Candy

During my visit last Spring to New York, I observed one of my daughters asking her son if she could borrow his cell phone.  Then, on another evening, she asked her daughter the same thing.  Then, my daughter would proceed to do something on the phone.  Finally, she told me that she was playing a game that she wasn't able to get on her own cell phone.  So I watched this go on and on, night after night.

Then, as I moved to another New York daughter's house, I discovered she used a tablet to access the same game.  I was curious so I asked her if I could try her game.  Before I knew it, I was hooked and she was without her tablet.  I would wear down her battery with this game.  It was mesmerizing.   Everyday, the same question.... "Can I please use your tablet?"  My daughter all but lost her access to her own tablet....her own tablet.  Imagine that.  How do you tell your own mother "No" for such a simple request to use her tablet?  After all, her mother's life was so small.  Her mother needed the intellectual stimulation.  When I finally left to return to San Diego, I'm sure she had a "Candy Crush" party.  I always tell my sons-in-law that they probably have a "Lower the Heat" party in the winter after I've left to return to San Diego.  They always respond, "No, no, there is no party."  But, I don't know because I do know that they raise the heat regardless of the expense of more fuel just to make me more comfortable.  They are so good to me.

Well, back to Candy Crush.  I've been bitten.  The day after I arrived home, I set myself up with this game.  I saw how a number of my Facebook friends were entrenched in it as well.  In playing the game, after 5 unsuccessful tries, there is a waiting period before playing the game again.  However, sometimes the waiting period is 25 minutes, but other times it is 3 minutes.  When it is as little as 3 minutes, I can do something else and then, in three minutes, get back to the game.  Whoever designed this game was expert at keeping you engaged if you were so weak-willed, which I discovered I was.  The only strength I've been able to muster was in determining that I would not pay for the tools that appeared for sale when you could not win that level in the game.  I am now at level 80 waiting for some of my kind friends to help me across a bridge so I can proceed with the game.

Yesterday, though, I had an awakening.  Every morning I have my coffee while checking my emails and friend's posts on Facebook.  Then, I always break away to read my Bible.  You see, in my estimation, it's okay to be half-awake reading my emails, etc.  Don't get the wrong idea.  My friends and what they have to share with me are very important.  I just feel I am awake enough for incoming correspondence, just not my daily calling in relation to my Lord and Saviour.  The Bible is a "mainstay" in my life.  Then, later in the day, it's back on Facebook again to play the game.

Yesterday, I got so engrossed in Candy Crush that I had no time to read my Bible before I had to leave the house for an appointment.  At that point, I decided I had to resist the lure of the game from now on.  After all, is a game really all that important?  Actually, at this point, "Yes."  But I will endeavor to put first things first from now on, even though I still hear the music in my head.

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Check out The Book of Micah 

The Book of Micah

I just published The Book of Micah (by Catherine Hall) on Kindle this week.  It is an account of the life of our son, Micah, born with Down syndrome and almost no center wall in his heart and how we experienced the help of the Lord with all the issues we faced.

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Happy Fourth of July

Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, NY

Happy Fourth of July!   On this day, we celebrate the anniversary of birth of our United States of America.  I heard a commentator on TV state that we Americans are privileged to live in this United States of America.  In my opinion, that is true.  While the past 237 years have fluctuated from hard times to good times and back, through wars (political or not), we have sustained.  I believe that this is because we have preserved our Constitution, despite the actions of our elected politicians.  In my opinion, we Americans are not a perfect people.  As a whole, we have to remind ourselves to be thankful for what we have as we celebrate with parades, picnics and fireworks.  However, we Americans are a generous people as evidenced by our rush to help our fellow man in disasters at home or, in fact, anywhere in the world.

I'd like to take the time to thank our Military (active, including my eldest grandson, a new United States Marine, and our Veterans) for the protections they afford us.  We would not be able to freely celebrate this day without their sacrifice. 

World Trade Center, New York, NY

Happy Independence Day!

Hudson River at Hyde Park, NY

Balboa Park, San Diego CA

Times Square, New York, NY

Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, NY

Coastline at La Jolla, CA

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Birds at Famosa Slough

On Saturday, while walking around the Famosa Slough,  I happened upon this Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron.  I wonder if it is the same bird I saw in January of this year or in July of last year.

If so, its plumage seems to be changing, as evidenced by less spots and the more solid dark bill and red eyes. Its back will go from being spotty to a svelte black.  It takes two years for this bird to mature, but it seems well on its way.   See the Black-crowned Night Heron in a previous blog.

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Update

I'm back in San Diego.  Sixty-eight degrees, 83% humidity and a lovely cool breeze coming through my window.  I'm keeping my shades open to amass as much "coolness" as I can before the sun breaks through.  Yesterday I took a walk to the Famosa Slough.  The clouds were heavy until about 9am.  Then, all of a sudden, there was a complete transformation and immediately, I felt the heat.  So this morning, I may be ahead of the game by letting all the cool breezes in.  We'll see.

The past three months on the East Coast was very enjoyable and very, very busy.  Starting on early April with a trip from New York to South Carolina to attend my eldest grandson's Marine Boot Camp graduation and culminating in June, with the next eldest grandson's graduation from Beacon High School, his party and an enjoyable East Coast family gathering the next day. Actually the last day of my visit was spend driving golf balls at the Fishkill Golf and Driving Range with my 16 year old grandson and almost 16 year old granddaughter.  We quit after two buckets because of the heat (97 degrees with very high humidity).  Even the teenagers were "wiped out."

One weekend, my daughters treated me to a facial at Buttermilk Spa in Milton NY.  The pool area has floor to ceiling windows that open out so you get the feeling of being outside....very relaxing.  After a healthy gourmet lunch by the pool, we sat on chaise lounge type chairs and just enjoyed the ambiance and lovely views.

From seeing a deer just walking across the lawns around 9:30am to being able to climb Mount Beacon and to seeing Bob the Cicada, it was an interesting visit.  It is not uncommon for deer to run through the suburban neighborhoods early in the morning, but at 9:30am?  The photo below was taken by my eldest daughter in La Grange.  Great....as I was editing, I deleted two photos of the tree, not noticing the deer and wondering why she had taken a picture of the tree.   Too bad, they might have been great photos if I had a little more patience in examining them more closely.

With three daughters and the families in a 20 mile radius, I spread out my visits staying two to three weeks with each.  This enabled me to immerse myself in their everyday lives.  I was able to spend time with each child from the youngest (10 months) to the eldest (18).   I was so busy I didn't get to contact my friends until half-way through my stay.  Everyone was very gracious in making the time to see me.  I''ll most likely have more to write about this trip, but that's all for now.  Have a very "Blessed" day.

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Bob the Cicada

I was stuck in traffic on 9D on Friday due to a problem on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.  Cicadas were flying from tree to tree crossing the road in front of me.  Later, at my daughter's house about a mile away, one landed on a chair and moved to the table.

 

My son-in-law, a graduate of Paul Smith's College in New York, picked it up and let it rest on his hand.  He opined that the bug might be tired.  Then, he let my 12 year old granddaughter hold it.  She named him Bob.  After taking a rest, Bob flew off.

 

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Cicadas

About ten days ago, I was driving north on 9D near Fishkill NY.   As I passed the Stonykill Farm, I heard this strange sound....similar to the sound made by a bicycle when a card is attached to the spokes of the wheel.  I asked my son-in-law, who is very knowledgeable about such things, if that was the sound of the Cicadas.  He said he didn't think it was.  The Cicada is a very ugly bug (about 1 to 2 inches in length) that lives in the ground.  There are different species, but this one is called the "periodical Cicada."  That is because it only surfaces once every seventeen years.  It looks for a mate.   The female deposits her eggs in a groove in a tree branch.  When the egg hatches, the tiny bug frees itself from the groove and falls to the ground.  It burrows in search of a food source and stays there approximately seventeen years.  Then, it starts the same cycle again.

About four days later, we were at St. Mary's Church in Fishkill, which is situated about two or three miles east of the farm.  When we got out of the car, my son-in-law heard the same sound (now louder) and commented that it was probably the Cicadas.  My granddaughter stated that it sounded like a car alarm.  A few days later, in Lagrangeville which is northeast of Beacon and Fishkill, you could hear the same sound, estimated to be 7Khz.  It reminded me of a sound you would hear in the Southeastern section of the country.  This past Saturday, I drove south on Route 9 into Cold Spring.  This area is more heavily forested.  The nose was very loud and occasionally a flying Cicada would hit the windshield or roof of the car.  Eerie....

I noticed after a few days that I just got used to the noise.  It must be like what a person who has tinnitus experiences.  In a few weeks, the noise will subside and life will go on.

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