The most difficult task

Are the people who live in Dull, Scotland, actually dull and dense .... or those who live in Boring, Oregon, really boring or tedious? Undoubtedly no, they are not .... but, most certainly eyebrows are raised when occupants of those municipalities explain where they reside.

Two remarks by Thomas Hudson

In Ernest Hemingway's novel

"Islands in the Stream"

Published posthumously in 1970

"Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent people can and do go around making themselves and everyone else miserable."

"I would rather have a good Marine, even a ruined Marine, than anything in the world when there are chips down."

What did you mean by that?

It is not unusual for me to "complain" that communication between individuals is the most difficult task in the world. This is especially true of "written conversation" and, to a lesser degree, to talk on the telephone.
 

The elements which make communication most difficult come when the individuals are not speaking face-to-face, which prevents hearing the tone of voice and seeing facial expressions. Also, any number of words have any number of meanings, and when the talk is between two people who are pretty much strangers to each other, there often is a misunderstanding over which meaning the speaker has on his mind when he uses a certain word.
 

Add to that conversation between two individuals who do not have a common language. For instance, I once wrote to a non-English speaking young lady that I thought she was "a silly girl." She interpreted "silly" in the dictionary sense of the word as being a "foolish" girl. I had meant it in the sense of her being "funny."

In the instance of Thomas Hudson in the Ernest Hemingway quote, I am reasonably certain his use of the word "dull" was not in reference to a village by that name in Scotland and not to the people who reside there .... but, then again, who can be absolutely certain? I assume there are at least a few "happy" people in the community of Dull who are not actually "dull" .... but, an assumption is only an assumption ....

For strangers and for individuals who do not have a common language, it is easy to misinterpret meanings of words, especially those with a variety of meanings or nuances, which is why I think communication, arguably, is the most difficult task in the world.

"Tangled Up in Blue"

The mystery of metaphors

The J.M. Bucheimer Co. originally from the Ruxton area of Towson, Maryland, was founded in 1884 and sells a variety of leather products. Ownership has changed over the years, but its holsters are still around and generally sell in the $200 to $400 range. This is a used, like-new, left-handed, lined, basket-weave variation that I bought in Frenchtown, Montana, adjacent to Missoula. I am ambidextrous in the use of firearms, which is a useful trait, to say the least. This holster has a "pouch" for a spare magazine attached on the side. It is designed for a Browning Hi-Power pistol. It works fine for that model, but I am using it for my Colt Model 1911 Combat Commander in .38 Super caliber .... it suits that particular handgun even better. Superb pistols deserve premium leather. I guess this post could be considered a continuation of "my favorite things" -- or, like Bobby Dylan's, "Tangled Up in Blue," sort of a mystery open for introspection and to interpretation ....

View from a windshield while 'flying low'

Just a passing thought

Well, I return to the Queen of Spades

And talk with my chambermaid

She knows that I’m not afraid to look at her

She is good to me and there's

Nothing she doesn't see

She knows where I'd like to be

But it doesn’t matter

I want you

I want you

Yes I want you, so bad

Honey, I want you

Photographer in Wyoming ....

Clouds in South Dakota ....

Or was it the other way around?

Hmmmm ....

Why are you asking me?

I was in sort of a trance,

Listening to Bobby Dylan on the radio ....

old holiday / old tree / old flag

In Congress, July 4, 1776

 

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America ….

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

 

--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

 

Today, the Fourth of July, is Independence Day.

 

I guess we all know that ....

 

I hope we all observe it beyond picnics, parades, athletic contests, concerts and fireworks ....

 

It is, after all, the anniversary of the delegates from the thirteen colonies to the Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and establishing the United States as a nation onto itself ....

 

This actually is the one hundred forty-second anniversary of the event leading to the holiday .... the tree is forty-seven years old and the flag was "born" in 1976, making it forty-two, which means they only are "sort of old."

 

Old is a subjective term, especially when considering it in the sense of the age of the earth and, especially so, in context with the age of the universe. I guess probably the term "ancient beyond ancient" would be appropriate in those instances.

 

Whatever .... back on point: I wish you a safe and a thoughtful "holiday" .... from my point of view, Independence Day should also be a day of thanksgiving ....

Finding a few favorite things ....

The cure for almost anything/everything that ails you:

Find a relatively remote spot ....

Set up a base camp ....

Explore the lake in a canoe ....

Enjoy a bit of "trigger time" ....
Escape into a book you treasure ....
Find a sunny glade and lie down in it ....
Count clouds until sleep captures you ....

Watch the sunset ....

Listen to music/music/music ....

Right, baby?