December 14th, 2024
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. I have decided that the UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice at the end of hostilities. It has been 1,040 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week I learned some stuff:
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- Had another gravity storm this that left my dignity in tatters, but otherwise I’m unscathed. I remember as a boy feeling so sorry for the little turtles when they got flipped over on their back and they couldn’t quite get back on right side. I even have more affinity for that those problems now but thankfully, my daughter and my grandson came and scooped me up and I’m afraid again.
- Perhaps it’s the holiday season and all the apps and seats at our holiday table that are making me feel a little blue, but whatever the reason a rationale, I seem to be struggling a lot with controlling my appetite and portions, which is not going to be good for my weight. They say the joy comes from the struggle when you suddenly realize what you’re struggling for has been achieved. I am looking forward to that joy.
- If you’re into last-minute shopping now is your moment. I’m grateful that I was able to get most of mine done early. We just have a couple of stocking stuffers to do. My daughter Jessica has just gone crazy making our house look, so Christmasy almost makes my teeth hurt just kidding. It looks wonderful all the lights and bows and all very festive and I’m grateful for her hard work.
- Have you ever worked on a project and you get pretty far along and it just sputtered and choked? You can’t seem to get it across the finish line? Or do you end up doing the dreaded 3 step Cha-Cha? That’s where you one step forward, and then two steps back. Anyway, I have been having a little bit of that going on with my Stained Glass project, but we will “endeavor to persevere”.
- You can find out all about today’s history here.
This week’s Website Update: I
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- Ramping up for the holidays so I didn’t add a lot to the website this week..
- This week, the Home Page will be from Lone Watie,explaining to Josey Wales how the Indians came to be at war with the Blue Bellies, It was reported in the news at the time of the meeting that the Indian Chiefs had accepted the government’s terms: “We thought about it for a long time, ‘Endeavor to persevere.’ And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union”.
Bonsai Tree and Stained Glass, Update:
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- Progress in spurts and starts but moving forward.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
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- You would thank for all the mistakes I have made. I would have learned some stuff. But I am not sure; I captured it all. It’s a disquieting feeling without any specific justification, but the recent election has shaken me greatly. In my years when LBJ and Nixons were our political villains, we would march, protest even dress in defiance of the “norm”. The difference now is that I am truly frightened for our future and that of our children and my utter helplessness to affect the outcome. People I love and respect made this happen and all I can do is obtain from participation. Ask anyone who knows me, I hate feeling helpless. I believe that is the only thing I have ever hated in my life and now I am living with it every day. I apologize for being such a Debbie downer. I’m sure it will pass as I always try to find the silver lining in every dark cloud so I got this far.
Music Update:
Again this week, I am featuring songs from my top 50 list on iTunes. This is another big brother feature from Apple. Itunes keeps track of what you play the most. Oh boy! The funny thing though, when I looked at it, I liked all the songs 🙂 This a random sample in no particular order.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
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- The Allman Brothers Band — Melissa — In my opinion, Greg Allman has one of the best blues voices in the business. This is a great song from their “eat a peach” album released in 1972. Good night so now.
- James Taylor—Millworker—I fell in love with this song the very first time I heard it, and my love has grown even stronger over the years. This song comes from James’s album ” Flag,” released in 1979.
- Jimi Hendrix Experience — All Along the Watchtower — I guess this is the song that marks, my stepping off the traditional growth, path of teenagers of my generation, and into the world of being a hippie. I think it was because our parents reacted so negatively to the song that I loved it so much is this comes from his first album, “Jimi Hendrix Experience” released in 1968.
- Janes Taylor — ud Slide Slim— listening to this song, brings back memories of memory of a big day for me. I think this might’ve been the very first cassette tape I ever bought. I just reported to board my ship, the USS Voglesang ( DD-862), AK
The VOGIE”. I didn’t know anyone, so I spent a lot of time alone listening through my headphones to James to sing the sad, lonely songs. This one comes off his album “Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon” which was released in 1971. - Buffalo Springfield — Bluebird — Stephen Stills just blew me away with this song when he released it with Buffalo S\Springfield in 1969. It was one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums by them, “Buffalo Springfield again”.
- The Beatles — In My Life — I was already a big fan, “Rubber soul} came out in 1965. But this song turn me into a beetle “Swifty”. If you’re ever bored and looking for a challenging task, try to list your favorite Beatles tunes in order.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!