On the Way to Church

It was one of those dark, cloudy mornings. Storm front coming through. Geese fighting in the park. Even the dandelions looked ugly under a grayish sunrise. I was hoping to get some good color shots while walking, but a drab and dreary sky stopped me. We had a few days of spring's promise with warmer temps and blue skies, but today the pendulum swings back toward winter.

"Remember the wheel of Providence is always in motion; and the spoke that is uppermost will be under; and therefore mix trembling always with your joy." Philip Henry in the 17th century.

Harbingers of Bing

I guess this backyard plum bloom can pose for the cherry blossom. How many really know the difference? Coming soon to a tree near you, the perennial bing cherry show is in the wings, ready to inspire poets and photo takers around the world. Oh, and let's not forget all the kitchen technicians who like to bake and design other fare from the famous Bing Cherry. The California Cherry Advisory Board offers a few recipes.

Question: is a blossom's beauty a thing of art to the buzzing bee? Can an insect enjoy the shape and color of one velvety petal, much less the composition of a tree full of them? Not with that puny brain and missing spiritual link. Thank God alone that we can just stand there and say, "Wow!" Evolution can never explain Beauty --- nor Beast, for that matter.

Dropping the Gauntlet

Calling all 62-year-olds to the Little Dividend Competition. Janise Wulf of Redding is one brave woman . . . make that mother . . . make that grandmother . . . make that great-grandmother! Her twelfth child, Adam, is doing well, along with her 20 other grandchildren and three great-grandkids.

Cheering her along in her quest was her husband, Scott, who is retired and has plenty of time to take care of this new brother to their previous son who was born 3 1/2 years ago. Seems the little guy needed some company.

The icing on the cake of this story is the fact that Janise is blind, has diabetes and 'just' loves children.

Go, Granny, Go!

Don't Pray for Rain

This early spring weather has fooled some trees into early bloom, which some farmers are fearing might prove disasterous if more heavy rains and wind are on the way.

We will survive.

The Pain of Lobster Love

Unfortunately, these sea creatures feel the pain of boiling water and would cry out for mercy if they just had vocal chords like us. However, they baked Barbara's fare instead of steamed it, so the poor guy had to put up with a bit more torture than and instantaneous aquatic death. How could you enjoy a meal after that?

But relish she did, taking each deliberate bite slowly toward her open and sexy lips. Then, after a round of sirloin, baked potato, deep-fried zucchini and bread, she'd be back at the lobster tail. No guilt. No remorse. No shame. Just a big, broad, beautiful smile on her face.

I smiled back through the tears. Happy Valentine's Day, Dear.

Declaring the Glory

King David writes, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" in Psalm 19:1. Whether day or night, the Artist's hand is busy fashioning the elegant. And this beautiful display is but a slight reflection of that beauty of purity and perfection of a glorious God, who condescends willingly and lovingly to be called Father by those who love Him.

Dostoevsky wrote, "Beauty will save the world." Not beauty created, but the Creator of beauty. Not the beauty of human love, but the beauty of the One who first loved us. Not the beauty of human wisdom, but the beauty of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the sinless Christ Jesus.

Ask God to show you this glory as you read His word and see His works.

Palmy Sunrises

After 20 years of driving past this row of palm trees on the way to work, I've finally captured the scene. And this one doesn't compare to the more spectacular ones seen through the years. This used to be farmland and is now industrial/commercial/tech land except for a leftover farmhouse and barn at the end of these desert sentinels. When I first started working here, we used the barn (it's across a 4-lane street, about 1/4 mile from us) to store paper rolls for business form printing. Someone would drive a truck or van over and a forklift or clamplift would put rolls in the truck. This worked fine until someone forgot to close the rear door one day and a roll or two bounced out onto the highway. This slight incident forced management to find another place around the block from us. Goodbye, ol' barn and not-so-good ol' days.

Ageless Quotes

"To know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living." Henri Amiel

"A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called old for the first time." Oliver Wendell Holmes

"No wise man wished to be younger." Jonathan Swift

"Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old." Washington Irving

"History will never forget Mr. Jagger's charisma. But it will certainly question his ability to sing." Wordy Dave

This Ol' Crow

Light thickens, and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood;
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,
Whiles night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
---Macbeth Act 3, Scene 2

All the world hates a crow. Its sin-black sheen and coarse-grained caw conjure medieval memories that make us shudder. Ravenous. Threatening. Hated by its feathered cousins no less than hawks and eagles. A pulpitless bully. But smarter than the average bird. Is that its redeeming value?

God has so ordered the habits of certain creatures to mirror those of certain men. Even Jesus compares King Herod to a wily fox. And ants are to be examples of enterprise says King Solomon. Satan is compared to a beast and a lion.

So, what creature somewhat fits your personality? Just ask a good friend for a reliable answer and laugh at yourself a bit.

Fredericksburg, Virginia

The wholesale slaughter of troops offered new meaning during the Civil War. General Ambrose Burnside's fiasco at Fredericksburg, Virginia cost dearly in men's lives. It also cost him his command after President Lincoln found him unfit for that duty.

Leaders of men may make decisions that dictate life or death. Even with the most honorable of intentions and moral right, they make wrong choices. That is so clearly seen at Fredericksburg and so many other battlefields throughout history.

The Irish Brigade played a part in this drama. My g-great grandfather was with the troops that ascended Marye's Heights that Saturday in December. 45% of the Brigade would be annihilated, along with 14 of 15 field officers. You can read a short version of the story here: The Irish Brigade and find out what happened to General Burnside here: Burnside


Little wonder that President Lincoln expressed the sorrow and pain of the war in his last portrait. The following is from the President's Inaugural Address given a month before the end of the war.

"One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether"

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

Lemon Chicken

Barb and I are playing babysitters again this weekend. First to Target where Angel wanted a 'rubber' chicken with an 'egg' inside that you can squeeze part way out of its body and watch the 'yolk' floating around inside a transparent 'eggshell.' Another wonderful toy made in ChinaMart. Then it was home to wash the car and pick a leftover lemon from the neighbor's overhanging tree. What a monster egg this was for Ms. Chick to lay!

It's another dreary, drab day to enjoy. A smattering of rain predicted. Lots of indoor options to explore. Also, I'm thinking about that digital SLR purchase that I might be able to rangle today. Body only to begin with. I've got some good lenses to use already. But I don't feel real well - kinda fluish, so with that and the rain to dampen my spirits, I'll probably stick close to home and hide the wallet.

27 Years Young

Our two families enjoyed a second Red Lobster dinner birthday celebration this year for Elizabeth. The Collins and Skinners circled a large table after an hour wait and had wonderful food and a great time as Liz opened her gifts and couldn't stop smiling and saying, 'Thank you!'

Hard to believe it was 27 years ago she popped into the world and changed our lives forever - for the better. Barb and I learned what family was all about, over-sheltered and spoiled her, prayed for her and pulled our hair out over her sometimes.

It will soon be her turn to do the same for us!

The 2006 Mix

Predictions For 2006

This link is a good read for getting the feel of where this next year will take us. These aren't the biblical prophet caliber by any stretch, so no one will get stoned if they don't come true, but you'll find them interesting, 'predictable' and some yawn-worthy if nothing else. More of the same.

The rain added some excitement to the Rose Bowl Parade this morning. Spirits looked a bit dampened with drenched hair, uniforms and instruments presenting a pretty dismal picture. Crowd color and fumbling announcers were a treat, too.

The new vacuum cleaner is roaring in the living room. Decorations are down and the tree is out on the back patio enjoying the rain. My yard is flooded again but at least the roof isn't leaking.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Latest Art Project

There are times when the unintentional ends surprise the mundane means. Angel's latest art project turned into an unusually patterned abstract with bold color and hidden pictures. Note the cat's eye and a few faces.

Sorry, but I can't give you any trade secret details about how she did it.

Happy New Year from our neck of the woods to yours. May God have mercy on us all.

December Drenching

A second straight year of flooding is confirming our fears of Global Warming with these southern hemispheric storms being pushed into the west coast. This is the wettest December since 1955. Local t.v. stations are airing full time coverage of the Global Warming flooding. A bank of Global Warming thunderstorms is fast approaching the central valley north of us.

Our t.v. has just gone blank with a severe Global Warming thunderstorm warning. They should hit us in 1/2 hour, Global Warming Time. 60 mile per hour Global Warming winds.

Guess I better sell my old pickup and get a new Passat that emits no harmful Global Warming emissions. Global Warming will stop worrying me and I will be able to focus on the other MoveOn.org crises in my life. Did I mention Global Warming?