Here and Now...What's Happening?

[Carmody]

Bob, I'd hate to be across the table from you in a hard nosed business negotiation. Iffin's you knows what I means.

(yah gotta be able to make it up on the fly, with depth and complexity, right on the spot - and never skip a beat)

(this also implies the developed skill to discern it's presence when it is thrown at one)

[another bob]

Posted by ulli (here)
Would you mind sharing what happened to you as you downloaded the inspiration for writing this?

Hiya Ulli and Fellow V'gers!

I was trying to distract myself from Dentality for a moment, so I resorted to the old stand-by: imagination. This morning, Mazie had 3 teeth extracted, and was also told that she needed 3 bridges, each costing $3K. When I read about the 3 pigs, it all suddenly fell into place. Naturally, this also reminds me of something not at all related.

It seems that a journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau has an apartment overlooking the Western Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old bearded Jewish man praying vigorously. Certain he would be a good interview subject, the journalist goes down to the Wall, and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks, "You come every day to the Wall. Sir, how long have you done that and what are you praying for?"

The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and for the brotherhood of man. I go home have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth, safety from geomagnetic pole reversals, the end of the evil Illuminati, the calming of tectonic plates, the vanquishment of all pesky archons, and very, very important, I pray for peace and understanding between Muslims and Jews."

The journalist is impressed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these wonderful things?" she asks.

The old man replies, calmly, "Like I'm talking to a wall."

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Posted by Carmody (here)
Bob, I'd hate to be across the table from you in a hard nosed business negotiation. Iffin's you knows what I means.

(yah gotta be able to make it up on the fly, with depth and complexity, right on the spot - and never skip a beat)

(this also implies the developed skill to discern it's presence when it is thrown at one)

LOL! Back in my career days, when I once held the position of Director of Marketing, the Sales Department nicknamed me "The Silver-Tongued Devil".

[ulli]

Posted by another bob (here)

Posted by ulli (here)
Would you mind sharing what happened to you as you downloaded the inspiration for writing this?

Hiya Ulli and Fellow V'gers!

I was trying to distract myself from Dentality for a moment, so I resorted to the old stand-by: imagination. This morning, Mazie had 3 teeth extracted, and was also told that she needed 3 bridges, each costing $3K. When I read about the 3 pigs, it all suddenly fell into place. Naturally, this also reminds me of something not at all related.

It seems that a journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau has an apartment overlooking the Western Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old bearded Jewish man praying vigorously. Certain he would be a good interview subject, the journalist goes down to the Wall, and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks, "You come every day to the Wall. Sir, how long have you done that and what are you praying for?"

The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and for the brotherhood of man. I go home have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth, safety from geomagnetic pole reversals, the end of the evil Illuminati, the calming of tectonic plates, the vanquishment of all pesky archons, and very, very important, I pray for peace and understanding between Muslims and Jews."

The journalist is impressed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these wonderful things?" she asks.

The old man replies, calmly, "Like I'm talking to a wall."

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Posted by Carmody (here)
Bob, I'd hate to be across the table from you in a hard nosed business negotiation. Iffin's you knows what I means.

(yah gotta be able to make it up on the fly, with depth and complexity, right on the spot - and never skip a beat)

(this also implies the developed skill to discern it's presence when it is thrown at one)

LOL! Back in my career days, when I once held the position of Director of Marketing, the Sales Department nicknamed me "The Silver-Tongued Devil".

I'm so glad that you can still see the humor in all of this.
And only 1/2 hour ago I saw this article about Americans being lured to Costa Rica
for more inexpensive dental treatments,
and ending up with quack dentists.
But there are good ones,
and they charge only 1/4 of what it would cost in the US.
You would have to know someone rather than just follow an Internet site.

Here is the article: (of course they recommend just the right one... )

http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/3771.cfm

[RunningDeer]

Beautiful Family, Calz. Thank you for sharing them.

Posted by Calz (here)
Okay Villagers ... here are my two "blues brothers" in Chicago ...

[another bob]

Posted by ulli (here)
I'm so glad that you can still see the humor in all of this

Well, the alternative is not humorous, so we may as well be able to laugh. Not only that, but as the saying goes, "Laughter is the best medicine."

And only 1/2 hour ago I saw this article about Americans being lured to Costa Rica . . .

Back before Mazie & I found each other, I was seriously contemplating moving to Costa Rica. The real estate looked like a good value, the political climate was amenable, apparently they used US dollars, and there was a growing American community (besides the obvious geological beauty). Our lives went in a diferent direction, however, and now we're sitting here in the mountains, currently getting smoked in. The choking/stinging haze from the fire mentioned previously clears a bit in the afternoon, then rolls back in overnight, and renders the morning unfit for my usual outdoor meditation rituals and gardening pursuits. The positive side to being indoor-bound is that I get to do a bit more cleaning around the hacienda, and cleanliness is next to godliness, so it all works out perfectly! :-)

[Calz]

Paula you are a truly beautiful soul ...

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Calz (here)
Paula you are a truly beautiful soul ...

[Guest]

http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

The red dots numbered 3 and 4 in Northern California are near where Bob and Sierra live.



Fire fighter, Anne Veseth Died Battling the Idaho Fire

CLE ELUM, Wash. — A fast-moving wildfire in central Washington has burned at least 60 homes and forced hundreds of people to flee – one of several blazes scorching the West on Tuesday, threatening communities, sending up thick plumes of smoke and disrupting activity in national parks.
Fire commanders estimate the Washington blaze has burned at least 26,000 acres – about 40 square miles – since it started Monday afternoon east of the small town of Cle Elum.
No injuries have been reported, but more than 400 people have been evacuated, said Department of Natural Resources Fire Incident Commander Rex Reed. The fire crept within six miles of Ellensburg, about 75 miles east of Seattle.
The blaze, which began at a bridge construction site, is not contained. And authorities worried about wind and heat, saying the fire danger was extreme.
"We've had a long prolonged dry period – three weeks with no precipitation at all," Reed said.
In Idaho, a firefighter was killed by a falling tree Sunday. Anne Veseth, a 20-year-old who was in her second season as a firefighter, died as she worked a fire near Orofino, the U.S. Forest Service said. Her older brother also is a wild-land firefighter in Idaho, where 12 blazes are burning.
A crew in central Washington state barely outran flames Monday at the wind-driven fire in Kittitas County. The firefighters managed to drive to safety as they got ahead of the Taylor Bridge fire, said Richelle Risdon, a county fire spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, near Cle Elum, Wash., some property at a chimpanzee sanctuary burned. The seven chimps at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest are fine, but they seemed bewildered by the smoke and the changes in their routine brought by the blaze that burned within a couple hundred feet of their building, a spokeswoman said.
In Utah, a lightning-sparked fire consumed about 34 square miles, threatened a herd of wild horses and shut down the historic Pony Express Road in the state's western desert.

In Northern California, crews made progress against an aggressive blaze in Lake County that grew to more than 9 square miles and destroyed three buildings. Officials lifted evacuation orders for the residents of nearly 500 homes late Monday, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"The fire is still actively burning, but burning in a remote area," Berlant said. "It's burning in brush that's tinder dry and hasn't seen a fire in decades."
A separate wildfire to the north was threatening about 600 homes, prompting some evacuation orders in the Seneca and Rush Creek communities in Plumas National Forest. The fire burned about 55 square miles, officials said.
Fires across California have affected some national parks, including Lassen Volcanic National Park and Joshua Tree National Park.
A handful of other fires in hot and dry Southern California were sparked by lightning. Four in northeastern San Diego County covered more than 2,300 acres, threatening to leave several communities without power.
___
Associated Press writers Terry Collins in San Francisco, John Miller in Boise, Idaho; Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore.; Brian Skoloff in Salt Lake City, Doug Esser in Seattle and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Wildfires Out Of Control
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/anne-veseth-idaho-firefighter_n_1774939.html




http://www.boston.com/news/nation/20...RkK/story.html

Asking for prayers of rain from all of the wizards to help put out all of these fires. The fires are mostly in heavily forested areas, where there is a lot of wildlife and old growth trees.

Over the weekend, while driving near the Colorado river, I watched 2 fires start on the river banks, from bolt lightning strikes; fueled by high winds, dry conditions and dense vegetation.


Love


Nora

[Carmody]

These tarps MAY be considered to be 'fireproof', and MAY help preserve a home that is threatened by fires.

they can be ordered in different sizes, via contacting the people involved.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x33-Teflon...item3cc931df2c

They are very heavily impregnated by and with Teflon, which is costly and generally not available to the public, at any price, IIRC and IME. While Teflon can melt at above approx 550F or so, it cannot and does not burn. However, the smoke from the smouldering is very toxic.

[Eram]

Hi everyone,

Nice family you have there Calz!

Every thing going great here.

Listening to some beautiful music here and wanted to share with you all.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9qvglWAHDak

[Eram]

The ability to 'relax' into the NOW has improved a lot in the last few days.
It's almost like I'm a child again.
Or the impressions that visit me are of the same quality as when I was a child.

The crickets in the garden at night, the sound of the birds gathering for a gossip.
Smells in the house... the look in the eyes of my son when he talks about his adventures with his friends.
Little things, but they touch me again like they used to so many years ago.

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Nora (here)
Asking for prayers of rain from all of the wizards to help put out all of these fires. The fires are mostly in heavily forested areas, where there is a lot of wildlife and old growth trees.

Over the weekend, while driving near the Colorado river, I watched 2 fires start on the river banks, from bolt lightning strikes; fueled by high winds, dry conditions and dense vegetation.

Love
Nora

[benevolentcrow]

Hello Villagers,

Canning is in my future. Yellow plum jam, apple butter, tomatoes. Garden is doing well for a late start. I will try to put up as much as I can this year, with hopes of adding a lot more next year. Started a cool weather bed, Kale and Spinach...

I do so like to watch things grow. Amazing how life is!!!

[1inMany]

Grumble, grumble, grumble....now where's that damned yesterday...

[meeradas]

02:41 - 02:47 [lyrics]

http://youtu.be/kaGy0qHPsD4?hd=1&t=2m41s

[Marianne]

Hello village of wonderful people,

I've missed you all, every single one of you. Back today from vacation/working on family estate stuff in New England. We stayed at a camp on the lake with other family, and I got to meet Louie, a retired service dog who worked with a Down's syndrome child for many years. He's amazing. Looking in his eyes, I felt a connection to such kindness and intelligence. He was very protective of the woman who worked with the child, and when she went for a kayak trip on the lake, Louie swam with her at first until he was coaxed back to shore. He was undeterred ... he followed her along the shoreline all the way.

Here's Louie.



So much has happened in the past days, I'm overwhelmed and don't think I'll ever catch up. Tomorrow I'm back at work, to try and do a week's worth of work in three days.

I'll be peeking in to see what you're all up to, here and there, as I have a moment and need a heartfelt, friendly boost of confidence that there's a loving group such as this.

Love,
JB

PS: visualizing cooling rain covering the fire.

[WhiteFeather]

Im listening Nora......So Im Sending some Rain Thoughts To The Much Needed Areas On Mother Earth.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qcAy13lgsvs

And A Rain Tune From Mr. Slowhand Himself.
Let the rain quench the thirst of the dry soil thats needing it so desperately at this very moment.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IDJ-M5ZUZ8E

[ulli]

Despite the fact that few of us have met in person I want to muse a bit about how we still have this special bond,
and seem to have an idea of one another's being. I was so touched to see Calzie's family photos today.
Yet I also respect those who want to guard their privacy, for various reasons.
Many of us here have had experiences with other forums which started out ok, but often just fade away after a while...
and wonder why did it have to be like that?
And why has this not happened with this Here and Now thread?
I must say I am surprised that it keeps on bouncing back.
You all are the salt of the earth.

Here is an indication of other forums.

[WhiteFeather]

Ulli.......can you keep a secret......I didnt tell anyone here and now.......But Im part Jack Russel and Sh!tzu....which makes me JackSh!t.

[Carmody]

Posted by WhiteFeather (here)
Ulli.......can you keep a secret......I didnt tell anyone here and now.......But Im part Jack Russel and Sh!tzu....which makes me JackSh!t.

And I don't really know you...

..which means......