Allan G. Hunter's Blog, page 24

Diary 109

Diary 109

Sunday, July 5th

I stole this picture from Sally Freestun’s FB page. It reminds me that even with all the unending bangs and explosions of the night of July 4th, that there is something far more impressive up there. The full moon, Saturn and Jupiter shine down on us all.

Diary 108

Saturday, July 4th

I hope everyone was able to have a pleasant July 4th, in whatever ways you were able to mark it.

It’s worth recalling that July 4th, 1776 did not mark Independence – it marked the day that the Declaration was signed as a promise for the future. A promise, notice. The war against Britain went on for another five years, for one thing and then, after brief breathing period, came the Civil War. 

The Declaration was a promise for the future. I wonder, looking around now, noticing what the ‘president’ does and says, whether we’ve delivered on that promise to be free of tyranny? 

Diary 107

Friday, July 3rd

55,000 new cases in one day. A world record of the sort no one wants.

Quarantine might be a good idea, but what I’m proposing is something else. Isolation, and of a very specific kind.

It seems to me that our ‘president’ and much of his supporting cast have contracted a ghastly disease that makes them cruel, callous, selfish and irredeemably stupid.  This is certainly highly contagious; witness the ‘rallies’ he has held. And so far there is no known cure.

So I propose that we isolate him and his enablers until they get better, placing them in some out-of-the-way place, out of contact with others (since this disease is spread through the media) and then get back to making the country a decent place again. The ‘president’ is basically AWOL anyway at this point. I mean, truly, many of his circle are already isolated, self-imposed, in their Washington bubble of sycophants and 1% wealthy friends. Why not do a proper job of it?

Diary 106

Thursday, July 2nd

Today I took some time out to dry some leaves and pine needles. Let me explain: Yesterday we checked the beehives and when the smokers needed refilling we discovered that, oops, we had no dry leaves to put in them.

The rain of the past few days had done its work, and despite plenty of matches and a fire-lighting thingie, no smoke would emerge.  Now, standing next to two open hives of agitated bees, without a good smoker to keep them pacified is, um, a tad uncomfortable. Bees have a way of crawling inside one’s shirt. 

So we buttoned everything down fast and headed for open ground. The good news was that we also removed a piece of new comb that was being built at an odd angle. This was about a third filled with fresh nectar, the stuff that bees store before it becomes honey, and it is fragrant, light, delicious and … so much more.  It’s also a bit like a high concentration energy drink.  Wow! Someone should market this stuff, with an appropriate warning label.

Even though it All Ended Well I’m taking no chances next time. I have trays of pine needles and leaves drying in the sun. Bees, it seems, respond best to smoke that is not hot, and not made from petroleum products because they don’t like the smell. They’re particular about that. That’s one reason you can’t really use a great fat cigar, either. Not that I would, personally. Who can blame the bees for wanting gentle smoke? Hence the usefulness of leaves.

So I’m prepared for the second wave of bee tending. I wish I could say the same about that other second wave….

Diary 105

Thursday, July 2nd

Today I took some time out to dry some leaves and pine needles. Let me explain: Yesterday we checked the beehives and when the smokers needed refilling we discovered that, oops, we had no dry leaves to put in them.

The rain of the past few days had done its work, and despite plenty of matches and a fire-lighting thingie, no smoke would emerge.  Now, standing next to two open hives of agitated bees, without a good smoker to keep them pacified is, um, a tad uncomfortable. Bees have a way of crawling inside one’s shirt. 

So we buttoned everything down fast and headed for open ground. The good news was that we also removed a piece of new comb that was being built at an odd angle. This was about a third filled with fresh nectar, the stuff that bees store before it becomes honey, and it is fragrant, light, delicious and … so much more.  It’s also a bit like a high concentration energy drink.  Wow! Someone should market this stuff, with an appropriate warning label.

Even though it All Ended Well I’m taking no chances next time. I have trays of pine needles and leaves drying in the sun. Bees, it seems, respond best to smoke that is not hot, and not made from petroleum products because they don’t like the smell. They’re particular about that. That’s one reason you can’t really use a great fat cigar, either. Not that I would, personally. Who can blame the bees for wanting gentle smoke? Hence the usefulness of leaves.

So I’m prepared for the second wave of bee tending. I wish I could say the same about that other second wave….

Diary 105

Wednesday, July 1st

The lockdown is easing in some parts of the country (although Texas and Arizona aren’t in that category) and I find that certain tasks I have happily ignored until now suddenly become possible, even imperative.

For example, the leak around the windshield on my car needs fixing. Until now it hasn’t really been possible, but with the change in circumstances I suppose I have to address it. And the dining room table has been very unsatisfactory for a long, long time, but now I have no excuses left for not getting a replacement.  The chimney’s needed a cap for years, too.  And so the list continues.

Luckily the July 4th holiday is approaching and I can put things off for a few more days.

Diary 104

Wednesday, July 1st

The lockdown is easing in some parts of the country (although Texas and Arizona aren’t in that category) and I find that certain tasks I have happily ignored until now suddenly become possible, even imperative.

For example, the leak around the windshield on my car needs fixing. Until now it hasn’t really been possible, but with the change in circumstances I suppose I have to address it. And the dining room table has been very unsatisfactory for a long, long time, but now I have no excuses left for not getting a replacement.  The chimney’s needed a cap for years, too.  And so the list continues.

Luckily the July 4th holiday is approaching and I can put things off for a few more days.

Diary 104

Diary 104

Tuesday, July 30th

Personal fulfillment or worldly success – that was the theme that echoed through several counseling meetings I had over the last few days. Alas, ours is a culture that holds worldly success as sacred. Why else would we have a ‘president’ who stresses winning at all costs, and being great (and so on)? Why else would we have that haunting picture of a couple brandishing their guns at a peaceful demonstration, determined to protect their opulent home against an imagined threat?

And yet, it’s hard to believe that money is all there is. What is becoming increasingly obvious to many of us is that personal indulgence has a way of encroaching on others’ human rights. My feeling of entitlement to certain luxuries does not out-vote the needs of certain other people, whose daily needs are not being  met.

Don’t tell that to our gun-toting citizens, though. They have sacrificed to the gods of wealth, and they believe only in the holiness of their amassed fortunes. What they don’t believe in is happiness, or love, or anything much except their grasp on money.

I am sad for such people, because I recognize in myself that I am attached to my physical comforts. I am just like them in many ways. How can we say to ourselves, as well as to others, that a new world is waiting to be born, and that it may require us to relinquish certain things? 

The answer is pretty simple, actually. Without some happiness, some love, some connection to others, the physical trappings of this world aren’t worth very much.

Diary 103

Diary 104

Tuesday, July 30th

Personal fulfillment or worldly success – that was the theme that echoed through several counseling meetings I had over the last few days. Alas, ours is a culture that holds worldly success as sacred. Why else would we have a ‘president’ who stresses winning at all costs, and being great (and so on)? Why else would we have that haunting picture of a couple brandishing their guns at a peaceful demonstration, determined to protect their opulent home against an imagined threat?

And yet, it’s hard to believe that money is all there is. What is becoming increasingly obvious to many of us is that personal indulgence has a way of encroaching on others’ human rights. My feeling of entitlement to certain luxuries does not out-vote the needs of certain other people, whose daily needs are not being  met.

Don’t tell that to our gun-toting citizens, though. They have sacrificed to the gods of wealth, and they believe only in the holiness of their amassed fortunes. What they don’t believe in is happiness, or love, or anything much except their grasp on money.

I am sad for such people, because I recognize in myself that I am attached to my physical comforts. I am just like them in many ways. How can we say to ourselves, as well as to others, that a new world is waiting to be born, and that it may require us to relinquish certain things? 

The answer is pretty simple, actually. Without some happiness, some love, some connection to others, the physical trappings of this world aren’t worth very much.

Diary 103

Diary 103

Monday, June 29th

The State, in its wisdom, is saying that it expects to open schools in September, with students wearing face coverings all the time, and teachers potentially instructing from doorways, also while wearing face masks. Really?  And how do we think that would work for the five year olds? And the fifteen year olds? 

Rather than walk into that horror show I think many parents will get together to form small home schools. Not all can do this, of course, but some will, and some are already planning for it. Can you imagine it? I can. Small classes, lots of time to ask questions and go on tangents, no standardized ‘testing’, no busy work, and far less of the seven hours of prison a day most children experience. As for the social skills that one gets by being in the playground, well, those can still be learned in smaller groups. And with luck the anti-social skills – like bullying and victimizing and racism – won’t be learned, at all.

We can transform education from child-warehousing into something far better, one small group at a time.

Interestingly, Harvard, which would normally expect thousands of students from all over the globe, has cancelled the Fall semester.

And, BTW teachers are not expendable. Asking them to risk their lives for that level of pay is revolting.

The US currently has recorded 2.5 million cases that require treatment, with over 120,000 deaths and …. Well, you know the facts as well as anyone. Open the schools? I’m not so sure that’s a great idea.