Category: Living my Life

Once More for the Birds

On Thursday, March 22, at 9:00 pm National Geographic Channel will show the long-awaited-fourteen-months-in-production special about the red-winged blackbirds falling out of the sky December 31, 2010. (I blogged here about this phenomena on March 4, 2011.)

The title of the special is “Signs of the Apocalypse.”  Originally the show was to air on December 22, 2011, then for some unknown reason was rescheduled to the March date.  I figured NatGeo had negative reaction to an end-times special showing three days before Christmas, but that’s just my best guess.

On New Years Eve 2011, Beebe residents living near the birds’ roosting place were asked to refrain from shooting fireworks, lest there be a more bird deaths.  Most complied, but ‘someone’ (presumed to be not from the neighborhood) did set off a large round of fireworks near the roost. The result was 400 dead birds ‘falling from the sky.’  This would seem to prove, at least it’s strong evidence for me, that fireworks were always the cause.

I will say here that since I wrote about it a year ago I have learned that most blackbirds move somewhere else in the summer, so not many are around to be frightened by Independence Day fireworks. Also, these birds have poor night vision (and they fly crazy) contributing to the flying into things scenario.

I don’t know what all this will do to the NatGeo apocalyptic theory.  If indeed it is a theory. Or is the title of the special a teaser, meant to pique interest?  If that’s the case, it worked. I’ll be watching.

LEAVE A REPLY

Daylight Stealing Time

In this election year, when candidates are debating everything — second-guessing decisions made and programs launched by previous administrations — why is it no one takes on Daylight Saving Time? Who thought up this idea of losing an hour of sleep? This government-imposed jet-lag feeling we all will experience just one week from today?

Actually, Benjamin Franklin had the original idea that he outlined in an essay in 1784, but the United States first experimented with the concept during World War I. The plan was to lessen the use of electricity, primarily incandescent light bulbs. We do benefit from having more daylight hours after work and school but since the light bulb is such a small part of our energy use, any actual savings today might be debatable.

The correct term is Daylight Saving (no ‘s’) Time, though no time is actually saved, only moved around.  And over the years, the period of DST has been lengthened to 7 1/2 months of the year. Citizens have become confused. “Are we on real time or DST?” is one question you hear. “Is it Fall forward or Spring forward?” is another.

Possibly one third of the world will transfer to Daylight Saving Time during the early morning hours of March 11. Every state in the union, except Hawaii and Arizona. Arizona stays on “real” time. Except for the part of the Navajo Nation that lies in AZ.  The Navajo Nation recognizes DST. Except the Hopi Reservation that rests within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. The Hopis do not change their clocks.

Each Amish community can individually choose to observe Daylight Saving Time or not, making time-keeping in Ohio interesting.

Most of Brazil and Chili will move to DST, but since they are on the other side of the equator, when the USA springs forward, they fall back.

So next Sunday morning at 2:00 am (or more practically before you go to bed Saturday night) move your clock forward. Then, for the next week or so you’ll eat at noon when you’re not yet hungry and go to bed when you’re not yet sleepy, and arise in the mornings way before you’re ready to get up. But before you know it (sometime mid-summer) you’ll adjust to this rude change in your life.

Oh, and don’t forget to check the batteries in your smoke alarm.

If you want to learn a lot more about DST go to http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

LEAVE A REPLY

On Beans and Bulbs

Once, when my daughter was five  years old, her Sunday School teacher gave her a lily bulb. The instructions were to put it in the ground and, in several weeks, a shoot would appear and become a beautiful flower. We chose a place and Kathy planted her treasure. The next day, she ran to check on the progress. Nothing showed above the dirt so she dug up the bulb to see how it was doing. After we talked about how God makes the flowers grow, we planted it again. Later, I found Kathy spading the dirt around the spot to check the plant once more. It took several tries to convince her that her job was to plant the bulb and then leave it alone and give it a chance to grow. Nowadays children in kindergarten plant beans. Beans are guaranteed to produce visible results in 24-48 hours.

We are amused a a child’s impatience, but are we different? We want fast solutions to our problems, quick results from our efforts, instant answers to our prayers. We find it difficult to leave it alone and let God take care of it in his own time.

So, before we become concerned about the status of a project, let us think: did we plant beans or bulbs? Beans grow very fast and make lots of other beans. Next year, if we want more beans, we plant beans again. Bulbs grow much slower, but they are long lasting, often returning voluntarily year after year. Both have value and there are many reasons for planting either. But we shouldn’t expect bean results when we plant bulbs.

From Every Day a New Day and other short stories. (c) 2006

LEAVE A REPLY

Love – that’s what it’s all about

I’m aware I posted about Valentine’s Day last week, but I didn’t tell you one of my favorite stories about the day. It’s about love. Not romantic love and not filial love. It’s about agape.

I had a friend several years ago who was a counselor at the crisis center where I worked. One winter day she drove to a West Tennessee prison to be with a client whose abuser was appearing before the parole board, asking for early release. She stayed through the day, supporting the victim with her presence and her caring until the hearing was over.

Afterward, emotionally drained, my friend decided to treat herself to a good meal in a fancy restaurant, so she drove into Memphis to an upscale eating establishment. After she was seated alone at a table for two, she began to relive the day and to weep for her client, a young girl who had bravely faced her offender once again.

My friend said that after several sympathetic looks from customers at other tables, even an encouraging pat on the shoulder from an older woman walking past — only then did she remember the date. February 14. Valentine’s Day. Surely everyone thought she was crying over a lost love.

Instead hers were the most precious tears of all. Tears of compassion shed for someone else’s pain.

LEAVE A REPLY

Something Special for your Valentine

Valentine’s Day brings love and caring. Unfortunately, it also brings lots of angst.  Choosing an appropriate remembrance can bring on major concerns for both the giver and the recipient.

When I was in grade school, a child might be concerned that when the much-decorated box was opened, there would be nothing there for her/him.  This was before the days when the teacher sent home a list of students with these instructions: If you give a valentine to ONE, you must give to everyone in the class.  Not a bad idea, by the way.

If one claimed a boyfriend and could rightfully expect a valentine in the box, that brought different worries.  Would it be just a regular old one-penny heart or something spectacular she could show her friends — like a special card with an ‘all day’ sucker attached?

As we grew older the day was special — or not — depending on whether we were going steady or single.

And so, over the  years expressions of love and the expectations of those expressions have changed dramatically.  Now, men are urged to ‘go to Jared,’ ‘Life’s too short for ordinary jewelry,’ and so on.  I wonder, is the angst still there? What if he goes to Sears instead of Jared or Sissy?  What if the gift is practical, something she will use much more often than she will wear a diamond necklace?

Well, all the counseling in the world can’t save that relationship.

LEAVE A REPLY