Category: Jim’s Daily

Day is done – Beautiful.

So far this year it seems like I squeezed at least 3 months into one half month.

But what do I do all day before reflecting at the evening sunset?

In January it is tradition that I line up my office files to get ready to do taxes.

In addition, I’ve been making pens/pencils in the woodshop,  I negotiate with the builder to finish up his warrant work on our 3 year old house,  I have stepped up the activities of the photo club by adding committees to create photo galleries in our community, since the community purchased the golf course and the restaurant our club will add a committee to create stock photo albums to be used in promotions, and since I got a golf GPS watch for Christmas, I have so much fun practicing – sometimes I forget to quit until it is so dark I can’t find my ball anymore – You may not know how dark the woods (my wild slice does it) beside the fairway is in the twilight  – It is very dark! Snakes, hogs, and gators there too! HaHa

Any way that is how I fill my days and I love it.

As you can see from the next snap shots, I am not a photographer –  (but it is all that I have on my iPhone that will tell my story today). My job in the photo club is to help organize the photographers in our community who want to come together and accomplish some things and who want to learn, from each other, —  learn how to better photography.

Now, that said let me show you my Christmas present, and a few of my pens/pencils.

Last blog I wrote: “Some times animals are good trainers.”  Today, I blog that “Sometimes children are the best trainers”.

Recently, I had reason to ponder happiness among my retired friends – I concluded that creativity was a source of happiness – happiness had a direct correlation between those friends that created and continued ……

to learned — in contrast to those that allowed creativity to move way to the back and followed only the “old” ways.

During Christmas season this year, I had so much fun watching  Grandchildren being thieves. What, being thieves? That is what I said!

You, see they watched, they stole ideas, and then created their own solution!

For example — How to drive the golf cart, how to make Grandma and Grandpa laugh, how to get us to take them out in the golf cart, how to win at an electronic game, how to adapt to a new environment in Florida, etc  — they loved doing it their way — the more I left them alone (Watched for their safety of course)  the more they they enjoyed creating their own solution.

Creating is a natural source of fun for us – I think the fun of creating is pretty much reserved for us humans — one trait that separates us from the animal kingdom.

Creativity is: Ability to produce or learn something new through imaginative skill, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form.

Think of a creative people: the Beatles, Henry Ford, Bell, Dell, Mozart, —  Did they have talents that we never had?  Or did we back-step a bit from our childhood?

I really believe, as children, we all had the creative drive – that is how we learned! In order to learn, our curiosity and enthusiasm took a front seat — it drove us — to perform 100% to rules we did not yet know about was able to take a back seat.

We tried things that were impossible, we tried things that did not match adult rules (often we did not yet know they were the rule) – watch any child try and fail — then try a new way and so on — As a child we did not ask how to do each move — we did not ask for permission, we did not just copy others — What we did was steal ideas and assemble ideas we stole.

When we were children, Stealing ideas and selectively using pieces of what we stole was our way being creative – our way of learning as a child — selecting ideas, re-grouping them to produce failure, — learning from that and finally re-grouping them to create a new way of being ourself. That is why we are all different – we each stole different ideas, and we each uniquely used selectively from the ideas we stole – and yes we stole ideas from our failures and successes too. Different success and failures for everyone else.

But as we get older we must use more caution in order to succeed – we are told how to do it:  In school we study to memorize information to get a good grade on the test. We perform according to rules of employment to get the next raise. We perform the current social fads to be accepted in the community.  The more we know the “right” answer to succeed the less creative we need to be.

So say I, think about your hobbies — add at least one hobby to your life that has no “right” answer – a hobby that allows you to steal ideas, select and assemble them your way, — one where you do not have to answer to anyone’s ideas except your own childish desire to steal ideas, select and assemble them, and create your own way.

Again say I: Creating is a natural source of fun for us – I think the fun of creating is pretty much reserved for us humans — one trait that separates us from the animal kingdom.

Some times animals are good trainers – They teach us to not worry — Relax, do not worry about how silly we look, and

do what feels good and do not worry about how we look!

I studied my photos of kids doing fun stuff  — So many of the photos present a true sense of humor. What better subject for a blog on the New Year’s day when everyone you meet says “Happy New Year”   So I suggest we be try to be happy and clown around a lot —

……and make other folks happy in the process — all year long!

Now folks, I enjoy playing with Photoshop — I am not sure I improve things but I change them– I encourage you Grandkids to play around with your art work, change, and create — Maya is a real creative artist — some of her photographs are great  — much better then  I  could ever do and she is almost  68 years younger then me –what do U think of that? I asked Maya to send me some of her photos — If she does I will post them here — you will see what I say about her creativity.

In the mean time see my Photo Paintings:

To the Nature Center with family from NYC – so, I asked what do you call a stack of turtles? — it is called a “BALE”  Check it out in the dictionary if you have doubts!

Now folks, I enjoy playing with Photoshop — I am not sure I improve things but I change them– I encourage you Grandkids to play around with your art work, change, and create — Maya is a real creative artist — some of her photographs are great  — much better then  I  could ever do and she is almost  68 years younger then me –what do U think of that? I asked Maya to send me some of her photos — If she does I will post them here — you will see what I say about her creativity. In the mean time see my PhotoShop modifications:

Give Praise, say Thanks, and Enjoy this Christmas Day!

Melissa and Grand kids arrived this noon – we are all full of lunch and it is a cold 62 degrees — but, off to pool the Grandkids go!

I took time to “Throw together a few family album type photos — just to say to you all A VERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS  —

I am still out here thinking you all.

Christmas seems to make one think of Mangers and barn animals, family, and snow — and Santa  — Here are a few family photos to celebrate these thoughts.

Give Praise, say Thanks, and Enjoy this Christmas Day!

I went to Peter Glenn’s Cold Weather Clothing store in Orlando Florida and spent a lot of money to buy 6 layers of “fur” – (Down and manufactured material of insulation) to be able to stay almost as warm as Perla — notice that snow does not melt on her — all her body heat

…..stays inside — by the color of my face I think some of mine leaked out!

This deer also seems that she did not need a trip to Peter Glenn’s — even when she sticks her nose into two feet of snow to find a few blade of grass  to eat — See the fur on her nose and head keeps the snow from melting.

Snow and zero tends does make the horses a bit frisky — I love this shot of a horse running — taken late afternoon with temps heading for minus twenty.

Leaving the Island — You would think our ferry boat was an icebreaker – well in a way I guess it was – I could hear the bow of the boat pounding against the ice flows. The Coast Guard icebreaker did have to clear way for some of the 1000 foot freighters because they could not make the turn to head up the St Mayr’s River to the Soo locks and on to Lake Superior.

I took over 400 pictures — so be prepared for weeks of Island snow photos — I was so excited to be there – when I landed in The Soo (Sault Ste. Marie, USA) the ground was bare.  On my way to the Island it started to snow — and it never stopped for the 10 days I was there.  I truly love weather – Peter Glenn’s clothing kept me warm — I hiked, worked with horses, and just enjoyed God’s presentation of the beauty of nature – presented while I was there — just for me, everyone said!

See you later – much catching up to do here – Office work, Woodshop, Exercise, and Golf,  AND A big “Honey Do” list —  picture to be hung, Grandma’s art studio equipment to install,  furniture to be moved, beds to set up for visiting grandkids, Christmas parties to go to, — which shall I do first

This is a miracle of the digital age. I am almost 2000 miles away and with 2 feet of snow and ice fisher people in shacks on the bay and the temperature is Zero degrees. But I dress warm and Perla loves it!

OH OH I forgot to tell you about the miracle. The miracle is this page is created by a grandma, grandpa team-effort via cell phones traveling 2000 miles. Here you get the picture and these words. What fun!