On: Butterfield's Lullaby...

When we lived in Davis, there were nights where we would hear the barn owl that lived in the tree by our bedroom window. We never actually saw the owl, but we could hear him (or her) some nights before we went to bed. It would make these beautiful noises--one of my favorite memories about living in Davis.

Since moving to DC, I can't say that we've heard any owls, but we do have a bugler.

Several nights out of the week, between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, we have the pleasure of hearing our bugler play the city to sleep with a singularly beautiful and appropriate rendition of Taps.

I'd love to think that this was his sole purpose for performing so late in the evening, and in such ridiculously cold weather. The reality of the situation, I've discovered, is that this anthem is the conclusion of military burials. Whenever a man is buried with military honors anywhere in the United States, the ceremony is concluded by firing three volleys of musketry over the grave, and sounding with the trumpet or bugle "Put out the lights. Go to sleep." The reason we can hear so clearly is that we keep our windows open at night, and we live just across the highway from Arlington National Cemetery. I'm sorry to say that these types of ceremonies are performed between 20 and 30 times a day there.

As sad as it is to think about the sacrifices that merit these ceremonies, the lyrics to this melody are actually really comforting. There are men protecting us from people that want to inflict serious harm on our country, and potentially our current city. There is also this musician who takes the time to remind us of these men, and of God's presence and protection (there are a few renditions, but I like this one):

"Fading light dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar drawing nigh -- Falls the night.

"Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

"Then good night, peaceful night,
Till the light of the dawn shineth bright,
God is near, do not fear -- Friend, good night."

On: Pocket Fisherman and Cleaning Products...

I'm not sure how it's happened; I may have entered my email address on one-too-many internet sites... Whatever the reason, my spam folder has filtered dozens of spam emails over the last couple of months. I'll have to be more vigilant in the future.

Some of them are a kind of funny though. Some developer is creating an ad right now for the pocket fisherman, hoping that someone will open it and discover that their fishing experiences have been incomplete, and inefficient up until now. They're competing, of course, with the inventors of the ShamWow, the Nigerian mail scam, the PediPaws, Smoke Start--The healthy alternative to smoking, the Loud N Clear, and a waterproof razor called the Micro Force.

Part of me feels compelled to invent a micro fisherman, or a Macro Force... Take THAT spammers.