Friday, May 9, 2008

TWO DEFINITIONS

I don't know to whom to attribute this quote: Democracy is two coyotes and a rabbit voting on what's for dinner. Liberty is the rabbit pulling a pistol and demanding a re-vote.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

THEN TAKE IT!

Often, when people find out for whom I work (an electric utility) one of the first questions is; What about solar? I usually, circumstances permitting, explain the limitations inherent in solar energy (a subject for a whole 'nother post).
What I ponder today is; Why do so many look to others (utilities, congress, political candidates etc.) for solar energy when they should simply look up. Hello! where do you think solar energy comes from? When were we conditioned to look to others for our well being? Urban and suburban man has become accustomed to looking to others for most necessities; food, water, gas and electrical energy, communication services etc. My dogs look to me for all their necessities but they at least have the sense to lie down in the sunlight on a cold day. Sunlight is delivered to our homes daily. Even on cloudy days we depend on the sun for at least some of our lighting.
All this leads me to an old, rather morbid, folk tale. It seems, during a time of famine, a friendless old lady found a soup bone. She took said bone home and hid it in her cupboard to use for soup the next day. During the night she awoke to a ghostly voice... "I want my bone". She ignored the voice only to be awakened again by the same voice only louder... "I want my bone". At length, this went on until finaly the lady lept from her bed and shouted "Then take it!"

And so, from now on when someone says to me "I want my solar" I will reply... "Then take it!"
The following poem is from my book "Dreaming Dog, Astride the World" copyright 2004 subsynchronous press

Sunday Poem

Pious Dog,
and his Sunday Meditations

this day being Sunday
the man
ponders the infinite
the holy
the trinity
eternity
transubstantiation and
the priesthood of
believers

this dog knows
of these mysteries and
knows
all this would interest him more
if it was crunchy
and filled with marrow