More from Elder Marvin J. Ashton: " Pleasure usually takes the form of me and now; joy is us and always. " and " You can never get enough of the things you don't need, because the things you don't need can never satisfy. " and " Being of good cheer makes it possible for us to turn all of our sunsets into sunrises. "

Bummed... hence the preponderance of blue. Elder Thompson has been re-assigned... Not enough words... not enough words. Elder Talbot ??? I will finish " The Book of Mormon " 'prolly' tonight... leaving the index to peruse at leisure. Next ?

More changing in the BLOG format done. Left justified my links finally... right justified just looked so raggedy. A few font changes and tweeks... nothing to hoot about... just tried to clean up the look a bit.

Gail passed her retest for Vocational Rehab about Property Management with an ( 87% ) !!! Gail accomplished this task all by herself ! Next hurdle, cringe !!!, accounting !

My old watch pooped out. A post that held the band on actually broke off. So... off to K-Mart where I found a watch for $ 4.95 USD ( plus tax ) that was neither too garish nor unseemly. I asked the attendant if she could put my old twisty-flex band on the new watch... and no problem ! Cool !!!

Got in my long walk ( 2+ ) miles ( approx 3.5 km ). My left arch is still giving me grief... I may look for a cushioning insert or such.

I'm zero for three ( 0/3 ) on the " Call For Help " daily quiz lately... wazzup ? They be tricksy... they be ! One question I thought I nailed with 100% certainty had to do with " what is the all-time best selling movie sound-track/album ". " Saturday Night Fever " had  been the champ ( my choice ) for years... but has since been usurped by " The Bodyguard "... go figger !!! I still like Dolly Parton's rendition of " I Will Always Love You " better/best.

" Primer  "... A primer... my humble understanding of past lessons... much more there is to the tale !

Not sure I understand the above quote... but then I'm no genius... a link !!! " ... the power of expressing a new individuality. " or, from definition: a new " distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity " ( Reference: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/individuality )... no, that didn't help ! Maybe the art of having, but not exhibiting multiple personalities... no that doesn't work either ! Let's try Google: No joy there ! Perhaps an analogy... a performer of some ilk who, though unassuming otherwise, might become 'another person' or character of great renown through their craft. No, still not quite there. Perhaps, merely the exceptional intellectual/societal growth of an individual, which if differentiated from one point in time to another, of not a small length of time, might denote or show a change in persona ( not the " Jungian 'facade' " model ). I actually have no idea what any of that means. I'm still not sure I understand the above quote. Perhaps the context might be gathered from the letter(s)... man, is it getting a bit deep in here !

More from Elizabeth Barrett Browning: " The man, most man, works best for men: and, if most man indeed, he gets his manhood plainest from his soul. " and " I tell you, hopeless grief is passionless. " and " But the child's sob curses deeper in the silence than the strong man in his wrath ! "

Warm and a bit of a breeze for Wednesday... I thought it would get much hotter than it actually did get... delightful! Allergies not too bad.

Did a wee bit of mowing the grass... until the gas ran out. Moved some hay... my back is already beginning to complain.

Gail's pains worse... the lack of strength in her arm caused her to more injury recently. She has a new prescription for pain, now, that she says helps a bit.

" REMote  "... REM being the state of sleep one generally dreams in. 'remote' being distant in time or space or apart... inaccessible. 'Electric streams' the dynamic flow of electrons through axons, neural activity. 'now wakened' referring to newly created synaptic pathways... maybe. Merely another warm and fuzzy poem about absolutely nothing... composed with Taffy-doodles ( cat ) stretched upon my desk... who twitches vigorously when dreaming ! I probably put more thought, as sometimes is the case, into the title than the poem.

More from Jacques BéNigne Bossuet: " The worst derangement of the spirit is to believe things because we want them to be so, not because we have seen them for what they are. " and " The greatest weakness of all is the great fear of appearing weak. "

Warm and sunny day on Sunday... I did get a short walk in before and after church. The Wadsworth's, again, very graciously gave me a ride to church and back.

Monday had Sacramento at 98° Fahrenheit ( nearly 37° C )... if I recall correctly it's the first recorded 90°+ day for an April date for Sacramento ever. Hot here too... at least 90° Fahrenheit. Tuesday nearly as hot as Monday... more of the same Wednesday... with a cooling trend anticipated. The down side to this great weather is that fire season has a very early start this year.

Fireside meeting at the Mormon Center in Folsom/Rancho Cordova/Sacramento with a member of the (70), Elder Christenson (sp?), among the speaking. The center will be the location of the new Temple serving the greater Sacramento area... soon to break ground. The talk was geared towards those who were investigating our faith or those, like myself, who had recently joined the church. Very large gathering... very inspirational.

Gail took some pictures of my Daughter's place with my cheapy Kodak EZ200 digital camera... now that repairs and renovations and additions are near complete. I will download the digital images and do some editing ( see IrfanView note further down !!! ) so I can email some pix to family... and save for posterity. Maybe I'll put some on the BLOG later... we'll see.

Been getting many Earthquakes above 5.0 Richter... earthquake alerts... a link !!!... regarding Vanuatu... a link !!!.. in a volcanic island region formerly call The New Hebrides, that is touted for its vacation spots... another link !!!... the latest a 5.7 Richter scale event. The first link is courtesy of the CIA.GOV ( USA ) website... though updated in 2003 some of the info a bit more outdated. Other Pacific locations getting hit hard as well... California with its usual flood of small quakes.

IrfanView 3.9, its latest update, is out !!! My choice for image manipulation... and it's freeware !!! Don't forget to download the plug-ins !!!

A few additions and changes to the BLOG.

More from Aldous Huxley: " After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. " and " Facts don't cease to exist because they are ignored. " and " Nobody can have the consolations of religion or philosophy unless he has first experienced their desolations. "

I opened my new Gmail account with Google ( beta )... will check it out soonest.

Beautiful day Thursday... upper '70's Fahrenheit ( 24° to 26° C ) at home... and possibly low '80's in Sacramento. Blue skies and light breeze... allergies not acting up much at all !!! The Sierra's shining in the distance with still quite a bit of snow.

Elders ( LDS ) dropped by for a quick lesson... a re-iteration of lessons past on the function of the church and the priesthood. I'm on 3 Nephi 16 in my reading ( TBoM ).

Grandson of John Quincy Adams, Henry Brooks Adams was an US historian, author ( Pulitzer prize for " Education of Henry Adams " )... possibly an ancestor of mine. Also by Henry Brooks Adams: " Philosophy: unintelligible answers to insoluble problems. " and " A friend in power is a friend lost. "

Blue Men group... Venus Hum... Dave Mathews: all on a free-for-view on the telly in the same show. Most impressive ! Mostly high energy rock with LOTS of percussion. Gail even enjoyed the show !

Allergies alleviated a bit... rain a few days... mostly in the form of " Seattle Sunshine ".

My daughter's trailer lookin' good. Luckily, all the outside work was completed before the rains came.

With regards to the above quote... I guess I'm in good company. Also by Carl Sandburg: " Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the sky. " and " Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. " and " I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it. " and " I am an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on my way. "

My apologies: Carpe diem = dying goldfish. ( enjoy today ? ) Did I mention I named the Grandkid's goldfish Wanda and Cosmo... after the two færies in " Fairly Odd Parents " ?... a cartoon show. Our kitties love to drink from their large aquarium... even with a water bowl set out for them... and Taffy-Doodles has begun to explore further. More than once one of the cats has taken quite a dunking.

Thought I'd relate something to another in passing that I'd remembered from the news about April 15th being noted not only for " Tax Day " in the USA, but also the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic... ( a link ! )... little did I know that this person had lost an uncle in the sinking of the Titanic... ( Goggle search links )... and that it was still a sore issue after all these years. Though said person to whom I'd 'opened my mouth and inserted my foot' to was too young to actually remember the event, their family had never let go of the grief incurred.

Allergies !!! No rest continues !! Still no rain !

Poem(s): I managed to get a quick total of my published poems in this BLOG ( not published anywhere else... of course !!! ) and came up with over ( 120 ) total... ( 115 ) listed on the sidebar. That's maybe ( 160 ) Canadian poems or ( 12500 ) Japanese poems at the current exchange rate ... cool !

Added to side bar: More Poems3... a collection  to bring things up to date.

Also by William Wordsworth: " The ocean is a mighty harmonist. " and " That best portion of a good man's life; His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. "... I think I like this guy !!!

Had a problem with BLOGGER not publishing on Saturday evening nor Sunday ... copied my posts in NoteTabLite. I was unable to post Happy Easter in a timely fashion due to this untimely glitch. Again... when I check tonight... I have only an apricot colored page... nothing else ? I was able to access on Tuesday and Wednesday... wonder what's up ?

Trying a method to hide my email address from spam bots found at hiveware.com... very easy to set up and then cut and paste... cool !!! Seems to work in this BLOG fine.

Allergies !!! Rain possible Friday. Perhaps an answer to prayer... to knock the pollen out of the air.

Also by Dali: " Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing. " and " I seated ugliness on my knee, and almost immediately grew tired of it. "

Drowsy... (5) hanky day with (2) hankies in possession. Allergies running my life... sleep but a dream.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, but the pollens are rampant and bourne on the light breeze everywhere. My newest plum trees with tiny fruit !

Haven't been to Da Boards in a while... must make a note to check things out.

Chrissy and Richard preparing Easter eggs for the morrow.

Elders visiting tonight.

Also by Peace Pilgrim: " For light I go directly to the Source of light, not to any of the reflections. " and " You are within God. God is within you. " and " No one can find inner peace except by working, not in a self- centered way, but for the whole human family. " I had never heard of her before this short research... what a great gift she had.

Throw and catch with grandkids David and Ashley the other day. Earlier my wife Gail and I and the grandkids went searching for crystals in the upper pasture with Gail's dog " Poop " lashed down with (10) lbs ( (4.53) kg ) of weight tied to the end of her leash to slow her down. " Poop's " one dog that if she isn't tied down or leashed or slowed down somehow will just take off for the hills... a real brainiac. No crystals, but some good exercise walking up the slope.

Repairs getting along on my daughter Chrissy's and her husband Richard's mobile home. I'm not handy at all, but I can watch with the best of them.

I tried helping Gail a bit with her accounting homework for her rehab home schooling. I've always had a better grasp of math than most, marveling in its truth and symmetry... but this stuff is worse than Greek to me !!! 'Prolly' best if I learn the vernacular, and then learn the algorithms. * side note: " Algorithm " named after the Iranian mathematician, Al-Khawarizmi, according to thefreedictionary.com... the online dictionary I use that I just linked to... interesting !

Took a longer walk than usual on Thursday... one hour plus ( maybe (2) miles / (3) plus kilometers or so ) and now my left arch is killing me. Looks like a few days off from walking. Probably the shoes I picked up a bit ago... the arches very solid.

I've been remembering a few dreams... lately. Evidently I'm not getting enough oxygen from my apnia-and-oxy set-up. One dream had me throwing a bowling ball the size and shape of a watermelon into a toilet... only to find that the ball wouldn't return. After waiting a bit, I was presented with (2) new normal bowling balls ( I believe urethane with the weight core uniquely configured ) that fit perfectly ( finger-tip grip... of course ) in replacement for the 'watermelon' ball that was damaged, somehow. My score, and team, penalized for delaying play... I now continue what appears to be league play and am allowed to throw my ball into the television sets now set up. O-K-A-Y !!! (35)+ years exposure to bowling and the business of bowling weighing on the brain !

Our new kittens are now old enough to be held by Gail and I ( as opposed to (3) year old Ashley and (7) year old David ). (3) kittens: one all black with no tail... like its momma; one that is mostly black with some white, and a tail, like my cat Taffy-doodles... with a marking in white on its back that nearly resembles a question mark... quite appropriate since we thought its mother, Spooky, was a male... and neutered.; and the last kitty, which I haven't seen yet, that is mostly white with black, and a tail, like my cat Figaro ( see the animated .gif that heads the top of my BLOG ). The black kitty with no tail will be adopted by Gail's nephew, Paul, for his two little boys, Dante and Thaddeus.

Truth isn't easy ?

Warm breezy Spring day... a slight chill in the late afternoon. Allergies bad... stayed indoors 'til I worked up the energy for a walk before sundown

Attended LDS conference at the church on Sunday. I had walked to Brother and Sister Wadsworth's to watch on their TV... but they needed to leave to help out Sister Halford - whose husband is sick. They were gracious enough to drive me to the Church so I might watch the conference from there. They even called later to see if I had gotten home okay after dropping by the Church... and found me not there ( I had accepted a ride home from Brother and Sister Sweet ).

More Keats... " Beauty is truth, truth is all ye know on earth, and all Ye need to know. " and " It appears to me that almost any man may like the spider spin from his own inwards his own airy citadel. " and " I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of imagination. "... WHOA !!!

Friday: I managed to splash myself with an industrial cleaner solution in the face. I was trying to set aside a bottle of CASTROL SUPER CLEAN that Gail had opened and I could not find the cap. Sure enough I must have jostled my arm and the solution erupted from the bottle into the left side of my face... my glasses shielding my eyes... Thank The Lord !!!
Rushing, I rinsed the solution from my face and hands and then read the label: Flush affected area for 15 minutes with cold water and go to the hospital... O.K. !!! Panic Time and I'm freaked: Gail, her Mother, and I head off to the hospital (40) miles ( 64 kilometers ) away. On the way about ( 10 ) miles out Gail needs to use the phone... so we get off the freeway to stop and use the cell phone. I noticed a Fire-station and asked Gail to stop there for advice. They advised using their shower to further the rinsing of the solution... and I do so for about 15 minutes in cool water. I'm now feeling physically better and no blistering has occured... but my mood is still not stellar. My sincere apologies to Gail and her Mother.
We end up going home where I call the manufacturer's med advice line. Their main concern is if I had blistered in the affected area... no, no blisters, and the burning sensation's gone. Their advice is to treat the burn like a sunburn. I was lucky to dilute the solution quickly AND not get it IN my eyes nor nose nor mouth. I now have minor blotching near the left eye, left ear lobe, and left side of my face... and a bit more on my nose where the skin burned between the nostrils, which was already tender from my allergies.

Saturday: LDS bi-annual TV conferences at the church. Gail grudgingly dropped me off at 11 a.m. and Brother Wadsworth kindly brought me home. I did take a short walk to a park in Georgetown during a break in the TV conferencing and attempted some poetry which I'll relate in a bit. I'd swear, but I won't, that most of the speakers were speaking directly to me... but then that's one of the allures of the LDS Church for me. With a Prophet restored to present day - The Church's message is relevant for our times. Gail's mood a bit better when I arrive home before 8 p.m..

Chrissy and Richard off ( to the bar ? ) to celebrate one of Richard's brother-in-law's birthday.

Called Mom... snow in Anchorage. She's to take a trip to Port Ludlow in Washington soon... and m a y b e get down to California for Mandy's wedding in May... Cool !