The Hills Are Alive...

…with the whoosh of thousands of wind turbines.  Five thousand power generators have been installed on 50 square miles in beautifully scenic Tehachapi, CA. Each turbine stands higher than the Statue of Liberty and has a blade span of 125 ft. Put 5000 of them together and they become a forest of steel on the desert mountains.  Quite a sight to see.

Our two weeks of flight testing in the Mojave Desert was mostly “hurry up and wait.” Mechanical difficulties grounded the Air Force test plane and gave us plenty of time for sight-seeing.  While we waited for parts to be delivered and installed, we drove to Yosemite National Park. On the way we saw the amazing display of wind farm technology pictured above. This relatively new green energy is not without controversy especially from those who are opposed to the steel monstrosities defacing the view.

The glorious view of Yosemite is protected against any kind of development and economic intrusion. The granite cliffs that we observed from above at Glacier Point and below in Yosemite Valley filled me with awe and wonder at the tremendous forces that created our planet.  The giant Sequoia trees, some of the oldest trees in the world, stood as towering monuments to the beauty of God’s handiwork. Observing the grandeur of Yosemite reminded us of the first verse of “How Great Thou Art”- “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds, thy hands have made.”

As we drove back from Yosemite, we saw another man made wonder-the Tehachapi Loop.  The spiral tracks allow trains to navigate the steep grade of the Tehachapi Pass.  Opened in 1876 by the Union Pacific Railroad to deliver the abundant produce of the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles, this was considered one of the engineering feats of its day.  We were very excited to actually see a freight train navigating the tunnels and passing over itself as it went around the loop. It reminded me of a snake trying to catch its tail.  

Whether it is old technology (trains) or new technology (wind turbines) or God’s creative hand at work, we live in a fascinating world with lots of new things to explore.  I learn something new each day that makes me want to sing,  “How Great Thou Art.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't Buy Green Bananas

My oldest son sent me a list of humorous sayings about growing old.  “I’m retired-I was tired yesterday and I am tired again today.”  “I’m not old, I’m chronologically gifted.” Or my personal favorite: “I’m so old I don’t buy green bananas anymore.” 

High school students were challenged to dress as senior adults.  Of course, they came to school in hospital gowns, on walkers, and in wheelchairs. Unfortunately, for some senior adults with failing health that is the reality. For many with relatively good health the post retirement years can be the best years of all. I like to call those of us who fit that category: Semi-Seniors.

With more people than ever living to see their 90^th birthday, what do we do with the extra 25 years we have been given post retirement?  Some may choose a new hobby or volunteer activity.  Others decide to take a risk and embark on a second career. At age 65, my late bloomer husband, Charles, and I formed our company, Consulting Aviation Services. He patented two inventions to change the flying characteristics of aircraft and during the past ten years, we have been testing those devices in wind tunnels and on various airplanes.  Before the summer is over, we will travel to California to visit the Mojave Desert for an Air Force flight test and back to Maryland for more wind tunnel testing. I often ask myself what else could we be doing with these later years of our lives? 

Aerospace engineering is Charles life’s work.  His story of success and failure and perseverance in spite of challenging circumstances and motivated by his faith in God needs to be told. My interest in writing and his life’s work are about to merge as I start writing his memoir with the working title “Reaching for the Sky.” I will start the first draft of his book in a nice cool hotel room while he is hard at work in the desert heat at the Air Force base. His story will be a good companion to my memoir, “Born Three Times.”

Oliver Wendall Holmes is attributed with the quote: “Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.”  It is a balancing act to grow old gracefully, but not fall into the stereotypes that others—even our own children—ascribe to us.  It is much more difficult to challenge ourselves to take bold steps to make the last years of our lives the most interesting and meaningful of all. 

 

 

 

The Dawg Daze of Summer

The dawg daze of summer are barking at my door. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional period of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3^rd and ending August 11, which coincides with the rising of the constellation, Sirius the Dog, in the summer sky. These are the days when the hot weather takes a toll on my energy and lethargy sets in.  My usually productive persona wants to put the brain in neutral and my body says its time to take a vacation.

While scrolling online through several news sites, I discovered that dogs are not lazy and lethargic during the hot summer months after all. Our canine friends are much busier and productive than I am. 

One story from MSN written by Matt Cantor (Newser Staff) tells about a dog that found a baby in a plastic bag in a trash dump in Thailand. The dog, named Pui, carried the plastic bag in its mouth to its owner and barked until the owner came to find the infant girl. The baby is recovering in the hospital and the amazing dog earned a medal, a new dog collar, and a monetary award.

It seems that dogs are posing as models and entering beauty contests as well. All sorts of canines are modeling Doggles - the latest doggy fashion for the summer. This protective eyewear for dogs is a crossover between swim goggles and a pair of Foster Grants and will keep their peepers safe during all sorts of summer activities. Maybe Doggles were worn at the annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest held in California on June 25^th. The ugliest winner took home prize money and received celebrity treatment on national TV early morning shows. 

A friend of mine has trained his dog to be a therapy dog through an organization called  Happy Tails. Joe and his dog, Onyx, visit nursing homes and hospitals to bring cheer to the elderly and children who are recuperating from serious illnesses.

I am put to shame by the activities of my furry friends.  Today I will put on my sunglasses, send a card to a friend in a nursing home, call someone on my prayer list, and look for other meaningful ways to help someone in need. Even though the dog days are here, I will not use them as an excuse to sit around and do nothing.  Maybe you can teach this old dog new tricks after all. 

 

 

Deja` Vu All Over Again

The great New York Yankees’ baseball player and manager, Yogi Berra, is credited with saying: “It’s deja` vu all over again.”  De’ja` vu usually describes the feeling we get that we have experienced something before. 

My deja` vu experience occurred last week on June 14 in San Antonio, Texas as I watched my oldest granddaughter, Marcella Davis, graduate with highest honors from high school. Because her class was so large, the ceremony was held in a downtown sports arena.  As I watched Senior Class President Marcella receive her diploma and deliver her parting words to her fellow class members- telling them to embrace the future-it brought back a flood of memories. 

Flash back fifty-two years to a graduation ceremony on a warm June night in Webster, New York in a local sports arena– the school gymnasium. As salutatorian, my speech to our graduating class urged my classmates to move forward into the future with determination and hope. However, the one thing that is etched in my memory about that ceremony is how lousy I felt. I started out that day with chills, fever, and a miserable cold, along with an ugly fever blister on my upper lip. I pushed through to deliver my speech in spite of how bad I felt.  I would repeat that pattern many times in the years to come when I experienced one health crisis after another. 

After graduation I headed to Atlanta, Georgia to live with my sister’s family so that I could get secretarial training and a job. Marcella will attend the School of Business at Texas A&M University to earn her BS and MS so she can find her niche in the world of business.

The similarities don’t end there, when I got home already tired from an overbooked schedule and an early morning plane ride, I started feeling sick. You guessed it – I ended up with chills, fever, and a miserable infection along with an ugly fever blister on my upper lip.  However, some things do change— this time I gave in to being sick and stayed home for four days giving myself permission to recuperate. Maybe I’ve learned a few things after all.

Four Legs or Four Wheels

I am learning there is more than one way to travel through life. Why take the easy way when there is adventure around every corner? While we were in LA (Lower Alabama), our friends invited us to experience a bit of the local culture. The choices were to go horseback riding or ride through the woods on a four-wheeler ATV. My adventurous husband immediately chose to experience all the thrills and smells of a snorting horse. My more sedate lifestyle, as well as allergies to animal dander and hay, sent me running in the opposite direction to the vehicle with four wheels closer to the ground.  

While Charles was gently trotting around the horse track at a leisurely pace, I calmly mounted the passenger seat behind my friend, Erin. The next thing I knew we were flying over ruts and puddles, and dodging low hanging tree branches. I didn’t know I would be the one riding a bucking bronco on four wheels. Look closely and you can see Erin’s hair flying as we sped through the gate toward the finish line. I let go of her jacket long enough to show off for the camera.

 

Isn’t life like that? The things we fear usually give us the least trouble. Then, the things we don’t think about being a problem rise up and present us with a challenge. This roller coaster we call “Life” is full of many twists and turns which we call “life stressors.” I am the first to admit I am not the best person to handle stress. Research on aging tells us the ability to handle stress in a healthy manner contributes to longevity. When I am thrown a curve ball I have to constantly rely on God’s presence in my life so that I will not fret and worry about things that I can' t control.

 Good advice for all of us as we ride through life.

A Surprising Award

Today is an amazing day. One year ago this week, I wrote my first blog post with the title "Bloom Where You Are Planted"  At that time, I doubted I could bloom and write a blog that would attract and maintain interested viewers. Since inception, my blog has received almost 6,000 hits with readers in fifteen countries around the world.

A year ago, I was struggling to find direction for my memoir, "Born Three Times-A New Life, A New Liver, A New Love."  Once I made the commitment to go with a self-publisher, I devoted myself to get the book through the final stages and into print. I have been so blessed these past six months with the opportunity to share my story with so many people through book signings, speaking engagements, as well as radio and TV interviews.

Last night "Born Three Times" won the Director's Choice Award for biography at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference at Ridgecrest, North Carolina. This annual writers conference is one of the largest in the Southeast. I attended the Blue Ridge Conference in 2010 and was inspired and motivated by what I learned. Here is the plaque showing my achievement. 

 

 

Thank you to all of you who have read my blog and book and provide comments that encourage me to keep on writing. I couldn't have done it without you.  I also thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the gift of second chances, so that I can share my story as a witness to His Amazing Grace.

Hoggin' & Boggin' & Bloggin'

I’ve been told an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), water, and lots of dirt and mud are necessary for a fun filled hoggin' & boggin' adventure. Charles & I had no intention of goin' hoggin' & boggin' when we went to South Alabama to speak to the folks at Spring Hill Baptist Church.  We were there as guests of our friends, Donnie & Erin Moss and Erin’s parents, Pastor Jim and Karen O’Neal.

Because I’m allergic to the animals at Erin’s family home, we were invited by the Turners to stay in their guest cabin on several acres in the middle of the forest. Susan Turner took the lead and we followed her truck between the trees to the cabin. She left us to get settled with instructions about where to meet everyone for dinner. All the trees and paths looked the same as we tried to find our way back to the main road so we kept trying different routes.

The next thing we knew, we were up to our tires spinning in mud and muck. With only one bar on my cellphone (thank you, Verizon), I was able to call Susan. I prayed while Charles braved the swampy ground and walked back to the main road to flag down her truck. The water on my side of my car was too deep for walking, so I peeled off my shoes, socks, rolled up my pants’ legs, crawled over the center console and out the driver’s side, and mushed my way back to her truck. My bare feet and legs were covered with the brown ooze. City slicker me said, “We need to call a towing company.”

Since Susan and her husband own a logging company, she assured us they would be able to get us out. I stayed high and dry at the restaurant while Charles and some of the locals rounded up trucks and chains to pull my pretty, red SUV out of the mud. The first truck that came to the rescue also got stuck in the mud. As it tried to spin its way to freedom, the truck sent a brown shower of mud all over my car. Finally, a Jeep with a winch succeeded in pulling out the truck and my mud-coated SUV.

Three car washes later, most of the mud is gone from the exterior and interior of the car, but the memories linger. When I saw this sign on the road in Chatom, I realized our latest adventure would make a great blog post. Now, nobody can accuse these two late bloomers of being “sticks in the mud.”