Last Work Day of My Year

Nothing special about this morning's woods.

This morning I got out of bed and tried to remain as quiet as I could.  School is out for the Christmas holiday so Dre' and the boys didn't have to go to school.  I made coffee and piddled around.  (For those of you that are from countries other than the United States, piddle has more than one meaning.  Piddling in this since is to "waste time" doing meaningless, useless tasks and this morning was a great morning for doing just that.) The morning weather was perfectly clear and I drank coffee on the porch while waiting for the sun to rise.  It got cold last night but not as cold as was predicted.  After the sun rose I got myself ready for work and then went for a short walk down the drive and to the edge of the woods.

The lane that leads to our house
winds through the pines

There is still a fair amount of green scattered
around the forest  floor  where the frost
finds it difficult to penetrate the shade to the forest floor.

 The woods were very quiet this morning.  There was almost no wind and even the birds seemed to be clinging to their roosts as long as they could in an attempt to stay warm.  As I walked I snapped a few photos of the beautiful day getting started.  I look at these and I noticed that the morning appears in the photos to be a totally nondescript morning. The sunlight shined brightly through the boughs of the pines as well as the leafless limbs of the hardwoods scattered around the wooded acreage and could have been any morning of the year.  Because the frost finds it so difficult to settle on the forest floor, there is still a fair amount of green scattered around as I walk from place to place on these early morning jaunts.  This is the first day of winter so it will not be long until all that is not evergreen will be faded or gone until spring, but for now shoots of grass and vines remain green until the frost falls hard through the trees and finds them hiding below.

Today, as I started to leave I stopped and snapped a couple more photos before I loaded up in my old Jeep to head for my last official day of work in 2012.

My 18 year-old Jeep waits, like it does every morning, as I ready myself for the commute into town.

Until next time....John

Top Ten Things to Do on the Shortest Day of the Year (Northern Hemisphere) December 21, 2012

Number 10.  You are alive and the world didn't come to an end…a little thanksgiving that the Mayan dude in charge of the calendar was wrong might be in order.

   

    Number 9.   Do some last minute  shopping…there is no time like the present for a present.

    Number 8.  Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate (cocoa) in the company of a friend and listen to a little old-fashioned Christmas music while you are at it…one can never hear enough Christmas music this time of year.

    Number  7.  Watch The Homecoming about the Waltons…it may just put you in the Christmas spirit if you are not already feeling it. Even if it doesn't do that it will remind you of a simpler time and and place in our history. 

    Number 6.  Do a little winter star gazing.  Wrap up warmly and enjoy the clear early winter sky with that someone special.  Before long they will want to come inside and warm up. If you live in the southern climes and can't see the Aurora from your latitudes, squint really hard and wear some colored glasses and imagine you are freezing your bottom off.

    Number 5.  Read a nice book and enjoy the warmth of a fireplace while you are at it. (I would suggest The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. It is a great read and really enjoyable at this time of the year) This is a great read aloud books for the kids.  It is proof that he is real.

    Number 4.  Find your Yule Log, and get it ready for the big night, you will be needing it in just three more days.  Pick a big one that will burn all night.  For this old tradition from Finland you should honor them with a log that would keep them warm, and we all know how cold it is in Finland this time of the year.

    Number 3.  Use the extra minutes of darkness to enjoy the lighted Christmas decorations in your town. If you are lucky you will be find a house with the "leg lamp" in it like the one in A Christmas Story.  Maybe just maybe you can find the only  thing in the world that could drag you away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

     Number 2.   Host a winter Solstice Party…you really don’t need an occasion to have a party but this is a good one anyway. Invite your best friends over and put a egg in the nog and settle in to start listening for sleigh bells.

    And the Number 1 Thing to Do on the Shortest Day of the Year.  Remember, this is also the longest night of the year, too. J Snuggle up with your sweetie and enjoy the hours alone!

    Or,

    We could all gather 'round while you stick your tongue to a frozen flag pole. "I double dog dare ya!" "Go ahead smart ass!"

Visitors from Two More Countries Visiting My Blog

We have added readers from another European Country and one from Central America.  Today I had visitors from Costa Rica and Slovakia who took the time to a look at my blog and read a little about the country life we live. They dropped by http:acountryjournal.blogspot.com  That is 26 countries' citizens that have visited my blog since its inception. It is really rewarding knowing that people from all over the world are reading the words I am writing on this blog.

Catch what I have to say by following me on Twitter @acountryjournal
.
Thank you for reading what I write.  I hope you will share them with your friends and families.

United States
Australia
Bangladesh
Canada
China
Costa Rica
Czech Republic

Denmark
Egypt
France
Germany
Hungary
India
Jordan
Lithuania
New Zealand
Poland
Russia
Romania
Rwanda
Slovakia
Sweden
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Venezuela

Until next time...John

Here is the address for you to pass along: http://acountryjournal.blogspot.com

Just a Few Short Sentences

I walked out on the front porch this evening to listen to the wind blowing through the pines and watch the clouds sprint past the moon. Shadows fading and growing in the moving light lead me to believe this extremely warm night may be short-lived. Off in the distance i could hear the singing of what sounds like thousands of frogs that have been fooled into believing it is time to begin their spring courting rituals. As I stood there soaking in he sights, sounds and yes even the smells of the weather changing I became increasingly aware that there is a late fall storm brewing and it won't be long before it arrives at our doorstep. I expect that by morning we will see rain falling on this little bit of rural Mississippi.

This evening, with the temperature outside at 70 degrees, I cleaned out the fireplace insert and brought wood to the porch so we will have dry wood if this is a cold front pushing this apparent storm toward us. Winter solstice is just two days away and with it comes the changes of the seasons and colder weather.

I hope that all of you reading these words are ready for the holidays. We are just about Ready in our house. We are trying to celebrate a simpler Christmas this year...one that is memorable for the right reasons. With these few words I leave you for the evening with wishes that this season will bring you joy and bring peace to this world we call home.

Until next time...John.

Ethics in Journalism...A Lost Value?

Socrates said, "The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing. " I must be really smart because the older I get the less I think I know.

I have listened over the past few days to newscasters who find it within their realm of wisdom to pontificate on the problems of the world.  I often times wonder what experiences they have gleaned from life that make them experts on so many fields.  Could it be their educations, or maybe their vast exposure to all educational disciplines? Or maybe it is from listening so intently when others talk.  That once was the greatest qualification a reporter could possess but, unfortunately most of the pontificating readers of the news seldom develop this all important attribute of the trade.  Maybe, just maybe it is self proclaimed wisdom and knowledge.

I know when a child is asked why they often say "just because" and when a parent is asked a tough question the answer is often, "because I said so." I am saying all of this because I sincerely hope that this is not the reasoning behind the news show hosts' knowledge base.  

I don't consider myself too awfully smart but when I hear some of these guys and gals (from the right, the left and in the center ) speak regarding those rare things with which I do have knowledge or experience, I too often hear them stating partial truths, incomplete facts misguiding statements and, though I hope it is not true, out-and-out lies.  

I thought it might be good to see what the Society of Professional Journalist have to say about the subject of ethics in journalism.  Here are a few excerpts from their website: ( I hope you will take the time to visit their site  @ https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp and read it all to see if you think they are policing themselves in the way they "state" they should)



Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

• Seek Truth and Report ItJournalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
•  Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
• Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
  
• Act IndependentlyJournalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.
• Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
•  Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
  
• Be AccountableJournalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.
• Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Copyright © 1996-2012 Society of Professional Journalists. All Rights Reserved. Legal 

Society of Professional Journalists
Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Center, 3909 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208

I will leave you with this quote: “In the English language, it all comes down to this: Twenty-six letters, when combined correctly, can create magic. Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.” ― John Grogan

Until next time...John

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way

This morning was perfect for reflecting.  I watched as daylight crept across the cloudy sky in the east. The quiet of a Sunday morning provided me time to meditate, pray and thank God for the blessings in my life. It was a great morning to reflect on the season and just enjoy the silence in His presence.

The quiet of Sunday morning provided me time...

to thank God for the blessings in my life.

I have not been sitting around doing nothing this week, but I simply have not had the time to sit down at the computer and write.  I have been very busy at my office and honestly, life has gotten in the way off the time I take to sit and write.  Early in the week we were very busy working for the executive team at our office.  Literally every minute of the day was consumed in non-routine and routine work.  I love weeks like that because the hours fly by and because we were doing a good deal of non-routine work it was a very interesting week.  It was great and it reminds me what a great team of folks I work with on a daily basis.

If you add on top of that Logan was playing soccer every night the first part of the week and that I was getting ready for a "procedure" at the end of the week, I just have not had the time to sit in front of my computer and tap out a few words for this blog. Just to respond to any curiosity that might arise, my procedure was a routine colonoscopy. While I was at home for the prep time, Logan was home sick.  He was diagnosed with H1N1 type A (swine) flu.  He is on the mend.  He has no fever and seems to be feeling much, much better.  I would have to say even though he still has a lingering cough, he is "healing up and hairing over." 

This is our perfect ass, Radar our family donkey and pasture policeman.

Back to my little procedure. The prep or colonoscopy training as I referred to it was not fun, but the procedure itself really is a piece of cake. (I journaled my experience on twitter and may share the complete version in this blog a little later.)  They knocked me out  with the wonders of modern medicine and I "sort of woke up" for Dre' to drive me home.  She said the nurse told her I could do only three things because I was going to be stoned all afternoon. I could eat and drink when I wanted to, sleep when  I wanted to and do one more thing I may mention in a later blog. Heck if I could have added watch football to that it would have been every southern man's dream afternoon.  I slept and talked pretty much out of my head all afternoon, or at least that is what Dre' said.  The colonoscopy results were excellent.  They said something about a perfect butt...or maybe Dre' said I am a perfect ass...it really doesn't matter because I don't have to have that done again for another ten years.  

Yesterday, I got a call that Hannah, my oldest granddaughter broke her arm in a soccer match.  It is a break of the ulna if I am not mistaken.. The doctor will set the bone on Monday or Tuesday and it will be put a cast  it at that time..  The good news is her team won the championship and they are the Southaven, Mississippi champs. Also, she will be good to go by the time the spring season kicks off.

Back to the blog.  It is Sunday afternoon and Logan is catching up on missed school work and studying for his exams.  Dre' is working on her master teacher of economics work for school and Holden is messing around with a computer...I think he is  teaching himself to type better.  I have a chicken cooking on the range and will be making chicken and dumplings later in the day.  I am also going to rack my mead.  That is, I will be transferring it from one container to another and removing the sediment while I do it.  The mead will sit for a couple or three weeks and then I will do this all over again. Actually, by this time it is good enough to drink and is really mead that just needs a little time to clean itself and age to add to the flavoring process.  

Allow me to back track a little in time.  Yesterday, Dre' and I hung around the house until lunchtime when we fed the boys and the ventured out without the boys to take care of some shopping for Christmas.  We traveled south to Magee and then north to Jackson and Flowood to pick up some things we have been looking for.  We went to Zips in Magee for a Zip Burger and onion rings for a late lunch while we were down that way.  We had a lot of fun working on our lists together and spending a little holiday time together. 

I know I always talk about the weather but when you spend as much time outdoors as I do, it is pretty important to you.  The weather early in the week was really cool.  We had the coldest readings of the season Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  Our temperature lowered to 26 degrees F. here on our home digital thermometer.  This cold snap provided me a good test for my repair work on our fireplace insert.  I have to claim a success.  I had repaired a cracked glass in the door and replaced the gaskets around the door to make it airtight again.  By doing that we are able to control the airflow into the unit thus controlling the combustion and the temperature in the house.  I have to say again my work was a complete success. We are going to burn a lot less wood this year with it repaired.  Today, it is raining buckets and the temperature is in the upper 60s. The rain is supposed to leave us this afternoon and the temp are to remain warm for this time of year, at least in the first part of the week.  

I needed to cut more firewood this afternoon but that will have to wait until next weekend. The rain and my laziness will keep me out of the woods today.  It really is a pretty good day to sit around the house and enjoy the company of my family.  I don't want every day to be rainy but the occasional stormy day provides time to sit and meditate, pray and think about all of the things that are really important

Until next time...John. 

Everyone Wants a Happy Ending

Photos of a memories...a December snow.

It goes without saying that everyone wants a happy ending.  There are those that declare it is not the journey but the destination and others with the opposite opinion.  I am of the opinion that it is all about the journey and if you do the journey right the destination will be as it should be, too. 

November Retreat, 2008

I want to write a little about happy endings.  Sure how things end up is important.  We all want to end up rich and famous and happy beyond belief with no worries in the world.  Even though I consider myself a hopeless optimist I really don’t think that the stars align and all of the cogs of the wheel fall in to place like that very often.  Most of the time, we are simply making the best of the situation we are in at the moment.  This does not mean we are settling for less than we are capable of or that we are in any way giving up on our dreams, aspirations and goals.  We may not even be totally satisfied with the situation we are in at the moment, but we should enjoy it.  I bet you are saying, “what, are you saying we should enjoy bad times, the downs as well as the ups in life, those days, we all have when we think it was too much trouble to get out of bed in the morning?”

Thanksgiving at Fort DeSoto
in Florida

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Every day of your life has the potential of containing the most wonderful memory you will ever make.  The funny thing is; you never really know when you are making a memory.  It may be in the least obvious moment of your life.  You will never know until that moment comes back to you and brings a smile to your face. Maybe it is when you look at a grown man and see the child he once was and a flashback enters the canyons of your brain and a memory of a skinned knee or a tear on his cheek or maybe a flower for his mother rolls back to you the same way it left you years earlier…silently without warning. 

Holden's very first soccer match

Logan enjoying crab
at Crabby Bill's in Clearwater

Yes, every road we travel has multiple options for the direction we travel along this trek we call life.  Of course we have the option of moving forward or going in reverse or maybe even just standing still. Really though, we have many, many more options than that. The road forks very often and we must make the decision to go right or left.  My choice is always the same…I am not traveling the expressway.  I am taking the back roads and enjoying the scenery as I pass along my route to where ever it is I am going.  I am traveling slowly along the way and stopping often to take in the scenery.  If I have a fear it is that I won’t pass this way again and because of that, I don’t want to miss any of the views and vistas that life brings to me. I don’t want to sit in a rocking chair 40 years from now and wonder what it was like to do this or that.  I want to be that old guy who can say, “yep, I did that. It probably wasn’t smart at the time, but I sure am glad I tried it.” 

2010 snow fall

I saw a t-shirt the other day with these words on it: “scars are just like tattoos but with better stories.”  If that is the case, I am like the painted guy in the circus.  I am full of scars and full of stories.  I can remember each of them, how I got them and the lesson each and every one of them taught me…good or bad.  If you are going to travel through this life, you are going to end up with some scars.  The road is not always smooth and we will take the wrong one from time to time, but you have to keep moving along the way. Just be certain to travel slowly enough to enjoy what you are going through.  

Snow falls are rare...
this one was in 2010

We often hear the quote, “take the time to stop and smell the roses.”  I don’t know the origin of that quote, but I do know that the 1956 biography of golfer Walter Hagen, “The Walter Hagen Story”, he is quoted saying, “ You’re only here for a short visit.  Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” I guess what I am trying to say is I think we should indeed think about where we are going in life, just not be so intent on getting there so quickly. Dre’ (my wife) and I have talked about this a lot.  We understand that many roads have brought us to where we are today and many more will take us to where ever it is we are going.  Some roads are bumpy and some are smooth, some are straight and others wind through endless turns, but all get you to where you are supposed to go in the end.  I am intent on having not only a happy ending but happy travels along the way.  Remember, if roller coasters were flat no one would want to ride them.  Why should life’s roads be any different?

My dad's dog Andy...Daddy
saved his life when he was a pup.

Everyone’s wants a happy ending, just make sure that all the time you spend getting to that ending is happy, too.  Enjoy the journey of life. You are making memories at every turn.

Until next time…John