My Grandma used to tell me that when there was thunder, it was just the Angels in heaven moving furniture. I don't remember if the thunder scared me, or if she just told me that as a way to assure me that everything was all right as she tucked me in to sleep.
I remember that I was also told that the sound of thunder was from Angels bowling in heaven.
Some times the flashes of lightening, and the profound sound of the thunder that followed, and the downpour of rain, and all of them together, frightened me when I was a child. I'm not sure why I was frightened, yet I remember being tense when the lightening, thunder, rain, wind, happened all at once and continued for what I thought were long periods of time.
Nowadays, I love to watch the clouds tumble through the sky and to watch thunderheads grow. I like to watch the storm fronts advance through the sky, I follow the paths of the storms through the area, and when we're elsewhere, sometimes I'll be able to watch the movement of storms, and rain, or snow, in the distance across the mountains, or the plains, or as the storms move out to sea.
Where we live, we get a lot of "weather"; the "weather" often causes the power to go out, often for hours at a time.
Over the years, I've learned to anticipate the effects of stormy weather--I have candles, battery lanterns, a propane Coleman stove, a crankable radio, and more recently, a supply of bottled water.
When the power goes out, it's a nice break in the routine of life in a world where everything seems to depend on electricity. Sure, if it's sticky hot and humid outside, and there's no air-conditioning, everyone gets super hot, and wishes for a breeze. Even so, things are quiet. when it gets dark, there's very little light, except for the glow of candles, or lanterns in our home, and the homes of our neighbors. There's no whine of heat-pumps or generators, or other sounds of the electric age we live in.
Traffic slows down too--without traffic lights, people stay home. Traffic without traffic lights is chaotic, dangerous.
So, when we're at home, we slow down too--it's amazing to consider how dependent we are on the technology of our times--without electricity, almost everything comes to a stop. So, what do we do?
The last time the power was out for a long time--it may have been ten hours or so, my daughter and I were home alone, and we brought out the crankable radio, and found the local NPR station, and along with a little news about the power outages, we listened to classical music, that she explained to me, and we read, played board games, and spent time with each other.
All of the things that we might have been doing, that required the use of electric power to accomplish, were put aside--they were no longer important, and we didn't really miss the electricity.
Now, I won't try to say that I'd prefer to go without electricity for extended periods of time, yet, these small interludes in which we do without the power, aren't times that we fear--we do look forward to those times, and we make good use of the time as these opportunities arise.
The lesson? we should communicate more with our family members, and enjoy our time together while eliminating external distractions.
That's not all, just all that I have time for today. I was kind of hoping that we'd lose power for a while--losing power imposes the constraints upon me that I seem to enjoy--meaning, the slowing down, the quiet time with my husband and children, the focus on family, and the loss of many of the distractions that I encourage through the various uses of the technology that surrounds me.
I'm responsible for my captivity in the technology I live with. Likewise I am responsible to taking myself away from it too--I suppose that taking myself away from is easier said than done--I think that it's like an addiction--an addiction to the technology, and the benefits it brings along with everything else.
Lila
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
24 July 09 Friday 40 years ago....
40 years ago, we are reminded, in the news, that it was the summer of the moon landing, and the summer of Love, the summer of Woodstock
Was I at Woodstock? No. People I've known for many years always seem to think that I had been there. No. Not that it wouldn't have been a neat thing to do, I would like to have gone. Traffic on the east coast was packed that weekend, the weather was kind of nasty, and I had no way to get there. And I went to work at my routine, boring, summer job, on Monday morning after the Woodstock weekend.....
There's going to be a new release of the movie documentary. I wonder if I'll try to see it. Probably.
Why would I want to see the rain, the mud, the people who made up the crowds of rained on and muddy hordes who came to see the performances at Woodstock....
I suppose that many of us who lived through that time have some kinds of unfinished thoughts about what the "era" meant, or what it was like.
Sure, I lived through the 60s, at the same time, I missed the things that made the image of what the 60s was the 60s. Who had time. Who had the money? who had the means to do those things. So, some of us were "there", in the sense of having lived through the time, yet, we weren't--many people lived fairly normal, fairly conservative lives.....And not everyone was out protesting "the War".
Which brings me to another point--not all of those protesters were out there because they were protesting "the War". Lots of people were out for an afternoon of socializing, good times, cameraderie, and oh-by-the-way, there's a protest demonstration going on. Grab a sign...
While there were true believers in the protests, that's not true for all who were a part of the "crowd". I was never a part of any of those crowds.
There were hypocrites among the peaceniks...
Lila
Was I at Woodstock? No. People I've known for many years always seem to think that I had been there. No. Not that it wouldn't have been a neat thing to do, I would like to have gone. Traffic on the east coast was packed that weekend, the weather was kind of nasty, and I had no way to get there. And I went to work at my routine, boring, summer job, on Monday morning after the Woodstock weekend.....
There's going to be a new release of the movie documentary. I wonder if I'll try to see it. Probably.
Why would I want to see the rain, the mud, the people who made up the crowds of rained on and muddy hordes who came to see the performances at Woodstock....
I suppose that many of us who lived through that time have some kinds of unfinished thoughts about what the "era" meant, or what it was like.
Sure, I lived through the 60s, at the same time, I missed the things that made the image of what the 60s was the 60s. Who had time. Who had the money? who had the means to do those things. So, some of us were "there", in the sense of having lived through the time, yet, we weren't--many people lived fairly normal, fairly conservative lives.....And not everyone was out protesting "the War".
Which brings me to another point--not all of those protesters were out there because they were protesting "the War". Lots of people were out for an afternoon of socializing, good times, cameraderie, and oh-by-the-way, there's a protest demonstration going on. Grab a sign...
While there were true believers in the protests, that's not true for all who were a part of the "crowd". I was never a part of any of those crowds.
There were hypocrites among the peaceniks...
Lila
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday 23 July 09 Locusts singing outside my window
The sound of locusts singing during the summertime is probably one of my most favorite of all summer sounds.
I remember hearing locusts during summers when I was just a very little girl--I wasn't sure what the sound came from, and I never saw a locust until just a few years ago. What I saw was the shell of a greenish black bug--very different from the Cicadas that I'd seen from time to time during my life.
I've seen Cicadas as a child--I remember going to a wooded area not too far from home, and listening to the non-stop drone of thousands of Cicadas on the trees, flying through the air, flying into me, catching them, and more. They disappeared after a few weeks--and didn't return until nearly two decades later--depending on where I was--because I've seen them at least four times, in different places.
Where I live now, I've seen the coming and going of the Cicada twice--the last time being just a few years ago, and earlier, after we'd been here for just a couple of years.
The Cicadas were everywhere--they flew into our faces, into windshields, into doors, everywhere! And the drone of the Cicada was so loud that one could only hear someone else, when outside, if you shouted.
And then they were gone.
Now, we have the summer locusts, to keep us mindful of the summertime passing by.....
Lila
I remember hearing locusts during summers when I was just a very little girl--I wasn't sure what the sound came from, and I never saw a locust until just a few years ago. What I saw was the shell of a greenish black bug--very different from the Cicadas that I'd seen from time to time during my life.
I've seen Cicadas as a child--I remember going to a wooded area not too far from home, and listening to the non-stop drone of thousands of Cicadas on the trees, flying through the air, flying into me, catching them, and more. They disappeared after a few weeks--and didn't return until nearly two decades later--depending on where I was--because I've seen them at least four times, in different places.
Where I live now, I've seen the coming and going of the Cicada twice--the last time being just a few years ago, and earlier, after we'd been here for just a couple of years.
The Cicadas were everywhere--they flew into our faces, into windshields, into doors, everywhere! And the drone of the Cicada was so loud that one could only hear someone else, when outside, if you shouted.
And then they were gone.
Now, we have the summer locusts, to keep us mindful of the summertime passing by.....
Lila
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Moon: 40 years later. 21 July 09
Even thought it's been forty years since the first man walked on the moon, it seems almost like yesterday that I saw it happen--on a black and white TV screen, late in the evening, while I was trying to stay awake...to see this important moment in the history of humanity.
I remember that the images were clear yet fuzzy, black and white--we didn't have a color TV, so I don't know if the original pictures were broadcasted in color because we didn't have a color TV.
It was miraculous! An image from the Moon! Human persons on the Moon!
I sat on the floor in our TV room--my father was there, and my boyfriend was visiting, I can't remember if my brother was there, he may have been, but I'm not sure.
I was sleepy--it was a long wait to see the Moonwalk!
And after it happened--I went to bed! I was so tired!
It was a wonder to see! We, the United States of America, had landed on the moon, and had seen a citizen of the United States, an astronaut, walk on the moon! What could be better!!!!
Now, fast forward to 2009--here we are--and it's been a while since anyone has been to the moon and back. Sure we have astronauts in space, yes, there's the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station--still what new ground have we conquered???
We have lots more to do! It's time to get back on track! The future is here, and we still dream of where the future will take us!
Star Trek is now!
Lila
I remember that the images were clear yet fuzzy, black and white--we didn't have a color TV, so I don't know if the original pictures were broadcasted in color because we didn't have a color TV.
It was miraculous! An image from the Moon! Human persons on the Moon!
I sat on the floor in our TV room--my father was there, and my boyfriend was visiting, I can't remember if my brother was there, he may have been, but I'm not sure.
I was sleepy--it was a long wait to see the Moonwalk!
And after it happened--I went to bed! I was so tired!
It was a wonder to see! We, the United States of America, had landed on the moon, and had seen a citizen of the United States, an astronaut, walk on the moon! What could be better!!!!
Now, fast forward to 2009--here we are--and it's been a while since anyone has been to the moon and back. Sure we have astronauts in space, yes, there's the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station--still what new ground have we conquered???
We have lots more to do! It's time to get back on track! The future is here, and we still dream of where the future will take us!
Star Trek is now!
Lila
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Later on Saturday 18 July 09
So, I'm back again. During the last few days I've been thinking about some things, mostly about time, and the passing of time.
And the amount of time that's passed for me, and what's happened in that time. And how much time I have left....
Since I was a little kid, for some reason I always thought about how time is a one time thing--we only get to do things once--once in the time we have. And we only go around once--time lost is totally lost. If we spend our time in stupid ways, or if we really screw up, or do exceptionally well, we don't get to repeat those things. If we miss our opportunities to do things, it's gone. You can't go back and repeat it, or go back to get it, whatever "it" is.
I wonder if I've missed much, failed much, excelled much, or what--what have I done that might or might not have been meaningful.
Go back to the lightening bugs that we see at night--what would life be like if the lightening bugs weren't there, or, if in my life, I'd been oblivious to the lightening bugs--missed seeing them, or if I hadn't spent time running around trying to catch them. And does that time I spent trying to catch the lightening bugs make a difference in our total life, world, and the impact I personally have had on "everything"....
Perhaps these are small potatoes compared to the problems of the world, still, I think that how we regard life in the micro-sphere extends to how we treat events in our macro-world.
Silly musings...
Lila
And the amount of time that's passed for me, and what's happened in that time. And how much time I have left....
Since I was a little kid, for some reason I always thought about how time is a one time thing--we only get to do things once--once in the time we have. And we only go around once--time lost is totally lost. If we spend our time in stupid ways, or if we really screw up, or do exceptionally well, we don't get to repeat those things. If we miss our opportunities to do things, it's gone. You can't go back and repeat it, or go back to get it, whatever "it" is.
I wonder if I've missed much, failed much, excelled much, or what--what have I done that might or might not have been meaningful.
Go back to the lightening bugs that we see at night--what would life be like if the lightening bugs weren't there, or, if in my life, I'd been oblivious to the lightening bugs--missed seeing them, or if I hadn't spent time running around trying to catch them. And does that time I spent trying to catch the lightening bugs make a difference in our total life, world, and the impact I personally have had on "everything"....
Perhaps these are small potatoes compared to the problems of the world, still, I think that how we regard life in the micro-sphere extends to how we treat events in our macro-world.
Silly musings...
Lila
18 July 2009 Saturday The end of an era...
Walter Cronkite died last night. It truly IS the end of an era--of faith in the news, and in a particular newscaster. Cronkite was the face and sound of news during my entire lifetime, and before. It was he who told the world what was happening at some of the most critical times of our history. And now, he too, has passed into the Ages. He was only 92. Impossible to believe that he didn't live forever.....
Lila
Lila
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Small Things That Matter: Wednesday 15 July 09
The more I think about it, The more convinced I am that many people in "society" tend to overlook some of the more routine things that happen every day, and that mark the day and the season.
Many things are constant--we see them, we hear them, we expect them, and without consciously realizing that these same things, events, are part of the ongoing experience for the moment. These same small things, also bring up a series of memories, recollections, feelings, that transport us to other times and places.
Yet, the absence of these small things may go un-noted, un-noticed, until someone points out the absence of (whatever it is...), because these small things are not absolutely essential to the total experience of what a person sees, thinks, feels, remembers--rather, the events that occur in that setting could happen anyway. Or would they (still happen)?
The "small things" that happen in any environment contribute to the total experience of the moment (series of moments), in qualitative ways that enhance the experience of the moment to differentiate that moment, or series of moments, from other times, or experiences, even though all of these situations may be very similar.
The qualitative evaluation of a "moment", and the "small things" that make up the subjective experience of the moment, are critical pieces of the individual context for the person who experiences that moment, creating "difference" in one's perspective, from that of another person's percpective on the same thing.
Each person sees things in a slightly different manner than someone else who shares the moment.
This idea is NOT anything new. Perspective is, and has been, a relative relationship between and among people, objective and subjective things/environments, and the individual perspectives of those who inhabit the moment.
Again--I'm not saying anything especially new, yet, my application of this concept will be, perhaps, unique to the small moment(s) that I apply them to.
As will the applications that others make be unique to theirr small moments.
So how would we know that something is a small thing that matters, makes a difference, something that differentiates a moment from another?
An example: lightening bugs. Consider a summer evening, with and without the lightening bugs in the scene outside your front door....Consider the sounds of summer--what are the sounds of summer for you? How about the singing of locusts during the heat of the day?
How do we know how these things matter? How do they make a difference?
Many things are constant--we see them, we hear them, we expect them, and without consciously realizing that these same things, events, are part of the ongoing experience for the moment. These same small things, also bring up a series of memories, recollections, feelings, that transport us to other times and places.
Yet, the absence of these small things may go un-noted, un-noticed, until someone points out the absence of (whatever it is...), because these small things are not absolutely essential to the total experience of what a person sees, thinks, feels, remembers--rather, the events that occur in that setting could happen anyway. Or would they (still happen)?
The "small things" that happen in any environment contribute to the total experience of the moment (series of moments), in qualitative ways that enhance the experience of the moment to differentiate that moment, or series of moments, from other times, or experiences, even though all of these situations may be very similar.
The qualitative evaluation of a "moment", and the "small things" that make up the subjective experience of the moment, are critical pieces of the individual context for the person who experiences that moment, creating "difference" in one's perspective, from that of another person's percpective on the same thing.
Each person sees things in a slightly different manner than someone else who shares the moment.
This idea is NOT anything new. Perspective is, and has been, a relative relationship between and among people, objective and subjective things/environments, and the individual perspectives of those who inhabit the moment.
Again--I'm not saying anything especially new, yet, my application of this concept will be, perhaps, unique to the small moment(s) that I apply them to.
As will the applications that others make be unique to theirr small moments.
So how would we know that something is a small thing that matters, makes a difference, something that differentiates a moment from another?
An example: lightening bugs. Consider a summer evening, with and without the lightening bugs in the scene outside your front door....Consider the sounds of summer--what are the sounds of summer for you? How about the singing of locusts during the heat of the day?
How do we know how these things matter? How do they make a difference?
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