Monday musings

Ginger Bear II enjoys frolicking amidst the leaves.

The bigger the leaves, the better.

Time for a nap, if only I weren't in danger of blowing away, says Ginger Bear II.

Musing number one

Today I went to Jean and Paul's house to rake their leaves. What a crazy adventure that was! As usual, I put on my headphones that are attached to my digital walkman, and I started listening to the local classical music radio station (WNED-FM). At 11 o'clock, I enjoy listening to "Exploring Music" with Bill McGlaughlan. Every week, there is a different theme. This week's theme is titled "Don't Shoot the Piano Player." It's all about piano music, from the invention of the piano to current day music. I got to hear something played on the instrument that was the immediate forerunner of the piano. It was called the "pianoforte." That means "soft loud."
Well, now we have the piano. Piano means soft but you can play the piano fairly loud, thanks to the pedals.  I also read that the immediate forerunner of the piano was the "fortepiano," and that our current piano is actually a "pianoforte."
Clear as mud, right?
Well, anyway, I was listening to people playing the piano, being accompanied by a variety of instruments. I was also raking the leaves. As I raked, the wind became stronger. I started thinking of the movie, "Inherit the Wind," even though the movie, made in 1960, which featured Spencer Tracey and Frederic March, was about the Scopes monkey trial, not windy wind. I continued to rake. The truck came to collect the recyclables.  It is fun to watch because it has an automated object that picks up the totes and empties the recyclables into the truck. To me, that is a great form of entertainment. 

The wind was catching the leaves as I raked them into the garbage cans. As the wind grew stronger, more and more of the leaves were escaping from me. Just as I filled the fourth garbage can, a gust of wind struck and the large recycle tote was knocked to its side.
It was time to stop the pointless activity of raking leaves, only to have them picked up by the wind to swirl in the air.
I will go back next week for more leaf raking.

Election day (musing number two)

is tomorrow. If you are in the United States, please remember to vote. I will be voting mainly for "minor party" candidates because I am very irritated by the negative campaigning that the Democrats and the Republicans have been involved in. The negative campaigning has come in the form of television advertising, glossy cards in the mailbox, and robo calls (always made at dinnertime). I could ignore the television advertising by pressing the "mute" button on my remote control. The robo calls, on the other hand, feel like an assault. It seems that political candidates are exempt from the do not call lists's requirements. My mom is on the do not call list but these calls keep coming. Sometimes, calls from opposing candidates come within seconds of each other.

The constant bashing of candidates against each other, in my opinion, crosses the line from strong campaigning to personal attacks. To me, it comes across as unnecessarily mean and even as bullying. 

Not all bullies are children.

Adults are supposed to know better.

I have absolutely no reason to vote for bullies.

I don't want to elect mean people to public office.

Enough said.

Musing number three: Lauren Hill

Lauren Hill is awesome. She perseveres despite insurmountable odds against her. At the age of nineteen, she has terminal brain cancer. A freshman at Mount Saint Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lauren has been given weeks to live. Her dream was to play with the basketball team and score points, despite her infirmities. And she did so. She persevered and she scored points on the basketball court. She said that she did not want to let her teammates down.

For sure, she did not.

She says that she is playing in more games.

That is perseverance.

And that is awesome.