I'm No Pollyanna

Yes. I know what's going on in the world. I'm no Pollyanna. But you won't hear/see very much of it from me. I often write letters, join causes, give money to candidates and donate time to the community, unbeknownst to anyone but myself.

I also won't give the rabble-rousers of the world the benefit of my free publicity. And, too, I won't become a rabble-rouser myself, for whatever reason. News is the job of CBS and NBC or Fox or whoever. Not mine. Rumor and gossip and innuendo are nobody's job.

When I refuse to editorialize and publicize horrific/political/petty crap, I have more time to change the things I do have control over, to understand the truth of so many baffling issues, and to pray for the victims and families of terror and also recipients of all sorts of evil everywhere I look.

 I've used the delete button well in these last few weeks, so I may not even see the Facebook posts that tout only the worst things in the world. The things I cannot fix. The mean posts. The uninformed posts. In the last few weeks, I must have told Facebook that I no longer want to see a hundred of them.

Rest assured, however, no one at Petty Gulf is playing the Glad Game.

Happy Birthday America

In the end, the evening was soggy....a good thing when bottle rockets, Roman candles, and comet fireworks are in play.

I sat on the screened porch with the kittens asleep and Belle purring and preening. I've taught most of my pets, through the years, not to fear the loud noises outside - far away from  their immediate world. We simply keep on with what we're doing come hell or high water: ambulances, fireworks, thunder, trees falling, lawn equipment, or the rumble of garbage trucks.

I was surprised to find myself with a pretty good view, back there, of the neighborhood fireworks both through the trees and across the lake. No wonder Squirrel used to sit on a branch all evening, looking. She didn't mind 99% of the noise, but she would bark at the cherry bombs popping in the cul-de-sac....bothered her ears something fierce.

We all dread the sound of the yippy dog, though, especially Belle. He yelped for two hours last night, without stopping, somewhere through the woods. Everything sets him off including, but not exclusive to, his neighbor (we've never seen these dogs in person) the deep-voiced, kindly, woofy dog. He also worries about the deer traveling, children laughing, gates closing, and streetlights coming on.

All in all, it was a beautiful evening that included a light show, plenty of noise-making, a glass of Calvados complete with a plate of apple slices, cheeses, and celery sticks, and the occasional sprinkle of gentle mist trying to become a bonafide rain shower.

Happy Birthday, America. God shed His Grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

No Hate and Discontent Lakeside

Family scattered, but a nice day on the lake with chair, book, and camera; baked beans, burgers, and slaw waiting in the wings. No news and strictly limited social media is such a relief after the week's events.

Who knew that an all-incompassing, deep-seated, and burning anger lurked inside of so many? I was overwhelmed and unsettled by it. Organized religion against individual spirituality, conservative against liberal, bloggers gone mad, church leaders divided, close-mindedness and ignorance of the issues, uneducated opinions everywhere.

I cringed as I listened to one local church hierarchy on youtube. To both sides of gun control. To insane murder and the burning of black churches. To blaming the modern-day southerner for sins against humanity. To the degradation of Ramadan and the whole of Islam. To the lack of understanding of the meaning of "all men are created equal." To almost everything.

I cried as friends and strangers alike professed to be open and loving but turned on each other, hiding behind hateful articles and dreadful accusations written on posted signs. For God's sake, if one must be hurtful and belligerent, one should at least do so in his/her own words.

Science is science and brings to mind, "Be still and know that I am God."

Government is government. "Give unto Caesar...."

The organized church is a manmade institution with a bloody, despicable history.

I, myself, choose to live by the words of the New Testament written in the red ink. "...Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me,"