an undone task...done

Long ago I put up on my website that I was going to build a pyramid to mark the grave of my trusty ol' dog Goldie.  Coyotes almost dug her up the morning after I buried her, so her grave has been marked all this time with just some concrete reinforcing wire and some rocks to keep the critters out.  A couple of years ago, I decided that a raised bed for plants would be a better option to mark her spot.  Since I moved that pile of wood chips yesterday - I figured it was about time I built the raised bed (projects here tend to have a domino effect).  It took half a day and a lot of rocks to build a 9' diameter / 20" tall wall of stone.  Gonna let the chips age and build soil till next year before I decide on what to plant in there.

While I was gathering my rocks, I disrupted the home of a salamander.  I took her picture while she checked me out from her foyer then put her rock porch roof back.  Her name is Sally.  80,90,68,0,B,0

change of view

For a couple of months now my morning routine changed from turning on the computer as soon as I get up - to sitting on the porch with tea for at least an hour.  Finally couldn't take another morning of staring at piles of stuff that had been sitting in the same place too long.

Had a freak downpour this afternoon.  Normally storms swirl all around TFL but I get no rain...a phenomenon I call "the vortex".  Well today I had a reverse vortex...rain here but hardly anywhere else in SW Texas.  78,92,70, .54",B,.20

rainy day homework

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display of affliction

 

http://vimeo.com/64039646

 

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why?

Not too long ago, a non-Christian asked me about my faith and related some points to me about why he questions the existence of God.  He told me a story about a good friend of his that had been tragically murdered.

Why do bad things happen to good people?  Unless you make a concerted effort to seek God personally and study the Bible, there will never be a satisfactory answer to that question (it is a tough one even for those who do have faith).  If anything, it's the perfect excuse to seek God rather than write Him off.  The Bible actually makes it quite clear that faith in Jesus Christ and in Christianity does not guarantee a good life, but a perfect eternity.  Our 80 or so years on earth is rather insignificant compared to forever - but what we do with that blink of time is enormous in the big scheme of things.  One has to understand that man has been granted free choice in all earthly matters including moral behavior.  Unfortunately, that means evil will exist and bad things will happen.  Life is only meaningful because we have the right to choose...the ability to learn from mistakes, the chance to succeed, and from time to time - experience pain and suffering.  The difference between being programmed for goodness and choosing it is precisely what makes being good significant.  The brutal truth of the matter is - In God's view, even the best person on earth today still has sin in his life.  The only person that lived an earthly life without sin was Jesus Christ, yet even he suffered a horrible death - in order to give all sinners a chance at forgiveness and eternal life.

An Excerpt from When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner

"Life is not fair. The wrong people get sick and the wrong people get robbed and the wrong people get killed in wars and in accidents. Some people see life's unfairness and decide, 'There is no God; the world is noting but chaos.' Others see the same unfairness and ask themselves, 'Where do I get my sense of what is fair and what is unfair? Where do I get my sense of outrage and indignation, my instinctive response of sympathy when I read in the paper about a total stranger who has been hurt by life? Don't I get these things from God? Doesn't He plant in me a little bit of His own divine outrage at injustice and oppression, just as He did for the prophets of the Bible? Isn't my feeling of compassion for the afflicted just a reflection of the compassion He feels when He sees the suffering of His creatures?' Our responding to life's unfairness with sympathy and with righteous indignation, God's compassion and God's anger working through us, may be the surest proof of all of God's reality."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/theology/badthingshappen.html
http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_murder.htm
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id=14139

headroom

Started clearing the debris from the go kart rehab.  First on the list - raise the truck rack out of head and shoulder bangin' range (wacked myself about 5 times so far).  Made good headway getting stuff put away.  Late afternoon visit from Ben and Bud's Uncle Gary and Aunt Andrea.  84,95,65,0,B,0

small engines

Well...I think this project has been drawn out long enough.  It all started when I came across the decrepit go kart while starting on clearing the grounds just over 2 weeks ago. Finally finished the last two fixes today and drove it about 8 miles without a problem.  The rule used to be - never drive it farther than you are willing to walk home.  Until today, I had very little confidence in my small engine skills and the secret inner workings of the internal combustion engine.  Now I finally have a healthy understanding of how to keep it (and other small engines) running smoothly...thanks to numerous YouTube videos, plenty of parts resources on the internet, and some real world experience  Cost about 500 bucks to get it roadworthy. Glad I took on this little project because I was just about to sell off the go kart cheap "as is"- in its' former condition.  85,94,66,0,B,.16