Power Cords

For the last few months I have been on the move much.

That has required me to work from my laptop instead of my desktop computer.

I have needed to attach the power cord to the laptop repeatedly.

Before the power cord was draped behind my desk and I rarely unplugged it.

This season has brought me to notice and appreciate this simple device.

A few times a day I attach it then remove it to move to another location.

One time I forgot and left it behind and that was a wakeup call.

The battery will last a while but without the power cord I could not work a full day.

I see you there silent servant.

Blue Flowers

In the gutter the pretty blue flowers decorate the landscape on the tops of what they call weeds.

Spilling Over

Ivy runners are spilling over the edges of the container seeking more soil to occupy. 

Popsicle Stick

On the sidewalk there was a Popsicle stick with a little coloring on half of it.

It is evidence of a treat that was consumed.

The wooden stick had served the purpose it was made for and was discarded.

I could say that the Popsicle stick is yet another silent servant.

Would that person or I eat a frozen ice cream in my hand without it or a cone?

I see you there silent servant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_pop

Shower Head

I was standing under the spray of the hot shower.

There I was considering what to write about.

And then I noticed the shower head.

Without that device it would be like standing under a garden hose.

The same water would pour out but the enjoyment would be lost.

That unit of hardware is another silent servant in our modern world.

I see you there silent servant.

Stop Slow Stop Slow

At the intersection of the major freeways I noticed the brake lights going on and off.

The pileup of cars and trucks are progressing very slowly this morning.

The parade of vehicles continued in jerky fashion.

They stopped and started many times.

I had been there before going from stop to slow to stop to slow to stop over and over.

If those bright red lights had not been working then there would had been many minor collisions.

So I consider those brake lights as silent servants.

The brake lights are part of a team of silent servants.

That team includes the turn signals, back up lights and head lights.

The team prevents wrecks and other troubles.

I see you there silent servants.

RR Rails

I was at the commuter station of the light rail system for Dallas.

I looked down and noticed those long steel rails

They were rust colored on the sides and shiny on the top where they were worn.

I had just traveled fast for many miles along with others thanks to them.

The rail road rails are firmly attached to one another and to the track.

Clever engineers had planned the technical parts of my commute.

Diligent contractors had followed the detailed blueprints.

Lots of managers, administrators, operators and others kept the system going.

I arrived at the birthday party on time due to these factors.

Those rail road rails are just humble slabs of metal.

But still they are silent servants that help citizens move around day and night.

I see you there silent servants. 

First fall leaves spiraled gracefully earthward. 6 word Saturday

Pop Pop

Under the tree, 2 grey mushrooms, suddenly popped up overnight.

How fast mushrooms can appear is a little amazing to me.

Small Stone Muse

My small stone fountain has been running dry.

I do not know why it has become difficult to write a small stone.

For many months it was easy and nearly effortless.

I hope my small stone muse returns soon and stays a long time.

Man, Motor and Wheels

There was an 18 wheeler truck stopped at a traffic light.

I noticed it was huge contrasted to the cars of the commuters near it.

That long white trailer reminded me of work I had done long ago.

I had a job in warehouses and helped to unload and load such trucks.

I have done it with fork lifts and by stacking boxes by hand.

It takes a long time for a few men to load and unload such a container.

Yet there in the cab of the truck was one man waiting for the light to change.

He will soon move his legs and arms to get this heavy load of cargo going.

That driver and others like him will work many hours a week.

Tons of cargo will be transferred from Point A to Point B.

Getting things from the point of origin to the destination is done by the big motor.

It is a little amazing that under that hood is so much power.

It is a little amazing that the truck driver can control that much weight at highway speeds.

It is a little amazing that the 18 wheels carry the raw materials and finished goods day and night.

As consumers we go to the stores or order online.

But behind the scenes are trucks, trains and container ships.

We could never enjoy a modern life by consuming only items grown locally.

One way to better understand anything is to imagine the absence of it.

What would life be like without those big 18 wheel trucks?

The fact is that there are 2 possible ways to know.

Consider history before such trucks existed.

Then cargo was moved in wagons pulled by horses, mules and oxen.

Consider places around the world today in developing countries.

There are videos online of carts pulled by such animals even today.

Let us pause and notice how essential trucks, trains and ships are for our lifestyle.

Let us never take for granted those people, machines and companies that make this possible.

It might not feel spiritual but I think it is acceptable to thank God for trucks and truck drivers.

Lightning Rods

On the top of a large structure I noticed there were several pointed metal shafts.

These lightning rods were wisely placed there.

Each was carefully connected to the ground.

I have never seen lighting strike such a rod.

Surely it happens.

The safety of the buildings and people is assured due to these plain looking devices.

In the downtown district there is a concentration of very tall buildings.

So I assume there are many dozens of lightning rods required to be in place.

I see you there silent servants.

White splats decorate sidewalk Bird droppings 6 word Saturday

Street Corner

I was in downtown Dallas, Texas.

I had walked across the street.

At the street corner I stepped from the street up to the sidewalk.

There at the corner I noticed the three different projects.

There was the asphalt of the street.

There was the concrete of the curb.

There were the bricks of the sidewalk.

In this section of downtown many sidewalks and streets use bricks.

Then I asked, “What is that?”

The intersection of the streets was also the intersection of pubic works projects.

That bit of property under my feet had been carefully planned.

Lots of people had a small part in making that become a reality.

Those materials did not magically fall out of the sky.

They did not spring up from the dirt like random weeds.

Some citizens did not spontaneously volunteer to make it one weekend.

Here is my best guess on how that street corner came into existence.

Long ago city employees crunched lots of numbers.

They crafted a bond election to raise the money.

These three projects were likely done on different years.

Some other people worked hard to get the residents to vote for the bonds.

Evidently the bond drive passed.

Then a department on the city planned where and how to do each public works project.

There were many other curbs, sidewalks or streets in each project.

Then each one was put out for bids.

The contracts went to qualified contractors.

Those contractors had engineers and chemists on staff.

What struck me originally were those chemists that remain nameless and faceless.

The ones on the payroll today stand on the shoulders of those that went before.

That curb is strong and durable.

It has been there a long time and will continue for a long time.

Surely over the years there have been improvements to the chemistry of those materials.

The chemists of those companies had modified the work of other chemists in other companies.

There were lots of construction workers that actually turned the plans into things.

Those construction workers needed truck drivers to deliver the raw materials.

There were clerical and legal people that had a small role in each project.

Surely construction materials and processes have improved in the last 5, 10, 20 and 40 years.

The bottom line is that we live in a complex world.

Our modern life has lots of layers.

Even the most mundane parts have an unseen history.

We live in an interconnected society.

Chemists and chemical engineers play an important role in our daily lives.

We could not get around like we do without civil engineers and truck drivers.

Without them the sidewalks would be dirt paths.

The roads would be full of ruts.

When it rained the mud would be terrible due to a lack of suitable drainage.

I can only see the world through my pair of eyes.

I can only hear the world through my pair of ears.

I can only touch the world through my pair of hands.

But there is another perspective on the world besides just a me-centered universe.

I live in a society where I am one of many players that interact daily.

Pondering the stories behind the street corner can connect me to my fellow citizens.

These many men and women are not silent servants.

Each one has a voice.

Their hands and minds combined to make this and every street corner.

Maybe another designation is invisible servants.

I see you there invisible servants.

Same 8 Blocks

I have been starting my day with an exercise to notice something different.

I walk the same 8 blocks to get to the place where I work.

While walking along those blocks I had gotten bored

To relieve the dreariness I have been seeking at least one new item daily.

This could be a bit of graffiti, a partly dead tree, a sticker on a traffic pole, etc.

When I seek then I find at least one item and often more.

There is so much around us that we miss.

Yet seeking and diligence will reveal odd and interesting items.

This makes my commute interesting and keeps me alert.

This could work while driving too.

It might make the daily commute more interesting.

It could improve mindfulness.

Fuse Box

Today while seeking inspiration for a small stone,  I noticed a fuse box.
There it was, a rectangular metal box, with big wires coming and going.
I had used a much smaller one at a rent house.
Flipping those switches restarted the electricity in parts of the house.

I have no clue how to make or repair such a device.
I know it must be very important.
Contractors do not put such things on buildings just for fun.

I know I will never see a splashy TV commercial about fuse boxes.
There will never be a late breaking news report about the latest model of fuse boxes.
Celebrities will never be paid to endorse a certain brand of fuse boxes.

Notice that cameras, smart phones and computers have dedicated bloggers.
But who offers lots of comments for the pubic about such a mundane thing.

Yet I feel sure that we could not enjoy the benefits of our modern life without fuse boxes.

I see you there silent servants.

Glues and Screws

Recently I noticed a tile missing from a kitchen floor.

What remained was the dried evidence of the glue that held that tile.

That got me to thinking of how much we depend on all kinds of industrial glue.

In each residence, office, school, hospital and other buildings there are glues holding building materials in place.

Plus there are all kinds of screws and nails being used.

Construction workers used nails for making the wood frames.

Nail guns attach sheet rock and shingles.

Light fixtures, cabinets, doors and windows are there thanks to sturdy screws.

On a related note I considered the mortar between the bricks.

If mortar was not present the building would collapse.

There is caulk that seals cracks in the kitchen and bathroom.

There are gigantic stores that sell all sorts of glues and screws.

They offer nails, mortar and caulk as well as other critical attaching methods.

These items are not easily noticed.

But they are absolutely necessary.

These silent servants do not get the attention like big ticket items.

The big bucks go to appliances, furniture, landscaping, computers, electronic devices, etc.

But if we did not have ways to hold together the buildings then we would be outside.

I see you there silent servants.

Libraries remind me that I value quiet. 6 Word Saturday

Janitor’s Cart

I noticed a clever vehicle.

It was carrying many silent servants.

Some examples include:

mop, mop bucket, broom, toilet paper, garbage bags, paper towels and all kinds of cleaners.

This sighting was at a college.

I considered that there are similar carts in office buildings, hotels, schools and other places.

These tote around the useful products that are also found in homes.

In a residence they might be stored in the bathroom, kitchen, garage or elsewhere.

These common items are essential to making our modern life clean.

If they did not exist then the messiness and filth would build up without end.

The diseases would spread and illness would be common.

In a way this kind of cart is a servant to the other silent servants.

I see you there servant of silent servants. 

Bar of Soap

Consider a bar of soap.
How super simple is that lump.
From that useful solid comes chemicals to clean.
Handy and easy to use are just some of the qualities.

Recently I ran out for a while.
That was a wake up call as to how much I had taken it for granted.

The traditional bar of soap has gained competition on the store shelves.
There are all kinds of liquid soaps with special ingredients and in fancy containers.
But the new products are just distant cousins of the good ole bar of soap.

I see you there silent servant.

Spelling Checker

There is some software that I have been leaning on for many years.

The spelling checker gives me an alert when I missspelld a word.
That red underlining is my clue to back up and make a change.

Some of those instances are just my sloppy typing.
Other times I just do not know how to spell a word.
It would be useful if it only informed me of my errors.
But it goes the next mile and offers alternative spellings.

There are times the alternative spellings are not right.
Then I go the the Internet search engine and take a guess.
Almost every time I find the right spelling.

This clever programming code make me seem much smarter than I am

I see you there silent servant.

Hot Water Heater

Recently the hot water heater was out of order where I have been staying.
WOW there is a big difference between a hot, warm and cold shower.

Now that it is working again I am grateful for the service it provides.
While out of sight the clever machine makes it possible for me to have a relaxing shower.

I see you there silent servant.

Breezes Bend

The welcomed breezes bend the reeds, grasses and tree branches.

The heat does not seem as bad when these currents of air dance around.