While I have been pleased with our move to Kentucky, there is one thing that I've recently noticed that I miss. I have lost a feel for nature in my life. When I was in Spanish Fork commuting to Provo daily I was on my bike outdoors at least 2 hours every day. I was acquainted with nature. I knew the phase the moon was in. I knew the direction the wind was coming from. I was getting a feel for the weather brought by different winds. I felt at one with nature. I felt like I was part of nature.
Here in Kentucky we've been blessed with a home close to my work. I only commute for about 15 minutes each way, and most of my commute is through the city. I don't have time to see the moon. I'm in well lit areas so I don't see the stars well and there is virtually no wildlife between home and work.
It may sound like I'm complaining that my commute is too short, but that isn't entirely true. Sure, I wish I was riding my bike more, but it's not like there is a shortage of roads here. It wouldn't take too much effort to add some distance to my morning and/or afternoon commutes. It wouldn't take much to get out into the countryside and see some beautiful stuff, but I don't because I don't have to.
This turns more into a frustration with myself. My job is to encourage and help people to make changes to improve their health. In most cases that means weight loss, but not always. Here I am struggling to make a change that I feel is important to be made. Sure I would rather be home with my family and when I get up early I don't like being dead tired when I get home. ... And I'm supposed to be helping people make changes in their lives.
Whenever I think about riding in early it comes down to the fact that I don't have a locker at work. Showers and lockers are available, but only for day use. I wouldn't be able to keep anything overnight. So I would have to keep stuff in my bag which makes the bike ride less attractive. Then I would have the fear of having super-wrinkled clothes all day. And when you get to work all decked out in spandex and shoes that you can hardly walk in, how do you look professional as you enter the building? There is the list of excuses that I have. None of them are that great of excuse.
It would seem that I would need to exercise to help with my personal weight maintenance, but that doesn't seem to be an issue. Last week I dropped below 140 pounds without any effort. In fact, I am now making an effort to eat more so that I can stay away from the emaciated look that accompanies my weight loss.
This week I'm going to work on refinding nature. I want to experience the moon and stars again. I want to feel the different winds and be able to tell what that says about the weather. I want to know about local wildlife. I don't care what I can learn on a nature walk, I want to know the places on the road to expect to be buzzed by an owl or come toe to toe with a skunk. I want to know the animals that are out and about in this area. I'm on a search for nature.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
No, my kids don't want it!
Please leave me alone. Let me change that, I want this to be more direct and sound less like a request and more like a command... LEAVE ME ALONE!
To the bank teller: No, we don't want the suckers and really it would have been better had you not offered us the suckers because now my kids are going to be whining about not getting suckers for the next 10 minutes. Maybe you want to have them for those 10 minutes, but whatever you do don't give them the sucker because it is bad for them and we don't live like that.
To the Sunday School teacher: While it is great that my kids are memorizing scriptures, can we encourage them to do that with out bribing them with junk that makes them wild and unruly, contributes to obesity and makes them think that food is a reward for good behavior. Let's find a way to encourage our kids to be good because it's the right thing to do, not for sweets. We can even call it 'being Christ-like' because I don't think Christ was bribed for his behavior.
To The Home Depot: OK, popcorn is better than the pure junk they get elsewhere, but really I would like to choose what to feed my children. I would choose a low fat, low salt diet and your popcorn was none of the above. When I need your help making my kids sick, I'll ask.
To the random lady who gave my kid a piece of candy to calm him down: Thanks...I think. He cried even harder when I took the candy away from him. I would far prefer he cry than deal with the consequences of him eating the candy. You see his crying was short lived, but after the sugar and artificial junk in the candy he will be unruly for quite some time and it contributes to poor health for the rest of his life.
Unlike most people, I'm trying to raise healthy children. I want them to eat right and not be loaded up on junk food. I believe in moderation with junk food and in my opinion a moderate amount is only slightly different than NEVER. I want them to have a good relationship with food. That means that I don't want them to think of food as a reward or something they use to comfort themselves. Food is something that you eat in order to give you health. How about if you be the parents to your children and I'll be the parents to mine.
Thank you
(FYI, this stemmed from nothing anyone who reads this blog does, this was just a thought that seems to drift in sometimes.)
To the bank teller: No, we don't want the suckers and really it would have been better had you not offered us the suckers because now my kids are going to be whining about not getting suckers for the next 10 minutes. Maybe you want to have them for those 10 minutes, but whatever you do don't give them the sucker because it is bad for them and we don't live like that.
To the Sunday School teacher: While it is great that my kids are memorizing scriptures, can we encourage them to do that with out bribing them with junk that makes them wild and unruly, contributes to obesity and makes them think that food is a reward for good behavior. Let's find a way to encourage our kids to be good because it's the right thing to do, not for sweets. We can even call it 'being Christ-like' because I don't think Christ was bribed for his behavior.
To The Home Depot: OK, popcorn is better than the pure junk they get elsewhere, but really I would like to choose what to feed my children. I would choose a low fat, low salt diet and your popcorn was none of the above. When I need your help making my kids sick, I'll ask.
To the random lady who gave my kid a piece of candy to calm him down: Thanks...I think. He cried even harder when I took the candy away from him. I would far prefer he cry than deal with the consequences of him eating the candy. You see his crying was short lived, but after the sugar and artificial junk in the candy he will be unruly for quite some time and it contributes to poor health for the rest of his life.
Unlike most people, I'm trying to raise healthy children. I want them to eat right and not be loaded up on junk food. I believe in moderation with junk food and in my opinion a moderate amount is only slightly different than NEVER. I want them to have a good relationship with food. That means that I don't want them to think of food as a reward or something they use to comfort themselves. Food is something that you eat in order to give you health. How about if you be the parents to your children and I'll be the parents to mine.
Thank you
(FYI, this stemmed from nothing anyone who reads this blog does, this was just a thought that seems to drift in sometimes.)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Food storage
One of my goals would be to grow most of our food so that we could store it and eat it through the year. We have a LONG way to go.
Last weekend we bought 2 bushels of #2 apples and made apple sauce, dried apples and apple pie filling. We'll spend ~$100 on fresh fruit now so that we can have it for the rest of the year. Frankly, I'm not really a fan of canned things from the store, but things that I can myself are pretty good, although I don't think it's possible to can green beans or peas and ever have it taste right.
People question the nutritional value of canned or frozen produce. Actually, it's not bad. Put it this way, fresh produce that is in season is the best. But what about in the winter? Is it better to get produce from half way across the country or even the world that was picked well before it was ripe and shipped for several days, or produce that was picked fresh and canned or frozen? I would argue that there could be more nutrition in the canned or frozen variety... well there could be, but not necessarily true. That is why I can my own fruit so that I know what is in the can (or jar, as the case may be).
Last weekend we bought 2 bushels of #2 apples and made apple sauce, dried apples and apple pie filling. We'll spend ~$100 on fresh fruit now so that we can have it for the rest of the year. Frankly, I'm not really a fan of canned things from the store, but things that I can myself are pretty good, although I don't think it's possible to can green beans or peas and ever have it taste right.
People question the nutritional value of canned or frozen produce. Actually, it's not bad. Put it this way, fresh produce that is in season is the best. But what about in the winter? Is it better to get produce from half way across the country or even the world that was picked well before it was ripe and shipped for several days, or produce that was picked fresh and canned or frozen? I would argue that there could be more nutrition in the canned or frozen variety... well there could be, but not necessarily true. That is why I can my own fruit so that I know what is in the can (or jar, as the case may be).
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Chickens
A couple of weeks ago weird things started happening in the chicken coop. First I noticed some very large poop on the roof of the hen-house. I explained to myself that an interested animal could be watching from the chicken wire top on the coop and the poop just falls on through.
Then I noticed that the stick that I use to prop open the hen-house had fallen to the ground. The stick isn't huge, a chicken could surely bump it off a ledge, but it's kept in a spot that I don't think the chickens can get to. Maybe they could. So I was able to explain away that curious happening as well.
One day I found big animal poop inside the hen-house. I had to face the facts, something big was getting into the hen-house. I needed to first figure out what it was and second take care of it if it was something that shouldn't be in there. At first I figured it was Oreo, the neighborhood cat that doesn't actually belong to anyone, but everyone seems to feed. The poop was rather catesque, but seemed a bit big to be cat poop. It was also curious that none of the chickens had been killed. Well, we lost one quite some time ago to what I figure was a raccoon that stuck it's arm through the fence because I found the dead bird in the fence in bad shape, as if attacked by a cat or raccoon (I hadn't assumed Oreo's innocence in this matter either).
The next morning I went out there early and when I opened up the coop I found two baby raccoons camped up on a ledge inside the chicken coop. That was bad, but I needed to get to work. So I left. Besides, I didn't know how they got in there.
The next morning I woke up early and took a broom out there. The raccoons were there and there were actually three of them. I jabbed at them a bit with the broom until I got them to leave in an attempt to figure out how they got in there. The first one slid out before I could see how. The second one went right through the links of a chain link fence. I thought from the looks of it that there was no way it would fit, but it slid right through. The third one tried to slide right through, but seems to have gained a bit of weight since getting in and didn't make it. I opened the door for him and let him out. Here's a picture of the size of the raccoons and the size of their poop.
That afternoon I bought some chicken wire and wrapped the bottom of the fence in it so the raccoons couldn't just slide right through.
The next morning I went out and while they had already left, they had dug a hole under the fence and spend the night with the chickens. I put some wood and bricks down to stop them from getting in. I don't remember which morning it was, but one day I got a couple of good pictures of the raccoons in the hen house.
The next morning I found that the raccoons had been there again. I had done a poor job of blocking their passage way. I blocked the passage better and hoped for the best.
The next morning I went out and they had not gone under the fence, but they had still gotten in. I did a little looking and figured that hey must have climbed through the fence onto the roof, so I put some chicken wire up behind the hen-house thinking that if they were unable to step through onto something, they wouldn't be able to get through. I was wrong.
The next morning I went out there the raccoons were in there again (actually there were only two this time, I don't know what happened to the fat one that didn't fit through the links). I thought for a moment. Eventually these things would get big enough that they couldn't get through the links, but by that time I would guess they would realize that they had it pretty good with food, water and shelter at their fingertips. I was afraid that they would do anything to get in there, even if I wrapped the entire coop in chicken wire. The other option was to really get rid of them. So I went and got the only weapon that I had, a pitch fork, and I fatally wounded the two raccoons.
I say that so simply, but it really bothers me that I would do something like that. Sure, I took on the responsibility of protecting chickens, and that may have been the only way to protect the chickens (really I have no idea why I still have 9 chickens). I'm not the violent type that can kill an animal with a garden utensil... Yet I did. Now I find myself thinking about it a lot and feeling really bad. Additionally I will find myself tempted to tell the boys to stop playing violently, but I can't say it, not after brutally murdering animals in my back yard.
So the raccoons have been taken care of and nothing has been in the coop for the last two days (except the chickens). On to brighter subjects, I have a fun photo of Shack mowing the lawn.
I find it interesting that people will tell me that I need to be careful with the real mower because kids could get hurt... THis from people who use a gas mower because it's safer? Anyway, my oldest is the only one who is strong enough to make the blades move and he knows better. There seems to be a perseption that old technology is worse and more dangerous when in fact that isn't always the case. My mower cuts grass better than a gas mower and I have no reason to believe that it's any more dangerous.
The last video is one taken this evening of the Oldest child chasing the chickens trying to get them back into the coup. I let them out for a little foraging in the yard and they loved it.
Then I noticed that the stick that I use to prop open the hen-house had fallen to the ground. The stick isn't huge, a chicken could surely bump it off a ledge, but it's kept in a spot that I don't think the chickens can get to. Maybe they could. So I was able to explain away that curious happening as well.
One day I found big animal poop inside the hen-house. I had to face the facts, something big was getting into the hen-house. I needed to first figure out what it was and second take care of it if it was something that shouldn't be in there. At first I figured it was Oreo, the neighborhood cat that doesn't actually belong to anyone, but everyone seems to feed. The poop was rather catesque, but seemed a bit big to be cat poop. It was also curious that none of the chickens had been killed. Well, we lost one quite some time ago to what I figure was a raccoon that stuck it's arm through the fence because I found the dead bird in the fence in bad shape, as if attacked by a cat or raccoon (I hadn't assumed Oreo's innocence in this matter either).
The next morning I went out there early and when I opened up the coop I found two baby raccoons camped up on a ledge inside the chicken coop. That was bad, but I needed to get to work. So I left. Besides, I didn't know how they got in there.
The next morning I woke up early and took a broom out there. The raccoons were there and there were actually three of them. I jabbed at them a bit with the broom until I got them to leave in an attempt to figure out how they got in there. The first one slid out before I could see how. The second one went right through the links of a chain link fence. I thought from the looks of it that there was no way it would fit, but it slid right through. The third one tried to slide right through, but seems to have gained a bit of weight since getting in and didn't make it. I opened the door for him and let him out. Here's a picture of the size of the raccoons and the size of their poop.
That afternoon I bought some chicken wire and wrapped the bottom of the fence in it so the raccoons couldn't just slide right through.The next morning I went out and while they had already left, they had dug a hole under the fence and spend the night with the chickens. I put some wood and bricks down to stop them from getting in. I don't remember which morning it was, but one day I got a couple of good pictures of the raccoons in the hen house.
The next morning I found that the raccoons had been there again. I had done a poor job of blocking their passage way. I blocked the passage better and hoped for the best.
The next morning I went out and they had not gone under the fence, but they had still gotten in. I did a little looking and figured that hey must have climbed through the fence onto the roof, so I put some chicken wire up behind the hen-house thinking that if they were unable to step through onto something, they wouldn't be able to get through. I was wrong.
The next morning I went out there the raccoons were in there again (actually there were only two this time, I don't know what happened to the fat one that didn't fit through the links). I thought for a moment. Eventually these things would get big enough that they couldn't get through the links, but by that time I would guess they would realize that they had it pretty good with food, water and shelter at their fingertips. I was afraid that they would do anything to get in there, even if I wrapped the entire coop in chicken wire. The other option was to really get rid of them. So I went and got the only weapon that I had, a pitch fork, and I fatally wounded the two raccoons. I say that so simply, but it really bothers me that I would do something like that. Sure, I took on the responsibility of protecting chickens, and that may have been the only way to protect the chickens (really I have no idea why I still have 9 chickens). I'm not the violent type that can kill an animal with a garden utensil... Yet I did. Now I find myself thinking about it a lot and feeling really bad. Additionally I will find myself tempted to tell the boys to stop playing violently, but I can't say it, not after brutally murdering animals in my back yard.
So the raccoons have been taken care of and nothing has been in the coop for the last two days (except the chickens). On to brighter subjects, I have a fun photo of Shack mowing the lawn.
I find it interesting that people will tell me that I need to be careful with the real mower because kids could get hurt... THis from people who use a gas mower because it's safer? Anyway, my oldest is the only one who is strong enough to make the blades move and he knows better. There seems to be a perseption that old technology is worse and more dangerous when in fact that isn't always the case. My mower cuts grass better than a gas mower and I have no reason to believe that it's any more dangerous.The last video is one taken this evening of the Oldest child chasing the chickens trying to get them back into the coup. I let them out for a little foraging in the yard and they loved it.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Reverend Billy
I posted a bit ago about my desire to be a pastor of my own little non-denominational cult. While there is some truths that provide the foundation for that post, I recognize that I will likely never be a pastor because it just wouldn't work for me. I'm OK with that.
I have, however found the church (cult?) that I want to follow when I grow up. This guy has some really disturbing things. I use that word 'disturbing' quite literally. I don't think he's a psycho or anything, but what he does disturbs me.
It disturbs me because I don't think he's psycho. I have a really hard time finding things that he says that I don't agree with 100%. His irreverence toward something sacred doesn't sit well with me, but I am not convinced that he's being irreverent. I think his message is all there; What would Jesus buy? He calls the playstation, nintendo wii and other such products 'the devils of today'. I can certainly see how that is the case.
OK, exercising the cash register was a little weird. I think this guy speaks truth, but for some reason I have judged his attitude to be irreverent. Maybe it is my attitude that is not open enough to accept someone speaking from the heart in his own style.
And so this guy disturbs me. On the one hand I can't handle his irreverence and on the other hand, I suspect that he is being completely reverent and serious in a way that I am unable to understand.
OK, it also disturbs me that he has put out a movie that he sells... that seems like a difficult product to promote.
I have, however found the church (cult?) that I want to follow when I grow up. This guy has some really disturbing things. I use that word 'disturbing' quite literally. I don't think he's a psycho or anything, but what he does disturbs me.
It disturbs me because I don't think he's psycho. I have a really hard time finding things that he says that I don't agree with 100%. His irreverence toward something sacred doesn't sit well with me, but I am not convinced that he's being irreverent. I think his message is all there; What would Jesus buy? He calls the playstation, nintendo wii and other such products 'the devils of today'. I can certainly see how that is the case.
OK, exercising the cash register was a little weird. I think this guy speaks truth, but for some reason I have judged his attitude to be irreverent. Maybe it is my attitude that is not open enough to accept someone speaking from the heart in his own style.
And so this guy disturbs me. On the one hand I can't handle his irreverence and on the other hand, I suspect that he is being completely reverent and serious in a way that I am unable to understand.
OK, it also disturbs me that he has put out a movie that he sells... that seems like a difficult product to promote.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Family stuff
I'm excited about my next post. It will be a bit of a spin off from the previous one, but first I have finally recharged the battery on the camera and will now proceed to download pictures and maybe a video or two.
The three boys sitting and eating on a hike.
Shackleton conducting a symphony of wildflowers.
This kid's faces never cease to surprise me. I have no idea what he was doing.
This is Caden with one of his chicks (they are much bigger now). He's very proud that he's big enough to hold them.
This is one of those accidental photos that really turns out well. OK, it's a mediocre photo at best, but look closer and see if you can find the humor in the newspaper.
OOh, and I have some video.
The three boys sitting and eating on a hike.
Shackleton conducting a symphony of wildflowers.
This kid's faces never cease to surprise me. I have no idea what he was doing.
This is Caden with one of his chicks (they are much bigger now). He's very proud that he's big enough to hold them.
This is one of those accidental photos that really turns out well. OK, it's a mediocre photo at best, but look closer and see if you can find the humor in the newspaper.OOh, and I have some video.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I want to be a preacher
I really enjoy my job and what I get to do for people, but that doesn't mean that I don't think about other opportunities. For example, someone commented to me a while back that they thought I would make a good preacher. This was a real compliment coming from a preacher who I respect and admire a lot, but I'm not so sure.
The biggest problem with me becoming a preacher is that my religious views and church affiliation are with a church that has an unpaid clergy. It's very difficult to support a family with a full-time voluntary position. So I couldn't really be a 'preacher' for my church and I believe in my church so it would be a little weird to be a preacher for a different church.
Hold on, I've really thought about this. My desire to be a preacher doesn't revolve around the religious aspects. I really like the idea of being able to dedicate my life to helping people in need. I could spend my days in nursing homes visiting people who are lonely. I could prepare a speech once a week to provoke thought and encourage people to improve their lives and be kinder to those around them. I could help people work through the darkest, most difficult times of their lives, providing them with random acts of service and organizing or helping them find the help that they need. I could be paid to give hugs and love people. That's my dream job.
I've thought about professions that sort of mimic my dream job, but nothing quite fits. I could be a counselor, but the whole idea of someone paying me to talk with them and serve them somehow defeats the purpose. I could go into nursing or elder care (which I have done and very much enjoy), but you don't get the time that you need to dedicate to the people. It's all about solving the health problem and moving onto the next patient because the more patients you can see the more MONEY you can make. So the fact that what they really need is someone to talk to doesn't matter. The profession tract doesn't seem to fit what I want to do.
I've also thought about starting a sort of company being a preacher for those who don't have a belief system. That wouldn't compete with my beliefs and I could give an inspirational thought once a week on Wednesdays and go around to my non-believing congregation providing service through the week, helping them with whatever they may stand in need of, loving them and giving them hugs. I think it's a great idea, except that I have my doubts about how the finances would work.
In a regular church people pay a tithe or something like it to the church so the church can provide a building, services, etc. If I were a non-church preacher, I think I would have a hard time convincing people to give me 10% of their income. The rich people would figure out that they would have better results for less money with a shrink and the poor people wouldn't be able to pay me enough to support my family. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, maybe I should give it a shot.
I have concluded that the next best thing is working at a non-profit gym where I get to serve people of all financial backgrounds and help give them the tools to improve their health. I really do love the people I get to work with, but hugs aren't exactly appropriate. I still wish I could go to homes and provide help as needed. I actually get to deal a little with people's hard times and help them through it, but not nearly to the extent that I wish I could. (Surprisingly, personal training type jobs are ~50% cheerleader, ~40% counselor and ~10% knowing something about exercise and being able to help people improve their health.) So if you have any ideas on starting "Sans' church", let me know.
As soon as we get the battery in the camera recharged I will post pictures.... I think
The biggest problem with me becoming a preacher is that my religious views and church affiliation are with a church that has an unpaid clergy. It's very difficult to support a family with a full-time voluntary position. So I couldn't really be a 'preacher' for my church and I believe in my church so it would be a little weird to be a preacher for a different church.
Hold on, I've really thought about this. My desire to be a preacher doesn't revolve around the religious aspects. I really like the idea of being able to dedicate my life to helping people in need. I could spend my days in nursing homes visiting people who are lonely. I could prepare a speech once a week to provoke thought and encourage people to improve their lives and be kinder to those around them. I could help people work through the darkest, most difficult times of their lives, providing them with random acts of service and organizing or helping them find the help that they need. I could be paid to give hugs and love people. That's my dream job.
I've thought about professions that sort of mimic my dream job, but nothing quite fits. I could be a counselor, but the whole idea of someone paying me to talk with them and serve them somehow defeats the purpose. I could go into nursing or elder care (which I have done and very much enjoy), but you don't get the time that you need to dedicate to the people. It's all about solving the health problem and moving onto the next patient because the more patients you can see the more MONEY you can make. So the fact that what they really need is someone to talk to doesn't matter. The profession tract doesn't seem to fit what I want to do.
I've also thought about starting a sort of company being a preacher for those who don't have a belief system. That wouldn't compete with my beliefs and I could give an inspirational thought once a week on Wednesdays and go around to my non-believing congregation providing service through the week, helping them with whatever they may stand in need of, loving them and giving them hugs. I think it's a great idea, except that I have my doubts about how the finances would work.
In a regular church people pay a tithe or something like it to the church so the church can provide a building, services, etc. If I were a non-church preacher, I think I would have a hard time convincing people to give me 10% of their income. The rich people would figure out that they would have better results for less money with a shrink and the poor people wouldn't be able to pay me enough to support my family. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, maybe I should give it a shot.
I have concluded that the next best thing is working at a non-profit gym where I get to serve people of all financial backgrounds and help give them the tools to improve their health. I really do love the people I get to work with, but hugs aren't exactly appropriate. I still wish I could go to homes and provide help as needed. I actually get to deal a little with people's hard times and help them through it, but not nearly to the extent that I wish I could. (Surprisingly, personal training type jobs are ~50% cheerleader, ~40% counselor and ~10% knowing something about exercise and being able to help people improve their health.) So if you have any ideas on starting "Sans' church", let me know.
As soon as we get the battery in the camera recharged I will post pictures.... I think
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