For once, I guessed right

 So the other day, my news aggregator sent me a story about "Best and worst cities to drive in" (you can find it here. I said to myself, "This is something Fort Wayne should actually be good at!"

We were the third best! Out of the USA's 100 biggest cities.

So let's look a little bit at how they determined this. (Which of course means, you don't have to hit the link, if you enjoysnarky commentary over dry stats.)

First category they used was hours in traffic per driver.  Lubbock TX won that one, while your usual suspects- Boston, NYC, LA, Philly, and Chicago- tied for worst.  They note that Chicago's total was 14 times that of Lubbock.

The next category they thought worthy was 'days with precipitation.' Not surprisingly, everything within 100 miles of Las Vegas had the least, and tied for #1.  Also, no great surprise that the home of the enormous lake-effect blizzard every week from November till June, Buffalo NY, was worst.

Next they looked at how much more or less than the national average it was to get into an accident.  Boise ID was the insurance company's dream; a somewhat familiar four way tie for worst had LA and Boston, and newcomers Washington, DC, and Baltimore.  Apparently, ability to drive fades as you move east.

Next was car theft.  I was surprised to see Hialeah, FL, as the best; in another 'but those are all liberal democrat cities' list, we have a 4-way for worst with Philly, Minneapolis, St Louis, Kansas City, and Oakland. Funny how that corresponds with 'defund the police' movements...

Repair shops per capita was next.  Birmingham, AL, was your best bet; obviously, the score gets worse the more people you insert into the 'per capita', so NYC, LA, and Chicago lead the bad side.

Car washes (?) was next, and your best bet is anywhere in Florida.  However, it seems that Madison WI doesn't care if your car is dirty.

Then, gas prices, which is where Fort Wayne and Indianapolis were 1-2.  If you can't guess california (especially southern) was worst, you don't get out much.  San Francisco headed the list of all-Cali, all-the time bad boys.

Auto Maintenence costs were all over the board.  Jacksonville was best, Ohio put up 2 cities (Cleveland and Columbus), and St Louis got a little redemption.  And on the high side, look to opposite ends of the nation- NYC 1, Honolulu 2.

Here's what they had to say about my home town:

Fort Wayne, IN, is the third-best city to drive in, largely because it’s an inexpensive city. It ranks as the ninth-cheapest city when it comes to the average parking rate. It’s also the cheapest city for gas, with the lowest average gas price among the 100 cities in our study. Fort Wayne also is the 24th-least expensive city for auto maintenance and second-least expensive for car insurance out of the 100 cities in our study.

Fort Wayne residents’ commutes aren’t too bad, as people only spend an average of 16 hours per year in congested traffic. That’s the sixth-fewest in the nation. In addition, Fort Wayne ranks as the 13th-best city for road maintenance.

Safety is also key while driving, and Fort Wayne has the 15th-lowest share of drivers that are uninsured. The city also boasts a relatively high number of auto repair shops per capita, offering residents convenient access to vehicle maintenance. Additionally, Fort Wayne has the 12th-highest number of roadway miles per capita, indicating strong road infrastructure and potentially lighter traffic congestion.

Two things stand out here.  One, 13th best for road maintenance makes me a little scared to drive in these other cities. 2, that 15th lowest share of uninsured drivers ... I think maybe their next step should have been to calculate the much higher percentage of uninsured drivers in total accidents.  I almost never see an accident where you don't hear, "the other guy was uninsured."

We've managed to hit the bottom five already- Philly, DC, LA, and NYC, with Detroit just beating out Chicago. Topping the list before us were Scottsdale AZ and Boise.  They grouped their findings into four broader categories.  Cost of ownership and maintenence was topped by Toledo, with us 3rd; 91-100 are all California cities.  Traffic and infrastructure had Lubbock at the top, with us at 38th; NYC topped the worst, beating out Chicago.  Boise was tops for safety, we were 18th; the least safe was another 'blue city' list: Detroit, Memphis, St Louis, Baltimore, DC, and of course Philly.  Final category was 'access to vehicles and maintenence', and here Miami and Orlando ruled, with Fort Wayne having its worst spot at 60.  Bottom on this set was the unlikely pair of Anchorage, Alaska, and our dirty car capital, Madison.

And there  you have it.  Where does your town fit in?

Two Walks

 

"This week was next week last week..."

Okay, so we've had a couple walks, but you know me, I have to give a lead in...

LAST week, we were so far ahead at our plant, we started the week after next last week.  In the meantime, our other plant was supposedly way, way behind.  Our boss refrained from asking for more items to cut, not wanting to a) work overtime, and b)get stuck with something hideous for months on end.

THIS week, we were already running out of NEXT week's (last week's week after next) stuff to cut Monday afternoon; so one cutter was sent home (and will be again tomorrow), one went home early (and presumably did so again today), and I toughed it out.

Which meant that today, I was out of next week's stuff VERY early.  The boss went to check on what we had left, and when I joined him, not only had we no new dropins for THIS week or NEXT week, but the other plant was supposedly- miraculously- (told to me with the caveat, "Unless they're lying") on the edge of running out of stuff to do by Thursday (today being my Tuesday), and nothing in the cue for this week's week after next AT ALL- so I went home at 1030 and asked the boss to set me up 'inventory stuff' to do tomorrow.  Which is essentially the same as getting stuck with something hideous, though it doesn't necessarily repeat itself for months on end.

Which brings us to our walks, one Monday night and our ill- thought out excursion to Shoaff Park today.  Here we go!

There goes Mommy, zooming off to work!

Today's abandoned clothing: a hoodie

First time we ever saw a white crane right at the landing...

Ready? Time for today's adventure...

Another beautiful day!

There's our roofers, at the half-mile mark

3/4 mile mark- so far, so good!

Across the river, we run into Hallowe'en wonderland

The Graveyard was our 1-mile mark

The rowing guys

I may have made that bimini cover...

We have arrived!

This is approximately half our normal walk- and not even to the Shoaff landing yet!

Hi ho, hi ho, back to the rack we go...

"Boy, did I need this!"

Pollution control- pumping something out of the golf course

This squirrel marked our 2-mile point

Then we saw a big fat ground hog, rolling around and sunning himslef

He saw us, and split.  Once gone, then I let Misty track him down...

...but holes in the bank still 'Misty-fy' her

Honestly, I have never seen a bush of these flowers (Fleabane, but we always called them "doggie buttons") this high- as tall as I am!

Halfway around the great circle- this is where our 'normal' walk would end...

The three mile mark

Never noticed befoere- click on the pic to see all the neat signs on this house- or is it Goober's service station?

Four miles down, 1/2 to go... but darn, this hill!

To be honest, Misty considered the cost of diving into the river halfway across the bridge coming back.  I didn't blame her!  By the point above, we were both dragging badly.  I told Misty we'd cop another rest break under those trees on the left, and that gave her a goal worth pulling for again.  I believe, due to advancing age on both our parts, next trip to Shoaff will be BY CAR.

Wisdom Truck 39

 

"God wraps facts in beauty".  So it came to me in last Friday's walk.  And I see it in these next ten Wisdom verses in Proverbs.  I took not all the verses on wisdom- Lord knows, Solomon hammered some things over and over- but the ones I felt God pointing out in a different way.  I pray I can show them as God wants them as we go along.

#1 Pro 13:1  A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 

Now I know we have hit something similar to this before- the joy a Father gets when his son listens and acts wisely.  Here is the other side of that coin: it is MY benefit to listen to my Father. He wants the good for me that I might not yet see.

#2 Pro 13:14  The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. 

We have seen this many ways: The Spirit being poured out, the living water Jesus offered the woman at the well.  But here's a spin for you: The translation of the word "law" comes from a word that means this...

yârâh    yârâ'

yaw-raw', yaw-raw'

A primitive root; properly to flow as water (that is, to rain); 

The Law is the flow that God built into creation, that flow springs from the fountain of God's Spirit within us.  This is what Paul was trying to get through to the legalists in Romans 2:

Rom 2:14  For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 

If you are in tune with God, if the Spirit flows in you, the law is a natural outcome in your life.

#3 Pro 13:20  He who walks with the wise shall be wise, but a companion with fools shall be destroyed. 

Even though, as we saw last time, "If you are wise, you are wise to your own benefit", if you want wisdom to grow, to become a habit, you need to spend life with others who have found this wisdom. Pro 27:17  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 

#4 Pro 14:1  Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. 

This isn't a carpentry lesson.  The word translated 'builds' is prefaced with the instruction, 'literally and figuratively'; she is building a HOME, a family, a moral structure.  The word 'house' also has a stricture: "in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc." The phrase 'with her own hands' for the foolish woman indicates that, whether she means to or not, all her power is directed at ruining everything.

#5 Pro 14:3  By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. 

I like the further translation for 'a rod for his back'; it is "a switch of pride."  We should all remember that the proverbial 'hickory switch' hurt more than the paddle ever did; and this switch is made of foolish, damnable pride.

#6 Pro 14:8  The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them. 

Keil and Delitzch point out that most people consider this deception is a self-deception, but it isn't the truest meaning of the words used.  Leaving out their overly technical description, the core of it is this:

Thus the contrast will be this: the wisdom of the prudent shows itself in this, that he considers his conduct (הָבִין as Pro_7:7, cf. Psa_5:2), i.e., regulates it carefully, examining and considering (Pro_13:16) it according to right and duty; and that on the contrary the folly of fools shows itself in this, that they aim at the malevolent deception of their neighbour, and try all kinds of secret ways for the gaining of this end.

In short, be wary- they ARE out to get you.

#7 Pro 14:16  A wise person is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool throws off restraint and is overconfident. 

One translation is the the fool 'trusts in himself.'  Of course, the wise person has already been warned about this:

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 

If you trust in yourself, you're on your own.  That's where the overconfidence comes in.

#8 Pro 14:35  The favour of a king is to a wise servant, And an object of his wrath is one causing shame! 

I was going to use a different translation, but as I looked at others, I saw that the one I was going to use- and a lot of others- put more emphasis on the ACTION; the Young's Literal which I did use, puts the emphasis on CHARACTER.  I heard it in the sermon Sunday: Actions can deceive, but you can't hide motives from God.

#9 Pro 15:12  A scorner does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise. 

"All talk, no listen" fits in here.  It's not a matter for the scorner of gaining wisdom or knowledge, or even being right: It is simply defending the first stupid thing out of your mouth to the death.  A personality type I have a lot of experience with, unfortunately.

#10 Pro 15:33  The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. 

To fear the Lord- to have reverence to Him- REQUIRES humility.  That gains you wisdom, which LEADS to honor.  In fact, I tried to write certain sentences in this very post MY way- and after a beating from the Spirit moving in my conscience, they were re-written GOD'S way.  It was when I said, "No, I want it the way I wrote it", that I heard myself and listened.  Thank you, Father, for the lessons WITHIN the lesson.

Odd foods by state

 

So a buddy on X posted a map that purported to be, "the oddest food eaten in each state":

Now a lot of these go without saying, so to speak: Texas's rattlesnake, Florida's gator tail, for example.  Some required me to look them up, and some of those results were... interesting...

Alaska's Akutaq: "(ah-goo-duck), is a traditional Alaska Native dish made by whipping animal fat or shortening with berries, snow or water, and sometimes fish or sugar".  Momma, can I have some akutaq?  No, child, we're out of Crisco.  Wait till tonight and we see if daddy brings home some blubber.

Arizona's scorpion lollipops: This is real candy with a real, 'crunchy', non-poisonous scorpion inside. Good Bob, just give me rattlesnake.

New Hampshire's Grape Nuts ice cream;  Just what it says, Grape Nuts cereal mixed into an ice cream/custard base.  The truly nutty thing is where it is popular- Maritime Canada, New England... ...and...

"...Panama, and as a beloved Caribbean favorite in Jamaica..."

North Carolina's Livermush: "a regional pork delicacy made from pig liver (at least 30% by state law), head parts, cornmeal, and spices like black pepper and sage".  Supposedly a lot like Pennsylvania's scrapple, but "with a smoother texture".  I thought of the head cheese my dad's family used to make- but apparently instead of binding it with the cornmeal, it uses "congealed gelatin from boiling skin and bones."  I don't know how they ate half that stuff.

West Virginia's fried squirrel:  Now this I've had many times.  Just like gamey chicken.  See also rabbit.

North Dakota's Lutefisk: When I saw this, I thought it was that fermented rotten-fishy thing they make in Scandinavia.  But I was wrong, sort of.  The fish (usually whitefish or cod) is aged about a week, then soaked in LYE- yep, that harsh soap stuff- which means that afterward it has to be soaked in water for another week or so.  Which leaves you a gooey, alkaline-tasting, foul smelling feast.  Have at it.

Colorado's rocky mountain oysters: Most of us learned what THESE are when we were kids and appreciated gross humor.  If you didn't, go look it up.

Maine's Tomalley: Just when I thought it was flatland hillbillies like my dad's clan that ate all the gross stuff, here comes Tomalley: "the soft, green, paste-like digestive organ (the hepatopancreas) found inside the body cavity of lobsters and crabs".

And now, we have a meal masquerading as a dessert, and a dessert masquerading as a meal:

Nebraska's Hot Beef sundae: Looks like a sundae, but has mashed potatoes for ice cream, roast beef and gravy for hot fudge, shredded cheddar for sprinkles, sour cream for whipped cream, and a cherry tomato for the cherry on top...

Idaho's Ice cream potato: Same principle in reverse.  Molded vanilla ice cream coated in cocoa powder for the potato, whipped cream for the sour cream, and various sprinkles and/or coconut for chives or cheese.

Mind you, I've not had my state's sauerkraut balls, but I would sooner try that than a LOT of these.

Pictures

 Back is fine, rain has stopped, so go take a walk Friday night...

Bright, sunny, 64F

Doing some roofing up at the front

And they're prepared for anything

I guess I gotta give up and admit- it's autumn

Elon! Hey, Elon!

Clever little one-wheeled thing- beeps at him when he shifts to turn

I didn't know what the tent deal was, so I asked my ol' buddy Grok.  He says...

This is a Malaise trap (a type of passive insect trap used in entomology and biodiversity surveys).It’s a tent-like structure made of fine white mesh fabric that forms a peaked or pyramidal shape. Flying insects that hit the mesh walls naturally crawl or fly upward and are funneled into the collecting bottle/jar at the top (the clear cylinder with the black band you can see). The guy lines/stakes keep it taut in the field.

Doggie enjoyed her dip today!

The banner is finished.  Go Komets!

I told myself, we'll take the short way through the woods, yet here we are.  I was praying and thinking about last week's sermon about Genesis 1 being a song.  And it came to me- as in Genesis, so too the woods- God wraps facts in beauty.

Surprisingly, the only Hallowe'en deco so far

Have a cuppa mushroom?

They saw each other across the intersection.  This doggie went nuts. Msty stared and moved on Good girl!