Category: Musings

General Thought Posts not related to specific topics

Harvest

Today will be about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday, with highs around 60. I walked my Northern route again yesterday. The corn is gone, leaving only stubble. I hope the harvest was successful, with only minor loss from the Derecho damage.

Trees are turning here in Southern Iowa as temperatures drop and the cool wind blows. The sun is setting by about 6:30 and nights are lengthening. Pretty poetic don’t ‘ya think?

At any rate, winter is coming. Let’s all hope for no more sickness, no more pain. It’ll be cold enough without.

Happy Autumn to all.

Courage and Self-confidence

I began writing this post over a week ago and have read it and tweaked it many times since, trying to decide if I even have the courage and self-confidence to post it. As you can see, I decided to do just that; post the following:

Walking is my current hobby and form of exercise. Previously, I rode a bicycle, then a two-wheel recumbent, then a three-wheel (trike) recumbent. I loved riding for 20 to 40 miles on North Iowa county roads enjoying the views and contemplating life. Sometimes those rides turned into treks of 60 to 80 miles.

Moving to the Iowa City area brought significant riding challenges due to aging joints attempting to scale high rolling hills. So I gave that up. Now I walk, typically four to six miles almost every day. I can stand the heat better than the cold and don’t mind light rain. Walking pace is much slower than riding and somehow gives me more occasion to contemplate what’s going on in my life. Or maybe it’s just this time in life that prompts these contemplations.

Whether I have enough courage and self-confidence to write about subjects that affect family and friends, and how they affect me, is an overriding theme of my thoughts these days. Every time I broach a subject in my mind I think about sharing it here in the public domain, open to interpretation and condemnation. Of course I don’t worry about any praise I might garner from my musings, only about exposing something personal about myself, a loved one, or a friend.

I am reminded of one of my earliest songs, Chameleon, written about myself about 15 years ago. Its verses describe one who changes personality to fit one’s surrounding personal environment. The words are as true today as when I wrote them. Basically I view myself as trying to be all things to all people. I want to be liked. I want to belong. I know, these are common desires, but it took me many youthful and adult years to find myself because I was always trying to be someone I thought others would want me to be. I suppose almost everyone experiences similar struggles.

Even now I find myself testing my thoughts and actions attempting to not “ruffle any feathers.” Thus politics are not allowed. Nor can I share challenges I encounter with family, nor open up about some of my past, present, and probable future. I find it ironic that I started this blog just for those reasons but seem to be relegated to sharing benign experiences such as with corn and storms, afraid of any repercussions.

So for now, I am writing about struggling with what to write. Will I ever be able to share my deeper thoughts and fears? Will you want to read about them, possibly relating to them in your own life? Or should I continue slogging (blogging) along with the, albeit sometimes interesting, general day-to-day experiences that are ultimately of little value other than entertainment?

Not that entertainment writing is bad. It just does not meet my vision for sharing through this site. I do get to share my music and some of my experiences traveling . But I would like to stimulate my readers with deeper contemplations. Maybe I can still accomplish my goals through the music and other stories. If so, I’d better get to it!

And that’s what I’ll do; hopefully soon and hopefully often. Hopefully you will not only enjoy, but benefit from the experience.

Behold – Psalm 133

Though I am not religious (as I once was) and I have mixed thoughts and feelings about God and Faith, I still receive a bible reading every day from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Today’s verses are Psalm 133 from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the bible.

Many years ago I put music to the King James Version of the same psalm. I did change one word to be more inclusive and reflective of my perspective of the psalm’s true meaning. Though the words are a bit different, there is no mistaking the message. Unfortunately our country is living a much different reality. I’m guessing that just reading the words brings up contrasting euphemisms for the current state of our society in the USA. I’ll leave that to you.

Here is the NRSV version:

​

1How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.

Here is a link to my recording of “Behold – Psalm 133”

Regardless of your sociopolitical proclivities, I think we can agree that our lives would be better if we could recognize and accept our differences and live together united in our core humanity.

Derecho – a walk in the park

A view from just past the parking lot that I could not get to from Squire Point road. That makes five parks we’ve tried to enter that are closed with either gates or emergency tape. Included are a state park, two county parks, and two Department of Natural Resources or Corps of Engineers areas.

I thought to take a hike in one of my favorite forests for a Birthday treat today. I hadn’t been to Squire Point in well over a year, a place I used to go to train for upcoming backpacking trips. Trails meander up and down and around the reservoir along thick tree canopies and sheer cliff outcroppings that have contained flood waters along the Iowa river for thousands of years.

But the road to Squire Point was closed due to the derecho. So I took a drive to the other side of the area to an entrance near a campground (the campground is closed due to the storm). It wasn’t long before my expectations for storm debris were realized. Here are some examples of what I encountered.

  • Didn’t take long to start the fun. I went under this one
  • I didn’t count how many instances this pic exemplifies. I went around this one
  • Fortunately, many people use these trails, bushwhacking around the obstacles. Look to the right for the new path
  • From the other side
  • Look closely up the center of the pic. This tree lays down for 30′-40′ just off the trail
  • Hard to get the perspective of the domino effect of a fallen tree. The damage above is extensive. This is a section I had to bypass by about 25 yards to get around the debris
  • I finally made it about 3 miles to Squire Point parking lot. It looks like a wind storm went through here – ya think?

This was an interesting spot. The video below begins as I looked back to where a tree blocked a tricky, sloping spot on the trail. Then I pan to the next section that I’ll have to navigate to get to the Squire Point trail across the bridge.

I so enjoyed being out in nature today. It took longer than usual to make the circuit through Squire Point and Woodpecker trails. Change is inevitable. Natural change is amazing and awesome. I love the experience and continue to be amazed and in awe!

Pelicans – Remembering Delva Mae (Dee) Canady

Delva Mae (Dee) Canady – Christmas 2011

Soaring pelicans are amazing to see. They spiral up high on thermals, creating swirling columns that glimmer, then disappear as their wings catch the sun’s bright light. I think of Dee Canady whenever I see them. She loved them so and I remember watching them with her from her porch as they waded at the West end of Clear Lake. In more recent years I took her for rides to the Ventura Marsh where they gathered twice a year on their migratory path.

I have been watching them swarm over the distant reservoir these past several days when I walk my northern route. Yesterday there were four flocks, each with well over 100 birds. So today we took a ride to the North side of the reservoir to see if we could find them from the DNR lookout.

You can read a history of the American White Pelican if you can zoom in on this picture or by selecting the link. Their wingspans range from 8′ to 9-1/2′.

Those specks behind the sign are pelicans sitting on the water. The following pictures were taken with a Pentax DSLR 15.4 megapixel camera with a Tamron 18-200 mm Spherical DiII lens from a distance of between 200 – 300 yards.

  • A beautiful day, a beautiful place!
  • No pic of the swirling columns, but you can get an idea of the contrast between light and dark by looking at the two pelicans at the upper center
  • Two flocks, each numbering in the dozens of individual birds
  • Look to the upper left water’s edge. Those are hundreds of pelicans huddling together. Don’t know the impact, but that’s a South shore, and the breeze is from the North
  • Pelicans really are amazing birds

I love it when nature reminds me of good friends. Those of you who knew Dee and the love of her life Jack cannot keep from smiling when remembering them. They were amazing people and an amazing couple. They were wonderful friends that Pam and I will cherish as long as we live.

Amazing pelicans, amazing friends. It’s a good day!

Spray-on Corn

Gotcha!

Subscriber Jan asked the question “Do the farmers have tall enough equipment to harvest the corn?” in a comment following my previous “Knee High by When?” post. I promised to take a pic the next time I saw a sprayer. Well today’s the day. I mentioned at the time that I was pretty sure I could drive our car under one. It’s close.

Pam and I went for another ride this afternoon and there, just off the county road, parked near a grain elevator, was just the ticket.

It’s difficult to tell from this image the unit’s height and size. So I took a few more:

I’m 5′-9″ tall. Looks like the tire is at least six feet in diameter.

A little more perspective. Clearly, I could walk under it. I chose not to since I didn’t even ask permission to take the pictures.

That’s our car on the other side. I wouldn’t take a chance on driving through, but I measured it at its highest point and it is only 5′-6″ high. I guess it would have made it.

The big yellow arms that appear folded against the body of the cab – are indeed – arms. They contain the sprayer apparatuses used to spray herbicide and/or pesticide on grown beans and corn (“Spray-on Corn”). I haven’t seen one in a field lately so I couldn’t get an image with the arms extended.

To answer Jan’s question directly, tall equipment is not needed to harvest the corn. Combines (I just realized a potential pun in the following statement) actually comb through the stalks within a foot or two of the ground, collecting the stalks, stripping the corn off the cobs, and shredding the stalks, cobs, and husks then discarding them back on the field.

By the way, I visited the corn field today at which I shot the previous pics. The cobs are filling out nicely. I’m waiting a while to see them mature before giving an update on their development. I guess maybe something to look forward to?

Breaking Bad – Execution

  • Young Dustin Honken
  • More Recent Honken
  • Walter White from
    Breaking Bad

Dustin Honken is to be executed tomorrow, July 17, 2020 in Terra Haute IN. Dustin was convicted of murdering two of his drug business partners who were scheduled to testify against him, and unfortunately the girl friend and her two children of one of those men. All of this took place in or near Mason City IA and became a major news story during the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The Des Moines Register published a good timeline. Murderpedia also has a synopsis of Honken’s crimes. Honken will be the third person executed this week as the Trump Administration lifted a long-standing ban.

Angela Johnson was Honken’s girlfriend and, as explained in the article above, assisted in the murders. She became the first female sentenced to death by a Federal jury since the 1950’s. Her sentence was overturned in 2012. She is now serving a life sentence.

So why am I posting this information? There are some twists in this case that I find particularly interesting. First, the bodies of Greg Nicholson, Lori Ann Duncan, and Amber and Candice Duncan were found on a county road between Clear Lake and Mason City in 2000. The new Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center was built in 2007 across the street from where those bodies were found – go figure.

Second, scrolling through the TV channels in early 2017, I stumbled upon an episode of Gangsters: America’s Most Evil retelling the story of Dustin Honken and those involved. I was surprised to find that they suggested that the main character, Walter White in AMC’s Breaking Bad (though the IMDB description does not mention Honken), was the inspiration for the character. I haven’t watched the episode in quite a while, but I remember that he moved from the Midwest to Arizona where he set up a meth lab for distribution to the West Coast and to ship east to Iowa for further distribution.

Walter White, like Honken, created a new super meth concoction that was sought after throughout the drug user community. Though Honken was not a teacher, he was a Chemistry “whiz.“

I am always intrigued by stories of people who, for whatever reason, deviate from social norms and cross the line into devious and violent behavior. I’m no doctor, but I’ve always contended that the line between normal and seriously abnormal behavior is a thin one. What makes a Richard Speck or Ted Bundy do what they do? What about Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, or the BTK Killer? And don’t even get me started on doomsday cult leaders!

I understand that many had various types of trauma during their youth. But some also exhibit sociopathic symptoms early in life that surface independently from those traumas (such as mutilating animals). Let’s face it. We all experienced trauma of one sort or another when we were young.

I don’t have answers. I’m just fascinated and watch documentaries about these people, similar to watching documentaries about the Holocaust. One thing I’ve learned by watching and reading is that there are probably dozens, if not hundreds of serial killers and crime-related (hush up) murders than we are even aware.

So tomorrow will end the story of a very bad man who impacted my life by brutally executing an innocent family (the Duncans) and some not-so-innocent other bad guys who didn’t deserve to die. I’ll leave it to others to determine if capital punishment is moral, ethical, and/or serves as a deterrent to crime. I will continue with my fascination.

Can you (h)ear me now?

Yep. There are now skinny ears on the stalks. I actually noticed them yesterday, but didn’t take the pic until today.

We’ve been getting plenty of rain and sunshine. No doubt these will fill out sooner than later. Speaking of that; more later.

Knee High by When?

Hi there. Long time no post!

I haven’t posted for some time. Having inadvertently posted something I didn’t realize was political and receiving an unexpected and disturbing negative response, I’ve taken a break to figure out how I want to proceed with this site.

I think I’ve found a subject that won’t elicit too controversial a response – growing corn. Hopefully it is the beginning of the next phase of posts.

While walking one of my “northern” routes on June 17th I came across a field of corn that was knee high – yep, June 17th. The saying I learned at an early age was “knee high by the 4th of July.” Not anymore! So I stopped to take a pic to show those who may not be near Iowa’s magnificent corn fields. Yes Jan, the one with the sexy knee.

On June 23rd I walked the same route and found the corn had grown – a lot! Below are some pics in chronological order. They are all taken within a couple feet of each other along the same field border:

  • Knee High – June 17th
  • Shoulder High – June 27th
  • Head High – June 30th
  • Over 7 foot – July 8th

Though already way over my head, there are no corn ears visible on any stalks in this field or any that I pass while on my walking adventures. I’ll continue to monitor and add to this post one way or another as the summer progresses.

By the way, It’s 95 degrees at our house today, with a heat index of 105. It is expected to be the hottest day of July – at least for a while. Hope everyone is staying cool. Cheryl, hopefully you will reach 70 degrees 🙂

Knee High by When?

Hi there. Long time no post!

I haven’t posted for some time. Having inadvertently posted something I didn’t realize was political and receiving an unexpected and disturbing negative response, I’ve taken a break to figure out how I want to proceed with this site.

I think I’ve found a subject that won’t elicit too controversial a response – growing corn. Hopefully it is the beginning of the next phase of posts.

While walking one of my “northern” routes on June 17th I came across a field of corn that was knee high – yep, June 17th. The saying I learned at an early age was “knee high by the 4th of July.” Not anymore! So I stopped to take a pic to show those who may not be near Iowa’s magnificent corn fields. Yes Jan, the one with the sexy knee.

On June 23rd I walked the same route and found the corn had grown – a lot! Below are some pics in chronological order. They are all taken within a couple feet of each other along the same field border:

  • Knee High – June 17th
  • Shoulder High – June 27th
  • Head High – June 30th
  • Over 7 foot – July 8th

Though already way over my head, there are no corn ears visible on any stalks in this field or any that I pass while on my walking adventures. I’ll continue to monitor and add to this post one way or another as the summer progresses.

By the way, It’s 95 degrees at our house today, with a heat index of 105. It is expected to be the hottest day of July – at least for a while. Hope everyone is staying cool. Cheryl, hopefully you will reach 70 degrees 🙂