Dick's Blog
MY GUTTER HELMETS: No More Clogged Gutters
As a life-long hiker, I must confess that I am not crazy about heights, edges and steep exposed places. On ladders, I suffer vertigo. Although I continue to hike in spite of my fears, I am giving up the one bothersome task (or asking others for help) of cleaning my gutters. With the proximity of tall trees to my home and prevailing westerly winds, my gutters and downspouts fill at least four times a year with spring oak tassels, summer leaf cuttings from the gypsy moths, the fall leaf drop from maples and the continuous leaf drop from the oak trees which shed all fall and winter. This nuisance has all ended with the recent installation of high tech “Gutter Helmets” (see brochure picture). I’ll report back in a year to tell you how this has all worked out. Meanwhile, I will continue hiking even though I do occasionally encounter a steep slippery ladder on the trail.
Therapy
Hiking with my son is inexpensive therapy. I’m home after a two-day hiking trip with my son to the Adirondacks of New York State. On our first trip into a frozen pond, half into and half out of our snowshoes, my son found a child’s life preserver. Donning it, he posed for this picture. He is my therapist, lots of goofy stuff and laughs, and he doesn’t charge for his services.
CLOWNS
This is my second BLOG under my new Articles by Topic “Second Chances”. How many of you have been given second chances, opportunities and people making profound differences in our lives?
I belong to a group of hiking and snowshoeing enthusiasts called the “Clowns”. Our origin goes back many years, described in my story “Walking With Clowns” in my first memoir “Hiking Out”. This year we just celebrated our 45thannual winter “Clown” snowshoe trip. Our members have changed over the years, with the addition of sons, grandsons, son in laws, friends, the moving of members out of state, and the sad loss of two of our members to cancer and heart disease. At every meeting of “The Clowns” we pause to celebrate the lives of our departed friends. Some of us owe our ability to do these hikes, and even our lives, to the mobility and life saving advances of modern medicine. For me, as one of the founding members of the “Clowns”, I think of it as one of my “Second Chances” in life. Shortly after the group’s founding, I fell into a deep depression. Over the years, my membership in this group has been a source of strength and salvation. As I say often, “Hiking helped save my life!” The photograph is from this year’s Saturday snowshoe hike. I’m the one in front with the hunter orange cap and the red and gray parka, accompanied by my fellow “Clowns”.
REFLECTIONS AND STORIES ALONG THE WAY
I have been blogging for exactly 4 years since May 5, 2012. This is my 140th blog. I’m considering cutting back on my blogging and introducing a new feature on my web site, a serialization of my two memoirs, a way of introducing you to my writing. I’d publish a new chapter each week. You’d be able to download either each new chapter or all the chapters up to that point. If you are impatient or need a great gift for someone, you can purchase my memoirs at low cost as e-books or paperbacks from Amazon, etc. The chapters of my memoirs, “Hiking Out” and “Inside and Outside”, consist of easy to read inspirational, often humorous, nonfiction short stories and essays. Each serial chapter would include a new short introductory update. This will be similar to what Andy Weir did for free on the Internet for the “Martian”, except it will be one man’s life journey through the ups and downs of life here on earth. I’d appreciate any comments you may have on my creating this new feature.
Dick Sederquist
May 2016
dicksederquist.com
RECHARGING MY BATTERIES
This is Dick Sederquist with my 12th audio PODCAST called “Floating Down”. It’s an audio update to a previous written BLOG. No wonder when we look up to the skies, we call it heaven. We owe everything to the heavens from which everything came, the grains of space rock and dust, which accreted to form our planet four and a half billion years ago, the comets which brought us our water and oceans, the sunlight which nourished the first primitive plants and algae in our oceans producing life giving oxygen. We even owe the malevolent space rock that impacted the Earth wiping out the dinosaurs, allowing a new species to inherit the Earth. Without this, there would never have been the rise of mammals and human life on earth. We would never have been able to contemplate the sources of our existence, and all the things, including feathers, which float down from the sky. From the skies and the stars, we received the gifts of life and intelligence, gifts we cherish, honor and protect. We celebrate these gifts through our human and global connection called love. I can’t think of anything better than love that connects us together under a common sky and heaven.
I’m taking my annual vacation from blogging and podcasting for a while, recharging my batteries. Coming up with something new every two weeks is a challenge. I do look to my readers for their input (hint!). I’m also moving my volunteer (secular) prison ministry to a new venue from a medium to a minimum-security prison. I’m sure I’ll have something to say about that when I get back. Whatever an inmate’s history, they all need help in changing their lives and reentering society. In Europe, the incarceration rate is ten percent of that in the U.S. The European system is based on rehabilitation and success, not warehousing and failure. We can’t financially afford to lock up the high number of non-violent offenders that we do. When my batteries are up to 100 percent, I’ll start the process again.
While I’m recharging, checkout all my BLOGS and PODCASTS. You may have missed some. Here we go. Look up into the sky. You may be amazed by what you see. Until next time, keep looking up. You can hear the complete audio PODCAST on iTunes at “Reflections and Stories Along the Way” and at my web site at www.dicksederquist.com