The most dangerous creature on Earth

This has been bothering me all day.  I stepped outside and saw an ant carrying some food. I tried to look at the world from his point of view. Bugs, insects, rabbits and other creatures live outdoors. Humans live inside. But when we of the human race step into their world, we destroy them. Why? They are creepy, or they will come into the house or I”m afraid of insects. There are a thousand reasons and I have yet to hear a good one. These are God’s creations. What right do we have to kill them? Ok, we may not like them but we don’t have to. Even money says they don’t like us either.

All the outdoor creatures do is survive. They eat, sleep and procreate. That is their life. Interfering with humans is not part of their program. Ants and other small creatures seek food and we as humans have a lot of it. But their normal palate consists of grasses. They are attracted to sugar, but it will harm them more than help. They do not get the nutrients they need. But, like kids, it ‘tastes good’.

What’’s the solution? Do we offer them sugar? No, that is a slow death. We leave them alone. We will not be overrun by them because they grow to the extent of the resources. When they get in the house, take them back out. We do NOT have the right to kill them. They live outdoors, we live in, it is that simple.

Below this sign

It rained. We are used to that. It snowed. We are used to it. In 2007/2008 it snowed a bit more that usual in the Dakota’s, Minnesota, and here. No problem. In the spring of 2008 the rivers swelled with the northern snowmelt. The Cedar River rose and was heading towards the annual flood. This is Iowa, in the Midwest. No problem, we’re used to it. We’re prepared for it. Then a railroad bridge, with end-to-end cars, fully loaded, collapsed.Problem!

We are not used to this. The water, quite untrained to stay within the confines of the banks, visited our fair city in places where this river has never been. The island, where our center of government was, disappeared. Every bridge, except the interstate, disappeared. Yes, we carped about it because the carp, catfish and every other river abiding creature now had our bridges. The bridges didn’t go down, the water came up. We exceeded our 500-year flood plan. A few years ago a record of nineteen feet was set. That record was shattered in 2008 when the river crested close to thirty-two feet. Downtown got wet.

This is Iowa, magic Iowa, field of dreams Iowa. “Build it and they will come” country. This is post nature’s havoc; the volunteers will flood the city with help, Iowa.

Case in Point

Angie had a house not far from the river. Her kids and grandkids spent an entire summer gutting this house and rebuilt it into a home. In this overly damp spring of 2008, she decided to wash the floors. The river offered to help, to a depth of thirteen feet. Kiss one dream home goodbye. The shed in their backyard has never been seen again.

She took the money FEMA offered and put a down payment on another house far from the maddening river. FEMA also gave her a mobile home to live in while her new house was fixed to habitable. This house is being turned into a home.

At this point a local-to-the-Midwest group called Jumpstart, was contacted to see if they could help. After many meetings and a lot of haggling, it was agreed something could be worked out. Working in conjunction with the coalition (a combined group of volunteer organizations such as United Way and others), a contractor was brought in. It was noted that the kitchen/bathrooms both upstairs and down, needed to be jacked up because they had settled over the years giving the floors a downward slope. That quarter of the house was ripped off. Problem solved. It will be rebuilt from the basement through the second floor.

Termites used this house for permanent banquets. They invited all their friends and family. Their dining area had to go. The volunteers showed the termites how to destroy the inside of a house in less than two weeks.

“Below This Sign, A Great City is Rebuilding”

Mount Trashmore may soon become twin peaks Trashmore. Almost every house (they are no longer homes), and business for dozens of blocks on either side of our now placid river has its insides, outside. Could one house have that much wood and plaster inside? Oh, the island returned, as did our bridges. The government however is scattered all over the city. Meanwhile back at Angie’s frame, er, house, the volunteers are busy.

Lloyd, Angie’s husband and his best friend Louis, are helping this group of volunteers by throwing the trash that used to be the insides, into the Green Giant sized dumpster.

Unpaid, traveling at their own expense, bringing their own tools, volunteers came from everywhere. There are people from Chicago and other places in Illinois. They came from Colorado, Arizona, New York, New Jersey and probably other places. What do you say to such wonderful people? Thank you sounds so easy, too pat. But that is all they ask. To these unsung hero’s, I dedicate this piece.

Thank you from a most grateful city.

Another child enters heaven

We lost another child! That is too many. Losing one is too many. How did it happen? Was it SIDS, an accident? It doesn’t matter what, but it does matter that this little bundle of joy is no longer on this earth. It is time for the living to help.

How, you ask. Money always helps, but just a card, a note, anything to let the grieving mother know you care. Click on Kaylen’s write to heal on the right. You’ll find all the information you need, names, contact points, etc. You can help! We need you.

When is Christmas over?

I do not watch television very often but music is on as much as possible here. My daily playlist has 240 selections, from Apollo 100 to Willie Nelson and everything in between. I like variety. Among all of that are several Christmas songs. It was brought to my attention that that holiday is past. Yep, the ‘day’ is gone but is Christmas ever really over? Let’s think about this for a moment.
Do we want to offer ‘Joy to the World’ only on one day? Granted it was ‘A Holy Night’, but do we only want to remember that once? How many nights are really ‘Silent Nights”? Christmas, the day of giving and receiving material things, is only one day. But the spirit of Christmas, the giving and receiving of spiritual gifts, peace and love, is 365 days, or it should be.

Is your Christmas one day or is it a faith so strong that you want to ‘ Go Tell it on a Mountain’ every day?

The Great Flood

This piece was not written by me but by a survivor.

The Great Flood of 2008

This has been a year to remember
Starting in June till December
You think that all is going well
But in just a flash all goes to hell

The water is rising fast they say
We just laugh and think no way
Just didn’t believe it could go so high
Back so many years ago we were dry

The river was raging and out of control
Taking our city, our homes and our soul
The next morning we saw the river’s rage
On the TV and on every newspaper page

I watched all day with an empty heart
Slowly taking in that my world fell apart
Where do we go from this empty place?
It was like we were suspended in outer space

The river had taken its toll with no pity
We look out and weep for our beloved city
The place we played and grew up is gone
Why did this happen, Oh what went wrong

But this is Cedar Rapid city of five seasons
We do not dwell on rhyme or reasons
We will build it back and make it right
For we are strong and ready to fight

Oh why does it take a disaster to open eyes?
Only Heaven above can answer the whys.
It is not for us to question God’s reason
His ultimate plan for the City of Five season

Out of this we have found the meaning of love
For together our prayer answered from above
We took to heart we are our brother’s keeper
A city closer than ever, love for each other deeper

Be it banker, doctor, lawyer, strong or meek
They worked side by side, week after week
I am proud to say I have seen God’s grace
Just look what he has done to this place
So I say to you all lets bring in 2009
Yet let us reflect and keep this in mind
When we think that times are bad
Hope is gone and we are all sad

We have this I say to my friend here
God is watching over us we have no fear
Remember there was a giant flood in the past
But the rainbow fills the sky, and it won’t last

This is a blessing we can hold in our lives
For through even this Cedar Rapids survives
Just look now to your neighbor with love
For our Lord is watching us from above

This is dedicated to all of us who have survived and grown from this experience. I thank all of the volunteers, workers, authorities, and to all who sent their prayers. We have seen our Fifth Season and it was filled with beauty of faith, hope and charity.

From one who has survived and found more happiness through this experience than I could ever have asked for. I send that feeling out to all of you who lived through this too.

Imagination

“What’s all that racket?”"I have no idea Martha. Where’s it coming from?”

“Grab that baseball bat, George. It sounds like it’s coming from the kitchen.”

Slowly they crept into the kitchen. The doors to the cupboard were rattling. Martha signaled George to be quiet. She went over to open the door while George prepared to attack whatever was causing the ruckus. She slowly opened the door when suddenly a big box of tea bags flew out!

“OMG” (Oh My Goodness, what else would she say?)

it quieted down immediately. The intruder was gone. Their daughter, Tillie, put her teabags in the wrong place and the coffee cups were very upset.

Is this story true? Of course not. I made it up, using something called imagination. This commodity is becoming short in supply. Between reality TV and the realism of games, imagination is being forgotten.

Before the advent of all these reality based products, four chairs lined up properly, became a car. An empty box turned into forts or houses. How many baking soda and vinegar filled plastic bottles were launched before the first Jupiter C crossed into space? It was this way of thinking, this imagination that fueled the space program. From this non-real thinking, we have home computers and the Internet. But imaginary thinking is almost a remnant of the past.

Today’s children need time away from television and the game consoles. Give them boxes, chairs, paper and crayons. They need to keep their childhood curiosity. Given free rein to make things up opens new worlds. Allow children to be creative and you get adults that turn science fiction into science fact. The Star Trek transporter may someday be as common as the family car. The future depends on more kitchen chair cars and cardboard forts.

What is Santa Claus (may be a reprint)

“Excuse me? Don’t you mean WHO is Santa Claus?”"No”

You’ve gone to the mall to get those earrings for your old aunt Doris, knowing full well she will lose them within a week. As you walk towards the department store you see a line extending out to the parking lot and almost wish you had hearing aids because those can be turned off. It’s pure bedlam with the kids yelling and the parents screaming to tell them to either be quiet or no Santa Claus. You’ve been here before. You know every kid in this line is waiting to see that fat man dressed in Red. You know also that he is a fake even though you may have told your kids he was a representative of the real thing. Believe it or not, you didn’t lie.

So what is Santa Claus?

“Oh good grief, this idiot keeps talking about what, not who.”

Yep. That’s because Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas. His reputation is that he has a list of good and bad. Every child gets a reward of some kind, the good ones get toys, the bad ones get underwear. That means, oh wait a minute, that is not right. That is the materialistic Santa Claus. That is not who or what Santa Claus, the real one, is about. Santa Claus, Christmas is not about getting. That is the selfish; I deserve such and such, philosophy. Ah, you’ve figured it out; it’s all about giving. Your first thought is, I’m not giving Aunt loseseverthing earrings, I’ll give her a new microwave. That’s too big for her to even lose. Wait, she did lose her car one time, no, her son took it. Anyway.

No, you have not figured it out. The spirit of Christmas is not about the giving of material things. It’s the time of year when we focus on giving of ourselves, our love, our kindness, towards others. Write this on your hand, then slap your forehead, maybe that way it will sink in that this is what we are supposed to do all the time. Maybe, just maybe, if half the world did this, the other half would get the message. But how do we convince half the world? Ah, that is the easiest part. You the individual live that way and let those around you see your happiness. Help them copy you. Happiness is contagious. Smile and nod courteously at all you see.

Ok, we’re back to that same nagging question, what is Santa Claus? He is the embodiment of all that the great holiday is for. We are celebrating the birth of our savior. We are throwing him a worldwide birthday party and our gifts are peace, love, and kindness. That is what Santa Claus is.

Give Thanks Week Day 6

I’m still working on these. Then it’s back to the same boring stuff, except for three days of book tours and those will be exciting! There is a special treat coming up for Marv.

Words fly through the air
To my friends that really care
It would truly be a treat
If many I could actually meet

How many friends can a person find
The Internet is a virtual goldmine
It doesn’t matter where they live
Around the world, friendship they give

From the location where you are
People you meet from near and far
Send out greetings east and west
North and south and all the rest

You reach the whole world through the end of your fingers
The slowness of snail mail no longer hinders
Meeting so many on line is done fast
Friendships are made that grow and do last

©Joyce Anthony and Ron Berry

I had to add Joyce to that poem because I totally ran out of words that go together. It’s back to poetry 001. Neither of us have been offered the position of poet laurite yet, but it’s coming (not).

I’m on day six and I still haven’t covered all the friends I’ve made on the Internet! I have to learn to write these faster than I make friends. That’s hard to do when one blogs as much as I have been. Let me see whom I miss today because sure as heck I won’t cover everybody. I will try to mention all the friends I have that I am thankful for. This set of blog posts has been a real eye opener for me. I didn’t realize how many people I had met, how many became friends. So without further obtuse rhetoric, let’s continue with the list.

Bonnie Doss-Knight writes non-fiction and is seeking to break into the fiction market. She will. As one of two dear friends editing my non-humorous attempt at fiction, she is ready for her breakthrough great American novel.

A wonderful lady who is quite ill right now has nurtured me along from day one is Barbara Williamson-Wood or Babs as we affectionately call her. We even had our own coded words on messenger called babese. Thanks to her I am much of what I am today.

Linda Valintino is an aspiring writer that now blogs. She does a lot of recipes and is good at making me hungry. And mystery knitter (she can spell her name, I can’t, Pirjo Ilvesvuori) is Finnish and a dual language writer. I do good to put together things in English.

From the great southwest is Joyce Scarbrough. I’ve read both books she has out and it reminds me of my high school years. Then we skip to Rome and meet Jo Linsdell, an English transplant that wrote an excellent book of translations.

I’m going to stop here. I have missed so many and tomorrow I have my toastmaster crew. For all that I did not name, you are still high on my friends list. But above all, the whole idea of this week is to give thanks for all that we have. Material possessions mean nothing, but the friends we have, the kindnesses we do, are what we must thank our God, our spiritual deity, or whomever is the driving force in your life.

Thank you, God; for all that I have for I have a life enriched even more by the friends you’ve shown me.

Give Thanks Week day 4

Tomorrow is the big day so I am posting this one early. Please give thanks to all in your life, human and animal.

GTW Day 4

You are my brother, it’s in the book
I don’t see how, considering how you look
You’ve got bumps in places I ain’t got
That’s what makes you look so hot

No matter how hard I try
I’m still nothing but a guy
But one look at you
I see beauty that is true

So how can we be kin
Because you’re not my twin
You’re not even related to me
Yet you’re my brother, how can that be

That tells me there are families out there
With people that often do more than care
These are the extended families we hear
That come into our lives and are so dear

The good book says you are your brother’s keeper. So then who takes care of your sister? Well, in this context, brother covers everybody, every gender. It implies that all on earth are one happy family. If that is the case then why does dad hit mom? Why did my brother run away? Why is my sister living in California and not talking to any of us? These are just some of the hazards within biological families. They don’t always get along. There is of course the families that do get along well or the fractured families like mine. I live with my ex wife. We may remarry but that’s down the road. We’ve covered most of these cases already.

I have another series of Internet friends to cover, but that is for Friday. Today I have one very important group that must receive special thanks. We call them extended families. Often these people are closer to us than the biological one and know us better. Should you find yourself as a member of an extended family, kneel down and pray extra hard for their continued happiness and good health. If you find the rare case of belong to two different extended families you have multiple times to be thankful. I do. We are spending the day with our extended family here. My other extended family is celebrating with peanut butter pie and all the other assorted goodies. I won’t go into what because it makes me hungry to think of it.

What is an extended family you ask? These are those people you choose to be your brother, sister, cousin or not even named, relative. They are in every respect, family except for the biological aspect. You almost always are much closer to this family than to your ‘real’ one. But if you don’t have one, now is a good time to adopt one, even if for only a day. That man you saw on the corner begging because he has no home, no food. Offer to share Thanksgiving with him. It may just be the incentive needed to propel him into changing his life. Even if it doesn’t do anything for him, it will change you forever. You’ll feel warmth in your heart to know you helped someone, a stranger.

Today is Thanksgiving. Please allow me this opportunity to extend my warmest wishes to all my readers and my most heartfelt prayers to my extended families.

Give Thanks Week

I’m worthless. I don’t have any money, the car is broke and I’m almost out of food. To make matters worse, that stupid Thanksgiving is coming and I have to go over to my wife’s/husbands relatives. What in the h— do I have to give thanks for anyway? My life is a shambles. There’s too much month for too little money. Give me a break, life sucks.

Sound familiar? How many of us have been there or are there? This is the start of a new tradition, Give Thanks Week or GTW. I’m starting it, but I’ll need you, my blessed readers to remind me of it since my memory is not what it used to be, I don’t think (I can’t remember what it used to be). Let’s start with what I said above then I’ll put in my first day of thanks.

Worthless means of little or no value so the question is, are you really worthless? Look around you. You have a family. You mean something to them. You have a car, so you’ve earned or are earning a living so you mean something to an employer. So you are not worthless. You don’t have any money, that’s sad, but you can earn some. As soon as you earn ten dollars that puts you in the top ten percent of the richest people on earth. You have a car, well, well, how many people on this blue planet don’t have a home? Food? There are dozens a day starving to death daily. So, how stupid is Thanksgiving? You have so much when so many have so little. Try again.

Guess what folks, a lot of what I wrote in that first paragraph applied to me. My self-esteem was in the toilet for sixty years. Thanksgiving was food. Oh I was wise enough to know to be thankful for some materialistic reasons. I was even thankful some of my relatives were around. Heck I even had a friend, I think. I went through the ‘what good am I’ routine many times. Then I realized several things. I realized I had a talent. It didn’t do me a heck of a lot of good, but I felt like I knew how to do something. That was two years ago. I made a very good friend who knocked some sense into my head. It was the kick in the right place at the right time. More about friends later this week. First I need to give thanks to the one that matters the most. There is, in every life, one that needs the most thanks and I’m no exception. I am offering thanks to the one that provides inspiration. I am offering thanks to the one that first believed in me. I am offering thanks to the one that should have been in my life at a much earlier age. Let’s face it, I led a very empty, shallow life. Then I met my mentor, my most important part of my life.

I was introduced early in life, but only recently did I reconnect and understand just how important God has been in my life. I hereby offer my sincere thanks and all prayers to God. It is he that knows my needs. It is to heaven that I send my pain. It is from heaven I receive my strongest love. It is to God I owe all that I am or ever will be.

This is my first day of thanks. Let’s hear yours.