Did you ever watch Sesame Street? I loved The Count. I hated math later on, but I like The Count. As an adult, when you watch these kids shows, funny questions always creep up on you. Like, how hard was it for The Count to work in a base 10 numbering system, when he only had 8 fingers. Did he have to re-learn all his mathematics? I was half remembering the pose in this photo for the number 5, but that wouldn’t work – would it? Well, be that as it may – The Count, here, is our mascot for today because we are going to tally some things around here. The magic number is 7. Ready? Continue reading
the count
30 Tuesday Jul 2019
as the saying goes… every day. I suppose so. Sometimes what we learn really helps us, sometimes what we learn merely makes us laugh. Sometimes we can act on it. Sometimes it keeps us from acting. Sometimes we need to learn something over and over again before it sticks with us. What did you learn today? 
One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. – Dale Carnegie
I find it interesting that sometimes a thought will be running round and round in my head and then a friend or family member will bring up the exact same thing. Happens with Sue and I a lot – probably because we live together, happens with Mom a great deal too, and often with my admin at work. Now, I find the connection is still there with friends back home. Case in point: when I was growing up, we had a retired Navy Chaplain in our church, Rev. Ted Herman, who never needed a microphone when he took the pulpit. I guess all those years preaching on the deck of ships at sea just gave his voice resonance. At the end of his services, as his pastoral blessing, he would intone a special prayer, the tenor of which had been rattling round in my head a great deal lately, but I could only recall a few specific words, “this troublous life…” and then vague ideas surrounding that sentiment. I think it had been in my mind so much lately because of – you guessed it – the horrendous winds we’ve been struck with. THEN, today I had a message from our friend Tracy, back home, asking about this exact same prayer. She was trying to remember it, but could only think of “grant us safe lodging… and peace at last”. So I just gave in and finally googled the few words I remembered with the addition of “Prayer” and found it. It’s called the “Prayer of Blessed John Henry Newman”. I’ve put a photo of it above. It also came to mind today because of some lodging issues we have of our own right now. Well, chicken lodging anyway. 
You know, “they” have labeled almost everything you can think of. I’m always finding out about labels that I didn’t know existed. I think I’ve heard of this one though, often it affects people who live in extremely northern or southern areas which experience lengthened periods of darkness, sometimes places like Oregon that receive a ton of rain – I’m talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). I don’t think we want to go so far as to say that we have S.A.D.; but we’ve sure been fighting off a case of the blah’s lately. I think losing Taco-George has something to do with it. The constant wind drives us batty and keeps us up at night, mostly worrying about the animals and whether the RCW will tip over again or not. The cold has just crept into our bones and it’s been hard to warm up once we’re back in the house… then all of a sudden we’ll be so incredibly hot, only to get cold again when we go out to do chores or put everyone away. The last few days have been dark and dreary, cold and windy, so I think we’re just feeling a little sun and warmth deprived. 
Winter trains roar moodily down our hillsides, towing the rain behind them and delivering it wrapped in wild gusts of wind. (I searched for quite a while for just the right image to go along with that carefully constructed sentence; this is the best I could come up with.) They try their utmost to sneak up on you while your attention is otherwise diverted by seriously pecking little friends, but their surprise is always thwarted by the prelude of sound slashing through the fields and trees above. The wind has been throwing the spats of rain against the windows; they serve as the percussion under the howl. Morgrim and Katie, the two cats who allow us to share their home, are unsettled as they hunker on the dining table with tails curled across their feet and gaze out the large porch window, to see the cactus wrens flying backwards towards their nests. Another interesting day in the high desert cold season. 
Don’t you just wonder that sometimes? You stand back and look at things, the focus is sometimes fuzzy, and you wonder…what’s happening? Maybe it’s the wind that was supposed to start at 11 this morning, but actually began in the dark hours of the day – wind always makes things seem… odd. Maybe it’s just that weird ‘Monday’ effect. You know, the one that makes you immediately nostalgic for the weekend. Whatever the cause, there were just some things this weekend,and today, that made me ask, quietly, to myself, mostly out of earshot of the chickens, goats, dogs and cats, “what’s happening?”. 
Sometimes we have issues with tumbleweeds. Not necessarily as bad as this house in the high desert of California, but they are a nuisance none the less. From a distance, they remind me of Tribbles and they seem to multiply with the same ferocity. We get them tangled in the electric fence all the time – they can do
We’ve just come through Advent and Christmas-tide… a time when you hear a great deal from the angels. Generally beginning with, “Fear not!” Nothing like a heavenly body suddenly appearing and admonishing you to “fear not” to get your heart racing. Not from fear, obviously. It’s something that we try to practice though, not fearing. Trusting that things will go the way they should/need to. “Things” are not always in our hands and we have learned to not be so concerned with the outcome. Fear can paralyze you, that I know first hand. So, we’re actively stepping out in faith on a regular basis. Yes, we step out in faith, but – honestly – we still worry. The worry isn’t necessarily huge, but even a snigglette of worry can have you questioning yourself. This weekend we were successful in tackling the fear in a couple of accounts, and not so much in another. That’s right, trying to stay true here. 
Wing and a Prayer 