Winter and Snow

This has been an odd winter.  We had more snow and cold weather in late October and early November than for almost all of December.  In fact we had much colder weather and more snow for Halloween, than for Christmas.  On Friday to Saturday morning, Jan 17-18, 2020, we had about 5 to 6" of snow, the first big snow since early November.  This mid January was followed by a few days of cold weather. The storm began in cold weather making for a nice light snow, but the temperature rose over night making it a heavy wet snow to clear Saturday morning.

Sidewalk I cleared on Monday, Jan 20

Snow, whether dry or wet, can be very pretty.  I recall years ago cross country skiing alone in a woods while snowing.  It brings a peacefulness that is hard to replicate in the mind.  On Thursday morning my wife and I snowshoed in a location not far from our house during a light snow fall.  That too was peaceful.  Snowshoeing, however, makes more noise though than the light swish of cross country skiing.

Ice Skating Rink, notice tractor in background

Snow is not always nice.  Ask those who get hurt in crashes due in part to snow or ice.  I do have some pet peeves about the lack of adequate snow removal--but not on streets.  First, there are persons who fail to shovel their sidewalks.  The Jan 18 storm dropped snow where persons had failed to clear the sidewalk from earlier small amount snows and was now ice.  Yet, I found walking in the newer snow was more difficult due to variation of depth of footprints when it froze in place.   Some places took three days to clear the heavy snow, some clearing a path of only a foot or so wide. Then they leave the heavy snow by the street so no handicap access or baby strollers allowed.

Sidewalk on my walking route

 At the end of the street on which I live there is a connection to another street.  This is on my walking route.  Years ago the village used to clear the path, but now they do not undertake that chore.  One person is pretty good about clearing the snow next to his property, but two others have not been so good.   Close to my street, each landowner has a large snow blower, but neither cleared the path last week (although they cleared it after the storm this weekend). After walking the path three days in the snow, I decided, on Monday afternoon to try to clear the sidewalk.  It was a cold day, with strong winds.  My wife, asked if I was stupid.  I of course, responded that "Yes, I am."  I don't think she was surprised.  She still tried to dissuade me saying I will break the snow shovel.  As I arrived I noted that the path by the landowners by the other street, so it left the half closest to my street.  It was difficult due to the packed snow, but I got it to the earlier ice layer.  I know some do not like the ice, but it will only get worse if not cleared.  With high temperatures in the 30's anticipated for a week, I thought perhaps some melting may occur to be able to clear the ice. In fact, most of that ice is now gone due to the melting and clearing of the snow after this weekends storm.

Sidewalk cleared and snow plow came for another pass

While ice may be hard to walk on, it is unfortunately not uncommon for persons to blow or shovel their snow in the street.   As cars compact the snow to the street it can form ice.  Even the school is guilty.  A school employee was using a bobcat and bucket to widen some drive aisles at the elementary school, and as I was driving by I noticed him shake snow out of his bucket right at the curb cut.  He could have turned 90 degrees to empty the snow, but no, he did it right at the curb.  He pulled out on the street and followed us down to street.  Once, over ten years ago, leaving work  a heavy storm was still in progress, it was a February and the interstate was shut down.  I was driving on Lacy Road not far from the Fitchburg city hall and a man was clearing hs drive with a large snow blower.  Smack a large amount of snow hit my windshield.  As it was still snowing, my windshield wipers were on, and one broke due to the large amount of snow.  All he had to do was turn the chute to the side.  Too lazy.  Much easier to shoot it in the street.

Ice and snow at street entry.  Sidewalk at this residence
is only partially cleared with one shovel width, and was not cleared on
my Tuesday morning walk.

Many of those examples are pure laziness.  Although, the next story combines both ingenuity and laziness.  On the way back from my walk on Saturday, January 18, I was walking past a village parking  lot that had already been cleared of snow.  A pickup truck, with just enough snow cleared from the windshield to see out the driver side pulled in and stopped.  He got out with a large snow brush and cleared the pickup of snow, right in the parking lot.  It was the hood, the cabin top, rest of teh windshield,and the tonneau cover.  Ingenious to do it some where else, lazy to not do it in his own driveway and shovel the snow off.

Library lot.  Sidewalk runs here, but due to design of boulders
it would have to be cleared by hand or snowblower
not by the trucks used by village

On Tuesday, January 21, my wife finally read the blog post about me falling through the ice.  I am not sure what took her so long since she demanded that I do the blog post.  She read the part where I regularly slide on the ice and her not uncommon head shake was accompanied by a statement underlined with incredulity, "Do you really do that?"  After finding out what "that" was (sliding on the ice regularly), I said yes.   She then asked if I had slid on the ice today on my walk and I said no as the ice has not been cleared since the small snow fall, and so I have not been able to slide on the ice.  Although I told her on Monday some boys were clearing a small part of the hockey rink area to play hockey (the hockey boards are not up).    The remainder of the rink had yet to be cleared.  To my surprise, when I went for my walk on Wednesday the ice had been mostly cleared, but for the ara in which I fell in on Jan 3, and a large industrial tractor was parked nearby.  Whatever was clearing the ice must have fallen though since the area where I fell was a gaping hole in the ice.  That part of the rink was not cleared.  I suspect a garden tractor was used as tire chain marks were evident.  Perhaps the large tractor was used to pull the smaller one out.  Last year, I noticed men often using snow blowers to clear the ice.  The village used to clear the ice with the tractor that school used and that tractor had a water tank to distribute new water on the ice.

Village plows snow onto sidewalk, to clear angled
parking area

The ice rink is now clear, but the broken ice makes the ability to slide more difficult since as not much room is available; it hardly makes it worth it since it takes several steps to and then  for me to now slide.  To slide, I would have to go further from the path, but my main intent is my walk not sliding.   Winter can be nice, but the trials of walking in the winter are exacerbated by improper snow removal/clearing.  Even today, while many sidewalks were cleared, or partially cleared, there was a think layer of ice that was difficult to determine--I guess like black ice on roadways.  The village, and many of its citizens do not seem really care about the condition of sidewalks. People would not put up with their roads and streets being in the condition of sidewalks. And for some reason, I feel that those with bad sidewalks would be the first to complain if the streets were left like they leave their sidewalk.

Stephens' Fall

Hore frost, I noticed Tuesday morning on my early morning walk, had formed on the trees and shrubs within about a third of mile of the Yahara River and Lower Mud Lake.  With the low angle of the early morning sun shining on the frost sparkles it was, at some points, as if the sun was shining through a prism.  It made for an enchanting brisk morning.  The moving water of the Yahara was filled with ducks who looked right at home in the two degree temperature.  Their feather structure also helped protect them from the negative wind chill.  As I walked it made me think of water falls and how they may or may not freeze.  On that morning walk I thought today would be a good day to visit Stephens' Fall at Governor Dodge State Park. The falls, fed by a small creek that originates from a spring not far up stream, runs over ancient limestone rock exposed by  erosion much earlier in time.  Part of the driftless area, this land area remained untouched by the glaciers of 12,000 years ago that formed much of Wisconsin.  My wife and I made the trip and took the short hike to the falls.  But for the water noise of the fall, which drowned out the wind noise, it was essentially silent. A scene well captured by the video that my wife took, which you can see below.   Rock outcroppings, to the sides of the falls that in the other seasons are rather common in appearance, but now were transformed by ice flows down the escarpment face.  We thought we would be protected from the biting wind, but in the gorge the wind seems to have been amplified funneling through its walls

Limestone face covered with ice flow, near Stephens' Fall

 Ice can be both magical and harrowing depending upon what one desires. We can curse at the snow as it drags into April (or May), but we also marvel at the beauty it creates, preferably while sitting by a fire drinking hot chocolate.

 The video my wife took can be seen below:

Breaking the Ice

There are varied kinds of ice breakers:  large ships with reinforced hulls that go up onto the ice and then crush it down to break the ice to make a path in the water;  at a party a game or set of introductions may be used to get people to know each other and interact; and there is falling through the ice.  It was on January 3, that I broke the ice on a skating rink.

Part of Lewis Park and paths
I have roughly marked the ice rinks in blue outline

On my daily walking route I go through a local park which has two ice skating areas, each with technology to overlay the gradually overlay the ice with new water.  A different type of Zamboni.  For several years now the large skating area has been within a few feet of the path on which I walk.  It then becomes second nature to run on the ice to get speed and slide on the ice.  Fairly regularly I do this.  It has become somewhat of a game for me to figure out when the rink has sufficient ice on which to slide.  Not once have I misjudged and fallen through the ice, that is until Friday, January 3, 2020.  Yes, it had been warm, but I have been on the ice when it has been warm before. Let me simply say, I misjudged.

Looking westward, ice rink is just to left covered by a light snow

That morning my wife went for a walk at 7:30 am with her walking partner.  As I was sipping my tea, I said to her, not once but twice, to be careful because there could be ice on the paths and sidewalks.  I was simply showing concern for my life partner. The temperature was below freezing, although it had been warm, and I was concerned about thaw-freeze.  When she returned from her walk, I got ready to go on mine, she said to me to watch out for ice.  I think she said this to be a smart aleck.   Being an odd numbered day I was well into my walk, with about ten to twelve minutes of the 45 minute walk remaining, when I came to Lewis Park and the dull gray ice sheet that well matched not only the color of the sky, but the dreariness of the day.  I looked at the ice and tested it with one foot, and it seemed sufficiently sturdy.  I then moved slightly further on the ice to run parallel to the path to get up speed to slide.  Well, I did not get very far:  Crash! My right leg broke into the ice.   As I tried to pull the right leg out, disaster hit and left  leg broke through the ice.  This seemed to set off a chain reaction as my right leg slipped on the grass  surface below the ice, and then using my right hand to steady myself, that too broke through the ice.  Being near the edge of the rink I figured I would be in a few inches of water.  The water turned out to be deeper than I thought and with the slip, I ended up in water above my knee on the right leg, and almost up to the knee on the other.  Quick thinking and exceptional athleticism on my part saved me from being pulled under the ice by the current of the extremely sluggish, essentially non-moving several inch deep water that was originally fully below the ice sheet.  Who knows, if the current had pulled me under I may not have been found until spring.  (I had to put that part in to get a rise out of my wife.)

One ice rink stretches from red hydrant to beyond where I take the picture
To right side you can see support boards for hockey rink where the side boards
were not installed this year.

I started walking back home the final distance of what measures to just under .72 miles on Google maps.  Perhaps more from potential embarrassment than trying to stay warm I ran home part way. One thing about McFarland during a weekday mid-morning is that I may be lucky to see a person or a car on that part of the route home. I had passed by an acquaintance, who I regularly see, walking her dog before the ice break, so I knew I would not likely see anyone else. When you walk the same route, at about the same time you see patterns of behavior from area residents.   I saw no cars, but a school bus passed me.  It made me wonder why a school bus was running around the neighborhood at about 10:00 am, not to mention the neighborhood is only a couple blocks from the school.  It is not like kindergarten would be out. When I got home, I quickly took off my coat, shoes and socks and went upstairs to change pants and get new socks.  The wife realized something was up when I bolted upstairs; not knowing what had happened.  She, of course, asked if I had slipped on the ice.  I then told her I did not slip, but fell through the ice.  That led to a great deal of head shaking on her part, and her red hair bobbing from side to side.  For some reason she likes to shake her head whenever I tell her what I have been doing.  Then of course there is that smirk she will often get in these situations. She then noted I could have broken my leg. I think she said this about ten times over the course of  the rest of the day.  She also asked if I had my cell phone with me in case I needed to call 911 after having broken my leg; i did have my cell phone with me.  I did tell her that I had some cuts on my right leg.    She looked at my right leg and told me to get some ice as the leg was swelling around the cuts. She then, in a consequential voice commanded, "There better be a blog post about this."  Although she commanded less about there being a blog post "about this", then how I could have broken my leg.

My leg on Sunday, Jan 5.  My wife hand knit my socks

For some reason she thinks I write more about her than about myself.  She just provides better material.  I have to say, I did provide good material on at least one occasion.  The August 2016 "Get off the Bridge" which you can read here, probably proves that point.  If I had not written about breaking through the ice I don't care to think what she would say or do to me.  On Sunday, January 5, she  insisted on me getting that blog post written, before it was out of date. (I told her I had another one ready so it would have to wait another week.) She also demanded to look at my leg which she photographed with her phone.  I think she was surprised how fast I was healing.  She told me she would send me the photo when needed for the blog post.  She was also wondering if the village had security cameras in the area, and I told her they have some on the shelter. I think she feels the village employees are probably laughing at me for having even tried the ice, not to mention having fallen through the ice.  Before the snow on the weekend of January 11-12, you could still see where I had broken through the ice.

On Wednesday January 8 we had some errands to run and I told her the ice rink was nice and firm on that cold day.  It was about 8 degrees when I went for my walk, and I did a little sliding on the ice surface, the first time since I broke through the ice on January 3.  Ever the optimist, she then said, "Not wanting to break a leg when falling through the ice is not good enough, now you want to break a wrist by falling on the ice."  This from a woman who once jumped out of an airplane.  On January 9, the temperature had risen over night, and it was 25 degrees outside when I once again slid on the ice.   I did so for a much longer distance, only to hear the ice starting to crack when I got near the far east end of the rink.  I decided to quickly get off.

On Jan 14, when I asked to her to provide the photo of my leg, she did not know if she still had it.  She said she thought there was no way I would write about this incident. I don''t know what would ever I have done that would have given her that idea, since I almost always obey her.  There was no response after my comment, but I sensed a slight head shake.  For example, on that first Friday in January, she told me, albeit somewhat sarcastically, to not slip on the ice;  well, I did not slip on the ice.  I broke through the ice. 

Fumbling the Ball

Fumbles occur in football, but they also occur, as a manner of speaking, in other walks of life.  Channel 3 in Madison, our local CBS network, and the University of Wisconsin Research Park have fumbled the installation of a new antenna to handle change in digital signal and signal strength.

In the fall of last year announcements were made that those of us who still view television over the air would need to re-scan our televisions in the middle of October.  My wife and I were out of town on the given date of the signal change and re-scanned the day after our return home.  We quickly noticed a problem, channels 3 and 47 did not come in. Not that they ever came in well all the time, but here we could barely get pixels.  We re-scanned and had the same problem.  I then went to social media and noticed posts that the UW Research Park Tower, which was supposed to be completed in September, was still not completed and so these two, with other stations, were at lesser power.  Over time we completed more scans, moved the antennae and thank goodness at least 47 (FOX, think NFL football) was able to come in better.  Channel 3, CBS, is another matter.  It is the station we mainly watch on week nights.  The UW Research Park presaged the Badger football team in the Rose Bowl by fumbling away on project management of the tower project.

We have been following updates on the Channel 3000 web site, and little is noted about completion.  Work, according to web site was supposed start again on December 2 and they said it would take two weeks to complete.  Fast forward to January 1, and a news article in the Wisconsin State Journal  stated that UW Research Park had pulled the company from the work, had no other contractor, and would not return calls to the news paper reporter.  UW Research Park is basically an arm of the University of Wisconsin (the Research Park is built on the former UW farms on the west side of Madison), so I guess you could say this is a government project at its finest.  This project has reached new levels of incompetence. Mr. Oliver, who leads the UW Research Park, will still get his extremely large salary, to use to pay his (likely) cable bill.  He probably could care less for those of us who view the television using the airwaves.  This makes me wonder if the advertisers on Channel 3 are getting a break since the reach of the station is not what it was, or is supposed to be, and hence viewership is likely down.   My goodness, I would think we were in a third-world country not just because of the bad reception, but also due to no plan in place for correction.  The UW Research Park seems to care little for the getting this project completed. As the article  headline in the Jan 1, 2020 Wisconsin State Journal noted:  "Broadcast tower work seems like 'empty promises' as project heads into the new year."

When it was not completed in September and later in October, they first blamed the weather.  But,  December weather, and the weather for the first ten days of January was mild and had little precipitation, so there is no excuse for why it was not completed.  The two weeks turned to three, to four, and now more weeks and now no one knows a completion date.  The incompetence on  the part of the UW Research Park and its failure to properly manage the project and recognize what was occurring is either appalling or endemic to their business.  December has come and gone, and we are now nearing mid-January with apparently no contractor or plan for completion.   

Jan 7 night, location of antennae in middle of floor
On Jan 8 we had to hold it by the window

To get a signal at times we have had to place the antennae in the middle of the floor, other times way up to the ceiling, and then there are times when we have to hold it, and of course times when were simply out of luck on the ability to get any reception for channel 3. For example, on the night of January 8, 2020 we had to move the antennae from its center floor position of the prior night, and found that we had to stand and hold it.  It seemed as if an half-inch variation would affect the signal.  In effect channel 3 has, with their lack of proper signal, boycotted us from the CBS network. Not only that, but we also found out that there are only certain places you can sit, and moving in the room will cause pixels or loss of signal, or loss of sound.  I can be five feet from the antenna and move my leg and we get pixels--even though I am on the opposite side from where the signal comes.  They well knew of the planned  signal change in October, and Channel 3 and the UW Research Park had no play book for a two minute warning, to get into the end zone (ie tower completed).  They fumbled the ball.

When we got back to town in October, we were hoping for better, not worse, television reception.  I sent an email in mid-December to Channel 3, but have yet to hear a response.  To get their attention, on January 1 I submitted to "News 3 Action" a request for an investigation into what is occurring, and when it will be corrected.   I am not holding out hope that I will hear back and that they will investigate the matter and what went wrong at the UW Research Park and their fumbling of this antennae project. Channel 3 still seems to be in lala land saying, as of early January, that the project will be completed in about two weeks (although they did not say when it would start).  Where have I heard that before?  Oh, yes, their November update when final work was to start Dec 2 and be completed by Dec 18.   A Madison resident quoted in the  WSJ news article noted that there is no  accountability at the UW Research Park.  I agree with that assessment. Fumbling of this project has more consequences to area residents than the Badgers having fumbled away the 2020 Rose Bowl.  

Re-Purpose Girl

I have to thank my wife.  Just when you are not sure what you will write about as a next blog post she gives me my material.  This past year she gave me material for at least four posts, and I am sure she was probably wondering when she would next show up in a post.  So here it is, the first one for 2020.  For sometime now my spouse, or the wife, has been commenting about our Oak Entertainment Center, and how it is, well, out of date.  Most of those who remember the old televisions, that is before flat screens, will recall the depth of the old cathode ray tube televisions in being almost as deep as they were wide. They were also very heavy.  Entertainment centers date back in time to accommodate cathode ray tube televisions, VHS/DVD players and the music center which would have consisted of a receiver, speakers, cassette player,and/or player, and maybe even a turntable, which us old folks refer to as a record player.  Records are now retro chic (or perhaps that fad has passed).  These entertainment centers could also be used as a wardrobe in a bedroom with insufficient closet space.

Family Room, Oak Entertainment Center is in back center of the
photo, right of the fireplace

Technology has allowed us to get by with less equipment, and has reduced the size of other pieces.  For example, flat screen televisions are much lighter and lack the depth needed for the old cathode ray tube televisions.  While we have a receiver and speakers, our music is now on a small device.  VHS players have gone the way of the beta max, and DVD players are heading the same way, although we still have a DVD player.  Streaming of videos is all the rage, and we can stream videos from two different providers, we still watch a good number of DVD's.  Therefore, we were no longer in need of the large entertainment center, but to store our DVD's. 

Re-purposed Dresser to Entertainment Center

While we may have less equipment, if you look at what is plugged in you would think it was not so.  There are plugs for the Amazon Firestick, television, DVD player, antennae, and receiver.  Two are not normal plugs so they do not sit in the six prong capable power strip.  It is almost like I need to run new electric wire to place an  additional two duplex outlets to power all of this stuff.  If we had cable we could be down to four, but we have never have had cable TV, and I don't think that is in the offing. 

Close up to show shelf made of drawer front

Sometime ago my wife had the idea of taking the entertainment center and cutting off the top, say two thirds of height, and using a pane from the oak sides as a new top.  On Saturday, December 28, she was again ruminating about the large cabinet and cutting the entertainment center apart.  My woodworking skills are not at furniture quality, which she well knows,  so I did not wish to take on that project.  She then commented to the effect that ten years from now we will still have the entertainment center in the same place.  Perhaps that is what led to begin looking at pieces of furniture in the house.  I even looked on line for smaller entertainment centers to see what the cost of a new one would be.  Then wen started doing some measurements of walls and other pieces of furniture.  

Plugs everywhere

Measuring furniture compared to wall width gave her an idea.  She suggested that we take an old dresser, that had been used as the boys changing table when they were babies, and was now used in the her basement sewing and craft area.  This old dresser was purchased at a garage sale.  Her idea was to take a drawer out of the dresser, take it apart and use the drawer front and back for an inside shelf. While in the basement looking at the dresser, she said: "Well, are we going to do it?"  Her next, quick step indicated it was a command more than a question.  I hardly had time to take a breath, and she was already pulling her sewing stuff out of, and clearing the top of, the old dresser.  I knew her tactic, she gave little time so I did not come up with reason why not to proceed.  I went upstairs to clear out the entertainment center.  When that was completed I verified and earlier check of  television viewing height to best determine how much of the dresser legs would need to come off.  We hauled the dresser to the workshop, cut about 5" off the legs, and took apart the drawer.  I cut a left over piece of 1/4" plywood panel to get the rear drawer back for a shelf to proper heights with the front piece, and used that plywood to extend the shelf to the back of the dresser.  

Oak Entertainment Center now in Basement
for Sewing and Craft storage

After it was completed, I noted that "I am not going to say I was skeptical", but it does look good.  There was no way I would be able to dissuade her in this project.   It is like she was in one of her organizing binges, which I guess she was, reorganizing the entertainment center.  The entertainment center took the place of the dresser for her crafts and she has now organized that to hold craft and sewing materials.  When she gets on a roll it is either help out, or get out of the way.  It took a few hours to unload, cut assemble, adjust, and put all back to order, but it was completed and it looks better than the large old entertainment center.  Not to say that I was skeptical.  

Part of Inside of Oak Entertainment Center
Re-purposed for sewing and crafts

In the end, I think it looks much better than what her original idea of cutting apart the entertainment center would have turned out, because this is not the depth and so looks "lighter" than even a reconfigured entertainment center would have looked.  We have re-purposed a piece of furniture, improved the appearance of the family room where our television and music equipment is located, and did with no expenditure required.  So, my re-purpose girl came through.

Images by author, Dec. 2019

John the Baptist

One of the more intriguing characters in the Gospels, to me anyway, is John the Baptist.  This past advent three of the four Gospel readings involved John, and due to the cycle, all readings were from Matthew.  Having read some articles about the Gospel readings, and listened to homilies, one common thread exists about John the Baptist, as one person said, "John is not one you would invite over for dinner."

Birth location of John the Baptist
St John the Baptist Church, Ein Karem

One may not want him as a dinner guest, but people still seem mesmerized by him.  In way of background we know that John was born to Zechariah, and Elizabeth, both of whom can trace their lineage to Aaron.  We also know that Zechariah was a priest at the temple, so I would say he was a man of decent position within the Jewish community.  When I visited the Holy Land over six years ago, I recall hearing that John's parents had two dwellings in/near Ein Karem, a dwelling in the valley, their normal residence, and a summer place in the hills.  Each was probably more like a cave.  By the measures of the time, given two homes, even if mainly like a cave, the family was not likely destitute by standards of the time.  Mary went to visit Elizabeth when she heard about Elizabeth being pregnant; this occurred at Elizabeth's summer home in the hills.  Elizabeth, who is a relative of the Virgin Mary conceives a child even though she is thought to be barren, and that child is John, who was born about six months before Christ.  Zechariah, who as the head of the family would get to choose the name, decided not to follow convention and name the child after himself or a grandparent, but named him John. John would be the one to provide the face to the old testament as being the voice in the wilderness to proclaim the coming of Jesus.

Statute at Church of the Visitation
Mary visiting Elizabeth

The Church of the Visitation is on the site where John's parents had their summer home, and is also the place where John and Elizabeth hid to protect John from Herod's massacre of the innocents (it is this slaughter that sent the Holy Family into Egypt in order to spare the life of Jesus).  The church contains the stone that covered the cave in which they lived.  John the Baptist is believed to have been born at the family's valley home which is today the site of St John the Baptist Church.

Stone that covered opening of cave in which John and
Elizabeth stayed during the Massacre of the Innocents
Church of the Visitation

Of course, not much is known about John in the intervening years from birth to his mission of baptizing persons in the Jordan, River, including Jesus.  It is thought John lived for a time at Qumran, best known as the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  At Qumran,  which is not far from the Dead Sea, there lived an off-brand highly ascetic Jewish sect known as Essenes. They were known for being meticulous in their observance of Jewish law, perhaps more so than the Pharisees.  Pliny notes that the sect numbered about 4,000 total persons.  Having visited the Qumran site in 2013, information at the site tends to the theory that John had, for at least a while, been part of that sect.  The site has a ritual bath for Jewish persons and it is thought some men would come from Jerusalem to Qumran and partake in some of the Essene rituals including the ritual bath. Although this may not be true since the Essene, in some accounts, were not part of normal everyday life of the time and lived in small communities independent of the larger cultural and religious dynamic.  With a ritual bath, the person was "cleansed", so they had strict rules to follow, which Jesus finds rather uncharitable in the story of the Good Samaritan.  If John had been part of the sect, his lifestyle in the scriptures would be understandable.

John the Baptist Spring, Baptismal site of Jesus
Jordan

As I was pondering what I had heard and read about John it occurred to me what did John's parents think of his behavior?  Lucky, he was an only child so no brother or sister needed to explain the weird brother in the family.  Can you imagine this conversation: "What is your brother up to?  Oh, he is living in the desert.  "Living in the desert, what does he eat?"  "Oh, he eats locusts and honey."  He was not from a poor family, and his father was of position in the community, as a priest of the temple, yet he is running around the desert in camel skins and leather for a belt (the gospel accounts make it seem that leather for a belt is a bad thing, when many belts today, particularly good ones, are made of leather); not only that but he ate honey and locusts for his main diet.  Many commentators refer to John as just plain strange.  Fr. Eric Hollis has a thoughtful account of why he thinks people are attracted to John, and what was special about John, which you find here.  It is an interesting read with a good message for all in today's world. 

Part of Dead Sea Scroll at Qumran

Excavation of Essene Community at Qumran

We know that Elizabeth was barren, which seems to be due to her advanced age, so she and Zechariah may not have been living at the time of John's preaching in the desert, at least at the time coterminous with the few years of Jesus's public ministry.  Therefore, they may not have been aware of his bizarre antics and behavior. Would there not have been a more acceptable lifestyle to proclaim the arrival of Jesus' ministry?  Yet, living simply may have been John's way of presaging the Gospel's option for the poor.  After all, Jesus was not a king or lord, or a high ranking government or religious official, but a man from a run of the mill household.  (Although there would have been skepticism over the what the perceived relationship between Jesus'  mother and stepfather.)  John lived a spartan life style in keeping with the gospel that Jesus would preach.  Here was a man descended from Jewish privilege who chose a different path, not for notoriety for himself, but to announce and have preparation for the word spread by Jesus.

Dead Sea
Looking to Jordan from Palestine

The second thought I had, if he were to come to dinner what type of meal would you make for him to eat?  Locusts would not be my food of choice, and I am sure my wife, the farm girl, would not know how to prepare them, much less have live or dead ones in the house.  I doubt she could find a recipe on Pinterest.  Jesus partook in banquets (think the wedding banquet at Cana), so I think that John may not have minded some better food, say squash, grapes, and perhaps some lamb.  And of course, he would probably enjoy wine.  Locusts and honey were likely that which was most available in the desert.  To be safe one would not invite John to dinner, but to live on the edge there may be few more colorful characters in the gospels than John in which to have a dinner conversation.

Possible location where John the Baptist's head is buried, perhaps
one of other locations in the world

In having baptized Jesus, John set himself apart.  Doubtless, his gift to draw attentive listeners was probably ordained from God, but nonetheless he needed to develop a personality during his formative years to allow that gift to shine.  His life would come to abrupt end when he was beheaded, by order of Herod Antipas.  Poor John, not only was he beheaded, but his head is thought to be separated, that is different locations, from his other body parts.  I don't think one could ever say that John compromised his values.

Photos by author from 2013

Giraffes

Towering over what is known as the Big Five, and all other mammals in the vast plains of Africa, is the giraffe.  But, their numbers are in near precipitous decline in most parts of Africa.  Two months ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to view many animals in their native habitat; it was an amazing experience.  One of the things that drew me to an African safari was to see the large land animals in their natural setting as many are decreasing at remarkable rates.  It was not until we got back that I had a chance to read the October 2019 issue of National Geographic, which on its cover featured a photo of the last male White Rhino on the planet, but had an article on giraffes to know that their numbers are also in decline.

Masai Giraffe, Tarangerie National Park

Giraffe populations may not be as dire as that of the Rhino, but education and action is needed to avoid that problem.  To show the problem with poaching, Sudan, as the Rhino was named, was under  24/7 armed protective custody.  Sudan was 45 years, at his death in 2018 at a conservancy in Kenyna, but 90 to 100 years in comparable rhino age, was put to sleep due to a variety of ailments.  He was old for a rhino.  He is survived by his daughter and granddaughter.  He was found in a zoo in the Czech Republic, which was a good thing because he was protected.  He was eventually moved to an African conservancy.  The fate of the rhinos and elephants is generally well understood I was surprised to read in the same issue that giraffes may well face the same fate.

Those giraffes, tall and stately whose Ossicones on the top of the head provide a sharp contrast to the length of their legs and neck,  that we saw roaming the Serengeti and Tarangerie Tanzanian National Parks are also threatened. Giraffes are only found in Africa, and up until very recently it was thought they were all in one species.  That, however, has turned out not to be the case, there exist four main species of giraffes, with two of those having subspecies.  In some respects, there are seven species, if each subspecies is taken as a species.  All live south of the Sahara.  Threats to giraffes are similar to that of the other large African mammals--habitat fragmentation, deforestation, war and poaching.  While giraffes are very tall and have long legs, they cannot jump, so fences that are installed severely reduce their habitat.

Acacia Tree branch with places (brown balls) for ants to nest
to prevent giraffes from eating vegetation

As we look at a giraffe I think we all see a very tall animal which, with its long neck, can reach the acacia tree leaves, even though surrounded by many thorns.  Their long tongues, up to 20" in length are particularly agile to reach around the thorns of the acacia.  Interestingly, as acacia trees age and grow taller once the canopy is out of reach of the giraffe, they start to lose their thorns.  The magnificence of nature and its adaptability

The tongue is just one part of the unique anatomy of the giraffe.  Due to its size, both height and weight the giraffe has unique organs and structures.  For example, the left ventricle of the heart has thicker and more muscular walls to pump blood to the head and then around the body.  Sticking with the circulatory system, arteries above the heart are not only more muscular to pump blood against gravity, and the veins contain valves which close when the head is lowered to prevent backflow of blood.  Per National Geographic, a network of "elastic vessels expands when the head is lowered to prevent blood from flooding the brain, and constricts when the head is raised , to prevent quick depletion."

Reaching for food

The structural system also has unique features, such as a joint at the base of the skull to allow the head to be in a near vertical position.  Their seven neck vertebrae contain ball and socket connections, similar to the human shoulder, which allow their nose to reach their lower backs.  Because the neck is so long, a strong, and powerful elastic ligament in the neck reduces the muscle effort required to hold the head up.  Their leg bones thicken, by narrowing the marrow cavity, as they age to hold the massive body on such narrow legs. Their skin acts like compression leggings to aid circulation and help regulate blood pressure.  The Masai Giraffes which we saw in Tanzania will have a height of 19 feet, and a male may weigh up to 4275 pounds. Given their proportions of a mature giraffe, I could probably walk under its belly without my head touching it, and if not me, I know my mother-in-law could.

All four species of giraffe have different spots.  The unique color pattern of the spots is thought to contain sweat glands and more blood vessels to release heat from the body.   Spots on animals, as we learned on safari, may becoming darker due to climate change. Masai Giraffes  have the darkest spots of the four specie groups.

Thorns on a young acacia tree branch

Of the four species only the Southern Giraffe has had a growing population such that hunting of the animal is allowed in some circumstances. The Masai giraffe population has fallen to 35,000 from over 110,000, the once most populous of the four species, just thirty years ago.  Two of the three subspecies of the Northern Giraffe are the most threatened mainly due to being in the war torn countries of west Africa, think also Islamic extremists who terrorize populations.

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Man's seeming indifference to the beautiful animals of Africa results in a loss not just to the local country, the continent, but the whole world.  We saw many giraffes on our trek at two of the three parks visited.  Giraffes are not present in the Ngorongoro crater, due to the steep descent of the ridge leading from the top of the crater ridge to the crater floor.  They are present in the conservation area which extends out beyond the crater ridge and floor.  As I looked at the giraffe on our trip, I viewed them as rather common, and I certainly did not think of any particular specifics to the anatomy to allow this tall animal to function.  The wonders of nature and its ability to adapt never cease. I will no longer view the giraffe as rather common as I now recognize the perils they face.

Masai Giraffe near Silale Swamp

Main Source:  "Girafffes" by Joshua Foer, in National Geographic October 2019.
Photos by Author, October 2019

On a very windy day, the dust is blowing over
the Serengeti Plain

Images by author, October 2019

Bulge

Today is the 75th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge.   For historians and those in the European theater of WWII the term bulge has a different connotation than one's efforts to tone their physique after an increase in food consumption, particularly as a result of Christmas celebrations.  The Battle of the Bulge, as opposed to the battle of the bulge, refers to the last ditch effort by Adolph Hitler to divide the Allied lines and get a negotiated, rather than unconditional surrender.  The battle started on 16 December 1944 and would end in January 1945.  Much has been written, and movies made, about this famous World War II battle.  For the Germans battle preparation, and alignment did not happen overnight, and one has to credit to the German high command and troops at the front for keeping preparation efforts a secret.  This allowed the Germans to amass over a quarter million troops in and near the Ardennes Forest of Germany. Before, and after the Battle of the Bulge, there was the longest US battle on German soil, and also the longest in US History, the Battle for Hurtgen Forest, near the Belgium-German border.  The Hurtgen Forest battle would last from 19 September 1944 to 10 February 1945.  A key US division during this battle was the 83rd "Thunderbolt" Division.  The Thunderbolt division was, at the time, part of the Allied First Army under control of Lt General Courtney Hodges.  They were charged with taking control of this 50 sq mi forest area in order to provide another way into the heart of Germany.  During this battle, Hodges would take Aachen, Germany.  Aachen is the town made famous by Charlemagne.  But, Hodges' focus was the Hurtgen Forest, and  it is here that he concentrated his effort in order to protect his southern flank.  It was also in and near this forest that German troops were gathering for the famous counter offensive.

CIC Agent Roy Hovel

One person with the 83rd division, was Roy Bernard Hovel, a special agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, with the rank of Technical Sargent.  Special agent Hovel, who passed away in 2003, was one of two CIC agents in Luxembourg for about three days, to testify at a trial of spy prisoners they had apprehended.  During this visit he was able to spend time with a lady friend and her parents.  This lady friend would assist with interpretation while he he undertook Army business.  When he was about to depart for his unit at the conclusion of the trial, Jean Mayer, a friend of Roy's (also the father of his lady friend) and the warden at the Luxembourg Grund Prison, questioned him about what he had heard about German activity in the area of his planned route of travel.  

Entry Gate to Luxembourg Grund Prison

Let us pick up a few words in a letter Roy Bernard wrote to his parents, dated December 19, 1945, headlined simply, "Somewhere in Germany".  The letter begins with a simple phrase:  "I am sorry that I have delayed in writing to you for so long, but a lot has happened since my last letter a week ago."  He would go on to say that the prior night was the first time he had to read their letters from 7 Nov  up to "Daddy's letter of Dec 5th."  It is at a later point in the letter, that he provides a little more information. Recall that his letters are read by censors, and while this letter does not have any information cut, others did, so there will be no direct reference to specific events. The third paragraph reads in part: "I have had a lot of experiences within the past week, including to both extremes the best and the worst living in my experience overseas, if not my life." 

In 1965 Roy Hovel wrote a letter to a person who was looking to write a book on the CIC.  This letter, which provides additional detail to that week, is summarized as follows:  In the very early morning of Dec 16, 1944 Roy and agent Turner were departing Luxembourg City, but due to early time of day had not been in contact with any commanders regarding recent activity. They left early in the morning as they had to drive without lights.  All was quiet on this front as they took the road north of Luxembourg City, which was the one closest to the eastern border.  But the quiet of the morning was about to turn.   Hovel and his partner were about 14 miles outside of Luxembourg City on the way back to their post in Germany east of Aachen, when a tracer bullet went, as he says, "between my eyes and the windshield of the jeep."  As other bullets hit the jeep he was driving, he jumped into the ditch on the left side of the country road, and his partner to the right ditch.  Over the course of the day the two agents were able to make their way to the bottom of a hill and eventually made contact with a reconnoitering Army Captain who took them to his division's intelligence division. This was probably the 101st Airborne.  Here they reported what they had encountered.  This location happened to be in the center of activity--Bastogne.  Just before, he thinks it was about a half hour, before Bastogne was surrounded by the Germans, Roy and his CIC partner were able to get out of Bastogne and rejoin their own division.  I also believe that, since they were taken to the division HQ, they were at the now infamous cafe in Bastogne.  It was from the Bastogne Cafe that the US Commander received a German request that they surrender, to which would be the famous reply "Nuts".

Former Convent Church, and by 1944 was part of the prison

It is possible that Jean Mayer, as warden at the prison, had heard rumors about German activity in the outskirts of the Luxembourg City.   The Allied Army, as we know, was in the dark about German movements;  but at least Roy Hovel, as he left Luxembourg before dawn, knew to keep his eyes open.  He and his partner would later learn that this was start the Battle of the Bulge.   The Thunderbolt Division would be relocated to fight in the Bulge, engaging in the battle just after Christmas.

Cafe in Bastogne

The 19 Dec. 1944 letter raises the question as to what best and worst parts of his time that week had been.  The best part of his time was likely his time with his lady friend Berty.  In the letter he wonders if he may not be falling in love with Berty, who he had met while the 83rd was stationed in Luxembourg.  What American man, or any man, would not think the company of a women was a respite from the fog of war?  The worst was likely the German ambush and his means of transportation arguably being the first US materiel destroyed in the Battle of Bulge.  His quick reaction kept him from being the first human statistic. Anita Hovel, a sister to Roy, would recount that he and his partner were able to gather and enjoy some treats his lady friend Berty and her parents had sent along as they made their way back to allied lines. 

Mayer family temporary home in Dommeldingen, suburb of Luxembourg City.
The family was required to live here during the occupation until 14 Nov 1944

The letters he received from Rudy, Ida and Anita are, as far as I know, lost to history.  His letters home were kept by his parents.  Reading the copies of the letters he wrote home you get a sense of a desire for information, but to be home.   Many of his letters begin with him wondering when his parents or sister would have last written.  Near its conclusion, one can sense the solitary nature of another Christmas away from home.  He writes: "The days are going fast these days and soon Christmas will be here.  I suppose it will be one of the loneliest ones I spent, but it couldn't be worse than last year as over here you know you cannot be on leave for it and so one not too disturbed over that, although I wish I could spend it with you."   He would have spent Christmas 1943 in the US, but unable to obtain leave to spend the holiday with his family.

CIC Agent Hovel

As to whether he was falling in love with Berty, he concludes that portion by saying time will tell.  Of course, he did not marry Berty.  He would come back to the United States, marry Mary Jeanne Sweeney, and together they would produce a family of ten.

As 2019 starts to wrap up, perhaps we need to think of Christmas in a slightly different way than we have in the past.  While Christmas cookies may give us a bulge to which we need to battle, they provided a small level of comfort food for a man making his way back to his unit during the true Battle of the Bulge.

 Most all of this blog was posted earlier, Dec, 2013