Writing Journal

I'm beginning again to write, and so I've begun a writing journal. The link follows:

http://curiouslady.wordpress.com/

Gaylan, Suzanne, Jim and Me

These friends of ours took many day trips with us over the years. And of course, we took photos everywhere we went. Enjoy!

Cool Slideshows!

Dog Days of Summer

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days:

The phrase Dog Days or the dog days of summer conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere where they usually fall between July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant.

Wow! Is it ever hot and humid lately here in the piney woods of south Arkansas! The high temperatures for the next few days are predicted to hover about 100 degrees. Quite a change from the unusually cool and rainy July we had. It's just a little after 7 a.m. and is 74 degrees outside. I doubt if it cooled down much, if any, below that last night. Thank goodness for air conditioning, but I worry about all those people who don't have any place or way to cool off. The elderly and very poor are in real danger of heat stroke and dehydration.

Jim and I hope to furnish the parsonage patio with comfortable chairs and attractive plants and tables for "just sitting around" when the weather becomes a bit more conducive to enjoying the privacy of the back yard. We bought one small round table last week, and I want to go back this next week and purchase two or maybe four of the chairs that match it. We have a hodge-podge of outdoor chairs, none of them attractive or very comfortable. As much as I'd like to place pretty blooming summer plants (in moveable planters for convenience) about, I'm waiting. Maybe at the beginning of cooler weather, I'll put some pots with mums and other fall flowers out there, and wait until next spring to plan some colorful pots of summer flowers. Of course all this depends on the whim of my black thumb. Perhaps I can fool mother nature and actually NOT kill the plants this time. ....laughs

Tonight is the night UMW (United Methodist Women)'s meeting, and this month it's "Girl's Night Out." We're not having a regular meeting. Instead we're going to the Country Village, that fantastic place with the great food. The Fish House will be getting our bucks and hopefully be sating our appetites for fish and seafood. Some of the husbands are going to North Little Rock to take in a Travelers (minor league baseball) game at the new river front field. Dicky Stephens Field (think I spelled that right) is brand new this year and replaces the old Ray Winder Field in Little Rock. The new field is great, except for parking. Anyway, a general night out is on the offing for tonight.

No, I haven't begun my walking routine yet, which I'd planned to do after moving here where there is a safe place to get out and hoof it. The parsonage in Little Rock was on a busy highway, and the terrain was hilly. Here it's flat, and the streets are generally safe from wild drivers. The church parking lot and surrounding neighborhood are flat ground and great places for doing what both Jim and I should have been doing for years now. Soon. Yes, that's it. Soon. ....winks

Well, despite the heat outside, it's a comfy 70 something inside, and I need a second cup of coffee. I'll try to get here more often. There just doesn't seem to be as much free time as I used to have...... yet.

Later, y'all!

Crop Circles in Clay County

Do you believe crop circles are messages from aliens? I myself don't think so, but I do wonder how these in the following article were accomplished.

I found this at http://www.rense.com/general77/arkcrop.htm.

New Crop Circle In Arkansas
Nancy Talbott
BLT Research Team Inc.
http://www.bltresearch.com
6-15-7


June 14, 2007 ­ NE Arkansas Crop Circle
(photo: Fred Martin)

Location: Northeastern Arkansas
Discovered: June 14, 2007
Occurred: June 12, 2007 (?)
Crop: Wheat (fully mature, but stunted)

We are very lucky to have been informed about this formation in fully mature wheat, since harvesting has already begun. BLT fieldworker JoAnne Scarpellini called the office today from the site, where she is carrying out a basic field examination, and reports some interesting details. There are 4 tiny (18 inch diam.) swirled circles inside the standing sections on each side of the flattened "arms" which can barely be detected in this photo. Also, one of the "arms" is not flattened but is outlined with a "very thin" line of laid crop on either side of what would have been the 4th "arm"). The crop in the 3 flattened arms is all laid out toward the perimeter ring. But the thin outlines of the 4th arm (5-6 inches wide) are laid differently, both lines flattened in toward the center from the outer ring. The measured overall diameter of the outer ring is 129 ft. by 132 ft., with the width of the ring varying, overall being approximately 6 ft. wide.

The formation is situated on a slight ridge with homes belonging to two of the farmer's relatives about 200 yds. away. The field can be clearly seen from one of these houses and, so far, we have not heard of anyone there having observed anything unusual. However, a dog belonging to the relatives in this home "went crazy" on Tuesday night (June 12-13), barking and waking the family in the middle of the night. Interviews with the various family members have not yet been carried out in-depth, so more information may be available from them later on.

This field was sown (rather than planted or drilled) and there are no tractor-lines. No weed-killer was applied during sowing so there are many weeds and morning-glories (patches of green in the photo) throughout the field. Jo-Anne reports that most of the weeds, etc. do not appear to have been affected by whatever flattened the wheat, and some of them are taller than the wheat itself. [Because of very cold weather early in the growing season, the mature wheat is stunted and only 14-16 inches tall.]

This is the third formation to be found in the same general rural area during the last five years. In 2003 a pristine 3-armed, 10-circle "spiral type" formation was discovered in Knobel, Arkansas (also in mature wheat) by a local crop-duster.







Knobel, Arkansas spiral-type formation in mature wheat, found June 6, 2003.

In 2004 the first U.S. formation that year--a 166 ft. diam. "pinwheel" design--was found at Peach Orchard, Arkansas (in wheat, just a few miles South of Knobel).






Peach Orchard, Arkansas (5/24/04) "pinwheel" formation w/intact bird's nest in flattened crop.


JoAnne found and photographed several intact birds' nests in the flattened crop at Peach Orchard, but earlier visitors to the formation prior to her arrival had removed what they reported as totally undamaged eggs from these nests.

Because the farmer is harvesting this new formation now JoAnne has to quickly take the various instrument readings, carry out detailed measurements and gather samples, and we will have to wait for a few days for more details which may emerge from interviews with multiple near-by neighbors and the field-work.

The farmer has asked that the precise location not be made public as he will be planting beans in this field as he harvests, and does not want to risk the new crop being damaged. Ground photos will be made available as soon as possible.


http://www.rense.com

Ordination

Yes, I'm dog-tired, as I've heard old-timers say. The Arkansas Conference of United Methodists went very well. I only attended one session with my husband, and that was the evening of the Ordination Ceremony. It was beautiful, and Jim had three bishops, two district superintendents, and his mentor all "lay hands" upon him. It's a tradition in the church. The consecrating to God by laying on of hands goes back to John Wesley, and each newly ordained minister receives a chart that goes back to John Wesley and shows each previous "consecration" in turn. It's a continuous line, and Jim's goes like this:

John Wesley, ordained 1725
Thomas Coke, consecrated by Wesley 1784
Francis Asbury, ordained by Coke 1784; consecrated 1784
William McKendree, ordained by Asbury, 1791; consecrated 1808
William Capers, consecrated by McKendree 1846
Holland N. McTyeire, consecrated by Capers 1866
Elijah E. Hoss, consecrated by McTyeire 1902
Ivan L. Holt, consecrated by Hoss 1938
Alsie H. Carlton, consecrated by Holt 1968
Charles N. Crutchfield (the current Bishop of the Arkansas Conference), ordained 1971; consecrated 2004
James R. Stone, ordained 2007 by Crutchfield

In a way, I guess it's sort of like passing the torch. God's torch.

Some people don't care much for ceremony or other things associated with "high church," but I love to attend a very formal ceremony sometimes. I do love praise services, but sometimes the pomp and formality of what I call a high church service is impressive. Tuesday night at the ordination ceremony, the choir from Pulaski Heights UMC, along with the Ozark Point Brass group, sent chills up my spine many times with the absolute beauty and soul-moving power of their music.

Okay, I'm finished now, but I simply had to speak of the feelings of such a special ceremony, especially when a man whom I've loved and admired for over 40 years was involved.

After four days in Russellville at the conference, I'm definitely dog-tired.

As to flop-eared... this morning as I was brushing my hair and gazing out the window into the back yard and the woods beyond this lovely parsonage, I saw again the little rabbit we love to watch. Sometimes there are several that come out of the woods to graze in our yard, but usually it's only this one. Today a squirrel kept darting across the ground and teasing the little bunny. As I watched, I wondered how we human beings can make wars against each other and kill each other (all of us God's children, no matter whether we believe in God or not). How can we do such atrocities to our fellow man when God's little creatures get along in such harmony in nature. Oh, I know that nature is a trickle down of fittest of the beasts, and every species has natural enemies, but the beasts of the fields and forests and seas don't make war on each other. They simply survive. Why can't we do the same?

We're heading on the road again in a few hours. Going to Rector for a few precious days. It'll be our last trip "home" for months, and we look forward to seeing our two daughters and our grandchildren, my mother, and dear friends. Also we are eager to open up our retirement house and let some fresh air inside, as well as see to some things that need to be done. I'm tired before I begin. ...laughs

Of course, I'll have my little laptop, but not sure if there'll be time to write here. We return Saturday and have to hit the packing very hard. The movers will pick us up on the 22nd, and there is still major packing to get done before then.

But sooner now than later, we'll be moved and settling in at the new parsonage in Rison. Then I'll be back and drive everyone crazy with my thoughts.

Take care, everyone. God loves you.

Later, y'all.