God has a sense of humor because
the atheists make fun of him,
different religions confuse his believers,
and so many ignore him,
yet he still believes in himself and his creation.
He is truly an artist!
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
My New Gorilla Garden Dump Cart
Last week, I bought a Gorilla Garden Dump Cart at Lowe's on sale for $59 .... but it was unassembled. The instructions inside said assembly time 30 min.... and it didn't look too difficult so this afternoon I began to assemble it.
The parts had been laying on the family room floor for about a week and now I was finally going to put it together. The first problem was I didn't have a metric soc...ket set and had to try to assemble it with the following: 2 crescent wrenches using on in the left and another in the right hand, the enclosed Allen's wrench and crescent wrench, and a Phillip's screwdriver and crescent wrench. I was almost done when I noticed I had put the front wheel axle assembly on upside down to the tray's frame. I laughed at my mistake then I unassembled and reassembled it correctly. I was almost finished, and I was feeling quite productive even though I had made a mistake and despite the excess of time spent reading the instructions and studying the diagrams doing them step by step. I was glad to know I soon would be finished and was looking forward to using my new garden utility hauler/dump cart for jobs in my yard around my home..
Now, after spending about 3 hours time and working in numerous painful and awkward positions, I began putting on the 4 wheels which were to be secured with cotters pins. The first pin I tried to put into place to lock the wheel onto the axle flew off to an unknown hiding place, and it took about 30 minutes just to find it, but the wheels were the easiest part of the assembly. As I was peeling off the "Made in China" labels from various locations on the cart, I paused to ponder and reflect on our 21st century world trade and economics and labor .... especially the labor and time needed to assemble parts into the product pictured on the large box. Labor is a very big variable since almost anyone could have done this faster than myself especially if they had a metric socket set. Tools, time, training, and tenacity to do what is required, a job gets done whether it be big or small productivity is good and I have learned from doing. I will soon have a very useful garden tool to make my work around my home outside easier and more fun. Perhaps I will use it to move rolls of sod or to move bags of mulch. Wagons (carts) are fun for children and adults too like their "wheels".
Finally the last step of the assembly, I fasten the cart's handle to the front steering mechanism, test out the locking mechanism for the cart's dumping feature, and now my 'made in China' Gorilla Garden Dump Cart is fully assembled and ready for use (after only about 4 hours of so of do or die stress following the instructions provided).
The parts had been laying on the family room floor for about a week and now I was finally going to put it together. The first problem was I didn't have a metric soc...ket set and had to try to assemble it with the following: 2 crescent wrenches using on in the left and another in the right hand, the enclosed Allen's wrench and crescent wrench, and a Phillip's screwdriver and crescent wrench. I was almost done when I noticed I had put the front wheel axle assembly on upside down to the tray's frame. I laughed at my mistake then I unassembled and reassembled it correctly. I was almost finished, and I was feeling quite productive even though I had made a mistake and despite the excess of time spent reading the instructions and studying the diagrams doing them step by step. I was glad to know I soon would be finished and was looking forward to using my new garden utility hauler/dump cart for jobs in my yard around my home..
Now, after spending about 3 hours time and working in numerous painful and awkward positions, I began putting on the 4 wheels which were to be secured with cotters pins. The first pin I tried to put into place to lock the wheel onto the axle flew off to an unknown hiding place, and it took about 30 minutes just to find it, but the wheels were the easiest part of the assembly. As I was peeling off the "Made in China" labels from various locations on the cart, I paused to ponder and reflect on our 21st century world trade and economics and labor .... especially the labor and time needed to assemble parts into the product pictured on the large box. Labor is a very big variable since almost anyone could have done this faster than myself especially if they had a metric socket set. Tools, time, training, and tenacity to do what is required, a job gets done whether it be big or small productivity is good and I have learned from doing. I will soon have a very useful garden tool to make my work around my home outside easier and more fun. Perhaps I will use it to move rolls of sod or to move bags of mulch. Wagons (carts) are fun for children and adults too like their "wheels".
Finally the last step of the assembly, I fasten the cart's handle to the front steering mechanism, test out the locking mechanism for the cart's dumping feature, and now my 'made in China' Gorilla Garden Dump Cart is fully assembled and ready for use (after only about 4 hours of so of do or die stress following the instructions provided).
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Rescuers vs Breeders
The rescue extremists say for someone, anyone, everyone must only adopt from the local animal shelter..... but I and many others too do not want a large dog, a pit bull, or a problem a previous owner created to such an extent they gave the dog up.
There is no happiness to compare to that of a new puppy in a home and dogs only live 10-15 years usually and being able to experience the full life cycle of a pet is important to the pet owner and family. There are exceptions, but for those wanting a specific breed of dog and feel the reproductive rights of their selected breed be intact and not absent are essential to assure breed presence in the future for those who want and are loyal to that breed that has existed since centuries ago, then no one should edict or order them to adopt only a shelter dog.
Selecting a pet involves freedom of choice in the first place, responsibility to your choice in the second place, and prerequisite education that gives ready reasons if questioned why no one should decide for you since they do not have to be the life care provider for that pet. and only the pet owner knows what they feel with their heart will satisfy their needs, space/time/money resources to keep, and standards of quality proven breeding which assure beauty, health, and intelligence plus personality traits of the selected pet(s). If you watch Dogs 101 on Saturday morning TV CBS, you get a feel for the fact that there are many, many, different breeds each with their own pros and cons to select from, A shelter dog is ok for some, but not everyone.
Sometimes purebred and valuable dogs end up in a shelter because they were stolen then dumped, or accidentally lost and not microchipped or found by persons who did not turn them into the shelter so they could be found and reunited with their rightful owner. I believe a much loved and valuable pet should always be protected from theft, getting lost, and from persons recognizing the value of the animal failing to take all possible effort to help the pet find its way home. It is unlawful to keep a pet you "found" .... you should always turn that pet into the shelter where its distraught owner is anxiously searching for their lost pet! I have lots of stories to tell that are true and very sad about those who think "finders keepers, losers weepers" and consider themselves to be "rescuers".
There is no happiness to compare to that of a new puppy in a home and dogs only live 10-15 years usually and being able to experience the full life cycle of a pet is important to the pet owner and family. There are exceptions, but for those wanting a specific breed of dog and feel the reproductive rights of their selected breed be intact and not absent are essential to assure breed presence in the future for those who want and are loyal to that breed that has existed since centuries ago, then no one should edict or order them to adopt only a shelter dog.
Selecting a pet involves freedom of choice in the first place, responsibility to your choice in the second place, and prerequisite education that gives ready reasons if questioned why no one should decide for you since they do not have to be the life care provider for that pet. and only the pet owner knows what they feel with their heart will satisfy their needs, space/time/money resources to keep, and standards of quality proven breeding which assure beauty, health, and intelligence plus personality traits of the selected pet(s). If you watch Dogs 101 on Saturday morning TV CBS, you get a feel for the fact that there are many, many, different breeds each with their own pros and cons to select from, A shelter dog is ok for some, but not everyone.
Sometimes purebred and valuable dogs end up in a shelter because they were stolen then dumped, or accidentally lost and not microchipped or found by persons who did not turn them into the shelter so they could be found and reunited with their rightful owner. I believe a much loved and valuable pet should always be protected from theft, getting lost, and from persons recognizing the value of the animal failing to take all possible effort to help the pet find its way home. It is unlawful to keep a pet you "found" .... you should always turn that pet into the shelter where its distraught owner is anxiously searching for their lost pet! I have lots of stories to tell that are true and very sad about those who think "finders keepers, losers weepers" and consider themselves to be "rescuers".
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Prayer For Peace AKA Prayer of Francis of Assisi .... my version of it, 2014
Dare I tamper with The Prayer For Peace ..... well it hasn't worked since we still are seeking peace so I thought I would create my own version of the
Prayer of St. Francis which has been subtly modified over the years since he wrote it.
Prayer For Peace
Let me be an instrument of lasting peace:
where there is hatred I may bring love,
where there is insult I may bring pardon,...
where there is strife I may bring harmony,
where there is error I may bring truth,
where there is doubt I may bring faith,
where there is despair I may bring hope,
where there is darkness I may bring light,
where there is sorrow I may bring joy,
where there is pain I may bring relief.
Let me learn to comfort over being comforted;
let me learn to understand over being understood;
let me learn to love over being loved.
For it is by giving that one receives,
it is by self-forgetting that one rescues,
it is by forgiving that one restores,
it is by dying that one realizes life liberation.
(~Francis of Assisi~ year 2014)
(I was trying to embrace the essence of the positive merits of the thoughts without any religious appeals ... note the author as Francis of Assisi and not St. Francis of Assisi .... initially Francis of Assisi repudiated the Catholic church and its religious doctrines then the Catholic church thought they could use his popularity with the people and peasants to promote their religious organization's objectives.. In 2014 we are more aware of the divisiveness of religion rather than its mission to unify and bring together people of different beliefs. I happened to be born in an all protestant community then in college studied world religion and theology in philosophy courses. I believe the version I posted would be acceptable to atheists, agnostics, scientology, Christian Science followers, and that it would not offend others who belong to any of the established religions in the world today. It is spiritually good without being religious ..... and so has a wider audience that would accept it or something similar to it. One of the main things that defines a particular religion is what happens after death .... the last line of my version is a statement of truth that no one can deny and a definition of death that is acceptable without being conditional or perhaps imaginary belief promulgated by a particular religious doctrine is IMO desirable.)
Prayer of St. Francis which has been subtly modified over the years since he wrote it.
Prayer For Peace
Let me be an instrument of lasting peace:
where there is hatred I may bring love,
where there is insult I may bring pardon,...
where there is strife I may bring harmony,
where there is error I may bring truth,
where there is doubt I may bring faith,
where there is despair I may bring hope,
where there is darkness I may bring light,
where there is sorrow I may bring joy,
where there is pain I may bring relief.
Let me learn to comfort over being comforted;
let me learn to understand over being understood;
let me learn to love over being loved.
For it is by giving that one receives,
it is by self-forgetting that one rescues,
it is by forgiving that one restores,
it is by dying that one realizes life liberation.
(~Francis of Assisi~ year 2014)
(I was trying to embrace the essence of the positive merits of the thoughts without any religious appeals ... note the author as Francis of Assisi and not St. Francis of Assisi .... initially Francis of Assisi repudiated the Catholic church and its religious doctrines then the Catholic church thought they could use his popularity with the people and peasants to promote their religious organization's objectives.. In 2014 we are more aware of the divisiveness of religion rather than its mission to unify and bring together people of different beliefs. I happened to be born in an all protestant community then in college studied world religion and theology in philosophy courses. I believe the version I posted would be acceptable to atheists, agnostics, scientology, Christian Science followers, and that it would not offend others who belong to any of the established religions in the world today. It is spiritually good without being religious ..... and so has a wider audience that would accept it or something similar to it. One of the main things that defines a particular religion is what happens after death .... the last line of my version is a statement of truth that no one can deny and a definition of death that is acceptable without being conditional or perhaps imaginary belief promulgated by a particular religious doctrine is IMO desirable.)
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
ART
I believe that ....
Art is all about knowing what to add, delete, or change in what we see with the naked eye, the camera's lens and subsequent photo, and perceived by our inner eye and mind. Whether we spend years or merely seconds to create an art work, what determines if it is art or not is if it not only catches our attention and interest, but it also lingers and provides a useful and beneficial consequence (either intended or unintended), a serendipitous change in the way we perceive the image, ourselves, and others in the community for a moment or infinity.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Life
(My Daughter)
LIFE
Life has its ups and downs,
Its tragedies, and its clowns....
We come and we go,
And make the most with what we know.
It could have been better,
Loving words, maybe a letter.
It could have been worse.
Life goes on, we never rehearse.
Monday, September 9, 2013
It is Not Easy
IT IS NOT EASY
It is not easy to be a tree, It is not easy for you to be me,
It is not easy to share and see,
The beauty of the world as it was designed to be.
(In loving memory of Daniel Magnus Bennét Björck)
by Yolanda May Martin, a friend forever.
Watercolor art by http://mkilicart.blogspot.com/
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