Monthly Archives: July 2016
It was 1970, maybe ’71, and like my high school peers, I had let my hair grow. Although not long by today’s standards, it marked me a rebel, at least a rebel in the eyes of my uncles. It hung over my ears, lapped at my collar, and fell across my eyes – it was wavy and cool. The eldest boy cousin, I was a trailblazer and my hair soon became a target. Dad gave me a little grief but…..
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Amendment 1 to the US Constitution – Freedom of religion, speech, and the press: rights of assembly and petition. If you are like me, then you sometimes wonder about strange things. One habit I…..
“Civil government, though ordained by God, did not come immediately from Him, but mediately through the people. Whatever form it might take, the clergy almost unanimously agreed that if it were a just government it had been founded on compact.” – Alice M. Baldwin * In light of the chaos afoot in our land, has our governing compact been broken? It is an interesting question to ponder. Our forefathers understood that liberty and freedom were rights given to men…..
Thursday was a scorching hot, humid day. The grandkids cooled off in a small inflatable pool. I sat nearby, watching and wondering how they could keep running around in the heat. As I pondered the question, I remembered a summer nearly a half century ago. It was after 9:00 PM but the heat of the day lingered. On the cherry end table, a small fan droned, clicking as it oscillated side to side. Becalmed in a July heat wave, a…..
It moved rapidly through the weeds, leaving a wake of uprooted plants. Last week I saw it scurrying through Dad’s old tools. In the spring, it briefly appeared as I planted the beans, but today it couldn’t escape. I lifted it out of the pumpkins and examined it in the sun. It was dirty; its hide well tanned, covered with scrapes. Dark patches and the blue-green tracks of veins showed through the dirt. Turning it over, I paused at the…..