It's On My To-Do List: The greatest of these...

I was reading one of my favorite blogs (favorite as in, wow, she writes so well) and she hit on a theme that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Charity.

It seems that Madame Delena has hit a snag in her idea to collect coats for the needy. The snag was simply the words of someone telling her she might have a hard time getting people to cooperate. While that may be true I told her she should go along with it. Different people have different ideas of charity. Some give gobs (or a little) of their money. Some volunteer non-stop. Some believe their vocation unto itself is charity.

I remember somewhere in the depths of my addled brain a story about a priest who would make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches daily for the hungry. Apparently this was a lot of work and he did not receive much help. He received a substantial check from a man who thought his generousity would be appreciated by the priest. The priest returned the check stating, "Make your own sandwiches." Or something like that...

There's also the story about the boy standing on a starfish-laden beach, throwing the starfish one by one into the sea to save them from their certain death. A man comes upon the boy and says, "You cannot possibly save all of these starfish. There are thousands of them! It doesn't matter!" "It matters to that one," the boy replies as he throws another into the waves.

I prefer the second story to the first. Perhaps I don't like the way the priest is behaving. Perhaps I want the rich man to get into the trenches. Perhaps I *am* that rich man (minus the riches). I would think any well-run charitable organization or a one-person-coat-collecting-charity can attest that money is important, but the actions speak louder...

Oh Marty, Marty, Marty

If you prefer Palestrina to Haugen, this link is for you.

I think at my next cocktail party I'm going to have a game where I say a line of a Haugen song and the first person to sing it will win...another cocktail.

The Poor Souls in Haiti

Praying for the Dead:

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Yee haw! Time to edumicate the chitlins!

Bitter, nasty, patronizing.

It seems these are the virtues of some.

I found an article on Andrew Breitbart's BigJournalism.com commenting on another article which slams homeschooling. The gyst is that uneducated, trailer-habiting, christian, submissive wives are homeschooling and that the government should have a better hold on these people. Right.

AccuWeather.com - Weather Forecast

We are 20 degrees BELOW normal temps. I read the other day that trying to explain global warming to someone like me would be like trying to explain calculus to a 6 year old. Choice. I also read that the warm air is being pushed to the Arctic right now. Hmmm. Well, that explains everything. f of x anyone?

Have I mentioned that I hate lying?

Yesterday, 1/9/2010
High Temperature:
Actual: 15°F
Normal: 37°F
Record: 65°F

Low Temperature:
Actual: 0°F
Normal: 21°F
Record: -16°F

Liar McLiarsons

I cannot stand when people lie to me.

A lie has many facets to it, but the one that really digs at my craw is that when you lie to me you are telling me TO MY FACE that you think that I am stupid. And, funny enough, I'm not stupid, and I sure do know that you are lying to me.

So, it is this incessant lying that is making me just want to spit. It is EVERYWHERE! WHY do people find it necessary to lie? Why is it not considered a big deal?

I have come to a point in my life where I never lie. I may have to keep my mouth shut more often now than I used to or be more creative such as when someone asks, "Did you like the cake I made you?" "Oh, that sure was some cake!" I'd reply. Or, "That must have taken you quite some time to make!" I'm not saying I didn't like the cake, I'm just not really answering the question...with a smile, of course.
UPDATE 1/12 My son accused me of lying when I changed my mind on something within the time frame of about 1 nanosecond. So, uh, is that really lying? If so, I misspoke when I said I never lie anymore. Or, rather, I lied.

9 degrees of separation

It is 9 degrees here and my Buff Orpington chickens are huddled in their coop. They are fortunate that they were born with their own down comforter otherwise I'm not so sure I wouldn't be eating chicken for dinner tomorrow.

Chickens? Yes, it's a representation of my foray into the world of living outside my comfort zone. Plus, it makes my life more interesting. They have actually proven to be excellent pets. I give them water, food, grit, straw, and an awesome coop and I get eggs in return. It isn't exactly a zero sum solution - I'm in the red and they are definitely in the black (although today they might be in the blue with chattering beaks). But the eggs are delicious and it has been rewarding taking care of FOUR chickens. I just hope they survive this cold!

Enough already!

Welcome to my attempt to start a blog.

Trip along with me, why don't you?