Sleeping with the windows open -- jcarolek

When we closed on our newly built house six years ago, we were presented our "home owner's manual." This loose bound notebook of goodies held such things as the warranties for the appliances, the care and keeping of the house in general and the warranty on the house construction itself. As with anything new, we poured over the book, getting acquainted with our abode. All was going along swimmingly when hubby spied the notation that, "these houses were built in such a manner that they should be protected by controlling the interior climate." Basically, the advice offered was that opening the windows should be done ONLY when the outside atmosphere was ideal...low or no humidity being the key factor.

Well, anyone who lives in these parts of VA will know that there are relatively few days in a year when humidity is low AND the weather is conducive to WANTING to have

Finding Harmony -- jcarolek

I know there is harmony in the world. I feel it; I hear it; and I try to capture it. When I sing with others I don't actually feel I am "making up" the harmony, but rather, finding it where is already exists.... waiting in quiet anticipation of a voice on which to be carried.

Tonight I had my very high-tech recording studio in full swing. Yes, that's right. I had recorded myself playing my guitar

Hugely Inappropriate -- jcarolek

So, I thoroughly enjoy playing the guitar in our choir. I especially enjoy playing when our other guitarist (the one who can actually PLAY) is there. Today was such a day. And, as usual, we had fun, not only playing the music, but bantering with each other.

Trey's mother is our choir director. As we prepared to practice one of the songs, she declared, "OK, we need to decide who is going to sing what."

Being the general smart alack I am, I piped up with,

Beehives -- jcarolek

A few years back I was amused to read about a competition to be held here in little old Gloucester. I knew that the local "paper", you know, that one that gets published every now and then, but on no apparent schedule, is called the Beehive, but never realized it had some historical tie to this area. The competition made it clear that we ARE the beehive, er...town? county??? still not clear on THAT one.

Nevertheless, someone made a LOT of money manufacturing big beehives and local businesses and residents purchased them, painted them and entered them into the competition. It was BIG news around here....everyone was BUZZING with opinions on the most creative, etc. etc. I mostly watched and laughed....could they be SERIOUS??? Well apparently

What are you Doing? -- jcarolek

I was squatting down, looking at the weeds that covered that hillside in Berkeley. My friends were also exploring the lookout over the town from this vantage point and snapping pictures as they visited. I, having yet to have adopt the "camera in my pocket for all occasions" posture, was in my own little world of investigations.



"What are you doing?" my friend asked as I was holding a purple weed very close to my good eye and peering

Keeping it in Perspective -- jcarolek

Today I had to drive up to Baltimore to meet with my boss for a "transition" meeting. He is leaving and I will be, at least temporarily, taking over his management responsibilities, along with my own. I was not thrilled with the idea of the drive, or the need to spend the night in yet another hotel room, but that's part of the deal, so I roll with it. I have been fretting about this latest announcement since I heard it on Tuesday, and actually welcomed the face to face meeting with my boss and a couple of other guys from our team. But, still.....

So, I took a copy of the CD of music I had made for my mom for her birthday and popped it in the car's player, and harmonized with myself on the trip. That was kind of fun and different. Thankfully, if others in the cars around me whilst stopped for bridge construction, heard "us" singing, they were polite enough not to "laugh out loud!" I also took with me my trusty camera for my "shots along the way." This little pastime is quite rewarding. Since I don't actually look through the camera's viewfinder, or at the little LCD screen when snapping the shots, I have no idea what I have captured until I get home and download them to my computer.

What I noticed today was perspective. I saw things

Horsing Around -- jcarolek

I have never lived with or had any experience with horses. I have had friends who owned horses all their lives and I have a sister who always dreamed of owning horses. But not me. I was content to admire them from the car as we drove by, or look at their pictures in the magazines or newspapers. But I was not drawn to them.

Tonight I was making my way through the photos my friends and I took whilst I was out in CA and came to those taken on April 16th. We were just driving through the countryside, seeing what we saw, stopping when we chose -- smelling the flowers, if you will. We happened down a dusty dirt road with some stunning trees, fences and other rustic appeal. We stopped and shot dozens of photos.

At one point, I was so engrossed in my own picture taking I accidentally crossed in front of my friend

We Love You Dave -- jcarolek

Today was one of those days that really makes me sit back and think. We started the day as we ended last night, without power. Tornadoes took their toll on Suffolk, VA, south of us and apparently some micro bursts or something graced our neck of the woods at about the same time. Trees were ripped and shredded and lying on power lines, resulting in the not uncommon for this area, power outage.

Still, some 18 hours after the power went out, it was reestablished and I breathed a sigh of relief. I certainly do not mind, "roughing it" but I had some important obligations to fulfill today and being unable to shower (we are on well water and without electricity we are .... ummm ... without water), would have made me feel kind of grimy. So, I hopped to and got the shower, took care of my morning meeting for work, conducted an interview and headed on to the main focus of my morning.

On Friday, April 25, 2008 as many enjoyed a Friday evening of relaxation or excitement at the end of a work week, a young man, just 25 years old, decided for reasons unknown certainly to me, to take his life. He hung himself and left many wondering what they could have done to have affected a different outcome. He was, by all accounts,

Running Away -- jcarolek

When I was a teenager, I swore I was going to run away from home. I didn't want to be under the same roof as my parents and brothers and sister. I wanted to be free to do as I pleased without anyone else's opinion or rules. Of course, most of the time I was too busy doing chores, going to school, participating in extra-curricular activities and such to have time to run away, but I had it on my "to-do" list. I brought it out for consideration every now and then and almost ALWAYS when in a fit of anger at my mother, who seemed bent on making my life unbearable. But time ticked on and I did not run away.

Finally, one day in, I believe 10th grade, the stars aligned and my run-away plan was enacted. I grabbed my backpack, shoved some clothes and my tooth brush in it, grabbed my guitar and headed off. I was DOING it! Now, anyone who has contemplated running away will know that USUALLY a person does a little better if they have a destination to which they are running, as opposed to simply running away from their current location. Savvy teenagers who really want to get away, have a plan that includes at least an idea of a destination. I had no such plan. I realized rather quickly as I started down the road, that I was going to have to come up with a plan of where to go.

I could not go back home to make this plan, because I had already made my start, so, I decided to go up to my favorite "thinking place." The Bowie Mansion "hill"

Good morning -- jcarolek

This morning I awoke easily, refreshed, as usual from my few hours of dedicated sleep. And I thought about a time when I was NOT so refreshed and did NOT awaken so easily. Certainly, when I was a teenager, I received more creative threats from Mom than I care to repeat, on the subject of getting up in the morning.... (of course, there were also the creative threats about my messy room, or should I say, my messy "side of the room" since my sister was a meticulously neat roommate, but I will save that for another post.)

My brothers always had their alarms set and they would begin blaring at ungodly hours, because THEY could and did sleep through that din.... not I. I was awakened