"It is no use to grumble and complain; It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice; When God sorts out the weather and sends rain - Why, rain's my choice." ~ James Whitcomb Riley

Well, well, we meet again. It's Wednesday, January 22, 2014, and I do bid you a hearty welcome to our time together for today. This past Monday was a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day. School was out. The temperature hit 76 degrees Monday afternoon. As I drove home it was uncanny. Folks were everywhere in their summer, mark that, their summer attire. Joggers, walkers, bicyclers, stroller pushers, ball bouncers, skate boarders, ....you name it. One park that I passed must have had a dozen or more families crowded around enjoying the wonderful clear and sunny day. Message to those who may have missed it. It's still January folks. January. But, it's good they were able to enjoy such a gorgeous day. We have a forecast for well below freezing temps coming for Friday and Saturday to round out our week. You know the old saying already, and it certainly applies around these parts this week, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute, it'll change."

Who said we couldn't find something to talk about. We do live in a scary and dangerous world folks. The upcoming winter Olympics to be held in Russia has nearly everyone somewhat nervous. There's already been some terrorist bomb attacks in the province where they will be held and more attacks are being threatened. While this has become a part of doing almost anything in the world, it's even more worrying when we send our competitors into a country where we are not fully able to guarantee their safety. No doubt the Russians will do absolutely everything within their power to make sure nothing happens on their watch, but, I read of some new and troubling developments nearly every single day. It makes one wonder why any country would even want to host such an event since it presents such a strategic target for the radicalized elements to go after. At the same time, I suppose we cannot be cowered by those who seek to destroy our way of life. When we do that, they win.

Here's a newsflash for us older folks: "Brains of the elderly slow because they know so much." That's the teaser from a recent article in the London Telegraph reporting on some newly published research concerning brain functioning of older people. Essentially, this new research indicates the brain of the older person does work slower but not because of any impairment. It is slower because of the amount of data collected and stored. Hallelujah! I now have a legitimate excuse folks. The hard drive in my head is so full of stuff it takes me longer to process things than those who have less information to work with. That's exactly what they found in their study. The researchers also put forth some ideas about how the cognitive testing done might well favor younger people since they do not have a lifetime of collected data to wade through. How do you like that? On a computer one can clean up their data files and delete those they no longer need. I wouldn't suggest doing the same for the files stored in the brain, therefore, instead of slow, you can now call me, contemplative. Thanks. May God bless each one. Amen.  ....More later.