bierkergaard

With the serious budget crunch in Pennsylvania (more like matter collapsing into black hole) , a higher percentage of the senior member of school district's educators than usual are retiring as a final act of generosity. It is before some of them were planning to in order to save their school's money and get off the payroll. For such educators, commendations are due. I know for many, it has been a heart-wrenching decision. The local Hempfield Suburban News (a step above The Merchandiser, a truly here today and into the firepit tomorrow publication) did a profile on some of the recent retirees from the Hempfield School District. It was a smattering of those calling it a day across the District. One of the retiring teachers, and Industrial Arts/Technology instructor, stated that his Greatest Accomplishment was "The fact that in 25 years none of my students were seriously injured." That made me sad....it wasn't something along the lines, "I had many talented st...

I get back from work usually around 4:00, give or take 30 minutes or so. My wife Lina, on the other hand, can return as early as 5:00 and as late as 8:30 She has a pretty wide window. Sometimes she lets me know the ETA, other times I have no clue. She likes to keep her options open, and is more of an afternoon/early evening person in terms of when she is in the zone for doing her best work. I am much more a morning worker. Lina's window of arrival has taught my to be ready and vigilant at all times starting at 5:00 until her return. I wait for the sound of the garage door opening. She understandably likes me to be attentive when she gets home...so I have to watch getting too engrossed into anything. Like this writing this blog for instance. More than once I have had to hit save and finish my blog later. Since May 21 is the purported day of the Rapture according to the Cult of Camping, it is appropriate to reiterate that Jesus told us that we would not know the day of His return. Yo...

About two months I got an email from an old friend that said that the time to buy gold was now. He tends to be one of these "Gold, Guns, and God" guys, with not much of an emphasis on guns in real life...more theoretical as a political tool to fight tyranny in the abstract. Or in reality, if the time comes. I say trust God, and don't worry about the gold or the guns. Otherwise, it is idolatry. But, then again, I don't have anyone trying to steal my stuff or rape my wife. Gold prices have gone up dramatically because paper currency really has little intrinsic value, besides being a way to kindle a fire. Gold does have some uses in electronics, space ships, and other useful and interesting properties. So, it has more value than paper currency. Yet gold's price is way out of proportion to its value. It might beat paper but it hardly is worth the price. Just because it is scarcer than paper does not necessarily make it more useful on a day-to-day basis beyond som...

Lina and I have been trying to take steps to be healthier...like smoking all organic fair trade tobacco. Only joshing. Seriously, drinking filtered water, eating more organic vegetables, cutting out artificial sweeteners, cleaning and disinfecting with vinegar instead of harsh chemicals, and eliminating the use of PAM in the kitchen. When I read on the side of the PAM can that it used "propellants" that are "generally recognized as safe for consumption" or something to that effect, that got me a little leery. Propellants sounds like a substance for airplanes. Words like "generally" I distrust. It allows a company to make a broad assertion while creating a loophole for specific exceptions. It seems to be a legal maneuverer. So, Lina bought a mister. One has to hand-pump for compression to build and then spray. It works like a charm (once Lina showed me how to use it....I am such a moron). Before the mister and after the PAM, I was almost deep frying my two...

I am an inveterate list maker. Being the forgetful sort with low memory capacity like a 1970's Atari computer , I find lists to be an easy way to both recall what I need to do and also to prioritize tasks. Or to ignore things that I know that I need to do but would rather not. I don't forget such things, I just kick the task can down the calendar road for awhile. Like calling the landscapers..... In terms of faith practice, I am fairly decent at reading the Bible and devotional material, being mindful of God, attending church, and tithing. But, I have been traditionally a poor pray-er. Like D minus. Part of this is fatalism...God does what He wants. Who am I to try and direct the powerfully deep currents of Providence? I have written about this before. God may be pleased by my obedience in praying but that hardly means I am going to sway His omniscient mind. Less theological, another is laziness. Praying seems to be hard work. For just muttering mere words, prayer is weighty an...