Never stop learning

For some reason, I had it in my mind that special software was needed to take a screen shot of a web site. Well, duh. It has turned out to be sooo easy. All you have to do is hit the “Print Screen” key (Prnt Scrn), then paste the captured image into a graphics program, such as MS Paint, which comes installed with Windows XP. Save the resulting file as a Jpeg image. Voila. Screen shot.

I’ve learned to be a substitute teacher for the local school system. This is a goal that never ends, of course. Learning keeps us young. I’ll never stop, so I am marking this done to make way for other goals and new challenges. Thanks to all those who have cheered me on.

For the past month or so, I’ve been working on landscaping the front of the house. I removed/replaced masonary edgers, removed/replaced a brick walkway, cleared and leveled two areas for decorative rock, and installed a drip system for the Desert Spoon and Spanish Dagger I planted last summer. I had to do a lot of reading on watering/stonework using books from the library. It’s been fun learning about desert landscaping, even if I have been a bit frustrated by pipe joints that leak and tree roots that make leveling the ground nearly impossible.

Now the project is coming to a close. Later today, the quarry will deliver a ton and half of Desert Rose 3/8” gravel, enough to cover 210 sq. ft. up to 2” in depth. Tomorrow I’ll lay out the weedproof sheet and start shoveling the gravel over it. I expect the project will take until late Sunday with lots of breaks. It’s going to be a busy, physical, most enjoyable weekend, with a whole new look to the front of the house at the end.

The CEO of our company circulated this lovely quote today:

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
— Henry Ford: Founder, Ford Motor Company, prolific inventor.

I am an admitted neophyte in this area. I grew up in cities, lived most my adult life in cities, and my experience in growing things… anything other than cactii… has been very limited. But for the past year I’ve been taking great pleasure and a bit of pride in tending to the lawn and garden areas around the house we moved into. I’ve read up on plants and lawn care, and now that we’ve started growing vegetables, I’m fascinated by the progression from seeds to seedlings to leafy plants to flowering plants to produce-bearing plants.

Last week I bought a DVD on lawn and garden maintenance. It was produced in the UK and I just love the tremendous care and attention to detail that the British put into gardening, even if it’s just a tiny plot of land or a row of hanging flower baskets outside a brownstone. By the time summer ends, I expect to be qute well versed in the science and art of home horticulture. It gets me outside, stimulates both the body and the brain. And most important, it’s fun.

at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

I had heard of the Alexander Technique before, but I never took time to look into it until today. Fascinating stuff. It fits right in with my goal to relax and it could aid me in developing my Tai Chi form. I intend to learn more about it in the weeks ahead. There’s a wonderful starting point online at The Performance School. I’m going to ask my chiropractor about it, too, when I see him next Tuesday.

I borrowed four tapes/DVDs on drywall repair and wall treatments and taught myself how to fix a nasty hole in the wall of our garage. I also stripped off all the old, ugly wallpaper, then patched cracks and nail holes across the entire surface. Now I’m applying a coat of primer to the wall in preparation for a fresh coat of white latex paint. This is a three-weekend project, and it is turning out to be much easier and more fun that I thought it would be. It just requires the proper tools and a good “instructor.” I love the public library!

Back in June, after two years on a waiting list, I was trained as a volunteer Clark County Election Official. My assigned function was Computer Clerk. I worked at the polls during the primary election in August, took another training session in October, then worked from 6am till 8pm at the polls for the General Election on November 7th. It was a wonderful learning experience.

I learned about the tremendous dedication of our community volunteers, who worked all day so that others could exercise the freedom to vote. I heard both loud complaints and high praise from those who came to our polling station. I saw 10-yearolds students express their first interest in our political process. I saw 18-yearolds and newly naturalized citizens cast their first-ever ballots. I saw people in wheelchairs, using walkers, on oxygen pulled along in tanks, all making the effort to participate directly in choosing those who will govern in the years ahead. I feel much more closely connected to our democratic form of government as a result.

I’ve been on 43T about four months now and reading the entries on this site is like a crash course in psychology. I am absolutely amazed by our collective mind. Our cyberstreets contain just about everything, the entire gamut of human emotions and desires. People are sharing their hopes, dreams, fears, and innermost thoughts. 43T even has its dark side, including “road rage” and despair. Here, we reach out for answers, for understanding, support, and new perspectives. It is saddening and encouraging at the same time. This is the world inside us, the world that creates the temporal reality around us. There is much to be learned here, about others and about ourselves. I’m glad I stumbled upon the site. My learning journey goes on.