Turn it on....

 Today is National LED Light Day.  Thank you to my west coast brother who provided me with this info.  He is not sending me food-related special days until I have lost the weight I gained on our recent trip.  LED lights are not to be confused with laser lights, which, if you have one to use as a pointer when doing an illustrated presentation, are wonderful for playing with your cat.  But I digress.  LED lights, as they have evolved over the last several years, are bright, don't put off heat, and last a long time.  They come in shapes and sizes from tiny little Christmas tree lights to large globes and even rectangles.  My brother-in-law still decorates his Christmas tree with the old style incandescent colored bulbs.  When I saw his tree for the first times last year I realized that I like the new LED lights so much more, for looks, and because they don't get hot.  The last time I had one burn out (they actually do sometimes) I had to search long and hard to find where I had stored the replacements.  They do last a long time.  My very favorite LED light (with three long narrow bulbs) is in my desk lamp.  Sadly, even the finest bulbs don't provide light if you can't turn them on.  Some weeks ago the push-button style switch on my lamp started sticking and it took several pushes to turn it on or off.  Finally, two days ago, it wouldn't turn on at all.  Happily, my wonder spouse, who is an Electrical Engineer, knew just how to fix the problem.  He ordered a new switch.  It should be here any day now and he assures me that it will be an easy matter to 'pop in' the new switch.  Then I can stop writing these blogs by candle light.  

Speaking of lights, these are the rectangular LED lights recently installed in my bathroom.  So pretty, and dimmable when I don't want to be shocked in the morning.  

an interesting solution...

 In one of our daily text exchanges earlier this week my west coast brother told me that he was going to be taking a truckload of junk to the dump.  He and my sister-in-law, and various kids and grandkids from time to time, live on a five acre hill-side farm with an amazing ten mile view.  They raise goats, sheep and chickens so I wasn't too surprised when he mentioned hauling some junk away.  I was surprised, however, when he told me that the junk they were taking to the dump this time included an old mattress, an old couch and an old chair.  After the recent marriage of their youngest daughter they didn't need them, and she didn't want them.   But what really interested me was the method of disposal.  Their nearest large city has a waste to energy incinerator.  I had actually never heard of such a thing but it sounds like a great idea.  According to Google, where you can learn all sorts of facts about such a system, it basically burns trash to heat water which produces steam in a boiler and ultimately generates electricity, and in so doing reduces the volume of waste by 87%.  Sounds like a win/win to me.

They're back!!!

 This evening we attended the opening performance of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic's 81st season and it was terrific.  From the rousing traditional opening with the Star Spangled Banner to the final notes of Mahler's Symphony No.5 in C-sharp minor it was a night to remember.  One thing I really appreciated and enjoyed was the use of the full orchestra.  In both the Mahler piece and Prokofiev's Suite from Lieutenant Kije which preceded it, the entire orchestra was involved.  You may be thinking "Well, aren't they always?"  Yes partially, but in these two pieces every section, brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion, had several bold major parts.  The Suite also featured an excellent baritone soloist.  All in all, an exceptionally fine opening of the season. 

Say cheese.....

 Today (and I found this one all by myself) is National Smile Day.  It's also Cinnamon Roll Day.  My west coast brother told me about that one, but I'm choosing to ignore it because I'm still trying to loose the five pounds I gained on our recent vacation, and everyone knows that just sniffing the aroma of 'Cinnabons' can cause you to gain at least a pound.  But I do like the idea of Smile Day.  Friendly smiles always brighten my days.  But people aren't the only ones who smile.  My dogs used to smile at me when I gave them treats.  Cats not so much, but I did see an interesting report on dolphins on the news this evening.  Evidently they have a facial expression that really is a smile.  They have been observed smiling at each other.  However, they don't seem to smile at people.  I can understand that.  People they encounter most often are observing them in captivity situations.  That would probably not evoke a smile in me either.  Don't get me wrong, I really do like dolphins and I have seen stories of friendly interactions with humans and watched them perform.  But enough about dolphins.  Give someone a big smile before you go to bed tonight.

technical difficulties...

Today is National Techies Day.  One of my favorite techies supplied me with that information.  Lucky for me I'm married to an electrical engineer.  You can't get much more techie than that. And boy do I need him.  This evening, while trying to write my blog I have been frustrated by a sticky light switch, a problem with my tablet, and some hesitancy in how this laptop is behaving.  Therefore, this blog is done for now.  Perhaps tomorrow night, after my favorite techie has time to ponder my problems, I'll blog more cheerfully.

What's in a name?

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "National Name Your Car Day."  I don't know your feelings about this, but I have always named my cars. It makes them seem friendlier somehow.  I'm the first to admit that my car names aren't particularly original but I'm not the only car- naming person. When I bought my current car, a pretty blue Fiat 500L, there was a large board in the showroom where buyers were encouraged to write the names of their new cars.  The name of my car is "Blue."  As I said, not wildly original, but it suits it.  At this point I couldn't change the name if I wanted to.  In Indiana we only have license plates on the back of our cars leaving the front space common to most cars available for decorative plates. Thanks to a gift from one of my granddaughters soon after I bought the car, the plate on the front of my car proudly pronounces "Nana's Blue."  I'm not sure how my spouse feels about naming cars but I've named it "Red." I will not, however, be giving him a decorative plate. 

another great day...

 Once again my west coast brother has lightened my mood with his humor.  I watched the VP debate this evening which was not fun, but, while watching, I was able to celebrate International Day of Older Persons (that's me), Homemade Cookie Day, and World Vegetarian Day by simply being older, enjoying a cup of warm cider (that's certainly vegetarian) and eating a homemade cookie.  Ok, I must admit that the cookies were not made in a home but rather in our church kitchen.  However, I do know, because I have helped bake them in other years, that they are made from scratch with all of the same ingredients you would use at home.  My husband likes the cinnamon sugar cookies while I favor the molasses cookies.  My mother used to bake really excellent molasses cookies and these come as close as any I've tasted since.  As far as being a vegetarian is concerned, my brother informs me that he is a 'virtual vegetarian.'  He only eats vegetables or things that have previously eaten vegetables.  It works for me.