Winter nature blogging perilous to writer and reader

These winter months are dangerous for nature bloggers—and for their readers. In my case I get lazy about taking hikes and slogging through slush in search of photographic subjects. The danger lies in the fact that, in the absence of colorful subjects to image, my thoughts veer toward the political and its biblical implications as well as other negative thoughts about fallen human nature (with which we are all born) and its consequences that we witness every day. I went negative in the last post—and it will get worse, I suspect.

If you’ve stuck with me this far you’ve got to be wondering where I’m heading. Those with any sort of biology/biochemistry background may have gotten a clue from the illustrations.

The fancied-up diagram that looks somewhat like a Shmoo (only older Al Capp fans will understand) illustrates the tremendous complexity of a living organism (a fungus) that we usually think of as simple—if we think of it at all. It’s common baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The other stick figures are structural formulas for the first and last stages in one of yeast’s metabolic processes—alcoholic fermentation. It’s the process that under anaerobic conditions partially “burns” sugar (glucose) and produces ethanol—ethyl alcohol.

Ethanol is good stuff. It’s a useful solvent and fuel. We’ve probably got some mixed with the gasoline in our tanks right now. And of course, because the other waste product of fermentation is carbon dioxide gas, it’s what makes bread dough rise. What happens to the yeast in the process may be a clue to where this little blogotribe (a neologism?) is heading. Yes, the yeast poisons itself to death by producing the alcohol.

Yes, you guessed it: ethanol is poisonous, only slightly less so than Methanol (wood alcohol). Methanol will kill you in minutes—ethanol takes years, unless, under its influence, you hit a tree first—or someone else under its influence hits you. It destroys the brain; it destroys the liver; it destroys marriages; it destroys families; it destroys lives.

Gracious! What set this guy off? Well, I’m always “off” when it comes to talking about booze. Forty-one years of public school teaching gave me a lot of experience with the negative effects of the stuff—on my fantastic students and their families. I have spent a lot of time shedding tears and praying about them through the years.

Now wait a minute, you old prude! Who are you judging? Not judging anybody—I’m judging the stuff—and the society that has kids growing up immersed in it. A fish doesn’t know it’s wet, does it? And booze is so much a part of our society (if you can call it society any more) that our children probably think it’s normal. It’s not!

OK, at Bios & Logos we’re supposed to back up the Bios with the Logos. What is your biblical defense for this bloviation? Well, let’s give it a go.

Alcohol was probably involved when society was speeding to corruption in a hand basket in Genesis 6; But the first recorded incident of abuse involved Noah. Right off the boat he planted a vineyard, processed the grapes, got plastered and embarrassed himself; and the whole family. The effects were felt for generations afterward.

Warnings against use or at least abuse are scattered through the Old Testament, but Proverbs provides some gems. Check out 20:1; and 21:17; But.31:3-7; is the real kicker. Do you want to be a “king” or one who is “perishing”? The sad truth is that most are perishing. God’s common grace provides some momentary forgetfulness of their woes, for He knows they have nothing but everlasting woe in their future. Strong (non-alcoholic) medicine!

In the New Testament, Paul tells us “not to get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Don’t want to be debauched, do you?

Well, what about Paul’s advice to Timothy?; Now, with a good W. C. Fields voice, say “for medicinal purposes”.

Now that I have added way too much yeast to this blog post and have over-filled your bread maker, I’ll end it with a picture of a Shmoo, for you youngsters out there. After all, he does look a little like the yeasty Pillsbury Dough Boy.