I share your thoughts, Robert – we are more like a rubber band than we make think. Consider the hummingbird, an ascendant from dinosaurs or the whale, it’s ancestors were beach combing wolves.
Carl was right though, The human brain is little more than a piece of meat in a slow crock pot. It was only since 1940 that humans had a lifespan of 40.instead of 78.
Sorry for Amos’s negative tongue – he’s getting old.

I would respectfully disagree with ending the practice of voting by mail. Jeannie and I began voting by mail during COVID and the State of Maryland has continued this practice to facilitate participation by the elderly and disabled who cannot vote in person. Voting by mail has it’s origins dating back to the War of 1812 and is used primarily by our Armed Forces stationed away from home around the world. Ending this practice would disenfranchise many and I believe voting by mail is no more vulnerable to tampering than any other method. The greatest danger to our democracy in regards to elections is corporate funding.

This bothers me in ways I can’t seem to articulate! The mix of politics, religion and reindeer is beyond me. It seems to dilute the power of faith to make it just a psychological turn of mind that gives us comfort. But Christmas with all of its trappings, lights and music does give me comfort in the cold of winter!

I know not what Jesus would think of a Christmas tree (they would have known pine, cedar, and cypress evergreens in Judea), nor what curses he would have had for snow when his pickup got stuck. But given the dual Roman/Christian origin of Christmas and its dual secular/religious nature today, I think “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and render unto God that which is God’s” is as wise an approach as any.

A perceptive insight, Ben. It leaves me wondering the value of either rendering.

In reply to the aptly titled !, I’m glad Mariner has a safe haven in Nosey Mole’s tunnel. Is there room for all of us down there? Poor Nosey!

Alas, my state has “prior appropriation” water rights and capturing rainwater is explicitly illegal! (That water “belongs” to senior water rights holders in the watershed the rain falls upon.)

I definitely agree that household autarky will be increasingly important in the mid-term future, as any products or services we rely on become points of late-stage capitalist exploitation. Most will have difficulty decoupling from the economy when it comes to housing, food, energy, education, transportation, water, and networking.

Your insight into the immediate future is quite accurate, Ben. Thank you for contributing. Do I understand that water rights are a first-come privilege?

I think 3. Will there be an answer? Also, if a horse gallops through a forest and no one hears it, did it clop at all?

So sorry, Robert. Welcome to my world – everything is a puzzle. Read my response to Marty; the puzzle is a bit of Schrodinger because one rear hoof and one front hoof frequently make a simultaneous sound and unless one consults an equine specialist, we can’t be sure.
Share your answer with mariner’s: William Tell Overture is a favorite with you, too, right?
Maybe you are a natural onomatopoeist . .

skipper