I really like having people come here and visit, it seems a shame, sometimes, that I don’t update as often as I should. I could probably build up a nice little audience even if I only posted something every couple of days or so. I apologize. As many of you know, it was one of my resolutions to keep this blog updated. I feel bad about it, doesn’t that count for something?
I say I feel bad, but I have to add a caveat, which I have said many times before, there are some things in life that are more important than blogging. That is NOT meant to say that there are things more important than you guys, my fans, friends, fiends, foes and frenemies. Life just gets overwhelming on occasion and cannot always be answered by a simple “42.” I do know, however, that many of you are interested in what I have to say and what is going on with me, so I will give you the rundown.
I found out this week that my mom has stage IV Indolent Follicular Lymphoma. Cancer. Due to a veritable plethora of other health issues the doctor doesn’t think chemotherapy is a good choice. In fact, it could actually make it worse. He has prescribed hospice/home comfort care for her. She sent us some notes the doctor gave her to help her explain her condition (she’s not real good at explaining some things) and he doesn’t actually give a length of time she has. I have been told that they only use the word “hospice” if there are six months or less, however, my dad said that she might have two to maybe four years. Her church is buying them plane tickets to come out and visit so they can see Savannah again and meet Douglas for the first time. This is very generous on their part for several reasons, but the pastor said that since they have been members there for thirty years he felt like this was something they could do. They are a small congregation and don’t have a lot of money, so this is genuinely magnanimous on their part.
But there is not only bad news. Abigail has straight A’s and A-plusses on her grades without finals. She won an award in one of the math classes and earned a letter for academics! (Contrast this with me, who was not even aware there was such a thing as a letter in academics.) Tabitha’s achievements are not as easy to quantify since she is home-schooled and her curriculum does not allow her to get below an 80% in anything. She is kind of shy anyway and doesn’t mind that her sister gets the spotlight. She’s happy and excited for her.
We got a puppy. It’s a pure-bred miniature poodle named “Boston Blacky” after a character on the old-time radio shows. He and Savannah get along excellently. I have never been a fan of small dogs, but this guy is starting to really show some personality. He also gets along with the cats. Bagheera, who was never able to come upstairs when Snoopy was indoors now roams the house with impunity, Fraidy Cat has a more or less laissez-faire attitude toward him, Fee-Foe tolerates him as long as he recognizes that she is the queen, but the most amazing thing to me is how him and Cookie get along. Cookie is our full-bred La-Perm cat. They are curly-haired, but not bred or descended from any of the other curly-haired cats; rather they are descended from some barn cats with a strange gene. I mention all this because I think her pedigree influences her temperament and behavior.
I have never seen a dog and cat play together before. One will tag the other and they will take turns chasing each other. Then they wrestle like two puppies or two kittens! They really like to play with each other. It is amazing.
I have a couple of issues that I kind of want to write about, but really don’t want to jump in full-steam ahead, just yet. I have decided to steal Rambling-Rose’s term and call the people who are here against the law, “Trespassers.” Since trespassing is a crime, calling them “Illegal Trespassers” seemed like fodder for the U.S. Government Bureau of Repetitious Redundancy Department of Repetitive Phrases Agency, but the truth is, if you are somewhere illegally, you are trespassing. If you want to live here so bad, then you have to learn our laws and language and culture. I have some friends who own a Mexican restaurant downtown who did not participate in the walkout. “We’re Americans. We have a business to run and as far as I’m concerned, if you don’t show up for work on Monday, don’t bother coming in Tuesday, either.” This is an older couple who have worked hard to obey the law and do what’s right.
You do not have to give up your culture or language, just learn ours. When my Great-Grandfather was in the German Army, he disagreed with the Kaiser’s politics so he saved every bit of his money and when he went on furlough he booked passage on a sailing ship to come to America. He had to learn to speak English, but he was a hard worker and while he never became as rich as he had been told, he was able to start a farm in southeastern Wisconsin. If you moved to some other country, e.g., say Barbara Streisand were to actually keep her promise and make the majority of Americans happy by moving to, oh, some distant island, she would have to learn their language and customs and they wouldn’t care that she was a celebrity here. As I mentioned in a different entry, this country is made up of nothing but immigrants, refugees or their descendants. But they came here legally and didn’t trespass. I also believe that employers who hire these people should be tracked down and punished to the fullest extent of the law, whether they are a two-bit landscaping operation or a major big-box chain.
Another issue I want to address is the homogenization of the two-party system. As the Republicans (generally speaking, “my” party) have gained control they seem to have lost the convictions and beliefs they preached so heartily to get elected. Like their counterparts, they have tasted power and if they are not careful their party will be hijacked by Leftist Loonies, too. It can and is happening already. And just like the Donkey party only has a few moderate, intellectually honest, voices like Joe Lieberman (too bad Zel Miller retired), the Elephants will only have a few truly conservative voices, not realizing that it was their alleged conservative values that made up the “red-stater’s” minds. You watch though, any party, the next time they have a midnightsession to vote on whether to increase their own pay or not, I bet it’s a hundred to zero. They’ll all agree on that.
We celebrated our pastor’s thirtieth pastoral anniversary this weekend. This is an amazing thing in these times, especially finding someone who still believes in, preaches and teaches the same things he did when he started out. A lot of churches (not only in our organization, but everywhere) have stopped preaching so hard as they used to because they are afraid they won’t get any converts or keep the big tithe-payers. Pastor J is not that way. His old-fashioned preaching against sin, loving people and helping them still works. He and his wife started out over on the West Side of Colorado Springs at 2500 Busch avenue with 30 voting members, 22 of whom voted for them, to where we are today, approximately 500 people. Old-fashioned prayer and preaching were the keys. When we came back to church 18 years ago, he was still preaching the same teachings we had learned as children. Consistency of conviction. Maybe just having real convictions instead of thinking you have a conviction. A conviction is a core belief that is so ingrained in you that even the threat of death or worse couldn’t change your mind. You know a thing is true so thoroughly that there is no other way you could see it, even if you wanted to.
Anyway, I have great love and respect for the man and honor him deeply. I wish everyone could get to know him and what he is like. He is not a hard or harsh man, but rather is a kind and gentle man who is loved by kids and horses.
Okay, I am going to post this now before it gets too late. Thanks to all of you for stopping by.
Remember, the Good Book says, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
