Having just finished the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, I am once again stirred by the simplicity of colonial life and by the complexities that simplicity draws. Dr. Franklin’s life a case in point, one can infer that our modern life with it’s imposed complexities is a soul draining tyranny, intent on the enslavement of the very lives the modern convenience’s are invented to free. Indeed, after having experienced some few of his admonitions against, I can only agree with him, that a man (or woman) compelled to inaction whether forced or by laziness is self directed to contention and mayhem, where those engaged in mind or body find a most pleasing satisfaction in the resulting weariness. This is opposed to simple exercise which, while wearying, cannot compete with the bone tiring exertion of working the land, of digging a garden by hand, or the exhausting task of building a simple shed. Each of these and many other jobs well done exhibit, in the end, a sense of well being lasting far beyond the immediate as each subsequent use will remind of the toil sustained in the original work. And knowing the usefulness of a thing well made is a lasting component of the thing increases its intrinsic value to those who build and use it. Franklin also was gifted with humility, a simplicity of the mind if you will. True humility will always manifest in ways hard to explicate. The humble person will recognize the gift given but cannot glory in it. Humility must needs be exercised and used, though, or it will vanish away leaving in its wake a vainglorious and contentious person. Humility is expressed in a willingness to help others, not in just a charitable way, but in ways that can profit oneself, as in assisting others in setting up a business, or helping to engage in public servitude one so willing to do. Humility leaves a legacy of goodwill behind, and softens the grain of uncertainty that lies ahead. I believe it will behoove us to practice the virtues extolled in the autobiographies of people we admire. Enjoying reading what people write of themselves seems an exercise in vanity but oftimes the insights of hindsight provide a far better gift to the reader than the high-minded speculations men of other times often indulge in. This is a good time of year for reading, long winter nights, cold winds, and warm fires. My plan is to reread The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, marking what books he read, and read them. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a little of that which made him great.
Greetings,fans. I know it has been a very long time since I posted, but in my defense, I have been busy! The LORD has granted that I teach our Sunday school class and I have had the opportunity to preach a couple of services. I have also been doing a lot of performances with the music and even gained another gospel hour. My early a.m. work is steady and even picking up slowly, so I maintain a lot of hours there.
Our Sunday school lesson, for the past several months, has been he Doctrine of the Atonement,” written by Pastor Jacob Hiebert, of Scriptural Baptist Church in Peoria, AZ. It covered the atonement from the Old Testament practice and implication to the New Testament application by Jesus Christ. It was very in depth and allowed us to delve deeply into God’s Word.
We recently began a new study, “The Fruit of the Spirit” by Tom Ross, Pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church of Chesapeake, Ohio. Check him out at www.pastortomross.com He would appreciate it, I’m sure. This study of Spiritual Fruit revolves around Galatians 5:22-23, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. I look forward to being blessed in this study.
I am still working on a post, “Maintaining Relevance in the Workplace”. It is going very slowly,as does a lot of my writing. I have several stories (fictional) started and as with a lot of things, needs time to mature. I hope, though, they mature before I pass away!
The garden is in full Arizona fall swing. The herbs are all doing fantastically, we have kale, beets, Brussels sprouts, Roma tomatoes, mustard greens, and three kinds of chili peppers growing. Most will stay active through our mild winter though the basil may die back.
Lastly, thank you all for your kind comments. I do read them all, though not all are posted. I edit for content and web site compatibility. No liquor, gambling, porn ads, etc will ever be posted. But, thanks again for reading The Whistling Vicuna. By the bt, you can friend me at www.facebook.com/whistlingvicuna. No “the”, also at www.myspace.com/kcwestern
God Bless You
TWV
I practice it, too. Myspace, twitter, facebook, e-mail, electronic media. But, you know, I miss having a front porch. When I was a kid, every house had a front porch. All the neighborhood kids would gather there. It was “base” for hide-and-seek, it was a fort, it was an outside home, a nest where us fledglings were learning to fly.
Moms and dads would go there too. (yes, it was a destination) You could sit outside with the family as the day’s heat radiated into the coolness of the evening. On weekends in summer, we could stay out late enough to see the stars come out. We would try to point out the summer greats, The Big Dipper, Scorpius, and if you were a smarty, you could always point out the North Star. Lightning bugs would flicker and everyone KNEW that everything was alright.
The electronic media revolution has changed the way we communicate, with family, with friends, with co-workers. Perhaps in the business world, these changes have made certain processes better, quicker, more efficient. But, do we really want our personal relationships to be better, quicker, and more efficient?
One of the great joys of meeting people face to face is being able to really experience them. Face time allows you to be joyous with them, to be burdened with them. Eye contact when talking begins to cement a bond between two people and actual physical contact, a hand shake, the shoulder tap, the pat on the back hardens that cement into a shared experience, a commonality with two people.
Now I ask you, does an emoticon really give as much information about someone as, say, a smile? Can paranthetical words (such as these) really speak the volumns required for understanding? I’m not saying don’t try to stay in contact (now there’s a word fraught with meaning) with those closest to you, but I am saying, don’t let that be the only means of communication you use. Stay in touch with those you love. Literally. They’ll be glad you did, and you will experience that gladness with them.
Many people grow gardens. Many more do not. I am one who does garden. Right now I have lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and a variety of cooking herbs. My mom-in-law lives with us and she gardens, too. She likes flowers and herbs. My wife also gardens and grows roses. The rose bushes are in full glory. The flowers, some are blooming and some are just youngsters.
My truck garden is just getting started. The lettuce is six inches tall +/-. The “Early Girl” tomatoes are going like rockets, growing about six inches a day all having little green tomatoes. I put in some heirloom tomatoes this year, “Black Prince” and “Mr. Stripey”. I haven’t had good luck with that type out here in AZ. The “Early Girls” are 55 day toms, while the heirlooms are 70-75 day. Taking that long can get into high summer with 110+ temperatures cooking the fruit on the vine. It can be an exercise in frustration, trying something new. It can also be a joy.
The year we left Oklahoma for Arizona, I had been gardening for about two years. I put in a small crop of “Arkansas Traveler” tomatoes. As I remember, they were the only thing in the garden. I tended the plants and watered daily. I had gotten some freshly fertilized grass clippings from an older lady across the street, who needed her lawn mowed.You plant in late May/early April back there. By July when we moved, the tomatoe plants were about six feet tall and just loaded with fruit sized between a baseball and a softball. I never got to enjoy those tomatoes but I think the folks at South Lakewood Baptist Church next door did. I “willed” the tomatoes to them.
I’ve got peppers coming, too. Three types, a “Big Jim” New Mexico variety, and Anaheim, and a bell. They have flowers and seem to be progressing just fine. I like to fire roast my peppers on the grill outside. They are immediately usable or can be frozen to use and enjoy later. I may let some of the “Big Jim’s” ripen and dry on the vine and make my own chili powder. I’ve never done that, but will try. I’ve grown bells before but they came out very small. They were quite tasty but only useful for chopping. I’m hoping that this years will be better.
The Green Beans. Eating garden fresh green beans is not something that many people do. Some might occasionally buy the “fresh” green bean at a supermarket, fresh only in the sense that they are not canned. Dried out, spotted, sometimes molded beans do not lend themselves to epicurean delight and can be an unsavory chore when you throw out half as unedible. Canned green beans are the only canned vegetable I buy if I cannot get my garden fresh ones.I’ll tell you, there is nothing like eating garden fresh food. The stuff found on shelves is like another species of food in taste and texture.
You may be wondering where this is going. I realize I’m taking my time getting there but here I am. Growing some of your own food can allow you time to slow down from the frantic pace of the world, especially the world of the work environ. A plant cannot be rushed, cannot be put on a deadline, and won’t demand a meeting. You can’t approach a plant full tilt, garden hose shooting as much water as it can. Those things will kill a plant. Plants need patience, a tender hand, and yes, loving care. You nurture plants and it’s always a bit sad when, at the end of its life, the plant needs to be pulled up and mulched. The plant becomes a part of you. And no, I’m not a tree-hugger type, just someone who enjoys sharing a plants cycle. And quite literally the plant becomes part of you. As you eat the fruit of the plant, your body uses the cells and “life” of the plant to feed and nurture itself. It’s the old “you are what you eat” thing. I don’t put a lot of chemicals on my garden, just a little fertilizer and an ocassional pesticide, as the bugs here in AZ can be atrocious. I guess what I’m saying is that plants that are eaten are more than just food. They are an essential part of life, of living. Being a gardener, I will suggest that you try gardening, too. It might just help cure what ails you.
Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer, signed S1108, a Constitutional carry bill. What that means is that law abiding citizens of Arizona do not, repeat, DO NOT, need to have a concealed weapon permit to carry a firearm. Ladies can carry in their purses and not be committing a crime. Men can put on a sport coat, covering their lawfully “open carry” firearm and not be considered criminals. I realize that some people may look at this freedom askance, but allow a bit of explanation. Arizona has lawful “open carry. Any one eighteen years or older has the right (if they are legal) to wear a loaded firearm on their hip or in a shoulder holster or in a waistband holster as long as the weapon is visible. There have been cases (I only know this spuriously) where a policeman, not seeing an open carried gun, being on the opposite side of the carried weapon, arrested the carrier for a “concealed” weapon. An activist judge (name not known) allowed the arrest and allowed conviction, setting a precedent. This bill was created to address this and has been passed by the Az. House and Senate, and signed today by the Governor. The bill had many supporters, mainly championed by AzCDL, the Arizona Citizens Defense League, a local three thousand plus member advocacy group. The National Rifle Association has also been behind the efforts here and often publish in their e-newsletter updates on the progress of pro-freedom legislation.
I happen to be a member of both of these organizations, and often write to my state and federal congresspeople on issues that affect me and my family. Issues like healthcare reform, cap and trade, John McCain’s own abomination, S3081, and the Gov’t takeover of private industry. I am also quite proud to be a Tea Party Member, and no, we are not the heartless, slobbering Nobots the leftist media would like us to be. We are hard working people that feel we are T.axed E.nough A.lready! We are Conservatives, Liberals, and Independents working together to get government off our backs and out of our billfolds. We believe in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Life, without bondage. Liberty, not tyranny. Pursuit, not the entitlement, of happiness. We believe that entitlement is slavery of a most subtil and evil aspect. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, and becomes dependent on the giver. Teach a man to fish and he eats the rest of his life on his own merit and independence.
Get involved in freedom. Your own freedom and the freedom of your children. The dollar figure varies from thirty to forty thousand dollars worth of Federal debt an American child is born into. We grown-ups have the same amount of debt, too, and less time to pay it off. The leavings when we are gone will be added to the next and next and next generations unless we, now, demand that our government begin scaling back the enormous outlay of O.P.M. (other peoples money) they are so willing to spend. This problem crosses the aisle. It’s not a Democrat or a Republican habit, this spending, it’s a Politician’s habit. I’ve said before, that the only way to change Washington D.C.’s mind is to change the minds that inhabit Washington D.C. In about seven months you will be able to excercise one of the few freedoms remaining you, your right to vote. Washington insiders are already spending MILLIONS of dollars on their campaigns. Check out the ”little guys” opposing them in the primaries. It’s time to change Washington’s mind. It’s time to change minds in state governments. It’s time to change minds in local governments. Get involved in freedom. It belongs to you.