Cop Car's Beat

Fall Bouquet

This is the fall bouquet that I assembled for Hunky Husband, this afternoon.  When I was gathering, I didn't know what container would be used.  Now that I know, I'll need to gather more.  Can you identify the leaves?  There are green, yellow, scarlet, and maroon leaves. 

October 30, 2006 at 06:50 PM

Comments

Green is ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree), yellow is cottonwood (state tree of Kansas--and Nebraska), scarlet is sugar maple (the one pictured in Fall Color photo album--native to extreme eastern Kansas, but I love the color so planted one here), maroon is chokeberry.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 30, 2006 at 07:07 PM

Maples of course, but do I spy a catalpa?

Posted by: Cowtown Pattie | October 30, 2006 at 07:15 PM

Unfortunately, no, Pattie. The three catalpa seedlings that I brought with us when we moved died--the only tree seedlings that I brought over from our previous yard that did die. I had set them in the nearly-virgin prairie part of our yard (hardpan) and didn't water them enough, to boot! Just as well. Had they grown, they would have kept our yard from attracting the bluebirds that I later discovered would nest with us each year. I love catalpa trees--even if they are from China. But, it is better to go with native "stuff"--such as bluebirds.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 30, 2006 at 07:19 PM

The Southern Catalpa, though not native to Kansas, is native to (get this) the southern portion of the US (Georgia, Alabama, Florida etc.) and has naturalized outside that area.

However, I don't know what type of catalpa's were at the old house, so don't know if they were natives or not.

Posted by: bogie | October 31, 2006 at 05:24 AM

Bogie--There you go, again--making your mother look bad. *whimper* I'm just sure that I read that the catalpa was originally from China. If I get up the energy, I'll scratch around to see what I might have read and confused. Thanks for the correction. (Type? Catalpas got types?)

Posted by: Cop Car | October 31, 2006 at 09:37 AM

I don't have a clue why I thought what I thought. It had to be a memory thing. But...I didn't plant any of the catalpas in a good location for a catalpa. Back by the creek would have been better; but, it would have been so far to go to water it, that I wouldn't have done. As it was, with the hardpan, I was probably over-watering the dears rather than underwatering them. Roots tend to drown in some portions of our yard (including the whole front yard!)

Posted by: Cop Car | October 31, 2006 at 03:27 PM

There is a Chinese Catalpa - the trees in the old backyard might have been Chinese and not American for all I know (yes - types).

Posted by: bogie | November 02, 2006 at 03:11 AM

Since the catalpas in question were growing along a creek through what was cow pasture, I suspect that some hardy pioneer soul, upstream, had originally brought a couple of southern catalpas with them when they became sod busters. Several catalpa generations later, they were gracing our yard. My Grandma H had catalpas, interspersed with seckel (sp?) pear trees growing down the middle of her cowpasture, between the house and the railroad. That line of trees was my favorite place to play when I was a child; consequently, it isn't hard to understand how I developed a liking of catalpas. They always equated to "home", to me, since I spent many weeks/months staying with Grandma H through the years.

Posted by: Cop Car | November 02, 2006 at 05:51 AM

The only ones I know off-hand are maple:)

Posted by: The Lone Beader | November 09, 2006 at 01:00 PM

Welcome, Lone. I am floored! How did a young artist wonder onto my blog? (Your Datsun is awsome, BTW. I especially like the detail under the bumper. What did you use for the side-mounted mirrors?)

Yes, the maple leaves rather took over the photo, didn't they? (And you see a lot of them in your neck of the woods, I should think.) A couple of days later, there were no more really good-looking leaves to be had--we had had our first hard freeze of the season.

Posted by: Cop Car | November 10, 2006 at 07:06 AM

This is the fall bouquet that I assembled for Hunky Husband, this afternoon.  When I was gathering, I didn't know what container would be used.  Now that I know, I'll need to gather more.  Can you identify the leaves?  There are green, yellow, scarlet, and maroon leaves. 

Fall Colors in Kansas

Lest anyone believe that Bogie's New Hampshire Yard is the only place to find fall color, I submit a few photos that I took in/from our yard, yesterday.  This photo is a closeup of a chokeberry bush.  More photos may be found in the Photo Album, Fall Colors, on the left hand sidebar. Yeah, I know...Kansas doesn't have hillsides of sugar maples setting the scene ablaze.  Heck!  Kansas doesn't even have hillsides!  But we do a pretty good job of planting things to give us fall color.

 

October 28, 2006 at 02:43 PM

Comments

NIce pics and colors - I especially like the pyracantha.

Posted by: bogie | October 29, 2006 at 05:34 AM

I plan to plant more pyracantha--there are two in the photo, although they appear as one because they are in alignment. One was a retirement gift from the people who worked for me (plus matting and framing of the poster that about 120 co-workers autographed for me). If I get the time, will get another 3 or 4 put in this fall.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 29, 2006 at 11:44 AM

You do too have hillsides. On my first trip to Kansas, my former Mother-in-law very proudly pointed out the "peak" of the Flint Hills. She was rather disgruntled when I said "WHAT???" I didn't realize we had been slowly rising in elevation. *G*

You have some beautiful colors in those pictures!

Posted by: buffy | October 29, 2006 at 07:12 PM

Is there a nick name for that.

Posted by: janet | October 29, 2006 at 08:04 PM

Janet--I'm not sure what the antecedent of "that" is in your question. If you want a nick name for pyracantha, it is "Fire Thorn". Or, perhaps that is the name of a particular cultivar. Ask Bogie (she posts on Fire Thorn at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/2006/10/inkberry_and_fi.html.) She's the plant and animal specialist in our family. Elder Brother is our avian expert.

Buffy--It's not nice to make fun of our flint hills. They are gorgeous; but, high, they're not. Actually, (and I'm going from memory, here, so forgive me if I'm off by a few feet) although Kansas gives the appearance of being level, it isn't. The elevation in Kansas ranges from about 850 feet above sea level at the Missouri to about 3000 feet above sea level at the Colorado border. Were the slope not so gradual, we could have a 2150-foot-tall hill. As I'm surprised you didn't remind us, this whole area was once seabed. See what global warming does? *guffawing like an idiot*

Posted by: Cop Car | October 30, 2006 at 06:54 AM

The common name for Pyracantha is Firethorn. The cultivars that I planted are Orange Charmer - I don't know what Cop Car planted. Depending on the cultivar, the berries can be yellow, orange or red.

Posted by: bogie | October 31, 2006 at 05:18 AM

Lest anyone believe that Bogie's New Hampshire Yard is the only place to find fall color, I submit a few photos that I took in/from our yard, yesterday.  This photo is a closeup of a chokeberry bush.  More photos may be found in the Photo Album, Fall Colors, on the left hand sidebar. Yeah, I know...Kansas doesn't have hillsides of sugar maples setting the scene ablaze.  Heck!  Kansas doesn't even have hillsides!  But we do a pretty good job of planting things to give us fall color.

 

Interviewing a New Dentist

In the late 1970s, our secretary at work recommended her dentist to me.  It was one of those things that clicked.  As I sat in the dental chair awaiting the arrival of Dr McL, I glanced at the "stuff" on the walls--noticing, in particular, a certificate of membership in Sigma Pi Sigma.  I am a member of Sigma Pi Sigma.  It is an honorary for physics majors, or those who take, enjoy, and do well in college physics courses.  This guy had to be OK!!  Immediately, we hit it off.  One thing that I appreciated about Dr McL was that he gave his patients credit for having gray matter that worked.  He actually presented options and listened to what I wanted done.  And, he explained the engineering behind his recommendations.

When I moved to Florida, I never saw a dentist in that state (I was there for two years.)  When I moved to Albuquerque, I never saw a dentist in that state (I was there for seven years.)  Whenever I stopped in Wichita, Dr McL would work me in.  (I did the same with my eye doctor, but this posting is about my dentist!)

Eventually, Wichi Dude and Dudette (and, later, Wonderful GrandDaughter) began seeing Dr McL.  You should see the beautiful teeth of those three!  (Let's not talk about cost, eh?)  Later, still, but before we re-married, I was able to talk Hunky Husband into giving Dr McL a chance to help save a tooth that HH's dentist had given up on and was prepared to pull.  (HH and I have been married for 17.5 years, this time, and the tooth is still in his head!)  Needless to say, Dr McL and his staff were well thought of in this family.  It came as a shock, a few years ago then, when Dr McL announced that he was retiring.  It was a medical problem that strikes many dentists--neck problems.  (Did we ever stop to think about bending over patients's mouths all of those years?  Of course not!)  A younger dentist bought out Dr McL's practice.  I did go see the new dentist; but, his heart didn't seem to be in dentistry.  He seemed to be in dentistry only because he made enough money to support his real passion, flying.  Now, I am a pilot.  I love flying.  But, I want my dentist to love dentistry!!!!

A friend at the FAA asked me to give his wife, who had just set up a practice, a try.  I have nothing at all negative to say about Dr N.  Her location is, however, quite inconvenient for me and her staff do not all speak English.  Thus, when I read in the local newspaper (here in Derby) that a new dentist was joining a local practice, I was intrigued.  She had worked in her family's restaurant for several years before going back to school to become a dentist.  She had practiced dentistry, for a few years, in a neighboring community before coming to Derby.  On the way to Wally World, Tuesday, I noticed the building where the new dentist practices--and stopped in to make an appointment (notice how conveniently I avoided making a phone call?)  As it was during the lunch hour, the sought-after dentist, Dr Y, happened to be running about the otherwise deserted office.  She and I chatted for a few minutes, and she was able to give me an appointment for today.

Today, I mostly saw the dental hygienist; but, I told her (and then Dr Y) that this would be our "first date".  I could guarantee that they would find me a difficult patient, today--and, perhaps, if we stuck it out, a difficult patient for another "date" or "two".  But--if we made it past that period, they would consider me one of their "model patients", as Dr McL had done. 

My ground rules:  1.  No routine x-rays.  If there is a need for x-rays, we will take them; but, not before there is a "need".  2.  I come in once a year for cleaning and exam (actually, it had been over two years since my last visit to Dr N, during which my teeth were cleaned)--not every six months.  3.  I pay cash, having no insurance, so I will be asking to see price schedules.  4.  No fluoride treatments (they are ridiculous for someone my age but not all dentist/hygienists see it that way.)  5.  Give me credit for being a reasonably functional adult.  6.  Yes, I know that I have a 7 mm-deep pocket on the medial side of tooth #2.  It has been stable for 8-10 years.

They (Dr Y and T, the hygienist) were a bit surprised, but very accommodating.  T knew what she was talking about, and I was encouraged by her high opinion of Dr Y (T had been with Dr Y for a couple of years before the move and chose to make a rather long drive each day to stay with her when Dr Y moved!)  We got along quite well--especially considering that it was a "first date".  Just before I left, T asked what I had retired from.  Upon learning that I was an engineer, she laughed and said, "Ah...It all makes sense, now.  Engineers always want to know exactly what's going on!"  I'm encouraged.  I think I've found a "keeper".  The experience made my whole day brighter.  And the office is just three miles from our house!  (See my grin?)

October 26, 2006 at 07:44 PM

Comments

If I remember correctly, I only saw Dr McL once (it may have been twice - but no more than that). That time was after I hadn't seen a dentist in at least 5 years. He cleaned my teeth and filled one small cavity (without novacane - which he was not happy about). But I don't think I saw him again before we moved.

Posted by: bogie | October 27, 2006 at 03:06 AM

Bogie--I thought that you had seen Dr McL; but, I knew you couldn't have seen him very much. Your dad didn't let them use novacaine, either. Sometimes I did; sometimes I didn't. I doubt that any of our family ever let him use nitrous oxide though!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 27, 2006 at 07:33 AM

Well, I'm glad to hear somebody else squelches those "routine dental x-rays." Don't get me started on that topic!

Just glad to hear you still have your teeth! *snicker*

Posted by: joared | November 05, 2006 at 03:09 AM

Joared--Well, in a manner of speaking I still have my teeth. I had the hygienist count for me (I lost track years ago) and she said that either 16 or 18 of my 28 teeth (no wisdom teeth--and you can see that I've already forgotten how many she said) had been crowned. They work!

Posted by: Cop Car | November 05, 2006 at 01:40 PM

In the late 1970s, our secretary at work recommended her dentist to me.  It was one of those things that clicked.  As I sat in the dental chair awaiting the arrival of Dr McL, I glanced at the "stuff" on the walls--noticing, in particular, a certificate of membership in Sigma Pi Sigma.  I am a member of Sigma Pi Sigma.  It is an honorary for physics majors, or those who take, enjoy, and do well in college physics courses.  This guy had to be OK!!  Immediately, we hit it off.  One thing that I appreciated about Dr McL was that he gave his patients credit for having gray matter that worked.  He actually presented options and listened to what I wanted done.  And, he explained the engineering behind his recommendations.

When I moved to Florida, I never saw a dentist in that state (I was there for two years.)  When I moved to Albuquerque, I never saw a dentist in that state (I was there for seven years.)  Whenever I stopped in Wichita, Dr McL would work me in.  (I did the same with my eye doctor, but this posting is about my dentist!)

Eventually, Wichi Dude and Dudette (and, later, Wonderful GrandDaughter) began seeing Dr McL.  You should see the beautiful teeth of those three!  (Let's not talk about cost, eh?)  Later, still, but before we re-married, I was able to talk Hunky Husband into giving Dr McL a chance to help save a tooth that HH's dentist had given up on and was prepared to pull.  (HH and I have been married for 17.5 years, this time, and the tooth is still in his head!)  Needless to say, Dr McL and his staff were well thought of in this family.  It came as a shock, a few years ago then, when Dr McL announced that he was retiring.  It was a medical problem that strikes many dentists--neck problems.  (Did we ever stop to think about bending over patients's mouths all of those years?  Of course not!)  A younger dentist bought out Dr McL's practice.  I did go see the new dentist; but, his heart didn't seem to be in dentistry.  He seemed to be in dentistry only because he made enough money to support his real passion, flying.  Now, I am a pilot.  I love flying.  But, I want my dentist to love dentistry!!!!

A friend at the FAA asked me to give his wife, who had just set up a practice, a try.  I have nothing at all negative to say about Dr N.  Her location is, however, quite inconvenient for me and her staff do not all speak English.  Thus, when I read in the local newspaper (here in Derby) that a new dentist was joining a local practice, I was intrigued.  She had worked in her family's restaurant for several years before going back to school to become a dentist.  She had practiced dentistry, for a few years, in a neighboring community before coming to Derby.  On the way to Wally World, Tuesday, I noticed the building where the new dentist practices--and stopped in to make an appointment (notice how conveniently I avoided making a phone call?)  As it was during the lunch hour, the sought-after dentist, Dr Y, happened to be running about the otherwise deserted office.  She and I chatted for a few minutes, and she was able to give me an appointment for today.

Today, I mostly saw the dental hygienist; but, I told her (and then Dr Y) that this would be our "first date".  I could guarantee that they would find me a difficult patient, today--and, perhaps, if we stuck it out, a difficult patient for another "date" or "two".  But--if we made it past that period, they would consider me one of their "model patients", as Dr McL had done. 

My ground rules:  1.  No routine x-rays.  If there is a need for x-rays, we will take them; but, not before there is a "need".  2.  I come in once a year for cleaning and exam (actually, it had been over two years since my last visit to Dr N, during which my teeth were cleaned)--not every six months.  3.  I pay cash, having no insurance, so I will be asking to see price schedules.  4.  No fluoride treatments (they are ridiculous for someone my age but not all dentist/hygienists see it that way.)  5.  Give me credit for being a reasonably functional adult.  6.  Yes, I know that I have a 7 mm-deep pocket on the medial side of tooth #2.  It has been stable for 8-10 years.

They (Dr Y and T, the hygienist) were a bit surprised, but very accommodating.  T knew what she was talking about, and I was encouraged by her high opinion of Dr Y (T had been with Dr Y for a couple of years before the move and chose to make a rather long drive each day to stay with her when Dr Y moved!)  We got along quite well--especially considering that it was a "first date".  Just before I left, T asked what I had retired from.  Upon learning that I was an engineer, she laughed and said, "Ah...It all makes sense, now.  Engineers always want to know exactly what's going on!"  I'm encouraged.  I think I've found a "keeper".  The experience made my whole day brighter.  And the office is just three miles from our house!  (See my grin?)

Just Say "No"

Wall Street Journal published a column-long piece in the Cubicle Culture department titled Some Managers Make It Easy on Themselves With a Ready "No", by Jared Sandberg.  You can imagine the diatribe that Mr Sandberg gave against bosses who say "no"--in his opinion, too much.  He writes, "Naysayers tend to deflate motivation and bring productivity to a grinding halt--just to salve their needy egos. 'Negative evaluation is a tactic people use when they're intellectually insecure,' says Deresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.  More than 20 years ago, Prof Amabile conducted a study in which she discovered that criticism sounds smarter than praise--that people believe lashing critics are smarter than the approvers.'"

Well, the naysayers may just be smarter.  Not more popular, but smarter.  In a psychology course, some years ago, I learned that animals learn faster when consistently presented with the stick--faster than when consistently presented with a carrot, and faster than when sometimes presented with a stick and sometimes with a carrot.  Why should I believe that humans learn any differently?  And, as Prof Amabile points out, there is good survival reasoning for this.  She is quoted as saying, "That may be because we're wired to take "no" far more seriously than "yes."  Kathleen Vohs, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, conducted a study that found negative stimuli have a bigger impact on emotions, cognition and behavior than positive ones.  'Evolutionarily, you have to pay attention to any negative stimulus or information because it could be the one that results in death.'  In other words, roughhousing with velociraptors would be a big no-no."

The trick is not to waste big negatives on minor consequences.  (Ask Bogie or Dudette the difference between "No!" and "Don't.")

October 23, 2006 at 08:12 AM

Comments

You hit the nail on the head, if you'll forgive me for using a cliche':

"The trick is not to waste big negatives on minor consequences."

Guess the important goal is to help people learn how to make that differentiation. Hard for children to begin to learn those differences as I sure do hear a lot of "big negatives" thrown around by parents.

Posted by: joared | October 23, 2006 at 11:04 PM

I may be thinking of a different article, but I thought that it was about those that always said no so that a decision didn't really have to be made.

In such a case, people can't even get good ideas off the ground, so learn not to even try.

Posted by: bogie | October 25, 2006 at 02:46 AM

Bogie--Same article; but, the headline and first couple of paragraphs didn't reflect the whole article. Besides: Who knows where my mind will wander from Point A?

Posted by: Cop Car | October 25, 2006 at 06:38 AM

That would be the disconnect, I read a couple of paragraphs and pretty much decided that there were better articles to read.

Posted by: bogie | October 26, 2006 at 03:07 AM

Wall Street Journal published a column-long piece in the Cubicle Culture department titled Some Managers Make It Easy on Themselves With a Ready "No", by Jared Sandberg.  You can imagine the diatribe that Mr Sandberg gave against bosses who say "no"--in his opinion, too much.  He writes, "Naysayers tend to deflate motivation and bring productivity to a grinding halt--just to salve their needy egos. 'Negative evaluation is a tactic people use when they're intellectually insecure,' says Deresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.  More than 20 years ago, Prof Amabile conducted a study in which she discovered that criticism sounds smarter than praise--that people believe lashing critics are smarter than the approvers.'"

Well, the naysayers may just be smarter.  Not more popular, but smarter.  In a psychology course, some years ago, I learned that animals learn faster when consistently presented with the stick--faster than when consistently presented with a carrot, and faster than when sometimes presented with a stick and sometimes with a carrot.  Why should I believe that humans learn any differently?  And, as Prof Amabile points out, there is good survival reasoning for this.  She is quoted as saying, "That may be because we're wired to take "no" far more seriously than "yes."  Kathleen Vohs, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, conducted a study that found negative stimuli have a bigger impact on emotions, cognition and behavior than positive ones.  'Evolutionarily, you have to pay attention to any negative stimulus or information because it could be the one that results in death.'  In other words, roughhousing with velociraptors would be a big no-no."

The trick is not to waste big negatives on minor consequences.  (Ask Bogie or Dudette the difference between "No!" and "Don't.")

Computers & Eyes

IE7:  Having just installed Internet Explorer 7 about an hour or two ago, I am trying to get used to the different visual presentation--and wondering what I've gotten myself into.  I can hardly read the words to Tom Lehrer's song that I posted, the print is so tiny on my monitor, now.

I was impressed when my eyes checked Wednesday morning.  It had been 3 years since my last check, but the vision in my left eye has been stable for several years now--and I don't depend upon my right eye that much.  As it happens, my right eye had drifted 1/4-diopter back toward the prescription-before- last (the last two prescriptions were only 1/2-diopter apart for the right eye.)  I do have a bothersome "horizontal cloud" in the center of my vision field which Dr McD says is just my cataracts; but, he says it is much too soon to be thinking of surgery for them.  OK.  I did ask him about macular degeneration.  He said that my maculae are clear--no sign of problems. 

Since Dr McD was in a talkative mood (he generally is!), I asked him to talk to me about KC.  He told me more than I had remembered about KC from reading BogieBlog and her reference sites (but that is because it's been so long ago that I read them).  Dr McD said that KC seems to develop in people who have suffered from allergies a lot.  He said that it is thought that, when kids suffer from allergies that cause them to rub their eyes a lot while they are young, the rubbing molds the eye into irregular shapes which induces severe, irregular astigmatism.  Sounds like "blame the victim", to me; but, since I don't recall Bogie's ever having been allergic to anything while she was growing up--or her rubbing her eyes a lot as a child--there are surely other mechanisms that produce the irregularities. 

Cleo, my 95-year-old live-alone friend called the other day to ask me to stop by to pick up clothes and take them to the YWCA's thrift shop.  The YWCA uses some of the clothing for women who seek shelter in their crisis center.  The rest of the clothes are sold to support the crisis center.  Cleo is in the midst of cleaning out her closets!  About 1/2 of her clothing still had tags on them.  Mostly, they had been gifts, over the years, that were too large for Cleo.  Cleo is a small woman (I've known her for 30 years and she has always been small), but some of the clothes were "large" and even "2X"!  Those sizes are fine for many of us, but Cleo would be hard pressed to fill out a "medium"!  I think we must think people larger than they are when they don't have a well-defined waist.  (I know that my mother had the same problem:  people gave her clothes that were much larger than she was.)  At any rate, Cleo always understood that it was the thought that counted and, since she didn't need more clothes, anyway, hung the outfits away in her closets.  I suspect that she will be calling me to come by to cart off more clothes.  She still has her husband's and son's clothing--both of whom have been dead for some years, now.  It will be my pleasure to help her in any way possible, of course. 

October 20, 2006 at 09:30 PM

Comments

I haven't presented the info about allergies and eye-rubbing on my site because I knew it didn't apply to me.

In truth, the experts don't know what causes KC, but the general KC population has a higher incidence of allergies, excema (and other skin problems), and Downs Syndrom. However, a fairly large portion of the KCers, don't have any of these problems - nor is there a family history of such problems.

Also - does eye rubbing cause KC, or does KC cause eye rubbing? After all, KC is known to increase the chances of a person having dry-eye, which would cause rubbing. Some doctors give more credence to the eye-rubbing theory than others.

There is also a contact-wearing theory; that wearing hard, or RGP contacts, cause the thinning of the cornea - so because of vanity, people cause the problem. This fails to explain the significant population of KCers that never wore contacts before they were diagnosed - or of the children under the age of 10 who develop the problem.

I'll shut up now, before my comment becomes longer than your original post!

Posted by: bogie | October 21, 2006 at 03:09 AM

Bogie--It's OK if you use more space! Dr McD was surprised that you wear soft contacts. It is his opinion (or he was parroting someone else's) that the hard contacts may help the condition because of their tendency to mold the eye. I couldn't recall why you switched away from your gas-permeable hard contacts. Dr McD made no mention of the possibility of the condition's being a hereditary thing and I didn't think to broach the subject. KC only came up because I had listed it on the medical form that they had me fill out--that included eye conditions of family members.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 21, 2006 at 04:49 AM

3 years between eye check-ups? Shame on you (especially with pre-existing conditions such as you have).

I thought you had been in there within the last two years, for dry-eye syndrome. By the way, did the medication she gave you for that work for you?

Posted by: bogie | October 22, 2006 at 05:51 AM

That was 3 years ago. No, I couldn't tell that the $600/month stuff did any better than my $12/month stuff. It was worth a shot, though, and the insurance made it cheaper--to me, that is. I forgot to tell Dr McD that I had even tried the prescription stuff, now that you mention it. I had heard of the prescription stuff from the specialist that Dr McD had sent me to; but, I had an appointment with my internist not too long after that and she was kind enough to write the prescription. (Why did Dr McD send me to a specialist??? I don't recall. Probably the dry-eye thing since Dr McD is the one who pointed out that my eyeballs had scratches on them indicating a problem--from dry eye. He didn't mention my having scratches, this time, so maybe my waking several times during the night to use eyedrops is helping!)

Posted by: Cop Car | October 22, 2006 at 11:09 AM

Hmm, funny, when I posted my second comment, your middle comment wasn't there - that's why I didn't answer your question.

I don't wear RGP's because I am intolerant of them. Believe me, I would love to wear them because then my eyesight would (should) be better. But, RGPs do nothing but scratch my eyes.

That is why I am sure I went thru 4 docs before someone diagnosed my eyesight problems - before I left kansas I could not wear RGP's for more than a couple hours before scratching my eyes. Only Dudette knows many people were in on the bets that WS blackened my eye the day I went to work at the liquor warehouse with an eyepatch from scratching my eyes. Then a week later, it was both eyes (and that was with a new pair of contacts). The doc said they fit great, but got me another pair anyway - same results.

Then, in the late 90's I tried again (and had the same results) - so went to soft. At that point, the 2 docs I went to had no clue, thought I just had astigmatism. Then when I was diagnosed by a different doc, we tried RGP's again and he couldn't get them to work either.

Posted by: bogie | October 23, 2006 at 02:50 AM

The idea of hard contacts helping actually has 2 trains of thought - some think it does, and some think it makes it worse because of the contacts rubbing the eye and thinning the cornea even more. However, the treatment of choice is usually hard contacts if for no other reason than the vision can be improved over and above what soft torics can achieve.

Posted by: bogie | October 23, 2006 at 02:53 AM

Thanks for mentioning the new IE7. I've just downloaded it t my machine also - or to be exact it did it itself while I was dealing with the weeks delivery of groceries. It is going to take a it of getting used to - I can't find any of the buttons I usually use a lot.

Just what is KC? It's not an acronym I recognise. I too have eye problems and have had them since I was 5 years old. I've had several eye infections over the years and now have a disease (glaucoma) that will have to be managed for the rest of my life. No-one has mantioned cataracts yet, thank goodness.

I have to admit that I agree with Bogie that 3 years between eye tests seems a very long time.

Posted by: Adele | October 24, 2006 at 06:43 AM

Adele--The comments have been acting up, lately (The ether swallowed two of my comments, yesterday!), so I am a bit late responding. If you go to Bogie's blog at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/, you will find (in the right hand sidebar) a listing of her Categories. Among them is Keratoconus, at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/keratoconus/index.html
Bogie does a good job of explaining the malady--essentially a malformation of the cornea that leads to astigmatism. (I think of KC as industrial strength astigmatism.)

Posted by: Cop Car | October 25, 2006 at 06:46 AM

IE7:  Having just installed Internet Explorer 7 about an hour or two ago, I am trying to get used to the different visual presentation--and wondering what I've gotten myself into.  I can hardly read the words to Tom Lehrer's song that I posted, the print is so tiny on my monitor, now.

I was impressed when my eyes checked Wednesday morning.  It had been 3 years since my last check, but the vision in my left eye has been stable for several years now--and I don't depend upon my right eye that much.  As it happens, my right eye had drifted 1/4-diopter back toward the prescription-before- last (the last two prescriptions were only 1/2-diopter apart for the right eye.)  I do have a bothersome "horizontal cloud" in the center of my vision field which Dr McD says is just my cataracts; but, he says it is much too soon to be thinking of surgery for them.  OK.  I did ask him about macular degeneration.  He said that my maculae are clear--no sign of problems. 

Since Dr McD was in a talkative mood (he generally is!), I asked him to talk to me about KC.  He told me more than I had remembered about KC from reading BogieBlog and her reference sites (but that is because it's been so long ago that I read them).  Dr McD said that KC seems to develop in people who have suffered from allergies a lot.  He said that it is thought that, when kids suffer from allergies that cause them to rub their eyes a lot while they are young, the rubbing molds the eye into irregular shapes which induces severe, irregular astigmatism.  Sounds like "blame the victim", to me; but, since I don't recall Bogie's ever having been allergic to anything while she was growing up--or her rubbing her eyes a lot as a child--there are surely other mechanisms that produce the irregularities. 

Cleo, my 95-year-old live-alone friend called the other day to ask me to stop by to pick up clothes and take them to the YWCA's thrift shop.  The YWCA uses some of the clothing for women who seek shelter in their crisis center.  The rest of the clothes are sold to support the crisis center.  Cleo is in the midst of cleaning out her closets!  About 1/2 of her clothing still had tags on them.  Mostly, they had been gifts, over the years, that were too large for Cleo.  Cleo is a small woman (I've known her for 30 years and she has always been small), but some of the clothes were "large" and even "2X"!  Those sizes are fine for many of us, but Cleo would be hard pressed to fill out a "medium"!  I think we must think people larger than they are when they don't have a well-defined waist.  (I know that my mother had the same problem:  people gave her clothes that were much larger than she was.)  At any rate, Cleo always understood that it was the thought that counted and, since she didn't need more clothes, anyway, hung the outfits away in her closets.  I suspect that she will be calling me to come by to cart off more clothes.  She still has her husband's and son's clothing--both of whom have been dead for some years, now.  It will be my pleasure to help her in any way possible, of course. 

A Birding We Did Go, A Birding We Did Go, Hi-Ho The Dary-O, A Birding We Did Go

On rather the spur-of-the-moment, Hunky Husband and I lit out Sunday morning for a couple of days of birding at Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivera National Wildlife Refuge, near Great Bend KS.  We set out in a dreary drizzle which came and went all the way there; but, what really made the day depressing was that we are in the midst of hunting season--and the goose hunters were out in full force at Cheyenne Bottoms.

The best find was Hunky Husband's.  As we were cruising slowly along a back road leading out of the bottoms to the highway--a road that used to have hundreds of cottonwood trees (mostly dead and cut down, now) , where Expert Seamstress had pointed out an owl on a trip several years ago--HH stopped and pointed out a bird to me.  At first, I thought he had seen a quail because, as I strained my neck to see past HH and out his side window, I saw a flash of brown in the weeds underneath one of the few remaining cottonwoods.  Then:  Shazzam!  The bird froze and struck a pose.  Busted!  An American bittern--abreast of us. 

The bittern stood there motionless, in a clear space about 12" in front of the trunk of the cottonwood, with its huge bill extended straight upward, while we examined it to our heart's content.  HH was really thrilled, and I'm sure that it was the best viewing of the bittern that I have had in years.

A bit later, we found a common snipe, which wasn't a bad find.  We didn't get to see sandhill cranes up close.  They were so far away that HH swore I was showing him little, grey pebbles (do you suppose he was right?)  Pelicans, least sandpipers, one lesser yellow-legs, a couple of dozen American avocets, about as many bank swallows, white-faced ibises, about a dozen wood ducks (equally divided between sexes), lots of blue-winged and a few green-winged teal and baldpates (American widgeons), ruddies (ruddy ducks), pied-billed grebes, double-crested cormorants, one American egret, great blue herons, Forster's terns, and world supplies of coots, red-winged blackbirds, and hunters.  As it was rainy and yucky and we didn't have very good light, we came home instead of spending the night in Great Bend as we had planned.

We've been having a band of 14 turkey come feed in our back yard at about this time (4:30), each night, for the past couple of weeks.  They are coming farther into our yard (pecking about under the back porch, even) than in past years. The deer come closer, too.  HH said that a couple of the deer were lounging about near the crabapple/chokeberry plantings on the southeast side of the yard when he was going to bed, last night.

I put out a 25-pound deer block (salt and mineral supplement block), Saturday--back in the woods near an old, fallen black walnut tree trunk.  It will be interesting to see how long the block lasts.  The 50-pound salt block lasted for a few years, but it wasn't apple-flavored, as is the supplement block.

Each year, in the spring and in the fall, we have a few dozen Forster's terns flocking and swooping about--back on the far side of the creek from us.  I assume that they may be migrating and are finding good foraging; but, they always stay a couple of weeks.  They've been here for about a week, so far, this time.

I was surprised to see an old friend standing at our front door when I answered the doorbell this fore-noon. It was an engineer with whom I had worked in the early 1990s...one of the really high-powered (think brainiac) stress gurus at the Little Airplane Company...who had retired, a couple of months ago. He and his wife are Jehovah's Witnesses and were canvassing our neighborhood, so I got to meet his wife. It was good seeing him, again, and meeting her. I'm a devout Agnostic, but I understand that most people have faith in one or another religion and I try to accord each of them due respect.

P.S.  Here's what an American bittern looks like, courtesy of WikiMedia.

Description	American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) attempting to hide. Taken at w:Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
Source	http://library.byways.org/view_details.html?MEDIA_OBJECT_ID=64092
Date	unknown
Author	Jerry Segraves
Permission	Released to public domain when submitted to FHWA.

This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its author, Jerry Segraves. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: Jerry Segraves grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

October 16, 2006 at 04:35 PM

Comments

oh wow how utterly wonderful.

Posted by: bod | October 17, 2006 at 12:30 AM

Thanks for stopping by, Bod. I should have elucidated the bit on the bittern's having frozen and striking a pose. That is the bittern's defense mechanism. It is normally found in grasses and weeds. With it's striped plummage, when a bittern strikes the pose, it blends into its surroundings so well that it is extremely difficult to spot. We were lucky that HH caught it out in the open!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 17, 2006 at 07:51 AM

What an exotic list of birds! I've always thought we had an interesting variety of birds here (At least, until your visit when we were overrun by house sparrows), but your sightings were amazing! Despite the drizzly weather, you and HH seemed to have had a good time. Isn't Fall grand?!

Posted by: buffy | October 20, 2006 at 03:29 PM

Buffy--Yes, I really do enjoy fall. HH and I said, to one another, that had Elder Brother and Expert Seamstress been along, our day's list of bird species would have hit 75 or 80, at least. We didn't even keep a list, since it was just the two of us. It did just occur to me, however, that I failed to mention the Eurasian collared dove that we saw. Several years ago a few settled down at the southern edge (south of the Arkansas River) of Great Bend; so, on our way through town, we turned off the highway for a few minutes to ogle the obliging dove who sat and posed for us on a telephone wire--just a couple of hundred feet from the highway. I had not seen a Eurasian colored dove--anywhere--until they settled in Great Bend! (We had spotted doves in Los Angeles, at some of the apartments where I lived, and band-tailed pigeons in the Tehachapi mountains, west of Edwards AFB--and in the Sandias at the northeastern tip of Albuquerque.)

Posted by: Cop Car | October 20, 2006 at 08:51 PM

Clarification: "spotted dove" is a species. BTW, Buffy: Even Elder Brother could not come up for an explanation of your brown-headed grackle; so, I am declaring it an aberation. He was a beauty!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 20, 2006 at 08:54 PM

I'm going to have to trust you on it, CC! I figure that you're my bird expert. (making a note....."brown-headed grackle"...

Posted by: buffy | October 22, 2006 at 08:00 PM

What a cool looking bird. Never have seen one. I just love bird watching.

Posted by: janet | October 29, 2006 at 08:17 PM

On rather the spur-of-the-moment, Hunky Husband and I lit out Sunday morning for a couple of days of birding at Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivera National Wildlife Refuge, near Great Bend KS.  We set out in a dreary drizzle which came and went all the way there; but, what really made the day depressing was that we are in the midst of hunting season--and the goose hunters were out in full force at Cheyenne Bottoms.

The best find was Hunky Husband's.  As we were cruising slowly along a back road leading out of the bottoms to the highway--a road that used to have hundreds of cottonwood trees (mostly dead and cut down, now) , where Expert Seamstress had pointed out an owl on a trip several years ago--HH stopped and pointed out a bird to me.  At first, I thought he had seen a quail because, as I strained my neck to see past HH and out his side window, I saw a flash of brown in the weeds underneath one of the few remaining cottonwoods.  Then:  Shazzam!  The bird froze and struck a pose.  Busted!  An American bittern--abreast of us. 

The bittern stood there motionless, in a clear space about 12" in front of the trunk of the cottonwood, with its huge bill extended straight upward, while we examined it to our heart's content.  HH was really thrilled, and I'm sure that it was the best viewing of the bittern that I have had in years.

A bit later, we found a common snipe, which wasn't a bad find.  We didn't get to see sandhill cranes up close.  They were so far away that HH swore I was showing him little, grey pebbles (do you suppose he was right?)  Pelicans, least sandpipers, one lesser yellow-legs, a couple of dozen American avocets, about as many bank swallows, white-faced ibises, about a dozen wood ducks (equally divided between sexes), lots of blue-winged and a few green-winged teal and baldpates (American widgeons), ruddies (ruddy ducks), pied-billed grebes, double-crested cormorants, one American egret, great blue herons, Forster's terns, and world supplies of coots, red-winged blackbirds, and hunters.  As it was rainy and yucky and we didn't have very good light, we came home instead of spending the night in Great Bend as we had planned.

We've been having a band of 14 turkey come feed in our back yard at about this time (4:30), each night, for the past couple of weeks.  They are coming farther into our yard (pecking about under the back porch, even) than in past years. The deer come closer, too.  HH said that a couple of the deer were lounging about near the crabapple/chokeberry plantings on the southeast side of the yard when he was going to bed, last night.

I put out a 25-pound deer block (salt and mineral supplement block), Saturday--back in the woods near an old, fallen black walnut tree trunk.  It will be interesting to see how long the block lasts.  The 50-pound salt block lasted for a few years, but it wasn't apple-flavored, as is the supplement block.

Each year, in the spring and in the fall, we have a few dozen Forster's terns flocking and swooping about--back on the far side of the creek from us.  I assume that they may be migrating and are finding good foraging; but, they always stay a couple of weeks.  They've been here for about a week, so far, this time.

I was surprised to see an old friend standing at our front door when I answered the doorbell this fore-noon. It was an engineer with whom I had worked in the early 1990s...one of the really high-powered (think brainiac) stress gurus at the Little Airplane Company...who had retired, a couple of months ago. He and his wife are Jehovah's Witnesses and were canvassing our neighborhood, so I got to meet his wife. It was good seeing him, again, and meeting her. I'm a devout Agnostic, but I understand that most people have faith in one or another religion and I try to accord each of them due respect.

P.S.  Here's what an American bittern looks like, courtesy of WikiMedia.

Description	American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) attempting to hide. Taken at w:Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
Source	http://library.byways.org/view_details.html?MEDIA_OBJECT_ID=64092
Date	unknown
Author	Jerry Segraves
Permission	Released to public domain when submitted to FHWA.

This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its author, Jerry Segraves. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: Jerry Segraves grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Who's Next?

For those of you who pay attention to world news, but are too young to remember when we first entered the nuclear age, this is another Tom Lehrer song from the Tom Lehrer Song Lyrics web site by Graeme Cree.

Who's Next?

One of the big news items of the past year concerned the fact that China, which we call Red China, exploded a nuclear bomb, which we called a device. Then Indonesia announced that it was gonna have one soon, and proliferation became the word of the day. Here's a song about that.

First we got the bomb and that was good,
'Cause we love peace and motherhood.
Then Russia got the bomb, but that's O.K.,
'Cause the balance of power's maintained that way!
Who's next?

France got the bomb, but don't you grieve,
'Cause they're on our side (I believe).
China got the bomb, but have no fears;
They can't wipe us out for at least five years!*
Who's next?

Then Indonesia claimed that they
Were gonna get one any day.
South Africa wants two, that's right:
One for the black and one for the white!**
Who's next?

Egypt's gonna get one, too,
Just to use on you know who.
So Israel's getting tense,
Wants one in self defense.
"The Lord's our shepherd," says the psalm,
But just in case, we better get a bomb!
Who's next?

Luxembourg is next to go
And, who knows, maybe Monaco.
We'll try to stay serene and calm
When Alabama gets the bomb!
Who's next, who's next, who's next?
Who's next?

---

Notes

      ^* An oblique reference to the Five Year Plans carried out by China and the Soviet Union, each of which focused on improving some specific area of industry.

      ^** At the time, South Africa's Apartheid system of segregation still kept the nation strongly divided along racial lines.

Cop Car's Note:  As those who are old enough will recall, the early 1960s were the glory days of Governor Wallace (the first one, George*).  Governor Wallace, a strong segregationist, made a big show of defying Federal Marshalls and the will of the courts when it came to desegregating the public schools (universities, high schools, grade schools) of Alabama.  He, much later, recanted his segregationist views. 

*For those who don't recall, George Wallace eventually was forced to cede the office of governor, due to term limitation laws in the state.  His wife, Lurlene, ran for the office, and won, becoming the second Governor Wallace of Alabama!

October 15, 2006 at 12:29 AM

Comments

And remember too that George Wallace was gunned down at a campaign rally and almost died and was forever thereafter paralysed from the waist down. I forget who shot him.

The 60's were such a violent decade in so many respects.

Posted by: Chancy | October 16, 2006 at 10:48 PM

Chancy--Thanks for the reminder. I always remember Governor Wallace as he was when he was hale and hearty; but, unfortunately, someone did try to take matters into their own hands. Like you, I don't recall who the miscreant was.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 16, 2006 at 11:42 PM

I missed the announcement by Indonesia.

I visited Wikipedia, and found that these five countries are members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: US, Russia, UK, France and China. These three countries have nuclear weapons but are not a member of the treaty: India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel will not confirm or deny that they have nuclear weapons, but there have been reports that they have over 200 nuclear weapons in inventory. (Of course, this COULD be another "weapons of mass distruction" sorta thang.)

AND...Iran claims that they just want to have nuclear power generation, but I have very little faith that they would stop there.

So, nine, or ten countries have nuclear weapons. Is Indonesia next??

I'm not terribly worried about the old guard, but it scares me that the Middle East (AND North Korea) is working on nuclear weapons, and Pakistan and India could melt a sub-continent pretty easily.

Posted by: buffy | October 20, 2006 at 03:44 PM

For those of you who pay attention to world news, but are too young to remember when we first entered the nuclear age, this is another Tom Lehrer song from the Tom Lehrer Song Lyrics web site by Graeme Cree.

Who's Next?

One of the big news items of the past year concerned the fact that China, which we call Red China, exploded a nuclear bomb, which we called a device. Then Indonesia announced that it was gonna have one soon, and proliferation became the word of the day. Here's a song about that.

First we got the bomb and that was good,
'Cause we love peace and motherhood.
Then Russia got the bomb, but that's O.K.,
'Cause the balance of power's maintained that way!
Who's next?

France got the bomb, but don't you grieve,
'Cause they're on our side (I believe).
China got the bomb, but have no fears;
They can't wipe us out for at least five years!*
Who's next?

Then Indonesia claimed that they
Were gonna get one any day.
South Africa wants two, that's right:
One for the black and one for the white!**
Who's next?

Egypt's gonna get one, too,
Just to use on you know who.
So Israel's getting tense,
Wants one in self defense.
"The Lord's our shepherd," says the psalm,
But just in case, we better get a bomb!
Who's next?

Luxembourg is next to go
And, who knows, maybe Monaco.
We'll try to stay serene and calm
When Alabama gets the bomb!
Who's next, who's next, who's next?
Who's next?

---

Notes

      ^* An oblique reference to the Five Year Plans carried out by China and the Soviet Union, each of which focused on improving some specific area of industry.

      ^** At the time, South Africa's Apartheid system of segregation still kept the nation strongly divided along racial lines.

Cop Car's Note:  As those who are old enough will recall, the early 1960s were the glory days of Governor Wallace (the first one, George*).  Governor Wallace, a strong segregationist, made a big show of defying Federal Marshalls and the will of the courts when it came to desegregating the public schools (universities, high schools, grade schools) of Alabama.  He, much later, recanted his segregationist views. 

*For those who don't recall, George Wallace eventually was forced to cede the office of governor, due to term limitation laws in the state.  His wife, Lurlene, ran for the office, and won, becoming the second Governor Wallace of Alabama!

It's My Fault [Not!]

When it comes to screwing things up via computer, it is always my fault.  Of course, I shall lay the blame to anyone who has the faintest connection to whatever it was that was screwed up.  In the end, though, it is (95% of the time) my own fault.  What's a person to do? 

I've been working with a database of about 1200 records - not a huge thing as databases go. It is a database that was built on a simpler database that I had started, last winter. Somehow, it has been screwed up--sometime after Monday afternoon.  Nearly 100 records disappeared from it.  What is really bad is that I have not discovered a pattern that might help explain how the nearly-100 records are related to help figure out what happened.  Of course, I blame the person who did the really hard work of putting together the database (obviously, she didn't make the database idiot proof!), our IT guy (who has been making improvements to the design of the database), and the new person at the office who has been improving the database (she is an on-purpose IT person.)  But...we all know who did the deed.  (Can you see my raised hand?)  What to do?

For a variety of reasons having to do with the data updates that I've input in the last few days, I chose not to resurrect the backup version of the database.  Instead, I spent a couple of hours on the task, Friday, succeeding in getting all of the missing records about 1/2-way input. That is, I've input about 1/2 of the information for each record.  

At least, it is I who am "paying for" my error.  If we could only figure out how I screwed up in the first place, I might be able to avoid a repeat.  Perhaps, eventually, I shall see the pattern.  Wish us luck!    Something to ponder:  Monday morning I assembled a file, using the database, from which I printed mailing labels for a mailing.  Of the 234 people on the mailing label list, 71 of them were among the "missing".  Had all of the missing records been among the 234 people, that would have pointed me in a direction; but, obviously, there were more than 20 people who were missing but who were not on the mailing label listing.

Get out your violin and play me a sad tune.  It will sooth me.  For your enjoyment, I should tell you that someone named the database The MotherBase. (Not MuthaBase!)

October 08, 2006 at 12:06 PM

Comments

Egad! It's enough to make you want to be hands off forever! I'm astonished that you've been able to determine how many are missing, and have enough back up to be able to re-enter the missing data.

Have you thought about the fact that it could be two uses of the data base by two different people that accounts for the missing names?

I hope all goes well with the corrections.

Posted by: buffy | October 09, 2006 at 04:14 PM

Buffy--There are several of us who regularly use the database; but, the most use of it is by me--by far! All of us, however, may use the database at the same time without causing problems--in theory. (If one of us tries to work on the same record that another is mucking about in, the database refuses access to that record until the other person moves on.)

It's one thing to input/output data, but quite another to change the design of the database, itself. Unbeknownst to me, the new IT-savy person was mucking about with changing the design of the database while I was using the database--which isn't a good practice--and our IT guy made some corrections to the database (at my request) at about the same time. Either or both of these may have been factors; but, we shall probably never know. Unless I can figure out what the 92 missing records have in common. Then I should be able to "nail" the cause.

One bad thing about the database: it is too enticing--everyone wants to muck about with it. I would rather have only one person able to do that, with a committee's approval required before any changes are made. (Any changes should be made during "off" hours when no one is using the database, of course.) Eventually, I'm hoping that the database design will be under positive control.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 09, 2006 at 10:51 PM

When I hear a tale of woe such as yours, I'm reminded of the line, "I've been around the world seven times, and truly, your story is the saddest I've heard." You do realize I'm kiddin' you, don't you? *smile*

I'm truly sorry for the database debacle. Personally, I think the computer did it -- think of Hal.

Posted by: joared | October 10, 2006 at 01:53 AM

Database design should only be done when other people are NOT on it. That is why, when I have a project that will take a bit of time, I go in on 3rd shift to do the deed. However, the databases I work with tell me that other users are on the database and any changes I make will not be permanent.

Too many hands in the database is bad, too - I don't know how many times I had to go back and fix what someone else had done when they were just making just minor tweakings (of course it didn't affect their stuff - just other departments' stuff). I finally told work that either I was the only one to make changes or I wasn't working on it at all - no fixing it or anything; I'm the only one to make changes now.

Posted by: bogie | October 10, 2006 at 02:47 AM

Bogie--Good for you: Solo is the only way to go at database changes. (Yes, I was surprised to learn that IT-savy person would be screwing around with the database during working hours.) My work with relational databases goes back to the mid-1980s, using KMan (KnowledgeMan) at Edwards AFB. Fortunately, I had a programmer to do whatever database design I needed so I needed only to worry about getting the right data input--in the right relationships. (I was helping to figure out what equipment/systems would be needed for testing new technologies over the coming 20 years. How about that: My work expired, last year!) A bonus from the company came out of the work--for a paper that another of the engineers and I wrote on application of relational databases. It was a good assignment. Isn't there some industry publication that you could write for?

Posted by: Cop Car | October 10, 2006 at 12:14 PM

Joared--Truly, isn't my tale the saddest you ever heard!?! Hmmm...I'll have to check into the lineage of our servers to see if there is a HAL back there in 2001, somewhere. Thanks for the tip.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 10, 2006 at 12:21 PM

For those who have been hanging on by their fingertips: Yes, I did finally figure out what happened to the database--and, BTW, it was closer to 150 people that we had lost. (The IT-savy person had compared the current database records with a month-old set to identify missing records. For some reason, her comparison only isolated about 2/3 of the missing. Go figure!) The cause of the data loss was the way that the change that I had requested was made. All the missing records have now been completely restored. Yeah!!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 19, 2006 at 08:57 PM

Glad to hear that it is back to normal. I had someone ask me this week to be shown how to get to the tables so he could make changes or export into Excel and extrapolate data (without having to bug me). He has asked this before.

My answer? "Thanks but no thanks, just let me know when you need something."

Posted by: bogie | October 20, 2006 at 06:24 AM

Good answer!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 20, 2006 at 08:57 AM

When it comes to screwing things up via computer, it is always my fault.  Of course, I shall lay the blame to anyone who has the faintest connection to whatever it was that was screwed up.  In the end, though, it is (95% of the time) my own fault.  What's a person to do? 

I've been working with a database of about 1200 records - not a huge thing as databases go. It is a database that was built on a simpler database that I had started, last winter. Somehow, it has been screwed up--sometime after Monday afternoon.  Nearly 100 records disappeared from it.  What is really bad is that I have not discovered a pattern that might help explain how the nearly-100 records are related to help figure out what happened.  Of course, I blame the person who did the really hard work of putting together the database (obviously, she didn't make the database idiot proof!), our IT guy (who has been making improvements to the design of the database), and the new person at the office who has been improving the database (she is an on-purpose IT person.)  But...we all know who did the deed.  (Can you see my raised hand?)  What to do?

For a variety of reasons having to do with the data updates that I've input in the last few days, I chose not to resurrect the backup version of the database.  Instead, I spent a couple of hours on the task, Friday, succeeding in getting all of the missing records about 1/2-way input. That is, I've input about 1/2 of the information for each record.  

At least, it is I who am "paying for" my error.  If we could only figure out how I screwed up in the first place, I might be able to avoid a repeat.  Perhaps, eventually, I shall see the pattern.  Wish us luck!    Something to ponder:  Monday morning I assembled a file, using the database, from which I printed mailing labels for a mailing.  Of the 234 people on the mailing label list, 71 of them were among the "missing".  Had all of the missing records been among the 234 people, that would have pointed me in a direction; but, obviously, there were more than 20 people who were missing but who were not on the mailing label listing.

Get out your violin and play me a sad tune.  It will sooth me.  For your enjoyment, I should tell you that someone named the database The MotherBase. (Not MuthaBase!)

Happy Birthday Dear Buffy

 

A Jinny Beyer quilt image is sent Buffy's way to wish her happy birthday.  Hope that you have a great one, Friend!!

(Thanks to the Jinny Beyer website for the image.)

October 08, 2006 at 12:01 AM [Re-posted from October 03, 2006]

Comments

Wow Cop Car! I hope this quilt was machine-pieced! What a lovely BDay picture for Buffy. BTW, can/could either of you do that?

PS I'm starting my new volunteer job at the blood bank next week. Yay!

Posted by: goldenlucy | October 04, 2006 at 07:09 PM

Lucy--Good for you, going to work at the blood bank. As to the quilt that is pictured, there is no way that I'll get good enough at quilting to do that--if I live to 150!! Buffy probably could, right now.

I should caution my readers that Buffy's birthday may well be October 8th, rather than 3rd. I have both days marked in my calendar and didn't want to be late. *sigh*

Posted by: Cop Car | October 04, 2006 at 09:14 PM

(grinning) Yeah....you jumped the gun a bit, my friend. My birthday is the eighth. But, this is almost like getting to celebrate twice. Thanks for thinking of me, and for posting the Jinny Beyer quilt for all to share.

Lucy, if that specific quilt was pieced by Jinny Beyer, it was probably hand pieced. I've heard that she carries packages of pieces with her as she travels to lecture, and hand pieces the current top.
Each year, she and her staff of teachers choose a theme for the lectures and workshops. It seems to me that the classes are held at Hilton Head NC Every year there's one full size memorable quilt that features the technique for the year.

I think that Jinny was the first of the teachers to create a line of fabric to be sold specifically in quilt shops. Rather than use just one piece of fabric per color, Jinny uses a range of shades of that color, giving her quilts a sense of depth.

Lucy, I haven't tried to re-create any of Jinny Beyer's quilts, but I'm finally at the point where I have the technical ability. Besides, I'm no dummy....I've bought ALL her books so that I could learn her secrets! *G*

Cop Car.....thanks so much for remembering my birthday.

Posted by: buffy | October 04, 2006 at 10:40 PM

Wow! What a beautiful quilt. That's enough to make a person want to take up quilting, but I know all the time and work involved. What an art!

So, do I wish Buffy a happy birthday, or do I wait? What the hey, Happy Birthday, Buffy! See, if we start wishing now, it will last longer.

Posted by: joared | October 05, 2006 at 03:03 AM

Buffy--I would apologize except there is nothing bad about celebrating your birthday for a week, instead of only one day. My dyslexia means that I sometimes do a "3" instead of an "8". I assume that I later looked on the correct day and discovered your BD hadn't been noted, so added it to my calendar. I have removed the 3rd, so don't think that we will be holding week-long celebrations every year!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 05, 2006 at 08:22 AM

Joared and Cop Car, thanks for the extended celebration! *G*

Cop Car, that you celebrate my birthday ANY time of the year is a gift. Thank you, so much.

Posted by: buffy | October 07, 2006 at 12:25 PM

Buffy--You are welcome. We could have a monthly celebration; but, we might become jaded--as folks are with Christmas and such. You are doing well, having family with you for your birthday. Many happy returns!

Posted by: Cop Car | October 07, 2006 at 06:25 PM

 

A Jinny Beyer quilt image is sent Buffy's way to wish her happy birthday.  Hope that you have a great one, Friend!!

(Thanks to the Jinny Beyer website for the image.)

Quilts of Gee's Bend

When I buy stamps, unless there is a long line of postal patrons behind me, I ask to see the latest commemoratives. Frequently, I end up buying a booklet or a page of such stamps. A few weeks ago, I bought stamps including a sheet of 40 titled Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives, a sheet of 20 featuring Hattie McDaniel, a sheet of 20 featuring Katherine Anne Porter, and a two-sided sheet of 20 titled American Treasures: Quilts of Gee’s Bend. There are 10 different quilts featured among the 20 stamps of Quilts of Gee’s Bend and they are what I would term “wild and woolly”—very colorful and mostly unstructured. However, I had no clue as to the story behind this collection of quilts. This morning, I’ve learned the story—from the October edition of Smithsonian.

In Fabric of their Lives, Amei Wallach (portraits by John F Ficara) provides the story of women living in Gee's Bend, Alabama, from approximately 1800 to the present, and the quilts that they have made—originally from the necessity of providing warmth, then for sale when the artistry of their endeavors became recognized. The following paragraph is excerpted from Wallach’s piece, as presented on the Smithsonian website:

Six of Young's quilts, together with 64 by other Gee's Bend residents, have been traveling around the United States in an exhibition that has transformed the way many people think about art. Gee's Bend's "eye-poppingly gorgeous" quilts, wrote New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman, "turn out to be some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced. Imagine Matisse and Klee (if you think I'm wildly exaggerating, see the show), arising not from rarefied Europe, but from the caramel soil of the rural South." Curator Jane Livingston, who helped organize the exhibition with collector William Arnett and art historians John Beardsley and Alvia Wardlaw, said that the quilts "rank with the finest abstract art of any tradition." After stops in such cities as New York, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta, "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" will end its tour at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's de Young Museum December 31.

From the USPS website:

Gee's Bend Quilts

The American Treasures series continues Aug. 24 in Chicago at the American Philatelic Stamp Show with the dedication "American Treasures: Gee's Bend Quilts" stamps depicting quilts made by African-American women of Gee's Bend, AL. Located southwest of Selma, on a big bend in the meandering Alabama River, Gee's Bend - officially named Boykin in 1949 - is a community made up primarily of African-American women descended from slaves. Although quilts were created for the practical purpose of keeping warm, they also demonstrate how ingenuity and improvisation are prized in Gee's Bend. The stamp images are based on photographs of 10 quilts made between 1940 and 2001.

Here are the stamps (copyrighted by USPS), as displayed in The Money Order, The Debit Card & The Quilts on Bygbaby.com's Mind Spill--an article well worth reading.

Bygbaby not only provides a highly readable article on the quilts, but provides a link to the NPR website.  It would be hard to believe that I didn't hear the original NPR broadcast concerning the quilts ('The Quilts of Gee's Bend'  A Showcase of Distinctive Work by African-American Artists by Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation, February 4, 2003), except that the airing was while I was still employed at The Little Airplane Company--and two years before Buffy enticed me into the world of quilting. If I heard the broadcast, it didn't "stick"!

More of the quilts may be seen at The Quilts of Gees Bend website, from which the following images (quilts by Annie May Young) are taken.

October 01, 2006 at 01:24 PM

When I buy stamps, unless there is a long line of postal patrons behind me, I ask to see the latest commemoratives. Frequently, I end up buying a booklet or a page of such stamps. A few weeks ago, I bought stamps including a sheet of 40 titled Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives, a sheet of 20 featuring Hattie McDaniel, a sheet of 20 featuring Katherine Anne Porter, and a two-sided sheet of 20 titled American Treasures: Quilts of Gee’s Bend. There are 10 different quilts featured among the 20 stamps of Quilts of Gee’s Bend and they are what I would term “wild and woolly”—very colorful and mostly unstructured. However, I had no clue as to the story behind this collection of quilts. This morning, I’ve learned the story—from the October edition of Smithsonian.

In Fabric of their Lives, Amei Wallach (portraits by John F Ficara) provides the story of women living in Gee's Bend, Alabama, from approximately 1800 to the present, and the quilts that they have made—originally from the necessity of providing warmth, then for sale when the artistry of their endeavors became recognized. The following paragraph is excerpted from Wallach’s piece, as presented on the Smithsonian website:

Six of Young's quilts, together with 64 by other Gee's Bend residents, have been traveling around the United States in an exhibition that has transformed the way many people think about art. Gee's Bend's "eye-poppingly gorgeous" quilts, wrote New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman, "turn out to be some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced. Imagine Matisse and Klee (if you think I'm wildly exaggerating, see the show), arising not from rarefied Europe, but from the caramel soil of the rural South." Curator Jane Livingston, who helped organize the exhibition with collector William Arnett and art historians John Beardsley and Alvia Wardlaw, said that the quilts "rank with the finest abstract art of any tradition." After stops in such cities as New York, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta, "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" will end its tour at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's de Young Museum December 31.

From the USPS website:

Gee's Bend Quilts

The American Treasures series continues Aug. 24 in Chicago at the American Philatelic Stamp Show with the dedication "American Treasures: Gee's Bend Quilts" stamps depicting quilts made by African-American women of Gee's Bend, AL. Located southwest of Selma, on a big bend in the meandering Alabama River, Gee's Bend - officially named Boykin in 1949 - is a community made up primarily of African-American women descended from slaves. Although quilts were created for the practical purpose of keeping warm, they also demonstrate how ingenuity and improvisation are prized in Gee's Bend. The stamp images are based on photographs of 10 quilts made between 1940 and 2001.

Here are the stamps (copyrighted by USPS), as displayed in The Money Order, The Debit Card & The Quilts on Bygbaby.com's Mind Spill--an article well worth reading.

Bygbaby not only provides a highly readable article on the quilts, but provides a link to the NPR website.  It would be hard to believe that I didn't hear the original NPR broadcast concerning the quilts ('The Quilts of Gee's Bend'  A Showcase of Distinctive Work by African-American Artists by Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation, February 4, 2003), except that the airing was while I was still employed at The Little Airplane Company--and two years before Buffy enticed me into the world of quilting. If I heard the broadcast, it didn't "stick"!

More of the quilts may be seen at The Quilts of Gees Bend website, from which the following images (quilts by Annie May Young) are taken.

Comments

[Cop Car]

Green is ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree), yellow is cottonwood (state tree of Kansas--and Nebraska), scarlet is sugar maple (the one pictured in Fall Color photo album--native to extreme eastern Kansas, but I love the color so planted one here), maroon is chokeberry.

[Cowtown Pattie]

Maples of course, but do I spy a catalpa?

[Cop Car]

Unfortunately, no, Pattie. The three catalpa seedlings that I brought with us when we moved died--the only tree seedlings that I brought over from our previous yard that did die. I had set them in the nearly-virgin prairie part of our yard (hardpan) and didn't water them enough, to boot! Just as well. Had they grown, they would have kept our yard from attracting the bluebirds that I later discovered would nest with us each year. I love catalpa trees--even if they are from China. But, it is better to go with native "stuff"--such as bluebirds.

[bogie]

The Southern Catalpa, though not native to Kansas, is native to (get this) the southern portion of the US (Georgia, Alabama, Florida etc.) and has naturalized outside that area.

However, I don't know what type of catalpa's were at the old house, so don't know if they were natives or not.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--There you go, again--making your mother look bad. *whimper* I'm just sure that I read that the catalpa was originally from China. If I get up the energy, I'll scratch around to see what I might have read and confused. Thanks for the correction. (Type? Catalpas got types?)

[Cop Car]

I don't have a clue why I thought what I thought. It had to be a memory thing. But...I didn't plant any of the catalpas in a good location for a catalpa. Back by the creek would have been better; but, it would have been so far to go to water it, that I wouldn't have done. As it was, with the hardpan, I was probably over-watering the dears rather than underwatering them. Roots tend to drown in some portions of our yard (including the whole front yard!)

[bogie]

There is a Chinese Catalpa - the trees in the old backyard might have been Chinese and not American for all I know (yes - types).

[Cop Car]

Since the catalpas in question were growing along a creek through what was cow pasture, I suspect that some hardy pioneer soul, upstream, had originally brought a couple of southern catalpas with them when they became sod busters. Several catalpa generations later, they were gracing our yard. My Grandma H had catalpas, interspersed with seckel (sp?) pear trees growing down the middle of her cowpasture, between the house and the railroad. That line of trees was my favorite place to play when I was a child; consequently, it isn't hard to understand how I developed a liking of catalpas. They always equated to "home", to me, since I spent many weeks/months staying with Grandma H through the years.

[The Lone Beader]

The only ones I know off-hand are maple:)

[Cop Car]

Welcome, Lone. I am floored! How did a young artist wonder onto my blog? (Your Datsun is awsome, BTW. I especially like the detail under the bumper. What did you use for the side-mounted mirrors?)

Yes, the maple leaves rather took over the photo, didn't they? (And you see a lot of them in your neck of the woods, I should think.) A couple of days later, there were no more really good-looking leaves to be had--we had had our first hard freeze of the season.

[bogie]

NIce pics and colors - I especially like the pyracantha.

[Cop Car]

I plan to plant more pyracantha--there are two in the photo, although they appear as one because they are in alignment. One was a retirement gift from the people who worked for me (plus matting and framing of the poster that about 120 co-workers autographed for me). If I get the time, will get another 3 or 4 put in this fall.

[buffy]

You do too have hillsides. On my first trip to Kansas, my former Mother-in-law very proudly pointed out the "peak" of the Flint Hills. She was rather disgruntled when I said "WHAT???" I didn't realize we had been slowly rising in elevation. *G*

You have some beautiful colors in those pictures!

[janet]

Is there a nick name for that.

[Cop Car]

Janet--I'm not sure what the antecedent of "that" is in your question. If you want a nick name for pyracantha, it is "Fire Thorn". Or, perhaps that is the name of a particular cultivar. Ask Bogie (she posts on Fire Thorn at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/2006/10/inkberry_and_fi.html.) She's the plant and animal specialist in our family. Elder Brother is our avian expert.

Buffy--It's not nice to make fun of our flint hills. They are gorgeous; but, high, they're not. Actually, (and I'm going from memory, here, so forgive me if I'm off by a few feet) although Kansas gives the appearance of being level, it isn't. The elevation in Kansas ranges from about 850 feet above sea level at the Missouri to about 3000 feet above sea level at the Colorado border. Were the slope not so gradual, we could have a 2150-foot-tall hill. As I'm surprised you didn't remind us, this whole area was once seabed. See what global warming does? *guffawing like an idiot*

[bogie]

The common name for Pyracantha is Firethorn. The cultivars that I planted are Orange Charmer - I don't know what Cop Car planted. Depending on the cultivar, the berries can be yellow, orange or red.

[bogie]

If I remember correctly, I only saw Dr McL once (it may have been twice - but no more than that). That time was after I hadn't seen a dentist in at least 5 years. He cleaned my teeth and filled one small cavity (without novacane - which he was not happy about). But I don't think I saw him again before we moved.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--I thought that you had seen Dr McL; but, I knew you couldn't have seen him very much. Your dad didn't let them use novacaine, either. Sometimes I did; sometimes I didn't. I doubt that any of our family ever let him use nitrous oxide though!

[joared]

Well, I'm glad to hear somebody else squelches those "routine dental x-rays." Don't get me started on that topic!

Just glad to hear you still have your teeth! *snicker*

[Cop Car]

Joared--Well, in a manner of speaking I still have my teeth. I had the hygienist count for me (I lost track years ago) and she said that either 16 or 18 of my 28 teeth (no wisdom teeth--and you can see that I've already forgotten how many she said) had been crowned. They work!

[joared]

You hit the nail on the head, if you'll forgive me for using a cliche':

"The trick is not to waste big negatives on minor consequences."

Guess the important goal is to help people learn how to make that differentiation. Hard for children to begin to learn those differences as I sure do hear a lot of "big negatives" thrown around by parents.

[bogie]

I may be thinking of a different article, but I thought that it was about those that always said no so that a decision didn't really have to be made.

In such a case, people can't even get good ideas off the ground, so learn not to even try.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--Same article; but, the headline and first couple of paragraphs didn't reflect the whole article. Besides: Who knows where my mind will wander from Point A?

[bogie]

That would be the disconnect, I read a couple of paragraphs and pretty much decided that there were better articles to read.

[bogie]

I haven't presented the info about allergies and eye-rubbing on my site because I knew it didn't apply to me.

In truth, the experts don't know what causes KC, but the general KC population has a higher incidence of allergies, excema (and other skin problems), and Downs Syndrom. However, a fairly large portion of the KCers, don't have any of these problems - nor is there a family history of such problems.

Also - does eye rubbing cause KC, or does KC cause eye rubbing? After all, KC is known to increase the chances of a person having dry-eye, which would cause rubbing. Some doctors give more credence to the eye-rubbing theory than others.

There is also a contact-wearing theory; that wearing hard, or RGP contacts, cause the thinning of the cornea - so because of vanity, people cause the problem. This fails to explain the significant population of KCers that never wore contacts before they were diagnosed - or of the children under the age of 10 who develop the problem.

I'll shut up now, before my comment becomes longer than your original post!

[Cop Car]

Bogie--It's OK if you use more space! Dr McD was surprised that you wear soft contacts. It is his opinion (or he was parroting someone else's) that the hard contacts may help the condition because of their tendency to mold the eye. I couldn't recall why you switched away from your gas-permeable hard contacts. Dr McD made no mention of the possibility of the condition's being a hereditary thing and I didn't think to broach the subject. KC only came up because I had listed it on the medical form that they had me fill out--that included eye conditions of family members.

[bogie]

3 years between eye check-ups? Shame on you (especially with pre-existing conditions such as you have).

I thought you had been in there within the last two years, for dry-eye syndrome. By the way, did the medication she gave you for that work for you?

[Cop Car]

That was 3 years ago. No, I couldn't tell that the $600/month stuff did any better than my $12/month stuff. It was worth a shot, though, and the insurance made it cheaper--to me, that is. I forgot to tell Dr McD that I had even tried the prescription stuff, now that you mention it. I had heard of the prescription stuff from the specialist that Dr McD had sent me to; but, I had an appointment with my internist not too long after that and she was kind enough to write the prescription. (Why did Dr McD send me to a specialist??? I don't recall. Probably the dry-eye thing since Dr McD is the one who pointed out that my eyeballs had scratches on them indicating a problem--from dry eye. He didn't mention my having scratches, this time, so maybe my waking several times during the night to use eyedrops is helping!)

[bogie]

Hmm, funny, when I posted my second comment, your middle comment wasn't there - that's why I didn't answer your question.

I don't wear RGP's because I am intolerant of them. Believe me, I would love to wear them because then my eyesight would (should) be better. But, RGPs do nothing but scratch my eyes.

That is why I am sure I went thru 4 docs before someone diagnosed my eyesight problems - before I left kansas I could not wear RGP's for more than a couple hours before scratching my eyes. Only Dudette knows many people were in on the bets that WS blackened my eye the day I went to work at the liquor warehouse with an eyepatch from scratching my eyes. Then a week later, it was both eyes (and that was with a new pair of contacts). The doc said they fit great, but got me another pair anyway - same results.

Then, in the late 90's I tried again (and had the same results) - so went to soft. At that point, the 2 docs I went to had no clue, thought I just had astigmatism. Then when I was diagnosed by a different doc, we tried RGP's again and he couldn't get them to work either.

[bogie]

The idea of hard contacts helping actually has 2 trains of thought - some think it does, and some think it makes it worse because of the contacts rubbing the eye and thinning the cornea even more. However, the treatment of choice is usually hard contacts if for no other reason than the vision can be improved over and above what soft torics can achieve.

[Adele]

Thanks for mentioning the new IE7. I've just downloaded it t my machine also - or to be exact it did it itself while I was dealing with the weeks delivery of groceries. It is going to take a it of getting used to - I can't find any of the buttons I usually use a lot.

Just what is KC? It's not an acronym I recognise. I too have eye problems and have had them since I was 5 years old. I've had several eye infections over the years and now have a disease (glaucoma) that will have to be managed for the rest of my life. No-one has mantioned cataracts yet, thank goodness.

I have to admit that I agree with Bogie that 3 years between eye tests seems a very long time.

[Cop Car]

Adele--The comments have been acting up, lately (The ether swallowed two of my comments, yesterday!), so I am a bit late responding. If you go to Bogie's blog at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/, you will find (in the right hand sidebar) a listing of her Categories. Among them is Keratoconus, at http://bogieblog.typepad.com/happenings/keratoconus/index.html
Bogie does a good job of explaining the malady--essentially a malformation of the cornea that leads to astigmatism. (I think of KC as industrial strength astigmatism.)

[bod]

oh wow how utterly wonderful.

[Cop Car]

Thanks for stopping by, Bod. I should have elucidated the bit on the bittern's having frozen and striking a pose. That is the bittern's defense mechanism. It is normally found in grasses and weeds. With it's striped plummage, when a bittern strikes the pose, it blends into its surroundings so well that it is extremely difficult to spot. We were lucky that HH caught it out in the open!

[buffy]

What an exotic list of birds! I've always thought we had an interesting variety of birds here (At least, until your visit when we were overrun by house sparrows), but your sightings were amazing! Despite the drizzly weather, you and HH seemed to have had a good time. Isn't Fall grand?!

[Cop Car]

Buffy--Yes, I really do enjoy fall. HH and I said, to one another, that had Elder Brother and Expert Seamstress been along, our day's list of bird species would have hit 75 or 80, at least. We didn't even keep a list, since it was just the two of us. It did just occur to me, however, that I failed to mention the Eurasian collared dove that we saw. Several years ago a few settled down at the southern edge (south of the Arkansas River) of Great Bend; so, on our way through town, we turned off the highway for a few minutes to ogle the obliging dove who sat and posed for us on a telephone wire--just a couple of hundred feet from the highway. I had not seen a Eurasian colored dove--anywhere--until they settled in Great Bend! (We had spotted doves in Los Angeles, at some of the apartments where I lived, and band-tailed pigeons in the Tehachapi mountains, west of Edwards AFB--and in the Sandias at the northeastern tip of Albuquerque.)

[Cop Car]

Clarification: "spotted dove" is a species. BTW, Buffy: Even Elder Brother could not come up for an explanation of your brown-headed grackle; so, I am declaring it an aberation. He was a beauty!

[buffy]

I'm going to have to trust you on it, CC! I figure that you're my bird expert. (making a note....."brown-headed grackle"...

[janet]

What a cool looking bird. Never have seen one. I just love bird watching.

[Chancy]

And remember too that George Wallace was gunned down at a campaign rally and almost died and was forever thereafter paralysed from the waist down. I forget who shot him.

The 60's were such a violent decade in so many respects.

[Cop Car]

Chancy--Thanks for the reminder. I always remember Governor Wallace as he was when he was hale and hearty; but, unfortunately, someone did try to take matters into their own hands. Like you, I don't recall who the miscreant was.

[buffy]

I missed the announcement by Indonesia.

I visited Wikipedia, and found that these five countries are members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: US, Russia, UK, France and China. These three countries have nuclear weapons but are not a member of the treaty: India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel will not confirm or deny that they have nuclear weapons, but there have been reports that they have over 200 nuclear weapons in inventory. (Of course, this COULD be another "weapons of mass distruction" sorta thang.)

AND...Iran claims that they just want to have nuclear power generation, but I have very little faith that they would stop there.

So, nine, or ten countries have nuclear weapons. Is Indonesia next??

I'm not terribly worried about the old guard, but it scares me that the Middle East (AND North Korea) is working on nuclear weapons, and Pakistan and India could melt a sub-continent pretty easily.

[buffy]

Egad! It's enough to make you want to be hands off forever! I'm astonished that you've been able to determine how many are missing, and have enough back up to be able to re-enter the missing data.

Have you thought about the fact that it could be two uses of the data base by two different people that accounts for the missing names?

I hope all goes well with the corrections.

Buffy--There are several of us who regularly use the database; but, the most use of it is by me--by far! All of us, however, may use the database at the same time without causing problems--in theory. (If one of us tries to work on the same record that another is mucking about in, the database refuses access to that record until the other person moves on.)

It's one thing to input/output data, but quite another to change the design of the database, itself. Unbeknownst to me, the new IT-savy person was mucking about with changing the design of the database while I was using the database--which isn't a good practice--and our IT guy made some corrections to the database (at my request) at about the same time. Either or both of these may have been factors; but, we shall probably never know. Unless I can figure out what the 92 missing records have in common. Then I should be able to "nail" the cause.

One bad thing about the database: it is too enticing--everyone wants to muck about with it. I would rather have only one person able to do that, with a committee's approval required before any changes are made. (Any changes should be made during "off" hours when no one is using the database, of course.) Eventually, I'm hoping that the database design will be under positive control.

Posted by: Cop Car | October 09, 2006 at 10:51 PM

[joared]

When I hear a tale of woe such as yours, I'm reminded of the line, "I've been around the world seven times, and truly, your story is the saddest I've heard." You do realize I'm kiddin' you, don't you? *smile*

I'm truly sorry for the database debacle. Personally, I think the computer did it -- think of Hal.

[bogie]

Database design should only be done when other people are NOT on it. That is why, when I have a project that will take a bit of time, I go in on 3rd shift to do the deed. However, the databases I work with tell me that other users are on the database and any changes I make will not be permanent.

Too many hands in the database is bad, too - I don't know how many times I had to go back and fix what someone else had done when they were just making just minor tweakings (of course it didn't affect their stuff - just other departments' stuff). I finally told work that either I was the only one to make changes or I wasn't working on it at all - no fixing it or anything; I'm the only one to make changes now.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--Good for you: Solo is the only way to go at database changes. (Yes, I was surprised to learn that IT-savy person would be screwing around with the database during working hours.) My work with relational databases goes back to the mid-1980s, using KMan (KnowledgeMan) at Edwards AFB. Fortunately, I had a programmer to do whatever database design I needed so I needed only to worry about getting the right data input--in the right relationships. (I was helping to figure out what equipment/systems would be needed for testing new technologies over the coming 20 years. How about that: My work expired, last year!) A bonus from the company came out of the work--for a paper that another of the engineers and I wrote on application of relational databases. It was a good assignment. Isn't there some industry publication that you could write for?

[Cop Car]

Joared--Truly, isn't my tale the saddest you ever heard!?! Hmmm...I'll have to check into the lineage of our servers to see if there is a HAL back there in 2001, somewhere. Thanks for the tip.

[Cop Car]

For those who have been hanging on by their fingertips: Yes, I did finally figure out what happened to the database--and, BTW, it was closer to 150 people that we had lost. (The IT-savy person had compared the current database records with a month-old set to identify missing records. For some reason, her comparison only isolated about 2/3 of the missing. Go figure!) The cause of the data loss was the way that the change that I had requested was made. All the missing records have now been completely restored. Yeah!!

[bogie]

Glad to hear that it is back to normal. I had someone ask me this week to be shown how to get to the tables so he could make changes or export into Excel and extrapolate data (without having to bug me). He has asked this before.

My answer? "Thanks but no thanks, just let me know when you need something."

[Cop Car]

Good answer!

[goldenlucy]

Wow Cop Car! I hope this quilt was machine-pieced! What a lovely BDay picture for Buffy. BTW, can/could either of you do that?

PS I'm starting my new volunteer job at the blood bank next week. Yay!

[Cop Car]

Lucy--Good for you, going to work at the blood bank. As to the quilt that is pictured, there is no way that I'll get good enough at quilting to do that--if I live to 150!! Buffy probably could, right now.

I should caution my readers that Buffy's birthday may well be October 8th, rather than 3rd. I have both days marked in my calendar and didn't want to be late. *sigh*

[buffy]

(grinning) Yeah....you jumped the gun a bit, my friend. My birthday is the eighth. But, this is almost like getting to celebrate twice. Thanks for thinking of me, and for posting the Jinny Beyer quilt for all to share.

Lucy, if that specific quilt was pieced by Jinny Beyer, it was probably hand pieced. I've heard that she carries packages of pieces with her as she travels to lecture, and hand pieces the current top.
Each year, she and her staff of teachers choose a theme for the lectures and workshops. It seems to me that the classes are held at Hilton Head NC Every year there's one full size memorable quilt that features the technique for the year.

I think that Jinny was the first of the teachers to create a line of fabric to be sold specifically in quilt shops. Rather than use just one piece of fabric per color, Jinny uses a range of shades of that color, giving her quilts a sense of depth.

Lucy, I haven't tried to re-create any of Jinny Beyer's quilts, but I'm finally at the point where I have the technical ability. Besides, I'm no dummy....I've bought ALL her books so that I could learn her secrets! *G*

Cop Car.....thanks so much for remembering my birthday.

[joared]

Wow! What a beautiful quilt. That's enough to make a person want to take up quilting, but I know all the time and work involved. What an art!

So, do I wish Buffy a happy birthday, or do I wait? What the hey, Happy Birthday, Buffy! See, if we start wishing now, it will last longer.

[Cop Car]

Buffy--I would apologize except there is nothing bad about celebrating your birthday for a week, instead of only one day. My dyslexia means that I sometimes do a "3" instead of an "8". I assume that I later looked on the correct day and discovered your BD hadn't been noted, so added it to my calendar. I have removed the 3rd, so don't think that we will be holding week-long celebrations every year!

[buffy]

Joared and Cop Car, thanks for the extended celebration! *G*

Cop Car, that you celebrate my birthday ANY time of the year is a gift. Thank you, so much.

[Cop Car]

Buffy--You are welcome. We could have a monthly celebration; but, we might become jaded--as folks are with Christmas and such. You are doing well, having family with you for your birthday. Many happy returns!