Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Monday Musings - September 6, 2010 (on Tuesday Morning)

Yes, it is a day late--but it was a holiday yesterday so I was busy.

1. Labor Day celebrations and family gatherings to celebrate together are really where it's at. I hesitate to call it the end of summer, but it surely is the last holiday of summer.  Of course, there is only one other holiday during summer anyway.

2. Busy days and busy nights lead to wanting to go back to work after a holiday.

3. I get exhausted during holidays making sure I see everyone and do everything that I need to.   Too bad I didn't get the things done I wanted to do like wash Cat, comb the dog, and mow the lawn among others.

4. Jax and I found a dinosaur nest on our walk yesterday morning. We were very quiet and departed the area to ensure they were not disturbed. I think we did OK because they didn't chase us!

5. Makayla was so tired from the weekend, she didn't want to get out of bed this morning. She's a dog, so she doesn't have to go to work. Lucky her!

6. I played racquetball this morning after the three day weekend--ugh!  It was really hard to get moving.

7. Sunny, clear, and mild. Who could complain?  Actually I did hear complaints about lack of rain. Someone please record those for later use as evidence against those complaining about the rain when it finally comes.

8. BP is still in the news playing with the oil well.

9. Hurricane?  What hurricane? Gaston fizzled. Earl missed. Fiona exhausted herself. Sounds like a bad "whodunit" novel.

10. Well--now it is full ahead into primary season, autumn, and Columbus Day. Remember Columbus Day? It is still a national holiday, amazingly enough!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Labor Day walk after breakfast

What happens after a huge breakfast? 

A walk. Especially on a beautiful day with cooler temperatures and bright sunshine.

What could be better?

Maybe a nap?

But the dogs enjoyed the long-ish walk to the playground.

On the way back Jax and I looked for acorns. And we found a lot.

I finally had to convince Jax to leave some for the squirrels.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Standing at the Door--Please Don't Knock, It's Open for a Reason

I work with some people who just cannot get used to informality.

They insist on knocking on my open office door before entering or even then wait to be invited to enter.

It really bugs me--because I do not like separating myself from my team with such trappings of either authority or power.

My boss does not require such from me--why should I retain psychological power holdovers from a previous era?

I want to be a member of the "team" and not just the coach/manager/leader.

That I am "management" should not be reinforced by holding on to the trappings of percieved power that separate us--but one of the strengths of a well functioning team is seeing that everyone has a job or position, they do it and they do it together.

I know when I hear some of the team some talk about "management" (or "them") they are referring to me and the office area I sit in, but still--I want them to know that when they say these things I understand that they feel disenfranchised and not part of the solution to the problem they are complaining about.

Teams are about shared responsibility and effort.

Some need to have the authority and responsibility to make decisions--but all should be invested in the outcome--personally.

Teams really work best when the team members care. One way everyone cares is if the barriers that separate team members are reduced.

If the leadership provides the general guidance and support that the team needs then there is a good chance the team will be efficient and adaptable to the changing stress of the moment.

If the door is open--come on in! We are all in this together.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Saturday at the fair

Hurricane? What hurricane.

It is a beautiful day.

Seeing the Fair

What is the best way to enjoy the Maryland State Fair on a beautiful Saturday morning?

Ask Lucas.

The Hunter Returns

There he was the other morning. Right there in the 5AM sky for me to see.



My old friend Orion has returned to guide me through another winter season and then to hopefully let me loose to enjoy another summer.

I have written before about my love-hate affair with the winter sky.

But it is Orion that is my guide in the stars.

He starts out in the early morning sky in the autumn, and during the winter becomes prominent in the evening and nighttime sky.

Low now on the morning horizon, but soon he will fill the evening sky.

Another of those signs that summer is passing into autumn and all that goes with the season.

Harvest, pumpkins, feasts, trees adorning themselves in colorful robes, and frost are but a few of the signs of the trasition.

It is good and useful that we have signposts to guide us across the seasons. As well, to guide us through life. Inanimate friends who make the big places familiar and comfort us--even in the night.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Hurricanes and Labor Day

I've spent most of the week watching Hurricane Earl and trying to determine if the weekend is going to be a wash out or not.


It appears as if we are going to be OK for the weekend.

Funny, how I was concerned about such mundane things as going with the entire "fam" to the Maryland State Fair--which is fast becoming an annual tradition.

Now with three grandsons it promises to be an interesting event to attend. I still love the cows!

I probably should've been a farmer, although I'm sure I'd have been bankrupt and out of business by now. I have no business sense and I do love my toys--the latest tractor or manure spreader probably would have broken the bank.

But at least I do get up early in the morning. I love seeing the dawn break. When we were driving to and from Florida this year I was reminded of how I love to see the first signs of the dawning day on the horizon. It lifts my spirits.

For me still--new days dawn full of hope and promise.

Opportunities to succeed, things to do and people to meet and be with.

They remain full of promise.

I know some don't look at new days that way, and it is sad. Depressing even and I truly hope that I do not become one of those people for whom all hope seems lost.

I want each new day to be full of hope and adventure. The joy of discovering something new or looking at something old and familiar in a new way.

Like Hurricane Earl. Could have provided rain on my parade--but I still would have smiled. Why? Ask Chris. She knows that the reason I don't carry or use an umbrella is because I love to walk in the rain! So even in the midst of the rains from a hurricane, I can find something to enjoy.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Don't drive too far and remember: even in a traffic jam, fun things happen!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

End of Summer

The pool chairs sit empty as the night begins to fall
Mosquitoes own the prime pool side spots
Darkness falls and silence accompanies it
The children have returned to the classrooms.
Where did it go so quickly?
Why did it have to leave?
The questions remain unanswered by the empty pool chairs.
Waiting for another season
Another time
Alone. Forgotten.
Unused.

Hidden in Plain Sight

The image doesn't really do it justice--but the blue thing in the image is a Blue Hippo Tang hiding in plain sight in Jeremy's salt water aquarium the other night.

The tang was a bit freaked out as I walked over to the tank and it slid onto the bottom under some of the tank plant life and laid there until I left the area.

I did this a couple of times to be sure that I was the stimulus for this action and by about the third time, I was pretty sure it was me.

The other fish occupants of the tank looked on at the antics of the tang in utter disbelief. The clown fish and the yellow tang kept a close eye on me, the outsider, but maintained their ground.

I was, as you might expect, fascinated by the blue hippo tang though. Hiding in plain sight, but feeling safer.

Like the ostrich of the aquarium.

I think is was cute.

But I also felt as if I was seeing myself sometimes when I try to ignore the activities of the world around me. It is as if I am hiding in plain sight. I ignore the world--but the world is still there.

And the only thing that winds up happening is that what I'm ignoring and not dealing with, gets bigger.

I know someone who tried the ignore approach with a traffic ticket. And no--this is no one I'm related to, so everyone, breathe easier.

The ticket did not go away--it only got worse and when the ticket caught up with the person, it was a lot worse and a lot more embarrassing than just going to court and taking care of the problem in the first place. It is no fun to be handcuffed along the side of the highway because of a warrant due to failure to show up in court.

We cannot be successful in life by acting like the hippo tang in the tank.

Stuff will catch up with us and definitely, hiding in plain sight is not going to work.

Deal with it. Earlier is better.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September Dreams

The summer sun sets now too low
Darkness falls so early
My time with summer grows too short
Cool evenings chill my pool
Leaves show signs of falling soon
Yet, mosquitoes swarm my arms
Grapes are ripening on the vine
And change is in the air
If I could slow the seasons change
Halt the sun's migration
I'd remain in light and warmth
It's something that I dream
A dive boat out upon the waves
A daily grind I'm sure
But tanned and warm I'll ever be
And cold not ever more.
My Zimbio
Top Stories