Thank you for the Bus Ride, Mrs. Bachman

Tonight, our favorite TV news station is airing a one hour discussion about the Iowa Caucus. Before that happens, I must get updated here. I promised to write something about my experience at the Iowa STRAW POLL 2011. On August 12, 2011, a friend called and said she'd obtained two tickets for the next day's event at Ames, and asked if I wanted to go along on the three hour bus ride and participate in the Iowa Straw Poll. She said, "In America, we can still do these things and I think we should."  How can you argue with that. You can't argue with freedom, even if there are rules to follow.  Opinions about voting, and participating in our Freedom of Speech in America, vary across a wide spectrum. Here's one writer's opinion that you might want to look at. This is from Nate Ritter, my son, owner of Perfectspace.com. Hooray for freedom of speech!

I originally posted a long, multi photo illustrated version of comments, and observations here, on blogspot on November 3, 20ll.  But it did not post to the blog; and all this time I have not solved the "WHY?"

 What we participated in, that day in August in Iowa, seemed like a combination of county fair, and seminar/conference of hometown politician campaigning. My videos did not upload, to my blog on first attempt. so I will try to add those to YouTube later this month. I caught, with my iphone, part of the beginning of "The Straw Poll Speech by Michele Bachman", and a few other fun activities.

Marc Bachman and Michele's mother greeted us in Ames, Iowa.

The chronological timeline of our day and activities in Ames was illustrated elsewhere, also. I will try to upload; if that doesn't work, please check out my Flickr pages. I focused on Michele Bachman, because Bachman was the candidate my friend was most interested in seeing. Thank you, Mrs. Bachman, for the bus ride! Your energy, integrity, family support, planning, and work ethic provide wonderful examples, for not only Iowans, but for people around the world. I can see how much you love our country. Your wealth of knowledge about finances and tax issues are an asset to America. Michele offers huge possibilities to our country, and I will consider her as a leader, many years from now.

Sorry

We heard that phrase a lot on our trip around England years ago. I always wondered what they were apologizing for, because, I didn't ever see anything that they should say "sorry" about. Maybe you won't see my "oops" either. But I have to say "sorry" for the grammar problems and for possible broken links or multiple emails you might receive with this particular blog posting. I am learning, but don't always get, the way the blogspot forms and buttons keep track, or break tracks of each posting. As an example, October and November, 2011 here. I originally posted "To BLOG or TO BE", October 31, then closed out, and went elsewhere. Returning in a day to see if the blurb had posted, I saw glaring errors - spelling, grammar, etc. So, I went in, edited and fixed. Well, there were two drafts there of the "same" (?) thing. I deleted one draft, on which I knew there were errors, and chose "edit", for the other. Simple little boxes to check. I fixed what I thought should be fixed, saved, previewed, etc, and reposted, and "publish"ed. Rather than reposting my October version, in the nice orange letters, it posted a new version for November, and not in the nice orange letters. Well, so - SORRY - both will stay. Take your pick. Goals have been accomplished! At least one posting each month. I didn't promise you they wouldn't be the same posting did I? Pretend like they aren't, heh, heh. Maybe as a challenge, see if you can find how I changed the Nov 2,2011 blurb. Sorry.

To Blog or To Be

On the last day of October 2011, I reconsider my one year as a blogger. (http://twheatscarousel.blogspot.com/2010/10/and-so-it-begins.html)  In a world wide sense, by blogging, realize what a grain of salt, or a single leaf one person is. We last one season then finish by falling unattached from the giant tree, or by swooshing out to sea with the next big wave, to become the sea, or - well, you get the picture. In a huge homogeneous mix of planet people, everyone who is able, types, talks, performs on this fake paper, film or microphone on tables/desks/laptops, thinking we are one wise/funny/serious individual writer, actor, business person, with something really, really uniquely important to say (or sell) to the WHOLE WORLD!!  The Whole World - I can't even fathom that. I still don't get it. Really, I neither sell nor have wisdom or humor to offer, but I blab along, with the rest of them, with the thought that I CAN, so I do, and I will.

Do you wonder, how those piles of words and letters that people manage to put together about personal days and nights, dumped out there, floating around net space, are of any real value?  Businesses calculate and circulate paragraphs, pictures and promises to THE WHOLE WORLD.  Will it be useful, in time, except for selling or preaching, or self indulgence just TODAY?

Face to face contact with a breathing smiling/frowning/talking person seated across a table, (without a computer and printer on it) or footsteps/friends/ bird and dog sounds; leaves and flowers, gravel, clinking dog leashes, laughing children - those fill a day so much more satisfactorily than a typed monologue on a too-bright monitor pasted with yesterday's pictures or movies or news flashing away.

But then again, when I see a family photo, of people I love and miss, or get a note that says "please pray", or find from an antique census a note, or a book with pictures of handwriting and quotes from persons long six feet under, there is definitely a connection to real person, a place, one life.  Maybe sounding off  with a fountain pen/typewriter/keyboard or giving a view of a different life through a tiny glass hole in an iphone/camera, in "living" fake color there on my desk, is hugely important. Is it just for today? is it just for me or will it last longer, and go farther? Does it really matter?

Blogging, is about a promise to carry through a discipline, rather than giving anything to anyone else. Admittedly, I find a connection to pioneers, explorers/scientists/spiritual teachers, wise people, ancestors, angels and demons.  There are risks, there is pain, we make and have joy; maybe we have a plan, or see creation happening. Will Steve Jobs' heirs or Bill Gates' eventually regret their relative's role in blogging, texting, netting history. I read that the guy that made the science of the atom bomb available came to regret his role, and the outcome of his adventure. A while ago, I also read some tiny print on  some software's terms of use; it was an appeal - to use technology for good. That's my prayer today.

I'm just not quite sure, if there are big enough rewards, in blogging.  I'm a simple person.  So, I have decided to continue blogging (at least through April 2012).  

I have not decided whether  "TO BLOG" is as important as "TO BE". Or if they mean the same.