Pallet chicken coop aka Fort Suess

Coop almost complete. The "girls" moved in yesterday and were quite ecstatic over their new digs. I plan to paint the coop to match the house. Chesterton Buff, white trim and black doors. Gardens soon to follow. TaoSpring. A place of peace and respite.

Freemasonry: Is there greatness in you?

There's a resurgence in the number of people taking an interest in Freemasonry. I am witness to it. And as the numbers began to show signs of increase, I made a decision to take some time off. In June of 2010 I stepped down from the appointed position of Chaplain and later, in September, I offered my demit. (petition to resign from the fraternity)
Flash forward to April 2011 and I find myself slowly returning back to the Lodge. It is hard to stay away. Many of my friends are there. I admit that my return is not without some difficulty. My return is tentative. I look within to find my source of angst. I'm not placing blame or offering criticism toward the Lodge or the Fraternity.  I'm looking to unravel a very palatable, heels dug in, resistance.

Theron Dunn used to say, "Freemasonry: It's not about me changing them, it's about me changing me".

So wherein lies the rub?

1)  "Lighten up, Francis".   No one has to tell me that I take many things in life too seriously. When I became a Mason I gobbled up all of the Masonic Education material that I could find. I poured over the Internet and the blogosphere. I read recommended and non recommended books. I formed opinions, ideas and thoughts on what it meant to be a Mason. I took it all very seriously. And then I ran into some difficulty. A lot of difficulty. I concluded that not all Masons fit into this List - and why should they? I judged that the fraternity of Freemasons is only but a reflection of the community at large. After reading this I rationalized that the emphasis on recruiting new members was leavening the bread. But as one brother stated, "I think of it as digging for gold. You keep digging until you find that one precious nugget. I've found lots of nuggets. I've made many friends that I would of not have met if it were not for the Masons".

And I agree... but would it be fair to conclude that there may be more digging and less nuggets to be found as a result of the West Gate being left unguarded, untended and in need of repair? And why should I really give a hoot? In the grand scheme of things...  

2) Fear and selfishness - The sense of one's isolation from the world is formed from a sense of resistance to the world, or a sense of pulling back, a defensiveness. So all of our psychological defenses, including denial, have been built upon the premise that the world is treacherous, that if we let it in it will hurt us. So we build boundaries to the world, we build limitations, we keep the world out because the sense of self feels frightened by what the world could do to it. And where those boundaries are formed, where that resistance is created, that's where we hurt. We suffer. - Rodney Smith TRICYCLE

No one also has to tell me that I have labored and labored hard at learning how to keep my own company well. It's safe. Effective. It is my number one go to defense mechanism.

3) Religiosity - I have a fair understanding and familiarity with Christianity; historical, fundamentalist, denominational doctrine and dogma, mystic and monk. The extensive use of biblical terms, the use of scripture along with a very liberal use of history and geography was troubling to me. That anyone would take the Hiram/Temple story as literal and as historical fact freaked me out. To further compound the issue with claims to Isis and/or the pyraminds (?) .... Manly P. Hall? Please!!!! You're Killing me!

So.....I have decided to take it easy..slow and easy... I went to lodge tonight and experienced a full blown SAD attack. And not without some good reason. So lets see what happens. Slow......and easy.... That's me.

Tao Spring: Pallet Chicken Coop P III - Dr. Suess style...

This is the extent of my progress. Four Pallets per side, covered with OSB, trim is rough cut spruce.
Interior measures 7/1/2 by 8 feet. Enough room for 15 chickens. The "girls" are now three weeks old and have quadrupled in size. We have 6 Barred Rocks, 3 Golden Comets, 6 Aracaunas. With all the rain and so many days spent on other high priority projects it has been difficult to find time to complete this project. The top (between the sides and roof) will be securely meshed with chicken wire. The bottom secure from the inside using 1x3x8" pine slats with the other end overlapping the outer 2x4's. The roof will hold it taught. I'm going to lay 3 4x8' OSB to create a 12x8 roof. This will ensure adequate overlap and protection.

Mental illness and politics.....All is madness

   Once upon a time in the Soviet Union, people who held views in opposition to "The Party" were thought to be mentally ill. They were sent for "treatment" until at which time they could show that their understanding would prove to echo completely that of the party manifesto.
The changes in the American manifesto which seem to ebb and flow like fashion (remember those awful hairdos of the eighties?) have me feeling on more than one occasion "mentally ill". I often feel that I see things in such opposition to that of my peers and of my community. I feel so isolated.
   In my small community during the first Gulf War, a small group erected a "peace tree" and held signs asking that we think before we leap before we as a country send our troops into Kuwait. Several other members of the community (some were firefighters) decided that the protesters did not have this right and they assaulted them. Years later, against overwhelming evidence and testimony, the US entered Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction. When you look back at the facts (and who does?) it is amazingly ridiculous. But is better to not rock the boat: and for what end?
My dearest and best friend was is in D.C. to receive well deserved kudos for her line and quality of service. She was front and center at the White House just after word of the killing of Bin Laden was announced. At midnight as the crouds gathered, I can imagine that it was quite a moving experience. She called me at 12:15 a.m. to share the excitement. And I love her for it. But I couldn't sleep after she hung up. The nationalistic fervor chilled me to the bone and made a knot in my stomach that wouldn't leave. Shouts of U.S.A!  U.S.A.!  U.S.A.! put me on alert. 
I just wanted to share these two articles:
ONE

TWO                                                        What do you think?

Grandchild N0. SIX