‘It is getting bad on Aisle 5… I.A.,’ Giddy said. ‘No matter how often I visit the rebels…they still want to fight rather than talk,’ Giddy continued. ‘Told them that you are very proud of them and that they are an integral part of Home Department Store & Supermarket…but there

seems to be less and less of them that want to listen to reason, Giddy concluded.

Well, it seems like yesterday that I gave all of them a raise in pay and they were relatively happy for a while,’ I.A. mused. ‘Then they wanted shorter working hours and more holidays and to be off work every Sunday in order to attend church…but I see them everywhere but a church,’ I.A. said with a sigh. ‘Finally, they wanted their own manager that would be dedicated just to Aisle 5…and I agreed to that…until they killed him…

‘Each section leader in Aisle 5 wants to be the boss of the other section leaders…and they want an Iron Throne installed…you know like the one on the HBO television show House of the Dragon…and they want to be referred to as The Chosen,’ Giddy said in barely a whisper.

‘What do you think that the solution is…Giddy…is there any more that I can do to convince Aisle 5 that I care about them and have their best interest at heart,’ I.A.asked.

‘Aisle 5ers are set on lying about their colleagues and hurting each other with backbiting and slander and soon the knives will come out,’ Giddy said sadly.

‘Call Clarence and tell him that he has a clean-up on Aisle 5…and get my drafting table out and my T-Square and pencils and rulers…it is going to be another long night…’

‘Charles Dickens describes Scrooge as a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner. BBC Bite Size

Christmas is coming…of that, we can be certain. But what about us…what about how we treat our fellow human beings throughout the year? We go about our daily routine with tunnel vision to guide us. We see the needs of ourselves…primarily…and then perhaps we peer through a glass darkly…at the needs and happiness of those immediately around us…and finally, those who are not in our direct line of sight…do not exist and are not on our radar.

Sing unto the Lord On Sunday…we do…and heartily…that Jesus Loves The Little Children…and then we promptly forget them on Monday. The feelings or happiness of those around us matters not at all to us…as we know we are right…we are secure in that rightness…and the plainness of our perfection should be a beacon to all those around us.

Compare we do…those who we interact with. The manner in which we have lived our life is the gold standard…and all those who do not fit in the form…are rejected.

Laugh we do and mock and make light of those whom we hurt by our common sense economies. If people were more like us…would not the world be a better place…

Groaning and crying and gnashing of teeth we hear as our earth suffers under the Three Horsemen of; War and Famine and Climate Change. You need to look to other countries to find food insecurity…it is in your town or village…perhaps just down your lane.

Hope we have that the stock market will soon rebound…while others hope…for a crust of bread…

‘You can help yourself…but don’t take too much…’

What a lovely service at First Presbyterian Church @ Carbondale this morning. I attended by Zoom but the love and acceptance and unity came leaping at me through the computer screen! It was a special service for LGBTQIA+ – Affirming/World Communion Sunday worship service and coffee fellowship. Our church joined with Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the First Christian Church. Pastor Kerry spoke about how denominational churches are broken and many of us have been cut on the jagged edges. It seems to me that we have taken the words of the Bible and fashioned ourselves a ‘god’ of straw to appease our prejudices and biases and learned hatred for others who are not like we are. Or in fact, a straw god to take out our frustrations of seeing others live their life as God made them…and we realize our secret may be revealed…that they are like us…that they are us.

Photos Courtesy of Lisa Hollabaugh

I saw a cartoon by the Naked Pastor the other day where a sheep wearing rainbow colors was sitting by Jesus. The caption read that the sheep was thanking Christ for sitting with him…and Christ responded…’Thank you for sitting with me.’

So often we thrash about searching for the love of God to shine on us. Today the brilliance of God’s love is shown at First Presbyterian Church.

‘October is wonderful for riding horses,’ Jane observed. ‘I have been no closer to a horse than Johnny West’s faithful steed…Thunderbolt…and he is much too small for me to mount him,’ Chet said with a sly wink. ‘We will be with a trained Horse Whisperer and it is supposed to be safe for first-time equestrians,’ Neva J. announced. ‘We will drive the 57′ Chevy to Giant City State Park which is just a few miles from Carbondale…and we will put the top down on the way…if we do not freeze,’ Neva J. smiled with a mischievous glint in her brown eyes. ‘We will be riding on a Bridle Path that goes through the middle of the woods,’ Billy B. said casually. ‘If you have not been in the middle of Woods you need to be prepared for a bit of a unique life experience,’ Billy B. continued. ‘Due to the close-growing trees and the plethora of foliage it can be difficult to see the Sun…and the wildlife makes peculiar noises and sounds that are a bit disconcerting,’ Chet said matter of factly. ‘I thought that you had never been on the back of a horse,’ Darryl asked with a smirk. ‘I read Darryl…books…,’ Chet answered.

Exhilarating was the trip from Eldorado to Giant City. It was a cloudy day and the forest was naturally dark. Each sound from limbs cracking to squirrels scampering…produced visions of monsters hiding in the thicket. ‘I believe that we need to ride in a westerly direction,’ said the Horse Whisperer. ‘You believe or you know,’ asked Chet who had almost fallen off of his Appaloosa. ‘Well I have lost my compass and it is so dark today it is somewhat difficult to determine the path directional markers, the HW replied. ‘I saw a group of riders just up the trail… let us see if we can meet up with them to help us in finding our way out of this spooky place,’ Neva J. suggested. ‘It seems to me that we are going back the way that we came,’ Darryl mused.

Oh good…there are the hitching posts that we saw when we first entered the Bridle Path…but who are those people,’ Billy B. asked. ‘Greetings fellow horse riders…my you look familiar…is this the end of the Bridle Path…or the beginning,’ Jane said with fear of the unknown in her voice.

The HWs’ horse was riderless…

Another glorious fall day is happening in Little Egypt. I visited Cobden, Illinois today and was once again impressed with the love and care that the residents put into their town. There is a great Antique Store in Cobden and the ladies assisting me with my purchase were very friendly. I found a little Cowboy from 1964 that I remembered immediately. He was made by the Marx Toy Company and I think I probably owned one just like him when I was a lad. Also, I found a little metal bank fashioned like a Model T Car inscribed with the name of a bank in Carbondale that I had never heard of.

My favorite season flies by like a supersonic jet. Tomorrow the Monster Movies begin.

‘Are you really going to wear your cousins’ Creature From The Black Lagoon Head…every day of October,’ Jane asked Billy B. ‘I think that it is a great improvement on my looks…don’t you,’ Billy B. responded with a wide grin. ‘I enjoy seeing the look on Mrs. B.s’ face when I enter the classroom with it on…she looks as if she has seen a monster,’ Billy B. chuckled. ‘Well I have been signing autographs for several days after I give my lunchtime performance as the Lost in Space Robot,’ Chet said with a contented sigh. ‘I am looking forward to the Halloween Special Showing at the Orpheum Theatre tomorrow…it is my understanding that John the owner has something terrifying planned for the audience,’ Darryl noted. ‘John has been a fixture in Eldorado ever since I can remember,’ Neva J. said. ‘And the funny thing about John is my mom remembers him when she was a girl…and that was a long time ago…and she says that he has not changed and that he ran the Orpheum during World War II,’ Chet said in a hushed voice. ‘I don’t know about John but his wife is a bit like a mummy…stiff and expressionless,’ Jane said with conviction.

‘The Casino Theatre was opened in 1909. By 1912 it was operated by the Turner-Farrer chain. It was badly damaged by a fire on April 6, 1927. It was rebuilt and reopened as the 600-seat Orpheum Theatre. It was still operated by the Turner-Farrar chain in the 1950s. The building still stands and now houses a plumbing supply business.’

‘Welcome to the Casino Theatre,’…John announced to the packed Theatre audience. ‘It is a fine April evening in the year of our Lord…1927…I hope that tonight’s Flick…does not get too hot for you…

Lately, I have been listening to an Apple TV show. You are correct if you read that I have been listening as the nine short programs are audio with some visual cues. When I read about it I thought I would soon be bored…but I am enthralled. What is absent visually…is made up in the viewers’ minds and it is a unique auditory experience. It is a sensory-altering experiment between time and space.

‘Are you excited about our Halloween Adventure that begins Saturday, October 1st,’ Billy B. asked Chet when he telephoned him. ‘Yes…after we discovered the Diseapearing Tree and visited Elder-Reado and Ichabod B…I wonder what will happen next,’ Billy B. continued.

‘Well, I still like the idea of our dressing in our Halloween costumes and enjoying the Special showing of The Creature from the Black Lagoon on Saturday…and you must be sure to wear your Lost In Space Robot Costume and I will have on cousin Genes’ Creature mask and hands,’ Billy B continued. ‘What do you mean our experience with the Diseapering Tree and Ichabod B…what Tree and I have never heard of Ichabod B.,’ Chet inquired. ‘October 1, 1963, was 59 years ago…when we were kids,’ Chet asked with some trepidation in his voice. ‘We both are having our Medicare Birthday…we turn 65 on the 24th of October…have you taken your meds this morning,’ Chet went on in a quizzical and confused voice. Billy B. said something but it was inaudible. ‘Billy B. where are you…I can not make out what you are saying on my iPhone,’ Chet asked. ‘What Halloween adventure are you speaking of…

‘I am on my way to your house…Chet,’ Billy B. said. ‘My childhood home was torn down in the 70s’…I live in Magnolia Manor…what year do you think it is…, Chet pleaded. ‘Well it is September 28, 1963, answered Billy B.

‘Hello…hello…hello…Jane are you there,’ Billy B. said in a furtive voice. ‘Why yes…Billy B…I loved your photos of Maine that you snapped on your Holiday a few days ago, Jane said with a voice older than her grade school years. ‘I can’t seem to make sense of something that Chet just told me…he said that he lived in the Magnolia Manner and that he and I were going to have our Medicare Birthday on the 24th of October,’ Billy B. said in little more than a whisper. ‘Indeed it has come to all of us from the Class of 75’ Jane said with a laugh. ‘Are we still on for the visit to Chet and the Halloween Party for him and the other residents of Magnolia Manor…

The air is crisp this morning. October is on its way. Pumpkin Spice Coffe is in the cup and all is right with the world. Mylo is going to his grooming appointment at 11:30 and then will be the glamor shots. I think that we search for the feeling of home and the feeling of place and the warmth of our familiar home…wherever we travel. When we obtain that wondrous feeling…we mark our Holiday with the highest of praise…’We felt like we were home.’ Some people make us feel as if we are home. They seem to carry home with them. When you are in their presence…you know that you are alright with them…you are ‘Tops’ with them.

Mrs. Bramlet called Billy B.s’ name for him to come forward and give his speech. It was Speech 101 at Eldorado High School and Billy B. was terrified. He had never enjoyed speaking publicly but had received some accolades for verbal book reports when he was in grade school…both from the teacher as well as his fellow classmates. As Billy B. began to speak…after the first sentence…he was in an element that he knew not from whence it came… The audience was listening to his every word and laughed at the funny parts of the discourse. When Billy B. sat down they clapped and Mrs. B. said that was the finest first speech of Speech 101 that she had ever heard. When Billy B. was with Mrs. Bramlet he felt at home.

Restlessness is not solved by getting less rest. Traveling the globe will not provide what a person is missing…when the missing component is within them.

Rosie was a loner in Eldorado. Her wardrobe consisted of varying colors of a dress worn in the 60s’ called a Moo Moo. She had lost her husband and she idolized President John F. Kennedy. She talked to herself a bit…as more often than not there was no one else to speak with. When people saw her on the street…they crossed over to the other side. Neva J. saw a diamond when she saw Rosie. She took her to the store and to the Orpheum Theatre to see her favorite actor John Wayne. Rosie enjoyed many meals with Neva J. and Billy B. Rosies’ teeth had rotted and Neva J. took her to the dentist and paid the bill for her teeth to be pulled and replaced with a new set of false teeth. Rosie soon began to shop at Muckleys Ben Franklin Dime Store and purchase some modern fashions from P.N. Hirsch and attend church with Neva J.

Neva J. was Home…for Rosie…

I have been reflecting on the great good that I witness people do…and who are more often than not neither recognized nor hear the words thank you…but rather get a kick in the teeth for their Christian efforts. I have experienced this on more than one occasion and it left me confused and sad and wondering what I could have done differently. Yet these precious human beings keep trying to do good and help their fellow women and men. It is not difficult for me to understand the statement that no good deed goes unpunished. After all…Christ was crucified by the same people that he came to help and bless and feed and clothe. Servants/leaders are angels among us.

The first of my favorite months is almost over…before it started. With our magnificent trip to Maine coming in the heart of this month…it has left missing time. However, October brings my birthday…and I relish my birthday. Since I have become a senior citizen I am proud and humbled to attain another year on the calendar. I remember the happy Halloweens of my youth and the fact of they make for a good jumping-off point for many fictional stories.

Harmony and peace are a bit discounted in our frenetic society. When I am away from our peaceful home where I have a distinct sense of place…I miss it…I am glad to return to it and reflect on the Holiday that I have just enjoyed. I have heard people speak of endeavoring to be comfortable in their own skin. This is a blessing that I have enjoyed for the majority of my life. I do not look to others for approval of who I am…I do not seek to fit in where I do not fit.

Kind words as the Bible says are like, ‘Apples of gold in pictures of silver.’ Administrators and managers and supervisors would do well to learn this lesson. Most of us perform to the level that we feel appreciated.

Everything comes from within. Both bitter water and sweet. It is easy to have eyes full and to be never satisfied. When we look to another to do our thinking for us…or to ‘Ape’ their behavior…or when we fashion them our ‘Golden Calf’ to worship and adore and to provide for us our inner happiness…we are saddened when we sought after results that do not come to pass. Neither preachers, politicians, or potentates…will ever provide the compass for your life that you already have waiting within you and ready to be used…

We just can not get enough of Maine. MJ is already looking at an Air B&B for next year in September. Maine scratches us where we itch. We have grown increasingly fond of the little town of Wiscasset. It merited a second trip last week for additional shopping and sightseeing.

My friend, Debbie, tells me that Red’s has the best Lobster Rolls…Ever…and I must return to try one. It was closed at the time of the photo…but it customarily has a long serpentine line around it and down the street. Next September…I will wait for my Lobster Roll!

Stepping into Wiscasset is like stepping into a town of yesteryear. The quaint beauty of the place is charming. It has an atmosphere of home and hearth. There is a sense of place that is comforting and consoling for the weary soul.

Often I do not realize how much I have enjoyed a Holiday Destination until I have returned home and reflected on the experience. Maine beckons to us and we must go. Next September Marcy and Brock will join us…and we will show them our second home…

Billy B. had been working on his model of Frankenstein all morning. There were so many parts to glue together and then came the intricate work of painting the figure. Billy B. loved to go to Muckley’s Ben Franklin Dime Store in Eldorado and purchase a Monster Model…which was next to the models of cars. He had a; Dracula model and a Wolfman and a model of The Creature From The Black Lagoon. He was not interested in models of cars…but he did enjoy monster movies.

Orpheum Theatre was having a special showing of The Creature From The Black Lagoon. It was going to be on Saturday, October 1st. Billy B. and Chet had a plan to attend the movie. Billy B. with his cousin Genes’ Creature From the Black Lagoon Mask and hands. Chet would wear his Robot Costume that depicted the Robot from the popular television show Lost In Space. Jane was going as Lois Lane and Darryl as Superman. After the movie there was a promise of plastic pumpkin containers…the kind that was good for collecting Halloween Treats…and they were to be filled with Halloween Goodies…a month early. The October 1st special movie showing of the Creature Feature was in conjunction with a special weekend Fall Celebration that Eldorado was conducting for the good citizens of the City of Gold…

Neva J. had set up a little stand where she was selling her famous Coffee Cake…as well as Merlot by the glass. The stand was under Eldorados’ oldest tree and was said to be the tree where Ichabod B. had climbed to the top…to impress his girlfriend…and never came down… The Tree was considered haunted.

The Disappearing Tree had a lengthy legend that stretched back to the founding of the town by Judge Samuel Elder and Joseph Read and Eldorado was originally called Elder-Reado. Eldorado was incorporated in 1870. Several Eldoradoians had disappeared throughout the years at the Disappearing Tree. Ichabod B.s’ son Jedidiah B…who was Billy B.s’ great great great grandfather…had disappeared when he climbed the Disappearing Tree calling out his father’s name…and some say that late at night when the moon is full…you can still hear him calling.

‘How was the movie,’ Neva J. asked. ‘It was very nice and the auditorium was full,’ Chet answered. ‘Have you ever climbed the Disappearing Tree,’ Jane asked Neva J. ‘I climbed halfway up and fell asleep on a big branch…like I had been drugged…when I woke up it was dark and I shinned back down the Tree and ran all the way home,’ Neva J. answered.

‘Lets’ climb the Diseapearing Tree,’ Darryl announced. ‘I am ready as soon as I get out of my Lost In Space Robot Costume,’ Chet said. ‘Come on up…I am halfway to the top,’ called out Billy B. ‘Wait for me and Neva J.,’ Jane yelled as they left the Coffee Cake and Merlot Stand and began to climb.

‘Welcome to you all…we have been wondering if anyone would climb our Old Tree,’ Ichabod said to Billy B. and Chet and Darryl and Jane and Neva J. ‘How do you like Elder-Reado,’ Jedidiah asked the group. ‘You mean you have been in your own time and Eldorado when it began…while we are at the base of the tree and in the future,’ Chet asked with a wink and a smile. ‘Well…we have not thought of a better explanation for the anomaly than that, laughed Ichabod. ‘Once a month I climb down the Diseapearing Tree and see how Elder-Reado…or as you call it…Eldorado is progressing…and then I make my way back up The Great Tree to share what I have learned with our little towns’ inhabitants,’ Ichabod continued. ‘I often think of our Tree as a stairway to heaven…if you accept that heaven is set by what is important to the experience of it,’ Jedidiah added.

At the base of the Disappearing Tree it was quiet in Eldorado…a Bedroom Community…but at the top of the Tree there was building and commerce and horses and buggies…and nothing but a bright hope and vision for the future of the little village…