Eclectic Amateur

I'm working my way through A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find and read it, given how highly Wendell Berry (and others) praise it.

Leopold is nearly as quotable as Chesterton. Here's a sample:

There are two great spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.

Labels: agrarian

(Via johnaugus) According to this internet poll, I'm a closet Franciscan:


what's your order?


(OK, so I thought it was amusing ...)

Interesting fracas in St. Blog's regarding Rod Dreher's editorial "The Pope Let Us Down." (online this Sunday) Short answer: I'm with Dreher -- while I deeply respect His Holiness, I am utterly baffled (and yes, scandalized) at his seeming inaction in this crisis. Maybe His Holiness knows what he's doing with this approach, but given how untrustworthy the American bishops have shown themselves to be, it's hard to trust the Bishop of Rome on this, good as he is.

Wow, get crunched at work and then take a vacation, and the blogging goes out the window ... so, just a few quick notes and updates:

Dale, don't worry. Heather's not just the brains, she's the looks, too. Good thing you can cook. :) Oh, and you can't use "Rachel Anne" as a name, we've already used it for our little princess.

Hip hip hooray!! My old math teacher kicks butt in the Republican primary, which given how GOP Hillsdale and Branch counties are, pretty much assures him a seat in the legislature this fall. Congratulations, Mr. Caswell!