Hydrangeas by the doorway…

Last summer my wife bought a small hydrangea plant as a decoration. We decided to plant it outside by the back door. I t did almost nothing all winter. At one point she was afraid it was going to die. Then as it warmed up in spring, it finally started sprouting a few branches. Things got busy and I almost forgot about it. A couple weeks ago I noticed it had a few flower buds. Cool, it didn’t die. My wife said something about it, but I never got out there to check. This week I was catching up on some backyard gardening, and low and behold, that little plant was sporting the cutest purple flowers! I was glad they were purple. That’s my wife’s favorite color.  I was about to take credit for that. You see, hydrangeas often change color ranging from blue to pink in response to the soil pH. Ya, turns out she bought it as purple on purpose. (I still think I helped it stay purple.)

It got me wondering about where it originally comes from so I decided to jump down the rabbit hole. The scientific name for hydrangeas is Hydrangea macrophylla, AKA Big Leaf Hydrangea. According to the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-macrophylla/) hydrangeas are native to Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Flower colors range from white to pink, blue, or purple flowers, depending on the soil's acidity (pH). Acid soil produces blue flowers; Soil that is alkaline produces pink flowers. The flowers are a cluster of small flat flowers surrounded by a larger ring of more showy flowers called “lacecaps”. They usually flower in the spring, but some cultivars can have a second blooming cycle, especially in warmer climates. It is a perennial and will come back year after year if properly cared for. It can grow to a bush of about 6 feet tall. In cold winter areas it will need to be covered to shelter it from the freezing winds. Here in California it may keep its leaves all winter. They can be trimmed after they finish blooming, but remember to keep it light. New buds form on the old wood. Be sure to do any trimming before August, because it will start forming buds for spring starting in the fall.

One interesting thing I learned is that the dead hollow stalks from the previous year can often give native bees a nesting sight. Since most native bees either can’t sting are rarely choose to sting, and they are great pollinators, hydrangeas can help your other garden plants.

If you decide to plant hydrangea (or a few) there are many online sites and lots of videos to help you on your adventure. Plant flower – color your world! 

AI: How Far Is Too Far?

This week one of my friends decided I needed an upgrade. He took a picture of me manning the soundboard at Hst Ministries, the place where we feed the homeless and under resourced in Modesto. in just a few seconds I looked like one of the bandits from the movie Home Alone. I love using parts of AI, but this? Hmm, I'm not a fan. I mean, a good head of hair for 65 but still, nope. It brings up one of the main drawbacks/issues with new technology. How do we tell real from fake? If something that never happed can look so real, how can we be sure what is real and what is not?

Now don't get me wrong. I love using Siri for road directions, even when she can
sometimes make mistakes. It sure beats trying to navigate with a map. I have enjoyed using AI to help correct Chemistry equations quickly. I even get some entertainment listening to Alexa throw the other AI entities under the bus. (She can sometime be a little arrogant.) In many ways Ai has made our lives easier. CGI has gotten so much better using AI. Fantasy can now look seamlessly real. 

Like any technology, it is only as good as its users. AI can be instructed to create false narratives or pictures that have never happened that can then be used to deceive and humiliate. Kids have used it for cyber bullying. Students are trying to short cut the actual writing of assignments without doing the work. A simple video that would have been evidence of an event is now brought into question. It's getting hard to tell what is real and what is not. 

So how can we filter through all of the fake stuff?  (some ideas from https://www.popai.pro/)

• Unnatural Movements - Check the background details. Do all the people respond accordingly? Do items just magically appear or transform? Are there things out of place?
• Check for an AI Generated mark - Honest people will normally show it is done with AI
• Textual Clues - Are there strange spelling errors in the text or the closed captioning?
• Perfect but Unrealistic Graphics - Does it look to perfect or violate the laws of physics?
• Unusual Voiceovers or Lip Syncing
• Inconsistent Lighting and Shadows - AI often struggles with shadows and shading
• Repetitive Content Patterns 
• Check the content - Does the writing seem too well polished for the grade level?

The take away is that we are now at a point where we have to be very careful to check the source and content before we react.  What we see may not be the truth. It reminds me of what John said in I John4:4, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Was I a Blessing to Someone Today?

One of my personal growth goals a few years back was to leave anyone whose path I cross doing a litter better for having met me. I t might be just a kind word or a simple smile, but it would be something it elevate their existence. On the way to working at the State Park this weekend I was praying, “Lord help me to be a blessing to someone”. Simple enough. As I rounded the last curve before going into the park I saw some sparrows flitting along the roadside as the often do. This time one of them got to close and ended up smacking into the front corner of my car. Not a good start I thought. I saw him on the road still fluttering but I do not know if he made it. I was kinda sad about it, a then thought, “Maybe there’s a very hungry hawk who just needed a meal”. At least I could be a blessing to him? Not how I was planning to start the day though.

We spent the morning weed eating a large berm area that cannot be mowed with a mower due to Native American burial remains being in the area. It took a while but at least we got it out of the way. One of other aide decided to take a picture of us and send it to our supervisors. We got a nice kudos email of thanks for our hard work. Ok, I was being blessed, but I really hadn’t been able to help anyone else (except maybe the hawk). Later one of the camping groups came over and gave each of us something to drink. I ended up being given a couple sparkling sodas – something I really enjoy. I continued through my day. Yes, I helped a family with directions and made the park a little cleaner. But It still wasn’t what I was expecting. I guess I was fixated on being a big blessing to someone.

On the way home, I noticed that since I was given an extra soda I had not used the one that came in my lunch. I decided to take it with me in the car for the ride home. As I got to the exit on the freeway I noticed a man standing with a sign that said “Old Man Needs Help”. I usually try to keep a few dollars in my wallet for just such occasions.  This time, I was fresh out. I saw the flavored soda water that was still cold and held it out to him. “It’s all I’ve got”, I said. His face broke out in a smile and he said “thanks” as I handed it to him. The lady in front of me handed him a couple dollars. I made me think: None of the things I did today was grand or spectacular. But maybe, just maybe, they were all that was needed. Baby step, add up. Tomorrow’s another day. Who can I help next? If we all help, It can add up to big change.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 NIV