REFLECTIONS

JANUS What Does “Auld Lang Syne” Actually Mean?  I found this article from dictionary.com Link:  History, Meaning & Lyrics of "Auld Lang Syne" | Dictionary.com Good news for me, the elevator company cleared away the mess left by the concrete people! If you remember, an older post explained how I had an outside open elevator installed to make it easier to get up and down the steps with my walker and wheelchair. It's a nice way to start the new year. Take care and have a happy new year. John

  I recently had a lift installed to make it easier to use my rollator and wheelchair. The two companies did a great job. But both the elevator company and the concrete company left a mess. I thought someone would clean up. I called both of them. The concrete company said their job was finished, It must be my fault for not seeing that the wording on the contract did not mentioning anything about cleaning up the mess.  The elevator company thought the concrete workers should have cleaned up. But they told me not to worry. They would make sure that it would be done one way or another. I asked another contractor. He told me it would cost about 500 dollars!  The mess includes very heavy concrete and brick items. It would take two men. Also the dump site charges a fee according to the weight. Wish me luck. Take care, John

"Mendeleev began arranging the elements and comparing them by their atomic weights."  Here is an extremally long article about the Periodic Table:   Periodic table - Wikipedia It fascinated me at school and it still fills me with wonder.   I found this interactive table which explains information about an element when you click on its'  symbol.  It works on line. It's Elemental - The Periodic Table of Elements I downloaded it as a PDF file and it still works. But when I tried to download it again I could not. Take care, John

I found this interesting post I thought you might like, From Quora https://www.quora.com/ The hard labor, the pushing, the expulsion: this is a gif of the happy event of one of the animal world's most present and caring fathers: the male seahorse (yes, it is the seahorse father that give birth, in a rare natural case of male pregnancy). During mating, the female lays eggs in a special incubator pouch located in the male's belly. The partner fertilizes and houses them for the duration of the larval stage, which ends after about 28 days. Birth occurs about a week later: in a series of rhythmic and violent contractions, reminiscent of those of human birth, the fish expels 20 to 1,000 miniature hippocampi, about 7 millimeters long. “Loyal” creatures. The absolute faithfulness of seahorses was discovered by a group of researchers at the University of Melbourne a few years ago. Among the more than 50 pairs of seahorses kept under observation for 135 days by Laila Sadler and her resea

Video Explanation 

"Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder, but most jurisdictions include others within the ambit of burglary."   Wikipedia I've seen this man's videos on YouTube and I have to admit they are entertaining. He calls himself The Lock Picking Lawyer. Sometimes I wonder if he may be unintentionally encouraging crime? Besides making many videos he also sells the equipment.  But it is legal!!! Is Lock Picking Illegal? The Honest Truth | Art of Lock Picking Must Show Intent:  In most states, and most of the world, owning lock picks is  100% legal . It is only when you use them in an illegal way that you will find trouble. Lock picks in these states are seen by the law in the same light as a screwdriver or hammer. All of these tools can be used illegally, but until you show in

  Completed Project This is the view from inside the lift. The controls are on the side. The flap at the bottom lowers to let the wheelchair reach the ground. The pieces left from the old steps. Workers will come to remove them. View of the backyard.

 

Looking through the window blinds. This photo is from the screen door. The steps going down the side. Elevator-Lift will be in the center.  I'll have to take more photos when the job is finished.  

  Lynette and I are paying concrete workers to make a pathway for our rollators. Lynette has trouble walking because of a back operation that went poorly. I have a neuropathy which leaves me tired and my legs weak. It's gradually getting worse so I might need a wheelchair someday. The three concrete steps that we now have are dangerous for us to use. These photos show where the soil was dug away and the I-Rods lined up. This will allow the concrete to be poured into the depression. They set this up yesterday, Saturday. Monday the workers will pour the concrete. There is enough room for a small patio. This will be a small stairway off to the side for those who don't need help getting up stairs.. There will be a chair lift where the landing is now. The landing will be built up to make it easier for a rollator or wheelchair to get in and maneuver. I think it will look better than a wooden plank. It will be flat, not at a slope.

 

Njet, Vladimir  

  Autumn

 I found an article on Quora that you might enjoy. Gaia    ·  Follow Lived in  Exeter, Devon, UK  (2015–2018) Mon DID YOU KNOW THESE THINGS HAD NAMES? 1. The space between your eyebrows is called a glabella. 2. The way it smells after the rain is called petrichor. 3. The plastic or metallic coating at the end of your shoelaces is called an aglet. 4. The rumbling of the stomach is actually called a wamble. 5. The cry of a newborn baby is called a vagitus. 6. The prongs on a fork are called tines. 7. The sheen or light that you see when you close your eyes and press your hands on them is called phosphenes. 8. The tiny plastic table placed in the middle of a pizza box is called a box tent. 9. The day after tomorrow is called overmorrow. 10. Your tiny toe or finger is called minimus. 11. The wired cage that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne is called an agraffe. 12. The 'na na na' and 'la la la', which don't really have any meaning in the lyrics of any song, are c

  Photo I took a few years ago.

 My cousin in Florida did not know who this solder was. (see previous post  REFLECTIONS: This Postcard Found with My Old Family Papers ). She asked around but no one knew. It has something to do with my father because his handwriting is on the back. I can guess at a few words like "second, cavalry, Piedmont, royal, Roma" but I could be wrong.                           The "A" in my father's signature is definitely his.   It has a fancy swirly look with a sort of square top. I always liked the way he did that. I looked on the web but could not anything like it!  I wonder what style it could be. I have other items I'll look into and also send a copy of those to my cousin to see if she might be able to help.  I'll keep you posted.

 

I looked up at the window while we were having dinner at a local restaurant a few years ago. The shadows are from the seats for outside dining. The sun is at just the right location and the colored blinds make it surrealistic.   

Old image I found on the web An old postcard I found with my family papers. The man looks like he could be a relative.  If you compare the helmet you can see he was in the cavalry. The back of the postcard has my father's handwriting and I can just make out the word Piedmont in Italian.  The Piedmont region is not too far from France or Switzerland. Royal Flag So, I must have some sort of family connection. My father never spoke about it. It would be lost to me if I did not find the postcard. La Marcia Reale d'Ordinanza was the national anthem of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of the country (1861) until September 8, 1943, and again from the liberation of Rome (1944) to the fall of the Savoy monarchy (1946). It was composed as a parade march in 1831 or 1834 by the Turin-born Giuseppe Gabetti. Another view of the royal families:

  Front of postcard Note the riding pants and spurs on the heels of his boots. On the back of the postcard I'll show you more of what I found out about this card in a later post. 

I took this photo of some clouds at sunset a few years ago, but not in the direction of the sunset itself. I'm looking forward to taking more photos when I get some strength back. Here are some photos I took of a real caboose. I played around with editing the original photo. Maybe the "C" in C207 is for caboose. Notice the brake on the bottom left. The date is 1944 and it looks like the wheel was made in Pittsburgh. Take  care, John