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 🙂 ).. 🙂
Spring has arrived in full force with the warming of the weather… my friends, the little dandelion, are making their presence known… 🙂
Thinking that perhaps in another lifetime, I would like to be like the little dandelion with its zest for life…. 🙂
Will to Live
I think of all things that show a zest
For life, the dandelion beats the rest.
The little winged seeds from its white fluff ball
Settle and grow with no urging at all.
Settle in most unlikely places
And soon there's a crop of dandelion faces.
They are man's worst pest, but a child's playthings.
Sometimes I wish I had light down wings
Like a dandelion seed, and could settle at will
On a velvety lawn or a sun-spread hill,
And live with the eagerness and zest
Of the wanton little dandelion pest.
(MARY TRIPLETT)
Hello Diary,
With the warm and pleasant weather, the migratory birds are mingling with the local birds and their voice is heard in harmony as they great me every morning when I venture out to observe the weather and this morning they were in full force… 🙂
And speaking of the birds, everyone enjoys watching the birds, with their color and voices, from time to time, right?.. Well, the folks at Cornell University has a program called “Ebird” where one can enter their observations… it helps the students gather knowledge, they can learn about the birds habits top help the birds and with that it also helps them to research the changes with the climate and environment… I have seen a good number of changes concerning the birds over the years, telling me that change is in the winds…. 🙂
Soooooo, I get me a cup of Earl Grey and then I sit down and have a leisurely moment relaxing and taking notes with my bird watching ( I do not observe every day like I do the weather)… 🙂
I even spent a couple of dollars on some bird watching books to help me identify species of migratory birds that may be new to the prairies…. 🙂
Once I have finished my cup of tea and taking notes, I venture indoors and open the Ebird website…. 🙂
I then enter my observations… 🙂
I gather more knowledge, the young folks at Cornell gather more knowledge and we help each other hopefully help make this world a better place… 🙂
And anyone can do it, age makes no difference… I am 77 years old and I simply follow my heart.. 🙂
Well, I had better close for now… the excitement here on the path builds as adventures await me.. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise.. 🙂
Hope your heart is filled with love and happiness and until we meet again..
May your spirit only know peace
May your heart only know love
May all your dreams come true
May your life’s journey be filled with happiness
And life is all that you wish for it to be….
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
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 🙂 ).. 🙂
I have been ask why I do what I do….because “No matter the pain or suffering, it is always better if it’s a burden shared by two, instead of a weight carried by one alone”… and that is what friends do… 🙂
"Portrait of a Friend"
I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts,
or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will
search for answers.
I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain,
nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.
I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.
Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.
Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.
I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship,
from your values, from me.
I can only think of you, talk to you and wait for you.
I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow,
room to be yourself.
I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces
and put them back in place.
I can't tell you who you are or who you will be
I can only love you and be your friend
(Adam Clarke)
“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy the friend by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.” (Author Unknown)… 🙂
Hello Diary,
I have also been ask what I do for the weather service.. I usually refrain from posting such things because I do not wish to appear that I am trying to create a image or bragging about myself… would prefer to quietly venture down the path helping when and where I can… but I have been ask so I will tell some about what I do for the weather services to assist them with the weather and climate… and perhaps it may give someone ideas of what they can do… 🙂
Well, in 1999 with a Packard Bell computer with 10 mega bytes of memory, with dial-up service ( and I did get the busy tone on occasion) and using A.O.L… I was more or less a spotter and I shared active weather with the weather service…
In the spring of 2001 I met with members of the weather service and volunteered to be part of organization S.W.O.P (Significant Weather Observation Program), a upgrade to being a spotter, and sent reports during active weather, plus daily reports… in the fall we met again and I volunteered to be part of the COOP (Cooperative Observer Program)… I do not get paid, any expense is mine and the equipment is mine… 🙂
Thanks to gathering knowledge and the internet I were able to acquire instruments at low cost as I purchased instruments over time.. Thanks to gathering knowledge I were able to recycle material to aid in the observations…. I used recycle material to assemble a Evaporation pan (copied after the weather service pan).. It tells me how much moisture has evaporated out of the soil.. 🙂
I used foam board and cooking aluminum foil to make a hail board…I attached it to a piece of plywood for anchor and when the hail hits the foil it leaves a crater.. I venture out after the storm to get an accurate measurement of the hail… once used, I simply replace the foil… 🙂
Again, thanks to gathering knowledge I can use the internet to purchase weather instruments at low cost over time… one such instrument is the Evapotranspiration guage.. It tells me how much moisture has evaporated from plants, trees, etc… 🙂
I also have instruments outdoors… thermometers, frost gauge, rain gauge, remote sensors, etc. .. I use recycled material to protect and install the instruments ( need summer weather as they could use some paint.. 🙂 )… 🙂
That being said, every morning (365 days a year, rain or shine) between 5 and 5:30 AM I venture out and gather data from the instruments and observe current weather conditions… I then venture indoors and gather data from the base units… 🙂
Once that is done, I sit down at my desk and prepare to log in the data… the PC on the right is a old PC that I do not get online with.. However, it functions fine and I do most of the work on it and then use a thumb drive to transfer the data to the PC on the left which is newer and online.. 🙂
I then open the weather service’s WXCODER site to enter the data around 6 AM, they use the data for daily weather and climate research.. 🙂
I then send additional data to the weather service via email… 🙂
Once done with WXCODER, I open the W.O.W. (Weather Observation Website) site of Met Weather Office in Exeter/Devon, UK and send them the same data…. They use the data for climate research… 🙂
And that should give you some idea of what I do voluntarily for the weather services… it helps me be active and hopefully in some small way, I can help make someone’s world a better place and they can enjoy life and follow their dreams also… there are no words of violence here, no words of ridicule, prejudice… simply a ole born again heathen following his dreams… and this is a part of my world… 🙂
Well, I had better close for now...the weather, life and dreams are a calling.. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise.. 🙂
Hope whatever path/trail you choose is filled with sunshine, love and happiness and until we meet again…
Roses are red
Violets are blue,
Thoughts from the heart
I’m sending to you.
Not just another day, dear friend
For in spite of time, distance or whatever,
If only in spirit and thought
We’ll be sharing today together.
So, have a wonderful day, dear friend
Wishing you all the best, nothing less,
May today, every day, AND your heart
Be filled…...with love and happiness.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
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,
Yes, life is about learning about oneself and the universe.. and life will put many challenges before oneself as one ventures down life’s highway so one can learn and help oneself be better and find happiness… it will not be easy, there will be ups and downs, dark days as well as bright days, some days to bring a smile, some days a tear… but if one has an open mind and follows ones heart, one will not go wrong… even if it may mean venturing down the path least traveled, which is what I did… 🙂
And not only can I learn Spanish, but I can use my learning to help others like those in need.. 🙂
I can help others to help make this world a better place as I have been doing for the last 20+ years for the weather service (volunteer).. 🙂
Help others help battle sickness and disease… 🙂
These are just a few of the things I can do because I keep my learning lamp burning bright… I can do this because in my heart I have 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
Of one’s life’s choices no one did bar.
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.
Being 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.
Being 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.
And 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 four winds, they all blow away.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
And after more learning and dealing with challenges, with a few stumbles and a few victories “Victory is not always winning the battle, but rising every time you fall” (Napoleon Bonaparte), Hopefully I will find out who I am and why, knowing I will have to do it my way.. “Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come”. (Author Unknown)… 🙂
Who am I, one wonders
Whether it is race, gender or ideology,
As I venture down life’s path
As a spirit that is born free..
Wondering about being different
Reminds me of words from a song,
Where do I fit in, one would ask
One wonders, where do I belong.
Does the image without
Determine who I am to be,
Even though the spirit within
May be different, be me.
Do I follow my heart’s dream
When heart and mind disagree,
Or do I listen to the mind
While dealing with reality.
Those questions and more
Life’s puzzle to unravel,
To find answers I am seeking
Down the path I must travel.
So I shall continue down the path least traveled
To seek that rainbow, perhaps around the next bend,
Once found, I’ll have my answers
And that will be the beginning, not the end.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
I believe my answer lies with the ever elusive rainbow… 🙂
I shall close for now, the path, school and dreams are calling (along with the laundry) “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), but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂
“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 ), hope you realize your dreams and until we meet again… 🙂
May the love that you give
Always return to you,
That family and friends are many
And always remain true,
May your mind only know peace
No suffering or strife,
May your heart only know love and happiness
On your journey through life.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
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,
Going to venture down memory lane for a bit and share another story about the telephone… I am of German ancestry and grew up on a farm in a area here on the prairies known as “Dutch Flats” (another reason why I got the nickname “Dutch”).. The area were predominately occupied by folks who spoke both fluent English and a dialect known as Low German… my Mom and Grandmother could speak fluent English, Low German and High German… everyone mainly spoke English but sometimes would chat in German, especially on the phone.. hold that thought.. 🙂
Our phone on the farm looked similar to the one in this photo and located on a wall near the center of the house… 🙂
It was connected to what was known then as a “party line” and there were 10 phones connected to that one line and everyone was suppose to respect the others privacy… one would ring the operator and tell the operator who one wished to call and the operator would connect you… each phone had its own ring (our phone was a long ring and two short rings) and you had to listen when the phone rang to make sure it was meant for you… sometimes curiosity would get the best of some folks and they would try to listen in… when Mom were talking to Grandma, if they suspected someone was listening, they would switch to High German because few, if any, could understand what they were talking about… 🙂
I did not learn much German and most of what I learned I have forgotten.. However I had a teacher once tell me that the day I need not gather anymore knowledge was the day of my funeral so with the advancement in technology and internet, I decided to learn a new language, if for no other reason than I can, so I chose Spanish… 🙂
Due to other life challenges I haven’t attended school for awhile now, but will start in again soon, may never get good at speaking the language but nothing ventured, nothing gained and who knows, maybe one day it may come in handy as myself and others share thoughts and memories… 🙂
My schoolroom… 🙂
What I am attempting to say is “Hello, how are you, bye for now”… 🙂
And that is the way it is here on the prairies as we follow our dreams being led by our heart, sails set full with eyes on the horizon… 🙂
When Is The Right Time, One Would Ask….
To climb a mountain
To fly a plane,
To hug a friend
To run naked in the rain.
To stand up tall
To make your thoughts known,
To blend with a crowd
To go it alone.
To till the field
To sow the seeds of peace and more,
To pen a poem of love
To write a musical score.
To take this path
To maybe take the other,
To open ones heart
To share it with another.
Today, tomorrow perhaps?
The answer is in the heart, you see,
So when is the right time, one asks?
When your heart wishes for it to be..
( Larry “Dutch” Woller )
Well, I had better close for now, the day is calling.. No school today but as I venture down the path I’m still learning as “ I am currently attending the School of Life, learning more about the universe and me... and Graduation Day will be the day of my funeral and it is then I will know if I failed or I succeeded and graduated”… (Larry “Dutch” Woller), but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂
Hope your learning lamp is burning bright, life is all that you wish for it to be and until we meet again…. 🙂
May the love that you give
Always return to you,
That family and friends are many
And always remain true,
May your mind only know peace
No suffering or strife,
May your heart only know love and happiness
On your journey through life.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)
onthepathleasttraveled 