November 19, 2020

When I checked the Game and Fish website it stated we have an excellent outlook for deer season this year.  The Muzzle loading season has past but there is still time left for the modern gun season.  The frosty temperatures put enough chill in the air to keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay, and conditions are perfect for some great fellowship by the campfire at deer camp.  I was living in Utah when I heard this joke for the first time.  Question: “How many Mormons (insert Baptist, etc.) do you take with you when you go deer hunting?  Answer: “At least two.  Otherwise they drink all your beer.”  While I have always wondered about the practice of mixing guns and alcohol, it seems to be the norm.  The sign on the marquee of one of our local stores reads, “Free ice with every case of Beer.”

According to the International Hunter Education Association, in an average year, fewer than 1,000 people in the United States and Canada are accidentally shot by hunters, and of these, fewer than 75 are fatalities. In many cases, these fatalities are self-inflicted by hunters who trip, fall, or have other accidents that cause them to shoot themselves with their own weapons. Most of the other fatalities come in hunting parties, where one hunter shoots another accidentally.  I remember during George W’s presidency that Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot one of his fellow Quail hunters.  Apparently, there was “a little” alcohol involved.

Hunter activity dwindles as the season wears on, but veteran hunters know the best time to catch a trophy buck’s guard down is still right around the corner.  The normally wary bucks seem to lose may their edge as the peak of breeding season comes and they focus more on finding does than avoiding danger.  Breeding season in Arkansas, or the Rut, comes in a brief window between October and December. While some females may be receptive to breeding earlier or later, the peak of this “rutting” activity occurs in mid- to late November.  The dates differ across the state, and even more across the nation.  This is caused by the local weather.

Thoughts:  I had a friend in Utah who recounted a recent trip with friends around the hunting campfire.  He got up early the next morning and slogged his way up the side of a steep ridge.  When he reached the top, there was a hunter intently watching the open spaces below.  He asked if he had seen any deer.  The response was, “No, but I have gotten a couple of sound shots.”  That was the last time my friend accompanied the hunt.  I noticed my buck and doe statues on the hill I commented on previously have moved back together, leaving the fawn to fend for itself.  This is another obvious sign of the Rut.  Stay safe.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 18, 2020

During the 1980’s I researched the effect of lead smelting on a local community at the turn of the century Utah.  Part of my research was on the local cemetery records and stated cause of death.  What I found was fascinating.  The cause of death followed predictable patterns as the health science uncovered new diseases and the symptoms associated with them.  An example would be to lump everyone with a cough as consumption.  That could have been tuberculosis, or it may have been lung cancer, but little was known about the difference or the cause of either, so they were listed as consumption.  When tuberculosis was discovered in 1882, the cause of all the deaths changed to TB.  It did that for every new disease discovered.  What surprised me was few residents were listed as dying from lead poisoning.

Even as we reel from the staggering statistic of 11.7 million cases and 254,000 deaths related to the Covid-19 virus in America, most researchers tell us that is not the true picture.  Estimates say there are perhaps three times as many cases and deaths that the virus is responsible for.  These estimates are based on two pieces of information.  One is the way deaths are reported.  If you die without a positive test, it is not considered a result of the virus.  Early testing was not widespread, and there was no need to test after death.  The other piece is the virus is particularly lethal for people with pre-existing conditions.  While the virus may be the cause of death, it is often attributed to the pre-existing condition.

As part of my earlier research, I tried to obtain oral interviews from living persons who had worked in the lead smelter.  The smelter had closed twenty years earlier, and while I did find and interview two workers on their experiences, both had only worked for a short time before the smelter closed.  I puzzled over this until I came across an article on the effect of lead poisoning.  Very few people exposed to lead receive a toxic dose.  However, the lead settles in the vital organs and cause cancer or failures which result in death.  That means while lead caused the failure, lung or liver cancer was listed as the cause of death.  There were no old smelter workers.  They had died from the side effects of lead poisoning.

Thoughts:  Another indicator of the effect of the virus is the dramatic rise in excess deaths.  Overall, an estimated 299,028 excess deaths (over the normal average) occurred from late January through October 3, 2020, with 198,081 (66%) excess deaths attributed to COVID-19.

While this may just be an anomaly, it is more likely this spike is due to the virus.  We have been told our numbers are high because we are now testing.  The science tells us our numbers were always high, we just ignored them by not testing.  Whether you die from the virus or the side effects, the result is the same. Stay safe by following the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 17, 2020

I watched another installment of Acho’s Uncomfortable Conversations last week.  It had been a while since his last post.  In the meantime, he was working on writing a book by the same name.  This installment addressed a conversation with the police.  In particular, the Petaluma, CA Police Department.  Petaluma is a small town in the central California wine country with a Black population of 1%.  Acho began his conversation with the statement, “Proximity breeds care and distance breeds fear.  The problem we have is not enough proximity which creates a lack of care or empathy.”  Four officers joined him in front of the camera, while the rest of the 35 officers participated as his first audience.  They were all white.

One of the questions Acho asked was about, “Defund the Police.”  Several commented when they first heard the phrase they immediately heard “abolish” the police.  As they thought more, they came to understand this was being used (by most) to imply moving money to other social programs so the officers would not be the only resource available.  This would allow trained counselors or health care workers to defuse the situation rather than putting an officer into a volatile situation.  Most of the officers believed that would be a good thing, but there were potential problems when the situation overlaps.  Many domestic violence and mental health calls also involve weapons.  Most of the officers felt few counselors would be willing to go into those situations until they were diffused.  The problem, however, has come with how the situation has been “diffused.”

One question the officers had for Acho was how the officers might change the image of the police.  It is clear many young Black males are afraid of officers.  How could they change this perception?  Acho mentioned news stories that have shown officers interacting with the community children through games or open conversation.  These are always depicted as an anomaly.  What was needed was more personal interaction to allow both sides to move beyond the group mentality of fear to seeing each other as individuals.  The officers needed to practice proximity, and the children needed to experience it.

Thoughts:  If we choose to keep others (read: anyone not like me) at a distance we will never find unity.  A catch phrase of the founding leaders of America is often quoted, “united we stand, divided we fall.”  A frail Patrick Henry used this phrase in the last oration he ever made, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter.  United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”  Henry collapsed at the end of his speech and died two months later.  Our country in 2020 has gone through killings, protests, rioting, hate mongering, and refusal to listen to anything except what I already believe.  It all revolves around a lack of proximity.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 16, 2020

We took the scenic trail through the mountains on the way to Melissa’s work this week.  She had moved several succulents to the office to keep her company.  Now she works from home and she worried if they were on their own too long, they would become desiccated.  As we came down the mountain, we entered West Fork, Arkansas.  That is when I saw it.  The Little O’ Opry House, located on the corner of Main and Campbell.  The building is closed now due to restrictions, but it used to have country music every Saturday Night from 7-10 pm.

The Little O’ Opry House is an obvious play on the Grand Ole Opry located in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Grand Ole Opry is an American country music stage concert.  It was founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio “barn dance” on WSM and is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history.  The Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits (Minnie Pearl?).  It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners.  The Opry closed its doors to spectators and trimmed its staff in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but has continued to air weekly episodes on radio and television.  The Opry resumed allowing spectators on a limited basis in October.

Regular performers at the Grand Ole Opry can be inducted into the organization as a member, with the performer usually asked to join by another member during a live episode.  Membership in the show’s cast must be maintained throughout an artist’s career, through frequent performances, and expires when the performer dies.  The Opry maintains a wall of fame listing every member of the Opry in the show’s history, including those that have died, lost, or relinquished their membership.  Receiving Opry membership is considered an honor that is similar in prestige to a hall of fame induction, with the caveat that several prominent country musicians never received it.  The most recent induction took place on February 7, 2020, when Gene Watson became the 212th member of the Opry.  There are now 66 standing members.  I wondered if the Little Opry has its own wall of fame.

Thoughts:  When I checked online, I found at least three Little Opries, including one in Nashville (it burned in 2009).  This is a way of acknowledging there can be only one Grand Opry, but others can come close.  Manhattan, Kansas has taken a similar approach with their own name.  Acknowledging New York City as the Big Apple (the five boroughs are The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island), Manhattan, Kansas, claims to be the Little Apple.  While everything we do may not be “the best’ or the “most beautiful,” we do have a shot at being the best we can be.  There is no shame in doing what you do well.  That only comes when we refuse to try.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 14, 2020

After addressing the greed that may have sparked the superstitions surrounding Friday the 13^th, I found another side to this day (not based on Friday) online.  World Kindness Day is an international observance on November 13th.  It was started in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement and is observed in many countries around the world.  Since its founding, World Kindness Day has been celebrated by schools, governments, and nations.  Events include THE BIG HUG, handing out Kindness Cards, and the Global Flashmob.  The Flashmob was coordinated by Orly Wahba from the US and was held in 15 countries and 33 cities.  Images of the event made the big screens in New York City.

When I checked out “kindness” online, I came across a growing movement of people who define themselves as RAKtivists.  This is an acronym for Random Acts of Kindness activist.  The site clarified this movement as, ”Anyone who believes kindness can change the world, who reminds everyone around them how much love there is in the world, who inspires hope and generosity with their actions as much as their words—they’re a RAKtivist.  And this is where RAKtivists come together to make kindness the norm.”  I found it interesting that the site had trademarked key terms to keep them from being “used” by others.  We obviously cannot allow others to practice kindness with out identifying as part of the group.

World Kindness Day is designed to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us in community.  Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender, and zip codes.  Kindness Cards are an ongoing activity which can either be given to recognize an act of kindness or ask that an act of kindness be done.  The United Nations has been approached by the peak global body, the World Kindness Movement, to have World Kindness Day officially recognized and to have its members unanimously sign a Declaration of Support for World Kindness.  This has yet to occur.

Thoughts:  The movie version of Pay It Forward was produced in 2000.  The basic premise was how an act of kindness can be “paid forward,” and the cascading effect one act can have.  The movie ends in both grief and joy.  Trevor (the originator of “pay it forward”) sees a friend being bullied and steps in to help and is killed for his intervention.  This is reported on television as well as the growing movement.  Hundreds of people who have been touched by the movement gather at a vigil to pay Trevor their respects.  It has been two decades since the first Kindness Day and the movie.  Some still strive to uphold the value of doing for others.  Others still believe it is all about me.  Each of us needs to choose.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 13, 2020

Friday the 13^th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition.  The 13^th day lands on a Friday at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year.  This year (2020) had two Friday the 13ths.  Friday the 13th occurs in any month that begins on a Sunday.  The irrational fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: “triskaidekaphobia.”  An analogy to this fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning “Friday”), and dekatreís (meaning “thirteen”).  I came across three theories for why this day is considered unlucky.

Two of these theories concern a meal.  Historian Donald Dossey says the unlucky nature of the number “13” originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.  “Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day.”  Another theory is the superstition may have also risen in the Middle Ages, based on the story of the Last Supper and Crucifixion.”  This has 13 individuals (Jesus and the 12 disciples) present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan, the night before his death on Good Friday.

A third theory concerns the Knights Templar.  Founded around 1118 as a monastic military order devoted to the protection of pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land following the Christian capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar quickly became one of the richest and most influential groups of the Middle Ages.  By the turn of the 14th century, the Templars had established a system of castles, churches, and banks throughout Western Europe.  This astonishing wealth led to their downfall.  It began in the early morning hours of Friday, October 13, 1307.  A month earlier, secret documents had been sent by couriers throughout France by King Philip IV.  These included lurid details and innuendos of black magic and scandalous sexual rituals.  In the weeks that followed, more than 600 Templars were arrested, along with hundreds of men who managed the day-to-day banking and farming activities that kept the organization moving.  The Templars were destroyed by the greed of the French monarch.

Thoughts:  It was fitting to find a present-day article on greed posted in today’s paper.  This concerned a pork plant.  As the virus spread through the plant, officials decided to test workers but sent them back on the line while they waited for results.  Weeks later nearly 500 workers tested positive.  Meat Packing plants were declared “essential services” by executive order a week later.  The virus continued to spread throughout the meat packing industry, becoming a major source of transmission, and resulting in thousands of deaths.  Greed still seems to have the same results for workers.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 12, 2020

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day.  World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919.  However, the fighting stopped seven months earlier with an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany.  This was effective on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as the end of the war.  President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day the following year.  The original concept was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.  The name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor veterans of all wars.

Melissa always asks why I like to watch war movies on TV, so I was surprised when she switched the channel last night to a documentary, “We stand Alone Together:  The Men of
Easy Company” produced in 2001.  E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (the “Screaming Eagles”), held the distinction of parachuting behind enemy lines on D-Day, leading the invasion of Holland, holding the line at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, and capturing Hitler’s Eagles’ Nest at the end of the war.  Over a period of two years, Mark Cowen and his crew travelled to 30 U.S. and ten European cities, to interview the veterans.  The stories, told by the veterans themselves, were made famous in the mini-series Band of Brothers.  There were 140 men who formed the original Easy Company in 1942.  A total of 366 men belonged to Easy Company over the next three years and 49 men were killed in action.  Easy and the 506th PIR was disbanded in November 1945 but reactivated in 1954 as a training unit.

Veterans Day became part of The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day.  Many states did not agree and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.  It was apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of citizens, and on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.

Thoughts:  Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 preserves the historical significance of the date and helps focus attention on the purpose to honor America’s veterans.  We have never been shy about letting others know how we feel in America.  There are times when this is about others and it is appropriate.  There are other times when it is about me regardless of others.  This is not appropriate behavior.  Do the work.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 11, 2020

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by American journalist David Grann was released on April 18, 2017 by Doubleday.  The book investigates a series of murders of wealthy Osage people in Osage County, Oklahoma in the early 1920’s. These occurred after big oil deposits were discovered beneath their land.  While the Osage Native Americans were awarded rights, a long process of custodianship was imposed on the distribution of the profits and very few if any of the Osage saw any money.  The elements hostile to the Osage decided they would simplify their profit mongering by eliminating the “middleman” (Osage).  The official count of murdered full-blood Osage reached at least 20, but Grann suspects hundreds more may have been killed because of their ties to the oil.  The newly formed FBI’s investigation of the murders resulted in the trial and conviction of cattleman William Hale as the mastermind behind the plot.

Like all marginalized BIPOC, Native American civil rights were not assured in the United States.  Native Americans are citizens of their respective Native nations as well as the United States, and those nations are characterized under the Law of the United States as “domestic dependent nations.”  This status creates tension today but was far more extreme before Native people were uniformly granted U.S. citizenship in 1924.  It is hard to summarize the issues of the many tribes and Native peoples, but there are some issues they are actively pursuing. These include the protection of rights to voting, resistance to cultural assimilation, destruction of surrounding environments and water sources near Reservations, and depressed economies.  We can now add the pandemic to the crisis.

The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, also called the Indian Bill of Rights, guaranteed many civil rights Indigenous peoples had been fighting for.  Among these rights were freedom of speech, protection from invasion of homes, right to speedy trial and to have an attorney, protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the right to a jury trial, and equal protection under the law.  This basically included Native peoples in the Bill of Rights ratified December 15, 1791.  It only took 177 years to grant protection under the law to the nearly 2.5% of Indigenous people living in America.  Other civil rights such as sovereignty, hunting and fishing, and voting are still issues facing Native people today.

Thoughts:  Indian Territory (lands owned Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River) and Oklahoma Territory (lands set aside to relocate Plains Indians and other Midwestern tribes), were formally constituted by Congress on May 2, 1890 in the Oklahoma Organic Act.  The next 16 years saw a variety of Black towns and white settlers move into the area and new laws resulted in the state of Oklahoma on November 16, 1907.  The conflict of cultures and broken promises were complicated by discovery of vast oil fields lying beneath the prairie.  Rather than doing the work of coexistence, some chose the course of greed.  This resulted in the Tulsa Race Riot and the Osage Murders.  It is time to learn from our past rather than choosing to repeat it.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 10, 2020

After making our preparations for the cold winter months, the weather has warmed up.  I mentioned we had several nights at or near freezing, but now it is up in the high 40’s and 50’s.  Setting your heater on 65F does no good when it is 75F outside.  Rather than removing and replacing the ground cloth over the outside beds I have chosen to keep them covered.  The cloth is designed to let the light through and when we do get a light rain, it tends to run off the netting rather than soaking the succulent roots.  While the nets help keep the plants warm, they do not seem to heat them up.  Worst case scenario, the succulents will just not go dormant.  Either way, they will survive.

The history of virology (study of viruses) began in the closing years of the 19th century. Although earlier vaccines were used to protect against viral infections, it was not known what caused them.  The first evidence of the existence of viruses came from experiments with filters that had pores small enough to retain bacteria.  In 1892, Dmitri Ivanovsky used one of these filters to show that sap from a diseased tobacco plant remained infectious to healthy tobacco plants despite having been filtered.  Martinus Beijerinck called the filtered substance a “virus.”  Even knowing viruses existed, little else was known for a long time.  We knew viral infections increased in the winter months (i.e., Flu) but were not sure why.  What we finally realized is the increase is a direct result of the crowds in proximity gathered inside.   Another wave of the pandemic is spreading as we gather inside.

While we have kept the inside heat on low, Melissa has been running the fans and keeping the doors open to reduce the humidity and cool her plants down.  We can remove or open the plastic over the screens on the porch, but it is easier to just keep the door propped open.  That came back to haunt us today, when a mockingbird decided she wanted to check out the porch garden.  I would not have minded her excursion, but seeing the back door open she came in the house.  Luckily, we had the blinds raised on the bay window and that is where she went to escape.   I used the pool straining net to trap her against the window, then Melissa secured the net and took her outside.  She seemed happy to leave.

Thoughts:  I have never liked the inside of my house kept warm during the winter.  It is easier to put on extra clothes than to regulate the heat.  I mentioned previously how this allows me to think I am saving energy (even if it is minimal).  I found it ironic the bird wanted to come inside while the nation is seeking ways to get out.  The problem the bird had was once she got in; it was more difficult to find a way out.  Our nation had a similar choice in January when there were few known cases of the virus.  We chose to ignore the pandemic and it quickly got out of control.  Like my bird, we are finding it more difficult to get out.  This will be a long battle unless we decide to work together, as a country and for the world.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

November 9, 2020

Even though this is our third Fall in Arkansas I have had yet to make the trip north to see the colors in the Boston Mountains.  This is the lower tip of the Ozarks and are a topic of every fall’s local newscast.  This year I did not have an excuse as my drive to work takes me through the middle of this area.  When I came up last Monday, the news said it was just about right.  It was not and only a few of the leaves had begun to turn.  When I watched the news on Friday it said the changing conditions would likely drop most of the leaves by Saturday night.  Perfect.  It looks like I will miss the best of the colors again.

“Colors” was a 1988 American police film starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall and directed by Dennis Hopper. The film takes place in the gang ridden neighborhoods of Los Angeles in the late-1980’s.  The film centers on an experienced officer (Duvall), and his rookie partner (Penn), who try to stop the gang violence between the Bloods, the Crips, and Hispanic street gangs. Colors inspired discussion over its depiction of gang life and gang violence.  As depicted, the only thing seen by the three gangs were the colors they wore.  No one was willing to do the work to look beyond the colors to see the person inside.

When we began the drive on Sunday it was overcast and not conducive to seeing the brilliant colors we had been told about.  Still, I was expectant.  As we began the ten-mile climb toward the crest there were some pretty vistas.  Melissa and I both commented on how much more striking it would have been if the sun were shinning on the trees.  The contrasts between the deciduous and evergreens was still a beautiful contrast.  When we arrived, there was a majestic maple standing tall in the front yard. The sun had broken through and the vibrant colors were awe inspiring.  I could only imagine what it would have looked like with the whole mountain draped in the same colors.

Thoughts:  When I was coming back down the mountain today the sun had broken through the clouds and was shining brightly.  As I expected, the colors were amazing.  It reminded me that life can be like fall colors.  There are times when all the colors are all there, but we are not seeing them in the right light.  There are other times when we fail to do the work to see the colors around us.  Occasionally it all comes together.  We do the work, the light is right, and we are amazed by the wonder of living. This has been an odd (terrifying?) year.  Yet even in 2020, I have seen the amazing “colors” that make up our country and world.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.