Columns/Opinions

It is always interesting to me, and sometimes perplexing, to hear people voice opinions as to whether some particular part of our natural world, be it plant or animal, or even the dirt, is good or bad. And it seems that people’s opinions about things they dislike are always stronger than the things they like.

Personally, I draw the line according to what is native or not native to our ecosystem. If it is native, I am glad it is here, if it is not native, I wish it weren’t here. That doesn’t mean I don’t try to avoid certain native things, like mosquitoes, scorpions, bull nettle and rattlesnakes. But mosquitoes and scorpions are food for certain birds, bats and small animals; bull nettle grows on bare or disturbed ground, and it helps hold the soil in place until other plants take hold; and rattlesnakes help manage the rodent population.

And yes, there are beneficial properties of prickly pear.

I am not a futurist, I do not have visions of tomorrow, much less years to come. Yet, in some ways I do see huge changes coming. Excuse me, I really meant I see huge changes here and now. I am sure you do too.

Our world is not just upside down, it is in what seems to be a spiraling vortex. We are being pulled to a place we have never been before. That which was part of our day to day routine is now forbidden or at least strongly discouraged. We are frustrated, we are afraid, we want to know what the future holds and we have few solid answers.

How do we negotiate these days and the days to come? How do get back to where we were? How do we find the new normal?

Some are finding new answers. Some are expanding the ideas that they have been using for a while. Some are looking to figure out a way to reinvent what they already know and feel comfortable with.

Two weeks ago, I was hoping things would be looking brighter on the pandemic front when I sat down to write this week. There is some good news to be sure, especially locally, as we have the world’s fastest grocery store installation project happening and, as far as I have heard, no confirmed cases of the virus in the county. There is plenty of tragic news from elsewhere, however. We prayer warriors have a lot to keep us busy these days.

Hi there my San Saba friends, how are you? I am still a sock stealing, chicken begging, trouble making dachshund, whining and dining dachshund who enjoys making life a challenge for my parentals. Isn’t it nice to know some things never change, not even in the midst of a crisis?

I would like to give San Saba and everyone involved in opening our new Lowe’s a standing ovation! Yes, I realize a standing ovation from a dachshund seems a small thing but hey, no short jokes, please…it comes from a huge heart! Dad was so happy to see everyone he gave them all hugs! I wasn’t kidding when I wrote last week that the people who work there are like family to us! So often humans say one doesn’t appreciate what we have until it is gone, but that isn’t the case in our house…we really love the small wonders in our life very much. We don’t have any family here, so we have created our own kind of family.

Juan 12:1-18, 25 Seis días antes de la pascua, vino Jesús a Betania, donde estaba Lázaro, el que había estado muerto, y a quien había resucitado de los muertos. Y le hicieron allí una cena; Marta servía, y Lázaro era uno de los que estaban sentados a la mesa con él. Entonces María tomó una libra de perfume de nardo puro, de mucho precio, y ungió los pies de Jesús, y los enjugó con sus cabellos; y la casa se llenó del olor del perfume. Y dijo uno de sus discípulos, Judas Iscariote hijo de Simón, el que le había de entregar: ¿Por qué no fue este perfume vendido por trescientos denarios, y dado a los pobres? Pero dijo esto, no porque se cuidara de los pobres, sino porque era ladrón, y teniendo la bolsa, sustraía de lo que se echaba en ella. Entonces Jesús dijo: Déjala; para el día de mi sepultura ha guardado esto. Porque a los pobres siempre los tendréis con vosotros, mas a mí no siempre me tendréis.

God loves a thankful heart. He loves the praises of His people. Praise has the power to lift our spirits in the midst of distress. The Bible says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

One of my daughters sent me a link to a new song based on the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. The song focuses on God’s desire to bless His people all the time. The words include, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The words reminded me of a funeral many years ago in which the deceased asked for this blessing to be given to all who attended the service. In sorrow and grief there is blessing!

For Christmas, one of our children bought us a 1,000 piece puzzle. Cyndi and I worked on it and finally got it finished the other evening. We have enjoyed working these over the years and, this was the first one we had done in a while. As we were working it, there were some things that came to my attention.

First, the pieces were scattered everywhere in no set sequence. As a matter of fact, we had to move it to a bigger table in order to have room for all of the pieces. Sometimes we get so involved and there is so much to do that we don’t know which way we should go. And on top of all the things we are trying to do, other things keep coming at us, so we wonder if we will ever catch up.

While disposable razors may not be an eco-friendly choice, if you do use them, there is one thing you can do to help lengthen the life of the blades. After each shave, simply rinse and dip the blades in a little isopropyl rubbing alcohol. This does two things: It helps dry out the razor blades, which means they won’t rust and will stay sharp, and it helps sanitize the blades, which means you won’t be introducing acne-inducing bacteria onto your face with each shave. You can also dip nail clippers and tweezers in alcohol to keep them clean.

It’s a great day to be a Dillo! A big question lately is “When are we going back to school?” It is a question asked by parents and students…… a lot. Truth is, we are still in school just doing it a different way.

It has only been two weeks since we began our “closed but instructing,” schedule. I know for many the change has been challenging, but so far, so good.

The number of disciplinary referrals is at an all-time low on our campuses and it is probably a good thing that parents at home are not keeping records. We do not know when schools will reopen and return to face to face instruction.

The Governor shut us down and it will have to be the Governor that reopens us. The Governor may have a date in mind and the President may say something else. My hope is that we will be in session by the 1st of May but that is only hope at this point. Anything earlier than that would be a bonus.

My Uncle Mort, who lives so far out in the country that nobody passes his house going to town, called the other day.

“I’m going to shock you, nephew,” he said. “’Cause I’m planning a ‘give-away’ that folks won’t be able to refuse.”

He had my attention. I felt flushness in the face--sure that my breathing had shortened. And what about the palpitations in a heart worked over with four bypasses and a valve job more than two decades ago? Were these multiple signals that I might be next in line for the feared coronavirus?

This was a “new tune” from my 106-year-old uncle who is best known for “get-rich-quick” schemes that have always turned to “clabber.” Could Mort’s proposed “giveaway” represent a sudden 180-degree turn toward “get-poor-slowly?”….

I’m sure I missed several details, stunned with hearing such from one who seems to have grown charitable, no longer interested in riches.