Let's thank God again, for the first time, for being an American!

Already Friday? We will take it, thank you very much. It is Friday, July 6, 2012. This past Wednesday we enjoyed a wonderful celebration of our nation's independence. I was up early enjoying some wonderful Community and thinking about how blessed we are as a nation. We traveled over to our eldest son's home and enjoyed a wonderful community patriotic parade in Kingwood, Texas. It was a delightful presentation of American values. It had a little of everything. Plenty of flags. Of course. Floats. Bands. Politicians. They never miss an opportunity to show up where there is a crowd. Horses. Vintage cars. Motorcycles. Military of all flavors including some wounded warriors. Let me just say this. I was raised up in an era where this patriotic respect was poured into my young life and I am so thankful it stuck. Sure. I know that we as a nation are flawed and our failings have been notorious at times. However, there is something about America. Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous writer, observed in 1831 this distinguishing characteristic as he toured our nation, America is exceptional. There are those today, sadly, some in high leadership, who do not see this great nation as being exceptional, as having a special role in the world, and as having been given that role by Almighty God. They would prefer that we tone down our little celebrations and take our place as just another member of the family of nations. That's not who we are. We are America and may God help us to live up to the potential He ordained for us. Amen.

After the parade we enjoyed some barbecue with all the trimmings and some desserts and a wonderful ice cold watermelon. I had put that melon in a cooler and covered it with ice at about 6 a.m., and let me tell you, it was about as good as a watermelon can be. Many of us sat and watched the History Channel where they were running the series on the Revolutionary War. I've watched that series several times but it never gets old seeing the retelling of how we became a free people. When we got to our home we took a short nap and then we watched the Capitol 4th of July celebration from Washington D.C. on PBS, then we watched the Macy's 4th of July on Hudson Bay, New York City, and then we watched the Boston Pops do their thing. Fireworks and more fireworks. You betcha! We thank God for the freedom to make the choices we made on that day. We thank God for those who gave their all in order to allow us the great privileges we enjoy as a nation. We thank God for those who continue to wear the uniform of our nation today. I am not ashamed of the lump in my throat when I see our flag, hear our anthem, our pledge recited, or I observe a disabled veteran. I read some disparaging remarks by a prominent entertainer about our 4th of July celebrations and I thought to myself, he might well be thankful for the freedom of speech and expression that others died for so that he would have the right to even say those things publicly.

Last Tuesday I had an interesting forth and back with a Hispanic fellow. He did not speak good English but he started the conversation by saying something about there being no work on Wednesday. I explained to him that it was because of the birthday celebration of our nation, 236 years. He seemed surprised but also appeared to be genuinely impressed. He doesn't know our history. He doesn't know what it means to have that feeling when the anthem plays. He respects our nation as a place for him to earn a living, and he is fortunate because the fact that he doesn't know anything at all about our country doesn't keep him from enjoying a paid holiday. A number of years ago I remember looking over the materials being studied by a Vietnamese immigrant as he prepared for his citizenship test. It had many questions about our founding, our constitution, and our laws. I could see in him, even as an older person, a sense of pride in his learning about America. I have no problems whatsoever in folks identifying with their heritage. If you know your people came from Ireland, then be proud of that. Or whatever land that might be involved. But, at the same time, I am convinced that our being Americans if what makes us who we are in this land of the free and home of the brave. Returning to that collective sense of Godly pride in how that He in His providence brought this great nation into existence will go a long way in reclaiming the American Spirit, and I am for that. Amen and Amen. See you next week and may God bless one and all is my prayer.  ....More later.

Welcome Back!

It is Thursday, July 5, 2012. I trust you enjoyed your 4th of July celebration. Having a one day holiday that falls right smack in the middle of the work week does tend to get things a little out of sync. I do know quite a few folks who took vacation so they could extend the holiday but for those of us who didn't, we will have to adjust. For me, the things I would have coordinated for Wednesday had to be put off until Thursday and that meant they had to be finalized on Tuesday instead of Wednesday because some of them were to be accomplished early Thursday morning. You don't need a score card to keep up but I didn't say it wouldn't help. It is a part of how it works and I am thankful to be a part of an environment where I can do something to make a difference each day. I'm not saying I can do things like I did when I was much younger, but given the opportunities, I thank God that He has provided me the abilities and the strength to do what I can do. One thing is sure, I do still take work seriously and I am still bothered when when are not performing at our best. Some would say too bothered at times, but the way I see it, caring enough is where progress and improvement starts.

I do have my annual physical examination coming up next week. I have been studying for it. That's pretty funny when you think about it. I find myself trying to get my weight in a little better range and I am trying to wrestle my blood sugar numbers into a more manageable profile. Since the blood testing, (H1ac), looks at the blood sugar for the last three months, well, anything done within the last few days won't make that much of a difference. But incentives can come in any and all flavors and I suppose I'm using this upcoming appointment as a way of sharpening my focus, a little. I might as well get me one of those trick mirrors that makes me look thin and be done with it. I read somewhere that 100 laughs a day is equal to 10 minutes of exercise but today's world with all of its troubles doesn't offer too much to laugh about. I also heard that losing weight when you are older is harder because your body and your fat have over the years become such dear friends. I bet you didn't know that folks carrying extra pounds are happier, more successful in business, smarter, and friendlier. Some take issue with that bit of research since it was funded by the following: McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, Blue Bell Ice Cream, and Krispy Kreme Donuts. I thought it was pretty decent research myself.

I was talking with someone the other day about how that some kids are in for a real shock when they start their first job. A college education is a wonderful accomplishment but it will never guarantee that a person will not have to work their way up. That is especially true in today's tight employment environment. These kids come into the workforce with something other than entry level in mind but often that is exactly where employers want them to start. The good news for them is that if they do well they should move up more quickly because of their education. I read this little funny story that reflects upon this:  "A young man was hired by a supermarket and reported for his first day of work. The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, then gave him a broom and said, 'Son, your first job will be to sweep out the store.' 'But I'm a college graduate,' the young man replied indignantly. 'Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that,' said the manager. 'Here, give me the broom -- I'll show you how.'" Expectations and reality. They do collide sometimes. I also read the results from a huge study that discovered our ideas about success are somewhat misleading. It found that the best and brightest do not always succeed but for lack of a better way to describe it, they found that great success was more of a being in the right place at the right time than in being a genius. I know what you are thinking. It would have had to been that way if I ever achieved anything. Maybe so, and, also they didn't mention it but I will, God does work on behalf of those who belong to Him. Amen.            More later.

Two hundred thirty six and counting!

Hello Tuesday, July 3, 2012. Tomorrow we will celebrate our national birthday. The 236th year commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's a paper document. Right? That is correct. This document was originally rolled up for storage. It measured 29-3/4" by 24-1/2". More than a piece of paper are the words contained on it and what they meant then and what they continue to mean to us today. The signers of the Declaration of Independence did indeed "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." These men risked everything dear to them in order to make this political statement. There was no way for them to stay safe. Francis Lewis of New York lost his fortune, his home, and his wife who died shortly after her imprisonment by the British. Richard Stockton of New Jersey was captured and was so mistreated that he became an invalid, dying two years after his release. Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, the money raiser for the revolution, was jailed and died a pauper. Thomas Nelson, Jr. of Virginia became a general and turned cannon fire on his own home in Yorktown because Cornwallis was quartered there. Each and every man who signed the Declaration of Independence did so because of his abiding belief that the colonies should be free from English rule. That action started a revolution which culminated in victory that led to this grand experiment called America.

Tomorrow we will celebrate in any number of ways this great accomplishment that gave us the freedoms we enjoy. Our plans include enjoying a time of feasting and fellowship with family.  At the same time we need not wonder if these freedoms came without a cost. Our infant nation cobbled together an assembly of armed forces that were more than often ill provided for. More than 25,000 American Revolutionaries died during active military service. About 8,000 of these deaths were in battle; the other 17,000 recorded deaths were from disease, including about 8,000–12,000 who died of starvation or disease brought on by deplorable conditions while prisoners of war, most in rotting British prison ships in New York. This tally of deaths from disease is undoubtedly too low, however; 2,500 Americans died while encamped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–78 alone. The number of Revolutionaries seriously wounded or disabled by the war has been estimated from 8,500 to 25,000. The total American military casualty figure was therefore as high as 50,000. The price of freedom. From that time forward our legacy as a nation has been written with the blood of our patriots. We pause to thank God for the sacrifice of so many that we might enjoy the freedoms we all take for granted as we go about our daily lives.

I do hope you will enjoy your holiday in whatever way you choose to celebrate. I leave you with that most beautiful lyric written by Irving Berlin, God Bless America:

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home

God bless America, My home sweet home.

And may He do just that. Amen. Have a great holiday and Lord willing I will see you here at the blogger ranch on Thursday.          .....More later.

Well how to you like that?

Hello and welcome to independence week here at the blogger ranch. It is Monday, July 2, 2012, and I thank you for joining me this morning. I was never a My Three Sons fan but it was on in our home on a fairly frequent basis. I more or less remember the characters from the show. Last week I read where Don Grady, the fellow who played the oldest brother, passed away. I remember that guy. He played Robbie Douglas and he's the one that got married and they had triplets, three sons, of course. But here's the kicker. He was 68 years old! Now wait just a cotton picking minute. No way. But that's how television works. We get the image of a person in mind and it sticks. I would have never guessed the young man who played that part could have been older than me. You live and learn. It would be great if it made me feel younger. It doesn't. It does, however, remind me that time is trucking on down the road, and I think I heard somewhere that it doesn't wait for anyone. Making use of the minutes we've been given each day to make a difference for good, to honor God, and to leave an example for our families, that is the challenge. I actually need help doing that. How about you? Amen.

The Obama-care law has, for the most part, been held as constitutional by the highest court in the land. However, it was not held as such based on how the legislation was presented for a vote in both houses of Congress. It was not held as such as to how the administration promoted it. It is constitutional under one and only one provision and that is that it be considered as a tax on the American people. As some have stated, this means it has not passed constitutional muster as an individual mandate underneath the commerce clause, but it is an addition to the tax burden we already bear. We are talking initially nearly 600 billion, but everyone agrees that it will be trillions of dollars over time. And, I believe the rhetoric to be true, given that it is now officially established as a tax, this means it will be the largest tax increase ever imposed since the creation of the universe. The Obama supporters are spinning it as a huge win and I can see why. He spent over two years on this single issue while the economy crumbled. Those two years have now been sanctioned by the court but as a tax on the American people. That's what we need right now? A huge tax required to cover 30 million people who currently do not have insurance? How the economy will ever recover given the magnitude of this tax increase is the question that must be answered. We have definitely come to the fork in the road and as Yogi would say, when that happens, take it.

And, it should be noted that the administration's lawyers did, in fact, include the taxing authority as one of their arguments but they did so only as a fail safe backup, they certainly never wanted the court to declare the individual mandate as a tax. We should have known. The original legislation did call for monies to be appropriated to the IRS for administrative and enforcement purposes. That should have been pretty much a preview of what the ultra sound later confirmed: Congratulations it's a TAX. Okay. Now that I have that out of my system, I will move on to other matters that might be of interest. I'm thinking. Give me a moment. I should insert an hourglass because it takes me a little time to get the adrenalin back into a normal range. Just joking. I guess I keep getting hung up on how that this particular law is called the Affordability Act. I suppose folks can name it that way when they are using our dollars. But, in all fairness, we've not had a whole lot better from those who supposedly flew the conservative flag. I know. I said I would refrain from commenting further. As you can tell these kinds of things barely even bother me...bother me....bother me! I think I need to send a memo to my gray cell family and call them together for a meeting of the mind, so to speak, or something like that. Until next time, remember, that when it is all said and done, God will have the final day. Amen.       .....More later.

Happy Friday to one and all!

Good morning. It is Friday, June 29, 2012. The Community is tasting pretty good this morning and I'm thankful to be able to enjoy it and to bring you a few thoughts to close out our week. As we have been sweltering in this heat I do keep up with that little town up in Idaho. It is in an isolated valley and last Tuesday evening they reported an overnight low of 22. I had someone here in the office to check the map with me to make sure that was a correct reading. It was, and there were plenty of low thirties around them. A fellow who used to work here with me always wanted me to check the overnight lows for a particular part of the country. He thought Flagstaff, Arizona would be the ideal spot, especially for folks that like mild to cooler temps. Flagstaff is currently experiencing some mid 80's each day for highs but their overnight lows range from 45 to 50. I would always check it for him and report the results. He was a very early bird like me and we used to enjoy swapping stories each morning. He too enjoyed a strong cup of Community but he did add both sugar and cream, quite a bit of both. I forgave him for that insult to my Louisiana brew a long time ago, and to tell you the truth, I do miss our good times together. It was not a bad way to start a day.

I suppose corn is the cause for some pretty bad jokes. That's right. Corn is where the word corny comes from. Corny definition: Unsophisticated, old-fashioned, or excessively sentimental. One story says this expression began in the 1890’s. Companies selling seeds sent their catalogs to farmers. Jokes and riddles were added to the seed catalogs, but the jokes were obvious and trite. They became known as corn catalog jokes, then corn jokes, and eventually the adjective “corny” was born. They might have used this one: "Don't tell secrets in the cornfield because there are just too many ears." ~ "Have you heard about the latest garlic diet? You eat lots of it. You don't actually lose so much weight but your friends think you look thinner, from a distance." ~ "What did the carrot say to the celery? Quit stalking me." ~ "Why did the man at the orange juice factory lose his job? He couldn't concentrate." You probably have some of your own but I will give you a couple more to give you either a grin or a grimace. ~ "The first grader proudly announced, 'They taught me how to write today.' His mom asked, 'What did you write?', he responded, "I don't know, they haven't taught us how to read yet." ~ "The receptionist told the doctor that an invisible man was in the waiting room. The doctor told her to inform him that he could not see him now." Okay. They are bad but I remember growing up how we used to enjoy little ditties like these.

It has been a very busy week. I have not had too much trouble falling asleep at night. My grandfather always believed those two had something to do with each other. He always promoted staying busy in your work in order to then be able to get a good night's sleep. I know that doesn't work for everyone because many people do deal with sleep disorders today. Solomon, who was reported as the wisest man who ever lived, outside of our Savior of course, said something about this relationship between work and rest in his collected writings found in Ecclesiastes, "The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep." (Chapter 5, Verse 12) There's much more to the context but it does put forth the idea that work and sleep do connect in a special way. And, as they say, it works for me, and I am so very thankful that it does. I do realize how important sleep is for me. I don't require much but I do require the amount that I need in order to be productive each day. I know firsthand some who struggle with getting enough sleep each night. It is a very difficult problem and one I wouldn't wish on anyone. But, it's time to say farewell once again. Thanks so much for allowing me to visit with you this week, and Lord willing, I'll try to have something for your morning coffee next Monday. Until then, may God bless each one. Amen.       ....More later.

If it's not one thing, it's something else.

Hello friends and neighbors and welcome back. It is Thursday, June 28, 2012. I will not be talking about the political landscape today. I hear that sound. It's a loud, collective sigh of relief. I have been thinking about those folks over in Florida. They really needed some rain. Twenty five inches with more on the way? Not that much, please. I read a blurb that said the orange crops may be in danger from flooding. Not long ago they were in danger from an unexpected hard freeze. Before that it was the danger from the drought. Do we live in a 'make it up as we go' kind of world or what? The old timers used to say, "If it's not one thing, it's something else." How true. As most of you know I read quite a few obituaries each day. I actually mostly scan them but often they do reflect the story of life for us all. I am always struck when I read about a young person passing away. It's not that I feel guilty that I've been around longer but rather from a human perspective it seems like such a tragic loss of talent, vitality, and contribution. I read one from a nearby town where I grew up of a young mother who died at age 40. She leaves behind a husband, a son in college, and a daughter still at home. Nothing in the notice indicated how she died. I wanted to know why. After a few searches I found her Facebook page. On her Wall her last entry was from May 8 of this year where she reported that the surgery had gone well but they would have to wait and see about the results. Further down the page was a poster with that pink ribbon denoting breast cancer. My heart goes out to her family. She was so proud of her children. We never know. Rain. Not enough rain. Too much rain. A bad report. A surgery to fix the problem. A home going to celebrate. This is a fragile world folks and we do need the Lord. Amen.

Yeah , I know. It does look like I could find something more uplifting to write about. Sorry. But here at the old blogger ranch we more or less take them as they come. And, whatever happens to be percolating or stewing around in the few gray cells I have left, well, that's what gets transmitted. I will be the first to admit that some days there just isn't that much 'there' there. Here in our area we are breaking some heat records left and right. Okay. I am out in it some and let me just say this about that. When it is 105 degrees and the feel like is 115, you have to get in line to get your next breath. We have this dome of high pressure sitting on top of us and it is holding in the hot air. (No. I did break my promise about politics. I am actually still talking about hot air as in weather.) It is supposed to ease its way east over the next couple of days and we will be back into the mid 90's. That will be so wonderful. See what I mean? You know something is up when you long for those high humidity days where the temperature stays below 95. In fact, they are already putting out those alerts that we should try and conserve electricity because of the drain on the statewide electrical grid. On the 9 p.m. news we watch folks send their tweets in real time and they scroll them at the bottom of the screen. Some people actually prefer the hot weather or at least that is what they say. One fellow said it was easier to cool off than to warm up. I have a tweet for that guy. "Hey, dude, are you living on another planet or what?"

When we would get out of sorts as a kid my granddad would tell us that we had the same clothes to get glad in. And, as far as it being hot, I know it was because we spent a lot of our time at the swimming hole, but because we had few choices in terms of doing anything about it, I suppose we just dealt with it. It wasn't like we could ask that the air conditioning be turned on. Yes. I did know about air conditioning. Long before we got any. We didn't live that far back in the woods. But we didn't have it, therefore, we used an attic fan to circulate the air and us boys also had a box fan that we had in our bedroom window. All the windows were open all the time in the summer. Occasionally we would ride up to the next little town where a fellow sold ice. Blocks of ice. He also sold watermelons. He kept the watermelons in the ice house. We would get one of those big ones and us kids would salivate as we sat in the back of the Paw Paw's pickup keeping that big melon company on the way home. We had a homemade picnic table out in the yard and once that melon was cut open and we began to enjoy that ice cold sweetness, well, it was part of how we dealt with the heat. We didn't do it very often but when we did, what a treat! We actually grew our own melons but our soil was not the best for this item. However, we would eat them anyway, but they could never be like those ice cold ones we got from the ice house. Now that's a good memory and I'm thankful that I have many of those. In fact, I'm feeling a little cooler just thinking about those good old days. I do hope you are cool wherever you happen to be. May God bless one and all. Amen.           .....More later.

It's a mess folks, a real mess!

Good morning and welcome. It's Wednesday, June 27, 2012, and I do send out a hello to one and all where we sit on the edge of our seat awaiting the decision by the US Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the Obama-care legislation. You were not even aware of this? How were things on your long journey away from the states? It's a big deal because the administration has busily been pushing portions of it forward making it more painful to change or disengage. And, that is one of their main arguments, we've gone too far to change it now. What a mess. I wasn't surprised that the Court struck down most of the Arizona state laws pertaining to immigration enforcement. Under our form of government immigration has always been the responsibility of the Federal Government. The fact that the system is horribly broken does not change the responsibility from the feds to the states. But what about these run away costs being incurred by the states for services that MUST be provided to illegals? Good question but not a new one. That's been with us for years through Republican and Democrat controlled administrations.

This current economic recession, depression, or calamity makes it not only a front burner issue but one with the heat turned up as high as it will go. When times were good these folks were welcomed to come and work cheaply to fuel business growth. Cheap labor was a good thing and everyone looked the other way. In today's world there's no money to pay for all the services being consumed by legal citizens, much less illegals. In essence, the court ruled that despite this set of dire circumstances it is still the Congress that must act on matters regarding immigration. This means that it once again falls into the lap of the politicians, in an election year. It's a mess folks. Even more so with the election looming because we have not even begun to see all the games that will be played, on all sides. One final word: It's a mess folks! Now here in these parts they coined a phrase for what it means to ride out a hurricane, it's called 'hunker down'. It just strikes me as being a pretty good way to describe what we need to do as we get ready for this upcoming election storm.

I am well aware that many would rather not be reminded of these things. They like to hear funny stories and anecdotes. Me too. However, no amount of happy talk is going to make these things to go away. In many ways these are some of the most challenging times we've faced. Why? Because the wisdom of man is not enough. As bad as reality gets, I can even get more down thinking about the choices in the upcoming election. I'm sorry folks but I just don't get it. From any and all sides. That's why I have been consistent in my conclusions, over time, that God and God alone is our only hope. Now for the good news. Trusting Him is where will will find our confidence and the strength we need to carry on, while He works out, in the good times and the bad, His plan, His purpose, and His will. After all, He knows just how messed up we are and He also knows how much we can mess things up. Thankfully, He specializes in repair and restoration of cracked pots, and to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, I could claim to be the chief of cracked pots and we as a people can all say Amen to that. May God help is my prayer. Amen.          .....More later.