Random heavy thoughts

Not much to say, but thought that I would share some photos, and I suppose not much to say with them or about them.  As one of my readers pointed out, my photos aren't invidious.  What a great word--it means something that can cause ill-will or offense or both, like the Donald.  Really, that is what it says in the dictionary.  I think that was praise, but it was rather faint.  None-the-less, a sunrise, flowers, and bees.  I mean, who can be mad at bees?

And an anvil.  I obviously have weird hobbies, and I haven't shied away from hobbies that require a strong back.  I have two printing presses that probably weigh about as much as this anvil, but I have to say that this is a serious chunk of metal.  Made about 1910 by the Hay-Budden Company in Brooklyn, this was a great find in general and for my budding career as a blacksmith.  It weighs 125 pounds so you have to tighten your belt and lift with your legs when you move this thing.  It was rusty but it's solid, and it rings like a bell when struck.  And it was cheaper than chicken, which is another way to say that I got a great deal on this--it was less than $2 per pound, which is very good for an anvil of this vintage.  Plus, it is from one of the best American anvil companies.  Who knew people actually ranked anvil companies?  I am learning a lot about anvils--there is even a book about American anvils, but I am waiting for the movie to come out.  Now all I need is a forge...

For Esmè and Bannanafish

I have not been all that productive this weekend, which is OK.  I puttered and I puttered some more.  I ate, I drank, and was mostly merry.  And I did read and it was even a real book.  I have fallen into the habit of reading mostly on Kindle on one device or another.  It is convenient, and mostly quite easy on my eyes.  But it does make me wince every time I walk by my library with its several thousand volumes, all real books.  I almost randomly chose a real book to read today, and it made me smile at its importance.

Most of us have read Catcher in the Rye, and that is good.  J.D. Salinger's book is one of those classics that make up what we think of as cultural literacy.  His 1953 collection of short stories, titled Nine Stories is also a classic.  I'm not going to give a book report, but I can promise that this book contains some of the best short stories (and certainly my favorite short stories) ever.  They are, and the word is totally inadequate, vivid.  I have read and reread this collection and it moves me.  "For Esme, with Love and Squalor," is without a doubt one of my favorite short stories ever.   It proves I am a sentimental sap, but it is also very well written, as is "A Perfect Day for Bannanafish."

It proves that reading a real book now and again is worth it.

The photos are random.  My first bonfire brightened my evening.  I was cleaning my hammers ( and I bet not many of your friends ever use or can use that phrase!)  and thought that they looked cool.  I am on the search for hammers for my blacksmithing career.  Ebay is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't seem like hammers are sold individually--they need two or three others so the hammer count is adding up.  But they are fun.  They, like cameras or fountain pens tell a story.  The pile here is mostly from the 1940s on and are all pretty good hammers.  They are all drop forged and one is hand forged.  Next time I am in front of a forge I will be all set.  All I need is a rounder and flaterer.  Really.

In process

It has been a weird week.  I was gone for two days for a conference, I had my evaluation, I was busy and I was reminded again that school starts in six weeks or so.  Ugh.  I survived, if the evidence is to be believed, and made it to Friday.  Yay.

The conference was for dual enrollment issues, essentially about having high school students taking college-level courses.  It is a great thing for students.  Exceptionally motivated/organized students can take enough college classes so that they actually graduate with an associates degree AND a high school diploma at the same time.  Talk about a big savings!  Two free years of college is not something to sneeze at, but many students "just" end up with 15-20 credits.  Still, that is a semester's worth, or around here, about $7,500 worth of free college education.  That's good, eh?

One of the things that was brought up at the conference was the maturity of the student.  I mentioned that being 19 was no magic bullet of maturity--many 16 year-olds were more mature than traditionally-aged (or older!) students.  Sometimes even 54 year-old men struggle with this.  While I defended the high school-aged students, I was also thinking of a great book that a friend suggested people read.  I know she thinks that I only read detective stories, but sometimes I do read "better" books that have complete sentences and everything.    "I'll Give You the Sun" is really a young adult novel, but if looked at from a distance and read from from my contextual old age, it is more than that.  It does provide a sometimes scary  peek into just how complicated it is to be a teenager--was it that complicated 40 years ago or was I just oblivious?  Issues of family, grief, sexuality, bullying, and more are all addressed in the novel.  So while reading you think, wow, high school students are complex and tough and sophisticated and they can easily handle college.  And it makes you think, wow, high school students are young and totally screwed up and should stay in middle school for about 12 more years.  That both points are true does not make anyone's job, whether a parent, a high school teacher, or a college teacher (or dean) easier.

My evaluation was, well, an evaluation.  I have things to work on.  Duh.  Apparently I have a few more things to work on that I thought I did or I had hoped, but that happens.  My most complex relationships right now is/are with the people I work with, and generally and obviously I suck at relationships as people probably and unfortunately know.  Plus, there is always that part of us all that thinks that we are pretty good/perfect, so when it is pointed out that you have "opportunities for improvement" it stings a little.  Not that much, though.  I am pretty self-reflective and analytical, perhaps to a fault, so I wasn't in totality that far off in my self assessment.  I have a contract for another year, so I am OK,  Until another day.  At will contracts are FUN!!!

It is really depressing to think that summer is more than 1/2 over.  Boo.  It is full summer here, with all the "down-state" people flooding the roads and lakes "up north."  That is the circle of life up here, but man, it is hard to deal with traffic jams when you don't have to for the other nine months.  I can tell people who ask "so you have summers off, what are you doing this summer?" what I do and frankly it is very busy and very certainly, not a vacation.

So what am I doing right now?  I am drinking champagne, or at least the Spanish version of it.  Why not celebrate?  It is Friday, and I have a contract, and I work with and for semi-grown-ups!  Why not celebrate?  I was/am so hungry for Thai food and since I am 30 miles from any place that even mentions curry, I decided to try and make my own.  So I went to the "ethnic" food section and tried to see what I could find.  And I found not much.  This is the ethnic food section that is pretty inclusive, as it does include all the "El Paso" and "Chung King" brands.  It is right next to the other ethnic foods, like canned chili and spaghetti sauce and the exotic spices, like black pepper.  Welcome to Northern Michigan, I guess.  I was able to cobble something together, though they did not have coconut milk or any real curry spices.  My meal was pretty good, and I am sitting here politely perspiring from the heat of the meal.  I would even make this again.  And if it is too hot/spicy?  I have more wine with bubbles.  I think that can solve many things, at least for tonight.

The flowers were, as usual, from my garden/yard.  The two news one are from seeds, which is always fun.  They are daisies of one type or another, but they are big and have lots of petals.  The "pretty" one or at least the colorful one is the flower that came from the bud photo that I posted the other day.  It was slow to bloom, and the other colorful one that is pictured is one of the same flowers that is just in progress.

2nd of the 4th

These aryeae the rest of what I shot at the Roscommon parade.  It was a fun, cute, typical small town parade.  No marching bands, a few politicians (of the red spectrum of the red, white, and blue, of course) and lots of fire trucks.  Heaven help who ever started their vacation home on fire during the parade as every red truck in the county was in the parade. 

I am trying to thing how many times I have shot a Fourth of July parade.  Too many times, I think, as the images blur into a smear of flag colors.  I am jaded but I still pause when the color guard marches by, and smile at kids dressed in bunting waving flags.  I finished my assignment slightly sunburned and with a smile on my face.

1st of the 4th...

More to come but a start of the red, white, and blue...