Chickens????? RUN!!!!!!!!!!!

There seems to be a small controversy in the lovely small city of Cary, NC. There is a lady there that wants to allow Cary residents to have chickens if they so choose. There would be no roosters to limit the noise factor (City folks can't take being awaken by natural sounds. They need loud, annoying buzzes.), no more than 10 hens per coop, forbid the slaying of chickens in the backyard, and impose a fee to over any city expenditures that may occur from having chickens in the backyard. Some residents like the fact that there would be fresh eggs nearby and the cost per dozen would definitely be less than at the grocery store. These ideas sound good to me. But, naturally, Cary's powers-that-be had other ideas.

At the end of their meeting, they voted 4-3 to not even consider looking into the idea of allowing laying hens in the city limits. When I read that statement, I laughed out loud. The reasons behind their conclusion to deny are absolutely inane. Below I will list the comments and reasons followed by my thoughts...

One dissenter said that they "'do allow chickens in Cary' in areas that allow homes on 40,000-square-foot lots. I don't think we need to expand it." What does that mean? Where is there a home on a 40,000-square-foot lot? A farm?? In Cary???

The next quotes come from the same man..."It's just kind of a Pandora's box I don't want to open." He cites smell, noise, predators and the possibility of children seeing a chicken running around with its head cut off as possible side affects. Smell. Isn't that just like a city slicker? Now, I will be the first to admit that chicken manure can be potent, but with a limit of 10 hens and regular cleaning, I don't think that would be a problem. Noise. Come on now! Hens do not cluck that loudly. And with no roosters, the noise factor is non-existent. Predators. Now he's showing his ignorance of life in the city. Predators had adapted to life in the city for many years now. Yes, Cary, there are foxes, raccoons, and various other meat-eaters roaming freely in your beloved city limits. And let's not forget the local pet dog or cat that may see a cooped-up chicken as a lovely addition to its fine dining menu. Predation is part of life (for now) and if there would be an occasional chicken lost to such an act, then the owner would just had to made the necessary adjustments to prevent it from happening in the future. I just hope it won't happen to Charlene--she's the family pet. And lastly, chicken-on-a-plate. How in the world are children going to ever learn where food comes from if they don't ever see it happen? I'm not saying it wouldn't be a bit traumatic for them, but I think that modern children are a bit too sheltered in that area. Are we only supposed to lead them to believe that meat comes from the grocer's freezer and pickles come from jars on the shelves?

His second comment (said at the end of the meeting) pretty much sums up the asininity of the whole night..."Quite frankly the only chicken I want to see is in the frozen-food section of the grocery store or on a plate right in front of me, because it's 12:30 and I am starving." Do I really need to comment on that? OK...I will. I couldn't have come up with a more perfect quote from a "city-ite" than this one. He obviously is so enamored with cement and large buildings, that he can't truly appreciate the fact that chickens are harmless and would provide many benefits to the area as long as there are the above mentioned controls. I think his parents sheltered him a bit too much. He needs to visit a few farms.

To sum this up, I think the whole discussion is pretty silly. I truly don't believe that every resident would have their own chickens and turn Cary into one giant chicken coop. What's wrong with having a few hens in the back yard if there is enough room and the proper shedding? Absolutely nothing.





But then again, I'm not a politician.

Have a blessed day!

Being Me

Sometimes I start thinking about what makes me tick. Questions like "Am I normal?" or "Why did I do that?" scamper across my brain causing moments of reflection on my personality. As you go through life, you learn how you're supposed to be by watching how the people around you react to what you do. Most of the time that is very beneficial to society because it keeps total chaos and anarchy from occurring every day. There are times, however, when society tries to mold people into an image that it deems as appropriate because it's what they consider "normal." In the case of being a male, typically, and in no particular order, we are supposed to

1) be sports-crazy

2) ogle "babes"

3) be macho

4) and generally act like a fool.

If there is one thing I know for sure, I am not that man. Several things about my personality come to mind that leads me to that conclusion.

First is sports. If no more sporting events were ever played anywhere in the world, I wouldn't care. I have attended several games (and even received a bad sunburn at Yankee Stadium!) and will go again if the opportunity arises, but I can find plenty of activities to do with my time other than watching some overgrown boys playing with a stick and/or ball. Sometimes I feel like the players are very similar to a domestic dog--they may be grown physically like an adult wolf, but they still want to play all day like a puppy.

Secondly, why is it that we men are supposed to act like over-sexed teenagers when it comes to a beautiful woman? Is the overt staring, whistles, cat-calls, and comments supposed to make one feel like a man? No, I don't believe so. In fact, it appears to me that any man that acts that way is showing how much maturing he still needs to do. Would a woman want an ogler for a husband? Not at all! He should only ogle one woman and that would be his wife. There is a big difference between appreciating the beauty of a particular woman and making a spectacle of yourself. I do notice a gorgeous lady when I happen across one. And several times, I have been very nervous around them because I think to myself "What am I doing next to this beauty? Talk about a frog next to a princess!" But I don't whistle, stare or try to throw myself at her feet like some mangy dog looking for a bone. I treat them with all the respect they are due.

Thirdly, in my opinion, a macho man has way too much testosterone for his own good. Why do men always try to have the biggest gun or the fastest car or the latest gadgets or to see who can throw the ball the farthest or run the fastest? Isn't there more to life than competition? Most assuredly there is! Just because a man excels in one particular area doesn't mean that the next guy is inferior or less of a man. We are all made differently and each of us has our own special ability. Isn't it strange how some of the most macho men couldn't find themselves out of a cave with a highlighted map? I am glad that I have sense enough to add 2 and 2 to arrive at 4. You'd be surprised at the ones that get 3!!

And fourthly, foolish behavior. We all have had foolish times in our lives and I am no exception to that rule. But some men never learn. They constantly act the fool and genuinely think it's funny. Waking up with a pounding headache only to repeat the drinking binge that brought on the pain the following night. Racing in and out of traffic with the latest in speed worship with no regard for those around you. And the list could go on and on. What fun is in these things? I prefer to act with all my sanity in tact. God knows that a lot more of that is needed in this crazy world.

Finally, let me share with you where all my moments of reflection and these ramblings have led me. Psalm 139:14-15 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knows right well. My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. God made me the person I am. He placed me in the loving home of my parents. Together through this "nature" and "nurture," He created a unique individual (Some people would really emphasize the word unique, but that's for their own post ;-) ) that is happy with who he is and would never want to change to be a "man" as the world defines it.

Have a blessed day!

Change

Change. What does that word bring to mind? Most people cringe at the very thought. People, in general, seem to not like change at all. I have known a few that embrace it, but those people are rare. Change can come in two ways--planned and unplanned. Planned can include making a large purchase, switching jobs, or having a baby, while unplanned can include sudden death, war, or losing a job. However change comes our way, our attitude towards the change will make all the difference.

Planned change is easier to handle. One knows the change is coming but doesn't know the exact route the change will take. It's like taking a road trip without a map. It will usually take longer to reach the destination because of all the unknown curves and detours, but the trip itself will be worth the ride. Of course, there will be setbacks, but all-in-all, the ride will be worth it because of all of the extra enrichment it brings to one's life that would never have been possible without starting out on the journey.

Unplanned change is harder to accept than planned. No one is ever prepared for it. As Christians, we should always be at the ready because sudden change can come at anytime. Satan is always looking for a way to attack and discredit someone and God sometimes allows change to come into our lives so that we may grow to be more like His Son and learn to depend on Him for all our strength and needs. In order to resist change brought to us by Satan, we need to always keep close to God and become so intimately familiar with Him that we don't succumb to his wiles. Satan can still cause us pain, but we will not become overwhelmed if we stay close to our Savior. Change that is allowed to come our way by God is always for our benefit. He knows what we need and the change will always bring honor and glory to His name despite our attempts to resist it.

Accept change when it comes. It will not always be pleasant, but in the long run, the change will be less burdensome if we learn to embrace it more and fear it less.

Have a blessed day!

Paradise Paved

For the past few weeks, I have been hearing the Counting Crows cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" on the radio. The lyrics have stuck in my head and I hear myself singing "oooooooooo ba-ba-ba oooooooo" throughout the day. Sad, I know. But when I really started listening to the lyrics, they spoke to me. Of course, I am sure that they were originally penned with a secular world view point, but they can also be applied to a Christian's world view. For those of you aren't familiar with the song, here are the lyrics:

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot SPOT
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer, farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Come and took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I said
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Doesn't that seem to be the way everything is going now? "What? Is that vacant land I see? Well, we can't have that now, can we??!! Of course not! Let's tear it down and replace it with concrete. Isn't concrete lovely? It's smooth, hard and nothing will grow on it! Besides, we have museums! We can see what it looked like in there!" Now, I do realize I am exaggerating a point, but it seems that nothing ever "stands in the way of man's progress."

Way back in Eden, God put Adam and Eve (and by extension, the rest of the human population) in charge of His Creation. We are to have "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Unfortunately, the word "dominion" has been defined differently by mankind than was originally intended. The word means to learn about His Creation and then make applications where mankind and the rest of the world will benefit. It in no way means to take all one can get from the Earth and use it for one's own personal gain without regards to the consequences for everything else. But isn't that how mankind has operated for most of his existence? What shames me the most is that, especially during this present time, Christians seem to be the ones that go about their lives with a total disregard for what their actions are doing to Creation. We, of all people, should be at the forefront of efforts to wisely learn from and use Creation for our benefit and God's glory. Is God really pleased when He watches His Creation being used and abused by His highest creature? No, I think not.

On the other hand, I don't believe that Creation is doomed to become extinct with only cockroaches and mice surviving. Referring back to my Earth Day post, God is still in control. Nothing happens without His knowledge. The root cause of all this "crisis" is sin. Sin brought Death, and extinction is nothing more than the death of a species. I feel that each death saddens God, but not more than when Man rejects Him as his Lord and Savior.

Therefore, we as Christians should take the lead in promoting conservation. Instead of huffing and puffing or rolling one's eyes while making snide remarks when one hears about "saving the planet", we should want to be in the forefront and lead mankind by example in the proper way to learn, take care of, and use the Earth for Creation's benefit and God's glory.

Have a blessed day.

Listening

Does anyone else get as frustrated as I do when people don't listen? I'm not talking about general hearing but honest-to-goodness listening. Actually comprehending what one person is trying to communicate to another. I experience the lack of listening several times during my daily life. At work, I have a co-worker that tries to start talking over me before I even finish explaining or telling what I need to tell. She tries to explain something or make an excuse for something instead of listening to what I am saying. Another one has to be told the same thing several times, over and over again, and then gets upset when I tell her yet again. It makes for a lot of frustration at times. I have come to the conclusion in my time on earth that people just don't really want to listen. They only want to hear, and therefore have a reason or an excuse for just getting by. "I didn't hear you" or "I didn't understand what you said" are very popular excuses.

Don't get me wrong. I know that sometimes, the person talking doesn't make sense and understanding is hard to come by. And for us auditory people, listening can be difficult in a room full of extraneous noises!! But each time someone is talking to us, we should strive to listen with all of our hearing and give the person talking our undivided attention. Hey, if you get bored with the conversation, just try the "Glassy-eyed Look." The talker will get the message. Some people have perfected it, right Kellie??? ;-)

I hope everyone has a blessed day!!