along the way

One of the things I enjoy about hunting is what you see along the way. A recent trip to the woods revealed such things as a hidden waterfall, geodes, beautiful scenery, and unusual glimpses of Americana depicted by the school sign pictured in this post.

My wife and I know someone who went to this school, and went on to get three college degrees. I guess she took the sign literally. She was a school principal and accomplished many amazing things in addition to being a precious friend, follower of Jesus and advocate for children.

I'm told by AMH that this school is an excellent school even though it is very much in a country setting. I find the name humorous and provocative.
I wonder if there's a Needmore Church? Needmore Computers? Needmore... You name it.

gone

4 2 HnG

the power of plastic packaging

I was planting bushes for the French allee portion of my back yard. Lo and behold I saw this funny looking thing sticking out of the dirt like a pewter dollar in a mudhole. I grabbed it, thinking it was buried treasure. It wasn't. It was a little plastic package of hot sauce. This was buried about a foot under the ground.

I live in a fairly new subdivision. Our house is about four years old. Do you know what the soil goes through when a new subdivision is built? It is like the builder declares war on the ground. The good top soil is scrapped off to one side by giant bulldozers. There are enormous earth punishing machines that pound and poke and slice and dice and rape and torture the earth. It takes years for the ground to recover. It is a crime what is done to the soil, in my opinion. And here is a plastic package of hot sauce, accidently or intentionally buried by construction workers that has survived all that. Other things don't survive.

I hope my new bushes survive as well as the hot sauce.

Gospel of Timotheus

Recovered from the ruin of a celtic blight.

Revealed through aeons and aeons after staring into smoke on the water and fire in the sky.
"I am the walrus, you are the walrus, we are the walrus." The ancient one laughed at us, but spoke to us through his eyes which wandered across the landscape. Run through the jungle, he said. Run through the jungle every day ina gadda da vidda. Don't you know that I'll always be true blue, cubby blue, black and blue monsters of radar love.

I think this sheds new light on the relationship of Stonehenge to funnelcakes. Maybe someday National Geographic will spend a million dollars to translate and calibrate the meaning of a new gospel, which isn't a gospel, and which isn't new. But if it has anything to do with Da Vinci in drag, the Mona Lisa, or the godess Sophia, and was discovered in a cave, in Egypt, there will be a television special the week before the Holiday that must not be named.

Never forget, there ain't no sunshine when she's gone, and she's always gone too long, anytime she goes out with a boy named Sue.

BamBams

We just finished up Palm Sunday for most Christian churches. Whether or not you waved palm branches or displayed palm branches as a part of your decor, or whether you just read about palms, we know about the crowds waving the palm branches when Jesus entered Jerusalem in what is called His Triumphal Entry.

Years ago, and in that place and time I suppose if you really wanted to do something spectacular you waved palm branches. I'm impressed with that. I like seeing that presented in dramatic presentations.

What would be the dynamic equivalent of palm branches in our world? A ticker tape parade? Maybe but I don't know if ticker tapes are still parading.

For sure it wouldn't be BamBams. What are BamBams? They are made in China. They are new and improved. They are easier to inflate. They are, according to the packaging "The Hottest Item in The Sports Promotional Market!"

Last night our church staff went to the Pacers game at Conseco Fieldhouse compliments of a kind member of our faith community. We sat on the end behind the goal. It was fun, and the Pacers won.

Not being a frequent attender of NBA games I was surprised when someone handed everyone in our section a little package the size of a handwarmer. It wasn't a handwarmer, it was BamBams. Free BamBams. They look like sausage shaped balloons only the material they're made out of is a little tougher than balloon material. Of course they displayed the Pacer colors and logos. When the opposing team is shooting a free throw at your end you wave the BamBams and bang them together and they make a most impressive sound. Or when your own team did something especially nice you could bang them together to make a supportive and encouraging bit of noise. Somehow basketball players are able to know a discouraging BamBam from an attaboy BamBam.

Just in case you blow up the BamBams and you're a bit unclear about the art of BamBaming there are very specific instructions on the package that coach you on how to make them perform. I quote, "To Make Noise: Hold the BamBams apart and then hit them together!"

I know that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the palm branch is a symbol of peace. There is no way to improve on waving palm branches. However the Bible does say that if the people did not praise Jesus then the rocks would cry out. And if all else fails...imagine singing a song of praise in a church service this Sunday and following it up with the whole congregation BamBaming all over the place? Happy Resurrection Sunday. BamBam, Jesus lives.

plaid leather

Riding the ultimate convertible...a motorcycle... in temperatures under 45 degrees can become painfully cold. I can tolerate 45 degrees with a sweater, leather coat and blue jeans but lately I've been thinking that a pair of leather chaps would be really nice. Aside from the safety advantage that leather gives you, if all of a sudden you find yourself sliding on asphalt at 50 mph, leather chaps would certainly cut the wind chill considerably on an early morning ride.

But to add black leather chaps to my black leather coat, gloves and boots, along with a black helmet and black motorcycle seems too much to me. My own first impression of someone dressed all in black, other than Johnny Cash, has been pretty predictable. All black does look pretty stereotypical, and to a certain degree, funny. I don't know if I can go the route of black leather chaps.

Granted I don't have a skull and crossbones tatoo, piercings, or my goatee braided with long black leather strands. Nor do I have black leather fringe hanging from my handlebars or saddlebags. Still the black leather chaps seem too much.

But what are the choices? Red? White? I don't want to look like an Elvis impersonator, I just want to ride my motorcycle comfortably on cool mornings. You just never see much in the way of choices when it comes to chaps. Leather has to be dyed, not printed. Plaid wouldn't work. And of course plaid would be too reminiscent of a kilt, which would then cause speculation about what men wear under their plaid leather chaps.