2020, Post 183

Post #183 of 2020.
Well, this is it -- the long awaited final day of the year 2020.
The realist in me isn't expecting anything miraculous (or even different) from tomorrow. We'll throw out the old calendar and breakout a new one, but nothing else is going to change.

With the new calendar page, many will make short-term promises or resolutions and work on changing some habits, attitudes, or lifestyles, but change is difficult and old, familiar ways are easy so...
The truth is we have that same opportunity every single day -- set the past behind us and make changes for the future. What makes January 1st different from any other day?
Remember the old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?"

Go ahead and make those changes. Go for a run. Pass on the desserts and junk food snacks. Stop drinking. Stop swearing. Write a letter or send a card. Whatever your plans are for being a better you -- do that. 
And if you mess up, there's always the next day for starting over.

But we never really get a clean slate. The consequences of our past will follow us. On January first -- DJT will still be president, another 200,000+ people (in the US) will test positive for covid, 3,000+ more people will die from it, vaccine distribution will be stalled, and I'll still be a fat, curmudgeonly 60 year old man.
Change is slow, elusive, and often difficult, but we are an adaptive species and change will come a little at a time.

No real resolutions for me. However...
There's a saying -- When you know better, you do better.
That will be my goal for each day -- Know more. Be better.

Happy New Year!

John

Covid in 2021

If you listen to some of the predictions, the US will more than double the Covid death count in the coming months, even as the vaccines are making their way into the population. The poor public practices and timeline to herd immunity are still a very deadly combination.
I'm concerned that the poor practices will increase and many will over estimate what the vaccine alone can do to stop the spread of this virus. Please continue to be vigilant in your safe practices for the coming weeks and months.

In good news -- I found out that as a volunteer chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Aurora MO I am on the list and will be getting the vaccine soon. It's too bad that it is not transferable. I'd give it to Chris if I could, but this will definitely help and will (eventually) allow me to get back to doing more volunteering.

I started volunteering at an overnight shelter this week. The exposure/contact is relatively small -- twenty men, socially distant, masked away from their sleeping area. I was masked for the entire time, gloved while cleaning up at the end of the night. It was a little more close contact than I was expecting, but I think it's still doable for the time being. I was pretty careful and (for the most part) the guys were pretty compliant about their masks and I saw many of them using the offered hand sanitizer.
I think I'll continue for one night per week as the number of volunteers seems to be sufficient for that and it looks like the weather will be cold enough to keep the overnight shelters active in the coming week or so.

Stay healthy.

John

I wish was it was colder tonight.

Yeah, you read that right.
It's mid 30s, foggy, and it might rain before the night is over. Even so, for many in Springfield, it would be better if the temperature was forecast to be below freezing. The criteria for opening the cold weather shelters is something like the overnight forecast has to be below freezing for four hours. Tonight will be cold and wet; just not cold enough for the shelters to be open.

Understand that I am very grateful for the local churches that step up to help our unsheltered friends. I just feel for those that are going to be wet and cold tonight. The city really needs to look into a cold weather shelter that serves more as an all-weather shelter for men, women, youths, and families.

The churches that give their space, the merchants that provide cots and laundry service, the volunteers that prepare, staff, recruit, and clean -- all are heroes to the people that need the shelter. The City of Springfield does provide transportation to and from the shelters. I'm not certain they do much else for the unsheltered in the city. 

The pandemic has made it harder for people to get off of the street. In fact, the number of homeless in the city has greatly increased since last winter. We need to do better. 
Where ever you are, please consider making a donation of money, product or time to a local shelter or agency/organization that provides for the poor of your community. Blankets, coats, hats, gloves, socks, hot hands, or just cash gifts are great. Personal service and getting to interact with people has some pretty great rewards, as well. 

After spending the night in the shelter, there were several guys that made it a point to thanks the two of us that had spent the night with them. I'm not talking about the thanks from nearly everyone as they are leaving. These guys came up to me specifically to say thank you.

I'm thinking about them tonight and hoping that they are able to find a place to stay dry and warm.

John  

20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 3)

Wrapping up with part 3 of 20 lessons.

15. People love to hate.
I'm not a very trusting person. There are a precious few people that I trust. For the most part, it has taken time for that trust to evolve. This year I have become even more distrustful of people. I have been greatly discouraged to find out just how quickly people judge large people groups and act dismissively or even hateful towards them. Maybe it's because hating is easier than loving. Loving requires a relationship investment. The outright racism and silently complicit racism that still exists boggles my mind. The hate that exists between political parties or between social classes has deepened in 2020. It is shameful.

16. Ignorant people think their opinion matters.
It's crazy that we will listen to and give credibility to people that don't know what the hell they're talking about while ignoring the voices of experts, but it seems to be pretty common. Every dumbass with a keyboard and Facebook account (or Twitter - wink, wink, nudge) thinks their opinion holds equal weight with those that have devoted decades of study, work, and research in a particular field.

17. We (as a society) do not value life.
No, we don't. We value our life, not the lives of others. We value our way of life, but not your right to your way of life. We (as individuals) are unbelievably selfish.

18. You get to choose who you love and how you love. You don't get to choose who loves you or how they love you.
I'm not sure what to say about this other than I know people that desperately want people to love them that seem incapable of doing so or feel the need to put conditions or limitations on their love. It isn't always romantic love (in can be). It is often family or friends, and usually someone they love.

19. Learning usually means changing your mind.
A recent twitter question asked about perceptions of politicians that change their minds. Flip-flopping for votes is one thing. Changing your mind because you have learned something new or gained a different perspective is something else. If we are always learning, then our beliefs might always be evolving. I understand some people's beliefs because I once shared them. Remembering that I used to be like them can be difficult. Sharing what I've learned and why I've changed is usually challenging. It's weird how learning can create such a negative perception for so many people.  

20. I have an incredibly privileged life.  
I have a decent retirement income, a nice home on five acres of land, an incredible family, and more opportunity to live well than most people. We are not wealthy, not even well off. We are pretty solidly middle class, but we are most definitely privileged.
And the privilege is not lost on me. Now I need to figure out what I'm supposed to do with it.

Maybe that will be lesson #1 for 2021.

That's my 20.
What did you learn in 2020?

John

20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 2)

Continuing on my 20 in '20 lessons learned:

7. Touch matters.
I think there is some kind of life energy transfer that is expedited through touch. You can pick it up just from being around people (some, more than others), but there is something about physical contact -- a handshake, a hug, a hand on a shoulder -- that is both different and necessary to good relationships and good health.

8. Technology is a good thing.
Well, sometimes. It has been a good thing for meeting face to face from place to place, first for businesses and then for personal use. Online meetings and virtual family holiday gatherings have helped to ease the burden of remaining socially distant from one another. Most churches have added more in the way of online worship services and facilitated small group meetings via zoom or other virtual meeting rooms.

9. Technology is a bad thing.
Damn, there has been some real sinister bullshit type of advances in using social media and other online platforms for some evil purposes.

10. Books are your friends.
Late in 2019 I started reading fiction again. I mixed in several fiction books with my non-fiction reads this year. It was very enjoyable and I often found myself setting aside the non-fiction books until I finished whatever novel or series I was reading. A part of me still thinks that fiction books are kind of a waste of time, but retirement is teaching me that I have plenty of time to do the things that need to be done and still have time to read simply for the joy of reading. 

11. No, I don't need a hobby.
Wood working, gardening, crafting, motorcycling, running, exercise of any kind -- No, I really don't need a hobby. I like not feeling obligated to do or pursue anything in particular. I kind of like the daily plan of having no plan.

12. Good health is more than physical.
The non-fiction reading and almost daily meditation is really bringing about the awareness that mind-body-spirit balance is so much more important than our western world has led us to believe. The eastern practices of the ancient Asian world should be taught and practiced more in our western civilizations. Even the western versions of yoga and Tai Chi are so westernized that they barely resemble the full being (mind/body/spirit) practices of their origins. 

13. Becoming more aware of nature has been good for me.
It's weird. It's been gradual, but it seems to have accelerated in the past year or so. It's more than climate change and our impact on the world we live in. It's also about sensing nature's impact on me. I feel a sort of energy smoothing calmness and peace from being in physical contact with the earth. Even on cold days I am likely to be outside and barefooted for a few moments. It's almost like a compulsion or addiction. I capture moths, flies, even wasps and spiders, that find themselves trapped on our screened in deck and then set them free to fly about or spin their webs outside. I'm not real freaky weird about it, but I am moving in that direction.

14. Darkness is as important as light.
We always seem to emphasize the importance of light -- and I love spending time in the sun. But I think that darkness also has its place -- and we should cherish the darkness as well. We need sleep. We need rest. We need time away from the bright lights. As with all of life, it is about balance, yin and yang. 

That's it for today. After reading what I just wrote I realize that it might freak out some more conservative religious friends that might still be lurking in the shadows. Don't worry. I'm not being seduced by the pagan demons of a Far Eastern religion. I am expanding my knowledge of the world that God has given us and seeking to understand.
Remember lesson 5?
Understanding brings peace. 

John

20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 1)

As a follow up to a previous post, I thought I'd take a look back at the year 2020 and see what I might have learned in what turned out to be a pretty crazy year. I am looking for twenty lessons learned and will break it into several posts because I have a personal thing about reading long posts (which is why I seldom write long posts).
These come in no particular order of importance. I'm just putting them down in the order that I think of them.

1. It doesn't take much to get by.
We started the year with most of our stuff packed away in three storage units while living in a 500 sqft, furnished apartment. It was small, we didn't have much space, but we managed the five months there just fine.

2. Recycling is a good thing.
I knew recycling was good before but we never really did much. With a recycling center just a mile away from the apartment, we started the habit and have continued it even though it is much less convenient now that we've moved into our new home and have to plan trips to a recycling center. (Rural recycling pick up isn't really a thing in Southwest Missouri.)

3. I'm way more of an introvert than I once believed.
The pandemic of 2020 has taught me that I'm perfectly comfortable not being around other people. While I always knew that, I didn't realize how much until this year. In fact, I'm a lit bit surprised and privately wonder if maybe I need counseling over just how much I like it that people stay the hell away from me.

4. People are easily manipulated by their fear.
This might be the biggie of the year. I am still baffled by the complete buy-in that people have to anything that appeals to their fears. We have seen it in race, politics, religion, and science (or more appropriately, science denial) this past year in ways that defy all logic and reason.

5. Contemplation is a good thing.
Think about it. (See what I did there?) The relative isolation of the pandemic and the time freedom of retirement have allowed me the luxury of being able to contemplate much of life's worries. There is peace in understanding. My advice for 2021 is seek to understand.

6. There are huge personal benefits to giving.
It's better to give than to receive is a saying that has real merit. The volunteer work that we began in 2019 is one of the things I have missed most in 2020. I still find a few ways to serve others without too much exposure during this pandemic, but much of the need requires more contact than I am willing to expose us to at this time. I am thankful for and try to be supportive of those that continue to meet the needs of the unsheltered community in Springfield, especially during these colder months.

I'm going to leave it at these six for today, but will be back with more in the coming days.
I hope that 2020 was more than just a year to survive for you. Perhaps there are lessons you learned that you'd be willing to share. Hit me up in the comments.

John

Christmas Eve 2020

It's weird.
It's Christmas Eve and I'm not really feeling Christmassy, if you know what I mean.
There's no in-person Christmas Eve service to go to, and I kind of doubt if I'll watch the online version.
We're going to adopt the Icelandic tradition of giving each other a book on Christmas Eve and then reading and eating chocolates. We may watch a stupid Christmas movie; we may not.

It will just be us for Christmas this year. Maybe we'll do a video Christmas at some point, but probably not on Christmas day. We don't usually buy much in the way of gifts for each other and we won't be fixing a big holiday meal, so...I think it will be pretty much like any other day.

And maybe that's the way it should be.

Let's face it. We all know that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. And we all know that Christmas celebrations of family gatherings, gift exchanges, holiday cheer and all of the other trappings of the season have very little to do with the birth of Jesus anyway. Some quiet reflection on Emmanuel (God with us) is probably a much needed thing in our world right now. I'm all for peace on earth and men of good will, but we seem to be lacking in both of them.

It isn't supposed to make it out of the 30s tomorrow (a few degrees above freezing for my Celsius friends), but it is supposed to be sunny. I'm hoping that the afternoon will find me sitting in the sun and contemplating life while enjoying a good cigar and a decent whiskey. Or maybe I'll pickup an inexpensive bourbon to add to some coffee or eggnog. I know that others will be alone for the holiday, so I may be sending a few texts or messages to remind them that there are people who care. 
After all, it is Christmas.

Merry Christmas
John

2020 Lessons

The cover pic from my Facebook says:

The biggest lesson of 2019:
The further I got from religion
The closer I got to God

I guess it's getting time to change that cover pic and I'm wondering if I'll use an actual picture of something or someplace (previously I had pics of my bike and the bay at Zihuatanejo in Guerrero, Mexico), or a lesson learned in 2020.

Hmmm...
The further I got from people...
???

That's probably not a great idea since most of you readers are people and it would probably finish with something like "...the more I realized how much people suck." 
It's been a long year, to be sure, and I know that the whole social distancing thing (which will carry into '21) has been a pain in the keester for most people. Personally, I haven't really minded it.

Sure, there are people I miss seeing. I miss listening to live music (something we had just started doing in 2019) with friends and having a drink or dinner. Masks aren't really the pain that some people make them out to be, just an inconvenience. The social distancing is what is more difficult for such social beings.

The coronavirus and the election politics are the two things that have dominated everything in the US during 2020 and what I've learned from those two things is, "...I realized how much people suck."
sigh
I should probably just find a pretty picture.

What have you learned in 2020?
It may be that you've learned that John is an ass and it's been good not having him around so much. 
That's fair. After all, John is a people and well, "...people suck."

Help me out.
What should I have learned in 2020?

John

The Christmas Star (and other astronomical stuff)

Did you see it?
Did you see the close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn?

I've been watching the two planets get closer together for some time, and will continue to keep an eye on them as they separate. Naked eye night sky viewing is a favorite pastime of mine. A simple pair of binoculars, a monocular, or a small telescope can make it even more interesting. Even a simple pair of binoculars can bring four of the moons of Jupiter into view or show the shadows cast from the mountains and crater walls on the moon.

I have a small, inexpensive telescope that I bought about thirty years ago. It's a 50mm refractor and I think I only paid around $60 dollars for it way back then. It's pretty basic and not easy to do much real deep sky viewing, but I was able to see both planets in the same small field of vision, along with the rings of Saturn and the four visible moons of Jupiter. Maybe I'll upgrade to a fancy, programmable scope one of these days -- eh, probably not.

If you missed them last night, they'll still be relatively close together tonight and you should check them out. They'll start to separate as they move to pass behind the sun and become visible in the morning sky later in the winter. While you're at it, you may as well look straight up to see Mars. It's the bright, reddish looking light almost directly overhead in the early evening.

Do you know where to find your Sun sign? Mine, Gemini, currently rises in the east shortly after sunset. Of course, the dates of the Zodiac have shifted since the 3000 year old dates were recently updated to allow for the slight variance over the millennia and it appears that I was actually born under the sign of Taurus. It's a good thing I don't put any stock in astrology or I might be devastated to know that I'd been living my life by the wrong sign's influence these past six decades. (Apparently, this was/is a pretty big deal in some astrological circles.) Scientists have to keep reminding followers of the Zodiac that astronomers don't concern themselves with astrology and it isn't a conspiracy to undermine their religion. It's just science. 

John

#WWFD -- What Would Fauci Do?

We are now several days into getting the first of the available Covid-19 vaccinations into our front line healthcare workers. The next priority will be nursing homes and senior citizens, followed by the rest of the population as determined by the CDC. Even though there is hope on the horizon, it will still be several months before a sufficient amount of the population has been vaccinated to resume a somewhat normal social lifestyle that is safe for everyone.

I am truly looking forward to that day!

In the mean time, perhaps asking "What would (Dr.) Fauci do?" would be a good practice for us to follow. I really do have concern for our nation's healthcare system as hospitals are reaching critical care capacity and the holiday season is just getting started. The Ozarks' big mega church has already made national news by hosting several super spreader Christmas worship programs. Next up -- family gatherings where some of those attendees will expose their family's non-attendees at holiday get togethers. 

Even though I spend most of my time in relative isolation, I'm certain that I have practices that Dr. Fauci would frown on. I don't use curbside shopping pick-up at grocery stores. I go in and shop. I do use the sanitizing wipe on my cart, wear my mask, and wipe everything down before shelving it at home, but I could avoid even more exposure by simply using the pick-up option.
Eating out is pretty much a thing of the past and we are even careful about our take-out options, choosing restaurants that we know practice masking in the kitchen as well as for the servers.

I did attend several church services since our church was pretty strict about masking and social distancing, but started back to watching online even before the church made the decision to (again) discontinue in person services and go to online services only.
I know that most people don't have the options that I have, but I'm pretty sure that we could all do better at reducing our own exposure and reducing the chance that we might unknowingly spread the virus to someone else. 

What are your practices? 
What are your safe practices?
What are your unavoidable exposures (work, school, family, etc.)?
What could you do better?

I'm glad there is hope for the future. A second vaccine will probably be approved in the US this weekend. Let's all do our part until it's safe to move about freely.
What would (Dr.) Fauci do?
#WWFD

John

The Circle of Life

I've mentioned that weird thoughts have a way of rolling around in my head. Here's the most recent:

I've been more concerned with the planet and how we are abusing it. Consequently, I've been reading about things that upset the natural balance of the ecosystems and how the earth resolves the imbalances. Occasionally humans will try to intervene and correct some of the problems we have caused, but our solutions often address the problems from our perspective, not from a save the earth perspective.

Anyway -- from somewhere came this thought about a scene in the Lion King. Mufasa is explaining to young Simba about the circle of life. He says that even though they (lions) eat the antelope, when they (again, lions) die their bodies turn to grass and the antelope eat the grass--or something like that.
But that doesn't happen in the human circle -- at least, not anymore.

Our bodies are not left to decompose and return minerals and nutrients to the soil. We pump them full of chemicals, seal them in a casket, seal the casket in a concrete burial vault, and finally buried in the earth where they will eventually decompose but still remain isolated from adding our basic elements back into the earth's ecosystem.

Weird, huh?

Burial vaults have only been used for a hundred years or so, and primarily serve to keep cemetery grounds level by not allowing the ground to collapse as the casket and body decay. I imagine that cremation has a negative impact on the atmosphere from the burning part, but at least the elements can be reintroduced into the environment in some fashion -- spreading or burying the ashes in some manner. There are now several companies that offer to make bio-pods from your ashes and create an urn with a tree or potted plant that can be replanted for a memorial. Or you can even have your ashes compressed into a diamond or jewel that can be worn or handed down for generations.

Personally, I kind of like the tree idea.
I mean, since dumping my corpse into a ditch or burying it in the backyard isn't really an option.
Anyway -- just another weird thought.

And since you're already singing the song in your head, here it is with the video intro to the animated movie version.

https://youtu.be/Zn_qirpdBag?t=35

John

Maybe I Should Get Out More -- Maybe Not

It's a bit before sunrise on Thursday morning and I'm looking out the front window. I see the garbage dumpster still sitting at the end of the driveway and realize that means that I didn't even make it to the end of the driveway yesterday. And it was a beautiful day!

I did manage a couple of hours laying on the hammock in the sun, so that's good. I didn't even make it down the road to the mailbox. This morning I'm reading that the US topped 3,000 Covid-19 related deaths yesterday, so I'm going to say staying at home is a good thing! I should probably get out for a walk or make it past the boundaries of our yard. It will be near 70f (21c) today before it turns cold again.

I will be out for a bit this morning. Someone donated a bunch of blankets to The Venues and they need someone to deliver them to The Connecting Grounds' Outreach Center. Making a pick-up and drop is something I can do in a world where my volunteering has been reduced to pretty much zero.
Local Covid-19 numbers continue their upward trend and hospitals are stretched to the max. Unnecessary exposure is just stupid.

The new vaccines offer hope for a better tomorrow, but that tomorrow is still a long ways off. A Monday article in the New York Times compared the vaccine to a fire hose that works well to put out a building fire, but not well in containing a forest fire. What we have is a forest fire and will continue to require masking, hand washing, and social distancing for some time along with significant participation in the vaccine. The analogy stated that a 50% effective vaccine at September's infection rate would have been more effective than the 95% effective vaccine at today's rate.
Damn.

In addition to that, we still face a critical shortage of available doses of vaccinations. The US Operation Warp Speed failed to secure adequate doses and placed the US around 32nd in per capita doses on a worldwide scale. While we will be able to vaccinate most of the higher risk citizens and healthcare workers soon, risk will continue for most of us for some time. There is a real danger that we forget to practice the necessary precautions in order to adequately suppress the spread while we wait for the magical numbers to end the pandemic.
In the meantime, we wait.

I know it's holiday season. Stay home.
I know you want to gather for Christmas parties and family gatherings. Stay home.
I know you want to celebrate the end to 2020 and party into 2021. Stay home.
Let's do what is necessary to end this thing.

Have hope, but continue in practicing safe socializing.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Dinner Plans?

Just curious -- when do you plan for dinner? Or do you?
Do you make up a weekly menu and shop accordingly?
Do you put frozen meats in the fridge a couple of days early to thaw? Or maybe thaw on the counter same day? Microwave thaw just before cooking?
Maybe you don't make plans and just sort of wing it night after night?

We used to eat out quite a bit, but now (you know, pandemic) we stay home for dinner. The common afternoon question in our house is, "What are you making for dinner?"

It's forecast to be sunny and mid 50s in the Ozarks (12c) so I think I'll put some ribs on the grill along with a couple of baked potatoes. Maybe I can talk Chris into making a salad.

So -- What's for dinner at your house? 
And when did you decide that?

John

Monday Motivation

 

We Did a Thing...

It's been a few years since we've decorated for Christmas. We've never been the big Clark Griswold kind of Christmas people -- more a nativity scene, the tree, a Christmas village, stockings kind of folks. But for the past three years, we really haven't done anything. We we had a couple of post surgery holidays and last year we were in a tiny apartment, so...

In those light Christmas years and while packing to move, we got rid of a lot of our decorations so this year is still a pretty light year as far as decorations go -- a nativity set, a small tree, some figurines, stocking on the fireplace, etc. I even hung a small string of lights outside! 
And we mailed out a few Christmas cards! We didn't have a lot of addresses, but it was fun sending cards to the few that we had.

Covid-19 will see to it that we have a small Christmas again this year. I expect that we'll see our local kids (Hannah and Daniel) over the holidays, but know that our Chicago kids (Aaron and Jenny) won't be traveling to visit. That's pretty much life in the Covid era (at least for some of us).

Christmas will be very different for many people this year. Like Thanksgiving, I expect there will be a lot of virtual family get-togethers or perhaps just some lonely, isolated observances. Maybe if each of my 30 or so reader's (more if you share this) would pick one or two people that will be spending Christmas alone and call them on Christmas Day. Maybe one family member and one friend or family member of a friend -- anyone that might need a call on Christmas Day.
Many charitable organizations are having a difficult time meeting with the increased demand this year. The pandemic has both put more people in need and made it more difficult for organizations to reach out for help. If you don't have a place to give and would like to - here are a couple of my favorites:

The Venues Lights of Love
The Connecting Grounds

Merry Christmas,
John

Not a Fan of Winter -- or a Pandemic

Nor am I a fan of traveling during a pandemic.
So I guess I'll endure another Midwest winter as we wait for some relief from the coronavirus.

I know there are many that are traveling and our favorite spots in Mexico are among the few places that still allow US tourists, but I think we'll stay put for now. Morning coffee by the fireplace wouldn't be my first choice, but it's not a bad thing either. 

Here in Southwest Missouri, life goes on as usual for most people. While many still refuse to take the simple steps of wearing a mask or not gathering in groups, our local hospitals are filling up with covid19 patients and having to deny treatment or care for other health issues. 

Last week I noticed a number on my blog stats -- the number of views my blog has had since its beginning. Today that number is 275,164. 
I've been writing since July of 2006 and this is my 2,096th post. To be sure, my simple blog is not widely read, but it only took 10 months for the number of US deaths to surpass the number of views on a blog that I've been writing for more than 14 years! By March of 2021, the US deaths will probably be twice that amount. The death rate in the US is now about 1 death due to covid19 EVERY 30 DAMNED SECONDS!

I get it. You're tired of staying home. You're healthy and the virus isn't going to kill you. Let the people that are immuno-compromised take precautions. 
By now, we all know people that have tested positive and it was no big deal. Most of us also know someone that was very sick from the virus and may still be dealing with the after effects months later. I would think that there are very few of us that haven't personally known someone that has died from covid19 -- and yet, here we are.

Today and tomorrow will be around 50f (10c) in the Ozarks. I'll spend some time in the sun and maybe enjoy a cigar or two. I'll probably even take the motorcycle out for a little ride. I'll avoid people (I usually do, anyway) and wear a mask when I can't. If you know someone that shouldn't be out, perhaps you can offer to run errands for them. Or maybe you can just give them a call to let them know they're not alone. Winter has enough suck without the added isolation of a pandemic.

Be kind. 
Think of others.
Love your neighbor. (I read that "love your neighbor" thing in a book. It was a Good Book.)

John

Christmas is Coming

 I know that in the past I have read through the twenty-four chapters of The Gospel According to Luke during the December days preceding Christmas. It's a nice daily practice to read through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the days leading up to Christmas. I hadn't really intended on doing it again this year, but I found out my mom is doing it and I have decided to join her. 

I read chapters 1 & 2 yesterday to get caught up and chapter 3 for this morning's reading. 
The first three chapters cover the birth of John the Baptist, the birth of Jesus, and John's ministry of baptizing in the Jordan river. 

I like Luke's Gospel. I don't think I'll be posting daily summaries of my thoughts about each chapter, but I wanted to share the idea while it's still pretty easy to get caught up in case anyone else would care to join in.

Earlier I wrote about December 25th being the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Since then I was thinking about that combined with the sentiment of putting Christ back in Christmas that is common during the season. Maybe we should (as Christians) consider putting Christ into every day.
That would be cool!

Even though it is past Giving Tuesday, there are still plenty of needs this holiday season. If you'd like to share your generosity with others but don't know where, let me offer this opportunity to you.
Each year The Venues Church partners with several community agencies to provide for people during the holiday season. This year's pandemic has presented challenges in getting the word out, even as needs are much greater. If you check out our Lights of Love page, you can help kids, seniors, families, unsheltered youths, unsheltered adults, even pets. The need is great. 

I would encourage you to contribute in your local community, but if you don't know where and just want to help someone in need through a trusted organization -- you are more than welcome to give a gift through my church community.

John

Trump Tweets While the World Burns

Yes, it's an awful, contemporary take on the old "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" but at least it is more accurate (fiddles weren't invented at the time of Nero's rule).

I know -- to many, the idea of climate change and global warming as a result of human action is still a hoax. But for those of us that do believe in science and the data that we have, the analogy is real. The past four years in the US have done great damage to the efforts to reduce our impact on climate change and to begin to repair the damage we have done to our home.
Well, at least the current Administration has. I do believe that many of us are still interested in reducing our own carbon footprints and are actively working at activities that can help.

Here's an article about the escalating crisis and the rising temperatures of our world's oceans.

Our 2020 pandemic controlled lives have greatly reduced our travels -- both in the way of leisure activity and local driving. We stay at home more, eat out less, and try to consolidate local errands to avoid covid exposure. I wonder how much we've saved this year on gas alone. I suppose some of that savings is offset by the five acres of land that I now have to mow, but I have plans to plant a few trees this year to contribute to our footprint reduction.
I know that "Giving Tuesday" has past, but I think that we will be making a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and picking out some trees to plant on our property.

Did you know that conifers and deciduous trees of comparable sizes produce similar amounts of oxygen on an annual basis? However, it is believed that deciduous trees sequester more carbon in their much denser trunks and branches.  

I am glad that the coming Biden/Harris Administration will make addressing climate change a priority in the coming years. As a country, I believe it is important for us to do this and move away from fossil fuels.
As individuals, it is also important that we work to be more ecologically minded in our daily activities. We will continue to recycle and reduce our use of single use plastics. We will continue to consolidate errands (which is also necessary due to the distance we have to travel to get anywhere) and make fewer local trips. We will plant some trees and a small garden this year (not sure if that helps with climate change, but it sounds like it should). And I'm still hoping to do that beehive thing this year.
We're also looking into a solar grid, but I don't know if that's going to happen in '21.

What about you?
Will you fiddle while the world burns?
Or will you act to put out the fire and rebuild a better world community?
What are your green plans for 2021?

John

Things in my head this morning

Does anyone else ever wonder why the calendar year doesn't begin with an annual astronomical event?
Why doesn't the year begin or end with a solstice or equinox? 
Why not with the perihelion or aphelion of our orbit around the sun?
Both the winter solstice (summer solstice for the southern hemisphere) and the earth at perihelion occur within days of the beginning of the calendar year. If you're going to pick a mark to count the days around the sun, why not use something related to the actual journey around the sun?

I suppose if you're just going to pick a day and one of your months is named for a two-faced god that has a face looking backward and a face looking forward (Janus) -- well, that makes some kind of mythological sense.

Yeah, I think about weird things sometimes.

John