Don’t forget to let your Peeps know where you are.
I would like to welcome you if you are new to the Moose. Feel free to walk around and check out your new digs. Feel free to comment at any time or continue lurking as you will(I see you out there). If you are an established Moose, pull up a chair and a cuppa.
In the first decades of the 17th century the Dutch went mad for tulips. At the height of the craze in the 1630s, tremendous sums were given, fortunes were gained and lost – for a flower with no scent, no commercial application such as dye, or perfume, or medicine; a flower that bloomed for only a few days a year.
The most highly-prized tulips were those which, through some fluke, displayed variegated colors in flame-like striations; one of the most spectacular of these varieties was known as the Semper Augustus, a stunning blossom of deep carmine flames on a pure white ground.
These extraordinary flowers were called by the Dutch ‘broken.’
To tell you that I look forward to going to work everyday would be an understatement, that this fifty eight year old beat the odds and found work that I love in this economic environment so hostile to anyone older than fifty..let’s just say I’m darn lucky. Being unemployed for two years I was so desperate I would have taken almost anything just to earn a paycheck again, but I stumbled into something special.
More about that in the next diary.
There are numerous benefits attached to this job, some more obvious than others. As an animal lover I’m surrounded, as an outdoor verse cubicle person I’m in my element, all of them. I’m doggedly independant and have been mostly self employed my entire life: I check in, collect keys and I spend the entire day without supervision or anyone looking over my shoulder. I will sometimes walk up to 10-12 miles a day, add to that climbing stairs and riding my bikes during the warm months, I’m very fit and have to purposely eat to maintain weight.
The not so obvious benefit is my exposure to so many dog breeds I was unfamiliar with. In an odd sense it’s akin to a free long term test drive, seeing a dog everyday I pick up quirks and traits that are inherant in certain breeds, invaluable information that a potential dog owner needs to know before choosing a new pet.
My wife, Ms. O and I had a dog when I began working here and after eight months I had no idea this benefit would be so important so soon, but it was. Our 14 year old Black Lab/ Great Dane mix Lexie was suddenly diagnosed with inoperable cancer so we had no choice but to let her go.
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While many yearn for peace on Earth, I would be content with a few minute, hours, or days of peace and quiet. We inhabit a world of noise, disturbance, and distress, bidden and unbidden. Even if we can shut off the radio, television, lawn care guys with leaf-blowers, planes overhead, trains/buses/cars outside, the clacking of office machines and household appliances, the audiovisual assault of video games, jackhammers, barking dogs (not those belonging to you moosies, of course), beeping gadgets alerting us, and other threats to sanity, there’s still the inner noise of our thoughts and fears.
What if we could just shut it all off, even for an hour or two?
Today, I’d like to provide you noise-stressed moosies with an armchair journey to the Island of Silence for some peaceful contemplation.
Situated in the Piedmont of Italy, the Island of Silence is a short trip from Milan.
While the larger lakes like Lago Como and Lago Maggiore get a lot of tourist action, the smaller Lago D’Orta is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the bunch.
The Island of Silence is properly known as Isola San Giulio, seen here from nearby Orta San Giulio.
San Giulio, for whom the place (Orta) and the island (Isola) are named, springs from an interesting legend http://www.kuriositas.com/2011… (this site has some beautiful photos you might want to check out)
Legend has it that St Guilio (or Julius of Novara in English) founded his one hundredth church here in the fourth century AD. It is just west of the charming village of Orta San Giulio (also named after Julius of Novara). The island was the lair of a giant serpent, which used the island as a launch pad to attack local villages. Yet St Guilio arrived and with his ability to command the waves he journeyed over the water on his cloak and banished the creature from the island.
Mmmm… okay. The good news is that you moosies that worry about snakes should have one less thing to concern yourselves with. Really, there is hardly any room for snakes, as the island is only 275 meter
If you never made it to Isola San Giulio, that would be a shame, but Orta San Giulio is a fascinating and beautiful place on the shore.
Even the cats are relaxed and stress-free in Orta San Giulio, as this much-posted photo can attest:
Once you’ve had a stroll around Orta San Giulio, it’s only a short boat trip to Isola San Giulio, which will further add to your newly relaxed state of mind. The actual boat is only a little bigger than this one, with a trolling motor, but this one is much prettier, so please forgive my capitulation to aesthetics over technical accuracy.
Once you step onto Isola San Giulio, you can see that space is at a premium. Every available bit of land – and overhead space – has been built upon, always with attention to form and function.
You’ll also begin to feel a sense of calm as you walk the ancient roads and paths and take in the beauty of the buildings. Everything on the island is built of stone. Clearly, it wasn’t transported in those charming little boats that transport visitors to the island. Something tells me that there might have been some less than contemplative utterances in the course of all that construction work.
Anchoring the island is the Basilica San Giulio:
The current edifice is the culmination of centuries of construction, as is often the case with churches and wealthy patrons keen on outdoing their predecessors:
After St Giulio’s death a small chapel was erected on the island in the fifth century (this was after the Christian religion was decriminalized by the powers that be in Rome and persecution had ended). Archeology has revealed a much bigger church there in the sixth century.
A baptistery was also established in the middle of the island at about the same time. Yet in the nineteenth century a seminary was built there, erasing any record of its existence. For the last three decades it has been a Benedictine monastery. There is an air of peace over the entire island, perhaps because of the presence of this contemplative institution.
The pathways that ring the island and weave through these venerable buildings form the Way of Silence, and visitors are encouraged to STFU observe appropriate silent and contemplative demeanor befitting the monsastic surroundings. It’s well worth the effort to do so.
Perhaps you have your own Island of Silence available within travel distance – a place in the woods, the mountains, on a lake, or just in your mind. Spend some time there whenever you can. It’s as important to your physical and mental health as fresh air, healthy food, and a good night’s sleep. There’s plenty of room in that little boat for all you moosies if you’re willing to squish together for a wonderful journey.
Today is International Asperger’s Day. It is celebrated today because the man who first recognized this was Hans Asperger who was born on this day in 1906. Although Asperger’s Syndrome is now classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder those of us whose lives have been touched by this still refer to our loved ones as Aspies and indeed they refer to themselves as Aspies.
My grandson Tristen has Asperger’s Syndrome. It has been a long hard struggle for him but he is doing fantastic now. He has well above average intelligence. He is a junior in High School and already colleges are trying to convince him to become a student at their institution. He is in National Honors Society. He has overcome bullying because he is different. He has learned how to make friends.
What is an Aspie like? An Aspie will walk a mile in heavy traffic to make tea for me when I am sick. An Aspie will come over and clean out and tune up my computers. Did I mention we refer to him as Tech Support? An Aspie is a person who towers over me and will wrap his arms around me and say, “I love you Aunt Michele.”
How does an Aspie think? These are some thoughts Tristen had posted on Facebook.
Vision: How can the future be so hard to predict when all of my worst fears keep coming true?
Wishes: When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it’s really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you’re pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it’s death by meteor.
Tradition: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.
The Secret of Success: What is The Secret? Pretend you’ve already achieved it- Then offer to sell The Secret to others.
Pressure: It can turn a lump of coal into a flawless diamond, or an average person into a perfect basket case.
Problems: No matter how great and destructive your problems may seem now, remember, you’ve probably only seen the tip of them.
Pessimism: Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people each year who are trying to find it.
Overconfidence: Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.
Madness: Madness does not always howl. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “Hey, is there room in your head for one more?”
Indifference: It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn’t take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.
Government: If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.
My Aspie is smart, funny, generous, and loving. Today is International Asperger’s Day. It is a day to let the world know you love an Aspie. I love you Tristen.
More wildlife: Bald Eagles and an ancient aerie.
Happy President’s Day! Whether there is a good President or a bad President, it is always good to take a Monday off work.
Interrogatories
What was the bravest moment in your life? What was the scariest moment in your life? What would be the title of your memoirs, if you were to actually write them? Are you outgoing or reserved? How susceptible to tears are you when watching/reading about/etc. touching things? What is scarier, heights or caves?
The Twitter Emitter
#YouMightBeARepublican If you are more outraged by the one consulate attack under Obama than the 12 consulate attacks under Bush.
— Jason Febery (@JasonFebery) February 17, 2013
#GOPBenghaziQuestions Why couldn’t the President protect Benghazi like Cheney protected New York and the Pentagon?
— Jon Hartmann(@jonhartmannjazz) February 17, 2013
I’m giving up drinking for Lent, and for St. Patrick’s Day I’m giving up Lent.
— Kent Perkins (@E_Kent_Perkins) February 17, 2013
Lindsey Graham: “Who is Ben Ghazi? Why can’t I find a picture of him on Christian Mingle? I demand answers!” #Benghazi
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) February 17, 2013
Meanwhile, back in South Carolina Lindsey Graham says he’ll pay his tab, “but first the bartender has to answer questions about Benghazi.”
— Top Conservative Cat (@TeaPartyCat) February 18, 2013
An “uphill struggle” is bad. But “going downhill” is also bad. You can’t win with hills.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) February 18, 2013
FOX NEWS: Obama First (Black) President Ever To Take a Vacation
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) February 18, 2013
Lets hope Obama doesn’t take my guns before I get a chance to shoot my teevee.
— kara vallow (@teenagesleuth) February 18, 2013
That guy only got that job because he and his new boss share a love of nasal irrigation. I’m so sick of netipotism.
— Skygazing Cat (@mitdasein) February 18, 2013
Paul Ryan; “It’s too early to say if I will run in 2016. A lot depends on how effectively I can sabotage the Obama recovery until then”
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) February 18, 2013
The Pope is retiring at 85. Only two more years and he’d have gotten Medicare under the Ryan Budget.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) February 18, 2013
Be sure you let your peeps know where to find you!
‘Mornin’ peeps, and happy Monday. After a chilly weekend and progress on the workshop, I’m back to work today. Lucky trs is celebrating dead presidents with a day off; of course he’s back at the workshop starting the electrical.
Hello Motley Moose,
This is my introductory diary on the Moose and it is mostly a photo diary illustrating the part of the world in which I have lived for 43 years. I apologize for the sometimes awkward layout and structure as I have yet to master the finer points of editing on this site.
I posted something similar but not identical in the past on DKos but this one is a bit wider ranging and more local. The present diary comprises some of my amateur photos depicting Bellingham Bay and its environs. Bellingham, a city of about 80,000 is bounded on the East by the Cascade Mountains that loom over our city as an extension of the Cascade Range that includes Mt. Baker, a 10K foot volcano. To the north is Canada and its extension of the Cascades. To the West and South lay the San Juan Islands, arguably the most popular cruising islands in the U.S. and perhaps the world. Of the 172 or so islands in this archipelago, only 4 are served by the State’s ferry service, hence they are largely cruising islands. These islands are set within the Salish Sea which extends from Puget Sound north into Canada incorporating also, Georgia Strait and the Canadian Gulf Islands.
Shortly after the massacre at Sandy Hook, I heard from a lady lawyer with a story to tell about trying to get inpatient mental care for her severely ill, very young son. It must have been extraordinarily difficult for her to write, but she wrote it and shared it with me several weeks ago. It is today’s offering for KosAbility at the GOS, and it’s too good not to give y’all a link.