I just got back from touching salt water for the day. It is a beautiful evening, the full moon in the clear sky providing enough light to easily see. It is not as hot as it has been recently (the rain brought a cool front through), which is a nice break.
I went to my favorite soundside beach this evening, and as I walked back I reflected on the fact that, when walking in sand, my feet usually dig in as I go. When my feet are wet, this means a bunch of sand gets stuck to them. (Not a big deal, of course; I just have to rinse it off in the outside shower when I arrive back home.) But tonight as I walked, I decided to deliberately attempt not to sink in to the beach. I stepped more carefully, looking at each spot before placing my foot on it. And I tried to tread more lightly, rather than pushing down as I went.
This got me started thinking about the impact humans have on the earth. So here's my environmentalist moment for the day: tread lightly on this fragile planet. It makes less of a mess to have to clean up later that way.
Have a nice evening, wherever you are on this lovely earth we call home.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Downpour and scaredy-cat
It has been a dry summer this year, and we needed some rain. Well, we got it this morning! There was thunder rumbling in the distance when I got up, but I've heard that several times previously this year and it hasn't rained. I went about my morning as usual, and suddenly I realized it was pouring. It was what some people in the South call a "gullywasher". It was windy during the rain as well, and it came blowing into the screened porch.
During this summer storm, I discovered that Jamie (the cat, not my friend) is afraid of thunder. I couldn't find him anywhere, so started looking around for him. I shook the treat bottle, which will get him running anytime he is within earshot. But he didn't come to find me. I called for him (yes, he sometimes comes when called, and yes I know this is not typical of cats!), but no dice. Finally, I got on my knees and started looking at cat level. I found him hiding under the bed. Not just barely under the edge, behind the dust ruffle (he does that a lot, and takes great pleasure in jumping out onto the other cat Savannah, or the foot of whoever happens by). No, this morning he was all the way under the middle of the bed, with his paws tucked under his chest and his tail curled around him (I think he was trying to make himself as small as possible). Poor little guy. He waited it out, and came out a few hours later (not that it rained for a few hours..it only rained for about half an hour...I guess it just took Jamie a while to get over his scare!)
Sometimes life throws scary stuff our way. Hiding for a while until everything settles down is not a bad way to deal with it!
During this summer storm, I discovered that Jamie (the cat, not my friend) is afraid of thunder. I couldn't find him anywhere, so started looking around for him. I shook the treat bottle, which will get him running anytime he is within earshot. But he didn't come to find me. I called for him (yes, he sometimes comes when called, and yes I know this is not typical of cats!), but no dice. Finally, I got on my knees and started looking at cat level. I found him hiding under the bed. Not just barely under the edge, behind the dust ruffle (he does that a lot, and takes great pleasure in jumping out onto the other cat Savannah, or the foot of whoever happens by). No, this morning he was all the way under the middle of the bed, with his paws tucked under his chest and his tail curled around him (I think he was trying to make himself as small as possible). Poor little guy. He waited it out, and came out a few hours later (not that it rained for a few hours..it only rained for about half an hour...I guess it just took Jamie a while to get over his scare!)
Sometimes life throws scary stuff our way. Hiding for a while until everything settles down is not a bad way to deal with it!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Death and dying
Two friends passed away this week. I cried buckets for the one, but was fairly dry eyed for the other. No, I'm not a cold callous person!
The first death was of a man I have known for nearly 11 years, although only as a work colleague. (This is for my corporate America job, so work colleagues are not people I necessarily lay eyes on very frequently, but instead I interact with them via email and phone calls.) I had spoken with Todd just a couple of weeks ago, as he was assisting with part of my large project (the one that is keeping me from blogging!) He was only 36 years old and in fine health. He was killed in a freak car accident which was not his fault at all - he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he had been just a few seconds earlier or later, he would still be alive. For him, I cried the buckets. Partially because of the shocking unexpectedness of it, but also because he was so young and just in the early part of his life. He will never see his kids get married, never know his grandkids, and never have all of the other important events that make up a life. For that, and for his young family who didn't get enough time with him, I cried. A lot. I have trouble even blogging about it, let alone trying to speak aloud about it.
The other death was of a lovely Ocracoker named John Thomas O'Neal. He was a sweet, kind, God loving, friendly, welcoming, accepting, encouraging gentleman. He always greeted me at church, making a point to wave me over to where he was seated (he could not walk anymore), take my hand and speak to me for a few minutes. I adored him. And for him, and for his family, I cried too. But not as much. He had lived a FULL life (he was 83 years old). He had seen his kids grow and marry, most of his grandkids grow and marry, and took great joy in his great grandkids. I know he went to heaven to be with the God he loved for all eternity, that he is at peace and no longer in pain, and that I will see him again. I did cry at his funeral, but mostly for his family and friends (me included) who will miss him. For John Thomas himself, I celebrated. His funeral, in fact, was referred to as a celebration of his life. And it was. I was struck by the amazing LEGACY this man had left: two of his grandchildren led much of the service, one singing and playing the guitar (which John Thomas had taught him to do), the other presenting a message not only about his grandfather's life, but also about the grace, mercy and peace of God. It was beautiful to see the fact that John Thomas' legacy of faith lives on, and therefore he is not truly gone from us.
Life is beautiful. Hope yours will be a long one, full of friends, family and love.
The first death was of a man I have known for nearly 11 years, although only as a work colleague. (This is for my corporate America job, so work colleagues are not people I necessarily lay eyes on very frequently, but instead I interact with them via email and phone calls.) I had spoken with Todd just a couple of weeks ago, as he was assisting with part of my large project (the one that is keeping me from blogging!) He was only 36 years old and in fine health. He was killed in a freak car accident which was not his fault at all - he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he had been just a few seconds earlier or later, he would still be alive. For him, I cried the buckets. Partially because of the shocking unexpectedness of it, but also because he was so young and just in the early part of his life. He will never see his kids get married, never know his grandkids, and never have all of the other important events that make up a life. For that, and for his young family who didn't get enough time with him, I cried. A lot. I have trouble even blogging about it, let alone trying to speak aloud about it.
The other death was of a lovely Ocracoker named John Thomas O'Neal. He was a sweet, kind, God loving, friendly, welcoming, accepting, encouraging gentleman. He always greeted me at church, making a point to wave me over to where he was seated (he could not walk anymore), take my hand and speak to me for a few minutes. I adored him. And for him, and for his family, I cried too. But not as much. He had lived a FULL life (he was 83 years old). He had seen his kids grow and marry, most of his grandkids grow and marry, and took great joy in his great grandkids. I know he went to heaven to be with the God he loved for all eternity, that he is at peace and no longer in pain, and that I will see him again. I did cry at his funeral, but mostly for his family and friends (me included) who will miss him. For John Thomas himself, I celebrated. His funeral, in fact, was referred to as a celebration of his life. And it was. I was struck by the amazing LEGACY this man had left: two of his grandchildren led much of the service, one singing and playing the guitar (which John Thomas had taught him to do), the other presenting a message not only about his grandfather's life, but also about the grace, mercy and peace of God. It was beautiful to see the fact that John Thomas' legacy of faith lives on, and therefore he is not truly gone from us.
Life is beautiful. Hope yours will be a long one, full of friends, family and love.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
I'm going to have to...
...change the name of my blog! To "Island Sometimes" or "Island Days I Am Not So Busy It Is Ridiculous" or something to that effect.
So seriously, I have been working 12 - 14 hour days, and that's just at one of my jobs. Then there's the other one...
So I'm done complainin'/making excuses now. Hope your life isn't as full as mine.
Will try to get back to daily bloggin' sometime soon. :)
So seriously, I have been working 12 - 14 hour days, and that's just at one of my jobs. Then there's the other one...
So I'm done complainin'/making excuses now. Hope your life isn't as full as mine.
Will try to get back to daily bloggin' sometime soon. :)
Monday, August 13, 2007
Happy birthday
to me...
It really was a happy birthday, even though I had to work (one of my jobs, at least). It was a quiet day, and multiple friends stopped by with gifts, called, and/or emailed to say hi and many happy returns. And I had a fabulous dinner at the Cafe Atlantic (a birthday tradition). Which reminds me, I brought my dessert home and haven't eaten it yet. So that'll be the end of this blog...time for a sweet midnight (well, not quite) snack!
Hope it was a happy day for you as well.
It really was a happy birthday, even though I had to work (one of my jobs, at least). It was a quiet day, and multiple friends stopped by with gifts, called, and/or emailed to say hi and many happy returns. And I had a fabulous dinner at the Cafe Atlantic (a birthday tradition). Which reminds me, I brought my dessert home and haven't eaten it yet. So that'll be the end of this blog...time for a sweet midnight (well, not quite) snack!
Hope it was a happy day for you as well.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Excuses and catch up
Has it really been nearly a week since I last blogged? Wow, time flies when you are...well, time just flies.
So here are my excuses for not blogging.
1. I melted. (While it certainly has been hot, that one is not particularly plausible.)
2. I didn't have anything to say. (Of course, no one who knows me will believe that one.)
3. I actually have been blogging, but I've been using the "invisible" setting. (Yes, I know you don't believe that one either.)
4. I've been busy. Yes, I know that's no excuse. So I guess that's the summary then: I have no excuse.
Here's a bit of catch-up for you, since I have been so quiet.
1. Charlotte Castro (Marcy and Lou's baby) was born Tuesday Aug. 7th shortly after 8 PM. She weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.
2. There's a new Ocracoke blog for your reading pleasure: Castle Blog
The temperature finally dropped and today it is absolutely beautiful. I think I'll go for a walk on the beach. Right after my nap.
So here are my excuses for not blogging.
1. I melted. (While it certainly has been hot, that one is not particularly plausible.)
2. I didn't have anything to say. (Of course, no one who knows me will believe that one.)
3. I actually have been blogging, but I've been using the "invisible" setting. (Yes, I know you don't believe that one either.)
4. I've been busy. Yes, I know that's no excuse. So I guess that's the summary then: I have no excuse.
Here's a bit of catch-up for you, since I have been so quiet.
1. Charlotte Castro (Marcy and Lou's baby) was born Tuesday Aug. 7th shortly after 8 PM. She weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.
2. There's a new Ocracoke blog for your reading pleasure: Castle Blog
The temperature finally dropped and today it is absolutely beautiful. I think I'll go for a walk on the beach. Right after my nap.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Talkin' trash
Apologies for the shortage of blogs recently. The last few days have been extremely full! (I am writing this at nearly 11 PM tonight, and today was so full I have not yet left the building, even to touch salt water. Don't worry, I'll get that done before midnight!)
On Saturday, we hosted the August birthday potluck. We celebrated birthdays for Lachlan and Philip (both Aug 2nd), me (Aug 13th), and Lou and Marcy's soon-to-be-born baby Charlotte (to be determined, but she is due Aug 12th). It was a smallish crowd (around 15 people, I think), but I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company nonetheless. Everyone seemed to have a good time. My favorite part was the chocolate overdose (chocolate cake with chocolate icing and "death by chocolate" ice cream). Now, that's my kind of birthday dessert!
On Sunday, it was dinner and music at the Jolly Roger as usual. We got a big table and kept filling it up with an ever-growing crowd of friends. That was a lot of fun, too. Come to think of it, eating with friends is just about always fun!
Tonight, the officers of the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association (OCBA) met to prepare the agenda for this month's meeting (to be held Wednesday night). After completing the agenda, we talked for quite a while about an issue currently affecting the village: trash pickup. I would venture a guess that trash pickup is not a topic of concern in your neck of the woods (unless you are one of my readers who lives here, of course!), but here it is an issue. Currently, each property is assessed around $125 annually for trash pickup service, which is paid at the same time as property taxes. There is currently a move afoot to greatly increase this amount, and it has people concerned. Rudy made an excellent point this evening about the fact that individual homes (where 1, 2, 3, or even 4 or 5 people live) are currently assessed the exact same amount as large businesses (restaurants, for example), which of course produce FAR more solid waste. Even rental houses (the newer/larger ones sometimes sleep 8 or 10) are billed the same amount, although all one has to do is to drive by a place like that on checkout day to see they throw away much more than the average residence.
It's a thorny issue which has been raised before, with some people advocating a "pay as you throw" program, where you are billed according to the amount of garbage you dispose of at the solid waste dump area. A potential side effect of this, though, is people dumping their refuse on the side of roads, or in other people's trash cans, as a way of avoiding the fees. I'm in favor of some kind of graduated scale, where businesses and other income producing properties (including rental houses) pay more than year round residences. One suggestion is to charge people based on the number of trash cans they need (rental homes would need and use more). It seems logical to me that large businesses would have dumpsters, and would pay each time they were emptied.
If you have any great ideas, or examples of how this is handled in your town, I would love to hear them! Let's talk trash...literally!
On Saturday, we hosted the August birthday potluck. We celebrated birthdays for Lachlan and Philip (both Aug 2nd), me (Aug 13th), and Lou and Marcy's soon-to-be-born baby Charlotte (to be determined, but she is due Aug 12th). It was a smallish crowd (around 15 people, I think), but I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company nonetheless. Everyone seemed to have a good time. My favorite part was the chocolate overdose (chocolate cake with chocolate icing and "death by chocolate" ice cream). Now, that's my kind of birthday dessert!
On Sunday, it was dinner and music at the Jolly Roger as usual. We got a big table and kept filling it up with an ever-growing crowd of friends. That was a lot of fun, too. Come to think of it, eating with friends is just about always fun!
Tonight, the officers of the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association (OCBA) met to prepare the agenda for this month's meeting (to be held Wednesday night). After completing the agenda, we talked for quite a while about an issue currently affecting the village: trash pickup. I would venture a guess that trash pickup is not a topic of concern in your neck of the woods (unless you are one of my readers who lives here, of course!), but here it is an issue. Currently, each property is assessed around $125 annually for trash pickup service, which is paid at the same time as property taxes. There is currently a move afoot to greatly increase this amount, and it has people concerned. Rudy made an excellent point this evening about the fact that individual homes (where 1, 2, 3, or even 4 or 5 people live) are currently assessed the exact same amount as large businesses (restaurants, for example), which of course produce FAR more solid waste. Even rental houses (the newer/larger ones sometimes sleep 8 or 10) are billed the same amount, although all one has to do is to drive by a place like that on checkout day to see they throw away much more than the average residence.
It's a thorny issue which has been raised before, with some people advocating a "pay as you throw" program, where you are billed according to the amount of garbage you dispose of at the solid waste dump area. A potential side effect of this, though, is people dumping their refuse on the side of roads, or in other people's trash cans, as a way of avoiding the fees. I'm in favor of some kind of graduated scale, where businesses and other income producing properties (including rental houses) pay more than year round residences. One suggestion is to charge people based on the number of trash cans they need (rental homes would need and use more). It seems logical to me that large businesses would have dumpsters, and would pay each time they were emptied.
If you have any great ideas, or examples of how this is handled in your town, I would love to hear them! Let's talk trash...literally!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Chatting with Grant
The UPS guy who brings packages to Ocracoke is named Grant. He is a friendly guy, and, even though when I see him he is quite busy, he usually takes a few seconds just to say hello. He brought me a box today, and I noticed he has a new mustache. I commented on it, and we had a brief, friendly, funny conversation.
I like the fact that, on Ocracoke, it often seems that people are more comfortable with being friendly and chatting with total strangers. This may be a factor of being in the South, too, and not entirely related to Ocracoke by itself.
But no matter where you live, you can of course always be friendly. Please be especially nice to service people. They work hard, and are often overlooked and under-appreciated.
In the words of a gentleman who calls himself The Chef and publishes an ezine: "Be nice. Nice is good." :)
I like the fact that, on Ocracoke, it often seems that people are more comfortable with being friendly and chatting with total strangers. This may be a factor of being in the South, too, and not entirely related to Ocracoke by itself.
But no matter where you live, you can of course always be friendly. Please be especially nice to service people. They work hard, and are often overlooked and under-appreciated.
In the words of a gentleman who calls himself The Chef and publishes an ezine: "Be nice. Nice is good." :)
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