“I believe that everything happens for a reason, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together”… (Marilyn Monroe) on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

A Not So Secret Garden

I live in a not so secret garden
Along the path least traveled,
Quite unlike the other world
A world that has become unraveled.

A garden of peace and harmony
Being different does not matter here,
All creatures, big and small, living together
Unlike the other world, they do not live in fear.

Together we live the hand that Fate has dealt us
Not sure, or dwell, on our final destiny,
But live to enjoy the moment, the hour, the day
That is what life is about, don’t you see.

So into the not so secret garden I will venture
Along the path least traveled,
To find love, understanding, to follow one’s dreams
Unlike the other world unraveled.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller )

World harmony run August 23, New York..

Hello Diary,

It is a Thursday, have been busy making changes, dealing with challenges and living adventures (living life.. 🙂 ).. may have some storms, weather wise for the coming weekend so thought I would share a few thoughts while the sun were shining… while on the subject of storms, thought I would share some memories of the prairie storm; tornado…

I saw my first tornado while I were living on the farm, circa 1950’s… it were morning, I were about 7 or 8 years old, I and my brother and sister were playing in the yard… it were a warm and humid day on the prairie’s… I looked up and saw a “tail” in the sky.. looked something like the one in the photo ( I did not take the picture and the picture were of another time)..

I ran the house and told Mom and Dad there were a tail in the sky and pandemonium broke loose… 🙂 fortunately the storm went to just to the south and the farm were relatively undamaged… I were to witness another tornado a few years later…

I decided farming wasn’t my thing and after a tour in the USMC I moved into the present farming village… it were in 1976 that I would witness my third tornado… had returned from town when the fire siren sounded, at that time indicating a tornado in the area… fortunately it lifted as it went over as it went over the village and the damage was light, I needed new shingles on the roof…

20 years later, in late April 1996, the village was not as fortunate…had been listening to the emergency radio..

had the emergency backpack with supplies on hand and were at the ready…

Had lost power suddenly before the village could sound the alarm and when the village tried to start the generator, the generator would not start so no alarm were sounded for the village.. the EF 3 tornado struck at 8:55 pm… the follow photos were taken some 3-4 blocks from my home…keep in mind, those trees did have leaves on them…

I had a cuckoo clock that were inherited and it functioned fine, kept good time.. Until that night.. At 8:55 PM the tornado struck this little farm village and the village and the clock were never the same… I made several attempts to get the little clock working with no luck… now it just hangs on the wall with the hands at 8:55 PM…. 🙂

But as Wade Watts said;

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!
(Wade Watts)

Well, I had better close and get ready for life’s challenges and new adventures…“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”. (Author Unknown).. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂

With all the storms, be it the weather or socially/ideology, believe “the third rock from the sun” (planet Earth) could use some sunshine… 🙂

“No road is too long for him who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it.” (Jean de La Bruyere) on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

Life can, and will, put many challenges in one’s path to finding happiness, while following one’s dreams… and when that ugly doubt rears its head, words by Theodore Roosevelt

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, the man who at best knows achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” (Theodore Roosevelt )

And William Ernst Hensley

The Invictus..

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
(William Ernest Henley)

Come to mind… and gives me the resolve to press on as “ME”…

My fate will be unknown, what lies ahead unsure
I do not know…. what my destiny will be,
But one thing will be certain, written in stone
I shall venture down that path …..being “ME“.
          (penned by Larry “Dutch” Woller)

And somewhere in this mad, mad, mad world there is a place for me… 🙂

Hello Diary,

Has been a busy few days dealing with change, making changes and preparing for the future… possible storms the weekend so thought I would share a few thoughts..
Did take a moment in time to update the Kindle.. purchased some new ebooks, some for my WorldPress library as I affectionately refer to it… 🙂

Authored by Damyanti Biswas…

Authored by Rosaliene Bacchus..

And they will join the books..

Authored by Bette A. Stevens..

Authored by Laleh Chini…

And if their excellent writings on their WordPress sites are an example, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be experiencing some wonderful and pleasant evening reading with a spot of wine…. 🙂

There are many ways to be able to read… while it may not be for everyone, I chose the Kindle because, 1. it is compatible with Amazon, 2. it is convenient to carry around, 3. I do not have to worry about storage and finally 4. it helps the environment by reducing the use of paper…
And while on the subject of paper, what paper I do receive is either shredded or I return to my “first” childhood and make note pads…

And once the paper has run its course, I take all the paper out to the compost bin..

Much to the delight of the residents of the compost bin… over time I add leaves ( I do not burn) and at some point will become compost… hopefully my efforts, along with other folks, will help make this world a better place and when I leave this mortal world, I will be able to hear the children say “it is a wonderful world”… 🙂

Well, I had better close for now… if I don’t get the chores done, won’t be able to read.. 🙂 but I shall return one day, with Kindle in hand…Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

It is a Friday morning, on the path
At the end of it, on the horizon, a lovely rainbow,
It is there my answers lie… the truth is known
Until then, only Fate will know.

It is a Friday morning, spirit and mind at the ready
To seek the rainbow… perhaps around the next bend,
Once found, I’ll have my answers, you see
And that will be the beginning, not the end.
 
                           (Penned by Larry “Dutch” Woller )

“Everyday I have two choices, either to venture into the light, follow one’s dreams and live life, or stay in the shadows, the darkness and never know happiness…” (Larry “Dutch” Woller) on the path least travled….

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

Yes, it is the season of change on the path…

To become memories.. “Life gives us brief moments with another, but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime, So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.” (Author Unknown)..

As the dawn approaches
One contemplates not the day,
But all the years of memories and thoughts
That one acquired along the way.

Some filled with sadness, sorrow perhaps
Some with happiness, joy and without fear,
Some to bring out the laughter
Some to bring out a tear.

A special day and one to treasure
And not because of the calendar age,
Because the book of memories and thoughts
Will be adding another page!

Even though a distance and time apart
It will be a day that we will share,
Our love and understanding knows no time or distance
Be assured, have no doubt, I will be there!

It will become our memory, and we will share
Today, and every day…… forever,
Because of our free spirit eternal
Beyond…………. the 12th of Never!!
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)

But love is ever present and knows no time….

Hello Diary,

It is a pleasant day here on the prairies, with clouds drifting to their destiny….

A quiet day to pause for contemplation in a time of change, as one follows one’s dreams, living one’s life, not someone else’s… “When someone tells you “you’ve changed”, it might be because you have stopped living your life their way”.. (John Pence)

A quiet Tuesday morning, on the path
At the end of it, on the horizon, a lovely rainbow,
It is there my answers lie… the truth is known
Until then, only Fate will know.

A quiet Tuesday morning, spirit and mind at the ready
To seek the rainbow… perhaps around the next bend,
Once found, I’ll have my answers, you see
And that will be the beginning, not the end.
  (Penned by Larry “Dutch” Woller )

The air is filled with excitement as summer prepares to take it’s farewell bow for the year… saw a squirrel (in the upper right hand corner) scurrying about preparing for winter while living and enjoying life…

And not all change is outdoors.. as I prepare for fall cleaning made a few changes in one of the rooms and created a den of sorts for meditation, painting/coloring etc and also for Spanish class (haven’t been to school in awhile.. 🙂 )…. “Any piece of knowledge I acquire today has a value at this moment exactly proportioned to my skill to deal with it. Tomorrow, when I know more, I will recall that piece of knowledge and use it better. “ Mark van Doren

And change does not mean the end… “There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stopped the story.” (Frank Herbert ).. have a little laptop that I will not be able to use online, makes an excellent stereo in my little den…

Cannot play a CD on the little laptop but I have a multitude so I purchased a small recorder, used the CD player, posted on a flashdrive and downloaded on the little laptop..now I have hours of music in the little den… clever, eh?!.. 🙂

Speaking of recycling, I had a friend, June “Chris” Clark (she passed away in 2014, age 87 and lived in Skendleby, Lincolnshire, UK) who I had the honor of meeting online in the year 2000… we shared poetry and life in our world’s seen through our eyes.. In the fall, she would collect the various leaves, stems, etc of the plants as the plants were dying off and preparing for winter… during the winter, she would gather glue and paper and make nature’s art.. She sent me this picture she made one Christmas..

The picture is 12 inches (304.8 MM) by 14 inches (355.6 MM) and handmade….

Well, I had better close for now.. thought I would share a few thoughts about life and nature’s change here on the path… some new adventures on the horizon… But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂

“Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow remains a mystery, today is a new adventure. Greet it with open arms, a open heart, a open mind and a smile. Enjoy it because it won’t come again.” (Larry “Dutch“ Woller )

Yes, the yesterdays have become memories, making way for new memories… Ahhhhhhhhhh, but those were the days, my friend… 🙂

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom” (Isaac Asimov) on the path least traveled..

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

Hello Diary,

It is September 12, 2019 and sharing some thoughts on a day, like every day, will become a memory…. 🙂 were going to share these thoughts yesterday but circumstances prevented me from doing so… but, there is never a right or wrong time… 🙂

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” Mahatma Gandhi

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

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
20 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 with LOVE 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
More and more children die every day.

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

“I gave all those (all races, gender, beliefs, religion) from all countries that perished in the Towers a time of thought and remembrance… but now it is time to move on, not live in the shadows of 9/11….. I cannot change the past, but I can help determine the future… I cannot help the dead but I can help the living.. (Larry “Dutch” Woller)

And here on the path the living have hope… 🙂

Hope is a feather floating in a bright blue sky
Hope is that sparkle that shines in your eyes.
Hope is a butterfly fluttering on the wind
Hope is good times spent with family and friends.

Hope is a newborn baby’s cry
Hope is a Mother’s lullaby.
Hope is the rainbow after a rain
Hope is the harvest of golden grain.

Hope is the light that keeps darkness at bay
Hope is the breeze on a hot summer day.
Hope is ever present and free of cost
Hope is the last thing ever lost.

Hope is staying positive when the going gets tough
Hope is seeking help when you feel you’ve had enough.
Hope is recovery from simmering sorrow
Hope is believing in a brighter tomorrow.
(Linda Hotger)

Listen to the children, Diary…

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” (Abraham Lincoln) on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – (Joel Brown)….

I Had A Dream…

In history’s past, on the path, I had a dream
Of a world in harmony it did seem,
Accepting one as to who they believe and are
One’s life’s choices no one did bar.

Free to climb a mountain, to touch a star
Free to search the universe, where answers are,
Free to venture through life, with open mind
Another’s belief, it did not blind.

Free to boldly walk the lands, both far and near
To lives one’s life without suffering or fear,
Not to be accepted by belief, gender or race, you see
But by the love, understanding and knowledge of a spirit born free.

Children could follow their own dream, you see
Not to be denied by another’s ideology,
To follow the destiny of their own choice
Not to be hindered by another’s voice.

I still have that dream, you know
A dream that began a long time ago,
A dream without end, each and every day
Until the winds, they all blow away.

(Larry “Dutch” Woller)

Hello Diary,

Have been busy with dreams and life’s challenges and change.. thought I would stop the earth, briefly get off and share a few thoughts… 🙂 … were asked a time ago “If I had the opportunity to be someone, who would I like to be?”.. my answer, of course, were “ME”… 🙂 .. that being said, threw caution to the winds and started the new laptop over the weekend…

It works!.. now all I have to do is learn how to use it… “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right”. (Mary Kay Ash).. and learn I will … “No road is too long for him who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it.” (Jean de La Bruyere )

Yes, have been busy with changes but may have to curtail the activities somewhat as summer has not given up yet and it could get quite warm for the next few days…
“Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
Unseasonably warm conditions are expected Tuesday through Thursday, with afternoon heat index values well into the 90s each day.”

I believe this ole bushytailed knucklehead squirrel may have the right idea…

Though Hunter S. Thompson may disagree with him… “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming; “Wow! What a ride!” ( Hunter S. Thompson)…

I believe I will go with the squirrel… get me a glass of white and relax… “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere” (Author Unknown)…

Turn on some smooth jazz… “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” (Plato)… 🙂 ..

Find me a chair on the deck outdoors…

And watch the girls walk by (and others).. “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness, and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” (Audrey Hepburn)… 🙂

Well, enough rambling for now.. need to venture on down the path, life is calling.. “Everyday one has choices, either to venture into the light, follow one’s dreams and live life, or stay in the shadows, the darkness and not know happiness…” (Larry “Dutch” Woller) .. 🙂 but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Yes, life does put challenges in one’s path in some manner from time to time, can make the journey a little bumpy at times… the universe knows I am not into religion but I believe there is a saying “God promised you a safe landing, he did not say the journey would be a smooth one”…. the condensed version for us born again heathens.. “That’s Life”.. 🙂 🙂

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.” (Douglas H. Everett) on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..just letting the heart do the talking while the fingers do the walking while being different, being me… 🙂

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 )

Change is in the air while venturing down the road least traveled… 🙂

Destiny sits upon the morning horizon
Always in site, but never clear
And as I travel along the road I have chosen
Destiny remains forever in place
Sitting upon the morning horizon

But as the years pass
And the road spans the distance
Between yesterday and tomorrow
I know my destiny will arrive

For time alone will close the gap
So yesterday becomes dust filled memories
And the horizon of tomorrow
Will be the road of today

For then, there will be no yesterday or tomorrow, only today
And when that day arrives
I will find peace and be complete
For I will be one with my destiny

(Favi F)

Who would know what lies ahead?… only time… 🙂

Hello Diary,

It is a pleasant day here on the path, air filled with peace and quiet… a gentle breeze bringing about a subtle change to the path (and perhaps everywhere)… the first change I noticed and have no control over is Spidey moving to a new location…..

Apparently the last location wasn’t to his liking.. 🙂 while I do try to watch for the webs, especially this time of year, I almost ventured into this web and only seen it because I could see Spidey… 🙂 .. “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.” (Helen Keller)

Another change I have noticed over the last few days is the disappearance of birds… other than a occasional squirrel or rabbit, the feeders are bare… Hmmmmmmmmmm… 🙂

Now, the larger birds come and go, especially the migratory birds, but the sparrows and others generally stay year around… do have an occasional bird but for the most part there is not a bird to be found, it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop… that is not normal… 🙂 …

There are two changes to the path I do have some control “For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” (John F. Kennedy)

The first being driving… the ole auto has been a part of the family for near 19 years…

But like all else, the auto’s time clock is winding down…. over time I have done research and considered my options… environmental, economical, possible future health issues, etc and found no justification to continue driving…soooooooooo, after 59 years, in the near future will bring a part of history to a close… “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” (Dr. Seuss).. 🙂

Another change taking place is technology.. “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom”. (Isaac Asimov).. it seems that Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7 starting the middle of January 2020, sooooooooo I either go the way of the dinosaur or change… unlike others, change I will.. “The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no man has ever been before.” (Francis Phillip Wernig ).. 🙂

The new laptop…

Will spend the next few months getting the laptop up and running..will be able to use the other technology to some degree, just will be unable to venture online with the old technology…

Just a few of the changes here on the path… “Everyday on the path least traveled brings change, that change presents a new challenge, mentally and physically… as to how to accept it and deal with it, determines what I am to become, generates an excitement about living a second of time and looking forward to what the next second of time brings, a day filled with adventure and mystery.” ( Larry “Dutch” Woller )

Change is possible but only if you want to.. 🙂

Well, better close for now.. thought I would share a few thoughts before venturing down the path… but I will return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise.. 🙂

Change can be a challenge, difficult at times but here on the path there is a dream… “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly.” (Langston Hughes)

The change is rapidly approaching
As I contemplate the tomorrow,
Leaving some memories filled with happiness
A few memories filled with sorrow.

I peer out my window
Parts of the world, cold and bleak,
A world of conflict, anger and hate
Mortals are suffering as I speak.

But we have a dream
Martin Luther King and I,
That one day there will be peace
No more mortals will die.

And there will be hope
Of a world filled with love one day,
A wish that could come true
For hope is the last to die…they say.

Not a world of race, color or gender
Nor closed minded ridicule or prejudice…you see,
But a world that respects another’s dream
Of what or who they wish to be.

So I peer out the window
Not with sadness or a tear,
But a heart filled with hope and a dream
Of a world of love and peace, not hate and fear.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)