Before the Dog Days

Nights are still a tad on the chilly side out here on the Great American Desert. Underneath the near full moon it seems a "blankie" is one sure way to ward off the chill. The other thing a blankie can do is provide a sense of security. False safety as it may be, sometimes it is a good thing to hide. Snooky tries this one on a regular basis even when she is in the queensize bed with us upstairs. I have never understood for sure the manner in which a canine roots into a comfortable position for optimizing sleep potential. Snickers & Snooky both exhibit the classic round and round, pull it this way & that, lift with the nose and pull with the teeth until just the right amount of fluff, or in snookies case a cave, is achieved. I suppose we all enjoy our comfort and warmth when we rest, but the animals in our house have it all over me in terms of seeking and finding that perfect position. During the day the smallest noise will rouse them from whatever they are doing to bark and search the windows for intruders. This time of night it is a totally different story. Wash dishes, bang pans together, open and close the doors, they really don't care. They are off in that enviable world of rest where nothing can enter. I like that! Maybe that is why I enjoy having them nestle in with me(or us)in the bed. They get all cuddled in and none of us moves for hours. Good rest is important for a lot of reasons, but best of all is the opportunity to dream and give all of that subliminal stuff a chance to come out. Perhaps it is sound sleep which keeps us in some way sane and able to cope with the daily insanity of life. Just a thought or two and maybe I should just "sleep" on it. God bless, Preacher.

It would seem that our calmest of times in life are often preceded by storms. Thunder, lightning, deep dark clouds, and tumultuous rain preceded the calm of this evening's sunset. During the week of rehearsal prior to the last concert we had many difficulties that never received resolution, but calm did follow that as well. Now we are on the verge of yet another of life's storms. This time the storm is more personal and will take a lot of positive steps to resolve. I do believe that with the aid of God we will surmount once again the troubled times and rise above the thunder and lightning. Somehow it is the calm that follows the storms that has become my focus. I like it when the road is smooth and the traffic light. Beautiful skies and perfect weather are favorites of mine. In combination those elements tend to sooth away the aches and pains that accompany life. This is a good spring and with only a few days left in the month it is good to know that we are still smiling in the face of adversities and laughing at the raindrops no matter how big and cold. Many blessings to all. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

 

January 14, 2007

109 Years Ago Today

Everyone in the world of history has been briefly focused on the Titanic. Back in '49 before entering this life my mom began a scrap book of stuff from my family. I suppose she thought I might one day find these things of interest. Little could she have known how we would be communicating in this century. Here you have snippets from the local paper in Andover, South Dakota. Upper left hand corner has the year she "scrapped" this piece and beneath that the date of its publishing. That would be the store that great grandfather owned and operated. He and great grandmother, Amanda, were quite the entrepreneurs for their time. Can one only imagine how far a single dollar stretched for the average family? Times change and so do we but the past with all of the events and circumstances will remain with us. That is a legacy we can choose to enjoy or ignore. The past, they say, repeats itself. I don't worry about that happening ever, but it is fun to look back and peek into the lives of our forebears. God bless, Preacher.

A special time for all of us on stage for the first ever South Dakota Rock & Roll Hall of Fame awards. Nostalgic music for sure and lots of fun!!! Out here on the Great American Desert we don't have enough opportunities for fun this time of the year. Our first snowfall came on November 19th. Not much snow and it is already melting, but for sure it is a reminder of what is to come. Snooki & Snickers(our Mexican healers-chiuauas)are not happy. They'd be even less happy to know that I have forgotten how to spell their breed. All in all winter is getting off to a slow start and I can certainly wait for the weather to get really bad. It's coming. It always does and this year may be a little different than last, but still WINTER! God bless, Preacher.

Birthdays

Birthdays come every year and the length of celebration is often determined by one's own spirit. Mine has always leaned on celebrating my birthday on the 5th, 6th, 7th, of November, and as many days following as possible. Daughter Tosha surprised the bejeebers out of me by bringing the grands to the house a week after the main event.
Out here on the Great American Desert the weather is sometimes uncooperative this time of year so plans have to be rather spontaneous. The 5th is my eldest sons B'day, the 6th my eldest daughters, and the 7th is mine! Very cool year with many shared blessings. It took a week for everyone to catch up on greetings and I'm certain there will be more in the snail mail, but facebook was great & Gmail ran a very close second not to mention the visits and phone calls. Truly warmed an old man's heart and brought unexpected joy in many ways. I haven't been blogging as much for a long time it seems. That slack time may be over now that I am no longer gainfully employed baking donuts every day(I had to be up by 2 am every morning and managed to stay with it for 3 years). Since then I have formally signed my retirement papers and begun to search for more of a part time position with tolerable hours. At my age that would be nice. One of the best things about getting to go to bed later is not missing sunsets, although I'm still up for the sunrise each day. What a truly wonderful time of life! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Yearly Journey

This was not my year to ride. Poor health and a recurring affliction to the lower legs brought about my first four wheel journey to Stugis in 17 years. That time we had a van large enough to accomodate our smallest HD a 1981 Roadster, so that was how we got around. Being on two wheels is soooo much different than four. The very first thing I noticed was being able to really relax in the seat of my wife's new car and kick back for the enjoyment of scenery. I see most of this stuff every year, but not in the same way. We visited places we usually don't go because it just isn't included when we're on the big hog. This year was really different in another way. We took the Snickers dog with us. All two and a half pounds of him traveled over 1500 miles with us and was soooo gooood that he was only kept from entering restaurants a few times. It is truly a way different world during the rally out here on the Great American Desert. The camera did a great job of preserving memories until the final day in Sturgis when I inadvertently sat on it and the screen went dead. That's alright, it still works with a television to monitor pics indoors due to the cord length, and it was time to update anyway. One of the stops along the way was at Wall Drug where we spent the night. When in Wall I always visit the Travelers Chapel. This time I was greeted by a young man reading scripture. My being there and praying for all who travel our world may be likened to a cool sip of water on a very hot day. It quenches an inner thirst for peace. The young man did very well with his reading and as he left I thanked him for his devotion. He almost seemed embarrassed. But then I can't say for sure because he did not stick around to visit. Our journey was a great success! Perhaps it is sometimes good for us to do the same old things in a new and different way. Our world keeps on changing every day! There was a time when I did not care too much for change. Maybe I've gotten over a lot of that these past five years or so. Life for us continues in a positive way. Not everything is exactly as we would like it to be, but we trust that God knows what God is doing and that one day we will understand fully. In Christ's Love, Preacher.