Teaser Snow

Snow Covered Grass  -Recently Mowed

      As a skier I am always looking forward to the beginning of ski season with a good snowfall to get things started.  However, in late October in upstate New York any snow that falls at this time is only teaser snow.   An inch or two of slush that is bound to melt in the next 48 hours is not worthy of being called anything but teaser snow.   In spite of the teaser snow I still enjoyed my afternoon walk.  There is a certain beauty to the white snow piling up on the green grass, coating the still blooming mums and changing the dark roofs to white.   Here are a few scenes that capture this beauty.

Well Insulated Roof?

Droopy Headed Mums Frosted With Snow 

     The new snow certainly stirred me to action to get the cars ready for the winter season with filling of the windshield washer fluid containers.   Also was inspired to throw the snow brushes and ice scrapers into the trunks.   Probably time to check out the snowblower too.   I think I'll wait a few weeks to bring the snow shovels up from the basement.   

    Meanwhile, best wishes to the ski geezers in Colorado who are getting enough snow at Arapahoe Basin to get in a few runs.

Geezer = Curmudgeon?

      I sometimes wonder if I act like a curmudgeon.   The definition is "A crusty, ill-tempered old man" from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary on line.   I guess I don't object to being crusty since it seems like one could think of that as being like a pie crust.   A little crisp and flaky but all right to consume.   Being ill-tempered is another matter.    Fortunately most of my geezer friends are not ill-tempered.   They may be opinionated and sometimes abrupt but for the most part they are quite congenial.
      Perhaps when you exceed ninety years of age you have the right to become a curmudgeon.   Recently Andy Rooney retired from a regular appearance on the television show 60 Minutes.   He certainly qualifies as a geezer at 92 and is certainly crusty.    To a degree I would have to also classify him as a curmudgeon.   Often in his opinion pieces he revealed an ill-temper about many things.   His complaints sometimes revealed an irascible nature that could be endearing but at other times irritating.   He clearly demands to be left alone in public and I expect anyone approaching him for an autograph would suffer his wrath.
     When one points a finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at oneself.   I shall be careful about who I call a curmudgeon and if complaining too often is curmudgeonly I promise to mend my ways.   Meanwhile, I am thankful for my geezer friends in their nineties who are as kind and cheerful as anyone I encounter.
    In conclusion, I am glad I have a curmudgeon monitor in my dear wife.   Her gentle chiding will keep me on the straight and narrow.

Reflection on Protests

   Recently the Wall Street Protests has been garnering a lot of attention from both the press and the public.   I am heartened that there are people brave enough and committed enough to bring injustice to the attention of the nation.   I applaud their efforts to bring into the common discussion the problem of the wealth of the nation flowing to the few while the masses lose economic security.   Regardless of ones political position, it cannot be healthy for our country when the poverty rate increases while the financial elite gets disproportional rewards.   I don't know what the outcome of the Wall Street Protest activity will be, but I see it as a valuable raising of awareness of the continuing unfair distribution of rewards in our society.
  Perhaps my enthusiasm for the Wall Street Protests comes from  reflection on  protests that I have personally encountered in my lifetime now that I have reached geezerhood.   During my years at Cornell University I experienced student and faculty protests regarding racism and the Viet-Nam War. As a faculty member I spent many hours in faculty meetings reacting to and debating the demands and disruptions of the protesters.    At the time I was very much against their behavior and actions.   Walking over protesting students to gain entrance to meetings and cancelled classes both were very disturbing to me.   In fact I thought these actions were inappropriate and unnecessary.    Following the protests of the 60's and 70's there were changes spurred by the protesters.   And I came to appreciate that they did have right on their side.   Changes did have to be made and we both individually and collectively had to face our racism and war mongering.   I have truly grown to appreciate what the student protesters had to teach me.
     In my senior years,  I continue to see injustice that disturbs me.   I probably will never be the one to go into the streets with the protesters.   However, I am cheering them on from the sidelines.

Geezer Tribute - Wilson Greatbatch

Wilson Greatbatch 1919-2011

     Toady marks the passing of a great person and extraordinary inventor Wilson Greatbatch at age 92..  In my book he deserves recognition as one who lived a magnificent geezerhood.   He continued to be an active inventor throughout his entire life with over 350 patents.   But perhaps more important than his specific inventive successes was his zest for life.   His curiosity and generosity of spirit made him a most delightful person to encounter.    I was fortunate during my years at Cornell to enjoy some time in his presence in personal conversation as well as listening to him lecture on his development of the heart pacemaker and associated long life batteries.  At that time he had also become interested in developing a cure for AIDS and was putting his inventive and innovative genius to work in exploring new ways to deal with this disease.  Although he was world re known at the time I met him, he was unusually humble and genuine in his demeanor.   There was not a pretentious bone in his body.    I am saddened by his death but at the same time rejoice in his contributions to humankind and his example of appreciating the gifts God had bestowed on him.    I would hope that all of us in geezerhood would be as kind and generous as Wilson Greatbatch.  
       Condolences to the Greatbatch family as they both celebrate and mourn the passing of a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who lived an exemplary life for all of us.

Life as Story

An Aboriginal Storyteller

      Sunday night we were treated to an evening with Garrison Keillor at the State Theater in Ithaca, New York.   Keillor is a master story teller whose Lake Wobegon tales and Minnesota based commentary entertain and inform all of us.   Many of the tales he told on Sunday evening I had heard before.   However, they were just as entertaining and humorous as the first time I heard them.    There are recurring themes in his stories.   In his new presentations he often weaves the themes into his monologue in new ways.   It is intriguing to try to separate fact from fiction.   Even though it is mostly fiction, he paints such vivid pictures of the events that it all seems very real.   Sunday evening he said,  "Fiction enables one to live a variety of lives".     What a wonderful concept that one can enter into any number of life fantasies through fictional characters and events.   In aboriginal cultures, the stories of the people are handed down through the storytellers.    And those stories get told again and again.   Certainly Keillor has mastered the technique of passing on a fictional lore through repetitions and embellishments in much the same way of the aboriginal storytellers.
      Keillor is on the way to geezerhood.    I believe he is either 70 or close to that age.   He clearly is aging well and continues to be highly productive.   A new book is about to be finished, he continues to do solo touring on his schedule and the radio show A Prairie Home Companion remains highly popular.   When asked on Sunday night whether and when he plans to retire his reply was convoluted.   Clearly he recognizes his mortality but since he so much enjoys what he is doing he will continue his writing and performing for an indefinite time.     He claims to truly enjoy being in the company of young people and why not since he has a thirteen year old daughter.    So best wishes Garrison for continue success in your life story.    And maybe you will find peace with geezerhood in the future.

Geezer Oak Trees

North Tower Road Oaks

   When I arrived at Cornell University in 1953 to continue my undergraduate studies I walked up Tower Road almost daily to attend classes in buildings on the upper campus.   Each side of Tower Road was lined with relatively young oak trees perhaps six to eight inches in diameter.    Over the last 58 years since I have observed their growth into magnificent giant oaks.   A few days ago during a walk up Tower Road I became acutely aware of how these oak trees had survived the onslaught of weather, road salt and other abuses of their environment.    These trees have become geezer oaks in a wide range of health and condition.    And some have not survived at all.  
    Perhaps these oaks are metaphorically like men moving through geezerhood.   The oaks on the north side of Tower Road are sturdy, large and quite healthy.   They are planted in good soil and are  well pruned and still producing many acorns for the squirrels.   The oaks on the south side of Tower Road have not fared so well.   Auto parking under these trees on the south side has compacted the soil and contaminated it with road salt.   These trees have stunted growth and often poor leaf and acorn production.

South Tower Road Oaks

     Humans moving through geezerhood also exhibit differences in their quality of survival as a function of of the quality of their past and present environment.    Geezers of the magnificent oak variety have had the good fortune of the environment of loving and supportive relationships, healthy habits and satisfying careers.   Unfortunately some geezers have suffered both self inflicted bad choices and random misfortunes that have produced limited growth and abilities.   The tattered oaks are their symbols.    Just like the oaks on either side of Tower Road, we geezers are all survivors even if we might show differing appearance due to the ravages of time and life difficulties.

Geezer Holiday at Empire Farm Days

     This past Wednesday I attended the the Empire Farm Days near Seneca Falls, New York.   This is a yearly event that I have enjoyed many times.   I can't remember the first time I attended this event that has a 78 year history.    Since it has been going on before I was born I expect the first time I visited the show was when I was a youth and was with my Dad.   At that time the show was basically an activity of the Empire State Potato Growers Club.   One of the demonstrations during the early days was of an aircraft spraying a field.    I was enthralled by airplanes at the time and marveled at the bravery of the fliers who would swoop to potato top level to lay down their spray.  They would even end up with some potato tops hanging from their landing gear.
     From those early days the show has grown into a gigantic exposition of farm machinery,  structures, tools and peripheral rural businesses from banking to insurance to seed and fertilizer among many others.   It is truly a big three day affair for New York agriculturalists.
     I arrived about 10 AM and was parked within a few hundred yards of the exposition within a few minutes.   Although they had circulating transport to the grounds, I was close enough to walk to the first street.   My routine has been to methodically travel all of the streets visiting the displays that especially attract my attention.    Mostly I am attracted to farm machinery on display and enjoy sitting on the seat of the super sized tractors, combines and forage choppers.     However, I also enjoy conversations with the sales representatives to get their take on the state of agriculture in New York State.    I always visit the Cornell building staffed by personnel of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to see what kind of pitches and information are being extended to the public.

Salford Plow -Up to 14 Bottoms

Three Bottom Mounted Plow

     By noon I had managed to visit about one half of the displays and arrived at one of the food tents to have lunch and sit for a brief rest before finishing my journey through the exposition.   Many different items piqued my interest but since I have been tracing the history of the plow and the evolution of plow design I was especially interested in the plows on display.








      Plow design continues to evolve even after 5000 years of development.   The two pictures illustrate two different moldboard designs.   The upper one shows a shortened moldboard with an abrupt curvature at the tail end and the lower picture shows a much longer moldboard with a more gradual curvature.   The top one would cause more breakup of the soil.   Although minimum tillage has dominated soybean and corn culture lately, I learned that some farmers have returned to periodic plowing to plow down crop residues and pesticide/herbicide residues.
     By 2:00 PM I had completed by visits to all the displays of interest to me and I was ready to depart.    I concluded from my visit that New York agriculture is a thriving.    Modern technology has enhanced the efficiency and productivity of agriculture.    However,  economic, social, health and safety problems continue to challenge farmers and the rural population.  Farming is still a hard and demanding life and all of us who benefit  from an inexpensive, abundant and high quality food supply should be grateful to our farmers.  Dwight Eisenhower made the following observation.

      "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field".   Dwight D. Eisenhower, September 11, 1956