Countrydiction

The lifetime natural disaster of my parents' generation was the '37 flood that destoyed property and took many lives along the Ohio River Valley. I've seen pictures of the high water in my hometown in Kentucky. The river had to rise 30 plus feet to have water that high. And of course, the second World War was a defining tragedy of their lifetime. My generation is marked by the Vietnam War and then 9/11. As for natural disasters, I thought I would never see anything as devastating as the South Asia tsunami. But, the storm of a lifetime has just skirted my area and brought unspeakable misery to Louisiana and Mississippi. In the two days since Katrina made landfall the news got worse by the hour. In the days and weeks ahead the news will worsen by the hour. The horror puts all of our local problems in perspective. In my part of the Gulf Coast we have certainly had multiple hits by tropical storms and hurricanes in the last year. Navarre Beach, to the west o...

Column published in Northwest Florida Daily News, April 27, 2005: As much as I love the Emerald Coast beaches I have only myself to blame for buying a home 30 miles inland. But, I’ve discovered a potential way to enjoy the beach 24/7. Let’s lobby the city of Destin to install some webcams. Anyone who has a computer has probably seen web-camera images on the internet. Typically, a camera is installed on a tower or top of a tall building and directed at a point of interest. Still images are updated at regular intervals, like 30 seconds or a minute apart. You get the idea when the local TV news and weather programs show a view at sunrise from a stationary camera. Consider the benefits. For example, a local TV station in Toledo, Ohio, where my brother lives, hosts several webcams around the city. Every time I felt like complaining about the weather this winter I sought out the webcam in Toledo, and suddenly I felt warm…and giddy. Let’s say you felt the call of the surf and sand. ...

As the sun climbs daily toward its annual apex I marvel at the fact that it never takes a day off. I, on the otherhand, go into eclipse every chance I get. Writing a bi-weekly column for the local newspaper (circulation 41,000)is not all that taxing. I spend probably an hour and a half on average for each column. I've had three published and I have three drafted columns waiting in the barrel. So, no excuse for not keeping my blog fresh. I just finished a three mile run, barefoot. I love running on these dirt roads barefoot. Nike has a major marketing effort to sell their latest craze. The Nike Free 5.0 is supposed to give you that barefoot feeling when running in them. I'm going to save the $85 and leave my nekkid footprint on the landscape. The other day I ran soon after an early morning downpour. Oslo was running with me and he performed a trick I had never seen before. There were stands of rainwater along side the road and the Oz was runn...

I am so relieved. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (see ratzingerfanclub.com/blog) is now Pope Benedict XVI. There has been a growing awareness by some of us for the need of a 'muscular Christianity.' In Pope Benedict we have our Arnold Schwarzenneger. Many have noted the speed or shortness of the conclave to elect the new pope, which was the result of the unanimity of the Cardinals to continue much of the legacy of John Paul the Great. Much of the mainstream media have lamented that Benedict XVI has gone on record condemning relativism in the modern world. It's going to take a strong man with indestructible belief in truth and faith to counter the tide of the secular world, particularly in western Europe and North America, and in Benedict XVI we have that man! I believe as the pope has said that the exclusivity of the Roman Catholic faith, the Church's teaching that there is an absolute truth and that the Church was instituted by Jesus Christ, will mean a leaner, more v...

After jumping through more hoops than a circus animal I can now consider myself a professional writer. I was hired by the Northwest Florida Daily News to be one of their three new 'citizen columnists.' In other words, I'm a local columnist and I can write about whatever subject my heart desires. Man, I wanted this writing gig! My first column will be published on Wednesday, 27th of April. Initially our column will run every other week. My goal is to run weekly. The newspaper website requires a subscription to read it, so I am going to contact the webmaster and get a link to my columns which will be available here, plus I intend to get authorized to have my columns available on this blog. Nothing like a part-time job where I can work at home, in my cut-offs and Mickey Mouse house slippers!

Words, for a person who enjoys reading and writing, are like the variety of plants in our world. Regardless of what language you consider you will find it uses words which are utilitarian, some that are sustaining, and others which are beautifully descriptive. Likewise, some plants are useful for building things, some for feeding us, and many others express inspirational beauty. For example, the word ‘do’ is a no-nonsense, useful verb. The word is used for many different meanings, such as produce, solve, and suffice. Colloquially, or conversationally, ‘do’ can mean visit, deceive, or swindle. The word is used as a base for phrases such as do over, do like, and do away with. Now, I see the word ‘do’ like I see the longleaf pine tree. It used to be more common throughout the southeast, but it was over-harvested for lumber. Other trees are used for lumber now. The tree is also useful for its pine needles and its bark, both of which make fine mulch for other plants. There are als...

After three or four weeks without hearing from the newspaper after I submitted a second commentary I had given up hope of getting a columnist position. Then while I was in Austin I received an email which notified me that I made the second cut! Originally, there were 50 plus people submitting a sample. Seven of us were selected from that group. I was one of three from that group to be interviewed, which took place yesterday with the editor and one of his staff. The editor said he will notify me by early next week whether I'm selected or not. This has been like an emotional roller coaster. I submitted a third piece unsolicited and hope that it helps the cause rather than sink it. My nature doesn't allow me to just sit and wait. Lord, I'm ready to go to work and use the tools you've given me!

The Pontiff,Oct 16, 1978 to Apr 2, 2005. 

The ESPN website really blows my coals. They asked what was the most memorable clutch, end-of-game shot so far in the NCAA tournament. They gave three options to choose from: Arizona 's Salim Stoudamire beats Oklahoma State , or Bucknell's Chris McNaughton beats Kansas , or West Virginia gets a stop and a breakaway dunk to beat Creighton. Welllllllllllllllll! Everyone knows that the biggest, baddest, Packer-smacker was the three-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the score during the Kentucky-Michigan State regional final in Austin. Here's the scene: with under a minute to go Patrick Sparks, Kentucky's shooting guard, misses the front end of a one-and-one free throw bonus situation. Usually, he's clutch. Two free throws would give the Cats a one point lead. Instead MSU goes down court and makes two to give them a three point lead with a few seconds left. Here we are, three points down, clock ticking to oblivion. Sparks launches a three and misses, ...

The more I think about it I get incensed at the sloppy work at Fox News and CNN. Today, they both announced that Pope John Paul II had died. Fox attributed their source to the 'Italian media' and I switched to CNN to hear them claim their source to be the Reuters newswire. Apparently, the Vatican quashed the rumors and the cable channels soon retracted. While hearing all the pundits and analysts speaking of John Paul in the past tense all day I can't help but note how uncomfortable the media are with the stubbornness of JPII to continue the fight. Having struggled to understand the fight in the Schindlers for the life of their daughter, Terri Shiavo, the media reflect the confusion and consternation of all those who shun the weak and spurn the helpless. John Paul has marked his legacy with his insistence on the dignity of all human life. Vis-a-vis the dire portent of the life and death of Terri Schiavo, the Holy Father no doubt is walking the walk.

For those too young to remember, or who've been indoctrinated by academic revisionists, these are the two men responsible for the victory over the hegemony of Communism. Truly giants among men, prophets from God, masters of their universe. God bless the Church, and God bless America...

During my motorcycle ride to Austin TX and back (1,500 miles) and in a drive to Gulf Shores AL in my truck I observed a plethora of character types on the road. Some mosey along like they are oblivious to the chaos around them. I've been semi-retired (jobless) for a year now and I don't have to be anywhere on time except church on Sunday. But, I still race to anywhere I go. Most of the drivers on the road are apparently chronically late because they drive as if nothing better get in their way. My mind-set is to get somewhere without lollygagging. When I left Austin I took a country road through the outback, the most direct route to Houston. It was a four lane highway with massive shoulders and beautiful purple, orange and pink wildflowers flanked the sides and filled the medians. I had my camera with me but I didn't stop to take one photo because I needed to stay on course without delay. What's wrong with that attitude? So, I was on I-12 in the Baton Rouge metro...

The thunderbolts are flying. We on the Gulf Coast have had six to seven inches of rain since yesterday, starting soon after the announcement of Terri Schiavo's death. Presently, we are hearing that the Holy Father, John Paul II, is in the throes of death. Choirs of angels are forming at Peter's Gate. Two saints have defied not only death, but all of those who would forego suffering in the rush to the choice to die. Already, two cable news channels which I have watched all morning have reported John Paul's death, based on Reuters, rumors, and the Italian press, and have had to retract and apologize for an incorrect diagnosis. As long as the windows remain open at the Papal apartments then we know that the pope is still with us. My prayers were for the relief of his suffering or for recovery to health. My prayers are now for the Church and its future. The Holy Spirit will insure that the Mother Church will prevail as a mystical body of Christ. It is the human institution whic...

People will talk about the Cats-Spartan game forever. I am horse from screaming at the referrees. There's a reason why the video screens at the games don't show replays like you are accustomed to seeing at home. It keeps the crowds from becoming even more incensed at the officials. This game was an extraordinary chess match between two masters, Tubby and Izzo. Too bad Tubby had to lose, because I love the job he's doing, but he is going to start catching more hell from the UK fans for his drought of Final Fours since '98. Morris had his game, as well as most everybody else, with the glaring exception of Kallena Azabuike. What a shame he didn't show up, our best scorer... The 17,000 seat arena filled up with lot's of non-UK and non-MSU basketball fans. The vast majority rooted for the underdog, Michigan State. Chuck, we're going to miss you, man.

What a country! I rode 750 miles last Thursday, but I'm still in the South. As a Blue-Blood Kentucky Wildcat fan able and willing to jump through hoops to follow our team, I deployed to Austin to stay with cuzin Darrell and attend the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in one glorious weekend. Darrell and I staked a claim in a ticket line Friday morning to attempt to get two of a bundle of tickets released at the last minute by Michigan State. The rumors were that the amount of tickets to go on sale were 150 to 200. We waited from 7:00 till 10:00 a.m. when the ticket booth opened. The wait was a classic example of how ugly a situation can get when thes re is a line of true sports fans being infiltrated by professional broker/scalpers. Healthy optimism degraded into chaotic confrontation when we could not get event coordinators or campus police (the arena is the University of Texas property) to intervene. Without law and order (wild west?) you get unfettered human nature, and the ...

Ozzie had a playmate, a one year old mix mutt, that belonged to a neighbor. He got shot. Then there was the female rottweiler that came around, but a neighbor took it off to the pound. Another showed up, a blue heeler or some kind of herder dog with silver eyes and unbounding energy, but he got into another neighbor's chicken coop and they apparently snuffed him out because I found buzzards dining on the carcas. There is a golden retriever that has visited a couple times lately. I hope he survives because Oz needs playmates. Oslo has the run of the neighborhood but he behaves and is a sweetheart and is a handsome beast. I would not want to be fenced in, so I don't intend to fence in my dog. He made me laugh again. I was setting at the computer, my stomach growled...Oslo went wild. He didn't know what he heard but he jumped up and growled himself and rushed for the door, probably thinking 'Who dat?'

A couple months ago I heard about the Arizona Minuteman Project, an effort to gather 1,000 volunteer US citizens to spend one month, April 2005, near the Arizona/Mexico border. I found the website to get some information because it intrigued me and I wanted to see what the group meant to accomplish. The majority of volunteers at the time were veterans, especially retired military members. Right down my alley. The intent is for Minutemen to monitor the border around the clock for a month to guage the usefulness of our border control and to observe illegal aliens coming across the border and then report the illegal entry to the border patrol. There is to be no physical contact with the illegals. Volunteers must bear all individual expenses. Since I don't have adequate camping gear and dogs are not allowed I did not volunteer. Today, President Bush is meeting with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. Dubya stated that the Minutemen are vigilantes! President Fox loved it. Many U...

Sea level sucks! Kidding. I do love Colorado though...the whole west for that matter. So, I stumbled across a website for the Colorado Outward Bound Relay and found a team looking for runners and I signed up! If I was wealthier I would have a place in the Rockies and my place here near the coast and I would split my time between them. What also attracts me to this endeavor is that it gives me incentive to plug through the summer with my training. Usually, my running bogs down in the humidity and heat down here. I will just have to get it done by doing it at daybreak which will be somewhat bearable at around 75 degrees. I contacted a cousin in Colorado Springs to see if I could stay at her place. Even though she's going to be on vacation in Ireland at that time, she's offered her house for my use. Her daughter, Erin, will be nearby, and I have another cousin and her family in the Springs area, so I'm set. Been doing my research and I'll have to go out there a week ...

I haven't heard from the newspaper in awhile so I assume I am no longer under consideration for a columnist job. It was exciting to be in the running for awhile anyways. Thank heavens for this outlet for expressing myself with the written language and with graphics.

I'll never forget a conversation I had at the table one evening while I was in the seminary. It was in the fall of 2003, a few months after we entered Iraq. My 'heated' conversation was with a Benedictine monk, Fr. Patrick, who was an Air Force Reserve chaplain and had recently spent 30 days in Qatar where the US military placed its command and control center for conducting the ground war in Iraq. Two facets of our chat stand out clearly in my memory. One argument of Fr. Pat's was that democracy was not a realistic possibility in the Middle East. I had stated that freedom from tyranny was the over-riding justification for the US intervention in that region, and the removal of Hussein was the imperative, first step that had to be taken. Hussein was a thug who threatened and killed his own people and his neighbor's people. Take this monster down, then see if the Iraqis would thrive in freedom. Also, Fr. Pat insisted that the insurgents (terrorists) were, on th...

Ego, temperment, urges, self-control...these boys look a lot alike. Heck, I'm sure they are interchangeable in their job skills too!

The January 30th election day in Iraq can be equated to the hole in the dike. Let us reframe this children's tale in this way; the dike is the totalitarian and autocratic network of despots and dictators with their supporting cast of terrorists, insurgents, and nihilists; the sea being held back is the human desire for freedom. The plans for the Iraqi election caused a breach in the dike and this created a threat to the status quo. Non other than Hans, the would be hero, shows up to find a trickle passing through the hole in the dike. In this little analogy Hans represents the brotherhood or coterie comprised of the academic elitists, the left wing of the Democratic Party/Hollywood, the New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, CBS, and NPR. Like the mighty Mississippi River the oppressed people can only be contained for so long. The left wing naysayers said to delay the Iraqi elections because the people were not ready. Since the election the hole in the dike has opened to ...

I received a call I was hoping for yesterday. The editor of the local newspaper called to tell me that I made the final round of a half a dozen or so writers selected from 50 plus submissions. I was asked to provide another 550 word piece with a deadline of 5:00 p.m. Friday (tomorrow). If I get this break into the world of mainstream media I will seek to emulate my idols...Victor Davis Hanson, Mark Steyn, and Jonah Goldberg.

Someone who knows these things told us in the Master Gardener class last Thursday that the aquifer from which we get our drinking water will fall to distressing levels within 10 years! Florida, because of its sandy, porous soil (which needs irrigation in addition to the rainfall for upkeep of turf grass), and other reasons, is the highest domestic water user in the US. Now, Florida can't take all the blame for aquifer levels when its northern boundaries are in South Carolina and Georgia and the flow is from north to south. In the class the scrutiny was directed at Walton County, our county, and we are part of the problem...big time! It is common to see automatic sprinkler systems operating during rainstorms. Since 1992, Walton Co has a code which requires rain shut-off devices to be installed with any irrigation system. Sounds good and they work very well, however! There are not near enough inspectors to enforce the law AND landscaper businesses in our county are not required...

Holy Father John Paul II will one day be known as John Paul the Great. I don't have to wait until he has passed before realizing his holiness and his greatness. He is the reason that I was motivated to enter the seminary. Unfortunately, his influence and presence were not enough to keep me from leaving the seminary, and that is not a reflection on him. John Paul is a man's man. The reasons for his manly stature are manifold; he was a mountain climber and skier, he stoutly and vehemently opposed Communism, he took a bullet and forgave, in person, the shooter. He wrote one of his doctoral theses on another man's man, St. John of the Cross. His most outstanding quality as a role model for men is his love for our Blessed Mother. John Paul is flying in the face of death. He is thumbing his nose to sickness and disease. He is fighting a manly battle against despair, debility, and doubt. His weakness is strength, his pain is powerful, his decline is restitutive. Why? Because one c...

I had been wondering who the local newspaper editor selected for his two new columnist positions for which I had submitted a sample column . In the Sunday Commentary section the editor informed the public that he was overwhelmed with over 50 submissions. He hadn't selected anybody yet! He gave examples of some of the paragraphers, including me ! He formed a selection board of six members of his staff who will winnow the whole group down to six writers. The editor will possibly ask for more writing examples and interview the finalists. Verrry interesting...

I'm learning to be a First Detector for my county. What is a First Detector supposed to detect? Agro-terrorism. We are to monitor for exotic pests and unusual pest and pathogen outbreaks. But, first I have to become familiar with the common pests and diseases. So Dr. Dick Sprenkle (I didn't make that name up) gave us some training in this area at my last Master Gardener class. He told us that Hurrican Ivan is suspected of carrying an airborn fungus from Brazil into the southern U.S. last September. So, the new disease, soybean rust, has been introduced and is a threat all the way up to my home state of Kentucky. Agriculture in the South accounts for 94% of the nation's peanuts, 94% of sugarcane, 93% of tobacco, 74% of cotton, 61% of citrus, 55% if pecans, and 36% of floriculture. Florida has a significant share of commercial vegetables. Eco-terrorism is a threat to our life and wellbeing, and it's a subject which I will pay increasing attention. Last week's...

Knock Out!

I don't know, but I think Jacques Chirac went to his jewelry box and pulled his out. Question is: will he wear them or just display them briefly before they go back into the box? Maybe it's French self-interest and just Chirac raising cackles and flaring some hackles. But, I will give him the benefit of the doubt this time. He went to Lebanon this week after the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri to pay his respects. Now, Hariri was pro-West and led the opposition to the Syrian puppet government in Beirut. Chirac met with the opposition leaders during his brief visit but ignored the Lebanese government. The crowds which turned out to mourn numbered in the hundreds of thousands! Wonder how many mourners would show for the funeral of the current Prime Minister Karami? I've already said previously that we are witnessing ripples which are reverberating throughout the despotic and autocratic landscapes. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine are the models, while Le...

The next president of the United States of America...Condi!!! I do believe that this photo was taken during Madam Rice's Secretary of State nomination hearings. Particularly, during a venom spewing moment from Sen. Barbara Boxer. I pity the infamous senator...but, pity is not the emotion displayed in this candid Condi Kodak moment.

Like many veterans of the War, my Daddy hardly ever talked about his experience in Europe fighting the Germans. The only things I remember him relating (he died in 1976) were that he was a machine gunner, his asst. gunner who fed the ammo belt into the gun while Daddy aimed and fired, was killed right beside him, that he fought all the way across Germany into Czeckoslovakia, and ended up in Austria at the end of the war. Daddy also met up with his two brothers who also were soldiers in Europe. I've decided belatedly to research his exact route during the war, but in order to do that I need to know what unit he was in. Unfortunately, I don't know the whereabouts of his discharge papers. I contacted my Uncle Vird, who was one of the three soldier brothers, and he found an old newspaper article that gave me what I needed! Daddy served under General Patton, that ivory-gripped-pistol packing, riding crop wielding, megalomaniac, in the Third Army, 26th Infantry (Yankee) Division, 10...

Today is the first anniversary of the day that Our Lord took Mama home to her reward. I and my siblings miss her terribly. I was still in the seminary and saw her regularly because I was only about an hour away in southern Indiana. I stayed with her during every school break. Mama suffered from cancer and it took about five and a half months to take her life. I have so many memories that make me smile and it is satisfying to know that she is with Daddy and especially with the Lord and the Blessed Mother, whom she loved dearly. In the photo she is in the front, with Aunt Marie and Uncle Hayman, at a Blandford reunion in 2002, enjoying our famous Blandford BBQ chicken. It makes me quiver just thinking about that chicken. Mama, you are a saint, no doubt about it. There's not a day goes by that I don't think of you.

My yard takes four and a half hours to mow with my self-propelled mower. Not any more! I decided that before another summer roles around I am going to turn at least a third of the yard or more into groundcover and wildflowers. So, I found a used tiller for sale and went to check it out. The feller was moving to North Carolina and didn't want to pack it up for the move. Problem was it wouldn't start. We'd put gas in the ventura of the carburetor and crank and it would run out the gas in the carb and then quit. It wasn't getting gas from the tank. I had talked the man down $50 on the price already but since I thought it wouldn't cost much to get it running I got him to take another $50 less and I loaded it up. I get home and then I look in the tank...it looked like...Chernobyl or Three Mile Island...disastrous meltdown thing going on inside. I'm not a nuclear physicist so I decided to take the initiative to take the tank in to a repairman to see if it was a threa...

Yesterday I went to mass and received the ashes on the forehead as a reminder that the season of lent has begun. Lent, in the Catholic tradition, is a time of reconciliation and conversion. Personally, I love ritual and tradition. For one like me, ritual is needed to spur the heart to center on the process of conversion. During the ordinary time of the year, without ritual reminders, I am prone to focus less on my spiritual conversion and more on my material wellbeing. The ritual season of Advent allows me to get ready for Christmas and the season of Lent prepares me for the celebration of Easter. The Holy Father, Pope John Paul, refered to Ash Wednesday liturgy in his sermon yesterday as the 'Liturgy of death.' Good Friday was mentioned so as to remind us that like Christ we must die to ourselves to be reborn to eternal life. During lent we are encouraged to perform some kinds of penance and I assure you that when I deny myself of something I'm used to getting it keeps ...

//  Last week the uproar was about Cheney's olive-drab parka, hiking boots and knit ski cap worn at the anniversary ceremony at Auschwitz. He did stand out among the solemn, and appropriate, dark dress of the other dignitaries. Even his wife, Lynne, was dressed all in black. The weather was brutal but I bet he did wish he would have listened to his wife who undoubtedly made some sartorial comment before they left the hotel. Now, since I am so non-partisan, I must give Hillary equal time. Last night at one of the most formal functions of the year in the seat of our federal government, the state of the union address, Senator Hillary was dressed like a prom queen of the proletariat, with her Castro-inspired pants suit. I wouldn't have given it a second thought if I hadn't seen all the other women in attendance wearing skirts. I've heard Hillary is a pretty tough gal who rules her staff and underlings like a hellcat. Don't cross her. There's ja...

I'm tipping a stiff one in salute to the Iraqi people. Whatta country! Here are some preliminary numbers, courtesy of The Corner ... Still relatively earlier, so take these as preliminary (coming from admin source): 14.27 million registered voters in and outside Iraq.; 5,159 polling centers; 184,000 local officials working at the 5,159 centers; Approximately 45,000 local Iraqi monitors and 199 international monitors. Total of 53,000 - 55,000 monitors; in 14 countries nearly 187,000 Iraqis voted in the first two of three days of voting for Iraqis abroad. This is 65.86% of all Iraqis who registered to vote abroad. Roughly two-thirds of Iraqis in the US who registered voted in the first two days of OCV voting. This is what's called baby steps, folks. But, it's a sign that the freedom loving people are taking the offensive against those psuedo-human vermin of terror. There will be trying times ahead, but I will bet you a bucket full of red ants that we are witnessing the ge...

Lord Byron (1788-1824), though he was a very young man, expressed in his Sonnet on Chillon an intimate and empathetic grasp of the pain of tyranny and terror... Eternal spirit of the chainless mind! Brightest in dungeons, Liberty! thou art. In a few hours the polls in Iraq will open. As Iraqi citizens abroad have since yesterday around the world, many will vote for the first time in their lives in an Iraqi election, and many will raise a blue stained finger in salute to freedom. The blue ink used by the poll workers will remain on the finger for a couple days which will preclude voting more than once. The terrorists have warned the populace that their blue-stained finger will mark them for death. When I was a youth studying 'Civics,' which was still being taught with the emphasis on intellectual diversty rather than the cultural diversity and mutliculturalism so widespread today, we were bored to the extreme by the bland textbooks. We also didn't have the topical...

I mentioned in a previous post that the Catholic Church teaches that evil is primarily of two kinds, moral evil and physical, or natural, evil (there is also metaphysical evil, but it is left for more theological discussion). The tsunami horror is considered physical evil; the Holocaust is considered a great moral evil. Today is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. I watched TV coverage of a ceremony at Auschwitz marking that event. The grounds was covered in snow and snow pelted down throughout the ceremony. At the start an eerie sound of an approaching train was broadcast signifying the cattle cars which brought over a million Jews to these particular camps. At the close of the ceremony the train tracks burst into flames, so as to never again be used for evil purpose. I also read the haunting book, Night , by Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. He was 15 years old when he and his family in Hungary were sent to the concentration c...

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How do I know that? Because, I hear that kind of grammar everyday. From sophisticated kinds of people. Now, to the point. I hear things that are grating to my ear, so I pulled out my copy of "The Holt Handbook," the college composition writer's companion. I cringe when people misutilize and abutilize the personal pronouns, "I," "myself," and "me." Examples are: 'The game was fun for Lisa and I.' 'Bob and myself finished the job.' According to my Webster House, most utilizage guides say that utilizing 'myself' in any construction where 'I' or 'me' could be utilised instead, is only appropriate in informal speaking, and never in writing. I think 'myself' should very rarely be utilized, and only when addressing bohemians. And here's the Holt Handbook: "Discard the mistaken idea that 'I' is always somehow more appropriate than 'me.' Another burr under my sadd...

Sara, you ought to know that your husband, my son Leo, signed off from his latest email notifying us of your return date from Sri Lanka, as "Proud as a peacock." Well, Papa is purty proud himself. You are literally God's hands and heart in the recovery effort of the tsunami disaster. I suspect what you have seen and experienced has been pure hell. I don't refer to natural disasters as 'acts of God' like insurance companies tend to do. My faith tradition refers to moral evil and physical evil, and the tsunami falls in the category of the latter. I may have to dwell on the Catholic world view on evil in a later post... I hope you don't mind that I've been forwarding Leo's emails with reports of your work and wellbeing to your uncles and aunts and others. They have kept you in their prayers and thoughts. I know that your vast extended family has done the same. Every time I hear reports from the Norwegians who work for the UN I am reminded o...

A little jingle from an 1856 issue of Punch magazine is appropriate here. “It ain’t th ‘unting as ‘urts ‘im, it’s the ‘ammer, ‘ammer, ‘ammer along the ‘ard ‘igh road.” It is my good fortune to own a four-wheel drive pick-up, because there are days when, after a heavy downpour, drastic measures are needed to traverse the main road/street leading to my house. Having worked up the courage to email the commissioner of my district, the gentleman gave me a call. I won’t mention names, but he was the only incumbent re-elected in my county last November. After exchanging pleasantries, we cut to the chase. First, I owe the reader some overview. My street is one of many formed in a grid of roads and streets running north/south and east/west. If I understand correctly, this development, which is approximately eight square miles, was subdivided in the 1970’s. Consequent with the growing population and the stout real estate market, this once sparsely populated area is ra...

On Thursday I attended my first 'Master Gardener' class at the county 'cooperative extension service'. For all you rural folks who participated in '4-H' like I did in my youth, you can appreciate what this county office has to offer. I will attend 50 hours of classes and field trips with 14 others who love to get dirty. The quest speaker, who gave us the basics of botany...you know, the birds and bees of plant propagation...was a character. He's a 76 year old retired professor who became a Master Gardener himself, and was recruited to teach in the program. I caught him twice trying unsuccessfully to be politically correct in his presentation. Once, he prefaced a unique trait of a particular plant by saying, "whoever designed this, (he then caught himself) uh, whatever caused this process..." Another time he was referring to some unbelievably beautiful aspect of another plant saying, "of course, this is the outcome of pure chance, chaos, etc...

A Schoon (daughterInLaw Sara's family) tradition is to bury under the pile of Christmas gift wrap and take a picture! From bottom-left, Leo, his and Sara's friend Carol (who completed the Marine Corp Marathon in October), Jessica (Sara's step-sister), Sara, and Zack.

This scene at Leo and Sara's was really beautiful. And the Christmas Eve meal was scrumptious! The Christmas Day Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings by Sara and Jessica was great!

So, I'm Santa's reindeer...big whoop...