The Wilderness of Night

When was the last time you left the comforting lights of your home or campfire and stepped into the darkness? Familiar places take on a mysterious look. Colors vanish and the world closes in as your view becomes limited. You begin to depend more on your ears as your eyes fail. It can be a little spooky, and yet adventurous. Ever since that first campfire man has become addicted to light. We don't feel comfortable outside of the illumination of electric lights, flashlights, or fire. The darkness has become a foreign, forbidding place.

Sometimes Newer is not Always Better

Earlier this year, I did something I had said I was going to do for a long time—see if anyone—absolutely anyone—among web hosts supported FrontPage.

I can hear the tech folks out there right now, laughing their heads off. Still, I was serious. When my, then, current web host quit the FrontPage extensions some years back, they suggested I use FTP. I used one for a few years, even while the web host was pushing me to switch to Word Press. Finally, even the FTP (file transfer protocol) quit moving my update successfully.

Pinto Beans Ole

A few days ago I heard on TV that beans could become the new meat if meat prices continue to climb because of the virus. I hope not. But if you would like to prepare for that sad day here is a meatless recipe for you. You can eat it as an entree or make a wrap out of it with a flour tortilla, some shredded lettuce and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Try it and see what you think.

Baked Fudge Pudding

Here is another old-timey dessert. It is a favorite of mine because it takes cocoa instead of unsweetened chocolate. I always have cocoa on hand. It's an easy one to do in the oven. Be sure to serve it warm. You can fancy it up with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Retirement of Coach Kerr

Union County High School’s Coach Larry Kerr is planning to step down from the head coach position of the Patriot Football team. While many would think this may shock the players or rock their world, the players would disagree. They have been expecting this and know what’s in store for them in the future.

Postmenopause vitamin d deficiency associated with disc Degeneration and lower back pain

Lumbar disc degeneration and resulting lower back pain become greater concerns with age and disproportionately affect women over men, likely as a result of decreasing estrogen levels during menopause. A new study demonstrates that vitamin D deficiency, smoking, high body mass index (BMI), and osteoporosis are risk factors for greater back pain.

The Pole Cat Incident

“Get her back inside! Get her back inside!” Tim and Sara screamed at the same time.
As usual, I had just let Pobby out the basement door and into the back yard one last time before we went to bed. By the way, Pobby was our dog that chewed on my Bible in my story/article “Eating the Word.”

“If It Was Raining Pitchforks . . .”

A few days ago Becky Ogle, who works for the Union County Schools Technology Department, gave me a gift of appreciation. It was a yellow mug bearing the school system’s logo, and it contained a few goodies in it (ink pen, note pad, a 3-in-1 “phone buddy”). Becky said the cup would turn orange if I filled it with a cool drink and ice cubes. She gave me two, one for me and one for my Administrative Assistant, Angela Henderlight. Each cup had a raffle ticket, and a drawing was to be held I read a post on Facebook a few days later.