Dinosaur vs. three year old.

 

"Sue" in Field Museum Chicago 

From early excavations of large bones in England by Rev. Wm. Buckland and Dr. Gideon Mantell, begun in 1820s, to contemporary discoveries world-wide, dinosaurs have remained a fascination for people then and now.  My family are among those who gaze at gloriously articulated dinosaurs at museums in absolute awe.

When "Jurassic Park" was released in the early 1990s, dinosaur-obsessed people were ecstatic.  When #2 sequel came along? Not so much.  #3 was better. Then there was "Jurassic World" which we have watched three times, and are up to another viewing.

Real joy is now seen in our 4 yr. grandson, Benjamin.  His collection of accurate dinosaurs is enviable, and he KNOWS scientific nomenclature.

In Bern, Switzerland, our daughter and family reside, life-sized dinosaurs have been relocated from a remodeled museum to family parks throughout the city.

Amazement and joy shown below:

Is this real?

It's bigger than ...

It's pooping on me, Mummy!

A good day to be parents

Joy captured.

Other dinosaurs are scattered through the city in neighborhood parks.  I can only assume that dinosaur hunting will be another day trip for Benjamin (and his parents.)

Benjamin "getting down" with my own personal collection of vegan dinosaurs His dinosaurs are realistic. Boring, if you ask me.

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Journals have always held my thoughts and observations. My church journal was one in which I outlined the sermon for that day.  This is how my brain works. Writing holds words in place.

I was sorting through my pile of journals and came across one from twenty years ago, when life seemed much simpler, in line with my-then organized life.  The following was from those golden times.

Did you know that the earth is only 50,000 years old?  Some religious people settled down to log lifespans in 24 hour segments and came out with 50,000 years. Also, when God created the sun and moon, He put it down in 24 hours time bits.

Dinosaurs? They were the remains of an earlier version of the world, before God re-created it. Plus, dinosaurs were really part of satan's plan to mess with the whole creation thing.

Did you know that extraterrestrials are really demons?  All those lights and such are ways to deceive us.  Wow.

Did you know that hypnotism opens one's soul to be taken over by demons' takeover? 

Did you know ghosts are really just demons? They are not real. Just evil.

Did you know that horoscopes are a way to divert the faithful. Psychics are also evil and deceptive, and they have demons as part of their family line.

These thoughts are from sermons presented by a man whom I truly respect, an intelligent man. But, even way back then, as I wrote all above, I also wrote: "Really? I mean, really?"

To believe sincerely requires one to understand. Facts and faith go together. 

P.S.
God does not wear a wrist watch. He does not need to log time the way we do. He has control over time.

Dinosaur Bones are the best bones.

"Sue", Chicago Field Museum

From early excavations of large bones in England by Rev. Wm. Buckland and Dr. Gideom Mantell, begun in 1820s, to contemporary discoveries world-wide, dinosaurs have remained a fascination for people then and now.  My family are among those who gaze at gloriously articulated dinosaurs at museums in absolute awe.

When "Jurassic Park" was released in the early 1990s, dinosaur obsessed people were ecstatic.  When #2 sequel came along? Not so much.  #3 was better. Then there was "Jurassic World" which we have watched three times, and are up to another viewing.

Real joy is now seen in our 3 1/2 year old grandson, Benjamin.  His collection of accurate dinosaurs is enviable, and he KNOWS scientific nomenclature.

In Bern, Switzerland, where Benjamin and his parents--Richard and our daughter Mary--reside, life-sized dinosaurs have been relocated from a remodeled museum to family parks throughout the city.

Amazement and joy shown below:

Is this real?

It's bigger than ...

It's pooping on me, Mummy!

A good day to be parents

Joy captured.

Other dinosaurs are scattered through the city in neighborhood parks.  I can only assume that dinosaur hunting will be another day trip for Benjamin (and his parents.)

Benjamin "getting down" with my own personal collection of vegan dinosaurs

Betrayed

It was bound to happen.  I knew it, they knew it.  But, it came too soon.

I have been kicked out of the loop

 Who knows how long this has been going on??

This sneaked up on me.  But, then Stanley has been acting peculiarly.

This feels like betrayal.

It is time to up my game.

Wednesday Words: Nefarious

Town of Nefarious, Wyoming: pop. 4957 ---953

"Come Sick, Leave Healthy"

At the turn of the 1900s, Nefarious had been a boom town.  Seltzer Springs brought in wagons full of health seekers to use the springs, eat peculiar food, and spend money.

Alas, the Springs started to dry up along with the tourists.  Around 1993, the population itself dwindled.  Then one day, few boys were playing in the empty waterbed.  They screamed in delight, ran back to the mayor, Ol' Doc Kinkaid, who confirmed their big find.  He took to kids to his house and locked them in a closet.  "I'll let you out when the city council men get here."

The council men came quickly as there had been little to do lately.

The boys told them and led them to the creek bed.  "Look, Mr. Jenkins! Look!"  And there it was: the bones of an immense prehistoric boa, 50 feet long with the circumference of 8 feet.  Silence fell.  There was more to be found as they walked along the dried stream lined with dinosaur bones.

Source

In the quiet dining room of the widower Jasper Fillings way out of town, all men along with the boys sat around the dining table and a plan was hatched.  "In two weeks time, we must re-construct our miserable little town to make it look like it did back in 1890s.   Stores must occupy the empty old stores....and anyone known to be a gossip and who has relatives who are gossips must be confined.  Phones ripped out, Facebook and such shut down...secrecy is the key. Boys?  You wanta help or be locked up in the old boarded up classroom out in the Old school?"

The town without the gossipy kind threw muscle into renewal.  Quilts were ordered from China, tags removed, with new tags added "Hand-sewn by Louisie May Smith".  Rusty tools and blackmith shop restored.  Jars and jars of jams, preserves, and candles were ordered.  The labels were stripped off, and new ones put on:  Mrs. Nefer's Homemade.... My...Oh, the work. Nefarious appeared to be frozen in the late 1800s.

The gossipy type were sent on a 21 day cruise to Hawaii in the Holland American vee Dam. 


Finally, the paleontologists were summoned.  Two wise men, then four, then more:  all agreed that this was the biggest titanoba ever found, and joy overflowed as they walked down the creek bed.

A lackadaisical bearded old man was paid to sit in an old chair with his feet propped up on the sidewalk railing.  Curious tourists with full shopping bags asked him how long had he been there.

source

"Heck if I know,"  he answered and then aimed some tobacco spit at the nearby spittoon.  Sometime he hit the mark, sometimes he did not.

Please forgive me if there is a town/city named Nefarious.  I checked every where and this did not seem to be anywhere.  If there is, I do beg for your forgiveness.

Dinosaurs per Metapictures

This week one needs a reason to laugh--I mean really laugh, gut laugh, giggle out of control.

My daughter sent this to me.  Good job, beloved daughter!

To see more, click on the above image.

Hope you enjoy.

Nature will not be denied

"Nature will not be denied..."

Years ago, maybe even fifteen years, we watched “Jurassic Park” with great enthusiasm.  The cast had Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Sir Richard Attenborough, and Jeff Goldblum, along with equally strong actors whose names I can’t recall.  This was awesome in my thinking from the idea that the very big past could somehow be revived.  The stellar quote was from Jeff Goldblum:  “Nature will not be denied.”

While these references seem to be an awkward writing intro that segues into the prime topic, I find it truly appropriate to the subject.

Before my family went on a 5 day trip, I tended to my plans.  One plant in particular had gotten sassy and was sending out runners to seek out new homes.   

You're going into time-out, fella.

This is its way of propagating, since it does not have a sex life of which I am aware.  I had to get nasty with it, and cut off those randy runners.  I am not heartless or wasteful, and I put the runners in water so they could establish roots.   They would find a new planter and a new home in the future.

I returned and checked on my plants.  This aggressive mean-spirited plant had sneaked a runner underneath and through another plant, to wheedle its way into a third plant’s home.  

 WELL, I said.  WELL.  And, not only that, a lonely leaf that had been lying in the sink for six days without water was quite happily green and hearty, creating its only little water seeking root.  WELL.

Lecturing the plant on etiquette and personal space, I trimmed off the plant’s 2 ½ foot runner, plopped some in rooting glasses, and threw away a long stretch of the 
vine. 

In the process, I discovered one root that had stretched out so far, all of eight and one-quarter inches.  These guys are dangerous.

I will have to keep a daily watch on these plants, and give most of them away.  I will go out at night, and set them on a door stoop.  The pots are very nice, but this is a necessary sacrifice.