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8/18/10

In The Heat of Dead Summer

The diurnal Bishop's Cap cactus flowers...

Bishop's Cap (Astrophytum myriostigma) are often overlooked cactus in the natural landscape since they have a unique color and texture quality because part of their survival disguise is as a rock. They're small and usually potted and mine flowers in winter and summer. Like most cacti, there slow going in development, it can take weeks for buds to bloom. The flowers are diurnal, opening at the peak of sunlight and heat during the day, then closing in late afternoon and reopening when the sun is full in the morning.

Flower in mid-August at 15:00 (03:00 PM) in peak afternoon sun and heat





Early evening bud closed before sunset



8/17/10

Music Break: Blue Rodeo

Arizona Dust...

Word of the Day: Word Spy

nature-deficit disorder...

n. A yearning for nature, or an ignorance of the natural world, caused by a lack of time spent outdoors, particularly in rural settings.

Source and Example Citations: http://www.wordspy.com/words/nature-deficitdisorder.asp

Paul McFedries
Word Spy

The American West

Western states' uneasy relationship with the federal government...

United States map showing average annual precipitationThe West is known for it's wide open spaces, big skies and "live and let live" attitudes. Well...less so in attitudes now that it has become saturated with people from Back East after the Sunbelt Migration of the Seventies, changing the nature of western cities.

(For reference, to a true westerner, Back East is anything east of the 100th Meridian. When Back East., anything west of the meridian, is referred to as Out West.)

The West has always had a relationship with the Federal government, whether they chose to admit to it or not. It's an affair based on one element: H2O. Without the support of the federal government, dams and water projects wouldn't have happened and subsequently railroad, electric and telephone networks could not have been completed. Western states also have always had, as a price for statehood, a disproportionate area of land owned and controlled by the federal government. Prior to the late 20th Century Westward Movement, Washington DC was far away enough to be kept at bay and states Out West could operate pretty much as their own entities. 

The Sunbelt migration combined with the advancement of communications created a cultural shift that is pervasive in large western cities. The role of the federal government with state and local governments is a tense one. The Federal Government owning the majority of the land is a factor that should not be overlooked or underestimated. Within the relationship is a conflict in values.


8/16/10

Music Break: Joe South (1969)

Games People Play...

Quote of the Day: Shakespeare

Don't deceive yourself and you won't deceive others...


Presentation of Self in Every Day Life


"This above all: to thine own self be true,"
(be yourself)
"and it must follow, as the night the day,
 (logically)
"thou cans't be false to any man."
(Since your presenting your true self, you won't present false intentions)

Polonius
Act I, Scene 3
Hamlet


[apologies to Erving Goffman]

Canyonland of the Mind

There is no middle ground...

At the bottom of a deep canyon, which is cleaved by river erosion, you are between two walls of high cliffs that cannot be easily climbed. At the bottom you have two options and the one you take depends on the variables of the canyon floor and the cliff walls. For all practical purposes there is no middle ground, even if climbing the cliffs is an option, it is an arduous one with no place to stay. You're either at the bottom of the canyon or on top of the cliff.

If at the bottom, depending if the living conditions are right, it may the best choice to stay there or you can choose to get out. If you choose to get out then there are two more options, you may trek out by river since eventually it will end on open ground or you may be able to hike the canyon wall.

When in conditions that are either one or the other, with no in-between, the method of evaluation is no different than one with multiple choices.


  • Start with available objective facts to gain clarity of mind
  • Use your instincts and subjective thoughts as a guide
  • Look at the options for those with the superior elements
  • Decide which option has the best qualities


You may have to write the facts and thoughts down or diagram them. Possibly you'll reach a momentary mental block, recognize it as momentary, step away from the issue for a bit, return with clearer head. It is key to trust your own judgment.

We are living in an unusual time period and there is no middle ground for most people. You may be at the bottom of a canyon or at the top of the cliff. Either way, depending on the canyon and your circumstances, where you are may not be right and you need to make a decision to change. Despondency and despair will not get you anywhere if you need to get going. It is easier said than done, but making a well thought out plan can take you places. At times it may feel as if you're wearing lead boots but the other choice is fatally flawed.



Trip through canyons of Arizona and Utah: Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon.

http://www.vimeo.com/13888708

Journey through Canyons from Metron on Vimeo.

8/15/10