Skillerns Drugstores
Texas summers are hot. Like an oven. And I grew up before air conditioning was common in cars. A long drive in the summertime could wilt the most stalwart passengers. Skillerns Drugstores had a solution. Limeade. Served in tall green glasses, which you got to keep. Fresh limeade. There would be cases of squeezed limes [...]
Six Days
From the last orange until the first strawberry. Not bad. Not bad at all. Harry, from across the street, brought his daughter, Sophia, and his mother, Janice, over to visit the garden this morning. And I was able to give Sophia the first strawberry of the season. It looked delicious. And it must have been. [...]
Centralization and Information
The potential for abuse is significant. It can alter history. Literally. And stifle research. Amazon.com recently “experienced a glitch”. Books with themes relating to homosexuality were removed from a general search and from product rankings. The first excuse the company gave is that this was a policy aimed at all books with adult content. But [...]
The Church as Political Weapon
There is a pulling back from direct and open political participation among evangelical Christians. Some because they feel sullied by the political process. Others because they are on the losing side. The timing suggests a preponderance of the latter. God is on our side There is a tendency to assign God a role in political [...]
The Last Orange
Three months of oranges. Of being able to walk out, pick an orange and savor it on the spot. Throwing the peels on the compost pile. Unalloyed pleasure. We have fresh fruit almost year ’round. Though there is none now. Many blueberries ripening along the driveway. And many, many small green strawberries teasing me as [...]
Religion Matters
It is easy to take shots at religion. I do not know of any religion or denomination that is not based on the telling of some very difficult-to-believe stories. Parting of the seas, water to wine, riding to heaven on a horse. And many more. But it matters. Not just because hundreds of millions of [...]
Quote of the Week
I normally avoid reader comments at SFGate. Often poorly written. Uninformed. Translated: they disagree with my thinking. But in reference to an article about Proposition 8, one reader wrote: Remember, folks: People of science walked on the moon on 7/20/69; people of faith took over airplanes and flew them into buildings on 9/11/01. Walk well. [...]
The Pleasures of the Morning
A wealth of choices. Upon awakening I most often remember to thank God for the new day. The older I get the more fervent that prayer! And I look out the window to the hill behind the garden and the many trees there. This morning they were swaying in a moderate breeze. I shuffle into [...]
Religion in America: a Convergence
Two days. Three writings. I come from Texas. Some of my relatives (read “most”) are politically conservative and religiously fundamentalist. Big time. I got a message from a dear cousin blaming a tragedy that happened ten years ago on the government. Her idea is that government can do no good. It can at best create [...]
Spring Fling
Garden chores. Diego came by today, and he double-dug the squash bed. Hard work in rocky soil. I moved some other rocky soil to a spot behind the back fence and built a platform for the compost bin. Put in a drip irrigation line in bed 2, planted corn( ! ), cucumbers, and more beets. [...]
« go back — keep looking »