One young family at work . . .

     You’re missing one of the most unusual and fascinating ‘programs’ on the Internet if you haven’t yet found The Eagle’s Story, from Berry College, Georgia.
 
       It’s one continuous viewing of the lives of a male and female Eagle who first came to the campus two years ago, and caught everyone’s attention, as they built a nest in a tall pine tree. When they came again last year, the college hoped the Eagles were calling the campus ‘home’, and so when the birds left for the year, they installed an infra-red camera and waited with bated breath, crossed fingers and wonder of wonders, their Eagles returned.
 
       By the time I ‘found’ them, an egg had hatched, the chick about a week old and immediately found myself clicking http://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/ many times daily, to see what was going on in the Eagle’s nest.
 
       It is not an ‘action’ program, but one of surprisingly constant change. Bringing in new grass, two eggs appearing, and then it was keeping them warm, exchanging hours of eating, sleeping, going and coming, bathroom duties, boredom, fighting off an intruder, to the hatching of one egg and then the utter devotion of the parents. The male the provider, the female the nurturer.
 
       There’s no chance of boredom, those Eagles draw you back, along with thousands of others, for a Click to keep track of what ‘your’ birds are doing.
 
       The male brings fresh fish, mice or such and the female, who, nine-tenths of the time, is absolutely nest-bound,   proceeds on an orgy of eating, and then tiny bit by tiny bit, she feeds her chick. And as the days pass, I see her offering larger bites to the chick, and today I see the eaglet reaching out to take its own bites. You can almost ‘see’ it grow.
 
       The pair are devoted parents. A rain and wind storm came and for hours she (?) made her body into a shelter for that chick. It was far more than just a breeze, and her body feathers became tossed and wet, but the chick did not feel the brunt of the storm, and when the gale was over the child was well examined, fed, and only then did the female take care of her own bedraggled self. I was enthralled.
 
       I must ask any reader to excuse my errors in this tale, for I’m no ornaethologist and so no doubt am far off-base as to if the male or the female does this, or does that, for I can’t tell them apart. But between the two of them, they manage wonderfully, and as I said, just stay with the Eagles. They are worth my blunders.
 
       Another thing, however, is that I swear the birds communicate.   I saw the male return one day with a fish and mouse, put them down and then, he and his mate, no more than two inches apart, looked into each other’s eyes for, almost two or three minutes without a blink, or movement. But there was communication of some sort, and so strong it was almost palpable right through the camera. It gave me goose bumps.
 
       Another time I caught the mother and babe doing the same thing.   Unblinkingly peering at each other. No movement, and again one knows that some thought or energy is going back and forth. You ‘know’ that one aware being is communicating with another aware being, and that they are far from stupid.
 
       The male comes and goes, and once (?) a day, the female leaves him in charge of the nest. For an hour or so, she flies afar, perhaps to stretch, breath deep, visit a stream or lake for water and a bath. Who knows? But other than this, the female lives her entire time in that small nest.
 
       So far the only time I’ve seen the chick alone was when the pair fought off a young male (?) Eagle who attacked the nest. Took about an hour to do so, and no aid was given by the watching college people, because to get a true film of the Eagle’s lives the birds must cope with whatever comes, as if in the wild.
 
       Berry College says that, if the infra-red light or camera should stop working, they still will make no repairs. Even if some horrible event should occur, the Eagles, although watched, photographed, hoped and prayed over every moment by the entire Student Body, are to be left on their own.
 
       Eagles mate for life and so have at least 25 years or longer with each other. The male is the main provider, and no matter what the chick needs in the early weeks, is, except for foraging for the food, under the female’s care. Hers to feed, cover from the cold, rain, wind, protect at night. Together they provide all that’s needed.
 
       As an uninformed viewer, I   know I’ll see their ‘jobs’ and responsibilities change as the Eaglet grows and becomes ready for other teachings, so I, along with the rest of the world, will watch and learn. Get on line and even if you only click in a couple of time a day, it’ll be worth it.
 
       Berry College gets our applause for their fascinating work that is capturing the eyes of the world. Huzzahs, over and over.

ethelbrad@comcast.net

Swiss Army Knife in a bottle . . .

       A bottle of Nail Polish should be in every household ‘fix-it-kit’, and not for finger or toe nail decoration, either. And for a complete kit, make certain there is one of Clear polish and another of the fairly new Glow-in-the-dark polish. Dozens of uses.
 
       I find the Clear is great for a fingernail that has a roughness that nothing but growing out will eliminate.   And, it’s the answer, if you happen to have one of those fingernails that ‘layers’, and not only looks bad, but are always ‘catching’ on clothes, and forever forming another loose layer. Keep it covered well with dull, colorless nail polish and let the nail grow out. Might take a month or two, but it’s worth the trouble and what other choice have we?
 
     My husband, was one handy man around the house and before he ever knew or thought of colorless polish, he kept a bottle of polish, on his shop bench, and any color I happened to have would do. He didn’t care.
 
     But when he was installing a screw into something, he would coat that screw liberally with the nail polish and then immediately tighten it into place and the screw would really be tight. And, making doubly sure, he’d also ‘paint’ the head of the screw.
 
       When he became aware of colorless stuff, he would cover the heads of nails and screws on most everything he saw, for it keeps rust, dust, and other kinds of stains away.
 
       I once had a pair of metal salt and pepper shakers at my stove, but they often were left damp, and in a day or two there were stains where they stood. One quick clean up and then with a coat of colorless polish on the bottom of the shakers, any staining was a thing of the past.
 
       If you have a measuring bucket or whatever for measuring liquids, mark off, on the inside, the correct lines so you know when you’ve reached a pint, quart, cup or whatever you need. It works, and the time spent figuring out where the lines should be, saves you hours of time later on.
 
     The Clear polish will fill in the dents on the top of wooden furniture, and if you coat the brass handles and knobs around the house with the clear polish they’ll never tarnish. Mix a bit of vinyl dust with the clear polish to repair any scratches on your vinyl flooring. Nice.
 
      My husband would have grabbed onto the new Glow-in-the-dark polish, for it now spells the end of fumbling through the bed covers in the middle of the night, to find the Remote to turn OFF the tv or music when sleep came and left the programs going on forever. I’ve found that a few daubs on the edges, as well as painting the On and Off buttons are godsends. Betcha more bottles are sold for such purposes than for finger or toe nails.
 
       Touch up the ends of a rope, string, or blind cord to keep them from fraying as well as mending small cuts or tears in window screens.  And the Glow polish is a wonder in helping you find the key hole in your car when it’s dark, too.
 
       When the knobs on your dresser or cabinets become loose, dip the screws into clear polish before tightening them and the tightening will be good for a long time.
 
       Never tried it myself, but was told to use acetone polish remover to repair burns on wooden furniture. I think they were referring to hot ashes accidentally dropped from a burning cigarette, but of course, no one smokes any more, so cancel that one.
 
        All together, I think we’ve found more uses for Clear and Glow nail polish than the makers imagined. Or maybe they did, and left it to us to find out. And we have.

ethelbrad@comcast.net

www.FromOutMyWindow.com

Listen for them.  Thank them.

       People speak of who influenced their lives and so I pondered for myself. and for me it was odd, because it hasn’t been people, but I can name scads of books that have made a difference to me. Those of the last century, many older than that, and some of them downright ancient.
 
       Of course, the New Testament marks all Christians.   Not so much the Old Testament for they were tales told round the evening fire, and kept alive until the written word came into being. All of the Middle East told and revered The Creation and Ten Commandments,  long before Moses went to the mountain for us.

       Then, for me, there was Pearl Buck. Oh, that wise woman. Her books were based mostly in China, for her parents were life-time Missionaries there.  Buck’s characters, however, met and coped with circumstances much the same as all people do, and they marked and taught me. No Therapist could have been better or wiser. At least for me.

       Also high on my list was Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.   Her tales of Florida and its people before Big Money found and bought it, are heart-breakers.  The situations in the Scrub Oak are the same as in Murray, Utah, or any  other  place.  People are people where ever found. 

       I read “Lives of a Bengal Lancer”, during an early spiritually critical time of my life. Matching what was happening to me, with the wisdom Francis Yeats Brown found in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in India was a wonder to me. It was a Library Book, so not mine to keep. But much of its wisdom stayed with me, and a month ago I recalled the part it had played in my thinking, bought a copy, and knew again how it had helped me through difficult times. Oh, the wisdom of the printed page. And I mean a well-chosen printed page.
 
       Socrates never wrote a book, but his students did and so his words come to  us. Not a bad teacher, either, for Plato was one of his students. ‘Google’ his name on your computor and read a few of his words. Bless him.
 
       The Murray Library was my teacher, and I still recall the wonderful freedom to prowl and take what books I wanted. I read much that I didn’t understand, but years later when I was older and wiser, (wiser?) I remembered what I’d read and remembering, could say, “Oh, now I know what that long ago book meant”.
 
       Marvelous. Unseen Helpers give us aid long before we know they even exist.  When I began writing seriously, first for the Murray Eagle and Green Sheets, I found that my long years of reading had taught me how to put words together, choosing how to make them flow and tell my thoughts. Reading is the best teacher (influence) there is.

       My Dad had no school training beyond elementery  classes in Sweden, but he was reading a huge book on the History of China when he died.   I wish I’d been smart enough to talk to Dad, but due to his late-in-life marriage, and as I was one of the last children, he was like a grandfather to me, I didn’t know we had the same kind of mind until he was gone. What a waste for both of us. I wonder if he ever prowled the books I brought home? He never commented, if he did.

       What and who influenced your life? Send a silent Thank You to them, even though they’re probably in The Next Room by now, but just maybe they can feel our Thanks and smile back at us. Hope so.

       The word ‘love’, is not primarily a Noun, but a Verb.   A verb is a word of action, and action, once put into motion, continues in motion. Recognized as such, the more Love we use and send along to others, the more love comes back to continue being used.

      The supply is endless, and the wise ones tell us that first, we must learn to love ourselves. To make it our own inner joy, and then silently send it along to others making us more joyous. Some of the easy rules follow.

Love yourself and therefore;

     Take loving care of your body, feeding it nourishing foods and beverages. Groom and dress it with love, and watch our body respond by giving us health and energy.

 Love yourself and therefore:

     Our home will comfortably fill our every need and be a joy to live within. The rooms will be filled with love’s vibration so that all who enter, ourselves included, will feel and be nourished by it.

Love yourself and therefore:

     We will enjoy our work for, no matter what it is, it will use our creative talents and abilities, and allow us to know and communicate lovingly with those who become part of our life.

Love yourself and therefore;

       Our every need is met and often will come into our life before we are aware such a need was approaching. The Source is all-knowing and, if we but allow, the way is prepared before us.   .

Love yourself and therefore:

     Think in a loving way toward all people, for we know that whatever we give, (love or its opposite), returns to us multiplied over and over, filling our world, and mirroring exactly what we sent out.

Love yourself and therefore:

     Forgive and totally release all past experiences which, at the time, we worried about, resented, yet clung to. Only with utter, loving, forgiveness, can we be free.

Love yourself and therefore:

     Live in the Now. Experience each moment as good, and know that our future is joyous and secure. Everyone is a child of the Source and that Source lovingly cares for us, now and forever, the same way we, as loving parents, care for our children.

Love yourself and therefore:

     We will discover we can love all others. Including the many in this world whose deeds we cannot love, because The Source teaches us to love the do-er, not the deed.

     True Agape love is the only way to end the violent and dangerous actions that we see or read about in the media news each day. Love is the only answer to wars, street crimes, home disagreements, violence, greedy political debates, and arguments of all kinds.

Love yourself and therefore;

       Silently send love to all people, no matter of what creed or color, and if right next door or the other side of the world. Silent love is the only action that will someday change the world, but the action must begin, and continue to live, within each of us.

      Learn to respect, accept and love our own worth. Then, no matter where we are or who we are with, don’t wait or say a word, but silently start sending love. Right then. We are the only one, from the special spot where we abide, who can set in motion Love’s eternal action.

(I found these words several years ago in some book or magazine. Liked them, saved them, altered or added here or there, and now pass them along to you.)

No author’s name was given.