Founding Fathers- A Religion Rant

I get so annoyed when people say “this or that” in regards to Christianity and give the reasoning “that” is how the “Founding Fathers” meant it to be. I just think “Are you kidding me? What are people learning is history class these days?”
(1) These Founding Fathers lived in a time when being this kind or that kind of Christian was an issue. (2) Religious freedom was always an American value- the colonies were a place to come to because being Catholic or Quaker or Lutheran or whatever were issues back in Britain because the British had a state religion. Have you heard of the Church of England? (3) Some of the Founding Fathers were Atheists or Agnostic.
Perhaps the Founding Fathers did not see a time when all religions, Christian or otherwise, would be an issue in our country; however, they knew enough to know that combing personal faith and public government did not work well together.
So, why on earth do these people keep using these Founding Fathers to justify their personal need to make everyone practice their personal religion? Whose religion should the government make us practice? Would you want me telling you how to practice? How about that guy over there picking his nose or maybe that lady behind you in the check- out screaming at her kid or that girl putting on making and texting while driving? No? I would guess you would like to choose who or what you put your faith in for yourself. In the United States of America have the FREEDOM to chose our faith and practice it. And if I or you want to wear a hat or a veil or a cross or a rock or a pair of antenna to practice a religion we can.
I think the Founding Fathers would be pleased with that.

Moose Returns

So Moose has been on a hiatus, since- well- September. As you could tell from my last post I wasn’t feeling very positive. I am still not up to my old self. Although my life from the outside seems pretty nice, I am a wreck. I don’t have to work. Meaning we can still eat and pay our bills even if I never get a job. We can’t get a new car or anything that might require a loan, but we are ok. My kids do well in school and don’t cause trouble. My husband is supportive and loving. But I am still too chicken to get a job. I know it is all in my head. I know logically that I could find a job and I could do it. But the anxiety is making me sabotage every attempt. I know it is ridiculous. I know that I am just being selfish but here it is all stupid and selfish for someone to read. I haven’t been writing because I felt like what was the point. I am not in school anymore and who wants to read about some selfish old lady who can’t even get up the courage to apply for a job. Then I thought no one reads this blog anyway so why not write for myself. So Moose is back writing. Maybe writing regular will help me. Maybe not, but at this point it can’t hurt.

Knots

Have you ever noticed how life is like knitting? It starts with a slip knot and is so easy to unravel, but if you keep working a head even your mistakes seem small-even beautiful. As you move through the piece and time you can do more complex things that look amazing; but it is the simple ordinary daily stuff, the regular old garter stitch, which are the bones of life. The simplicity, of knit row one and purl row two- get up, live life, got to bed, and do it again, that makes it easy to tackle the challenges of cables and tricky days when the car breaks down. We somehow get through the tricky stuff and are prettier for the work. Lately I feel so disconnected from myself. What kind of afghan am I making? Is my life is like that unfinished afghan stuffed in the closet waiting for me to come back to it? Am I unraveling? Am I just in the boring garter stitch part? Am I in a knot in the middle of the skein? Is it time to change the color? Where is the pattern? I don’t like patterns anyway; I am always changing them to suit me. Whose pattern is it? Do I know what it is al supposed to turn out like? What if I don’t have the right needles? What if I don’t have the right yarn? Life is like knitting and all full of knots.

On My Soap Box –Poop

Poop and how we dispose of it is one of the factors that separate the third world from the rest. Clean water is one thing that we in the USA take for granted most towns, cities, and municipalities in the USA have clean water. Of course there are some that have problems but in general we can turn on the tap, drink the water and not worry if we will get cholera or dysentery or some other illness from water. Since the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act were put in place people have become more educated and government and private agencies have worked hard to make our water drinkable for all Americans. This has not happened without considerable effort and money. People and companies have had to make major changes. There are still things that can and will take place to insure that our water is safe.
So here is where I get on my soap box. I have been up here before about diapers, recycling, plastics, water bottles, cat litter, and light bulbs. Today’s soapbox topic is poop. I was looking for an article on poop in disposable diapers not decomposing at the right temperature to kill bacteria and other things. I couldn’t find it although I am sure I read it. But in my search I found articles on cow poop and pig poop and dog poop and cat poop polluting our waters. I found articles on poop left by hikers in national parks. So I was wondering; why I can’t find an article or a study on the impact of human poop in landfills? I did find one on the ills effect of the gel stuff in feminine hygiene products and another on the plastics in the disposable diapers on ground water. I found an article that estimate that 27 billion disposable diapers a year are thrown into landfills. My kids are out of diapers so why is this so important to me? Simply-the earth is where I live and I like living here.
The last recession has people thinking how to save money and maybe our resources too. People other than college professors in cork sandals are bringing their own bags to the stores. I have even seen business people in heels and suits using reusable grocery sacks at the end of the day in stores. There are articles in the paper and segments on local news that tell us how to be more energy-wise and eco-friendly. I am happy that the rest of the world has finally caught on to the fact that not only will you “save the planet” *scoff* but you can save money. By the way I like that this green movement has my grocery store posting signs over produce that come from a local farm.
So why if everyone is so willing to be green and save money- why don’t more people switch to cloth diapers and stop polluting our planted with poop filled plastic time bombs? Why do we think the just because we put these things (diapers, cat poop, dog poop) in our trash can at the curb that the problem goes away?
On happy note, my sister has seen the light and will be using cloth diapers for her next baby. Whoohoo!

Sound of Silence

When I lie in bed at night it is quiet in my house, well… except for the sound of the fan that my husband insists on. On nights that I convince him that we really don’t need to be blasted with a stream of cold air, it seems so peaceful in my home. Oh sure- there are little noises like the A/C or the refrigerator running, but last night I learned just how noisy my house is. I was fast asleep when deafening silence woke me up. The power had gone out and the fan stopped, so did the refrigerator, the A/C, dehumidifier, sump pump, the whirr of the DVD player that was left on, the hum of the cable box, the buzz of the under cabinet kitchen light left on by Mr. Conservation, and any other numerous electronic devices that make little hums all the time. I was astonished at just how loud my house was and how quiet it can be.
Of course I got up and checked the basement as the sump pump would not be running and phoned the power company. So it was not a bad thing that the silence woke me. By the way calling the power company is no small feat when my house is freakishly dark either. I went back to sleep and when the power came back on about 2 hours later I was once again awakened by all the noise of my house. Tonight I have been trying to figure out what could be turned off.
The A/C- No, Deer likes it just above freezing.
Fan- No, I won’t tolerate actual freezing so Deer does his best to freeze my toes off with the fan.
The ceiling fans- No, again see previous need for arctic temperatures.
Sump pump- Uhm Noooo, I am in no hurry to see my house float away.
Dehumidifier- already set at energy saver mode – damp moldy basement is bad.
Cable box- makes sound whether on or off; plus it is not practical to pull TV away from wall every night before bed to just to unplug it.
Refrigerator –spoiled food is bad for you.
Deep freeze- again spoiled food is bad for you.
So that just leaves the DVD player- ok I turned that off- and the lovely buzzing light in the kitchen that I want off anyway. Oh and of course my computer, but I am typing right now- so I will turn that off when I am done.

That is the sound of silence in my house; what does yours sound like?