.

Changed world.

    Think about it! Eight years in a one room country school house with all eight grades together. There was electricity, no phone, no running water and a mile to walk coming and going. There was little in that experience that prepared me for my current duty. Having been recruited to be an after school presence for my granddaughters a new app was downloaded to my smart phone. Back in the day the only smart phones were wrist watches worn by Dick Tracy in the comic book. The new app “Where’s the bus?” allows me to track the girls buses from school to their drop off point. It allows meet to meet the bus with little time spent waiting for its arrival! What’ll they think of next?

    The gap between my elementary school experience and today’s reality makes me feel like I must be 100 years old. Come to think of it, 100 is not all that far away.

Takk for alt,

Al

Neglected to mention readers also in IL and OR.

This is an extreme illustration of a previous blog about creating the world in which we live. 😊