Time Not to Over Do

I'm in that period after surgery where I feel pretty good as if I could do anything I want. But the surgeon says that I need to take it easy for a few more weeks. I realize that even though I 'feel' better, the incision area is not yet wholly healed and, if I do anything stupid, I could cause myself some real problems.

One of the things I can't do (and really want to) is ride Morgunn, my Icelandic Horse.

So, I'll take this cartoon to heart in the meantime:

Monday Video - Easter Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author.

Best known for his inventions, Rube’s early years as an engineer informed his most acclaimed works. A Rube Goldberg contraption – an elaborate set of arms, wheels, gears, handles, cups, and rods, put in motion by balls, canary cages, pails, boots, bathtubs, paddles, and live animals – takes a simple task and makes it extraordinarily complicated. He had solutions for How To Get The Cotton Out Of An Aspirin Bottle, imagined a Self-Operating Napkin, and created a Simple Alarm Clock – to name just a few of his hilariously depicted drawings.

In New Zealand, Cadbury holds a yearly contest called "Unleash the Goo!" Entrants come up with an inventive way to smash a Cadbury Crème Egg. Then they film it and upload it to YouTube.

This entry is the hands down winner. It’s an incredibly intricate Rube Goldberg contraption. It’s made entirely out of cardboard and plastic cups. It took six months to build. Three days of shooting and 200 takes were needed to get it right.

Enjoy!

Sunday Reflections - Palm Sunday

How many times have you watched a movie and the plot line usually goes like this - (1) the hero/heroine comes out of obscurity and struggle, (2) the hero/heroine finds a place of safety and security and even popularity, (3) the hero/heroine must go through a sudden tragic event, and (4) the hero/heroine eventually overcomes toward the end of the movie.

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:6-9)

What we now call Palm Sunday, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, is part (2) in the story of Jesus. He has come out of obscurity and overcome various struggles - spiritual and emotional - to this point where he is a 'favorite' of the populace. He is momentarily safe from his enemies - the Sanhedrin - because he is so popular.

All the crowd knows is he is someone special. He gives intersting, if puzzling, talks and he is even reputed to be able to heal - some even say he can restore life to a dead person. They don't understand him, but he's the most exciting thing to hit Jerusalem in a long time.

I believe most thought he was one more in a long line of prophets. Some may have thought he was the Messiah, but I doubt most of the crowd believed that he was. Their Messiah would be a conqueror who would free them from the rule of Rome. What they didn't know was that he was the Messiah and he was soon to offer them freedom from the rule of Sin.

In the absence of other distractions in their lives, this was something to see and be a part of - even if they didn't understand it. It was fun to be a part of the adoring and cheering crowd. They had no clue how close he and they were to the next part of this story - encountering a sudden and tragic event - the Cross!

Palm Sunday is the epitome of the 'rise' in the rise and fall of Christ. The apparent 'fall' is soon to come, but we know that the real end of the story is yet to be told.

Have a blessed Palm Sunday - the best is yet to come.

Scenes on a Windy Saturday

Betty breaking the ice on the horse's water tank.

Sugar getting a drink.

Betty coming back in after dumping the manure.

Betty getting a hug from Sugar.

Heading to the barn. You can see the wind blowing Sugar and Morgunn's manes.

Sugar intimidating Morgunn.

A Chip Off Her Parents's Block

It's amazing what children are exposed to today. Our granddaughter Juliet is growing up with all kinds of technology available to her.

Her parents are both tech savvy. Marie is an Interior Designer who uses all kinds of technology to design corporate space. Wade Daniel is a Project Director who uses technology to design Christian publications. They both sometimes work from home and they both have computers available to them.

So, Juliet is already jumping into the technological world. Her folks say she actually knows what she's doing.

Two Week Check Up

Betty drove me over to the surgeon's office today for my two week check up. He said everything looked good. He said for me to take it easy for the next month. Betty asked him if that meant she had to keep on cleaning the horse manure (she was kidding). He said that I should not do anything strenuous or involving lifting for at least two more weeks and then see from there.

Actually, I'm looking forward to getting back to doing my part of the clean up as I don't like being so sedentary. I'll do what I can to help, but it's not the same.

April Fools - Not

I love a good, humorous joke:

There were three fathers to be in a hospital waiting room, waiting for their babies to be born.

The first nurse comes out and tells the first father, "Congratulations you're the father of twins!" He says, “Great! I am the manager for the Minnesota Twins.”

The second nurse comes out and tells the second father, "Congratulations you're the father of triplets”! He says, "That's cool! I work for 3M."

The third father opens the window and jumps out.

The third nurse comes out, and asks, “Where's the third father?"

One of the other fathers said, "Oh he jumped out the window.”

The nurse asks, "Why?"

He replied, "He works for Seven Up!"

However, my experience with April Fool's Day is it tends to be more about pranks which are usually pulled at someone's expense. To me that's not funny.

I know I'm a party pooper, but I would rather laugh with someone than at them. Maybe I still have some issues from childhood.