Always something new

Ever since I stopped commuting to the Bay Area I have been able to spend more time on some of the small country roads out here in the San Joaquin Valley -- generally trying to find an alternate way to work. I love these roads and the strange and wacky things you find.

Growing up in Louisiana and Oklahoma (among other places) I saw a lot of cattle growing up. Passing by dairies around here is no surprise -- this is where much of the milk in California is now produced. But I was surprised to see a number of goat farms in the area until I saw a good sized goat milk facility in a nearby town.

On the way to work today I passed a field that I see everyday. But looming through the fog this morning was ostriches. Yeah I know that the market for ostrich meat is growing, and the skins can be worth a lot, but the those long necks stretched to peer through the fence made me think I was in a science fiction movie.

It's always something.

Approved by the Kringler Rav

The Internet is a big place, and I'm always bumping into interesting or entertaining things that have been around a while, but that are new to me. The Jewish laws of Xmas (Hilchos Xmas) have been around for at least four years, but I just followed a link to them yesterday. What a hoot!

Akiva and Ilene Miller (he's a programer, naturally) put these together both to demonstrate some aspects of Jewish law while creating a lovely parody of the cultural side of Christmas in America. The Millers explicitly avoid the religious side (hence Xmas) but wonderfully skewer so much about the season. To wit:

1. PREPARING FOR XMAS
1. PREPARATIONS FOR XMAS MUST NOT BEGIN (1) BEFORE (2) THANKSGIVING.(3) THIS APPLIES TO PREPARATIONS WHICH AFFECT THE HOLIDAY MOOD, (4) BUT NOT THOSE WHICH ARE DONE IN PRIVATE. (5)
(notes)
1 This contrasts sharply with Shabbos, for the mitzva of honoring Shabbos applies all week long. For example, if one finds a particularly good food during the week, one should save it for Shabbos even though it is now only Sunday and Shabbos is a week away. However, Xmas preparations may not begin too far in advance, in order to fulfill the dictum, "It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas."
2 This is because of the principle that two festive occasions should not be mixed into each other. Note the decree of the great R.H. Macy, who established that Santa Claus may not appear in the Thanksgiving Day parade until after all the other floats have passed.
3 There are some who begin preparing for Xmas as early as Halloween. This is wrong, and they will be called upon to account for their evil ways.
4 Such as setting up the Xmas tree (some say even buying one,) or playing holiday music on the Muzak.
5 Such as buying gifts or buying the Xmas dinner turkey. Cooking the turkey may not be done before Thanksgiving because it will appear to be a Thanksgiving turkey.

This is wonderful, gentle, perceptive, and dead on. Go read this and recognize an family argument you've had over "the right way of doing it."