Opus 2022-276: Shower Thoughts: Life Is a Bowl of Chili

I have seen people pick up an onion and take a big bite out of it, like I would eat an apple.

I think I have seen people chomp down on garlic cloves too.

I would never....

I can eat sliced green pepper but it is never my vegetable of choice.

When I was a kid I used to eat salt out of my hand but it does not appeal to me any more.  Black pepper?  Never.

I have dipped cheap white bread in tomato sauce and I don’t mind tomatoes.  

I have never tasted straight cayenne or chili pepper.  

By now you probably see that I am giving away my mysterious chili recipe.  You might be wondering why.  It is because I was thinking about life while I was in the shower.  I was thinking about how blessed I am at this point and how I have not always felt that way.

I am sure you have decisions you wish you could change.  You may have been deceived by someone you trusted.  Tragedy may have struck.  You can’t go back and change any of them.  By themselves they were horrible.  But life is a stew, not a bowl of unsalted popcorn.  It is the mixture and blending that gives it the current flavor.  Just as there are a multitude of great recipes for chili there are many paths to a great life.

Rejoice in your recipe.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-275: Keeping Trim

Is it unhealthy to trim nose hair?

Part of my Sunday grooming ritual is to trim my mustache, nose and ears.  I don’t remember these needing constant care when I was younger.  Maybe it is part of wisdom and grey hair.  It could be part of the phenomenon of hair on your head decreasing but on other parts of the body it gets heavier.  

My mind goes on tangents at the strangest times.

Is nose hair a result of the fall or part of God’s system for keeping our bodies secure?

Did Adam and Eve have nose hair when they were in the Garden?  Did Eve shave her legs?  Did Adam need deodorant?  Were these part of the original blueprint or a result of the entrance of sin into the world?

God usually has a purpose for things in our body.  I imagine that nose hair is to filter out dust and other pollutants.  Which brings me back to my tangent.  When we trim our nose dusters to fit in with our culture are we allowing more diseased bodies to enter our lungs?  It could be that the entire cause of the latest virus is trimming nose hair.  Maybe it even causes obesity.

Just something for you to ponder if your internet connection goes down.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-274: Assumptions

Do you pray for anyone?  Is it regular or sporadic?  An even more important question would be, “How well do you know the person you pray for?”

In many of my prayer concerns I sometimes pray that I would be totally wrong and off base.  By that I mean there may not be a problem, just a lack of information.  I was sharing a concern about a young man who seemed to be treading water spiritually and my son pointed out that he could be very active but keeps it quiet.  Good point and I had no reason to think otherwise.

My thinking was generated in regard to a young family I know of.  I assume, based on what I have heard third hand that they are far from where they should be spiritually.  As I pray for their eternal destiny I pray also that I would be totally wrong.  And it could be.  I am not sure how reliable my sources are.  Many so called “prayer chains” become nothing but gossip clubs.  It is possible that I could be forming my own person one man gossip network.  

How many of our concerns would fit into that category?

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-273: Headlines: Boo

The click bait on Gateway Pundit was “Here We Go” and reported cholera outbreaks.  I am guessing they can’t get us much stirred up about Covid any more so they need something else to terrify the ignorant.  Cholera.  It sounds scary.  It is.  Historically it has been one of the big killers and actually does kill many with deadly regularity rather than scaring them to death and causing suicide rates to rise by isolation and fear tactics like the Covid “crisis”.  

Cholera is a problem, or it has been.  The thing about cholera is that we know how to prevent it and how to treat it.  

The second paragraph reports that there have been outbreaks in 26 countries.  Is it time to start locking down, buying cholera masks and avoiding our friends and family?  If you keep reading you eventually come across this tidbit,

“In a typical year, cholera outbreaks are recorded in fewer than 20 countries.”

It also says that two thirds are in Africa.  At the very end of the article, literally the last sentence, it says,

“Cholera outbreaks can be prevented by ensuring access to clean water, basic sanitation, and hygiene,...”

Floods and drought both contribute to those problems.  They are harder to remedy in third world countries but not totally out of the reach of any well run government.  

Do numbers scare you?  They scare a lot of people when they don’t stop to think.  The article breathlessly reports,

“An estimated 39,857 suspected cholera cases and 114 deaths have been reported worldwide since August 24, 2022.”

114 deaths in the last month.  Most people overlook the word “worldwide”.  They think that these death happened on their block.  While each death is a tragedy to the dead and their families 114 deaths out of a world population of almost eight billion is not something to terrorize the 169 countries that have not had an outbreak.  That is billion with a “B”, 8,000,000,000.

And to add to your terror is the spectra of “climate change.”  You knew it had to be in there somewhere, right?  The part that had me laughing my head off was the sentence,

“Barboza said massive climate-induced floods in Southeast Asia also have resulted in large outbreaks of cholera in Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

I will concede that there might be a dam failure or a water main breaking that could cause some flooding but can you think of any flood in history that was not “climate-induced”?  Noah’s flood we can blame on God so it doesn’t count.

I could not see anything about the treatment.  According to a quick search it seems that most people are simply treated with hydration.  In severe cases antibiotics are used.  With all the doom and gloom being forecast for us it might be good for you to think about how you will get clean water in the case of a breakdown.

Meanwhile, pray for the effected families but don’t get too worried about yours.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-272: Venezuelan Gifthorse

Have you seen the reports that Venezuela is emptying their prisons and sending the inmates to infiltrate the United States.  To borrow from Princess Bride, you say that as if it was a bad thing.  Think about it.  It is possible that the kind of people in a Venezuela prison might be the kind of people we want.  They might be criminals but they might also just be political prisoners who spoke up for freedom and were jailed for their boldness.

It could be that we might send recruiting teams to the prisons of the Socialist countries and offer to ransom their enemies.  Maybe Texas could talk the federal government into releasing some of their political prisoners to the Lone Star State.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-271: Headlines: Gates the Republican

I found it interesting that there was an article in the Gateway Pundit linking Bill Gates to Republican members of congress.  Evidently he has been making contributions to their campaigns.

Prominent pictures of Donald Trump would make the Low Information Voter (LIV) think he was taking the dole.  In reality the only connection seems to be that he endorsed one of the candidates.  This is the kind of hack presentation that makes me start to wonder about The Gateway Pundit.  Are they closet Never Trumpers?

Of the names that were listed, the ones that I was familiar with were pretty much on my list of RINOs and semi-Rinos already.  I am supposed to be surprised that Gates is helping fund Graham, Collins and Romney?  Why does it not surprise me that Marco Rubio is on the list?  Why am I disappointed that John Cornyn, one of my senators, is on the list.  I am disappointed but not surprised because of the votes he has cast lately.

When the author gave a list of the congressmen by state it was not near as long as the article implied.  I counted 28 names.  When you consider there are around 500 members of the house and the Senate, this is not overwhelming.

Keep in mind that many people donate to both sides.  One reason is to buy influence.  A question that is not addressed, “Was this money given in primaries in order to defeat a MAGA candidate?”  Another objective might be to create the screaming headlines for articles like this.  They have money to throw away and what they are giving looks like peanuts compared to the slush fund Soros provides.  You and I might need to shepherd our donations because our incomes are limited.  People like Gates are not in that position.

Keep reading and listening but make sure that you never accept the line that is being cast.  Be skeptical, keep your brain engaged and your baloney meter turned up.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-270: Whom Do You Trust?

I am scheduled for my annual physical.  It will take place in a few weeks.  As I contemplate that event I think about the decline in respect that I have for the medical profession in the light of their refusal to stand against the Covid onslaught generated by Big Pharma, Big Government, Big media and small minds.  At my age I wonder why I am going in annually.  I am not sure I can trust the recommendations of a modern doctor.  

There are some areas that I think they are making progress, areas that don’t seem to have a political voice.  I have been treated for skin cancer twice in the last year and they act like they know what they are doing there.  I find myself looking more and more to “natural” remedies.  By that I don’t mean health foods, acupuncture and meditation.  I mean the built in immune system that God has given each of us.  It is really a miraculous process.  Think about simple devices like reaction to heat.  We have all had the experience of jerking our hand away from a burning surface before we even know it.  Think of the times you have ducked without even seeing what is coming.  Transfer that into your blood stream and all of the little beasties that converge on an unknown.  

I don’t know what the medical profession is going to do to win back confidence.  Of course there are all the people still wearing masks while alone in their cars and looking around in fear when another human being comes in sight.  They chose to live in fear.  I do not.  I hope you do not.

May you find a doctor that did not drink the kool aide or at least will admit they were deceived.  Meanwhile do the same things you were supposed to do when the world was panicking.  Wash your hands.  Cover your mouth when you cough.  Stay home when you are sick.  Get plenty of rest and exercise, not at the same time, of course.  Eat a well balanced diet.  Trust the Lord.  I mean really trust Him, not just mouthing the words.  You won’t live a day longer or die a day sooner than He allows.

homo unius libri