Johnson's Journal Jotter

Off to Pathfinder Camp

2012-01-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the pathfinders getting ready to leave for camp. It started drizzling shortly after this so not many pics. We should have sent the camera with C over the w/e! Apparently they had a wild and wonderful time!

Some Friends

Falling in....but the rain is starting!

Some local Tennessee land

2012-01-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

Pics of fields and trees...

Frosty

Frost poking through the soil

The greenhouses going up

Wet weather wash (WWW)

Plastic over one frame or so.

Lots of cedar trees

More on Daniel 11

2012-01-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

The following is a summary of a handout given us by the presenter, Tim Roosenberg. He has a website which has more information on this: IslamandChristianity.org. I believe he may be changing the website so I'll keep you updated if and when this URL becomes outdated.

OK, so back to business. (Since I'm basically a ~~lazy~~ resourceful, ~~ingenious~~, efficient person, I've decided to take a photo of each page and put each one here. Then you can click on it to enlarge and actually read it yourself!) {Later: Oh blogspot, what art thou doing now? No enlarging??}

As I may have said before, in no way, in any modern day reference are individuals referred to as "evil". He is talking about the religio-political "systems", not individuals.

Here's a summary of the page shown below: The first part of Dan. 11 starts at the kingdom of Persia. As you may know, Dan 2, 7 and 8 explain the sequence of coming kingdoms starting at Babylon. The reason this chapter starts at Medo/Persia is because Babylon is already no more in Dan 11. All the kings of the north attack Jerusalem from the north, even if they exist to the east or west. In this part of Daniel 11, until v. 25, the king of the south is Egypt for the most part.

The first three quarters or more, of Daniel 11 has already occurred (for us in the 21st Century) so these are historical facts for us. For Daniel and the people in the 6th or 7th century B.C, they had not yet occurred. So for us, the book is "unsealed" as we look back on historical fact and match up the events.

Here we see reference to Antiochus III (Antiochus the Great). Many might think he is the fulfillment of the little horn of Daniel 8 but he doesn't fit there - in time, place or character. You'll see further on in Daniel 11 who the little horn is.

In verse 22, reference is made to Jesus who is the "prince of the covenant" - see Dan 9:25. (In fact, Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy of Jesus, the coming Messiah.) In this section of Dan.11, the kingdom of the north becomes religio-political - pagan Rome becomes papal Rome. The king of the south now enters its Islamic phase.

Entering the pre-reformation and reformation part of history. This would be in the 1500's to 1600's I suppose.

Now we enter the "time of the end" - starting in the mid 1840's. The third "woe" is yet to happen. I imagine some think or thought it could be the attack on America on Sep/11/01. I suppose it could be that but the way it's described, it might be much bigger. Verse 41 says many countries shall be overthrown. So perhaps this hasn't happened yet.

The "news from the east" is that of Jesus' soon coming. That infuriates the devil who attacks with greater vehemence than before (through his agencies). We know it's the time of the end because as it continues into chapter 12 (no chapter distinctions in the original language). Michael "stands up" - remember, he sat down (to judge) in Dan 7:9,10 - so His work as judge of the saints (Dan 7:22) has ended and it's time for them to possess the kingdom. The 7 last plagues fall, causing a terrible time of trouble. Then the two resurrections occur (each separated by 1000 years as described in Rev. 20 {eg:v.6} ).

May we all be found ready for Jesus' return and if we die before then, that we will be raised in the first resurrection, never to die again! Right now, death is still our enemy - death is the last enemy to be destroyed/conquered. (1 Cor. 15:26) and it won't be destroyed until there is death no more - that means at the end of the 1000 years.

Praise God for the prophecies of the Bible and the hope we are given! (And I also praise God there is no eternally burning hell to torture people forever!)

Daniel 11

2012-01-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Daniel 11 is fascinating. It seems to be one of the easiest prophetic chapters to interpret because it is so chronological and follows history until the present. Revelation, as you know, is written in a chiastic pattern and sometimes can be hard to follow. For example, you're reading along about all the trumpets and suddenly at number six it stops and gives some other information before finally coming back to the 7th trumpet a chapter or more away! Same with the seals, woes, angels and other things.

Last Sabbath I was able to attend a seminar on Daniel 11 and they gave us a hand-out. I'll give you more details from that coming up - interesting stuff!

I'll mention some basic principles regarding the interpretation of Daniel 11 here. (I'll see if I can remember some of the basic ones without running upstairs to get my notes....)

Although it speaks of the "King of the North" or "King of the South", these refer to various kings that come (attack) from the north or south - it isn't just one literal king.

Near the end of the chapter, it also refers to religio-political powers, not necessarily just a physical king or country.

When one king or kingdom is overthrown, it isn't mentioned again, and thus when continuing to speak of the "king of the north" (for example), it is now referring to the NEW king/kingdom.

The ultimate King of the North is Jesus, as is the King of the South - He is the King of Kings! The ones mentioned in this chapter are "imposters" and "usurpers" to the real throne of God's kingdom, which only Jesus can claim.

OK, that's a teaser for the blog with all the details. Get out your Bible and read Chapter 11 now to get that overview....

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's 2012 - as you all know, being on the same planet and all....However, you cousins in Australia and New Zealand all reached the new year before we stragglers on the other side of the world did! Perhaps we should move the date line every so often - just to be fair!

On a serious note, (my oldest brother) Dave, passed away some years ago while in the middle of writing a series of pamphlets on the meaning of life....well, here are his own words describing them:

"In this series of pamphlets I have sought to present the most fundamental facts of life and their implications and show how they point to a God of love. I have tried to provide sound reasons for the things I present, but, because the topics are very concisely presented, a little contemplation may be necessary to understand them.

Due to the rapid progress of an incurable form of cancer, I have had to combine my last three planned topics into one -- making 5 pamphlets in all. I had also planned a further series but now must refer you to others who I believe can carry on from where I have left off."

He wanted them distributed to anyone who might be helped by them. I'm going to start with the last one and work backwards, because I know the posts usually go from latest to earliest. They'll be clearly numbered. And since I can't seem to help myself and keep my big mouth shut, I've added one or two words to his writing - and colored them blue. I'm also going to be adding some pictures for illustration.

So - I'll post this short introduction today, then put each of the others in separate blogs, and only post the whole lot when all 5 are done. (Later: Well, isn't that great!? I posted numbers 3 and 4 in the wrong order and can't change it! Blogspot, I don't want to "delete" anything and re-do - what can I do to rearrange the posts? Answer: Go to the editing mode, click on "Post Options" and change the time! Thank you, Google!)

Feliz nuwe year! (3 languages in one!)

EXISTENCE - Something instead of nothing (Part 1 in the series)

2012-01-05T20:05:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered

* about existence - the fact that there is something instead of nothing?

* about the properties of the very first thing to exist?

* about our relationship to nature and the "Infinite" behind it?

This most basic of all facts has within it implications which place us at the great divide between truth and error.

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What if there had ever been absolutely nothing,

* no matter, energy, or forces of any kind?

If such a condition had ever existed there would still be nothing - absolutely nothing.

There would not even be a consciousness anywhere to know that there was nothing - forever and ever.

Therefore, since there is existence, we know that "something" must have always existed.

The "Always-Existent"

When we try to describe the features and attributes of the very "first" thing to exist, we come across some rather perplexing and unique problems. Because it is the very "first" thing, it could not be made of anything - there would be no pre-existing thing (matter or energy) from which to have made it. It could not have a natural design, since there would be no pre-existing forces, materials, or designer to impose constraints on it. And, because this "something" always existed, it could not have had an origin.

Such an "existence" cannot be defined, confined, or limited in any way - there is simply nothing by which it can be limited.

Anything which is not limitable in any way is necessarily unlimited in all ways - and that is the definition of "Infinite God".

Because he has no necessary or imposed characteristics, the character and the form (or forms) by which we know Him, the infinite God, are entirely of his own choice and revelation.

Two categories of Existence

All existence is either uncreated or created - that which has the characteristics of God,(which IS God) and that which does not. Because nature is restricted, it is not infinite. Because it is not infinite, it is not God. Even energy and the forces of nature (gravity for instance) are finite and operate within defined bounds. Because they have inherent limitation, they are excluded from being God. They are therefore dependent on God for their existence - and so it is for the whole of creation. God is quite distinct from his visible and invisible creation

Conclusion

From this most basic of all facts (the fact of existence) comes the most basic of all truths - the truth that God is the infinitely mighty creator of the universe and that we owe every aspect of our existence to Him. Any conditions He set for our existence would be rightly and justly given.

The most basic response to this truth should be for us, with awe and respect, to acknowledge Him as our creator and God. As we see His interest in us, through what He has created and how it operates, we can know that we are in the hands of a loving creator/father and that we can find rest as we put our trust entirely in Him.

CONSCIOUSNESS - The awareness of existence (Part 2 in the series)

2012-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered

* about consciousness - the fact that we are aware of existence?

* about the vital difference between animals and humans?

* about whether a "soul" or "spirit" is necessary for matter to have consciousness?

There can be no greater loss than the permanent loss of consciousness.

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Rocks respond to the heat of the sun by physically expanding.

Plants respond to stimuli according to their genetic design.

Animals respond to subjectively felt sensations which cause them to interact appropriately with their environment.

Computerized robots can be made to use tools, interpret information, and respond to nearly any type of physical stimulus - all with amazing speed and accuracy.

Subjective Sensation

But, although robots, plants, and rocks can "sense" a physical stimulus, for instance light, they have no mental mechanism (as animals do) with which to subjectively experience it as sight.

Subjective sensory experience, such as the experience of sight and sound, and even emotional feeling, memory and mental visualization, is the conversion of physical stimuli in the brain into a mental experience. Until it is converted by the brain, in its appropriate centers, into a subjective sensory experience, pain has no reality as pain, a falling tree makes no crashing sound, and the memory of a particular person is not "pictured" and felt emotionally.

(The experience is the final step in the transfer of information, as represented successively in a variety of possible media - radio waves, magnetic tape, light, etc - between the original stimulus and the brain. The experience is thus a representation of the original stimulus or message.)

True Consciousness

But, although animals may have the mental features necessary to convert a physical stimulus into a sensory experience, and obtain meaning from it, their "minds" are blank to the higher, (objective) knowledge that they are experiencing these things.

(It is because animals cannot "know" that they are doing or experiencing things, that they can never be held morally accountable for their actions. Animals do not have objective consciousness.)1

Humans have a higher awareness which allows them to be objectively conscious of the drives, emotions, and environment which they subjectively feel. Humans need the subjective "animal" experience of sensation in order to have something to be objectively conscious of.

(This essential human ingredient would appear during childhood as mental structures developed sufficiently to allow it.)2

Conclusion

Consciousness allows us to know of existence. It is our most precious possession and its permanent loss would be the greatest loss that we could ever have. Without consciousness, nothing would exist for us - we would not even know that we know nothing.3

Consciousness and awareness of existence develop as the genetic design, placed in us by God, unfolds from innocent, trusting childhood into full, analytical questioning, and accountable adulthood. When our brains are unable to support consciousness, due to physical reasons, we lose all awareness of existence.4

Consciousness places mankind in a unique position among creatures in that we alone are able to question our origin and acknowledge God as our creator.

Indeed, this greatest of all gifts from the hand of God, places on us the just obligation to acknowledge with thanks, Him, who not only created this world and us living, feeling, and creative beings in it, but who also made us able to be aware of it all.5

Supporting Biblical References

1 Psalms 32:9

2 Exodus 21:22 (fine for life of fetus);
Exodus 21:23; Leviticus 24:21 (life for life of adult).

3 Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10

4 Psalms 146:3,4

5 Genesis 2:7

INIQUITY - The nature of sinfulness (Part 3 in the series)

2012-01-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered

* about sin - its origin, nature and results?

* about freewill - the fact that we are able to make decisions which really count?

* about what the highest form of freedom is?

The awareness of our thoughts and actions, in full consciousness, and the ability to control them, implies freewill and makes us morally responsible beings.

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As the story goes,
there was a garden -- Eden

There was a perfect and holy pair --
Adam and Eve

There was a test -- the tree of knowledge of good and evil

and the forbidden fruit,1 - the taking to themselves the right to say what would be counted as good and what would be counted as evil in their lives.

The Fall into Sinfulness

They accepted the offer of the serpent - the offer of the "highest form of freedom" - and chose self-rulership above God's rulership in their lives.

God honored the freewill which he had given them and they and all theirs became self-centered rivals of Himself, - by nature.

The nature to consult our own wills, above the will of our creator and rightful ruler, is the essence of all sinfulness and the open door to all sin.

The Source of Sin

This condition of sinfulness opens the way for the perversion of our own God-given physical drives, desires, and needs. The "king" indulges his appetites and passions at will, with little regard for the debasement and hardship caused. He seeks honor and recognition, power and glory, with little regard for the way he obtains it. He loots and hoards and grabs for himself, lest he should suffer hardship at any time.

While alienated from God, we are mistrustful of Him and we feel insecure. Our self-centered wills are the cause of the misery in our world. As long as we unrightfully possess the rulership of our lives, we cannot escape the results - disease, hurt people, and want.2

Responsibility

The awareness of our thoughts and actions and the ability to control them in full consciousness, infers freewill and makes us morally responsible beings. We must give account for the things we do or think - unless, of course, we are the highest authority in our lives.3

Since we owe all that we have and are to God, our creator, we should be subject to His authority and law, and should give account to Him. Justice demands our submission to Him.

A Period of Grace

The moment Adam became his own god, he should rightfully have had to support his own existence (since he cut himself off from Creator God by choosing his own way). Since all existence is dependent on God, he should have been immediately annihilated.4 His continued existence is evidence that God did not allow the just results of his choice to follow their course. Instead, He has provided a period of grace - an unmerited period during which a plan has been put into action to resolve the problem of sin and sinfulness.5

Conclusion

Through the choice of Adam, the first human being created by God, we have inherited sinful natures.6 And since we are responsible (to our creator) for the things we do in full consciousness, we are accountable before God for the sins we commit.7

We have been able, through many generations, to see the results of self-godship. We are now able to make a clear judgment as to its non-desirability in society. Laws are instituted to prevent sin, but we fight against them by nature, and we are all found to be faulty and guilty members of society.8

The fact that we live in a period of grace, gives us hope that God, in His love, has a plan whereby we can be made free of this terrible sinfulness.

Supporting Biblical References

1 Genesis 2:8,9; 3:1-6

2 Romans 7:21,23

3 Hebrews 9:27

4 Genesis 2:17

5 2 Peter 3:9

6 Romans 5:19

7 Romans 2:2

8 Romans 3:10

ALTRUISM - The love of God (Part 4 in the series)

2012-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered

* about altruism - the reflection of God's character of love?

* about the nature of human love and where it comes from?

* about what the standard of love is that God demands of us?

The feelings of natural family love were given to us to teach us of true altruistic love - the love which we must have in order to conform to the law of God.

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A mother will, without hesitation, risk her own life to save the life of her baby.

A father knows that there is no power on earth that can stop him from honoring (or trying to honor) the utter trust of his little boy.

A couple in love know very deeply that neither of them would intentionally do anything to hurt the other.

And how parents will watch over an ill child and how they grieve at its death.

Such is the nature of human love.

Chemical love

And such is the nature of electrical charges, neurotransmitters, and hormones as they are experienced in the brain. These particular feelings, which we call love, are among the strongest and purest that we can know. The effect is to produce actions that resemble very closely the unselfish, bottomless love of altruism - but they are not altruism.1

As fallen (self-centered) children of Adam, altruistic love is foreign to our hearts and experience. Even our seemingly unselfish acts, when examined honestly, reveal some self-centered motive.

The feelings of natural family love were given to us to teach us of true altruistic love - the love which we must have in order to conform to the law of God.2

Altruistic love

The content of the law of God, which is a reflection of His character, can be summed up in one word - altruism.3

Altruism is love, similar to the purest love we know among ourselves, but with an important difference - it is infinite in nature. The supply from which the goodwill is drawn, has no limit. It can therefore not be generated by finite beings.4

This love never fails.5 It is like the love of an (ideal) mother (unconditional and accepting). It is the kind of love we would like to continually receive from others.

This love does not tolerate injustice. It zealously recognizes God as the creator and rightful ruler. It comes to the aid of those who have been wrongly treated. It warns those in danger. It treats, with tenderness and mercy, those who have been hurt.

This love is others-centered. It seeks humbly to serve rather than to be served. It places a priority on self-improvement - not for self, but to improve one's ability to unselfishly help others. (Of course, in the kingdom of God, we are also recipients of this love.)

One's own passions, drives and appetites, are held in check for the sake of others. There is no clamoring for status or position. Imposed hardship, abuse, and injustice are accepted, not only with patience, but with a joy untainted by any thought of self-righteousness or retaliation.

Conclusion

Clearly, the purity of thought required by the moral law of God (altrusim), disqualifies us from ever entering the utopia of His kingdom.6 When the period of grace ends, the lives of those who are still sinful, will end with it.7 Because our sinfulness is an integral part of our natures, we have a problem which we ourselves cannot solve.8

But, because God is altruistic, He will come to our rescue. Surely we can wait on Him, with childlike trust. This trust He, as our loving and all-powerful father in heaven, will not disappoint.9

Supporting Biblical References

1 Isaiah 49:15

2 Matthew 22:30 (Human love is temporary teacher)

3 1 John 4:7,8

4 John 15:4

5 1 Corinthians 13:8

6 Romans 3:10-12

7 Revelation 20:9,10,13-15

8 Romans 7:24

9 Isaiah 25:9

REVELATION - Communication from God (Part 5 in the series)

2012-01-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered

* about revelation - the opening to us of the methods and plans of God in our salvation?

* about Jesus Christ - did He need a nature like ours to be able to save us?

* about the relationship between the law of God and our salvation?

In representations of reality, God has spoken to us. In the lives of His people and in symbols, He has revealed His plans and His method of saving us from our sinfulness.

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In multiple forms and with chosen roles, each member of the triune God, seeks to reveal to us the character of God.

God, the awesome but kindly Father, reveals it in the content of His law.

God, the faithful and obedient Son, reveals it in perfect compliance to that law.

God, the Holy Spirit, reveals the character of God in the love of those whose minds He influences.

Living symbols

To illustrate His plan of redemption, God intervened in the lives of the patriarchs. In the roles played by their first and second sons, He revealed the nature of the two great dispensations to be in effect during this earth's period of grace.1

Cain's sacrifice was not accepted, Abel's was.

Jacob received the blessing instead of Esau

The first dispensation was one associated with bondage -- bondage to the self-centered system of Satan.

The second dispensation revealed God's provision for our release from that bondage.

The Sacrifices

Through sacrifices and ceremonies, God enabled the children of Israel to participate, by faith, in the realities of the second dispensation.2

The "burnt offering", (an animal totally consumed), represented One whose dedication to God would be perfect.3

The "sin offering" represented One who would receive the guilt of sins committed, and carry the penalty of them before God. The life of the animal, represented by the blood, was proof that the penalty for their sins had been paid.4

The Incarnation

The long-awaited messiah was to be one of Adam's children, with a (human) self-consulting nature, as we all have, but also with the altruistic heart of God. Although He was God, he needed the fallen nature of man to be able to overcome the temptation to consult His own will, and so become man's perfect substitute.5

Salvation

Through Adam's choice of a self-consulting nature for mankind, and our alienation from God, we have not been able to fulfill our duty of perfect compliance to the law of God.6

As the "burnt offering", Christ lived a perfectly sinless (God-consulting) life on behalf of mankind. And as the "sin offering", He paid for the guilt of our sins - as His life was wrung out on the cross.7

Through faith and trust in the altruistic love of God, as shown in this act of sacrifice, our submission to God is restored and our alienation terminated.8

Faith in this same love, as impressed on our minds by the Holy Spirit, enables us to forfeit our own desires and needs, and trust God's will instead. When tempted to consult our own wills, we trust that He knows best and will provide for us in our need. Through faith, we overcome sin - as Christ overcame it.9

(If we refuse to confess and forsake any sin, as pointed out by the unchanging moral law of God, we reject God and revert to self-consultation by conscious choice and once again fall under the sentence of death.)10

We can be thankful that God is a God of altruistic love. When justice demanded our death, He, through Christ, bore the pain of it. We know that we can trust Him at all times. We can face death without fear as we trust in His promise of the resurrection. Let us make sure that we are not unsubmissive in any one point, so that we can enjoy the favor of a loving God forever.11

Supporting Biblical References

1 Galatians 4:21-31

2 Hebrews 8:4,5; 10:1

3 Leviticus 1:3,4,9

4 Leviticus 4:2-7; Hebrews 9:22

5 Hebrews 4:15

6 Romans 5:19

7 Hebrews 10:8-10

8 2 Corinthians 5:14,15

9 1 Corinthians 10:12,13;
Revelation 14:12; 1 John 5:4

10 Hebrews 10:26,27

11 John 11:25; James 2:10;
Psalms 23; Revelation 2:7

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

To one and all! May you enjoy what is truly important to you this holiday...

Decorating the Christmas tree a couple weeks ago

hmmm, posing, are we?

The finished product

Another look at it!

A nice effect at the Christmas eve service

The star of Bethlehem

A bagpiper adds to the ambiance (I seriously love those things!)

We have a few things under the tree, I see.....

Yes, it's Christmas eve....

Feliz Navidad, Gelukkige Kersfees, Happy Christmas!

Agriculture Symposium

2011-12-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Recently spent a week at an Agricultural Symposium a couple states away. Here are just a few of the many pictures from that most informative and wonderful week.

Some of the cold frames behind the school buildings

Coldframe

A few farm animals

You can see the tip of the compost heap poking out to the left

Some kind of pheasant

Duckies - they were so cute - talking to each other constantly....

Some of the winter garden in front of the greenhouse and coldframe

One of the planting plots

The lettuce do well even in the cold.

Red clover as a cover crop on the top field

Broccoli

Coming along

Can you guess what this is?

It's a Cosmic Purple Carrot! Tastes out of this world - mild, sweet, crisp, colorful, and a fantastic size! I recommend this wholeheartedly!

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of the gardens. And I hope I'm sufficiently educated to do better in my own garden this next year. One main point - make sure your soil is augmented with the right balance of minerals etc, and pH balanced. Your produce will be healthier and you will be too!

A "Grand" comes to visit

2011-12-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

We had a tiny 2 month old visitor this summer - tiny, but he made his presence known and was consistently the center of attention! What a sweetie. Here's his account of his visit:

Here I am laughing with Mama

Let me try to copy what she's doing with her tongue!

Ha ha, that's funny!

I'm a cutie! Did you know that?

Mommy and Daddy were glad to see me so peaceful and sleeping as I'd had bouts of collywobbles recently. I don't like collywobbles - and Mommy doesn't like me to have them either!

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz - dreamland is so fascinating....

With Great Granny and my Daddy

With Great Granny and Grandpa - they're all the way over here from South Africa to see me!

I know I'm loved......

Four generations

Oh, I'm such a good looking boy! Yessirree!

Grandpa is taking me flying - it's a little scary - but I'm hanging on!!

Bye for now....we hope to have more pics sometime soon. It's nice that Daddy has a website just for me....so I know Granny and Grandpa and Great Granny and Grandpa visit me there a lot!

Kitty sagas

2011-11-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Nothing is ever easy at this house when it comes to our pets. We have one geriatric 17 1/2 yr old cat who can't poop in his box so it's on the floor next to it! Now we also have a young female stray outside who has adopted us (DANG!). Then we have Sunny who lately has been getting into fights even though he is a fixed male. This is what we saw over a month ago!

What on earth, Sunny?! (it's red b/c I put mecurochrome on it)

What is going on? It doesn't look like the skin is broken.....but I was wrong! The vet says he got scratched/punctured and an abscess formed. And of course he couldn't leave it alone - licking and licking!

This is what you get when you lick stuff, Sunny, my boy! Unfortunately I didn't have this BEFORE he licked it to death. We took him to the vet and he stitched him up. This healed up nicely; I took the stitches out and lo and behold - the next day he got into another fight and re-injured the first place, ripping it open again and getting another couple injuries, one on the side of his abdomen and another small one on his face! Back to the vet we go after the side one abscessed....

This is what the vet had to do on our second visit.


Only half of it was stitched for some reason...the vet knows I'm sure - maybe for drainage....

Unfortunately, the lower part doesn't seem to be healing.


This is the first shoulder injury healed up pretty much. It's all matted because I had pine sap on it - unfortunately, that stuff gets on everything when it's put on a cat - and it's next to impossible to clean up!

Poor boy can't clean himself and has been miserable the last few weeks. I tried taking the Elizabethan collar off and five minutes later he was licking the side injury! So it's back on for you, my boy. Plus you have to stay inside (what a travesty). Matted hair, balding spots - what trials and tribulations!! I feel for you and sincerely wish this was over!!

Serenity NOW!

Update Nov. 23:

Healing nicely, finally!

This is a side-~~kick~~ note: Someone commented that Bud was just looking into this shoe and passed out....so here he is....ha ha, poor boy!

Update:

Survival in 5th Grade - Orienteering!

2011-11-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago the 5th graders had a whole day of orienteering - first learning the basics of compass use, practicing that in an open field - and then.....we were set loose into the wilds (literally Cohutta Wilderness). As the adults, we weren't supposed to correct or set them on course, but to guide, or tell them to "check again" etc....We were at their mercy! Around 11 or 11:30, we were dropped off on a road, given a setting (see, I've forgotten the proper term already - was it "bearing"?) and that ~~would~~ should bring us back to the practice field. If you're following the logic here, that means we have to go in a STRAIGHT line from point A to point B (felt like point Z). This means over hill and dale, through thickets, through trees, up and down cliffs, over ~~rivers~~ streams, bear lairs, mud sloughs, swamps, sinking sand and other minor obstacles. (Please - am I not allowed a little exaggeration??!!) Here are a few pics of our (long) day.

At first, everything checked out peaceful and calm...(albeit a little blurry)

We all headed over to the council fire to learn the theory of compassing.

No problem - only a couple hundred feet of scenic flatland

Here we are. It's a little chilly, hence the fire. However, the "counsellors" were running out of wood - no problem, they sent some of the 5th graders out into the woods to find some, and a couple of the dads did some quick chopping.

Listen carefully - your life could depend on it!!

Aaahhhh, NOW we're talking! That's more like a fire!

No help to us in the "time of trouble"....

OK, we need to get this sighting straight. One dad doesn't trust that compass - he's got his own on an iPhone app!

The ~~abandonment~~ drop off point for one group - there were at least 5 groups of 5.

Lunch break on the "trail" already for our group.

Are you sending us in the right direction?

I think I'll sit right here and wait for a helicopter. Don't worry about me, you go on ahead....

Into the deep..........steep?...........weep!

Hey, we can barely see you!

Oh no! Where IS everybody?

Oh, here they are taking a break by a lovely creek! We MUST be close to "home" (but oh no - we were actually still about an HOUR from home with a couple more MOUNTAINS to go over!!!!!)

Let's take a break, shall we?

Whew, at last we made it back! We were only a few hundred feet off. Total distance covered was about ~~twenty~~ ~~fifteen~~ ~~ten~~ one (and a half) miles. (SURELY it was more!?)

We were treated to a hotdog and ~~burnt~~ fire-roasted baked beans supper! Delicious!!

Thank you Southern's OE program - that was super fun and VERY educational! (and the only lasting (physical) momento is a sore shoulder from grabbing onto a tree as I went over a cliff - must have strained a ligament - we won't even mention the psychological counselling and potent meds needed afterward).

Summary of 4 months

2011-10-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture summary of some of our doings this summer/early autumn.

The big news - visitors from South Africa. Welcome to America.

Lookouts game (a losing proposition)

Lunchtime with some of the family

Lots of Scrabble with Mom (and sometimes Dad)

Lots of gardening

Almost 40 cantaloupe - I hate that the deer ate 8 - not so great!

Violin lessons

Canning - tomatoes, here.

Working on puzzles

Relaxing with friends - this is Rocky

A nephew's birthday party at a local lake.

Making peach jam - yes, it's delicious! And we didn't even have to use High Fructose Corn Syrup!

A new haircut - bangs!

Teaching Daisy to jump through the hoop

Artwork

Painting/Coloring

This is what the deer did to ALL my watermelon! Does anyone have a shotgun?

School starts

More scrabble!

Weddings

A precious visitor from the west. My folk enjoyed their great grandson! (The rest of us enjoyed him too! - there'll be a whole blog post coming up on just his little precious self!)

Four generations.

Camping with the Pathfinders at Indian Boundary

There are 32 Friends altogether.

A family photo - always missing a few, though!

Autumn is starting to show itself.

Canoeing the Hiwassee - R, you just don't know how lucky you are to live by this river! Spoiled, that's what you are!

Time to say good-byes :-(

Another puzzle

An edible plants seminar

Pathfinder Induction night.

A - ten- HUT!!!!! (or something like that!)

You ARE a Friend, right?

Did you say your eyes were running? We have a lovely crop of Goldenrod this year!

Our spider lily shows itself yet again. We've only seen it three times in the last 7 years.


Can you grab that plane, little girl? (actually it bumped into her moments later) Plane hits girl.

Hay, you!

There's no shortage of pumpkins in TN this year.

FOL fall banquet - the food was excellent, as usual!

What happened to you, Sunny? It's very red due to Mecurachrome. (antiseptic)

Apple Jelly made by yours truly.

Some great clouds today.

More clouds - storms coming, actually.

Here is the Samaritan Center barrel which I decorated for our Sunday Fall Festival - on Oct 16. (I suppose more will be forthcoming about that later).

Tomorrow is Nerd Day at school. I think this looks more like Hillbilly day, but that's just my opinion! :0 Hey, here in Tennessee, all nerds are already hillbillys anyway, ha ha!

Addition to the Israel blogs

2011-10-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Found this great audio by David Asscherick on the Israel story. He brought out some very interesting aspects of "Israel" that I hadn't thought of.

http://www.truth146.com/images/David_Asscherick_all_eyes_on_israel.mp3 or let me add the link here: David Asscherick's mp3 on Israel

Enjoy!

Busy, busy!

2011-09-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Have been really busy lately! Hope to be back to regular blogging before too long. I have lots of pictures of the latest grand who is now 2 months old! So expect some mushy blogs coming up...

Summer canning adventures

2011-08-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here's some of what we were able to do this summer.

Tomato "stew" and sauce

Hope it lasts awhile.

After doing the above canning, this is what we brought in THAT afternoon! It's never-ending...

C cutting up peaches

Boiling them up for jam.

Sterilizing the lids

The finished jam - it IS DELICIOUS!

Some of the tools of the trade.

The moolie

The blender


Tongs!

'Twon't be long before tis time for apples....in the meantime, I'll enjoy the reprieve!

We can ALL be Israel, part 2

2011-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the second part of this (one-sided) discussion. Now that we've established that Israel "as a nation" has been rejected as God's "chosen" people, proclaiming God's law and character to the world, we can go to the Bible again to see that there is now a new Israel, or "Spiritual" Israel, and discover who makes up this people, and see what their commission is.

As we established last time, God's promises are largely conditional (not ALL of them of course, but most of them). God makes, as it were, a contract with us - individually or as a people/nation. He contracted with Abraham, the father of the Jewish race. His descendents were to be a blessing to those around them and point them to the coming Messiah. I mentioned this in part 1.

It had very little to do with salvation - only pointing the WAY to salvation - Jesus. (Salvation was, and still is, offered to anyone who believes in God and wants to follow Him, then and now.) There are many examples of "Gentiles" or heathen, who found the way of salvation through the Israelites - too many to mention all of them but here are a few: Rahab {Joshua 6:17}; Ruth {Ruth 4:10-17}; a multitude of Egyptians who joined with the Israelites {Exodus 12:38}, King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:37}, King Darius {Dan 6:26,27} and MANY others...

On to Spiritual Israel:

In the old testament, we read that one day God was going to include Gentiles in His "special people". Isaiah 66:12 says, "For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream...". Verse 16, "For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh", verse 19, "and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles", verse 23, "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." But, you say, this only talks of including anyone in worship of God, and of salvation, not of being "Spiritual Israel". Bear with me.

Paul, who was a preacher specifically to the Gentiles, includes them in the same fold as biological Israelites. Then he goes on to qualify a true Israelite: Galatians 3:7, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham"; verse 8,9, "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed, So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham". Gal 3:14, "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith"; Gal 3:26-29, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise".

Ephesians 2:11-14, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; verse 19, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;..."

Ephesians 3:6, "That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"

Colossians 3:11,12, "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;"...

Romans 2:28,29, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God".

Rom 4:11,13, "And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that the righteousness might be imputed unto them also;...For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith".

Rom 11:1,2 says God has not cast away Israel but has kept a remnant (v.5) and v.7, "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." Then he goes on to say that the Gentiles, "being a wild olive tree" were grafted onto the tree (of Israel), and now "partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree." He goes on to warn them that although they are now part of Israel, they too, could be cut off from the tree due to unbelief and lack of faith (v. 21); as faith is now the criteria for being part of Israel, which is called Spiritual Israel.

Further evidence of this is that ALL Israel will be saved, v. 26 "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." Obviously we know that only those who accept Jesus will be saved, so all the promises to "Israel" for the future, are NOT to temporal, national Israel but to a Spiritual Israel - made up of individual believers in Jesus from any and all nationalities.

Spiritual Israel is therefore all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, and who "follow the Lamb (Jesus) where ever He goes" (Revelation 14:4). Our new commission is given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19, 20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen".

Let us make sure we all are a part of that Israel; and don't pin your hopes on a national Israel. They can and will be saved as individuals - just like any individual in any country and nation in the world, but not as a corporate nation of temporal Israel.

We can ALL be Israel, part 1

2011-07-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

What was the purpose of God calling out the nation of Israel? - to be separate, to be special, to be unique, "peculiar", to be blessed and to be a blessing? As a nation specially called "out" and made special, starting with Abraham, they were to stand out among all the heathen peoples of the time - to show what God could do in a corporate nation's life.

They were to be the light on a hill - to point people to the coming Saviour, to prepare the world for the great high point of earth's history; and they would draw men's minds to God by their pure, holy and exemplary lives. They were, as Jews, to be a "guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,". (Romans 2:19). Like a precious jewel among the nations.

Hezekiah pleaded to God (in Isaiah 37:20) "...O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only." Even in God's deliverance of them from their enemies, people all around were to know that God is the only God. God's name was to be lifted up in everything Israel did, and in that way, the way of salvation was to be revealed to all nations. And in their seed was to come the Deliverer, Jesus.

Well, we all know the people of Israel failed God. Instead of showing people a better way, they capitulated and took on the heathen's gods; they took on their customs, their morals, their idolatry. Instead of showing the world that God was soon to come in the form of Jesus, as their Saviour, they actually rejected Him, the Messiah, their redeemer from sin, and the world's saviour! In many ways they were WORSE than the heathen around them. God gave them a "probation" of time from Abraham to the time of Stephen's martyrdom (A.D. 34). A time when they should have done the will of God but didn't. God, and His revelation in the Scriptures, was never meant to be for the Jews only.

They were to know Him and spread the word. They were the guardians of the scriptures - but not to hoard it and keep it from others.

Jesus therefore predicted their downfall and rejection as God's chosen nation: Matthew 23:37,38 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." It was their choice as a nation to reject the commission He had given them long ago. He then commissioned the Christian church to do the work Israel should have done and in this way, WE become the new, Spiritual Israel: Matt. 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." The question is - will we now fulfill our commission as Spiritual Israel?

God never forces anything on people - He gives many conditional promises and if we steadfastly reject them, He reluctantly drops the case and we suffer the consequences. If we continue to say that the temporal, contemporary and national Israel is still God's chosen nation (we're not talking individuals), then we're saying God is forcing them to be His chosen nation even after they rejected Him - the long awaited Messiah. It's too late for them now to do what they should have done thousands of years ago. Now they have to accept Christ Jesus as the Messiah as they join the Christian church (Christ's disciples) to tell people the gospel and to point now to His Second Coming.

In the next blog I'll show how the Bible reveals that we are Spiritual Israel.

More Garden News

2011-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's encouraging to a gardener to work hard and see the results in a fruitful, producing vegetable garden. Praise the Lord we have a great garden this year and are reaping the bounties of God!

Cantaloupe/Spanspek

A squash flower

Squash, melons etc

Tomato

More squash

Too many! :)

Oh, Baby!

2011-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

What a "grand" little boy he is! And so big already. He'll be one in less than 2 weeks.

He was so funny - the grass was wet and he wanted nothing to do with it!

What a cutie!

Almost too big to carry now!

What's with the hairstyle, boy?

Time to say "bye" for the long trip back to Florida! :-(
We'll miss you!

June

2011-06-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided I love June. The tomatoes leaves are still green and everything is in the "growing" phase but now large enough to look lush. The summer thunderstorms are more frequent and the cicadas are beginning to be loud.

By July, things start to look ragged, turn brown and are generally worn out! Plus, June's flowers are some beauties - gladioli, roses, hydrangea, daylilies and dahlia. (May's are also great, by the way - peony, roses, azalea, etc.)

Some of these photos you've seen before:

Anticipating a thunderstorm on a June afternoon at a friend's house. Could you get any more lush than this?

Still ripening...I think someone/thing's harvesting these....hmmm

tomato, peppers and corn

Coming along

Looking healthy

Daylily

a patch of daylilies

The climbing rose on our back stair

I love climbing roses

No brown to mar the perfect greens.

Another climber

Lush, green corn.

Floating down the river.....on a summer afternoon.

2011-06-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know if there's a song by that name but if not, there could be! Today we floated down the Hiwassee again. This time, though, we had to contend with 2 thunderstorms along the way. Fortunately, other than a bit of rain, we didn't have lightning anywhere close. The closest lightning seemed to be at least 3 miles away. We paddled to the edge during the rain and stayed there perhaps 15 minutes before things looked bright enough to keep going.

Here are some photos of the trip.

As we started off we saw thunderclouds menacingly down river.

Not too encouraging when we heard thunder in the distance...do we keep going or stop?

The first time on the Hiwassee for A.

Having a wonderful time.

These little windows, when filled with water, form a lens to watch the fish, or the river rocks and grass floating beneath.

Someone's brave!

Now someone else is too! We came through this little misty section which I KNEW would be just GREAT for photos so quickly snapped a few which you'll see here and below.

Steady on the canoe, girls!

Peace

Due to the weather, we were almost the only ones on the river. I saw only one other group way ahead of us.

The Hiwassee is my favourite TN river.

The local corn is thriving.

Picnic supper afterwards.

We left the picnic site at around 9pm and got home almost 10pm! These late summer evenings are so lovely. This time I carried the camera with me and was glad I did!

Til next time...Adios!

Vacation Bible School, also known as Service Camp

2011-06-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Prayer Safari theme

Because C is now in the older group, they call it Service Camp for them. Most every day they went out into the community and did something for the local community.

Jambo!

On Monday, they made bookmarks and did other crafts in preparation for that. On Tuesday, they took water and cookies to the people on the Greenway and local businesses. On Wednesday half of the group took some of the crafts to a local nursing home to hand out and sang to the people there. On Thursday that half made more crafts while the other half went to other nursing homes in the area. On Friday they washed cars and collected donations for the tornado victims.

Also, throughout the week, everyone collected items to give to the Samaritan Center for area people in need. Things such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, underwear and other personal items.

Welcome!

C and the 3 D's had a wonderful time. Of course, the younger two did the regular VBS - theme: Prayer Safari.

Mostly Service camp kids in this pic. There were 103! (just ages 10 - 13)

Here are our 4 little munchkins.

Today they had the "grande finale" in the church and guess who forgot their camera?!

Another Music Camp

2011-06-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

We hadn't planned on having another music/strings camp the very next week after our last one on June 13....but despite missing crucial deadlines and thus assuming we weren't in....I receive a phone call Monday morning about where C was to show up for class....when I said we weren't coming I next get a call from the director who tells me in no uncertain terms that C was expected and they really needed her in the cello section, etc! So very obediently, (we negotiated certain parameters of attendance - only afternoons due to previously set engagements in the mornings - and C got a scholarship), we showed up on time at the first class - 2pm! At first C was annoyed that this was suddenly thrust on her at short notice - especially after we had decided not to attend it, but she gradually warmed up through the week (as I knew she would) - music is a language of love for her!

Again, we learned so much, including a very informative seminar on practice. I hope we can implement a lot of those ideas!

Her chamber quartet coach was Mrs. Amy Tyson. Excellent violinist and teacher from Denver, CO. She said C was funny and I heard her laughing a lot. (C still can't remember what was so funny or what she said that was so funny - little shnitzel!).

Since she didn't do the auditions for placement, they placed her in a quartet they thought would fit OK, and she worked with that one all week. The camp went through Thursday with the final concert Thursday night. Well, that's enough talking. Here are a few photos from the week.

The director at the sign-in desk!

The first class was on body awareness or something similar - you can tell a lot about C's attitude by the body posture!

The welcome picnic, Monday evening.

Very useful seminar on practice

One night we had a reading of Mendelssohn's Octett. (C was home in bed in the evenings).

We sat in a circle and a few sat in the middle to hear the sound. Anyone was invited to play along (which is why I was there playing cello).

The youngest ones - in the camp called "Insight"

Older ones in the "At First Sight" camp. This is on Thursday night at the final concert.

After the orchestra pieces, the stage was set up for the quartets and other configurations.

Cello choir

C's quartet (they had to "reschedule" and move this quartet to near the end as C realized she'd left her music at home! Talk about a panic. At least we only live 5 miles away!)


3 happy cellists

Cute, aren't they?

So, it all ended on a happy note, I'm relieved to say!!

Portly and Snout - Our neighborhood PIGs.

2011-06-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Did I mention we had a couple feral (?) pigs in our neighborhood for about 2 months. A little later one disappeared and not a month later, the other....after a big shotgun bang one day! Then the neighbor fires up his char-griller/smoker and I'm sure that was the end of him! I'm actually sad for him - and us! He was adorable. Here are some memorial photos....

Oink. I'm going to name you "Snout" and your friend, "Porky" or maybe it should be "Portly".

So beautiful you are!

Yes, just sweet!

And so trusting and friendly.

I could just hug you! Bye-bye Snouty! :-(. I hope our neighbor enjoyed your chops!

Sadness!

Mary, Mary....quite contrary....

2011-06-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

How does your garden grow? Again, here are photos. (Lazy, aren't I?)

There was about a month or more where we had very little rain - nice not to have too many weeds, but am thankful for our hose to the well water.

Spinach and beets coming along nicely. The net is for the ---- deer, snorken' beasties!

Zucchini is surviving.

So is the yellow squash.

A teeny tomato hitching a ride, it seems.

Everything's growing well.

Even the glads.

These glads are so pretty.

Blackberries! Me thinks we might have to "net" them as well!

Another kind of zucchini.

A little bit of everything is growing on this hill.

Our nice little garden. Cucumbers in the foreground.

Some growth is happening. (Compare with picture one)

The kids area is starting to bear fruit.

Getting rather large.

We're starting to eat the spinach now.

Something is starting to eat my tomatoes! Do deer eat green tomatoes and spit out some of the skin and the top leaves? Not a trace of anything else was left and I DID see some very suspicious deer hoofprints around those plants! Dang - we have to do something!!

I'm keeping very quiet about this beautiful cantaloupe.

Is this a watermelon?

Funny shaped peppers.

Again, the deer have about decimated this ocra patch. This is the day before the dastardly deed!

Something yummy.

Our schizophrenic hydrangea - here it's blue....

and here mauve. In another place it was also pink last year.

A climbing rose.

A rose by any other name.....is still a rose.


Catching the morning sun.

I'm glad to say our garden is doing much better this year than last....Maybe because it rained SO MUCH last year that we couldn't get out in it to DO anything!

McKee Picnic is come round again!

2011-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Seems like it was only yesterday that we had our 2010 McKee Foods picnic. Well, here it is again. It was a lovely, hot day - and no rain! Here are pictures to tell the story.

C's favorite "ride" - the giant swing.

A boat hits the water!

This is what they look like, but different colors.

About to go on the alpine something or other. Not my cup of tea. A looks positively terrified but still managing a smile!

This is a new theme - though an old ride on the same tracks. Instead of a haunted house, it's now something about gadgets/technology.

Those ski lift things.

A large thunderhead forming - but it didn't bother us here so all was well.

What fun in the cooling off area. The kids love it - and so do the adults - we have an excuse to cool off under the cool mist sprays.

They both got pretty wet.

Ferris wheel fun. They were on seat number 8.

Again, we had a really nice time. Thank you McKee Foods for a lovely picnic!

Another Hiwassee trip

2011-06-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, here are some photos of the beginning and end of the trip down the Hiwassee! I gave my camera to a friend to keep and didn't see her again until the end! It was wonderful floating down the river on a perfectly splendid Sabbath afternoon. Slowly gliding past farms, cottages, fields of corn, cows grazing, kids playing, others floating, glider planes and white fluffy clouds above; clear water with rocks and fish below; is a wonderful way to spend a hot summery day. The water was refreshing and clean(ish), - you know! - heavenly!

Afterward we had a picnic supper and got to bed rather late - going on 10, I think it was!!

Many of us brought floaties this time, rather than all canoes.

These are the ones we brought - the yellow/blue ones have a little see-through window at the top end to look through at the fish and crawdads below!

At the end we hauled our vehicles back to the top end to collect the top vehicles and have our picnic at Gee Creek campground.

Trying to pack all the stuff into fewer vehicles.

This is at the lower end.


Let's eat!! And yay, no flies this year!

Every time we go on this little excursion, I wish we could do it more often. Seems like we only get to it about once a year, though. That HAS to change!!!

A new orchestra

2011-06-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

We decided to let C try out for the Chattanooga Youth Philharmonic Orchestra this year and she made it, yay! She's in first stand in the cello section so has a big responsibility there! Here are a few pics of a 2-day summer workshop they had, to familiarize the kids with the music before rehearsals start in earnest in the fall.

Wrapping things up at the end of the second day.

Announcement time

Be sure to put all your stands and chairs away.

C is really excited about being in the philharmonic this year. I'm sure she'll enjoy it. No doubt there'll be updates down the road on this venture. Ta-ta for now.

A Friend's Wedding

2011-06-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of our friend's wedding (for which I also played the organ).

The church was beautifully decorated.

Longtime friends of the groom, Mr. J with daughter, C. This is so rare with his suit coat and tie on that I have to get several pics in while I can!

The obligatory group shot. Wow, in this photo, the dresses look red - they were actually deep pink.

The beautiful wedding cake.

C and C - who both share a birthday!! Little C was the flower girl.

Lets try and cut this without tipping it over!

The reception.

2011 Youth Strings Camp

2011-06-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Mountain Arts Community Center sponsored the second annual Youth Strings Camp on Signal Mountain this past week. Although C was slightly on the young side (they let her in based on playing level) she was able to participate all day, every day for the past week. She had a really good time and is already talking about next year!

They had a great faculty of teachers and coaches from the local CSO (Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra) and also brought in Joseph Lee, Resident Conductor of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Huntsville Youth Orchestra, and Music Director of the University Orchestra at Sewanee, University of the South. He also has several other appointments and positions including one in Costa Rica to which he travels about 4 times a year. He brought 9 students and their instructor up from Costa Rica with him to the camp. He had a wonderful rapport with all the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed his leadership and instruction.

They also brought in U.S. composer, Robert J. Bradshaw from Gloucester, Massachusetts. He had been commissioned to compose a piece specifically for this strings camp and was here all week to oversee it and to teach composition classes, give lectures, etc. Gorgeous piece which I'll include at the end. He composed it in the style of a Concerto Grosso, and depicted the recent storms we've had in the south - a little hair-raising to hear it, but exciting music!

A nice feature of the strings camp was the opportunity for small chamber groups of various sizes and abilities every day. C was in a trio and played the cello part of the Corelli Christmas Concerto during the chamber segment.

Classes offered included Conducting, Composition, Ear training and Theory, and Improvisation. C did the Conducting class, with Professor Lee. I have a hunch she might end up doing some conducting farther on down the road - she has a good sense of rhythm, memorizes music easily, knows how to play more than one instrument and wants to learn to play others, and loves to direct people, ha ha. We'll see in 10 or 15 years...I'll get back to you, Lord willing.

Here are a few pics from the week at Signal Mountain Middle High School:

Unpacking on the first day. This is at a new school which has a whole wing dedicated to the arts - music, fine art and drama including a +- 2 - 300 seat theatre, 2 to 4 art classrooms and practice rooms and rehearsal halls galore. This photo is of one of the practice halls, almost as large as a gymnasium as you can see below too!

This was early on the first day so only a few people had arrived.

Our arts wing entrance.

A small group rehearsal with Mrs. Sandy Morris, conductor of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra downtown. All the faculty were of the highest caliber!

On Friday afternoon they had chamber group performances. This is the cello choir performing.

This is C's trio about to perform the Corelli.

Friday evening's performance in the theatre. This is one of the orchestras, led by Maestro Joseph Lee. 3 CSO members joined in for the concert - the only time C will probably ever play first cello chair over two CSO members!!!

This lady is the main benefactor of the MACC youth strings camp, Norma Witherspoon. We are all grateful for her support!

Another of the orchestras performing.

Group shot at the end. My camera hates the glare from bright lights!!! Mr Lee and Mr Bradshaw on the left.


Standing for applause at the end after the obligatory Ashokan Farewell. C is on the far right, in front.

I haven't formatted the video for publishing yet, but when I do, I'll put the Bradshaw and others, here. If you know of any up and coming strings player from 6th - 12th grade, I recommend this camp for overall musical growth and lots of fun!

Progress continues in Apison

2011-06-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd update you on the progress being made in Apison where the large EF4 tornado passed through 6 weeks ago.

Lake's house coming down

This is how it was when we helped at this site on May 30.

Lake's house is gone - this was taken June 1.

Lake's house site - ready to re-build! First week of June.

THE OPEN HOUSE

Yes, this is the "open house". The side walls are up! (taken June 1)

Now the roof trusses are on (also taken June 1)!!

Now the roof is on, side walls covered (with something??). Taken June 3

Windows and doors in already

Closer-up of the windows etc. (June 5)


From a distance, and now showing the grass seeding to the back and maybe some other landscaping.	(June 10)

THE QUINNS PLACE

A train going by the Quinns property (taken May 29)

Footings for the foundation are starting to be dug here. You can see the camper the Quinns are living in to the right. (Taken June 1)

Their house goes up amazingly quickly! And now, for the first time, they have a garage! (taken June 10)

Wow, the roof is on already! The white car to the right was smashed in the tornado.(taken today, June 11)

This shows the whole place there with the camper trailer and all.

Stat updates for fun

2011-06-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the stats from the last month for interest' sake. Sorry about the formatting - blogspot is the worst for that lately!

May 9

United States
                                                 46
United Kingdom
                                                 23
Canada
                                                  8
Australia
                                                  5
France
                                                  5
Germany
                                                  4
Slovenia
                                                  4
China
                                                  1
Denmark
                                                  1
Indonesia
                                                  1

May 15

United States
                                                92
United Kingdom
                                                15
Slovenia
                                                10
Argentina
                                                  7
Canada
                                                  7
Germany
                                                 5
France
                                                 5
Philippines
                                                 3
Australia
                                                 2
China
                                                 1

May 20

United States
                                               84
Germany
                                               16
Slovenia
                                                 9
Argentina
                                                 7
France
                                                 7
Philippines
                                                 3
Iran
                                                 2
Belgium
                                                 1
Brazil
                                                 1
India
                                                 1

May 21

United States
                                               71
France
                                                 9
Slovenia
                                                 4
China
                                                3
Iran
                                                2
Uganda
                                                2
Germany
                                               1
India
                                               1
Macau
                                               1
Pakistan
                                               1

May 29

United States
                                             51
Slovenia
                                             14
France
                                               9
Germany
                                               4
China
                                               3
Iran
                                               3
Uganda
                                               2
India
                                               1
Macau
                                               1

United States
                                             30
Slovenia
                                             19
Moldova
                                               8
United Kingdom
                                               5
Germany
                                               4
Russia
                                               4
Hungary
                                               2
Indonesia
                                               1
Israel
                                               1
India
                                               1

June 2

United States
                                              40
Slovenia
                                              16
United Kingdom
                                               3
Russia
                                               3
Iran
                                               2
Qatar
                                               2
Brazil
                                               1
Germany
                                               1
Hungary
                                               1
Indonesia
                                               1

A Spring Recital

2011-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is C playing David Popper's Gavotte Op 23, No 2 (for cello, I THINK!). Again, I have to go the YouTube route so sorry about that! As I mentioned in the "notes" the room was really dark and my little camera couldn't make up the difference, so I had to "enhance" the video....you'll see!

Gavotte for cello by David Popper

Hope you enjoy it!

Clean-up is happening! There IS hope - it CAN be done!

2011-05-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Corner of Clonts and Apison Pike.
Sorry about the Out of focus - this was taken by a friend while we were driving around since I didn't get this exact shot - but it's from facebook.... the resolution is poefy! (horrible)

Here is the exact same corner 3 weeks later.

Putting up a new house! (about May 30)

Trusses almost all on (May 31)

Progress (June 1)

In the middle of clean-up

Looking quite different again.

Lake's house the day after the tornado

Almost 3 weeks later

Almost gone...(we had worked here the day before this was taken)

Gone.....

Along Apison Pike

Partly cleared

The heartbreaking day after

Cleaning up the mess

Only foundation slabs left

The Quinn's house several days after

House is now gone.

I guess they might rebuild.

Clearing for the foundation


Starting to dig the foundation. (In the meantime, the Quinns are staying in the camping trailer you can see on the far right)

Salvaging belongings

A couple weeks later


Looking for our old cottage

There it is again

Garden of Eden versus Valley of Destruction

2011-05-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know the South is alive and well, and still has its sense of humor:

Yep, it's an "open" house all right!

People have been rallying 'round to help. The tents on the right are filled with water and food for anyone who needs it, and crews have been working non-stop to clear this corner for someone in need.

And just over the hill --- the garden of Eden....survivor's guilt rears its ugly head again....

Mushrooms by our hemlock

C took some of these photos. Here we get a nice close-up.

Ah, my little rose bush is growing and is SO beautiful.

And to think I "rescued" it from a potential construction site! (In the background, S is hard at work weed-eating the ditch). Any ideas on how to kill the grass growing up inside the rosebush??


A week or so later

Our Magnolia blooms again (and they smell heavenly)

Tornado clean-up and other stuff

2011-05-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I had to document the girls doing clean-up as I had neglected to do that before (document it, that is) and they've been real troopers hauling away debris and doing their part, so here they are working hard.

Cleaning up the roadside

Some house siding wrapped around a tree

Finding shingles, insulation, bits of plywood and 2X4's, siding, metal car parts and other junk.

Back home after working hard.

Ah, we have a different shape this time - do you see the tornado on the 27th?

Adios til next time!

Sheep shearing

2011-05-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we watched folk shearing some Jacob sheep. I think they were glad to get rid of their hot, woolly coats!

Corn!

Looks awkward but it's gotta be done.

Sir! You're getting a-a-a-awfully close to certain va-a-a-a-luables! Please be Ca-a-a-a-reful!!

The back shearing is the most fun to watch.

Lotsa wool.

This is a year-old lamb - first timer.

I've put some of this on Youtube plus some hilarious shots of two frisky headbutting males after they were sheared.

Sheep shearing

Sheep headbutting

Headbutting sheep, with sound effects!

Tornado comes too close!

2011-05-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our survivor's guilt is only offset a teeny bit by not having electricity for several days and no internet for 10 days after a tornado passed by too close for comfort on Wednesday evening, April 27, 2011. Many homes were destroyed only a few hundred metres from our house and several lost their lives. Clean-up will be ongoing for months, I'm sure. Pictures will help give an idea of the devastation but of course, only being here will truly impress one with the total change in landscape of this area.

Only C and I were at home when the tornado came by. We heard the "roar" right as we lost power. I brushed it off as a train although there was no usual whistle of the horn but we did hurry down into the basement. Only later that night did we find out that an EF4 had passed through our area when S phoned from the countryside somewhere where he and a friend had been trying to get home. All the roads were blocked with trees as they tried this one and that one, and he eventually had to just give up trying and walked the last two miles (about 4 km) home, getting home around 12:30am. He was visibly shaken by the total destruction he saw and by how close he came to dying when his head brushed an overhead electric wire in the darkness. Fortunately it wasn't live!! Whew!

On Blair Road - this used to be a thick forest

The roof of County Line grocery store

What's left of County Line grocery

Taking stock the morning after

No more house

Morning after. This house is lucky to be there.

What's left of the Lake's house

Lots of firewood

Debris everywhere. Apison Pike

Wires strewn everywhere

Someone's barn flattened. We live just over this ridge.

Collecting belongings

Alabama road

In shock morning after

What do we have left?

Next door to the previous family is this upside-down mobile home. No fatalities!

Miracle survivors - some animals - a horse, donkey and some goats

Metal roofing and siding wrapped around trees like candy wrappers.

This one and another horse didn't make it. They're about 1/2 a mile from home.

On McGhee Rd

McGhee road. This was a "mansion" house. In the tornado's direct path, no economic class was spared.

This was a house next door to the previous photo. All survived!

A house collapsed on itself on Lead Mine Valley Rd

There is a lot of roofing work to be done.

Only the roof. I couldn't see where the house was.

This family had just spent over a year working on their nice wooden fence.....

One can see the electric pylons bent like soft candles. The houses in this subdivision mostly only suffered from roof damage, thankfully.

Clean-up begins

Painted on the house is: "God spared us".

Clean-up a week later on the flat-smashed McGhee Rd house

A triumphant declaration!


Corner of Klonts and Apison Pike. I promise you, you will NOT know where you are when you drive here for the first time afterwards. It looks like a bomb went off.

Well folk, that's my little show for now. I have a video on YouTube showing much the same as above with a little video mixed in. Actually, I'm having a little trouble posting to youtube so we'll see......keep checking!

Here's the link: Tornado damage in Apison

I'll never make light of tornadoes again

2011-05-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived a really CLOSE tornado on April 27. We're still offline but am using the library for now. We're all safe but only a few hundred feet from us is total destruction. Will post photos when we get back online. Just to let you all know we're still in the land of the living!

Spring visits

2011-04-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for tornadoes, rain, new green, flowers,

allergies, and this year, inch worms.

Of the latter, we must be having an eruption. They're everywhere, hanging down from trees, just waiting to stick onto a passer-by, waving good-bye as they hitch a ride somewhere into the unknowns of inchworm land. Cute, but destructive. I hope the birds are having a feast! Someone always benefits....That's the beauty of this world - it seems to balance out eventually.

A couple deer at Enterprise South nature park

Our Japanese maple

We had some visitors from Florida this past week. They left this morning for Arkansas - hopefully missing some of the storms I see featured there today. We had a good time with them. C and Grandma enjoy each other so much. Too bad they live so far away...we always say. But Grandpa loves his warm weather, counting each time he has to scrape frost off his windshield. "I had to scrape frost off 5 times this winter", he'll say. That'll be a bad winter. Usually they might do it only once or twice, I guess, who knows? They live south of "Frostproof" but from time to time, that's a misnomer.

Enjoying supper with friends and family

Grandma did all of our mending! Thank you Grandma!

C played "Gavotte" by David Popper, for Grandma
(It may or may not be on YouTube... I'll add it here if it is!)
Gavotte in D major by David Popper

The obligatory first picture of the garden - still a lovely weed-free brown

We'll keep you updated, I'm sure!
Until next time, keep safe!

More stats continued.

2011-04-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

From the past few days.

United States 101

Hungary

Canada

Philippines

Singapore

Denmark

France

India

Iran

Russia

Some Prophecies regarding the end times Part 2

2011-04-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the next endtime prophecy:

7. Matt 7:24-27 (also in Luke 6:46-49) Foolish man/house on sand; Wise man/house on rock

Means of Investigation: Did the house fall or stand? (Does the character stand the test of crisis {at the end of time}?)
Point of Division: The storm/rain. (a coming crisis that will test character)
Classes separated: Foolish/wise (shaky character/firm character)
Results of separation: House fell or stood (character crumbles/fails, or it stands the test - being built on the "rock" which is Jesus)

8. Matt 7:16-21 Fruit trees - good or corrupt.

Means of Investigation: Looking at the fruits (are we doing the will of the Father?)
Point of Division: Harvest time (time of the end)
Classes separated: Good fruit vs bad fruit (results of doing God's will or doing evil)
Results of separation: The bad trees are cut down and cast into the fire (the evil will be cast into the fire/rejected)

9. Mark 13:34-37 Man left on a journey and returned

Means of Investigation: The man returned and checked on his workers (Christ investigates those on the earth)
Point of Division: When he suddenly returned unexpectedly (Christ will "return" unexpectedly - His judgment will take many by surprise)
Classes separated: Servants who were sleeping and those watching and waiting (Some of his workers are found sleeping and some are watching, alert and waiting)
Results of Separation: No results given in these verses but assumption is - do not be found sleeping/not being aware of the lateness of time.

10. Luke 12:35-48 Wise stewards waiting for their Lord to return from the wedding.

Means of Investigation: The Lord returns from the wedding (Christ comes at an hour "we think not")
Point of Division: Found servants either faithful and ready, or merrymaking (Will Christ find us hard at work for his kingdom, or "merrymaking" with the world?)
Classes separated: Diligent vs slothful (those found diligently working for his kingdom vs those not caring to)
Results of separation: The slothful were beaten by many stripes (Those not working for his kingdom will be punished)

11. Luke 14:16-24 The great banquet

Means of Investigation: The invited ones refused the invitation (Those who are invited to God's kingdom but who refuse the invitation)
Point of Division: Those who made excuses were rejected for others (Those of us who refuse God's invitation will be passed over for others who will be eager to accept his invitation)
Classes separated: Those busy with worldly business and those poor, maimed, halt and blind - the outcasts among us (Sometimes it's the rich and worldly who don't have time for God, and those who are simple and poor are more ready to accept it fully)
Results of separation: Busy ones couldn't feast and celebrate with the man; those who accepted the invitation had a wonderful banquet to enjoy. (The feast represents heaven and God's reward - it is up to us to accept the invitation wholeheartedly and not with reservations and distractions that keep us from it)

12. Rev. 14:6-14 The 3 angels' messages to the earth

Means of investigation: 3 angels give a warning to the earth (3 messages about the end time come to us through messengers sent from heaven)
Point of Division: The hour of judgment is coming, and has come. (God's hour of judgment is here NOW. We must separate ourselves from "Babylon" - false Christianity/religion, and follow the Creator God now.)
Classes separated: Those who stay in Babylon vs those who "come out of her" (Those who stay in apostasy of false religion and those who come out and worship the true God, and don't receive the mark of false worship - of worshipping the "beast")
Results of separation: Will drink the wine of the wrath of God (God's wrath without mixture (or dilution) will be fire and brimstone (v.10) when all evil will be destroyed forever. On the other side are those saints who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus")

These are just 12 parables of the end times which warn us to be ready for Christ's coming - not only the second coming but his coming to judgment. Remember, when Jesus comes, he brings his reward with him - people are already judged by then. The investigation of the "sheep and goats" will happen just before he comes, at which time the separation will be made manifest. I hope you and I will heed these warnings and be ready for the sudden coming of the end.

Some Prophecies regarding the end times

2011-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

I know you've been waiting for something on last day prophecies! So here are some parables that Jesus told concerning the last days. I'll leave you to read the actual parables in the Bible, so here are the references: (The template used (with Red letters) is from Medical Missionary Press in NC). The blue font color explains the meaning of the symbols (as I see it, or as explained in the parable itself) used in the parables. Many of the parables have the explanation right there.

1. Matt. 25:1-13 The 10 virgins

Issue of Investigation: Did they have oil in their lamps to last them the whole night? (Holy Spirit - in another symbolic "story" in Zech, the oil represents God's Word)
Point of Division: The bridegroom arrived (Jesus work {represented by the legal aspects of a marriage typical in the middle east} is over and he is coming to the feast)
Classes separated: Foolish vs. Wise (prepared vs unprepared)
Results of Separation: The foolish virgins were shut out of the banquet feast. (the unprepared will be shut out of eternal life)

2. Matt 25:14-30 The use of "Talents"

Means of Investigation: What was done to invest the money given them. (What have we done with the light, means and talents God has given us)
Point of Division: The master returned and asked for an account (It will be "asked" what we have done with our "talents" - an accounting/a "judgment", so to speak)
Classes separated: Two who had doubled their talents and one who had buried it (2 classes - those who have invested their talents and those that did nothing).
Results of Separation: The latter was cast out into outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. (This group will be cast out of the running for heaven and must face eternal separation from God, with weeping and gnashing of teeth).

3. Matt. 25:31-46 Sheep and Goats

Means of Investigation: Whether they were kind to people and showed love to them (sheep) or the opposite (goats).
Point of Division: An investigative court scene at the end to see if they had the above characteristics.
Classes Separated: Sheep/Goats (those who are loving and those who are not)
Results of Separation: Heaven or everlasting fire (everlasting separation brought about by destruction)

4. Matt. 22:1-14 Marriage Feast invitation

Means of Investigation: Invitation to the feast and then checking on wedding garment (have we accepted God's invitation to the "feast" {eternal life}, and are we eligible for it by wearing the garment of Christ's Righteousness and not our own)
Point of Division: Whether they accepted the invitation; then whether they wore the garment provided. (We can accept God's invitation to eternal life, but then try to get there by our own inadequate righteousness)
Classes Separated: Accepted/not; Wore garment/did not. (Accept invitation or not; trusting in Christ's merits, or not. A quote from Christ's Object Lessons, p 310 says: It (the wedding garment) is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.)
Results of Separation: Those who refused invitation were not worthy to partake of the feast; those who didn't wear the provided garment were thrown into outer darkness. (Those who come trusting in their own merits are instead cast into outer darkness, and those who refuse the invitation are not included in the feasting /are not found worthy - note that it is by their own choice.)

5. Matt. 13:24-30 and 37-43. Wheat and Tares

Means of Investigation: At the end, dividing the wheat and tares (at the end, the division of the righteous and the wicked)
Point of Division: Harvest time (harvest of the righteous at the end of time)
Classes Separated: Wheat and tares. (the righteous and the wicked)
Results of Separation: Tares are thrown into the the furnace, wheat to the kingdom (the wicked are, as such, thrown into the furnace to be destroyed, and the righteous to God's kingdom)

6. Matt. 13:47-50 Dragnet.

Means of Investigation: Sorting the good and bad fish/creatures (distinguishing between the worthy and the unworthy)
Point of Division: End of the harvesting (End of the world. Angels will sever the wicked from the just)
Classes Separated: good fish/bad fish (wicked/just)
Results of Separation: the bad were cast away and the good were kept (wicked cast into the furnace of fire).

7. Matt. 7:24-27 (Luke 6:46-49) Foolish man/sand and wise man/rock

I'm going to continue next time when the sandman leaves me alone.....