State of Occam

I am so tired.

Saguaro cactus

Saguaro cactus
Originally uploaded by edification.

The morning of Feb. 24, 2006 in Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ.

Good Old Arabian Horses

Tomorrow is the final day of the 51st Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. I was there on Friday, a lovely sunny, 77 degree day. The horses were stars, all of them, even the ones who didn't win their class. Many were half-Arabians but the unmistakable kings and queens were the purebred Arabians, floating through the air, like the world exists for them to adorn. And they do adorn it. If a Quarter Horse is the common man's truck, the Arabian is the sassy foreign sports car.

There were also, they told us, 300 vendors there to entice attendees with everything for the horse and everything for the horse lover, including massages, essential oils, furniture, art, jewelry and clothes. I ate a Mexican buffet catered by a tractor trailer truck manufacturer. These trucks are needed to haul 10 or 12 horse trailers. I toured horse trailers with living quarters that are appointed better than my house. But the bottom line is that these pampered show horses produce the same thing mine do: lots of manure.

Scottsdale produces a fine showcase at the WestWorld facility. After all, a world class event needs world class (read: urban) amenities. But I can't help but see the huge electric transmission lines in the background of my photographs of the horses. At home, my Arabs stand in pure relief against the desert. More like their ancient homeland. But then, in the old days, the Bedouin Arab didn't raise his pure horses with oil pipelines in the background either. It's a new world. For man and beast alike.

2 fast, 2 furry

I've been exploring the Internet lately and it still amazes me. The whole world is out there on line. What was life like before the www? I started with an Apple IIe, so I've been playing with computers a long time. Not that I know much about them. I don't understand my car either, but I can drive it. Speaking of driving, I got stopped for speeding today. I truthfully didn't know why I was pulled over. I was listening to Pearl Jam, just lost in the music and there were lights in my rear view mirror. The officer gave me a written warning instead of a ticket, for which I am eternally grateful. He said I was going 45 in a 35 zone. Oops. The last time I was stopped for speeding I was late for my father's funeral. The officer had mercy then too.

Tomorrow I am leaving town for a few days to do horse things. I'll be camping out in my tent. One can do this fairly comfortably in Arizona in February. The weather is forecast to be sunny and warm.

Horses are starting to shed their winter hair. Fur is flying in the air during grooming now! Spring is beginning!

Butterfly Words

A small amount of snow fell on the mountain. There had been a wildfire of a few acres in the 8000 foot elevation and it appears the snow may have aided in the extinguishing of the threat. We can use all the moisture we can get.

While sitting in church this morning I gazed at the snow capped mountain as the visiting preacher droned on. This man has been on the road for 31 years, preaching all across the country. I don't know how he is received elsewhere, or even how he was received here, but I thought he was b-o-r-i-n-g. He spoke so slowly. I guess I need someone who is throwing a lot of words out there for me to process. I read fast, so maybe I hear fast too. In addition he was using a version of the Bible that uses antiquated language. I don't know about you but I have never asked someone how art thee? Oh well, maybe I am just a female dog today.

I watched a few "ends" of curling from the Olympics. Curling looks like a combination of billiards, chess, and golf - on ice. I think it is more fun to play than to watch. The USA is out of medal contention so there won't be any curling fanaticsim sweeping the country.

I am planting some veggies in my garden already. It looks like an early spring this year. I am going to take advantage of it. It has been a few years since I have planted much of a garden. I would miss the planting dates, get things in late and they'd fry in the June sun. So I determined not to do that this year. Time will tell.

I watched the movie "Hidalgo" last night. Being an Arab owner, I was a little disappointed that the Arabian horses were not shown to their advantage. But then they supposedly were out-raced by this American Mustang. The story is a fantasy that was touted as true for awhile until historians stood up and said "Not". Mustangs have been known to do well in endurance races. But Arabians dominate the distance races all over the world. Quarter Horses for a fast 1/4 mile, Thoroughbreds for a mile or 1 1/8th mile or jumping, and Arabians for the long haul.

Tomorrow is Presidents Day. I have to fix the holder so I can fly my American flag. I've always thought the red, white, and blue were colors that clash a bit. But that sums up our country pretty good too. Always ready for a good disagreement, but we'll come to your aid if your car conks out on you. I've always admired the Canadian flag. The left and right fields of red, symbolize the west and east of their far-flung nation, and in the center is the Maple Leaf, uniting them and representing the people's respect for their raw land. Maples are beautiful and useful trees. I planted some when I lived in the east, and they are stately looking specimens today. Occam's husband used to tap Maples for syrup in his younger days. Nothing can compare to real maple syrup on pancakes or waffles.

As you can see, I am really rambling today. Flinging words out there, hoping that some alight somewhere.

Hunting

I have made 75 posts to this blog now since October and I've never wrote about hunting. I have a valid 2006 Arizona hunting license. I enjoy wild meat and it does not have hormones, or anti-biotics floating around in it. It takes healthy exercise to procure wild meat. My freezer has squirrel, rabbit, deer and bear meat in it at this time. All are low in cholesterol and fat compared to beef, chicken and pork. We didn't get any Quail this year. When hunting quail with other hunters it is important to not get beyond the imaginary line in front of the moving hunters. This sometimes happens because people get excited, confused, forgetful or are just plain stupid. I don't know what Mr. Whittington was, but the Vice-President did shoot him. By Accident, for God's sake. The press is blowing this up like some sort of mortal sin. But the press's worst complaint? That the news broke from a small newspaper and not from the White House. Good grief, this was not international news! It was on personal time and involved people just on vacation out enjoying the wilderness.

I think I'd feel pretty bad if I accidently shot someone. But being peppered with birdshot is not the end of the world. It is more dangerous to jaywalk in Washington DC than go quail hunting with the VP.

So now I'm going to go cook up some venison. I appreciate my liberty to pursue wild game. My body does too.

Dreams

Sweet Dreams are made of this, Who am I to disagree? asked the Eurythmics. The athletes in Torino, Italy have sweet dreams. Of skiing faster, flying higher, skating better. I don't disagree. Let the games live forever. Look at the two Koreas, marching in the Opening Ceremonies together. Fair play is all the world asks for. Let it be safe, let it be fun, let the best moments be caught on video for everyone to enjoy.

What happened to your dreams? Mine kind of had the legs cut out from under them. These things happen. One makes new dreams.

Last night I had a dream that left me hanging. I want to finish it tonight. This is possible. Sometimes you don't want to know the ending to your dreams. If an elderly person (much older than me of course) dreams of falling off a curb, will they break their hip? I can't count the number of curbs I've fallen off. Does this say something about me? I don't know, I'm not a dream-interpreter.

I've dreamt of winning the lottery. What I would do with $1 million or $10 million? Fortunately I don't buy lottery tickets very often, so that misfortune will never come my way.

And what of dreams unfulfilled? Do they just keep flying into outer space like sound waves that never die, only becoming fainter and fainter to eternity. Like a homeopathic pill, our dreams are diluted to tiny molecules, hardly resembling the original. Are they still there or never to be achieved? You can go faster, higher, better in your mind. Caught on video in your brain. Just don't fall off a curb on your way to buy a lottery ticket.

Love

Valentine's Day is coming soon, gentlemen. Lest you forget who rubs your back!

My brother tells me that he will shortly begin to seriously look for a girlfriend, now that the gift-giving holidays will be past. Crafty fellow.

Love is a very complicated thing. I'd quote a clever line from Shakespeare if I could remember any. He was rather taken by the myriad faces of love. Romeo & Juliet, etc.

I wish I could write about love, rather than the lack of it. But negative emotions are more powerful for the consumers of today. What is popular on TV? Crime, repairing bodies, dissecting bodies to find the criminal. Where is the love? If an ad agency were to suggest a campaign featuring people handing a soft drink to one another which promotes peace and harmony, it would never get off the drawing board. The Real Thing in 2006 is blood and sex and fast cars skidding. The theme of the Torino Olympics is Fire & Ice. Everything is so passionate. Passion without love. It drains our souls while it takes our energy. Leaving behind broken people. If we wise up fast enough, we can strive to love more in life. That would be a most valuable heritage for our children.

Fat Girl

To briefly relate the story of Nia, she was a beautiful 17 year old girl suddenly afflicted with auditory hallucinations. Her life stopped functioning. Schizophrenia is no respecter of persons. Finally under the care of a young psychiatrist, she was able to be free of those voices that tormented her. But she gained 42 pounds in 3 weeks. And the psychiatrist was worried about her apparent lack of worry over her changed appearance. He felt his treatment was a failure because she was no longer a sexy young thing and she didn't care! Can you imagine, he put her body shape ahead of the restoring of her mind? And he was worried that she wasn't worried about it? Who is more sane here?

Psychoactive drugs that cause weight gain are very common. In addition, doctors find that the patients cannot just get on a treadmill and lose weight. The US is getting obsessed with obesity. This young psychiatirst who is putting his eyes on a comely youth and seeing his pills turn her into less than his ideal, well, it is quite sickening. He needs to get married or buy an inflatable doll or something. And stop putting his need to preserve beauty ahead of preserving the sanity of his patients. Nia's story is that if her doctor was treating an old crone, he wouldn't give a second thought to her weight gain. Prejudice of age, prejudice of body shape. He needs his head examined.

Minor Cartoon, Now Major Problem

There is some speculation in the blogosphere that at least some of the Danish cartoons that have caused all this uproar may have been penned by Moslems themselves to inflame anti-western sentiment. It has to do with how the alphabet is written. Arabic is written right to left, whereas some of the letters in Danish which would be written left to right, appear to be written backwards - or by someone who wrote Arabic before they learned the Danish method of writing. Hmm. This could be very sad for the families of those rioters who may have died over a hoax. It is already sad because if they hadn't made an issue of it, nobody would have seen these truly amateurish cartoons, and they wouldn't have to be offended. In this case, what the world doesn't see, can't hurt it. But because they have made it a celebrated cause, the whole world has tuned in to see the insulting cartoons. And now, the Moslems are hurt. Oh Jesus, what a tangle our world is today.

Extreme Ride

Took a motorcycle ride again today. I felt the temperature change from the countryside where I live, to downtown. I breathed in various scents of soil, wood, and plants as I rode. My nose is pretty sensitive. Nobody in a car or truck tried to kill me. How disappointing.

There are 6,200 people living in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, and none of them know me or you. There is no way to drive to Iqaluit because it is located on a rather large island way to the north of Montreal. It is the largest population center in Nunavut (a huge territory, bigger than any state in the US.) The town used to be called Frobisher Bay after an English explorer. But presumably he and his family didn't stay, so why honor him with the town name? After all, the native people knew where they were. They were in Iqaluit. I wonder what the native people here knew my area as? Hot-spot-between-mountain-ranges. Thank God for air conditioning. Otherwise the vast majority of Arizonans would live elsewhere. And have to spend money to heat their homes. I am always astounded at what my northeast US family spends on utilities. I'm glad I don't have to heat a house in Iqaluit. There are no trees to cut for wood heat in Nunavut. But it soon may be a busy transportation harbor if the ice keeps melting up north with the Global Warming. The satisfaction to the old longing for a Northwest passage may be only a few degrees Farenheit away.

Well, I've taken you on a trip from the Sonoran Desert to icy Iqaluit. Did you hold on? Or fall off the back of my motorcycle?

Touched a Nerve

Islam has been insulted by cartoons in a Danish newspaper. In the US this is not news. At various times, every religion existing here has been subjected to criticism, insult and jokes. Americans are adept at making fun. It is what we do. In a free society. However, this is not an accepted practise in Moslem culture. When people move to a nation such as Denmark, it would be wise to enrich the civilization there and not try to make it just like the country you emigrated from. Burning Danish flags in protest of normal societal behavior will not effect change. It will only accent your own disconnect with the majority of mankind.

One Small Step

A member of my family was baptized today. I find it hard to explain baptism to those who have not experienced it. I find it harder to explain why some people are baptized again and again. I was sprinkled as a baby. I was brought up strictly in the doctrine of my church. Then as a teen I rejected it. At least outwardly. Being religious was not cool. You'd never get laid. Ahem! But many years have gone by since those days of flash and wonder. Or was that flesh and wander? Whatever. Today I watched a baptism. Water washes away impurities. Watching the baptism of Jesus, John the Baptist saw that the man was the Messiah. We can only baptize with water for the forgiveness of sin. But the Messiah came and died to pay the final price for man's sin. Our efforts are weak. Water takes centuries to wear away the stone. Washing, washing. But we can draw nearer to our Saviour by submitting to baptism of our own free choice. Yes, it almost seems futile. But people need the outward signs to demonstrate the inward change. So we show the world. Yes, I , like Jesus, was baptized. I am weak, but I can take a step closer to God. A wash here, a wash there. It is obvious we need it. It is very cool. I watched a baptism today.

Crusading

How could this be February 4th already? My cottonwood tree is opening catkins already. After a long 2 week winter slumber after the last leaves of 2005 finally fell. This has been the winter that wasn't. There sure as heck hasn't been any rain.

The other important event of the week that I forgot to mention in the post on "The Week" was the retirement of Alan Greenspan. Such a prophetic name as his tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve saw quite an expansion of the greenback. He has an aptronym, a name that is especially suited to one's profession. I once tried to fulfill that definition. But I had trouble with calculus, gram molecules and plain cerebral edema due to actually being in college, little ol' me!

Someone close to me commented that reading my blog was like reading someone's daydream. I believe I do often write as if in reverie; however, sometimes I can be down to earth. But what fun is that? More fun to audaciously bob and flail at the castles in the sky. Then everyone can admit without fear that they don't know what I am talking about and everyone can go to bed dissolved of responsibility. Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to Oz we go!

There was a boy who grew up fascinated with knights, chivalry and medieval history. He wished he had lived in the times of armor and swords. A TV ad showing a Marine climbing a vertical rock caught his eye. At the top the Marine came to attention with a sword. The boy enlisted and found that women liked uniforms. But these were no ladies-in-waiting. Then he was sent to fight the Saracens. They didn't come out in the open charging on desert horses though. These were modern warriors. He didn't take a spear in his leg, but shrapnel. Now he is a web designer in Denver. He is a gallant of modern America. He will let his wife go shopping while he watches the Super Bowl. The modern equivalent of knights clashing. His sword is a knife to spread the mayo on his gametime sandwich. They didn't have mayo in the Middle Ages.