The things in my head go 'round and 'round

There you have it.  My Christmas gift to you.  The only one that will never wear out, or go out of style.

Whatever you do, don’t give up.

As my family well knows, I have my highs, and my lows.  And that is putting it mildly.  The highs are full of activity and grand ideas.  The lows are full of sulking, and silence.  I am either the life of the party, or the one in the corner dressed in black not talking to anyone.

Sorry people I love.  Just haven’t gotten the brain chemistry right as of yet.

Right now, being in a middle period, I am doing a lot of thinking of success.  What it means to me.  What I have, and what I don’t.  And whether or not all of that makes a difference.

And I keep coming back to the title of this little bit of rambling.

Don’t ever give up.  No matter what, because there is no real success or failure.  Everything happens the way that it is supposed to.

Say what?  Am I being real here?

You have better damned well believe it.  Here is an example.  I am making banana bread.  If I don’t add a particular ingredient, will it be ruined?  Or as they say here in Pennsylvania, ruin’t?  The answer depends on your perception.  If you look at the situation without emotion, the end product is a result of the process used to produce it.  The bread turns out the way it is supposed to because of what I put into it.

Wrap your head around that one for a minute.

I am also bottling beer today.  If I don’t put priming sugar in the wort before I bottle it, there will be no carbonation.  It will be flat.  And exactly the way it is supposed to be since I didn’t put priming sugar into it.  Process.  It is all about process.  What you put in to something is what you get out of it.  So there really is not success or failure, there is only your interpretation of the results.

Wow.  That makes my head hurt.

Remember that all through this part of the year when we are rushing around, and not really paying attention to what is going on around us.  You can spend all of your time not paying attention to anything, or you can be in the now.

So what does this have to do with succcess or failure?  I have my ideas, but let’s hear some of yours.

My family and I wish you and yours a safe, and sane holiday season.  And beyond that, we wish you and yours peace, prosperity, health, and love.

Namaste.

The official start of the Dodd Brewing Company brewing season began today. With an extra added twist…we brewed outside.

This last summer we purchased new kitchen appliances. I was informed by MLW that there would be no more brewing on the stove in the kitchen. That resulted in having to brew outside. No concerns, though. It was actually pretty nice. The weather was cool, and cloudy.

I brewed an altbier today. An ale that I had not brewed before, I usually brew a red ale and doctor it up from there. Todays brew is in the fermentor and doing its magic. Two weeks will go by pretty quick, and this brew will be in the bottles just after Thanksgiving, ready for parties during the Christmas season.

I love making beer.

Namaste.

Maybe days of our lives. Unless you work nights, then your days would actually be nights. And your nights would be your days. Or something like that.

I did overnights for about a year many moons ago, and I did not like it. Toss a kid with pnuemonia into the mix and you get the picture.

But that isn’t what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the freaking weather!! It has gone from hot and dry to cold and dry. At night. During the day it is still in the 80′s, but cool. But at night it is freaking COLD!! And the moon has been full the last few nights. I am loving this time of year.

The Girls start school on Monday. And get this, next week Thursday they are flying to Maui. For the Labor Day weekend. While I work. Somehow that doesn’t seem right. On a couple of levels, but they are going with The Princess’ Paternal Grandmother and Uncles. And when you look at it that way, I will be just as happy being here. Thank you.

What are you doing this weekend?

Namaste.

Ok, let’s all sing the birthday song because today is my birthday.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear phil/sweetheart/Daddy/brother/son,
Happy birthday to you.

50 big ones today, folks.

The official half-century mark. And I seem to share my natal day with good company. First and foremost is my Aunt Marge. Marge is my Fathers sister. The only living sibling on my Fathers side. Marge and I are the crazy ones in the family. Love her madly.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Marge.

Everyone needs, and deserves and Aunt Marge.

And then there are all of the folks who are found on Famous Birthdays. Marge and I are every bit as famous as all of those folks.

MLW just informed me that one of her cousins also shares this day with Marge and myself. I always knew that I liked her cousin for a good reason.

Anyway. Send cards, gifts, money, and well wishes all day today. I promise that I will do the same on your birthday.

namaste.

The things in my head today:

Today I am doing a little bit of this:

And after everyone is fed and happy I will be doing a bunch of this:

And that is the way that I will be spending my Memorial Day.

What about you?

Namaste.