Life and Random Thinking

Too Much Make Believe

Posted on April 18, 2016 by dfolstad58

I planted grass in my back yard nearly a week ago. Not sod. I threw an abundance of grass seed and covered it with lawn soil and then I did a little jig before I watered it, hoping the grass fertility gods would bless my bare ground.

I have been faithfully keeping it moist and I wondered to myself I could have bought sod and then just watered that for a few weeks.

It dawned on me, I wanted to see the little blades poke up because I actually planted grass. Sod is wonderful, but it is make believe if you think you planted grass. Sod is laying down a rug, not planting grass.

Way too much make believe out there.

Teenagers are growing up thinking they “did dishes” when all they did is load the dishwasher. Make Believe dishwashing.

All ages are thinking they made breakfast when they popped frozen waffles in the toaster and microwaved pre-cooked bacon. Make Believe cooking breakfast.
I re dave sr young member my tadpole years and my home was filled with the aroma of baking bread, my Mom baked everyday it seemed. No wonder because fresh baked bread and home made jam evaporated quickly between myself and my hollow legged friends. Real deal bread and melt in the mouth butter and jam.

My Dad even taught me to make my own kite, he bought the balsa wood and the string sure, but after that it was home made. I look back at that with pride that he took the time to do that with me, it took way more time than a bought one. Home made kite and Dad time.

It seems to me that now days are filled with screens and electronic doo dads that aren’t an improvement in every situation. .

I tried an electronic version of Monopoly once. Make Believe Monopoly, no thanks.

Samsung Texting I worry if in this age of Tweets, and Facebook – are we in danger of Make Believe relationships?

I love looking across at the faces and into the eyes of people I care about when I play Monopoly, or Sequence. That’s real to me, it wouldn’t be the same on Skype or connected by a screen.

Can a Make Believe emoji hug, replace the tug on my heart when I hold someone I love in my arms? No. Sure I love to stay in touch with persons far away just like we all do but I think humans crave the dimension of touch in our relationships

May your day today have a real hug, a rib cracking, toes off the ground hug remind you that life is about relationships, real ones, not make believe. Just Too Much Make Believe and not enough of what really lasts.

Posted in family, Thinking Out loud, Uncategorized | Tagged make believe, memories, put down the device, real experiences, simple life, wifi | 13 Comments

Take a Leap

Posted on April 9, 2016 by dfolstad58

: smiling in the rain

: now you’re showing off

: takes guts

: friends give you a push

One of the problems with growing up, besides just about everything, is you forget how to just do things without thinking about it too much.

As a youngster, I just did things. Swam, jumped, somersaulted, and bike rode without giving too much thought about “maybe’s”.

As we get older We spend too much time imagining failure instead of imagining success. Of course, we need to be careful, and planning yada yada is prudent but many times I just see people talk themselves out of success when there isn’t any risk involved.

That lake looks freezing cold? Darn tootin! But if the risk is just that you will shiver for ten minutes, then stop jawing and take a plunge. It’s a lake,not a jacuzzi.

So what is the big deal about failure anyway? Who ever just swam at the first try,or rode a bike without never falling over, or never fell over doing a headstand?

I suspect it is like me and dancing. I know for a fact that Mr. Ed (the horse that talked) has better moves than me. I had a girl dance with me once and when the song was over she said something like well your dancing sure ain’t the attraction.

Over the years I danced once a year or less, sort of a favor to the human race. Where did I get the notion anyone except me noticed?

Okay I can’t dance, and will fail every time but now I fail and have fun doing it, I still feel like eyes are staring, fingers are pointing, and people are giggling. But now my contribution to mankind is a humorous distraction. I’m there to dance cuz my wife told me to, and that’s that, what’s more she told me to enjoy myself doing it.

Moral of the story, do what will make you happy, if you want to paint, go for it. If you want to do tai chi, or yoga. Go for it. We all start with failure and go on from there. Don’t stop.

Ted Roosevelt said – The tragedy is not in failing, the tragedy is never attempting. He also said in his Man In The Arena speech – ” those who fail, their place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Plunges are necessary in life sometimes. Take a Leap for Success.

Posted in humor, Thinking Out loud, Toastmasters, Uncategorized | 14 Comments

All Emergency vehicles responded

Posted on April 9, 2016 by dfolstad58

my iron horse

I look at the headlines around the world and I feel fortunate. There are no terrorist concerns in my hamlet sitting between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake like the jelly in a jelly donut.

In fact I feel peaceful as I sit here with my longish grass needing to be cut, weeds needing to be dug out, and bees buzzing around the cherry and plum blossoms.

That tranquility was lost this morning when All Emergency Vehicles Responded. Today as I was waiting to cross an intersection, at my stop sign, a person’s life was seconds away from tragedy.

I looked to my left and I could see a cyclist coming down the curb lane quickly, the lime green jacket highly visible. I could wait for the rider to pass and I looked across the road at the traffic on the other stop sign where oncoming vehicles were also waiting for a break in traffic.

That is when time seemed to slow down. The oncoming driver was on their cell phone and was crossing the street.

I was holding my breath as the cyclist tried to stop, glanced off the front of the vehicle and hit my stationary vehicle causing the bike to upend spilling the rider over my hood and onto the road in front of my vehicle.

The offending vehicle drove away leaving their licence plate on the road.

I helped the cyclist to her feet and to the side of the road. Witnesses gather, the bike is removed from the front of my car.

All Emergency Vehicles Responded, fire department, ambulance, and RCMP (the police).

The cyclist will ride again. That driver will never talk on the phone again while driving I hope. It was so close to being much, much worse.Shaking I realize how seconds, or half seconds were the difference between life and death today for that young lady. (She went to the hospital and was released shortly after making sure it was ok; I know because I saw the ambulancee driver in town later somewhere else.)

Let’s keep it peaceful, enjoy the outdoors, and be careful out there. I hope that your summer will be free of Emergency responders and mine also.

lifesaver candy

Posted in okanagan related, Thinking Out loud, Uncategorized | Tagged accidents, ambulance, cell phones, cycliing, driving, safety | 12 Comments

Time is A’wasting

Posted on March 18, 2016 by dfolstad58

“We have coffee here” she said, “It’s a waste to go out.” she said, when her husband suggested they go have coffee.

“Come on” he persisted, trying to overcome the inertia, feeling restless as he tugged with his eyes.

“We’ll walk” he said as he locked the door.

At the end of the driveway, their hands automatically sought each other, naturally fitting together after all the years, all the walks, all the handholding.

He smiled, breathed deep and it was a good day. You could not tell from the weather but his heart felt lighter with her hand in his.

It was a short walk to the coffee shop. They talked about little things, and it was good to chat about their stuff. The coffee shop was practically empty. Youngish coffee barista’s encouraged them to buy food but they stuck to their coffee, his dark, and hers something latte made from a virgin camel milked at midnight by a prince as he pretended to choke at the price. She stuck out her tongue. He smiled, and was happy to pay.

He picked up the paper,she looked at her phone and they sipped their drinks – nice. The food cooler buzzed and people walked by into the mall. Nice.

He poked her hand, “Can you hear that?”” What?”” The muzak, it’s cool” he said. He stood up, scrapping his chair on the floor. He held out his hand “Come on, Time’s Awasting”. “No”, she said, “it’s a coffee shop I’m not going to dance”. He smiled, “just for a minute, pretend it’s for a movie”.

“You’re a nut” she said, “and you owe me big time!” It was his turn to stick out his tongue and he did.

Just a minute they swayed, maybe 90 seconds and it was sweet, and it felt a bit absurd she thought later. Time is Awasting though.She looked at the headline in the paper, local man dies suddenly and unexpectedly. She could imagine the shock and the loss of the wife, the friends, the sudden abrupt stop of reality and opportunity to dance, to hold hands,. She wished that wife could just for a moment dance with her husband in a coffee shop for a silly moment.

They walked home together, and their hands swayed as they walked. He had a smile and a look on her face that meant he was content.

He’s right she mused silently, Time is A’Awasting.

Posted in music related, Thinking Out loud | Tagged chance, coffee shop, contemplation, happy together, life, Love, Music, opportunity, Time, turtles, walk | 20 Comments

Sexy Mother Nature Shows-off Her Grand Tetons

Posted on February 26, 2016 by dfolstad58

Some people take 5 star pictures and share them; exactly what you will find in this reblog. Color and clarity wonderful plus the warm narrative of the author. My hat is off.

Global Sojourns: Photography & Philosophy

Mother Nature is proof that women rule the world. Us men are mere toys: something to humor them when they are bored and someone to torment, yet love. Every time I think I will be clever and try to outsmart the fairer sex…in the end I am humbled.

Understanding this is what made my late-summer plans ridiculous.

I thought I would spend the time romancing the daughters of Mother Nature. The plan was pretty simple: visit my steady girl Ellinor (of Olympic National Park fame), have a wonderful time together, and then later sneak off to Wyoming to visit her sisters Teton and Yellowstone, to see if their rumored natural beauty was true.

A quick trip, a simple glance and then I would head back to Seattle to be closer to my girl.

Now, I like to think that I am a one-woman man and Ellinor is the girl…

View original post 1,025 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Hvaines

Posted on February 24, 2016 by dfolstad58

Enjoy these pictures and thoughts from Iceland; I have every confidence that you will enjoy them as much as I did. Please let the author know how are you appreciated his work.

Cornwall Photographic

Höfn is my spiritual home. Some of my best friends are here. I have been welcomed into homes and into the community and treated with the most incredible hospitality here and when I became ill here a couple of weeks ago, I was treated with care and compassion to the point that phone calls were made way beyond the call of duty to check how I was doing. Yes, Höfn is where my heart is.

48mm f/11 1/320 sec. ISO-100

Besides the wonderful people and the incredible health and dental care, the scenery is just incredible and a short ride along route 1 and through the tunnel that takes you through a range of mountains you will come to Hvaines. If you’re from Höfn, which as I’ve mentioned before is pronounced h’up (the h is very breathy) you’ll pronounce Hvaines with a sort of clearing of the throat k followed…

View original post 275 more words