Barbarian Days, a Surfing Life (2015) by William Finnegan

This is a memoir written by a very articulate surfer who also happens to be a writer for the New Yorker.  He describes his adventures in and out of the water over the years.  It's not as easy as it might look from the shore.  Hard work goes into it.  He is committed to surfing and the craft of writing.  The guy is inspiring.  This is a great read.  Read it, get inspired, change your life.

Life Lessons from LIttle League, by Vincent Fortanasce (1995)

Dr. Fortanasce is a parent who coached 11 seasons for Pasadena American Little League at Hamilton Park.  He coached from t-ball all the way to Majors.  He brings his experience and medical to bear on baseball and child development. His most interesting insight is that a 6 year old playing his first year will miss a 45-60 ft fly ball 45% of the time.  There are just certain things kids cannot do and we need to have patience with them.

There of course are all the other life lessons.  It's about sportsmanship, not winning, cheering, not booing, etc.

It's a good read for a parent thinking about coaching little league.

questions:
1. what portions of the book are timeless?
2. which lessons reflect the context-- 1980's-1990's Pasadena?

think on it, Jimbo.

comments on James Webb: Born Fighting (2005)

James, read this one.  It's a history of the Scots-Irish from the beginning of time to the US present day.  It tracks our family history pretty closely in the US.  It will help to understand our country's history and your personal history.  We're not WASPs.

thoughts on The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession along the Rio Grande, Angela Garcia, (2009)

This is a biblical story that is written by an academic.  I love the story but am less than thrilled with the scholarly jargon and references.  But there is something to this and it should be read.  It reminds me of Dominic Crossan.

It is about an epidemic of heroin addiction in an hispanic community in New Mexico.  The author traces it back to throwing the hispanics off the land from the 1940's to make way for Los Alamos through to e 1960's when hippies bought up the land for communes.  This is a social disease, something that happens when a conquered people are unjustly deprived of their land. 

The author writes her book from a treatment center, where she works and does case studies.  The state applies the criminal-medical method of recovery.  That is, heroin use is criminalized, but treatment at the facility is offered as a substitute for prison.  But that largely fails.  Then the medical system is privatized, and the treatment center is closed because it cannot establish it is effective. 

Then in the concluding chapter there are green shoots of recovery when the treatment center is reopened and therapy includes working the land.  Junkies plant corn, chiles, and squash, and smile.

Birthday invitation-- compost run

Hello family.  My birthday is Feb 26.  I would like to do a compost run to celebrate with you.  There are certain places that Los Angeles County makes compost and mulch available to the public for free.  One such place is Griffith Park.  Compost from Griffith Park is nicknamed Zoo Poo.  It's animal excrement and other decaying organic matter.  The mulch is the same except no animal poo poo. 

Yards love this stuff.  One of our resolutions is to get a bag a day for the year for our yard.  My estimate is we've gotten about 31 bags so far, which keeps us on track.

I would like to rent a van or pick up from U-Haul on 2/14.  We would fill it up with burlap sacks full of compost or mulch, whichever is available, but preferably compost. 

The picture is from a previous compost run.  You get the idea.

Would you join us?  If you're up for it, make sure to wear comfortable clothes that protect your body.  The stuff will go everywhere.  If the thought grosses you out, you might want to bring a surgical mask as well because it will get in your teeth.  It will be under your nails.  Flies will follow you around for days. 

You might not like it at first, but the experience will stay with you.  It gets under your skin, so to speak.  You'll ruminate about it, and feel strangely drawn to manure piles afterward.  You'll dream of compost runs and start planning them.  This is something I would like to share with my family.

Your amateur gardening assistant/ philosopher,

Dan Hall

Review of A Crack in the Edge of the World, Simon Winchester (2005)

English geologist writes about the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.  It's a good subject written by one with a passion for the study of the impact of natural processes on humans and human institutions.  The writer reminds me somewhat of David Halberstam in how he approaches his subject, getting at it from every angle (although, as a Brit, he can't write as well as the American Halberstam).  James, read this one.  This is a twofer: you'll get history and science.

went to get compost today

We got a van from u-haul today and took it the free compost pick up spot in Griffith Park.  We went down with 25 burlap bags and filled up 20 of them.

There were quite a few people down there.  We saw our neighbor, Jack, who learned about it from us.  We also talked to a lady filling up black trash bags.  She lives in LA.  She said she gets the compost because she is replacing her lawn with drought resistant landscaping.  She told us that the compost here comes from the zoo, and she called it "zoo poo."  It's better than the green trash compost.  She also said that the mulch comes from the park.

This is our third time here or so.  We came prepared and we felt like pros.  Grandma came and helped too shovel the dirt into the bag.

Anyway, after filling up about 20 bags, we went to the horse place down the street and got 3 bales of straw for $10/ apiece.  On the way back, we filled got more coffee grounds from starbucks.

We should have enough dirt etc to fill all the places that need it and shouldn't need more until Spring at least.  We hope.

Van rental including gas was $62. Hay was $32.