Remembering Memorial Day

 Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God. I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance. (Psalm 27:3-4, Good News Translation)

Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the US. I’ve written about this holiday before – well, but for starters, I don’t feel it’s a “holiday”. Holiday to me means celebration and joy, while Memorial Day means something totally different. The day is dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives defending our freedoms. It should be a somber day of remembrance and giving thanks for the sacrifices that others have made for us.

 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16, New International Version)

Thank You, God, for those who have given their lives for their country. And thank You for the ultimate sacrifice of sending Your Son to save all believers. Amen

Website of a history of Memorial Day: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

 My blog post about the death of my cousin, Ben Greene, in Vietnam:  https://chrisloehmer.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-memorial-day.html

What do you know about Geology?

I promise, this will be the last post from that ride on April 17^th to Reedsburg.

If you read last Wednesday’s blog, you may remember that we drove to the tiny town of Rock Springs to visit the Big Cat Rescue. (The town was a little bit bigger than this one building, but not by much.)

 On the way there and back, we drove through Ableman’s Gorge State Natural Area. I didn’t even know it at the time. I just took some pictures through the car’s window.

From the Wisconsin DNR website:

Ableman's Gorge is a classic gorge cut by the Baraboo River through Baraboo quartzite, Cambrian sandstone, and conglomerate. The cliffs and rocky slopes rise about 200 feet above the river to form a wall nearly three-fourths of a mile long, oriented east-west, which then abruptly turns south for a similar distance. The latter portion is 250-450 feet wide and is composed of irregular quartzite cliffs. Ableman's Gorge is owned by the DNR and the University of Wisconsin and was designated a State Natural Area in 1969.

The website also says:

The area is widely used for geology research and a plaque honors researcher Charles Van Hise, who formulated some of his principles of structural deformation and metamorphism here. 

This is from the dedication of the historic site:

Van Hise Monolith Gains National Historic Status - Terry Devitt

Tucked away in the Baraboo River Valley gorge is the rock that made Wisconsin famous.

First used more than a century ago by University of Wisconsin geologist Charles R. Van Hise to teach some of the principles of geology, the solitary outcrop of Baraboo quartzite is for scientists the single most famous geological feature in the garden of stony wonders that is the Baraboo Hills.

A mecca of geology, like much of the region, the rock was used by Van Hise to show his disciples the hidden secrets of the structure and history of the Earth. And his students and generations of textbooks writers carried its lessons worldwide.

Who knew that a rock could be world-famous? I don't recall ever studying geology, even though I love rocks. I feel like I have missed out on so much by living my sheltered life. 

The Wisconsin DNR website which talks about this Gorge is: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/naturalareas/index.asp?SNA=75

The webpage where I found the dedication to Van Hise is: http://www.geology.wisc.edu/outcrop/1999/vanhiserock.html

Wikipedia information on the rock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Hise_Rock

Loyal Friendships

 Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers. (Proverbs 18:24, Good News Translation)

I’ve been blogging about the songs from the musical “Godspell” and plan to return to that. But today, I am out of town, spending the weekend with a dear friend.

As we were driving to a park yesterday, we ran across a neighborhood rummage sale. We naturally had to stop, and I think I picked up more stuff than I needed to.

At one sale, we found this little box of sayings and Bible verses. My friend was checking it out, so I told her she should buy it (for all of 75 cents) but then she could give me some of the cards and I’d stick them in ‘thinking of you’ cards that I mail to random people.

So she bought it and then gave the whole thing to me.

When we got back to the cabin where we were staying, I picked out a few random cards to read and this one was the third one I pulled out.

Value your loyal friends. They are worth more than silver or gold.

Thank You, Lord God, for the gift of friendship. And thank You that no matter how many true friends I have here on Earth, that Jesus is my best Friend. Amen.

Here, Kitty, Kitty

   As I had posted on this blog last week, back on April 17, Hubby and I took a ride down to Reedsburg to meet up with his brother and sister-in-law. Being as I can’t keep myself from planning things and seeing things and doing things, I thought we should do more than sit in the park, eating and talking.

A few months ago, I ran across the website for the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue in Rock Springs. I knew it was somewhere in the south-western part of the state, but I didn’t realize until we had decided to meet at Reedsburg, that it was just ten miles away.

Here is the website for the Rescue - https://www.wisconsinbigcats.org/39/Who-is-Wisconsin-Big-Cats - so I won’t copy and paste that information here. Click on the link and learn about it for yourself.

As you probably remember, I’ve been to Kenya six times and have witnessed lions and cheetahs in the wild, in their natural habitat. Visiting zoos or any other place where wild animals live in captivity breaks my heart.  

If you read their website, though, you’ll realize that many of these big cats are in a much better place than where they came from. They may be stuck behind fences, but at least they are left alone, to doze in the sun, without anyone making them do tricks they were never born to do.

I tried to keep track of all their names – taking pictures of the signs with their names and stories. But I think the pictures of their sweet faces are all you need to know about.

Except for this guy – Harley – who was born due to a contraception failure. It happens to the best of us, I guess. 

 He’s only seven months old and just adorable. You can see how easy it would to exploit all his cuteness and keep him from being anything close to a wild tiger. I wish him a healthy, happy future. 

Salt of the Earth, Light of the World

  “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

  “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16, New King James Version)

 For the last month or so, I've been sharing the songs from the musical "Godspell." This week, I'm writing about "Light of the World," taken from Matthew, the fifth chapter.

Even if these verses aren't familiar to you, you've undoubtedly heard of someone being called "the salt of the earth," referring to someone who is honest, worthy, and hardworking. That phrase comes from these verses from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.

During Biblical times, salt was a precious commodity, so much so that it was sometimes used for money. In fact, the Latin word for salt – sal – is where we get the term "salary."

As valuable as salt was at the time, virtuous people were just as important to God. People who worked as common laborers – fishermen, shepherds, craftsmen, who didn't have diamonds or jewels, but knew the value of a hard day's work. If they lost that ethic, they would be useless, just as salt would be if it lost its flavor.

So, we are to be "the salt of the earth" – honest, worthy and hardworking. We also are to be the "light of the world."

Ever since man has walked on this earth, light has been significant. It has kept enemies at bay, shown the way when things were dark, and been a comfort in times of fear. Of course, there was one darkness haunting us all, which no earthly light could lift. The darkness of sin. When Jesus came to live among us, He was the Light that could overcome sin.

He is the ultimate Light of the World. But by believing and by sharing His word, sharing His Light, we can be the light of the world for others.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to this earth to live among us and to save us from our sins. Amen.

 Here are the links to find out more and hear versions of the song:

               Version of the song from the movie:       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivBFmfvSTS8

               Some websites with more insights into these verses:

 https://www.thespectrum.com/story/life/features/mesquite/2017/01/05/being-salt-and-light/96156630/

 https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/the-kingdom-of-heaven-at-work-in-us-matthew-5-7/salt-and-light-in-the-world-of-work-matthew-513-16

Not a salt mine. A diatomite mine in Kenya, instead, the closest picture I had. 

 

The News We've Been Waiting For

  I have so many other things that I want to blog to you about, but then, yesterday, this happened. 

The news we have all been waiting for. The CDC announced that people who have been fully vaccinated could resume their normal activities. Of course, after fourteen months of this, I’m not sure I remember what normal is. I’ve been thinking we are living in the new normal.

But, seriously, the CDC says that if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can go out in stores and other businesses without wearing your mask, and you don’t have to feel you must social distance from others. Others who have also been fully vaccinated that is. If you haven’t had your two Moderna or Pfizer shots or your single Johnson and Johnson shot, or it’s been less than two weeks since you’ve had them, you still need to wear your mask and social distance.

The thing is no one has been stamped on their forehead with a declaration that they're vaccinated (which is actually a very good thing if you’ve read the book of Revelations). I’m fearful that this announcement has come prematurely, and people will go crazy, and next thing you know, the number of cases will skyrocket again.

And for me, it doesn’t matter a lot, as people working in healthcare are still expected to wear their masks. I get that. And I will continue to wear mine at work, faithfully, for the most part. And I hope our patients are respectful and continue to wear theirs.

Everyone also still needs to wear their masks on any form of public transportation and abide by state and local mandates. Stores and other businesses can still ask us to wear our masks, and we need to comply with that as well. Schools? Well, not that many kids have been vaccinated, so everyone in our schools should still be wearing masks. 

Continuing to move forward, don’t lose your heads. Still, be safe. Go out and hug your friends and relatives, as long as you’ve all been shot up. Don’t get into it with people who choose not to be vaccinated and refuse to wear a mask. Be the bigger person and put your mask back on and keep your distance.

We still have a way to go with this pandemic. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The announcement on the CDC’s website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

The longer CDC version: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html 

Wandering Webb

 We really did have a mild winter – only short stretches of below zero weather and not much snow. But still, by the end of March/first of April, everyone living in a colder climate gets cabin fever and needs to take a drive.

Saturday, April 17, Hubby and I jumped in the car first thing in the morning and drove to Reedsburg, where we met his brother and sister-in-law for lunch. We had chosen Webb Park to meet up at, as it looked like a cute park, with lots of space, a little pond, and picnic tables under a shelter. It was only 49 degrees out when we got there, so actually, it would have been more comfortable eating in the sun.

Anyway, it was a nice park and we had a nice lunch.

All fully vaccinated, by the way. 

More adventures await!

O Bless the Lord, O My Soul

1 O bless the Lord, my soul!

His grace to thee proclaim!

And all that is within me join

To bless his holy name!

2 O bless the Lord, my soul!

His mercies bear in mind!

Forget not all his benefits!

The Lord to thee is kind.

3 He clothes us with his love;

Upholds us with his truth;

He heals all our infirmities

And ransoms us from death.

4 Then bless his holy name,

Whose grace hath made us whole,

Whose loving kindness crowns our days!

O bless the Lord, my soul!

 Since shortly after Easter, I've been writing about the different songs from the musical "Godspell." As with last week’s song, this one is also taken from an Episcopal hymnal. 

And as with last week’s song, “Save the People”, the author of the original lyrics of “Oh Bless the Lord my Soul” was a bit of a rebel. James Montgomery (1771-1854) was arrested and imprisoned not once, but twice, for sedition. Those were times when the world did not appreciate freedom of speech. He was an advocate for humanitarian causes, protesting against slavery, exploitation of child chimney sweeps, and lotteries. He wrote close to 400 hymns during his lifetime.

This song was inspired by Psalm 103.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;

    and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

    who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the Pit,

    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

Sometimes, when I’m writing this blog, I have no words of my own to add. All that I have, all that I am (isn’t that from a different song?) is a gift from God. And all I can do is praise Him as best as can.

Thank You, oh Lord, for all of Your gifts. I have nothing without You in my life. Amen.   

And so blessed to have shared so many adventures with these two guys. 

Here are the links to find out more and hear versions of the song:

               The old hymn version of “Oh Bless the Lord my Soul”. After hearing this, I think I’ve heard it in my own church –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vauscta8js

               If you find the title familiar, here is the song with the same title and different lyrics, written by Matt Redman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxocnIaN0A

The version from the movie “Godspell” –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZZulHl0X4M

More about the life of James Montgomery –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Montgomery_(poet)

               And lastly, if you think the lead singer from the Godspell version is wonderfully talented, here is some information on Lynne Thigpen, who died too young at the age of 54.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Thigpen 

Not Quite Smoothly

When we purchased our camping trailer back in December, the dealership went through how everything worked. As we were getting ready to leave Carlton behind, to be stored there for the winter, my head was spinning. There was so much to remember! But one of the guys saw us off with the following wisdom, “Don’t worry about it. There’s a YouTube video for anything you need to know.”

Or twenty-five videos.

In anticipation of our first camping trip in a few weeks, I’ve been sucking up YouTube videos on RVs like a COVID patient sucks up oxygen. And they all offer different advice, and all the campers are a little different from ours.

I tell myself that we can do this; it’s not that hard. You can’t tell me that all those people driving shiny new RVs have master’s degrees. But ours isn’t shiny and new, so it doesn’t have quite as many bells and whistles as all those videos demonstrate.

But it will all be all right.

I mean, look, I got the bed figured out!

And actually, even the refrigerator, stove, and microwave. Even the furnace runs like a charm for us. 

The sinks? Water goes in and water goes out, but my OCD brain still is not happy with its little knowledge of where that water is coming from and where it’s going. Well, I know it’s going into our grey water holding tank, and we are pretty okay with how to drain that. Except when it comes to the black water tank (i.e., toilet). We’ve convinced ourselves we aren’t going to use the toilet, but really? It’s going to be okay. We got this.

This gadget still has me scratching my head—the hot water heater.

This plug needs to go in . . .

That hole and there is not a single video that makes this look difficult, but it took us two days. Again, I’m thinking – we just aren’t going to use hot water.

Everything will be fine, I continued to tell myself, as we worked on things in Carlton all last weekend – sanitizing the freshwater tank, lining the shelves with shelf-lining stuff, putting away the dishes, changing the license plate (that was another nightmare! And a long story). Until I found this in one of the hidey-holes, with a murdered mouse attached.

It’s going to be okay, Chris. If the pups can handle this, so can you. (Can you see all three of them? Sorry that the lighting's not the best.)

Yes, seriously, we got this. I just wish I could do a YouTube video showing the reality of RVs.    

A March Ride with Snow in the Woods

   For Hubby’s birthday, way back in the middle of March, we decided to take a ride. The weather was once again unseasonably warm – for March – and I wanted to do more campground window-shopping. It was 46 degrees out when we left home around 11:30 and all the way up to 60 when we got home late afternoon.

Too bad these pictures don’t reflect that heat. 

 I naturally directed him down backroads to get where we were going. Good thing we had the four-wheel drive. I'm always excited when I see a sign for a CCC camp. Too bad we couldn't explore that day. 

First county park campground. Solberg Lake in Phillips. 

The lake was pretty, but it was very wooded and the sites were fairly small and close together. 

And I'm concerned I would pick the partial sticks over the whole ones and get in trouble. 

Smith Lake County Park in Park Falls seemed a better fit. 

Even if there was more snow. 

It had a lot of large sites - even pull-throughs. 

Too bad they don't take reservations, but we'll just have to see how it goes. 

At least, I'm sure the ice and snow are all gone now.