Walls.

Walls.
In our minds.
In our hearts.
In our lives.

Walls.
In friendships.
In marriages.
In families.

Walls.
Physical.
Mental.
Emotional.

Walls.
Barriers.
Boundaries.
Barricades.

Walls.
Fences.
Bars.
Bricks.

Somebody hand me a sledgehammer!

Road Time

I learned from a good friend of mine this week some facts that have convinced me that Global Warming is real. He revealed these things to me as we traveled in search of new customers. We were prospecting in some "sparse" country and there was lots of road time between stops. Let me see if I can remember:

• My friend said that he believes that Global Warming is responsible for warping the lenses in his glasses. It seemed to him that with each passing day the distortion became worse and worse. It was getting so that he was going to need new glasses because of the distortion. Upon reflection, I realized that I had been experiencing similar problems.
• My friend also said that it seemed to him that Global Warming had caused his arms to shrink. It was getting so that they were hardly long enough to hold reading material at the proper distance for clear viewing. I knew without a doubt that he was correct because I had been noticing the same thing for several years now.
• We both noted that the heat caused drowsiness as well -- particularly about 2:00 in the afternoon. We determined to call this the "siesta effect" of Global Warming. It seemed that the "siesta effect," although normally confined to environs south of our location, had moved northward and was affecting us on a regular basis.

We began to discuss some of the pro's and con's of the obviously real effects of Global Warming. Following are some of our observations -- not necessarily grouped in any special order.

• Because of a warmer climate due to Global Warming, we should experience longer lives. This is because the Greenhouse gases have replaced significant quantities of oxygen in the atmosphere (the reason for the "siesta effect"). Therefore oxidation should be slowed and our lives therefore extended.
• Global Warming also should extend the hotpant/haltertop/bikini season. We determined that in spite of the visual pleasures it could have detrimental effects on our longevity since both of us are married.
• We noted as well that Global Warming should extend the growing season throughout the world and therefore alleviate the hunger problems that we have been hearing so much about.
• Global warming also should reduce heating bills in the winter. This would provide a significant savings during those months. On the downside though, the summers would be extended and it is likely that the increase in the cooling bills for those months would more than offset the savings in the winter.
• An additional advantage of Global Warming might be the extension of football season until February or even March. Well, by that time it's almost spring so why don't we just make football season year-round. We could do the same for baseball as well. That would give us many more choices of sporting events to view throughout the year. Golf also would be a year-round sport. There won't be concerns of losing that little white ball in the cowpasture during a snow storm. There won't be any.

I am sure there are other observations that some of you have made that support this theory of Global Warming. Please feel free to share them in the comments.

Shaping the Grand Canyon

This week, work has taken me on travels into some old stomping grounds. It is interesting to renew old acquaintances and see old faces. That's the problem though. They remind me that it has been 15 years since I last saw some of them. A lot can change in 15 years.

Time has a way of getting away from us. We are so focused on daily activity -- of pursuing our lives -- that we lose track of the passage of time. It's like going to a High School class reunion and wondering why everyone else has aged so much. You still feel the same and don't notice that you've aged along with them. We see the gradual change in our own lives and accept it easily. Absence for extended periods makes that change seem dramatic when we reconnect.

Our lives move inexorably forward. If we weren't such ephemeral beings in our earthly time it would be as though the Grand Canyon was being carved upon our very substance. Slowly, unceasingly, we would be re-shaped into something unrecognizable to our previous self. I wonder if the process continues into eternity?

The Call of the Day

As I drove to work this morning I had the overwhelming sense that I needed to spend some time outdoors today. After the storms which passed through last night, the air had a special quality. The richness and depth of the blue sky was highlighted by the few remnant clouds on the horizon. It called to me.

It was a call -- not for working out in the sun -- for hiking, exploring, soaking in the vibrancy of the day. It has been a long time since I went hiking. Maybe I should head to Palo Duro Canyon and spend some time. I could go out to Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The problem is that my task list is long. It seems that I have allowed the "little things that need done" to accumulate into a lengthy ordeal. If I was to take the afternoon off I would feel guilty if I didn't spend it "checking a few items off" from my list. It would detract from the enjoyment of the day. Or would it? Maybe I should find out.

Instead, I go to the office. I enter into another day of work. Opportunity lost?

Somewhat Rare

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISTP)

Your personality type is reserved, methodical, spirited, and intense. Only about 6% of all people have your personality, including 3% of all women and 8% of all men You are Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Father's Day

I'm a little late in the day posting about Father's Day, but better late than never -- right?

Some things that I learned from my Father:

The difference between a weed and cotton (or corn, or okra, or beans, or....).

It's time for supper when the work is finished -- not necessarily when you are hungry.

The animals get fed first.

You "fess up" when it was you that threw the baseball through the window.

"Licks" at school meant more at home.

Profanity was a sign of a weak vocabulary.

If you don't form an opinion, someone will form it for you.

If you get in a fight you had better not be the one that started it.

You ate what was on your plate whether you liked it or not.

Honesty is a given.

If you agree to do something you do it.

You bait your own hook and help any women that won't bait theirs.

You open the door for a lady.

You take your hat off in the house.

You shovel the sidewalk for the old couple across the street and you don't take any pay for it.

If you shoot it you eat it -- unless it's rabbits and then it's self defence. Five rabbits eat as much as a cow.

You don't quit.

You put in an honest day's work for your pay.

If you can read you can figure out how to do just about anything.

Spend time with your kids.

Family comes first.

It doesn't matter how much you make, it's how much you spend.

Don't talk back to your mother.

Some things you have to learn the hard way.

Keep what you own in good repair.

Kids need to know they're loved.

If you see a snotty nose, wipe it.

You're expected in church on Sunday morning.

Sometimes you seem a lot smarter if you keep your mouth shut.

Live your calling -- whatever it happens to be.

Give your time to your church, your community and your family.

The list goes on and on but I think you get the picture. That's what it was and is -- a picture of how to live your life through the example of his. Thanks, Dad.

Gone Political

I have been a bit slow posting for quite some time now. I appreciate those of you who do continue to stop by on a regular basis.

It seems sometimes that I go through "dry" spells. It is hard to come up with something to post. Also, I have been busy. However, I also have started a new blog which is taking a good part of my blogging energy. It is called "Panhandle's Perspective." It is oriented to politics and the issues of the day.

I have always been interested in politics. I have attempted however, to steer clear of them for the most part on this blog. I finally gave in to the impulse.

Why now? Probably because I fear for the direction that our country is heading. Bill Clinton worried me. Barack Obama scares me. His Marxist/socialist agenda will destroy this country.

Drop by "Panhandle's Perspective" and see what I think about it.