Author: Rev. Joe Dirt

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Smarter than the whole bunch…

I just finished 3 days of backpacking with my son and one of my brothers, Mike, in Arkansas. One of the things I have been doing for years after a hike in Arkansas, if I am anywhere near Jasper, Arkansas, is to treat myself to a meal at the Ozark Café.  This particular café is more than a hundred years old, seems to be a favorite with the locals, and is written up frequently in the Arkansas Times. The food is almost invariably very good or better, the coffee is even more so, and the service is in the same category.

Jasper is not very big, the population is 440 souls. It is however, right on the Buffalo National River.  In season the area is very popular for canoeing, backpacking, trout fishing, hunting and many types of outdoor activities.  They reintroduced elk into the area a few decades ago and they are thriving there.  While we only heard of a report of black bears from other hikers, we did see bear sign more than once. It is a fun area to hike with the scenery and wildlife.

I am eating my meal at the Ozark Café, and catty-corner from me is a table where there is sitting Continue reading “Smarter than the whole bunch…”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #231

yeah I know you did not ask!“

Not sure why this ad popped up for me…but it made me think of a girlfriend I had in high school.  She had just the barest hint of a belly, just a whisper.  She refused to wear a bikini because she did not want to be laughed at.  It is not that way anymore.   I reckon this falls under different strokes for different folks.

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Busco una oportunidad de voluntariado en Latinoamérica

Queridos amigos,

Quisiera pedirte un favor. Pon atención. Hay una oportunidad de voluntariado para este gringo.

Parte de la razón por la cual estoy estudiando español, es usarlo cuando viaje por Latinoamérica. Con los problemas de salud de mi esposa, no estoy seguro que viajemos juntos afuera de nuestro país mucho. Ella tiene miedos y también ella no está segura de su habilidad de hacer mucho. Todavía soy suficiente activo y algunas veces la diferencia física es un problema para nosotros. Yo la amo tal cual como ella es, y parte de la vida es tratar con estos problemas… C’est la vie, n’est pas.  ¡Así es la vida!

Hay una oportunidad  de voluntariado con un ONG Continue reading “Busco una oportunidad de voluntariado en Latinoamérica”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #4,530

yeah I know you did not ask!

I wish I could say this was original with me, but it is not.  But is still a good practice.

Most folks think the 3 most important words in a long term relationship (especially when you live together) are, “I love you.”  It was this person’s contention which I wholeheartedly agree with that the 3 most important words are, “Let it go.” I suppose you could substitute, “No big deal” or “this will pass” or “let it be” or any number of other phrases.  The thought being is don’t sweat the small stuff and give each other some latitude to be their self.

My wife the other day said to me, “We’re so different.”  At the time I was making some tea for us.  The package instructions say to steep for 4 to 5 minutes.  To me the tea is bitter if the bag is left in there too long.  I had set the kitchen time to 4 minutes and was waiting for it to ding before I removed the tea bags.  Setting the timer is something she would never have done. The analogy is that she is an artist and I am a draftsman.  I like my lines precise. I could have been upset at her seemingly mocking my precision, but hey… let it go.

Since I had heard/read this I have used it multiple times.

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Life at Midlife by Mary Anne Perrone

Dec 2016
Christmas at Midlife by -Mary Anne Perrone

I am no longer waiting for a special occasion;
I burn the best candles on ordinary days.

I am no longer waiting for the house to be clean;
I fill it with people who understand that even dust is Sacred.

I am no longer waiting for everyone to understand me;
It’s just not their task Continue reading “Life at Midlife by Mary Anne Perrone”

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Robin sings at the Turkish Community Center.

Robin and I spent part of our Christmas Day at an interfaith event at the Turkish Community Center.  There was a young man who sang some some songs in Turkish.  Anne and Robin then sang some Jewish songs.  Some were all in Hebrew and some were a mixture of Hebrew and English.

Before the singing we enjoyed a potluck meal of Turkish food and Jewish food.  Although most Jewish food is not of an ethnic, distinct nature.  Someone did bring some honey cake.

It was a really nice time.

We should celebrate diversity more.

Shalom.

 

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Freakonomics podcast with Andrew Yang

The only thing I know for sure is that this country will not remain this country if we have 4 more years of Gospodin Trump.  I would vote for a decaying slug over him.

As an aside — I abandoned my faith long ago for many good reasons.  If you are interested in why and how here is a link to another blog article: Rev. Joe stumbles.  The Christian right’s support of this abomination of a POTUS has nailed that coffin permanently shut. Trump is without a doubt the most unethical, least Christian President in the history of the nation.  IMHO, he is a criminal on multiple fronts and should be behind bars.  If the Christian rights argument is the ends justify the means, then add yet another nail to the coffin.  If you are using unethical means to achieve what you consider justifiable ends, then perhaps the ends are not so ethical also.

Having said all that I am having trouble getting excited about any of the Democratic candidates left in the field.  Biden who seems to be nice guy, also seems to tied to all the old bullshit. Last election cycle I was a Bernie supporter, but I really feel his age is a strike against him.  I like Elizabeth Warren, but I do not believe she is electable.  She is female, and she is being painted as a socialist along with Bernie.  An atheist probably has a better chance of being elected in this country than a “socialist”.

Billionaires such as Steyer and Bloomberg running for President just leave me cold. My wife likes Amy Klobuchar, so maybe I should look at her more. Pete Buttigieg is the opposite of Bernie, way too young and inexperienced.  How does running a small city like South Bend translate into running the United States of America?  It does not IMHO.

I know there are more running, but these are the key names that pop to mind…AND one more Andrew Yang, who again probably does not have proverbial snowball’s chance.  However, he is well spoken and has some good ideas.  It strikes me that he would approach governing with an analytic/scientific sensibility that is so missing in politics.

If you have time this podcast is very interesting to listen to.  It is Andrew Yang being interviewed by Freakonomics host Stephen Dubner (who spells Stephen the right way).

Below is the link:

Why Is This Man Running for President? (Ep. 362 Update)

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Baby, It Is Cold Inside!

Just cuz I know you are dying to know…

So the furnace was making a horrible racket and shutting off frequently.  We first noticed the problem when old eagle nose Robin detected a burning odor.  We tracked it down to the furnace.  From the noise going on and watching what happened when I took the cover off I was 80% sure it was the blower motor.  The odor was from poor combustion that resulted from the abrupt termination of the rotation of the squirrel cage pushed by the blower motor. Besides a bad motor it could have been several other things, a bad capacitor, a fault on the control board… I’m not up on the entire diagnostic tree for furnace ailments.

It has been cold here, below freezing.  I found a HVAC company that at least on various web sites had good reviews.  They would come out, even with the icy roads, $99 service call fee, plus any repairs extra.  The young man who came out was very personable, very professional, he quickly diagnosed the issue after a discussion with yours truly and an examination of the motor/capacitor with a multi-meter.  It was indeed a bad blower motor.  The company carried a generic motor on the van that would work for most furnaces. They wanted $900 Continue reading “Baby, It Is Cold Inside!”

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My Luddite Rebellion Against Wally World

yeah I know you did not ask!

There is a big push in many stores to decrease the number of checkers and force the clients into self-service checkout.  I have not problem with technology having spent the majority of my adult life programming computers.  What I do have a problem with is the decrease in service level at many stores, especially Wal-Mart which has always had bad service. I also believe that the Waltons do not need any more money, and decreasing employees is a way to increase their profits.  My other issue is the elimination of jobs for Homo sapiens.

One of the earliest Kurt Vonnegut novels is Player Piano.  The Wikipedia synopsis sums Continue reading “My Luddite Rebellion Against Wally World”