A short time ago we laid to rest the earthly remains of a "good" man! One of the very "last" of our World War Two Veterans, and one of the universities "best" teachers.  

Opening The Imagination Is One Of The Keys That Unlocks The Gateway To Freedom Of Spirit And Possiblities! 

Preacher's Personal Passion For Wheels!

There is not a time in my life that I can remember not having a fascination with the wheel. It was little ones that first attracted my attention. They were on the legs of the "pen" that my aunt kept me in for the sake of safety. I found(shortly after discovering my amazing legs)that by lifting half of the bottom up in the pen I could roll it to a place that was more pleasing to me. That passion is with me today as I roll my place(this time of the year it is quite often a tent carried on the back of one of the Harleys)to somewhere more condusive to quiet reflection. As I considered these days away that lie ahead, a thought it struck me. "With the great passion Americans share for their wheels employed for every purpose imaginable, I might respond to the unanswered need for another "National Holiday." One which actually celebrates the wheel!" Think of it, every where in our great nation the wheel is employed in every celebration but never "celebrated." It doesn't seem to me that this is entirely fair. After all, the wheel plays a major part in most of our celebrations, as well as contributing to every other aspect of endeavor in our lives, but, sadly, goes without acclaim.
We could have one extra long weekend each year, devoted to the celebration of the wheel and how it enhances our experience of life. Think about it for a moment, the wheel encompasses every emotion shared by our collective mind. If the rubber surrounding the wheel ceases to hold air we curse it. If it rolls faster than someone elses, we praise it. If properly put to use it moves mountains, cleanses our water, provides electricity for our homes, and makes it possible for us to go anywhere we choose, even outer space! All this and so very much more. The wheel is deserving of celebration not just here in the US, but across the globe. A day that could be enjoyed by all peoples everywhere! There is no culture on our planet that is not knowledgeable when it comes to the wheel. The wheel could be that one profound revelation in revolution that everyone, everywhere, could identify with and agree to. This could be the next highpoint in human history that unites us globally. It all begins with the first turning of(you guessed it)the
wheel. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Fire and ice are not included as "inventions" for the sake of reason! 

Sunday Greetings To All Of The "Different" People!

Good afternoon from the sometimes sunny "Great American Desert." One of my 23 year old twin daughters used to whine and complain when she was a teenager because she wanted to be "different, like everybody else!" It took a lot of years, but she finally got her wish, I can certify that she is different just like everybody else(always has been, but it took her a long time to learn that). The weather in SD has no idea what it is doing. Our usual monsoon season has run way past the point of acceptability. One of the ladies up north of here has been waiting for over two weeks for things to dry up enough to put in fence posts for her new dog enclosure. She acquired a Corgi recently and didn't realize until the pup had familiarized itself with the surroundings that they have a penchant, literally a canine passion, for digging under, around, and through all obstacles. That in and of itself is a fine attribute for a dog designed for the task of digging a badger out of it's hole, but with the rains we have been experiencing the pup is now a mud covered fur ball with stubby little legs and a nose that remains mostly obscure. Linda has everything she needs for establishing a proper dog run. All that is necessary now is some "dry down" time for the yard and that animal will be secure. I've often wondered if the animals we choose to keep in realize that we're doing that for their own good. I know that teenagers don't operate that way. They think that we're trying to keep them from experiencing their freedoms in the manner that 'they' choose. My personal pups have all gotten past the "teenage" syndrome. Thank God for small miracles, we all survived! Now it's the older grands that most often concern my wife and I. You would think with all the years we have been in the habit of trusting God with these youthful lives that we might have learned some useful lessons. We have! We learned everything we could about the ones that are past that phase, and the most important thing we found out was that each one is different. Even when they include in their number two sets of twins! They may be about the same size and exactly the same age, but each one is different. The last two were born of opposite gender(trying to be pc here). My fondest memories of them in the double stroller come from visits to the local shopping center where invariably some woman would ask(men never bother with this type of thing), "Are they identical?" No, lady, the one in blue is a boy and the one in pink is a girl. Lol......Different, each one of us, male and female, similar and yet, distinctively different! Is that not cool? Even identical twins, aren't. No two snowflakes are ever the same, no two sets of fingerprints, or genetic dna code, so many possibilities, so much potential and all of it unique in every way. God works that way. Every one of us different, and every one precious to Him! God bless you, today, and everyday, and your precious ones. Michael and Alyssa had a baby, 9 pounds 11 1\2 ounces of healthy(already holding his own head up without assistance)male child. Thanks be to God! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Perhaps there are new and unique ways of communicating out here that I have yet to discover! 

A Perfect Place For An Afternoon Ride In A Canoe, Just A Gentle Breeze And A Temp Of 82 Degrees. The Sounds Of Two Paddles As They Gently Caress The Water's Surface!