Music, Controversy over Llamas and RIP Richard Holbrooke

The house is quiet as Zack is in bed, Nancy is in her room and Lex is of course snuggled up next to Zack.  So it is only me and my thoughts and my music.  Tonight I sit at the kitchen table writing and listening.  My spirit being soothed by the calming sounds of Baroque music coming from my Internet Radio.  (Remember the day and age when Internet appliances were going to be the next big thing?  Well, I actually have one of those things - an Internet Radio.  All it does is stream music from just about every radio station that broadcasts on the Internet.  It is a technological fossil but it actually really cool.)

My music is my salvation in the silence of my house.  Since I no longer have Shelly's lovely voice and presence to keep my company I can only go with what is available to me - which is music.  Every night I sit and listen to some kind of music.  I fall asleep every night to the strains of Gregorian chants coming from my iPhone docking station/alarm clock.  I have actually gotten so used to hearing my music that when the play list finally ends for the night I usually wake up with start.  If that happens then I just re-start the play list on the first Gregorian chant and fall right back asleep.  Without my music I am quite sure I would still be back in the times when I did not sleep at all.

On a totally different note, I had no idea my post of yesterday about contributing to Heifer International would create a controversy.  Yes - I do realize that all food production centered around producing meat is in the end wasteful and destructive to the environment.  Heck - look at what our cattle farming does here in the United States.  It destroys a lot of land.  But regardless, I will do what I can to support raising people up out of poverty even if it does involve a meat based production system.  I don't know if many people know this but my late wife was a vegetarian and she was passionate about protecting animals.  We discussed this same situation many times but even she realized that we can't change human nature and the bottom line is that most people prefer to eat animal based protein as opposed to plant based protein.  It is just the way it is - that is why we are omnivores.

I will publish just about any comment that is leveled against my opinion.  (I think in the over 2 years I have been writing this blog there have only been a handful of comments that I haven't published.) I would ask just leave some kind of identification of who you are as opposed to leaving it anonymously.  I try and operate this blog in a pretty fair and open way so if I disagree with your comment I will post it but I will also tell you I disagree with it.  Anyway...  Just a thought...  because if you leave a comment anonymously I will still publish it.  (See I am just an old softy.)

One last point - I just heard a little while ago that Richard Holbrooke had died.  I don't know why but I always liked the guy.  I think I liked him because he was the person who finally got the craziness and slaughter in Bosnia to stop.  The whole world stood around and watched while the Serbs just slaughtered the Bosnians like sheep.  Holbrooke finally managed to get the blood letting to stop by twisting everyone's arms at the negotiating table.  He seemed like the quintessential diplomat who could negotiate anything.  It is a shame he is gone since he was so involved in helping sort out the mess in Afghanistan.  RIP!

Thanks and peace to all! ~ J.

FYSRD!