We heard an interview on NPR Saturday morning with Reba McIntyre who has just released a new album that's all gospel songs. She was on the Today show this morning, too, so I guess this is the equivalent of a book tour.
When I hear about a recording artist doing a gospel album I wonder if they believe what they sing, if they're (biblical) Christians, or if it was just a marketing and career decision. I don't suppose there's any way of knowing in most cases, which raises the question, "Does it matter?" If an artist sings a great song about being in love with the guy or gal next door does it matter that the lyrics have no connection with their personal experience, or just that I like and identify with their song?
(No, I have not now, nor have I ever fallen in love with the girl next door.)
It precipitated almost all day, mostly rain but sometimes a mix that included huge snowflakes. I worked out in the garage on a project until I got too cold. Pam went into town to do the laundry so I came in where the fire had warmed things up nicely and cleaned. Vacuumed, mopped, straightened. While doing that I kept an eye out the front window on a large hawk that sat for a very long time on the branch of one of the trees left behind from the logging operation that lays across the creek. It reminded me that Robyn, the Dept. of Forestry agent, said she wanted a couple of the trees left laying in the creek because it would enhance the wildlife population. She was right.
We got a break in the precip about 1:30 with actual blue skies so I hurried out to the goat barn to muck it and put down fresh straw, another Monday task. While I was in there working the clouds returned, opened up, and it poured. My choices were a) get soaking wet, or b) stay there the rest of the afternoon with the goats. I chose the former.
I'm taking the old straw and spreading it around the fruit trees for weed control and a natural compost. Boom!
I weigh the goats on Mondays and for the first time Asante outpaced Itzhak in the weight gain category. He went up 3.4 lbs in the last week compared to Itzhak's 2.2 lbs. Both of those are very good increases and undoubtedly a reflection of the end to scours. They now weigh 22.6 and 29.6 lbs., and Asante is starting to get that bulky, block look of a Boer.
I saw this on FB and shared it with a friend in AZ who is, inexplicably, a Detroit Lions fan:
We got a notice from our (only) credit card company that our account may have been compromised so they sent us new cards with new account numbers. Today we got an email telling me I needed to contact any business that does an automatic withdrawal for payment that the old number doesn't work anymore and give them the new one.
What a hassle.
I was in my late teens and early 20's during the turmoil associated with the war in Vietnam. Which is to say I was pretty clueless about any of the key dynamics of that era. I knew about specific events as they happened - Kent State, Berkley, Mi Lai, the Tet Offensive - but not much about the machinations of key players on either side of that issue.
I was better informed during the Watergate mess because I watched a lot of the Senate hearings that followed the break-in. By that point I was a budding news junkie. If you're of a certain age you remember key names, including the great Sen. Sam Ervin, a really outstanding man who quoted the Bible freely as he asked penetrating questions.
I'm trying to decide if our country was as divided, if there was as much inter-party hostility, and as much cynicism then as there is now. In all kinds of areas we're typically inclined to think "this is the worst I've seen." And I don't know how you'd measure those eras and this one to come up with an objective answer. All I know is that this is not a good time for things like civility, tolerance, or cooperation. I don't like that.
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