Ruminations From Downtown Albany, N.Y.

I am writing this blog installment from the seventh floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Albany, New York. This will be my third night here in New York's capitol city. I am here as part of My Non-Agrarian Day Job. Tomorrow, I go home, and I’m glad of it.

I don’t really like to travel, especially for my work. I don’t like to be away from home, and my family. I like my home. I like the little portion of earth God has entrusted to me. My home, humble though it may be, is my kingdom. It is where I belong. I am a homebody and that's the way I like it.

In eight years, my job has taken me away from home like this less than once a year. I would not take a job that requires a lot of travel away from home, unless there was no other option. There is no amount of money that anyone could pay me to be always on the road, away from home. A million bucks a year? Nope. For a million I might leave home and be on the road for a month. That I could do. But not for a year, and certainly not for a career.

And you couldn’t get me to live in a city for any amount of money either.

But there is one good thing about this place. They provide high speed wireless internet service. I don’t have that at home, yet. Now I can listen to Sermons Like This on the internet.

I’m in Slate Magazine
I’m mentioned in an article in Slate magazine today. The author of This Article says my blog, How To Butcher a Chicken is “great.”

That’s really nice. Thanks L.E. Leone!

Squash Hunter
I recently found my way to John VanDyk’s web site and got a good laugh out of THIS.

The Biblical Case For Beards
Michael Bunker has been writing about beards and how, Biblically speaking, godly men should have them. It is some thought-provoking exposition. I did not realize that shaving of the face and head was a practice in many pagan cultures throughout history. You can check out his “Beard Sermons” HERE.

Only in recent years have I grown a beard, and I happen to like having a beard. One reason I like it is that it is something distinctly manly. You don’t see women with beards. Women can’t have beards. I can. So I do.

Growing a beard for reasons of conscience is something I have not thought of before, but it appeals to my manly, anti-modern-culture inclinations. It makes sense to me.

I’ve told Marlene in the past that I want to grow my beard so long that it blows sideways in a strong wind. But, for now, I keep it trimmed.

Remembering Vietnam
On Memorial Day last, Marlene and James and Robert and I went to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall in Waterloo, N.Y. It is a 1/2 size replica of the memorial in Washington, D.C.

More than 58,000 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War. There were 350,000 casualties. As we looked at the extensive display of photos from the war, and then the wall, I tried to remember why all those brave people died, and I couldn’t remember. I don’t know if I ever knew.

So I did an internet search of “vietnam war why.” I came up with This Web Page. I don’t think any of the reasons given there are good enough to justify all that bloodshed and death of Americans.

More and more, I am wondering why Americans are dying in Iraq. I’m not a supporter of this war. I believe in fighting and dying, when needed, to defend your homeland and your family. But I don’t see where that’s happening.

Whizbang Cart Goes “Hollywood”
If you haven’t yet seen entry #2 in the Whizbang Garden Cart Contest for 2008, Check This Out

Prince Caspian
I rarely go to the movies, but I recently took my family to see the movie, Prince Caspian. I have never read C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books. I’m not a fan of fantasy stories, Christian or not. But I liked the movie.

I liked the part where the little girl, Lucy, stands at the end of the bridge. An army of evil warriors, mounted on horses, with their armor and weapons, are entering on the other end, with the intention of crossing. Lucy pulls from her side a little knife and confidently faces them. It is impossible that a little girl can withstand such an army.

But then, Aslan, the lion (representing Jesus Christ), walks into view from behind Lucy, and stands by her side. I won’t tell you what happens. Suffice it to say that Lucy has reason to be confident, not in her own ability, but in the ability of Aslan to help her.

The other part of the movie that I found particularly delightful was in another scene when Aslan sends the trees in a forest to fight in a battle. Is it possible that Jesus Christ could send trees into battle as it is depicted in this movie? Well, I happen to think so. And though I will never see such a thing in real life, it is wonderful to consider.

Compost
Before I left home to come to the big city of Albany, I made a compost bin and heaped it full of material to compost. I have made plenty of compost over the years, but never with a nice wood-sided compost bin. And I've never layered in the "ingredients" just so. And I've never actually taken my compost's temperature. But I am now doing all these things and it's downright exciting. The day before I left home, I made the pile and took its temperature. It was 65 degrees. Has it been starting to heat up while I've been gone? I'll find out tomorrow. And I'll tell you all about it someday soon....