A year ago today, my best good buddy Choca died in my arms. Many of you were part of my community here at the time and remember it. It kicked off a year of loss: our dog, our unborn baby, my job. This is why I was convinced Sassy wouldn't make it to 2022. Choca was my hiking partner for many years, and because she never said anything, I came to enjoy silence rather than the adrenaline and distractions of my life off the mountains. I think my career in TV news eventually ended because of that - as the silence allowed me self-relfection, which brought self-awareness, and with it, awareness of the world around me. Choca's death was a violent one in the sense that natural death, I've heard, isn't always how movies depict it. This was the first time I'd ever been there for a last breath and for months after it, I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and had other unexplained health problems. This may seem an odd reaction, but as a child I accompanied my doctor parents to hospitals and witnessed sickness and dying at a very young age. Avoiding death, while trying to understand it, became a driving motivation for me. Perhaps it is, in part, why I went to seminary and eventually became a reporter. I sought distraction from my own mortality while also seeking to control it through knowledge. A losing combination. In the book he wrote about his wife's death, CS Lewis said, "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid." That was my experience. And I had no choice but to sit through it. Then to confront it again and again throughout the rest of the year. But as I sat quietly, I realized something. I had believed that if I could unlock the secrets of death and finally come to peace with it- the ultimate question of existence that has eluded philosophers for centuries - I would finally come to know God. Instead, after last year, I now believe that I had gotten it backwards. Instead, it is coming to know God that brings one peace about death (and all other things for that matter). And thus begins a new journey, not of the head but of the heart. I'll end with another quote from a favorite Lewis book, the last lines of Til We Have Faces, “I ended my first book with the words 'no answer.' I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you.” Blessings to all of you on your journey. Thank you for being a part of mine.
Our neighbor made the kids a bird feeder. It’s manatee-art since we live in the “world capitol of the manatee”. Instead of hanging it for wild birds, we decided to use it for our favorite birds. A tad unconventional but great entertainment. Don’t overlook the glass of water Lily put out for the hens so they wouldn’t have to leave the table to go drink out of a bucket, which is clearly uncivilized.
Those of us who live in the country mostly prefer to avoid people, especially naked strangers. That’s for city folk. So you can imagine my surprise today upon seeing a man who resembled the form of a shaven Santa, completely nude in the gym sauna. He was changing out of his bathing suit and seemed rather shocked to see another person. He told me, “I didn’t think anyone else would be here!” I said, “Well it’s a gym.” Yes it is a country gym but this isn’t a red heat lamp in someone’s cow pasture. Long story short: keep your Christmas packages wrapped up this holiday season.
Sassy has been my best trail buddy, partner in crime, late night listener, comic relief for 32 years. This week she got a little sick, but thankfully recovered quickly, reminding me that every day is a blessing and never to take for granted a simple scratch or winnie. For a little 11-year old girl to grow up with a horse, and then throw her kids up as a 44-year old mom, is special in a way I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to describe. Our friend Nick’s farm @growingbacktoeden produces the most wonderful carrots and Sassy’s absolute favorite part is the carrot top. So of course - Sassy gets what Sassy wants!
MONSANTO COMPANIES
https://dailyhealthpost.com/monsanto-owned-brands/
Monsanto started as a herbicide and pesticide developer meant to increase agricultural revenue by eliminating factors like crop invasion by insect and weeds. However, the chemicals they sold were so strong that it often killed the plant it was trying to protect (1).
That’s when the company decided to genetically modify their seeds to make them hardy enough to survive these harsh chemical treatments. In doing so, Monsanto has single-handedly contributed to one of the worst environmental and health epidemics in human history and people are discouraged to buy any Monsanto owned brands.
Monsanto’s product have cause numerous health problems in both consumers and farmers and have rendered pollinators like bees and butterflies to near-extinction (2).
All the "sides" are the same. Both the Left, Right, Liberterians and Geraniums, all the same...
John Crist Shocks Everyone By Saying The Online Fights Are All Fake!!!! - YouTube
But it kept MAGAville distracted and placated. While funneling money to the Technate. MAGAfanatics have fallen for the same scam 3x over. The number of times Donald John Trump has done it, so far...
Elon Musk Admits DOGE Was a Failure! - YouTube
FT’s Jemima Kelly: Doge, crypto and the end of the lol era
https://www.biznews.com/investor-insights/ft-doge-crypto-end-of-the-lol-era
