Posted in dogs

What do you see up there?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Willow the Great Dane
Winston the West Highland White Terrier

So I went outside and caught both dogs looking up in the sky. Typically, their world is limited to the smells on the ground and objects the in front of them. Now, all of a sudden, they’ve discovered some really interesting stuff above them.

The ground is where they find lizards in the backyard and bunnies along the side of the road. They usually lose a squirrel as soon as it scampers up a tree or utility pole.

But lately, their attention has been drawn to the sky. They watch the hawks soar overhead. They bark and chase down squirrels running across the top of the fence. They recognize the sound of a low-flying single engine plane or the hospital helicopter, and watch them over the house. They enjoy watching the tall pine trees wave in the wind.

When I see them do this, I look up, too. They pique my curiosity and I wonder, “What’s up there? What are you guys looking at?” I always think of the guy who just stood on a city sidewalk, looking up at a skyscraper. Before long, others joined him. When someone asked, “What are looking at?” No one knew. But they didn’t want to miss out on whatever it was.

Maybe the two dogs have conspired in this. “Let’s look up and see if we can him to look up, too!” It works.

Posted in dogs

Security system signs: genuine or fake?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

While walking the dogs this morning, I took note of how many homes have a security sign in the front yard. They aren’t new. I’ve seen them before. I’m so used to seeing them that I usually don’t notice them. But today I saw ADT, Guardian, Vivint, SimpliSafe, Ring, Alarm Pro or some other sign in three-quarters of the homes we passed.

Do you think all those homes have installed security systems? If not, what percentage simply purchased a sign to put in the front yard to deter burglars? Does that work? Can a bad guy spot the difference between a fake and the real thing? Will they play it safe and move on to another home? Or does a security system sign tip them off that there is something of value inside?

I also see cameras on many houses. Are they all hooked up and monitored? How many are just props?

Some houses don’t need any of the above. We can’t even walk by the house without snarling dogs in the window warning us to stay away. I know it’s not foolproof, but I kind of like the canine option. In fact, I enjoy it when a door-to-door security system salesperson knocks on our door, invoking a cacophony of barks and growls. And I am looking forward to that day when such a person sees a fully grown Great Dane looking at them through the front door.

Posted in Food

Don’t eat the last one

Posted on by William Douthwaite

In our home, you will find

  • A container with nothing more than one jelly bean.
  • A bag containing one tortilla chip.
  • A single cookie in a box.
  • One slice of bread in a bag secured by a twist tie.
  • One Cheezit in the bag.

We have an unwritten rule: “Don’t eat the last one.”

That rule evolved over time, emerging from questions like, “Did you eat all the jellybeans… cookies… bread… Cheezits?”

Yes, it was me. Too often I ate the last of something, just moments before I heard the question, “Did you eat all of those?”

It took me a long time to learn the principle of “Don’t eat the last one.” It doesn’t matter how long it’s been in the refrigerator. It doesn’t matter if it’s past the expiration date. It doesn’t matter if the package is unopened. It doesn’t matter if it’s generic or a brand name. As soon as I eat the last one, someone will ask, “Did you eat that?”

Yes, it’s me. I ate all of them. I ate the last one. I finished the bag. I ate all the jellybeans. I finished off the box of cookies. And the banana bread. Ice cream. Cashews. Peanuts.

So I no longer eat the last one. Why is there one jellybean in the container? Why is there one cookie left in the bag? Why is there one slice of bread left? Why is there one segment of an orange in the fridge? Why is there one cashew in the jar?

I will not eat the last one in a plane or a train, in a house or with a mouse, in a box or with a fox.

I will not eat the last one!

Posted in dogs

Was he dead or playing possum?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On our morning walk this morning, the dogs caught a whiff of this possum out in a neighbor’s front yard. For a moment, I thought he was dead. Then I remembered that possums “play possum,” or pretend to be dead when threatened. I thought they were nocturnal. I can’t remember the last time I saw one in the day time.

So I did some research. Opossums can be out day or night foraging for food. And they don’t just pretend to be dead. Apparently, they faint when threatened and express an unpleasant odor so that a predator will leave them alone.

My friend Phil called them “soft shell armadillos.” He was not a fan. But it was armadillos, not possum, that was digging up his yard.

Opossums are immune to venom and are rabies resistant. They are omnivores, and will eat a lot of the snails, slugs, beetles, and ticks found in gardens.

We never know who we’ll meet on our walks!

Posted in Food

A donut makes a run for it

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I noticed more trash than usual out for collection day today. A lot of bike week festivities meant a few extra bags and lots of recycling this week.

After tugging the dogs away from this stray donut, I snapped a few photos, wondering what the story is here. If you look closely, you’ll also see half a bagel trying to escape from a white kitchen trash bag.

I can imagine a shrill voice saying, “You said you were going to take care of the garbage!” A hungover dad stumbles down the driveway with brunch remnants. He doesn’t even notice the donut that bounces out onto the driveway. Even if he did, I doubt he’d pick it up. You’ll notice he couldn’t be bothered to pick up last Thursday’s local merchant newspaper.

This glazed bad boy will soon discover that life on the outside is treacherous. I didn’t let my dogs near it, but deer, cats, birds, dogs, and insects will be interested. Mom will probably nail it when she backs the car out of the driveway to take the kids to school. A gentle rain will melt it into the ground.

Whether consumed or discarded, a donut’s life is brief. Mama, don’t your babies grow up to be donuts.

Posted in color

An explosion of color

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The dogs and I walk by this azalea at least three times a week. It’s only half a mile from our house on our favorite 1-1/2 mile loop. The last time I walked by, it was just a shrub. But with a little rain and arecent sunshine, it exploded into this gorgeous pink.

When I saw it, I gasped. I made the dogs sit and I stood on their leashes so I could take this photo. I’m glad I did. See all those blossoms on the ground? The others will join them in a few days. The next time I walk by, it will be an ordinary bush once again.

This color is spectacular. “Pink” doesn’t do it justice. But what else can you call it. If you could capture that color in a crayon, what creative name would you print on the wrapper? Flamingo? Rose? Piggy?

This color is temporary. If I hadn’t gone for a walk today, I would have missed it. Some of the most beautiful things in the world only last a moment. So, take the time to enjoy them.

I couldn’t ignore this color. This pink made me smile, made me say “Wow!”, prompted me to take a picture, and moved me to write about the moment.

Color goes deep. Color can change the way you feel. I love opening up a new box of crayons to see the array of colors. Color touches your soul.

I am grateful for color.

Posted in movies

A lonely night at the movies

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Are you sure their open tonight?”

After parking in front of the local movie theater, we walked towards the darkened ticket office sitting between two entrances. There was no line of people buying tickets and no one was selling tickets behind the window either.

“They better be open. I already bought our tickets online.”

When we walked inside, all the lights were on but no one was home. There wasn’t a single person in the lobby. No one was collecting tickets and directing people to their theater.

We were the only ones there.

I was prepared for this. You see, we had come a few weeks before. On that occasion, I didn’t buy my tickets in advance. So when we arrived, I had to negotiate a five by three foot touch screen kiosk. It wasn’t hard to find my movie, pick my seats, and pay with credit card. But the printer was out of paper, so I had to track down a human to print out my tickets on another machine. Then that same human ran back and scooped up a bag of popcorn for me. I kidded her, “You must be the only one working here!” Now I always buy my tickets online before I leave to go see a movie.

So, with my cell phone in hand, with my ticket bar code on the screen, I walked right in. At least there was no line at the unattended snack bar. No, we didn’t just help ourselves. We could have. But then a teenager appeared from the back and got my small popcorn for me. I wondered, “Is he running the whole place by himself?”

When we got to the theater showing our film, we were the only people there. Even though we had picked our seats in advance, I could have sat anywhere I wanted. In a younger life, I might have moved around and watched the movie from many different vantage points. But on this night I behaved and stayed in my assigned seat.

I’ll bet it doesn’t take more than one person to run the whole theater on a weeknight. From what I’ve read, projectors are now run by computer, so no humans are needed. A single person could unlock the doors, turn on the lights, pop some popcorn, sell snacks, and then lock up after everyone has gone home. Maybe there’s someone else around, napping in the back room. Who knows?

Posted in garden

An afternoon working on the yard

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jared Muller on Unsplash

After a few morning activities, we got home about noon. A few clouds drifted by, the temperature reached eighty, and there was just enough breeze to jostle the palm branches. It was a perfect afternoon to do some yard work.

I really enjoy getting out to work in the yard. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m a big fan of gardening, yard-ening, and firing up small engines to cut and trim and prune and tame the relentless growth of a northeast Florida yard.

After a smear of sunblock, picking out a hat (Phillies cap), and cleaning my sunglasses, I yanked on the lawnmower starter cord. One pull and it started right up after six weeks of rest and relaxation. As the first day of the vernal equinox approaches, more and more sun reaches our front yard, so it’s growing well. The back yard will catch up soon. It only takes about half an hour to cut the deep green front yard. It looks so much better when it’s all the same length. A few more passes up the west side of the house and I was done.

I topped off the string trimmer with some two-cycle gas and made a mental note to mix up more this week. Ten pumps on the bulb and three pulls on the starter and it roared to life. The edges of the property and gardens hadn’t grown much, so it only took fifteen minutes to trim. Three pulls on the blower started that engine, too, and I blew away all the grass clippings and pine needles from all the walks, driveway, and patio.

While cutting the law, I spent a lot of time dodging low hanging palm branches, so I decided to trim them, too. I grabbed my leather work gloves and pole saw, cut the lowest dozen branches off the canary palm tree, and set them off to the side. I’ll cut them in thirds and put them out on Wednesday, waste collection day.

Next, I raked a whole bunch of pine needles out of the gardens, pulling a few weeds along the way. I’ll need to add some cypress mulch this year. I pumped up my weed sprayer and hit the smaller weeds that are harder to pull.

Since I had protective gear on, I grabbed a hand-trimmer and cut back all the thorn-covered bougainvillea branches along the back yard fence. Everything looked so much better and I felt a few raindrops on my arm. Perfect timing. Enough for today. Plenty to work on another day.

I find yard work relaxing. Songs go through my head. The sun can’t decide whether to warm my skin or duck behind a cloud to let me cool off. Both feel nice. I love the smell of freshly cut grass. Unruly grass yields to a string trimmer. Soon I’ll wander through a nursery, looking for flowers to paint the empty spaces.

I am so glad I had a chance to work outside today.

Posted in bible, faith

All-you-can-eat all-the-time?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jill Sauve on Unsplash

Is it possible to do too much bible study? At first, it seems the answer would be, “Of course not!” How could anyone get too much of God’s Word?

I’ve discovered that you can overdo it. More is not always better.

A few weeks ago, I feel I overdid. First, I attended a Sunday morning bible class before worship. On Tuesday, I prepared for and participated in a Bible Study Fellowship zoom group discussion. That same Tuesday night, my wife and I gathered with our small group, which included bible study. On Wednesday night, I attended a men’s bible class at our church. In addition, I read scripture devotionally every morning. My wife does all of that too, prompting us to say, “It feels like too much.”

The thing is, I really enjoyed all of those moments. I look forward to my morning reading, journaling, and prayer. We’ve made great friends in our small group. The fellowship and support of the men on Wednesday night has been a blessing. Sunday mornings are great, worshiping with a larger group of believers.

But is it too much? Can a person taste and see that the Lord is good and get carried away, putting on a few too many spiritual pounds?

A colleague told me of a time when he invited a neighbor to come to church. His neighbor did, but didn’t return the next Sunday. He didn’t come the week after that, either. When he asked his neighbor, “Why haven’t you come back,” he replied, “I’m still working on all the great stuff I heard in the sermon three weeks ago!”

Perhaps we need time to process, ponder, and practice what we learn before we jump into the next chapter, study, or topic. Let it marinate overnight. Let the dough rise. Set it aside and then take a fresh look at whatever you read or listened to. Without that, you’re skimming across the surface of the water without ever considering what’s below. Don’t we need time to consider the “so what” of a passage?

Imagine reading a stack of owner’s manuals without ever driving the car or using the appliance. Imagine reading through a cookbook without ever preparing one of the recipes? That would get old real quick.

In 2011, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger wrote Simple Church, encouraging Christians to pare down church involvement to one worship gathering, one bible study group, and one mission/service involvement per week. Doing too much church can detract from actually being the church. Good food for thought.

In the Old Testament, unless you were a rabbi or a scribe, you would hear God’s Word once a week in synagogue on the Sabbath. Recited daily prayers were taken from scripture. That was plenty for them. Maybe it’s enough for us, too.

I’m sure that someone can argue that most believers spend far too little time in God’s Word. You’ve got a point. But should we approach it as an all-you-can-eat buffet? That’s doesn’t sound healthy either.

Like many other things in life, it’s all about balance. What about the Goldilocks philosophy? Not too hard and not too soft. Not too hot and not too cold. Not too much and not too little. Just right.