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GMDI – Good Morning – July 27, 2013 – The topic – Perla and Our Transition

As I have mentioned to U, two of my hobbies this month are cloud-watching and working-playing with Perla – I call this photo “Perla’s transition” (not sure which way!) Do U C 2 Perlas?

People have asked “What in the world do you do every day with that horse of yours?” — This blog is designed to answer that question.

I have studied many books to help me develop my transition (training) plan. For you, I looked at 5 books in my Horse training library just to give you some of my funny thoughts:

1. BE THE LEADER – Yesterday, a friend ask me “Is your training of Perla going well, are you now the boss” — I said yes , but training a horse is like a marriage — we men never rise to the level of boss – we do not even approach it!!” That is what I said — It got a lot of cheers from the women in the room.

2. NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP – There is nothing natural about this 160 pound man trying to tell a 1,000 pound horse ( that has had it own way for some number of years) what it should do.

3. THINK LIKE A HORSE -Wrong! – My object is to get the horse to think like me.

4. HORSE TRAINING MADE EASY – If you believe this, you believe I could sell you the London Bridge at a great price or u believe a married man could be the boss of his home!

5. LIFE LESSONS FROM A RANCH and ranch community – Now this one I do believe — I have have learned many things about relationships and dealing with challenges, animals, and people from my experiences working with animals, animal trainers, ranchers, and small community people. Better then college — Now Grandkids — do not believe me — GO TO COLLEGE, then you can afford a horse and a personal horse trainer (and many other things) to get you and the horse to really enjoy the ride through life. Remember it is to enjoy the ride – not work at it!

Here is the daily lesson plan this week. All of it is about Perla U think — BUT — It is much harder for me to consistently communicate the same message day after day, with the same demeanor (Attitude, respect, authority, humility, energy, and yes, praise) then u may think — so the 10 step plan is really for me — if I learn do my part welI am sure she will do her part well:

1. go to pasture and get Perla to catch me – not me catch her.

2. brush Perla down – really caress and rub her back — to get her in the mood.

3. ground tie – drop lead rope, say stay, walk away, jump around, throw hat at her — then walk bak and praise.

4. ask her to circle me left, then right, then return to me for praise when I say “All done”

5. lay lead rope in front of Perla, I walk to end and ask her to come to me — for a praise of course

6. walk beside me with head at my shoulder – first normal speed, then slow, then fast, then turn left, then right, then stop. — always keeping the exact same position. Praise

7. walk into open trailer by following me, then walk into open trailer with me outside, and always back out slowly at my command only. Praise

8. walk to stall, enter at my command, turn to face me, stand for bridle and bare-back pad – (I do not use a saddle), stand quietly by big rock so I can use it as a ladder to get on her. Praise, praise

9. ride — away from barn and herd, close to barn and herd, around trees, with only body signals, with rein signals, slow, normal, TOLT, near scary things, be steady as cars/motorcycles/four wheelers/logging trucks pass, stop and stand quietly while I shoot breeze for 20 minutes, let me reach down and open mail box, etc Praise praise.

10. return to barn, enter stall when commanded, tun to face me, stand quietly for pad and bridle pad removal, another brush down, and more praise, and not bolt out of barn when I say “All done” – but rather come to me for one more praise before walking out of the barn.

That is close to two hours of time spent with a friend, Perla! — Hope it is mutual friendship.

Next blog I tell of our transition progress and what graduate school may consist of. U will have to wade through my photo portfolio of Perla too– Drink coffee to stay awake if necessary.

Horse training, golf, and life are not games of perfect — just games of fun!

July 27, 2013
GMDI — Good Morning – 7/26/13– Clouds are the topic, and hardly a cloud in the sky – so to my photo library!!!

Was going to give U a Perla update but that will wait because yesterday I got a comment –” Did you photoshop the white fang cloud?”

White Fang the cloud dog

Honest — I did photoshop it — I search my cloud photo library and if, in a photo something jumps out at me, as most cloud photos do, I darken, lighten, copy from one side to the other, combine, — what ever my imagination lets me do — and some times more — just so I get what i want to see at that moment!!!

— so today I will show some of the results of my goofing around with cloud photos:

Original elf

Step one

Final product: I see an elf with a tassel cap riding a sled — how ’bout U?

Original whatever

Somewhat modified whatever

Original photo: do you see a whale like fish, a dragonfly, and a airplane — I do.

So I went to the extreme so that they would be visible to you

Now you know my secret hobby – in addition to clowning around with Perla — it is cloud watching and photoshop art!

Always fly straight – and stay out of the clouds — SAY I TO YOU: Always look at the bright sunny side of things. Maybe you will have to sort of use Photoshop in your mind to make things be the way you want them!!! But That is OK!

July 26, 2013
GMJF- Good morning Jim’s friends – July 25, 2013 – Beeuutiful day on the Island!!! Awoke to 50 degrees

I see an elf with a tassel cap riding a sled — how ’bout U?

I do not pass along forwarded e-mails — but sometimes I extract info and pass it along — Yesterday I got a joke or a wise crack from an old cowboy — about a dead cowboy — on the dead cowboys’s tombstone he had some advise for a happy life; I want to pass it along as a segue to my golf score ( Not really but I needed a reason to pass it along):

On this old cowboy’s tombstone are 4 bits of advise for a happy life — advise to my Grandsons you might say:

1. Have a woman who is a good cook.

2. Have a woman who never lies.

3. Have a woman who likes you.

4. Make sure these three woman do not know each other or you might get shot like I did.

The segue, Oh — it has to do with telling lies (advise #2) — Now which do you consider a fact — You respect me and want to be my friend because I have a good golf score — or — you respect me and want to be my friend because I tell you the truth?

Yesterday I told you I would write down a score of 40 —- Well the truth is I had a score of 52 for nine holes — In fact that is not far from my average on that course — Now you know the rest of the story — or at least the truth of the story!

After golf I did photo shoot just to show you some of what I see — sorry I put you thru watching photos of my life. Wake up and have some milk and cookies — or a glass of wine you older folks!

Lake shore living

My transportation to a great hour on flat H2O last night. Loons, geese, and unknowns!

Dinner time — deer know the sound! only kidding.

On it’s way to the Soo Locks and into Lake Superor.

I call it a beautiful flower — most call it a weed

Some call it a deer — i call it a salad garden customer.

The queens lace — getting ready to visit great grandson I think that is what George of Cambridge is?

Some call it a spider — I call it my bug zapper.

Beauty in it’s form — my dock

We all call this a beautiful flower — for some reason the deer only wanted it 4 a table decoration — never ate it!

ALL DONE — That is what I tell Perla when I release her from training and shecan go play with the other hores!

July 25, 2013
GMD – Good Morning Drummond July 24, 2013 Perfect — 48 degrees going to 72 lite breeze – full sun

Thanks Maya, She said the other day –– Us and grandma were talking about this colonial school house I went to in my sleep away camp in school! What a coincidence! Ps this is Maya!(:

Marc asked: Great story about the haircut. I know you mentioned this last time, but was this a “play” as in theatre, or “play” as in gym class for the kids? Must be theatre, as 40 cents was a lot of money back then.

I think it must to have been paying Miss Shaffer to order a play — that would be copies of the script for a school play — one for each actor to use to memorize the lines — I remember having such scripts for High School and Church plays that I participated in! and that was in 1950 +/- Was copyright laws a strict then as now???

———————————–

Feb 6 1900 Grandpa wrote about ordering books — that sort of says that Miss Shaftner (Note spelling change) was the “purchasing person” for the school — “Snowed very fast in morning. In after noon cloudy and melted the snow.

Prof E.E. Pritts and C. L. Spencer visited School.

Gave Miss Shaftner 50 cents to send for books, 5 cents to Samuel Cessna and 12 cents for coffee. Ella is washing dishes and fixing for baking. 7 o’clock p.m. Paid 5 cents for postage and 50 cents for fish.” He goes on to say Feb 7 “Clouds and warm. an uneventful day.”

Now U must sit through a few photos I found in my Photoshop library: ’cause I do not know what else to say & posting pictures is esay — sorry — — and I need to do some maintenance work around here before I golf and go to post office for mail.

White Fang the cloud dog

Blue Dog – Texan wannabe

Blue Perla – Texan wannabe

Florida tractor tracks — not really — Sea turtles heading back to sea – photo sent 2 me via Grandma

Last evening baby gets a free rid and boy at night the do a lot of loon sounds!!!

That is not my stiff German body swing — I will tell you my score tomorrow — I guess I could fill out my score card now — who would know different — why not — on the front 9, I did 40!!! r u impressed!!!

July 24, 2013

Good Morning Drummond – It is July 23, 2013 – Island problems are small and fixable!!!

I got up late this morning, rubbed the sand from my eyes, and in a state of being half awake put the coffee pot under the spigot, tuened the handle — turned it the other way , tapped it on top, — by now my brain was getting into gear — says my brain — “Something is wrong here” because this is what I got!!!

But what a great Island — our neighbor is the Island plumber, and his whole family are very nice people — and they are friends — and the take care of us “From away or From below folks” (Below the mac Bridge) even when we are “Below” — They also take pride in making sure that our home is tended to — The plumber’s father drives the dead-end road here every morning just to check things out — often stops for a chat and 1/2 coup of coffee. ‘spect he only takes 1/2 cup ’cause I bet he gets many 1/2 cups before he returns home — being the local verbal newspaper and gossip editor is a tuff job U know!!!

That was a long story just to let you know that the spigot is now gushing H2O and that Island life is quite a pleasant way to retire!

Oh, I had another problem — I look like a very shaggy dog — hair pointing every which way and getting into my eyes when the wind blows — which is very much today — 20+- mph. So I call my local friend to see what she can do about that. OOPS! she is going off (That means off-Island) on the 4:10 (That means the 4:10 ferry boat) and right now she must play her league golf match. — Wellll – the nerve of some people — actually last time she cut my hair, she ran down from the little landing strip on the Island just to cut my hair and then she ran back up to the strip to hop into a little airplane — climb to 10,000 feet and jump out — with an instructor and a parachute of course. I run up and snap a few photos with my iPhone:

Where are they -- I think I see a little dot up the!!! — Where are they — I think I see a little dot up the!!!

That is them -- the dot is getting bigger -- yea!!! — That is them — the dot is getting bigger — yea!!!

Yea, Yea, They made it home alive!!! I get to have yet another hair cut next month!!!

Anyway — — we decided, this time, I will take the 12:10 (Go over-seas – I mean over-lake) and go to a mainland village 25 away and get the deed done this time. — C both problems solved.

Yesterday I told you of Grandpa soliciting for advertisements for play program — well I discovered he had to pay for play or the play director?– well here is some excerpts from around the same time in 1900: “Very very cold but had 26 pupils in forenoon — school room cold — afternoon 20 pupils.” now Thursday “very, very cold Paid miss Shaffer 40 cents for play and 7 cents for bread” Saturday “Ellie (Grandma) is sewing hooks and eyes on her brown waist.”

Hey gotta run and catch the 12:10.

July 23, 2013

Good Morning – it is July 22, 2013 — “What is art?” See my new art heading?

If you could please send me your idea of art — I went to Google and ask “What is art?” — guess what I got 1,400,000,000 matches — that is 1.4 billion matches. I hope one of you will make it 1,400,000,001. THANKS ahead of time!!!

In the year 1900 March 26, Grandpa was the school master — think about 15-20 students attended — the actual number any given day depended on temperature, wind, rain , snow, and farm work to be done: He wrote “Snow in morning, rained and snowed during day. In evening solicited advertisements for on program of play. Succeeded well. W.T. Hoffman here over night. Noah Ripple here”

I assume in 1900 Grandpa “Solicited” some form of art work for the cover of the school play advertisement too? Wish I had a copy of it for you but I do not. So, I went to web to see what a typical advertisements looked like in 1900 — found this one for Coke — at least it shows the style of then:

1900 Cocacola - 5cents! — 1900 Cocacola – 5cents! looks like quality art — shows a typical person toady sitting down for some Coke — I mean a cola! Ha ha!!!

WIKIPEDIA.com says art is: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture,...: "the art of the Renaissance" Works produced by such skill and imagination. JONAS GERARD says it is a van. — WIKIPEDIA.com says art is:
The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture,…: “the art of the Renaissance”
Works produced by such skill and imagination.
JONAS GERARD says it is a van.

The chef a Laughing Seed Cafe' says it is food. — The chef a Laughing Seed Cafe’ says art is food.

Is this art or a real capital dog? George Rodrique selected an art theme for paintings on the wall, books, book covers, mugs, towels, even a bar and restaurant and more -- The theme a simple Blue Dog -- I am sure you have all seen a blue dog - right??? Come to think of it, I never saw a live and bouncy blue dog. — Here is art – George Rodrique selected an single art object for paintings on the wall, books, book covers, mugs, towels, even a bar and restaurant and more — The object is a simple Blue Dog — I am sure you have all seen a blue dog – right??? Come to think of it, I never saw a blue dog and I never saw a purple cow — bet I could Photoshop one though — maybe I will try?

An author selected a book cover. — These authors selected a book cover. – they approved the art work

WOW - From my front window this morning -- baby loon on momma's back. God decided that this is His expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. OOPS -- I think WIKIPEDIA.COM allows only humans to create art -- Just look around you and tell me if you think WIKIPEDIA really knows what art is! — WOW – From my front window this morning — baby loon on momma’s back. God decided that this is His expression or application of human creative skill and imagination — that thing WIKIPEDIA describes as art. OOPS — I think WIKIPEDIA.COM allows only humans to create art — Just look outside at nature and tell me if you think WIKIPEDIA really knows what they are talking about when it comes to art!!!

Somebody created this and thought is was art -- and I will use it to say goodby until tomorrow! — Somebody created this and thought it was art — and I will use it to say goodby until tomorrow!

July 22, 2013

Good Morning – it is July 21, 2013 — 50 degrees here – Hi Montana – By the way, click photos to enlarge – back arrow to return

Windows cleaning is my chore for the morning — honest — trail ride at 1:00

Sure am having fun trying to train Perla to trust me and do as I say — The problem is she is, as you may know, she is the leader of the herd and she thinks I am part of the herd — each other horse in the herd does as Perla says — or else — therein lays my problem — how does she get to be leader — I think to a large extent, it is because she is the best one at reading what the rest of the herds is thinking — she has learned to read their faces — the secret to a good poker player.

Read on down this blog — I will update my friend in Montana on my training efforts. — Oh, by the way, Perla and I have not been swimming anymore — Some folks will understand why I said that – since I got teased a lot about a “swimming” incident while riding!

Now, for my friends in NewYork City:

Scary night over New York City -- I May not be the best photo artist -- but sure have fun with it each morning!! hope you New Yorkers enjoy it too. — Scary night over New York City — I May not be the best photo artist — but sure have fun with it each morning!! Hope you New Yorkers enjoy my efforts.

Now, for my friends on Drummond:

Look at the bow wake on that freighter -- some folks who have out with me on my little 18 foot ski boat know what happens when we cross that freighter bow wake!!! WOW "Everybody still in the boat???" — Look at the bow wake on that freighter this morning — some folks who have been out with me on my pretty powerful 18 foot ski boat know what happens when we speed across a freighter’s bow wake!!! WOW “Everybody still in the boat???”

Now, for my friend in Montana:

Thanks for your blog comment last week. This week I say: “Hey to you.” Sure hope you are enjoying it out west. We (T, A, Me), Nicky, and Perla miss you too but everyone is fine here. Today we trail ride.

Anyway, I will continue to tell you of my thoughts on Perla, leader of the herd , and of my daily training sessions. During the session, she reads me before I know I thought anything! — for example, if I get a little tense because she scares me or because I anticipate that she will not do what I ask — she reads that tension and says to herself “Wow, he is tense. There must be something around the corner that is going to eat us. I ain’t goin there — I best head back to the barn and the rest of the herd for safety” –thus the reason for being “Barn/Herd Sour”. But I am learning — Perla is a good teacher and trainer and I hope I am a good student!!!

You got caught with a serious look on your face - Wonder if Nicky knows it? — You got caught with a serious look on your face – Wonder if Nicky reads it?

I leave you today with a view through a dirty window so that I may make it a clean window! — Now to all of you, I leave you with a view through a dirty window so that I may have time to make it a clean window!

July 21, 2013

Good Morning – Late morning — BREAKING NEWS! The photo art is re-named by Maya Bea

Gotta go paint my horse trailer, wash windows, & mow weeds that are over-taking the dock– the rain has stopped, the sun is out, it s cool — still in 60’s — good working weather. Maybe I will have to do another trip next week — so If the blog is late then — worry not I will get to it as soon as I can.

Hey, for now it looks like good trail riding weather — and if I squint, I can still see out the windows, so maybe the window-washing chore can wait!!

Garden up-keep is easier since the deer had the great salad — Marc commented to the blog that be thought the deer ought to give me something in return. I did have a very good idea about that — but then I looked into the eyes of this poor guy with the bent antler and said to myself — “Hell, just seeing them around is enough payment.” You know my first idea did start with the letter “V”, don’t you???

I received a photo of this sign in an e-mail from Grandma -- so I modified it by adding "Poo" to the sign -- yesterdays pooper scooper art. Since, I know of no International Symbol for "Watch for Landslide" , and Poo seems to be watching for something, I nominated Poo as a candidate for the International Landslide Watching symbol!!! — I received a photo of this sign in an e-mail from Grandma — so I modified it by adding “Poo” to the sign — yesterdays pooper scooper art. Since, I know of no International Symbol for “Watch for Landslide” , and Poo seems to be watching for something, I nominated Poo as a candidate for the International Landslide Watching symbol!!!

Scary night — Gotta add a full moon — and place it all over an abstract of New York City. If I get the moon in the correct place I guess I could call it “I reach for the moon”

"Reaching for the moon" or "Love the taste of cheese" Is the moon really made of cheese??? Send me a comment with the name you want to give this photo art. — Thank you Maya, for sending me such a great name — “Flaming Dragon” says Maya Bea Others please send me a comment with the name you want to give this photo art. Maybe the photo can have several names like 1. Maya, 2. Bea — In fact think I will keep “Reaching for the moon” as #2. I will reject my other suggestion “Love the taste of cheese.”

Board and clouds — Would U believe I was dumb enough to take this thing out to deep water without a life vest, fall off, be saved by a live guard, hop back on (with a vest) and row it back to this safe spot near shore. Hell, just ask anyone in the community — I have heard the rumor that I was the talk of the local “Happy Hour” that evening. Of course, I am betting their stories got more exciting with each Gin and Tonic”. So you see it was not as bad as they say!!!

If you think I as dumb as a....., Please do not tell me!!! Enough of this nonsense -- I really must get to work. — If you think I am as dumb as a horses ..s, Maybe we could keep that thought as our secret!!!
Enough nonsense — I really must get to work.

July 20, 2013

Good Morning — it is July 19, 2013 here on our Island and many Islands around the world!

You know I have been thinking about survival — why? I do not know why — well maybe it is because I have been reading a novel about World War II fighter pilots and survival instinct. It is based on the life of a Newfoundlander

— I spent 2 summer vacations there in the 1960’s with a wife and 2 small kids — I enjoyed it, BUT, I am sure, as I now look back, they would liked to have killed me for putting them through a vacation equal to Boot Camp at Parris Island — I will find photos to show U & we will talk more of one husbands tactics for surviving the families reaction to “Who planned these dumb trips of dead whales, iceburgs, black flies, more bugs, — rain, wind, u know — all that beautiful stuff.”

But today, a much more calm version of survival = FOOD!

1. Cloud food.

2. The result of food.

3. Thumbnails of food related photos.

I could call this "Survival" or perhaps "Dinner time" but it did cause me to scan my photo library to see how many photos I had relating to food -- hundreds -- thick if we need food to survive then most of my photos have something to do with survival! — 1. I could call this “Survival” or perhaps “Dinner time” but it did cause me to scan my photo library to see how many photos I had relating to food — hundreds — thick if we need food to survive, then most of my photos have something to do with survival!

2. I love cloud art -- but then, I found food to be so important to survival -- What do you think of me getting a new hobby called "Pooper Scooper" art -- I will start with this one -- Who do you think left this bit of "food left-over" behind? — 2. I love cloud art — but then, I found food to be so important to survival — What do you think of me getting a new hobby called “Pooper Scooper” art — I will start with this one — Who do you think left this bit of “food left-over” behind?

U might think I spent time & effort to have flowers, fresh tomatoes, beans, cabbage, lettuce ---No,No,No - It was for survival -- survival of white tail deer -- the deer call me "Salad Chef Jim" — U might think I spent time & effort to have flowers, fresh tomatoes, beans, cabbage, lettuce —No,No,No – It was for survival — survival of white tail deer — the deer call me “Salad Chef Jim”

July 19, 2013

Good Morning – Back on the Island and hot here too – Daytime in high 80’s

What shall we talk about today? – sorry I missed blogging yesterday but I went, in the morning, to see my friends with the horses. Helped a little with the mucking chore and visited over a cup of coffee.

Ok — I got 4 topics 4 2day — many more came 2 mind as I left the computer to cut open a cool melon that I purchased yesterday –I truly am so sorry that I can not share it with you.

I will try to get all those other topics into the blog in days to come — one is going to be fun 4 me 2 talk about — a near death experience by a dumb old white haired man – hint — how long can u hold u’r breath?

2day’s topics are:

1. Looking out unto the bay and what did I see?

2. Looking at the result of some very hard work — which I missed due to NY trip!

3. Looking up in the state of Pennsylvania giving me a new form of art!

4. Looking at a source of joy – happy faces!

Yesterday - I awoke and peered out to the bay and blinked my eyes several time to be sure I was awake and not dreaming. There was the 11,000 puns tug boat - broke from it's mooring and was sitting there as beautiful as could be -- stuck in the mud -- still there -- hear there were several attempts to free it - but no avail so far. — 1. Yesterday – I awoke and peered out to the bay and blinked my eyes several time to be sure I was awake and not dreaming. There was the 11,000 pound tug boat – broke from it’s mooring and was sitting there as beautiful as could be — stuck in the mud — still there — hear there were several attempts to free it – but to no avail so far.

There is nothing like the smell of hay piled to the rafters. Waiting 4 winter and hungry horses. I was in NY when 700 or so bales were stacked by my friend and "YOUNG" folks he hired to put in the barn. One of those young men was the father of our friend who rode in the 4th of July parade and did such a great job handling a nervous horse. Thanks to all the young men and the friend who hired them. — 2. There is nothing like the smell of hay piled to the rafters. Waiting 4 winter and hungry horses. I was in NY when 700 or so bales were stacked by my friend and “YOUNG” folks he hired to put them into the barn. One of those young men was the father of our friend who rode in the 4th of July parade and did such a great job handling a nervous horse. Thanks to all the young men and the friend who hired them.

I have discovered a new for of art that I enjoy -- cloud watching and the creation of art - photo art by my definition -- looked up photo art on the web -- "photography created in accordance with the vision of the artist" This is my vision as I show you this with a stiff neck from looking up and a broken nose as I walked in to a light pole -- only kidding! — 3. I have discovered a new form of art that I enjoy — cloud watching and the creation of art – looked up photo art on the web — “photography created in accordance with the vision of the artist” This is my vision — I show you this with a stiff neck from looking up and a broken nose as I walked in to a light pole while looking up — only kidding!

You have to feel a real sense of joy when you see children playing and clowning around. Grandma as a real capability to get the faces laughing and clowning around 4 her -- the 2 faces were captured in an Iphone and sent to me - with there permission I send them to via the blog in hope that u reel a real sense of joy — 4. You have to feel a real sense of joy when you see children playing and clowning around. Grandma as a the capability to get the faces laughing and clowning around 4 her — these 2 faces were captured on an Iphone and sent to me – with their parent’s permission I send them to u via this blog in hope that u feel a real sense of joy in seeing them.

I ask -- does this face make u laugh?-- If so, I have proven -- you will laugh at anything. QED If you do not know what QED means -- look it up!!! As an Engineering instructor teaching math and statistics I used it often. let me know what u find. — I ask — “does this face give u joy and make u laugh?”– If so, I have proven — you will laugh at anything. QED If you do not know what QED means — look it up!!! Hint: As an Engineering instructor teaching math and statistics I used it often. let me know what u find.

July 18, 2013