BETTON STANDARD TIME

What a Beautiful Winter It Has Been!

No Drought So Far and Snow On The Ground Sense Mid December

It has been an amazingly beautiful winter. Unlike last season when we had drought from mid September through February this season has seen regular moisture in just the right amounts. It has snowed pretty consistantly pretty much every week since the second week in December. Not so much that it has been problimatic in any way. Just a few inches at a time. We even had eough on the ground to experence a white Christmas. If there has been any down side it as been the bitter cold - a few days of sub-zero temperatures - but even those were tollerable as we had no plae we had to be other than home.

Family aand friends visiting for the hoidays were wonderful! There was of course way too much food. But,really, who can complain about that. It’s the nature of holidays when combined resources and culinary tastes and preferences collide.

Lots To Talk About

In this edition I want to focus on history versus mythology as it relates to personal and group identity. So much of what we take for granted as truth about ourselves, our society as well as just the nature of being human tends to be a jumble of the two. History at its best being unblimished records of actual verifiable events based on corroberated accounts or scientific evidence. Myth being a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is associated with beliefs that are as often as not associated with a specific religious ideology or prejudice. If you look up myth in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary you’ll find it defined s “a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon”. In any case, the interplay of the fact and fantasy plays a huge role in the way people in a society behave toward one another and “outsiders”.  Both history and myth are important for us. A clear look back at who we have been and why (history) can and should inform us about the reality of our myths; their strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge from which new myths (beliefs about who we are now and, more importantly, who we want to be and can become) can be spawned.

On The Other Hand

On a lighter side I have included here a link to the video we took of Vicki’s father Dale’s 95th birthday gathering. It was held at a local venue where performs Thursdays during warmer weather. Vicki and her crew got the celebration just before the cold weather set in. It was a beautiful fall day and you’ll see from the video that everybody had a great time.

COVID-19: Still With Us and Probably Not Going Away 

The spread of COVID-19 seems to be under much better control. I say under control because we seem to be dealing with more effectively.  While the number of cases are down a bit the case numbers are still too high. Vaccinations have helped enormously by lessening the severity of the cases. Unfortunately, here as in many places around the country, people have generally skipped the vaccine boosters. We’ve gotten them. I hope all of you have as well. If you haven’t I encourage you to do so.

Update:

Finally, congratulations to my uncle James for really putting some real effort towards his recovery from a stroke he suffered this past summer. I know it’s been difficult. He had some help and support from some unexpected places and people and I know he understands how special that has been.  The same wishes to his ex-wife Gail who also suffered a strope not long afterwards. She too is doing well.