MJ and I have been back to Subaru in Marion, Illinois. We purchased a Forester before Christmas and we needed a refresher course on the plethora of buttons and screens The vehicle is dominated by computer technology. A few days ago we noticed that it seemed to pull from time to time and determined that […]

Snow and Ice for Little Egypt — The Jazz Man

Billy Bump slept in this morning. After all it was Sunday or the third day of the weekend. Now when I say Sunday is the third day of the weekend…any apple pie fed and blue jean wearing boy or girl knows that the most important day of the weekend is Friday. Friday night is the opening wide of the door of opportunity for the luxurious time off from school and it is the beginning of adventures in Eldorado! Billy and Chet were going to begin the evening playing pool on Billy’s miniature pool table that he had received as a Christmas present. Then, they were going to the Orpheum Theatre and watch Planet of the Apes…with Charlton Heston playing the lead role. It was 1968 and they were both eleven years old…and ready for whatever the world brought their way.

Billy’s stepfather, Demetrius, was going to take them to the movie in his latest Ford Falcon car. Now E.D…as Demetrius liked to be referred to…was a Ford Falcon aficionado. He currently had six of them in different states of repair or disrepair. E.D. worked on his Falcons each night. There were Falcons in the garage and in the driveway and a couple in the back yard. He also enjoyed Ford Fairlanes…which were a bit more luxurious than the Falcon. When E.D. was behind the wheel of one of his Falcon collection…he was in his glory!

Parker called Billy and said that she would like to join he and Chet at the Theatre. She said that she would meet them there. So when they pulled up…there was Parker smiling at them from the lobby with a Coca Cola in her hand. Soon they were in the darkened theatre and wondering what awaited them… Suddenly, Lou the Orpheum owner, asked the three intrepid eleven year olds to come to the lobby as he needed their help. When they entered the harsh fluorescent light of the lobby…Lou told them that Wanda, the ticket lady and also his wife, had gone into the Cry Room…and not returned. He wanted them to check the Cry Room and see what was keeping Wanda…as there were still tickets to collect. When they got to the Cry Room the door was ajar and there was a small nightlight in the corner of the room that had a red bulb in it. However there was no Wanda to be seen… When Billy and Parker and Chet exited the Cry Room they noticed that the Orpheum looked brighter and newer. Lou was nowhere to be found…but a man saying that he was Lou’s father was in his place. When they mentioned that they could not find Wanda…Lou’s father asked who that was. Parker told him that Lou had asked them to find his wife….and Lou’d dad explained that Lou was still in junior high…

Chet began to explain to his friends what had happened. ‘We have travelled through a Black Hole and gone backwards in time for 20 years. Instead of it being 1968 we are in 1948,’ said Chet. Billy B. said that with this fortuitous turn of events…they should explore the Eldorado of old! With that they left the Orpheum and observed the booming and bustling coal mining town of Eldorado. The first oddity that they noticed was that on almost every town street was another movie theatre. There was a Plymouth Deluxe and behind it a Tucker Torpedo…which was one of only 51 manufactured between 1948 – 1949…according to Chet. The town square was full of stores of all manner and type. There were churches on every corner…there was the First Presbyterian and the Methodist and the Church of God and the Gospel Assembly…and all boasted large memberships. But…they had yet to find Wanda the Ticket Taker…

As the 11 year old trio returned to the Orpheum there was Wanda standing in front under the marquee. Julias Cesar was advertised on the marquee and Charlton Heston was in the movie. Wanda told Parker that she was disorientated as she had entered… her husband’s and her theatre and been met by her father-in-law that had been dead for several years. He did not recognize her and told her that his son, Lou, was at home studying for his algebra exam on Monday. She mentioned that she was with him in 1948 and that she remembered studying with Lou at his house…and that they had experienced their first kiss during that study session. Billy B. said that they should go back to the Cry Room and see if they could return to 1968…and the Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. So they did…and when they came out…it was 1968…once again. There was Lou…and he was overjoyed at the trio finding his lost wife in the Cry Room! And…there was the Tucker Torpedo…parked in front of the Orpheum…brand new and worth a lot of money…

Jonathan and I enjoy visiting a new store in our town called Electric Larry’s. I have found a Horn of Plenty of memorabilia that scratches me where I itch. For many years I have enjoyed visiting Antique Stores. When I was a young person I thought that they were a waist of time and who would want the junk that they had to offer. Now I think that the ‘junk’ that I was referring to is…great treasure! I find that the older that I become…the more I reminisce on the the past. Items that have age and provenance…our sought by my old eyes.

Today I purchased a Junior High Lunch Box from 1957…the year that I was born. I am amazed at how far I have to scroll backwards on forms that I am filing out on-line…to reach the year of my birth. When I mention former President Nixon and the Watergate debacle…many of my younger friends eyes gloss over. The resignation of the President of the United States was a dramatic event in the early 1970’s! I remember when I was a child that I could not recall if I had been born in 1957 or 1958…as the concept of the 1950’s was obscure to me. Now I wear the year of my birth as a badge of honor.

Last week I bought a pair of mini-binoculars from Electric Larry that are from the 1940’s. They appear to be the type that people at either the racetrack or opera would use for their visual acuity. There is a theory in quantum physics that all time is occurring concurrently. This would mean that the past and present and future are part of a tableau that is already formed. The famous film critic, Roger Ebert, was said to have uttered, shortly before his death, that the life that he had experienced was, ‘This is all an elaborate hoax,’ Mr. Ebert wrote this note as he experienced a deathbed vision.

Aaron and I watched a new documentary, ‘A Glitch In the Matrix,’ yesterday and found it fascinating. It seems the there are many people that believe that we are living in a computer simulation and that much of what we experience and many of the people that we encounter are not real. You may think that this is just science fiction…but there are many quantum physicist that believe that this hypothesis could be possible. This number includes some recognized scientist. The movie focused on the writings of the well know science fiction author, Phillip K. Dick, and the study of De Ja Vu experiences. It seems that there are thousand of people that remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison rather than being released. This would represent a glitch in the matrix.

I enjoy thinking about my school days much more than I enjoyed experiencing them…or at least it seems so… As I contemplate the early days of my christian walk…I am encouraged that I have learned more than I have forgotten. I believe more in the efficacy of Christ’s teaching and his empathy for all humanity than I did when I first began. In my early days I wondered if my low position on the economic scale reflected on my poor service as a follower of Christ. Now that I have some economic stability and have not had to worry about where my next meal was coming from…I know that the ministry of Jesus was to the poor and marginalized and forgotten of society.

Yesterday was a lovely day for walking the campus and around campus lake. The sereen mission and purpose of a flock of ducks on the lake was something to behold. The rhythm of our natural surroundings is a lesson for life. Who of us has not sought to live in the warm rays of our summer sun…when it is winter? We senior citizens miss the hustle and bustle of our youth and the endless hours that we could work or play…without needing more than a few hours sleep and then we were ready to do it again. I recall with great affection the countless days that mom and I and my buddy Jackie and my cousin Brenda spent at Pounds Hollow…swimming and eating a picnic lunch and wiling away the hours with the sure knowledge that tomorrow we would return for more summer adventures…

Nature follows it’s flawless time clock without deviation…unless we humans disrupt the timepiece. In winter all plants appear to die…but in the spring…they resurrect. Winter is a time of reflection and solitude and quiet. Spring is the dawning of life and blossoms and leaves and green grass. If we only experienced winter…we would be of all women/men most miserable… Winter is cold and dark and forbidding and difficult to experience on a sustained level. Exposure to winter is harsh and a ready reason to seek shelter from the brutal elements of the earth in the season of slumber. We have little sunlight…we have little brightness or hope for tomorrow…until we remember that spring is coming.

‘Life is not so much about beginnings and endings, as it is about going on…It’s about muddling through the middle.’ Anna Quindlen

Indeed life is about staying home and taking care of the stuff… We do not hear the peel of the trumpets everyday. No one takes our hand and says, let us storm the battlements and feed the hungry and clothe the naked and house the homeless…but instead the regular drip…drip…drip…or regular life and it’s boring sameness and repetition and watching our clocks to ascertain when change is going to begin. The reality is that we are the change that we are waiting for. We are the vision for a new day of peace and love and unity among our brothers and sisters. We are the Winter Children….preparing for the spring…

The chilly rain is following and the wind is gusting in Little Egypt. I attempted to walk campus today…but the persistent rain and wind dissuaded me. I have taken to house walking during inclement weather. I rather like it! During my younger years house walking would have been difficult in our four room home in […]

Mortal — The Jazz Man

MJ and I just returned from our Veterinarian. Parker, our only remaining canine is now in palliative care. She is our rescue dog and is a Black Labrador. She is a sweet girl and has suffered various and sundry illnesses for all of her life. Parker loves her mommy. The Vet says that her lymph nodes are reduced in swelling…greatly. Her nose that had one nostril stopped up with dried blood is clear and she is breathing freely…and she seems happy and in constant search for marshmallows and special treats. I think that I am enjoying the simple things of life more than ever before. Being home a lot has caused me to reflect on my surroundings and how peaceful that they are. I have always sought peace and eschewed conflict. I understood as a young man that my life would be short…if I lived to be 100. Since probably Junior High School…I wanted to help people and to not hurt anyone.

Our troubles are turning around! It may be difficult to distinguish in the early stages…but we have turned a corner in our 2020/2021 Pandemic. There is light at the end of our tunnel of darkness and blue sky on our horizon. Human life is a regular challenge. There are hurdles of various sizes in our path from the cradle to the grave. However there are also times of joy and singing and dancing and laughter…the kind that makes yours sides ache! There is love…and the understanding of the infinite meaning of the word.

My entire career was spent in the Building Services department of the Physical Plant at Southern Illinois University. For a period of 10 years it seemed that we would never see normal again. Wrong was touted as right. Counterproductive activities were lauded as productive. Dirty University buildings were praised and clean buildings were anathema. It appeared to this writer that the powers that be…had lost their collective minds… No one seems to care about the welfare of the students. A slow down in work was promulgated by management and administration and those of us who felt that this was a scam and a con of our University Community were voiceless. But…finally those Alice In Wonderland reversals changed. Normalcy in the housekeeping of our wonderful Campus returned. We who had endeavored to circumvent the wrong that was being perpetrated by those in power…moved from the rebellious minority to the accepted majority. Hopeless adequately describes how I felt with a policy handed to me that would result in our destruction as a viable housekeeping department. Yet…times changed and logic won over lunacy.

So is today. Logical thought, as my favorite Star Trek character Mr. Spock, would always seek,…has won…for now. Covid-19 vaccinations are being fast tracked and the virulent virus is not being denied or politicized with a perverse bastardization of a life taking Pandemic! Life will go on and we will return to a New Normal…that realizes that all of our existence is hanging by a thread…and that it is vital that we make informed decisions that will add value to our terribly short lives…as we create light that will challenge the darkness of suffering and death…

During my campus walk this morning I was especially impressed with how cold the 19 mile per hour wind felt with the temperature just above freezing. I have heard people say that the cold wind ‘cut them like a knife.’ I understood that concept today. It is February 1, 2021…where did January go? As rapidly […]

Spring Is Just Around The Corner — The Jazz Man

This morning we enjoyed a virtual tour of our sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church. It was great to see the place that I and my family have worshipped for well over 20 years. Indeed I enjoyed the experience so much that I stopped by and snapped several photos of the classically beautiful exterior of the building. Faith and church are an integral part of my life and have been so for 52 years. My how time flies! Our 2020/2021 Pandemic has separated many of us from our weekly gathering together in a physical setting for worship…but it has not taken the experience from our hearts. Nothing can remove that beautiful experience. Zoom Church is edifying and fulfilling. It is a wonderful vehicle to bring church to you…when you can not go to it.

I recall helping to build a church so many years ago. We had a little white chapel that we attended beginning in 1969. During the latter 1970’s our congregation took a loan to expand our building in a significant manner. The road to the construction of our new building, that would inculcate the existing building in its surrounds, included the volunteer assistance of most of the congregation. I knew nothing regarding building…but I learned. We did have a fine carpenter in our midst, David, and were fortunate to receive the assistance of a man who had built several churches. Be that as it may…we were for the majority…unskilled labor. One night we were working by the light of work lamps and, all standing on the subfloor that was above the basement that had recently been excavated. Suddenly the floor began to weave and buckle and shake… The first sign that I knew that something extraordinary was about to transpire was when I saw the primary work lamp that was strategically placed in the middle of the wooden floor…quickly rise toward the open sky…as the floor beneath our feet collapsed in what seemed like minutes…but was really a matter of seconds. I was 17 years old… Upon our dust covered inspection as to the loss of life and limb…no one was hurt…

Faith communities have given my life structure and enriched my ideas of what can be accomplished by seeking to follow Christ’s example. It seems to me that the people that have influenced me as to the truth of christianity have been those who never told me that they were a christian…but they lived a compelling life that made me want to know how they achieved such centeredness and peace… I am a lover of old church and cathedral buildings. Notre Dame in Paris intrigues me. In fact Europe is abundant with stone churches and cathedrals. If these edifices could speak…the story that they would tell. Actually they do speak…if we are willing to listen.

Although we are the church…the building that we gather in is of infinite importance to us. Just as we identify with our homes…we identify with the home of our faith. We enjoyed a private tour of the Vatican in 2011 and it was outstanding. To stand in the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica…was mesmerizing and moving! Craftsmen spent years plying their trade of stonemason and other skills to the construction of a physical edifice that would glorify God. Their work is not something to be taken lightly or dismissed or diminished in importance.

‘And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all it’s furnishings, just so you shall make it.’ Exodus 25: 8-9 KJV

Last night I watched a new release on Hulu called ‘Derek Delgaudio’s In & Of Itself. The show was of a Theatre performance of Mr. Delgaudio’s magic act. It was like no other magic act that I have ever seen. To tell you more would be to reveal the emotional power of viewing this extraordinary program for yourself. Needless to say that once you are immersed in the performance…you will not come out the same…and you will think about who you are.

Have you taken the time to reflect on your identity. Who are you from the inside out? Not who does your mom and dad tell you that you are or your evaluation description at your workplace that was written by your boss. Are you who your friends think you are and do they interact with the real you…or your theatrical stand in? Does your faith community understand who you are or do you present to them the doppelgänger that they are expecting…who fits in with the group think of your fellow congregants?

Becoming You…is refersing and inspiring and surprising… You may not realize who you are at your core and in your subconscious and from your emotional truth…unless you are willing to be honest with your best friend…yourself.

I have been involved with literally hundreds of committees in my life. This is peculiar for someone who does not particularly like committees. I do believe that some of the most meaningful work emanates from committee work…but I am a square peg attempting to fit in a round hole. My experience, over 50 years is that committees begin with the best of manners and considerations for fellow members until familiarity breeds some minor contempt. I have lived my life by the maxim of, ‘Praise someone publicly and engage in constructive criticism, always privately.’ Also, never compare what I perceive my work level to be…with what your work output is… Committees can produce lifetime friendships if all members take their places in humility and esteem others better than themselves.

The magnificent program that I mentioned at the beginning of this writing focuses on being truly seen by a fellow human being. Many of neighbors and family feel angry that being required to wear masks to protect others and themselves from contracting Covid-19. This is a somewhat unusual emotion to project itself at this critical time…as we all wear unseen masks on a daily basis. We agree with things that we really do not feel are right or prudent or fair…but we fear the verbal and perhaps physical abuse of telling the truth. We discover what our office requires and we become a dutiful automaton that does not stray from the hive mentality of our working space. I often told chancellors and presidents that their greatest untaped resource at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale was their Civil Service Staff. I went on to explain that when they saw a Grounds Worker or a Building Service Worker I… that they pigeonholed them…when in fact that the diversity of abilities that were held by these people, which they had marginalized, would benefit the University immensely…if they were just asked!

My assistant at Building Services, Cyndy, held a vital clerical position for our department…but she was and is so much more than her job description! She caused our students and staff to feel welcome and at home in our department. She is a wonderful singer! She is an artist! Leaders of our University tend to ask other leaders, by job description, what the answer is for recruitment and retention of our precious students. Why not ask the people that really know what the the students want and need from their School? I do to mean the typical parochial survey that checks the box of inclusivity for constituency groups…but really talk with individuals that will respond from their heart…if they are seen…

Billy Bump and JB were intent on their study of their new National Parks puzzle. Before them was a picture of what the puzzle was supposed to look like once completed. Arcadia National Park was in the lower right hand corner. MJ had asked if they wanted an Old Fashioned…and they both answered with an enthusiastic, and in unison, yes! Now MJ manufactured a mean Old Fashioned…with high class bitters! As they began to imbibe… the puzzle became clearer. Billy B. reflected on he and his families time at Arcadia when they visited Maine for the first time in 2009. It was magnificent with its rocky shores and majestic ocean vistas.

Suddenly JB and Billy B. were in a Bed and Breakfast in Mount Dessert Isle which is near Bar Harbor and Arcadia. There they were eating a marvelous breakfast with AB and MJ. The breakfast was to die for. Not withstanding the wine and cheese that they had enjoyed the day before, Sunday, at the three-story lodging. They were discussing their trip to Bar Harbor, after breakfast, and then on to Arcadia. It was January 27, 2021 and there was four feet of new fallen snow on the ground with a promise of another foot or more that evening. It seems that there was a moose that had lost his way and needed to be reunited with his family. Of necessity they had to stop by Bar Harbor to purchase some snow shoes for the difficult trek to the last sighting of the wayward moose…who the Park Rangers had named Bullwinkle.

Now there was only one store open in the off season in Bar Harbor and they had promised to wait on the Bumps to arrive if they could get there before noon…as they were planning on closing for the winter season that afternoon. When they did arrive in Bar Harbor the roads were freshly plowed and the proprietors of Moose and Bear Emporium were waiting on the front porch. Soon they were on their way to Arcadia with snow shoes for all and warm LL Bean Parkas and hats for the inclement weather.

A lone Park Ranger was waiting for the Bumps at the gate of Arcadia. He asked them how they happened to be visiting Maine in the middle of winter…and they replied that they really did not know… The Lone Ranger went on to explain that the walking trek to reach Bullwinkle would be a mile in five foot drifts of snow. The Bumps all indicated that they were fully ready for the adventure!

As the intrepid group began to think that they would never reach the location of Bullwinkle…there he was looking out from a warm den that he had had either found or lived in for some time. AB and JB both asked if he was lost from his herd and he responded that he preferred to not travel in herds…rather he was a bit of a philosophical loner…accept for his little pal…Rocky… Bullwinkle invited the Bumps in to his warm and inviting home. There was a fire in the fireplace and hot cocoa for all. The moose admitted that he did not mind doing the ‘tourist thing’ in the summer and early fall…but that he prided his privacy in the winter months. He asked who had won the presidential election and mentioned that Rocky would be pleased. He asked what residents of Southern Illinois were doing in the cold and winter climate of Maine…in January…

Billy B. was startled when MJ intoned that he should wake up… There was snow falling in Carbondale…which is a somewhat unusual experience in Little Egypt. MJ asked if he would like another Old Fashioned…and he replied…absolutely!