Arbor Day Party

Hey, as I stated in an earlier post, uh I think the last one actually, I've decided on not opening on April twenty-second or any time real soon, 'cause after all like Connie said, I's the boss. Instead of an opening day with tea and cookies on that-day-I-don't-care-for-because-of-it's-knuckle-head-association, I suggested we still have a party and on Arbor Day, a day I do like.

(By the way, in spite of any thing I say in this post or others, no matter how derogatory I can get, if you want to, or already do, celebrate what is commonly known as "Earth Day" April 22, I'm cool with that, I might even eat those interesting blue and green colored roundish cookies without sugar you had your kids make for the occasion. I just won't be hosting one here or arriving at your place in a Prius.)

In Washington state, Arbor Day is this Wednesday, April 14th, sorry 'bout the short notice for a party. But let's do it! Cookies and such around two-ish shall we? Although I do have a nasty cold so if you have fragile health issues you ought to know I'm a coffin' up a storm right now, but I have masks and if you show up with a scarf around your nose and mouth we'll be okay with that.

And then of course National Arbor Day is April 30th, if that is a more doable date for you, let say lunch-ish, bring a brown bag, I'll have a cooler of cokes and such and we can picnic in any number of special spots.

I'm sorry if my dislike for Earth Day throws you, Dear Reader, but I just can't hack it. The whole of it, the stuff that they promote on it or around it, in association to it, or the folks that conceived it and why they picked the date they did... I've tried in the past to like Earth Day but it has never set well.

I have, however, always enjoyed Arbor Day, it was a day my dad and I would often share and celebrate, and 'cause I fall more from that tree than the one who would say, "Let's keep at it so we stay ahead of things Lanny," we would often be celebrating it not quite on Arbor Day for Washington or National Arbor Day either, we often made up our own date when we had let the other slip by or had something arbor-ish to do way ahead or when we were without a calendar.

So I'm thinking that's what I'm gonna do, only even more Lanny style. My dad would just say what the heck and we would go do something treeish or birdish if we realized we were off date. It was something we did, just the two of us. I wanted to be a forest ranger and I think he sort of liked that and wanted to encourage that.

Any who, I'm puttin' a Lanny spin on it this year, including even the whole part that I'm a little late for doing it up just right, that is very Lanny.

Here's my idea: lets celebrate Arbor Day, here on my blog and at Victory Farm and Gardens. If you swing by in the flesh, uh in person not in a hedonistic sinful manner, any one of these days (give a ring though the night before because we could have plans to be out back or run to town for more party supplies) that some state or other celebrates and takes care of trees and birds.

Remember, Lanny's definition of party can be just about anything, balloons, clowns, cake, whistles, fancy punches are not mandatory, but can be nice if that's what ya got. So if you swing by we'll be partying, just please, don't be disappointed.

I won't be listing the states who's date has already come and gone.

Washington (that's me) second Wednesday in April.

Wyoming last Monday in April

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Utah, Texas, Kansas, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Delaware. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire (and this year, National) last Friday in April

North Dakota, Vermont first Friday in May

Maine third full week in May (that's why I like this state, a whole week of partying!)

Alaska third Monday in May

Really not all that many days for Tree and Bird Parties but it'll do and leave us for a couple of chances for other parties, like slug or fern parties. We've got April 14th, 26th, and the 30th, then May 7th, and the 16th through the 22nd. Woohoo! Eleven plus chances to party.

And again, why Arbor Day? And not that Other Day?

Arbor Day isn't doom and gloomy, it is a bright and joyful celebration of trees, planting trees, planting other things when you can't plant trees, putting up bird feeders, going for a hike in a national forest.

Arbor Day isn't about putting hidden spikes in trees that could kill those who desire to use the resource properly, it is about planting them and enjoying them for what they are, a tree, they are not reincarnations of my dead great aunt Judy.

Arbor Day is about being protective, just not a psychosis dressed up to look like protection. Protection is appropriate, we are called to be protectors, of trees and land, especially those of us who know we are called and free in Christ.

No, we are not free to chop down whatever we think we need, but we also are not to be doom and gloomy and fear-filled and psychotically controlling of everyone but ourselves. Lording our knowledge or worse yet, pseudo-knowledge over others, determining how much toilet paper others ought to use, how many light bulbs each household can buy a year, what automobile, if any, a person can own and when they can drive it...

So yes, lets celebrate God's creation and specifically trees and the beauty, wonder, and service that is ours from the trees God gave us and the little (and big) birds that inhabit them. Lets celebrate it on J. Sterling Morton's Arbor Day or really, any other day we find ourselves thankful for God's creation of trees and mindful of our stewardship responsibility.

Living Among The Window Ledge People

So I've said a few time before and promised an explanation of not having rules especially in departments where some expect us to have rules.

Our daughters, all four, have never dated and won't. Two are now married. Some folks then wonder what our "rules" look like, how it is we "do" that. How do we keep them from dating, what our definition of dating is, when they will get to make that choice for themselves and what the consequences for rule breaking in our house looks like.

They seem to have at least a brain strain or more like a brain fracture when we say we don't have a no-dating rule. "Then they can date if they want to?"

"No."

"So then you have dating rules."

"No."

Eyes glaze over and they shake their head and wonder if we are just being obstinate or silly or knowing us slightly, both.

We see it like this.

We don't have rules about walking on the window ledge when you are in a building five stories up and better.

But we seem to live in a society that once you are above the fifth floor, the only accepted way of getting from room 502 to 534 say, is to climb out on the ledge and walk hopefully to the corresponding window and then climb back in.

We stand in room 502 knowing that we need to get to 534 and listen to insane people talk about how easy and sort of fun it is to go by way of the ledge. They seem to think we are nuts for thinking it absurd to go about in this manner. They have always gotten from room to room that way, they are fine. Only a few folks fall to their death, and some survive to come up and climb right back out on that ledge.

Sorry, but we think you are crazy. You have perfectly good hallways. Why would you want to risk the fall, the chance that you might not be at the right window, so many other pit falls of taking the window ledge instead of the hallway.

But because we live in a society that refuses to take the hallway from room to room, we seem to have a no-window-ledge rule. Because what do you say when someone starts climbing out on the ledge and looks back at you and says, "Are you coming?"

"No, what are you, nuts? We don't use the ledge."

"Oh, you have a window ledge rule don't you?"

"Well I didn't before today, didn't know I needed one."


That is how we feel about dating. We don't really need a no-dating rule because quite frankly it is as ridiculous as getting from room to room via a window ledge. It doesn't assure you that you will actually get to the room you are seeking and on top of that it is plum dangerous and unnecessary to boot. It is just that nearly everyone in our society climbs out the window and goes along the window ledge.

We firmly believe and it has been proven that God will bring along your spouse when and where you need them. It will be evident, not necessarily just to the couple involved, but to their immediate community. It will be confirmed and known to those who need to know.

If God cares about the hairs on my head, the job I hold, the house I live in, the vacation I take, why would he not care about the second most important relationship, topped only by my relationship to Him? And care enough to bring the person that I need, and needs me, into my life at the appropriate time?

I do not need to entertain myself until then, get to know the opposite sex, and play around with falling off the ledge. This is baggage that gets in the way of the eventual relationship He will bring to me, and is the makings of footholds in my life that allows Satan to climb all over me.

And that is just the stuff that is bad for me personally. Dating also allows for me to defraud others. The people I date, when they think I care more about them than I do, they are defrauded. I can't possible be honest with how little I do care or they would break it off and I would not be able to gain the personal pleasure that I get from having someone to do things with. Having to do things alone or with your brother or your mom or dad, is a pitiful drag and down right embarrassing why would I be honest and make myself have to get through day to day life in that embarassing uncomfortable manner?

I also defraud their family and mine. They become close to me and my family to them, only to loose when we say it didn't work out. They are left with an unusable Christmas gift in the closet when we timely break up in November so that we don't have to do that uncomfortable Christmas, but we aren't really that into one another, thing. They are left with emotions that have no place to go now, or they continue to get together with my ex because for some reason they seem to like them better than me and they waited so long for a brother or a sister and now it looks like they will have to wait even longer and won't that be weird when I finally do get hitched what will they do with my old ex that they still like?

Not to mention the constant danger of slipping off the ledge and plummeting to the death of our purity. Physically and emotionally as well. And it is not enough just to "avoid" actually falling. We believe that to constantly tell yourself you cannot do a certain something, but enjoying getting up to certain edges only to exasperatingly back off before it is too late, is as dangerous to future intimacy as actually doing what you are not supposed to until you have committed yourself before your God and community.

So no, we don't have rules against dating any more than we have rules of walking on the fifth story window ledge.

More later. As always. Please pelt us with comments and questions, it spurs us on.

Where Is My Camera?!

I cannot seem to unzip my camera case, get the poor little thing out and use it.

Two amazing weekends have gone by,now almost three and nothin', well picture wize anywho.

Weekend before last we were over east of the mountains in some of my favorite spots on the earth (I don't get around much so favorite spots come from a small radius in relation to the whole world but the spots I find as favorites have huge childhood connections so they most likely wouldn't change even if I could go to Peru and canoe on Lake Titicaca) and I even put my silly little camera bag over my shoulder, it certainly helped make me look like a tourist but it didn't help me get out my camera and use it.

The bummer is that because I had the camera that meant that my girls who stayed at home taking care of the farm had none. And if my time east of the mountains couldn't be caught on film, uh, card, at least theirs could have been. Not saying that my weekend wasn't exciting but theirs was exciting and photographable.

Some fella decided to drive up to the farm except he missed the driveway by a bit, took out a telephone pole and wiped out a huge chunk of our frontage pasture fence! When his insurance folks called him about our fence he claimed that he never saw a fence, knew that he wiped out a telephone pole and had it on top of his truck sure 'nough but he did not encounter a fence.

That would be because his truck was on top of the fence!

His insurance company was decent and expedient about taking care of the fence and so soon we'll get to rebuild our front fence.

Yipee, 'cause I was getting a little bored with nothin' to do around here!

We got a lot done last weekend because of friends and we got a lot done back in September because of family (and friends that look a lot like family and kinda sorta are in a way, which will lead to a post soon on family relations and such, cause I gotta beef with our lack of naming things). I would love to show you pictures of all the work we did and the fun we had doing it, but the camera trigger finger seems to be stuck and very few pictures are being taken right now.

I will do my best to do better. I don't even have pictures of Leif Erikkson Day. Which was great by the way. The food was great but being with family and framily was even better. Dirt ended up putting the Lutefisk on his barbeque (which in not the same as a grill) and ate it later in the evening. Because it was not done in the "traditional" method I felt I had an out this year and passed it up. I might not be so lucky come Christmas Eve however.


That is it for now Patient Visitor, I'll be doin' a follow up on my last post, because it isn't that we think no one has the gift of pastoring, shepherding, but that it just doesn't look like the current common practice. And pretty soon, Mr. Vick, uh I mean Dirt, will sit down with me while I write out his analogy of school, college, and goin' to a church building for church done the way most Christians just accept that it ought to be done. Oh that and I will take pictures today of Anna skinning a raccoon that Martin treed, well arbored really, and tell you all about it.

God is good, all the time. Even when you gotta wipe the fan blades and the walls, there is always something good, amazingly good going on that makes the stuff on the fan blades seem like nothin'.

Fly Me to The Moon

Two weeks ago I came up with a great idea to have a party for the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing! Man, two weeks goes by fast!

Having not realized that days were actually passing, I got to Saturday and said, "Aw Sacagewea."

I was going to have homemade moon pies for desert and Tang. I thought it would be fun to put dinner in little bags that everyone would have to suck their meal out of. Remember? The big thing was that when we grew up (I was ten at the time) we would be eating food out of tubes every day like the astronauts, and riding in things that looked a lot like a few of the new cars that I would never be caught dead in, well maybe if someone gave me one I might use it.

Dirt has promised to save a little of my day and buy me some marshmallow creme so I can make homemade moon pies and I hope he can find Tang in the store. Do they even make the stuff anymore? Even though I forgot to send out invitations so all my friends could be here and enjoy my silly idea, I still get to celebrate what was a great moment in history for me, for all of us I'm sure.

I was ten years old and the future was huge. My family went camping during the time the brave men were headed to the moon and my dad, not willing to miss such a great occasion, took along a little tv. The place we went to actually had electrical hook ups and we got reception! (I can't get my cell phone to work so well when we go camping)

That night around the campfire I heard so many stories, of how far we had come and how far we were going. The special treat, my grandmother was along on the trip with us and she really had some perspective on how far we had come.

While I make my moon pies tomorrow I'll see if I have any pictures of my grandma I can put up for you. She was a little girl living in a Soddy in South Dakota before her family made it to the Okanogan area. Her husband, my grandfather on my dad's side, drove the Nighthawk stage coach between Washington and Canada. Some sixty, fifty years later, next to the campfire that night, she could see her grandchildren living and traveling in outer space. She was excited for us. Hey Grandma, maybe in ten, twenty more years or so, who knows, time goes by fast and technology seems to go even faster.

Really, we have come far, maybe not as far as we thought, no dinner out of plastic tubes, no walking the dog in a spacesuit, but in some cases we have come farther than our imaginations took us back in nineteen sixty nine.

Hey, if you still feel like celebrating later on I'm sure the tang comes in a large can, we won't drink it all tomorrow, and moon pies are quick to whip out. I'd be more than happy to put the garden tools down if you want to stop by for a belated moon landing party this summer. Maybe we could watch Blast From the Past or something like that.

By the way did you know that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon? That would be so cool. How close did he feel to God at the moment eh?

Just Thinking Through The Eye of a Mutt

I was raised Catholic but from my mother's side, German, French and Danish in ethnicity.

My father claimed primarily Scotch-Irish decent and, until his third child was born, was Presbyterian in faith. But not unlike the the first Scotch-Irish that came to North America in the seventeen hundreds, my father felt strongly for the oppressed and was a fighter, perhaps not to the wild extent of his youngest daughter, he was able to channel it better into socially acceptable determination to get things done, he was fierce in what he did and what he believed in.

Family history plays a large part in my views on things but oft times heritage does not necessarily play out entirely as one might expect. But I was raised not only by my parents but by an Irish Catholic priest and the nuns who taught at the school he oversaw.

We learned the Irish jig each year, we sang Irish music during music classes, many of my classmates had auburn hair and freckles, there were a few dark haired, blue eyed students, it was evident that there were many Irish families in our parish. I was rather steeped in Irish at school, if not completely at home.

When I went to college and had a chance to pick a narrow area of study in history, I naturally gravitated to Irish History, and I learned a lot. One of the many things I came across was a piece written by Jonathan Swift. The author of Gulliver's Travels was an Anglo-Irish, the privileged class in Ireland.

Somewhat similar to Saint Patrick, he was a Brit that returned to Ireland, St Patrick went back for the people, Jonathan Swift changed because of the people. His A_Modest_Proposal was a satyric piece aimed at the oppressive class in defense of the oppressed. The basic point is that civilized society would find it beyond repugnant to raise infants for profit but that same society doesn't bat a privileged eyelash at oppressing another class of people to the point of debilitating weakness and death. Those not of the privilege class, but not of the greatly oppressed, were only too happy to not put any pressure on the privileged for their own sakes.

Sometimes our views don't run straight lines from our heritage, sometimes they veer off and follow something else entirely, such as principles based on Scriptures:

Malachi 3:5 "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.
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James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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Matthew 25:34-45 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'


So yes, I love and appreciate what has gone before me to exemplify these scriptures and be my cloud of witnesses, a bold Saint as Patrick, an outspoken critic of his own people and culture as Swift and my folks, both of them. Good honest God-fearing people trying to make good the best they knew how.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

That is the stock I come from and sometimes I like to think my stalk runs to the green side. The color of freedom and life.


Dear Reader, I pray that you had a good day today. My day was excellent because fortunately, more and more, what rings true in my life is that it is not based on whether the cupcakes turn out, or that we even remember to take to town the ones that were okay enough, or half a dozen other things that makes my day fall short of my plans. Those are all the things of periphery and not the substance. I am thankful that those ahead of me are sweet and kind enough to allow me to catch up to them without being overly critical, because I'm just not all the way to where they are at yet.

You know there sure seems to be a lot we can spend our day praying for: the big obvious stuff that is going on in the world, conflict, hunger, theft, abuse; the up close and personal, loss of employment, health, grief, misunderstandings, things even so small as lost papers and missed deadlines. Listen to your neighbors and friends and you will never be without something to pray for.

Good night Dear Reader and God bless.
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No man - I don't care how colossal his intellect - No man is greater than his prayer life. Leonard Ravenhill