Books

It's been awhile since I posted about books, so I thought I'd throw a couple of mini reviews your way.

The Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlyn Schiess was much different than I was expecting. I was expecting it to be a bash on today's Christian Nationalism and the current state of the evangelical right in the US. 
It isn't.
Rather, it is a well researched and well written history of blending of religion and politics that examines how what we believe becomes who we are both as individuals and as larger communities, even nations. It wasn't a read that catered to my confirmation bias about religion and politics. It was more of a history lesson that teaches the past and reminds us of the effects of our religious/political ties of the past. Whether you are religious or not, this is a good read. I think Ms Schiess is changing the image of theologian from the bearded old white guy to an energetic and educated young woman. Don't walk barefoot around her. She is going to be breaking glass ceilings.

Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber. 
I've been following this pastor/author on social media for some time. I love her rebellious spirit and fresh outlook into the scriptures. Her transparency into her struggles in life and how her relationship with God and religion have taught her to love all of God's creatures is inspiring. I'm a little ashamed that this is the first book of hers that I've read and really only picked it up because I saw it at the library when I was looking for something to read.
I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Shameless takes a deep dive into how religion and society has bent the love of God into a controlling text that causes guilt and shame just for being who we were created to be. There is a story of one person that burned her bible -- all except for the four gospels. She said that Jesus never did or said anything to hurt her. She kept and cherished the words and stories of Jesus.
This is a book on learning to love ourselves. Once we've learned that lesson, we are much better equipped to love others.

Both books are well worth your time. 
What are you reading?

John

Cooler Temps Ahead

The last three days have been sunny and warm, but now the cooler temps are settling in and I think we've seen the last of the summer like days. It has made it into the 80s (27c) each of the last three days, but I don't even see a 70 (21c) degree day for the rest of the month. Nights will also be much cooler with a few nights towards the end of the month dipping down to the freezing point.

Sitting by the fireplace in the early morning or late evening is nice, but it really doesn't compare to sitting on the deck and enjoying the view and the sounds of nature. I know there are still going to be afternoons when I will sit out and enjoy a cigar, but the evening smokes are going to be few and far between as the colder nights settle in. I took advantage of last night's temp to enjoy a good, long smoke and sip a nice bourbon. 

I tend to smoke less expensive cigars during cold weather. That way I don't feel bad about letting them go out if I change my mind and decide it's too cold to be outside. I'm considering not putting up the plastic panels this year. I don't know if I'll stay with that or feel like I need to be out here enough to justify it. I guess we'll see.

Looking on the bright side, the daytime 50s (10c) and 60s (15c) will be perfect for shoveling the topsoil into the new flower bed!

John
 

Rethink

That evening quiet time thing may not be for me.
I didn't get an earlier start on doing things yesterday. I just didn't have a good morning quiet time.
I did get an evening sunset pic, but didn't post again yesterday.
Here's yesterday's sunset as seen from the Highlandville firehouse near our home:

I am still amazed at how far south the sun has traveled in its daily path around the earth. The morning sun is just getting ready to breach the eastern horizon and shine brightly into the deck. It is 64f (18c) this morning (yes, I slept on the deck) and that is warmer than the daytime high forecast for the next few days. 
After today's 81f (27c), it will be back to fall temps for both daytime highs and overnight lows.

I haven't worked on the fence/flower garden at all for a week or so. I guess I'll get back to it. I'm having the topsoil delivered in a couple of days, so I need to finish painting the panels. 50-60 (10-15) degree weather is good for that kind of outdoor labor when you're an old, fat guy like me.

On with the day.
Have a great one.

John

Changing with the times...

I'm going to try to make some changes to my morning routine.
In an effort to make better use of the limited, and earlier, hours of daylight, I think I'm going to try moving my meditation time to evening. With sunset coming so early and plenty of dark hours to spend chilling on the deck, I think I can be more productive by doing stuff that needs daylight earlier and saving the quiet time for later.
To be honest, I'm not certain this will work well. I really do enjoy the slow start to each day. In fact, I will still enjoy my morning coffee at a leisurely pace, and take a moment as I begin each day. 
This might not last too long, or I may go on more of a day-by-day basis as the mornings get colder. One of the most wonderful things about retirement is not having a schedule. 

However, blog posts may become more of an evening thing in the coming days. Today may be a twofer as I might post this evening if I come up with a pic for the day.

Also--
a note on comments:

I choose to allow anonymous comments back when I started this blog and will continue to do so. However, I often receive anonymous comments from people that obviously know me and it would appear that they think I might know who they are -- I don't. If you leave a comment and don't use your Google or Blogger identity, feel free to sign your name so that I know who is commenting. If you truly want to remain anonymous, that's cool, too.

John

Monday Meditation

Sorry about another post on religion, but my thoughts keep coming back to how much I have changed since I set aside that evangelical thing about needing to tell everybody how much they need Jesus and how they are going to hell unless they pray the magic words.
I have a very different attitude about the bible and a different approach to reading the instructions and lessons that Jesus taught. I also wonder how people read the bible with a perspective of how it teaches others how they should live without ever considering that it is supposed to be teaching us how we should live.

When I focus on my relationship with the Creator, on my relationship with others, on my relationship with creation -- there really isn't time to worry about what others are doing. Sure, I would love for others to experience peace and to work on making the world a better place, but that is a decision and action that they have to be responsible for making and taking on their own.I am happy to encourage them -- even help them -- along the way, but I can't be responsible for them. I have a full time gig taking care of John.
I really don't know how people find the energy to concern themselves with how everybody else acts or what they believe.

Something I do believe in is being kind to one another.
Last week, an old friend that I hadn't seen for quite some time messaged me about getting together for a bit. While on a Caribbean cruise celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary, they made a stop in the Dominican Republic and he picked up a cigar for me at a boutique cigar shop. 

It was quite an enjoyable smoke.
I like the pigtail finish at the cap end, and the two tone wrapper. I also like the size of this one - 6 x 60.
It was a mild, easy smoke with nice flavor subtleties that changed over the course of the nearly two hour smoke. It's difficult to express how touched I am that he thought of me. The thought and the cigar together made for quite a gift. It was also great to visit for a little while and catch up on life.

Not only did this simple act of kindness lift me up, but it also serves as an encouragement to do the same for someone else. I wonder how far the ripples of this act of kindness will reach.


John

Right on Schedule!

You can mess with the clocks, but ol' Sol stays right on schedule!

It would be so nice if we could forget Daylight Savings Time and quit f**king with the clocks twice a year.

John

Good Morning

It will be cloudy today, but warm -- 68f (20c)!
I'll take it!
I might even be back on the deck tonight as the overnight low is forecast for 50f (10c).

I think I'll go to a Native seed sale at a local brewery/coffee shop this morning.
Enjoy your weekend!

John

Music

You might remember that I bought a used ukulele last summer. I played around with it a little bit, but it has mostly been collecting dust on the mantel for the past few months. Maybe it's time to resume torturing the birds in the backyard and frustrating myself by messing around with it again.
Music is supposed to soothe the soul. I don't think the sounds I produce are very soothing for anyone and the learning part is more frustrating than it is calming. It would no doubt be much less frustrating if I found an old guitar and tried picking that back up instead of learning something new.

My pic for today:

John

Feeding Rock

Today's photo post comes a little late in the day as I had other things to attend to this morning.
These large rocks were dug up when excavating for the foundation of our house. I suppose they would have made a nice landscaping feature for the front yard, but that's not where the contractor left them. Eventually, I hope to make a birdbath kind of fountain water feature. The idea is in my head; I just have to work it out and put it together.

For now, this is where I have been leaving a handful of raw peanuts for the crows each morning. I'm not sure if I am training them or if they are training me. Sunday morning was a pretty frosty morning and I opted for coffee inside instead of bundled up on the chilly deck. Around 8 o'clock I heard the loud cawing of the crows in the back yard. I looked out the window and saw two of the three that usually show up, so I put on a jacket and went out to feed them. 
As soon as I stepped out, they flew off. They are very cautious about taking the peanuts, but they didn't go far. I left a handful and returned to the house. When I checked about 30 minutes later, the peanuts were gone.

I'll have to work on getting a picture or video of them "stealing" my peanuts.

National Blog Posting Month

It's cold in SWMO so the deck plants are now in the basement where they will spend the winter. I bought a couple of these plant shelves for these plants and to begin seeds in the spring. The elephant ears and dahlias will winter in their pots in the John Deere room.

I am already ready for spring!

John