Low Octane
Hi- I got a case of the blog blahs. Seems like a good time for an update. It’s either that or tell you about the laundry. Nah, you have your own.
Reading: I finished Rumspringa by Tom Schachtman. Not quite a college textbook, but it could easily be a reading for a sociology class or even Anthropology in America. Rumspringa refers to the time in life for Amish young people after finishing school but before they accept Baptism and agree to abide by the rules of their culture. The cover shows an Amish girl in traditional dress lighting up a cigarette! The book wasn’t so much “Dutch kids go wild” as it was, “they were there-they did that-they joined the church” Since Amish kids finish school at 14 and go to work they get a few years there to experiment; to go wild if that’s their inclination. For some of them their freedom is wearing blue jeans in town and maybe trying a drink. Other kids, move away from home, watch porn, do drugs- completely turn to the Dark Side. Still, about 80% of the young people eventually join the Order. It seems like their challenge in the future will be that as their population grows, fewer Amish people are part of the traditional farming way of life. With the young people doing factory work, etc. they’re exposed to more of our world. Interesting book
St. Robert of Detroit No not really! But sometimes I’ll look up the Saint of the Day for a particular date and write about it. Today, I decided to look for birthdays of famous people and it turns out it’s Bob Seger’s birthday! He’s 63. Just a kid.
It’s also former PM Tony Blair’s birthday. I have to say he’s just a kid too, because we’re exactly the same age- only he’s 3 weeks older than me so he’s a Taurus and I’m a Gemini. Big Difference.
On this day in History: 
May 6, 1937- the Hindenburg crashed and that was the end of airship travel, apart from the Goodyear Blimp. There was also something mentioned about today marking then end of the FIFTH war of religion in France in the 16th century. Five wars? How very human.
Speaking of which today marks the date in 1537 a.d. that Henry VIII (’enery the 8th, I am I am) granted license for a Bible to be published in the vernacular (good o!) Gee, I thought all he did was behead wives. Sadly, one of the translators of this version of the Bible was William Tyndale, who was burnt at the stake by agents of King Henry in 1535. Well durn! Glad I didn’t live then!
Hello to my old friends: The Catbirds have arrived in the yard. They’re about the size of Mockingbirds, but they’re a dark shiny gray all over.
They don’t look like cats of course. But they make this noise that almost sounds like a “Meow” or more like they’re saying “Cat, Cat!” On alert or something!
If you want to start simple and attract birds to the yard, get a suet basket and load it with a tasty suet cake and all sorts of different birds will fly in for lunch. The picture of the birdies in their nest was taken by somebody in the Park Service with a really good lens. But shown below is one of their cousins having a snack on our deck!
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