Technology Trouble

We are currently in Michigan visiting our daughter and her family. I love traveling and I love seeing people I haven't seen in a while, or meeting new ones. Something that has been crossing my mind on this trip is how dependent we are on electronic gadgets and how I am beginning to really not like them.

I don't know what it is with my daughter and her husband, but they seem to have the worst wi-fi and phone connection ever. They recently moved and sitting right net to their wi-fi, I often can't get connected. Using my phone is a joke. Most of the time my phone tells me there is no connection at all or maybe I have one bar. It makes me want to dump the damed phone in the lake! The house they moved from was just the same.

Something else that happened was that our credit card got compromised. I get alerts every time it is used and when I checked this morning, I had ten charges. I had to call and have the card blocked. That means I get to go back and tell all the places that have my card on file to change the number. I just did that when I got this new super secure card. Oh the irony! I think I'll go back to cash.

This summer, I have done a bunch of traveling. It seems that my mobile phone works very seldom. It isn't the phone because I just got a new one and part of the time it was the old phone. I will definitely never buy another smart phone. The damned things just aren't that smart!

The simpler you make your life, the easier things are, I think. Technology is great, but, for me, I have gotten too dependent on it and it is time to back off a bit. At least for the non-essential stuff.

I just ordered a new interface to record onto my computer and that's technology, but it doesn't require me to hook up with anyone else. That seems to be the trouble point.

Ah, who knows. I'm just whining. Time to go to the lake and take a dip.

A Slower Pace of Life

We have just returned from a camping trip and it was very enjoyable. One of the things I like most about camping is how things slow down. I love a slower pace of life.

I should explain how we camp.

We have a 2015 Little Guy Silver Shadow Teardrop trailer. The inside is plenty roomy for sleeping. There is a kitchen in the back and we have that orange topped tent that connects to the trailer to keep out the bugs. The tent makes getting dressed less of a public affair and it is also a screen room for when the bugs just get to be too much.

Anyway, we went to Cranberry Lake State Park in upstate NY. It is a beautiful place. My only complaint is that there are no electric hook-ups, but then, as is the case where there is no electricity, the sites are beautiful! So is the lake!

We just got back last night and I am ready to go again. I love seeing new places and meeting people. We visited with several folks and really had a good time! One of the trips I would love to take is to travel the old Route 66, as well as can be.

When I was a kid, my parents took a trip from California, where I grew up, to Indiana and back. We took Route 66 out and I have no idea what the northern route was back. It was a magical time! I think I saw every reptile village in the US!

I hate that we are so rushed in our culture that we miss the reptile farms, and the TeePee Motels. What are we in such a hurry for? We rush to get someplace, we rush around trying to see it all when we get there, and then we rush back. We are often more tired when we come back from vacation than when we left! Why not slow down a bit a see what there is to see along the way.

My one regret this trip is that, because we took one of our grandkids, I didn't think we had room to take our instruments. I won't make that mistake again. I love sitting in my campsite and playing music! No, I don't do it at night and disturb others, but I do love to play in the afternoon when things start to settle down. Nothing beats having a glass of wine around 4:00 in the afternoon and playing a bit. So far, I haven't had anyone come over and tell us to shut-up either. That's always a good sign.

Well, we are off again soon. We are heading out to Michigan to see our daughter and her family. I'd love to take some back roads and slow down a bit, but we will probably be in too big a rush. We only have one week you know!

Gardening

I am part of a course learning about Permaculture design. I find it fascinating, but frustrating as well. As part of the course, I am supposed to work up my own personal design. The problem comes with the gardening.

I have had a garden for the past ten years. It has been sorely neglected the last two years with knee surgeries and the like, but it is still there. The problem is, it is laid out all wrong.

In Permaculture, rows are not a good thing. You get more growing area by having more circular beds and minimal pathways to them. My garden is laid out the way people usually garden; in rows.

Now it would be a simple thing to change the whole layout but for the fact that I don't intend on being at this place for that much longer. I don't want to put all the labor into creating a Permaculture wonderland for someone else to either enjoy, or think I had rocks in my head and tear it all out.

We live in a place where our backyard butts right up to woods. The deer and other wildlife are horrible so I have to have a five foot fence all around the garden. Guess what shape it is in. Yep, a big ol' rectangle.

Again, I could move the fence, but then I am hoping it won't be my fence in another year.

I was out there working just a few minutes ago and trying to figure out how I could change the garden without too much fuss. It isn't coming to me yet, but hopefully it will.

Do you garden? If so, what kind of gardening do you do? Traditional? Organic? Raised bed? How long have you been gardening?

Finding the Way

I may have mentioned all ready that my wife and I are in a bit of a pickle. My wife's job is slowly winding down. It may not be long and she will not have enough hours to get benefits. Since we live in the state of New York (read unbearable taxes) we won't be able to stay here. We are desperately working at finding the way.

Finding the Way

I know I talked before about moving to the South. The snow and cold of upstate NY is something I no longer wish to endure. It's just too much! That coupled with the situation with my wife's work leads us to try and find a way to live that isn't working as a greeter at Wal-Mart. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Don't hate me greeters!

My wife is an artist first and a healer second. Instead of doing either of those things, she works in a credit union. She hates her job, although she won't admit it. The question is, how does she promote her art? What sort of things will sell? How does she promote her energy healing skills and where will that sort of thing be accepted and wanted?

For me, I'm a musician, performer, writer, and ebook formatter. I do all those things to some degree to bring in money, but if you lump them all together, I might be able to buy a bag of groceries.

Now I understand that our dilemma is not unique to us. There are tons of retired folks out there who are not ready for the grave, but don't want to be a part of the corporate world either. I know that is also true for a fair amount of young people who just don't feel like they belong. Finding the way can be hard.

I just read something this morning about living with intention. That's one of those buzz words that sound all new agey to me and doesn't mean much. This morning when I read it the thought hit me that maybe it means getting up each morning and doing whatever it is you feel you want to do in this world to the best of your ability.

If you were going to dig a hole out in the yard, you'd get up, eat some breakfast, collect whatever tools, and go out and dig until you were satisfied with the hole.

Why not do that with things like selling your art, or your music, or your whatever it is you do?

There are thousands of people the world over who get up each morning and do the thing that makes them happy. There are millions of people who get up and go to work at something that is not satisfying or lucrative. Which one are you?

How can you change?

Reefer Madness

Recently, I have been reading quite a bit about marijuana, both the good and the bad. What is all this reefer madness?

Let me first say that back in the day, I smoked a lot of pot. I did very little other drugs, but was fond of smoking a bowl or three. When kids came along, I quit. I didn't want to go to jail and have my family grow up without me. In the last thirty-five years, I have probably smoked ten or twelve times when offered from someone else.

I know someone with severe back pain and has a prescription for medical marijuana. If he takes enough pills to ease the pain, he becomes a zombie. A couple of hits of pot, and the pain is tolerable.

Do I think medical marijuana is a good thing?

Yes, I do!

Now, what about recreational use?

I know several people who use marijuana in a recreational way. Do I think they are horrible people? No, they are all productive members of society. Some are medical professionals, some are teachers, some are even policemen. They don't take other drugs, although they will often drink alcohol, usually a beer in conjunction with their smoking.

I do not believe that marijuana use leads to other drugs. In some people, it may, but generally it does not. If a person is going to take hard drugs or abuse any substance, it doesn't matter what the gateway is., they'll go there. I do not believe that getting high is any worse than getting drunk.

In fact, I don't think it is near as bad.

I had a conversation with someone just the other day about this. The woman I was talking with was saying how marijuana use contributed to violent crime and traffic accidents. My experience has been that when high, I am not in the frame of mind to be violent. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule, but most people feel mellow, not aggressive! Personally, I would rather not even be in a car, let alone drive one. I know my reactions are slow and I have no desire to be in an accident.

It seems that many of the people who are against legalizing marijuana, have a fair amount of alcohol on hand and maybe even a collection of guns. Now, in my humble opinion, Marijuana is not near as harmful as alcohol or guns. Still, those things are legal and marijuana is not. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Another reason for legalizing it is economic. By legalizing it's sale, marijuana would be a revenue gain to those selling it, but more than that, to the government. There are taxes to be gained! The illegal sales of anything harms the government. Not only does the government miss out on the revenue, it often spends vast amounts trying to stop the illegal sales. Look back at prohibition to see how well that worked.

It isn't working with marijuana either.

All that's happening is illegal growers are making huge profits and, if they are in this country, assuming huge risk. Along with that, the consumer, depending on the state, is at some risk as well. What happens if the grower and/or the user are caught? Why we the tax payer gets to support them with our tax dollars while they are incarcerated. Gee, what a deal!

The days of reefer madness should be long behind us. Let's grow up a bit and see that marijuana use is not something brought on by the devil; at lest no more so than alcohol. Let's understand that legalizing the sale of marijuana would provide jobs from the farmer all the way down to the sales clerk. It would produce tax revenue for a government that is out of control in its spending and debt.

As Willie said, "The whole world's going to pot!"

Moving South

We have been thinking hard about moving south. Not just that direction, but to the South. We currently live in Upstate NY. In case you were wondering, this is about the worst state to retire in.

The taxes here are horrible and the winters are worse. 

The problem is, we don't know where we would like to go. My brother lives in South Carolina and that gives us some connection there, but it is a long way from our children and grandchildren who live up here and in Michigan

We have also thought about Kentucky. We don't know a soul there, but it is right in the middle of a bunch of people we would like to remain in contact with. We are going through there on our way to Tennessee in June. At least then we will have a better idea of the landscape.

At this point in our lives, we feel we need a new adventure. We have lived here long enough. I personally never really wanted to move to New York, but the job demanded it. Now that I'm retired, I want to go someplace warmer and meet new people.

My wife feels the same way.

It will be hard to leave our grandchildren behind, but staying here in New York really doesn't seem to be an option. If my wife should lose her job, we couldn't afford to live here. Better to sell the house and go somewhere less expensive.

It isn't necessary or a rule that as you age, the adventures have to stop. They may take on a different hue, but they are still out there.

Time for me to have one I think!

Leave My Food Alone!

Okay, so maybe this is "Rant Thursday. I can't help it. I am so pissed/frustrated/mind-boggled, I just have to let it out. Leave my food alone!

This morning I read a post from Grist. Now I really like Grist. I read it often, but this one got me going!

A little back ground.

In 2012, I had a heart attack. I went Vegan. It wasn't because I didn't want to eat animal products. It was simply wanting to stay alive. I hat factory farming and all that it implies, but I am not an animal rights person to the extent that I don't ever want to eat meat.

After a while, we slipped to more vegetarian meals with occasional fish. The problem with being vegan was that I just didn't feel very good. Eating small amounts of fish and a bit of chicken now and then seemed to help.

A few months ago, I read a book called Primal Body, Primal Mind. Basically it is about a Paleo diet. I was impressed with the depth of study and research. About the same time, the first blush of the new guidelines can out and what they said seemed to go along with much of what I was reading. Dietary Cholesterol is not harmful and we need fats in our diet.

Then someone came along and said what a bunch of baloney (pun intended) that was and eating meat and dairy will give you cancer and a heart attack. Maybe at the same time!

Then I discovered the Weston A Price Foundation. They didn't go the way of the Paleos, but they leaned that way. I wound up joining them mostly because they had the balls to sue the FDA. At least somebody was doing something other than bitching!

Well, we moved our dietary routines to more align themselves with the Price Foundation and away from the Vegan side. For me, I felt a hell of a lot better. My wife, who suffers from acid reflux, had a huge reduction in her symptoms.

What really pisses me off is the fact that you can't really believe anybody. Everyone has some agenda and push their particular point of view. Most of them do this, not because they give a damn about you or your health. They just want to line their pockets with your money. The meat producers want your money. The soy association wants your money. The corn industry wants your money. The wheat industry wants your money. None of them give a rip about your health. At least that's my opinion.

I'm not trying to tell anyone how to eat. Eat what your conscience and your body feel good about. If you're a Vegan, more poser to you. If you're a full out Paleo, great. I don't care if you eat your neighbor's cat. I just don't want you telling me what I can't eat, especially when I know you're saying it just to get me to buy your product.