Mindanao Musings

Two guys were playing golf, and when a funeral procession passed by, one of them took off his hat, held it over his heart, and bowed his head. His partner said, "well that is nice of you to show respect like that!" The man replied, "It is the least I can do..we were married for 35 years."

That song sure brings back memories... I was just 40 when it was recorded, and remember playing it over and over, along with the other Carpenter hits. It is, indeed, sad to think of Karen Carpenter's death.

I share your view about Facebook, and about the responsibilty of a blog. I much prefer to use a blog, though there may be periods of inactivity, I still feel more comfortable blogging than social networking.

We also have a lot of stuff growing around here. We plant chili peppers, okra, eggplants, tomatoes, green onions, winter squash, etc. and all kinds of herbs (basil, lemon balm, oregano, cilantro/coriander, lemon grass [citronella]. We have fruits, too. Papaya, bananas, chico, mangoes, coconuts. Since we are in the tropics, things grow all year long. We don't hunt, but there are many kinds of ocean fish here a stone's throw from our beach.

I was in a Costco just once, in Renton, WA. It was quite an experience. You're lucky to be that close to one. If I drive for 75 minutes from where I am currently living, I'm still nowhere!

We stayed home and lit a few fire works (rockets and fountains, etc.) and watched the distant city across the bay. 15 miles away, we could hear the dull roar of the fireworks. There were about 350 injuries this year, including a couple of fatalities from people shooting their small arms in the air. (Ammo is cheaper than fireworks, I guess.)

Those high snowbanks will keep you on the road, at least. Sounds like a beautiful trip to take after the spring thaw comes.

We need more of this, don't we?!! How refreshing.

Holy mackerel!

I had an encounter with a cougar in the Olympics when I was about 14 yrs old, on a camping trip in the high country. I climbed up a steep snow slope, and slowly pulled myself up over the top of it, and found myself eyeball-to-eyeball with an equally surprised cougar not more than a foot away! He spun around and disappeared in a flash, and I involuntarily jumped back to go tumbling down the steep snow slope. I've never seen one since, except in zoos.

Thanks for this biographic! As a young college grad in the '50s, I remember marveling over the beauty of this woman.

All are cute and clever. The Geo. Washington one is great, and the one about praying before eating.

You be surprised how text is still understandable with all the vowels removed. Arabic as normally written, does not include vowels at all. Interesting.

It certainly does depend on what one is accustomed to. I went to Kabul Afghanistan in February from SE Asia, and I can tell you I thought I was going to simply die. In particular I remember one day out on the job with my friend, a big heavyweight with plenty of natural insulation if you know what I mean. It was lightly snowing, and there was enough of a breeze to add emphasis to the chill. I was shivering in my parka, and my friend was standing there in a light short sleeved polo shirt, oblivious to the cold.

I saw this subject on one of the media web pages, and remember thinking, "I wonder if Steve has seen this?" This expat American has held the belief that "the US isn't anything like it was when I left to go to Asia in 1962."