“Stay hungry, stay foolish.” Steward Brand in The Last Whole Earth Catalog, later quoted by Steve Jobs.
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
13 years ago
Thursday, March 10, 2011
matt's new job
Today was grandson Matt’s first day on the job.
Yesterday was his birthday. He is 15 now.
It’s a volunteer job, no pay. He signed a contract that he will volunteer a minimum number of hours each week -- for a year. He will exceed that, grandpa predicts.
It’s not like he is working to assist the janitor, which would be good, except not for this child. He is a first wash computer geek, after his father and oldest brother.
So he is working with the computer development people in a small but expanding TV station. The station is christian and its influence is moving into new areas, and growing.
I remember when Miriam started to College a lot of years back. I had been a full time student in the same department. At noon I went up to see how she was doing. Her eyes were saucer wide: “These people know how to do art and they want to teach me. “ It was an astute observation and was so true.
Matt will likely have the same deer-in-the-headlights look when we see him later today.
As he was leaving, I gave him one bit of Grandpa advice: “Don’t be a smart aleck. Be humble and teachable.”
I have a hunch he will do both.
Yesterday was his birthday. He is 15 now.
It’s a volunteer job, no pay. He signed a contract that he will volunteer a minimum number of hours each week -- for a year. He will exceed that, grandpa predicts.
It’s not like he is working to assist the janitor, which would be good, except not for this child. He is a first wash computer geek, after his father and oldest brother.
So he is working with the computer development people in a small but expanding TV station. The station is christian and its influence is moving into new areas, and growing.
I remember when Miriam started to College a lot of years back. I had been a full time student in the same department. At noon I went up to see how she was doing. Her eyes were saucer wide: “These people know how to do art and they want to teach me. “ It was an astute observation and was so true.
Matt will likely have the same deer-in-the-headlights look when we see him later today.
As he was leaving, I gave him one bit of Grandpa advice: “Don’t be a smart aleck. Be humble and teachable.”
I have a hunch he will do both.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
ahh
Memories are strange things.
Miriam still remembers the old days well, but necessarily, with great accuracy.
She told me this year for the first time that her birthday was the same day as her grandmother. They do share the same day of the month, but not the same month. Still, I had not heard that until this year.
I am routinely told that my grandmother had black hair (it was not all white, but mostly) and that my other grandmother was “fat” (she was not). One grandfather lived to be 98, and rode his bicycle for many years (he had a Model T early in his life, but then was carless during the depression, getting his first “modern car”, (a 1936 Ford 5 window coupe) a couple of years before I met Miriam.
She is sure she saw grandpa riding his bicycle, but I am pretty sure she did not.
She remembers that her mother was 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds, but the rest of us say she was closer to 5’ 3” and weighted about 120.
Most of these changes memory have happened after Miriams diagnosis, so I think they are related to the disease more than to real fabrication.
If you think you can change her mind about any of this, think again. Mostly it does not matter.
Or does it?
Miriam still remembers the old days well, but necessarily, with great accuracy.
She told me this year for the first time that her birthday was the same day as her grandmother. They do share the same day of the month, but not the same month. Still, I had not heard that until this year.
I am routinely told that my grandmother had black hair (it was not all white, but mostly) and that my other grandmother was “fat” (she was not). One grandfather lived to be 98, and rode his bicycle for many years (he had a Model T early in his life, but then was carless during the depression, getting his first “modern car”, (a 1936 Ford 5 window coupe) a couple of years before I met Miriam.
She is sure she saw grandpa riding his bicycle, but I am pretty sure she did not.
She remembers that her mother was 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds, but the rest of us say she was closer to 5’ 3” and weighted about 120.
Most of these changes memory have happened after Miriams diagnosis, so I think they are related to the disease more than to real fabrication.
If you think you can change her mind about any of this, think again. Mostly it does not matter.
Or does it?
Monday, March 7, 2011
surprise
Once there was a new pastor who had a birthday.
HIs congregation hid their cars and waited in the pastors darkened house for him to return home to surprise him with a party. (His wife was in on the surprise).
In time he came home and found the porch light was not working, so he reached up to check on the bulb, but the bulb had been removed and instead he put his hand right into the socket.
He was shocked and let out a stream of soapy mouth sailor language.
All were embarrassed.He probably put in for a transfer to Jamaica or such.
I guess that is the hazard of surprise events.
On the other hand, I did pull a surprise birthday party on Miriam when we were in Texas.
It is one of my happiest memories.
Maybe that was the exception rather than the average.
I don't know.
HIs congregation hid their cars and waited in the pastors darkened house for him to return home to surprise him with a party. (His wife was in on the surprise).
In time he came home and found the porch light was not working, so he reached up to check on the bulb, but the bulb had been removed and instead he put his hand right into the socket.
He was shocked and let out a stream of soapy mouth sailor language.
All were embarrassed.He probably put in for a transfer to Jamaica or such.
I guess that is the hazard of surprise events.
On the other hand, I did pull a surprise birthday party on Miriam when we were in Texas.
It is one of my happiest memories.
Maybe that was the exception rather than the average.
I don't know.
Friday, March 4, 2011
book stores
Yesterday was book store day.
I took grandson 6 (of 7) to Hastings book store. Hastings is one of those book stores that mixes used and new books. A sign said that all used books (value under $30 - which was about all of the used books) were on sale 5 books for $25.
So I found a new book that I wanted and then looked for a set of 5 used books whose price was over $5 each!
It took a while, but I found 5 really good books that I wanted. So I saved $40 or so on used book prices.
Later in the day I went back to the same store with daughter 1. She found three used books she wanted to buy and I found two more to make the 5. That was 8 books (mostly gardening books) in a single day!
In the early evening while daughter was waiting for a friend, we visited another used book store.
Hastings is a picture of organization and cleanliness. The other store was not.
The sign proclaimed 20% off, but since the books rarely had a price, we never could figure the price that was to be discounted!
So I took pictures with my iPhone and we looked around.
Later we visited the other book store in this smallish town. It is family owned and operated. All new books. Everything was in order.
Three stores, three different visions.
I took grandson 6 (of 7) to Hastings book store. Hastings is one of those book stores that mixes used and new books. A sign said that all used books (value under $30 - which was about all of the used books) were on sale 5 books for $25.
So I found a new book that I wanted and then looked for a set of 5 used books whose price was over $5 each!
It took a while, but I found 5 really good books that I wanted. So I saved $40 or so on used book prices.
Later in the day I went back to the same store with daughter 1. She found three used books she wanted to buy and I found two more to make the 5. That was 8 books (mostly gardening books) in a single day!
In the early evening while daughter was waiting for a friend, we visited another used book store.
Hastings is a picture of organization and cleanliness. The other store was not.
The sign proclaimed 20% off, but since the books rarely had a price, we never could figure the price that was to be discounted!
So I took pictures with my iPhone and we looked around.
Later we visited the other book store in this smallish town. It is family owned and operated. All new books. Everything was in order.
Three stores, three different visions.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
change
I notice how my plans go astray and get modified.
Once I listened to my parents for advice, now I listen to my children, who are not children.
We drove to Portland for the wedding, intending to take an easy two days back home. However, we are scheduled to be back here in SW Washington in another week.
Granddaughter 1 attends school a few hours from here and they have Grandparent weekend next week (the 11th and 12th). It is a hundred dollar trip to go back to Idaho and return to this part of Washington, so daughter 1 who is always scheming ways to get us to stay, suggested that we just stay here for that week.
Not a bad idea, I reasoned, and hundred dollar bills do not happen easily or often, so it will be, and I am not complaining.
But it is time to start seeds for the garden. Not all seeds, but early veggies: Onions, Parsley, Broccoli. Tomato seeds need to get started next week then Lettuce.
We could, of course, skip going to see granddaughter and go home and plant garden seeds instead, but that is a bad trade off, one I would never make.
For some reason there are a few mother/daughter events, and an occasional father/son one, but I have never ever been invited to any father/daughter event, so invite me to a granddaughter/grandparent event and I will be there in my best suit!
Even if I spend part of that hundred on garden plants.
Once I listened to my parents for advice, now I listen to my children, who are not children.
We drove to Portland for the wedding, intending to take an easy two days back home. However, we are scheduled to be back here in SW Washington in another week.
Granddaughter 1 attends school a few hours from here and they have Grandparent weekend next week (the 11th and 12th). It is a hundred dollar trip to go back to Idaho and return to this part of Washington, so daughter 1 who is always scheming ways to get us to stay, suggested that we just stay here for that week.
Not a bad idea, I reasoned, and hundred dollar bills do not happen easily or often, so it will be, and I am not complaining.
But it is time to start seeds for the garden. Not all seeds, but early veggies: Onions, Parsley, Broccoli. Tomato seeds need to get started next week then Lettuce.
We could, of course, skip going to see granddaughter and go home and plant garden seeds instead, but that is a bad trade off, one I would never make.
For some reason there are a few mother/daughter events, and an occasional father/son one, but I have never ever been invited to any father/daughter event, so invite me to a granddaughter/grandparent event and I will be there in my best suit!
Even if I spend part of that hundred on garden plants.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
the Steves
I guess you could say I am an Apple guy.
There are three Mac computers in my house, along with two iPods, and an iPhone.
So I pay a bit of attention to the company.
In case you don’t remember, Apple Computer was formed by two Steves: Jobs and Wozniak. The Steve with the long name is portly and seemingly jolly. He is not an active participant in the company right now, but he has a big pile of bucks.
Jobs is the 45th wealthiest person in America. Besides his Apple holdings, he is a part owner of Disney, (7%) thanks to the sale of Pixar, which Jobs owned.
Said gently, both Steves have more than they can easily spend, unless they buy a country.
Right now Jobs is on medical leave, not his first.
He can afford the best medical care in the world. That may do the trick or it may not, no one knows yet.
All of that makes me very thankful for good health. Money is fine, but Health is “more fine.”
By the way Jobs is a Pescetarian. I had to look that one up. A pescetarian is a lacto-ova vegetarian who eats fish and seafood. When People find out I am a vegetarian they often ask if I eat fish. Now I will answer: “No, I am not a pescetarian!”
Hmm. My great grandfather was a Presbyterian, though.
There are three Mac computers in my house, along with two iPods, and an iPhone.
So I pay a bit of attention to the company.
In case you don’t remember, Apple Computer was formed by two Steves: Jobs and Wozniak. The Steve with the long name is portly and seemingly jolly. He is not an active participant in the company right now, but he has a big pile of bucks.
Jobs is the 45th wealthiest person in America. Besides his Apple holdings, he is a part owner of Disney, (7%) thanks to the sale of Pixar, which Jobs owned.
Said gently, both Steves have more than they can easily spend, unless they buy a country.
Right now Jobs is on medical leave, not his first.
He can afford the best medical care in the world. That may do the trick or it may not, no one knows yet.
All of that makes me very thankful for good health. Money is fine, but Health is “more fine.”
By the way Jobs is a Pescetarian. I had to look that one up. A pescetarian is a lacto-ova vegetarian who eats fish and seafood. When People find out I am a vegetarian they often ask if I eat fish. Now I will answer: “No, I am not a pescetarian!”
Hmm. My great grandfather was a Presbyterian, though.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
ice
We drove over the passes where there was the most likelihood of problems.
Nothing.
Earlier in the day the freeway had been closed down for three hours after a set of tripple trailers tangled up on a slick section. It was dry when we went through.
But Friday down along the Columbia Gorge, we came to a big backlog of cars and trucks. It was below freezing, had snowed the day before there was serious ice.
Parts of that road are in the shade, most of the time, and without the sun shining on the dark pavement, it did not melt.
I sped along in the fast lane at 30 mph. At one point I passed a car going about 20. The driver was hunched over the wheel and I could tell he was terrorized. There were others too.
But we made it safely.
Today the temps have warmed up a bit over freezing. People who do not get a lot of cold weather find freezing to be really bad. Places that regularly get near zero find temps in the just freezing level a good day.
I fit in neither category!
Nothing.
Earlier in the day the freeway had been closed down for three hours after a set of tripple trailers tangled up on a slick section. It was dry when we went through.
But Friday down along the Columbia Gorge, we came to a big backlog of cars and trucks. It was below freezing, had snowed the day before there was serious ice.
Parts of that road are in the shade, most of the time, and without the sun shining on the dark pavement, it did not melt.
I sped along in the fast lane at 30 mph. At one point I passed a car going about 20. The driver was hunched over the wheel and I could tell he was terrorized. There were others too.
But we made it safely.
Today the temps have warmed up a bit over freezing. People who do not get a lot of cold weather find freezing to be really bad. Places that regularly get near zero find temps in the just freezing level a good day.
I fit in neither category!
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