Today I had an enchanting encounter...one of those you remember the rest of your life. This afternoon I met a mule deer face to face about 15 to 18 meters away!
I have a piece of recreational property which has very little development on it. I have built a small garage which holds my holiday trailer. Other than that most of the lot is left as it was. Today I was out closing out my camp. It was the day to make a final grass cut and mulch leaves. I also cleaned leaves out of the eaves trough. It's a pleasant task which usually gets done on a fine fall day.
So at 3:00 PM I was taking some material back to the car. As I turned to make my start I noticed something that was in an empty space of the driveway... a mule deer doe! She probably saw me at the same time I saw her. She stood still and gave me a disdainful stare. She was trying to go to my neighbors who feed birds and sometimes the deer. This doe was obviously going for a mid afternoon snack. She would look across at the neighbors and then back at me. I talked to her. Finally, she decided to take a more secure option and turned tail and left rapidly. So my magic meeting ended. It's always exciting to unexpectedly meet wildlife when they are very near.
My neighbors have been telling me that deer visit their yard on a regular basis. They also know that these animals come through my yard. However, when I run into a deer like this it's always a thrill. Now some of you will wonder why I didn't get a picture. You know my excuse. I think I learned a lesson and will start carrying my camera more often.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Book Review: 1434 The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
In June I posted a post called How Accurate is Our History? This was after I had read The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. This was a biography of Joseph Needham who's premise was that many of the many things Europeans claimed to originate had first been developed in China.
After that I read 1421 The Year China Discovered the World written by Gavin Menzies. Menzies presents the idea that in 1421 the Chinese put together a large fleet and set about travelling around the world. In the process the Chinese made many fairly accurate navigational charts. The Chinese had developed a sophisticated navigational system long before the Europeans had any kind of accurate navigation system. Menzies presents a case that when the Europeans travelled to North America, they had a map that the Chinese had given them. The Chinese had visited Europe on trading missions and gave the Europeans their charts. So When Columbus came to North America he had a map. Columbus knew exactly where he was going. Columbus wasn't a very nice guy as he wanted lots of riches and also wanted power and to be the governor of any new lands he found. Columbus didn't care how he obtained these things. Columbus was not a very nice guy. However , in our schools students have always been taught that Columbus discovered America. On Monday I teased my daughter about celebrating Columbus Day as she lives in Chicago.
Now I've read 1434 by Gavin Menzies. In this book Menzies claims that the European Renaissance was made possible by information the Chinese left in Europe when they visited in 1434. The Chinese had produced a huge book which described all the things the Chinese had developed up to that time. For example, the helicopter Leonardo da Vinci was credited with originating was copied from the Chinese book. Other examples are bridge building and agricultural developments. Menzies also has a large website with much more information. The Italians learned to produce a large amount of rice by controling their rivers with canals and gates to hold water. A much larger and more reliable food source allows time for people to develop other interests.
Reading these three books has really given me a large amount of information to rethink the traditional European history we have been taught.
Now I'm looking for a book that takes issue with some of the things Menzies has proposed. So there is another book review on the way.
After that I read 1421 The Year China Discovered the World written by Gavin Menzies. Menzies presents the idea that in 1421 the Chinese put together a large fleet and set about travelling around the world. In the process the Chinese made many fairly accurate navigational charts. The Chinese had developed a sophisticated navigational system long before the Europeans had any kind of accurate navigation system. Menzies presents a case that when the Europeans travelled to North America, they had a map that the Chinese had given them. The Chinese had visited Europe on trading missions and gave the Europeans their charts. So When Columbus came to North America he had a map. Columbus knew exactly where he was going. Columbus wasn't a very nice guy as he wanted lots of riches and also wanted power and to be the governor of any new lands he found. Columbus didn't care how he obtained these things. Columbus was not a very nice guy. However , in our schools students have always been taught that Columbus discovered America. On Monday I teased my daughter about celebrating Columbus Day as she lives in Chicago.
Now I've read 1434 by Gavin Menzies. In this book Menzies claims that the European Renaissance was made possible by information the Chinese left in Europe when they visited in 1434. The Chinese had produced a huge book which described all the things the Chinese had developed up to that time. For example, the helicopter Leonardo da Vinci was credited with originating was copied from the Chinese book. Other examples are bridge building and agricultural developments. Menzies also has a large website with much more information. The Italians learned to produce a large amount of rice by controling their rivers with canals and gates to hold water. A much larger and more reliable food source allows time for people to develop other interests.
Reading these three books has really given me a large amount of information to rethink the traditional European history we have been taught.
Now I'm looking for a book that takes issue with some of the things Menzies has proposed. So there is another book review on the way.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Practical Thanksgiving Practice
Thanksgiving has a very long history as it was a thanks for a bountiful harvest. Thanksgiving is found in most cultures and religions.
Today I will comment on my 70 years of Thanksgiving practise. I don't remember Thankgiving in my years from birth to about 8 or 9. It was during the war and times were tough as well as food was rationed during the war. We maybe did not have any formal celebration of the day. What I first remember is that my Dad loved turkey and to celebrate with his relatives. He would invite his two brothers and their families. It was a happy time with lots of visiting and celebrating. I don't remember too much concentration on thankfulness except for the thanking God for the food.
My first few years of living away from home, I usually made it back to Dad's for his famous turkey feast. At this time I also attended the odd CFL football game. When I went to the arctic, we were mostly single and not well enough organized that we would order a frozen turkey a year in advance for Thanksgiving celebrations. I was sometimes invited to share the meal with a family and it was a special treat and much appreciated.
When I married my wife was big on having a special Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. That routine has continued to the present. For seven years my daughter insisted on doing the Thanksgiving meal. She would invite her birth mother and Granny. My daughter is an excellent cook and likes to experiment and have variety. It was also special to have her birth mother to celebrate with us and visit with her.
Now all that I have been referring to is food! I love food but surely there is more to Thanksgiving that food? Surely we could wish one another well on this day.
I like what has been happening lately where people make an effort to state openly what they are thankful for over the last year. This to me seems to be meaningful when we have to stop and consider the past year and what we have to be thankful for. In a religious sense people pray and thank God every day. Religious practice is full of thankfulness to God. So on Thanksgiving Day I like the practice of stating openly before others our thanks for important things in our life for the past year. When I do this I realize how extremely fortunate I have been in the past year. Oh yes, I do enjoy the food.
Today I will comment on my 70 years of Thanksgiving practise. I don't remember Thankgiving in my years from birth to about 8 or 9. It was during the war and times were tough as well as food was rationed during the war. We maybe did not have any formal celebration of the day. What I first remember is that my Dad loved turkey and to celebrate with his relatives. He would invite his two brothers and their families. It was a happy time with lots of visiting and celebrating. I don't remember too much concentration on thankfulness except for the thanking God for the food.
My first few years of living away from home, I usually made it back to Dad's for his famous turkey feast. At this time I also attended the odd CFL football game. When I went to the arctic, we were mostly single and not well enough organized that we would order a frozen turkey a year in advance for Thanksgiving celebrations. I was sometimes invited to share the meal with a family and it was a special treat and much appreciated.
When I married my wife was big on having a special Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. That routine has continued to the present. For seven years my daughter insisted on doing the Thanksgiving meal. She would invite her birth mother and Granny. My daughter is an excellent cook and likes to experiment and have variety. It was also special to have her birth mother to celebrate with us and visit with her.
Now all that I have been referring to is food! I love food but surely there is more to Thanksgiving that food? Surely we could wish one another well on this day.
I like what has been happening lately where people make an effort to state openly what they are thankful for over the last year. This to me seems to be meaningful when we have to stop and consider the past year and what we have to be thankful for. In a religious sense people pray and thank God every day. Religious practice is full of thankfulness to God. So on Thanksgiving Day I like the practice of stating openly before others our thanks for important things in our life for the past year. When I do this I realize how extremely fortunate I have been in the past year. Oh yes, I do enjoy the food.
Friday, October 8, 2010
THANKSGIVING
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend!
I am thankful for all the readers who come to my blog!
Please leave a comment as to what you are thankful for.
Monday, October 4, 2010
October Arrives Gently
It is with some relief and pleasure that the month of October has arrived very gently as far a weather is concerned.
September in Central Alberta was a very nasty month. It was cool, cloudy and rainy. We had a couple of nights with killing frosts and half a dozen nights with below freezing temperatures. We had day after day of overcast skies. We had drizzle, heavy showers and just plain rain. We didn't set any precipitation records but added to our already wet conditions it just made matters worse. We didn't have sunny warm drying days.
So to begin October we have had some sunny warm days. What a relief! The days have become shorter so drying up is much slower. Why am I so antsy about getting warm dry weather? Well, I'm a farm boy at heart and I know we need some warm dry weather to harvest crops. Closer to my world , I need some dry weather to complete some gardening tasks the way I would like to do them. I dig my vegetable garden by hand. I need the exercise. To do this the soil has to be fairly dry. Right now the soil is muddy. It's hard to dig and have the soil broken down.
So to get some warm dry weather is a real treat after what September had to throw at us.
September in Central Alberta was a very nasty month. It was cool, cloudy and rainy. We had a couple of nights with killing frosts and half a dozen nights with below freezing temperatures. We had day after day of overcast skies. We had drizzle, heavy showers and just plain rain. We didn't set any precipitation records but added to our already wet conditions it just made matters worse. We didn't have sunny warm drying days.
So to begin October we have had some sunny warm days. What a relief! The days have become shorter so drying up is much slower. Why am I so antsy about getting warm dry weather? Well, I'm a farm boy at heart and I know we need some warm dry weather to harvest crops. Closer to my world , I need some dry weather to complete some gardening tasks the way I would like to do them. I dig my vegetable garden by hand. I need the exercise. To do this the soil has to be fairly dry. Right now the soil is muddy. It's hard to dig and have the soil broken down.
So to get some warm dry weather is a real treat after what September had to throw at us.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Two Jackpots in a Row!
Okay, I'll get this out of the way first, the jackpots didn't involve any money! These jackpots involved two people I had never met before and finding out that we had mutual acquaintances.
A few days ago a couple stopped in my yard as they saw a car in my driveway that they would be interested in buying. They were polite and didn't want to waste my time and wanted to leave their name and phone number in case I ever decided to sell the car.
We talked a few minutes and the lady somehow or other said that she was raised in the area. So my curiosity went hyper and I asked her if she went to the school I taught in. Yes, she had and then she told me her maiden name. I had taught her two sisters and a brother. This family had it all. They were strong academically, arts wise and in sports. They could also do no wrong! In other words they were extremely well behaved . They were the kind of kids that you could teach for fun. We also talked about some of the teachers from that age. So it was a pleasant memory for me. The bonus was that this woman had become a teacher and was teaching in the school system that I taught in.
I then looked at the man and asked him if he was raised in this area. He said know but he had been raised in Saskatchewan and he was proud of that. Since I was born and raised in Sask. I had to ask him "Where abouts?" He said Guernsey, Drake...I said wait a minute, Drake is my home town! So then we discovered many people who we knew . I was born in 1939 and he was born in 1957 so we knew different generations of the same family. We were both searching for more common links. He reminded me of some of the experiences which were common such as picking saskatoons , swimming at Manitou Beach and tobogganing on the hills at Lake Manitou. Most of the area is extremely flat so getting to slide on the hills a Lake Manitou was a treat for all of us. The pool was the only one in a very large area. so we were fortunate as it was nicer to swim in a pool than a lake.
I enjoy meeting people were we have common connections. It's all the more rewarding if I've never met the people before. So I had a very pleasant one hour visit. It really was like winning two jackpots in a row.
A few days ago a couple stopped in my yard as they saw a car in my driveway that they would be interested in buying. They were polite and didn't want to waste my time and wanted to leave their name and phone number in case I ever decided to sell the car.
We talked a few minutes and the lady somehow or other said that she was raised in the area. So my curiosity went hyper and I asked her if she went to the school I taught in. Yes, she had and then she told me her maiden name. I had taught her two sisters and a brother. This family had it all. They were strong academically, arts wise and in sports. They could also do no wrong! In other words they were extremely well behaved . They were the kind of kids that you could teach for fun. We also talked about some of the teachers from that age. So it was a pleasant memory for me. The bonus was that this woman had become a teacher and was teaching in the school system that I taught in.
I then looked at the man and asked him if he was raised in this area. He said know but he had been raised in Saskatchewan and he was proud of that. Since I was born and raised in Sask. I had to ask him "Where abouts?" He said Guernsey, Drake...I said wait a minute, Drake is my home town! So then we discovered many people who we knew . I was born in 1939 and he was born in 1957 so we knew different generations of the same family. We were both searching for more common links. He reminded me of some of the experiences which were common such as picking saskatoons , swimming at Manitou Beach and tobogganing on the hills at Lake Manitou. Most of the area is extremely flat so getting to slide on the hills a Lake Manitou was a treat for all of us. The pool was the only one in a very large area. so we were fortunate as it was nicer to swim in a pool than a lake.
I enjoy meeting people were we have common connections. It's all the more rewarding if I've never met the people before. So I had a very pleasant one hour visit. It really was like winning two jackpots in a row.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Long Gun Registry Opponents Stretch Their Logic
This summer we have had a very vigorous debate regarding long gun registry when the government proposed a bill to kill the gun registry bill. The numbers for support of the registry were very close and the closer the numbers came the hotter the debate. The gun registry was kept but the government sponsored the bill to kill the registry was defeated by the combined opposition.
Now I like to be open minded about issues, but I like to see a fair debate with an absence of tactics which bend the logic.
One objection I have is the claim that the law makes criminals out of honest people such as farmers and hunters. I object strongly to this as the law does not make anybody a criminal. People make themselves criminals by breaking the law and getting caught and being convicted. People make a choice to break a law. The law does nothing to make them criminals. I've worked with enough bad guys and they realize that the choices they made got them into trouble. Pot sellers would like this idea that the law makes them a criminal not their selling of pot. I'm sure murderers would like this slant. Kill the murder laws because they make people into criminals. Opponents use this angle because some people refused to register their guns and got caught.
Another objection I have is to refer to gun registry as "gun control." Gun registry is not "gun control." The issue should be called gun registry. "Gun control" brings too much emotional baggage with it. Even Priminister Harper got caught up using the term "gun control" rather than gun registry. A Priminster should know that the law doesn't make the criminal.
Another myth that was promoted heavily is that the long gun registry was a device to go into a residence and confiscate the guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. Great emotional stories are told about little old guys having their guns confiscated and we are to feel sorry for them. Police will seize guns when an offense has been committed. If someone discharges a fire arm too close to a residence and someone complains the shooter is going to be in trouble and should be in trouble as it is dangerous. Whether there is gun registry or not if you discharge a fire arm too close to a residence you will be in trouble. Don't blame the gun registry for your troubles.
Opponents ignore the fact that major safety regulations accompanied gun registration. Gun safety courses have been developed and taught by gun owners. GOOD!
Opponents like to push the point that gun registry doesn't prevent crime. Gun registry was not about preventing crime. Gun registry assists police in their work if they have some idea who has guns. Again safety is an issue. This argument is extended to great lengths by bringing in all kinds of objects which could be used as weapons.
Opposition to gun registry has a good case. Opponents have done themselves harm by stretching their points unnecessarily. They also brought in the NRA. Not fair when you bring a foreign group in to help you fight your cause. It was rather interesting to follow comments on stories and see that the same guy wrote in his comment many times trying to inflate the opposition. This tactic just looks exactly like it is...SILLY.
To this point I was somewhat apathetic about gun registry. Whatever happened would have been acceptable to me. I am not anti hunting. Hunting is legal and is well regulated although I think they should have closed grizzly bear hunting many years ago. The tactics used by gun registry opponents has attracted my attention. I dislike tactics which are bent. From now on I will be a much more active supporter of gun registry. I have started by writing this piece.
Now I like to be open minded about issues, but I like to see a fair debate with an absence of tactics which bend the logic.
One objection I have is the claim that the law makes criminals out of honest people such as farmers and hunters. I object strongly to this as the law does not make anybody a criminal. People make themselves criminals by breaking the law and getting caught and being convicted. People make a choice to break a law. The law does nothing to make them criminals. I've worked with enough bad guys and they realize that the choices they made got them into trouble. Pot sellers would like this idea that the law makes them a criminal not their selling of pot. I'm sure murderers would like this slant. Kill the murder laws because they make people into criminals. Opponents use this angle because some people refused to register their guns and got caught.
Another objection I have is to refer to gun registry as "gun control." Gun registry is not "gun control." The issue should be called gun registry. "Gun control" brings too much emotional baggage with it. Even Priminister Harper got caught up using the term "gun control" rather than gun registry. A Priminster should know that the law doesn't make the criminal.
Another myth that was promoted heavily is that the long gun registry was a device to go into a residence and confiscate the guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. Great emotional stories are told about little old guys having their guns confiscated and we are to feel sorry for them. Police will seize guns when an offense has been committed. If someone discharges a fire arm too close to a residence and someone complains the shooter is going to be in trouble and should be in trouble as it is dangerous. Whether there is gun registry or not if you discharge a fire arm too close to a residence you will be in trouble. Don't blame the gun registry for your troubles.
Opponents ignore the fact that major safety regulations accompanied gun registration. Gun safety courses have been developed and taught by gun owners. GOOD!
Opponents like to push the point that gun registry doesn't prevent crime. Gun registry was not about preventing crime. Gun registry assists police in their work if they have some idea who has guns. Again safety is an issue. This argument is extended to great lengths by bringing in all kinds of objects which could be used as weapons.
Opposition to gun registry has a good case. Opponents have done themselves harm by stretching their points unnecessarily. They also brought in the NRA. Not fair when you bring a foreign group in to help you fight your cause. It was rather interesting to follow comments on stories and see that the same guy wrote in his comment many times trying to inflate the opposition. This tactic just looks exactly like it is...SILLY.
To this point I was somewhat apathetic about gun registry. Whatever happened would have been acceptable to me. I am not anti hunting. Hunting is legal and is well regulated although I think they should have closed grizzly bear hunting many years ago. The tactics used by gun registry opponents has attracted my attention. I dislike tactics which are bent. From now on I will be a much more active supporter of gun registry. I have started by writing this piece.
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