Only Persevere

As we age
We learn to
Say no
To the things
We don't really want to do
When asked.
I don't think
We ever learn
To say no
For things we wish
To accomplish for ourselves.
We keep adding
To the list
Until we attain the goal
Or we give up.
May we never give up;
Only persevere.

Shifting Horizons

Ever evolving
We change with the tides
That move us
inexorably
Onward
To a destination
Only dimly seen
On the horizon.
Yet as we gaze
Ahead into the unknown
The shifting mists
Obscure the vision
Until that which we thought
Would be is now
No longer there.
It has been replaced
By something
Unimagined
And yet unfulfilled
But drawing
Us into itself.

Spiderman, Spiderman...

Now how cool is this...?

Physicists Have Found The Formula For A Spiderman Suit

Science Daily — Physicists have found the formula for a Spiderman suit. Only recently has man come to understand how spiders and geckos effortlessly scuttle up walls and hang from ceilings but it was doubted that this natural form of adhesion would ever be strong enough to hold the weight of real life Peter Parkers.

Recent research concluded that van der Waals forces -- the weak attraction that molecules have for each other when they are brought very close together - are responsible for creepy crawlies' amazing sticking power. It is the tiny hairs on spiders' feet that attract to the molecules of surfaces, even glass, and keep them steady.

This discovery however has been taken one step further by research published Thursday, 30 August, 2007 in the Institute of Physics' Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter to make sticky human suits.

Professor Nicola Pugno, engineer and physicist at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, has formulated a hierarchy of adhesive forces that will be strong enough to suspend a person's full body weight against a wall or on a ceiling, while also being easy to detach.

Carbon nanotube-based technology could be used to develop nano-molecular hooks and loops that would function like microscopic Velcro. This detachable, adhesive force could be used in conjunction with van der Waals forces and capillary adhesion.

Pugno said, "There are many interesting applications for our theory, from space exploration and defense, to designing gloves and shoes for window cleaners of big skyscrapers."

The theory is all the more significant because, as with spiders' and geckos' feet, the hooks and hairs are self-cleaning and water-resistant. This means that they will not wear or get clogged by bad weather or dirty surfaces and will be able to withstand some of the harshest habitats on earth, including the deep sea.

Pugno continued, "With the idea for the adhesion now in place, there are a number of other mechanics that need addressing before the Spiderman suit can become a reality. Size-effects on the adhesion strength require further research. Moreover, man's muscles, for example, are different to those of a gecko. We would suffer great muscle fatigue if we tried to stick to a wall for many hours.

"However now that we are this step closer, it may not be long before we are seeing people climbing up the Empire State Building with nothing but sticky shoes and gloves to support them."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Institute of Physics.

Just think, my own Spiderman suit. I wonder where I can get some of that web stuff....

The Rising and the Setting Eclipsed

This morning as I drove to work
I watched the setting moon
Eclipsed by earth's shadow
As it sank into the horizon

While in my rear view mirror
I at the same time saw
The glowing ball of orange sun
Rising out of the horizon

I was struck with wonder
At the beauty of the morning
While filled with thoughts
Of primitive man delving

Into the mystery that
Could only leave them wondering
If their world was ending
Only to be born again.

Fall Into a New School Year

School has started back and the pace of life just stepped it up a notch. Now, it seems a little strange for me to say that because I'm not in school and although my son's activities sometimes throw a little extra into the schedule, it's not bad and I enjoy getting to see him participate. It does seem to create extra demands on my spouse who works in the Central Office for our school system.

I guess really it is just the increase in activity around me that makes it feel like everything is faster -- more hurried. The morning traffic seems heavier. Various school activities place demands on others at work. It is more difficult to schedule things because of conflicts. Oh, well -- that's part of fall!

Fall.
I can't believe that
Footballs are flying,
Corn is drying,
Students are crying
'Cause summer is dying
And I would be lying
If I said I was trying
To keep from sighing
Over the end of summer.

OK. Technically there's still nearly a month left.

Advertisement: Yokes by Jesus

In biblical times plows were pulled by oxen. Usually the oxen were yoked in pairs. Often the pair would consist of an older experienced ox that was well trained to the plow along with a young ox that still needed to learn. One of the keys to the oxen efficiently pulling the plow was the yoke itself. The better that it fit the oxen -- the more comfortably it fit -- the more efficiently they could pull. This was because it was a comfortable fit that allowed the pressure to be evenly distributed without chaffing or galling the animal.

Jesus was a carpenter. Among the many things that he made I'm sure were yokes for oxen. Often farmers would bring their oxen in to the carpenter to be "fitted" for the yoke. Basically, they were custom made to fit the specific animal. Can you imagine how well a Jesus-made yoke would fit? I suspect they were the best made yokes around.

The yoke on an ox is a little like a job or career for a man or woman. If it is a good fit they are efficient and effective. If it is a poor fit, they are constantly fighting against it and are frustrated and ineffective.

Each of us is uniquely suited to a particular career or job. That is what we should be doing. When we find that niche we are happy and productive. Often we enter into a career because of the money we will make or because of the expectations of others. We should find and do what we were made for.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."__Matthew 11:28-30

(adapted from our sermon this evening)

The Injustice of it All

Weekends
Are for doing all the things
We couldn't get done during the week
Because we were doing all the things we had to do
In order to afford what we wanted/needed to do on the
Weekends.

It's a little like that saying about grand kids --
If I had known how much fun the grand kids were going to be
I would have skipped having kids and gone straight to grandchildren.
The only trouble is that you can't have the grand kids
Until you've gone through
Raising kids.

Is it the reward?
The weekend is the reward for getting through the week;
Grandchildren are the reward for getting through raising the kids.
So, what does it mean
If you have a lousy weekend
Or, you end up raising the grand kids?

That is not the case for me --
But it is for many people.
Is it because they are "paying for their raising?"
Or, because they didn't do much during the week?
Or is it purely chance?

While we are at it,
Why does the rain fall on the just and the unjust?
Why do worthless no-good so-and-so's prosper
And good people struggle?
And just exactly what is the meaning of life?

Why are some of us fortunate enough to be born in the U.S.A.
With tremendous opportunity and often with more than we need
And the majority of the world is living in poverty?
Why are there kids starving in Africa
While restaurants in America throw out tons of uneaten food daily?

Does any of it really matter?
Why are our deepest thoughts always interrupted
By someone saying, "come here, you gotta see this!"
Is there truly justice in the world?
Why is the tea pitcher always empty when I want a glass??!!

A New Blog

I have undertaken a new blog. You will find it at Common Sense Agriculture, Conservation and Energy. Come on over and check it out.

More Random Items

I updated my profile a bit. The only reason I did so is because of the new blogger tool where you can click on the highlighted items and find other bloggers who listed the same things. I'm always looking for new and interesting blogs to read.

My first article was published in the local newspaper today. It was gratifying to see that only the title was changed. However, in the tradition of MSM, the article was posted under a "column" heading that was totally erroneous and misleading. I am taking a chance that the publisher may see this posted (no offence intended) but I was upset about it. I e-mailed her and the editor about my concerns. I think I was reasonably nice in how I expressed my uh, umm, displeasure.

I am reading a book by W.E.B. Griffin called "In Danger's Path; A Novel of the Corps." I am enjoying it immensely. It revolves around the role of the Marine Corps and the OSS during WWII in the Pacific theatre. I'm only about 1/4 of the way into it but it is great so far. I don't recall reading anything by Griffin before but I will certainly read more of his work.

We have been very busy at work which is a good thing. The trouble with busy is that you often don't have time for planning and thinking or for building. Busy is usually a result of responding to someone else's needs. It is reactive, not proactive. Busy happens. But it is often not the most productive time. Productivity is creative. Busy is sometimes just busy.

It looks like my travel schedule is going to become more hectic. This is the season of the year when there are many shows and conferences that I need to attend. It seems like this season is getting longer and longer. It is almost year-round anymore. I get tired of the travel but I enjoy seeing the customers and meeting new prospects. I love trade shows and enjoy working them. It is always interesting to me to find ways to engage potential customers.

School starts next week. My son is enjoying his last few days before the new year begins. I think he is looking forward to it. He is an excellent student -- if he could just get over being a teenager...

Mother Goose

My apologies to all of you whose blogs I normally read. I have been a little busy. I will catch up at first opportunity.

When I was a kid, I enjoyed Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. My favorite was:

Multiplication is vexation
Division is as bad
The rule of three perplexes me
And practice drives me mad.

I don't know why I decided to share that but it seemed like a good idea. What was your favorite Nursery Rhyme? Put it in the comments if you feel so led.

Idealism

Hat Tip to My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Cyclicity

There is a cyclical nature
To almost everything.
We see it in the passing day
And the coming of the spring.

We feel it in our bodies
As we go from young to old.
We see it as the seasons
Change from warm to cold.

It happens in our workplace
When things change from bad to good.
It inhabits every living thing
And is little understood.

It affects all our relationships
And it works upon the sea.
It determines all the weather
That sends an ache into my knee.

The cycle of creation
Begun by God above
Keeps ticking just like clockwork
Running on His bounteous love.

Random Observations

The official temperature today was 101.

The forecast was for 97.

My thermometer showed 104 at 3:00 pm.

Hurricane Dean is bearing down on the Yucatan peninsula.

It was earlier projected to possibly hit Texas.

We sent buses from the Panhandle to San Antonio in preparation.

The grass in Central Texas is so lush

That the cattle can't eat enough

To get enough to eat (because of the high water content).

The speculation about ethanol production

Has pushed the price of corn so high

The ethanol plants are losing money.

Some liberal activist has filed a complaint

Against Fred Thompson for campaign violations

And he isn't yet a declared candidate.

Obesity may be catching.

Dogs and cats are overweight.

Children are starving around the world.

Beam me up Scottie!

Antique Sailor

I want to promote a fellow blogger. Antique Sailor just wrote a book about her (a grandmother) voyages sailing around the oceans of this beautiful planet. She has posted a few excerpts on her blog. Let's all encourage her.

Mentoring

The church sermon this morning was on mentoring. Using Paul and Timothy as a pattern, our associate pastor talked about how important mentoring is to both new Christians and to folks going through different life stages -- such as marriage, children, divorce, losing a spouse or parent, and on and on. It caused me to think about some of the mentors in my life.

Some of the early mentors in my life include my father and grandfather, J Cowart, Uil Gunter, Travis Hart, and a couple of uncles. On my writing there is Cotton Lewis. In business there has been Walt Gould, Tom Sehl, Jim Robison, Jim Schwertner, and numerous others. There continue to be spiritual mentors like Bob Civil, David Lowrie, Gayle Bowen, and others in our church.

Most of you who might read this don't know theses people. It doesn't matter. Their influence has a ripple effect -- like dropping a rock into still waters. Their effect on me continues through my impact on others. It is like that for all of us. The lives we touch, and how we affect those around us has a ripple effect throughout the world. Is the effect for good or for bad?

Tonight our church service was held jointly with the Palo Duro Cowboy Church. The PDCC was a ministry outreach of our church to those who are not comfortable in the typical church setting but could be reached through the cowboy culture. The pastor of that church, Shannon Moreland, is a cowboy through and through. He grew up on a ranch and has spent most of his life working on ranches throughout Texas. God has used him in a mighty way to reach into the lives of many young cowboys and their families in this area. It is great to see what is happening with them.

Tonight as part of that service we heard a testimony from the first young man that was baptized in their church. He grew up with alcohol and drugs and as a result spent a little time in jail. The men in the PDCC continued to reach out to him and help him with employment and counseling. He reached bottom about a year ago and realized how badly he needed something different in his life. He realized that only Jesus could save him from himself. His testimony is an amazing example of the power to change lives that comes only from Christ.

The PDCC is an example of mentoring in several ways. 1) Our church is mentoring them and helping them to become established. 2) The mature Christians in that church are mentoring the young men and women who are looking to improve their lives. 3) They are mentoring young men and women like the example above to escape the traps of drugs, alcohol, abuse and crime. They are following the example that Jesus himself set of mentoring the apostles who then spread the gospel. The ripple effect continues today.

Toot Your Horn

I was reading in the book of Ezekiel and the following passage jumped out at me.

The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'" __Ezekiel 33:1-6

The sword is coming and is among us. It is called Islam. Many have been blowing their horn. We should all join them.

Fighting Fires vs Focus

Where has the week gone?!? It seems like only yesterday that we were driving home from New Mexico. I guess it seemed to fly by because it was so busy.

On Monday I drove to Kansas to work at our business location there and to meet with a couple of customers. On Wednesday I returned home late and spent yesterday and today at our business location here in the Panhandle. After being off last week (although admittedly I did work some from home part of the time) I had a rather large pile of things that had accumulated while I was out of the office. I have been diligently checking items off of my "to do" list throughout the week and feel that I accomplished quite a lot -- but not everything that I had planned.

That "to do" list is critical to keeping me on task. I spend some time each morning reviewing items from the previous day, adding additional tasks that have popped up, and thinking about priorities so that I can organize my day in a fashion that moves me toward my goals. Without planning, it is easy to become sidetracked into tasks that need to be done, but may not be as important as other things. I rank my tasks according to priority -- I use a modified Franklin-Covey time management system. I always allocate some time for working on long-term projects that are not necessarily "critical" but are important to my long-term goals.

The daily "fires" can be a killer if you do not spend time on the things that will prevent the fires from occurring. The best way to describe that is to give an example from my past. In a previous job I was given the task of evaluating an operating distribution warehouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I was to determine if it should remain open and if so, how it could be turned around from a loss situation to a profitable one. It was a disaster. The warehouse was disorganized, the products were not in assigned locations, the computer system was not set up to match the warehouse, the inventory was off by several hundred thousand dollars, and the employees had no clue what to do. They were working 14 hour days in survival mode.

The "fires" were to get products out the door to meet the orders that were coming in on a daily basis. The solution was to get the warehouse and computer system in order and the employees properly trained. It took almost 3 months to get everything lined out and functioning on a reasonable basis. Then it was a matter of "trimming" the operation so that it became more efficient. I focused on the most important factor in the situation -- correcting the issues in the warehouse. Piece by piece, as the "operating system" was corrected, the fires began to disappear.

While correcting the warehouse operations I also had to work with the salesmen to adjust how they were working their territories. They were doing everything backward. Without going into detail, we turned the division completely around in less than two years. It went from a loss of approximately $350,000/year to a profit of over $400,000/year in that two year time frame just by re-focusing everyone's efforts.

My point is that when you focus on the deep issues -- the things that will move you toward your goals -- the panic response to daily fires disappears. That doesn't mean the occasional issues won't come up, but they become fewer and much farther between.

A Few Books

I keep a log of books that I read. I started doing so a number of years back after reading a book by Louis L'Amour called "Education of a Wandering Man." I decided to try something new here by giving you a sampling of a few of the more enjoyable books that I've read recently. Of course, they are linked back to Amazon so that if you click on a picture and decide to order, I'll get a little tiny credit toward some more reading material. This is just experimental on my part. I'm still "playing" with this blogging thing (heh, heh)!

Einstein by Walter Isaacson was an excellent biography. While addressing the physics that drove Einstein's life, Isaacson presents the material in a readable and understandable manner. I really enjoyed this book.



Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides is not a biography although it centers in many respects on the life of Kit Carson. It covers the period of early settlement in the Southwestern United States including John C. Fremont's march to California as well as the Navajo Wars. This is also one that I would highly recommend.

Doc Holliday is a great biography of Wyatt Earp's "side-kick" by Gary L. Roberts. That's the trouble with legends though. The so-called side-kick was an independent cuss who was a mix of Southern Chivalry, gunfighter, and dentist. This was one that I really enjoyed although I thought that it spent too much ink talking about the Earps. I guess there are some individuals who left a huge footprint but very little documentation of their lives. Doc Holliday was one of them.

Bone Tired -- Not Usually

Well, I guess I jumped the gun. I knew better. My first article will not come out this week. When they went to put the paper together for the edition that it was to appear in, there was no way to make space for it. I was gratified that it was not edited down to the space requirement and hopefully will eventually run intact. This is all new to me and I'm learning. However, it is like sales. You don't count the sale until the check clears the bank! The lesson is that you're not published until you hold the paper in your hand.

It was hot, Hot, HOT!!! in Kansas the last few days. The temperature was 102 degrees for Monday, Tuesday, and today. I was glad to get back to Texas where it was only 95 degrees. The crops up in Kansas are beginning to show some heat stress where they have inadequate irrigation. That should further add to the price pressure on corn and soybeans which in turn will impact some of the products made from them. It also has an impact on meats and milk products because both corn and soybeans are key animal feed ingredients.

Hermit left a comment on yesterday's post that got me to thinking. He said, "You sure stay busy. Don't you ever just get bone tired of work?" You can read my response in the comments to that post. I guess that I get tired from working (a good kind of tired), but I get more tired when I don't have enough to do. I know that I've talked about retirement, but I see myself busy in retirement. I see myself continuing to work at something -- even if it is just taking care of the lawn and chores around the house. I just can't see myself doing nothing.

I like to stay busy. If I get too still, I usually fall asleep. If I'm not working on something, I have a book in my hand reading, or I'm researching something on the computer, or I'm playing the guitar, or something. I feel like I need to be doing something productive all of the time. Now, I will say that I also spend time thinking and meditating. By meditating, I'm not talking about Zen Buddhism, I'm talking about focusing on a thought or subject or praying and studying scripture. The relaxing, "emptying" techniques that some practice under the guise of Buddhism are dangerous. If you empty your mind, something will enter into it and it won't always be good. Therefore we should focus on good things.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." -- Philippians 4:8-9

Meetings and Writings

I had a great meeting with a customer this morning. They are planning a trip in which they will be recruiting new customers for their business and working with existing customers. They asked if I would like to go with them to talk about the services that we offer. I jumped on it "in a heartbeat!" What better way to strengthen a customer relationship than to help them build their business. This particular customer is very large and there is a lot of growth potential with them.

We will be doing what we call "producer meetings." These are evening meetings where we invite cattle producers to a meal and presentation. We are planning a week-long trip in which we will put on one of these meetings each night and during the day will meet with individual producers. The large customer that I am working with has a strong base in the areas that we will be traveling to and will be introducing me to their existing customers as well as to prospects.

The service that we provide can be administered at several different points in the production stream. The earlier in the stream that it is done, the greater the potential benefit to all concerned. Our customer is wanting to push the process to the the cow/calf level -- which is the ideal point. In that way, their customer will receive the full benefit of our service as their cattle move through the production cycle. It is a win-win-win proposition.

On a totally different note, I have been asked to start writing a weekly news article for our newspaper. Each Thursday, the paper has an agriculture section and they have asked me to write for that section. The first article will be published this week. It will be a little extra work, but I think well worth it. No, it won't be as Panhandle Poet, it will be under my real name.

One of the things taught by many experts is that it is important to be considered expert in your field -- whatever that might be. One step in becoming an "expert" is to be published as such on items of interest to your business, your customers, and your prospects. I will be attempting to submit some of the articles that I write to trade publications as well as to our local paper. We will see how it works out.