Chew On It

Have you ever gone fruit-picking? There’s something special about walking up to a plant, plucking off delicious, sun-ripened fruit and plopping it into your bucket to take home. If you’re a gardener, you know the satisfaction of toiling in the dirt, watering for days and celebrating the results of your tender, loving care. It’s like producing a masterpiece!

Masterpieces come in all forms; fruit, flower and unusual plants remind me of great works of art and they require a similar patience before we can enjoy the final product. Everyone can appreciate cultivating a piece of food from a seed, but the definition of "art" varies by individual. Take a look at one man’s artwork:

                                                     http://youtu.be/WSzkKEKcmN4

How interesting that a kid’s preoccupation with chewing gum grew into a life-long passion and a career. Anything is possible once passion and creativity collide. What’s your passion in life and how can you use it to bring joy to others?     

               

Rock Climbing with Teacups and Coasters

Summer is the primary time for visiting amusement parks. My informal research tells me that people either love roller-coasters or they gravitate toward the swirling teacup and saucer kinds of rides. I wonder if these preferences correlate to how people approach life situations. Pause for a moment to see this generalization applies to you. Here’s the first half of my theory: People who enjoy roller coasters feel comfortable soaring into new situations without needing to know every twist and turn of how the overall plan will work out. Part two of my theory says that tea cup riders prefer predictable patterns with clear, big picture perspectives.

With roller coasters, it’s difficult to see the whole ride at once amidst the tangled mass of tracks. When I agreed to try the roller coasters this summer, somehow the ride operators forgot to provide a detailed roadmap of the tracks. Personally, I like the ability to predict when I’ll be twirled and flipped. There’s nothing like a tiny bit of control on an amusement park ride to ease my quivering heart. So, rather than cringe at every dip and loop, I found a way to control the situation—I closed my eyes. Believe me, that tactic doesn’t make a nice souvenir picture.

          

Are you an adventurous, roller coaster person who embraces unexpected circumstances in life or are you a more controlled, teacup rider who prefers a road map and a plan? Here’s a person willing to tackle the thrill and chills of adventure and unpredictability:

What’s the most unpredictable event you‘ve experienced and what lesson did it teach you?

When A Dream Comes True

Can you answer the $2.5 billion question? I’ll give you a hint. An expensive rover space craft named Curiosity touched down on Mars this week.  If I were a genie, able to grant wishes with a blink of an eye, I would have popped into space and left a sign on the red planet. When the rover landed here’s the message it would photograph: No one’s here. Go home. Back on earth, that might confuse the scientists who dream about the possibility of past, present and future life forms on Mars.

I liked the 1960-70s “I Dream of Jeannie” show about a genie who tried to use her powers to solve her astronaut-master’s problems. She usually created messier situations, but like many old shows, everything turned out for the best. In real life, our wishes don’t always turn out the way we expect and our greatest wish may be the very thing what we don’t need. See if you agree with any of the third graders in this video:

Did you notice how none of the children wished for money? Perhaps the book they read beforehand influenced their answers, perhaps not. Perhaps they believe that money can’t buy happiness. Well, let consider what it can buy.  Imagine your wish for $2.5 billion came true, what would you do with the money?                    

Meat Me Halfway

If one more person tells me that they’ve stopped eating beef or all meat, I don’t know what I’ll do.  I’m beginning to feel like a vegetarian lifestyle represents the newest wave of political correctness and, if this continues, people will leave the local drive-through window and secretly devour their burgers an alleyway to avoid the no-meat enforcers.

Not long ago, I heard the high cost of cattle feed caused one owner to feed their cow chocolate and Mexican food. If that strategy helps the cow to produce chocolate milk and spicy, pre-seasoned beef, I’m all for it! I find it difficult to infuse beef with good flavor. In all fairness to cattle farmers, I know marinating is the answer, but when I start making dinner plans at around three o’clock in the afternoon, it doesn’t leave me a lot of time for defrosting and marinating. Several weeks ago, my children made their own meat dry rub using brown sugar and other spices. I hope they wrote the recipe down. Regardless of how creative the preparation is, some people can’t be convinced to eat meat; conversely, other people refuse to give it up. Listen to the debate:   

The experts provided great pros and cons. In short, we should listen to our bodies and do what works for us.  We can make our own personal choices, but why do we feel such passion about convincing others to agree with our lifestyles?                

What Happens Next?

Last week’s post featured a video of a turkey stalking a newswoman. This week, I looked outside just in time to see an enormous shadow move across the yard. A gigantic turkey touched down on the grass and I understood the woman’s fear. Believe me, that turkey had the whole yard to itself. Within five minutes, two playful groundhogs scampered across the yard; we were experiencing a real National Geographic moment. We typically have just one groundhog poking around, except for the time a family of five moved into the space under our shed. We didn’t charge rent and the little varmints didn’t even thank us when the trapper carried them away in cages. But that’s not the reason for my like-dislike of groundhogs. No, it goes deeper than having unappreciative guests.

You see, on Groundhog’s Day, I hear two comments: “Happy Birthday!”  and “Have you seen your shadow yet?” I just smile. I didn’t laugh the first time I heard that joke and I haven’t laughed in the decades that followed. Guess what else? It won’t be funny next year or THE YEAR AFTER THAT OR THE YEAR AFTER THAT OR—!!  Okay. Sorry, I’m calmer now.  Actually, I don’t shun all things groundhog-related. I like the movie Groundhog’s Day where the lead character relives the same day until he realizes he has a chance to become a better person.  Watch how his behavior changes over a series of days:

Sometimes, regardless of our best efforts, we can’t change outcomes. Still, who wouldn’t want to relive a day or two once in a while?  If you could do-over a day, what outcome would you alter or what wonderful day would you want to relive?         

Angry Birds and the Thrill of the Chase

What’s the attraction between kids and birds? On vacation last week we visited the historic Jamestown replica of early settlers’ cabins in Virginia. Chickens and roosters freely roamed the area and not surprisingly, my child decided to stalk the rooster. The bird looked strong and healthy. It had beautiful red and brown feathers and weighed more than you might imagine. I gave warnings to leave the rooster alone while hoping the bird wouldn’t recognize who really had the upper hand—it certainly wasn’t my child.

Earlier that week, I saw a similar scene at the beach. Several kids decided to chase the seagulls that blanketed the sand. Oh sure, there’s a thrill in the chase until a horde of angry birds stops running away from you and starts running toward you! I believe this lady knows what that feels like:

I love the music. Just when the newswoman thought the mail truck had saved her, the chase continued. Did you see how the turkey sidled up to the window to bully her even after she retreated to the car? And then it ducked down and circled the vehicle like a shark! My advice to you: Stay away from angry birds!  When it comes to chases, the tables can turn at any moment and in a flash, the pursuee quickly becomes the pursuer. Are you pursuing something? What are you chasing?        

The Uninvited Guests

Dragonflies! The name should strike fear into your heart like it did in mine when one flew into our vehicle and bumped against the windshield. The inside of the car magnified its buzz, causing a deafening sound. Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I’m glad I was parked when the bug buzzed in. I jumped from our car with one mission in mind: Get the insect out! Fortunately, the dragonfly found an open window and escaped on its own.

Of course, this scary incident prompted me to research these mini-monsters. Thanks to this link, I learned several eye-opening facts:

1.      A dragonfly remains in the larva stage for up to three years, feasting in ponds and rivers.

2.      While living in water, the insects are large enough to devour small fish.

3.      Dragonflies do not bite or sting humans. Good to know!      

I had a harmless guest, but the guest in this video has teeth made for biting and devouring. Take a look:

Hmm, maybe her mountain lion statue functioned like a beacon, summoning the real thing right up to her front door. What uninvited guest have you encountered? Was it friend or foe?