M10 show week # 16

 

Elvis:  Awright, what did ya find THIS week?

Well, I have a little story to tell.  A couple nights back, I saw Karen Carpenter trending on Twitter.  Curious, I found that most of the buzz was that Rolling Stone Magazine (that bastion of great music knowledge, lol) had released a "readers poll" (which looked more like a 'buddies of editorial' poll) of "The greatest lead singers of all time."  And Karen Carpenter was leading the suggestions of names that got left out.  I mean, when the article on RS itself has to lead with a disclaimer:

 

"... And remember, we just count the votes – even if they are exclusively for white men..."

 

And not just white men... half the list is dead!  Of course, so is Karen, so that's not a big deal.  But then a day or so later, that same clickbait page I found last week's 'greatest songs of all time' ALSO had a list!  So I said, let's compare, contrast, and see what Chris thinks!  But first, our lone debut this week, at #10. Coming in from her new lp, here's Melody's Echo Chamber....

 

 

 

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Uh, that was cartoon characters?

No, more like video game avatars... I think it was okay, but her human videos were better, if no less bizarre.  So anyhow, I see that the clickbait list wasn't exactly the same- instead of 'lead singers' it had 'rock vocalists'.  But oddly enough, their top two were the same, just flipped.  Odder still, 4 of the RS ten didn't make the top ten on the clickbait list- and three more didn't rate their top 25!  And four clickbaiters would be disqualified from the RS list as they were soloists and not members of a band.  All that given...

Ain't it about time to make with the list?

Yes it is!  First, here are the lead singers 'voted' to the RS list:

10- Kurt Cobain, Nirvana (Status: Dead). He got #24 on clickbait.    To me, great lead singers have to do more than scream more or less melodically.  Example, Frankie Valli.  This theme will come up again... and again.

9- Chris Cornell, Soundgarden (Status: Dead).  #19 on clickbait.  Now, mind you, I'm not a hater of these guys.  I had the cassettes of Nevermind and Superunknown. I just think a "lead vocalist" in the top ten range should be able to move you with the power of their singing. Example: Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops.

8- John Lennon, Beatles (Status: Dead).  #17 on clickbait. Now this is more along the lines I would list, maybe not my top ten.  Personal preference, I would have took Paul McCartney first.

7- Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam (Status: Has a recent lp out and an M10 single).  Even as much as I loved The Haves, I don't know about top ten.  Although it certainly moved Eddie higher on my list. I'm surprised they voted him and no mention of someone like, say, the Eagles' Don Henley.

6- Roger Daltrey, The Who (Status: Elderly). Even by the standards RS used, I wouldn't have put him this high up.  Certainly not better than Lennon.  You want a 60s British band leader, give me Justin Heyward from the Moody Blues.

5- Jim Morrison, Doors (Status:  Even the tin hats have to believe he's dead by now).  Clickbait #21. He wasn't my cuppa for sure, but he did have the chops.  Much as I hate to say it, I'll leave him alone.

4- Mick Jagger, (Status: Active, if elderly, unless he's a clone).  Clickbait #14. He should get a longevity record, perhaps a special mention, but two things he never was: handsome and a world class vocalist.  Of course, he still sounds the same, which puts him in a class past a lot of his peers.

3- Bono, U2 (Status: Alive).  I honestly don't know what to make of this one, so I'll just say two words: Burton Cummings.

Now like I said, the top two on each list are the same, just flipped.

So yer gonna save 'em fer last, right?

Yep.  Let's see what clickbait (this time compiled by one Kelsey Eve) had to put in the top ten of their less-restrictive "rock vocalists" list.

10- Ann Wilson, Heart (Status: Lighter).  Hard to argue that she meets the quality test. Is she as good as Martha Reeves was? Ummm...

9- ELVIS...

WHUTTTT???!

I hands down agree here, Big Buddy.  You can pick your spot on the list, far as I'm concerned.

Darn it, yer gonna make me cry...

8- Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac and solo (Status: Presumably immortal). Again, can't argue the quality test.  And at least clickbait realizes that women exist.

7- Bon Scott, AC/DC (Status: On the Highway To Hell).  Not a factor on my list.  Clickbait passed over much better singers, even ones they had down-list, like Bob Seger.

6- Steven Tyler, Aerosmith (Status: Asking Jagger about the clone process). I think, had he tried that style of vocal, he might have been a good choice.  Definitely down-list for me though, with cats like Eric Burden not showing up.

5- Janis Joplin, solo (Status: Dead).  I can't say bad about Pearl.  More bluesy than my tastes, but that's just me.

4- David Bowie, solo (Status: Presumably floating in a tin can, far above the world).  No argument here.  Not even a good, "But what about..."

3- Michael Jackson, Jackson 5 and solo (Status: Dead but well-medicated).  I think of him more of a performer than an artist.  Some might say the same about Tom Jones, but let's hear MJ try singing She's A Lady.

Okay, so who's left?

Hold the hosses, buddy!  You gotta give us the M10 this week first!

Oh, crap, I fergot!

9- Up one, Scorpions and Peacemaker...

8- down five, Cactus Blossoms an' Everything...

7- up 2, Duran Duran an' Laughing Boy...

6- up one, Sweet an' Hoffs an' Run To Me...

5- an' stuck, Beach House an' Only You Know...

4- an' down one, Best Coast an' Leading...

3- up 3, Cactus Blossoms again an' Is It Over?

2- up two, Tears For Fears an' Break The Man... 

 

An' still at #1....

 

 ... Envy Of None and Liar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So who's the top two?

The answers to that question, my friend, are....

...Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury!

I might dither a bit, but not strongly, on Plant from Led Zeppelin... but not over Freddie from Queen!  Plant won the Rolling Stone vote, Mercury the clickbait choice.

 

I will say I had something different planned this week... but I can always do it next time, if I don't see another squirrel!  Till then, Lord willing!

Wednesday Bible Study: What Jesus asked, part eight

 

We are in Matthew 11, but the set-up starts in the previous chapter:  Jesus has sent the Disciples out on their first mission trip.  Now it is Him alone with the crowd, and He also went on the same mission to the cities and towns of Israel.  But at a certain point, John the Baptist send his own acolytes to Jesus, asking- as John was fighting doubt during his last imprisonment- whether Jesus really was the one.  And from Jesus' answer, and His following description of John, I wonder if the question was more for their benefit than his own.

But in describing John, Jesus asks 3 questions- and I believe that, though they look like rhetorical questions, they were in fact meant to focus the crowd onto the way Jesus WANTED them asked...

Mat 11:7  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?   Mat 11:8  What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
 Mat 11:9  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
Mat 11:10  This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
Mat 11:11  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Mat 11:12  From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 11:13  For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
Mat 11:14  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
Mat 11:15  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I want you to see in these questions, a couple of things.  First, the main question, "What did you go out to see", meaning those who went to John's baptism.  Then, that each of the three modifiers was directed at a specific segment of the crowd.  And finally, the length of answer depended on the sincerity of the searcher.

What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 

 

This was directed at the Pharisees and scribes who only went out to decide what kind of trouble was being stirred up by John.  They went out hoping to see another nobody who got momentary attention and then would fade into obscurity with a little pressure.  Assured by his arrest by Herod, they had nothing to worry about, they didn't concern themselves with his message.  And thus, Jesus gave them no reply.

  What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

 

Now He directs His inquiry to the curious; they've heard the stories, maybe a bit of the message, and have sought out John for, essentially, 'entertainment value'.  "A man dressed in soft clothing" is a euphemism for someone famous, rich, well to do.  These people, at least, get an answer from Jesus, but it is a mocking one.  "Why would you come all the way out to this desolate area for your entertainment?  There's nothing for you to see here."

 

  Mat 11:9  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 

 

Now here, Jesus finally expounds upon John's true nature, because the seekers are seeking truth.  They have come seeking this baptism of repentance, to make themselves right with God.  These are people who look at the 'repentance' granted by Temple sacrifice, and see it for the insincere, money-gouging enterprise it had become.  And to them, Jesus explains John.

Mat 11:10  This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
Mat 11:11  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. 

Jesus links him to the prophecies of old, particularly that found in Malachi:

 

 Mal 4:5  "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Mal 4:6  And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." 

And in making the claim for John to be 'Elijah the Prophet', He leaves no doubt that He is the awaited Messiah.

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

 

This would be a puzzler, except I heard it explained the other day.  John is alive and on earth, on which he may be the greatest of men; but the least who has achieved Heaven is greater than any on earth.  This was what was available to all of them.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 11:13  For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
Mat 11:14  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 

 

Jesus is trying to get two things through to them here, and you have to understand that He is trying to break centuries of 'tradition teaching' in doing so.  First, the reward, and the victory, are NOT IN THIS LIFE.  I've been spending some time in the Book of Job recently, and two things you learn about the people of that day is that they had a conception of God that never went beyond what they could see, and they 'judged' God based on how faithful HE was to that image.  He had to break that conception, and show them that the connection between this world and the next was all about seeking God sincerely. Second, everything they needed to know about Himself, Jesus, was IN THEIR SCRIPTURES, taught not by the Pharisees but by the prophets they ignored, and sometimes killed.

 

 Mat 11:15  He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 

 

Now, it comes down to us.  What do WE go out to see?  Are we waiting to see God PROVE Himself before we believe? (Don't hold your breath.  It is our obligation to believe, not His to prove.)  Are we just seeking the entertainment, enlightenment, the next hot thing?  If that's what you found, you looked in the wrong place.  But if you come sincerely looking, seeking God and not just your 'take' on Him, and are willing to use the Bible to LEARN about God- then you'll have your proof.  But that proof will validate the next life, not this one.

Is it spring NOW?

 Here are some more snaps taken the last two days of grrrrrr-eat weather...

A little wind damage at ye olde disc course...

I t'ink it camed from there

And some erosion sharpening the bend on Stony Run...

They poured/sprayed some brown stuff on the back lot at the Plex.  Don't know what it is, but it made everything downwind smell like maple surple.

M & M Duck doing 'Nestflix and Chill'

"What're you doing here?  You never come here!"

Misty checks out the far side of the (soon to be) Green Hole.

Misty chooses a random trail we MUST go down...

And here's why- a new drinking spot on the river

Raccoon feet say she's not the first patron here...

Trust me, she was not so good at directions the way back up...

And we HAD to wade at the Duck Pond

Ducks actually at the Duck Pond

And Woody as well

Daddy needs to sit for a bit

Doggie, not so much.  At least she doesn't whine about it like Scrappy did.  But just ask her if she's ready to go...

The Better Part, week # 57

 

Another couple of weeks of FB posts...

The Better Part, Day #266:

 

 

Here's the latest things I didn't know in Revelation, from Jack Hibbs:

 

 

Rev 6:1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!"

Rev 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. 

 

Some people think this is Christ, but they are wrong... the "crown" he wears is a victor's wreath in the original, not "many Diadems" as Christ wears later in Revelation; and where Christ has the 'sharp two-edged sword' coming out of His mouth, this guy has a bow- but no arrows! This is thought to symbolize how he will conquer with words... lying words. This is the Antichrist.

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #267:

 

When Russia is on the warpath and two different pastors you listen to, in the middle and beginning of different series, reference praying for Israel because of Genesis 12:3- "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you..."... you bet I'm going to remember a little harder...

 

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #268:

 

So I woke ready to type in the Wednesday Bible Study on my blog, and saw that I had accidentally scheduled last week's typing for the 30th instead of the first. I take that as a sign of one of two things. Either today's typing hasn't been given enough thought... or someone who needed last week's wasn't available Wednesday. All in God's providence!

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #269:

 

 

Near the end of the Book of Job, Elihu lets us know exactly what he thinks is wrong with both sides in the argument- the three friends are oh-so willing to condemn Job- he has to have sinned because look at the state he's in- but they have nothing of value to help. Job, he says, justifies himself, rather than God. Which led both sides to the same conclusion- they were fighting for the win, instead of seeking God's will.

 

God has nothing to say TO the three friends- they have no real knowledge of God, just their perceptions of what a god should be. Job, who is seeking God, if irreverently, gets told that God has two things against him: first, he's doing a lot of talking and knows nothing; second, he's trying to put God in the wrong so that he can be right. Which, of course, just what Elihu told him.

 

 

I think the book was God's way of letting the Jews know why they were getting farther and farther from him. They were about creating a God that fit their purposes; they had all the opportunity to learn about God and didn't; and refused to admit that they COULD be wrong. How many of those lessons did I need today?

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #270:

 

 

Recently, a FB friend shared a pretty ridiculous meme, once one thinks about it: "The names of NONE of the Gospel Writers are in their gospels. We have to rely on TRADITION to know them." Or something close to that, and exact in meaning.

 

 Simple logic and a little respect tell you that there is a difference between traditions on facts, like this, and those that deduce from one thing (say, Mary being blessed) something that is totally against the rest of Scripture (Say, that Mary should be prayed to for access to Jesus, when Jesus said He was the only Way). Peter and Paul, who DID sign their Gospels, tell you this much- but you have to read the word and not rely on what non-Apostolic men regurgitated.

M10 show, week #15

 

Tonight I was looking around for something to go along with this week's countdown, and in reading about the Labor settlement in baseball, I found a clickbait page promising the "25 greatest songs of all time", and had to have a look.   So in between this week's hugely shook-up 10, with 3 debuts, I'll share opinions on some of this list.  But first, like I said, three debuts, so let's go right away to the one at #10! From the brand new lp Rock Believer- their first in 7 years- here's a cut from the Scorpions!

 

 

 

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Hey, Bud, where ya been?

 

Elvis:  Aw, I didn't wanna order out this week, so I fired up the ol' commisary and made a couple'a peanut butter an' banana samwiches!  Want one?

 

Hard no on that one, buddy!  So here's how this guy from New Arena named his top songs of all time...

1- Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen.  I can see that.  Not my top, but certainly one of the best put together songs ever.

2- Johnny B Goode, Chuck Berry.  Again, I can see this one, maybe a bit farther down chart...

C'mon, dude!  That song brought a lot of us inta rock'n'roll!

All right, I suppose...

3- Like A Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan.   This one is on most every list like this, and again, I can see it.

 

Our second debut this week at #9 is the fourth M10 hit off Future Past for- Duran Duran...

 

 

 

 

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Somebody named Joe Guisto came up with this list, by the by... let's do a few more....

4- Let It Be, the Beatles.  This is far from his only Fab Four pick, and easily the most justifiable.

He better have me on there...

He did, but much lower and less frequent than you- or I- would have done it.  Anyway...

5- I Can't Get No Satisfaction, the Stones.  I know this is a virtually obligatory hit on a list like this.  I just think I could name five better Stones tunes off the top of my head...

Do it! 

Fine.  Miss You; Get Off My Cloud;  Heartbreaker; Gimme Shelter; Brown Sugar.

Ya did it... 

6- In My Life, the Beatles...

"In My Life?" Really?

I get his point about the emotion put into the song, and I guess in the end, it's his concept of great.  One more for now...

7- Be My Baby, the Ronettes.   Maybe a little high on the list, but certainly deserving.  Let's hit that last debut this week- all the way up at #6, the Cactus Blossoms...

 

 

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These guys could be the M10's Everly Brothers, y'know?

Lord, let's not bring those two goofs into it!

Well, I did mean the REAL Everlys, and not the 'Smothers Brothers' knock-offs we used to make them  on Time Machine, King!  Anyway, here's some more of that list...

8- I Walk The Line, Johnny Cash.  I definitely feel the Man In Black belongs on this list... not sure this song or this high.  I wonder if Joe's Cash-knowledge came basically from the movie?  This is kinda the 'token country' on his list.

9- Imagine, John Lennon.  Not wanting to re-ignite the great "how dare you insult Imagine" controversy we had several years back, I'll just say I'm surprised Joe didn't have him higher.

10- Hey Jude, the Beatles.  Another of those 'not my favorite's, but I get it, and I wonder that he didn't have this at least were he put Let It Be.

Are we about done with the cotton-pickin' Beatles?

Well, I am done with the top ten he had... but here are some other highlights of his list...

11- Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin- how on earth did he not put this in his top 3? It's almost a requirement on a list like this?

What in Sam Hell is going on with this keyboard?  You've had to backtrack where it stopped or stuck about a dozen times now!

I know, right?  "Now joining the parade of mechanical devices breaking down on Chris, here's keyboard!"

Seems ta be settlin' down, now that ya insulted it...

Thankfully.  Anyway...

13- Respect, Aretha Franklin.  Again, Joe's fellows will probably berate him for this one not being in his top ten...

15- Hound Dog, Elvis...

FIFTEEN??? Why, I oughtta sue...

Sorry, take it up with your estate... he follows with a couple of nods to constituencies I'm not convinced he cares for, like the Who (My Generation) and the Clash (London Calling)...

"London Calling?"  What the...

...then really tanks a whole generation by cutting Michael Jackson off at Rock With You at 18... of course, to be politically correct, he slips Springsteen in at 21 with Born To Run... gives a nod to the Rastafarians (Bob Marley- No Woman No Cry) and the rappers (Notorious BIG with Juicy- I think this is the only thing newer than the early 80's on his list...)

Not that THAT'S a bad thing...

Right there with ya, Buddy!  Finally, he has to establish his cult creds (Doors, Light My Fire at #24) and his pop chops (ABBA, Dancing Queen at #25) to close it out.

At least he didn't have any more Beatles...

Actually, he did have Yesterday, right around MJ somewhere...

I shoulda knowed...

 

Yes you should have, and now, you know it's time for the rest of the M10!

Yepper!

8- Maddie and Tae's about the only big guns left from last week!  Strangers drops from #4...

7- Matthew Sweet an' Susanna Hoffs with Run To Me, up 3...

5- Beach House, Only You Know, up 4...

4- Tears For Fears, Break The Man, up 2...

3- Best Coast, Leading, also up 2...

2- Last week's topper, Cactus Blossoms with Jenny Lewis an' Everything...

 

And that gives us a spankin'-new #1.....

 

 Envy of None and Liar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Should I make wise about three old coots and a hot babe?

 

Wish you wouldn't- those old coots are uncomfortably close to my age!

Wednewsday Bible Study: What Jesus asked, part seven

 

Hang on, because this one, I am learning as I type!

The Passage starts with Jesus preparing the Disciples to be sent out two by two for the first time.He warns them with many examples that this is NOT going to be easy, or even pleasant.  Moreover, what they go to do will not be pleasant for everyone they meet.  But in the middle, Jesus uses as a 'swing verse' a by-now familiar creature to use as a comparison:

Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
Mat 10:30  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

The last time Jesus mentioned sparrows, it was to show the folly of worrying over physical things...

Mat 6:26  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

But this time, He is comparing the Disciples to sparrows, in a much different context.  I had to ask myself the question- WHY were they buying sparrows 2 for a penny (or as Luke had it, 'buy four for 2 pennies, get the fifth one free', a bit paraphrased here)?  One site told me this:

Because of their size and abundance, in Biblical times, the sparrows were sold to the poor as meat, though one must imagine that such small birds hardly made a decent meal. Nevertheless, they were available cheaply.

I wondered if there was a sacrificial end to things, and I did find this:

Lev 14:1  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 14:2  "This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,
Lev 14:3  and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person,
Lev 14:4  the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop.
Lev 14:5  And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water.
Lev 14:6  He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
Lev 14:7  And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

The word here being used for birds the same as the one used for sparrows elsewhere.So what do we draw from this? "Well, Chris, we get that if God so loves a worthless sparrow, He loves us more!"  True, but... this passage is directed at the Disciples- and by extension, to all those ready to go out in the Great Commission.  And as such, it has very specific applications.

First, they are food to the poor.  They are bringing the Living Bread of Jesus's Word to the people- a Word that was worthless to the rich and those of abundance, but to those whose day-to-day existence was a challenge, it was Life Itself.  Not everyone ate sparrows because, as the man said, they were meat-poor; you had to recognize your need before you tried it.  Lesson to us- to get what Jesus wants to give, you have to recognize your need.

Next, let's look at the birds of Leviticus.  One bird of the two had to die.  The other got to go free- but ONLY after being dipped in the blood of the other. The bird killed had to be killed over 'running water'- living, or flowing, water.  Jesus called Himself the Living Water- He was the human 'bird' that had to be killed over the water that symbolized His Godhood.  The Disciples- they were the living bird, dipped in the blood and sent out.  And what was the end result of the ceremony?  The healing of a leper- the healing of sinners.

 The Disciples' lives were going to be sold cheap by earthly terms- but not without a value far beyond what most would notice. A value that brought living food to the starving, and healing to the sinner.  And their reward, as Jesus explains next, was not going to be a reward in this life:

Mat 10:32  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
Mat 10:33  but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

When I was praying for guidance in doing this post, I turned on the radio and heard the announcer launching a Chuck Swindoll message.  He started by asking if we remembered the children's game where you whisper a message into the first child's ear, and see what the message had changed to by the last child.  God had been whispering for a very long time into ears that just weren't getting the message passed to them right.  Every one of the questions we have looked at so far have addressed this:  Getting back, past the misinterpretations of men, to God's pure message.  And that is the symbolism here, and in the Leviticus passage.

The cedar, used in the Temple as in closets to ward off corruption, is symbolic of God, "whose invisible attributes can be seen..."

The hyssop was aromatic, symbolizing the Word that had went out before Christ...

The scarlet thread was the blood that bound the Word to the soul of man...

And the two birds, one which had to die, the other that went forth, was the final step in getting the Pure Word to the people.

It is up to us to seek that Pure Word, and not let men's traditions force us into the 'child's games.'

Is it Spring?

 Well, it's 'unofficial Spring' here, with temps to approach 70, and so here's our '1st unofficial Spring walk'...

First out were the Redwings... as soon as it got over 30.

Misty listening to a catbird's loud "meow"

Coming up on the Duck Pond

All over the place, squirrels are digging up their hidden acorns.  This one, oddly, got dug up and left.

Duck Pond overflow

Stills froze in some parts

I was just thinking, "Funny to call it the Duck Pond when we rarely see any ducks there," when these two flew around the corner...

...saw us, and chose the river instead.

Looks wet ahead; but luckily, the rule back here is "last to dry, last to thaw"

Hence, the Swamp is still frozen.

Always amazes me the sheer amount of people who ignore the "dead end" sign at far right...

Two of them within moments, both sporting handicap license plates.  Wondering if they were shooting for some event at the Red Cross about a mile back.

"Who cares? I'm thirsty!"

Solitary goose, for some reason standing guard over an empty Alumni Pond.

As we enter the Ravine Trail, I wonder how long it will take us to run across a disc golfer.  Answer, 4/10ths of a mile- all the way on the other side of the back road.  I was surprised.

Actually had one of the black squirrels pose.  Shocked me so much I turned the camera off first, instead of on.