Quote of the Week

“Anyone who has practiced what is good is ashamed to turn out badly. Manliness is teachable.” -Euripides, 423 BC

Political Temperament

It’s campaign season again, GAAAAHHH! I used to be a follower of politics and in a way, still am. But it’s not about what’s best for the country anymore; it’s a game to most. It’s more like a Superbowl rally than any real content. If your team wins, then it’s great, throw a party and wear your team’s t-shirt. If your team loses, well don’t worry, you’ll get ‘em next time, and history shows you will in no more than 12 years. However once the excitement of the game has passed, most Americans lose interest and the people they elected get to do whatever they want with no regard to actually being held to the promises they made. Most forget what they said anyway, but boy could they get you pumped up with their speeches!

For those that aren’t fair-weather political followers, the constant bickering and complaining about the other side and the lack of any real results frustrates us into apathy and drives us off into our own little world, leaving only those who have less than patriotic interests at heart. We’ll turn on the TV or radio on occasion and get some “journalist’s” extremely biased view of the “facts” that will get our blood boiling and drive us off again.

Is it really so hard for the people in Washington, or those who want to be there, to speak clearly about their beliefs? Are they so afraid of driving off a potential vote that no one can stand up like a man and say that both sides are wrong and this is the way out, follow me!? Take Mitt Romney, the current Republican front runner. I’ve never liked him for various reasons, but figured I’d look at his site to see what platform he was running on. Under the Issues tab, all it had was a quote from him bashing Obama and canned rhetoric on what great principals America was founded and how we’re awesome (paraphrase). Not a word about how he could fix the economy if given the chance or how he would win the war. Really, that’s what it takes to get people to vote for you, pretty words and some inspiring pictures because if that’s the case I’m sad, very sad.

I’ve often thought about what I would do if I were king for a day or at the very least the ideal man I would vote for to do it for me:
• First thing we need it term limits, for everyone. It used to be that a stint in public office was a daunting chore and no one would want to more than a couple of terms. Nowadays elected officials sole job is to get reelected, doing as little actual work to better the country as possible for fear that it might upset that winning vote.
• Severe government budget cuts, starting with the government. Whenever cuts are proposed, it’s always said that the teachers and firemen will be the first to go. Really? What about your salary Mr. Senator? Let’s make some cuts there first. How about all of those little pet projects that nickel and dime the country into poverty? I realize that it may mean you don’t get as many donations for your reelection and that you may not be in office in a couple of years, but just think how you’ve helped the rest of us.
• Along those lines, shutting off the flow of monies to things like corn subsidies, unions, and other supposed standalone groups that have too much hold on the government. I’m not against organized labor when it comes to safety, fair wages, and the like, but under the table transactions and *wink*wink* *nod* deals don’t help anybody but the people at the top.
• Establishing a standard of conduct for government programs. If you get WIC, welfare, food stamps, unemployment, or other government funded programs you have to pass regular drug screenings and prove that you are attempting to better yourself and your country. We have become an entitlement nation. “I was born here so I should have X”. That’s not the way it works, or at least shouldn’t be. I think the programs I mentioned are great ones and there is a need for them but it should not be for those who feel they can live off of them and never have to produce anything in their lives.
• Less Federal Government involvement, period. From laws to taxes to spending. You should hardly ever know that the Fed even exists. Ideally the Federal Gov should only be involved in two things, national security and interstate commerce. That’s it! Now you could stretch the definitions of those to include things like the FCC, FDA, EPA, etc. But my tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on saving companies and funding idiotic research.
• Slim down the military. As an Air Force member this one’s hard for me to admit because it would mean losing my job potentially, but that’s how it should be. Before WWII there were very few career military people. It was your duty as a man to step up and defend your country when the time came but before and after you were just an average Joe. We built up for the Cold War and were on alert because of it but that’s been over for a while now and it’s time we trimmed the fat and removed the mindset of the career soldier from the military member.
• Along with that, become more isolationist in our military stance. Not completely isolated but America should not be the World’s police force. If there is not a clear and direct American benefit for us to be throwing million dollar missiles at or risking American lives, we should not be involved.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Essentially what I want is to be left alone. Leave my money alone, leave my property alone, leave my family alone. I’ll gladly serve my country and pay my reasonable taxes for the privilege of living in this great land, but allow my to pursue my happiness without Uncle Sam’s hands getting dirty in the process.

Now I would bet most so-called conservatives would agree with most of those principles, at least in public, however you’ll never hear a single one of them back a candidate who espouses them. All of the voices on the radio will tell you that they fully support these beliefs but we need to throw our support behind a big name, lest we throw it away. That’s crap. Someone once told me that if you vote for the lesser of two evils, all you will get is evil. It may just be my principles talking but isn’t it best to vote for the person who will do the best job, regardless of what letter is next to their name, and encourage your friends, coworkers, or listeners to do the same? Yes we may lose a few but I’d rather know that I voted according to my conscience than have an empty suit sitting in the oval office who will do nothing but disappoint for the next 4 to 8 years. Maybe I’m weird.

Thinking Ration-ally

     I was recently lamenting a missed opportunity. I was at an estate sale and say a WWII rations booklet that still had some war ration stamps in it. I do have an empty one already and the price at the time seemed too much for something that’s technically useless. However when thinking on it, it is a unique piece of American history that hopefully no one will have to see again. Shoulda coulda.

     That got me thinking, what if we did have to reinstitute rationing in America? Can you imagine the reaction from middle America getting told they CAN’T have something. Every spoiled daddy’s girl from New York to LA would unite in a collective whine so loud and piercing, credit card institutions the nation over would crumble from sheer agony. It would be the Twilight Bark of our age.

     Granted the recent decline in the economy has begun to wake people up to the possibility that their “needs” aren’t really necessities, but I doubt any significant number is at WWII or depression levels. It would be interesting to see people being told they would have to drive their 3 year old car a few more years, or that they couldn’t buy 1001 new toys for their kids because the materials were needed for the rationing. It would be interesting.

     Thankfully, due largely to influences by the Mrs., I think the Deering family would hardly notice. In fact, practices like cloth diapering and growing our own food has put us in a position to nearly be “off the grid” and self dependant. If only we had more land, and that windmill of course.

Coop! There It Is!

I finished the coop last weekend.  It turned out really well I think.  We used pretty cheap materials so I don't think it will really stand the test of time but should last us a couple of years.  The cost breakdown comes to $2/2x4 (x11) and $6/sheet of plywood (x6).  Also had to buy thinks like wood screws, a new drill (yay me!), hinges and other things to finish.  We had the paint so that didn't cost.  Over all I really like how it came out, especially since I've never attempted anything like this before and didn't have any real plans besides what was in my head.

Xander's testing it out for the chickens.

Backyard Chickens

First off, I should mention that I’m home enjoying some R&R for a couple more days. I’ll post more on that later. Anyway, Holly and I have got it in our minds to try and have some chickens. Friends of ours have some and that just encouraged us to go ahead with it and do it ourselves. So we’re going to buy 3 chickens from our “egg lady” that a full grown and ready to lay. And since we already have a run set up, I just need to build a coop for them. After looking online and in books for easy step-by-step instructions, I just decided to take what others had done and make my own design.

It’s simple and not pretty but it should meet our needs. If anyone has suggestions please let me know. I should be going to get materials in the next day or so and I’ll post again when things are up and running.

I've Got a Secret

In my line of work I come across the occasional bit of privileged information, like where the Star Gate is buried, and if I told you… well you know.  However I’ve come across a particular secret that is so vital to our way of life, I feel compelled to share with you all regardless of the consequences.

What I’ve discovered is a Government sanctioned program that, if fully implemented, will save you money, help you lose weight, and greatly improve your diet.  When used as a recreational activity it can provide you with unique quality time with you family while enabling you to get outdoors.  Also, partaking will help protect the environment and promote diversity.  It can be used as a backup plan in these economically unstable times and this program supports personal spirituality as well.

So here is the vital secret (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY): Start a garden!

Governments have been promoting Victory Gardens since WWI in the US and elsewhere.  If you grow a majority of your own food, you will easily save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars a year, especially considering what it costs for organic produce.  Digging in your garden, watering, weeding, and walking it 30 minutes a day, a couple of times a week will burn more calories than most of the Oprah-recommended exercise routines not to mention save you that $50 a month in gym membership.  You’ll have fresh, organic, whole fruits, vegetables and herbs at your beckon call most of the year (and if you’re canning, even longer).

Gardening allows one to get outside in the sunshine (getting some vitamin D in the process) and enjoying the fresh air.  It can be a family affair with each person helping to the level their age, ability and know-how dictates.  By getting your veggies locally, you cut down on the need for consumption of fuel by the machines used to harvest it as well as the trucks that move it from far away to your doorstep.  When you choose what to plant you can diversify the types of varieties of food you eat (there are around 7500 different kinds of tomatoes for instance) which helps stave off pests and parasites that can threaten an entire species.

Knowing that you have a readily available supply of food, even if it’s in small quantities, out your backdoor or tucked away in cans in your pantry can give you a little bit of comfort when that paycheck doesn’t seem like it’s ever enough.  And, possibly the most important lesson I’ve learned, gardening gives a very real since of accomplishment out of life and an improved appreciation of how great God is and how awesome it is to watch His miracles at work.

So if you haven’t already, start a garden today, thank me later.  Even if you have nothing but a window sill that gets a little sun, do something.  For those with a yard of some sort I would actually recommend digging up a small section, 5x5 or even 3x3, something, and start growing dinner.  I think nearly everyone who puts the time in will be really impressed with the results, both in food and personal betterment.  For information on getting started look for a community garden in your area, or just poke around the Internet, it can be useful sometimes too.

The Passing of a National Hero

I found out recently that a hero of mine passed away.  For anyone who’s ever watched an episode of Band of Brothers, you should have heard the name of Maj Richard "Dick" Winters.  After I first watched it I instantly respected the man (who usually himself gave personal accounts of events at the beginning of each episode) and all of the men and women who fought in WWII.  Since first watching the series I’ve watched it again at least a half dozen times (I now own a copy), bought and read the book by Steven Ambrose that inspired the series, as well as the accompanying book by Dick Winters himself.  I’m actually reading the Band of Brothers again while I’m deployed.  The words of Maj Winters’ men exalting his leadership and the words of Winters himself on the subject have shown me what leadership is and how I can learn to exude those qualities of the Greatest Generation.

I’ve never met the man but he has my respect and honor.  Never before or since had our nation faced such a threat as these men and they risked everything to defend it.  Rest in Peace Maj Winters.  “Currahee”!

You can read Maj Winters’ Wikipedia page HERE and his obituary HERE.

Confessions of a Drug User

I have a confession.  I’ve started using a new drug.  And I’m not just talking about my long standing addiction to caffeine; no I mean the real hard stuff.  That’s right folks—Tobacco.  I’ll wait for your condemnation and damnation to subside.

As I’ve hinted at before in my blog and have mused about in person, I’ve thought about picking up pipe smoking for several years now.  I realized it’s an odd aspiration, sucking in the fumes of burning dead plant matter, but for some reason the thought of it had taken a hold of me.  There was some romanticism in the idea of leaning back in an easy chair next to the fire or rocking out on my front porch on a nice night, slowly sipping a bowl while my children, or grandchildren, scurry around.  As far as I can remember I’ve never had anyone in my life that smoked the pipe but when I first got the tobacco, the smell triggered nostalgic memories of hardwood and leather.

                                      Mark Twain

Health Effect

 “But Chris” you say, “what about the health risks associated with smoking?”.  It’s true that the Surgeon General warns that tobacco use of any kind poses significant health risks over time.  However those studies lump chewing, cigarettes, pipes, and cigars all in the same category and thus apply the same level of risk.  But studies that have examined pipe smoking specifically have found that pipe smokers, especially those who do not inhale, actually live longer than their NON-SMOKING counterparts.  I tend to believe it’s similar to the effect of owning a cat.  It’s relaxing and thus the body experiences less stress.

                                                                               Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Hobby vs. Habit

“But Chris, but Chris, aren’t you a hypocrite for criticizing cigarette smoking for so long?”.  Pipe smoking is not an addiction for me, I’ve never had a craving to light up, and it definitely wasn’t because the “cool” kids were doing it.  Going to smoke is a deliberate act that takes a bit of planning to make happen as I don’t walk around with all of my pipe paraphernalia.  Most cigarette smokers require several 15 minute breaks throughout the day, going through a pack or two in the process, otherwise they get quite unbearable.  Smoking a good bowl take about 30-45 minutes so imagine I left work for that long on my break.  I can purchase a bag of my preferred blend for about $20 and have it last a month or more because I only go out once or twice a week where as a cigarette addict spends $40 on a carton that’ll last a week if they’re casual smokers.

                               Clark Gable 

My Conclusion

I’ve been using a pipe now for about two months and I really enjoy it.  I don’t know if it’s something in the tobacco or if the sheer act of reclining with my feet up in the open air, listening to some light jazz under the stars, but the whole process is very relaxing.  I’ll get strange looks from passersby but more often than not it’s not a look of ridicule but more of curiosity and even at times of admiration.  It’s a little unusual.

I didn’t pick up pipe smoking because it was manly, but because it was something I wanted to do.  While I have a somewhat regular routine here that will obviously be changing when I go home.  Holly and I will have to sit down and discuss when, where, and around whom I will be smoking.  I obviously don’t see anything wrong with an adult smoking the pipe but as I’d mentioned previously I have little eyes watching all that I do.  I don’t know how I feel about my little one’s imitating Dad’s smoking (or drinking a beer for that matter) although I do remember having a bubble pipe when I was a wee lad so I guess it’s not that weird.  It’s something we’ll have to sort out later I guess.  I leave you with this:

"I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs. "

–Albert Einstein, upon joining the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club. (1950)

Quote of the Week

‎”The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
–G. K. Chesterton

Deployment Dialog – Day 133

We sometimes play the game “What Do You Miss” when we need a good topic to mull over.  The most common answer among the guys (well second I suppose to the obvious one, sex) is food.  I can’t wait to get back and get my hands on some real Mexican food, or some sushi, or Jason’s Deli.  Mmmmmmmm…………..  Anyway, there are many things I miss in addition to my wonderful family and the afore mentioned items.  Here’s just a few in no particular order:

·         Fire.  Making one, sitting by it, having the weather outside be cold enough to warrant one.  A fire sounds nice.

·         Coming home to little cries of “DADDY!” from the other end of the house.

·         The commute to work.  Drinking my coffee and rocking out, laughing, praising, arguing, or just relaxing to the radio.

·         The smell of Holly’s homemade bread engulfing the house.

·         Gardening.  I know I’ll make it home just in time to get our garden going for this year but I miss the planning and preparing part that we would have begun already.  Holly’s making me jealous because she’s helping her mother start their garden now in New Mexico.  I had a random desire the other day for the smell of the gardening store.

·         Cooking.  Making a meal from scratch and all the work and care that go into it.  Picking the right ingredients (especially from our garden) and chopping, stirring, tasting, and enjoying.  Along the same lines—

·         Grilling.  This never used to hold that much appeal for me.  It seemed like too much work to get the grill going, prep the food, take it outside, stand in the heat, etc, etc.  However, after getting a grill and using it for a while, really like the distinct flavors and dishes I’m able to make.

·         The farmers market.  Again, I’ll be able to participate in the one this coming summer but I missed out on the fall one so it’ll be a whole year since the wonders of the market.

·         Garage saleing.  I rarely find something for myself when we go but occasionally I find that one thing that makes it all worthwhile.  Plus, quality time with the fam.

·         My Church.  I told Holly soon after I got here that I realized we’d been spoiled for the last few years by Church at Red River.  The chapel doesn’t hold a candle to what we have there, neither Pastor Troy’s engaging lessons nor the warm faces every Friday night and Sunday morning.

I could go on but you get the idea.  I’m ready to go home.  I have roughly 49 days left and counting.

A Testimonial

Last night at chapel was the Chaplin’s last service.  As such, we have a “God’s Grace” service to give the Chaplin the night off.  It was a lot of music interspersed with opportunities for people to tell what God has done, or is doing in their lives.  I actually got up and told my testimony.  It was pretty much a condensed version of what I wrote in My Plan post.  I’d never gotten up and said it in front of anyone before, but it was a good experience.  Hopefully what I had to say about God’s plan touched someone.

The Art of Manliness and Leaving a Legacy

I’ve stumbled upon a new site called artofmanliness.com.  Now while I don’t think anyone has ever referred to me as a depiction of ideal manliness, this site addresses a lot of concepts that I’ve felt were important for several years.  Ideas like respect, duty, wisdom, and legacy are all things I feel are important and are severely lacking in the modern “man”.  This site is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek self-help-style look at how to become more “manly”.  Some articles talk about what products to use on your hair to get a Cary Grant-ish sheen or about some of the greater “Man Caves” of history.  It does have some interesting articles in it though and a lot of it is thought provoking.

I bring this up because I’ve become more and more concerned about how I’m perceived.  King Solomon writes that everything we do in life, achievements, works, accolades, are meaningless because in a thousand years, there’ll be nothing and no one left to remember you by (the irony being that we’re talking about this guy ~3,000 years after his death, but whatever).  And while I agree with him in principal, that 50 years after my death no one will pay me a second thought, much less 1,000, I disagree that it’s ALL meaningless because my memory will live on in the lives of my children.  Since taking on a fatherly role I’ve had become very aware of my actions and how I am perceived by the little eyes watching me.  The first time it really became apparent to me was when I was doing a little simple home repair, hanging curtains, and I noticed Xander was mimicking my every action, putting the pencil behind his ear, “drilling” holes in the wall, etc.  Granted it was a harmless project, but I just started to think about what if he saw me doing something inappropriate for a 3 year old to be copying.

I’ve oft thought about how I appear to my children and what sort of legacy I want to leave with them when I’m gone.  What actions or aspects do I want them to look back on and have proud memories?  What sort of definitive statements could they say about me when I’m gone?  What kind of sensory inputs (smells, tastes, etc.) do I want to trigger thoughts of their father?  For instance, I’d like them to be able to say, “My father flew the American flag in front of our house every day” and not, “The Windows startup sound always reminds me of him”.  Will I be known as the man who always got the fire going on a cold night and took his family camping regularly (one great thing my family always did/does) or the oaf who couldn’t be bothered with play time because he couldn’t turn off the TV and get off the couch?

While I don’t think I’ll ever be the epitome of “manliness”, that doesn’t mean I can’t strive to be the best man I can be in my own little domain.  I’ve known of some of my flaws for a long time now, I speak way too quickly when I should be listening, I’m impatient, I have a severe distain for high humidity a thus find it very difficult to do anything, work or play, outside during the summer months, I’m stubborn and get irritated by little things.  One of the beneficial aspects of being in the military is it gives your regular opportunities to start over, be it a move or in my case just being a way for a long period.  Holly and I have already started discussing ways we can change some of the things we deem negative in our lives when we all get back.  Now we just need some [a lot] prayer and hard work.

A Little Reading Material

I wanted to try and refocus on the original purpose of this blog, preparing for the eventual homestead and simple living.  I put together a list of books and movies that I think are important to explore to get a good mindset for this type of project.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – This is the book that started it all for me.  It opened my eyes and got me thinking about what I’m eating and where it came from.  Holly and I listened to it on CD on a long road trip (highly recommended) and it opened up a ton of discussions about what we could do with our yard and what we want to do long term with our lives. 

It’s an account of a family that moved to the East Coast and decided to spend one year eating only what they could produce themselves or get locally.  It’s interspersed with recipes as well as statistical data related to the food industry.  Really makes you think.  A lot of the info I’ve passed on in conversations with coworkers to which I usually get the “that guy knows way too much about a mundane topic” look in return.  Eh.

Crunchy Cons – An interesting book about people living the “Crunchy” lifestyle (i.e. Granola, hippy) on the surface but are actually truly conservative beneath.  It’s kind of the way we feel about a lot of things.  When we started talking about our “commune” and Holly making her own dish soap, laundry detergent, cheese, granola, and grinding her own flour then eating organic, free range, grass-fed, natural, local, and GMO-free food, I’m sure people thought we had gone off the hippy deep end.  But really it’s not about fitting into a movement but disregarding what the mainstream (secular and Christian) was telling us we should be doing and look at the “right” way to do things, the way we were designed.

                While I don’t always agree with all of the observations in this book, it definitely made me thing about what it meant to be a conservative, especially the conserve portion.  I used to think of people who were “tree huggers” as total crazies who put the animals above people.  One point this book makes is that you can work to conserve your environment while still reaping what it produces.  Even hunters can be wildlife conservationists.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who calls themselves a conservative.

Better Off – I didn’t get to finish this one do to an *ahem* availability issue and I wasn’t really into it anyway.  However I think it’s a good book to help get a little perspective.  It’s the story of a couple who leaves their home and jobs for 18 months and lives in an Amish-like community.  It chronicles the growing pains of going from an instant gratification, technology-centered society to one that doesn’t even have running water.  It makes some very good points regarding the benefit vs. burden of having the latest and greatest gadget.

The Backyard Homestead – I found this one when I Googled “How to homestead” and followed a few links.  I didn’t really read it as much as skimmed it since it’s more of an encyclopedia than a novel.  It has a lot of great info for the starting self producer.  I didn’t glean too much from it as it’s pretty basic info that I’ve picked up already from various sources, however there were a lot of good reminders that refreshed my memory.  One section that was interesting was Planting Phenology which talked about using the environment around you (flowering plants, size of leaves, etc.) to determine when you should plant or transplant.  The info in the book was for a different climate than ours but I like the idea and will have to research how that would work for me.  This is a book I’d like get a copy of and keep with me when I head out to the garden.  Also of note, you can read a very large portion of this book on Amazon for free!

Food Inc. – Like A,V,M this movie is a mind changer.  It’s a documentary discussing the different food industries, their practices, and how the big companies have changed the way Americans eat.  It will really blow your mind and probably (and hopefully) disturb you.

King Corn – This movie is similar to Food Inc. but focuses on the corn industry and how it’s ingrained (get it, ingrained) itself in our daily diet.

The following books I have not read but come recommended from a very good source [read: Holly].

The Omnivore’s Dilemma – I need to read this one.  It’s referenced in almost all the food-related media I put above.

Possum Living – Similar to Better Off

$64 tomato

The Whole Earth Catalog – Similar to The Backyard Homestead

If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to pass along.

Deployment Dialog - Day 114

I think there is a very small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  I’ve taken up several ways to count down the time remaining. 

It occurred to me that in 18 days I can say I’m leaving next month.  Semantics I know but still.

I have a daily tear-off calendar on my desk (with not so funny funnies) that has a card holding the place of my last day.  Every day the distance between the card and me gets a little smaller.

Someone previous to us created an Excel spreadsheet that has various counters.  Besides counting down the number of beers left or estimated times I will use the bathroom remaining (204 and 272 respectively) it also counts down the 68 days I have remaining.  There’s also a pie chart that shows percent done thus far.  I’m done with 61.9%, and only have 38.1% left.

Very soon I think I’ll be flying back into the clouds and back to reality.  Can’t wait.