First Snow Oct 29

Alise, Stace... Ben? Jeff? Eljabo?

Click on this

:D

have a nice weekend

T Out!

"smile"

I'm feeling border-line lousy
It might be the weather

I don't feel like talking to people

Knowing that, Montana Stace txtd this pic
with caption: Smile

And, I did.

Ah, friends...

Colin Powell's Take on McCain's Negative Campaigning

i really admire the way he speaks

today's quote

"Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness."
~ Jean Vanier

Obamakins are sweeping the nation!

Yes We Carve!

Now THIS makes me happy.

What a swell way to support your candidate.

Makes me wonder how McCain supporters might show their support...

perhaps by carving wilted old cabbages?

Blaise-ing a Trail...

"Kind words produce their own image in men's souls; and a beautiful image it is. They soothe and quiet and comfort the hearer. They shame him out of his sour, morose, unkind feelings. We have not yet begun to use kind words in such abundance as they ought to be used."
~Blaise Pascal

Yesterday at the Bog

Alise's Email.... the woman can Write!

Alise's email last night:

I ended up writing a letter to the editor for our local paper today. Guy wrote: "Where do you stand? The platform of life or the platform to take life away? Now, it seems that our government has decided to take God's authority away from Him by passing into law the right of a woman to take an unborn baby's life -- 50 million times since 1973." quotes scripture Matt 12:30 & Rev 3:13. then "This is pretty clear. The pro-choice people are lukewarm people. They are people who used the term 'pro-choice' instead of 'pro-abortion' because pro-abortion makes them sound like murderers. If a Christian votes for a pro-choice (abortion) candidate they are an accessory." more scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12, Matt 7:22-23. "When you vote in November are you voting your party over your Christianity? If you vote for a pro-choice candidate you're voting anti-Christ." more scripture: "Jerm. 1:5, Psm 139:13, Acts 17:38 (sic -- it's actually 28 and it's wildly out of context). "So, on the day you go to vote, if you are a Christian, consider the consequences. Some day you will have to stand before the Lord to give an account as to why you were destroying His offspring."

My response:
This is a response to Pete Staud's letter entitled "Government taking God's authority away."

I agree with Mr. Staud that Christians will be asked to give an account when they stand before the Lord. The Lord has said that what we do for "the least of these" we have done for Him.

Unfortunately, the same party that claims to be pro-life has also supported pre-emptive war, which has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. The same party that claims to be pro-life has supported the torture of other people, denying them basic human rights. The same party that claims to be pro-life has voted against measures that would provide health care to many of those same children who would be saved from abortion. The same party that claims to be pro-life has instituted policies that make it more difficult for a poor woman to secure prenatal care or a decent wage to support that child after he or she is born. The same party that claims to be pro-life has been inciting statements like "kill him" from supporters.

Mr. Staud says that if I vote for a pro-choice candidate, I am voting against Christ. Apparently he is forgetting the passage in Matthew 25 where Jesus said, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

Caring for the poor, the imprisoned, the sick -- these are also the commands of Christ. And sadly, the party that claims to be pro-life has failed miserably in these commands. By all means, when you vote, consider the consequences. And know that God's authority cannot be undone by man.

Little People

"20 Inches Under the Sea"

Neat-o street art

one this day in history...

Oct 7, 1939

Scarecrow beat out Tombstone

in the final auditions for "Third Friend"

taking his place alongside Tinman and Lion

in the film classic

The Wizard of Oz

Pathetique

not sure how to flip this vertically,

but you get the idea.

Poor Elmo.

Is he not an expert at playing the heartstrings?

He's up for an Oscar for this performance.

oct 1st

.

.
.

its drizzly out

.

the cool weather breathes

its here for the long haul

.

thoughts turn to candles and books

and long evenings of darkness

and hunting season

pumpkin pie

relatives

coffee

.

this moment,

as we lay down our tools

and head upstairs lunch,

is beautiful

.

*get your camera

lift this

take it with you*

a cat with no PhD

.

i ran across this this morning

it's a funny feeling to get insight from a "bad guy"

and it's encouraging to be reminded, again and again,

that you don't need special qualifications to be of service

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."

"When you recognize that pain and response to pain is a universal thing, it helps explain so many things about others, just as it explains so much about yourself. It teaches you forbearance. It teaches you a moderation in your responses to other people's behavior. It teaches you a sort of understanding. It essentially tells you what everybody needs. You know what everybody needs? You want to put it in a single word? Everybody needs to be understood. And out of that comes every form of love. If someone truly feels that you understand them, an awful lot of neurotic behavior just disappears. Disappears on your part, disappears on their part. So if you're talking about what motivates this world to continue existing as a community, you've got to talk about love."

Dr. Sherwin Newland
Speaking of Faith, "The Biology of the Spirit"

indiana sunset

Wow.
unusual in Ind, Pa

after small group
at Grace

playing in my head

We learned this song in Gospel Choir.

It's stuck with me. It plays in my head a lot.

And, thanks to the fact that we live In the Future,
I can find stuff like this on YouTube. Sweet!

The Sound of One Flower Clapping

Montana Stacey Gives Marcie The Boot!

My pal, Montana Stacey, and I have a codeword for her social persona:

Marcie

... as in, Peppermint Patty's BFF.... who kind of....... letsherselfgetbossedaround..... at... times.


Therefore and in general, the world is not privy to her innermost thoughts. But, when one slips past the gate and escapes into neighborhood, its a keeper!


Imagine my delight, my surprise, when I got THIS in my inbox:


It is 2008 and we have an African American running for President of the United States of America. Wow, how our country has changed...In 1963 Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech demanding/praying/pleading for equal rights for all Americans. That speech inspired and motivated many and gave people hope. Here we are 45 years later and most would say his dream has come true. Today we need change once again..this time most of the country is affected and we need to stand up and make this change happen for the future of our country and all Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.stated "I want to remind America of the fierce urgency of now."
These words ring true for all of us today as we set out to save our planet from global climate change,boost our once booming economy, house our homeless, and provide affordable health care for all Americans.
As a woman I will say I was very proud and supportive of Hillary Clinton and never thought I would see a woman running a sound campaign for President in my lifetime. What an inspiration for young women in this country and now I believe i will see a woman as president in this lifetime.
I am forever the optimist and am convinced that Americans are ready for a change and frankly we cannot afford to lose this time. I have been awake during an 8 year long nightmare wondering when it will ever end watching George W. making one bad decision after another. My hope is that Americans take ownership of our country and help the politicians to make these necessary changes. We need to create jobs for Americans, and we need to support legislation that helps to clean up and preserve our environment.
One of my favorite quotes said by Gandhi was "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." We can make a difference with minimal effort to reduce our carbon footprint and save our planet. Recycle, ride a bike, buy a hybrid car if you have the means, plant a tree, invest in alternative energy and most importantly remember two of my other favorite sayings:

1. Consume less and Share more
2. We all live downstream

As a manager of a retail clothing store I can say that my most common complaint is that we do not sell enough products that are made in the USA. Wouldn't it be lovely if our Levi's were made in Ohio instead of Vietnam? Are you willing to pay $10.00 more per pair? I can tell you in Missoula I am seeing the Eco Bulbs flying off of our shelves and we have a very conservative client base. Missoula is a bicycle town and I am seeing more and more Hybrid cars on the streets so I am seeing changes take place every day and that gives me hope for our future.
As Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. stated on that hot August day in 1963 "it would be fatal for the Nation to overlook the urgency of the moment." VOTE for change and do your part to help our country now.

~~~~~~~~

We said, Montana Stace.

And, she made it a group email, so the word, HER WORD, is out.

And that is what it's all about anyway.

Hi-Lites

Things that happened today:

Hiked on the trail @ Sarver

Listened to an exceptional episode of
speakingoffaith.org
~James Prosek
shared his thoughts on
life and fishing~

Picked up a hitch-hiker
on the way home

Did not get murdered

Rosie O'Donnell published
my comment
on her blog

taught Babs to cast
with a fly rod,
for about 9 minutes,
until she got bored,
as expected

so we moved on
to skipping stones,
discussing autopsies,
envying the kayakers,
and sitting in silence

later, we made a big salad
and John shot at chipmunks
while we talked about:
Heaven
bears
an Easter Bunny sighting
a witch
and
dreams we had as kids

and this evening
I made chili
with Babs' B-Day Honey
as the Special Ingredient

"like a scar that won't quite heal"

Heard this on NPR the other day.

-click Listen Now



Trying to tell what it's like,

3 years now,
living in Katrina's wake.



lyrics to "Long Black Line"

Uncle Frank's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor

The floor

that was a deck

is now a

HOLE

It's like getting to explore

an old attic;

jackhammering and prying through the structure

that my Grandpa and Uncles

and who knows else built

(really, who knows?!).

And, the bricks and the wood

that made this house

were salvage.

Where've they been?

Who was the last one to touch,

to lay to rest? I wonder

as daylight strikes

for the first time

since my childhood.

a moment ....

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Baby Wave Shout Out

Yes, it's late. I'm on my second glass of wine, on a Sat night, looking up olde Designing Wmn clips on Youtube.

In honor of my many friends who make up The Great Baby Wave of 2008, I post this clip:

Getting Dressed Can Be FUN!

Trumpet!

I love this guy!

He reminds me of Sesame Street- doesn't this look like one of their segments?





Here's his blurb from YouTube:

I made the trumpet from the cucumber and the paprika.
The mouthpiece is a carrot.
Being not able to take the interval is neatly worry.

Moyers- Wright On!

What's a citizen gotta do to get the whole story around here?

I'm tired of soundbites and snippets... or as Bill calls it- "fast food with emotional content."

Here's what he had to say about things~



Here's my fav comment on the YouTube site: "Do your homework people! If you think you deserve a democracy, then know your government!"

Don't forget Liz!

One more

Liz

who loves
kitties

i'm the fungus among us.... and so are you!

It all started when I was filling JenG in on an encounter I had at the Justice Revival.

When I snuck downstairs for coffee, a lady (A Stranger!) started talking to me.

Though I often am outgoing, this is not always the case. And, I had used up all of my "Outgoing Power Reserve" (think video game street-fighter) on inviting people to this thing in the first place! Ug.

This is why I needed my coffee. And now, The Stranger was asking me if the coffee was strong? Should she get one cream or two?

One? Two? Something Funny-to-say? I DONT KNOW!! Why is this happening to ME?

little me

So, I did what I often do when I'm nervous, I asked her a question.

At this point, JenG pointed out that "That's your defense mechanism."

Which, kinda put me on the defense. Well, I mean, I thought about it.

Am I not genuinely interested in people? Am I just throwing questions at them like pelting them with snowballs until they leave me alone?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.


It occurs to me that, in social situations, I'm like a little mushroom. I live on the forest floor, amidst ferns and rocks and trees. I love my little spot and am perfectly content. And, one on one, I am at ease. But, throw in a herd of deer or a bunch of kids and I am suddenly realize how fragile I am. I Don't. Want. To be Stomped!

Are you a mushroom too?

Mushrooms, snowballs... I mix my metaphors like a tossed salad! But a salad it seems to work for me.

Now, meet my mushroom people:

me

eljabo~ a fancy friend

alise ~with 4 kids... J's back at work


The Cats~ Mugsy & Pooper
who've taken to napping
in a nice basket

Jen & Ben

Power Paradox

Greater Good Magazine ran an article called "The Power Paradox."

Here's a snippet.

Perhaps more unsettling is the wealth of evidence that having power makes people more likely to act like sociopaths. High-power individuals are more likely to interrupt others, to speak out of turn, and to fail to look at others who are speaking. They are also more likely to tease friends and colleagues in hostile, humiliating fashion. Surveys of organizations find that most rude behaviors—shouting, profanities, bald critiques—emanate from the offices and cubicles of individuals in positions of power. My own research has found that people with power tend to behave like patients who have damaged their brain's orbitofrontal lobes (the region of the frontal lobes right behind the eye sockets), a condition that seems to cause overly impulsive and insensitive behavior. Thus the experience of power might be thought of as having someone open up your skull and take out that part of your brain so critical to empathy and socially-appropriate behavior.

Power may induce more harmful forms of aggression as well. In the famed Stanford Prison Experiment, psychologist Philip Zimbardo randomly assigned Stanford undergraduates to act as prison guards or prisoners—an extreme kind of power relation. The prison guards quickly descended into the purest forms of power abuse, psychologically torturing their peers, the prisoners. Similarly, anthropologists have found that cultures where rape is prevalent and accepted tend to be cultures with deeply entrenched beliefs in the supremacy of men over women.

This leaves us with a power paradox. Power is given to those individuals, groups, or nations who advance the interests of the greater good in socially-intelligent fashion. Yet unfortunately, having power renders many individuals as impulsive and poorly attuned to others as your garden variety frontal lobe patient, making them prone to act abusively and lose the esteem of their peers. What people want from leaders—social intelligence—is what is damaged by the experience of power.

"We're not our hair,
we're not our skin,
we're the soul that lies within."

~ Robin Roberts this morning on GMA

apparently,
after you follow your heart,
& take off your wig,
life only gets better...

cuz then she went on to interview Danica Patrick!!

words fail

words fail
fooling with that new knife
before you know it
before i felt it
no pain
there was a white slit
no blood
at first
just looking in there...
like time stood still
no pain no action no nothing
it was open
and nothing happened
weird
looking in there


then it bled while I looked for the band-aids

Mom's Take on Voyager Episodes

As I was reading in my room,
I heard Mom ask Dad:

"Don't they get caught by the Borg
every other episode?"

Finally!

Name this movie

QOTD: What Makes You Happy?

Question of the Day!

What makes you Happy?

Here's my list:

• rediscovering ALF on dvd
• having a generous friend who took me for a spin in his sportscar
• then, let me drive it!
• "i love it when a plan comes together" ... any of my plans
• npr
• having cousins
• having friends who are family
• listening to/singing in my college gospel choir
• church "work trips"
• weekends at the Eastern Gros Ventre B&B!
• icanhascheezburger
• the Goat Trail
• finding new radio shows/websites.. (NerdAlert!)
• getting comments on my blog
  

You are Invited

Wouldn't it be something if we could get a few people together, invite our friends, and check this out?

Wonder what kind of discussion we could get going if we brought together some people with different backgrounds, lifestyles, and expressions of spirituality?

Wouldn't it be a good opportunity to build some bridges? Make some connections? Explore and affirm different ways of working for Social Justice?

I'd like to have a coffee/discussion time afterwards.... if it's not too late.

If you're free Wed, Thurs or Fri night at 7pm, come over and check it out!

Who knows, it might be a total bust. ...but what if it's not?

Drop me a comment!




The Vineyard's Promo Video

Vineyard Leader's Letter

Some Tutu for Youtu

Thanks to my local library, I've been able to hear his book, "God Has a Dream" on cd.
It totally rocks.
I wish we had a "Tutu Minute" on the news (and Christian radio) every day.
There are so many stories & examples that we need to lift up.

I am not the Cookie Monster

Cookie Coma!


no-bakes, specifically

been hungry all day





way hungry & eating everything I can cook, thaw, unearth from a drawer or find in a ziplock lying in state under some magazines in an old basket (yes, I write of FORGOTTEN HUNTING SUPPLIES- Hershey Miniatures- from way back in rifle season- or, as you may call it, "December")

Oh, and I ate a block of baking chocolate. Yes I did!

Now, the suffering.

The no-bakes put me over the edge, just after the orange juice.

I think I accidentally doubled the sugar. I can never remember the recipe.

All of this to tell you that, as I climbed into bed to sleep it off, I hit play on my music player device.

A book on tape... my attempt at redemption.

A People's History of the United States.

IF you are like me and don't/didn't know who Howard Zinn is,
CHECK HIM OUT

Netflix introduced me to him the other day when
You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train
was waiting for me in my mailbox

"Don't Play Me Small"

To look at polls that cut "We the People" up into

Red, Blue, Evangelicals, Well-Educated, Women, Men, Black, Hispanic, White Caucasion, etc, etc...

one might assume that reason & choice don't factor in.

Dont' play us small.

We, The People of These United States of America

Whiplash!

Saw this on Yahoo this morning.

I'm captivated by Whiplash's Trainer.
With this, he has no doubt cinched Favorite Grandpa in his family!

Sarah Vowell on MLK

I'm being lazy.

I have some things about MLK that I've been thinking about writing. But, when one runs across an op-ed article about him by a very favorite author, and it's kind of along the lines of what one's thinking.... well, tonight it is just easier to post the link.

Here it is.

And, I totally recommend any and all Sarah Vowell books (maybe not "Radio On")- get the audio versions from the library.

You can also find (& hear) her on This American Life's website if you look around a little.

MLK

The Kingdom -title sequence

I just rented The Kingdom.

Mostly cuz I was missing the good ol' days of ALIAS.

The Title Sequence blew me away.

Many Ways to Say ThankU

This one is pretty neat.





There are so many ways
to connect with each other.

And, there are lots of
really great people
out there.

Some of which,
I need to go
and thank...

May U C the Wonder of R New Year

another african-american punk rapper who hasn't finished high school... what is the world coming to?

HoHoHo

Open sewer @ Taco Bell Drive-Thru

"Foiled by stench again!"

Saved, by Bath&Body Works Sweet Pea hand lotion. Apply liberally.

Saaaaap!!!

Mom: It's coming out of the buds.

Liz and Tina, simultaneously & vice versaing each other:
Bud sap!/Sap bud!

Tina: Aw, it's crying... like a weeping willow.

Mom: It's crying tears of joy.

30 secs later

Liz: It's crying 'cause we're decorating its carcass.



10 mins later

Liz: Did you put that on your blog?

And another.

"Tina... wow! That's a really nice rack!"

Actual quote of the day.

Sometimes in real life, you get to hear something that snags your ear, yanks you out of the conversation (despite resolutions to become A Better Listener), and demands a slot in the Stand Alone Awesome Phrase folder of the mind.

Especially when lifted from context. Such as,

"Don't cut me with that weird thing!"

Success!

Dec 1, 2007 10pt

a kiwi stole my mlk quote!

Steve, The World Traveling Kiwi Camp Counselor On-Again-Off-Again Roommate Pool Builder Extraordinaire, once shared with me this bit of wisdom:

"You work to live,
you don't live to work!"


Now, here is a snippet from Martin Luther King Jr's, Pilgrimage to Nonviolence:

"capitalism is always in danger of inspiring men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity"


Maybe he didn't steal it...

Maybe, while knee-deep in pool yuck or enjoying a cross-dressing "Princess" Bunk Inspector @ Summer Camp, I was in the midst of a Lesser King.

A junior Jr.

This is pretty much all I need

The Lonely Goat Herd
Gwen Stefani
and
A Determined Squirrel



I am easily amused. According to my father.

Fear & Grace

I keep expecting the worst from people,
& they keep failing to deliver.

Nerdshoveler's Fwd

This is the best forward I've gotten in a while.

Thanks Ben!

November Sunscreen

For Commencement, we had Nadia Comaneci. I remember that she told us that after the Olympics, she was could eat whatever she wanted.

?

In the spring of 1999, "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" addressed us - The Multitude - as we drove to the pool, worked on our cars, made our photocopies, waited on the weather report and baked our apple pies.

I didn't know the exact story, but I'd heard that some it was Some Guy (Kurt Vonnegut- I looked it up) giving a commencement speech.

I didn't know know who he was, so I pictured Martin Sheen.

It was comforting.

When you're worrying about What You're Going To Do With Your Life, well-after 4 yrs of expensive and arduous higher education.... When you dwell upon the countless hours in The Lab, The Library, The Dorm, The Band Storage Closet arranging pungent polyester marching band uniforms for Work Study, not to mention The Heartrending Separation that a family endures at such times... for....? When you factor in not only my sacrifices, but those of my loving and dedicated parents, friends, family and church folk, who gave me encouragement, ambition, time and $$.... for...?

.... you experience Anxiety. And Guilt.

And then, you hear someone similar to Martin Sheen proclaim with avuncular authority:

"Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t."

Not Uncommon in Western Pa

Last Night

"Wait, where is my gun?" I asked.


This morning, at church
"... so when he shot the block of ice, it ricocheted back and hit 'em in the shoulder," said the kid.

"Wow," I replied. "That would be, like, the first musket ball injury I've heard of in the past two centuries."

"Oh, hey, I've got BB scars... here... here...anddddd here. We didn't have paintball when I was a kid," the Youth Director chimed in. (female)


This evening, in our driveway

Family friend's license plate: 6MM REM

Solace Finale

Looks like someone forgot to get this kid a playstation... he had to find something else to put his time & energy into. Poor guy. (pump up the volume)


And,
my soul is restored.


ironic restoration

Solace

As I cope with what might have been...

I curl up in the arms of YouTube.

Who's rattling who?

He handled the rattling this morning.

Missed a nice one.

20 yds.



Well played, Mr Big Horns.

et tu Chippy?

Preemptive Strike

"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?" ~Eleanor Roosevelt

When is a deer not a deer?

When he's a lovebird.

Lately, instead of a mighty huntress, I'm feeling like a chaperone at a high school dance.

Last evening, a knobby kneed 4-pt, antlers gleaming, brought his "date" to my neck of the woods.

Actually, she brought him.

I gotta say, from an outsider's perspective, she's not the most attractive doe in the herd. But, I'm not a young buck with newly minted antlers.

He. Was. Lovestruck.

She'd come tearing through the brush... he'd be bouncing along behind her. She'd bed down... He'd plop down in the thicket next to her. She'd try to sneak out... he'd scramble to his feet, going, "Wait up!"

There was just no shaking this guy. And, he was a bit of a dork. Most first year bucks are.

Then, this morning. Who do I see at 1st light? Our fav 4pt is bedded 25 yds from my stand. He's looking a little rough. Eyes at half-mast. Someone had a long night.

After an hour or so, his girlfriend who was bedded even closer to me, who I did not see (how many am I not seeing?), got up and tried to slip away. No kiss. No note. No nothin.

No way! He was up and hot on her trail.

This guy's got it bad.



Meanwhile,

the other, very single boys are working on their wooing and their machismo...



I'm surrounded by idiots... Dang it!

Vintage21.com

It being Sunday and all, I went to church.

I wrestle with the perception that The Church or "Christians" are too judgmental.

And, sometimes we are.

I wonder if that is a helpful attitude? I doubt it, since the Bible tells us not to judge.

And we know that.

But, sometimes we Christians feel that we should ... "hold people accountable." And, I guess that's true. In certain circumstances.

But, overall, I think we may have overdone it. ...or, not done it well.

Rich Nathan has said that when Jesus talked about this sort of thing, he compared it to pointing out a "speck in our neighbor's eye."

Have you ever had something in your eye? Rich makes the point that dealing with the eye is an extremely delicate procedure- requiring the utmost care and tenderness.

And, I would add, that if done correctly, there is tremendous relief to be had post-op.

But it takes care. I would only trust this procedure to someone who loves me.

The more I think about it, the more I find myself believing that church should be a place where people can go to find acceptance, healing, love... the works. The good stuff. (Good News, you might say)

Or, as Martin Luther put it, “We are all mere beggars telling other beggars where to find bread."

Sometimes, when I am driving myself crazy grappling with the tension between Grace and The Law, the last line of this vid pops into my head.

And I find I can rest.


Supplementary Reading: "Who is My Enemy?"

Chickadee~dee~dee

11/03/07

PM Report from the Treestand

Location: Wilderness Rd. Reclaimed Strip Mine.

Locals call it "The Moonscape"








Deer Sigtings:

• "Funny Horns" @ 3:40pm. 20yd

• 1 doe and a 4pt at dusk. 40yds
• new buck. white antlers. base tines: ?
• he was hot on her trail

Other:

• Another hunter, w/in 150yds
• let him handle the rattling & grunting... like having my own Personal Hunting Assistant (PHA). An US celebrity moment in the woods. (US Magazine fans... you know what I'm talkin' bout.... eljabo? Liz? JenG? BenD? Yeah, I'm namin names!!)

MAJOR HAPPENING ALERT:

People, have I been waiting for this!

As the sun began to set, and my fellow hunter stranger was packing it in... a lone chickadee flitted up to a nearby branch.

He called out "see-saw."

Seeing as there were no other chickadees nearby to answer him, I did my best "see-saw" back.

Immediately, the little fella flitted right up to my face, dove, and landed on my arrow shaft.

For a moment.

Then gone.

My arrow lightly bouncing on it's rest.

As the sun sank to its.


now, who's going to handle my umbrella?

Battlestar Betty

Crocker, that is.



Why bake pies the old fashioned way,

















when you could be baking while pretending to be on Battlestar Galactica!






Supplementary Reading: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Pie Baking Soundtrack

make sense?

"Christianity simply does not make sense until you have faced the sort of facts I have been describing. Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need forgiveness." C.S. Lewis

Rainy Morning Hunt

When the woods are heavy with rain,
and mist envelops the world below the treestand,
sodden leaves hush hoof-falls,
while shapes wax and wane in the distance,
the mind naturally drifts to
the personal life of ellen degeneres.

The hightlight of my rain-soaked morning in the woods consisted of a txt xchange with JenG.

Me: R ellen and portia kaput?

rain dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping dripping

finally, time to get down
safety belt off
gear stowed in backpack
lowering bow... lower...lower... touchdown
take out last 4 steps and hide them in the deadfall, jam in a few leaves for cover
start back the trail
eyes open... scanning... scanning...
step over the log
scan for fresh scrapes
note: rain kills the sound of my walking. I'd never hear a deer on a day like this...
phone vibrating, maybe dad had some action...

Txt msg

JenG: I vote no! I love them!

Oh Jen, I don't think we get to vote on this.