The Rose on the Windshield

She came into class clutching a rose. “Someone put it on my car window. It’s not the first time, I have gotten other presents and flowers.” Some people in the class thought it romantic, others said it was scary. The girl said “I don’t know who is doing this?, I don’t know why?” About a week later someone who I had gotten to know as a friend came to me, “you have class with ****?” I said, “Yes.” “Do you know if she got the flower?” “Yes she did.” “I gave them to her.” “Why?” She then told me a story, “I was adopted. It took a lot of hard work but I found my birth mother and I called her and we met and talked. My birth mother told me I have a sister but made me promise not to contact her." My friend went on, “She’s the girl in your class. Don’t tell her. It’s why I transferred here. I just needed her to know that I was out there.” “I won’t tell,” I said. Years later I ran into my friend again. I asked her if she had told her sister about the reason for the rose. “No I never did, I kept my promise.” (this is a true story, it all happened over 30 years ago so the conversation and events are true the exact wording and what happened when may be a bit mixed up..the things my friend told me came over a period of several weeks...the alternative open that my memory also brings up is the girl came into class and said something to the effect that if someone in the class was leaving her flowers she wanted to say "thank you so much." Maybe both happened. I still remember the girl who got the flowers first name (and I remember very few from my college classes (especially electives)but because of the promise to my friend I am not putting it here. If by some strange feat she were to contact me I would confirm...but since very few people even read my blog i don't think that is going to happen...although I wish it.)

Starts Like A Duetz

I mowed my lawn tonight, well at least most of it and if it hadn’t gotten dark I think I would have finished it all. Mowing lawn doesn’t take a lot of brain cells and my mind tends to drift into many directions sometimes the same direction over and over. I know last year I thought of the same thing over and over (I can’t remember what it was but I am guessing sometime this summer while mowing it will come to me). Anyway tonight I got to thinking how nice my mower starts. It started on the first pull and last time I mowed it started on the first pull and in fact after sitting all winter it almost started on the first pull and if I would have put the one switch in the “start” position I think it would have. It even says “starts easy” on the top of the engine. As far as a mower goes it is about the same as any mower I have owned but it definitely starts the best. As I was mowing and thinking over and over about how great the mowers started I suddenly said or at least thought, “it starts like a Duetz.” Now only two people in the world fully understand that expression and one of them is me and the other is my friend Merrill. It was January 1978 and I had just finished a year and a half as a volunteer with Mennonite Voluntary Service. MVS was a program of mostly young people who worked in community programs. I had worked as a volunteer at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis. We lived in a communal house and we volunteers came and went usually stay one but sometimes two years. My term was up and Merrill had volunteered to drive out from Montana and pick me up. My mom had lent us her car. We did make a slight detour to Harrisonburg Virginia to visit some of his family attending Eastern Mennonite College. After our little trip to VA, It was then back to Indiana to pick up my stuff and go home. On the way back from Indy we took the more scenic route with stops in Iowa and Nebraska. We were headed for Nebraska to visit one of the girls (Judy Swartzendruber) who had been at Indianapolis while I was there and Iowa because it was on the way to Nebraska. In Iowa we stayed at the home of a girl who was still in our “unit” in Indianapolis (Jolene Roth). It had snowed much of the previous few days and we barely made it out of Indianapolis. I remember literally plowing our way through the snow on to the on ramp of the interstate. The snow stopped somewhere in Illinois and had been pushed eastward by a cold front. Jolene’s parents had a farm near Washington Iowa. Her dad also had a Duetz tractor and during breakfast he had been telling us about his tractor. I had never heard of a Duetz but they are made in Germany and they may be more common on American farms these days but in 1978 I am pretty sure they were rare. It was minus 30 that morning and I am guessing we had plugged in the head bolt heater on the 1969 Plymouth we were driving or maybe we had parked it in the shop. But Jo’s dad was telling us about this wonderful tractor and how it would start in the coldest of weather. SO before we left that morning we wanted to see this marvelous machine. The tractor had been sitting out all night and Merrill asked him if he was sure it was going to start. He assured us it would set about to show us. It didn’t. Try as he might it wouldn’t start. I am guessing he eventually got it started, maybe when it warmed up to minus 20. From then on whenever Merrill and I would mockingly praise something we often used the expression, “starts like a Duetz.” I tried to tell that story to Harold Funck when we visited his farm in Germany a few years ago and I saw my second Duetz tractor. Harold thought it a very good tractor and I had no reason to doubt him (nor Jolene’s dad). I tried to explain to Harold what, “starts like a Duetz” meant but he didn’t seem to understand. So when my lawnmower starts right up and I say, “starts like a Duetz” I am really saying “starts like a Duetz is supposed to.” As good as my Honda mower starts I am guessing if I were to take it to Iowa when it is minus 30 it might now start either, but who knows it might start right up, “like a Duetz.”

It's Not so Bad - Really!

If I had a dollar for every Colonoscopy that I’ve had I would have….? Well $2. So I am obviously not having colonoscopies to get rich. In point of fact I worry about the high cost of having a colonoscopy even though the health insurance company paid for both of them. I don’t like having a procedure that I wonder if I would have had to pay for it out of my pocket (if I had a high deductible or a health savings account.) More on the cost later but first you need to know… Colonoscopies can and do save lives. A small little polyp (a growth inside your large intensive) can eventually grow larger and become cancerous. During a colonoscopy those little growths are snipped off and never have a chance to do that. Colonoscopies are recommended for everyone over the age of 50, but a lot of people don’t get them and there is certainly a negative stereotype which probably has a lot to do with the fact that having a colonoscopy means that you roll over on your side while a Dr. sticks a tube with a camera up your anus. Actually that part wasn’t as bad because they gave me an amnesia and I slept through the whole thing and I woke up groggy but generally feeling pretty good. You also can’t drive yourself anywhere and they tell you “not to make any important decisions.” The worst part actually is the day before when you are required to clean yourself out which no eating and taking heavy doses of laxatives. As bad as this sounds the good good news is that if you every have been sick (ie stomach ache and diarrhea) this is a lot better. It’s also over in just a few hours and despite the fact you have consumed a half gallon of liquid with laxative in a 4 hour time span your stomach doesn’t feel too bad and you can sleep and you are ready for the morning and to have it all over. I don’t know if most spouses are into this sort of thing but if you know my wife Esther you would not be surprised. She asked if she could sit in and they welcomed her as a fellow medical professional spending time explaining what they were doing and what they were seeing and it was all on a big screen high definition monitor. I of course missed all that. The good news and the bad news for me is that they found some polyps (that’s bad news) the good news is that those polyps were removed and they will never turn into colon cancer. If there had been no polyps I might not need to get tested for ten years as it is it will be three years. I read someplace that this testing in the U.S. can cost up to $9000. That’s a hefty bill for anyone…even an insurance company or the government (in the case of Medicare or Medicaid) so I think in three years if I am still healthy and have an urge to travel I think I might go to Costa Rica. Medical Tourism is big there and I think I will be having my next colonoscopy in January or February of 2015 right before I spend a week at the beach. Suggested Reading: Do a search (google?) for an article by Dave Barry on his colonoscopy.

Doughnuts and Bees

I have been waiting for today. Today was the annual Pennsylvania Relief Sale with Proceeds that benfit Mennonite Central Committee. The sale is held at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg and we go almost every year. My favorite food are the doughnuts which are "FRESH" since they are being made in a room about 20 feet behind where they are sold. I like the glazed. It is probably good that the relief sale only happens once a year because people have been asking me if I am losing weight and I can happily tell them "yes." But I doubt if I would if the relief sale were more than once a year. My second favorite food is the milkshakes. Unlike the doughnuts the taste of these can be pretty much created at home with ice cream, milk and blender but they are good. I also like the strawberry pie but I didn't have any this year. I supposed because I got to talking to Paul Zook who was working at the apple dumpling stand so I bought one of those. I actually think the apple dumplings are somewhere else and they just reheat them but whatever the case they contain absolutely the worst apples. I seldom throw food away but I snacked on the outside crust, which in itself was a meal, before dropping the rest in the garbage can. My second favorite thing is watching the auctions. There are two of them going on simultaniously - the one is a quilt auction. They keep a running tally of how much they have made and sometime before I left I remember it was at $50,000 and still going. The paper tomorrow will probably have the total amount the auction made and may break it down to what they made selling quilts. I have never bought a quilt. The second auction is called the "Country Auction" and they sell all kinds of stuff, from tools to art work and some stuff in between. I had looked at the tables of stuff and had pretty much determined that I wouldn't be able to afford the one thing that did interest me (a hand carved releif painting of an East African Scene) and was sitting in the audience talking to my friends Jerry and Ann. Ann said something that the auctioneer said it was good deal and I looked up and the next bid was $22 so I bid. The other bidder then put it at $25 and so I bid $27. Then I turned to talk to Jerry and Ann again. I heard the auctioneer say something about $30 and then "sold to the bidder in the back for $27." So I hurridly had to get my number (which was 655) out of my back pocket. Turns out I bought a complete set of the state quarters which includes (and I didn't know this) Guam, District of Columbia, American Virgin Islands, Purerta Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. It was a total of 56 quarter in all so I guess my donation (or actual cost was about $15). My first favorite thing is seeing and talking to people. There were a lot of people and I saw a handful that I know (mostly from church). Today was a good day for that. Usually Esther comes with me but today she had to work so I didn't know exactly when to leave but I had some yard work I wanted to attend to and I had bought Esther some chicken so i left early afternoon. There was a wedding at church today and I would have been able to get back in time to do the sound for it but I am very thankful that Jonathan came in last evening for the rehersal and I think he knew what to do and did it very well. At least he didn't call me saying he had problems. Which brings me to today's real topic. Bumble Bees. Today was warm and sunny and when I heard the forcast I was looking forward to warm and sunny. My blueberries started blooming earlier this week and because it has been cool (too cool) there haven't been any significant number of bees visiting the flowers pollinating them and making sure that in June and July that I will be out eating massive amounts of fresh blueberries fresh from the bush. So this afternoon there were several varieties of bumble bees (some BIG and some smaller) and some other bees (some very small) all being who they are and that benefits all of us. Thank you God for Bees and help us (me) to remember who I am and do what I do because that will benefit everyone too. So as much as I enjoyed the doughnuts I think I like Bumble Bees more.

On Gardening and Getting Old

I enjoy gardening or at least going out into my garden and eating something fresh from the vine or tree. The second most exciting thing is picking out the plants or seeds and reading about how beautiful and delicious it is. It is almost like I am pre-eating it as I read. I also enjoy watching the plant grow, again with the anticipation of the tasting the fruit (or vegetable). I am less excited when it comes to watching the weeds grow and even less excited about actually pulling them.
One thing I have notice as I get older is that I start thinking about my age when I am reading about a plant. If I read that a particular fruit tree won’t be producing fruit for 3 or 5 years I do the math in my head. Five years??? Wow I will 61.
I have had wonderful blueberry crops the past couple years and even though I made some major changes this year such as finally giving up on five plants on the south side of the house which get too much shade and see too many bird and squirrel visits but there is that lingering question of how many more years I will be able to take care of them. Blueberries don’t take a lot of work but they do need regular watering (if it doesn’t rain) and I need to put up nets to keep the birds off of them. So it is work and right now it is work I can do. But I have to admit that getting old and the anticipation of getting even older has taken some of the thrill out of gardening.

My God, My God, Why have you Forsaken Me?

So Good Friday and Easter are over but for me there is still the lingering satisfaction of having learned something new. I have been reading N.T. Wright lately (Not the thick 800 page theological discourses but the more recent aimed at the people like me). I finished “Simply Jesus” a few weeks ago and have moved on to “How God Became King”. I have only just started the second so I can’t say absolutely it is a must read but yes I think “Simply Jesus” is.
Both books talk about the crucifixion and the resurrection and how the kingdom has begun and that God is now King. Which brings us to “MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” and an article I read online http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/cry-of-dereliction-or-trust
The internet monk article is based on an article in Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/aprilweb-only/my-god-forsaken-me.html?start=1
Those at the foot of the cross would have heard Jesus’ cry and recognized it as coming from Psalm 22 and just like if we only heard “our Father who art in heaven.” They would have known the rest. Psalm 22 was considered a prophetic passage (a song) that tells of struggle but of God’s eventually victory.
This take on “My God My God” was all new territory for me as I had often heard the explanation that Jesus was saying that having the sin of the world on him that God couldn’t even look at him. But as the article expresses it might not be saying that at all or at least not with that simplistic of explanation. For myself I grabbed the only Psalms available to me when I was reading the article…which was from “The Message” and the verse that grabbed me was, “Yahweh has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.”
Jesus was alone, he was on the cross, God in the form man having joined us and like us facing death and Jesus’ cry is one of triumph. “My God My God Why have you Forsaken me?” is just the start of the song a song (Psalm) that ends in victory…God has become King.

Going Public

Up until now this blog has been a personal and private excersise into the very public world of the Internet Blog. I never advertised the site. I told no one its address and in a what can only be described as randomness would I post and then only photographs sent with the briefest of explanation from my cell phone. Some were pictures I liked and some were posted because I found the subject interesting. So why now? I am not sure and I don't know if it is something I can continue on any kind of extended period.

What I hope not to be writing about is politics (although I would suppose it could be argued that most things have a political tint to them). I also think I will probably not post very often. Often we (I) set out with the best intentions but....

I like to think of myself as a deep thinker (not sure if I really am) but even though the well may be deep doesn't mean I hvae the rope or bucket to pull anything out.

I am very private and guarded and find that the few times in my life I have acted or reacted hastily that I found I was either wrong or evne when I was correct that I should have used more discretion. I try to write and speak by the philosophy thay says, "it is better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Wow, all of that makes the blog sound like it is going to be boring...I hope not. I do hope to dip into the well as deeply as I can and pull up something worth reading about. So If you are reading this...Welcome aboard and thanks - I think. Comments are welcome but screened. I reserve the right to edit, censor and delete entire posts.

Also if you scroll to the very bottom of the page you can actually subscribe to email updates or at least notifications that I have updated. I did draw up a list today of some topics I want to write about. So for the next few weeks at least we might not be boring and fairly regular.

Darrel

Another film scene in Las Angeles

Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4GLTE

Los Angeles
Sorry I haven't figured out how to turn pictures once they are posted.

Street closed for filming in L.A.
Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4GLTE