Circle of Leaf Life

How To Loose Friends and Alienate People

Nothing better to take your mind off your troubles than a silly movie with a little nudity, slapstick humor, quirky characters, crazy situations, and a British accent. Two thumbs up for "How to Loose Friends and Alienate People." I enjoy being introduced to characters who initially repulse me and who I grow to love as their character is revealed by the story line. I don't think this movie is a must see at a theater but it's definitely worth renting if you need a laugh and something oddly hilarious to focus on.

Beyond Knowing

This weekend I read a book by a local author called "Beyond Knowing: Mysteries and Messages of Death and Life from a Forensic Pathologist," by Janis Amatuzio, M.D. Here is a book, written by a scientist, written scientifically (without religious references) that suggests there is more to life than science. I think it is an easy to read, thought provoking book. I like that the author is from my own neighborhood and that she writes in a gracious, grateful, simple style.

No Where Bridge

Way back in the olden days, say from fall of 1975 until the fall of 1976, I had an apartment in St. Cloud next to the Mississippi River on St. Germain Street. I had to traverse the Mississippi every day to go to school. Some days I walked and some days I drove over the river probably making several thousand crossings over the years. Every day I saw the river and every day I saw the DeSoto (Highway 23) bridge - also known as the Division Street Bridge. It's a large bridge - two lanes going west and two lanes going east. I usually crossed the river on the St. Germain bridge and as a pedestrian on the southern sidewalk, naturally I would look to my left up the river toward the DeSoto bridge. I never thought much about it. Yesterday, I crossed on the St. Germain bridge again and saw that the DeSoto bridge is gone. Holy Crap! I was surprised at the stunning difference in the appearance of the river valley. I could see the road at either end but nothing was connecting. Nothing protruded from the water. As a passenger in a car traveling along St. Germain, I had only a few seconds to observe but I was as startled as I would be if the water were pink instead of blue. I don't think I would have recognized the city as being St. Cloud if I had seen this scene in a photo. We have much to be grateful for in this country including our road and highway system. In this harsh climate, we have flat, straight, virtually smooth roads going in all directions. If there is a curve ahead, we expect to see a warning sign. If there is a pothole, we complain and somebody fills it in. We expect the shoulders to be level with the road or if not, we expect a warning sign about that too. Signs tell us when it is safe or unsafe to pass. We expect to be able to go in all four directions and diagonally on a smooth road of asphalt or cement. And if it's snowing, we expect the roads to be cleared of snow and ice. The surface of the road is angled so the moisture drains off quickly. Roadside trees, grasses, and weeds are mowed down so we can sail along at 55 mph without having our vision obstructed by nature. I work with a man from Africa and he said the most astonishing thing about the United States when he arrived were the roads. I believe him. We shouldn't take our roads and bridges for granted.

Flying

I hung my clothes on the line to dry this morning and took off. The sky was blue and the road was smooth. I followed the east side of the Mississippi north to St. Cloud, taking the back roads. A bald eagle soared and circled around downtown Elk River. I stopped to take a photo of a pumpkin field. This field was between Elk River and Monticello. I motored past field of soybeans (yum), corn, potatoes, strawberries, wheat and oats. I motored past cows and horses. At one point, between Monticello and Becker, I was flying along when a blue jay joined me. We flew, side by side, beak to nose, for a time. He flew over the shoulder of the road, just a few feet to my right. I could see his wings raise and lower. He surged ahead and crossed the road ahead of me diagonally. "Freaking awesome!" I shouted inside my helmet. I figured out a way where I could avoid Highway 10 entirely. I thought I was so smart when I biked down the frontage road in front of Becker Furniture thinking I could just cross Hwy. 10 and get onto County Road 8. Turns out we're not allowed to go straight across there. So I had to turn right on Hwy. 10, go a short distance, make a U-turn, and come back to get on County Road 8. That took me right into St. Cloud. I stopped to visit a friend. Everyone there was very friendly. They asked me several times if I had to go to the bathroom. I'm not sure why. I've never wet my pants there. That is the kind of friendly people they are - wanting to make sure you are comfortable and your bladder is empty. We sat and caught up on our lives for a while and then we went out for lunch in Waite Park. We went shopping at a huge craft store. Sometimes it's good when you ride a motorcycle because the vehicle itself limits splurging. I would have bought more if I drove a car. After shopping I headed back toward home. I got home in time to take the clothes off the line before they started getting damp again. I had a perfectly splendid day.

Signs of Fall are Missing

I haven't seen two signs of fall yet this year - two bugs that fall into the "orangish" range of colors - the Asian ladybug and the boxelder bug. Where are they? Usually my house has a few on the southern side. At work there are thousands hanging onto the warm brick and dropping onto visitors forcing us all to brush our shoulders off as we come in from our cars. So, where are they? Is this a natural cycle? Do the populations of Asian ladybugs and boxelder bugs typically wax and wane? I understand that Asian ladybugs have a defensive reaction and emit an unpleasant smelling yellow fluid from their legs joints, grossing out the birds that like to prey on them. Boxelder bugs are not plentiful every season. They are more likely to be numerous when we have a hot dry summer followed by a warm spring. We did not have a warm spring this year and I guess that is why we have fewer boxelder bugs.

Happy Birthday Mahatma Gandhi

Here is a BBC photo of children dressing up in honor of Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Today is Gandhi's birthday. This is a guy I would love to have over for dinner. I think he would be a fascinating character. He led an amazing life. He is known for his six principles. The first principle is Truth. Gandhi called it Satya. The title of his autobiography translates to "The Story of My Experiments With Truth." His second principle is non-violence and he is well known for this. The third is vegetarianism. This diet is part of the Hindu religion and it makes sense economically for people

in a poor country to eat lower on the food chain. He drank goat milk but otherwise was a strict vegetarian. He is also known for fasting as a form of political protest. The fourth principle is Brahmacharya which is spiritual and practical purity involving celibacy and abstinence from physical pleasures. I can't really relate to this one. I've been celibate since the last millennium and I don't feel any spiritual enlightenment from it. I think physical pleasures are to be enjoyed but that is just me. The fifth principle is simplicity. Gandhi gave up reading newspapers in the 1920's claiming they confused him and filled his head with worry. I can only imagine what he would think about radio, television, or the Internet. He refrained from speaking one day a week. The sixth principle is faith. He was a Hindu and he believed all religions were equal. He was a tireless social reformer and did much to improve the life of the lowest caste - the "untouchables." Gandhi was an inspiration to others. Today, his birthday, is a national holiday in India and in 2007 the United Nations declared October second to be an "International Day of Non-Violence."