It’s Always Something

I mean, some days it truly is best to stay in bed. We were off to shop today. First the Contrarian had to run to Walker and pick up a tire that was being fixed. He got back in record time, put it on, and we were off. Now this trip for other reasons had already become a good deal less fun than I had anticipated. First we realized that we had no new tabs for the license plates yet. This was due to the fact of course that the snows had kept us in so long, and we had forgotten.

About the time that I realized we needed new tabs, which required a trip to the County building downtown, I realized that we also were past due for renewing our drivers licenses. That required a second stop. So the day was not starting well at all.

The Contrarian retrieved the license tab stuff from the car, and we opened it. Low and behold we could do it by internet and, and the and is very important, no penalty attached until June 2! Hurrah, no stop at the county building. So we proceeded to the driver’s license bureau. All went well for the Contrarian. I passed and was waiting, when, you guessed it–a problem. It seems that the DLB was now in computer intercourse with the Social Security Office, and my last name there was not the same as on my old Driver’s license. At first we were told I could not get my license, until I corrected my SS name, removing my maiden name to my married name.

Now I would agree that this was a problem, but for the fact that we have been married nearly nine years and I’ve gotten a renewal during that time. It seems this is all related to silly stuff about “homeland” security and I’m probably now on a terrorist list somewhere. This is of no import since I’ve been looking at websites throughout the Middle East the last few days, and am already on the list. I expect a Homeland Security agent to be knocking at the door any day now.

In any event, the lady at the DLB was nice and talked to a supervisor who agreed that I should get my license, but my records would reflect that I had been notified to correct my SS name before returning in 2013. Phew, one down and a dozen more stops to go.

We stopped at the “stuff” store, sorta like a Goodwill, to see if they had any chest of drawers. We found several, and a couple were most suitable, so we decided we needed to go no further, we could address this at a later date and pick one up easily enough.

Next stop, Lowe’s. I wanted paint for the Contrarian’s office, he needed a wheel for his wood cart. We got our stuff and got in the truck. Turned the key, and yep, you guessed it, NOTHING.  The Contrarian got out, under the hood and checked to see if some thingamajig was tight. It was, back in, NOTHING. A voice!!! “Need a jump?” “Yes, sir, we do,” replied the Contrarian. (I am already comatose with misery–NOT AGAIN, I silently scream.) Upshot, he gets it started.

Next door is Walmart. The Contrarian decides to go get gas, thinking the truck needs a bit more time to recharge. I go in and rush around like a madwoman, flinging food and whatnot into the cart at breakneck speed. I careen through the store in probably thirty minutes, cursing Walmartand their movement of things, I am looking for, everywhere but where I expect to find them.I curse them just because as well, for good measure. I get lucky (hah, I almost forgot how to spell that word) and got  a great checkout clerk for a change. Not one who asks me what a avocado is and then searches for three minutes on her chart. I am out the door.

No Contrarian can be found. i stand there. I look. I panic. I figure he’s somewhere with the truck which is dead and I’m going to grow old and die there. I hear a faint toot, toot. I can still see nothing that remotely looks like the ugly orange rusty truck I am hoping to get  home in. I tentatively move forward. Another woman queries, “Forgot where you parked?” “No,”: I retort, “My husband is supposed to be here somewhere, but I don’t see him.” We both wander slowly along, she looking for her car, me for the Contrarian. I am smug, at least I didn’t forget where I parked my car.

Finally as I proceed, all the time wondering why I am going down this aisle, I see him a block away at the farthest end of Walmart, backing up. You’ve been to Walmart, you know its a good mile from the front door. He backs to me. I start throwing bags into the back. He jumps out to help, the truck starts slowly rolling backward. “She’s rolling!” He jumps in and stops it. I finish the unpacking.

“Well, should we try for Fairway?” he ponders. “I need meat,” I mumble, my mind racing, confused and thoroughly spaced out from this experience. “I’ll hurry.” “Get me some Brach’swill ya?” he whimpers. “Sure.” He waits with the motor running, I rush in, and assault another store at breakneck speed. I’m getting good at this. The butcher walks up unknowingly. “A baby back rib, 2 center cut porkchops, 2 Iowa chops,” I spit out and continue down the line of the meat counter. “Three pounds of chuck, pound to a package, 2 New York Strips, a sirloin, cut in two and packed separately, a bone-in chicken breast, and two rear quarters. Oh and split the breast and package those separately.” Some how the dude knows I am not a woman to trifle with today.

In short order, my meat is in the cart and I’m headed to the cashier. “Not letting your husband buy all that candy today?” she innocently inquires. “No,” I reply, looking as pitiful as I possibly can. “Our truck is acting up and he can’t shut it off for fear it won’t start.” She rushes the cash register along as best she can. Two bags of meat and I’m out the door. It gets tossed in the back and I’m in. The Contrarian puts it in first, and IT DIES!!!!!! “RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRrrrrrrrRRRchugchugthugchuggggging…It’s going!!!!! We don’t even stop for mail. We get in the lane at home and drive to the where he pulls it up to turn around and IT GETS STUCK!!!!!!!!!

That’s it folks. That was my day. And it was 12:30 in the freaking afternoon, and all that had already happened. I deserve  a pass don’t you think? I mean I deserve something. I been holed up in the meadow for months with only the shortest of reprieves to get a few morsels of food, and when it’s finally over, and its passably dry, THIS IS WHAT I GET????? Are you kidding me?

I should be a schizophrenic by now. I should be insane. I should be having a breakdown. Instead I’m pounding keys on a computer. Go figure. Oh, did I forget? Have a nice day!

Watching Clouds Wander By

This photograph is from California in the period 1850-1925 and shows Chinese laborers. I believe the man in the dark pants is the white foreman of the crew. This photo is from the Library of Congress. Sorry about the bottom, I am rather dull when it comes to operating stuff on the computer and could not figure out how to crop it. I think I can figure it out, but now I have got to move on if I’m going to get this done.

I learned today that Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley voted against cloture that would have allowed debate to begin on the Fair Pay Act (HR 2831). This act was designed to overrule the recent SCOTUS decision that disallowed suits for wage discrimination claiming the statute of limitations had run and plaintiff had no standing. The Bill would have made issuance of each paycheck a starting point for a new beginning for a statute of limitations. Grassley apparently is uninterested in fair pay for women. I have written him and expressed my displeasure. Please take the time to do so as well.

On the home front, things are going well. We are drying out and plan on shopping tomorrow. So don’t expect much of any blog, certainly not the usual one. The Contrarian got the truck running and is now off getting a couple of tires fixed. I’ve begun the spring cleaning of the living room and have made a good start.

Let’s get on with the days news:

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101 Cookbooks has a simple salad that is always welcome, especially as the days grow warmer. (We’re still waiting for Spring for the most part, but we can dream!) In any case this kind of thing can go through endless variations. Her tip for crisping up salad greens is EXACTLY what I do. I works wonderfully.

Ancient/Classical History Blog has a profile of Hannibal. He was a major thorn in the side of Rome. Which reminds me of the funniest thing we ever saw on “Millionaire” that show that started with Regis Philbin. A contestant went out after the first question: What animal did Hannibal use to cross the alps? Our intrepid contestant said with great confidence: Llamas! The Contrarian and I still laugh about it.

If you are looking for some quick and easy crochet projects, skip over the Sandi’s Crochet blog and see her easy patterns for a headband, an afghan square or a cell phone bag. I think I’ll take a look at the headband. That might be nice for summer.

More news on the status of veterans and their attempts to get proper health careafter returning from war zones. Penny Coleman reports on efforts of the DoD to cover up the suicide attempts being made by veterans under care in hospitals across the country. How the DoD is attempting to cover up and to deny benefits to our vets is a shame of unprecedented magnitude. Read this and weep.

American Presidents Blog has a fascinating look at how 19th century presidents reacted to the Mormon church.You just never know the interesting things you can uncover on the internet. We learn our poster is a librarian, and so has all the know how to find this wonderful stuff.

Blue Girl, Red State is a better woman than I. I do believe she puts up about four times the material every day than I do. I especially like her Nightowl Newswrap. You get a bit of everything, just like here. Check it out today, and everyday.

Free Sample Forager has some AquaFresh Toothpaste for you from Walmart.  Hey It’s Free has a link to a site that gives you listing for free shipping codes to use on sites you are interested in ordering from. I’ll have to give this one a look see myself a bit later. If it’s as good as it appears, this is one you will want to bookmark.

How would you explain the electoral process and how one should determine how to vote? I mean if you were trying to explain it to a person who was young or unfamiliar with our system? I thought that this post by the History News Network, entitled: Letter to my Granddaughter: How to decide whom to vote for, was informative and also thought provoking. See what you think.

Even saying the phrase makes one shudder, “Black Death,” scourge of so much of the world during the 14th century. This plague otherwise known as the Bubonic Plague really did sweep around the globe, wreaking devastation wherever it hit. Read all about how it changed the world at Live Science.

Niki’s Venturesis at it again. She moves around the internet a lot and finds some good stuff. I thought this one most interesting. A Swiffer cover that you crochet. Now I’ve not gotten Swiffer products, mostly because they are not cost effective in my opinion when you have 2 dogs and 4 cats who get their nasty little feet dirty and then walk on my floors and tables leaving delightfulfootprints everywhere. This might be more do-able. These can be made quickly and discarded once they get too ragged to use again. I’m wondering how I can jerry-rig this to my existing mop and skip buying the Swiffer start up at all.

You no doubt heard that SCOTUS has upheld a restrictive voting law in Indiana. Republicans were for the law, Democrats against. Republicans are a minority party in terms of registered voters and always want to restrict voting as much as possible. The conservative bent of this Court favors them of course. So now we face the prospect of more “red” states enacting more restrictive voting requirements in an attempt to make it hard for people to exercise their rights. About what you would expect. But another reason why it is imperative to elect a Democrat this time around. We cannot afford another ultra conservative on the Bench, who will simply “legislate from the Bench in a new direction.”

Of course we all know that nothing is going to be fair in the trials at Gitmo. Former Chief Prosecutor, Col. Morris D. Davis is testifying to all the nasty dirty tricks and play of the Government. Virtually ordering that there be “no acquittals” the Bush Government shows its true colors (as if we needed more proof) as a repressive, secretive, and dangerous band of lunatics. Politics Plus has the scoop.

We know that the neo-cons favor a pro-Israeli policy that is right in it’s outlook. Generally speaking they favor little or no talking to Hamas or others they don’t like. They of course choose as their friends and buddies those Jewish folks who are in agreement with them. Progressive Jews have said enough, and are now forming their own group to press for more liberal and I would suggest realistic solutions in the Middle East.  Read Gary Kamiya’s fine post at the Salon today, and learn more about this important issue.

Is all decision making done on the basis of what’s good for me? One would assume so, however broadly one might interpret “me.” However, recent research suggests that this may not be true. Humans may act in the best interest of the “team” however they view that, often to their own detriment. One can only wonder if this is some innate understanding that none of us is likely to survive well without some others in our group. Read more at Science Digest.

I’m starting to get that feeling that Tex-Mex needs to be on my agenda soon. I cannot go too long before the desire for heat and spice calls me to some recipe that contains my favorite concoction of cheese and chilies. Chile Relleno Casserole seems likely to fit the bill. Thanks to Simply Recipes.

More information on the Bush Admin policy of secretly using retired military as expert analysers on news shows to promote Iraqi policiesthey favor. Both the Clinton and Obama campaigns have weighed on and suggested that further investigation is warranted. McCain has not issued any comment although asked. The Pentagon has said it will suspend the program until further notice. Read more at The Nation.

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“America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair.” Arthur Toynbee

“Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel.” Oscar Levant

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In this world today where insults are taken where none were meant, it’s oh so important we are politically correct. Here are some new phrases you might want to adopt so that you are not accused of being racist, sexist, and all the rest:

A Criminal – unsavory character
A Crook – morally (ethically) challenged
Abortion – Near-Life Experience
Alcoholic – Anti-Sobriety Activist
Alive – temporarily metabolically abled.
An Immigrant – a newcomer
Assassination – involuntary term limitation
Bald – comb-free
Bald – folically independent
Bald – follicularly challenged.
Battle Fatigued – shellshocked
Blind – optically darker
Blind – photonically non-receptive
Blind – visually challenged
Body Odor – nondiscretionary fragrance.
Broken Down Automobile – mechanically challenged
Broken Home – Dysfunctional Family
Bum – Displaced Homeowner
Bum – Homeless Person
Bum – Involuntarily Domiciled –brought to you by www.bored.com

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Today, John McCain campaigned across the state of Florida. Yeah, McCain likes campaigning in Florida because everyone there calls him “the kid.” Conan O’Brien

You know what movie I watched over the weekend? “Mad Max.” Remember that movie from the ’80s, about people trying to kill each other over a few gallons of gasoline? Remember, it took place in the future? It was July, 2008. Jay Leno

I just got back from the nation’s capitol. While I was there, I was the entertainer at the White House correspondents’ dinner. I was very nervous. I was sharing the stage with the most powerful man in the world. Right there, Dick Cheney. Sitting right there. George Bush was there too. Craig Ferguson 

Are We Having Fun Yet?

This photo is from the Library of Congress and depicts a sod house from Nebraska. Built by George Shields and his son in Keya Paha County in 1919. I guess it makes me think that my home is a tad more comfy than this one. Another good reason to remember that although life may give us some tough times, mostly they are not nearly as tough as they once were.

Welcome to my new platform. I think I’m liking it more and more. I was really surprised at just how much more I could do that I thought. I am told that WordPress has gone through a recent upgrade. I’m sure liking it. A few things were different but the forum here is excellent. You get answers very quickly. I’m sorry for those of you who either subscribe by e-mail or by feed. But hopefully it’s not too much inconvenience to change over.  I think this look is a bit more professional and easy to read. Hope you like it.

The plan to do an “International Blog” review is going to take a lot longer than I thought. It seems that many places around the globe restrict blogging. Repressive governments tend to do that. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, so far have yielded very little. In fact most shut down in 2007, and there were reports that many bloggers have been jailed. I have three so far, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. I’ve had little success otherwise, even in places like Finland and Ireland. There aren’t a lot to choose from, and what is there tend to be quite specific. I don’t think you are all that interested in Irish local politics or a Finnish computer geek’s ramblings on software. So I’m not sure how this will go.

It’s getting late, and we have a lot to cover, so let’s get with it:

A Mingling of Tastes has some tasty brownies today. If you would like to get a bit tipsy, take a look. They include bourbon-soaked raisins! These look super chocolaty, and in my book there can never been too much chocolate.

How time flies when you are building bridges. Californians are no doubt celebrating that the Golden Gate Bridge was completed yesterday in 1937. I’m sure San Franciscans are thrilled. Read more at American History Blog.

In 121 C.E. Marcus Aurelius was born this day. He was known as the last of the “good emperors.” Read more about his life at the Ancient History Blog.

A story by the Christian Science Monitor is picked up by Alternet. It seems that Europe is beginning to close its doors to Iraqi refugees. This story is little reported on of course. We have created this incredible mess yet we are unwilling to accept very many at all. There is only so much that Europe can do. See how our war of choice has strained Sweden’s capacities to the maximum.

As you may already know, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright appeared onBill Moyers Journalthe other night. We haven’t seen it yet, but have it TIVO’d. You can read about it and join in on the discussion at the Moyers site. As always, the comments are often the best part. For an excellent commentary on Reverend Wright’s remarks read, The Jeremiad and Race in America, by Professor Andrew Murphy.

Blue Girl, Red State has a good post on the growing food crisis worldwide and how it affects the stability of those country’s governments. Most of Africa is affected as you might guess, but the problem is truly global as we are learning. I’m wondering how this will impact Iowa and the increasing prices for both corn and soybeans. How does this affect ethanol production? I wish I knew.

If you have ever bothered to check, fundamentalists spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about atheists. In fact, if an atheist believes in something, that’s a good reason not to, or so they believe. They often use this argument about evolution, which is just plain crazy. Anyway, Britannica Blog has a very interesting post inspired by a article in the New Yorker about the subject, and it was quite enlightening. Check it out if you wish.

If you would like to start organic gardening or are doing so, but happy to find a few more tips, Sally’s Gardening Tips is the place for you. I’m going to have to learn more about what this cornmeal gluten is and where you can find it. I believe Sally writes out of South Africa, so it may not be available in the states.

To be perfectly honest, I had no clue what a Lemon Crostata was, but I love lemon, so I waited impatiently for the site to download to see. Well it turns out to be a lemon tart with an Italian flair. I am adding it to my repertoire for sure. Thanks to Epicurious!

Feeling stitchy has a cute little embroidery you can buy the pattern for. It’s a solar system, with each little planet, the sun and all the various moons. I really thought it was cute and thought someone might like to give it a try. Frankly, I think with a little work, one doesn’t need any pattern at all. Talented folks can do it I’m sure.

I don’t particularly care for topiaries. I like my plants to look natural. But I must say that the ones featured at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideasare so spectacular that they are incredible art forms in and of themselves. I love the Panda best! Take a look for that reason alone. And backtrack her site and scroll down for another nice post about rocks and where to find them. Like us rural folks have a problem with that! LOL.

We are all pretty much multi-taskers these days. And I don’t believe that’s a good thing at all. In fact it’s not the way were we meant to function, I’m quite sure. You cannot stay “in the moment”  and truly focused when you’re trying to juggle five other things. And guess what? Research suggests that the human mind is incapable of holding more than 3 or 4 things in mind in what is known as conscious mind at one time. So learn the lesson, slow down, pay attention and stop fighting nature.

Mad Kane has captured my feelings on this perfectly. While John McCain decries the ads being run in N.Carolina about Obama, of course they go on, doing exactly what is most helpful to him. Her limerick hits the spot as usual. Enjoy.

Well I never thought I’d write this, but the National Review actually has a rationally put together article today. It’s about the Ben Stein, Expelled docuidiocythat came out last week. He totally lambastes the movie and its makers as well as creationists in general for their nefarious ways. I’d never thought that creationists also share common ground with Islamic fundies. Both disbelieve evolution. This is actually a well documented and thoroughly informative post. Don’t miss it. Apparently the movie is facing a few lawsuits for of all things, plagiarism. Too funny.

Wow, did Niki’s Ventures ever find a site! It’s got hundreds of quilting applique patterns for you and all for free. There is a breakdown by subject matter for your convenience. I’m going to spend some time there as I’ve been itching to do an applique quilt for some time. Something springy with hearts and tulips and done in green and pink. This will be the place undoubtedly where I can find perfect patterns!

I am not the only one weary of John McCain’s assertions that he’s the straight talker maverick. He talks a good game, but doesn’t deliver as he has proven on his issues involving campaign financing, the use of K Street operatives in his campaign. and now we see plain old pork barrel nonsense in Arizona to help one of his big contributors. The sad thing is that all too much of the press is going easy on McCain since he buddies up to them with that good ole boy crap. They have been giving him a pass on Hagee all the while crucifying Obama over Wright. Somebody has got to speak up.

Paul Krugman also weighs in on McCain. McCain admitted not long ago that he was a bit light when it came to understanding things economic. Well of course, that didn’t play well anywhere, and suddenly we have Mac out there running his economic recovery package and claiming he has it all worked out and can take care of everything if given the chance. Yeah, right and pigs fly in Iowa and unicorns are prevalent in Georgia. McCain knows a big fat nothing about economics still and plenty of experts have said so. In reality, McCain’s policies show the same lack of knowledge, experience and responsibility as did Dubya’s.

I’m not an atheist by far, but I am an American, and I do view the Constitution as one of the better things we’ve contributed to the world. So I was sickened by this report of the treatment a US soldier got in Iraq by his commanding officers when he made his atheism known and tried to organize his own private atheist group. He’s suing, the Army is shutting up. Be afraid! Politics Plus has the story.

Speaking of faith or lack of it, the Salon adds this interesting piece. An interview with Ken Wilber, renowned philosopher, explores the issues of religion, new age fads, and ultimate reality. He has a lot of fans, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Deepak Chopra all find him very enlightening. Take a look at the interview and see what you think.

Glenn Greenwald has three posts, all on varying aspects of McCain’s campaign.The first is about McCain’s fear mongering about the Middle East in an attempt to secure the Jewish vote. No doubt Lieberman is helping him there. The second is about McCain and the real story about torture, and the third is his new fear mongering about the Middle East and that “Hamas” wants Obama as president. Sorry I’m overloading on McCain today, but the news is the news, and I thought you should have an opportunity to read these.  The first post is about Karl Rove, and worth a look as well, the three McCain posts follow.

I guess I never much thought of birds as smelling creatures. But  I was wrong. (This comes a quite a shock to my system I can tell you.) Turns out they detect predators that way, and alter their behavior accordingly. This will no doubt change and improve studying the little creatures.

Simply Recipes has a nice recipe for Mustard Greens. They are my favorite by far, but I usually mix them with a bunch of collards. I’m linking you to the main site, because if you scroll down, you’ll find a super recipe for another Lemon Tart. I’m on a lemon kick obviously. This one is reputed to be superb. Note that she has some excellent links for more recipes too.

War has many victims. In Iraq the victims are both human, animal and well other things of value as well. One of the oldest libraries in the world was looted following the American invasion. American troops were ordered not to intervene. Read about how the library attempts to struggle on. It is another sickening tale laid at our doorstep. Read about it in The Nation.

The US History Site Blog has a little profile of U.S. Grant, born yesterday in 1822. I never knew Grant had once owned a slave. One in fact.

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“This is like deja vu all over again.” Yogi Berra

“What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.” Benjamin Disraeli

“In democracy it’s your vote that counts; In feudalism it’s your count that votes.” Mogens Jallberg

“Your theory is crazy, but it’s not crazy enough to be true.” Niels Bohr

You know you’re a dog person when:

You get birthday cards for each of your dogs from family, friends, and the vet. (Bonus if you keep them on the refrigerator for more than a month.)

Every gift you ever get has something to do with dogs

Kiss your dog more than 10 times per greeting

Onlookers grimace at the sight of you sharing your sandwich with your four-legged pal, bite for bite

Call long distance and talk with your dog

Your voice is recognized by your vet’s receptionist

Complete strangers call you on the phone to ask questions because they heard you were a” dog person”  From www.bored.com

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. This annual tradition at Churchill Downs is like the Democratic presidential race. The participants behave as 3-year- olds and they always stink up the field.

Arby’s is buying Wendy’s for $2.34 billion. The assets are amazing. The new owners will obtain over 6,000 restaurants, 18,000 workers, and 1 packet of ketchup

The Baghdad Zoo has reopened to the public. Visitors to the park are most fascinated with the hyenas. They’re the only living things in this country who are laughing. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif

Tech support in the good old days?

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has a distorted display. What should I do?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has these funny little lines all over the screen.
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I turn my Etch-A-Sketch off?
A: Pick it up and shake it. Set it down.

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has lines that prevent me from doing my art project.
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I delete a document from my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: What’s the shortcut for Undo?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I create a New Document window?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I set the background and foreground to the same color?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: What is the proper procedure for rebooting my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I delete a document on my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I keep from losing my Etch-A-Sketch document?
A: Stop shaking it.

 

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

I believe that God exists, that He is real. Some do not of course. What makes me scratch my head is that they tend to call me illogical and unreasoning for believing. The key word is believing, a point they seem to miss. Some on the religious right go overboard in the opposite way. They assure me that God is very much provable. They are most assuredly wrong in this. I mean in no way to denigrate the anecdotal statements of many who state with firm determination that they in fact have had some experience that convinces them beyond any doubt that God in fact is there. But the fact remains, they cannot show me anything that proves that it happened to them. I must rely upon their good faith for that.

I believe that God is both omniscient and omnipotent. He knows all and is all powerful. I do not believe that He knows ahead of “time” what I will choose to do regarding any issue, major or insignificant. He knows of the range of outcomes that will accompany any choice I make. Some how he can see how all choices by all people at any given time would play out. The choices viewed that way, are of course infinite and only an infinite being could see the full range of possibilities.

I believe in evolution. I believe that it accurately portrays the general outline of how we as human beings came to be.  Many believe that belief in God is inconsistent with belief in evolution. Those folks are called fundamentalists, folks who have locked themselves into a literalistic interpretation of a complicated book called the Bible, and now find themselves looking quite foolish to most of America and moreover most of the world. But I am far from illogical in my conclusions.

Benjamin Franklin has been called many things when it comes to religion. He has been called both a deist and a polytheist. I think he struggled a good deal over his life to develop a belief system consistent with the world he found around him. He did, I am told believe that God fashioned the rules or laws if you will, of the universe. The result is the wonderful, breathtaking, gigantic, panoply of galaxies whirling about in a vast arena. Franklin also believed that God graced us with the mental abilities to understand that universe. In so doing, we in small part at least understand the mind of God.

I agree with Franklin on that. Evolution seems to be the methodology that is natural to the universe given the laws God set up. I imagine that life abounds throughout this universe, and throughout our Milky Way Galaxy. When and if it evolves to a state of proper sentience, then those creatures, or we humans, turn our faces upward and contemplate how this came to be.

Since I believe that God is infused within his universe, then it is like a light switch being turned on. When a mind can ask “how did this come to be?,” the small voice of God within answers, and we become believers. Of course we concoct huge stories about it all, most of which are incorrect. Early on we were in no position to appreciate the breadth and depth of the universe, or even what is happening on this planet alone. Heck at that point we had no concept of globe at all. Our world was confined to that which we can see by the naked eye, and where we had traveled in our hunting and gathering forays.

Since I also believe that God is all powerful, I figure it’s a pretty much given that if God wanted us to know in no uncertain terms of his being there, He would make that most clear. A disembodied face appearing huge in the sky, witnessed simultaneously around the world would I think do the trick. He has not decided, at least so far, to do that. I assume that He does not intend to. Therefore I can but conclude that God does not want us to know him as a matter of scientific proof, but rather sees some superior benefit in our believing. That’s why I find both atheists and fundamentalists rather silly in their protestations on either side. We are not meant to know in my view.

I don’t believe that Adam and Eve were actual people. DNA research and paleontology suggests otherwise. Mostly I don’t like the idea of original sin. I cannot conceive that God, who can create as He desires, would create flawed creatures, and if omniscient why would he create Adam and Eve, knowing of their propensities to get it wrong? Such could be assumed, we were rather primitive back then. So to lay that burden on the full panoply of humanity forever seems, well, bad planning to say the least.

I believe, rather, that sin entered the world when the first human creature pushed another out into the cold, knowing they would likely die, to preserve their own food and shelter for themselves. Selfishness was probably the first act of sin in the world. It just got worse. The more we “advanced” the more we acquired. And as George Carlin in a famous skit told us, the more stuff we have, the more places and bigger places we have to acquire to hold and protect our stuff.

True spirituality is in some sense the ability to successfully struggle with the issues of “me-ness.” Belief lends itself to the concept that some things beyond me are more important that my general comfort. Oh I don’t mean to suggest that atheists can’t be moral. No I don’t mean that at all. Atheists can be just as moral as the next person, and sometimes I think they are more so, for they rely on the logic of not always putting oneself first. They think deeply enough to see the long term consequences of selfishness. But believers, who can also do this, have a second help so to speak. They are pushed to ignore selfish motives because God prefers it that way. So they are pushed against their grain when they do not or will not see the logic of it all.

At least this is what I think may be the motivating force behind God’s general “hiddenness.” I think Buddhists think like this. It is the process of becoming that is important, because it opens us to our real selves, the selves we were, and are meant to be. Belief helps us move beyond me, to you, us to them, humans to an infinitely interlocking system of life.

Believing in evolution tends to lead you to wonder then exactly what separates humans from other creatures. How do we define ourselves as “sentient” spiritual creatures? I think sentience used to be the key. It is no more. Many animals are well able to recognize a sense of self. Dogs can’t but gorillas can, chimpanzees can, I think elephants can. For a good long while, tool making and using was the key. Homo Habilis, the tool man comes to mind. But as we learn more, we find a plethora of animals that use tools as well, and some that even fashion them in some way to make them more useful.

Emotions perhaps? Once we may have thought so, but the literature is replete with evidence that many animals have emotional responses. Gorillas and elephants for instance seem to feel real grief at the loss of a child or longtime friend. Some have a real concept of death as well. It seems that all the signs that we are different begin to fall away as we delve deeper and learn more.

Animals can plan and execute that plan, many at least can. So complexity of thought is not the key either it seems. Perhaps our tenacious desire to explain the world rather than simply exist in it as it is, can gain some purchase. Perhaps it is our seemingly innate inquisitiveness to know what is beyond that mountain or across that ocean that separates us. Many believe that we are what we are and where we are because of our insatiable curiosity. Try telling that to my cats who cannot stop themselves from investigating almost any new place they discover. Open a drawer, and a cat soon has to jump in and have a look.

I’ve come down to empathy as the most influential right now. Not just the ability to look at a child who has fallen on the sidewalk and empathize that that skinned knee must hurt. It’s our ability to sense that someone far away, living a very very different life, who sounds, looks, talks, and perhaps acts so very different from us, basically wants the same things in life we do. When they show film of dying children in Africa, I focus on the mothers, sitting so lethargically there holding their emaciated child. And I know she desires for her child the same as i would want for my own. Her aspirations may be scaled down considerably given her limited world, but the actual desire is the same. Food, clothing, housing, education, health care, fair wages, enjoyable leisure–these are universal desires.

And empathy, can be derived and enhanced by belief. Faith that God desires my attention to “others” helps me focus on my empathy. It helps me shut up when I grouse about the limitations of my “diet” given my inability to shop when I wish due to snow and mud. I have only to turn to those who never have variety in their diet, but just beg for enough to continue living. My empathy is created in part by my faith, the faith that God is universal, that He expects me to do something about this horror on our planet.

So don’t decry my faith. You may be luckier than I. I need the extra boost that faith gives me to do the right thing.

Protests in a New World

New transfer students to MSU were required to live on campus, so I was about to have my first experience with living in a dorm. I was excited, and had planned well. Dad and Gram drove me to the campus, about a one and one-half hour drive from Flint.  MSU is located in East Lansing, abutting the Capital. I was assigned to Akers, and had three other roommates, none of whom I knew of course.

Life was hectic in those first weeks to be sure. We were early as I recall, transfer and new freshmen both arrived before everyone else so we could get oriented without the pressure of a full campus. In MSU’s case, that full campus numbered 40,000, making it one of the largest in the country.

My roommates were nice, we got along fine, the dorm food was okay. We were all excited about classes. At that time, a liberal arts core curriculum was still required. So on top of the political science classes I was taking, I also was taking a language and a couple of other things I no longer recall. I do recall the language thing. I took French, and many dorms had language modules where you could use headphones and do homework and language practice. I definitely did not find it easy. I had taken a semester of Spanish in high school, the only language offered, and I don’t know why I didn’t continue with that, but I didn’t.

It was some time during that first quarter, (MSU operated on a four quarter system), I received a letter from the University “Honor’s College” informing me that I had been accepted into that “fraternity/sorority.” I had not applied, it was something based solely on grades. I guess my transfer grades were the basis. In any case, it allowed me to waive all core curriculum requirements, and the first thing I did was withdraw from the French class, which was taking up entirely too much of my time. I did enjoy the freedom, and over the next two years took extra political science classes as well as general things that interested me such as astronomy, abnormal psychology, philosophy, and Aristotelian philosophy.

I of course had no idea what practical application my political science would lead me to. I had even less idea what one would do with say a degree in anthropology or philosophy. I assumed one could do nothing but teach and for reasons I shall forever regret, I did not consider that a viable option. I do recall taking one education class and thought it was essentially childish and nonacademic.  As I later realized, I think my natural place in the universe was most likely the university life.

I did well in my political science classes and history. In fact, I did well in all. I never received anything less than a B throughout my two year stay at MSU. We spent the balance of our non-class time doing the usual things: football, hockey, and basketball were sports we usually frequented. We swam at the IM facilities, we visited the horse farms, we went to movies in the dorm theatres, lectures with visiting “celebrities,” pizza parties and beer bashes in the dorm rooms and local bars. 

MSU is a huge campus, I would say a good 4 square miles in size. Campus buses were going 24 hours a day and you could pick them up everywhere, so it was easy to get around. But we did walk a good deal and knew a huge number of shortcuts, cutting across IM fields and through buildings. Often one class was on the opposite side of the campus from the next one, and there was a 20 minute break between classes generally. You learned when it was faster to walk and when to ride over time.

All in all, it was a wonderful time. By the beginning of the second year I was already bemoaning that my time there would be short. Three of us from the dorm moved into an apartment the senior year. It was off campus of course, but only by a street crossing. The complex abutted the campus and was actually quite close to our original dorm. We enjoyed that immensely, cooking for ourselves, and with two actual bedrooms. Things went pretty much the same as usual. I began to ponder just what in the world I was going to do next. As i said, I had no idea what I could do with a bachelors in liberal arts and a major in political science.

I’ve since come to the conclusion that colleges ought to be 5 years in length. The first year ought to be open to pure experimentation without grades. Take every course in any subject that you think is interesting. Coming from the small suburban school that I did, did not in any way present me with the vast array of options available to me. I’m sure that’s true for most kids. Especially when you have no one you can look to for advice in your family or neighborhood.  I would do things quite differently if I could do it again. I’d probably have majored in philosophy and probably theology and biblical studies. I find them endless fascinating today and still spend time with heavy tomes of scholarly discourse on one or another book of the bible.

The Vietnam war was a strange appellation in my life. As I alluded to earlier, I believe one young man who had graduated some years before me, had died there before I graduated high school. And then, three of our crowd enlisted after high school and went. That first summer after graduation, we spent a good deal of time writing letters. But since I was not “going” with any of them, they naturally spent more time writing back to those who were more intimately involved with them.

In junior college, I recall that we had a “war” seminar day. Classes were suspended and we went to lectures and rallies on campus all day. That is where I saw my first and only rendition of a Greek play. Lysistrata, by Aristophanes. It was amazingly funny and good. Women withholding sexual favors from their men in order to recall them from warring. It was invigorating, and we felt important and responsible. I recall my mother’s husband left the room when I arrived one evening, fresh from a rally, with a black arm band on. Later Mother told me that he would not be in the same house with me. He was a WWII vet and was defined by the phrase, “Love it or leave it.”  We actually met for lunch a few times secretly before he relented. I kept my anti-war issues out of the conversation from that point on.

At MSU, by 1970, the anti-war movement was really getting hot. Not as hot as elsewhere. We closed down no campus, nor invaded no admin buildings. We did march, and we got gassed. That was bad, but the wind blew the gas across campus and we got it again back at our dorm. But for the most part, campus was fairly quiet. We were spared a good deal of the violence that attended other schools.

I was forever against the war. I don’t recall ever a time when i was not apposed to it. But as I recall, i also was a bit more preoccupied with my own life to spend more than the obligatory time working against it. That was also true of my next educational foray: law school. I cheered from the sidelines, ineffectually, and deep in my heart I knew that I was somewhat of a weakling in that respect. I had no desire or intention of risking arrest. I had no intention of delaying my education and my life. I was a hanger on, and not a mover and shaker. I guess I learned that about myself. It was to be essentially true all my life. I’m much better writing my anger at this or that out in this safe haven than marching and chanting. I am a coward, deep down.

Oh, I do not say that in deep shame mind you. Being a coward is in my opinion rather rational and life protecting. I have yet to find any THING worth dying for. I may well die for SOMEONE, but I cannot conceive doing it for SOMETHING. Perhaps that has more to do with the fact that I never had children. So, in a sense, I have never understood the soldier. Running toward the sound of gunfire seems, well, insane. I am not insane, though I admit to a certain number of neurotic tendencies. So I cheered when LBJ decided not to run again, but I cannot claim that I had anything to do with it.

Next: friendships come and go, and never stay.

This looks like my new home

Well, I won’t have the fun stuff on the sidebar, because this platform doesn’t accept java script at this time I don’t believe. But otherwise things seem to be setting up okay. I have to reset all my links which will really take a long time, but tomorrow is just the autobiographical day so, that’s okay too. I’m having fun as I normally do with setting up a new site. See you tomorrow and hopefully we can get back to normal business.

Dripping Wet in Rural Iowa

This is a Cheyenne woman photographed by Edward S. Curtis. I believe it was taken in 1911. You can find other photos that depict Native Peoples from the Great Plains westward at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html By the way, there are tons of other subject matter photos here. It’s a large chunk of Americana. Hope you enjoy them.

On the home front a couple of things. First the office cleaning is done. I owe a great thanks to the Contrarian who hates cleaning but pitched in like a trooper and probably shaved two days off the project. We are ready to paint!

Secondly, the Contrarian called our neighbor and asked for some assistance to get the car out of the mud hole it had sunk into at our back door. We live in the holler so to speak and from the south, water runs down the hill to us. It continues past us to the creek which also catches the runoff from the hill to the north. He had to pull nearly 50 feet before the car was not sinking any more. We hurried off to Center Point to the “bad store” and got enough of the extras we needed until it finally dries out. The “bad store” means its one of those town local establishments that has not much but the obvious. You won’t find an avocado there for sure. So we are quite happy now, as the miserable rains have returned. The lane itself is pretty good, its just down here now that is muddy. But we left the car back where its quite sandy and drains downward so, we should have no trouble getting out after this couple of days has some time to seep down. The fields look surface dry, but the Contrarian’s half brother has sunk his backhoe into our field while working I believe on the tiles by the north-south creek. What a year it is becoming.

I have an idea, and that often can be a bad thing. It always gets me to thinking. A few nights ago, we were watching Bill Moyers Journal, listening to a young woman who is bureau chief in Iraq for some news group. Some of the Iraqi journalists who work for her also do a blog. I found it, and in looking it over got an idea. Here it is. I’m thinking of trying to collect blogs from various parts of the world, and once a week doing an international look around. I have this Iraq one of course. I found a Palestinian one that looked interesting, but was having trouble getting the feed, so that is still up in the air. I checked around for Iranian ones, and can find none updated since 2007, so the government may be blocking them. What do you think of the idea? After all, the wonder of the internet is the ability to talk to folks from all kinds of places around the globe. Can we benefit from peeking into their lives a bit? I sure think so.

Let’s see what is happening on this soggy dreary day:

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Speaking of that, Deborah at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifie, is from Singapore and has an interesting take on foxglove. Her life has been much different than most of ours, and I found this post delightful. She’s a wonderful artist in her own right and you might be interested in purchasing some of her work. At least you will enjoy the pictures.

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John Adams was one of our Founding Fathers. American History Blog has the top 10 things you should know about him. Since I have seen some of the HBO series, I knew some of them, but I learned a couple I didn’t know by reading this post. Try it.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog is always so generous with her work and designs. She posts them all for free for us all. Here is another gem that creates heart shaped work that is suitable for Mother’s Day perhaps?

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Josie at C’est La Vie has an interesting idea–can the “butterfly effect” be applied to human kindness? A smile that grows exponentially, spreading far beyond the original smiler? Read her post and decide.

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Oh boy, Coconut & Lime has a to-die-for dessert today. And it’s about my favorite and is composed of more favorites, oh I’m just bouncy at this one: Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Cocoa Nibs. Danged if I know what a cocoa nib is though? Is it a chip? I left a comment and asked, and I’ll let you know if I remember to go back and find out.

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Lucky us, more recipes are in the offing. Here is one that looked mighty nice for a lovely spring dinner (today would not be the day, given the yucky weather). It features shrimp and is called:
Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce. Perfect with some nice fresh bread and salad wouldn’t you say? My thanks to Epicurious.

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Lynda at Essential Estrogen has been busy and brings us another profile of a woman running for Senate seat, District 40 in Iowa. Her name is Sharon Savage. Learn all about her and her vision for Iowa.

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Feeling Stitchy has some very nice pictures of some embroidery work done by another artist. I thought they were most inspiring. I have done some embroidery and I certainly appreciate the skill involved. I’ve just never thought it worthwhile to embroider things like pillowcases and towels, because you either never use them to preserve the work or they wear out and your work goes into the rag heap. But making pictures is a fine way to preserve.

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Free Sample Forager has a number of new offers you might be interested in. (Getting to the mail box again was a delight, I got some Tide and a free poster I signed up for.) I saw toothpaste, and magazines, tea and cereal, among others. Skip on over and see if you find something you would like. Hey, I know these free samples aren’t much, but if you get one wash for free, it is one you didn’t have to pay for right? Over the year, you might save over all more than $100 in products. And it cost you zip, not even a postage stamp!

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Garrison Keillor must have known that today we needed a fix! He has some interesting things to say as always. Read “Freedom is hard work.”

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I must say, the National Review ( or how we can collect that many brain-dead boneheads on one magazine) strikes again. This time its my favorite, women bashing women. This happens a good deal on the right as you may know. Go to a Catholic forum and hear women talking about how wonderful it is to be “equal but different.” Translation: I love being a subservient wife and mother because God wants me to. Anyhoo, today Christina Hoff Sommers tells us how terrible it is that women are fighting for a piece of the prize in what still remain largely male bastions, math, physics and engineering. That women might bring something new to the table is beyond her. She offers a lot of claims but little or no verifiable facts. It’s the usual, the danged women’s movement is destroying family and hearth. Yada yada yada.

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National Geographic is reporting that a tomb thought to be that of Alexander the Great’s father, was actually that of his half-brother. This means that the armor found inside the grave may have belonged to Alexander himself, who pre-deceased his brother. These excavations are occurring in Greece. Read about it at rogueclassicism.

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Have you heard about the NYTimes report that “military analysts” supposedly hired by the various networks to give expert opinion on war stuff were actually plants by the US military? Plants may be too strong a word, but that is in effect what they ended up doing, simply reinforcing the political position of the administration.

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I just love Scandalous Women! I mean that in both ways too. Another wonderful addition to women’s history is offered today in the biographical sketch of Delia Bacon. Her mission in life was to prove that Shakespeare didn’t write those majestically exquisite plays. Her life was tragic. Samuel Morse and Ralph Waldo Emerson also figure in the story. Is that enough to tantalize your brain cells? LOL.

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Looks like science is figuring some things out. Astronomers and others of that ilk, believe that black holes, which are at the center of I believe most galaxies spew out a lot of particles in powerful jets. They had an idea of how that was done. The photos of the process have just been received from VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) which confirms their theory. Read all the fascinating details at Science Digest.

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Hah! I got the ingredients for this one, so I think next week, I’ll definitely give this a go. It is one of those dishes that seem always right, any season, any day. See if you agree with Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce. This is from that great site, Simply Recipes.

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Susan Posner has another addition to her fine series, Fundamentalist over at the American Prospect. Be sure to read it. This one features Pentecostals, Iowa’s own Senator Grassley, McCain and gay teens.

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The Washington Independent reports the Senate GOP’ers managed to stop another bill. This one gave women a bigger window to sue for wage discrimination. All the Dems wanted was that the statute of limitations reset with each paycheck. Republicans wanted none of that, and McCain is on record saying it “hurt” business. Both Obama and Clinton raced back and voted yeah, McCain did not bother.

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