First Blog of 2014

Early morning frivolity. This New Year's morning the neighborhood squirrels are celebrating by racing hither and thither, leaping from our neighbor's roof into several small backyard trees, sending the slender branches swaying, stirring up clouds of light, fluffy snow. You can almost hear them, “OK, up, over, and let's do it again!” A raucous good time is being had by all!

The Caribbean. Christine and I were off-out (as the Brits say) for the annual Abell-Kightlinger family warm water cruise to the Caribbean. Except for one rainy day in Belize City, the weather was wonderfully warm. Unfortunately, the rain in Belize kept us from visiting an ice cream store on the far side of town that is owned/run by a couple from the Abell's hometown in Meadville, PA.


It was a somber Christmas here in CO. Christine and I both returned from the cruise with bronchitis; me with an slight infection in both ears, which we are slowly working through. We naturally had to cancel our party plans in deference to our friends's health. Given my mid-2013 health crisis and these nasty colds, we are both quite ready to be moving on to a healthier 2014.


Music time. This holiday's recovery and consequent couch-time afforded the opportunity to listen to lots of Christmas music. Both Christine and I also enjoyed watching the traditional music programs from the Mormon Tabernacle, Luther College, St. Martins in the Fields, etc. Unfailingly, I feel a sense of disappointment when the holiday music goes so suddenly “out of season,” in just the blink of an eye.


Darn, almost missed that! I remember some years ago one of the stylized cartoons in The New Yorker magazine, in which the wife tells her husband, “Well, we missed that, too!” “That” being the world's longest running musical, “The Fantastics.” I have a feeling that amidst these unhealthy, trouble-filled days of 2013, a few things here have gone un-noted.
     And, true to form, the Abells nearly missed the deadline for using a Living Social coupon to visit Denver's Clifford Still museum that houses the entire collection of one of America's preeminent abstract expressionists. Mr. Still offered the collection, but with the proviso that a city take his entire collection. Mr. Still had a CO “connection”  by way of Colorado University and arts community, led by the DAM (Denver Art Museum), stepped up and raised the money for a building which abuts the DAM in downtown Denver. If your enjoy modern are and have time, do not miss this museum.

Duck Dynasty, perhaps? Yes, this ongoing tempest-in-a-teapot nearly got by me! Truthfully I have never watched even one “Duck” episode, though, obviously, there are plenty of viewers. Perhaps, Thomas Jefferson’s words touching on the subject of tolerance will suffice: “It does me no injury for my neighbors to say there are 20 gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my legs.” In today's world setting, Jefferson would surely add a few other areas of social concern.
Historical note: This past year, 2013, marked the 1,700^th anniversary of the Roman Emperor Constantine's “Edict of Milan,” decreeing freedom of religion throughout the Empire. I guess the “Duck” and other current religion-based controversies fall in the the “lessons unlearned” category.


The Cold Moon. As noted by my friend in NC, December's full moon was appropriately named and, here at altitude, it was particularly sharp and clear. One of those times you wish for a heated observatory so you could comfortable study the lunar surface. Wondering where Tommy Lee Jones might have landed (pure fiction, from the movie “Space Cowboys”) or where, if successful, the Chinese may stake their claim.

Some years ago when Christine and I had our get-away house outside Alma, CO, we loved to take full-moon-walks “around the loop” road with the unlikely name, Kootchie Kootchie. There was no need of a flashlight and the night's silence was broken only by our boots crunching the icy-cold powder snow, all to the accompaniment of the coyotes playfully howling as they moved up and down Mosquito Gulch.


New Year's resolutions? Many, myself included, will no doubt include “weight loss/management” on our lists. We need to know – and heed – the 5 myths of obesity.

1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for the obesity epidemic.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we are too sedentary.
5. We can conquer obesity through better education about diet and nutrition.

As the article cited below notes, the kernel of truth in each point is belied by other, usually more powerful, cultural factors that work against our best efforts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-obesity/2013/12/27/cd7f5b3a-69c4-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html?tid=hpModule_ea22e378-b26e-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19&hpid=z11

May 2014 be prosperous and healthful for you and yours! Advanced thanks for reading throughout this coming year. I'll try mightily try to resume my weekly publication on Tuesdays.