Thursday, September 30, 2010

Imagination

Imagine this place, so much larger than here.

But imagine it is not your imagination.

Imagine what is possible with our very own Hubble telescope.

Seeing this exploded star makes me think my imagination just is not going far enough.

Supergiant Shell LMC-4 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Source: Hubblesite.org

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Practice

Practice

Practice makes perfect

I have heard many times.
Practice, practice.

Keep on trying.
My discipline for musical practice is totally lacking.

I am skilled at skipping to my favorite tunes on the CD
(or used to drop the needle on my favorite song on the vinyl discs of yore...)
In Jr High,
I played tuba adequately I believe. I had my Mom forge my practice schedule, not feeling the need.
Then I couldn’t ask my Mom to forge for me any more.
The instructor and I had a set too and he forced me to practice.
I didn't need to, I yelled, give me something challenging to play!
I was bored by the tedious Jr High music bass notes, repititous, no variation.
So I quit. The heavy brass instrument was not mine anymore. Somedays I regret
not toughing it out, practicing more, and keep on trying.
If only Howard Johnson had been my Tuba instructor,
Could we ever have played a duet?

When I think of one thing I have practiced,
it is my passion: sewing
As I sewed and sewed and poke my fingers, untangled threads,
I recalled Donna's grandmother showing us how to embroider,
my Mom sharing little witticisms like
a lazy woman's thread is long and gets tangled (meaning a not lazy woman has a shorter thread and changes more often but saves time not de-tangling...get that?)
Still my threads get tangled, little mistakes,Minor bumps.
I move through the projects better now, sewing smoother and with better results.
Overall a reward for the patience that comes from

Practice….

Monday, September 27, 2010

My friend across the wide Atlantic


My friend Herrad sent me this from her place in Holland.


I am indeed honored and you could pay her a visit and drop her a line.
She has a great art gallery, she shares her life's path
and inspires me to write
more.
Herrad, you inspire me!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Blues for the Weekend

Here is a link to the best blues channel on the Earth Wide Web.

http://www.smokestacklightnin.com/


Smokestack Lightnin!

We heard some of their primo archives on the local musicheads station.
Am thrilled to see many blues packed onto one web address.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday night music

I added a link to a live cut on Imus of Carolyn Wonderland, Guy Forsyth and supporting great musicians.
Judgement Day.
Enjoy!

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4198991/carolyn-wonderland-performs-judgement-day-blues/
They did a few tunes that day.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Devil

The Devil

The Devil is in the details,
or sometimes in our house,
de-tails,
a silly way of saying
our rambunctious cats
raise hell
here.

The Devil is in the details,
of all the plans you make,
Having thought,
 if you think
something
then shall it be,
like
God.

The Devil is in the details
is a handy way of saying
it was too hard,
or
some pointy eared all red
guy with a tail and red pitchfork
is making me unsuccessful.

It started out as the God in the details,
a more glass half full kind of thinking.
But that maybe sounded too hopeful,
or positive, or together-minded.
Instead, the saying has become
The Devil in the Details
and
It does quite quickly describe a
quandry or quagmire or
failure or
f up.
Do I have to spell it out?
There's that devil, again.
(that's She devil to you, buddy...)

Second LANAP

Second LANAP

If you are squeamish, medical procedure-phobic or otherwise like to keep away from the icky details of life, please do not read this post.
This post is to be read if you are considering LANAP and have periodontal disease or comprimised periodontial spaces.

How will I know? you might ask.
Answer: You will probably not know, and yet the bacteria will still set up a tiny castle colony in your mouth, next to your teeth. This creates a pocket of icky stuff under the gum line which cannot be reached with floss. The icky stuff sometimes goes into your bloodstream and helps form plaque in places like those little cardiac vessels or brain vessels.

Why and when should I have surgery?
Answer: When a good periodontist looks in there and says, it is time.
How can I afford it?
Answer: I cannot help you with finances, nor with the fact that dental insurance is helpful but not much. You have to prioritize your health costs. I do think a heart attack, from untreated silent periodontal disease costs more in a "real cost" kind of way.  An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure kind of thing.

What is it like?
Mary's Answer: Not bad, like a long cleaning on one tooth. novacaine, chit chat, suction, grinding, clicks of the laser.Gross taste from the burned dead bacterial castles and the chemicals/rinse, etc. Overall...not a bad day in the chair. I liked them doing one side and then another side later. Now the liquid and soft diet which is mostly inconvenient and not like the other people are eating. Nobody really notices or cares. Trying to type one handed so I can keep the ice pack on my jaw.

I have heard what you said, but why do I really care?
Answer: You will care, when your teeth are too far gone, or one falls out and when you have a heart attack. You may not care but the people who care about you will cry and wonder what happened to cut you down in your prime. If you think this is harsh, just imagine bacteria, tiny little animals, breeding and building castles in your jaw, one day traveling to your heart or brain.

What can I do now?
Answer: Take care of your teeth, get info, go to a dentist you like, that is clean, gentle and talks to you.

Someone who loves you may never know that you cared enough to stick around.

Let us use the technology that space travel gave us. Laser those bacterial castles and start a new world with less heart attacks, and ? can it reduce alzheimer's disease too? Stay tuned.

this is a public service announcement brought to you by travelogue for the universe, mary gerdt, monkton, vermont

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sunflower Parade

I can never feel as creative as a sunflower. How do they decide what color they will be this year?


How tall they must feel


date is wrong-really today. camera acts weird sometimes.



did that sunflower eat that building?



and our precious sweet corn.

I wanted to photograph the crisp blue sky-that rare September taste of cold.
Better not to edit the colors. You cannot make that bluer.
Got about a bushel of butter and sugar corn.
Next is silver queen we hope...


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Up the Path

Up the Path. I started to post but was sidetracked.
Hope you enjoy the rest of my walk. Mary

Goldenrod

Out west

Top of the hill


up the hill

and our welcome bounty

Friday, September 10, 2010

Take a walk with me

double click on an image to see close up...


Take a Walk with Me

Honeybee Monkton,VT , looks healthy


Bumble Bee on Goldenrod.Looks healthy!





Wild Aster

Buttter and Sugar Corn September 2010

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Message Inside

A Message Inside

a message inside,
dying to come out
and there i was,
waiting.

a message inside,
telling me to
or not,
which was it?

a message inside,
was it from some
deity, idol
or hero?

a message inside,
a voice,
a saying
you hear without
thinking.

a message inside 
between the lines
on the white part of the paper.

Is that where it belongs?

Monday, September 6, 2010

Take a look out over the kitchen sink

Take a trip with our country neighbors...

http://windowoverthekitchensink.wordpress.com/

oh that relish looks yummy and hope for the donkey's deliverance into his proper care and love.
i would judge a person by how much they love a donkey, wouldn't that be an easy indicator.

mary

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Last week's work.

last week we canned green beans variety Valentine.
25 quarts.

Jasper Sean feeling left out.

Zinnia and butterfly from 2007.

Now out to the garden.
mary

Friday, September 3, 2010

Due Process Do

Due Process Do,

Sorry, didn't mean to be so loud....

Wait a minute!

Was that the Fifth or Fourteenth amendment?

Due Process Do,

Due process do


You know

What to do?

Two pathways to

Take

Which one do you?

One path is won

one is lose.

Which path do I choose?

How much do I chew?

Due Process is do,

They told me to ...

Guess I'll choose to chew ,

test if I am due
nothing else to do,
5th or 14th
halls of shame for who?
no sweat
been there too.
 


















Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Light and Dark

Light: Our Vet gave us a discount and we are beyond grateful.

Dark: thoughts for no reason:

Because people die even on sunny days,
words try to describe who they were,
obituaries:
abbreviated, exaggerated, underated, misinterpreted, inaccurate, or accurate, and all in juxtiposition to the truth, sometimes.

Words written in the obit page of people
I see there are no guest entries.
One man died in World War 2.
How could his friends keep track? How few survive now who even knew him?
Died 65 years before the internet connection
I am writing this on,
Lonely words,

Died without current relationships, friends, predeceased by all who loved them.
Memories if there are any alive stunted, arrested on a baby faced kid with
dreams in his eyes,
and no guest entries,
Let me.

Your lonely guest book told me your are with your friends and family clearly in a heaven surrounded by the Vermont mountains of 1945. Wooden skis, jalopy fun, music on the radio and lying on the parlor floor, dreaming of your future.