I Don't Know

I have remained silent for a very long time as I attempt to put some sense into what is taking place in our country. It does not seem that we are moving forward. My life as I take pleasure in a new house, new garden, and other stuff is cool, but what is most disconcerting is the problems that confront the "America" I was raised to be a part of!
My new residence and the people that surround it are part and parcel of America's dilemma. How can a man and his wife with their three children and one in the oven(at least 6 months)work here and not be reported to immigration? None of them have a smattering of English, and yet here they are. I love people, always have, but there is a point at which we all have to say, "STOP IT" and stand to traditional values. God bless, Preacher.

Spring! (400 Mile Marathon)

Spring is here, spring is there, spring is everywhere!!! What a spring it has started out to be on the Great American Desert. We are not living on an island, yet, here in Volga but may well be in the near future. I have been informed that this city since it began has never flooded. 400 miles east the city of BelFouche is under snow. 400 miles north water is besieging the landscape on all sides. 400 miles south the wind tore up homes and property. 400 miles east Wisconsin is getting soaked(much needed after the last few years of drought). What we have at the center of our circle of friends and family is mud up to our-----elbows! The landscaping on our property was nearing completion when the first snows came last October 5th. That left us with living through the winter and surviving for the spring. I thought we had it made on Sunday as I removed the Christmas decorations from our future lawn. Then it hit! Whoosh!!! Wind and rain with a severe tornado warning. Needless to say it was not a good day in donut city where I bake the stuff folks love to eat. We didn't really have a clue about what was going on around us until a local television station called in to see if we had any idea where the flooding was and how bad. We didn't realize until a few hours after opening that the roads were not being traveled as they usually are. Coffee and donuts were not moving. Roads were out to the north, south and west of us here in Volga. You would think someone would have come for the donuts and coffee, but no.....they could not get here. Life is like that sometimes. No matter how badly one desires something ya just can't get to where it's at. We're alright for now, and the new basement is remaining dry. I give thanks to God for allowing us time to get the foundation backfill done before winter hit. And all this rain has provided further confirmation that my choices for runoff areas on the new place were very good. Water is shedding as I had intended and prayed. Sometimes we dismiss the power of prayer concerning the smaller things in our lives. No prayer is too great or too small our loving Creator hears them all and responds in His timing with the answers that we need. I pray your day is a dry one and that God is hearing you pray for life's needs. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Duck Heaven

Titles are sometimes difficult to visualize. This one was not. Duck Heaven is the first thing that entered my mind when I looked back through the pictures we have taken of the ducks in our care these past years. They became very real pets for my wife, Cheryl. In some respects they may have been pets for me as well, although I must admit in my heart of hearts I always wanted to have them in a roasting pan. I did not get to eat them! Some critter out here on the Great American Desert bested me on this one. They passed a week apart. First the white(she was a gimp)was taken, and then the big Mallard. I really did not think he would be killed. He had a nasty disposition and beat up anything that came near him except for my honey. I'm sure he put up a valiant struggle. The tracks left by the predator appeared to me to be fox. The fox is like that! The manner in which the meat was torn from the carcass indicates to me that it was carried away. More than likely she has some young not too far removed from where we live. One day the hide will adorn my loft office as do several others I have. This one will be a killing of revenge and remorse. Remorse for our loss and my wife's many tears. Revenge(only after the pups are grown)for an unwanted set of circumstances. The fox has to live, too. It is very much like that with all of our lives. At the present time our country appears to be feeding on itself from all directions. As the jobless rate continues to rise I can only give thanks that we are both employed and that God has continued to bless our lives in so many wonderful ways. I pray often for our country and it's leaders. I also pray that there is a duck haven somewhere in the eternal scheme of things so that we can once again enjoy the company of the pets that "quacked" us up for so many years. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Valentine's Day

Nine degrees outside, and I'm considering getting back to work on the outdoor end of our "project" this morning. When I write "end" that does not mean to imply that it will come soon but I believe that it is in sight. The outdoor decorations have to be put away(Cheryl reminded me when we got home from town yesterday)in the loft of the garage. I'm way behind and if I did manage to catch up I wouldn't be able to keep up! For instance, I just got the pics of Christmas 2007 started uploading to "My Space" and that was at the old house. I can't really complain too loudly though, I've had an interesting beginning for the new year. Cheryl suffered a broken foot and has been out of work for six weeks. I began a new career with Casey's here in Volga. So I reflect, "Time just seems to slip away when you're having fun." Out here on the Great American Desert I have begun plans for the planting of trees to provide adequate wind breaks for the new home. I hadn't really resided on the plains since leaving the farm 40 odd years ago. The winds are unrelenting on the prairie. All things considered I do have to admit we are getting through the toughest winter we will probably ever experience(from my keyboard to your ear dear Lord)from a strictly survival standpoint. We've almost made it to spring. The Christmas decor will all get stashed away and I will be back in the process of completing this project we began a year and a half ago. Every once in awhile I need to step back and really look at what has been accomplished thus far. When I moved the first of many computers into this home I was sitting in a virtual hole in the ground with an old house sitting on top of it. Back then the stairway led nowhere and the steps down into my hole were not complete. Whoosh! God has been so good to us that it is only in really looking back that we can recognize how far we have come. Perhaps this is true of each of us concerning life. We need to look at where we have come from to truly appreciate and give thanks for where we are today! Then again, maybe I'm just rambling as I am so want to do. I think not when it comes to our personal histories. When we take the time to assess our past and ponder our future it should all be in the context of good!
It does not hurt from time to time to pat yourself on the back and say, "job well done!" For our lives I would pray that none of us ever runs out of time for those we love, tasks that face us, or wisdom to understand our limitations. "Lord, let me continue to accomplish in Your time the designs You have laid before me." That's a short prayer I can keep in my heart. None of us truly takes any portion of this world with us when we depart. Therefore we are simply caregivers of things while we are here. Me in my impatience won't always see it this way(all about me & mine & wants)but it must be true because I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul! I pray your Valentine's day is filled with love to, for, and from those you care about. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Fiery Devestation

Mary's daughter, Kat, has a blog which can be found at "Life With The Lesnars" which has more of the pics of the home she and her husband, four children and pets resided in until the fire a few nights ago. Just google and you'll find it. It sounds as though South Dakotans on the Great American Desert are responding as they always do in times of tragedy. In the face of this recent devestation the family is doing much better than they might in other parts of our country. Their home was one of the oldest in Brookings County(if not the oldest). It will more than likely have to be torn down. The family will rebuild with the help of neighbors and friends. That is how these things have always been done out here, even before SD was an official state. We continue to lift them in our prayers. One of my E-buddies sent me a note of encouragement for each of us this morning. "If God brings you to it He will see you through it!" That is so true. It is good to know that there are so many loving, kind, caring, giving and generous people in our community. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Keeping Warm

Temperatures have dropped once again out here on the Great American Desert. Snickers is quite happy staying in the house, with the exception of course, for out door necessities. Heating bills are scary. I suppose all of the folks that live in the northland are suffering the same consequences as we. It would seem that fuel costs are a daily issue here around the coffee urn. Gas is once again fluctuating between the mid-70s to the upper 80s. I would think that will hold true until the spring breaks. Cheryl is cuddled up on the couch watching a movie("Must Love Dogs"), and staying comfy under a blanket. Snickers loves the radiant heat(our addition is heated by electrical coils buried beneath 8 inches of sand and 4 inches of concrete. This was one of my better ideas(just call me Ford-LOL)to keep tootsies warm on wintry days.
I received a call at work on the cell about 3:30 in the am. Mary's daughter's home burned down leaving she and her husband and four children homeless. The immediate need was to share and enlist prayer support. Following that Mary needed to know that all was going to work out. God takes care of each one of His children in very special ways. Before we are even aware that there is a need He has already set in place that which we will be the answer to our prayers. That is my faith perspective writing, but I know it to be sooooo true! I often fail to wait patiently for the answers to my prayers(I get impatient. Imagine that in a human being!). When it seems that we are besieged on every one of life's fronts by insurmountable difficulties and it appears that there is no where to turn, we all need to be reminded that there is One to whom we can always address in a very personal way. God is there. He has always been here! Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the same always. When others need our comfort the greatest gift we can offer is our love. Love may take many forms. Care, compassion, support, and most of all, prayer for the needs to be met as they appear. Living a life of faith calls each of us to this lofty mountaintop where we look beyond ourselves and see the dawning of a new day and a future that will be brighter by far than the one we are experiencing right now.
Snickers is staying warm. So am I "Thanks Be To God" and life will continue to throw us curves. How we choose to field them is the difference between true 'faith' and mere denominational religiosity. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Winter Sunset

January is coming to an end! Yaaay!!! One more month of winter is ending. Mary has informed me that we are going to have an early spring. She bases that on the gestation period of cats and how the females do not get pregnant in the winter until they are certain that their kittens will have survivable weather in which to be born. I know it makes some sort of sense, who am I to argue with the forces of nature and the instincts of animals. I've seen that in late births on the farm. The cows had a way of knowing when the weather was going to get too tough for birthing. They were not 100% correct all the time but I would venture to say it was in the upper 90th percentile.
As for myself I am just looking forward to temperatures in the upper forties so that the snow will dissipate and the roads will clear enough for me to "clear" my head by riding the highway. I miss that. We all need to clear up our thoughts and take time for communing with our Creator from time to time. This has already been a long winter on the Great American Desert and I fear that we will have at least eight more weeks of it as Mary predicts. Music helps a lot. Then there is the new job to keep a portion of my mind occupied for 5-6 hours a day. These things cannot compete with the feeling of "being in the wind" and listening to the rumble of my engine as miles fall behind. It seems as though the road can stretch on forever in every direction and life is once again filled with options and possibilities. I like the emotions that accompany endless freedom. I don't know how that is going to work out these next four years. I have my concerns for our constitutional freedoms, not to mention the economic freedoms that seem to be slipping away rapidly. The things we could do a few years ago with ease(Disney World, Memphis, Dallas, Mexico just to mention a few favorites)now seem far removed from our experience of "freedom." God will provide answers for the America we used to know and love so well. The jobless rate will diminish and our country shall rise once again from the financial debacle we have all been privy to. I pray for our country and the leaders daily. I also include the populace legal or illegal. We are all stuck in this boat that money cannot bailout.
During WWII folks around these parts grew "victory" gardens. I do believe my wife and I are going to pursue that avenue this coming spring. Victory is a wonderful word. It implies winning and I do love winning as much as anyone can. The greatest prize, however, is the victory I have won in Christ Jesus. And I do believe that is the source of my greatest freedom. So I've got it all right here in my life. I just want more and that is natural, human, and to be expected from baby boomers. Gas really was 19 cents a gallon at the pump during the sixties. Maybe one day we will be able to look back and see the humor in the world we have helped to create. Until then we pray for the world in which we live. In Christ's Love, Preacher.