Memories, poetry and Mary Hopkin on the path least traveled..

Diary from the path least traveled..

“My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze.. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny”. Elaine Maxwell

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.” Isaac Asimov

“The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.”
Albert Einstein

Hello Diary,

Back again….it is Saturday morning and I believe that Ole Man Winter has finally moved on for now… Popping in to share some thoughts and memories before getting on with the day… have been busy working outdoors, slowly bringing the yard and gardens out of the winter doldrums.. Uncovered the fish pond and saw that the fish had made it through the winter… I used “feeder” goldfish to stock the pond….

Got to chatting about memories last week and the important role they play in peoples lives…thought I share a few about the “good ole days”, back when we thought we were nine foot tall and bullet proof, indestructible, always looking for adventure….had a pocket full of dreams…and then one day Father Time, with old age, made its presence known and we found out we were not immortal… 🙂

One memory began with my son being born on Sept. 28, 1965…I were in the USMC then in North Carolina..on Sept. 30, 1965 I got orders to go to Vietnam…had three weeks to pack all our worldly belongings, get back to Illinois and find a home for family, then off to war…when I left for war, my son was less than a month old, unable to totally recognize me and for the most part I was a stranger… I was shot at and missed, sh** on and hit, 🙂 , but fortunately I manage to leave, the enemy were shelling the runway as I were boarding the plane to take me to Okinawa… I made it home Christmas Eve, 1966, my son were walking and talking some and I was still a stranger… 🙂

I wrote a poem about Vietnam that I usually post on Memorial Day, May 30, but thought I would share at this time…

In Remembrance……

We were volunteers, one and all
So Noble.. Proud.. and Brave,
Did not know the reasons for war
Just a people from tyranny to save!

Glasses held high, we made an toast
Surely that Victory would rule the day!
While back at home, the voices of unrest
Not a kind word for us did they say.

Some could not vote, children were we
Some could not drink, but still our battle cry,
Even with all that we could not do
For us children, it was to do or die!

Vietnam was a hostile, violent land
The dangers, the horrors of war abound,
Whether the paddies of Vietnam or the fields of home,
Seemed for us, not a friend could be found.

But we proudly gave it our all, lads
Faced our destiny, with a hint of fear of tomorrow
Some to return to a mother’s joy
Some to return to a mother’s sorrow.

So should you be looking on today, lads
One more toast, hold your glasses high,
To PEACE, HOPE and LOVE, may they long endure
CHEERS, LADDIES!!!.. And SEMPER FI

(penned on May 30, 2009 by; Sgt, Larry “Dutch” Woller
12th Marine Regiment
Vietnam, 1965–1966..)

War and conflict breeds more war, conflict, hate, anger suffering…never solves anything..

Through effort, love, understanding we come together as a family…remember one memory, when he was a teenager my son and his friend had one of those three wheelers that were the rage at that time.. They would ride it, taking daring chances… I came home one day after work, and were going to the bathroom and as I approached the door, which were closed, I heard some moaning… I opened the door and saw my son taking pieces of asphalt out of his skin with a tweezers…apparently got thrown with no helmet.. 🙂 wasn’t so funny then but it is now…. 🙂

My daughter was born in 1970 and she was always on an adventure and were fond of saying “it is what it is”… 🙂 after getting her drivers license she and another friend took her car and went to a neighboring village to a Saturday evening party on Easter Weekend…I am not sure what totally transpired, but got a late night phone call from her saying someone had let the air out of all four tires… I told her not to worry, I would come up and get them and get the tires taken care of Sunday morning before starting Easter festivities..got everyone home that night and early Sunday morning went to the neighboring village to put air in the tires… when I got there, all four tires had air in them!.. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… never did find out who let the air out of the tires and who put the air back in the tires… 🙂

So, there are a few memories of many that were made over time as I ventured through life, seeking to find what Fate had waiting for me… and having left safe harbor, sometimes sailing against the wind, rowing against the current, much to the dismay of some… 🙂

Yes, memories of all kinds, saved in a part of the heart…then, when I get too old to dream, those memories will live in my heart… 🙂 … I had better close now, venture on down the path least traveled, search for rainbows and gather more memories…but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Yes, those were the days, were they not Mary Hopkin?… 🙂

Friends, Fate and Dreams on the path least traveled…

Diary from the path least traveled..

“Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow remains a mystery, today is a gift. Greet it with open arms, a open heart, a open mind and a smile. Enjoy it because it won’t come again. I do not dwell in the past very often, too much in the future waiting for me…” (Larry “Dutch“ Woller penned 6-7-2008) …

Hello Diary,
Surprise!.. blogging in the middle of the week… The sun is shining, winds a calm and sitting here reminiscing about the yesterdays and contemplating the tomorrows (waiting for a load of laundry to finish actually… 🙂 ) and wondering what Fate has instore for me… wrote a poem about it actually…

Tell me , Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

I was not a king or president,
No powers did I hold,
I wasn’t a preacher or a pope,
No sermon for the fold.

Never learned to speak fine words
A country bumkin’ was I.
Were taught never to tell a falsehood
Learned never to tell a lie.

So tell me , Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

Can no longer build cities
The back is tired and sore,
Turned the green earth into a parking lot once
A forest….. into a general store,

I was a soldier once
No longer have the heart for war, I say
Children’s cry of suffering, I did hear
A memory still here today.

So tell me, Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

I’ve tilled the soil as a farmer
Fed the world is what they say,
But I see the faces of hunger
Still this very day.

I’ve donated love, time and money
Ask for nothing in return,
But I see nothing has changed today
Will they ever learn?

I’ve tilled the fields and went to war
Helped build cities, towns and much more,
Sowed fields of flowers with tenderness an love
Has my destiny run it’s course, is there any more?

So tell me, Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny suppose to be?
(Penned by the hand of Larry “Dutch” Woller (8-18-2008))

Born with dreams in my pocket, some have come true, others still on hold, will have to see how the future unfolds… 🙂 … gained some friends along the way, lost a few also…

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” (Dale Carnegie)..

““A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart.” (Henri Nouwen)..

But, I venture on down the path least traveled, dreams in my pocket, chasing rainbows (as lovers and dreamers do) and exploring the universe a free spirit with a open mind and heart..having left safe harbors and occasionally having to sail against the wind (much to the dismay of others 🙂 ).. As one goes through life, one can chose either the “dark side” (shackled to ideologies) or the light side (free spirit and open mind and heart)…I chose the light side for there is more to see and more warmth in the light…. 🙂 …

Well, I had better close..venture on down the path, believe laundry is waiting for me also… 🙂 but I shall return this weekend, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

And still keeping a dream in the pocket, right Seekers?..

Snow, starting seeds, rib stew and Ray Stevens on the path least traveled…

Diary from the path least traveled..

“Everyday on the path least traveled brings adventure and change, that change presents a challenge, mentally and physically, as to how to accept it and deal with it, generates an excitement about being me while exploring the universe, living a second of time and looking forward to what the next second of time brings, looking forward to living life and doing it my way.” (Larry “Dutch” Woller 6/9/2016)

Hello Diary,

It is a Saturday morning, Diary, and though a bit cloudy, way better than last weekend…here is what last Monday morning, the 16th of April, looked like…

But it too shall pass and it did…apparently two Eurasian Collard Doves decided that with the weather, a tree would not do anymore, so set up housekeeping at the neighbors house… 🙂 ….

Anyway, thought I would pop in and leave a few thoughts before taking in and enjoying the weekend…had a busy week so will have a relaxing weekend enjoying whatever life puts in my least traveled path… I did start the tomato seeds earlier last week… I were asked how I put the seeds in the soil… I do not use tweezers but a wooden stick made for Shish Kabobs… I gathered the materials (shish kabob stick, wax paper and seeds)…

I fill the potting cup with potting soil, then take the blunt end of the stick and make a hole to put the seed in…

I then take the pointed end of the stick and put the end in water for a few seconds and then gently touch the seed..

The seed sticks to the stick, I then gently place the seed in the hole…

Cover up and done…can do that with any small seed…. I also did some grocery shopping last week, purchased some meat to cook and put in the freezer, cooked on Thursday…purchased some materials for stew and decided to have rib stew for Sunday, tomorrow (normally Sunday is declared Italian cuisine day)…

Leaving the pleasantries for a moment, I have been briefly browsing the internet for news, here and around the world…unfortunately nothing has change..as percentage of mankind using force and conflict to impose their ideology on others…being closed minded and extreme, they refuse to accept others because others look, feel and think differently…unfortunately a good deal of the issues has to do with religion (which is why I am not into religion)… here on the path one is allowed to believe what one wishes, so long as one does not try to impose their belief on another…

Conflict and force is not the answer… I have witnessed conflict in the past.. The following picture is of me (sitting on the ground with my gear and rifle) as a member of a forward observer team attached to the 12th Marine Regt. while participating in Operation Liberty, June 1966, in South Vietnam…

All conflict accomplishes is more conflict, hate, anger, suffering, death… will they ever learn, one wonders?! I wrote a poem about it and will share;

Maybe No More Children Will Die

I set here looking at the news
The powers wanted peace they say,
And while they spoke, bombs were dropped
60 children died that day!

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give PEACE a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die

Smiles on their faces, while shaking hands
Arms deals for defense would come into play,
A bomb went off in a crowded market
10 children died that day.

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give a world without bombs a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die

A war to end all wars, they said
Yet to war they always return,
Death, destruction, suffering and pain
Won’t they every learn?

What’s wrong with this idea?
Let’s give LEARNING a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die.

Anger versus anger, hate versus hate
Seeds sown by war at home and away,
Starvation , sickness, a mother in tears
A 100 children died that day.

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give LOVE a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die.
(copyright, Larry “Dutch” Woller, 9-17-08)

Well, enough of the unpleasant news and I had better close for now…everything is beautiful on the path least traveled, life, and the day, is calling and had better see what they want… 🙂 but, Diary, I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Again, while I am not into religion, Ray Stevens has some good thoughts…

The world is a rainbow on the path least traveled..

Diary from the path least traveled..

“Everyday on the path least traveled brings adventure and change, that change presents a challenge, mentally and physically, as to how to accept it and deal with it, generates an excitement about being me while exploring the universe, living a second of time and looking forward to what the next second of time brings, looking forward to living life and doing it my way.” (Larry “Dutch” Woller 6/9/2016)

Hello Diary,

It’s Friday the 13th….Yea!… possible thunderstorms tomorrow, Saturday…Yea!.. possible snow Sunday… Yea!.. I am here to see it…YEA!!… I needed that… what you just witnessed, Diary, was an example of a affliction commonly referred to as “cabin fever”… BUT, as the saying goes, “that too shall pass”… 🙂

Now where was I… just thought I would pop in for a few minutes and share a few thoughts before venturing on down the path leas traveled… if you remember with my last blog I had mentioned that there were snow on Easter Sunday, and, according to old folklore if it rained on Easter Sunday it would rain on 7 consecutive Sundays.. and (with an attempt at humor) I raised the possibility of it snowing for 7 consecutive Sundays… the following is a photo of last Sunday ( the Sunday after Easter)…

And you are aware of the possibility of snow this coming Sunday… Hmmmmmmmmmmm 😦 though last week had warmed up some, it was still cool, especially with the wind even though it appeared to be pleasant outdoors by looking out the window… here is a dove trying to warm up in the sunshine…

But we are trying to get rid of the winter doldrums by planning for spring…have the supplies and seeds gathered to start the tomato plants indoors, hopefully next week….

Also decided to get the Oviposition cups (for gathering mosquito eggs) ready, mosquito season will be here soon also…

I made my own using plastic cups and brown coffee filters… I set the cups out to gather eggs, I check the filters in the cups every seven days using a USB PC microscope and if I find any, I put in a Zip-Loc bag and mail to the Invasive Mosquito Control Center in Kansas and they hatch the eggs to determine the type of mosquito…trying to watch out for any diseases… the following photo is what a mosquito egg looks like…

Have been preparing for possible stormy weather and put a hail board out (made of 1/2” polyurathane foam and aluminum foil)…

The hail will leave indentations the size of the hail stone in the foil and I can measure “after” the storm in relative safety and comfort…

So, thinking spring here in spite of the weather potential…following the path least traveled, guided by my free spirit, heart and mind, not shackled to others way of thinking… I believe a few words from a song by the Bellamy Brothers says it best;

He’s an old hippie
And he don’t know what to do
Should he hang on to the old
Should he grab on to the new
He don’t fit in with the old
He’s too old for the new
He ain’t trying to change nobody
He’s just trying to adjust
(Bellamy Brothers

🙂 Well, I had better close and get on with the day…need to check back up, flashlights, etc should there be power failure…but I shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Enjoying the adventures on the path least traveled even though some rain must fall, because there is a rainbow on the horizon…

More snow, love, discovery and Enya on the path least traveled…

Diary from the path least traveled..

Hello Diary,

Unfortunately woke up to a Friday morning with dark skies, enough to keep the street light on…

Have a gloomy weather forecast for weekend and first part of next week, but have high hopes of more spring like weather in the coming days thereafter… in either case life here on the path is venturing on, enjoying every second while eagerly anticipating what the next second will bring…. 🙂

If you recall, last Friday (the Good Friday before Easter) I had made mention of the spring snowstorm the week before….

Well, the following picture shows what the Easter bunny and all the Easter egg hunters had to deal with on Easter Sunday… 😦

And the following picture is what it looked like the Monday morning after Easter… 😦

Now, according to folklore, if it rains on Easter Sunday, it shall rain for seven consecutive Sundays thereafter… seeing as how it has snowed on Easter Sunday (received 4”), will it snow for seven consecutive Sundays, one wonders?.. We will find out this coming Sunday as snow is in the forecast…. 🙂 that being said, even though winter is reluctant to leave, life ( and the heart) goes on, on the path least traveled and our lovebirds have been busy building a home for their family on the archway outside the “office” window and not even winter is stopping them..

A couple days later the snow was gone and found one of the doves on the nest while the other was out and about gathering more material for the nest… the camouflage was excellent so I have a red arrow pointing to the dove and nest…

While out taking a pic of the dove nest, observed the crocus and tulips were awakened from the winter doldrums and making their presence known, not to be denied by winter…

And so it goes on the path least traveled, all living beings (and perhaps even some not living… 🙂 ) following Frank Sinatra’s advice and living life being who they are, living it their way…. Unlike others who blindly following some ideology, their minds being closed and concerned only what is at the end of the rainbow…. Not able to know, feel and see all the wonders one encounters, to enjoy the adventure while on the journey to the end of the rainbow… I believe the following poem can add some thoughts about the journey… about finding myself.. 🙂

Journey of Self Discovery…

What I am
Who I want to be
Am I just a stranger in this dinosaur world,
or my is existence limited to rest ,eat and pee.

Every day is a new day ,
I try to discover myself,
The identity crisis lulls over me,
In calm, yet monstrous glee,
Failing to find what exactly constitutes my being.

One day I want to be a doctor,
Other day an engineer,
Or even a scientist,
The society decides my ambition,
What career to pursue is guided by secure future norms,
They say I have a lunatics mind,
Persuade my mother to put some sense into me.

Enough is said,
I my setting on a journey of my own,
The mistakes I make shall be mine,
The regrets shall be my defined,
Its fall or rise,
Time will play a key role,
As Frost said,
I have an option of two paths ahead of me,
One pre decided by my ancestors,
less risky and challenging,
Other of my own,
I decide to take the less travelled one,
To mark on journey of my own.
(Illahi Bedi)

Well, better close now and venture on down the path, continue to explore and learn more about myself and the universe… also have a few minor tasks to do before bringing the week to a close..but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Have a lot to learn and discover so hopefully Enya is right and the journey is a long one… for at the end of the rainbow is home… 🙂