One Fine Day Ahead

I heard emphasis during last night's weather forecast on KREM-2 News.

He said it once and then said it again: today is supposed to be a beauty. 

We'll take it. 

Yesterday, we did get rain off and on throughout the day, and the grass is greener this morning because of the moisture.

So, that was good. 

The raindrops did kinda curb outside work projects, especially when I attempted to finish painting a section of fence Boston, Terra and I had started on Friday. 

I put the paint buckets back once and then brought them out again a couple of hours later when the first batch of precipitation turned out to be just a slight shower.

The afternoon show, however, brought substantial amounts of wet stuff. 

During the second rainstorm, Bill and I drove to the Selle Valley Creamery and picked up a couple of items for lunch.

  Later, I went over to HomeWood Farm Stand, which is owned by Jennifer Bair Wood.  

She's the lady who came up with the highly successful Funky Junk which has brought in the masses of funky-oriented shoppers over Labor Day during the past few years. 

The show has been going for more than a decade, and I guess it's important to check out the site below to see if it will run this year. 

http://funkyjunkantiqueshow.com/

Anyway, it was fun to stop by and look over all the offerings along with a few reminders that Jennifer and her family are isolating themselves in her home just behind the stand.  

Her underlying medical issues require that practice, so the place operates pretty much on the honor system. 

Since I couldn't find where exactly to follow the honor system by paying for the rhubarb start I had selected, I yelled out a couple of times. 

Soon Jennifer opened her window, and we enjoyed a nice conversation, until the rain started soaking into my clothes, that is. 

Jennifer tells me that soap and garden items (and probably those masks) are available at the stand every day.

Baked goods, like what you see in the photos, appear on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

The HomeWood Farm Stand can be found on Shingle Mill Road, which takes a right off from the main road from HWY 200 and proceeds to East Shingle Mill Road.  

You'll see a sign alerting you to its upcoming location. 

Another nice example of rural creative pursuits here in the Selle Valley. 

I came home, and when the rain had stopped worked up some dirt and plopped the rhubarb start into the ground.

Since my last attempt at transplanted rhubarb did not work, I'm hoping this one will like the spot where I planted it. 

Most of my seed trays have come alive with 'maters, and cukes and flowers aplenty, and so they have moved to the greenhouse where they'll live for the next three weeks or so. 

They seem to like their new home cuz everyone is still alive after three nights out of the house. 

Today looks like a great day to finish up that section of board fence.  

Plus, I'll probably plant some more seeds, all the while wandering around the place admiring and appreciating the emergence of what looks to be a beautiful spring. 

Yesterday, because of the rain storms, I had more time than usual to scroll through and read posts on my social media sites.  

After doing so, I must say that the English teacher within was writhing in excruciating English teacher pain as I saw posts, purportedly put out by said poster over and over again. Only problem was that different names took credit for the same message. 

Also, at the end would come the real telltale sign----cut and paste and send this on if you agree. 

It's spring and maybe that's why the experiences reminded me so much of more than 30 years of research-paper season. 

Twas a little different observation, because back in those days I would often notice a sudden vast improvement in writing ability from students who had never written quite like that before. 

Hmmm, I'd think, must have been some copying and pasting going on here. 

Even at almost 73 and into retirement, much too often I still find it amazing and alarming how downright stupid/gullible many people think most other people are. 

One year, during the spring research project, I even read virtually the same paper three times (turned out the authors were friends). 

 It also turned out when I did a little research on how they got their information, one even admitted to me that the copy machine had been a big help. 

That was way back in the 1970s, so methods of "stealing other people's ideas, perspectives, information" and pretending they are your own have sophisticated themselves immensely.

At the very least, when making these discoveries I would advise folks who do this as a practice to give credit where credit is due, like put quotes around the stuff you stole and maybe even give credit.   

That guidance still stands.

Anyway, that's the way it's supposed to work.  

Still, we all know (and some of us have tried this method only to suffer the pain) that when you don't want to take the time to read or research or listen to a variety of sources on your own, cut and paste does the easy trick. 

Sadly, it's too often a "pay me now or pay me later" situation in the credibility department. 

Only problem with cut and paste is that some of your audience is instantly fully aware that you have not taken the time to sort things out for yourself. 

Plus, sometimes it's not completely true if context is not considered.  

Consequently, some of those audiences will immediately dismiss your profound personal outlooks cuz they've already seen those same words before---maybe even a dozen times before---from different authors/FB posters. 

There is no substitute for taking the time to listen to something in its full context---in these days----in real time when you want to persuade others that you really do know what you're talking about.

Context means that you listen or read the whole piece before making judgments or using it.  

Lifting one isolated item from a speech or written document without considering the information that came before it or after it and then dangling it out for all to see often can lead readers astray.  

Consider the full context.  No substitute! 

So, to the cut-and-paster posters who suggest that you have come up with sometimes outrageous claims all by yourself, why not try searching through a variety of "credible, tried and true" sources" before spouting off. 

Or, at the very least, say something like "I read this and really agreed with it so decided to share it." 

You'll get a lot more respect/credibility, even if your words and thoughts don't quite match E.B. White or Shakespeare's level of discourse. 

Okay, enough of an English lesson for today.

Hope everyone has a great day.  Enjoy the photos and the SNL skit.  Dr. Fauci (the alleged Fascist?) got his wish.

Happy Sunday.