Balancing Act

This morning I find myself staring out the window, lost in thought.  On one hand my mind wants to dive deeply into some subject and on the other it doesn't.  I suppose diving is an appropriate thought because the pond is full.  It is on the verge of overflowing.  We have had more rain in the last few days than the country I grew up in receives in a year.

I never should complain of rain because most of my life I have complained that more was needed -- not less.  The crazy thing is that in this country, if it doesn't rain every couple of weeks, we are in a drought.  Where I grew up, I recall a year that we received no significant rainfall for 18 months.  Now that's a drought.

You would think it possible to achieve a happy medium with just the right amount of rain falling at the right time.  I suppose that would be boring because then we couldn't complain.

Now the weather will change, and we will have unbearable heat and humidity.  All of this water trapped in ponds and trees and in the ground will evaporate but not dissipate because the winds will be minimal or non-existent.  It will certainly rain but primarily it will be the sweat drops falling off of me as I go about my outside chores.

It seems we bounce between extremes.  Cool but with drenching rain or miserably hot with clear blue skies.  I know, quit complaining.

Life tends to be that way regarding most things.  It is a cycle from one extreme to another.  We have abundance and we have lack.  The real question is what we do in those times of abundance.  Do we set it aside for the times of lack?  Do we share it?  Do we hoard it?  How do we handle more than we need?

I had the opportunity to visit Africa a couple of times quite a few years ago.  I was impressed yet dismayed that if anyone had more than was necessary to meet their immediate needs, they shared the excess with someone who needed it more.  They gave it away.  Their view was that the future would take care of itself.  Holding onto more than necessary to meet current needs wasn't even a thought.  Meeting the needs of others was always on their mind.

In this country we are more likely to hoard -- accumulate -- let others worry about the needy.  Surely there is a happy medium -- a balance.  Thought for future needs yet generosity toward others.  It should be our role as individuals, not the government's role.

Below is a photo of our pond from yesterday.  Water was still running into it from the rain that had just ceased.  It is full to the point of overflowing.

 Diverted Pathways

If you follow my blog, you have noticed a break for the last few days.  Such breaks can be difficult to recover from because they break the habit of sitting down and writing on a daily basis.  The problem is that life sometimes has plans for us other than what we had in mind.

Such diversions, though often for undesirable reasons, can be a good thing.  They force us to reevaluate purpose and to determine whether the chosen pathways are the correct ones.  They stimulate regions of thought that might otherwise remain untapped.  Being forced to reexamine the "why" of what we do can either cause us to change directions or be affirmed in our choices.

This morning the rain is coming down so hard that I can barely see the other side of the meadow whereas normally, the sun is shining into my window.  I had plans for today that would require me to be outside, but at this moment that seems unlikely to be the case.  It is a minor diversion from my plans, but it is only temporary.

This morning, while looking for an appropriate photo to use in this post I came across one I had taken of a Persian Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) growing wild on the back side of the dam for our pond.  It is commonly called a Mimosa tree by most people, but it isn't a true mimosa.  They can be found growing wild throughout the Southeast U.S. but are often planted in more arid places for their showy pink blossoms.  Here they are considered invasive.

I have often wondered what it would be like to live far from where I grew up -- perhaps in another country.  When younger, we considered the possibility of moving to Australia.  At one time Kenya was also under consideration.  The Persian Silk Tree is native to Iran and a few other countries across southern Asia.  Yet here it is in Northeast Texas.  I think that could be considered a diverted pathway, yet it thrives.  I think that's the key; make the best of what comes along and thrive wherever you find yourself.

 Questions

I ask lots of questions.  I always have.  Often, people take my questions in the wrong way.

I question because I want to learn.  People sometimes take my questions to mean that I doubt what they are saying.  I really just want to understand.

My kids hated it when they were young because they were questioned about their day, about school, about other kids.  They thought I was prying into their lives.  The reality is that I was just curious.  To me knowledge is the key to doors that lead to better places.

It's not just questions.  I read a wide variety of material.  Certainly, I enjoy fiction, but I read a lot of non-fiction too.  Even fiction is a source of knowledge.  Creativity is stimulated by reality.  Science fiction is a great example.  Many things have appeared first in science fiction long before science was able to produce them -- rockets for one.  Concepts based on fragmentary knowledge often leads to creative linkages that lead discovery.

New discoveries begin with questions.  They begin with "what if" and "I wonder" and similar thoughts.

It doesn't just apply to science.  It applies to virtually everything.  We should be asking questions like, "What if the Peace with Iran fails?"  "How will policy change after the next election?"  "How will the New World Screwworm affect the cattle markets?"  "How can I help my grandchildren that will prepare them for the future?" and the list goes on.

I wish that everyone asked more questions.  Instead, it seems that our children are taught "not to question" but to simply obey.  As a parent I understand that.  For the military I understand that.  In society in general I believe it is a mistake.  We should respectfully question "authority" and others who wield power.  Far too many are manipulated by those who wield the power -- both economically and politically.  We need to be questioning them.

The flower below is a Crepe Myrtle.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this post, but I like it.  We have many growing on our place, but the photograph was taken yesterday about an hour away from here as we were traveling.  Now the obvious question is "Why were you traveling?"  The answer is curiosity.  We wanted to see what was out there.

 Commonalities

The true key to solving major challenges is commonality of purpose.  A diverse team, focused on a solution, under inspired leadership can solve anything.

I am a firm believer in diversity.  But I don't define diversity by how we look, our belief systems or our lifestyles; I define it by styles of thinking.  If we all think alike, we have mass redundancy.  To solve problems, we need diversity of thought.

Too often that diversity of thinking styles gets in the way.  That is why inspired leadership is a necessary ingredient.  Leadership should encourage, challenge and inspire each of the diverse individuals in a group to exercise their gifts to the fullest.  Then magic happens.

We have a plant which grows on our place called Common Hedge Parsley (Tonilis arvensis).  Don't eat it, it looks like many other plants in the wild carrot family such as Poison Hemlock.  The Common Hedge Parsley is sometimes called "sock-destroyer" because its hairy seeds stick to the socks like Velcro.  The plant is usually considered an invasive weed and is commonly found in Europe and North America.  It is part of the natural diversity within our local ecosystem.

 Food Security

I read an Opinion piece this morning regarding Open Borders and the heavy migration of people from South and Central America up through Mexico that focused on the New World Screwworm (NWS).  Southern Mexico has been the focus of containing the NWS since its eradication in regions north many years ago.  The column indicated that the barrier was broken by the Cartels who moved both people and livestock northward through that barrier as authorities "looked the other way" due to potential violence and many bribes.

The cattle carrying the NWS were "legitimized" by being placed in Feedyards and on ranches in Mexico.  It was a way of laundering money for the Cartels.  The barrier holding back the NWS was destroyed through that illegal movement of livestock.

The result was that new reservoirs of the NWS were created across northern Mexico which is home to millions of cattle.  Summer winds, wildlife movement and other factors pushed the NWS across the border into Texas.

We will be unable to stop the spread of NWS unless we can stop the Cartels from laundering money through illegal movement of cattle and other livestock into northern Mexico.  Until that is eliminated, reservoirs of the fly will remain just across the border, providing the source of movement despite closing the border to the entry of live cattle into the U.S.

Food Security is National Security.  The NWS threatens a highly pressured segment of our food supply in the impact it has on cattle production.  The opinion expressed by the Columnist was that Border Security, elimination of the Cartels which engage in drug and human trafficking and elimination of their ability to launder money through illegal movement of livestock is a critical component of securing the U.S. against further spread of NWS.

Food Security has been an issue for humans since the beginning of time.  It can be at the individual, family, community or country level.  It was a serious issue for early pioneers as they founded homesteads and towns in their westward movement across the North American Continent.  An interesting example of one solution was to turn the corn and grapes that they raised into alcoholic products that wouldn't spoil.  Those could then be traded to others for food.

Whiskey was a primary way to store corn produced in the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee and Wine provided a way to capture the proteins and carbohydrates from grapes harvested wild in those same environments.  Human ingenuity at its finest.

We have wild Muscadine Grapes (Vitis rotundifolia) growing in the woods on our place.  I doubt that I will be making any wine from them, but I am happy to see them thriving.  With the way things look in this old world, food security might again become a primary issue to individuals.

 Scratching the Itches

We live in an area where there are many plants, insects and arachnids that attack on a regular basis.  Poison ivy, poison oak, chiggers, ticks, spiders -- they seem to be everywhere.  Since the first warming rays of the Spring sun caused the tender shoots of poison ivy to grow, I have itched.  Working in the woods to clean up the brush exposes me to all of the above.  Scratching those itches happens because the irritation overcomes the will to ignore.

Chiggers may be the worst.  Sometimes all it takes is to walk through the grass for the tiny creatures to find purchase and work their way to a point where they can bite.  One of their favorite places to hide is in or near berry bushes.  Picking dewberries or blackberries is a sure way to gather a few.

They latch on to the skin and feed, but you don't know they are there until they drop off.  That's when the itching begins.  They leave behind enzymes as well as the mechanical damage of their feeding probe that are attacked by the immune system.  That's when the itching begins.  Scratching can cause bacterial infections that then make it even worse.  The skin becomes more inflamed, and it often takes weeks for the red spots to fade.

Deep Woods Off with Deet is a good way to prevent or at least to reduce the number of chiggers that make it to your skin.  That or completely avoiding grass and woodland areas are really the only way to evade them.

There are many things that remind me of chiggers.  Small annoyances often become serious problems if allowed to continue.  It is best to prevent such things, but if they occur, they should be dealt with promptly rather than allowed to fester.  Such things happen in families, with friends, at work and any other place we encounter "irritations" that are unresolved.  Sometimes they remain because we fail to deal with them -- such as a loose shingle, or a broken screen, or a rattle in the car.  Learn to deal with them promptly.  Don't put them off.  Scratch the itch, but better yet, treat it or prevent it.

The Black-eyed Susans pictured below are growing wild in one of those parts of our place where the chiggers like to live.  I thought the photo was worth the risk of the itch anyway.

 Rumblings of Peace

The sky is rumbling this morning.  It is the rumbling that accompanies a gentle rain.  It is peaceful, unlike the violent crashing of a thunderstorm.

The announcement was made last night that the terms of a general peace agreement with Iran have been reached.  An official memorandum is to be signed on Friday in Geneva which will begin a 60-day period in which the details of a comprehensive agreement are to be worked out.

I am skeptical that it will hold.

As with all such agreements there is discontent by many.  In time discontent begins to fester into resentment and finally to action.  Shared common interests are the only way to real peace.  All parties must have the same goals in mind along with an agreed approach to how they are to be achieved.

At the end of the day, it is self-interest that drives behavior.  I don't believe we are at a point where there is common self-interest.

Is true and lasting peace achievable?  Again, I am skeptical.  There is insufficient commonality of beliefs for that to occur.  There is an unwillingness to share power and control.

Perhaps economic incentives can be structured in such a way that peace will be maintained for a period, but in the end, core beliefs will continue to be a well of discontentment.  Pockets of fervent believers who think they have "been wronged" will stir trouble until we again find ourselves in crisis.

This week's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a small beginning.  There will be fortunes made from the impact it has on the markets.  Other fortunes will be made when the agreement is broken.

The small Plant Hopper pictured below is only about 1/4 inch in length.  This one is identified as Ormenoides venusta.  It is not known to be an economically damaging species and is often found feeding on wild grapevines.  Not a lot is known about it, but it obviously fills a niche in the environment that is important or it wouldn't exist.  It is a tiny thing but I'm skeptical about the "not known to be economically damaging" aspect of its description.

 Shine Your Light

A simple garden petunia, growing in an uncultivated state, shines because it can't help being what it is.  Despite being mowed down, ignored, crowded by grasses and weeds, it shines.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all be like that.  No matter where we find ourselves, be true to ourselves, don't pretend, don't try to blend in, simply shine.

Little children understand this.  Then the world does everything it can to take it away.  God made each of us according to the unique pattern wired into our DNA and then conditioning, circumstances, our environment, peers, parents, siblings, the school system, television, the Internet, and on and on works on us the rest of our life to take that away.  Fight to be true to self.  Be a feral, uncultivated Petunia and shine.

 Storms

Storms happen.  Sometimes they are expected and sometimes they are not.  Even when expected you never know how severe they might be.

Despite the potential danger or damages they may bring storms are often beneficial.  They bring rain.  That's the easy one to identify as a benefit for someone who grew up in an arid region of the world.  We currently live in an area with around 40 inches of average annual rainfall.  Even there the rain is of benefit as are the winds that might accompany a storm.

I think rain is cleansing.  Heavy rain can wash away accumulated debris, cleanse the dust from the leaves, fill the ponds and streams and otherwise replenish the land.  And of course, it is necessary for life to go on.

In this land of trees where we currently reside, winds which accompany the storms also provide another benefit.  They often clear out dead trees, and they break loose and cause to fall, the deadwood which might be hanging high up in the canopy.  The result can be a nuisance when those limbs fall across the county road or block the driveway but removing them from the canopy is good for the trees.

We had quite a storm pass through this week.  The photo below is of some of the limbs that came to the ground.

Storms of other natures come into our lives as well.  We need to focus on the benefits -- the good that results from them -- and not dwell on the temporary inconvenience or pain they may bring.

 Resistance is Futile

"Resistance is futile" is probably my favorite line from the entire Star Trek universe.  In "Star Trek First Contact" the Borg warning is, "We are the Borg.  Lower your shields and surrender your ships.  We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.  Your culture will adapt to service us.  Resistance is futile."

Ultimately, the Federation is able to resist -- at least for the time being -- and retain their independence.  It all reminds me of the politics of today.

The Culture War is real.  We all need to be paying very close attention.

The Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a vine found virtually everywhere.  It is invasive.  It grows rapidly and overwhelms small trees at times.  Some see it is a nice ornamental that has leaves which turn purple in the Fall.  It is often used instead of Boston Ivy as a decorative addition to the brick walls of homes or fences.  It doesn't damage the masonry like some ivies.  It does like to escape, however, and grow where it isn't wanted.  Despite best efforts it likes to spread and take over.  Some might say that resistance is futile.

The specimen below is growing up the side of a group of Post Oak trees on our property.  Eventually it will find itself severed from the soil which nourishes it.  I just haven't gotten to it yet.