Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty

I have just finished reading a new book, called Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty.  The author, Neil Hanson, writes a poetic letter to his recently deceased father.  The eldest of three brothers,  Neil sits at his father's bedside in ICU as his father's heart gives out and he slips away.  The three agonize over whether to tell the hospital staff to resuscitate their father.  In the end they do agree not to take any heroic measures.

Neil says in the Afterword:

           We live in a nation and an era when we all want to know things for certain, and
           writing this story has helped me to this for the delusion it is.

           It is my sincere hope that reading this story might help some of those who
          consider themselves certain to receive the blessing of uncertainty.  I truly believe
          that it is only through humility, respect and tolerance for the views of others that I
          can approach Truth.  So long as I worship at the alter of certainty, Wisdom will be
          locked tightly away from me.

His view is mystical and practical at the same time.  It is clear that he learned from his experience of his father's passage through death to the other side.  It is also well worth our time to read what Neil Hanson wrote.

PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY (U.S. only)

Neil will giveaway 1 copy of the paperback version of the book to the FIRST person who leaves a comment on your review along with their email address.

EBOOK GIVEAWAY (International)

Neil will giveaway a copy of the ebook version of the book (in the format of their choice) to EVERY person who leaves a comment on your review along with their email address during the month of September.

REQUIREMENT

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Blog Tour web site:
http://peaceattheedgeofuncertainty.blogspot.com/

Neil Hanson's website:
http://neilhanson.com/

Neil Hanson's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/neilmhanson

Neil Hanson's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/neilmhanson

Neil Hanson's blog:
http://neilhanson.com/Blog/

Neil Hanson's Bio:
Neil Hanson lives and works in Colorado. Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty is his first book. He blogs actively and writes articles for periodicals. He is an avid outdoorsman, passionate about hunting and fishing. He spends a great deal of time bicycling the roads and trails of Colorado, and backcountry skiing in winter. His passion for gardening spills over into a joint venture with his oldest son, where they operate a landscaping and construction company in Colorado.

Spiders and Fruit Flies Oh My!

Hi all ~

This week I have been seeing lots of spiders spinning webs.  That's fine - I like to watch spiders.  Much worse are the fruit flies.  They breed so fast that it is difficult to get rid of them.  It doesn't help that they are not from this climate and there are virtually no predators of fruit flies.  Something has gone wrong in our food chain supply!

The spiders, though, signal that autumn is on its way, and the animal kingdom is getting ready for fall and winter.  I actually like spiders.  They are industrious and they help keep down the populations of flies and other pests.  Their webs are quite intricate and beautiful.

A few years ago, when I lived in a different place, I had to talk to a spider who had woven her web right where the outside faucet was.  I had to interrupt her web daily in order to water my plants.I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen.  Seemed to me she could find lots of bugs in the garden and we could help each other.  But no, she was determined.

Now living in a house with my Dad, I see spiders all over the place, but only outside.  These spiders are helping with the balance, and I appreciate their work.  I just wish the fruit flies could be lunch for the spiders!

Moving into the Dark

A friend just asked me “What tools in your spiritual arsenal do you use to embrace the transformation of light into dark during this time of the year?  Are there habits, or traditions you use to transition yourself from the active growth of the summer and into the more introspective place of Winter?"  

As I thought about this question, I considered my childhood:  autumn brought relief from the heat of Chicago Summer.  I went back to school, which I sometimes enjoyed and sometimes hated, mostly depending on the teacher.  I spent more time reading, which I loved!  Winter with its dirty snow and ice wasn't so pretty in Chicago, but when we went to visit family in Wisconsin, it was often beautiful beyond measure.  My cousins lived in small towns and on farmland.  We made snowmen, and went ice skating.  I also loved the warmth of homemade comforters in an unheated second floor bedroom at my Grandmother's house. These days I seldom see my cousins, though I still sleep in an unheated room.

Both Summer and Winter are softer here in the Northwest, though the Summer days linger longer and the Winter is darker.  As Autumn approaches, I begin to feed the birds and the squirrels (though the squirrels don't seem to need feeding as much).

I give thanks for the harvest home, even though it mostly isn't my own handiwork.  I begin to read more and write more.  My writing group is more active and mostly everyone is at every meeting.  This is a change from sparse attendance in the Summer.  

Thanksgiving is on the cusp of late Fall into Winter, and I do give thanks for all the bounty I have received.  I celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes with prayer and ceremony.  I pray with my pipe more often, and longer and more often sit in meditation.  It is a time for introspection and rejuvenation.  And certainly Christmas and Winter Solstice is a time for joy!

Already the air is softer and cooler.  It is beginning.  Rejoice.

Cousins by the Dozens

Today I talked to one of my cousins who I haven't seen for several decades.  I spent most of my childhood in Chicago, and my parents took me to Wisconsin frequently, at least once a year.  Since most of my cousins were there, I saw them regularly.  Both of my parents  have been living in the Midwest until my Dad came to Washington state a little over a year ago to share a house with me.  My parents have kept in touch much better than I have. 

Both of my parents came from large families.  Mom was one of 11, and Dad was one of 7.  Then three brothers from one family married three sisters from the other.  My Mom and Dad were the last of the three brothers and sisters to marry.  One of Dad's brothers had 10 children, and one of his sisters had 9.  Of all the families, only two had only children, and I am one of those.  But I counted 100 first cousins, including 8 double cousins.  All of us double cousins were fairly close, especially Maggie and me, the nearest in age.  We fought and played and loved each other.  I have lost Maggie's phone number, so if you read this, Maggie, please get in touch!

I called my cousin Joanne today, and we had a great time.  She just got back from a family reunion picnic in Iowa, and told me about next year's picnic in Wisconsin.  Hopefully, my Dad and I will be able to go.  I had such mixed feelings: I was happy to reconnect, and also sad for all I have missed through the years.  We all get so busy in our lives, and it is all too easy to lose our connections.

I remember how easy it was in the small town where my Dad grew up, and where my double cousins grew up.  We went down to the river and waded, and in the winter we went skating.  It is a resort town in the summer, and my cousins and I all worked in the family restaurants at some time or other.  Everyone knew we were Kimballs just by looking at us.  We would ask to get into attractions for free, and the ticket takers would ask which brother was our Dad.  They did let us in for free.

Today we also talked about one of my "double" cousins, who died in a car crash.  Living in a resort town in Wisconsin, at the end of the summer season, teenagers would drink and celebrate the close of the season.  My cousin Bill was drinking and driving during that weekend, crossed the center line and got hit by a truck.  Bill was such a gentle young man.  He often baby sat for us younger cousins, and was very caring.  When Maggie's mother died, Bill babysat all of his younger cousins.  He was always gentle, kind, and had a great sense of humor.

 Joanne also told me a story of when Bill was very young.  Uncles from both my Mom's and Dad's family owned a restaurant in Dalhart, Texas. This was near the end of WWII and somewhat after.  Segregation was still the norm.  The family didn't like it, but would lose their business if they went against the pattern of the time.  So the African-Americans, many of them soldiers, ate in the back room.  And Bill, even as young as he was, knew it was wrong.  And he treated them with great kindness.  I wish I had more time to know him.  He died too young!

I guess that is what my feelings were in the phone call.  Time slips away.  I made a promise to myself to keep in touch with family and friends. Joanne and I decided we must have a list of phone numbers and email.  We are too scattered and busy - so we need a reminder every so often.  We need our family.

Wasps in the House

Years ago I lived on a farm.  My bedroom had its own bath and an outside door.  I noticed that there was a wasp nest under the eave about six feet away from the door to my room.  So I made a contract with the wasps.  I asked that they stay out of the house, and not harm any of us humans or our animals.  I enjoyed watching the wasps that summer, and the only violation of the contract, even with my door almost always open, was a wasp that got lost.  The lonely wasp went out the door when I pointed the way.

Since then I hadn't really need to deal with wasps.  Until this week.  The wasps have found a way into the living room.  But then they want to get out, because they can't find any food, water or comfort. Generally wasps will stay out of the house - unless they have a nest in the walls, which I think is what we have.

Wasps, although annoying, should be thought of as beneficial insects.  They prey mainly on other insects, many of which are pests. In general, they avoid human activity and should only be considered a nuisance when nesting near homes or high traffic areas.  
http://eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm

I have been carrying them out, and they seem relieved to be outdoors, but wasps are still coming in.  And, I truly don't want to kill the wasps. I will have to find a way without chemicals and hopefully not killing the wasps.

This all reminds me of the song All God's Creatures Got a Place in the Choir:

By Bill Staines

All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.

Listen to the bass, it's the one on the bottom
Where the bullfrog croaks and the hippopotamus
Moans and groans with a big to-do
The old cow just goes MOOOOO

The dog and the cat pick up the middle
While the honey bee hums and the cricket fiddles
The donkey brays and the pony neighs
And the old coyote howls

All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.

Listen to the top where the little birds sing
On the melody with the high note ringing
The hoot owl hollers over everything
And the jaybird disagrees

Singin' in the night-time, singin' in the day
Little duck quacks, and he's on his way
The possum ain't got much to say
And the porcupine talks to himself

All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.

It's a simple song of livin' sung everywhere
By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear
Grumpy alligator and the hawks above
Sly raccoon and the turtle dove.

All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.

Climate Change and the Clean Air Act

I would guess that there are people in these United States who know little or nothing about the Clean Air Act.  It was the subject of a Note (meaning an 80 page article with footnotes!) I wrote when I was in law school  35 years ago.  The original Clean Air Act set standards for particulates and other contaminates in cities and areas where the air was clearly harming humans, crops, and more.  The amendment I wrote about required that the smog could not be spread out into pristine areas, such as National Parks, as a way of keeping the air clean in places where it hadn't been.

A short while ago, just on the cusp of the Summer Solstice, the conservative Supreme Court stated by a narrow margin that climate change can be controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency via the Clean Air Act.  This is really huge. Just five years ago, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia were two of the four justices that dissented on the same issue.  Now they have completely changed their position.

The scientists, by and large, now agree that climate change is a reality, and that we need to take action to moderate the change.  Whether we like it or not, it is now a fact on this lovely planet.  So . . . buy an electric car (I really would love to buy a Tesla!) or a hybrid, turn off the lights when you leave a room, buy CFL bulbs, use the cleanest energy you can manage, and conserve, conserve, conserve!

Bowser the cat

Bowser the cat came to me from a couple who were getting more and more allergic to cat hair.  Bowser does have a thick, beautiful coat of hair.  He was terrified when he came to me.  The first thing he did was to crawl into the cupboard under the bathroom sink.  Of course I let him stay there as long as he chose.  After a few days he spent most of the time out of the cupboard.  It has taken a while, but he trusts me implicitly these days.

He came to me at 12 years old with declawed front paws.  The people who Bowser lived with before me told me he had "escaped" from the house and was gone for 6 months.  He had been about 18 pounds when he left and came back at 12 pounds.  I don't know how he stayed alive for all that time, or how he found his way home.

Bowser and I lived in a small apartment for several years.  He once got out into the hallway, but was totally frightened by a fierce female cat in the apartment next door.  After that he did not even attempt to go out of my apartment.

But for the past year, we have lived in a house with a large yard and a fenced in patio.  Bowser desperately wanted to go out beyond the fence, and he did escape several times.  Then, more recently, he came home with a bite that turned into and abscess before I even realized he'd been bitten.  The vet bill was more than I wanted to pay, but . . . the Bowser was worth it. The vet said he was a real gentleman, and everyone there liked him.  I'd say he one of the sweetest cats I've known.

Now Bowser still wants to go out of the fenced patio, but I am not willing for him to get hurt again.  For one thing, I would be sad if he hurts, and I don't have money for vet bills either.  Of course Bowser doesn't have any concept of  money.

Perhaps the most important thing is that Bowser and I are bonded to each other.  It took a long time, but he realized that he is safe with me and my Dad.  He trusts me implicitly.  And I love him dearly.  As with most family pets, there will be a time when Bowser dies.  Actually, fairly soon because he is about 16 years old.  For now, I just love him.