No running water

The water pump broke the other night.

To make matters worse, the outhouse was out of order as well.

I suggested that Sue could tell people she visited her in-laws in northern Wisconsin, and they had no running water. (Omitting the fact that the pump was fixed the next morning, so it was only about 12 hours or so without running water).

Dad and I dissembled the old pump to see what it looked like (During the previous weeks, there had been bits of plastic coming through the water system that indicated the pump was failing.)

Some pictures of the impellers inside the pump. The side view is from one that broke while taking the pump apart. Finally, a chipped impeller that is likely the source of the problem.

Putting Maria to work

I haven't been the only one put to work on the farm. Here's Maria carrying a bucket after feeding the calves.

Visiting the farm

We're visiting the farm this week (Grandma and Grandpa are very excited to have Maria around) One of my father's favorite phrases has been "reconnect me with my roots". So far, this reconnecting has involved unloading hay, raking hay, and baling hay. And that's just the first day. My "pansy programmer hands" (my phrase, not his) are sore today.

But it hasn't been all work. Here's a picture of Maria with Grandpa and Uncle Chip. Sue was bothered that I kept calling the dog "uncle", until she realized (and pointed out with relish) that he's on my side of the family.

Life goals and lolcats

I have a new life goal (note, that's "a", as in "one of many", not "the central organizing principle") - to get a lolcat picture on the front page of icanhascheezburger.com.

Here's the first couple of attempts. Clicking on the picture will take you to a page that lets you comment and rate the image.

moar funny pictures

Remodeling the bathroom

We're remodeling one of the bathrooms in our house. Workers are coming tomorrow to put new tile on the floor (One lesson from the last tiling project - hire someone to do it)

Yesterday, we removed the old toilet, sink and vanity. If you remember the hot tub, you should see what's coming next.

Yes, that's right ... bathroom set on blocks in the yard!

Hairstyles of the young and cute

Maria's hair has been getting longer and was hanging down into her eyes. The following conversion ensued:

Mark: Why don't we cut it?
Sue: Then she'll have a mullet
Mark: <silence>

What could I say? Sue had played the trump card, the nuclear option of hairstyle arguments. There was no responding.

(Although in reality, I probably made some smart-alec comment like "What's wrong with a mullet?)

Sue's solution is a tuft on top, fastened with a teensy-tiny rubber band. It's reminiscent of Pebbles (from the Flintstones).

The Selfish Gene

I recently read "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. It's a look at evolution from the perspective of the gene as the unit of replication and natural selection (rather than treating the individual organism as the fundamental unit).

Near the beginning of the book, there is this statement discussing possible moral take-aways of the book:

I am not advocating a morality based on evolution. I am saying how things evolved. I am not saying how we humans morally ought to behave. [...] My own feeling is that a human society based simply on the gene's law of universal ruthless selfishness would be a very nasty society in which to live.

And he goes on to emphasize that in building a society we wish to live in, we must teach the desired traits (generosity, altruism, etc.), since they will not be hard-wired by biology.

This is an example of an appropriate attitude towards evolution. Christians ought to learn from this atheist. Unfortunately, many easily-heard voices in the evangelical Christian community proclaim the "evils" of evolution and attack the science. This leads to a number of problems:

1. It wastes energy and resources tackling the wrong challenge. The real challenge is working out an understanding of what the general revelation of science tells us about the nature of God.
2. The Christian community (needlessly) appears backwards in it's views on science
3. It creates unnecessary barriers to belief (and offers good reasons to dis-believe.)

In a future post I will discuss why there is resistance to this viewpoint among evangelical Christians.

Sights on the return trip

At a rest stop in Virginia, there was this helpful section for the pets:

Also in Virginia, there was a set of old buildings next to the gas station. From this angle, it looks like a dire warning should one decide to go past the church.

But, it turns out to only be an old gas station.