I miss :
- a daily newspaper
- looking things up in real encyclopedia
- bench seats in the car
- 3 speed on the column
- dad plowing moms garden in the spring
- the annual church picnic where the same family ran the same both each
- Sunday with Sunday school in the morning and preacher service at night
- my 4H picking up corn missed by the pull behind corn picker
- cane fishing poles and worms
- only 3 channels on our black and white tv
- Stan Musial

What about you ?

So, as I prepared for bed last evening, I searched for my cell phone and could not find it. It has happened before, so I simply dialed my cell phone number from my land line and waited for the familiar ring tone that identified its location. Well, there was no ring. After looking in my car, searching familiar locations, and trying the ring tone approach several times again, I went into panic mode. You see, I need my phone next to my bed at night to monitor my pacemaker that submits a report to my cardiologist daily, somewhere around 2:00 AM. It also sits on my recharging stand to refresh the battery as a secondary necessity. So, it's late in the evening, I'm ready for bed, and I'm stressed out over the lost phone. As I try to fall asleep, I rehash my activities of the day and possible locations I might have lost the phone, and where I was at with the phone in my hand as a last recollection. I decided it must be at the VA, where I had my appointment with Father Dave, Catholic Chaplin and spiritual leader for Veterans in Northeast Indiana. I had a restless night, constantly waking up deliberating my predicament and potential outcomes, disgusted with myself for being so careless, and dreading a sleep deprived continuation of my problem at sunrise. I got up earlier than usual, did my morning routine in the bathroom, made breakfast and fed the cat, and then called my cell phone only to hear the familiar ring tone go unanswered. I thought about my prior day with Father Dave, remembered I had the phone in hand inside the Chapel prior to our spiritual meeting, and concluded that I may have inadvertently left the phone on a black covered chair that matched the matt finish of my phone cover on the iPhone 8 I have owned for years. Well, I made the hour drive to the regional VA, walked quickly through the waiting area and check-in compartments, down the hallway to the Chapel. Opening the door to an empty chapel I quickly went to the rear when our meeting was held, stared at the black chairs as I approached, and there, almost completely blended into the seat covering was my face down I phone, resting in peace in a place of worship. Relief was an understatement, as my stress level returned to normal, and I was relieved to recover the misplaced Phone. Being in a house of worship I thanked the Lord for his help, slipped a few bucks in the collection box, and returned to my car for the journey home. So, the lesson I learned is that there are three important pieces of personal property a person must constantly be aware of when out and about: Wallet, Cell Phone, and car keys.

A few weeks ago I posted "Wrong canyon, right idea" after I biffed my attempt to find Silver Creek Canyon, which enters the familiar-to-me Gallinas Canyon pictured here. I didn't locate it yesterday either, but I was on a mission to move a trail camera, not to mount an exploration; now that I know where it is (after rescrutinizing the map and realizing my error) I can get to know Silver Creek another day.

The Spanish word "Gallinas" (gah YEE nas) refers to wild turkey hens, but there is all manner of wildlife in the Black Range, and of course cattle, the evidence of which is pretty much everywhere, yuck. So I know who some of the critters on my trail cam will be.

This area saw a large and intense wildfire in 2013 which incinerated the forests on the higher and very steep mountain slopes, resulting in widespread flooding that still occurs after significant precipitation. There are downed trees and logjams everywhere which makes hiking a bit dicey in spots. The good part is that very few hikers wander down there.

Here are a few scenes from yesterday's ramble, which I hope you enjoy.

These are JPEGs and scans from photographs I took back 15-25 years ago.

1. Ben Davis

100+ years ago Ben Davis was the most popular apple variety in the United States. It was nicknamed "the mortgage lifter" because it produced so reliably and prolifically. It was rugged and durable so it shipped and stored well. Missouri at one time was an important apple producing region and Ben Davis was the leading variety there. The flavor is unremarkable. Its origin is unknown but it is thought to go back to circa 1800.

Nice shots. Also like the history. If you ever have the chance to find one try a banana apple. My grandfather had two trees on his farm in the southwestern part of Pittsfield, MA some hundred to about fifty years ago.
Bud

2. Belle de Boskoop

Belle de Boskoop was discovered as a chance seedling in Boskoop, Netherlands, in 1856. Tart and firm and very fragrant, it holds up well in cooking. It is a classic winter apple that improves and sweetens in storage.

3. Flower of Kent

Sir Isaac Newton was sitting under a Flower of Kent tree on his parents' estate when he saw an apple falling to the ground, leading him to question the nature of gravitation. That was in the late summer of 1666, and the variety was known as far back as the 1400s in Kent where it is presumed to have originated.

Apollo 10 astronauts John Young, Thomas Stafford and Gene Cernan carried seeds from Flower of Kent into space as a tribute to Newton. In 2010 British-born NASA astronaut Piers Sellers took a piece of wood from a Flower of Kent tree to the International Space Station. In 2015, British astronaut Tim Peake took Flower of Kent seeds into space. I was personally involved in arranging for a Flower of Kent seedling to be sent to the University on Copenhagen from the Royal Botanical Gardens for a display honoring Newton.

4. Spitzenburg

Spitzenburg, also called Esopus Spitzenburg, originated as a chance seedling early in the 18th century near Esopus, Hudson, New York. Thomas Jefferson was a dedicated horticulturalist and he grew many apple varieties at Monticello. Spitzenburg was reportedly his favorite. It is a great fresh eating apple, but it is so difficult to grow that it is rare. It is a parent to the variety Jonathan.

I received a notice from the County Clerk telling me that I'm on the list of potential jurors. I filled out the lengthy form online, and I'll see what happens. They know my date of birth, so they know I'm almost 80, if that makes any difference.

I was called about thirty years ago, and I was looking forward to being on a jury, but I was dismissed. My son was on a grand jury, and he found that very interesting. He was surprised that the drug dealers were so well educated and so well spoken.