"The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves." W. C. Fields

So we didn't get any frost on the pumpkin but we did enjoy the breeze and it was all so refreshing. I'm about the only one in this office that has a real liking for the cooler air. They proclaim it to be an unhealthy fascination and immediately slam the door when they arrive. That's okay with me because I'm just glad to have had the reason to let the cool air flow. But, that preoccupation with temperatures has to get old, therefore,we need to move on. I mean surely there's more to life than chasing the frozen tundra. Right? Last time I checked it showed up on my calendar as being Friday, October 21, 2011, and I welcome you once again. You must know by now that part of how I share involves quite a bit of ranting and raving. For instance, never get the idea that I am down on technology because think about it, you are reading this because of some innovations that were not even thought about just a handful of years ago. My belief has always been, even when I was responsible for a technology driven program, that we must utilize technology when and if it makes sense. I am not one that believes we should use it for technology sake. Some do. I'm not one of them. I used to tell my staff that we should never automate a system that works best using a Big Chief tablet. Some of you will recognize that object, others will not. It was the one we used to write on when we were kids in school. I love the fact that I can sit right down and right myself a blog and send it electronically. But, I detest seeing how that so often technology is used to avoid personal contact where people no longer talk they just text their time away.

They changed their minds. Again. Four years ago the gastroenterologist put me on a very restrictive food avoidance program because he feared that I might be prone to diverticulitis. The list was long but the number one thing that bothered me most was the fact that popcorn was a big no no. I have, for the most part, been very faithful to this program. A few months ago I read an article that stated the conventional medical wisdom had changed on this issue based on new research. Therefore, I asked my new internal medicine practitioner about it. She confirmed the change and said they now recommend the very opposite of what I had been forced to endure the past four years. You see, I am, or was, a popcorn aficionado. Prior to this doomsday verdict I was enjoying my favorite snack food at least five times per week. She said enjoy it as much as I want to. Hello? Do I get to join a class action suit against somebody, anybody, somewhere? This was Monday when all this was confirmed. I'm back on the popcorn bandwagon. I've had it twice already with more coming soon to a certain recliner. Popcorn is typically associated with movies. Some say that when they eat it they are reminded of a bad date. Others complain about the cost. One said he was upset because of paying $10 for a medium popcorn and it was all gone as the opening credits rolled off but before the movie even started. For me, I am reminded of eating a big dishpan of it with my Granny Mac, and with my kids growing up, and with myself a few thousand times. I still have my special mostly worn out cooking utensil. It is an ancient pot that used to be a pressure cooker. It doesn't work as well on the mirror stove top we now have but I am anxious to get it back into service once again.

It's about to get really crowded here on the planet. We are very close to the 7 billion human being mark. After the plagues wiped out a huge number of folks, in the year 1350 the earth had an estimated population of less than 400 million. It took until 1804 to get the first billion and look how far we have come? Seven billion and growing. By the middle of this century we could add another 2 billion more. That is a lot of mouths to feed. I see those folks in clips from the far east and most of them wear masks every day. So many people but only so much air to breathe and much of it is polluted. The good news. God knows about every single one of the billions, and those that came before, all the way back to Adam. The Bible tells us that He knows everything about every single person including the needs of each heart. I like the song that says what the world needs now is love, sweet love, but the only love that will bring about the change of the human heart is the love that God gave to the world through His One and Only Son. Every day, from every part of the globe, our world clamors for peace but without the Prince of Peace living in our hearts, we will never know what the Bible describes as the peace that surpasses human understanding. It comes through a Person, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, that is the truth that all seven billion need to hear. Amen. Thus, we end a busy week and I will say so long for now until we meet again, now y'all come back soon. You hear?          .....More later.