Products and people- from sturdy to flimsy

Have you noticed the change? Cereal and laundry detergent boxes aren't as big as they used to be. Dog food bags are either thinner or smaller as well. I've noticed canned food cans are slightly smaller. Even aerosol cans are smaller in diameter.  Manufacturers have made ever-so-slightly packaging changes in hopes consumers wouldn't notice the downsizing.  

Products don't hold up as long neither. I can't find a can opener that will last longer than 6 months before I need a new one. I had bought my Mom a name brand hand-held mixer, thinking surely it would last a number of years, but after a couple months she told me the beaters kept falling out. In my kitchen, I still toast my bread using an old vintage toaster I bought from an antique shop back in the late 70's during my Marine Corps days. It's got one of those round, black electrical cords and ticks when it's toasting, but it works just as good as the first time I toasted in it-no telling how old it is. Things are made of lesser quality material now. My latest vehicle doesn't have a metal body all around. Some of the body panels are fiberglass. Wow! That's very comforting knowing I'm protected with fiberglass against an oncoming logging truck. Why use flimsier, lesser quality materials to in a vehicle? I know-it's about making it lighter for better fuel consumption. Well, the truth be told, when products were made with sturdier material they lasted much longer.

                           My trusty old toaster is still toasting my bread over 30 years

Not only have products changed, so have values, moral, and attitudes of people. I'm sure many other people my age or older have noticed this as well. We can compare and see the younger generations aren't carrying forward many ideas us older folk were taught, lived by and hold sacred. The younger generations march to a different drum beat or something different. And that something isn't very comforting or what I call being good, solid, values and morals.  

The following is part of an email on senior citizens I received.


Upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The courtesy out of driving,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of the family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity scene out of cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement or
God out of government and school.
And we certainly are NOT  the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!

And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country. 
Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention with their hand over their hearts!

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!
 ------------------------------------------------End of email.



I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking, "what's happened?"  Good, solid, sturdy, things are now made flimsy, and the strong fortitude, backbone, commitment and convictions people used to posses and exhibit have also become 'flimsy. This is becoming a 'wimpy world'

What do you think about this?

Relaxing in fresh water

My last posting was on Leisure Diving and so I had a longing to get in some water myself. So a friend and I took a short trip to Morrison Springs in Walton County, Florida. It's a natural fresh water spring that is beautiful. It's cool water is too cool for alligator or snakes, so it makes for some nice time in the water in a natural setting without fear of any unwanted reptiles hanging around.

Here are some photos I snapped while there. Of course scuba divers were diving down into the caves of the springs. I think that would be fun, too,  but I can't scuba dive. Regardless, it was enjoyable getting wet and cooled down in the cool, fresh, clear, spring water. The opening to the spring was located a few feet to the left of the floating deck. If you can see the water is slightly darker a few feet to the left of the deck in the second picture below. I heard it went down 80 feet. Surrounded by cypress trees, there was lots of sun, splashing, kayaks, canoes, swimming and paddle boarding, but no leisure diving going on, doggone it!

Hope you're having a nice time relaxin somewhere.

I like this diving!

I don't know how I found this site but I love it. LeisureDive.com.   
What I find so cool is the 'leisurely look' while you're jumping into a pool or something soft. I was thinking, could I look cool jumping into a pool? And also important is the photographer has to snap the picture at just the right moment and it can't be blurred.

 I was thinking what I could do for my leisure dive shot.... I came up with a few ideas.

1. Have arms outstretched as if yawning with my eyes closed.
2. Dive off backwards with my arms behind my head and my legs crossed.
3. Have my dog jump first then me dive in afterwards like I'm trying to catch his leash.
4. Casting a fishing line while diving and looking leisurely.

I wish I could come up with more ideas.  How about you?  Have any ideas for a leisure dive ?


This is my old way to dive. I think leisure diving is much more classy and creative, don't you?

Diving in the old fashion way

Photo credit: d3designs from morguefile.com

The gentle, country plumber

Have you ever had to call upon the services of a plumber? Have you ever had to call twice in one week? I recently had and the experience turned out to be a very pleasant one in the end.

I needed a bathroom toilet repaired as soon as possible as it had been leaking apparently for some time without my knowledge and caused floor damage hidden under the carpeting.  I called a recommended plumber who lived not too far from me in the country. But I was so sleepy and tired that I couldn't stay awake while the plumber was in the bathroom doing his repairs.

Bathrooms can have slow leaks and mess up your flooring

Photo credit: jade from morguefile.com

When I woke up, the plumber was gone. He left without getting paid and I couldn't find where he'd left an invoice.  I called his phone number and his wife answered and said he knew that I was asleep, so he didn't wake me.  Wow!  Now that would have never happened if I lived in the city. I called him again that week because I thought the toilet was leaking again. He came out again and checked, but it was dry and he offered to do the work to replace some of my flooring as well. What good skills to have. I lucked up on a nice, country plumber.

In the country I find there's extended and exercised a little more trust between people than in the city.  I like that. I did drive over and paid him the next week plus a tip for being so thoughtful, along with a jar of homemade jelly to his wife. 

I saw mermaids in Florida

 I finally got to visit a place in Florida I've been wanting to visit for some time.  It's away from the crowds of Disney World, where you can enjoy Florida the way it used to be in a simpler, older, slower, more natural setting.  I visited Weeki Wachee, the home of the world famous mermaids in Spring Hill, Florida about an hour North of Tampa.  The mermaids were so amazing and  graceful swimming underwater.  It was all I thought it to be.  Just thinking about the year of mermaid training in order to be beautiful Weeki Wachee mermaids to breathe and swim like a graceful mermaid in a cool natural spring setting surrounded by turtles or fish or manatee in the spring.  During the show, held the mermaid theatre, the mermaids open their mouths to sing, and even eat and drink a coke underwater.  I don't know about you, when I'm underwater, I gotta keep my mouth shut or I'm gonna get waterlogged and sink. But not mermaids.  I'm still wondering how can anyone eat and drink while underwater?  To me, see that was an absolutely amazing feat on top of the unique water show. 

 If you want to see something different in a natural spring water setting, visit the mermaids yourself. Here are a few photos I took. Here is the website to Florida State Parks. - click on the Weeki Wachee Springs Park.  Personally, it was well worth the trip and quite unique to see.  Enjoy.

 

Let me tell you while watching this underwater show in person the colors underwater were very bright and vivid. My camera photos didn't do justice to the underwater colors of the mermaid's costumes nor their flowing hair. They were lovely tail-finned underwater ballerinas and the water was absolutely crystal clear.  

  View this video, Part 1 of 6 one of the mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee.




My next adventure is to lazily float down the Suwannee River in Florida along the Suwannee Wilderness River Trail in a houseboat.

Virginity

Today's the day of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in England.  Did you know Kate is supposed to be a virgin in order to marry William?  My guess is in order to not have any surprises about the bloodline and parents of any children born of Kate, it's necessary she be a virgin.  I don't know of any medical tests to prove virginity, but maybe there is an examination to prove a woman's hymen hasn't been broken. If anyone knows, please leave a comment.  And by the way, sex involves more than intercourse. So, I was just thinking and wondering about virginity.

A royal prince for a lovely princess

Photo credit: jdurham from morguefile.com

The aroma of love is in the air

Photo credit: darnok from morguefile.com

Protecting and guarding your virginity status until marriage in today's culture is not important as it was a few short decades ago.  Virginity used to be something a young woman held onto proudly until her wedding day, reserving her wedding bed as sacred and shared only with her husband. I would think this would make any man proud to know he was his wife's one and only. But now days, from both sides, being virgins is not expected, spoken of, nor barely considered.  What's changed over the past couple decades?  I will tell you what I think has changed.  Marriage isn't taken as seriously as it once was, and sex has become a recreation rather than being a sacred act of sharing your body with your spouse.  I also think fast times, easy travel, the internet, cellphones, movies, living together, has all precipitated us in moving away from "until death do us part" and these are just a few things which have influenced changes in importance and focus away from being a virgin. Today, it's sex without long term commitment. When you get the urge, you do it without any second thought.  If the sexual act produces a pregnancy, then that unwanted pregnancy can easily be terminated without any emotional attachment. End that life. Virginity is dying, it doesn't matter any more about chastity or saving something meant to be spectacularly special between two people for a lifetime. Just a few decades ago, that was the norm, but today it's practically history, and to know someone with their virginity in tact until marriage is a rare occurrence and rare find. For the class of a few who choose to wait in keeping their virginity until marriage, I have to say is a very .  Still, royal families regard virginity as an important mandatory for marriage, or for this one, and the bloodline of the future king or queen of England.  I hope the young royal newlyweds have a beautiful, sweet life together as husband and wife and have the satisfying pleasure knowing they waited each for the other.

Here's a link to 11 benefits to wait to have sex until after you're married. I especially like the numbers 7 through 11 the most.  

The dance of life- two people coming together as one

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com

Lady Banks and blooms

Lady Banks

It's Spring time around here, and if I overlook the pollen that's giving me fits, it's so colorful viewing the array of flowering bushes and trees. Here are some photos I've taken.

 Wisteria

Flowering Crab Tree

Knockout roses

There are many more blooms coloring the landscape like azaleas, tulip trees, and much more, but I just wanted to share these colorful photos I took while out and about.  Spring has surely sprung. So beautiful! I thank God for His seasons of robust and delightful blooms and aromas.