Tired of winter

Today is the first day of Spring but our local temperature is in the 20's.

Yesterday it was cloudy all day and it snowed for several hours :-(

I am only 48 but I am developing a strong aversion to cold weather. My best friend is in her 60's and she is always asking me when we are going "cold camping" again. I am thinking my answer will be "Never" even though we camped out a few years ago when it was five below zero. That may eventually be worthy of another blog-post but I don't have time to describe the specific miseries here.

I like to think of myself as a serious outdoors-person so I have clothing and gear appropriate for almost any conditions. My slogan was, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." At one time I was an obsessive gear-head with much more disposable income than I have now, so my wardrobe comprises such items as Patagonia heavy weight fleece pants, Primaloft insulated long underwear, boots rated at 65 below zero, and battery-powered socks. I just can't summon the energy to find and put on all of these layers for anything more strenuous than lying on the couch in front of the TV.

Anyhoo, today seems like one of those days where couch-lying is indicated. Here is a picture of our lovely spring weather.

St Patrick's Day and other news

Well I don't know how well I have been doing in regard to the goal I set for myself in my last post, but I still feel that it is a worthy and important endeavor for me.

I find that I am feeling more energetic as the days lengthen and we see more daylight. It has been cloudy in Omaha recently, but we have seen a few sunny days. The snow that blanketed our yard has vanished at an almost miraculous rate and we are left with flat, dead grass in its place.

My husband and I have made several trips to Lake Manawa with our two doggies to get some much needed fresh air and exercise. We are eagerly awaiting the breakup of the ice there as this usually heralds the arrival of the annual bald eagle migration. At that lake I have seen as many as a dozen eagles out on the edge of the ice, dining on fish that have perished during the winter.

We saw a couple of eagles last Saturday but of course I did not have my camera. We visited again on Sunday and I got a picture of what I believe to be a red-tailed hawk. The raptors we have seen so far looked very "scruffy" with tattered and discolored feathers.

I am looking forward to Saint Patrick's Day as we are allowed to dress casually at work, and I have made cards for my employees and co-workers. It has been my habit to make mini-cards for every significant holiday and I wonder if there would be a lot of disappointed feelings if I ever quit doing this! I enjoy doing these cards and I hope that everyone appreciates them. Of course they like it more if I also bring treats of some kind, it seems that everyone likes to observe special occasions with food.

Ms. Sparrow, Tear Down That Wall

I went to a memorial service today for a person to whom I was once very close, but from whom I had become alienated over the last few years. Her sudden death gave me a lot to think about.

I am a very introverted person, and prefer to keep most of my deepest feelings to myself. In the past I have opened myself up fully to at most two or three friends. In the end it was too frightening for me to sustain that level of intimacy, and I eventually erected emotional walls to "protect" myself from these people, even though I had no reason to believe that they would hurt or betray me.

Our existence as human beings can be very lonely at times. We both crave and fear true intimacy. We long to be emotionally "naked" with our loved ones but are too afraid to appear before them without the costumes and masks that keep us at a safe distance, lest we be rejected for some reason.

It is especially good for Christians to have someone to whom we are totally accountable for our thoughts and behavior. If we are unable to be completely open with another person, it is much more difficult to be honest with ourselves and with God.

I am setting a goal for myself to shed some of the protective layers within which I have hidden myself, at least in my two closest relationships. My fear of betrayal and pain has also kept me from experiencing the true love and joy that I need to survive. This is a price that I am no longer willing to pay.

The Political is Personal - Andrew Sullivan

I read Andrew Sullivan daily, an admittedly odd habit for a Christian conservative. Back in the day, he was an eloquent supporter of the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. Now he is one of the most radical and influential denouncers of these wars and the techniques used in their execution.

Something happened to Andrew a few years ago that caused him to turn against George W. Bush. I give no credence to the rumors of "Aids Dementia" or "Testosterone Psychosis" favored by some of the uglier sectors of the blogosphere.

I think the reason for Andrew's change of heart was much simpler - he fell in love. His husband Aaron is at least marginally part of the artistic community - Andrew has posted links indicating that he is an actor. I know very little about Aaron, but I do know that the artistic community is unrepentantly leftist and rabidly anti-war and anti-Bush.

I have personal experience with this kind of transformation. I was a small government pro-life conservative for many years before I met my own husband. He was raised in a politically active, Democratic family. After we got to know each other and began discussing our political philosophies, my then-future husband came to embrace my views even more strongly than I did.

I suspect that something similar happened to Andrew. He has always opposed some aspects of conservative philosophy, such as denial of gay rights. Therefore, some leftist positions were therefore easy for him to adopt. But the exposition of "torture", i.e. Abu Ghraib and the use of waterboarding, seemed to ignite his fury towards Republicans. I personally believe that torture is wrong except in extreme circumstances. Perhaps there were occasions when our military and intelligence personnel went too far and abused prisoners unnecessarily. Since we were and are at war, I am inclined to overlook these instances as anecdotal.

His pursuit of "Trig Trutherism" is very strange. That, and his hatred of Hillary Clinton, makes me wonder if there is something in him that is very anti-woman. I don't really have an opinion of Sarah Palin as a political figure but I think her treatment by the media has been unfair. I also think that Andrew has a big blind spot for Obama's shortcomings, possibly because he finds Obama to be an attractive man. Andrew never seems to find fault with Obama and demonizes his opponents as "nihilists" and "Christianists". I emailed Andrew about his support for health care reform, which I see as a dangerous threat to individal freedoms. He responded in a very pleasant manner but expressed no concern that such reform conflicted with "conservative" principles.

Blah, blah, blah. I could go on but I think my point could best be summarized as, Andrew was converted to leftism by his love for a specific leftist person.

Politics, Religion, Freedom

Since I have been the beneficiary of an Instalanche (thanks, Professor Reynolds) I thought I should try to post something substantive and meaningful. So why not take on the contentious topic of politics and religion.

Some believe that people of faith should not participate in the political sphere, or that those who do should put aside their foundational beliefs when crafting legislation. This is ridiculous, political figures cannot and should not be expected to disregard their basic moral principles upon election.

However, a Mike Huckabee type preference for revising our Constitution to conform it more to Biblical guidelines, is also anathema to our system of constitutional governance. Issues involving ethics and morality, such as the death penalty, same sex marriage, abortion, also exist outside of the framework of religion.

I am wishy-washy on the subject of gay marriage, in that I believe homosexual behavior is a sin as defined by my Christian faith, but it is difficult to argue that same sex couples should be denied the financial and civil benefits of marriage. I also waver on the death penalty, as it has been conclusively demonstrated that our justice system is capable of executing innocent people.

In summary, it is always better for government to have less power, the further it is from the people's direct representation. I believe that cities, counties and states should have the power, through democratically elected representatives, to control those facets of life not directly addressed in the Constitution. I fear the power of a federal Leviathan, whose interest in "health" may eventually claim authority to dictate and interfere with details of our private lives, such as dietary choices, physical fitness, smoking, drinking, BMI, etc. There is a legitimate public interest in controlling sexually transmitted disease, but I don't like public schools describing specific sexual practices. I resent public employees' unions, which seem to exist only to elevate their members above the citizens they supposedly work for. Law, jurisprudence, and governmental authority, whether based on religious or non-religious principles, should always err on the side of increasing, rather than limiting, individual liberties.

Obama vs Karloff Death Stare

Over on Althouse there is a post about Rush Limbaugh comparing Obama at the health care summit to Boris Karloff Is this a fair description of the way Obama looked?.

Chip Ahoy must be busy today since I can't find his response to this challenge in the thread. Well I had to give it a shot myself so here are my results, I don't think Rush was being unfair.

Sunday Tilapia Recipe

This morning when I first woke up I thought it was Monday morning! Imagine my happiness when I realized it was actually Sunday. Monday will be a big day at work, I need to bring a cake for an employee's big milestone anniversary. It is ordered and I will pick it up later, but when I woke up I thought I had forgotten to do this.

I am cooking a pork roast although my likely dinner guest would prefer pan fried tilapia fillets. And so I leave you with my recipe for tilapia:

1 lb. tilapia fillets
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
coarse ground pepper
Olive oil for frying

Mix flour, potato flakes, cheese & spices in plastic bag. Beat egg & milk in medium bowl. Dip fillets in egg/milk mixture.

Dredge fillets in flour mix. Fry in hot olive oil until browned & flaky.

Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!