In discussion on whether it was worth the effort to find and save a threatened species, vs putting resources to other use, the comment, “It’s not one species, it’s millions of years of evolution.”
“Extinction has no dramatic flourish—no final explosion or last gasp-- to signal a lost cause’s conclusion. We just have to listen until silence itself says something meaningful.”
**The Strange Quest to Save North America’s Most Elusive Oak Tree by Marion Renault Dec20,2021 The New Republic
Another Muckrace is over except for the compiling of results, and requesting a few more donations to keep the Friends agenda of aiding the complex to weather the future. Takes hours and hours to do that, but someday I will not be Treasurer and I will not be doing it. I may have to die to make that happen, but in the meantime its all a good cause. The Fellowship of the Wing with its 65 species may not win the prize on that count, but because Team Sittadae didn't form this year, we are on track to take the prize for most donations. Remains to be seen.
Jody's team, the Boobies and Tits, which they did as a lark was fun and they might have learned a few species to boot. It was fun for us to have there. She did get many complements on the Tee shirt design.
I have been making rings in the wood shop of late. Made a couple for Josh and Jenn a few years back, and then Kyle Gage asked if I might make a couple for his daughter's wedding... one antler with Black Walnut inlay and one Black Walnut for the groom. Finished those a while back, but today I did another copy of each as I have been refining my technique. Also made 2 rings out of my new favorite, Staghorn Sumac, for Dan and MaryO.
The Day before Election Day. Donald Trump vs Joe Biden. My duties today were to get the 5 polling sites in the town of Arcadia ready for the big day. Folks come in to serve at around 4:30am Tuesday, and are there all day. A little pre prep saves some time, and also make sure that someone will be there to open the various buildings bright and early. Having to think about traffic flow and distancing in the age of Covid adds another level of challenge. So now my part is done until Tuesday at 9pm when I put on the hat of courier to officially collect the election results from the 5 sites (10 districts) along with any mail-in ballots that have arrived and deliver that to the Board of Elections. Could be a big turn out despite the large early voting crowd.
I hope it goes smoothly and everyone respects this sacred act of democracy.
Speaking of other sacred duties, I have officially been released from the Grand Jury. With Linda and Brian as members of this household being pretty severely endangered by Covid, and me sitting in a windowless room in the basement in downtown Rochester, and 25 other people in there for hours, AND too many not wearing masks... the risk was high and I appreciate the acceptance of my wishes to be dismissed now. I did serve for a year. I can go back to my blissful ignorance of the stupidity and sometimes real evil that goes on out there.
