Looking at you, Looking at me

Interesting bird sitting on a pole under the shade of the tree.

What are you doing? 

I’m looking at you, looking at me, looking at you!  

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Celebrating The Holidays

This holiday outfit has got to win an award. 

The matching suit and tie with all the decorative holiday ornaments. 

The bright red shirt. 

The tree hat with the star on top.

And the dark glasses. 

Wow, standout city!

Where do you get clothing like this?

I wonder if I could do this with a menorah too. LOL

Happy Holidays to all.  😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Reaping What You Sow

I liked this saying from the Kibbutz:

If you don’t say good morning to the tree, it won’t say happy new year to you.

Wow, that is pretty wise.

The love and care you put into something every day is what eventually you will get out of it. 

According to you work is your reward.

Yes, (generally-speaking) you reap what you sow…that’s the fruit of your labor. 

Consequences are real and they can be painful if you don’t see the connection between your actions and the reactions. 😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

How Do You Lock A Tree

So this is one of the craziest things in Washington, D.C. 

There is a tree with a lock on it. 

Yes, with a Master Lock on it. 

Hidden in plain site. 

It has letters and numbers or symbols on each button. 

Have you ever seen anything like that before?

Uh, what do you think that is:

– A lock to prevent the tree from being stolen?

– A Maxwell Smart (shoe) phone?

– A surveillance device in the tree bark or along the limbs?

– A secret compartment?

Hmm, is there something locked in the tree?

What could it be?  😉

(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)

Bored Meetings

So it’s been raining so much here in the DC area lately.

The result is that the hot Summer July temperatures are down in the cool 70’s and the rain is flooding everywhere. 

When I got in the elevator this morning, someone goes to me:

“Did you see the leak in the hallway?  They are watering the tree with it.”

And sure enough, there it was!

When all this rain finally stops, there is going to be a lot of cleanup and repairs to do. 

The other thing was yesterday, we were on the way to a board meeting in our synagogue. 

In the elevator, are two other people–a man and women–carrying binders.

They say to us:

“Are you going to the board meeting?”

Surprised, because I didn’t recognize them from our synagogue, I respond affirmatively and ask to clarify:

“Oh, you’re going to the board meeting too?  I don’t recall seeing you there before.”

Then the elevator stops and they start to get off–but it’s to a different board meeting for the building.

When they see that we’re going to a different floor, they start laughing:

“I guess we’re going to different board meetings!”

I say:

“Yeah that’s right, different board meetings, but we’ll all probably be bored!

Another laugh by everyone, and we we’re all off to the races. 😉

(Source Photo:  Andy Blumenthal)

When You Gotta Go

We went hiking the trails yesterday in Maryland along Rock Creek.

And we came across this makeshift toilet in the woods. 

Surprised at all by what you see? 

Apparently, the hole in the tree wasn’t enough for someone.

They took the liberty of literally hauling a toilet seat out to the middle of the woods here and adding it to nature’s wonders. 

I suppose they must’ve really wanted that homey feeling when they take care of their business. 

Who says America’s has lost it’s creative talent?

From the big cities to the wooded suburbs, we are a nation that does our business and does it extremely well. 

Especially during election time when some politicians can be so very full of it and of themselves. 

Can anyone see why we need to reestablish leadership and competitive advantage in this country? 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Cherry Blossom Sky

lorful

What beautiful weather we are having this time of year.

Just loved this gorgeous Cherry Blossom tree with the white leaves against the pale blue sky. 

Almost looks like snow flakes, but thank G-d those are gone now. 

All this nature is sort of the opposite of work, but on my mind is this quote that I heard this week:

_____________

“Plan the work

AND

Work the plan”

_____________

It’s simple, but gets right to the point of the necessity of planning and then executing on the plan.

I like the gorgeous nature and this smart saying.  😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Turtle Tank

I took this photo while kayaking yesterday in Maryland.

Turtles are one of my favorite creatures. 

The challenge in photographing them while they sun tan on the tree trunk is that when you get to close they simply dive into the water. 

This one turtle was a little older and larger, and was basically fearless. 

We paddled right up to him and  he held steady there.

So awesome–turtles live in and by the beautiful water, have a tank-like protective armor, and are basically peaceful loving.

While I never got into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I think the real ones are all that. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Painter

I love this picture of a painter that I took in Florida. 

Each of the circles on the tree are part of his color palette. 

He is standing on a ladder leaning against the tree, and reaching for the red paint. 

It is so cool that the painter is part of the painting that he is making. 

The integration of the person with his creative work–he is one with it!

I can practically feel the love of this person for what they do.

And IMHO, they are very good at it. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Worry, Who Doesn’t?

Many people worry–they are afraid of all sorts of bad things that can happen.

And they ruminate on what ifs and what they can do about it–if anything.

The more people feel they have no control over a negative situation, the more they worry about it–they can feel helpless and hopeless–and this may even lead to depression.

I remember as a kid my dad telling me a story/joke about this–it went something like this:

One grandmother is talking to another.

She complains how her grandson always worries about going to school.

The other grandmother says, “Oh really, why?”

The first grandmother tells her that her grandson is worried because “The kids hate him. The teachers hate him. And everyone gives him a hard time.”

The other grandmother says, “So why doesn’t he go talk the principal?”

The first grandmother answers, “Because he is the principal!”

The moral of the story is that everyone has problems, and has worries, and it doesn’t matter who you are–whether you’re a kid in school or the principal in charge, a worker in the company or the CEO, and so on.

I think sometimes we lose sight of the frailty of all human beings and we think mistakingly that just because someone is successful or high up on the totem pole of life that they don’t have worries and problems.

Which reminds me of something else my grandfather used to say: “G-d doesn’t let any tree grow into the heavens.”

No matter how big a person gets, G-d reminds us of who is really boss–so chop chop on the tree and watch that big ego–we’re just people. 😉

(Source Photo of picture: Andy Blumenthal)