Spring Has Sprung

Now that we are moving into April and spring has arrived everyone here in Western Washington is looking forward to some sunny days.

This week we have had the temperatures in the 60s and the sunny shining bright. April 1 it is forecasted to hit 70 degrees and that is no joke. Also, it is always nice to see Mt. Rainier out in its glory to.

The temperatures were mild during the winter and we only had one day where we had a little bit of snow here in Gig Harbor. The last three winters we have had very little bit of snow which I hope changes next year.

The rainfall this year here allowed the mountains to have their normal snowfall instead of what they had the last couple years. I am not a skier however I am sure those who do were excited to get back on the slopes do their skiing.

Last September the state declared a drought because of the lack of rain in 2015 however that changed quickly in October for sure. I call it God’s sense of humor us thinking we were in a drought. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reported around March 15 that they had forty-one inches of rain from October 1^st through March 14. So in less than six months we had as much rain we have normally for a full year. So I expect that no drought will be declared this year even if we do not have another bit of rain until this October.

We are accustomed to having rain showers for a few hours a day and then clouds the rest of the day with occasional sun however these last six months it was nice in the morning but at noon until midnight we had downpours. Not something we are used to on a regular basis for sure. It was more like our rainforests.

Last year we had sunny days from February through September most of the time. I am sure it would be welcomed by everyone this year as well. Usually I go out for walks everyday so I had to either skip walking some days or go early in the morning before the downpours happened. It is easy to walk when there are showers but nothing like that. Now that the sun is out I can go out for my normal walk. I still wear a cap so I don’t get burned on my head at all. Though I do like seeing the sun around I do hope we have a few showers once in a while during the stretch of the next five or six months. The main reason is so that the grass will stay green and a bit of change of weather. What I like about living here in Western Washington we do have four seasons unlike some places that have only two.

So if you want to come for vacation to Western Washington this is a good time to come instead of waiting until summer when it will be a bit crowded. There are so many things to see and places to go around here this time of the year. You can go either boating or hiking as well. That is what’s nice here we have the Puget Sound, Cascade and Olympic Mountains to visit.

So come for a visit now and check out Gig Harbor. Who knows maybe you will run into me and be able to say hello.    

I Hope To See You Again

On Sunday when I saw you

Is she the one for me I thought?

Our eyes met several times when we were looking at the baby girl in front of us

We were able to introduce ourselves to one another

I had to leave a little early so I was not able to talk with you at the end

Do you believe in love at first sight or does love always takes its time?

Whether it is another Sunday or not I hope we do meet again I feel the love in my heart for you

Do you feel the same way?

I have to say time will tell

In the meantime I love you

Using a Dictionary

I have thought about before however I have never mentioned. In fact I have to say that I have never followed through myself. I figure I really should to see how it really goes. We should all try looking up words in the dictionary. I am sure we will learn words we have never seen before and the ones we have used more meaning to them. What do you think?

I am sure we can all learn things we haven’t before and include words. One thing I am going to do now before going further here is to find an on-line dictionary. I know that I have a dictionary around here somewhere however having one on the computer makes it easier.

I figure if each of us can discover a new word every day the more we will learn. There are other things I feel the same way as well. For example learning history; we can all learn more about history as well whether it is local history or world history.

I find it is so easy to procrastinate in our lives. Oh yes there is a word you can look up to get a define definition. In fact I am going to do that right now. I am sure I will learn something for all of us. So here goes………

The main meaning of procrastinate is exactly what I thought because I am so good at it…. delay or postpone action; put off doing something. The next one I really like because it is truly me “drags one’s feet/heals. I love to do that a lot. Procrastinate is 16^th century Latin pro = forward crastinate= belonging to tomorrow

Now what I did was go to dictionary.com. What option they have which is really good and fits what I am saying. They have a word of the day. So the word that came up for today which I know I never heard of is cognomen. It is Latin as well. Have three common uses 1. Surname 2. Any name, especially a nickname 3. Last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person’s house family.    

 I have decided to add dictionary.com to my favorites. I am sure I will learn a lot especially checking on the word of the day. In the future I may use some of the words in a sentence. I scrolled down the page of dictionary.com and they show other past words of the day. None of them have I ever heard of. I am sure it will be interesting way to do this. I am going to check on some other sites.

Go ahead and see what you can do with this all. I think it will be fun as well as learning. Also, if you have children in school this would be a good way to teach them a new skill to.

All I know life is interesting and we can learn new things every day.  I hope to share new ideas in the future as well as talking about memories of the past. Of course most of all I want to encourage everyone including myself. Until next time keep your chin up.

Sharing Your Humor

I am sure that I have mentioned it before however I will again here right now that sharing humor can make someone’s day.

I don’t mean that you should be someone that is a jokester but someone where humor comes naturally. I know that I do on a regular basis throughout the day. Most of my humor is original and at times I will repeat something I have said before or I have heard from someone else. It all depends in the situation when I repeat what I have said funny before.

The most important thing about using humor is make other people’s day a lot better. We all go through things where someone uses humor will make our day or maybe in some situations our life.

Several years ago on social media a high school girl who was a counselor at a camp that my nephew Ian was a counselor at as well said that she really appreciated his sense of humor and that he should continue using it because she felt healing from it. She had been going through a tough patch in life like we all do at one time or another and his humor made her laugh. She felt as though she became a whole person again.

This is the thing about us reaching out our lives to others whether we are using humor or just talking to someone they just need someone to talk to them. I know that there are different ways to help other people. Like I said your talent could be humor or something entirely different. The most important thing is to be you. Don’t be someone you are not because others will look right through you. So my greatest encouragement for you today is being yourself. You may be surprised with the whole experience.

Humor or some other talent you have is what drives you however in the end it is truly you that has given you a new friend. So until next time enjoy your day my friend.

Happy Easter

I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. I have written about Holy Week a couple times this week so I won’t get into the history of Easter. Many people I know though call it Resurrection Day instead. Either way I think it is an important day for all of us Christians.

I remember growing up in the Episcopal Church and I did not really understand the whole idea of being a Christian until I was in high school. I was baptized as a baby which is accustomed in the Episcopal Church however I don’t really believe in that anymore. I believe it is the person who is being baptized to make the decision themselves because they believe in Christ and a baby does not understand it. I do believe though the parents can dedicate their children to the Lord whether as a baby or an infant. As an adult I was baptized again because of my beliefs. I was baptized in a lake instead of at the church as accustomed in Episcopal Church. I don’t actually attend the Episcopal Church anymore on a regular basis. I do sometimes attend with my mother at Christmas, Lent and Easter. I now belong to a non-denomination church.

As a child I do remember going Easter egg hunting though the memories are somewhat vague. It’s probably because I didn’t do a very good job finding them. I did get at least a couple eggs so nothing loss anyway. I understand my brothers did not do much better than me. I am sure other kids did not do that well either. The Easter egg hunt always took place at the city park that I spent a lot of hours at growing up. In fact the park still has the Easter egg hunt still today. I am sure those I knew back then are now taking their grandchildren.  

It is a really good tradition to have though I am not really sure what eggs or the Easter Bunny has to do with Easter. I am sure if I did a search in google I would find the whole history of the tradition however I think I really will stay from that. I am sure most kids are like me where Easter egg hunting was over a short period of time. I am sure I got tired of it all. I haven’t been to a hunt for quite a few years. Maybe I will go sometime just to watch the little ones go around running and looking for the eggs.

Another tradition I don’t understand that well and I probably don’t care either at this point is how ham was introduced in the Easter dinner. I was asked on yesterday whether I was having ham by a friend and I said no. The major reason ham is not good for me. When I had my gall bladder taken out in 2000 I had a bad reaction to ham so I have stayed from it. I am sure you are all interested in me saying this too. Ha ha. Of course it is another tradition for Easter I don’t understand either. It is OK as well as the other traditions. Though many traditions seem silly they are harmless too.

One last thing which is silly to but I decided to mention it anyway on Saturday talking to my brother Jack on the phone that I do almost every week I said “Happy Easter Eve”. He said that he never heard that before. My response I never have either I just made it up. I took it from Christmas Eve of course.

So again everyone have a fantastic and Happy Easter to you and your family.

Being a Happy Person

 

We do all realize when we have been around awhile everything does not go our way. In fact in our lives things go against us probably as much going for us.

I know in my life what I have desired most of all I am still waiting for to come about. In some instances I will never have my heart desire come true though I still hope they do come about. I do realize those desires when they do happen will make me a happier and better person however I can still be happy without them. You see I have learned over the years I must decide that I will be happy regardless of the circumstances. Why be miserable just because you don’t have everything you want. Life does not promise that we will get everything we want. Of course, we want us much as we can get because in the end we are selfish people even those of us who try not to be selfish.

What we have to decide in the end when we don’t get what we want it is important to find those things that will make us happy anyway. Sounds weird to me that I am writing we here a lot but that happens in a situation like this.

I have said on a many occasions in these writings it is important we find out what our purpose and destiny. Ultimately the purposes in our lives will make us fulfilling and happy.  

There are times in a day where I find it hard to be happy though things are going good. Our lives can be filled with emptiness and living like we are in a dry land. In those times we must draw within ourselves for hope and happiness. We must come back into the light from the darkness and despair. In these times we become stronger and happiness returns. Our purposes will come back to us knowing what we must do. Be happy today and let others be drawn to you.

Good Friday

As Christians celebrating Holy Week today Good Friday and Easter are the two biggest days of the years. Although Christmas is celebrating Jesus Christ birth for many this week is even more important. You see Good Friday is celebrating the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins. Not just for Christians but for all mankind.

If you really look what Jesus did on the cross he died no matter what your religion is or if you have no religion at all. What I say next is not kind but it was the religious people of his time that he had trouble with and they were the ones that had him crucified. Often are religious side of us is what gets us in trouble. We judge other people for being “sinners” when we do things often worse. In the Bible the book of Luke chapter 7 verse 34 says “The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you say “Here is a glutton and drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners.””

For Jesus the worse part of the experience was not the pain and death he wanted to know his Heavenly Father had forsaken him. God the Father had to so we all can live. You see we are all sinners whether we think so or not and sinners are not accepted the Holy God. You see sinners have to pay for their sin and so Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross to pay for our sin. It took a sinless man to pay for our sins.

On Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the cross he paid for our sin however he came back in resurrection power so we would have new life. You see Jesus did not just die for Christians he died for Muslims, Hindu’s, Jews and all mankind including those who asked that he be crucified.

So wherever you are religiously or spiritually Jesus Christ died on the Cross and then came back in Resurrection power for you. The next step that you can take wherever you are at even if you think you’re the worst sinner on the face of the earth is to believe in him and ask for his forgiveness. You now will be on a new journey in your life. If you know someone who is a Christian go to them to help you on this journey. Have a great day and welcome to the family of all believers.

Kayaking A Pleasure Sport

 Now that spring is here and summer is coming soon Western Washington is great place to be especially on the water. We have so much water mass it is good to get out on the water and have really good time.

Here in Gig Harbor you can rent out kayaks and paddle boards very easy. There are places right by the marinas that rent them so you go right into the water. The rentals of the kayaks are good for up to two hours. Last August when my brother Jack and his family were visiting we went out on the kayaks each having one to ourselves. You do have the option of going solo or two in the kayak.

Usually you do not have to worry about too much wind either. In Gig Harbor it is a really great way to get around seeing the homes on the waterfront. It may take you the whole two hours to get around the whole harbor. If you like going outside the harbor is a good option too when the air is light.

Of course you have to watch out for both sail and motor boats however during the week days it is not much of a problem. A paddle board is nice when it is sunny because you can just lay there if you want for a good tan. Personally I haven’t been on a paddle board yet however I may try one this summer and I will let you know how it goes.

There are places to if you live in the area where you can buy kayaks, paddle boards and canoes. If you are someone who wants to buy something less expensive than a sail boat or motor boat this is a great way to go. This is especially true if you like going solo.

I find kayaking a great way to spend the day for a family when on vacation. Not only good way to relax but you can have a fun time as well for $20.

My brother Jack actually built himself a kayak when he was in high school. He went to a private school and after winter break each student was able to do a project. So he built a kayak all out of fiberglass. In those days I didn’t see anyone else into kayaking so he was ahead of his time. Now kayaking in Gig Harbor is a cool thing to do. In fact Gig Harbor has a kayak club for middle and high school students. They actually have won national kayaking racing for quite a few years now. When I go out for a walk around the harbor on Saturdays I see the kids getting out their kayaks that are stored next to Skansie Park which is on the water front in downtown Gig Harbor. If I go a little later or stick around I can see them out practicing.

When you come to Western Washington I recommend that you find yourself somehow to get on the water or at the least walking around the waterfront whether it is here in Gig Harbor, Seattle or one of the other cities in the area. So have a great day and spend time on the water.  

Make Life Simple

This week being Holy Week and then yesterday hearing about the bombing in Brussels I feel it is important that we all make life as simple as we can. Not an easy task at all. Like any change it will take time for us to make life simple.

I believe there is no coincidence of what happened in Brussels and Holy Week. I am sure ISIS has been planning on this bombing for quite some time maybe even before the one in Paris. I am sure they have other ones planned coming up to follow. The key is for countries like USA, France and Belgium that their intelligence departments find out where the next one happens and stops it first. We can tell not easy thing to do.

Another thing about having a simple life is we can’t allow fear to get us down when situations like yesterday happen. This is where faith, hope and love come in.  Not an easy task but necessary.

Another area I am working on to make life simple is to organize things. Not easy either since change is always hard to deal with even when you know it must happen. For example, this is tax season so I am helping my mother to organize all the documents she has to send to her accountant and saving those she keeps as well. Along with that I have put a place for her to pay the bills on time. I told her she should pay them as soon as they come in however you probably know that is easier said than done. We have a bag where we place junk mail in. Of course it is bigger than the bills and documents that is for sure. When the bags are full or at least close to shred them.

Besides organizing her things I have to do the same for myself. Yet another job that will likely take some time; I not only have to get rid of some lovely paper junk I have to organize my closet. Get rid of those close items that I don’t like or I don’t wear. Actually they are the same thing generally. I figure the key to it is baby steps. A little bit a day at a time. The big problem is it so easy to put off to tomorrow which leads to the next and the day. So I am going to start today even if I only spend five or ten minutes to do so. This is where baby steps come in.

I figure this goes for losing weight as well. Another task that is not easy to do. When it comes to losing weight I figure to lose one pound a week until the weight is where I want it. Sounds simple but it isn’t as easy as I thought.

In the end doing all these tasks life will be simple. I hope that I have convinced you. Remember start with baby steps and you will have a wonderful day.   

Holy Week

For Christians across the world this is the most important week of the year celebrating the life and death of Lord Our Savior Jesus Christ; also the resurrection where he came back to life after three days.

For most those who do not understand what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross think it is just a religious holiday. This is true for those who have made Christianity a religion and not the way of life.

There are those who think Christianity is like any other religion and that is not true at all. We are all sinner who have lost their way and Jesus Christ crucified himself for our sins however it is even more than that we must lay our lives down as Christ did for us. Not an easy thing to do but that is what he asks us to do. We can’t do it in our own strength but in his strength. John 3:3 speaking to a Pharisee leader Nicodemus he replied to him Jesus saying “no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. What he means is not in the natural but in the supernatural. This is why not in our own strength.  Luke 18 verse 27 Jesus replied “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Possibly  the most important words Jesus said  is the most recognized words quoted by him John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that  he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Not only are the strongest and most important words they are the simplest words as well.  You do not have tried to be the strongest person or think that your life will change on its own. None of us are perfect and we have all sinned. We have not met his mark of righteous and we never will. This is the reason that Christ put his life down for us. He was the perfect man who did not sin but he put sin on himself so we can be righteous in the eyes of God. The simple thing we need to do is confess our sins to him and ask forgiveness. This is all about belief. We don’t have to be religious and we can be anywhere in our lives just confess and believe.

You can do this right now if you like and not wait another second. Enjoy this week and be holy as Christ is holy.

You Are the One For Me

The day we met I knew my life would never be the same again

You opened my eyes to a new world

Right then I believed in you

You are the one for me

I wake up in the morning knowing you are right next to me

When I am in the battle your love comforts me

My dreams become your dreams

Others may not believe in me I know you do

Walking hand by hand puts a smile on face

The world is a safer and more loving place with you on my side

People may laugh at me however you laugh with me

No matter what others say to me I know you are the one for me

Each day is a new day

The sun comes up and you make me shine

At night when the stars come out I know the day has been good

Your love makes me strong

You are the one for me

Taking Care of a Parent

Many cultures they have had multiple generations living together under one roof for hundreds of years however it is more of a new idea here in the United States of America for children taking care of at least one parent if not both.

A lot of the elderly are still put into nursing homes or assisted living but the cost is so much that many middle age children are now have a mother or father living with them instead of putting into either of those places. It depends a lot in the health status of the parent. In some situations there is really no other choice to do so if the parent is very poor health.

Another option if the parents can live on their own is to have a care giver that comes in to look after them. Again that can be quite costly. There is insurance you can get that covers for situations like this so the cost is not so dramatic.

I decided though to move in and live with my mother about eight years ago after she had a fall while at church. Originally it was temporary but she asked if I would stay on and I said yes. We actually get along a lot better than either of us thought would happen. Besides making sure she is OK I do the grocery shopping and the cooking; sometimes though I do take her to the store for some items.

The most important thing I find is that both of you must have a social life. Other words it is important that you get out some of the time and you do not feel that your life is totally taking care of them. Also, they need to be around others as well. This can be the hardest part of the job especially if they can’t get around very well. Another idea would bring other people to them as well. I believe it is important to remember what you would want if you were in the same position as they are in. Another important thing is they need to feel that they are not a burden to you. This is reason to get them out and you spend time out as well.  

My mother is ninety-five years old and she gets around pretty good for her age. She gets out at least twice a week to play bridge and she belongs to a few other groups as well. The biggest issue she has had which is very common for older people is keeping her balance so yesterday she fell again for the second time in the last four months. So we had to spend the morning in emergency. Fortunately she is going to be OK. The previous fall just before Christmas she fell on the bathroom floor and need twelve stitches; right after that I had grab bars installed and made sure she grabbed onto them each time she went into the bathroom. Yesterday she fell after getting out of bed wanting get to the bathroom. She hit her head and right side of her leg on the dresser. In both instances she was trying to maneuver her walker. I told her to have her cane in the bedroom to help with her balance. Also she plans to hold onto the dresser before she gets her balance. I know it is not one hundred percent proof against her falling at least this should help her out more.

One last thing I recommend for an elderly person whether they live by themselves or with someone else is to get a service that will allow getting help if they fall and no one is around. My mother has the service so if I am not around and she falls or something else happens she can get help right away even without calling 911. I have heard often where elderly people have died lying on the floor because they could not reach the phone or spend many hours before someone found them in the same position.

I hope what I have written here help you all and enjoy your day.  

Changing Our Lifestyle?

I am here not to convince anyone whether to change their lifestyle or not. First thing I am going to promote my new blog here is the link   https://lifestylebyherb.wordpress.com

I will be writing about the lifestyles we have here in my hometown and state along with other places as well. Can be an interesting subject I believe.

When we are born we are automatically put into a certain kind of lifestyle whether we like it or not. The lifestyle begins with our economic status of being poor, middle class or rich. At that point our lifestyle is chosen by our parents. Many of us likely will rebel against that lifestyle when we are teenagers. When we become adults we may return to the lifestyle we are accustomed to or start our own. Of course when we have children the cycle starts all over again.

Growing up in Gig Harbor, Washington in the United States of America my lifestyle was living in a middle class family in a small town. Our home was on waterfront property so my lifestyle was a bit different than those who lived up the street from me. My father was really into sailing so we had a dock with a sailboat about ten feet long and another that was seventeen feet long. They were always tied to the dock while our twenty-five foot sailboat was anchored further out in the harbor. So all the people living close to us had boats as well; a few had sailboats like us while others had motorboats. So you see that was a good part of the lifestyle I was accustomed too.

Most of the kids who lived north of us were either lower or middle class and their lifestyle was more living out in the country. When I was growing up the whole Gig Harbor area was more country living then it is today. Now Gig Harbor is more of what people would call a breakfast community to Tacoma. Though some of the people are still middle class there are richer people living in Gig Harbor now. In east Gig Harbor where we lived now you would need a lot of money to buy a home.

When I became an adult and moved out of my parents’ house my lifestyle changed. No longer could I take out a sailboat anytime I wanted to. Now my lifestyle is living an apartment and being part of the bedroom community. I would not say the lifestyle is better or worse than when I was growing up just different. What I was interested in like sports is the same. I have the same kind of friends as well.

So now the subject of changing your lifestyle; are you happy in your lifestyle or so accustomed to it that you never thought of changing it. If you thought about it most of us probably have tweaked our lifestyle to some degree or another. For example, maybe you eat healthier and go to the gym where before you were always on the fast train. In fact my only real change I may want you to make is if you are still on that fast train.

I am sure there are people who say they will get off the fast train when their children grow up and they retire from work. The key thing is you going to live long enough to slow down or not? Our society is so much to keep up with the Jones while going into debt.

I know that some people who have lived in Gig Harbor for as many years or more than I have complained about the growth while others have helped in the development of the growth. Personally I have don’t have a big problem with the growth however I don’t like the fact there are a lot more restaurants especially fast food. People need to lose weight not gain; hopefully you hold off and eat salads.

This is what changing our lifestyle all is about. The older we get change must happen not just for own good but those we consider family and friends. I am not here that you must change however it is a recommendation on my part. I know that change is not ever easy because I am still working on my life change too. Good day all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie and Snoopy

Most of us have read the Peanut comic strip and seen either on TV or in the movies. I know that I have read the strip since I was a small boy.

Charlie and Snoopy show us how important it is to be a friend. Of course I have been writing about there is nothing better than having friends especially in those cases where people are friends for a life time. In fact I have to say that couples that have a successful marriage usually begin being friends that lead into love.

Though I have never been married and still look forward to the time when it will happen in my life I still seem to have doubt. I know one thing for sure that friendship last forever over love. What I mean by that is that circumstances can happen where love seems to go away where friendship will allow the couple to stick together.  I believe the couple really hasn’t lost love at all it just has been misplaced for a while.

Getting real personal for some couples I heard a few weeks ago where an older couple said that they no longer had sex together however were still great friends and why their marriage was still together. I know sometimes the lack of physical contact separates couples frequently however those who are willing to stick it out know what the most important things in life are. Most often in older age you are together for your children and grandchildren besides the friendship.

I know now that at my age getting married will be not only for love and friendship it is enjoying the children and children of the woman I marry. Though I would love to have children now I feel loving her children and grandchildren would be a really good experience too. In this case I would choose to love them with my whole heart.

Getting back to Charlie and Snoopy they have a special love that many have with their pets. I have had close family members who have lost their dogs in the last couple months who were with them for many years and they were very much part of their family. I know that the cats we had in my family growing up were very much part of the family and we missed them very much when they died.

Like I have said several times on this blog family and friends are very important part of our lives. Everyday could be the last time we seem them so it important to tell them over and over again how we feel about them.

I know that death is part of life however when someone passes on from here I feel somewhat strange about it. I have to say they don’t seem dead to me I feel as though they are on a journey and someday I will see them again. I feel all those who go before me I will see them again on the other side. Not only will I see them they will meet me the day I enter heaven. It will be more than a reunion it will be for me being home again. I am not in a hurry to go because there is so much left to do though it is not my choice for the time and day to my final resting spot. I believe we all have more of a purpose to do here on earth and those we leave behind will benefit from it. I believe it includes you! Have yourself a wonderful weekend!

 

St. Patrick’s Day

Remember today we are to wear green or be pinched; If you really want to be pinched no problem not wearing green.

I have to admit that I forgot that today was St. Patrick’s Day until a few hours ago. Last night though I knew it was Wednesday for some reason I thought today was going to Friday. Some people may call that a senior moment though I don’t think I am there quite yet. So you see I was planning to write something about Friday than I remembered quickly no it will be Thursday after all.

I am sure a lot of people want to skip Thursday and get right to Friday instead so the weekend will arrive sooner. Anyway I think it is important to enjoy every Thursday including today. The main reason is that every day should be enjoyed to the fullest because we really do not know how many days we have in this life to live. We can be here today and be gone tomorrow. Not something we want to think or hear about however it is really the truth.  Our days’ being numbered is what makes life a mystery.

 Today I am wearing my Seattle Mariner jersey because it has a little bit of teal green so it counts for St. Patrick’s Day besides baseball season begins in less than a month.

For those who enjoy St. Patrick’s Day for the drinking because you are not Irish just like me remember to be careful when doing so. What I said a couple paragraphs before our days are numbered however I don’t want you end it sooner than later. Personally I am not a big drinker regardless of the holiday or day for that matter I will either not drink at all or take a small drink. The thing is I do not really like beer however I have never tried Irish beer. I am not sure whether I will try it today either unless the circumstances happen. Most likely if I do have a drink of alcohol I will go with a wine.

 Personally I enjoy having a party any time and drinking does not have to be included. I enjoy being around people as much as possible is how I see it. We have had a lot of rain here in Western Washington in March however today the sun is already starting to shine and seeing a great view of Mt. Rainier. This is another good reason have a great time and rejoice. Everyone is ready for spring around here and be able to walk seeing the flowers without the rain.

So enjoy the day whether it is for St. Patrick’s or not. Don’t let the day of the week or holiday decide what you will do. Every day is a precious one since we have so few and again we don’t know will this be the last one for us. Oh don’t forget to smile!

Thinking About Poetry

I have been starting to write some poetry again. I used to write poetry a long time ago. There is something special about poetry. Actually you can write and express what you really feel in short sentences.

Poetry is so many ways is like music. Actually the lyrics of music are really poetry. Reading the Old Testament in the Bible much of the middle part is in poetry form. It begins with Job then Psalms, Proverbs and Songs of Solomon. The books of the Prophets a lot of them are in poetry form as well. King David of Israel wrote a lot of the Psalms and they were all song by his choir.

Another thing is most of British and English Literature is written as poetry as well. So if you are a lover of poetry you will read a lot of literature.

Recently I have been starting to reading poetry from a modern American poet T.L. Stokes. I mention her in an earlier blog from a few weeks ago about Eagles. Also, I went to high school with her and her sisters.

So my recommendation is to read some poetry and then try writing poetry as well. You may be surprised how good you do. Let your family and friends read your poetry too. They will be able to help you get real good at it.

Like with my writing you really have to start somewhere. In the same way write about your experience and from the heart; nothing else you will fall in love with writing person to yourself.  Until next time be happy.

My Love

We once were close you did not recognize my love for you

I gave you my distance you said nothing

I painted you pictures you still did not see

In the morning I gave you the sun then rain and storms at night the stars you rejected my love

In your mind you say to me to look elsewhere

Why should I go elsewhere for love and settle for number two

It maybe not today or tomorrow I do know you will not find love like mine

I will still be here waiting for you

Walk the Walk

In this day now I feel more and more it is important that we live a life of consistency. In other way of say it walk the walk.

None of us is perfect by any manner of thinking regardless what we think or want. There are many things I believe in however I don’t always live in the way I believe. If you are an athlete you know more than anyone it takes discipline to become better at your sport. Actually I can say that about a lot of other things as well.

We all have a talent in an area however we do not always live up to that talent if we are not willing to give to it. Other words talent can only get you so far. When you see someone who is at the top of their field you will find in most cases they have worked hard for it. You likely are one in a million if you get to the top of your field without working harder than anyone else.

I have seen athletes who have a lot of talent however they have squandered that talent by going on drugs or physical abuse. I believe those people have lost their way and did not work hard enough or know the destiny in front of them. One real sad story recently came to a sad ending. Lawrence Phillips who was a top running back at Nebraska and then played for the Los Angeles got on drugs, spent time in and out of jail recently killed another inmate and was sentence to life in prison. Instead of taking responsibility like he never did he committed suicide. He could have lived out the purpose and destiny of his life but went another direction. I am sure he had other talents then just running a football. I know that there are others like that in and out of sports.

Besides having the discipline to work hard is to have the faith in our talent. Without the faith we won’t measure up to our talent. I know that there are those who have risen up above their talent or circumstances. I know because I am one of those people. When I was four years old I could not hear right and I did not actually talk right until I was five years old. I am sure very few would even think I could write someday. You see I also struggled with my reading until I was in tenth grade. Going into tenth grade I was at a fifth grade reading level so during the summer before I spent three weeks learning speed reading. I was the only student in the class or now you would say the teacher was my tutor. Not only had he taught me speed reading he would test me on the comprehension of what I was reading. So when I completed the three weeks of speed reading I went from the fifth grade reading level to twelfth grade. I had the talent though I didn’t realize it and the circumstances kept me behind however I desire and discipline along with the faith to rise up to be a good reader. I don’t read as much as a lot of people however I could if I wanted to but I have many things to do.

I am sure we have missed out on something because of the circumstance however now we should look to go above it all. So whatever it is walk the walk. I am sure you will be happier and others will to because they will benefit from your purpose and destiny.  

Spring Ahead

 Early this morning our time changed going ahead an hour unless you live in Arizona and Hawaii. Here in Washington State we are on the same time schedule as Arizona while Hawaii is two hours behind. I am not sure what time Alaska is on however that is a whole other story.

Everyone who has to change their clocks like the fact to remember the change spring ahead fall back. The thing though technically it is still winter for another week but we can’t say winter ahead since it is almost over; I know that I am being silly though. In October when the clock changes you could say fall back winter ahead because that is really true. We have winter to look forward to. Anyway how to remember is a lot better saying the way it is.

With cell phones, computers and cable it is a lot easier now because they change the time automatically so all you have to change is your clock, watch microwave and the stove. I did the change to microwave and stove before going to bed because I don’t have a watch or clock.  It was a good thing I thought however the electricity went out for a little while during the night so when I got up I had to fix the microwave and stove. Oh well life isn’t perfect is it.

It is nice though it will be lighter in the evening but be darker in the morning. Those who go to work early still have to contend with the dark. Again life isn’t perfect and can’t have everything at least not now. In the summer we will have it light in the morning and staying even lighter in the evening. Again we could talk about Alaska where it stays either dark most of the time or light in the same way.

Personally I wish the time would stay the same here all year long like in Arizona and Hawaii but I don’t think it will change because the lawmakers would have already done so. Which time the one we were on yesterday or the one we are on today? It doesn’t matter to me just choose one. Ok let’s keep it the way it is so we can always say spring ahead and fall behind.

I find another good reason to say spring ahead besides knowing we put the time ahead this morning is that winter will be over and we have something to look forward to. Think of the bears that get to come out of hibernation and have some fun. Yes I know I am being completely silly however we need to be silly once in a while especially after all the rain we have had here in Washington State. Speaking of the weather the forecast today besides the rain of course we are expecting high winds up to possibly 70 miles per hour. Very hard to believe since it hasn’t been that windy here for a long time. If you haven’t heard from me tomorrow means that our electricity went out. Again life isn’t perfect.

Anyway have a really good Sunday though you have one less hour unless live you know where. I hope I was able to make you chuckle unless you just shook your head. Good bye you all and smile.

History of My Home Town and State

When I was in high school I took a class in Washington State history. It was a required class to graduate from high school. I found it quite interesting at the time knowing about how Washington became a state.  Now I have forgotten most of what I learned then.

Back in 1889 became the 42^nd state in the United States. Prior to becoming a state it was part of the Oregon Territory. Explorers Lewis and Clark came this way in the early 1800s. Also Captain Vancouver and his crew of men. Another explorer was Captain Wilkes who discovered my home town of Gig Harbor and named it Gig Harbor. Also, he named other nearby places like Mount Rainier.

Here in Gig Harbor we do have our own history museum like many of the other cities and towns do in the area. Often they have different exhibits during the year. I haven’t been in the museum for a couple years now so I am due to go into again real soon. When I was last in there they had an exhibit from the early 1900s and the local families who lived there at the time. Many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren still live in Gig Harbor so I was very familiar with the names. They had one exhibit where you could get into a row boat and travel from the head of the harbor out to the sand spit. They showed pictures of the old homes and businesses that were there at the time. A group of sisters were shown lying on the sand spit at that time. The spit is right by where you enter into the harbor. It is not very wide and is shallow. Captain Wilkes called it Gig Harbor because he could not enter into the harbor with his ship because of the shallow entrance so he had his ship anchor outside the harbor and he entered using the gigs he had on board to see what was in the harbor.

The museum is right across the street from Donkey Creek Park. When I was a child there was a hardware store where Donkey Creek Park is now located so I didn’t even know that there was a creek. Also it is possible I wasn’t very observant either. Going east along the same road that Donkey Creek Park is another creek and park called Crescent Creek. That one I did know about because it has been a park as long as I have been alive. I spent a lot of time at the park. It was the home field for my little league baseball team and I made a wonderful catch in one of the last games I played in little league. During my junior high days me and my friends many on the little league team we played a lot of football at the park on the lower end near the creek. Once when I was about eight years old my mother was very upset with me because one day I lost a pair of glasses that she had just gotten me in the creek. Both of the creeks salmon go up to spawn. Donkey Creek you will see several seagulls ready for the salmon to return from spawning to get them. You can see ducks going up a little ways into the creek too. The entrance to Crescent Creek is wider and is quite muddy so you don’t see to many birds or ducks. The mud is the reason to why I could not retrieve my glasses.

Anyway this is some of my story concerning the history of Gig Harbor and Washington State. I will write more later about the history. I know everywhere has fascinating stories about their history.

Knowing History

These days most everyone is into history whether it is about United States, World or family history. It is amazing how many people go on line to find out where they come from. Of course how accurate the information and the family tree depends on who enters the information.

My dad’s family has been traced and I can find it anytime I want on line by a cousin who is related to me back to our great-great-grandfather.  What does that make us fourth cousins or something like that? Anyway I emailed her a few years ago to find out if we were related not knowing that she was the one that traced the Nightingale family tree. She is about four months younger than me and lives in Colorado. Anyway when she replied to my email she asked me if I still lived in Gig Harbor, Washington. I was really surprised by that question because I didn’t think she even really knew who I was.

I have friends who have gone back to like their family tree where coming to America being a pilgrim. Quite amazing to think people can go back that far. In fact I read about a lady in the local paper where she traced her family back before Jesus Christ and the New Testament. She was able to find that her family was back in the times of early Egypt. My Nightingale family was traced back to the early 1500s. Most of these five hundred years has been in England. My grandfather was born in Nebraska however he was raised in England. His father and family returned to England shortly after he was born. He came back to the United States after graduating from college. My grandmother who was born in Nebraska as well grew up there too. They got married in British Columbia, Canada before settling in Bremerton, Washington. This was before my dad was born in Seattle and raised in Tacoma. During my dad’s youth grandfather bought the property in Gig Harbor that housed a cabin before it became a house after I and my younger brother were born and we grew up at.

On the other hand if you have read early blogs my mother grew up in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Her family on both sides of parents came to Canada much earlier than the Nightingale did to United States. My grandfather was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. His grandfather was a colonel in the Canadian Army back in 1812. My grandfather was Scottish however I am not sure when his family migrated to Canada.

My grandmother was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She came out west as a young teacher to take a job and that is how she ended up meeting my grandfather who came out to be a banker. Of course like many they struggled during the depression. Her family was in the United States after coming from England during the 1700s. Since her family was pro-British they went up and settled in Canada instead of staying in USA.

Like I said earlier we do have knowledge of United States and World History. Of course I have some knowledge of Canadian history as well. My mother spent time during World War 2 working as a young woman with the Canadian government so I have another perspective of that War along with World War One.

With search engines on the internet along with E-Books history is more at our fingers than ever before. All we have to enter a subject to find out all we want to know whether it has to do with current affairs or history.

I know in the future I would like to do some traveling around the United States and the world. Of course my health and bank account will determine where and how much time will be spent. There are many people writing blogs about travel and I hope to be able to do that to as well. I haven’t looked it up at this point however I am sure there are a lot of people writing blogs about history as well. In some respects my blog here I write some about history especially about my life and memories along with my family. I am sure you have all enjoyed my writings. I recommend that if you have come aboard recently go back and read my posts over the last twenty-months or so.

Anyway when you find the time to do so if you haven’t done already I recommend that spend time looking at history. Who knows maybe you can write a blog like me. I am sure everyone will enjoy it as much as you do mine. Everyone have a great weekend.

Relax and Take Some Time

The last six weeks I have been taking a class on Tuesday night’s at my church on preaching and teaching. I have learned a lot not only on the subject of preaching and teaching but how more to put together writings and for future public speaking.

The most important thing I found whether writing or speaking is to relax and take some time. This last Tuesday was our final class where six of us volunteered and gave a five minute sermonette. We were put into three separate groups of eight where two of us gave our sermonette. After both of us were finished those whose listened let us know what they thought of our message along with constructive criticism.

Though I was a little nervish   the whole experience I found to be exciting and can’t wait to public speak again. At this point I have no idea when that will be. I love writing this blog though every day.

The main constructive criticism was the audience thought they were a little lost in what I was saying for the first half of the message however found where I was going in the second half and loved my conclusion. I was told by a couple of them that I need to say at the beginning what I was going to talk about. I found that to be quite helpful. I had started out telling them that I was giving them the background of the author and the book which I still believe is important while they looked up the scripture I was using as my text Jude verse 24 and 25. Jude is one chapter only in the News Testament just before Revelation. Anyway I now know what they are saying. I should have started out along with giving the scripture how I was going to speak about the scripture as well.

Another criticism given I was working with way too much material.  This is where relaxing and taking more time comes in. Of course I had to only talk for five minutes so I should have kept a limit on the material being used. I tried to talk about more than I should have in those five minutes. I now realize whether I was speaking five minutes or twenty-five to keep the material to a minimum. It is really easy to say more than you should actually say especially some who writes on a regular basis.

 I guess I wanted to be sure that I had enough material to speak in those five minutes. The honest truth I had enough material to speak even if it was a small amount. Being more relax and taking the time I could expand on the material I had.

 

The crazy thing is that I went over the speech several times in a two week period so I should really have realized that I did have enough to say anyway. This really was the reason for me to do this speaking was to find out how good I was and how I can improve. I found out both very much.

My conclusion is to be relaxed and take as much time necessary to complete the speech no matter the length of time. I went over the speech in my head and doing it while walking so I should have the confidence that the speech will be done on time. Oh by the way I ended the speech right on five minutes.  

Smiling Face

Today I have decided to do some wondering. Whether it is beneficial or meaningless we will find out. I figure it will be meaningless however it could be beneficial or somewhere in between.

I am wondering those who are smiling today happier than those who do not. I figure in my mind they do however is it really true. I know that I enjoy laughing a lot during the day but does that make me happier than those who don’t. I could do a survey asking people that look happy are they actually happy and those who look sad or grumpy are actually sad or grumpy. Of course I would not do that because I feel that it would be strange to do so.

Now I am thinking you probably think I am being a bit nuts here which could be really true as well. Another thing you may be thinking yes this is meaningless.

I am not really sure why I am thinking this way however I woke up this morning really wanting to do it. I suppose I could do a google search and get all the answers but it could be meaningless too. Most likely this is meaningless and not beneficial however I do hope that you do get something out of this today.

Thinking more about being happy and smiling has to do with our heart. On the other hand it could be a day to day thing depending on our circumstances. I truly though believe we have more happy days with our heart being in the right place. I have never been to Africa however those I do know have been say the children are happier than those here in the United States though they have little food and may starve to death at some point. So I wonder because we have more things we feel more responsible so we are not as happy. I do hope this is more beneficial than not. I know when I traveled three weeks to France about twelve years ago that the Frenchmen seemed to have more relationships than us Americans. I truly believe that solid relationships make us happier and the French seem to have it down pad. When I returned to United States I could see the difference of relationships between us and the French. You see they spend hours together around food. It is the main ingredient that keep people together we love spending time with each other when food is involved. My observation has been that as soon as we finish eating we go our separate ways. Personally I wish people would stick around when finishing eating but that is the way it is. The French spend many hours together especially on Sundays. What they do though is eat many courses of food. When they finish one course they continue talking knowing another one is on the way and they do that over and over again. If we did that we would likely get really fat because of the kinds of food we eat however they eat very low calorie foods along with a bottle of wine or another beverage. On the other hand may be they just eat on Sundays. Ha Ha

I do hope what I have been wondering is beneficial and not just meaningless. I will let you be the judge of it. I do know that I feel better on the days that I joke and smile then on the days I don’t. I know that I enjoy observing others who smile as long as I don’t be creepy about it. So go ahead and smile today. I hope you are happy too.