How We Address Ourselves to Them

I try to remind myself that we
are never promised anything,
and that what control we can
exert is not over the events
that befall us but how we
address ourselves to them.

~Jeanne DuPrau
The Earth House

Of Note: The women in Afghanistan fear the return of the Taliban to power. The recent TIME magazine cover story depicting the woman, whose nose and ears had been severed by decree of Taliban forces, included a plea to keep them from taking over the country again. Thus, many say the NATO troops have to stay. But the question is this: will keeping the Taliban at bay assure Afghan women the freedom they desire? Columnist Nicholas Kristof went to the war-torn country to find out. There he found a group called BPeace at work promoting female entrepreneurs; females in elder-endorsed schools in Taliban controlled areas; male villagers who said the women were locked at home regardless of the NATO forces; and a woman who lost her husband and daughter to American air strikes after she prayed that the Taliban would be defeated. Now she hates them all. The author suggested that the best way to end oppression is not "firepower, rather education and economic empowerment, for men and women alike, in ways that don't create a backlash." He concluded his ground-level observations by opining: "The road to emancipate Afghan women will be arduous, but it runs through the schools and economic development -- and, yes, a peace deal with the Taliban, if that's possible." Today, a short news article said the Taliban threatened to kill anyone caught trying to make peace in Afghanistan. Given that obstacle, schools and economic development will most likely win the day. One thing we know for sure, freedom once known cannot be repressed for long.

Today's Weather Report: It is nippy outside in the low 40's Fahrenheit with the sun in full shining mode. My husband intends to finish the on-going landscaping work with his old Farmall tractor. Actually, he has two old tractors which are both working and have been used in this project. That the two are working at the same time is a miracle. It has never happened before. The fact that he has had both working has allowed him to complete several projects around the place this summer, such as grading the road and dumping fill-dirt in several huge holes. The deer are starting to return--so whatever kept them back last year must have subsided. This time of year I don't care because the garden has gone to sleep and won't awaken until next spring. On another note, ice has started forming on the lake so the aerator I just fixed will have to be started shortly.