"I feel too discombobulated to quote wisely." Bronson Alcott, letter to his daughter, Louisa. Bronson, (1799-1888), was a writer, teacher, and educator. His daughter Louisa became famous as the author of "Little Women".

I feel a little like I just got off one of those spinning rides that as a kid I would pay ten cents to ride at the parish fair. That's right. Parish fair. Louisiana. It's a historical deal dating back to when France and Spain ruled. The territories were divided into sections reflecting Catholic parishes. In 1807 the legislature officially adopted this designation to represent what would constitute counties in other states. Back to the spinning ride. I'm not really dizzy. I'm just spinning around trying to grab hold of something to share on this Thursday, July 9, 2015. Don't get me wrong. There's any number of subjects I could talk about but I actually do attempt to consider my audience when I write. Don't act surprised. I could write everyday about the political shenanigans that impact us all, locally, at the state, federal, and, yes, even globally. While I do share political stuff at times, it is not the primary focus of our visits each day. Human interest. I suppose that's kind of sorta what I shoot for. Observational commentary. You know. Describing something I observed or something I participated in. Story telling. With and without embellishments as the situation demands. What have we learned today? I will not be able to answer your question regarding what county I was born in. See. You actually do learn something everyday. Paw Paw Mac was right. Again.

He also used to say this about me: "Son, you look as if you wake up in a new world every minute." That could well explain the spinning situation. No wonder I learned to love the word discombobulated. No. You will not find a photo of me beside that word in the dictionary. That does bring up a good point. What is it that we really want to be remembered for? We lived by neighbors once and they were near and dear to our hearts. They were special. They were older and both have now gone on to their reward. I used to describe them to others by saying you would find their picture beside the word neighbor in the dictionary. What word would I like my picture to be beside in the dictionary? (It's just a thought exercise. I'm not planning on messing around with Websters so please don't report me.) The folks who were our good neighbors weren't promoting themselves to get some type of recognition. They were being. Being what? Being good neighbors. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe you see it too.

It had to happen. Sooner or later. I just read where a fellow carrying one of those extension rods or selfie sticks was killed by a lightning strike. That's the gadget that allows you to put your I-phone on it, hold it away from you and take a wider angle photo. The lightning hit the stick and then him. They didn't share his last photo. There's also another tragic report nearer to home. About 100 miles away from us, near Orange, Texas, this fellow decided to go into a lake for a swim. People warned him not to do it because of the alligators. He did it anyway. Before he jumped in he loudly challenged the alligators. I'm not sure if they heard him but I am certain they killed him. He had been drinking. (Update: They found the 11 foot alligator that did the deed. Dead. Good. Not so fast. You have to have a permit in the state of Texas to kill an alligator. They are now investigating it as a revenge killing. I suppose the alligator didn't need a permit to do what he did. Just say'in.) I know I've done some pretty dumb things and dodged a bullet more than once during my sojourn here on the planet. That's why most of us know firsthand the sentiment, 'But for the grace of God.' The fellows I grew up with including me were pretty good at daring one another to do things that seemed exciting. Like hanging out of a car window in a vehicle that's speeding down the highway at 90 miles per hour. Or, stripping down and diving into a dark lake from a boat in the middle of the night in freezing weather. Too many others to even think about. Those made for good stories back then. Today they make for realizing if not for the grace of God my stupidity could have ended in tragedy. Therefore, I really can't be too quick to join in the finger pointing. I end up being thankful. Just thankful. That's all. May God help us all to make wise decisions with eternal consequences in mind. Amen. ....More later.