Living Simply
So, if we move to Minnesota, we’ll have more snow and cold and sunshine.
If we stay where we are, we’ll have more clouds, moderate temperatures and rain.
If we move, we’ll be closer to family.
If we stay, we’ll be closer to friends who have become family.
Back to real life — I charged my “new” Samsung Moment overnight and this morning it just died. I’ve been having problems with the battery life and other things for awhile.
I plugged it in and nothing happened.
So — for the FOURTH time I take it in. The first time they replaced it because it was under their 30 day warranty. The second time they charged the battery for me. The third time I got educated by a repairman.
This fourth time beats it all! I requested a new phone. The response was “you don’t want to be educated on how the phone works you just want a new phone.” Uh DUH!!!! Yes, that’s correct.
As I explained to the repair person, they are NOT family so I don’t have a need to speak or see them so often.
Request denied. They blamed it on the GPS and Sync’ing that the new phones do.
Besides the manager explained, we don’t find anything wrong with it. See, I plug it in and it charges, he says.
Huh! Well, Mr. Manager, maybe you should spend the night at my house a few times and see if it happens again.
I HATE MY NEW SAMSUNG MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But, now that I’m educated, maybe — just maybe — it will work like it’s supposed to.
Yeah, right. Or maybe, I’ll just write a letter to see if someone in the upper atmosphere can help.
Oh — did I say it already? I HATE MY NEW SAMSUNG MOMENT!!!!!!!
Our travels now bring us to Minnesota.
We woke up and the air was crisp and the sun was shining. The news reports talk about major flooding in some areas. We’ll have to remember not to look for real estate in any of those areas.
Not that we’ve decided to move here yet. Just lookin’ for right now.
Decision time will come soon enough.
I read this book and it drew me in like butter on a warm bun.
The story line is really good. It helped me to visualize God in a different way.
Since Jesus was such a radical person, this book portrayed Him, God and the Holy Spirit in a radical way.
There are some “mistakes,” i.e. things that are not true.
Overall though, a very very good read.
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| Spotted Owl |
While on vacation in the Sekiu, Washington area, we looked up and saw this beautiful owl.
Pretty sure it’s a spotted owl.
It is such a rare thing to see them.
One of the children’s books that I added on my iPad is called The Grouchies.
It’s actually a pretty good story for children.
It reinforces the idea that we can make good choices.
One of the things it talks about is how we need to replace our bad thoughts with good thoughts and good actions. Â That will chase the bad away.
Sometimes as adults we have to go back and learn the basics — how to behave in thought and action.
Sometimes I like to make a simple salad.
Fresh tomatoes from our yard sliced in two, cucumbers quartered and fresh basil diced.
One could add a vinaigrette but why mess with something simple and tasteful?
Walking through the Lake Washington area in Seattle, I came across this shrine.
Rather ominous.
But really neat looking.
Shadows.
Sometimes we think we know someone but all we really know about them is what they portray to us.
An old song I heard while growing up was “Me and My Shadow” with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
The problem is that sometimes we don’t know ourselves well enough to allow other people to know us.
We are sometimes surprised by what we do in certain situations.
So, we walk around with our shadows — maybe if we look closely enough we’ll be able to see who we really are.
Sometimes when I’m sleepless in Seattle, I turn to calming books to help my brain settle down.
The other night, I was reading a book called “The Complete Pocket Positives” and came across this quote:
“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.”
Josh Billings, 1818 – 1885, American Writer
I found it a remarkable statement as we live in a multi-tasking culture.
Talking on the phone? Do laundry at the same time.
Cooking? Do some cleaning.
Chatting on the computer? Search for a new restaurant.
I think our brains are so full of stuff that sometimes it just doesn’t know what to do even if there are a gazillion things to do.
So — I think I’ll consider myself a postage stamp for awhile. Do one thing and follow it through to completion without the worries of what else needs to be done.
I think this will work great for “things” and relationships.
The Complete Pocket Positives, Incorporating Pocket Positives and More Pocket Positives
