Theme Thursday - Blue

I'm a little late for Theme Thursday, but here are my images of the "Blue" Danube.

Cruising the "Blue" Danube
from Budapest to Bucharest

The Danube runs between the new and old city of Budapest.
The old is Buda and the new is Pest.

The Chain Bridge connecting Buda & Pest.

The Chain Bridge at Night.

Detail of Bridge.

Along the Danube at night.

Through the Cataracts.

Church

People at the Church Waving as We Passed By

Sculpted into the Mountain

Theme Thursday = Clock (The Clock is Ticking)

Tick Tock

In response to Theme Thursday = Clock I thought it would be appropriate to link my post on the subject of Clock to my Wednesday post on saving our planet and civilization. As I wrote yesterday I watched the ABC News program with Bob Woodruff entitled Earth 2100. It was quite powerful.

Someone commented on the cartoon-ish drawings representing Earth as somewhat science fiction or fantasy as off-putting and perhaps not quite right for the seriousness of the issues. I've thought about that and concluded that I found no fault in the way the program was written, drawn, produced. I think the only way to represent what may lie in our future is through this medium. Of course there were quite vivid photos and videos of the devastation after hurricanes as we have experienced in the U. S., of the ravages of drought as seen in photos of Bangladesh, of lakes drying up as in our own Lake Mead in Arizona.

There have been interesting comments made and one that stood out was this: "I read somewhere that people want to save the world but no-one is prepared to give anything up..."

I know most of us do little things to help but it is going to require bigger things than I or my household alone can do to save us. We will need guidance from leaders: government (national, state, local) leaders, corporate leaders, religious or spiritual leaders, educational leaders, etc. Where we go from here - from this point in time - will determine the outcome of our planet and our civilization. "Could this be the final century of our civilization?" Tick Tock.

Theme Thursday = Wind

Theme Thursday = Wind

Wind! I love being outside on a breezy day. I especially enjoy breezes on hot days as it makes the day tolerable. We have some humidity most of the time where I live so lovely breezes, even wind, is a relief. I don't even mind if my hair gets blown about.

For centuries wind has been a friend to people. It has turned windmills to bring water to the surface on farms and ranches where the earth would be to dry to cultivate or use to sustain ranch animals. Windmills are used in some areas to drain the land of too much water. In Europe windmills were also designed and used to power machinery to grind grain.




I have always thought of windmills in a nostalgic way. Thinking of old rickety windmills behind farm houses or on ranch land brings forward feelings of community, struggle, hard work.



The windmills are found in literature and films. Perhaps the most notable use of the windmill is in Don Quixote de La Mancha by Cervantes. In this book Don Quixote attacks the windmills thinking they are giants to be fought.

In more recent times technology brought about wind turbines to produce electricity. The more modern windmills are designed to convert the energy of the wind into electricity. With the limited amounts of fossil fuel available in the world science and technology are devising ways to harness the power of wind. Wind is a renewable energy source and can be harnessed through the use of wind farms in areas of the country where wind is abundant such as the mid-western United States and in areas of west Texas. Off-shore wind farms are being planned in the Gulf of Mexico on the coast of Texas. Other areas of the world have these wind turbines as well. They are increasingly becoming more useful and sufficient in providing energy for many areas of the world.

I know something needs to be done to alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, but when I see these wind farms stretching out over acres of land I worry about several things. What will be the impact on migratory birds when they come in contact with these giant fixtures? How will marine life be affected by wind turbines in the seas? How will human life be affected by the "hum" of hundreds of turbines working? I am also concerned about the aesthetic effects of these giants on the landscape. Please visit Wikipedia to learn more about windmills and wind turbines.

Wind Turbines
Originally uploaded by El Kite Pics

The photo to the right depicts what I consider the blight of the landscape through the use of wind farms. Because this trend is something not likely to go away I found several photos on the internet that reflect some beauty in what is likely to be part of our world and the world of our progeny.

Theme Thursday = Fire

Fire. It's odd that I have such feeling for fire. I love the way the flames flicker in the fireplace on a cold evening and enjoy the smell of the wood burning and the warmth of its glow. I enjoy a campfire, roasting marshmallows & hot dogs; of sitting around the fire keeping warm and telling stories until the last bit of warmth dies away.

On the other hand fire terrifies me. When I was about 10 years old I was with my parents on a warm summer Thursday evening. My family owned a grocery store and we decided to go to the store to get some milk & dessert. As we turned the corner I began screaming. The business next door to our store was on fire. This was around 1956 and our little town had no fire department.

Calls went out to neighboring towns and tanker fire trucks came to help put out the fire. The fire was eventually gotten under control, but not before it burned six businesses almost to the ground. The next day my family was back in business in a store across the street from the original one. The suppliers were there the next day helping to set up a new store. We recovered and thrived.

In later years when my parents talked about me being the first to see the fire and scream they remember what my daddy said, "Honey, have you got your foot caught in the door again?" Evidently, if Mother sat beside my father & I sat beside the door I had a propensity to get my foot wedged between the seat & the car door. Isn't it strange the things that are remembered even in a crisis?

The small store on the corner where the fire began had been purposely set by the owner. I don't think he was prosecuted, but he never left his home again. He became a recluse, probably ostracized by the community. Thankfully his wife & daughter seemed to have overcome the situation and went on with their lives.

As a result of this incident a volunteer fire department was formed in our town. This group of men went on to help in many difficult situations. My brother was one of the founding members and was volunteer fire chief for a time.

So, as you can see fire can be comfortable and contribute to warm, happy memories. It can also be terrifying. Through the years there have been other incidents where fires have gotten out of hand in or near where I live(d). When I hear sirens or smell smoke the fear I felt as a child returns. Under normal conditions I think of happy fireplace or campfire memories rather than memories of the destructive capabilities of fire.

Visit Theme Thursday for other stories on the subject.

Theme Thursday = Earth

Our beautiful home.
It would be marvelous to see our Earth from high in the atmosphere.
The ones who have been lucky enough to enjoy this site have shared it with the rest of us.
Is it not gorgeous?


Earth

For Theme Thursday = Earth

The information below is from Wikipedia and I share it with you all.
It is interesting reading.
It is predicted that Earth can sustain human life for 1.5 billion years more.
What will happen to humans in the distant future?
It is mind boggling to speculate on such distance times.
We must think of the here & now.
How will we go about preserving the integrity of the planet?
What can be done to preserve an environment in which humans can live?
There is so much to be decided & acted upon within the next decade or two.
Who will lead the way?
What countries will step up to ensure a livable environment?


Gaia

The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis proposing that the biosphere and the physical components of the Earth (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere) are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that maintains the climatic and biogeochemical conditions on Earth in a preferred homeostasis. Originally proposed by James Lovelock as the earth feedback hypothesis, it was named—at the suggestion of his neighbor William Golding—the Gaia Hypothesis, after the Greek supreme goddess of Earth. The hypothesis is frequently described as viewing the Earth as a single organism. Lovelock and other supporters of the idea now regard it as a scientific theory, not merely a hypothesis, since they believe it has passed predictive tests

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Terra.

Home to millions of species, including humans, Earth is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. The planet formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within a billion years. Since then, Earth's biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic field, blocks harmful radiation, permitting life on land. The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, allowed life to persist during this period. The world is expected to continue supporting life for another 1.5 billion years, after which the rising luminosity of the Sun will eliminate the biosphere.

Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that gradually migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered with salt-water oceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands; liquid water, necessary for all known life, is not known to exist on any other planet's surface.^{[note 4][note 5]} Earth's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core.

Earth interacts with other objects in outer space, including the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis. This length of time is a sidereal year, which is equal to 365.26 solar days. The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4° away from the perpendicular to its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt and gradually slows the planet's rotation. Between approximately 4.1 and 3.8 billion years ago, asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the surface environment.

Both the mineral resources of the planet, as well as the products of the biosphere, contribute resources that are used to support a global human population. The inhabitants are grouped into about 200 independent sovereign states, which interact through diplomacy, travel, trade and military action. Human cultures have developed many views of the planet, including personification as a deity, a belief in a flat Earth, and a modern perspective of the world as an integrated environment that requires stewardship.

Theme Thursday = Egg

Eastern bluebird eggs

Theme Thursday

Egg

by Brian Swann

The bluebird's cold mistimed egg

fetched up from the one-legged

box after the pair had left for

points south & unknown (never,

as it turned out, to return) I

renested in the half-geode by

the windowsill where it gleamed

&, months becoming years, seemed

about to last forever, grow more

consistent with itself, holding its pure

blue firmament up over what by now

was nothing, till one January day, snow

melting to a fast flood,

I blew it softly onto my palm so I could

hold its cerulean up against new sky,

home against home, where it lay

weightless & delicate as the Xmas ornament

we'd just put away, but when I went

to roll it gently back onto its bed,

& leave it there, I saw a thread,

a crack, another, watched it sink in

slowly on itself, shard on shard collapsing

from my touch & breath, relaxing

into the shape of its absence.

Ten - Theme Thursday

In the spirit of Theme Thursday, I decided to think of ten fiction books & movies that I enjoyed. From my list you will surmise that I've selected books with varying meaning. Most are purely escapism, but some like To Kill A Mockingbird had great social value and others have great literary value.

Ten favorite books I've read:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   
2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
   
4. True Women by Janice Woods Windle
   
5. The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plains)
6. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
   
7. Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil by John Berendt
   
8. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
9. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
10. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Ten favorite movies I've seen:

1. Lonesome Dove
2. Out of Africa
3. The Matrix
4. Gone With the Wind
5. The Big Chill
6. Casablanca
7. Apocalypse Now
8. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
   
9. To Kill A Mockingbird
   
10. Dances with Wolves
    

Theme Thursday - Toy Remnants

My, oh my. What did I get myself into when I signed for Theme Thursday? I should have known better than to pursue the theme Toy. There are lots of avenues that one could take when addressing Toy. We could discuss Toy Poodles, Adult Toys, children's toys, etc. We could site the merits of toys for children and how they benefit from playing with toys to improve their imaginations, how they can roll play with their toys. I could have researched and photographed antique toys and compared them to the toys of today.

But no, the word Toy swept in a flood of memories from my childhood. Of course the first thing I remembered was my dearest stuffed animal, my teddy bear, Teddy. (I know it wasn't very original, but I was only about 3 years old when I got him.) Teddy became my best friend, my confidante, my soother. If I felt sad Teddy was there to let me weep onto his head. Unfortunately, when I was ill he was the one I occasionally threw up on as well. My bear is still with me even though he is in tatters. I have him in a chest along with another bear named Flossie. Flossie keeps Teddy company, she is there just for him. Ebenezer, the big white bear with the blue uniform top, sits in the chest with them. I don't take Teddy out very often because I think he would disintegrate if he were handled.

Toy Remnants

In the photograph Ebenezer is in the upper right corner, Flossie is top left, and the tattered Teddy is to Flossie's right. Along with those dear bears is a little black Scotty dog and a little brown squeak dog. A xylophone, a little rattle, the dancing Prince Charming and Cinderella, and a stuffed doll called Chiquita Banana. Strange.

Photo of me & my prince charming next to the wind-up Prince Charming & Cinderella.

Funny how there are some things that just don't go away with time. Memories are funny the way they sneak up on a person and can catch us unawares. So that is my contribution to Theme Thursday - Toy. I think it would have been much easier to have gotten there last week and had Library as the subject. Having been a children's librarian I have a few cute stories to tell.

So, that's it for my old toy remnants, my memories. I have other bears, wooden toys, hand-made dolls, toy cars, a few balls that I have collected during my adult, but those don't have the significance as the ones from my childhood. What memories do toys from your childhood evoke? Have you kept any in a chest, protected and hidden from the world? Take a look at them, travel down memory lane and see what thoughts emerge.