“Love is a feeling you feel when you feel you’ve never felt that feeling before.” I first heard that from marriage counselor and author, Norm Wright. And while slightly over the top, it does reflect our society, doesn’t it? We go by feelings, by our gut. That’s why the pic above means so much. The morning in Idaho started off pretty chilly, and we geared up for cold weather, including insulated pants. Insulated pants that you can only remove with great difficulty and flexibility, particularly if you keep your boots on. But taking your boots off on a dirt side of the road merely brings more difficulty. And dirt on your sox. So, as the day warmed...
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Just Don't Say No...To Temptation
May I assume the headline got your attention? Here’s the back story. On a recent fishing trip I had a conversation with a fellow fisherman who turned out to be a fellow follower of a guy who knew a lot of fishermen. He acknowledged a struggle with alcohol overconsumption, “It’s so hard to say no. The angel on one shoulder says ‘Just say no,’ and the demon perched on the others says ‘Just say yes.’” So, in a flash of either idiocy or brilliance, I responded, “Just don’t say no…to temptation.” His look likely appeared like yours at reading the headline. But...
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East of Temecula from Temecula Valley Hospital
Random Musings about Mortality
The pic above, looking toward the mountains east of Temecula, was the best part of my hospital stay. The day before began with checking out emails on my laptop, when some lightheadedness began. No necessary link here, folks! Then I headed to the kitchen for a restorative cup of coffee, and my body veered to the left when I wanted to go right. A bit suspicious, I tried to walk the straight grout line on the tile—same result. So I did a quick mirror test for stroke signs, good. Next I stood on one leg and balanced, or tried to. Not good. As much as I resisted my own idea, I asked Sheila...
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Fish by Faith, not Sight
Take a look at the pic above. A close one, and focus at the middle of the pool just below the horizontal line of white water, just below the good sized rock. See any trout? Peer more closely, but you won’t see any. But trout are swimming in that water. I know, because I pulled one out of there a few weeks ago.At least 90% of the trout I catch I never see, until ...
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image by Mike Scott
An Ephemeral Life
Mike Scott, a friend from high school daze, took this pic of a New Mexico sunrise when he had to get up. Sunrises and sunsets so blend beauty and brevity. Their glory changes almost by the second—I’ve often called Sheila to see one, and in the 20 seconds before she gets there it’s changed, or gone. That’s life—as slow as it seems to go looking ahead, it’s fast in the passing. When I ...
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The Real You?
Does the difference between how you appear on the outside contradict what you value on the inside? Most of us have a gap there, where these two contradict one another. Back in college, I contemplated suicide because I couldn’t figure out which was the real me. My heart that loved God, or my behavior that denied my stated faith? Then a recent event reminded me ...
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Our motel in Alpine WY
Get in the World!
Our biker crew recently rode through Las Vegas on I-15 with the temp a bit above 100, and in a strange manner, I enjoyed the warmth. I tried to remember that a few days later when we pulled out of Alpine WY with the temp at 30, but it soon dropped to 28, and stayed like that for an hour. In a strange manner, I embraced that too. We drove past a lot of alfalfa fields, many newly mown, and the scent reminded me of the hay barn at our old family farm.Half a mile before we saw the truck, I knew...
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image from californiaparrots.us
Parrothead Freedom
My wife and I lived in Newbury Park, next to Thousand Oaks, for six years until we returned to Temecula just over a year ago. After we moved, a science teacher at our former school and I had this Facebook discussion, just after a hike she took in the open country in Newbury.
Leilani: A flock of green parrots just flew by! Have a great day, birds!
Tim: We have a couple of escaped parrots who live in some tall eucalyptus trees about 100 ft. away. Love to watch them!
L: Parrots are very hardy (her science background came out here, and made this post): they are not invasive, and as long as they have food sources they will be fine. They can tolerate low temperatures, surprisingly....
T: They seem to...
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