My neighbor's wall?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
          ~Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

Your own safety is at stake when your neighbor's wall is ablaze.
          ~Horace



It has been quite awhile since I have written a blog. This has been a busy summer's end and beginning of autumn. Our trip abroad, car shows, household projects, reconnecting with family and friends, and a quick trip to see the grandsons in Maryland have kept me occupied. And, with Christmas on the horizon (Lanny reported our local Menard's hardware store has their Christmas "Enchanted Village" display up, lit and available for sale!) I have begun the rush of knitting gifts.

But despite the busy-ness, I have been ruminating about something that has me more and more unsettled. Recent events here in the US and in the Indianapolis area have added to my discontent. I find I need to write out my thoughts in hopes of clarifying them for myself and perhaps generating some discussions with readers.

When we were in Switzerland, one of our guides and I had a conversation about guns here in the US and how it is so different in Switzerland. This young woman is Swiss, and described how in Switzerland everyone has a gun. National service in the Swiss military is a requirement for every young man, and optional for every young woman. While in the military, each person is issued a gun. It is theirs to keep. Yup, the government lets each person keep the gun they are issued while in the military. They are expected to keep it in good working order. Here's the catch-- nobody gets ammunition. It is illegal to sell ammunition in the country, or even to possess it in your home. Ammunition is stored in armories around the country. If you are a hunter, you can get it when you  apply for your hunting license, just for that hunting season. If you are in the police, your ammunition is kept at the police station. If you enjoy target shooting, you can obtain it when you go to the shooting range, just enough for your session there. Once you are out of the military, it is an expectation that you will serve in the reserves until you are retirement age. Every so often (I am thinking she said every 3 or 4 years, but I can't remember...) you go to brush up on your military skills (like the reserves do here only less often but for a longer period of time), and shooting guns is included in this. What this means is that in the event the country is attacked, they have an armed, prepared militia that can be called up immediately. The Swiss do not send troops to other countries (the Vatican is the only exception, where the Swiss Guard is famous for their service). They only send diplomats, and only participate in world politics on the diplomatic level. Switzerland is the site of the first League of Nations, and there is a UN location in Geneva. They are well known as peace makers, but are prepared to defend their country if it comes under attack. They have, in the words of our Constitution, a "well regulated militia".

I must admit that I like this idea. It has served the Swiss well-- this country is, by pretty much any measure you can use, the wealthiest country in the world. And almost zero violent crime. They have industrious citizens who do not shoot one another. 

Here in the US, and in Indiana particularly, the differences were glaringly clear this past week. We had an Indianapolis police officer gunned down when he responded to a domestic violence call. There was a convenience store clerk shot and killed during a robbery. Up in Chicago, the gun violence in the past week includes the driveby shooting of a 3 year old. And then there was the mass shooting at the Naval Yard in Washington, DC. And all the other mass shootings that have occurred in the last few years... and will occur again.

That shooting prompted media attention back to the gun control issue. I have listened to these accounts and thought about them a lot. I will admit to being a pacifist by nature-- I was during the Viet Nam war, and have continued to be during the Middle East wars. I am not a gun enthusiast-- not a hunter, or a target shooter. And I would not keep a weapon for self protection because I know myself well enough to know I would never be able to shoot it confidently enough to be safe.

I am also an American who believes in the Constitution, and in the rule of law. Our constitution protects the right of the people to keep arms.  And that is where I struggle-- how do we do both-- protect our people from what my 3 year old grandson calls "mean baddies"-- yet uphold our Constitution? The Swiss have found a way, but the longer I think about it, the more I realize that we have gone way past any ability to institute a Swiss system in this country. It can't work because our mentality here is so different. Listening to both sides of the gun control debate has made me realize how ardently some people believe in their gun ownership. For these people, any attempt to limit guns is an infringement on their Second Amendment right. And the more I talk to people who own and use guns, the more I realize that they are careful with the weapons, have learned how to care for and use them, and are not "mean baddies" at all. To coin a phrase, some of my best friends have guns. 

The issue is not black and white-- it can't be solved by either complete removal of guns from our society (the bumper sticker is right-- if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have them...) or by unregulated guns for everyone. There has to be some kind of regulation of gun ownership. I know there are regulations currently, but evidence would suggest they aren't adequate to keep mentally unstable and/or violent people from owning and using them. I don't know what needs to be added or changed, and I am trying not to be naive in thinking regulations can police all irrational human behavior. But we have to begin. We have to stop shouting at one another, and sit down and listen. 

If we can't come together on this one, I fear our country will continue the shooting spree, and no one will be safe. The enemy is not outside our borders, it is our own intransigence. 

My Bestest Buddy

 

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

          ~Albert Schweitzer

In so many ways, my life has been blessed by wonderful people. It seems that at every crossroad, I have encountered someone to help me. My life, like everyone's, has had a some ups and downs. I come from people who do not share their grief well, so reaching out for help has always been difficult. I have been incredibly fortunate to have a life-long friend who excels at reaching out, at knowing exactly when I need help. And she has always been there for me. Today is her birthday, and I want to celebrate her and our friendship on her special day.

Patty and I met our sophomore year in high school. We had both moved that year-- she started the school year as a new kid, I moved and started half way through the year. I tend to be shy, so reaching out to make new friends was a little hard on me. She was there with her engaging smile and friendship-- I think we bonded pretty quickly. It helped that she and I belonged to the same church and were active in the youth group there, and that our parents became friends. Her dad and my dad became great buddies, working on church projects together. Indeed, my father bought our lake cottage from Patty's dad, who built a new place next door. From that point on, the two men were fishing buddies.

Patty and I were in each other's weddings, we threw showers for each other, we celebrated the births of our children together. We each had two boys-- 4 little boys in the space of about 4 years. You would think we were identical twins... but we are not. Often we joke that we are the other's alter ego-- we are completely different in personality and outlook. We disagree on politics, religion, clothing styles, life styles, you name it. Patty is outgoing, sometimes a little flamboyant. I am reserved and perhaps a little dull. She is politically conservative, I am a "bleeding heart liberal". She is a morning person, I am definitely not. She hates most of the foods I love, and I don't enjoy foods she does. Well, except for chocolate...

But here's the thing-- time after time, when my life has seemed like it was too painful, she was there to lift my spirits, offer advice, and show me the way. She is the one who convinced me to try online dating (and that's how I met my husband!), she is the one who dragged me into the water to snorkel (and I discovered I could do it, loved it, felt like I could do anything after that...) and who has encouraged me to stretch my abilities knitting. My life has been vastly enriched because she was there to help me stretch, learn and grow.

One thing we do have in common-- a love of knitting!

Here is my friend modeling one of her sweaters (a very complicated pattern, by the way)
at the Stitches Midwest Convention

I wouldn't model, but that didn't stop her-- she modeled not one, but TWO of her projects! 

So... here's a Happy Birthday to my Bestest Buddy! Thank you for all you have done to enrich my life beyond measure!!

The Swiss Cheese Lady

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.          ~James M. Barrie (1860 - 1937)

 On our recent trip to Switzerland, Lanny and I were able to visit a small cheese factory high in the Alps. There, a young woman, her partner and a hired man all labored every day to milk a herd of 90 cows and make cheese from that milk. In Switzerland, cows are kept in barns in the local villages during the winter, but once the snow melts they are taken high into the Alps to graze in the alpine meadows. The sweet grasses of these meadows gives the cheeses the wonderful flavors we enjoyed so much during our visit.

This is the train station-- 

On the day of our visit, we took a train up into the mountains. When we got off the train, I couldn't believe my eyes-- we were in the mountains with spectacular views in every direction. The cheese factory was located down a little road, almost too small for a car. We hiked down this road, and discovered the mountain views got better with every turn.

Lanny on the road to the cheese factory

At the factory we were introduced to the young woman, who explained that the cows were grazing "over the hill" so we couldn't see them, but she and her partner had milked them all that morning, and would again that evening. 90 cows, twice a day, every day. Well, she admitted somewhat sheepishly, about half the cows were now pregnant and not giving milk, so the work load was dramatically reduced... 45 cows, twice a day, every day. The milk was then hauled to the small building we were standing in front of, where it was poured into a large vat and heated. How hot the milk was made determined the hardness of the cheese they were making (higher heat resulted in firmer cheese). Once it reached the correct temperature there were enzymes and rennet added. This caused the cheese to form curds, which were laboriously scooped out into large cheesecloth bags and placed in molds. The moisture was then squeezed out of the mold for a short period of time, and then the cheese was taken to the aging building where it was soaked in salt water to form the rind and then placed up on the aging shelf.

We watched this young woman and her assistant as they scooped the curds out of the vat of hot milk, carried the heavy, wet load to a large table and pressed the curds into the mold, then placed the molds into a further pressing where moisture was removed. It was very hot inside the factory-- well over 80 degrees. The assistant worked shirtless but was wearing large rubber galoshes. The woman had a large rubber apron on. They both were covered in sweat as they scooped and pressed.

We were taken into the little building where the cheese was aged, and saw many large wheels of cheese with a date stamped on each. We were told that the aging process also effects the firmness of the cheese-- the longer the cheese is aged, the firmer the cheese. The woman cut two kinds of cheese into small servings and we were invited to try it. It was delicious!

The woman told us she lived on the mountain with her boyfriend during the summer. They had two children, but due to the constant long work hours, the children remained down in the village with her parents. Her day began with the milking, then the hauling of the milk, then the cheese making. That was followed by a second milking and the process was repeated. It sounded like a very, very hard life. She admitted that they worked very hard, and commented that for all their hard work, they were not rich. We all commented on how care-worn she looked and how tired she must be. Back breaking physical work for long hours seemed like it must be a very hard life... We all pitied her.

But then I looked around me. The views-- those stunningly beautiful mountains. They were everywhere. As hard as she was working, this woman was living life on her own terms and in a place that defied description it was so beautiful. When the summer was over, she would go back down the mountain with the cows and resume her village life which was not nearly as much physical work. She had supportive parents and a partner who was helping her. Her life was pretty simple, really. I no longer pitied her-- I admired her. She was a very lucky young woman!

Can you imagine waking up every morning to a view like this?

Or this? And I'll bet the stars at night were incredible too!