Posted in noticing, outdoors

Around and around

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We were almost home from a morning walk when I noticed a large circular contrail in the sky. I’m used to seeing the contrails of early morning flights crisscross the sky. I don’t remember ever seeing one that circled back on itself.

I took this photo facing east, so the jet would have been out over the ocean. We guessed the plane was in a holding pattern, waiting for clearance to land. As we looked, we could just see the plane at the front of the contrail, heading back north, most likely into Jacksonville.

When I looked up circular contrails, a conspiracy website said they were actually chemtrails. According to them, some sinister group was spraying toxins into the air to poison a population. That’s an imaginative idea to be sure.

Another person suggested it was a flight pattern for training. That’s possible. We’ve seen a lot of air national guard planes and helicopters overhead the past few weeks.

Anyway, it was a beautiful part of this morning’s sky.

Posted in animals, dogs

Turtling

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We’ve got a turtle in our neighborhood. Sometimes he camps out in our driveway, driving our little dog nuts. Other times we find him in the middle of the street, just daring the traffic to drive by. This morning, our big dog encountered the turtle!

Yeah, he quickly shut himself up tight as a drum when that big nose came in for a sniff. The big girl was fascinated by this elusive playmate who wouldn’t come out to play. It wasn’t until we were thirty feet away that the turtle poked his head out to see what was going on. We watched from a distance as he moved surprisingly fast into the wooded lot just up the street.

Why are turtles so fascinating to dogs and to people? They are easy to catch, but hard to get to know. They are both secluded and right there in the middle of the street. They are always at home, their houses on their back. But they withdraw when you try to get to know them.

Who else carries their home with them? Snails, hermit crabs (borrowed homes), and full time RV-ers. Backpackers on the Appalachian Trail? Cross-country bike riders? I find that self-sufficiency fascinating.

We used to have a hybrid camper trailer. The ends folded out into the tent-like sleeping areas. If we didn’t want to open up the ends because of a storm, we could just shut ourselves in safe and secure, a technique called “turtling.”

I’ll bet we all have moments when we want to “turtle.” Just pull our heads, hands, and feet in and shut ourselves off from the world.

Just for a moment.

Posted in Food

How did I ever live without a digital toaster?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’m a techie so this box on the curb next to my neighbor’s trash can caught my eye. My toaster is the cheapest one I could find on Amazon. But her’s is extra wide, digital, and smart.

I took a quick look at the user guide online. Twenty pages! The toaster may be smart, but some users may not be. The troubleshooting guide includes this instruction if the toaster won’t turn on: plug it in.

“Toasting tips” warns against putting buttered bread in the toaster. So noted.

There’s no more guess work. No dial to adjust the temperature. Perfect toast every time!

I like the shade option all the way to the right. You can choose to burn your toast if that’s your preference. That must be for the person who enjoys a well-done steak.

A long time ago, my college best friends and I all promised to buy each other toasters when we got married. In theory, we’d all receive at least four toasters as gifts. I think I was the only one who actually did it.

Posted in school

Flashback to high school biology

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The morning after torrential thunderstorms, the big dog and I ran across this froggie who brought back memories of high school biology. Just the night before, he was one of thousands croaking from flooded swales and culverts. But now he’s silent.

I took biology in 9th grade, freshman year of high school. I’m amazed I remember the name of our teacher, Mr. Hecksher. We dissected two creatures that year, a worm and a frog.

The worm was boring. One cut down the length, take note of a few organs, and that was it.

The frog was more exciting. Muscles, tendons, organs, and eyeballs. But not as fresh or colorful as the one laying on my street. You can see every part of this guy. And he wasn’t the only one. Dozens of his relatives hadn’t hopped fast enough to escape passing cars, either. Most of them were mush instead of a science fair project.

The deceased was four inches long. It would take quite a few like him for a frog leg appetizer. But the crows won’t let him go to waste. He’ll be gone before noon.

I don’t remember much about high school biology. I’m sure we prepared slides and looked at them through microscopes. I must have learned the parts of a cell. And we got to dissect a gray, formaldehyde-soaked frog.

Posted in positivity

A nudge

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Daily writing prompt
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
View all responses

I want my blog to be positive. I want my blog to highlight the positive things, the blessings, and the things that bring us joy.

It’s easy to rant, complain, kvetch, agonize, moan and groan, and scream at the world. But what if you can you be grateful, amazed, pleasantly surprised, impressed, encouraged, inspired, entertained, and delighted?

I want to bring the latter.

I want my stories to inspire gratefulness. I want you to see things that will made you say, “Wow, thanks!” I hope you’ll read my blog and notice examples of grace right in front of your nose. I want to write about things I notice that will make you smile and even laugh. I would love to delight you with everyday sights that should take your breath away.

I often fail to reach my goal. I fall into the all too common unhappy pattern of gloom and doom, conspiracy theories, apocalyptic predictions, nasty reactions, and ugly reactions to a world gone bad.

I think we can do better than that. I think I can do better than that.

Every morning I am blown away by the sunrise oranges on the horizon. Cloudless blue skies take my breath away as the planets vanish in the sky. I so grateful for a gentle breeze that blows the humidity away. I’m inspired by the tall scrub pines, waving palm branches, singing birds, cotton-ball clouds, screeching hawks, and brave bunnies on the edge of the woods.

So, I hope my blog will whisk you away from the negative to the hopeful, from nightmares to wonderful dreams, from gloom and doom to new possibilities, and from dark to light.

Words can do that. These musings can transform. A story can delight. And a reflection can brighten a day.

I want my blog to be a nudge in that direction.

Posted in Life, senses

Can you smell that smell

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by ali esfandiari on Unsplash

With about 15 minutes to go in our walk this morning, the big dog and I caught a powerful whiff of cannabis wafting into the street. Yes, at 7:00 am.

I know what you’re wondering. I’ve never partaken, but I did go to college, and became very familiar with the smell of weed. I remember the first time the residence advisor met with us in the common are of the dorm. He basically told us that no one would say anything as long as you kept it in your room with the door closed. That was in 1975, when there were few rules and plenty of beer available at the fraternities. (Yes, I had a few.)

Anyway, I never thought of smoking as a first thing in the morning activity. But every morning I pass certain houses whose residents are having a cigarette, a cigar, or a morning hit. It’s like their cup of coffee or energy drink, I suppose. I know tobacco is addictive, cannabis not so much. Caffeine is. I guess it’s what you’re used to.

Now what I really like to catch a whiff of is a brisket that’s been in the smoker all night. That’s a Saturday or Sunday morning treat. Along with someone cooking bacon in an outdoor kitchen. I slow down in front of those homes, enjoying that moment as I contemplate getting a smoker.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I have a job for you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Resume Genius on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 1.

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4,5)

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Ask that question of you’ll children and you get answers that range from ballerina to firefighter to doctor. Later on, as high school graduation approaches, you need some career aspirations so you can pock your college classes. By the end of college, you may have changed your major a number of times. But the world changes so quickly that your first job may be one that didn’t even exist when you started school.

Jeremiah was on track to be a priest. It was the family business, so to speak. But God had another career in mind for him, picket out a long time ago. Prophet. God appointed Jeremiah to speak to nations on a collision course with a Babylonian invasion, destruction, and exile.

Does God have a career in mind for everyone? That’s a great question. (Spoiler: I don’t have the answer.) He created each of us with strengths, abilities, and aptitudes that move us toward certain jobs. He knows what jobs will exist in twenty years. But I think he leaves that choice up to you and me.

Jeremiah was a special case at a unique time in Judah’s history. God knew he would need someone like Jeremiah, and put him to work at just the right time.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He’s got a footstool. Now he wants you.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Isaiah 66.

Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
    and what is the place of my rest?…
But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1,2)

As the book of Isaiah draws to a close, the almighty God reminds us that he’s not so interested in any temples we could build for him. Instead he’s at home with those who who don’t have it all together, who have a boatload of regrets, and take what God has to say seriously.

Sounds simple enough, until I realize I typically do the opposite. I tend to be prideful, get defensive, make excuses, and treat God’s word lightly. Why is it so easy to get so far off track?

For some reason, there’s a desire to impress others, and that includes God. I’m doing a good job, I’m staying out of trouble, and I’ve got my favorite bible verses. Not much humility, contrition, or trembling.

What a great reminder that God is a lot bigger than me and my little world. Compared to the heavens and the earth (meaning everything), I don’t amount to much. But he cares a lot about me anyway, enough to remind me to fear, love, and trust him over and above anything else.

Even myself.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sometimes all you have to do is wait

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Valentin Wallet on Unsplash

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 64.

From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways. (Isaiah 64:4,5)

This description of God brings up a good question, “Should I do something or wait for God to take care of it?” After all, he “acts for those who wait for him.”

Most people probably believe that you can’t just sit around and wait for God to take care of a situation. You get to work and do what needs to be done.

And yet on the other hand, in retrospect, God takes care of a lot of things without our help.

My garden is a good example. I had high hopes for lots of home grown veggies. I made raised boxes, filled them with good soil, supplemented the soil with homemade compost, built chicken wire cages to keep the squirrels out, watered, weeded, and staked up the tomatoes. Most of the lettuce died, a got more than enough jalapenos, and found out that cherry tomatoes are the only ones that grow well in my beds.

I didn’t plant much this past spring. (In Florida you plant in February or October, when the weather is a little better.) Lots of weeds grew. But so did a pepper plant. A green bell pepper plant. Which I’ve never planted. It must have been from the compost. I walked out there one day and harvested two pretty nice peppers for my salads. All courtesy of the creator, who made fruit-bearing plants that reproduced themselves.

All I had to do was wait.

I take medicine when I don’t feel well. But for the most part, my immune system takes care of my ailments and I feel better after a few days of rest.

All I have to do is wait.

Earlier this year, I worked hard to rehab our backyard lawn that had been torn up by an energetic Great Dane puppy. Sod, sod plus, filling holes, and taking her for more walks. Then the rains came, and the yard suddenly came to life. The grass grew in nice and thick so that I had to start cutting it every 4 or 5 days.

All I had to do was wait.

God provides in lots of different ways. Parents while we’re growing up, jobs and the ability to do them, friends who help us out, a earth filled with resources, and government. So no matter how hard you work, he ultimately gets the credit. And if you choose to wait, he gets the credit as well.

To God be the glory.