flowers and change

 

 

Because soon, too soon frankly, we will have to head north, through heat and storms, pulling our trailer, to the Pacific Northwest, and our farm, with work to be done... I am not sure how the blog will fare... or me lol. 

I want to keep the blog going but internet will be dicey. A lot has gone on recently with an attempted assassination and then a president deciding not to run again and a new presidential candidate, I don't honestly know what to say here. The world looks at this and wants to know what Americans might think-- i know this from what I see on my list of countries from around the world. 

Quite simply, I do not have answers, let alone for my own life. I am just happy we have neighbors around us who look after the Arizona property when we have to be gone-- no real advantage to owning properties in two states so far apart. I hope next Saturday I'll have something to write... maybe lol

 

Texas Ranger, by our pool, enjoyed the recent storms, for a second lush bloom, and will be here when we are not-- along with the bees. These are likely the ones they call killer bees but when feeding happily, they have no interest in stinging.

 It is actually a xeriscape plant but loves when the storms deliver.  Bees, also agree as they load up on pollen.

 

allegories and dreams

 Dealing with a migraine, the kind that gives me vision issues as well as the headache, I wanted to get this blog started. Hope it will make sense. My life has upheaval ahead, maybe like the monsoons we are having here in Arizona. I don't know how that will impact the blog, but I can get this one out... I hope lol

BTW, that last storm, which led to damage of trees, etc. (they called the results tornadoes but to me they seemed like microbursts but damage can be the same). Here, at Casa Espiritu, we got 4/10" of rain and no real damage but lots of wind. I love the amazing clouds this time of year-- damage not so much.

When we bought our little desert home, we came up with its name fairly fast and it was Casa Espiritu.  We had barely lived here when we knew it and it has very much lived up to that name is so many ways.

One of those is for dreams. I had one last night where I didn't like the dream's subject but knew it was allegorical. I spent some time thinking on that and Ranch Boss added to it his thoughts. The dream itself was full of imagery that I didn't like and had no idea from here it had come. I won't repeat it. I'll just tell you what I think it meant.

The animals in the dreams were used to being fed. What they were given was not actually nutritious for them but it's all they knew. I think we can be that way but about more than food and instead ideas and how we think.

clouds and philosophy

 

is this more politics? I don't think so, but I do believe more citizens need to figure out what are issues and then how does each one impact their lives and that of others. I have my own definition for important issues to me, but they won't fit others obviously. 

For many women, abortion is all that matters and that can be on either side of the law regarding it. Although it is important to me, I have grandchildren of an age to be drafted should the US go to war. Having come of age when Vietnam impacted many, I remember how wars can be only popular with war mongers (not usually fighting them) or those who make money from them. Eisenhower, who knew a bit about wars warned on the latter. 

Currently, I have read that not enough young people, of the age, are joining up, which means, if a real war with our enemies erupts, look for a draft. I heard but don't know if it's true but Democrats want women/girls to also be drafted. I guess that depends on how they are used as to how others might see that. There are countries, like Israel and Switzerland, that do expect both sexes to serve in the military for a specific set of time. How you see it might depend on the age of your kids or grandkids.

 

So avoiding wars is a big deal to me, it's hard to say who might lead us into one or avoid one. It's a big issue that does relate a lot to who the leader is. With modern weapons as they are, don't count on those wars not touching your country and your loved ones-- draft age or not.

Another issue to me that matters a lot is illegal immigration. If you are one who wants to hire cheap manual laborers, like for fruit picking, landscaping, maid service, you may like the idea of cheaper costs. Some don't even know who their landscaping firm is using, handy to avoid guilt. 

BUT what about others who come in only to commit crimes, as they've heard we are easy pickings. Or worse yet, since they come from around the world, what about wantabe terrorists? When we have an open border, it's hard to sort out who is coming from good solid, wantabe citizens and those latter types. A lot of this impacts poor communities more than richer ones.

 

Education is a big one for me though for now, my family is more or less though the system. What does it mean to us, as a people, to know what other children are being taught. It's unlikely now the simple ABCs. What philosophy are they being given as the right one for life? Some schools deny parents access to what that might be.

There are more issues for me (a lot more), but you get the general idea.

The photos interspersed here came from our bedroom view of the clouds and in particular the Stairway to Heaven, which I always look for but rarely see. I guess, it's more officially called an Alto Cumulus, which amazes me but then I don't name clouds.

Monsoons bring in a lot of interesting formations. I think this stairway lasted less than half an hour. Time isn't always a wasting. We may be living in such a time. Who controls our fates?

Voting as cultural issue

our photo when the saguaro yields its fruit for the birds, eventually animals, and insects-- in the fullness of time.
 

Following along with the theme of the last blog, this one is again about what is happening in our country and how is it portrayed by the internet. The difference is I want to explain a bit about my background, something we rarely know about those giving opinions.

I've mentioned before that I was a registered Democrat from the time I was allowed to vote until 2018 when I left the party over issues where I simply didn't like how it was going. I didn't see a way to be a Republican either for the same reasons-- hence unaffiliated, which means I can't vote in Oregon primaries. It was worth it to me as I am an issues voter and always have been, though I've seen how partisan groups use these issues in ways I just don't get.

So, why get into this now? Two big ones arose within the last week. One a presidential debate and its aftermath and the second a Supreme Court decision, also impacting the Presidency of the United States. The fall out has been great and not yet really decided; but to me, the big thing is how what happened has been presented, especially to those who get all their news from one side or the other of whatever happens. 

First, I did not watch the debate. I do not watch political speeches and debates are all about rhetoric. I did though see the first answer Biden gave. I saw no sign of the cold they later claimed he had. I also saw the answer as vague and again political spiel. I turned it off before Trump spoke.

The political rhetoric the next morning was not surprising to me. They did accept that Biden did poorly and lost his train of thought frequently, but their big point was Trump lied a LOT. What they never tell is what were the lies and also who declared them to be lies. Might two people, on different sides of the political divide see truth differently? I guess if you are on one side or the other, you don't care. 

Now, it's been a week since the debate and the excuses for Biden's performance have grown. Who believes them? Pretty much those who want to.

The question asked was one debate a big deal. Probably not if there hadn't been so much talk before it about what was going on with his cognitive reasoning. Where powerful people often get others to cover for them will we ever know the truth? We sure know the spin if we care to look. 

Biden has evidently declared he'll have no events after 8pm. So what if it's an emergency?

Second big issue was the Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity. This one went right along party lines-- despite Roberts saying earlier that the court is not partisan. Maybe only he believes that. 

Afterwards, the panic started from the left. Maddow fears seal teams sent after political enemies. She also said she wondered if she could be sent to a concentration camp? Apparently no concern if Biden stays in power or Harris, which is the latest question brought up. What about her for President if he passes on running. It depends on how much attention you have paid to her political career as you probably see it.

The fear of Trump for wars or worse determines a lot of how someone sees all of this. The fact that he avoided wars when in office does not prove the future reactions, and frankly what he did after his loss is not reassuring to anybody-- or should not be. 

A big question also involves the Heritage Foundations 2025 Project and how much will it impact what Trump tries to do. If you don't know what that is, you might want to look it up. Do we want a religiously controlled country? Earlier citizens did not. What about today? I have read Trump does not agree with it, but these days how do we know what we can trust?

If Biden resigns as a candidate, then who picks up the mantle? Supposedly, most likely is his vice president. How do voters feel about that? I keep coming back to a quote that she has used many times with great pride. "what can be, unburdened by what has been." What the heck does that mean? I also resent how the Democratic party would not do debates earlier to avoid all of this coming out right at the last with little time to look at other options.

I think the Supreme Court decision made sense with the limitations it imposed. For immunity, it had to be a part of the presidential duties-- not personal issues. I've listened to those who claim it could be anything, but that's not what they said. It will be further defined probably and likely satisfy no one.

Does any of this say anything about how I will vote in November-- and I always vote? Not really, I am an issues voter and I haven't written about those this time around. It's a disturbing time, and I just want to be sure voters are informed and not just propagandized. 

 

 

How do you see it?

 image from Stencil-- does it relate to the blog? Must it?

I wrote this before the debate Thursday night. I will let it go because it's about how people tend to trust social and mainstream media without researching. I might later write more about the debate next week or maybe not lol...

The United States had been embroiled in a kerfuffle, which might seem minor but maybe matters more than it could seem. One thing that I believe is part of the problem goes beyond the words said and ends up with interpretations of what it was supposed to mean. It actually goes back many years to earlier such arguments about family makeup and responsibilities. 

This is now not much of a story, as so often happens, big deals end up buried under new big deals (which will also disappear with a bit of time). But to start this blog, I want to share the original words from Harrison Butker at the graduation ceremony at a Catholic College, St. Benedictine, that tipped this all off, then some thoughts I have on the whole topic. As I expand on my own thinking, I hope you will refer back to this for your own thoughts.

 "For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I'm beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.

She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.

I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God's will in their life. Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.'"

If someone has been following this subject, you already know the way the words have been distorted to suggest he doesn't value women getting an education. Some have said he tells women they should stay home with their babies. In my reading of that, he didn't say that either. I think he wanted them to look for possible alternatives to work outside the home and expressed how important it has been to his family, again in his opinion.

When he refers to his wife's role as a vocation, he is giving homemaking a seriousness that it doesn't always get-- and that is true whether the parents also have outside vocations. To see homemaking as a lot more than dusting furniture... or not, gives it importance that deserves respect when done well.

More on this coming eventually  (not sure when) as when I first thought of it, I hadn't thought how complex it really was and blogs should not get too long. The main point here was how original words ended up distorted on many topics.

Oh and one more thing. This is Ranch Boss's birthday. Happy birthday to a great husband, father to our kids, caring grandfather, and to his parents. Actually, he's a good guy all the way around, even if we do sometimes get in an argument *s*

Out of our control or not?

 

(image from stencil of old woman and the desert)

 It seemed to me after speaking about our dreams and feeling of lack of control, I should expand a bit on what I meant about lack of control.

First up came the subject of immigration, which is actually impacting most so-called developed nations. I don't know how others see it, but here's my take. I am concerned about uncontrolled entering of our sovereign (some hate that word) countries, where there are agreed upon borders and rules for entry to these countries. That has all been exploded recently with many people, some impacted by climate change or violent crime, are taking sometimes grave risks (sometimes not so much) to get to a country that many of them see as more prosperous/safer than their own. 

For the countries, where they are arriving, there are different views on how they see it with fear, not enough jobs, not enough government benefits, limited available housing, and assorted other concerns. As for myself, I just want the entry to be orderly with those who want to be citizens where they are arriving.

Likewise, with better border controls, is making sure the arrivals aren't bringing illegal drugs or weapons. I am all for a border fence although it's a concern for wild creatures used to access for water and food. What are good answers for these concerns? I wish more responsible leaders were working for those answers and not just using them for political gain.

 

Naturally, I am concerned with potential wars where governments want to force the young to fight them. I was born toward the end of WWII, was a child when the talk was of the Cold War. We had school shelters in the basements where we were supposed to go if there was a nuclear attack. Kind of humorous if you think of it. I grew to adulthood during the Vietnam era and hence have seen what can happen. Wars should not be fought to make money for some while others die. To go to war,we need to have solid reasons but too often we have not.

As for other concerns where I feel no control... try old age lol. We really can't know how it'll be for us once we reach elderly years. I won't go into details here but I think most have a good idea of what they can be. The quote by a movie star that old age is not for sissies stands still true. But what is our choice short of dying early-- not one I would have chosen.

Dreams and lack of control

 

Dreams can be forgotten, by many, or interpreted, sometimes by someone else. Once in a while, I think they need to be shared, which is what I hope to do here with dreams from this week. (image from Stencil)

I was very upset when I woke from this dream. I seemed to be planning to watch a show on television. This is something I don't actually do as I quit watching the TV a couple of years ago. 

In the dream, I had turned a show on to see what it was going to do next. It's not a show I watch in my daytime, but dreams can do what they want. It had brought in a new hero and he was very weird looking, to say the least. He was a regular man but he had what looked like spider feet out his back. Yuck and how does that make a hero???

The show then changed to cartoons, not like Disney but more like the Simpsons (again not a show I had seen other than clips from it). I thought that's ridiculous. I tried to turn it off but could not. I couldn't turn off the TV either; so I switched channels.

Another weird type show from something that seemed beyond normal. At that point, I was feeling panic when I could not stop it. That's when I woke with that panicked feeling. When we both woke, I told Ranch Boss the dream and how upsetting it had been. Normally my dreams are just fine but this was not.

He then told me his dream of the same time, right before waking. He owned a bigger ranch than we have and it was being overrun by people, who had the freedom to walk where they chose, use what they wanted. That went so far as going to build a set of homes on our land that they didn't own, but again, nothing to stop them.

We realized that both or our dreams indicated a lack of personal control. We have felt some of that feeling in our lives. Upsetting to feel you can't really control what is happening, not only in your life, country, but also the world. This is really not a good time to be an empath.

I felt a lot of panic, not unusual for me with anxiety attacks a norm for a number of  years.

But, then, something else happened, that afternoon, where on a fluke, a momentary impulse, Ranch Boss looked out our bedroom window and was aware a small rodent was in our swimming pool, with no real way for it to get out short of drowning. He rushed out there and with the net, he scooped the little critter out to dry land, where it ran off. It had been a very lucky baby ground squirrel.

So... we might not have much control over a lot of what is happening, but we can do what we can and for some being, it might be the difference between life and death. I don't have an answer for how to stop the feelings of panic at lack of control, but that little baby able to run away did help some.