Think Global – Act Local

So, this was our house last year after the new paint job…
And here it is after updating our front garden to help conserve water…
As you can see, we’ve removed the front grass and replaced it with (mostly) white stone.  We’ve circled the two trees with larger riverbed stones and red pumice (like) stones.  We’ve high-lighted the roses on either side of the brick path and added river stone edging on the sides.  We added a “fake” stream bed curving from near the top of the path, around our big tree, down to the sidewalk.  And, finally, we sprinkled various plants in the white stone areas.  We hope they will fill out and add a bit of color to the otherwise plain white space.
Many (not quite most) of the houses in our neighborhood have already done the same to their front gardens.  I don’t know how much money we’ll save, but every drop of water counts in this age of climate change.  Over 25 of the last 30 years have been drought years here in California, so our action is long past due.  Hopefully, better late than never…
And, of course, the best news is:  NO more mowing the lawn, while reducing the expense of our water bill.
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On This Day In:
2020	Was #IncompenentDonald Born To Be A Diplomat?
2019	Have You Planted Lately?
2018	Something / Nothing
2017	Kindness
2016	Dealing With It
2015	Too Many Choices!
2014	Vini, Vidi, Vici
2013	Heroes
	Education, n.
2012	Who I Want To Be
2011	Mythic Forgetfulness

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I Ask For Two Minutes…

Memorial Day
Monday 31 May 2021
Thank You, Veterans! Some give more than others… Some give all…
[This weekend, when you are celebrating with your family, please take a minute to think about these soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who throughout our nation’s history have made the ultimate sacrifice for us all.  Please try to think of them, not as warriors, but as sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters… as part of a “greater” American family – which all (they and us) surely are.
I know that Memorial Day is specifically set aside to honor these brave souls in uniform, but please also take an extra minute or two to remember and be thankful for the over 3,600 medical and health care staff around the country who also fought the good fight – just doing their jobs – and who gave their lives in the last year defending us from COVID.   They too have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
All five images were found on the web.  No claim of ownership is intended or implied.
—    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2020	At Least A Lot More Gray
2019	Walking The Lonely Path
2018	The Ultimate Trial
2017	Vain Expectations
2016	Or Of One Thought
2015	What’s In Your Future?
2014	Light In Darkness
2013	How ‘Bout Just Obeying The Law?
2012	Or Maybe Not
2011	My Interval Is Too Short!

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Just Like You

Cat’s In The Cradle
Comment(s):
Every father’s prayer:  “Dear Lord, Help my children be better than me.“
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On This Day In:
2019	None Absolutely Certain
	Destroying The Republic
2018	Maps For Those Difficult Times
2017	A True American Hero
	Or Desserts
2016	What #AmnestyDon Is Really Afraid Of
2015	What Are You Doing?
2014	The Ideal Man
2013	Daring Ripples
2012	Evermore
2011	Unpredictable Opportunity
2010	Giants Fall In Game 2 (1 to 6) – Leave PA With 1-1 Split !!

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Thumpin’ Bass

Get The Funk Out My Face
Comment(s):
Did I ever tell you I luv me some thumpin’ bass?  (Sly and the Family Stone, the Brothers’ J, Parliament / Funkadelic – and the list goes on and on…)
I can’t say much for the rather repetitive lyrics, but I’m not on my feet dancin’ to the lyrics…  (Well, actually I am.  LoL!)
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On This Day In:
2019	30 Day Health / Weight Update (Oct 2019)
	When Reason Comes
2018	One Of The Great Ones
2017	Mirror In The Oval Office
	True Courage
2016	What’s Your Excuse?
2015	Some Meaningful Resemblance
2014	Bloom
	Orange October (VII) – The Giants Win The Pennant!!
2013	Walking The Walk
2012	Legacy Of Star Trek (TOS)
2011	Tolerating The Intolerant
	Passionate Germs
2010	Giants Win Game 1 In Philly (4 to 3)!!

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Pure Flavor Vis-à-vis Enthusiasm

Oye Como Va
Above is the way I remember listening to this song (over and over again)…  Below is one of the many live versions…
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On This Day In:
2019	Bigger Hearts
2018	Signaled Progress
2017	No Progress, But Still Unreasonable
2016	Notes Unsaid
2015	Still Seeking (Believe It Or Not)
2014	Guidelines For Bureaucrats
2013	Failing At Normalization
2012	Are You An Expert?
2011	Joy!

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R.I.P.: Eddie Van Halen

Dance The Night Away
Comment(s):
To be honest, I was not a “big” Van Halen (group) fan.  I do own their “Greatest Hits” CD and “1984” album and I did really like a number of their songs (particularly this one and “Jump“).  Having said that, I was a fan of Eddie Van Halen.  I thought he had some great riffs and he always seemed to bring a sense of joy to their videos.
I heard (today) Eddie passed away after a multi-year struggle with throat cancer.  The world is better for his having been a part of it.  The music world is a little less tonight for his loss.
Hendrix, Prince and (now) Eddie Van Halen…  Heaven must be jammin’ & screamin’ tonight!  I bet Glen Campbell and Roy Clark are fingerin’ in a few licks with them, too!
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On This Day In:
2019	Two Peace
2018	The Sensation Of Human Intimacy
2017	One Night In A Thousand Years
2016	A Considerable Amount Of Work
2015	Panzer Soldier
2014	Babies (I)
2013	Patriotic == Tell The Truth
2012	30 Days To Go
2011	Altering The Course

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ITF (365) – Update

So, today I am completing my 365th day of Intermediate Time Fasting (ITF), which has “really” been a mix of ITF and One-Meal-A-Day (OMAD) mixed eating and it’s time for an update:
My weight is down from 364lbs to 345lbs.
19lbs in 12 months or “roughly” 1.5lbs per month.
Had I been on a “strict” ITF – or my modified three(3) day cycle) (MITF), today would have been day:3 of cycle:119
As it was, this was day:267 of ITF / MITF and day 98 of OMAD.  Now, of course, there were multiple “normal” days mixed in during the year, but by and large I tried to stick to the time guidelines / eating periods.  Surprisingly, (to me) there was very little exercise done other than my daily walking of our pet dog.  This would be between 15 minutes / .4 miles; 30 minutes / 1 mile; and, 45minutes / 1.3 miles.  There would be some minor deviations in time or distance, but these were the overwhelmingly most common times and distances.
I would amend I was doing some body-weight exercises for about 45 to 60 minutes each day, but they did not result in significant weight loss or gain.  Although I felt much better at the end of the 60 day period.  At the start of August, I began suffering from vertigo and lower back pain, so I curtailed the exercises.  The main accomplishment was going from zero(“0”) pushups (from the floor) to 15 pushups.  I was pushing myself through a 30 day / 100 pushups a day challenge.  I started with 20 sets of five(5) inclined pushups and worked from 10 X 10 to 5 sets of 20 (inclined), with mixing in one or two sets from the floor on alternating days.
I am still dealing with the vertigo (off and on, mostly off), but my back issues seems to have cleared up.
An observant reader might ask about my food plan…  The reality is / was there was virtually NONE.  Every third day was ALL YOU CAN EAT / anything you want, within the eating 2Hr window and I did just that.  I started off with pizzas and cakes, fried chicken, chow mein and ice cream, and…  Well, you get the idea.  Almost nothing healthy every third day for almost three months.  I did tone it back after that, but I “just” toned it down to “crazy” every 6th day.  I did not stop.  My test was to see if controlling the time windows (6Hr, 4Hr and 2Hr) would work as a diet / lifestyle variable.  I would say, it does seem to have worked.  Relatively little exercise for most (10 months) of the year and a gross amount of unhealthy food every third (6th) day (but only within 2Hrs) and I still lost weight.  I can only imagine how much I would have lost had I adopted a healthier food program (at least on the third / 6th day) and added a modest exercise program to go with it.  Or alternatively, if I had just done the every other day eat / fast regime which seems to be more commonly recommended.
And that’s where I stand moving forward…  I am hoping to continue both the OMAD and a workout routine to continue to lose weight and get healthier.
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On This Day In:
2019	Reality And Imperfection
	Day 8: One Stone
2018	Pity The Nation (Part 1)
	Day 41: Hiccup Or End Of Days?
2017	Sharp-Edged Beauty
2016	Start, Keep, Finish
2015	Lifetime Friends
2014	Acknowledgement
2013	Longevity, Tenacity and Diversity
2012	What Reagan Really Cared About
2011	Seeming Sane (Or Not)

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But I Won’t Do That

I Would Do Anything For Love
Favorite Line(s):
Some days I pray for silence
Some days I pray for soul
Some days I just pray to the god of sex and drums and rock ‘n’ roll
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On This Day In:
2019	Seeking Nobility
2018	My Family Calls It Hoarding
	Day 30: Done & Dusted
2017	Rogers’ Rules (Hexadecimal)
2016	But, It’s Such A Simple Mistake
2015	Crawl Towards The Light
2014	Sweet Songs
2013	The Wife Of An Ordinary Man
2012	Three Words
2011	Know Anyone Like This?
2010	Apoplexy??
	When Breaking Up Is Hard To Do…
	Sibling Awareness

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Smile And Shuffle

I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Comment(s):
This isn’t one of those songs which makes my “Poems / Lyrics” page, but it is one which makes me “smile and shuffle” every time I hear it.  I heard it while I was standing in a checkout line earlier today.  “Shuffle” is pretty much as close I come to dancing these days.  (Now many of my friends would say, that’s as close as I EVER came to dancing.  LoL!)
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On This Day In:
2019	If One Is Lucky Enough
	Basic Training (In Films)
2018	Being President Doesn’t Make You Presidential
	Day 27: 4 Weeks / 55lbs
2017	I’m Seeing It, Too
2016	Personal Decisions
2015	Verbal Fluency
2014	Familiar
2013	Unbending
2012	Simple Sayings
2011	Wupped Again?
2010	3 and 1…
	Musical Notes…
	Doubt Tries…
	Northwest Passages – Evening Two
	The Beierly’s Web Site

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World Views: End Of 2019

Having completed my 10th year of blogging and a little more than a quarter of the way through my 11th, I thought I’d check to see my world coverage.  The U.S. recognizes about 195 countries / territories.  I believe the U.N. is upwards of about 210.
Aside from the normal (“expected”) ones missing (Cuba and North Korea), I’m still missing almost 15% of the world’s countries from at least one visit / view.  As near as I can tell, here is my list of countries which I have not had a view from (in alphabetical order):
1) Benin
2) Burkina Fasq
3) Central African Republic
4) Chad
5) Côte d’Ivoire
6) Cuba
7) Djibouti
8) Equatorial Guinea
9) Eritrea
10) Gabon
11) Guinea
12) Guinea-Bissau
13) Haiti
14) Liberia
15) Mali
16) Mauritania
17) Niger
18) North Korea
19) North Macedonia
20) Sierra Leone
21) Sao Tome and Principe
22) South Sudan
23) Suriname
24) Togo
25) Turkmenistan
26) Uzbekistan
27) Vatican City
28) Western Sahara
29) Yemen
I know it is pure vanity to imagine it — given my relatively small number of followers (1,400-ish), but I like to imagine if I cannot personally visit every country in the world in my lifetime, at least my blog has been viewed by at least one person in each country.
Like I said —  pure vanity  —  but at the end of each year I seem to inch a little closer to my goal.  Someone should tell them:  “Assimilation is inevitable.  Resistance is futile…”  (LoL!)
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On This Day In:
2018	Best Wishes For 2019!
2017	Best Wishes For 2018!
2016	Best Wishes For 2017!
2015	Better Red Than Dead
	Tomorrow Starts A New Year
2014	Recovering
	Best Wishes For 2015!
2013	Best Wishes For 2014!
2012	My Creed
2011	It Probably Isn’t So

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A Windy Monday

And when the bough breaks…
As I was out walking my dog today, I heard what sounded like someone stomping on a 2-liter plastic bottle and then dragging it underfoot.  I looked up and didn’t see anything.  I thought it might be a bottle being tossed down the street by the winds.  As I got a little farther along, I noticed some folks standing outside their homes looking across the street.  The wind had caused a tree branch to snap and fall across the road.  I went back a little later (after retrieving my phone) and took this picture.  The workmen had already cleared the opposite side of the road.  The branches originally fully crossed the street.
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On This Day In:
2018	No Religious Test, Yes Religious Ban
2017	Looking At #DumbDonald
2016	No Great Thing
2015	Happy Memory
	Of Two Minds
2014	Sums
2013	Memories & Binging
	Admiration Due
2012	Choices Matter
2011	Acceptance Is The Key
2010	Just A Permanent Crease…
	Bodily Functions

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So Near And Yet So Far

Is this a metaphor for life?
At the end of March, my daughter gave me a puzzle for my birthday…  (see image below)  She knows:  I like puzzles.  I like trains.
So, after much diligent effort, I got it assembled!  (see image below)  Well, almost…  If you double click on the image to see the large version, you’ll notice one(1) piece is missing.
Now, because I am OCD, you have to understand, to solve a puzzle, I do the following:
1) separate out all the edge pieces;
2) assemble all the edge pieces;
3) if not complete, return to (1);
4) separate out and assemble (in order) all the pieces of the largest or most visually obvious items; trains, tracks, bright leaves, bridge structures, the rest;
5) Hmmm…  separate train pieces – check.  Assemble train pieces – check.  Ooops!  Piece missing.  Back to 4)…
Now, understand.  1,000 pieces total.  Edges and corners: approximately 100 pieces.  Two trains: let’s be generous and say 300 pieces.  That leaves me 600 pieces to search through looking for one specific piece.  Okay…  We do it the old fashioned way: pour them out and go through them one at a time.  Did I mention I’m kind of OCD?  No luck…  Search floor.  Search under couch and other near by furniture.  No joy…  Look at dog with accusatory glare.  She licks her lips nervously and slinks away.  Pour out pieces and try again.  No joy…  Pour out pieces and try again!
So, after three full piece searches (what I call “positive visual confirmation”) over two days (this is in my “spare” time), and did I mention about five(5) hours(!), still no joy.  I come to accept conclusion that either my wife or daughter are playing an evil trick on me (saving the final piece for themselves), or the piece was never in the box.  I ask casually and they both proclaim their innocence.  Ow, well…  Complete the puzzle anyway.  Maybe it will turn up…
Upon completion, my daughter comments that her friends have this happen to them frequently(!).  What????  Yes.  Several times her friends have bought puzzles and then had them miss a piece.
I am stunned, but unappeased.  I jump online and go to the web site (www.sunsout.com) for the manufacturer.  I email them with the information they request and ask for the piece.  I receive a response the next day.  (Great customer service!)  They respond they will send me a new puzzle in 2 to 3 weeks.  They include the message they are not able to send individual pieces and do not guarantee the puzzle will be from the same die-cut.
A little over a week later, I get my replacement puzzle.  (Again, great customer service!)  I tear it open and the pieces are shaped completely differently.  Arggghhh!!  I don’t even have to open the plastic see-through bag to tell the pieces are cut differently.
Now I have to consult with my wife.  Should I complete the replacement puzzle?  I have no guarantee this version won’t have the same issue: missing piece(s).  Should I toss them both?  Should I search out the missing piece and its neighbors and then cut them to fit my puzzle?  Should I use a close up of the box cover to overlay the missing piece by getting a physical picture and backing it with cardboard?  She says email them back and request a different puzzle.  Then, if it’s missing a piece (too), at least you didn’t solve the same puzzle twice.
In the end, I trash the (almost) completed puzzle and put the unopened bag back into its box to re-gift to someone else…
Somewhere, deep inside…  a frustrated little OCD train loving child is crying.
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On This Day In:
2018	I Doubt #45 Is Listening?
2017	Life’s Oddity
2016	Just Asking…
2015	Two Thoughts On Thinking
2014	From The Top, Please…
2013	You Are The Stars
2012	Just One??
2011	Anything But

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Best Wishes For 2018!

Cheers to you, my blog readers!  Here are a few suggested resolutions for 2018:
1) Give of yourselves…
2) Love others (and tell them / show them often)…
3) Enjoy long walks (preferably while holding someone’s hand), nutritious food and candle-lit meals, good reading, music which touches your soul, and quiet moments for reflection…
4) Laugh frequently and loudly…  Cry freely and unashamed when you must…
5) Look forward (Hope), while living in the moment (Enjoy), and not forgetting the past (Memories)…
May you have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!
Please have a happy (and safe) New Year’s Eve!
[Yes, this is a similar post (okay, the same as) to last year’s New Year’s Eve suggestions.  And, this year, yes, I’m just being lazy!  LOL   —   KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2016	Best Wishes For 2017!
2015	Better Red Than Dead
	Tomorrow Starts A New Year
2014	Recovering
2013	Best Wishes For 2014!
2012	My Creed
2011	It Probably Isn’t So

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Best Wishes For 2017!

Cheers to you, my blog readers!  Here are a few suggested resolutions for 2017:
1)  Give of yourselves…
2)  Love others (and tell them / show them often)…
3)  Enjoy long walks (preferably while holding someone’s hand), nutritious food and candle-lit meals, good reading, music which touches your soul, and quiet moments for reflection…
4)  Laugh frequently and loudly…  Cry freely and unashamed when you must…
5)  Look forward (Hope), while living in the moment (Enjoy), and not forgetting the past (Memories)…
May you have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017!
Please have a happy (and safe) New Year’s Eve!
[Yes, this is a similar post to many of my earlier New Year’s Eve suggestions.  And, no, I’m not just being lazy!  LOL   —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2015	Better Red Than Dead
	Tomorrow Starts A New Year
2014	Recovering
	Best Wishes For 2015!
2013	Best Wishes For 2014!
2012	My Creed
2011	It Probably Isn’t So

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Dear Automakers

I want a small truck.  But I’m definitely NOT feelin’ the love…
Every now and then I want to take stuff to the dump or bring home some home & garden stuff (cans of paint, stones for a path, a sheet of plywood), but I’m frustrated because it either doesn’t fit in my car or it would mess the car up (fertilizer in your trunk on a hot day).  Why do I have to buy (or rent) a MONSTER truck just to accomplish this?  If a small (4 cylinder) truck is done right, it can also be light and (relatively) fuel-efficient, so I could even substitute it for my commuter car.  I’d even trade a shorter bed (as long as it’s not too much shorter) for a small, side-ways jump-seat extended cab (but not a full back-seated cab).
It seems to me, the manufacturers are really missing a market.  I’m getting ready to retire in the next couple of years and after that I’ve probably got (maybe) five good years of puttering around the house ahead of me.  You’ve got a window to reach a LOT of baby-boomers just like me.
It’s not like you guys don’t make these trucks.  You do.  You just don’t sell them in America – or at least not here in California.
Missed opportunity.  Lost profit.  Just saying…  Or, maybe it’s just me…
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On This Day In:
2015	And Some Not So Brave Too
2014	In My Lifetime…
2013	Democracy
2012	Borrowed Expectations
2011	Not Necessarily True

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