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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #8,342

yeah I know you did not ask!

A little after I woke up this morning I looked at the weather app on my phone.  For all the world I was hoping I had changed it from Fahrenheit to Celsius.  I do that sometimes as I talk regularly with folks in other countries via Skype in my endeavor to learn the Spanish language.  While I can do the temperature conversion fairly rapidly in my head, it easier just to change the settings on the app.  People living on or close to the equator are somewhat fascinated by cold and variable weather of the northern latitudes.  Or maybe we are just trying to find a topic to talk about!

The story I like to tell about is talking to a young man in Honduras.  When he popped on my Skype screen he was in a jacket and had on mittens.  I asked him if he was cold.  He replied that he was freezing and explained to me it was 15 degrees (59 degrees Fahrenheit). All is relative.  Some folks here would have been in shorts at that temperature in January.

Long story, short…I had not changed the temperature scale in use on my phone.  It is just freaking cold today and getting colder.

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Headline Stress Disorder

All my adult life I have been a news junkie. That ended November 2016 after the election of the criminal we now have in the White House.  I tuned my clock radio from the NPR station it had been on for 30 years to a music station. I did the same in my cars , but not my bride’s Outback.  For many weeks, probably going well into 2017, I did not look at the news in all the various forms that it comes at you.  Of course, this is not entirely possible to do, but I did do  my utmost to avoid the news.  The election of 2016 truly depressed me Continue reading “Headline Stress Disorder”

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The Utter Delight of Discovering Echoes

My son was hiking with my grandson in a nature area close to their home in Fayetteville, AR.  I’ll let you figure out who is who! My grandson realized by himself that he could create an echo.  The delightful laughter is his response to this discovery and his experimenting with it.

He had been doing this for 2 or 3 minutes when my son decided he needed to video the experience.

Ah… the wonder of childhood to be delighted by simple pleasures and simple discoveries.

Grasshopper, we all need to open ourselves to such wonder.

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Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump

I am going to preface this article by saying I truly want to know that the answer is.

It is something I have pondered on, and I have a few theories.  However, not being a religious person I am truly perplexed by the religious rights and evangelicals in particular support of the Donald J. Trump.  It is something that I just cannot get my mind around.

I don’t want to poison the well too much Continue reading “Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump”

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Smarter than the whole bunch…

I just finished 3 days of backpacking with my son and one of my brothers, Mike, in Arkansas. One of the things I have been doing for years after a hike in Arkansas, if I am anywhere near Jasper, Arkansas, is to treat myself to a meal at the Ozark Café.  This particular café is more than a hundred years old, seems to be a favorite with the locals, and is written up frequently in the Arkansas Times. The food is almost invariably very good or better, the coffee is even more so, and the service is in the same category.

Jasper is not very big, the population is 440 souls. It is however, right on the Buffalo National River.  In season the area is very popular for canoeing, backpacking, trout fishing, hunting and many types of outdoor activities.  They reintroduced elk into the area a few decades ago and they are thriving there.  While we only heard of a report of black bears from other hikers, we did see bear sign more than once. It is a fun area to hike with the scenery and wildlife.

I am eating my meal at the Ozark Café, and catty-corner from me is a table where there is sitting Continue reading “Smarter than the whole bunch…”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #231

yeah I know you did not ask!“

Not sure why this ad popped up for me…but it made me think of a girlfriend I had in high school.  She had just the barest hint of a belly, just a whisper.  She refused to wear a bikini because she did not want to be laughed at.  It is not that way anymore.   I reckon this falls under different strokes for different folks.

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Busco una oportunidad de voluntariado en Latinoamérica

Queridos amigos,

Quisiera pedirte un favor. Pon atención. Hay una oportunidad de voluntariado para este gringo.

Parte de la razón por la cual estoy estudiando español, es usarlo cuando viaje por Latinoamérica. Con los problemas de salud de mi esposa, no estoy seguro que viajemos juntos afuera de nuestro país mucho. Ella tiene miedos y también ella no está segura de su habilidad de hacer mucho. Todavía soy suficiente activo y algunas veces la diferencia física es un problema para nosotros. Yo la amo tal cual como ella es, y parte de la vida es tratar con estos problemas… C’est la vie, n’est pas.  ¡Así es la vida!

Hay una oportunidad  de voluntariado con un ONG Continue reading “Busco una oportunidad de voluntariado en Latinoamérica”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #4,530

yeah I know you did not ask!

I wish I could say this was original with me, but it is not.  But is still a good practice.

Most folks think the 3 most important words in a long term relationship (especially when you live together) are, “I love you.”  It was this person’s contention which I wholeheartedly agree with that the 3 most important words are, “Let it go.” I suppose you could substitute, “No big deal” or “this will pass” or “let it be” or any number of other phrases.  The thought being is don’t sweat the small stuff and give each other some latitude to be their self.

My wife the other day said to me, “We’re so different.”  At the time I was making some tea for us.  The package instructions say to steep for 4 to 5 minutes.  To me the tea is bitter if the bag is left in there too long.  I had set the kitchen time to 4 minutes and was waiting for it to ding before I removed the tea bags.  Setting the timer is something she would never have done. The analogy is that she is an artist and I am a draftsman.  I like my lines precise. I could have been upset at her seemingly mocking my precision, but hey… let it go.

Since I had heard/read this I have used it multiple times.