Venus and the moon looking left.

If you are up before sunrise and you have mostly clear sky, look at the moon. Then bright and immediately to the left is Venus.  Venus is rushing away from the earth.

The morning look at Venus is always looking at a large object becoming more distance and smaller day by day. Tomorrow 12/31/2010 the moon and Venus will be very close.  Global warming people say the moon is millions of miles away. In fact it is well under 300,000 miles away. 

Venus is closer than the sun. Closer than 93,000,000 miles.  The next time Venus is in the evening sky it will be further away than the sun.

Ignore my editorial, look at the beautiful sky before sunrise.  Venus may still be visible 29 days from now. The moon and Venus are once again in the same part of the sky. Why? The moon takes 29 days to return to a similar position. Remember in 29 days Venus will continue to flee the earth.

Picture left; now center; now right

Last night at Merrill Auditorium the in place monster organ was the chief provider and keynote of the concert. However as you look left you see the eleven ladies in the hand bell group, center is the municipal organist backed up by brass and look right to see youth.  Right was an all girls vocal group.  Visual and musical balance.  The hundreds of visible pipes in the organ were supported by the hundreds more out of sight.

Standards and unique Christmas music. Fun sounds from the hand bells as the players rang and also used mallets.  Brief but just right sing-a-long. The young choral group had one fun visual and musical tune.

Kathy and I enjoyed the event.

Job satisfaction.

Dedicated to the Lord today is Favor Niyokindi, son of Roger Niyokind and Suavis Murekerisoni.  I read these words in the church bulletin.  During the dedication sponsors told the congregation some of their story.  Now they were dedicating U.S. citizen, Favor.

Their six year old daughter, Chkina also stood with mom and dad and brother during the dedication.  I had a link with all four.  In May 2010 Chkina jumped into the car as her mom was on a lesson and spoke to me in perfect six year old English. Months earlier she had been in Burundi with her mom and her mom was not sure she would be able to join her husband in Maine. Now in May shortly before Favor's birth, Suavis understood little of what I said. 

Step backward to November 2008.  Dad, Roger, had failed his road test a few times so I received a call from a lady at church. She said, "I understand you are a driving instructor. We have tried to help Roger but I think we need a professional."

I would be glad to help were my words, but my thoughts were more like, I will be in his car and there is no instructor's brake in his car.  Some things will not be in my control.  Roger and I had two lessons and he passed his road test.  Then May, August and September, 2010 the same with Suavis. She spoke and understood even less English but she had heart, respect and motivation.  We did about five lessons.  The last entire hour we practiced over fifteen parallel parking attempts.  I had placed my car on a street nearby and she used my car as the target to practice. Her eyes lit up and she said thank you thank you as she fully understood and executed the three steps we teach (break the process into three parts and do each part correct and the car ends up six inches from the curb).

My real joy was going to church last Sunday and reading the words at the top of the page.  I had sat in their living room as they ate lunch; I had waited at the drug store as mom picked up a prescription for her Favor from God. I had watched sister zoom around the apartment parking lot on her bicycle with friends. Big smile playing outside.  I had touched little Favor's hand. Now I heard Roger read his letter of dedication to his son and at the end he said (signed), dad.

We prayed for a favor from God so when he was born we named him Favor.

Christmas greetings

Merry Christmas early. Our letter similar
to last years format is going in the mail now.

Rest near home this year.

Thank you for this stranger of a child who is my child.

sub headline-
Our kids may be from us but they are not us.

An after Thanksgiving thank you for our children.

(and my thoughts began)
Thank you dear Lord for family and friends. God's
creation includes a few billion people who are
all individuals. 

Yonder see my son, see my daughter.
My son, my daughter is just like me.
As all the grandparents laugh out loud.

Every one's kids are exactly themselves.
They happen to have an earthly parent.

BUT 

Where did this totally unknown person
come from?  (May I add a few ????)

That person is one of God's children.
And God is pleased.  Amen.

Sunday News

Last Sunday we hiked a new trail.

This week we both worked.

Pleasing fall hike - close to home

Within hundreds of feet of roads we drive
all the time.  Superb hike along a tidal
preserve. Hidden so near.

The key bridge to  make the trail happen
was completed in 1994. Bring your shoes.
You have been warned.

Thanksgiving Day in the dictionary

M/Webster 11th Collegiate

Main Entry:  Thanksgiving Day

Function:noun
Date:1674  : a day appointed for giving thanks for
divine goodness: as
a : the fourth Thursday in November
observed as a legal holiday in the United States.

I enjoyed a newspaper ad the last two Tuesdays.

From a lady named Mrs. Russo. Her ad
on the back page of section B immediately
below the weather. She wrote in part,
"Attention Christians.
Please keep Christ in Christmas. Send Nativity
scene cards...It's Merry Christmas not Season's
Greetings.  Let us thank God for this wonderful,
magnificent and God Blessed U.S.A.".

Animal update.

The lawn was dug up to feed somebody.
Slugs in the lawn make tasty meals for some animal.
I was wrong. Not a deer fight. (see previous)

Also this morning heard mice in the attic.
In the dark I pulled back insulation and
confirmed what I heard. Now am
planning an attack. Advice?

weekly article/bulletin/correspondence-abc

We have red leaves out the computer room window now.
Sunday morning was our first frost.

My snow log book is ready to document 2010-11
snows.  Time now to fix deer fight damage to our
front lawn.

News - last and next weekend

Saturday/Sunday drive 1100 miles to SC;
Monday/Tuesday drive 1100 miles back to Maine.

Do you need a chauffeur?
Kathy and I are skilled but expensive.

Next weekend - a son's birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

zero or one or two readers

Write to impress?
Write to inform?
Write because I enjoy writing.
Write to document for later?

Writers wish for readers.

Use a pen; write in a journal and someone will
eventually read it.

That is what I do with five books for five girls and also
with six journals since 1976.

Zero readers?  seldom!
Is the writer a reader? (one reader)
Did I hear a silent voice say, " I am also and
always a reader when you write?"
(two readers always)
dlj 9/15/2010

Recent events

Today we drive to a 4PM wedding.
Trees out the computer room window are still green.

Stage one (heavy lifting) of the summer driveway projects
are complete. 
Stage two (detail work) will continue until deep frost.

Harvesting silt from the pond continues with excellent
tonnage to date.

In Maine we have winter and preparation for winter.
The snow blower will move from shed to garage soon.
dlj 9/18/2010

Moxie Falls - The Forks, Maine

Sunday, September 5, 2010. 
A drive to Moxie Falls parking followed by
a gentle downhill walk to two viewing
locations.

Monday, 9/6/2010.
Bicycle the Scarborough Marsh Trail.

Spell checker accepts Moxie.

Life - Food / Spice

Food
Air - none for two minutes.
Still okay.

Water - none for two days.
Still okay.

Food - none for two weeks.
Still okay.

Spice
Music - audio.
Art - visual.
Literature - words stories in the mind.

and all the others.

My spice, I dig holes and move aggregates.
Frustrates the WILW
The woman I live with.
dlj - 9/1/2010

Late summer shopping

Bargains -
2009  One subject 70 sheet notebook     -  6 cents.
2010  Marble Compositions 100 sheets  - 10 cents.

August k/d month

1971.

July the raspberry month.

Look in our freezer.
Pie material.

Prayer

PRAYER
2 : the act of  praying to God .

Please send down the power to Nebraska  (a broken ankle).

Repeat visits - traditions

February - Banff Mountain Film Festival
July - Canoe the Saco
Summer - Maine State Music Theater
September or April - Three week tour MN/NE/SC and points between.
February - LL Bean discount clothes.
Branson times two and Grand Ole Opry times two.
Various gardens VA/AL/NE/WI/HI/TN.
Mammoth Cave, Ruby Falls.

Wish list repeat Rose Parade.
Our ocean property - The bench.
Our country estate - seven gardens.

Family visit.

Sons/ wives and daughters were here.
Wednesday to Monday.

The elders Rachel, Rose and Sarah now
old enough to visit in the Johnson
tradition. Grandpa enjoyed that.

Wedding enjoyed by all also.

July 4, 2010 - Down the Saco River

A tradition continues in an eight mile float. Saco River.
2010/2007/2006/2005/2004(2),2003(2),2002.
Nine floats.

The 2010 edition featured cooling clouds to start followed
by heat.  Fewer people and no trash on the sand beaches.
This was a Sunday float and rental costs were up.
One fee provides a canoe and transport to a choice
of put in locations.

Maine's Saco River starts in New Hampshire and joins the
ocean at Saco, Maine.The upper portion in New Hampshire
starts shallow and in dry years can be nearly dry. By the time it
enters Maine the float option is always available. In 2007,
we rubbed bottom on sand twice. The pollen line showing
previous high water marks was nearly five feet above
the 2007 level.

Kathy and I have floated (paddled) the river on a 13 mile
portion once and on the lower eight miles (of the 13 miles)
eight additional times. Each of our sons (with families)
have been part of the float at least once. Then rain
would chase us. Warm rain.

Your writing.

Write to clear the fog from the window of your soul.
A single letter (pick a w); gives us nothing.
A single word (pick the word write) close to nothing.

Now recombine twenty six letters into one word. Then cobble
together a few tens of words. Do you have an essay? Maybe?
One idea, one focus cobbled together by one person opens
a window on the soul. The window may be clear, cloudy or
something other? Examine your tens of words. Does the idea,
the focus remove some of the fog on the window of your soul?
 
Soul. The immaterial essence of an individual life.
Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate

My mother a great grandmother again.

Will any of us end up with over 60 direct
descendants?  Mom has.
Two sets of triplets, twins.
My my.

Stop, yes stop everything, I mean everything.

Now listen.  Are you listening?

God spoke to me twice yesterday. The first was a man's voice and best told face to face.

The second time was bees in a tree. In 1992 we transplanted flowering Arbor Society trees. Eighteen years later one Hawthorne is nearing twenty feet in height. It flowers each year. I was walking back to the house from my road garden on this quiet calm Sunday in June just before 7AM Eastern Daylight Time. I hear a buzz. Quickly I said, "bees in the tree.". And so it was. High above my head bumble bees forty, eighty, one hundred twenty, certainly drowned by cars at the road or any breeze. The buzz of bees in a tree was God's way of saying, "to hear Me conditions must be quiet and you must listen." The Sunday conditions were just right. Calm winds, light Sunday traffic and I was willing to stop turn around and go back to listen.

My dad enjoyed visiting. That means sitting and taking all the time it takes to talk and to listen. Taking all the time it takes to listen and to talk. Happy Father's Day.

Powerful word - relentless

The class assignment - select one word for your mother.

One student's answer.
Relentless.

Teacher,  she is relentless.

From a to z - gardens

abcxyz

a  -  articles (written)
b  -  bulletins
c  -  correspondence
x  -  xtra (read all about it)
y  -  yesterday's news
z  -  zone (writing out of the zone)

My neutral and enjoyable news always has to do with one or all
of the gardens. Peas are well up and I saw hints of germinating
beets. Six transplanted tomatoes have not been attacked. Six
marigolds in the vicinity may help repel enemies. Raspberry
patch is preparing for July. A number of little girls are expected
to eat hand to mouth from that patch.

Sunday letter to you

Breakfast at Squaretoes then later a twelve mile bike ride.
One older one other rode 12 miles.
Mostly a flat route.  Two were happy for that.

Dad (tree house hero) with one blonde

Visit to three blondes.

The blondes resemble a stairway; not tall, slightly shorter and short.
White haired grampa  and dark haired gram smile alot after a visit
to the three blondes.

Helped dad lift and secure a tree house frame.
Fed by blonde mom; delicious meals.

Did you know the dictionary allows two spellings?
Blond (for guys) and blonde for girls.

Heaven sent / Heavenly scent

Fourteen round trips on the driveway is two miles.
Twenty eight opportunities for the pleasant lilac
fragrance to take my nose into the six lilacs.
No bees, no bugs just this guy smiling and
enjoying the Heavenly Scent.

Mother's Day - 2010

Winter returned to Maine with snow flurries in
the western Maine mountains. The pretty clouds
were in the south and east  below the strong
winds above.  Specifically, lenticular clouds
created by strong winds set up by standing
waves. The waves  are visible as pretty
clouds (up high).

Also north of west after sunset is the third brightest
heavenly body we can see. Venus.
Venus orbits on an interior orbit (closer to the
sun than the earth) so Venus is always in
the direction of the rising or setting sun.

If we were in space we could see the earth
which is brighter than the moon.
First,  the Sun brightest (we all knew that).
Second brightest the moon reflects the light of the sun (big, bright).
Venus is seldom visible as a full disk
but because of the clouds around Venus
it returns much of the sun's light to us.

Stars other than the sun emit their own
light but are a minimum of four light years
away.  The sun is eight light minutes away.
If the sun went out we would not know it
for eight minutes.

Call with comments. Dale

Spring tour 2010 - MN, NE, TN, SC

Today is May 2, 2010.
We are home and unpacking. After the trip, tasks and overview
listed below.Write notes (Thank you) to 1/2/3/...12/13/14
and more. Thank you notes will arrive in the weeks ahead.
Reconnecting face to face (we try to do this).

Kathy and I had two days just for us.
Totally enjoyed the Tuesday evening show at the
Grand Ole Opry followed on Wednesday in Nashville, TN
by The Upper Room Chapel, Cheekwood gardens
and last Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN.

The garden visit brought to mind other recent
Botanical Garden visits
Sep 26, 2007 Madison, Wisconsin
Sep 25, 2008 Omaha, Nebraska
April 29, 2009 Near Hilo, Hawaii
April 28, 2010 Cheekwood Gardens, Nashville, Tennessee.

Who has a recommendation for a September 24, 2010 garden?
Your quiz Olbrich, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden and
Lauritzen.  Where do they belong above?

GT/GL

Garmin talks.
Garmin listens.
Google talks.
Google listens.
Grandpa talks.
Grandpa listens.

Keith (NC) said, If you're talking you ain't listening.
I am a teacher. I often teach by being silent.
The art of listening. Art of control of talk.

Now south of Le Mars, Iowa

Keep her happy in Iowa.
Granddaughter at track meet with son behind.

The date she was born - this date.

I tell my students I still see her as young.
I do, but I'm not.  They see this smile
come onto my face when I talk about Kathy.
Happy Birthday, Honey.
djmaine - April 9, 2010.

A pleasent Thursday spur of the moment event.

Called;
Invited;
drove 80 miles;
bathed in a gospel group's music.

Four sang (The Perry's) and one young man's fingers
flew over key board keys.

Reverse drive home with fulfilling talk of
our common anchor.

Powerful
Simple
Jesus Saves.

Books above the computer monitor

Merriam Webster's Collegiate 11th Ed. (2003).
Holy Bible (RSV) Church closed Bible isn't
Stephen King, On Writing. Non-fiction.
Good News Bible  with excellent line drawings
Mark Twain's Best (1962).
Six by Suess, Dr. Suess.

A letter

Dear readers,
Our granddaughter from Nebraska has a class project.
Her paper doll traveled to Maine and now our task
is to take the doll on a tour and photograph her.
So far Rose's doll has jumped out of the car and
posed on the rear window as I was getting the mail.
Soon we will visit one of five nearby lighthouses
for other travel photos.

This is the day

that a young Minnesota couple marry.
that the Lord has made.
In both cases, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Cold fingers; clear sky; early March in Maine

A morning walk before sunrise.
Waking with many thoughts.
Today both happened.

Second first and first second.
djmaine - 3/7/2010

of the spirit - not of the spirit. For many it is easy. OF

Intentionally mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, social.

If I am mental (spell Mississippi and meteorology correctly) is that what people do?
If I am physical (eat few sugars and walk five miles a week) is that what people do?
If I am emotional (decide to see the happy side) is that what people do?
If I am social (deeply listen - no talking- to loved ones) is that what people do?
If I am spiritual (have a deep, abiding, satisfying faith in an instantly available connecting power) is that what people do?

Do people name that power God and realize a billion other souls have done the same. They have even named God thirteen hundred years ago. Can all of us be wrong? Deep abiding faith. Is it possible for that deep abiding faith to come without God?

"Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking." - - Kahlil Gibran

or dale's poor summation: "The depth of who we are is not in our red heart that beats, but in the depth of who we are. A place where science tries to accept or refute but those who know just know."

A Goal

NH  18.3/ 30.8/ Route 2 - 35.6
Rhode Island  28.4

Maine  Route 25  - 35.6 miles

Oklahoma  36.2
Idaho         63.4
Nebraska 164.0
A difficult goal to do all eight.
First goal is to pick and do one.

Not tonight.  Winds 44 to 60 miles per hour.
Sounds like our house is blowing away.

don't fall (status)

Torn rotator cuff so I will be a hunch back with my left shoulder. Four muscles, one is no longer connected.

TITLE: Satisfaction

Remedy for cold hands in winter.
The woodstove has been burning for three hours. The bed of coals looks three inches deep. Upstairs boiling water was poured over two teabags. One generic black one spice. Steaming water mentioned went into a large mug. A two handed mug. In front of the radiating coals once again smile when looking right. Note two day's of firewood inside and imagine the heat generated filling the woodshed immediately outside the door. Two year's supply stored and ready.

Quiet Maine Winter

Two rains took away our snow twice.
Now our driveway continues to be
snow free. Rare but safe for walking.

In other news, I have been back to
work teaching for two weeks.

Our annual fun date, the Banff Mountain
Film Festival is mid February as always.
Extreme sports and mountain related
clips give out-of-the-ordinary entertainment.

Writing (logging) history

As defined: (2003) Merriam Webster's Collegiate Eleventh Ed.
blog (1999): a Web site that contains an online personal
journal with reflections, comments….

A high school teacher praised the Seventh New Collegiate
Dictionary as essential for college students.

The Seventh (published 1963) and the Ninth (1983)
do not contain the word blog. I checked.

Writing a blog is a good fit for me.
I have written in a journal since 1976.
I am now writing in Composition book#5.
Near two inches of writing.

Journey

Destination.

(twilw) "The woman I live with."

BACKGROUND: One inch snow, one hour on
the tractor/snow blower. Five inches; five hours.

So here is the latest story.
Broken humerus, a lot of Maine snow, a 377 foot driveway.
We like a clear driveway, so we hire a neighbor to plow.
He does so for a three day storm. We each say nice job.

Added proof:
On the second day, "THE WOMAN I LIVE WITH"
gets dressed to move snow and returns quickly because
the plow guy did his job. "I could get used to this, a clear
driveway is nice." Not my words but direct from,
" twilw".

So on Monday morning
"the woman I live with"
starts her hour of exercise on the tread mill (five AM).
She starts to think, looks out the garage door sees
inches of unplowed snow and is convinced
Mr. plowman won't arrive. Out the door,
start the machine, move snow.

Soon her snow blower headlight scares off Mr. dependable.
He sees the light and does not want to run her down.
I imagine him asking, "5:45AM not early enough"?
He does not live with,
"twiIw."

Now a four inch Tuesday snow and we are
again on our own, I with healed bone on the
tractor and
"the woman I live with".
behind the snow blower.
THE END

Twins

My mother has two sets of triplets
as great grandchildren.
Yesterday a set of twins joined.

That would mean that my siblings are
grandparents to the above.

One sister is now the grandmother
to the new twins and to the triplets.

A second sister is grandmother to the
other set of triplets.

And that is the news.
Congratulations to the parents
and to the new mom.

Listen to the story.

Writing without a story or purpose does not happen.  Tell your story
in writing. Each; even the youngest have a story.

The story for children has to do with attitudes and actions.
Screaming while being fed often. Too often. Smiling almost always.
What is that child's story?  Some level of screaming while
eating. Don't see that in the news clips from hungry eyes.

The story for AARP people has to do with consistency and reliability.
He would do that; she would do that. We can count on her.

Listening, talking; never really listening, always ready to talk when
a good story is still being told. Writing allows the story to be told
based on conditions.

A number of IFs.

IF; the reader knows how to listen.
IF; the reader intends to listen.
IF; the reader does not burn the book
the moment the last sentence is read.

Time for this writer (capital I) to explain my joy of writing.
When I write, I can and do reread. I march deep into
the writing and have found unplanned depth.

Sure I write with frequent shallowness. I  hope that stuff
will only be found in the back of the drawer after this writer's death.

THIS BLOG -fresh start

Time for a make over.

And also a glitch popped up so I could not

edit or remove old posts.

So this starts anew. Brief history below.
July 2007 - first post near the time of Turner's
60th wedding anniversary.

January 2010 - all content removed.
An end of the month index is coming
at the end of the month.

Healing

Takes time.

djmaine 1/6/2010