Morning Folks November 5 2007

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Everybody’s going green these days. And Ed and I found ourselves going a little green without even knowing it. Ed wanted cloth napkins to bring with his lunch everday.



He thought it would add a little something to his lunchbreak.

So, we bought a few inexpensive cotton napkins in a variety of colors at our local department store.
I liked the idea of using cloth napkins because they seem kind of homey, country...Southern. So I went back and got enough for us to use everyday at home.

The first night I set the table with them, I felt like we were in an episode of Leave it to Beaver. Or that we should be eating with Aunt Bea, Opie and Andy.

Or maybe Lassie and Jeff would come flying in, screen door banging in their wake. (They probably had paper napkins by the time Timmy came around.)

Now these aren’t the fancy cloth napkins I have that match the table cloth and have to be ironed. These are nice hearty gingham that I just toss in the washer and dryer. And it is really a nice change.

As many of you know, I moved from the northeast to Tennessee almost a year ago. And as many of you also know, there is a certain amount of culture shock between those two locations. But aside from the obvious differences in the demographic profiles, one of the differences I see every day when I finish with a Diet Pepsi bottle or use the last drop of Tide or Ed finishes the Sudoku in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, is that there is virtually no recycling down here.
There is a recycling center about 5 miles from here, open for a few hours and only 3 days a week.

But there is no 5 cent deposit on your Mr. Pibbs or Dr. Pepper cans; no recycling bins provided by the trash companies who pick up your trash twice a week without fail;

and no Boy Scouts doing paper drives, at least none that I know of.

At first, it felt like a guilty pleasure and sort of freeing to get rid of the paper every day by just dumping it in the trash. It is such a pain to have them pile up in the garage.

And just tossing those soda cans instead of having to bring them down to the store to redeem the deposit was so much easier.

But I feel very guilty about that and realize that here, where recycling is really inconvenient and not mandated, it takes some real effort to do it.

I will concede that in this land of SUVs and pickup trucks, (with or without gun racks) over $70 million dollars in grants and incentives are in this year’s state budget to develop and implement the use of alternative fuel. Mandates have been issued and there are already 20 biodiesel fuel stations in Chattanooga alone.

In fact recently the Chattanooga City Council approved a contract with a company to turn the "sludge" from the landfill into bio-diesel fuel. They anticipate 2,000 gallons of fuel from every 60 wet tons of sludge and they produce 400 wet tons every single day. (Eeeeeeeeeyoooooo)

I always grumbled about recycling back up north. Sort of felt like it was something they forced us to do, against our will. Voted against the bottle bill and everything. But now, living in the Volunteer State, land of the Great Smokies and Lookout Mountain;

home to favorite sons Al Gore, Fred Thompson,

Morgan Freeman and Justin Timberlake,

and favorite daughters Tina, Dolly and Oprah and Aretha,

How can I help but to take care of this place in some small way? So, cloth napkins are a start. Who knows what's next?


Have a great day.
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 10 07 07

I am copying an e-mail that Dad sent to me today. Since this is a "math" thing, I thought about sending this just to Rick, my most mathematical friend. (He edits math text books for a publisher, and actually enjoys it.) Although there are plenty of people I know who never understood why I liked accounting, either.

But I think even the most devout discalculate mathephobians will enjoy his e-mail. And the latter part of the e-mail had something for those of us who also like word puzzles, like cryptograms. Here are a couple of clever quotes I found on the web this morning:


Some people love math because it is consistent and logical.

"How many times can you subtract 7 from 83, and what is left afterwards? You can subtract it as many times as you want, and it leaves 76 every time." ~Author Unknown

Some people hate math because it is consistent and logical.

"I know that two and two make four - and should be glad to prove it too if I could - though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 + 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure." ~George Gordon, Lord Byron

Inspired by today's subject (can you imagine that?) I wrote this little poem this morning. I haven't really refined it yet, so consider it as a work in progress.


Math 1
by Suzanne Eaton (that's me!) 10/07/07

Addend two plus addend two results in the sum of four.
If we make four the minuend, when subtraction is the chore,
And then we name the subtrahend that happy number two,
The difference is the answer then, as well the problem, too.

When two is multiplied by two, the product will be four,
Increasing exponentially, two seems to be much more.
If four becomes the dividend and the divisor now is two,
Two will be the quotient then- not one and not a few.

But back to exponentials, where two twos is always four,
And one two its extracted root, for now and ever more.
Following the logic, don’t you think it's true
When multiplied by itself, shouldn’t one be two?

And one will still be only one when raised to the power of three!
I think I’ll leave this problem to a power much greater than me.



Here is Dad's inspiring e-mail from this morning. (If there is any part of it you don't like, just subtract the subtrahend from the minuend and the result will be different.)


"Beauty of Math"

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321


1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111


9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888


Brilliant, isn't it?And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:What Equals 100%? What does it mean togive MORE than 100%?Ever wonder about those people who say theyare giving more than 100%?We have all been in situations where someonewants you to GIVE OVER 100%.How about ACHIEVING 101%?What equals 100% in life?Here's a little mathematical formula that mighthelp answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.


If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%


And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%


Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: While Hard Work and Knowledgewill get you close, and Attitude will get you there,It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Have a great Sunday everyone.
Love,


Suz

Morning Folks 09 16 07

Today on a Sunday morning news show they had a story about the little town of Hendersonville, NC pledging to raise the money to send all their WWII veterans to the WWII memorial in Washington DC. An organization called Honor Flights helped get them all there on various flights. http://www.honorflights.org/.

They said in the news story that many communities throughout the nation have followed their example and are also in the process of providing a way for their vets to visit the site. That story really moved me, having seen that memorial myself last fall with Ed. Of course I thought of my Dad the entire time we were there and with every picture we took. I don't think I ever shared these on the blog before, but even if I have, I think they are worth repeating.

As we approached the memorial, this was the view.

Each Branch of Service is honored near the entrance.

Americans Came to Liberate

and to End Tyranny

Situated on the Mall between the Washington monument

and the Lincoln Memorial...

...it is a large memorial with a pool and fountains in the center...

...flanked by two arches, one at each end.
The Atlantic Theater Arch on one end

and The Pacific Arch on the other;

Circling the pool are 56 pillars, one for each of the 48 states and each territory, as well as Washington DC.,

Massachusetts pillar third from left, where my Dad lived when he went into the Navy.

New York's pillar; where Dad was born and lived until he moved to Sudbury in 1942.

Dad was stationed in the Phillipines during the war.

Overview of memorial that I found on the web. On either end are the Atlantic and Pacific Arches. Directly in center at top of picture is the Freedom Wall.
-------------------------------------------------

A little comic relief in the midst of it all.

There are tributes and plaques throughout the memorial marking the various events in history.

Pearl Harbor-Roosevelt

D-Day

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Truman

The Wars End

General Douglas MacArthur

The Freedom Wall
"Here We Mark The price of Freedom"

A gold star for every fallen hero...4,048 stars...1 for every 100 lost. More than 400,000 lives.

It is a beautiful memorial, certainly a fitting tribute for these veterans to whom we owe our freedom. Thank you.

Have a great day.

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 09 14 07 - Sisters

Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart - oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape - of your sister. ~Katherine Mansfield

If sisters were free to express how they really feel, parents would hear this: "Give me all the attention and all the toys and send Rebecca to live with Grandma." ~Linda Sunshine

How do people make it through life without a sister? ~Sara Corpening

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~Vietnamese Proverb

If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child. ~Linda Sunshine

Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago - the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider.... It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled. ~Jane Mersky Leder

Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust. ~Erica E. Goode, "The Secret World of Siblings," U.S. News & World Report, 10 January 1994

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~Barbara Alpert

Sisters Cindy and Becky

I have two sisters. One of them is very sick right now. She is on the mend, but still we are worried. My middle sister Cindy is in the hospital. But as of last night, and if all goes well, she will be out of intensive care today and she can go home on Saturday. A bout with pneumonia can't keep her down for long, I know that.

Cindy and Hubby Steve

My youngest sister Becky is on her way to be with her this weekend, bearing chicken soup and laundry. That could be another sister quote, don't you think? "A sister is the only one who brings you chicken soup and her laundry when you are sick." And Becky is just what the doctor ordered for Cindy. Being so far away, it is a comfort for me to know that they have each other.

We have a brother, Chuck, too, as most of you know. But there is something special about sisters that anyone who has one knows only too well.

Please send your good thoughts and prayers to my sister Cindy today. And I will be praying for her recovery and with gratitude that we have each other. Feel better soon, Cindy.

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 09 13 07

For age is opportunity no less

Than youth itself, though in another dress,

And as the evening twilight fades away

The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

With birthdays and other events of the summer, I have been thinking a lot about aging, my own mortality and the cycle of life in general. I liked this poem and thought it brought some things into perspective for me. I am a little partial to Longfellow, so it was an easy choice. And not to mix my Brownings with my Longellows, but how nice to be reminded that "the best is yet to be".

Have a wonderful day and a starry night.

Love,

Suz