The sleet is falling heavily and steadily. It is 25 degrees and it feels like 16 degrees. Driving is treacherous. Southern Illinois has decided to experience some winter…which does not always happen in our Global Warming climate. Needless to say my 10 thousand steps…today… will be taken in what I call the House Walk. I thoroughly like the House Walk as I enter rooms that I seldom visit. I see art and statues that I almost forgot that we had. It is a bit like a new world. Although I believe that all of us have become more acquainted with our homes over the past year. One of my Facebook friend’s birthday is today. When I wished her a happy birthday she mentioned, ‘What a wild year the past ride has been!’ I could not agree more. The past year has given us a new normal. Our thought patterns have changed in an attempt to adjust to the fear and restrictions of our 2020/2021 Pandemic. Each sworay into the fellowship of other human beings is a calculated risk.

I had the nicest visit with my Doctor, Jeff Parks, yesterday. He and I attended the same church in the 1990’s. He recounted to me some history that he had read that illustrated the similarities with our present condition and what was happening in 1917. We laughed heartily regarding the circle of history and our participation in it. We spoke by video conference…that I truly like. During our Pandemic…the video visit to a physician is a wonderful safety precaution.

An ice storm is a restrictive affair. Such has been our lives over the past year. Rachel Marie Martin said, ‘Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought it would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living.’

We can become so enthralled with what our political leaders are doing that we forget to focus on our real and actual needs. Presidents and Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen focus on the big picture while it is up to each of us to emerse ourselves in the vocation of living our lives to their fullest. A terrible Ice Storm has engulfed us and captivated our attention and changed our direction. Perhaps we will be able to enjoy the beauty of the winter landscape while thinking outside the box of our past life construct and seeing to expand our horizons for our new future…

I have been walking for improved health for over 40 years. I never played basketball or football or baseball…but I am a natural walker. Thus ensues my daily walk on the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. Both on the campus proper and in campus woods…I am a regular. One of my 3 primary goals at the outset of my retirement from SIUC was to; walk, write, and read. Walking was number 1. Of late, the last 3 or 4 years, I have been happy with 3 or 4 thousand steps per day. I have stepped up my game! I am seeking to hit the recognized step goal of 10 thousand steps per day. It takes some time to walk 10 thousand steps in a day…but the benefits are many for the effort.

Priorities are the measure of a day well spent. Our bodies are machines of flesh and blood and bone. We were designed for movement…we were not manufactured to be sedentary. Walking reduces stress and is good for cognition. Walking reduces high blood pressure and aids in weight loss. Walking is considered the best medicine possible for Venus Reflux/Venus Insufficiency. Walking aids in a good nights sleep. Walking improves your attitude and sense of well being.

Many of my ideas for up-coming blogs that I am planning on writing occur while I am walking. In fact walking is so much a part of my daily routine I feel incomplete and somewhat let down when I am unable to engage in my favorite activity. I wonder if we would all walk 10 thousand steps a day if we would be so angry with each other and seek to argue and feud and fight? Steady movement is a great leveler of emotions. Joining the much enjoyable activity of walking with the splendor of nature…is a wining combination. After I have had the opportunity to spend quality time with the blue sky and ancient trees…along with the peaceful rhythms of a flock of geese and the earnest stares of foraging deer…I am happy to be alive!

We live in a society that seeks a pill for each of our aliments. Our television commercials are full of advertisements for a pharmaceutical for each and every one of our problems. We live in front of our screens. One in three Americans are obese. We often feel depressed and hopeless and afraid of what life has in store for us…and we take another pill…for a Balm of Gilead for our sick bodies and our sad souls… Fresh air and moderate consistent exercise is often the answer to our improved quality of life…and our enlightened outlook on the horizon that is before us.

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