𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 26, 2020

I have always been an eclectic in life.  That has resulted in the variety of views I hold, but also in the variety of jobs that I have held.  I recall once being introduced by a friend at a conference where I was giving a paper as “a man who has held more different careers than most people dream of in a lifetime.”  That was when I was 35.  When I was younger, I never considered doing anything for the “rest of my life.”  That finally changed when I settled on my life’s work a decade later.  From then on, every job I took I intended to be my last.  Even though circumstances seemed to get in the way and I never made it more than seven years in any of those positions, the job itself remained the same.

My dad retired when he was 62.  He had been having health issues and my parents wanted to pursue their passion of working on the mission field.  After two stints in the field in Thailand they finally came home to settle in Wichita.  This was followed by serving as an interim minister and then as an associate at a church not far from their home.  He also served as the M&M (retirement plan) representative for the region.  After leaving the church he was hired by the region as a fund raiser for missions’ work and as a consultant on church growth.  After 54 years in ministry as an American Baptist pastor, a denominational leader, and a fund raiser for mission work, he was set to retire December 31, 2010.  He died from complications from chemotherapy on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, the day before Thanksgiving.  He never did retire.

One of our family sayings is, “You are just like your father.”  This is usually told to one of the three boys by their spouse and rarely in a good way.  I would say this might also apply to me.  I retired at the age of 62 to pursue what we assumed to be a life of travel and world hopping.  While health complications put an end to our dream it did result in our move to Arkansas.  Now, just like my father, I am again employed and probably will be for quite some time.  “For the rest of my life” used to be faced with trepidation.  Now it seems more of a challenge.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  Melissa and I have been working through several studies that focus on anti-racism.  The content has been challenging and at times disturbing.  This was a stated objective at the beginning by one of the authors as the intent was to point out the white supremacy inherent in our world, even in areas where BIPOC predominate.  Another challenge we face is once you recognize systemic racism exists, if you do not work for change your apathy supports the problem.  This is something you must commit to for the rest of your life.  You cannot retire.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 25, 2020

When we arrived at our fishing cabin, I noticed there was a vector trap located just off the walkway leading down to the river.   I have mentioned I was director of a conference center for five years.  We were in a rural setting on the outskirts of a small town, so we got plenty of critters.  I obacerated this by allowing fifteen acres of native grass regrow in several areas that had previously been mowed.  While I occasionally smelled the presence of skunks, I rarely saw one.  That changed one summer when we had a skunk crawl under one of our decks and gave birth to a litter of kits.  I thought it was appropriate since the annual women’s meeting was being held that weekend.  I called a vector control company who brought a similar trap to the one I saw at the cabin.  We never trapped the skunks, and a couple of weeks later they left on their own.

Arkansas is home to two species of skunks, the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius).  Skunks are members of the weasel family and are well known for the pervasive odor they spray when provoked.  The striped skunks are about the size of a cat, 2-3 feet long and weighing 10-15 pounds. The fur is very thick and mostly black with a white stripe on its neck and head extending down the back and through the bushy tail.  The spotted skunk is a much smaller skunk, only half the size of the striped skunk and exceedingly rare.  Instead of stripes, the spotted skunk has white spots.

I have been told that if you see a rabies vector species (raccoon, skunk, fox, bat) out during the day there is a good chance they are rabid.   When I checked this online, I found it to be a myth.  Rather than nocturnal (night active) or diurnal (day active), raccoons and skunks are called crepuscular.  “Crepuscular” is drawn from the Latin word for “twilight,” and refers to animals that are active primarily at dawn and dusk.  While most of these species are not often seen during the day, it is not uncommon to see them out during the day during fall and spring seasons as they try to pack on weight.  Thankfully, the trap was never sprung while we were there.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  One of my fears when we placed the vector trap at the camp was that we might actually trap one.  Skunks are not known to go “easily into the night.”  Instead they get mad and spray.  When I asked the control agent about this, he said you could only use the trap for one skunk.  Then you had to throw a blanket over the trap to move it.  Once they sprayed you would never get another one to enter.  There are a lot of myths about how different species act and what their action means.  I learned that was true with vectors.  I have also found it true with people.  We have preconceived ideas about how they will act and what it means.  Until we take to the time to get to know another as a person, we allow the myth to what guide our expectation.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 24, 2020

While we were driving home yesterday, I had a car come up on us extremely fast.  I was trying to get around a truck and had pulled into the passing lane.  The car tried to squeeze through but realized they would not be able to make it.  They impatiently waited as I passed the truck and then pulled out of the way.  I had barely gotten over when they whizzed by.  While I was not surprised how fast they were going, I was surprised that they did not have a visible license plate.   The car had tinted windows, was painted in a black matte, and it appeared to have a similar matte covering the plate area.  It looked like a mystery car as it sped into the distance.

When I mentioned this to Melissa, she told me it was a Dodge Charger, and a friend of hers had one.  The car had a roll up feature that allowed you to hide the plate and create an all matte look.  I looked the car up online and found out it was the Challenger SRT Hellcat.  This is the ultra-powerful version of the Dodge Charger muscle car.  It comes with a standard supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine with either 717 horsepower, or an amazing 797 horsepower in the Redeye models.  While the size (wide-body 4-door) and weight means it does not handle the curves as well as the Ford Mustang or the Chevy Camaro, it will blow both away on the fast track.  It goes 0–60 in 3.7 seconds and reaches an advertised top speed of 199 mph.

I had wondered if the matte paint helped deflect or somehow divert radar, similar to the stealth planes used by the military.  It seems it did neither.  There are several auto makers with vehicles that offer the black matte rather than the shiny gloss most prefer.   This paint is susceptible to all kinds of problems and any ding or scratch is said to stand out like an eyesore.   My review also is said it adds an additional $4000 to the price of the car.  It is expensive to look cool.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  My finding on radar detection was confirmed about 30 miles down the road.  The black Charger was pulled off on an exit ramp with the blue lights of a State Trooper merrily dancing.  I did not notice as I whizzed by (at speed limit) but I had to wonder if he had been able to get the license plate switched before being pulled over.  Otherwise it might be hard to explain.  Even with the raised limits on the interstate highway there is always someone who pushes a little further.  Even with 200,000 deaths and spiking cases there is always someone who still holds the whole thing to be a hoax or does not wear a mask because of the way it looks.  It is expensive to look cool.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 23, 2020

Shortly after arriving at our cabin we were greeted by the local welcoming committee.  This came in the form of two large dogs that showed up to look in our open door.  One was a Dalmatian and the other appeared to be a St. Bernard mix.  Both were female.  While I was apprehensive, Melissa went out to greet them like old friends.  They in turn treated her the same way.  Melissa grew up in the country and communal dogs were part of her upbringing.  I grew up in town where the neighbor’s dog (especially large dogs) were often hostile.

During our stay, the girls became a fixture at our cabin.  They both had electronic collars that I assumed were shock collars.  I have heard that once the dog learns the pain only lasts a short time, the electric fence no longer keeps them in the yard.  Since the girls came over several times a day they must have acclimated.  Last night however, we got a different take on the electronic collars.  Their owners live in the next house over and when they got home, we heard a, “beep, beep.”  Both dogs immediately took off for home. They were calling the dogs for supper.

We were all intrigued by the beepers that commanded the girls to come home.  I went online and found the brand they wore.  Their collar featured three modes, but they had obviously chosen the more humane “beep” mode.  This collar had a range of up to 330 yards, perfect for the girls as they tended to range.  Over the next several days we saw the collar in action on numerous occasions.  Melissa is currently “dog hungry” and she let the girls come into the house where they (mostly) laid on the floor.   The girls were a perfect touch to our cabin.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  While the girls were basically well behaved, especially as the St. Bernard seemed to be a puppy (a very big puppy!).  We did find that changed when it came time to eat.  The Dalmatian chewed up a hot pad that had bacon grease on it and tried to stick her nose in my plate several times.  These actions got them ushered outside.  That is something you can do with someone else’s dog.  When they arrived, I made judgements based on experience and was hesitant to accept them.  By the next day they had become a fixture in the house.  We often treat people in the same manner.   Our preconceived ideas label them as a group, without even getting to know them.  People deserve to be treated as individuals.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 22, 2020

We finally got on the water yesterday.  We had scheduled a float trip with a local guide for what was supposed to be 7am.  He contacted me while we were on the road and I did not get the text until Sunday night.  He identified the debarkation site along with directions and said to meet him at 8 am.  The water was down slightly but he assured us the fishing would still be good.  I cannot say I was sorry to get the extra hour of sleep. 

When we pulled into our lodging, we were both surprised how nice the “cabin” was.  It was two bedrooms and two baths.  The inside had been made to look “cabinesque,” with fishing poles on the walls, a wood burning fireplace, and textured walls and ceilings.  It also had all the small appliances to be comfortable and all new stainless appliances.  There was a gas grill on the back deck which we used to grill bratwurst for dinner.  I even tried my hand on the river that flowed down the stone steps to the Little Red.  Sadly, no fish were to be had.

After getting skunked the night before we entered the water with trepidation.  We had hired a guide to fish a lake in Minnesota and while I caught some fish, Melissa had no luck.  Today’s guide set up our lines and then motored upriver to a deep spot.  It did not take long to hook into a small Rainbow.   The next one was a little larger.  The fish kept coming for the next three hours.  I even made an elusive “two fish on,” with a fish on both the sow bug and the nymph dropper at the same time.    About 11 am things started slowing down and we started drifting back to the launch ramp.  While I continued to catch an occasional fish, Melissa really took off in this new environment.  We caught and released 30 Rainbows for the morning.  Even better, I got some insight on how to fish on my own.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  Our guide asked where else we had fished.  While we do not get out often, we have fished some quality waters.  We have done the San Juan in New Mexico, the Dream Stream in Colorado, the Yakama in Washington, and now the Little Red in Arkansas.  He said the place he would like to go was Montana (where our store fly experts had gone “testing”).  I looked up fishing in this state and the web said, “Choosing a favorite river in Montana is like having to choose your favorite child.”  While much of fishing still revolves around luck, it also depends on knowing where and how to fish.  I was in the right place at the right time last night and did not catch fish.  Today I listened to the expert and found the fish plentiful.  Perhaps the climate, pandemic, and social science experts really do know what they are doing, and we should listen.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 21, 2020

I have been wanting to get up to the rivers in Northcentral Arkansas since I moved here three years ago.  It is not that I was unable to do it, it was just a little too far.  It takes three hours each way from our house.  I was talking to a guide last week and he confirmed what I assumed.  During the summer, the fishing drops way off after noon as the waters warm up.  That meant I would have to get up in the wee hours or spend the night to catch any significant fish.  I have mentioned I am not much of a morning person.  Melissa and I have finally decided to bite the bullet, take the trip, and stay in a rental.

I rearranged my fishing gear several weeks ago, but this week I got around to working on my fly rods.  I had learned from a local guide’s web page that the fish are hovering on the bottom at this time of year.  That meant I needed to use sinking line to present my flies.  I went to a local fly shop to learn how to proceed.  Of course, all the experts were on a “product testing” trip to Montana, but the woman called them for help.  I was soon purchasing sinking tip line and 15# tippet (I am hoping).  It was not until the next day I realized my leaders are all 6# test.  I guess it is back to the store to get the proper weight, or the heavier tippet will not do any good.

Returning from the store I spent the rest of the afternoon rebuilding my rods.  I found 12# sinking leader and got some 12# tippet.  I realized the extra spool I intended to use went to the reel I had left on the lake bank this spring.  Still, I had enough reels to put together two sinking setups and my regular two floating line setups.  I am thinking the sinking line will also be good for fishing lakes like my son and I did in January.  I do not think the Bluegill I have been catching around here need the 12# test line. 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  I really enjoy preparing for trips.  I like the planning and taking care of the details.  I have gone on spontaneous trips and always seem to forget something (once it was the bed rolls and tent pegs, another Blog?).  Scrambling to improvise is part of what makes spontaneous trips fun, and it makes for great stories later.  During the event, the fun can sometimes be hard to see.  When we look back on 2020, we will have stories to tell.  Some hard, some funny, and some so sad.  Just do not forget the lessons learned.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 19, 2020

We received the sad news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday.  Ginsburg had been battling various forms of cancer since 1999 (pancreatic, lung, colon, and finally liver).    She had continued to serve as a Supreme Court Justice throughout and had vowed to stay on the court “as long as I can do the job full steam.  Full Steam seems to be the way she lived her entire life.  She is known as the nations’ preeminent litigator for women’s rights, a federal appeals circuit court judge and a Supreme Court Justice for 27 years.  As a Justice she became the leader of the liberal bloc against an increasingly conservative majority.

Interestingly, Ginsburg’s first big case was to defend a Colorado man against the IRS to allow him to take a tax deduction for his 86-year-old mother he was caring for.  The IRS held the statute only applied to women or divorced or widowed men.  Ginsburg won in the lower courts asking not to invalidate the statue, but to apply it equally to both sexes.  The government then took the case to the Supreme Court where she won again.  This resulted in an examination of the constitutionality of hundreds of similar federal statutes.

Ginsburg’s career continued to revolve around the interpretation of the 14^th Amendment applying not just to Blacks and minorities, but also to women.  The male, establishment minded judges found her case often taken from how men were not receiving the same consideration as women.  She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 1993.  Her life story has been featured in books, movies, an opera, and numerous Saturday Night Live parodies.  Perhaps the most informing reference to her impact was being called The Notorious RBG, a play on rapper The Notorious BIG.

THOUGHTS:  While Ginsburg’s goal was to further the equal treatment of women, it was often litigated from a male perspective.  Ginsburg knew she needed to appeal to the viewpoint of the patriarchal judges she was arguing before.  Her ultimate claim was that decisions of law and justice should never be decided on “the basis of sex.”  We can learn much from Ginsburg’s approach toward litigation.  You need to listen and understand the viewpoint of another.  You need to relate their understanding to something you have in common.  And only then do you broaden the conversation by asking them to consider another perspective.  This is what made Ginsburg “Notorious.”  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 18, 2020

When I got up this morning Melissa said she had watched an amazing display by the birds on our backyard feeders.  About fifteen Blue Jays had descended on the six feeders we have along the back fence.  The jays had been joined by seven or eight Cardinals.  They all took turns at the feeders.  In the past whenever the Cardinals and Jays got together there was a huge fight.  The Cardinals would gang up and drive off the Jays.  If it were a Jay and the finches, the Jays would drive off the Finches.  Perhaps it was just because there were large numbers of both (and the presence of more food?) that they were getting along. There were even two Turtle Doves on the ground working the scraps that fell.

While our birds generally fight, I saw something a few days ago I had never seen before.  A female Cardinal had firmly planted herself in the middle of the sunflower feeder with a male Blue Jay sitting on the wheelbarrow directly below.  While the Cardinal was feeding herself, she would also occasionally pick up a seed and toss it down to the Jay.  This went on for ten minutes until they had both eaten their fill and flew off.  I thought this was an amazing act of coexistence.

There were lower numbers of the Jays and Cardinals at the feeders when I got up.  They left shortly after and were replaced by seven or eight House Finches.  These attacked the Thistle feeder but also went for the seeds left by the larger birds.  Apparently, there was an established hierarchy for the breakfast hour based on the size of the bird.  When I watch the feeders at other times of the day there are usually just one or two birds at a time, and they often battle for supremacy, usually based on numbers. 

THOUGHTS:  I have watched similar examples of coexistence on the nature channel.  Male lions tend to let the females hunt and kill the game, but then are the first allowed to eat.  When Hyenas bring down prey it can be taken by an adult male lion.  In both cases the lion eats its fill and then moves on, allowing their subordinates the chance to eat as well.  I have never seen any documentation of a dominant species feeding a subordinate one as the Cardinal did, but it seems both coexistence and mutual aide can occur when food is abundant.  By contrast, humans hoard resources for ourselves regardless of the amount present.  Economic inequality is then intensified in times of shortage or crisis.  If a Cardinal can share its resources with a Blue Jay, why can’t we decide to cooperate?  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 17, 2020

I am facilitating a book study beginning today that goes on for the next ten weeks.  I had participated in a four-week webinar on Anti-racism by the group offering the study.  When the webinar completed, they sent an email inviting me to participate in a book study on Disunity.  I am not sure why, but I somehow thought this was related to the previous series (it is not).  When I signed up for the study, they had two time slots available which both worked well for me.  The registration also asked if I would prefer another time.  I put in one of the already allocated times, but the page would not send and gave me an error message saying I had not answered the question about alternative times.  After three tries I finally put in a third time slot option.  This time it went through.  Two days later I got a response thanking me for volunteering to facilitate a third study group.

I had a similar experience during my Junior year of High School.  Class Officer elections were coming up and the principal came on the intercom berating our entire class.  Apparently, no one had signed up for any of the four positions.  During the class change I met a friend and we made a bet on who could get the required signatures the fastest.  We stopped people in the halls and walked into classrooms to obtain signatures of support.  We both had the signed forms completed and turned in by the end of the next hour.  There were others who also completed the forms, although not as fast.  Neither of us campaigned.

Even though I was surprised by my selection as facilitator, I did not mind as I enjoy this role.  I am too much of a postmodernist to say I will lead the group, especially in this case.  All ten participants are in relatively similar positions and bring similar skill sets and experiences.  As the discussion guide sent stated, all I really needed was to have a couple of questions to begin and then “the conversation will flow organically from there.”  I was interested to note that synonyms for “organically” include both “naturally and spontaneously” as well as “slowly and gradually.”  Since these are opposites, I am sure one will happen.

THOUGHTS:  In my campaign speech for class president I promised to take four classes and to give a speech at the Senior Prom, both of which were required.  My friend and I were elected and represented half of the class officers.  I had run for president of the Junior class and had been defeated.  I had wanted to be president then.  Elections are not always about the best candidate but can instead be about “somebody different.”  That is what brought the Governorship to Jessie “the Body” Venture (retired wrestler) in Minnesota, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (retired body builder) in California.  Change to “something different” rarely works.  Do not waste your vote.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 16, 2020

When I walked out my door yesterday to get the paper, I heard crashing going on in my back yard.  As I walked around the side of the house, I noticed a truck parked in the church yard.  I had earlier told the caretaker it was ok for his friends to cut up and remove the large oak that had fallen several weeks ago.  The only thing I asked was that they let me know when they were going to do so.  By the time I got back to the tree the branches had already been stripped off the trunk and it had been sawn into more manageable slabs.  These were being split with a wedge and then loaded onto the trailer.  Apparently, they had not gotten the message to inform me before they began.

I have to say I was impressed by how much work they had gotten done.  When I was director of a conference center in Kansas a tree about the same size had fallen on the side of our building.  While it had hit the roof, it caused little damage.  I contacted some volunteers who came out that weekend and cut the tree away from the building.  It took the four of us the most part of a day to cut it back to about half its length.  They left and over the next two weeks I would periodically cut off new sections of the tree until it was finally gone.  I marveled how this man and wife team had cut through the entire tree in just one morning.

We engaged in casual conversation for five or ten minutes about the tree, the process, and what was going to happen with the limbs.  He was planning on bringing a tractor and scooping the extra limbs up and hauling them to the open field on another part of the property to be burned (it is legal in our town).  He was hesitant to burn them in place since there were other overhanging trees that would probably catch fire.  I appreciated that he was reluctant to start our own forest fire.

THOUGHTS:  When I approached the man stood up from resting on a slab of tree and came toward me saying, “Hi” and extending his hand.  I stopped and even took a step or two back.  He dropped his hand and said, “We do not follow the covid advice, but we try and respect those who do.”  While I understood his action and his explanation, I wondered about his thinking.  He was honoring my belief as an individual on the need to practice social distancing, but by not wearing his mask or social distancing he was denying what was best for the group.  I have found this is the case in many situations.  When we know others as individuals, we tend to get along well and show respect.  If we do not know the other, we instead treat them as a group.  This carries all our existing prejudice and bias.  What we need is to do the work to understand others.  Then we can see and treat them as valued people.  Change is coming and it starts with you.