Here it is Wednesday again, time for another blog of Miscellaneous Musings. I’ve never tired of writing it; I can always find a new topic to discuss even though it is only three or four paragraphs long. There’s something about stringing a few thoughts together and putting them into a reasonable form that I find appealing. The modern world tries to require us to write with the latest electronic gadgets, namely word processors and I admit to using one. Some of my favorite authors refuse to use them, however. Jim Harrison who wrote The Legends of the Fall plus a whole raft of good poetry writes with cheap ball point pens; Pat Conroy, author of The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides writes in longhand on a legal pad; and my favorite tale of an author refusing to write electronically is Cormac McCarthy who has written all his books on a portable manual typewriter, the same machine that brought nearly a quarter of a million dollars when sold a few months ago at auction for an organization’s fund-raiser. He was able to replace it with one that a friend purchased used on Ebay for $20. Shelby Foote who wrote a great Civil War trilogy that Ken Burns used to base his PBS Civil War series on insisted on using dip pens. Nibs wore out and were scarce so when he located a large supply of them he bought the whole works.
A great example of the low-tech method of writing was Thomas Jefferson’s use of a goose quill to write the Declaration of Independence. I purchased a replica of that document while on our east coast tour this past fall because of the poetry of its words. As much as I admire people who use old methods of writing, I admit to being a slave to the computer. A requested Christmas gift I received from Mrs. Claus this year was a Barnes and Noble Color Nookbook on which I can download hundreds of books and read them on its screen. It is a form of computer containing a powerful storage system. The first book I downloaded? Tolstoy’s War and Peace. I have been wanting to re-read it for some time. It’s a daunting task because it is so long, but there is a reason why it has been called the greatest novel ever written, and I want to experience it again.
In the early 19th century a group in England called Luddites reacted violently to labor saving devices being set in place at factories as part of the industrial revolution. They reacted because many of them lost their jobs because of the efficiencies that came about.
That term Luddite is used occasionally today to describe someone who is against change. I’ve been called many things in my life, but because I’m writing this on my laptop I can’t be called a Luddite with my electronic writing habits.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Christmas, 2010
Rush, rush, rush! Still some time left to fill those Christmas stockings and that little space left under the tree. It won’t make you any happier, but the merchants will sure like it, not that they will remember you the next time you come in or anything. This year I’ve found myself being less excited for the coming of Christmas than at anytime in my life. Maybe it’s due to the constant barrage of advertising we’ve had since before Thanksgiving, whether coming from newsprint, radio, television, or the internet.
I still remember the time when Christmas wasn’t mentioned before Thanksgiving since Thanksgiving meant something besides gorging and watching a football game. I also remember when Christmas celebrated the birthday of someone special, and the retail aspect of the holiday was secondary. I’m certain that a very large percentage of gift shoppers give little or no thought to the religious aspect. They’ve been persuaded and even programmed to spend gobs of money to buy gifts with money some of them don’t have.
Just to remind myself, I searched out the meaning of some of the symbols of Christmas:
* The Star: A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long, long ago- The shining hope of mankind.
* The Color Red: The first color of Christmas, symbolizing that Savior's sacrifice for all.
* The Fir Tree: Evergreen- the second color of Christmas shows everlasting light and life. The needles point up to heaven.
* The Bell: Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold, signifying that all are precious in His eyes.
* The Candle: A mirror of starlight, reflecting our thanks for the star of Bethlehem.
* The Candy Cane: Represents the shape of the shepherd's crook, used to bring lost lambs back to the fold.
* The Wreath: A symbol of the never ending eternal value of love… having no end.
Well, I had better get out of my funk and cheer up and wish Merry Christmas to the many people who I count as friends in this world. I’ll even go so far as to wish everyone else the same. I can’t express it any better than by using the old Christmas saying of “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”
I still remember the time when Christmas wasn’t mentioned before Thanksgiving since Thanksgiving meant something besides gorging and watching a football game. I also remember when Christmas celebrated the birthday of someone special, and the retail aspect of the holiday was secondary. I’m certain that a very large percentage of gift shoppers give little or no thought to the religious aspect. They’ve been persuaded and even programmed to spend gobs of money to buy gifts with money some of them don’t have.
Just to remind myself, I searched out the meaning of some of the symbols of Christmas:
* The Star: A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long, long ago- The shining hope of mankind.
* The Color Red: The first color of Christmas, symbolizing that Savior's sacrifice for all.
* The Fir Tree: Evergreen- the second color of Christmas shows everlasting light and life. The needles point up to heaven.
* The Bell: Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold, signifying that all are precious in His eyes.
* The Candle: A mirror of starlight, reflecting our thanks for the star of Bethlehem.
* The Candy Cane: Represents the shape of the shepherd's crook, used to bring lost lambs back to the fold.
* The Wreath: A symbol of the never ending eternal value of love… having no end.
Well, I had better get out of my funk and cheer up and wish Merry Christmas to the many people who I count as friends in this world. I’ll even go so far as to wish everyone else the same. I can’t express it any better than by using the old Christmas saying of “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Winter Has Arrived
Winter hit us pretty hard this year; we’ve had lots of snowfall, and it’s not uncommon to hear the snowblowers roaring off in the distance. I’ve cranked up my old John Deere eight-horse three times already and shoveled a few times in between. When we drove over the Missouri River this morning I noticed it to be pretty crowded with floes of ice that we know will soon connect to form a solid sheet.
I use Bing.com as my computer search engine. Each day it features a different and interesting picture. Yesterday a Great White Owl in flight filled the screen and the sight of it took me back to when I was a young boy. One particularly hard winter I remember Dad coming into the house telling me to look out the south window of our farmhouse. There, gliding back and forth over our south pasture, he pointed out a snowy owl. It looked ghostlike, it’s mostly white body blending in with the snow cover. I’m not much of a Harry Potter fan, but I think the owl in that storyline is a Great White. Apparently they like mice in their diets, and I suppose when the winter comes on too harshly up north some will fly on down here to find something to eat.
Last week I considered metaphors in literature and came upon a good one. This may have been common knowledge to some, but it seemed new to me. The well-known Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” carries a hidden meaning. Some centuries past people of the Catholic religion could not openly worship in England. The song stands as a catechism for teaching the kids. Here, according to some interpretation, is what each element of the song stands for:
- Partridge in a pear tree = Jesus
- Two turtle doves = Old and New Testaments
- Three French hens = faith, hope, and love
- Four calling birds = the four gospels
- Five golden rings = the first five books of the Old Testament
- Six geese a-laying = the six days of creation
- Seven swans a-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Eight maids a-milking = the eight beatitudes
- Nine ladies dancing = the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
- Ten lords a-leaping = the ten commandments
- Eleven pipers piping = the eleven faithful disciples
- Twelve drummers drumming = the twelve points of belief in the
Apostles Creed
…
On Sunday we attended another of the lecture series sponsored by Bismarck State College, it’s topic being John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. The president of the college and a locally based scholar sit on stage in an informal living room setting and hold their “discussion” of the chosen topic. Last month they featured Otto von Bismarck and the implications inherent with naming the city of Bismarck. Next month Custer is the topic; I’ll be there. The scholar’s name is Clay Jenkinson and this area would be much poorer in a cultural sense if he were not here. When something interesting is happening, there’s a good chance he’s involved with it. I usually tune into his Jefferson Hour each Sunday morning on public radio. When we were touring this fall I had to miss a symposium in Bismarck that featured the impact of Eric Sevareid on news reporting. He is also a major force in conducting the annual Teddy Roosevelt symposium at Dickinson State. Jenkinson attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In May he and the Satrom Travel Agency are going on tour to London to visit various literary sites in and around London, and I think I am going to go along. We’ll get there taking a five-day cruise on the Queen Mary II and spend six days in the city. Stay tuned.
I use Bing.com as my computer search engine. Each day it features a different and interesting picture. Yesterday a Great White Owl in flight filled the screen and the sight of it took me back to when I was a young boy. One particularly hard winter I remember Dad coming into the house telling me to look out the south window of our farmhouse. There, gliding back and forth over our south pasture, he pointed out a snowy owl. It looked ghostlike, it’s mostly white body blending in with the snow cover. I’m not much of a Harry Potter fan, but I think the owl in that storyline is a Great White. Apparently they like mice in their diets, and I suppose when the winter comes on too harshly up north some will fly on down here to find something to eat.
Last week I considered metaphors in literature and came upon a good one. This may have been common knowledge to some, but it seemed new to me. The well-known Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” carries a hidden meaning. Some centuries past people of the Catholic religion could not openly worship in England. The song stands as a catechism for teaching the kids. Here, according to some interpretation, is what each element of the song stands for:
- Partridge in a pear tree = Jesus
- Two turtle doves = Old and New Testaments
- Three French hens = faith, hope, and love
- Four calling birds = the four gospels
- Five golden rings = the first five books of the Old Testament
- Six geese a-laying = the six days of creation
- Seven swans a-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Eight maids a-milking = the eight beatitudes
- Nine ladies dancing = the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
- Ten lords a-leaping = the ten commandments
- Eleven pipers piping = the eleven faithful disciples
- Twelve drummers drumming = the twelve points of belief in the
Apostles Creed
…
On Sunday we attended another of the lecture series sponsored by Bismarck State College, it’s topic being John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. The president of the college and a locally based scholar sit on stage in an informal living room setting and hold their “discussion” of the chosen topic. Last month they featured Otto von Bismarck and the implications inherent with naming the city of Bismarck. Next month Custer is the topic; I’ll be there. The scholar’s name is Clay Jenkinson and this area would be much poorer in a cultural sense if he were not here. When something interesting is happening, there’s a good chance he’s involved with it. I usually tune into his Jefferson Hour each Sunday morning on public radio. When we were touring this fall I had to miss a symposium in Bismarck that featured the impact of Eric Sevareid on news reporting. He is also a major force in conducting the annual Teddy Roosevelt symposium at Dickinson State. Jenkinson attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In May he and the Satrom Travel Agency are going on tour to London to visit various literary sites in and around London, and I think I am going to go along. We’ll get there taking a five-day cruise on the Queen Mary II and spend six days in the city. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Saying something is something else
We all like to read well-written prose that has been enlivened with a liberal sprinkling of metaphors and similes. A couple of years ago I bought the book i never metaphor i didn’t like and was surprised to find its author Dr. Mardy Grothe attended UND when I did. I suppose our paths crossed on campus numerous times but I don’t remember him. At any rate he wrote this worthwhile compilation of figurative language including metaphors, similes, and analogies.
I related to this one by H. L. Mencken: “I write in order to attain that feeling of tension relieved and function achieved which a cow enjoys on giving milk.” Curt Simmons was credited with this one from the sports world: “Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron was like trying to sneak the sun past a rooster.” Dwight Eisenhower said this: “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”
Many figures of speech deal with old age and death. This one, Thomas Hobbes’ last words, is easy to understand: “I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.” The early president John Quincy Adams spoke from his familiar horse and buggy days: “Old minds are like horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.” But these old proverbs from various sources are my favorites: “There’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle,” “The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune,” “The oldest trees often bear the sweetest fruit,” “The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”
Good novels usually equal the use of good metaphors, in fact the whole story can act as one. My recent re-reading of To Kill A Mockingbird yielded this: the mockingbird represents innocence while guns represent false strength. The Bible contains many, such as - “Ye are the salt of the earth,” “The Lord God is a sun and shield,” “The harvest is the end of the age,” “I am the light of the world.”
The point of it all is that good metaphors spark the imagination. I know I am a rank beginner in their use, but I try to improve. I suppose I can talk in terms of flights of geese pulling a blanket of winter clouds over us as they fly south. Maybe not!
…
One hundred years ago this article made the Sheldon news: The ice harvest has begun and every day several loads of congealed moisture are hauled into Sheldon. Most of the ice is being taken from Beaver Dam, on the Maple River, in the vicinity of the S. P. Benson farm. It is clear and of good quality and is about 15” thick. In all probability every ice house in Sheldon will be filled before the first of the year.
I related to this one by H. L. Mencken: “I write in order to attain that feeling of tension relieved and function achieved which a cow enjoys on giving milk.” Curt Simmons was credited with this one from the sports world: “Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron was like trying to sneak the sun past a rooster.” Dwight Eisenhower said this: “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”
Many figures of speech deal with old age and death. This one, Thomas Hobbes’ last words, is easy to understand: “I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.” The early president John Quincy Adams spoke from his familiar horse and buggy days: “Old minds are like horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.” But these old proverbs from various sources are my favorites: “There’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle,” “The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune,” “The oldest trees often bear the sweetest fruit,” “The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”
Good novels usually equal the use of good metaphors, in fact the whole story can act as one. My recent re-reading of To Kill A Mockingbird yielded this: the mockingbird represents innocence while guns represent false strength. The Bible contains many, such as - “Ye are the salt of the earth,” “The Lord God is a sun and shield,” “The harvest is the end of the age,” “I am the light of the world.”
The point of it all is that good metaphors spark the imagination. I know I am a rank beginner in their use, but I try to improve. I suppose I can talk in terms of flights of geese pulling a blanket of winter clouds over us as they fly south. Maybe not!
…
One hundred years ago this article made the Sheldon news: The ice harvest has begun and every day several loads of congealed moisture are hauled into Sheldon. Most of the ice is being taken from Beaver Dam, on the Maple River, in the vicinity of the S. P. Benson farm. It is clear and of good quality and is about 15” thick. In all probability every ice house in Sheldon will be filled before the first of the year.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Word Stew
Some days I like to sit and let my mind wander about without concentrating very hard on any one thing. Hard winter has set in around here; it’s nothing we can’t handle, but I wonder about all those southerners who have come up here to work in the oil fields. A TV news item showed some of them trying to winterize camper trailers they brought with them. An RV dealer whose business is just down the road from here said in the same newscast that campers really can’t be expected to be very comfortable in the winter season. I don’t envy any of the oil field workers since I don’t think you can put on enough clothes to work around those metal pipes and machines. I wonder if, on a dare, they’d be gullible enough to stick their tongue on a piece of metal.
I checked out the Farmer’s Almanac to see what kind of winter weather they were predicting. Managing Editor Sandi Duncan says it's going to be an "ice cold sandwich … We feel the middle part of the country's really going to be cold — very, very cold, very, very frigid, with a lot of snow," she said. A hundred years ago the forecast was just the opposite. My hometown paper ran this story: “Roscoe Davenport, one of the old time trappers who has been doing an extensive trapping business down in Sargent County predicts that this section of the country is due for a mild and open winter. According to Mr. Davenport, muskrats, skunks, mink, and other fur bearing animals have made little preparation for winter, which the trapper says, is substantiated proof that the winter will not be severe.” There is probably little difference in the accuracy of either the almanac or the trapper. A quick scan of weather records on the internet turned up no results for 1910, so I don’t know how accurate the trapper was, and the next few months will test the almanac’s guess.
Sarah Palin stays in the news, but it appears as if a conservative backlash is developing. Joe Scarborough, a former Republican House member and host of MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe” , said that his party should “man up” against her, Peggy Noonan, the former speechwriter for Reagan called her a “nincompoop”, Barbara Bush said she should stay in Alaska, etc. Maybe her deal is all about making hay while the sun shines, I.e. raking in money.
Sometimes we run onto little things that we remember for a few days. A week ago we stopped at a travel plaza in Fargo to fill gas and use the restrooms. This little haiku pretty much sums up my experience:
on your mark -
hitting a house fly
etched in the urinal
I checked out the Farmer’s Almanac to see what kind of winter weather they were predicting. Managing Editor Sandi Duncan says it's going to be an "ice cold sandwich … We feel the middle part of the country's really going to be cold — very, very cold, very, very frigid, with a lot of snow," she said. A hundred years ago the forecast was just the opposite. My hometown paper ran this story: “Roscoe Davenport, one of the old time trappers who has been doing an extensive trapping business down in Sargent County predicts that this section of the country is due for a mild and open winter. According to Mr. Davenport, muskrats, skunks, mink, and other fur bearing animals have made little preparation for winter, which the trapper says, is substantiated proof that the winter will not be severe.” There is probably little difference in the accuracy of either the almanac or the trapper. A quick scan of weather records on the internet turned up no results for 1910, so I don’t know how accurate the trapper was, and the next few months will test the almanac’s guess.
Sarah Palin stays in the news, but it appears as if a conservative backlash is developing. Joe Scarborough, a former Republican House member and host of MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe” , said that his party should “man up” against her, Peggy Noonan, the former speechwriter for Reagan called her a “nincompoop”, Barbara Bush said she should stay in Alaska, etc. Maybe her deal is all about making hay while the sun shines, I.e. raking in money.
Sometimes we run onto little things that we remember for a few days. A week ago we stopped at a travel plaza in Fargo to fill gas and use the restrooms. This little haiku pretty much sums up my experience:
on your mark -
hitting a house fly
etched in the urinal
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