Saturday, October 22, 2005

Pointed Speech

I know someone that I am very glad I am not: Harriet Miers. Even if it meant I was nominated for a job for life (Supreme Court Justice). Her every blink is being scrutinized by all these would-be experts in judicial fitness. I don't care what religion she is or that she is a good bowler. I will wait for the hearings.

Four desert cottontail rabbits ran out of my barn when I went out to feed the horses tonight. They are powerfully cute little animals and don't run away too far from me so I get a good look at them. I don't begrudge them the little hay scraps they clean up for me. Will try to get a photo up of them someday. They are just one of the delights of desert life.

The birds of summer are all but gone and the winter ones are arriving. One of our year round residents, a cactus wren, is busy preparing a nest in a Palo Verde tree. I doubt it is for procreation purposes but to shelter it during our surprisingly nippy winter nights.

Some scientists have proposed that birds evolved from dinosaurs. My image of a dinosaur is a big, lumbering beast. Nothing like the darting loveliness of a hummingbird. I reserve my right to believe that some evolution is more far-fetched than intelligent design. Which brings me to my name: occam. In 14th century England there lived a Franciscan monk named William of Occam. He formulated what is known today as Occam's Razor, because William is too common a name to be used in a famous saying, so his town got the glory rather than poor childless William. Anyway, his "Razor" states that given two equally possible theories, choose the simpler. These days some people have shortened it to K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. But that is a little too short for a razor. I have adopted the name because I need an explanation for everything and since there are a whole heck of a lot of things in the universe, I tend to believe the sharpest interpretation. I like razors.

As I continue my uncommon journey through life, I wring hope for a better tomorrow out of the imperfect knowledge of today. Au revoir.

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