Posted by
William D. Dannenmaier on Tuesday, March 08, 2011 3:58:08 PM
It’s March 8th, my birthday. It has been quite a birthday. Sheila and I celebrated by going to the hospital together. Not only did I have a full workout, Sheila has resumed her workouts at the hospital and discontinued the rehabilitation, which had become to strenuous and painful for her. Anyway, everyone was glad to see her. I did get some support, Tommy, whose birthday is also on the 8th, agreed with me that all great men were born on the eighth. We didn’t get a lot of support from other persons there, even though we were, of course, right.
Sheila made my annual treat last night and it sits in the freezer awaiting my attention. It is a Black Forest cake. For those unacquainted with this delicacy, it consists of three layers of dark chocolate cake. You spread the first layer with cherry liquor, then a covering of cooked cherries. We prefer a mix of cooking cherries and sweet cherries. Then on top of this comes an inch of whipped cream. Then comes the next layer of cake, treated in the same way and, finally, a third layer, also with cherry liquor, but no cooked cherries, instead a heavy layer of whipped cream with sweet cherries sprinkled on top. It is worth eating and Sheila does her best. I could take it more than once a year.
Anyway after our workout we did some shopping. First, to the Christian bookstore for Sheila, then to the farm supply store for a can of Neatsfoot Oil. It is amazing how few people know about this oil, in fact, the girl who sold it to me didn’t know its use. Baseball players formerly, and perhaps still, used it to oil their gloves. Made from the inside of a cow’s hoof, it waterproofs and softens leather. I like to put it on my leather shoes and it is great for leather jackets. After that, we just happened to stop at Dickson Donuts, which makes the best donuts in town. Then, following brief stops at the grocery and the bank, home to an eagerly awaited pipe.
My gifts from Sheila this year have included books. Added to those I’ve purchased already, I have a lot of reading to do. I purchased Mike Huckabee’s “ ASimple Government.” Now one third of the way through I’m glad I voted for him last time and will again unless I hear and read the ideas of someone I like better. It is NOT an autobiography, instead it a compilation of his beliefs for government, all of which – so far – appeal to me. Last time, in voting for him, I was actually voting against McCain and Romney.
I would, of course, vote for Dr. Thomas Sowell first if he were to run for the Presidency. I’ve always enjoyed his essays on Townhall, but his book “Barbarians Inside the Gates,” which is one of Sheila’s presents and which I’ve just finished reading is brilliant.
Another of Sheila’s gifts is Dr. Walter E. Willians “Doing the Right Thing.” At first it didn’t impress me, but his essays become, to me, sharper and more pertinent as the book goes on. Primarily, at least as far as I have read, it consists of essays written in the nineties. Shamefully, the problems he discusses all continue to exist and there has been a complete failure to try any of the solutions he suggests: solutions which I believe would be successful.
I’ve also been reading C. S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity.” A book well worth reading as Lewis chronicles his development from atheist to Christian. I, who have attended – under Sheila’s orders – a number and variety of churches from Mormon to Church of England and have found them all wanting in one or two, often to me, minor details relate easily to Lewis’s beliefs. For questioners such as me, it would be an excellent book.
The other book that I’m working on is “The Qur′an” translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Currently I’m up to Surah (chapter if you wish) 11. I intend, when I’m finished, to do a full report on it, but at this point let me say that I do not believe that anyone who accepts the truthfulness and direction of the Qur′an can possibly believe and accept the United States Constitution. I’d like to know a Muslim well enough to get him to explain why they are not incompatible. Of course, any true Muslim, following the law, would not associate with me on any social level. Such socialization is forbidden by the Qur′an. In the meantime, I would like anyone who thinks we can accept Muslim teachings in our country without destroying our government and system of laws to read this book.
Anyway, so much for now, I need to eat some birthday cake. I wouldn’t want Sheila to stop making them, it would eliminate a reason for living to 82.