mystery

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1 (as if you didn't know that! I'm just OCD; had to put the reference)

What really is out there, in the deep black void which men have been studying since the beginning?

This post really doesn't even attempt to answer that question (it would be pretentious), but these marvellous photos should inspire you with a sense of awe for our almightly, perfect, and truly omnipotent Creator.

We will never know fully what strange beings are out in the millions of galaxies. But from this earth, we can observe stars which we have named after false gods with their mysterious titles---the miniscule panorama we see from Earth, a relatively small planet in  "in the gleam of a million million of suns?"  (Tennyson)

(Sorry, Northern hemisphere only...:P)

^^^Orion, my favorite constellation, close up. If you live in the N.H. it is easily recognizable by the three stars which make up the hunter's belt.

SUPERNOVA!!!!

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^Andromeda galaxy closeup.

Andromeda galaxy from Earth.

We live in a galaxy known collectively by the endearing moniker the Milky Way.

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Isn't that awesome? And I mean "awesome" in the unadulterated sense of the word.

Remember, God only gave us dominion over Earth. What is really out there?

I don't know, but I am nearly positive there isn't a goat. (BTW, you too can edit your photo to look like that at Picnik.com)

Astronomy is so cool, fascinating, and non-practical. It is one of the seven liberal arts from the Ancients. 

Music: Holst's 'The Planets' (scroll down for the download)

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Hope you all had a wonderful Monday, Halloween, and if you went trick or treating I hope you don't eat too much candy and get sick.

Auf Weidersehn, 

~Diana

gender roles + SNOW!

Time for a serious post. You may not agree with me over this, but then you don't have to....but please, keep it civil if you comment.




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The original "gender roles" were thus: men took care of women who had the children.
Today, we in America live in a very advanced, civilized society. It is considered permissible for both sexes to many things which would have been frowned upon two hundred years ago. For example, women are lawyers and politicians, both jobs which were traditionally left to the men.


Is this a bad thing? As long as we keep in mind the original model, and don't adopt a personal "I can do whatever I want and hang the consequences!", I don't think it usually is. An exception when women are encouraged to do things they really aren't able to, as affirmative action in government jobs does: create *diversity* and limit efficiency (wait, we're talking about the government...) because those women simply aren't right for the jobs, and got in not because of their grades but because of their sex or color of their skin.


However, speaking from a Biblical as well as practical worldview, some vocations simply are best left to men. Military combat is a prime example. 
The time-honored model is for the men to fight, and the women to stay at home and take care of the kids, and keep the country going so that the men have something to fight for. This makes sense from a purely biological sense because males are *usually* physically stronger, and are better at keeping an army together. Also, when you introduce women into a male-dominated institution, it can be distracting = less organized fighting = less effective = we lose.


So one can conclude that America today has made a dangerous innovation on a model that has been working more of less for thousands of years. Only time will tell what the long-lasting effects will be, but the short-term effects have seriously endangered the welfare of what used to be world's greatest military.


Another time-honored institution in which the male/female roles have worked together with great results is the family: by which I mean a father, a mother, and varying amount of offspring. Sometimes this gets messed up, and the child(ren) are left with either only a mother, only a father, a step-mother or father, or neither. In each case it is a sad situation, but not really hopeless, as the children can still thrive and grow up to be happy, useful members of society. :)


But a truly ominous situation, another one of those 'dangerous innovations' that well-meaning people introduce upon thousands of years of various ups and downs is the public acceptance of same-sex marriage. 


This issue really isn't about feelings, love, or because we just don't "like" gay people, but because this is making a perversion normal. Being "gay" is a choice (must be or else it would have been bred out of the genetic line); or at least a problem you can fight against. This may sound idealistic, but we always have to fight against something that's tempting us, be it large or small.
All I am saying is that if as a society, and in the public schools, we accept this as a norm, then we will end up with a distorted society, and blurring of gender roles. (which are pretty messed up already)


(As a Christian, I'd like to say that God has a plan for everyone, and what might be right for one person isn't always right for another. [It's called "conscience"])


But on a larger scale, if we continue to blur or switch gender roles, we will be less efficient as a country, and may become non-existent eventually, because we won't know who we are!


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Whew!!! After numerous distractions I finally finished writing. 
And its SNOWING. *sigh* Winter is coming, folks. It sure looks pretty though.

photo credit

Does anyone want to take me skiing? Please? I'm terrible at it, but it sure is fun!
The chickens and sheeples were very much confused by the snow. Honey the Lab loved it!

photo credit

 

photo credit

my  edited photo!

Auf weidersehn. I can't decide if I like this font better than this one. Talk about stupid decisions....

o blogger where hast thou been?

Never fear, mine honorable and glorious readers, your truly hath returned!


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I have been ruminating about several things during the past two days or so.
I am considering starting a classical music newsletter, to encourage young people to enjoy classical music. I don't know if I will though...


Speaking of which, I was listening to the Planets by Holst, which was a pretty neat piece of music. You can download them for free here. I like Jupiter the best, and Neptune because it sounds so sci-fi-ish. (if I may coin a word!)


Oh and I read War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells last Saturday! Scary, but I do like a good antiquated sci-fi novel. Much better than antiquated (think 1950s) sci-fi movies. 


I am working on this song right now. "O sleep" from the opera Semele by Handel. (Semele was one of Zeus's lovers in Greek mythology, who ended up as a cinder, and was the mother of Bacchus, aka Dionysius, the god of wine. Not whine)

goodbye! This was an incredibly unimpressive post.

blunt yet true

Of Man By Nature From God he's a backslider, Of ways he loves the wider; With wickedness a sider, More venom than a spider. In sin he's a considerer, A make-bate and divider; Blind reason is his guider, The devil is his rider. ~ John Bunyan

photos !

Things I like:

Labrador pups....

Creeks (can't say I always like the my brother though)....

Hills......

And flowers....even if this one is a weed.

 
adios!

feminism = dead horse

Intrepid readers, continue at your own risk...and please refrain from suing me for more then $5 as I haven't much money at the moment. 


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Readers, after much earnest cogitations (great word!) during which my poor brain nearly perished, I concluded that American feminists, or to use a tawdry epithet "femi-Nazis" are beating a dead horse in continuing to harp upon the theme.


Simply, I don't believe women's rights in America and similar Western countries should even be an issue anymore. It's over: women now have rights in America to do, legally and without cultural constraints nearly anything they might take it into their heads to do.
They can live with men free of matrimonial trammels, dress so most/all of their bodies are exposed, commit acts of unbelievable foolishness (look up 'yarn bombing') even marry each other! (At least in my state) And abortion is also legal, which brings up a whole other issue which I shan't go into.


But basically, American feminists just need to shut up and quit whining like they are slaves or something. "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." COME ON. When have women been treated like they're not people in this country?!?!?! (I mean as a culture, not individually) My GOODNESS!!!
This is a pet peeve of mine, as in many countries today, mainly Muslim countries, women can't even sing, show their faces, or do anything. (Not that they would even understand our viewpoint, as they are educated that way)
....But no, we rarely hear about that....which is another issue I won't discuss today. (No, I am not writing an essay)


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i am officially a lame blogger

Yes, it is official: I should have updated this a long time ago. ...But I couldn't (and still can't) think of a single topic to blog about, so I didn't blog at all.


I have been starting posts, then deciding not to post them too long, so here goes.


My quail laid me her first egg today--exciting! Obviously, the tiny egg is hers is the photo below. So cute, to use a oft overused word.

I apologize for the terrible photo. I think the camera was mad at me (?) or something. 

This dreary weather is turning me into a cynic, in the idiom of Diogenes. (If you don't know who he was, look him up) 

Cheer up! Cheer up! Life could be worse!

I am reading John Adams by David McCullough for school. An excellent biography of an fascinating man.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
― John Adams

“The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know...Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly [with your God]. This is enough.” 

- John Adams

I have also been reading some of Emily Dickinson's poems, and I love them. Her rhyming and meter is so terse, yet evocative and beautiful. 

And as regards music, I have been listening to opera and...Julian Smith. What  can I say!

The sheep are being their usual annoying ovine selves, ditto the goat, except he is caprine. 

I promise to post more later! If you have any ideas for me to post about, please leave a comment.