July 18, 2020

The Republican Governor of our state issued an edict yesterday saying effective Monday, masks will be required for anyone over the age of 10 who is out in public (unless prohibited for health).  Several cities already had laws requiring the use of masks.  More businesses had also gone from suggesting to requiring masks to enter, and not just the local stores but large chains like Target and Walmart.  Despite the existing level of acceptance, the Executive Order was met with public outcry.  State representatives spoke out because they were not contacted.  Law enforcement complained about enforcing the misdemeanor offence, with many saying they would refuse. Individuals spoke to the constitutionality of making this mandate against their civil rights.

The edict was made in response to the rising number of cases across the state as we began to open.  The guidelines for opening included directives like, six-foot social distancing, not gathering in large groups, and wearing a mask when not at home.  These are the guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and are like every state.  The problem is the lack of compliance.  The essential meat processing industry was hit first, and Memorial Day and Fourth of July celebrations blew the two months of lock down completely out of the water.

A national CDC internet survey in April found about 62% said they would follow the recommendations and a repeat in May showed an increased to more than 76%. The CDC said on a post today if everyone would just wear a mask, and nothing else, we could have the outbreak under control within six to eight weeks.  Neither polling figure is close to “everyone.”  I did find the timing of the mandate interesting.  I guess the Governor thought we could all use one last night in the bars mingling with other unmasked people to get it out of our system.  Oh wait, that is why we are doing this in the first place.

THOUGHTS:  To wear a mask or not is not an issue of personal freedom amid a national crisis.  Governors who are refusing to put a mask order in place cite the rights of individuals and say they will make the right decision.  The obvious problem with that logic is they do not.  That is evidenced by the large parties of unmasked people celebrating in closed conditions.  We hear daily that wearing a mask is not about you, it is about me.  There is an adage from the 19th century that says, “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.”  In this case perhaps the nose should be covered.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 17, 2020

I realize this is coming late but there have been other issues needing to be addressed.  Fourth of July weekend brought back memories of past celebrations.  Our family spent one Fourth at our parents in western Kansas when we were all twenty-somethings.  The small town we were in did have a fireworks display, but they also sold fireworks.  My favorite has always been bottle rockets. We purchased several gross and began to shoot them off using differing combinations for the best effect.  Apparently one of the hot casings fell in the ditch next to a ripe wheat field across the street and caught it on fire.  We all ran across the street to stomp out the flames, along with two boys who had stopped to watch the fun.  As we were extinguishing the last of the fire, the local marshal pulled up and yelled at the boys that they were in trouble because he knew who they were.  I hope it got sorted out because we all left.

When I lived along the Wasatch Front in Utah, they did not allow personal use of explosive fireworks.  They get very little rain (around 300 millilitres per year) which causes dry conditions.  Most of the water that feeds the valley comes from snow melt runoff from the surrounding mountains.  When a friend moved into the state, he went to the fireworks stand his first year to get fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July as he usually did.  He told me how disappointed he was that the only things available were sparklers and glow worms.  Utah is also known for its mining industry, so he went to a mining supply store and legally bought blasting caps.  He took these out to the desert and proceeded to blow stuff up.

Arkansas has taken the opposite approach toward celebrations on the Fourth.  Every year there are large demonstrations put on by every big or small town.  These are augmented by the tradition of personal displays, some of which rival the town display.  Amid the social distancing of the pandemic most of these town displays were canceled.  They did broadcast a fireworks display on TV, but that is not the same as smelling the smoke. The dozens of stands in our town were still well stocked and sales were brisk.  When we got out on the fifth, I was surprised to see empty shelves in every stand.  There was also a spent bottle rocket laying on our backyard deck.  I am glad it did not fall on the roof and start a fire.

THOUGHTS:  Although humans are a highly adaptable animal, we do not seem to like change. The noise and smell of smoke that mark our Fourth celebrations throw our pets into fits of fear and trembling.  Still, we just lock them in the back room and hope for the best.  Many are handling the growing pandemic in the same way.  We know how to curb the spread as most nations around the world have done so.   The problem is it requires us to be conscious of others by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.  This is apparently too great of an inconvenience for some.  They prefer to “lock it in the back room and hope for the best.”  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 16, 2020

Sunday’s paper had an OP-ED by Kareem Abbul-Jabar (yes, the basketball player).  The question he raised is one that is on the mind of many of us as we think about moving forward.  How can we sustain the momentum we are experiencing for the anti-racism movement?  He began by recalling the many times in his own 60 years of activism that he has heard the cries for help and the Gospel songs of soothing, only to have the sympathetic audience once moved to tears simply go away once the chorus is over.

He went on to cite some of the events that make him hopeful.  There are the city and state governments who are instituting police reforms.  Private corporations are making more inclusive policies and media companies are firing executives, actors, and writers for misogynistic behavior.  Celebrities and politicians are making public statements supporting Black Lives Matter.  Sports organizations are offering public apologies for past acts of exclusion.  Even more, he felt optimism when he saw police officers linked arm in arm with protestors.  This is something he believed his own decorated police officer father would have done.

While this is great, the fight for equal rights is a life-long commitment.  What Jabar finds disappointing is the white moderate.  Open racism can be addressed, but moderates concerned more with “order” than “justice” is harder to confront.  “There have been suggestions for reform in our systems of justice, policing, healthcare, education and economic security, all of which give preference to white people.”  What is needed is a way to measure performance and manage progress.  Jabar closes saying, “The moral universe doesn’t bend toward justice unless pressure is applied.”

THOUGHTS:  I find two burning issues in Jabar’s editorial.  The first is how to constructively move beyond our focus on order and confront the systemic injustice that pervades our society.  We have taken steps in the right direction, but we need to continue the walk.  The second comes directly from the first, how to continue to focus on justice and not let the voices die down.  It is hard to commit to a lifetime of change, especially when it does not confront us every time we step out the door.  Sadly, that is the daily reality for many.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 15, 2020

I came across a podcast by cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian addressing population growth and the stress it places on our planet and us.  It is estimated that population on earth reached one billion in 1804.  It took another 123 years to rise to two billion in 1927, but only 33 years to reach three billion in 1960.  This rapid increase caused many to fear starvation would become widespread, not to mention other malnutrition diseases like scurvy, rickets, and plague. The world focused on the intentional goal of stocking cheap, high calorie, shelf stable food, fortified with vitamins to combat this threat.  The good news is it worked and as of March the total population stands at 7.8 billion.  The bad news is it caused other problems just as serious.

Mozaffarian says the problem we are currently having is the conjunction between two different pandemics.  The corona virus is a fast pandemic.  This burst on the planet last November (as far as we know) and rapidly spread world-wide in a few short months.  Those that seem hardest hit are people who already suffered from a slow pandemic that has been with us for the last 40-50 years, obesity.  Only 12% of people in America are metabolically healthy, defined as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose level, and hypertension.  This slow pandemic and its effect when combined with covid-19 have never been mentioned in any of the nightly updates.

I have tried several diets over the years and have found they all work to some degree.  The problem comes when you decide to stop following the diet.  This often comes with regaining whatever weight you lost along with additional pounds.  This yo-yo effect is well documented by nutrition scientists.  What is needed is not a diet but a shift in lifestyle.  I have lost weight recently by concentrating on caloric intake, but more importantly by recognizing the foods I eat. This means staying away from the “cheap, high calorie, shelf stable food fortified with vitamins” in favor of fresh lean meats and vegetables.  That is why I grow my garden.

THOUGHTS:  I have (only tongue-in-cheek) thought about pushing what I have found to be a highly effective weight loss tool that I call the Dehydration Diet (or maybe D²?).  All you need to do is weed your garden in the 100-degree temperatures and you are sure to lose 4-5 pounds.  I do not think this is a sustainable long-term solution, however.  I read that upwards to 30% of Federal and State budgets are spent on healthcare, and businesses spend another two trillion on health care annually.  We need to stop dieting and instead make a lifestyle shift that can be followed the rest of your life.  Hopefully, this is one of the lessons we keep moving forward.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 14, 2020

I find it amazing that we have over 300 channels on our TV and I still cannot find anything to watch.  I guess this once more lets me know how much I used to watch sports.  That was true again on Saturday night as I slinked back into my office to play my game.  Melissa had said there was not anything on and she was going to work on her succulents.  It turned out she instead turned on a movie that she really enjoyed called Last Christmas, released in 2019.

I looked this up to see why she was so entranced by the movie.  The story is about a young aspiring singer who works as an “elf” in a year-round Christmas store.  Things are falling apart around her, but with every mishap she runs into Tom.  Kate begins to spend more time with Tom and works on improving her life to be more like him.  They break up but Kate goes to his apartment to make amends.  While there she finds out Tom had died in a bicycle accident last Christmas.  She then finds Tom was the organ donor whose heart she received, and that all their interactions were hallucinations. Going to a small garden Kate meets Tom again.  The bench where they sat during their first visit is a memorial bench for Tom.  The movie fades into a summer scene and a happier Kate writing in her journal.  Kate looks up, as Tom always advised.

With theaters closed during most of the pandemic few new movie releases have come out during the last months.  Those that have are limited releases on private platforms like Disney or Netflix.  Another response by stations has been to rerun blockbuster films from years past.  I have noticed several marathon showings.  These are back-to-back showing of all nine Star Wars, or complete runs of all ten Band of Brothers episodes.  One channel has even brought back the Sunday Night at the Movies motif.  Some are as hungry for movies as I am for sports.

THOUGHTS:  One of the appeals for old blockbusters is they take us back to a time and place.  Raiders of the Lost Ark was partially filmed at Petra, an archaeological site I had returned from not a month before I saw the movie.  I saw Jurassic Park at Green Lake during my introduction to denominational polity.  During the pandemic, many people are using movies to go back to an earlier time.  The problem is, the good ol’ days were never that good, at least for some.  Rather than a return to the past, we need to work to make a better future.  Change is coming, and it starts with you.

July 13, 2020

Melissa received a text from a friend commenting on teacups.  Most cups either have no design or only have the design on the right side of the cup, allowing the right-handed drinker to enjoy the design.  Left-handed people can still use these cups but will not be able to see the design.  I checked on the internet and found several sites celebrating left-hand cups, usually with some comment about lefties being best.  Here the saying is still on the right side so others can enjoy your witticism.

My mother has been a tea drinker most of her life.  She does not like coffee and even says cups used for coffee retain the coffee oils and she can always tell it is not a “tea” cup.  One of the things mom and dad liked to do as they traveled was partake of “afternoon tea” (I read calling it “high tea” was gouache and the Queen merely calls it “tea”).  This is generally served around four o’clock but is “acceptable” from two to four.  The tea is usually accompanied by three courses.  This begins with tiny tea sandwiches which can be eaten in two or three bites.  Next scones are served with or without jam or butter.  Finally, the Tea is completed with a light pastry.

Legend has it that afternoon tea was started in the mid-1800’s by the Duchess of Bedford.  The new kerosene lamps in wealthier homes brought the fashion of eating a late dinner.  Apparently, the Duchess got hungry in the afternoon and invited friends over to enjoy a light snack and tea.  This became fashionable and spread across high society to become the favorite pastime of ladies of leisure.  It has since spread to other socioeconomic groups as well.

THOUGHTS:  I once shared afternoon tea with my parents in a swanky hotel.  I am not much of a tea drinker, so I ordered coffee (faux pas).  The tea only came with four cookies, for the three of us.  The cups were small, and the waiter asked if I would like a “refill.” My dad gasped as I said, sure!  I later found out my refill cost an additional $5.  At least it went better than my sister who ordered tea at a fast food chain.  When it arrived, it was a cup of coffee with a tea bag in it.  My mother would have died.  Checking on the origin of Tea made me realize this emphasized the division between the classes in England and the Empire.  The poor had neither the kerosene for lamps or the idle time to sit and drink afternoon tea.  It makes me think about what traditions we use to create division today.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 11, 2020

My garden has not been nearly as productive as I had hoped.  The beans worked well but only produce one meal.  The peas were not as plentiful but they are sugar peas and the only thing I know to do with them is add them to salads.  My Roma tomatoes all had blossom rot and while my Beef Steaks produced, they were only the size of a quarter.  The onions are in a part of the yard that gets too much water and only a handful survived.   I guess I should be happy that the Lemon Boys are doing well.

I was pleasantly surprised I did not have more issues with animal depredation.  My main concern as my crops ripened has been bird pecks on my tomatoes.  Since most of them already have blossom rot I just throw them into the yard and let whatever wants them eat their fill.  One of the good things about growing hot peppers is few birds and insects want to munch on them.  The thing that has worked well is making fresh pico de gallo.  We have already had two batches.  It is very hot and really good.

I think I am going to chalk the entire season up as a learning experience.  I was able to learn what to do and not to do for the different species of plant.  Each had their own preferences and ways to care for them.  My gardener friend mulched all of her plants with straw, but she grows them in the ground rather than pots.  I do not believe her pots were mulched last year.  I mulched my potatoes and the berries and melon.  The strawberries and water melon have good plants but have yet to produce fruit.  I am waiting to see the result of my potatoes.  The plants are dying and that should mean maturity for the tubers.  We will see.

THOUGHTS:  One of my biggest learning experiences with the garden was finding I could not treat the variety of plants I raised in the same way.  I began watering everything daily and found for some that was too much, while others needed the extra water. Each vegetable was different in what it wanted and needed.  I do think I need to rebuild the soil in my various containers.  There needs to be more depth to allow the root systems to properly develop.  This has also been a good life lesson.  We need to develop deep roots to allow us to survive the crisis life sometimes brings.  Each of us needs to be treated according to our individual wants and needs, and that means taking time to listen to find out what those are.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 10, 2020

When I watched another episode of Acho’s “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” he mentioned how the Jim Crow laws of the South refer to a stylized character in the minstrel shows.  Although I have been aware of the term most of my life, I never knew the term was a reference.  The origin of this character is lost to legend, but Thomas Dartmouth Rice made the portrayal famous from 1830-60.  This stage persona eventually lent its name to generalized negative stereotypes of Black people.  While the minstrel shows popularity died, Rice’s character was still known well enough to be attached to the southern segregation laws after Reconstruction in the 1870’s.  Many of these laws were in force until the 1960’s and national intervention.

One of the conversations Acho addressed was about reverse discrimination.  This discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group, in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group.  It may also seek to rectify social inequalities for the minority who have less access to the privileges of the majority.  Seeing affirmative action as reverse discrimination became popular in the mid-1970’s.  This point of view was a negative response to the positive gains made by Blacks in the previous decades.

Acho addressed another uncomfortable question, can you be Black and a racist.   The email pointed to words, attitudes and actions that are derogatory.  The response was racism is built around three main aspects: Power, Privilege, and Prejudice.  While one might be prejudice, power and privilege have historically not been available to Blacks.

THOUGHTS:  When I worked for the state, we were mandated to attend sensitivity training on harassment in the workplace.  Harassment occurs as one makes a coworker feel uncomfortable.  It was stressed that harassment came from one who was in power and directed toward a subordinate employee.  This is the point Acho made concerning racism.  It takes power and privilege to threaten another with our prejudice.  When we acknowledge our power and privilege, we can begin to overcome our prejudice.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 9, 2020

I grew up in several small Kansas towns except for a few years in western Colorado.  The town I claim to be “from” however is Manhattan.  We moved there as I entered High School and although I tried other schools, I received my undergraduate degree from Kansas State University in Manhattan.  Manhattan prides itself as the Little Apple, in difference to the Big Apple in New York City.  Despite my long connection to the town, I had never heard of its history, until today.

I was forwarded an article which had been reposted by a cousin of mine about the founding and early history of Manhattan.  The idea of Manhattan had been born in the early 1850s amid the controversy surrounding the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 allowing Missouri to be admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state.  It also prohibited slavery in Louisiana Territory above the 36⁰ 30’ Latitude.  Nebraska was therefore assured to enter the Union as a free state, but Kansas was in question, as it was below this line.  That is when a group of new Englanders hatched the idea of settling in Kansas to increase the free state voters in any upcoming territorial election.

Ely Thayer founded the New England Emigrant Aid Company to recruit volunteers to settle in the territory.  Six hundred volunteers were sent to Lawrence in 1854, but more were needed to secure the vote.  That same year Isaac Goodnow took up the cause and vowed to establish a new settlement at the site that was to become Manhattan.  Goodnow recruited 100’s of people to emigrate to Kansas and left in 1855.  A combination of poor travel conditions and constant harassment through Missouri meant only 50 arrived to establish the town in April of 1855. Manhattan continued to grow and established one of the first Agricultural Colleges in America 1861.  It is odd how much we forget about what we should know.

THOUGHTS:  I find it interesting that Lawrence and Manhattan were both founded by New Englanders for the same reason, yet now they are interstate rivals due to the presence of sports teams.  We often start out on the same path but allow small differences to become huge obstacles.  That is what is happening today.  Everyone wants an end to the pandemic and wants an open economy, but we have allowed politics to get in the way of resolution.  The goal everyone wants will only be achievable when we put aside our differences and work together.  If you can, work to keep the conversation going.

July 8, 2020

I usually take off around one o’clock when I go to the office.  That gives me time in the morning to tend to my garden, read my paper, write, and then post my blog, and accomplish anything else that needs to be done around the house.  Rather than soda, I have been drinking flavored water and lately it has been hard to find.  Melissa mentioned she received a post from the grocery that a new shipment was in.  I wanted to hit the store on my way to the office before it was all gone.  By the time I got to the store the rain was beginning to come down.  When I came out (no, the water was already gone) and got on the highway it was raining so hard my 4-wheel drive was hydroplaning.  I decided to call and let them know I had been rained out.

Getting rained out always had negative connotations when I was a boy.  It usually meant it was raining too hard to play our baseball game.  If the game had started the umpires tried to continue the game for as long as they could before stopping play.  The problem for any level of baseball is whether to call a rain delay, a suspended game, or to cancel the rest of the game.  In Little League if you make it through the fourth inning it is an official game and the team leading wins.  For Major League Baseball the fifth inning is the threshold.  When a game was suspended there was always a problem trying to schedule a makeup game.

Rain did not bother me when I later played football.  That was especially true when I shifted to only playing defense.  I guess they figured we were all going to end up on the ground sooner or later so footing was not an issue.   When I was on defense bad footing was to my advantage.  It meant the speedy backs could not get traction to outrun me nor could they make their elusive cuts to get around me.  The only time rain stops a football game is for lightening.  Then once again you have the problem of determining who wins.

THOUGHTS:  When I played pickup baseball or football there was usually one kid who brought the ball.  While this was not always the same kid, we rarely had more than one ball.  Occasionally, the owner of the ball would get mad about something during the game and they would leave.  Hence the term, take your ball and go home.  We are no longer children and we can no longer act like we are.  When we disagree, we cannot just take our ball and go home.  For one thing, we live in a time where there are various balls brought to the game.  We need to both listen and hear what is being said without reacting negatively and leaving.  When you go home it just means your voice will not be included in the outcome.  If you can, work to keep the conversation going.