Joan Ambu Archives – Page 25 of 96 – Strength Of The Small

Birds Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Peaceful Morning

By JM PerezAugust 16, 20171 min read716 views

Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in the High Desert. I got the kids ready and drop them off to school and head right back home to tend to my garden and spend a great time in the backyard. The weather was great, the air was fresh, nature was peaceful and plants were covered with beautiful blooms.

Our newest addition to the garden is the Pygmy Date Palm. Last year I got rid of all the rose bushes from the right section of my front yard (view here, picture captioned “Front Yard, Right“) and planted the the Pygmy Date Palm six months ago.

I came across a young bird this morning. It seems like the little bird came out of its nest for the first time and fell down to the ground. I spotted its mother on a nearby tree, so I left the baby alone.

The squirrels are keeping me quite busy this summer, particularly the little ones. Early in the Summer the Pomegranate tree was covered in fruits and just a few days later, those little critters stripped almost all the fruit from the tree. I read somewhere that squirrels do not like the scent of spicy foods, garlic, peppermint and mothballs. I will try some of these to deter them and will be looking into other ideas since they have no problems climbing fences.

Happy Wednesday.

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By JM Perez

Life Lessons People

Dangers of Greed

By JM PerezMay 23, 20172 min read1.5K views

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” ― Socrates

The type of individuals I dislike most in this World are those who believe they are the beginning and the end. Those who, in their sick minds have convinced themselves that they are always right and will bow to no one regardless of the situation. Evils individuals who will go as far as stepping on their target’s head to reach for their goals.

I personally do not think wanting more in life is being greedy. However, when those desires get out of control, they become very dangerous and lead to other sins. When your desires to acquire more blinds you from your purpose in life and the reality of your very existence, then you’ve gone too far.

*“Greed’s worst point is its ingratitude.” — Seneca the Younger*
*Image source: QuoteFancy.com*

Characteristics of greedy people:

Self-centered
Ungrateful
Arrogant
Manipulative
Impatient
Hypocrites
Scheming
Receivers, even at someone else’s expense
Commit fraud for personal gain
Silent killers (gaining strength from someone else’s pain)
Live in the moment (regardless of what lies ahead)

Uncontrollable greed is sin. It destroys relationships, tearing family and friends apart. Greedy people don’t think about the “what ifs”; they are lost in the moment and have fallen so low that they lose touch with their reality.
By wanting and desiring too much, we end up losing everything.

*“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”. — Mahatma Gandhi*
*Image source: PureHappyLife.com*

Breaking free of greed is hard, but not impossible. We must ask ourselves questions such as:

Do I need it?
Why do I need it?
Must I have it?
Don’t I have enough?
Will I feel better?
Will my actions/decisions hurt someone else?
Will I regret it?
Can someone else benefit from it?

Rather than constantly wanting, we should practice giving. The bottom line is to treat people as you would like to be treated yourself.

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By JM Perez

Electronics Device

Windows 10 Corrupt User Profile

By JM PerezFebruary 6, 20171 min read663 views

Rather than staying home and watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, I was at BEST BUY with a Geek Squad repair technician.

Last year I received a desktop notification to reserve a Windows 10 upgrade and did. I loved the new look and features on my kids computer and I thought my Windows 7 could use an upgrade. The moment the upgrade went through, I could tell something was seriously wrong with my laptop. It became extremely slow and crashed whenever.

About two weeks ago, I turned off my laptop for an update and next thing I know, the login screen had disappeared. Well, not so much disappeared, it will load and then disappear in the background. The laptop was useless. I lost the ability to perform system recovery. Fortunately for me, I was able to retrieve the important data from the laptop (click here to learn how). After looking into the issue, the repair technician said my user profile was corrupted by the Windows 10 upgrade. From the screen in front of me I could see that my files as well as directories had been deleted and all my folders were empty. Sickening, really. I performed a system restore back to Windows 7.

Geek Squad Restore Discs.

When Windows 7 will no longer be supported or when this laptop crashes (whichever comes first), I will bid farewell to Microsoft.

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By JM Perez

Winter Weather Nature High Desert

Beautiful Winter Season

By JM PerezFebruary 3, 20171 min read629 views

Much to everyone’s surprise it still hasn’t snowed in the High Desert and my kids, who were looking forward to making snow angels were a little disappointed. Our mornings are chilly and the nights are long and cold. It has rained a lot lately, causing flooding, mudslides and other property damages.

*Thick clouds floating at the bottom of elevated snowy mountain peaks.*

Even though we didn’t get any snow (and most likely will not be getting any this Winter season), for the first time in many years, our mountains covered by thick snow look prettier than ever.

We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Stay warm while enjoying nature.

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By JM Perez

Kids Craft Children Education DIY: Projects

3D Penguin Project [2]

By JM PerezFebruary 3, 20172 min read2.6K views

For the past week, we have been assisting our daughter in creating her first 3D Penguin. It’s a school project she’s been looking forward to and she had so much fun researching and working on it.

Materials/Tools Needed

School Glue
Tissue Paper
Cardboard
Scissors
Craft Foam Balls
Craft Pom-poms
Sharpies/Markers
Electrical Wire Cap
Screw and Screwdriver
Juice Barrel

Step by Steps (for this project):

Get the screw and screwdriver and insert it through the back of the foam ball until it comes out the front half ways. Now, get the electrical wire cap and screw it on.
Apply school glue around the bottle neck of the juice barrel and sit the foam ball.
Generously apply school glue at the base of the juice barrel neck and around the foam ball.
Cut out strips of tissue paper and lay them from the base of the juice barrel neck to the top of the foam ball. This will help secure the foam ball to the barrel and give you a paper surface to glue the craft pom-poms to.
Generously apply glue to the rest of the juice barrel and cover with more tissue paper. Let dry.
Cut out flippers and legs out of cardboard. Use strips of tissue paper to attach the flippers to the sides of the juice barrel.
Draw the feet of the penguin and apply glue to the base of the juice barrel and secure the feet to it.
Use a sharpie to color the electrical wire cap and draw its eyes/features.
Using your scissors, cut each pom-pom in half, apply glue to the coverage area and secure it. Repeat until its all covered to your liking.