Saint Alice of the Chattahoochee

Check out my friend, Alice Johnson’s, one woman show, Saint Alice of the Chattahoochee.  I saw it last weekend and laughed uncontrollably for 75 minutes.  Her website talks about some recent travel dates at www.saintalice.com. 

A Bald Eagle Flew Over My House

Last night at a dinner party, I started talking to a friend about animal cruelty.  She was a girl from Indiana recently inundated with Southern hunting culture.  She was forced to deal with sightless fake eyes staring at her all over town.  She lamented that these big strong guys look and feel tough shooting deer with rifles.  She seemingly wanted to give the deer rifles and make it a duel.  Her premise was how unfair the situation is.  I decided to post this conversation because I feel so strongly in vocalizing my logic on this matter.

My first point to her was that the act of hunting is inherently violent and in some degree cruel.  No excuse can be made for the simple fact that killing an animal is difficult.  Now bear with me…

My second point is that humanity, as we progress, moves away from nature.  Our understanding of nature and its reality diminishes with the urbanization of our culture.

Hunting requires understanding the animal that you are going to kill.  Understanding the animal means knowing habitat, food sources, and mating behavior.  To learn all of this information a hunter must invest serious time, energy and money in developing these skills.  In most states, they must pay for a license and take a gun safety course.  All of these steps bring this person closer to the environment that civilization is moving them away from.

This hunter who has learned the craft and paid for the license now invests his money in establishing a place to hunt.  By doing this he has reserved more land for conservation and prevented habitat from being destroyed.  He has also supported the local Fish and Wildlife by buying a license.  The game wardens are dedicated to the flourishing of natural species in their areas.  These governmental agencies have helped the alligator, coyote, deer, and turkey populations in my area alone.  This week a bald eagle flew over my house site visible to ten people.

Killing is violent, but we should all remember where we are on the food chain.  Our bodies are built to handle the consumption of meat.  We are a hunting species. Even though killing is violent, the acts that led to the killing have created a better understanding of our natural surroundings.  This understanding help spur conservation of habitat and natural spaces. 

Humans are stewards over the natural environment, empowered by the fact that we can destroy it.   Because of our power we must protect our surroundings and live responsibly.

Recently Read

Currently, I am listening to Will and the World on tape.  It is an amazing book that describes the influences on William Shakespeare in England from 1580-1620.  It describes the events in and around Stratford and in his family.  From his father’s social collapse to an early marriage due to pregnancy, this book gives the gritty details of Will’s life.

Just finished, on a long travel day, The Final Solution by Michael Chabon.  A great book about an old detective in England after WWII.  Currently reading Jane Eyre  because I never did.  Pretty girly but I love it.

Musically, I have been busted singing the lyrics of Fergilicious by Fergie.  Also enjoying John Mayer.  I only hope to receive Tobes’ Xmas CD!!

Steeplechasing: the 411

Currently in America, there is a little known sport called Steeplechasing.  The basic premise is a horse race over obstacles.  The sport is broken down into two categories that include brush races and timber races.  A brush race is a race over soft forgiving obstacles.  The jumps used to be stuffed hedges but have been replaced by plastic portable hurdles. Timber races are over natural wooden fences commonly found foxhunting.

Every weekend in the spring and fall between New Jersey and Florida there is one steeplechase. Unfortunately, the people that participate and are involved are limited to a number around 150.  The sport is dominated by a committed group of about thirty people including trainers, riders, stewards and grooms.  These people travel around the country to different venues with their horses to compete.  At each event there are around 6 races that have an average of 8 or 9 horses competing.  Purses for the races range from $5,000 to $175,000.

The steeplechase competitions are put on by different groups of people.  These events are used to draw huge crowds to raise money for charities.  These events have raised huge sums for hospitals, arts, and the conservation of agricultural land.

Unfortunately, these events are the extent of the sport.  Casual access to the sport is very limited which is the primary reason that the number of people involved is small.  One organization, NAPPA, was created to allow participation on the lowest level.  NAPPA also educates and promotes the sport.  Hopefully, NAPPA will give people a chance to practice the sport and create new participants.  Check out the website at www.naptp.org.