Rick and I received warnings on our cellphones that we might have to evacuate due to the Kincaid fire northeast of town. Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor had already been evacuated. The blaze was out of control, consuming acres of grass, brush, trees, and some houses and businesses. PG&E was shutting down power all over the state, and Sonoma County was on the list. A few days before the inferno, people had lined up at gas stations to fill their tanks before the electricity went off. They bought supplies from the grocery stores. And there was a rush on Continue Reading
Friends Fleeing California
Over the past year, several couples in our Bible study have moved away. Why? Here are some reasons (and something to consider if you long to live in California): Highest state income tax in the US 2nd highest gas tax in the US 1.3 Trillion dollars in debt Highest homeless population in Continue Reading
Shrek the Sheep
My daughter, Shannon, sent me a link to a story about a ten-year old New Zealand farm-owned merino sheep who managed to evade shearing by hiding out in a cave for six years. By the time Shrek was found, he looked like a wooly giant beach ball with a nose. He could hardly walk with his burden of sixty pounds of wool – enough to make 20 men’s suits. Another sheep, Chris, was separated from the flock and wandered in the wilderness for five years. By the time hikers spotted him, he was the size of a small car, but looked like a rain cloud on the ground. He could barely Continue Reading
Girls’ Time Out with Shadia Hrichi
Every couple of months, our church throws a fun “Girls Time Out” which usually involves a terrific speaker, lots of yummy food and plenty of time to hang out together. Always lots of laughter. We’re a small congregation, so we all know one another. So, this is also an evening when we can bring friends or acquaintances to join in the fun. This latest GTO was a special treat because we had Bible teacher, Shadia Hrichi, as our guest. I met this lovely lady at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference a few years ago. It was one of those “divine appointments” we often talk Continue Reading
Road Trip – Yellowstone
Rick took our eldest son to Spring Training in Phoenix, and our younger son on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion. So, I asked our daughter where she would like to go and her quick answer was “Yellowstone!” My quick response was “All right!” We met in Las Vegas, overnighted, then flew to Denver and on to Jackson Hole where we picked up our rental car. Our first two nights were spent in a resort right next to the steepest ski run in the country. No snow, but (oh no!) promise of rain. We picked up information at the Jackson Hole visitors center, Continue Reading
Creative People
One of my favorite things to do at the County Fair each year is wander slowly through the buildings displaying arts and crafts, landscape design and new or improved inventions. I’m always amazed at the creativity and ingenuity of people. Ornate, hand-made clocks, oil and watercolor paintings, photography, embroidery, quilting, rug making, needlepoint so fine it looks like a photograph, bread-cake-cookie baking, wood carving, poetry by young and old framed for our delight, canning, gutter guards, new and improved vacuum cleaners, chairs that massage you while you sit, new and Continue Reading
Sarge and the Tick
We’ve had Sarge on medications that are supposed to repel fleas and ticks. Well, one day I was scratching his back and noticed a strange lump. Upon further investigation, I found a swollen, tidily tucked in tick buried deep in his flesh under all that fur. It was pretty big, and clearly full of Sarge’s blood. I know better than to pull off a tick. The head can remain inside the flesh and spread infection. When you kill a tick by scraping it off, it will spit poison before it dies. And then the head itself is buried in dog/cat/deer/human and causes Continue Reading
Living History
Each one of us has lived through historical events. Some flow on by without making an impact. Others shape us. Some “events” don’t have a specific date – but the time is remembered. The Cold War, for example. Fear seemed to reign. In grade and high school, we had “duck-and-cover” drills to “prepare for” nuclear attack by the Russians. As if hiding under your desk would help you survive a nuclear blast. Even kids knew you might as well stand at the window and watch the blast. Several families in our rural neighborhood built bomb shelters. I remember Continue Reading
Sound Bites
I tend to collect interesting tidbits of information from our newspaper, a magazine, or something in conversation that I can’t wait to look up and confirm. Here are some examples: Baby brain facts: babies can hear at 24 weeks into pregnancy, and from then on are hard wired for relationship. Our babies recognized our voices. Rick used to read to them when they were nestled in the womb. I talked to them all the time, rubbing my tummy as I did so. Our eldest lifted his head and looked right at his daddy shortly after birth. I know that voice! What kind of Continue Reading
The First Meal on the Moon
by guest blogger Barney Cargile Slowly removing the container from his personal preference kit, Buzz Aldrin examined the elements in his hand. Sitting next to him, Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong had earlier uttered the historic words, “The Eagle has landed,” as the space module caressed the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. Those were the first words spoken from the moon, and now Aldrin was preparing to consume the first “food” on a celestial body outside earth. After a complicated legal procedure, NASA granted Aldrin permission to observe communion after landing on the moon, Continue Reading