January 19, 2021

Melissa and I went on our second trip since being locked down last March.  The first was a fishing trip to the Little Red in Northern Arkansas.  It was a quick three-day jaunt, but the fishing was great and the time away even better.  Yesterday went took a drive to Sequoya National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Eastern Oklahoma.  This trip was short but still provided a welcome relieve from the monotony of being at home.  I had read this was one of the premiere locations for birding in the Fort Smith area, and it is only 1 ½ hours away.   Even though the website said birds are more likely to be out early or late, we took off mid-morning.  It was cold the night before and I thought even if the birds were up, I did not want to be freezing while I saw them.

As soon as we drove into the NWR we encountered thousands of black birds in the trees lining the road.  They were still roosting because of the cold.   I took a few shots and we moved on.  We passed through empty fields on our way to the river that comprised the center of the Refuge.  There were husks of a variety of field crops being grown and left for the birds to feast on.  As we slowly moved along the road, we passed small lakes and sloughs that were lined by trees.  This really was a haven for all kinds of birds.  We continued slowly winding through the Refuge and encountered flocks, clusters, and individual birds.  About halfway through the tour road we got out and walked along one of the sloughs, finding scores of small birds.  I ended up getting pictures of 15 different species in the three hours were there.

As we left, we once more moved through the blackbirds clustered at the entrance.  When it warmed up, they had moved out of the trees and were working the fields.  Previously I could only make them out as little Black Birds.  As they attacked the fields on the way out, I realized they were thousands of Red-wing Blackbirds.  I mentioned I have been in Arkansas three years and only had three Red-wings’ visit our house feeders, and that was not until this year.  I was amazed by the numbers of birds and we decided to stop and watch them.  As we prepared to leave, they were joined by one of my favorites, a Red-tailed Hawk which soared in a great circle around the fields.  We both agreed this had been a great day.

Thoughts:  I have learned two lessons from birding.  The first was you need to proper equipment to get decent pictures of the birds.  My phone camera was good for close-ups, but it was hard to get near the birds.  My new camera and telephoto make it easier to get photos from farther away.  The second was if you are serious about birding, you need to go where the birds are.  This one trip to NWR scored the same number of species I had recorded in two weeks at my house.  While some birds are attracted to feeders, most prefer to stay in the wild.  Even though I learned these lessons last year, I had not acted on them.  It was easier to keep doing what I had always done and hope for the best.  We have taken a similar approach toward fighting the pandemic.  We refuse to mask, we gather with family for holidays, we protest for our right to gather and party.  Then we are surprised when the cases surge out of control and US deaths pass the 400,000 mark.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 18, 2021

While we drove the interstate to work yesterday, I noticed a Highway Police car with its lights on parked at the transfer ramp that led to the bridge over the Interstate.  My immediate thought was to question the logic of stopping a vehicle on the side of a bridge.  It had happened recently, but the traffic was already starting to back up as the big trucks tried to squeeze by the van stopped in the tight spot.  As we neared the van, I noticed the obvious sag on the left side of the vehicle.  I assumed that meant rather than a traffic stop it had a flat tire, and the police were trying to help as they changed it.  While I never heard what really happened, as we got our turn to squeeze past, I noticed both rear tires on the left-hand side had been removed from the van.  It was a wonder there was no additional damage.

When I was in college my mate dropped me off at work and went on home.  Five minutes later they were back in tears.  As they made a right-hand turn a block away the tire sheared off the axel.  When I arrived, the car sat in the middle of the intersection with the rear tire askew and wedged into the wheel well.  I called a tow truck and within thirty minutes we had towed the car to a local repair shop.  I had recently purchased tires and when they were installed, they failed to tighten the lug nuts on one of the tires.  After a few days, the wobbly tire wore through the axel bolts and the tire sheared off.  I guess it could have been worse.  We could have been on the highway rather than making a slow turn.

We had only been in town for three weeks, but I knew the right tow shop to call.  We had packed everything we owned and driven over the Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains to arrive in Salt Lake City.  As we drove down the Interstate’s exit ramp I braked to a stop.  The car gave a shudder, and I heard a loud thud from the rear of the vehicle.  When I got out to look, I saw the tongue of the homemade trailer I had purchased sheared from the trailer.  While my first thought was for everything we owned, my second was the damage this could have caused if it had happened going through the mountain passes.  This was not the way I envisioned starting a new life in Utah.

Thoughts:  These incidents are just a few of the times I have experienced or seen accidents caused by parts of vehicles being sheared off.  That does not even count the number of times I have seen intact fenders laying at the side of the road.  Most catastrophic accidents happen in the flash of an eye.  Unless you are part of the accident, you rarely hear the story behind what happened or even why.  Instead, we see the scene from afar and guess.  Like my assumption of the police stopping a car on the bridge, quite often we are wrong.  We need to take this lesson with us into 2021.  Things are rarely as clear as we see them from the outside.  Rather than make assumptions about what others did or thought, we need to step back and take time to discover what really occurred.  Otherwise, we may be responsible for causing additional damage.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 16, 2021

I was able to get out for some birding yesterday.  I attended my Zoom call, made a lunch to take, and took off toward three promising spots from last year.  The first was located at a park associated with a lock and dam on the Arkansas River.  I had photographed Cormorants there last year and hoped to do so again.  I saw a Blue Heron, several Coots and lots of Sea Gulls.  I drove up slowly, but the birds saw me and took off.  I was still able to get pictures of the coots and the gulls.  I moved to the other side of the river and got another Blue Heron and some better shots of the gulls.  The day was starting well.

When I arrived at the “Bird Sanctuary” city I had targeted for my second stop I found no birds.  I drove around and finally decided to take off for the lake.  I stopped along the way at an overlook and got a couple of nice shots.  When I got to the lake, I went looking for the Road Runner I saw last year.  It was nowhere to be seen.  I continued to drive around and while I did not see many birds, I did run into a small herd of deer as I came around a bend.  I stopped with them 20’ away.  I slowly lowered my window and prepared my camera.  When I looked through the lens finder, rather than the herd, I saw a closeup of one.  I had decided to only bring my telephoto, and they were too close to get them into my shot.  When I realized my mistake and took a picture with my phone.  Another lesson learned before going to the Wildlife Refuge.

Last year I would go fishing and after getting few bites, I would break out the camera and do some birding.  Yesterday I went birding and while I did get some good shots, I ended up fishing.  On my way home I stopped along a stream and broke out my fly rod.  After setting up, I walked to the stream and managed to get the end of my line mercilessly tangled.  I broke it off and retied.  On my first cast I got an eight-inch Bass to follow my fly to the bank.  While I only fished for 30 minutes (it was snowing), that was as close as I got to a fish.  Still, there is no such thing as a bad day on the water.

Thoughts:  The problem I had last year was being too far away from the birds I was trying to photograph.  While I can get closer with my telephoto lens, I am still struggling with getting a clear focus on the birds farther away.  That does not include the deer I tried to photograph who were too close to get into the picture.  I was again faced with a learning curve as I had to figure how to take pictures and to get both close enough and far enough away to take a photograph.  Learning something new is where the fun is.  We need to learn new ways of dealing with each other to move beyond the hate and disunity we face.  Only through unity will we return to focusing on finding fun in life.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 15, 2021

Last night I decided I was going to start getting up early.  I have been waking up early and going back to sleep or just staying in bed playing with my phone (crosswords!).  What I have noticed is when I do that, I never seem to get any of the projects done that I have assigned to myself.  Getting up earlier should add another couple of hours to my day and allow me the time I need.  That does not mean I will work on my projects, but at least I will not be able to blame not accomplishing things on not having enough time.  Since this is my birthday, I figured this was a good time to make a new start.  I set my alarm and hoped for the best.

Even though I had not told anyone of my new resolution, they must have gotten my unsent memo.  My mom IM’d me at 2:20 am to wish me a happy birthday.  I did not get or immediately respond to that message until much later.  Then at 5:50 am my brother wished me a Happy Birthday via text.  This woke both Melissa and I up.  I thought about getting up but that was not the definition of early I wanted to establish.  After hearing the initial beep, and the required follow up telling me I had ignored the first beep, I checked the phone and thanked him for the wishes.  This is around the time Melissa gets up anyway, so she did get up.  I managed to power nap my way back to oblivion.

When I did get up Melissa wished me a Happy Birthday, then mentioned that I was sure up early.  I guess I allowed my sleeping habit to become the norm.  This was more reason to force myself to get up early.  I got ready, read the paper, did my crossword, and had my coffee.  This gave me time to write my Blog and still be ready for my first zoom call of the day.  Even though it is windy for Arkansas, I am wanting to get out of the house and get a good start on a short birding trip.  I photographed a Road Runner last year at this location and I am hopping to see it again.  Maybe if I get back in time, I can take a nap.

Thoughts:  I have mentioned how wellness gurus tell us we need 7 ½ to 8 hours of sleep a night for our bodies to work well.  When told that Einstein only averaged 4 hours a night, one guru responded, “But think what he could have done if he had gotten enough sleep.”  I have talked about habits in the past, and now I am trying to start a new habit.  I have done it one day in a row.  At least it is a start.  A start is what we need to bring unity back to our country.  We need to be wiling to take the first step toward each other.  Even if it only comes from “you,” it still means we are coming closer together.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 14, 2021

Once more the grocery has surprised me.  I realize Valentines is only five weeks away, but I was not prepared for the front store display of candy.  What surprised me more was the small size of the display.  When the stores switch the endcaps, they generally do it to provide splash and get you in the mood for buying.  It is on the candy aisle where the change really occurs.  Maybe it was because it was early, but the candy aisle had not changed, just the endcap.  I also wondered at the sparseness of the candy on the endcap.  If this was intended to provide the splash, It did not bode well for the 2021 recovery.

Candy has its main origin in Ancient India.  Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, the Persians, followed by the Greeks, discovered the people in India and their “reeds that produce honey without bees”.  They adopted and then spread sugar and sugarcane agriculture.  Sugarcane is indigenous to tropical South and Southeast Asia, and the word sugar is derived from the Sanskrit word “sharkara.”  Pieces of sugar were produced by boiling sugarcane juice in ancient India and consumed as khanda, dubbed as the original candy and the etymology of the word.

Holiday candy seems to roll out in a never-ending stream.  Halloween candy came out in September and Christmas candy ran over the top of Thanksgiving.  Actually, the only candy I recall associated with Thanksgiving are the candy corn and the same sugary texture used to make tom turkeys.  Some have gone so far to claim the lesser holidays (not Christmas or Easter) are really a conspiracy devised by commercial ventures.  Valentines brings spending of millions of dollars for dinners, flowers, and candy.  St. Patrick’s Day is clearly a ploy for beer companies.  Even Easter and Christmas seem designed to sell chocolate eggs or hollow Santa’s. Maybe, but only if we believe in conspiracies.

Thoughts:  Conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.  The term has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal to a conspiracy is based on prejudice or insufficient evidence.  Conspiracy theories have been linked to witch hunts, wars, and genocides, and are often perpetuated by terrorists and totalitarian governments.  While conspiracy theories were once limited to fringe audiences, they are now commonplace on social media.  The “Fake News” instigated four years ago is now considered real, and the real news is now considered fake.  Maybe, but only if we believe in conspiracies.  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 13, 2021

It never surprises me when several days after a horrific event people come together . . . to point blame.  That was illustrated with an article I read in the newspaper on Sunday.  Right next to an article about the police charging the man who took Speaker Pelosi’s lectern was the result of a poll asking who was to blame for last week’s riot.  While I know it is proper legal jargon to call someone a suspect until they have been convicted, I “suspect” the fact he took a picture of himself walking away with the lectern, proudly posted it online, and was then found with it in his possession at his home could imply he had done so.

The adjacent article declared, “Poll: Many in GOP blame Biden for riot”.  The story went on to report a majority of Republican voters blamed President-Elect Joe Biden for the actions of the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.  The poll found 52% of registered Republican voters said Biden was at least somewhat to blame for the violence, while only 28% said it was Trump’s fault.  This matched the 45% of Republicans who said they approved of the storming of the Capitol while only 43% opposed it.  When all voters were counted (not just Republicans), the majority (55%) said Trump was a “great deal to blame,” which splits along the lines of the November election.  Both responses seem to say the same thing, somebody needs to be held responsible, but it is not my people or me.

Sadly, I did not find the results of the poll surprising.  Fox News and other right leaning broadcasts began trying to shift the blame even while the riot was occurring.  Just as Antifa was blamed for the violence of the summer, there are now claims they are responsible for this latest outbreak.  One commentator quipped responding to the Fox News claim that the riot was the work of carefully disguised Biden supporters, “It must have been Antifa elements who caused the riot.  They were there protesting the fact they had won the election and vowing to block the confirmation of their candidate.”  Nobody ever said placing blame had to be based in reality.

Thoughts:  Blaming Biden for the Wednesday riot strikes me as like getting caught with freshly baked cookie crumbs on your face and blaming your mother for making cookies in the first place.  Blaming others (it is never me) also deflects the part we all play.  The protest that preceded the riot had been planned for weeks, and the ensuing march on the Capitol had been known just as long.  Rather than take appropriate precautions, no one bothered to establish adequate barricades or deploy enough police presence to deter the riot.  Instead, we waited until after the riot to step up and place blame on “others.”  There is enough blame to go around.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 12, 2021

When I was driving home yesterday, I saw my very first real armadillo.  I need to clarify that statement.  I have seen armadillos in the zoo, and I have seen 100’s of dead armadillos along the road, but this one was both free and alive.  I found it fitting that the little fellow was crossing a busy stretch of highway with cars whizzing by as it scurried along.  By the time I caught up with it, it was moving off onto the shoulder, so I assume it made it all the way across without being hit.  From all the dead armadillos I have seen, I would say this one was extremely lucky.

Members of Superorder Xenarthra (sloths, anteaters, and armadillos) originated in South America and migrated into North America across the Panamanian land bridge about 3 million years ago.  They all went extinct in North America by around 10,000 years ago.  Today, only two armadillo species occur outside of South America, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypodidae novemcinctus), and the northern naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous centralis).  The centralis ranges from Central America as far north as the extreme southern boundary of Mexico.  The nine-banded armadillo has expanded its range northward into the United States over the last 150 years, moving north of the Rio Grande River as far as Missouri.  It is still expanding north at a rapid rate.

When I checked online, I found the expanding population is only part of the reason we see so many dead armadillos.  Another reason you see dead armadillos on highways is a result of the animals frightened response.   When it is scared by a loud noise (like a vehicle whizzing by) it reacts by jumping a few feet off the ground.  In its normal habitat this is used to scare off predators.  On a highway, its jump puts it about the right height to be hit by the vehicle.   Most other small mammals take their chances running between the wheels of threatening vehicles.  The odds appear better to run than jump.

Thoughts:  While armadillos crossed the Rio Grande on their own, they were introduced into Florida by humans.  They are thought to arrive after escaping from a zoo in 1924 and later from a circus in 1932.  They have naturalized and are considered a nuisance animal because of their burrowing.  Eleanor Storrs became fascinated with the animals during her doctoral studies at the University of Texas.  Although she was exploring their unique reproductive behavior, she discovered armadillos and humans both contract Hansen’s Disease (leprosy).  Armadillos now play a significant role in researching the disease.  In South America they are considered a delicacy and are highly sought after.  Armadillos are typical of most lifeforms, seen as both nuisance and valuable at the same time.   It all depends on your perspective.  Do the work.  Follow the science.   Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 11, 2021

When I lived in Wichita my sister came out and taught me how to make sushi roles.  Rather than purchasing one of the fancy rollers that are available, she taught me how to make the roles by hand using a small bamboo mat.  After we made a variety of roles, we went to the local Asian market and looked for appropriate plates and dinner ware to serve it on.  The two settings were plastic, but it looked really cool with its matching design (is that Grecian around the outside?).  While the intent was to use this for one-on-one Japanese meals, I never really used it until last night.  That is when Melissa and I had pot stickers.

While I have been intrigued (and enjoyed!) the nuances of making Chinese dishes for many years, I now have two Chinese nieces who have challenged me with their own posts.  One of the questions I had wondered was why the dishes came out at different times when I was part of a large group at a restaurant.  When I began to make the actual dishes, I realized each dish is a separate creation.  That means each dish is made, sent to the table, and then the next dish is made.  That is what I have also done when I served a large group at parties.  That is how I have seen Dim Sum (small plates) served as well.

This last weekend I was challenged to make pot stickers, also known as Chinese dumplings.  I found an amazing receive (I do not use recipes, but this was different) that suggested the ingredients for the dumplings.  I went to the grocery to find the suggested wraps, but they did not have them.  I decided to improvise (surprise!).  While I made the dumplings and the filling tasted incredible, there was a major failure.  The dumplings stuck to the parchment paper I used to line my bamboo streamer.  When I looked for “steamed dumplings” online later, it suggested using lettuces leaves or oiling the bamboo to keep it from sticking.  Regrettably, I did neither.  They ended up as a mass of tasty broken dumplings.

Thoughts:  There are the times (rare?) when my refusal to use a recipe results in failure.  Even with the recipe for the dumplings I changed the ingredients for the filling.  The recipe called for frying the dumplings and Melissa prefers them steamed, so I changed the cooking process.  I was wise enough to know the dumplings would stick to the bamboo steamer, but the choice of parchment paper merely changed where the dumplings stuck.  Far too often we only follow the advice we believe to be relevant and ignore the reason for the rest.  Sometimes this works, but other times it results in failure.  Even now we only follow the of advice we believe to be relevant.  This explains our failure.  Follow the science.   Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 09, 2021

I mentioned earlier this week about the two Georgia runoff elections.  Jon Ossoff (D) defeated David Perdue (R) and Raphael Warnock (D) won his race against Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R).  Both elections were not only unprecedented but represented “firsts.”  Ossoff is the first Jewish Senator from Georgia and will be the youngest sitting U.S. senator at age 33.  He is also the youngest elected senator since Joe Biden was sworn into office at age 30 on January 3, 1973.   His victory comes along with another historic win by Raphael Warnock, who will take office as the state’s first Black senator. They are the first Democrats to win Senate seats in Georgia since 2000.   

I was present when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at the American Baptist Convention in Philadelphia’s Convention Hall in May 1962.  I was seven at the time, but still remember standing in a long line that crossed in front of the stage until I (and my family) were able to shake his hand.  King served as co-Pastor along with his father, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., for the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.  King, Jr., served the church from 1960 until his assignation in 1968.  The church is duly aligned with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA.   The funerals of both Dr. King and congressman John Lewis were held at this church.  This is also the church where United States Senator-elect (Rev. Dr.) Raphael Warnock has been pastor since 2005.

MLK, Sr., known as “Daddy King,” was a pastor for Ebenezer for over 40 years and was an important civil rights leader in his own right.  Growing up in the early twentieth century, King, Sr., saw firsthand the brutality of southern racism, being beaten by a white mill owner and watching as a white mob hanged a black man.  As his mother lay dying, he cursed white people.  His mother’s response was, “Hatred makes nothin’ but more hatred…Don’t you do it.”  The combination of activism and non-violence that marked his life was instilled in his son, Martin, Jr., and the rest of his family.

Thoughts:  According to his campaign website, “Reverend Raphael Warnock grew up in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah.  The family was short on money, but long on faith, love and humor.  Raphael and his eleven brothers and sisters were taught the meaning of hard work.”   Warnock took his lesson in hard work to his campaign for Senate, “vowing to fight for affordable health care, protect voting rights, and ensure the dignity of working people.”  Another quote from the site states, “The four most powerful words in a Democracy: The People Have Spoken.”  These words are what separate a democracy from other forms of government.  In a television interview shortly after his projected win, the Rev. Dr. Warnock made it clear that he planned to stay in the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church, preaching on Sunday’s.  I guess we can now call him bi-vocational.  Do the work.   Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 08, 2021

I have listened to the excuses and reasons for the events at the nation’s capital all day.  Most of those who stormed the Capitol were from out of town.  They have now fled and are being pursued by the FBI.  Several pictures have been posted online and rewards offered for information on their whereabouts.   So far there have been 82 people arrested for participating in the riot.  More than 60 of those were for suspicion (What, they do not know if they were outside?) of violating the curfew imposed by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser after the mob action was over.  Another 37 were charged with suspicion of unlawful entry.  Others were charged with assault, property damage and various gun charges.  Many had multiple offenses.

What amazed me was the audacity of those who stormed the Capitol.  Many took cellphone videos and selfies of themselves, and then posted them on their own online accounts.  The Arkansas man who broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office not only posted his picture sitting with his feet up at her desk, but also bragged about it to a reporter and showed them a letter he had taken from her desk (can you say felony mail theft?).  One of the reports I saw featured a woman who had been maced by the capital police.  During her tearful interview, she asked the reporter why should she have been maced?  After all, and I quote, “I was only trying to incite a revolution.”   

Police action toward the riot showed a similar lassi faire attitude.  As the protestors approached officers were seen opening barricades to let people through and taking selfies with members of the crowd.  As happens with most mob action, the peaceful protest tuned into an angry mob in a matter of minutes.  By that time, it was too late, and the police were overrun.  One officer was beaten with a pipe and later died, while several others were taken to the hospital with injuries.  The response taken by Congress has been swift in deciding who to blame.  The House Sargent at Arms has resigned, and Sen. Schumer has called for his counterpart in the Senate to do the same.  The head of the Capitol Police has also resigned.  It appears we are better at laying blame than resolving conflict.

Thoughts:  Of the five people who died during the riot or shortly after, one was an officer beaten by the crowd, one was shot by police while crawling through an interior window, and three died from medical emergencies.  It is lucky there were only five.  The problem with mob action is it takes on a life of its own, and once it starts it is unpredictable where it will end.  People believe themselves invisible while acting as part of a mob.  As has been found time and again, with social media and 1000’s of cell phones, individuals in a mob can be identified.  We need to change the attitude of our country.  As Spike Lee pointed out in his 1989 movie, “Do the Right Thing,” we need to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.  Do the work.   Change is coming and it starts with you.