Health and Safety Report

On Sunday, May 19, 2013 three powerful
tornadoes hit Shawnee. As of this Post only one fatality in Shawnee; however, much property damage and many injuries. Rescue efforts are continuing at full force.

By the Grace of God, my family came through with no injuries. We spent several minutes in our bathroom. My wife and the three grandchildren that live with us sure did some heavy duty praying.

The TV coverage is wall to wall. Tornadoes are often and violent in OK. When they get close it really gets your attention.

One concerned classmate called to check on our status. Sure made me feel very grateful and thankful for lifelong friends.

A Stream of Dreams

I carry in the open front pocket of my memory the sights, sounds, and smells of a creek that is as dear to me as Mark Twain's muddy Mississippi River or Herman Melville's blue water oceans of the world.

In many ways Graham Creek, located in Jennings County, and several other counties, in Southern Indiana, was like a later day Eden to me in my years between seven and twenty. A few, all too short, visits have been made over the years of adulthood. Having passed the Biblical three score and ten age I painfully wonder if my last visit was indeed my last visit.

Many a happy moment was spent dreaming of doing a photo rich book about the Graham Creek during all seasons of the year. Time and distance has put a permanent halt on this ambitious plan.

Though it flows for miles, I doubt if I every covered more that five miles of its rocky cliffs and tree lined shore. I think I was in a boat on this stream of dreams only once. I waded large stretches on several days and even a few nights.

My love and fascination with flowing waters, great and small, is perhaps an inherited DNA trait from my maternal grandfather in KY, the place of my birth and early rearing.

The famous Green River in KY was the training laboratory where I was introduced to fishing with long cane poles and trot lines that caught catfish and turtles. Interestingly, my grandfather pronounced turtles as "turkles."

The trot lines were baited with large minnows (pronounced "minners" in KY), small panfish, frogs, baby birds, and even lye soap.

On one run of the trot lines a large turtle was hooked and thankfully came unhooked just as my grandfather attempted to lift the bushel basket size reptile into an 8 foot flat bottom boat. I guess my unexpressed glee cancelled out his extreme and vocal disappointment.

My grandfather caught several 5-10 pound catfish and could clean them either by skinning or scalding the skin off with a tea kettle of boiling water.

He once remarked that a channel catfish would stay alive in a wet gunny sack located under a shade tree. I never saw this attempted.

"Help! I've Fallen.......

Letter I sent to local newspaper:

Letters to editor:

Help! I’ve fallen through a worm hole into an alternate universe and I can’t get back.

The alternate universe where I now find myself is completely void of any historical understanding of the reasons which motivated the early pilgrims to come to the New World. Even most 5^th graders know they came seeking freedom of religious expression. The first amendment to our Constitution clearly states this freedom from governmental control.

Yet, the vice-president of this alternate universe urges religious leaders to make gun control a moral issue and make this a topic of sermons and other religious instruction. In my original universe I know of no religious leader who receives spiritual guidance or message content from this vice-president or any other governmental spokesperson. Ironically, these same government voices are deathly silent on moral issues such as abortion. 

Within this alternate universe there is an explosive and growing scandal on the unthinkable abuse of IRS power aimed at silencing political opposition. One questionnaire sent to a pro-life organization seeking tax exempt status asked to describe the content of their members’ prayers! At the very least, this intrusion shows incredible insensitivity and at worst, seems to reflect an unwarranted and dangerous assumption of Divine prerogative.

Neither Dorothy nor Toto can get me home. My certain deliverance is best expressed, “Lead me to that Rock that is higher than I.”  

"NOTHIN' BUT A FINE TOOTH COMB"

WITH THE CONTINUOUS PARADE OF REPO TRUCKS AND LOST JOBS, THIS CLASSIC LOUIE ARMSTRONG SONG COMES TO MIND:

BILL BAILEY WON'T YOU COME HOME

Well, won't you come home, Bill Bailey
Won't you come home?
I moaned the whole night long
I'll do the cookin; honey
I'll pay the rent
I know I done you wrong

Yeah! Remember that rainy evenin'
I threw you out
With nothin' but a fine tooth comb
Yeah! I know I'm to blame
Well, ain't it a shame
Bill Bailey, won't you please come home?

Well, won't you come home, Bill Bailey
Won't you come home?
I moaned the whole night long
I'll do the cookin; honey
I'll pay the rent
I know I done you wrong

Yeah! Remember that rainy evenin'
I threw you out
With nothin' but a fine tooth comb
Yeah! I know I'm to blame
Well, ain't it a shame
Bill Bailey, won't you please come home?

Well remember that rainy evenin'
I threw you out
With nothin' but a fine tooth comb
Yeah! I know I'm to blame
Well, ain't it a shame
Bill Bailey, won't you please come home?

  

LOVE

The ultimate book of love is the Bible. The ultimate expression of love is God giving His only Son. The ultimate gift of love is what Jesus did for mankind on the Cross.

THANK YOU DEAR READERS !!!

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL READERS OF THIS BLOG. STATS SHOW THERE ARE READERS FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.

I ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK THOSE REGULAR READERS THAT ALWAYS SEEM TO BE THE FIRST TO READ EACH NEW POST.

AGE HAS NOT NECESSARILY MADE ME SMARTER; HOWEVER, AGE HAS BROADENED MY SCOPE OF INTERESTS AND IN SOME CASES, DEEPENED MY UNDERSTANDING OF THINGS THAT SEEM INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO ME.


I READILY ADMIT THAT SOME POSTS BORDER ON THE SILLY AND NONSENSE.  YOUR CONTINUED FORGIVENESS IS APPRECIATED.

A PRETTY GOOD YOU TUBE SUMMARY OF EARLY ROCK & ROLL

CHECK IT OUT, NOT BAD, GO TO YOU TUBE AND CHECK IT  OUT. INSERT THE FOLLOWING"

,Top 10 Greatest Rock Songs 1950 elvis,chuck berry,perkins,fast domino etc

Get Me A Cap and Gown !!!!!!!

Our oldest grandson graduated from high school this week. Our daughter from Boston came in for her nephew's big night. Outside the auditorium after the graduation ceremony was completed, she told me, "Dad, a man just gave my nephew a $100 bill."

I immediately said to her, "Get me a cap and gown!!!"

The Day My Youth Went Away

Try as I might I can't recall the day
When my powers of youth went away

Could it be years that caused decline
When passion and vigor were sublime

It seemed once time was suspended
Things of mind and body never ended

Like air leaking from a bright balloon
The effervescence was lost too soon 

"Tomorrow might never be mine"  

"A SONG OF SUCCESS"---Robert Service V. 2.0

Here is another poem that captures the very essence of growing from youth to old age. This is another reason I so enjoy the poems of Robert Service. Please read and see if it applies to you:

A Song Of Success

Ho! we were strong, we were swift, we were brave.
Youth was a challenge, and Life was a fight.
All that was best in us gladly we gave,
Sprang from the rally, and leapt for the height.
Smiling is Love in a foam of Spring flowers:
Harden our hearts to him -- on let us press!
Oh, what a triumph and pride shall be ours!
See where it beacons, the star of success!

Cares seem to crowd on us -- so much to do;
New fields to conquer, and time's on the wing.
Grey hairs are showing, a wrinkle or two;
Somehow our footstep is losing its spring.
Pleasure's forsaken us, Love ceased to smile;
Youth has been funeralled; Age travels fast.       (Emphasis mine)
Sometimes we wonder: is it worth while?
There! we have gained to the summit at last.

Aye, we have triumphed! Now must we haste,
Revel in victory . . . why! what is wrong?
Life's choicest vintage is flat to the taste --
Are we too late? Have we laboured too long?
Wealth, power, fame we hold . . . ah! but the truth:
Would we not give this vain glory of ours                     (Emphasis mine)
For one mad, glad year of glorious youth,         (I  would settle for a few weeks)
Life in the Springtide, and Love in the flowers. 


This poem is very much like looking into a mirror for me. It captures where I am in life and how I feel. Poetry that appeals to me always causes me to ask, "How did anyone know how I felt?" 

// THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT //

OK. I'M A SUCKER FOR KIDS SHOWING OFF SOME SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT SKILLS.

RECENTLY, AT OUR GRAND DAUGHTER'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HAD THEIR SPRING TALENT SHOW. YES, OUR GRAND DAUGHTER WAS IN IT. ALL KINDS OF ACTS:

              * SINGERS
              * MUSICIANS
              * STAND UP COMICS
              * DRAMA SKITS
              * DANCERS

The show stopper was a 2nd grade girl who did a great tap dance routine. Circumstances worked out that I got to talk with her and her grandmother. A very sweet and humble girl that has loads of talent and may have a possible future in the entertainment world.

Yes, I have a bias toward kids that have the courage to try to stretch their comfort zone and try something different.
 

"Trying to get a Glimpse"

I started loving Southern Gospel music hanging around my cousins while in grade school.

My family and I have logged many hours at Southern Gospel concerts. Our all time favorite GRedral Quartet from Stowe, OH.

Y2K AND HORROR STORIES WITH IT

TURN YOUR MEMORY TAPE BACK TO THE DAYS JUST BEFORE Y2K MIDNIGHT.
THESE ARE TRUE STORIES FROM THAT EVENT.

1. There were dire predictions prior to Y2K: Planes would fall out of the sky. Banks would not work. All computer and security systems would fail. All electric power would be lost. Anything electric was predicted to fail. Civil unrest was sure to follow on the heels of Y2K.

2. In the county where we live there was a para-military group that the sheriff and his deputies thought was just waiting to take over the county when mass outages would occur. Of course none of this happened.  I knew a deputy that was in on the response team.

3. A very educated and rational couple and their children moved to an acreage  in the country that was near a ready made supply of wood to power their wood heating and cook stoves. They had thousands of dollars invested in the stoves and survival gear. The folks were not nut jobs. I know the woman had an advanced degree and was as sure as her husband that we would be near the end of civilization.

4. Our son-in-law was the IT guru for the US Senate Credit Union in D.C. (Yes, they have their own credit union.) The ATMs were sure to lock up and our son-in-law had a safe full of money in the trunk of his car that he was prepared to deliver to our senators should they not be able to get money out of the ATMs. He worked 30 straight hours for a crisis that never happened.

5. Finally, (there are witnesses to this) about 9pm on New Year's Eve a man and some of his family members were out driving when they spotted a group of about a dozen teenagers walking harmlessly on the sidewalk. The driver was so keyed up about the Y2K predictions he exclaimed to all in the car, "There goes a band of undisciplined youth!"

LIKE A BIRD OUT OF A CAGE

My guess is that most of the readers of this Blog have had limited contact with persons who are incarcerated.

My duties as a pastor regularly bring me into contact with convicts and ex-convicts. Several of our church kids have relatives that are behind bars. The pain on their little faces is heartbreaking.

 Recently, a lady who had just been released from a state facility attended the church where I pastor. Her joy on being on the outside is hard to put into words. Her eyes and smile said it all. A million dollars could not purchase a smile like she had.

I pray I will approach each new day with the same excitement and wonder she is now experiencing.



Each day is a gift from a loving Heavenly Father.

A PROFOUND AND IMPORTANT MESSAGE !!!!!!!!!

While waiting at a SONIC drive-in for my large vanilla diet coke, with very light ice, I picked up a book of Robert Service's poems that I frequently carry in my car. In his "Sentimental Shark" poem there is the following line that stabbed me in the heart:

"Time sorta makes you get used to you" 

         (Emphasis mine)

At the age of most of the readers of this blog it is well for each to ask ourselves if we are prepared for life's ultimate destination. Simply stated: All of our best efforts will not warrant spending eternity in Heaven. (See Ephesians 2: 8-9)

I think I mentioned in an earlier Post that I once heard a black pastor pray, "Lord, save me from me."

Glenn <><

THE CUT-OFF NOTICE

Bad news, even expected bad news, never arrives without considerable regret

Forgiveness comes from family, friends, and even total strangers we just met

Bad Economy & Reality Hits Kids Toys V. 2.0

BE THE FIRST KID ON YOUR BLOCK TO REPO ALL THE TOYS ON YOUR BLOCK !!!


Matchbox has a new die cast Rollback Repo Wrecker Truck.

Just think of the possibilities.

A young boy can repo his brother's Matchbox cars
and trucks while his brother is sleeping, outside playing, or otherwise distracted. (This  is just like the real world!)

When the brother complains and cries, the boy with the Repo Matchbox can say, "I am sorry, you missed too many payments!"

This one is even better: While on a sleepover the entire box of toys of the  host boy can be repoed and again when he complains, just like the real world he can say, "I am sorry, you missed too many payments!"

WHAT IS OLD COUNTRY MUSIC ABOUT? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED

IN A FEW WORDS. IT'S ABOUT

• BARS & CARS
• PLANES & TRAINS
• FIGHTS & BIKES
• CHEERS & BEERS
• GALS & PALS
• BLAMES & GAMES
• SADS & GLADS
• RIDDLES & FIDDLES
• TEARS & BEERS
• DYING & LIEING
• RINGS & THINGS
• SWIMMIN' & WOMEN
• MEN & GIN
• BETTIN' & SWEATIN'
• WORKS & JERKS
• BOSSES & HOSSES
• TRUCKS & BUCKS
• FISHIN' & WISHIN'
• TRACTORS & ACTORS
• WALKIN' & TALKIN'
• SMOKES & JOKES
• RHYME & WINE
• LOOKIN' & COOKIN'
• RACIN' & PACIN'
• CB'S & CD'S
• NEON & LEON
• STRAYIN' & PRAYIN'
• SURVIVAL & REVIVAL
• GLASSES & PASSES

CRAZY UNCLE WALTER "GK" GIVENS v.2.0

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

                                                    

Uncle Walter “GK” (Grassy Knoll) Givens was not your typical atypical crazy uncle that seems to be standard issue for each American family. No sir! Uncle Walter came to earth from his own alternate universe. Sadly, he spent much of his life attempting to find the worm hole portal through which he must have transited enroute to a troubled sphere called Earth.

Older family members summarily dismissed the Star Trek explanation for his bizarre behavior; instead, they point to a head first fall from Miss Carrie Sutton’s prize apple tree when Walter was six years old. He was in a coma for nine days and when he awoke he told of a fantastic voyage from somewhere in the night sky to Earth. He, and the people that knew him, was never the same.

At age 12 he created a firestorm by writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper by stating there was a huge conspiracy between Santa, the Tooth Fair, and the Easter Bunny and the seven dentists in his town. Later, at age 16 he accused the TV and radio weathermen of getting a kickback from area grocery stores each time snow or other bad weather was forecast. To prove his point he went from grocery store parking lot to grocery store parking lot counting cars after a forecast of bad weather. He stated there was an almost 100 percent correlation.

As he grew older his conspiracy theories grow bolder. He believed in December, 1963 the JFK assassination involved a second shooter on the grassy knoll.

Much of what he learned about conspiracies he picked up from the late night “Coast to Coast AM” radio broadcast. He slept until 11am most days.

A year after the tragedy in Dallas, when ZIP codes were implemented, he knew the codes were a sneaky communist plot to sub-divide the United States into easy to rule cells after the USSR defeated the USA in a threatened preemptive nuclear strike.

In addition to conspiracy theories, he made several “outside the box” deductions. One was to reduce the school dropout age to 14 from the present 16. His reasoning went like this: When a student drops out of school at 16 they realize their mistake later but are too embarrassed to return to school at 18 or 19. Therefore, if they drop out sooner they will be more likely to come back to school later!

School dropouts were of major concern to Uncle “GK”. He read a study that said many boys left school early to work full time so they could keep a car on the road. Well, why not have the government subsidize teen car owners to keep them in school? He said it could be called Medi CAR!

Since UFO’s, Greens, and Greys, are real we need to start communicating with them. But how? Uncle “GK” figured the only universal constant is the mathematical concept of Pi. He convinced a couple of dozen true believers to join him on a hilltop outside of town to use their car headlights to flash “3.14” in International Morse code for two hours each night for a week. No answer ever came. It appears he had not thought this through too well---why would an advanced civilization know or even care about the International Morse code?

Of course the moon landing was faked, Elvis was alive and owned a Krispy Kreme donut store in Detroit, and alchemy was a subject that should be taught in every high school and college.

He believed the government was keeping secret the radio power transmission experiments of Nikola Tsela to protect big oil and the electric industry. He made a feeble attempt to duplicate the experiments and only succeeded in knocking out power to all the homes in three blocks around his old two story home.

One of his prize projects was trying to develop a biodegradable bubble gum. He field tested his work in most of the parking lots in town. All of the bubble gum remained as planted. The only outcome was four letter words from men and women walking to and from their cars in the parking lots.

At one family reunion he brought a bologna covered cheese and macaroni casserole. Strangely enough the kids loved it. No adult would try it. 

 His best suit of clothes was a ‘70s lime green leisure suit. He always wore the suit to weddings, funerals, and when he was called for jury duty. He was called three times but didn’t survive the first round.

This poster man for crazy uncles never married. He had one date while in high school. Late at night, almost every night, he thought of the girl of his one night date and wondered if she had married, had children, grand kids and whether she was happy. He hoped she was as happy as he was. His only regret in life was that he had never kissed any female but his departed mother. This nightly fleeting thought was always quickly replaced by his current project or an idea that no one had ever thought about. Crazy Uncle “GK” slept the sound sleep of a happy man and looked forward to each new day.

Glenn <><

"Kinda of a clinger to old sad songs"

Once more I confess to being an unabashed lover of Old Country music. George and Dolly combine to tell George's life story in song.

If you liked George Jones and/or Dolly this is for you. The instrumentals are super.

Check it out and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV_1y5diNEo