The Muse is Loose

That is certainly how I feel this January 1, 2010. In the "good old days" this would have been an exciting time when Sugar, Cotton, Rose, Orange, and Gator bowls made for some interesting confrontations by some really good teams. This year there are THIRTY-FOUR (count them) games called BOWL GAMES. Sixty-eight teams are in a bowl game, or have been. Some of them won only half their regular season games! Such exciting match-ups as South Florida and Northern Illinois await. Too much of a good thing? You decide.

In the meantime some of the teams are in disarray as coaches have been fired; hired away; resigned; retired, etc.. Imagine the mental preparation of those teams. The bottom line is that Bowl Games are big business. They are, or hope to be, money makers for the schools and sponsors. The best game I have seen was played on a BLUE field in Idaho. Idaho beat Bowling Green 43-42. The Idaho coach nixed an extra point tie with four seconds left and went for two. He got it and was a hero. Had he missed he might have joined Mike Leach in the soup line.

What is really important in this New Year? Certainly not who wins a bowl game, or gets hired or fired. What is most important is our relationship with the Father and how that affects the ones with our fellow persons. I was reminded of that when I saw Tim Tebow, the all-everything
quarterback from Florida, with a Bible verse painted under his eyes. While some are painting dollar marks, this missionary-kid has a different perspective that is refreshing.

It could be an interesting day of football.

Saturday I participated in our Rockport Christmas Bird Count. If that sounds like a boring project believe me it ISN'T! The team I was with walked a lot. We trudged into boggy marshes and on gravel roads. We were yelled at by an angry woman who claimed we were trespassing on some unfenced property (we probably were). We were challenged by a State Game Warden who had received a call from a rancher about possible poachers. (We weren't). We had a warning from one rural resident to be on the lookout for a dangerous pack of wild dogs. (Never saw them). There is always something going on when one is in a bird count.

Christmas Bird Counts are nothing new. They have been happening for more than 100 years. You guess-timate the numbers of birds in a flock. You also record all the species seen. In the winter there can be some nice surprises. Our final compilation is not in. It should number around 150 birds. That will be in the top twenty or better in the entire country. Our leader was retired medical missionary, Dr. Robert Edwards. He and Dolores served in Colombia for more than thirty-years. That is one of the birdiest places in the world. Robert knows his birds. He can also HEAR them and recognize who is calling. I can't hear a horn honk so am no good at that. I can still see pretty good. Anyway, it was fun but tiresome.

I just casually noticed this figure while preparing to BLOG. I have written since it's inception a couple of years ago, FIVE HUNDRED TWO BLOGS! No wonder so many of them were dull and uninteresting, or about family or birds or football. That's enough for a good-sized book. Problem is...who would buy it? You have already read the thing or parts of it. The other folks out there could care less.

But what about the words we SPEAK each day? Your book and mine would be much larger than five-hundred two pages. I do give some thought to what I write. On the other hand I give little thought to many things I say. So... how many careless, uninteresting, unreadable, unedited, words do we send out into the airways each and every day? You count yours. I will be far too busy counting mine.

Jesus had a word or two for we creators of word messages, be it verbal, texting, or BLOGGING. Are you ready for His Divine comment? " The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned." How important are our words? You decide.

The writer of Proverbs had something good to say about words: " A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). Words have a place. They are important in many ways. They are woefully misused and abused in today's society. Four-letter words used most anywhere one pleases is a sign of our callousness toward our fellow persons and even our Creator. A word of warning....watch your words.

We are a bunch of weather wimps in South Texas. Cold weather to us is anything below sixty. When weather people start talking about the twenties we think it is the "Roarin" kind. Well, they aren't joking with us. An Arctic Front is sweeping the country. It will pound Florida and could be devastating for tender crops and citrus. The blow is also targeting all the way to Rio Grande Valley. Rockport is predicted to be in the twenties for a period of time.

Ann and I will be able to survive. We are not street people. Those poor folks will face a crisis. We do have three citrus trees that could take a hit. Our grapefruit and lemon tree is loaded with fruit. The lemons are ripe and beautiful. The grapefruit need a little more time to sweeten. They are large and beautiful red fruit. What can we do? We don't have smudge pots. One idea is to cover the trees with Christmas lights. I didn't put up any this year for Christmas. Have no interest in decorating a grapefruit tree. Spraying the tree is another option. I think I will take that route. We have a water well and the icy tree ought to be pretty. We have covered the little bit of exposed pipes outside. I think we may be close to ready. O yes, the pot plants are covered, and some clutter the garage.

People live and survive and thrive in far colder weather than we will have. How do they do it? They are prepared for the winter that inevitably comes. Their vehicles have snow tires and heaters to protect the battery. Their homes are made to hold heat from oil or gas or wood. The clothes they wear in winter do not even exist in South Texas except among the ski folk. They are prepared. Preparation is vital in surviving frigid weather. Preparation is necessary in surviving ETERNITY. It is coming. Death is real. God is awaiting the judgement. Preparation for that day must be done here. When the cold winds of death sweep in it is too late. Are you prepared for the blast?

Please read the tech stuff first: "A small dapper bird of arctic barrens, flitting from rock to rock, fanning it's tail and bobbing. Range: Eurasia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland. Migrates to Africa and India." Peterson Field Guide of Western Birds p 278. It was not mentioned that for only the second time in Texas birding history it appeared in the backyard garden of an humble Amish man and wife living near Tynan, Texas.

Dr. Robert Edwards and I had to see it for ourselves. We left Rockport at 7:00 AM for the one hour drive to rural farmland near Tynan, Texas. It was about sixty degrees and calm when we left. Arriving about eight AM we stepped out into an arctic gale, and temp in the lower forties! A car from Arkansas was parked in the muddy driveway of our Amish host. We moved quickly to the small protected porch at the rear of their little house. There was a real woodpile; a garden with cabbage, carrots and some other greens growing. A horse was hitched to a black Amish buggy. This is unreal! We are looking for a wanderer from Alaska or even Greenland in a South Texas garden belonging to Amish? I didn't even know there were any down here. In fact, there are about eight families living next to each other. They travel from house to house in their buggys. Rumor has it one of them has a SUV. Anyway, there we stood. In less than ten minutes the little bird showed. We all zeroed in and got a good look. The Wheatear was not satisfied with that. He flew to the woodpile and proceeded to nab an insect and swallow it while less than twenty-five feet away! It was an amazing view of a "lifer" making only his second appearance in Texas. In fact, there have been very few sightings across the entire country. We signed our names in the guest book and left a donation in the money box. We then went down the road to his fathers's store and bought honey, peanut brittle, and apple butter. The store was different. There were no lights. No electricity! All in all it was one of the most unusual birding events Robert and I had ever known. The Northern Wheatear joins my "life list" at number 502. Who would have ever believed that? Not me.

We have kept up hummer feeders all winter. There are some buff-bellied and a rufous who decided to winter in Rockport. Some black-chinned or ruby-throated have joined them. Yesterday late I saw at least five hummers busily working our two back-yard feeders. They seemed to sense it was going to be a really cold night. It was! We were in the mid-twenties early this morning. Our grapefruit and lemon trees are wrapped as good as possible. But what about the hummers? Would they survive? The morning light answered that. They were gathered around a frozen feeder which I quickly replaced. I am guessing they went into a TORPOR. Alexander Wilson watched a hummer recover from TORPIDITY as early as 1810. The body temp lowers; breathing is reduced, and metabolic rates are lowered. Such a bird appears dead. One can be picked up and moved around without ever showing any sign of life. The sugar water supply they get in the daytime helps them survive a cold torpid night. I don't know where our birds spent the night. I would have welcomed them into the house or garage but they would not have accepted an invitation. They appear strong and healthy and hungry this morning.

Do you suffer from TORPIDITY when it gets cold? Some folks do. They bundle up and go into a partial hibernation. Others grab fishing tackle or shotguns and head for the out of doors. Others hit the ski slopes. Still others look for birds in Amish backyards. We are all different. If you are torpid today just take it easy. Drink plenty of sugar water (tea or coffee) and soon you will be flying again.( I may have given you a new word today.) TORPOR.

Living in tropical country, freezes are rare; but like hurricanes they are inevitable. The last one was not as bad as some, but it was a plant killer. Laura came down last Thursday, and in the wind and cold set out to wrap our grapefruit and lemon tree. She also wrapped a number of Ann's plants. (Some I was hoping she would miss!). I later added some more giant tarps. This morning I gathered the residue: A bar-b-cue grill (burned coals in it), two ancient oil-burning lanterns, three spotlights, two sleeping bags, many sheets, rope, duct tape, wire, a chair and several cushions! The two trees survived as did some of the fruit. It was a good effort that paid off. When the next one comes we will do a better job because of the two huge tarps I now own.

It was impossible to hang sheets and tarps over thousands of grapefruit and orange trees in Florida and The Valley. Some of those folks were hit hard. They made our concerns over two little trees in the front yard rather insignificant. They weren't when Laura and I were wrapping the trees, but they certainly are now.

Isn't that true in our Pilgrimage, with many things? We can fret over a lost key like it is a major loss, but when a real disaster strikes life comes into proper focus once again. It is the same way about good things. We receive a little gift, or some good news, and rejoice in it.... then along comes some earth-shaking, exciting, once-in-a-lifetime great news and the little gift is quickly forgotten.

A final word: "If you had been present with the Lord at the feeding of the five thousand and He had asked you to say the blessing, what would you have prayed?" (Remember there are five thousand plus hungry people and a few small pieces of bread and fish!). "Lord bless this food to our nourishment, and help all those hungry people to find something to eat soon. A-men". "Lord, help Jesus to make something impossible happen. A-men", "Lord, keep us from bodily harm as we eat our meal in front of these folks. A-men"...... What would you have prayed in your blessing? Can't we still pray like that to the Father? Have a good day.

I am moving away from my usual BLOG to write about something that bothers me a great deal. I guess it is because I spent high school years working for a newspaper. My best friend was in advertising for that newspaper. He worked his way through college at a newspaper. "Truth in advertising" was important. It still ought to be, but isn't. There are all sorts of gimmicks today to get us to purchase things. Case in point:

Today's Caller Times has a one page ad written like a news article complete with headlines: "Texans Scramble To Get Exclusive State $2 Bills". How can they be scrambling
when they haven't seen the ad until this morning? "Just 48 Hours Left For Local Residents To Get The Only Existing Texas State $2 Bills". Forty-eight hours from when? Who is keeping the stopwatch?

These are legitimate $2. bills, but the ad says you can't get them at local banks, credit unions, or even the Federal Reserve. Why not? The company selling this money is World Reserve Monetary Exchange. Sounds impressive doesn't it. In this case they are selling $8 worth of $2. bills for $12. plus shipping and handling. Sounds like they have learned from banks how to sell us our own money. Anyway, BEFORE you get into a big buy I would suggest you let your computer tell you what some unhappy former clients have to say. Some of their words are not too nice.

If that wasn't enough there is another full-page ad on how you can sell your scrap jewelry, dental gold, sterling silverware, silver tea sets, silver dollars, industrial scrap, and all forms of platinum. Seller beware. These folks are not here on a good-will mission. Nuff about that.

Not through yet. A word to City Council in Corpus: Demolish the old eyesore coliseum. Take the residue and grind it. Mix in tar and asphalt and spread it on those horrendous city streets with potholes that shake our cars apart. If there is not enough material, then take another look at the crumbling old courthouse. Brick streets last forever.

I'm going back to bed.

Get with it, all you football tailgaters. There are better ways to see a Cowboy football game.....if you can afford it, or know someone with clout

Last Saturday our son, Lee, called from Dallas. There was excitement in his voice. He said something like this: "Dad, in a few minutes a limo is going to pull up outside and deliver us to the Dallas Cowboy stadium. We will be escorted to a private sky box to watch the Cowboy/Eagle game." It happened! His employer rented a skybox for all his company employees. There were thirty there. Lee was the only one who could take his wife. They enjoyed plenty of food served by their waiter. They could sit "inside" or go out and gaze upon the peons in their $300.00 seats. They had black, cushioned chairs for added comfort. It was an incredible night for these plumbers, electricians, and AC men. Many of them had never seen a live Cowboy game. ( I have seen one. It was in the Cotton Bowl).

What does an event like this cost? I had to ask that question. Lee's boss knew the right people and got a discounted box that was only $20,000.00. Hey, let's get a group together and go next Fall! We could charter a plane and let it pick us up in Rockport.......and.....

Have you worried a lot about how Jerry Jones is going to pay for his billion dollar plus stadium? Not to worry. If the Cowboys keep winning he will keep winning. Professional sports is really big business. You can make tons and lose more tons. Ask Tiger Woods.

I did not plan it this way, God forbid! I am going from writing about our extravagence displayed in a football stadium, over against the extreme poverty of other people living on a stricken island.It is not about " we are good and they are bad." It is about we are blessed beyond measure, while most people on this planet struggle for their existence.

You know about Haiti. They have been devasted by an earthquake. The numbers of people dead and injured is still to be counted. Their buildings and highways are ripped apart. Some say 100,000, or many more, may have died. Help is pouring in from around the world, but it is difficult to resupply an island.

The World Factbook states that Haiti is the poorest country in all the Western Hemisphere. It ranks 203 in the world. Average family income is $1200. Two-thirds of the people depend on agriculture for their work. Widespread deforestation has left them vulnerable to mudslides and erosion. They were hit with FOUR tropical storms in 2008. Clothes are made in Haiti. Many of those buildings are now destroyed. We simply cannot imagine the staggering problems in this Island Nation today.

What can we do? Prayer, for Christians, is appropriate. Jesus wept and prayed over Jerusalem. We can do the same. We can send money, but must be careful where. There are already lowly people with scams to steal money by posing as legitimate help. Some will want to go and help. That will involve many risks and much discomfort involving food and water and a place to stay.

The age-old question always arises: Why did God do this to these people? Did He? I have my own answers, but none of us have THE definitive answer. This is a natural disaster. I think it would have happened if the island had had no inhabitants. Anyway, let's pray for the people stricken; relief workers; those in charge trying to work a plan of action. Perhaps it will bring some of us closer together. We could use that.

....and they are still coming. It is amazing how quickly we can be moved from a drought, and then freeze mode, to a flood mode. That's where we are now. Predictions of up to a foot of rain have been made. We are quite wet in Rockport. I am battling a really unpleasant cold, my first in several years. Add to that, I must conduct a funeral service at 4:00 P.M. Friday.

While Haiti reels in death and destruction I am concerned about some rain, and a bad cold. That doesn't seem quite right. We have a roof and house and pantry and frig and a car and much, much more.

I like what Paul had to say about such matters: " I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it means to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:11-13

That is not a lesson easily learned or even accepted. Some are blessed by never finding out how they would do in want or hunger. Most of us, perhaps. So, you Rockporters; get out your raincoat and umbrella. Find a free flowing gutter and leap and dance while "Singin' In The Rain"!
Too much? Go to Wal Mart.

Johnson and Johnson has a huge recall going right now. It involves Regular and Extra Strength Tylenol, Children's Tylenol, Eight Hour Tylenol, Tylenol PM and Tylenol Arthritis. It also involves Children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl; Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St Joseph Aspirin.

Why the recall? The smell! Some seventy persons have been sickened by the odor or noticed it. The smell is coming from a chemical that leached into the air at a facility in Puerto Rico. The chemical is used to treat wooden pallets.

So I guess we Tylenol users need to start sniffing our tablets before we take them. I see a problem, however, if one is suffering from a cold chances are his/her sniffer isn't working too good. Then you have to find a healthy sniffer. Imagine getting ready to take those quick Tylenol tablets to relieve you as you shop. You stop a passer-by and say: "Hey Buddy, would you mind sniffing my Tylenol?"

This sounds like a real headache for Johnson and Johnson. By the way, I didn't know they owned all that medicine. No wonder the prices are the same when you see them in a store. I think I am getting a headache. I'm going to sniff a couple of Tylenol and lie down.

Some good teacher, I know not who, introduced me to this poem. It was written in 1919 by Edgar A. Guest. You probably know it, and maybe memorized it. I think it is worth starting a new week with.
MYSELF
I have to live with myself and so
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by,
always to look myself straight in the eye.

I don't want to stand with the setting sun
and hate myself for the things I have done.
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
a lot of secrets about myself.

and fool myself as I come and go
into thinking no one else will know
the kind of person I really am,
I don't want to dress up myself in sham.

I want to go out with my head erect.
I want to deserve all men's respect;
but here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.

I don't want to look at myself and know
that I'm bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see.

I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself and so,
whatever happens I want to be
self respecting and conscience free.

Edgar Albert Guest

"Just then they came in sight of the thirty or forty windmills that rise from the plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, ' Fortune is guiding ourselves better than we had wished. Do you see over there thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them....' Don Quixote by Cervantes 1604.

All day yesterday we watched a tiny, tiny "Don Quixote" do battle with his opponents. There were six of them. He would fight with one and then move to another. Time after time "Quixote"
would bang into an opponent, leaving tiny bits of feathers. Finally, at day's end he had won, for all six of them drove away.Who was this gallant knight of the sky? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He was a ruby-crowned kinglet male. When excited or distressed he flashes a little crown of ruby red. He flashed it time and again as he "attacked" his invaders. They were six other male ruby crowned kinglets, flashing their little crowns at him. Where were they? In the side mirrors on James' truck, and our car and truck, parked at their country ranch home they rent near Goliad. This fighting "Don Quixote" is measured at 4.25 inches long! He is one of the smallest birds flying. Only a hummingbird is smaller! He is a rather drab gray color with wing bars of white and a little white eye ring. His beak is tiny. He darts around catching insects from the air that we can't even see. He is always on the move. As a "Don Quixote" he is his own worst enemy. His battle yesterday was tiring and dangerous. I almost grabbed him with my bare hands when he flew at one of the mirrors. A cat could make easy killings of this brave, but foolish bird. Keep in mind the bird's tiny brain could be no bigger than a pea.

The more puzzling "Don Quixotes" are those with no wings and large brains. We who spend much of our time battling our greatest imaginary foe - US! POGO once commented on this when he said, "We have met the enemy and he is US!". I guess we all do battle with self. We fight our own images instead of accepting who we are and making the best of it. When you find yourself doing battle with the image you see in a mirror just remember the kinglet. It is a useless battle you will not end until you leave the mirror or it leaves you.

You know, surely, that a machine is now being used at airports that can see right through you. That's right! See right through you. Sounds like a mechanical mother. "You're not fooling me. I can see right through you!". (Did you ever hear that?) Well the army has gone one better. They now have a device that allows soldiers to see through walls. It could be used in urban areas where many dangerous confrontations occur. This machine would allow a soldier to recon a house and determine enemy locations without going from room to room, not knowing who might be behind a wall or in a closet. That gives a BIG advantage to the soldier with such a device. It is called a radar imaging device. They are just about to put it out for bids. It should be ready by our next war. Some comments from people reading about it are these: " What good is looking through a wall if you can't tell enemies from friendlies?" "Just wish they had been created long ago." "Yet another gizmo to load down already overloaded troops." "As a retired, decorated infantry Sargent and Vietnam vet I think that advertising and providing the technical data on these new advances is stupid!!" So the new see-through invention is not received with open arms. The one in airports is causing a stir as well.

I have news for us all: God has been able to do this for a long, long time. He can see right through us. We may fool the folks around us, but not God. Jesus could not only see through walls, He could walk through them! "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them 'Peace be with you'. They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost..." Luke 24:36 Jesus could tell his friends from his enemies. He told Judas He knew what the betrayer was up to. He knew Peter would deny Him three times. The amazing truth is that he knows us and can see through us...and He still loves us! When a man like Tiger Woods destroys his clean image we turn on him, and advertisers drop Him like a "hot potato", but that is our way and not God's. We should be forever grateful. "As a father has compassion on his children so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he KNOWS how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust". Psalm 103:14

Younger readers, if I have any, wouldn't have a clue as to what that means. It refers to the electric chair. ( which is short-circuited and out of business.) It would be yelled at some guilty criminal in a movie court-room scene. "Give him the chair!!!". Before that, some folks would yell, "Hang the dirty rustler!". Judge Roy Bean was especially good at that. I have a picture on my wall showing the judge having court outside his office and bar "West of The Pecos". Close by in the picture are four hombres holding the reins of a riderless fifth horse. The Judge is giving the man a fair trial before they hang him. Now, however, not too much to worry about if you are a criminal. A Corpus Christi hoodlum was plea bargained to a twenty-one year sentence for killing a man in his home and wounding his three children. He will be eligible for parole in ten years! The court records revealed this guy had been convicted of manslaughter in 2003 and given seven years for that! He was out walking the streets in July of 2008. So much for rehab. We debated "should capitol punishment be abolished?" when I was in school a half century ago. My position has not changed.........anyway....

I have had an old blue recliner which was rescued from an alley in Taft several years ago. It is a comfortable chair but well worn. We bought a new recliner. What to do with the old one? I could not sell it, but would gladly give it away. My neighbor helped me drag it to the street. I put a sign on it that said "take it". I knew it would be gone yesterday morning. IT WASN'T ! After most of the day and no takers I was discouraged. Ann came to me and said a family had lost everything in a fire. I told her to call and see if they wanted ole blue. They said they would take it but not until February 1 when they get in another house. I dragged ole blue from his street location to the garage. He now awaits another lease on life. In the meantime I have a great chair to replace my folding chair at the "office" in my garage. I guess, come February, I will have to relinquish ole blue and "give them the chair!". My position has not changed.

I lost a very special friend this week-end in the sudden passing of Herb Grebe. He was a wonderful friend in my years at Taft as pastor. The friendship continued to the last time I talked with him on Wednesday, not knowing he would be gone by Friday. Ann and I went to visit his grieving widow at a nursing home in Portland last evening. Their son, Trey, was there from Marble Falls. Another son, Clayton, is driving from Oklahoma. He was found at his home Sunday morning by friends who noticed the car there. Herb went every day from Taft to Portland to be with Nancy, his wife, and feed her her meals. He was a loving, caring husband and father.

Herb worked for Hormel for many many years. He blanketed South Texas from the Valley to San Antonio selling the Hormel products to grocery stores. Their big product was SPAM. He was a super salesman for that Minnesota Company. A few years before Herb retired the Company set up new plans of District management. Herb was being promoted to a more prestigious position in Houston. It would have been a dream for some younger men. Not for Herb. He informed the Company he was not moving to Houston. He would continue what he had been doing or they could retire him. The company actually backed down and allowed Herb to stay in his position in South Texas. One could only do something like that if they were respected as a top producer, like Herb was for them..

Herb was Mayor of Taft the ten years we were there. He worked hard in promoting the city. He gave countless hours to a job that paid him nothing, but satisfaction in helping his town. He was also a faithful member and deacon at First Baptist. He was a special friend to this pastor and to all our family. I will have the sad duty to speak at his funeral service Wednesday.

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. In humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:4

I can walk out our front door, turn right on seventh for a half-block, and then turn left for less than half a block, turn right and walk 100 feet into a good Mexican food restaurant. The cook will have Tejano music playing. The girls working there speak with heavy accents. The juevos rancheros and tortilla and coffee are great. They open at 6:00 AM. I enjoy that early morning walk!

I can go to my left, later in the day, and walk two blocks to a shopping center and tank up on most anything from squid to shrimp. It is a Chinese buffet. I can go next door to that place and have a Pizza at Panjos, or walk a little further down that strip center to a sandwich shop next to the theatre.

I can walk across highway thirty-five and find a Subway, Popeye's, or a Pizza Hut. All of these places are less than three blocks from our front door. Why eat at home anymore? The truth is we don't very much. It is a new way of life: A life of quick service, good food, and convenience. None of these places make me stay and do the dishes. I can leave and not smell fried fish or chicken all afternoon. They take care of the garbage. I have several choices at each place. Not so bad, huh?

When Ann does decide to prepare a meal at home she seems to spend hours in the kitchen. I make more than one trip to a grocery store. We set the table and do the dishes. It is an event. The food is always better than any of the other places mentioned. No question about that. The cook, however, and her assistant are worn out. So, eating out is a vital part of our lives. We are learning how to cut back and split meals when possible. Order less chicken. Cut burgers in half. Bring a doggy bag home and re-eat an earlier meal. Hey, it is 6:20 AM and Ann is sound asleep. I am out of here! Let's see...turn right and go half a block...and then turn left.....I can hear the Tejano music already!

On this Friday, the last one in January of 2010, some entire states are in the grasp of wintry weather. Oklahoma is covered. So is Arkansas. Parts of Texas are being hit with wind,snow,and cold arctic winds. It is a double reminder: First, it is still winter. We cannot hurry it on through. Secondly, our own plans become secondary, however important they may be. These two reminders tell of a third reminder: God, and all His great creative powers, including the weather, have a lot to say about what we do and where we go!

How often has this simple hymn been heard; "He's got the whole world in His hand. He's got the whole world in His hand. He's got the whole world in His hand. He's got the whole world in His hand." .....the wind and rain.....the tiny little baby.....you and me, brother. He's got the whole world in His hand.

The spacing of a single letter can take us from "Have a nice day!" to "Have an ICE day". Wherever you are out there take the one that best fits....and be careful! Remember, He has it all in His hand.

The one I write about was not Jesus Christ. He is not in the past tense. He is still changing the world as He changes people, one by one, who come to know him. This man changed the world by a product. The man was Henry Ford. The product was called a Model T. Let me tell you a little about this man.

Henry Ford was a farmer's son. He was a runner, long before it had popularity like today. Folks thought he was crazy. He was a tinkerer. He was an inventor. Someone said of him: "He had a twenty-five track mind with trains going on all the tracks at the same time". He was full of energy but had a casual way. He believed in hard work. He once said: "Chop your own wood and you get warmed twice". As a young man he got a job in Thomas Edison's factory. They became fast friends. He shared with Edison a plan to make an inexpensive car powered by liquid fuel. Edison liked the idea. Ford designed such a car. He called it the Model T. He wanted something everyone could afford, so he had to come up with a way to build them that would be efficient and cost saving. It was the assembly line.

Henry Ford went to The House of Morgan (JP Morgan's bank) to get a loan. The House of Morgan was the largest bank in the country. They turned him down. They said cars were only for rich people. Ford found the money and started his business. The first Model T came off the assembly line in 1908. It cost $850.00. People didn't have to be rich to buy one. People who had never been further than their feet could carry them began to travel. Roads were built and improved. Businesses sprang up . Factories grabbed his mass production idea and began making washing machines, refrigerators and other appliances. Motels were needed. In 1914 when the average worker made $2.40 a day for a nine-hour day, Ford started paying his workers $5.00 a day for an eight-hour shift. By 1916 the price for a Model T had dropped to $360.00! He put our country on wheels. You could buy a Model T in any color you wished as long as it was black. The same held true with the Model A which would come next. We had one of those when I was boy! Henry Ford lived until 1947. He would have been proud this week when the word came that Ford Motor Company made profit when all others did not. They made jokes about his rattling flivvers and Tin Lizzies, but Henry didn't mind. He said, "I hope they never end!". He was smiling all the way to the bank.

This information was obtained from History of Us, An Age of Extremes by Joy Hakim