Just as Jesus once slept peacefully in the stern of a boat while his disciples fussed and fretted over the raging storm, He also rested in a tomb as his followers dealt with a storm of confusion, disappointment and fear. A day after his death, these emotions cycled endlessly through their minds. Memories of the time they spent with him, planning and hoping for the new order they expected Him to lead them into played there too. Memories of what it felt like to walk upon a rolling sea, to feed five thousand people with the lunch of one small boy, to see Lazarus’s burial clothes left in the dirt, no longer needed. No doubt they were heartsick with confusion. What had gone wrong? Continue reading “Good Friday”
A Challenging Commute
I arrived at work at 7:30 AM, following a grueling 150 foot commute. The traffic was terrible. Normally both dogs march along shoulder to shoulder at the ends of their leashes. I tell Cochise, “Play yard,” or “Home” or “Mail box”, or (his least favorite) “Work” and he heads off in the right direction. I tell Blondie, “Stay with Cochise” and she obediently strides along beside him wherever he goes. Normally, but not today. Today I’d started the pickup earlier to warm it up before Marie heads into town and her work and Blondie really, really wanted to go for a ride; so when we came down the steps she was intent on going that direction. Cochise smelled something fascinating down in the yard and really, really wanted to go that way to check it out. So they strained in opposite directions, neither one in the direction I needed to go. We worked it out eventually, but it was a disorganized swirl instead of the usual orderly parade.
Read more: What follows is a discussion of weather and gardening.
Demon Among Us
By: Allan Douglas – Copyright 05/03/88
Who is he;
angel of salvation,
or angel of death?
He’s spent his whole life
as defender of the defenseless,
champion of the downtrodden,
crusader against injustice.
He is revered by his subjects.
They cheer when he rides by.
And yet, when he is alone,
separated and isolated by the walls of his room,
it is he who becomes the Dark Lord.
He is the demon from whom he has defended them for so long. Continue reading “Demon Among Us”
First Day of Spring?
Originally published Mar. 21, 2013 by Grit Magazine
I arrived at work at 7:30 AM, following a grueling 150 foot commute. The traffic was terrible. Normally both dogs march along shoulder to shoulder at the ends of their leashes. I tell Cochise, “Play yard,” or “Home” or “Mail box”, or (his least favorite) “Work” and he heads off in the right direction. I tell Blondie, “Stay with Cochise” and she obediently strides along beside him wherever he goes. Normally, but not today. Today I’d started the pickup truck earlier to warm it up before Marie headed into town and her work. Blondie really, really wanted to go for a ride; so when we came down the steps she was intent on going in that direction. Cochise smelled something fascinating down in the yard and really, really wanted to go that way to check it out. So they strained in opposite directions, neither one in the direction I needed to go. We worked it out eventually, but it was a disorganized swirl instead of the usual orderly parade.
Yesterday was the official first day of spring. It is cold and foggy this morning. There is a possibility of snow. I was wondering what happened, when I remembered something I saw at the Source of All Wisdom (Facebook), “The first day of spring and the first spring day are not necessarily the same, and can be separated by as much as a month.” I’m glad now that I didn’t put my potatoes in their garden boxes last weekend, I’ll do that next weekend. But I had planned on working at opening the garden for summer session this week.
The winter gardening session was disappointing; it was too wet and cold for much of what I grew. Still, we did get a fair bit of lettuce (until it got crushed by condensation that froze into ice on the inside of the greenhouse) spinach, beet tops, onion greens, garlic greens, carrot tops, as well as the last of the summer’s carrot roots. I got enough Brussels sprouts for one meal – but that is the best I’ve ever done with these sprouts; normally the looper worms gut the plants and kill them in days. By using a greenhouse vented with window screen I kept the moths away in the fall so the plants had a chance to grow to maturity for once. I had to cover the top vent with plastic after a particularly wet spell practically drowned them out as well.
The Swiss chard is just now getting any size to it. I’ll get one decent harvest from that when I pull it up to replant the box with something else.
On the positive side, our local Lowe’s store now carries composted chicken manure. That will help in rejuvenating the soil in my boxes. I used composted cow manure last year with disappointing results. Slowly, very slowly, I’m learning what works.
Wayback Whensday: Bush Brothers & Company
It is Way Back Whensday and so I’ve gone digging through the annals of history (or at least my articles index) to find something of historic significance that may also prove entertaining for you. Here is the story of a local agricultural company with deep roots.
These days a lot of large, industrial companies take it on the chin for their lack of concern over ecologic and community issues. Bush Brothers & Company, headquartered in Knoxville TN with processing plants in Chestnut Hill Tennessee and Augusta Wisconsin is not one of those. But that’s not surprising given the values and community concern of the company’s founder.
A History of Bush Brothers & Company
In 1867 Andrew Jackson “A.J.” Bush was born in the community of Chestnut Hill Tennessee, where he lived for most of his life, leaving only to receive a college education at nearby Carson-Newman College.
In 1891 A.J. married Sallie and they rapidly produced 6 children; four boys and two girls. Both A.J. and Sallie had a deep interest in their community and love for their family. In addition to being a mother of 6, Sallie acted as a midwife and nursemaid as well as training young girls the fine art of proper household management. A.J. had been a school teacher since graduating college, and was elected to the local school board.
A.J. was always looking for ways to help his community and had developed an interest in the trade business. He decided to serve both interests by creating the A.J. Bush & Company General Store, which provided a convenient location for local residents to barter for goods that were not locally produced, as well as a training ground and legacy for his children to insure they would have a livelihood when grown. Continue reading “Wayback Whensday: Bush Brothers & Company”
Lost in the Fog
At no point in my life have I ever thought of myself as a poet. Most days I could not write poetry to save my life. But once in a while – when in a highly charged emotional state – something that resembles poetry drips from the point of my pencil. None of this has ever been published – or even submitted anywhere – but I thought I’d toss out a few pieces and see if they float. This one could be considered the flip side of the coin for Walls.
Lost in the Fog
Depression is a fog;
A thick grey blanket that steals in.
A few wisps at first
That wrap around your feet unnoticed.
Then rise higher, thicker
Until you are enveloped, trapped, lost.
You find you are alone,
You know not the way back home.
You have no direction;
All paths are swallowed by the mist.
You are lost!
You need another.
Someone on the right path with a light,
Providing direction.
You move toward the light hopefully
And find a savior.
Who guides you out of the low lands
Where wood is sodden.
On the high ground mists are thin
And firewood dry.
Build a bright, blazing campfire
And drive away the fog.
Keep your fire stoked.
Gather crisp branches and add their worth.
Fire dispels the fog.
The heat drives back the chilling mists
Warming your bones
And bringing joy to your soul again.
Keep your fire stoked,
Allow it to serve as a light for others
Who have lost their way.
Watch for travelers, trapped in the fog,
And repay your debt.
- The Silent Killer by Holly Moncreiff
- Fighting Clinical Depression published by HealthMad.
- A Sure Formula for Happiness published by HealthMad.
Walls
At no point in my life have I ever thought of myself as a poet. Most days I could not write poetry to save my life. But once in a while – when in a highly charged emotional state – something that resembles poetry drips from the point of my pencil. None of this has ever been published – or even submitted anywhere – but I thought I’d toss out a piece or two and see if it floats.
WALLS
Oh, how I hate the walls.
Entraping, confining, restricting.
I’ve wandered through their labyrinthic confines all my life,
And never known happiness.
Except once.
For one fleeting moment, a spark of freedom broke in
Like a ray of sunlight in the darkness.
I held it to my breast, kissed it and cherished it.
My heart rejoiced with the feel of it.
And I was whole.
Then it was gone.
Shut out by the seething black-heartedness of those walls,
Sealing out even that one moment of happiness.
In rage, I launched against the walls.
I flailed the walls with my fists until they were torn and bruised.
The stones mocked me with their bloodied stains.
They thrived on my misery.
I withdrew.
Closing in upon myself until there was nothing but myself.
And in my own private world,
I began to plot against them.
How I would cheat them.
I would steal from them their very source of nourishment.
In death I would exit this hall of pain.
As I sunk happily into the dark abyss,
Self-amused with the joke,
My spirit suddenly cried out in anguish.
For I found that death is but a door
Leading to more walls!
Lost in the Woods
Perhaps you have been in this situation, if not, use your imagination and follow along, I promise to get you back safe and sound. You are in the woods. Maybe you’re camping, maybe a family picnic, or a hiking trip. You decide to follow a well marked trail, but somewhere along the way, something interesting catches your eye and you step off the path and wander into the wood – just a little ways, just to get a look.
You pursue the interesting thing a little farther, then a little more. Suddenly you realize that you’ve wandered too far and turn around to find your way back to the hiking trail. But as you walk, nothing looks familiar and you’re not finding signs of your previous passage. You are completely turned around and have no idea which way to go.
- Photo by iprole @ stock.xchng
At times like this people often say, “I sure wish I had a compass.” Many times people do have a compass, but they left it at home, thinking they would not need it. Maybe they don’t even know where it is, they just know they have one. Who needs it; I have a GPS.
Of course having a compass does you no good if you don’t know how to work the thing. Oh, the basic premise is simple enough; the needle points north – but is the north-pointing part the red end or the white end? And how does that help you if you have no idea in which direction your camp lies?
At this point, you may be wishing you’d paid closer attention as a kid when the Scoutmaster went over all this stuff.
The Bible is very much like a compass. It can be an invaluable tool for finding one’s way. Many people own one, but have no idea how to use it… or where it is at the moment. Some people dismiss it as unnecessary; they can find their own way through the woods. Some scoff at it; just a clever bit of folklore, completely outdated in this age of modern technology and “enlightened” society. Continue reading “Lost in the Woods”
Dealing with a Speed-Bump in Life
It has happened to all of us; we’re cruising along the boulevard of life, one elbow out the window, our favorite happy tunes playing on the radio, hand tapping the wheel in time with the tempo. Everything is grand, and we’re having a great time. So great we miss the warning sign; “Bump Ahead’. Then BAM-BAM, we’re suddenly careening along, barely hanging on as we try to slow down and get off to the shoulder so we can assess the damage.
It’s never fun to feel like the wheels have been ripped out from under you, but when it sneaks up on you suddenly, out of the blue is especially devastating. What can you do? How do you proceed from here? Continue reading “Dealing with a Speed-Bump in Life”
KINDNESS
Kindness is often a simple matter, but has so many profound consequences. It reaches into the cracks and crevices of life’s most difficult circumstances. We never know when our Christian influence will extend far beyond our expectation. Most times it happens when we are kind. In the common courtesies of life, we lay the ground work for whatever witness we may offer for Christ. The influence which Jesus has upon our lives is expressed more by our kind and gentle ways than any other aspect of our faith. The love of God can never be promoted in a hateful way. All our loud and prolific pronouncements of Christianity are for naught if there is an absence of kindness. Continue reading “KINDNESS”