Jerked by a Zerk

Today I spent three hours doing the spring maintenance on my riding mower: oil change, grease job, cleaning out the debris, checking filters, tires, etc. All went well until I got to greasing the front wheel bearings.

I took the dust cover off of the first hub: no grease zerk. That’s odd. The manual did say not to oil or grease anything that uses a new UHMW plastic bushing. I didn’t SEE plastic bushings, but without dismantling the front wheels I wouldn’t. Still, no grease port: can’t grease it. Move on. Read more:

Fences and Hasenpfeffer

Today’s adventure deals with the garden project once again. Helpful hints received from many of you (thank you very much) included advice for dealing with produce munching vermin. I am collecting hair from our weekly haircuts for use in nylon stocking bags that will be hung on corner posts of the garden to ward off rabbits. We don’t have as many rabbits as we did a few years ago because Dolly Dawg developed a taste for hasenpfeffer on the hoof… or paw… and while it was heart rending to know she was devouring those cute little bunnies, the damage being done to our flower beds has been dramatically reduced. Perhaps fear of the “horrible, bunny eating beast of 1198” has spread for I have not seen hide nor hare of one for quite some time. But, just to be safe, I plan to hang enough hair bags to drive them out of this end of the county!

Maybe human hair bags will also help ward off raccoons, possums, and squirrels.

Oddly enough, the dogs don’t seem the least bit interested in squirrels. Personally, I think the squirrels bought them off by telling them where the road kill is before any other neighborhood dogs can get to it. They love possum though, live or flat. And they like coon as well, but rarely get any except when one get s hit by a car. They’re pretty ferocious when cornered, and not as stupid as possums. Possums will fall for anything! Continue reading “Fences and Hasenpfeffer”

POLARITIES AND PROBLEMS

Life is filled with many complicated issues. Chaos abounds. Trouble is everywhere. Evil has a way of creeping into any system we may have thought was immune to its tragic power. We cannot escape the perplexities of our times. For the most part we are locked into whatever circumstances surround us. Even church, which offers the saving grace of Jesus, is not free from the turmoil of confusion. We are in a world obsessed with selfishness, hopelessness and godliness. Despair is written on our faces. We are challenged to do the best we can with what we have as we find responsible ways to cope with life’s agenda.

As we face the complicated issues of life we do well to distinguish between that which is a polarity and that which is a problem. Polarities are situations which have no clearly defined solution. They represent un-resolvable difference of opinions on each end of the mental spectrum. Issues which are clearly non-negotiable are polarities. People with extreme opinions tend to polarize themselves from the mainstream of human thought. It is well to understand that we only manage polarities. We do not solve them.

Continue reading “POLARITIES AND PROBLEMS”

Way Back Whensday: Brandy

My brother, sister-in-law and their two little girls were visiting last week. They stayed at Mom’s house, which is on our property, about 60 feet down hill from our house. One of the things my 4 year old niece liked was visiting with our dogs. I took one down to mom’s house each evening. Erin liked giving them treats and petting them. She asked that Cochise make an encore visit on her last day, so she may have liked him best this year. Last year she and Blondie toured our house together during their visit.

We talked dogs. I reminisced about one of my favorite dogs from my youth: Brandy.

Brandy was a Welsh Corgie. Among his more outstanding features was that he liked to go sailing with me. He even helped sail the boat. Or at least bring it back to dock.

Brandy would stand on the foredeck with a pre-prepared rope in his mouth. As we approached the dock I’d give him the word, he’d leap over to the dock, run around a cleat and jump back into the cockpit with me. I’d take the rope and wrap it around a cleat on the boat and arrest or forward motion so we’d swing lightly along side the pier. It was a trick that tended to leave spectators gape-jawed… once we got it down pat. There were many embarrassing moments during the training.

Other peculiar traits were that he greatly disliked anyone in any kind of uniform: mail man, meter reader, policeman, military, any uniform. I adopted him from a shelter, so I didn’t know his background.

Also, hot air balloons caused him to leap into the air and bark incessantly. We lived in Bloomington/Normal IL at the time and hot air balloon races and exhibitions were not uncommon. Airplanes, helicopters, birds: no problem. Balloon: get ready for insanity.

Otherwise he was a pretty sedate, affectionate little fellow and I liked him a lot. The feeling seemed to be mutual.

Recycle into Planters for a Super Summer Spruce-up

As spring swings into summer many are beautifying their yards with flowers. Some can be planted directly in the ground, others – for a variety of reasons – are best in planters. Commercially made pots serve this purpose but so, also, can a variety of other items that would otherwise be considered refuse. Let’s look at a few things that can be re-purposed into unique and decorative planters.

Tires as Planters

Old tires can be used as-is and laid out on the ground or hung on a wall, filled with dirt and planted in or they can be painted, or they can be turned into fancy planters with a little elbow grease and a sharp knife or reciprocating saw.

Planter-Tire _elegant_ShoestringPavilion_blogspot_com

Rims can also be used. Line a rim with weed fabric or a fiber hanging planter liner and fill that with soil. They can be used au-natural, painted or covered with a mosaic pattern for a spiffy planter.

Clothing

Shoes, boots and galoshes are commonly seen repurposed as planters but with a little ingenuity one can use pants as well! How about an old fedora?

Furniture

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VIRTUES THAT PROTECT

Have you ever considered the virtues of the Christian life as an antidote to every evil that seeks to possess us? The protective power of goodness is strong motivation for pursuing the Godly life. Every detail of life’s temptations are covered by the extraordinary influences of the righteous life.

For example, in the presence of hate there is love to sooth and heal our heated hostilities. As we struggle with doubt, there is the fact of faith to conquer our instability. In the face of fear we are confronted with courage that eliminates danger as a deterrent to the Godly life. Every ugly thought falters in its ambition to muddy our minds in the context of sober thinking. Despair is limited when hope is our daily companion. Lust is lost in the satisfying atmosphere of prayer. Pride is overcome by the humbling experiences that produce a gentle spirit.

Everywhere there is an evil, there is a virtue to combat it. The exciting fact here is God has not left us at the mercy of the devil. We have access to divine resources in our battle with sin. We do not have to succumb to the powers and principalities of this world. There is more to us than our evil inclinations. We are created sufficiently in the image of God to make our choice. “The devil made me do it” is no longer an alibi for misbehavior.

Even when evil overwhelms us and we sin; through confession and repentance we have the force of forgiveness to sustain us. As forgiven sinners we move through every evil situation by the virtues of God’s grace. “Blessed are those who persevere under trial for they shall receive the crown of life.” Amen

Concerto of Pain

A single, high, prolonged trumpet blast shatters my blissful bubble of sleep. Was that Gabriel? Is it time?

Alas, no. As consciousness replaces confusion I find that the blast was not sound but pain – which can be similar – and the trumpeting is emanating from my right shoulder. Now that I am more aware, my neck and upper back begin playing harmony to the lead trumpet in a horn concerto of pain.

I attempt to mute the performance by shifting position. But that only boosts the volume.

I am cold. It was hot when I fell asleep and I covered only with the sheet. Now it’s cooler and the muscles in my back and neck are tense from the chill. I pull up the quilt and wrap it around me. In a few moments the harmonies diminish, but the lead horn continues blasting its lilting tone.

I reach for my watch: 3:30 a.m. A groan offers bass counterpoint to the tenor lead horn, which continues to strip away the grogginess of slumber. Twenty minutes pass and other instruments are joining the melody of madness. Hips, lower back, an elbow chime in. A tooth throbs in low accompaniment.

Sleep is defeated, sent scurrying away by this reveille. I roll out of bed, test my balance and head for the Tylenol bottle and coffee maker.

It’s Monday morning. I pulled a stump Saturday afternoon. As is generally the case, (Read more: )

DEATH DEFYING FAITH

How does one die who never prays nor talks to God about anything? How does one approach death when there has been no effort to claim God’s death defying promises? Surely it must be a shock to one’s spiritual system to face the unknown with an unknown God. The trauma of death is too much for our human resources alone. The thoughts of dying requires us to have some serious thoughts about God. Our fragile understanding of our departure from this life is proof that we need more than the human intellect to guide us into eternity.

We are not equipped to face death with calloused indifference and that too is a part of God’s grace. He requires us to have sober thoughts about our eternal destiny and then offers us a place He has gone to prepare. He frightens us with the prospects of entering the darkness all alone and then He promises to be with us always. He lures us to the edge of life with resurrection hope and bids us come unto Him and find rest.

Our hope is a matter of faith and acceptance. He does not force His house of “many mansions” upon us. He does not walk beside us as an uninvited presence. It is a simple gospel of receiving what Jesus has to offer and we complicate it greatly when we try to earn it. Heaven is a gift we do not deserve, therefore, dying as well as living is a matter of grace.

Only with Christ can we face death with the assurance that God who called us into life has something special for us in death. Who knows what we might grow to become in the hereafter.

Speak Up, Stand Out, Build Your Audience

Original Pub Date: January 2, 2012: Webupon.com

Many of the expert book marketing folks have touted the benefits to authors of running a blog. On a blog you can offer excerpts from your book, talk about your characters, offer insights into your life and personality, even plug your books, all with the intent of piquing the curiosity of your target audience so they will want to buy your books. But to do that, people must actually come to your blog and read it.

A blog, or a web site, is like a box of brochures in that they can be effective advertising tools if disbursed but if left sitting in the back of a closet, they are useless to you. Handing out your digital brochures can be done in a number of ways.

Put the URL on every print piece of advertising you produce; from business cards to your books.
Add the URL to your e-mail tagline.
Add it to all your social media accounts.
Comment on other people’s blogs and fill in the URL field.

It is this last one that I want to talk about today. Commenting on other blogs that are related to yours or attract the same readers that you want to reach is a good way to introduce yourself to a new group of people. But to do it effectively requires some research and some thought. Continue reading “Speak Up, Stand Out, Build Your Audience”

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Tires as Planters

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Original Pub Date: January 2, 2012: Webupon.com