spiritual anniversary

It was exactly a year ago that God did something huge in my life-that set into motion probably the best year of my life. I thought I would be pretty transparent here and share something I penned last year.

The Decision - November, 2006

I'm finding that it is less about a decision whether or not to run for mayor, but rather a decision of how Christ is to be reflected in me. What I believe God is leading me to is broken-ness. The arrogance of my heart and what are my perceived "rights" to this calling are having an impact on my judgement and my ability to remain humble. I don't want to be like Saul-and I have been, for some months now.

I want to make an impact on people's lives-truly more than anything, but I must confess, that has recently become an agenda for me out of a desire to ascend, and not out of love as we are called. God forgive me. I do believe there is a calling on my life to serve in the public arena-I have no doubt of this. I am doubting my ability to reflect Christ in this, which has led me to some agonizing self-examination. I believe with God's help, I will learn to better reflect Christ. Would I be walking away from a calling? Yes and no-maybe for this period of time, but the calling will always be there, and should it be my life's ambition to see God glorified-I know He would not be by this vessel today. I've been throwing too many spears.

This is crushing to me personally and I have argued with God-but found that I was only asserting my rights to the throne as it were and not His nature. But what an exciting opportunity and revelation to build from-making me stronger in Him and more able to live out His calling on my life today and into the future. So long as I am held to this change of direction.

At this point, I am more certain than ever I could win the primary and likely the general election. It is difficult because so many are telling me to still run, which plays to my emotion and in agreement I think, yeah, I'll show them. But.....it has become so much less desirable because I don't like what I have become-and who that mayor would be.

Amazing as I reflect over the last year and what has happened recently with our elections, how I've grown due to the situation written about above. I did an entry a while back called "trying to be David". I'm still trying to be a guy after God's own heart, like David-and I'm a lot closer today-I think I might even be ready to slay some giants.

Thank God, I am a much different guy than I was a year ago. God is alive and working in men's hearts, today, right here, even in the Hoosier state.

Yeller-bellied

I may very well start a sister-blog dealing solely with naturalist topics from the Hoosier state because I realize this entry folks may not care much about.....but it was pretty exciting around our house Saturday.

We had just gotten home in the afternoon from a large indoor farm market and were preparing to head out to eat when I glanced out the window at our feeder and thought wonder what that could be?

Now, I've told you we're birders. And I would rate my ability-and even that of our kids, a little better than average for identifying birds. So, I checked and rechecked-but what we had for a little feathered visitor was a female Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. Very rare in this area-and my guess was heading south and maybe was a little off her well-traveled migration path. We've also had a pair of Red-Breasted Nuthatches hanging around for the last three weeks-certainly not as unusual, but birds we don't typically have. I hope they plan to stay all winter. For you birders out there-I bet your jealous!

Basketball & Indiana

The two really go hand in hand, don't they? We're heading into the season again, when towns across the state will fill the gyms and crowds will roar from the stands. Basketball just tops any sport for excitement..........although recently I was introduced to an Indonesian style of kickboxing that looks pretty tough.

There really is just some kind of great "feel" to being in a packed gym with people on their feet screaming and clapping for that last 3 second shot that wins the game. And I've always respected the talent these young guys display...........I might be able to hit the hoop now and then, but I could never master dribbling.......well, it was never very pretty to watch anyway.

I always smile real wide when we drive down a country road and I see a hoop on the side of a barn. That is iconic Indiana. We had a hoop in the garage of the truckstop-not sure who put it there or why, seems like it had always been there.

Now, did we lose something when we switched to the class system? Our little city seems to think so, but that might be because we won state under the old system. ya know, kinda like the movie, Hoosiers. But, now that we've won again under the new system......I think folks are finally coming around. Hoosiers are slow to do that.

Get out to a local game and scream your lungs out. Whether it is winning or losing that close game-both can make you feel terribly alive.

You know you're a Hoosier if:

the following appears in the news regarding a local Board of Zoning Appeals hearing:

Bloomer told the members of the BZA, “ This whole mess started when Neemith shot my dog and he had to move his hunting shack off of my property.”

Priceless.

Great Hoosier Smoke-out

Well, since Hoosiers rank pretty high on the charts for smoking........across age brackets.......I thought it would be good to do an entry prior to the "Great American Smokeout" tomorrow. I have to admit here, I just don't get the allure in the first place-but I do get how one could get hooked. I'll also admit here that while most of the pics I put with my stories are my originals-occasionally I go looking online-the images "smokers" came up with were too disturbing to include-and maybe that would've been good.?

I remember once pulling into a service station so my roommate/good friend in college could buy a pack of smokes (his parents were from Great Britain-so I'm thankful he didn't call them 'fags'). We pulled away and he was starting to get a cig out of the packet and said, "geesh, I wish I could quit". I asked if I could see the pack-he handed it to me and I promptly threw it out the window. Wow-you should've seen the expression on his face.

Now, I'm not necessarily advocating for government bans; however, as a society we are becoming more conscious of the health risks of second hand smoke. It would seem that some level of protection from second hand smoke is overdue. Our county was presented information by some well meaning individuals (who were portrayed as Nazi doctors by local loud-mouth hotheads) about a year ago, asking for a county ban. Rather than take the high road, our county commissioners first threw the responsibility on the state-and then one county commissioner actually had the gall to say that to pass the ban "would be like spittin' in the face of our veterans who fought for our right to smoke". How absolutely astonishing an elected official would trivialize the sacrifices of our veterans. My grandfather served his country in WWII and he died from heart disease attributed to smoking and my grandmother from lung cancer attributed to second hand smoke. I think if grandad could come back-he'd tell the commissioners to wise up and pass some kind of a ban.

ahh, tradition!

Now this is one tradition that even you guys out there can get into for the holiday season. It's fun for you and for the kids-or grandkids.

Our family celebrated for the third year in a row, our very own Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner. We typically do this on at least one or two Sunday evenings before Thanksgiving. What does the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner consist of? Well, if you are familiar with this great little piece of work, and have watched it your whole life growing up (it's two years older than me), then you know how the story goes. Charlie Brown, by default, has to prepare a Thanksgiving feast; but at his age the best he can do is muster up some toast, popcorn, jelly beans and pretzels. Snoopy assists in the preparations and serving of the feast.

So, our family gets the same dishes together, sets up the card table and chairs in the living room and watches the film. Great fun for the kids, and I don't mind popcorn and jellybeans for dinner myself. Although, this year I noticed some kind of jello dessert on the animated table-which is something we have overlooked. It will be on the menu next year.

My wife and I decided that we will carry on this tradition well into the future. Even when our son and daughter come home from college with their dates-we will be certain to make little piles of these junk food treats on paper plates, hand them out at dinner, and expect everyone to join in the merriment!

old barns

Old barns really portray some romance in the Hoosier state, don't they? California has its beaches, Colorado-the Rockies, Georgia-plantation mansions. Indiana has barns. And a wide variety of styles from various ethnic influences, maybe moreso than any other state (including being the round barn capital-thanks to Fulton County). My generation may well be the first generation removed from the barn. While I know I got to play in and around both my grampa's barns-that was a foreign concept to most of my friends growing up.

My mom took her two grandsons to visit the farm on which she was raised-and the old barn. The boys had a blast. Now, I make sure that my son is developing a good appreciation for these things; but I imagine most kids have never visited one of these masterpieces.

Barn builders were ingenious, innovative and true craftsmen. And the building of barns was the truest sense of community coming together and neighbor helping neighbor. What takes the place of this today? Seriously, what do we have that even becomes a pale comparison?

Barns are disappearing quickly from the landscape. Often they are impractical for today's farming operations. I sincerely thank those farmers out there who understand and appreciate these links to our past, preserving them for future generations. Here's a thought......Indiana will be celebrating our bicentennial in 2016 and ethanol is taking off (right?). So here's a proposition for the state. For every gallon of ethanol produced in the state, put a user fee of 1 cent to go into a fund to help save our rural, agrarian architecture. We could make some great saves! and help farmers, again!

honoring our Veterans

My grandfather with Wrong Way Corrigan, pilot of the 1940's, in the South Pacific

This is from a letter to my Great Grandmother in 1945:

Dear Mrs. Bryant, I felt I needed to write this, I felt that you needed to know what happened the night your son Harold died. Harry and I were good pals so I wanted to tell you. It was so cold on Christmas Eve. Harry and I were dug down deep into our foxhole and he was missin' home real bad. He heard some boys in one of the holes dug aways from us and they were singing Christmas songs. He decided to join up with them and sing 'cause it was Christmas Eve and all, so he climbed over to them. And Mrs. Bryant, that's when the shell landed in their hole, and that's what happened to Harry. I wanted you to know this. I miss Harry.

My great uncle, Harold, was killed on Christmas Eve in the Battle of the Bulge. He was one of three brothers who served in WWII. My grandfather also served in the South Pacific. While at times I question our purpose in war (seems like more so these days), I never question the bravery, the courage and the sacrifice our men and women who serve our country exemplify.

Honor and thank our Veterans this weekend. We've benefited greatly from their sacrifices.

Community of Prayer

There is something awesome happening underfoot in our little town. I think it may be a transformation. Several weeks ago, a Latino church pulled together a community prayer time in our park. Several churches were present, but our church formed an immediate bond with the Latino church.

Which led to another time of community prayer last weekend at our church, again with a few other churches represented, but a large contingency from the Latino church again. We prayed for each other and sang together, both in Spanish and English, and just enjoyed being together in the presence of God into the wee morning hours.

I am pumped about the possibility that transformation could come to our community and that reconciliation can take place between Latinos and whites. Transformation of our community is what I pray for most these days, understanding if things are to change politically, economically or culturally, that a change of hearts must occur-and only God can do that.

A funny story about this time of coming together: two guys from Colorado and the tall Dominican Republic pastor of the Latino church were out at 6:00 a.m. to pray for the city and were doing so on the steps of the courthouse. These guys don't look like Hoosiers, clearly, so the police notice the activity and question them. Strange Colorado man said we're here to bless and pray for your city and the Latino pastor said "no speak englisia". Too strange to be made up by domestic terrorists, so the police let them go.

evidently pretty stupid

Yes, in record setting pace incumbent mayors across Indiana were thrown out in municipal elections due to blame being placed on them for the state property tax fiasco created by the state. I asked how stupid do these politicians think we are. Evidently they KNOW we ARE pretty stupid.

I just can't wait for our new mayor to cut my property taxes by the 22% he claimed the current mayor raised them by. Crafty little republicans! And indeed we do now have a puppet, let's hope the wizard helps him get a brain.

Miscellaney

Snow.
Yes, snow had dusted the ground and barn roof this morning. Only three weeks ago I was asking where Fall was....maybe I should be asking that again. It could be the whole balance of the universe has been upset by daylight savings time.

Falling back.
Anyone notice how dark it is at the end of the work day now? I apologize, I had intended to forewarn my fellow Hoosiers of the time change this past weekend. We still haven't changed all our clocks. There are a few that I didn't change in the spring and they've finally caught up. We intentionally left our clocks go until after church Sunday. That way we could go to services a whole hour later.......and not be late for once.

The Wizard of Oz.
We took in the high school play this weekend. I never realized how many parallels can be made between this great story and politics. We have the man with no brain, the man with no heart, the one with no courage, the faceless great and mighty Wizard, wicked witches, etc. I may have to do an entry on this.

Election day for municipalities.
I voted, did you? I'm ready for it to be over and am preparing myself for the worse. I am most tired of hearing how all of these mayors are responsible for our property taxes skyrocketing. How dumb do these politicians think we are? I guess we find out tomorrow!

wandering outside Indiana

My wife and I always go away for our anniversary-often times staying within the boundaries of the Hoosier state, but also wandering outside from time to time. It is healthy to go away and come back-see the larger world out there.

Our trip this year took us to Galena, IL, a great little river town in the northwestern part of the state. The town is quite picturesque, as is the rolling countryside. A few things stood out to me. One was the absolute and whole appreciation that area, all of Joe Davies County, had for their history. It was evident in the preservation of their architecture throughout the region, in buildings large and small. Well tended farms, residences, commercial buildings, even public amenities such as parks and streetscape all bear the mark of a genuinely thoughtful public. The second thing that stood out was how prosperous the small farms appeared....that the farmers didn't hurridly section off their land to sell for mobile homes. I can't imagine the quality of the land is that much better than Hoosier soil. So why were the farms intact and appear prosperous?

I love Indiana................but we've really got to change our thinking, and fast. We're tearing down, splitting up and parcelling off probably our best asset: our rural charm and character. My father-in-law was in a meeting with our Lt. Governor recently and she made it abundantly clear that Indiana towns have to start thinking about quality of life issues to make our state a desirable place to live. This doesn't happen by pinching every penny, but by a progressive approach to economic development. Progressive and Hoosier are non-synonymous terms. We've got a lot of work to do.

I have to put in a plug for Galena's annual Halloween Parade. Now this is something to see. It has burners on the baskets of hot air balloons scattered throughout the parade route, on floats. This creates great excitement as shadows are cast on the buildings along Main Street and the fire glows and reflects in the windows. I rate this event pretty high on a must do list in the Midwest.

oh boy! Halloween!

Well, I have to admit.....this was always my favorite time of year in highschool. We'd have great, blow-out parties that usually ended with a trip to a haunted house or cemetery. This is what country kids do, deprived of big city fun. Two such parties stand out in my mind.

One year some friends and I constructed an elaborate haunted "village" and woods on my grandpa's farm for a party. My parents were out of town, so our house was used as the warming center. I had created some pretty nasty red goop for application to faces from which skin was to be deteriorating and falling off. A few of the guys stayed over that night and we started throwing it at each other and it landed on my parents new blue carpet. Did I mention it was red? I cleaned it as best I could, but then got the bright idea to add blue food coloring to override the red food coloring in the goo. This, of course, did not work and was pretty obvious to my folks upon their return. Add this to the broken lamp and scratches on the truck and I believe I got 4 weeks for this episode.

A few years later, another big party led about 20 of us to an isolated, abandoned cemetery in the country several miles away from home. The cemetery had one massive tree in it and sloped uphill pretty dramatically toward the rear of the cemetery. There was a single lane that you could drive on around the perimeter of the burial ground, leading from the road. Of course, I made up a fantastic tale of a mysterious fire in the church on the property that claimed the lives of parishioners, buried, right here.........below your FEET! As I was going into further detail of the poor Methodists ghosts who wander the cemetery, we heard a loud clank and a friend said..."that farmer's got a gun!"

We all scattered, hiding behind tombstones. Then we saw his headlights go on and we started running to the back of the cemetery. We came in four cars-only one car was parked in the back; it was an old clunker we called "Daisy". Everyone piled in and on the car.......it could not move. I think I lost my brother that night, if I recall correctly. And there was no gun-someone made that up too.

Life is short, get out and be a kid again tomorrow. Happy Halloween!

at its height!

an old tradition now gaining ground

The farmer's market. My generation, and my parent's generation sure didn't grow up with this. But a resurgence in this wonderful community activity is being seen across the Hoosier state. And now my kids can appreciate the return of the market in their generation.

Our community's farmer's market just finished its second year. When it started, and I was privileged to be part of the steering committee, we wanted to achieve two things primarily. 1-to get healthy and nutritious food into our community and 2-to create an opportunity for "community" to happen. Both these goals have been realized, even beyond our expectations. People want a place to go and interact with their neighbors and friends. And people want fresh food. What a remarkable concept; seems like our grandparents knew what they were doing. We attended the last market of the season last Saturday and were entertained with square dancing, but did not participate. Our kids sorted through their piggy banks for quarters to buy their honey sticks.

Until next year.

a Dark Delay?

You guys know I'm no fan of Daylight Savings Time........and to add insult to injury, the feds pushed our return to normalcy back a week. My little 5 yr old girl asked this morning, after realizing it was still really dark when her big brother would be walking to the bus stop, if it was possible the school would issue a "Dark Delay".

You know, kinda like fog and snow can be dangerous. Out of the mouths of babes. Wish our elected officials had been that smart. Oh, that's right, they're golfers and can get an extra 9 in.

humbling reminder

This past week brought a humbling reminder that we Hoosiers still live in Tornado Alley. The little town of Nappanee bore the brunt of a string of storms that brought destruction to this part of the state. Despite the incredible damage, 250 structures damaged with over a 100 totally destroyed, only 5 minor injuries were reported. A miracle.

With the Evansville tornado that claimed several lives just a few years ago, and now this, we have to remember our state lies in the path of the potential for amazing destruction. Those with memories of the Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1965 probably don't need the reminder-but my generation does. Brought up with tornado drills in our old elementary school....seems like something has shifted from the spring-type tornado awareness of our past. Tornadoes seem to be popping up in the fall now. Maybe we should switch the severe weather preparedness week from the spring to the fall.

I remember one storm in 1993, straight line winds or tornado-we are unsure, that dropped a dozen trees around my parents home and one tree each on grampa's house and barn. After checking on my parents who made a bee-lined for the bathtub, I checked on gramps. The tree had broken through the large picture window in the family room near where gramp's Lazy-Boy sat. Not knowing what I'd find when I went in the house-gramps was still sitting in the Lazy-Boy and said "when I got up to shut the window-whewy-that tree came right in at me!" I think he got a rush from it.

Say a prayer for the folks in Nappanee. My understanding is that over 5,000 volunteers came to this town on Sunday (nearly doubling the town's size) to help clean up before the police started turning people away. Good Hoosier folks. Over and over again, I heard comments that people were there to show God's love. The outpouring is even more amazing than the destruction.

finding the perfect pumpkin

It's that season. Have you been to the pumpkin patch yet?

In my stellar academic and non-existent athletic career, I can claim one trophy. I received a small trophy in the third grade for a poem I wrote about a Jack-O-Lantern. I'm sure my mom kept it-somewhere. I remember one part........something about scooping its brains out and putting them in a cup. Good stuff.

My grampa grew some big pumpkins, due in large part to the horse manure additive. We kids would get to go to his truckpatch (that's a large garden in Indiana), pick out a couple pumpkins and carve them up. My folks try to carry on the tradition with our kids.....however, in the last year or two the pumpkin crop has been anything but productive so several mysterious pumpkins show up in the fields for the grandkid's fall party. No vines in sight.

Something about a good pumpkin and picking out just the right one. Makes even us 39 year olds feel like a kid again. Without the attempt to put it on my own head......won't do that again.

best of my life

I had a new experience last night, I found myself in a room with other dads.......who were younger than me...and were seeking advice. I can't be that guy; I'm not usually the oldest, unless I'm surrounded by kids. This couldn't have come at a worse time, considering I turned another year older this week.

But, at 39, I can honestly say I am in the best physical and spiritual shape of my life. I owe it to God working through a wonderful wife & kids, good friends and some folks who really don't like me. Had it not been for the trials......I wouldn't be able to make the statement that I'm at my best. I'll admit, there is a little gray....but no balding, sorry brother.

So, now in my last leg before the big 4-0, I can't wait for the year ahead. Been reading a lot of passages in Scripture about 4o's time periods that result in transformation & blessing. There is a song popular right now, a rendition of Amazing Grace, that says "my chains are gone, I've been set free". Too true for me this year and the year ahead.......waiting for my 40 time period.

A film came out earlier this year.....300......easily has become one of my all-time favorite films. I've seen it 3x to date and am thinking I'm about due again. Lot's of good analogies for life, and of course, lots of awesome fighting scenes. But there is one line that stirs the soul to action "remember, free men fought......". And they died-but what they fought for lived on in the lives of their children. What are you fighting for, Spartan?

God change us..... Part IV of IV

The issues with poverty are so layered and complex we shouldn't kid ourselves in thinking any one or even multiple programs could pull folks finding themselves in poverty, out.

I believe there are five key elements that need addressed: addictive abuses (drugs, alcohol), financial management, nutrition, relationships and education. See how complex this becomes? But here is an idea not so complex:

Feed the hungry, cloth the poor, give shelter to the homeless........all found written in our guidebook for life, God's Word. Words spoken and lived out by Christ, our model. Unfortunately Christians abdicated their role to do this many years ago, and now a tyrannical attitude exists with some political activists that says the government (having taken over the responsibility from the churches) should drop it too. I doubt they, themselves, would follow Christ's model if government programs did cease.

In a local election, one candidate has on his web site "there are no free lunches"....I doubt he's really thought much about what this means. Sounds like he is repeating the party chairman's words I've heard spoken often. No free lunches......health care for those who can't afford it, housing assistance, WIC, kick those old folks out of the government subsidized apartments around town (that the chairman benefited from), because there are no free lunches.

Well, as much as it pangs me to say this.....there may be some validity in this from the government's point of view.....I guess it isn't the government (city or national) that should emulate the model of Christ. Christ didn't call governments to follow Him-He called us to do this. So it goes back to us.......feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, etc. But as Christians we have failed in this and have shown those in poverty.......we preach a good message (maybe) but we don't truly believe it.

I don't doubt for a second that some of the causes of poverty have to be dealt with by prayer-but unlike aforementioned politics and pride, Christians have to engage themselves to become the solution. Christians have to follow the words and model of Christ......right here, in this community. Which may go back to that issue of pride.

God forgive me for not helping when it was within my ability to help and give me your eyes to see people the way you do. Talk about a novel way to deal with poverty!
It's time to pray for transformation.
It's time for us, ourselves, to be transformed.

God change us..... Part III of IV

I know I'll be plowing hard ground here, and due to my insight, may have a difficult time in addressing the issue of the political power struggle in a way people can understand. But here goes.

First, some background.

I had worked for about 18 months in preparing a mayoral run for our town. I worked within the GOP system as much as possible, but understood that many times I would offend the party bosses or other GOP elected officials, particularly in the county, by questioning their decisions or coming across too ethical or strong. But I was being led to believe the city party bosses still supported me. I was wrong. And found out when they tapped a member of my "team" to run for mayor and pulled the rug out from under me. It wasn't about what he could do for the city-it was about how they could control him and knew they couldn't control me. They further exerted their control in organizing my demise in the spring primary for council. And just to show how unwelcome I am in the party.....the city chair hasn't spoken to me since the primary, whereas before it was more than weekly. And wow, the hatred that was felt during the primary returns. One wife of a GOP candidate followed my wife and kids out into the foyer of the building we were in, after I lost, and glared intently at her. This woman has cancer........but it is her hatred that is killing her.

I guess this is politics, down and dirty, the nature of the game. In our community, though, it has reached epic proportions. Anonymous newsletters attacking city officials, bias seen in the media and well-timed "problems" arising at public meetings. There is a small group orchestrating this. It is a group of men who have such a hatred for "their man's" opponent that it no longer matters what is best for our community. Unfortunately our community is the last vestige, the last hold-out from their control. The county succumbed some years ago with their control of the majority of commissioners, who play as their pawns in attacking the city. The whole thing has become sick and twisted and the people of the community are suffering for it.

Being on the inside, briefly, I have witnessed the seething hatred because they cannot have influence or control. Most of these guys do not live in town, so voting is not an option. I believe it is tearing our community, even the whole county community, apart. The average person does not see this-if they did, we probably wouldn't be so daggone Republican here. By the way, it has nothing to do with GOP values.

The power grab has to stop and voting proves to be ineffective in solving this larger, behind the scenes issue. So I only know to say, when you pray, pray that the hearts of these men change or that God exposes or removes them fully from influencing the process. Their actions are causing intense strife in the community-with the media, unfortunately, being willing participants.

I pray and ask for forgiveness for my own participation in this.

It's time to pray for transformation.

they kept coming, and coming, and coming!

So, taking a tip from a reader, our family spent some quality time at the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refuge near Medaryville Saturday watching the sandhill cranes come in. It was truly impressive. Line after line of these giants kept descending in the fields before us. An anticipated 1,400 cranes were to congregate this weekend. My wife was skeptical, but in the end admitted it was pretty cool. And we weren't the only ones taking the noisy spectacle in. I estimated about 70 folks had also congregated on the viewing platform to watch wave after wave fly in from all directions. The most impressive thing was when a line would fly directly overhead and land a few hundred feet in front of you. The only thing I could compare it to was when I was in Custer State Park in South Dakota, where the hills were literally covered with thousands of bison.

Evidently, the cranes are here briefly, but had not stopped in the area prior to 1982 since very early in the 1900's. Maybe my reader knows the correct date. It is an amazing thing to share this planet with all God's creatures. Unfortunately in Indiana our appreciation for this is small. How do we change that?

God change us.....Part II of IV

"Pride goeth before destruction......."

What an unfortunate time this week has been for our community. A young man who many respect and admire, many students consider a mentor and friend & many of us in the christian community consider a brother in Christ.....resigned as the boys basketball coach for improper use of the internet at school. Everything seemed pretty from the outside.......as most things do in our town.

We have an incredibly attractive town. Our downtown is vibrant and beautifully restored. We have impressive parks and recreational facilities unparalleled in communities 5x our size. We have graceful streets lined with regal trees shading beautiful homes. We have economic prosperity seldom found in towns our size with McMansions built on our south hills and lakes. We have it all. And yet the core is rotten. I've made the comment often that you can put paint on a corpse, but it's still a corpse.

We believe we've got it together. Particularly with athletics and speech in our schools and with the prettiness of our city that economic fortune and intelligence has afforded. Yet, as seen this week, we have some real problems that need dealt with. Pornography is just one, albeit heavily present in our town; others are racism against Latinos, arrogance, alcohol provided by parents to their kids' friends while school leaders and those charged with enforcing our laws look the other way, lavish and wasteful use of money-I believe we probably have more Hummers per capita than any city in Indiana, adulterous affairs that have found their way into government offices, the schools and those charged with protecting us-breaking up homes. But we continue to cover all this up-and maybe it is because we ourselves know we are guilty.

The wealth and immorality is breaking down our homes as has become obvious and we need a purging.......maybe this week was the beginning. I believe it will begin in the church. Many of those guilty, and we are all guilty to some degree, profess Christ with their mouth but their heart is far from Him. The church needs to break free from our own arrogance, self-indulgent and immoral behaviour first and allow our families to heal in order to be effective tools to bring about change in others. Unfortunately, many people are rejoicing and deriving great pleasure in the demise of the young man I mentioned above.....as I know many did over my great public humiliation this year. Please pray for him and his family-everything he had hoped for in life, everything he wanted to be, came crashing down around him this week. And I can identify, at least in part, with that.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, says the Lord, I will heal their land."

God, forgive my own pride and make me your humble servant in changing this community.
It's time to pray for transformation.

God change us..... Part I of IV

There has been something stirring in my soul for several weeks now. Fact is, I'm sure it started in me last November, but the urgency and the revelation has been realized more recently due to some time in prayer and things happening in our church and community.

Our community, our little city of 10,000 or so folks, is in desperate shape and may not recover. Our problems are enormous and may ultimately lead to our ruin if things don't change. So what are the problems?

Pride, Politics and Poverty.........and everything that goes with these. We have a beautiful, prosperous community that ranks high in athletics and extra-curricular programs. At the same time we are racist, arrogant and quickly sweep issues of alcoholism, poverty and things damaging our families under the surface.....where they fester and break down our community.

And there are those with an insatiable desire to control the community, that have so positioned themselves that they can manipulate people and media to make political gain. This is creating intense strife and hatred in our community and is breaking down how we should truly function-as an extended family.......real neighbors.

In all this, people are suffering........and those who suffer most are falling victim to pride and politics. We are ignoring people who are really in need because of drugs, alcohol, finances or abusive relationships. We throw our collective nose in the air and say "there are no free lunches" which is akin to "let them eat cake"

I plan to write about the three topics I listed above individually over the next week. I write this in full transparency knowing there is blame at my feet too. I'm thinking these will likely be my most controversial entries to date. But I believe, until we address some key issues that are making our community "sick", we will never move into the kind of "neighbors" God intended for us to be. My challenge to you is to be open minded and read this in the spirit it is intended-one to foster real change, with God's help. It's time to pray for transformation.

I had to go and ask, didn't I.....it's here!

and I don't even think the furnace is working.

where IS fall?

I was volunteering at a work day over the weekend, doing some outside work, then came home and painted our fence. By 5:00 p.m. I was drenched in sweat and had downed several glasses of water, a coke, a glass of milk and some juice. I think I lost about half those 18 lbs. I had gained.

Man, where is fall? I heard it is supposed to be here later this week, after a stretch of three 90 degree days. I don't care if you believe in global warming or not......this ain't normal. Sunday was too hot-we pretty much just stayed inside other than playing a little bit of catch with my daughter. Still, there are a few signs of fall, and the sunrise I caught Saturday morning was awesome.

Ethanol: evidently NOT the right choice

OOOPS.

Remember when I made my first cynical comments on ethanol? I likened the ethanol craze to intoxication. Well, evidently some farmers are waking up with a hang-over this fall. Reports are indicating that corn supply has far surpassed the demand by ethanol producers. And it is hurting the farmer's bottom line. I'm ready to pull out those green signs around the county that state Ethanol: the right choice.

We were watching the news last night when this report came across. Then they interviewed an old friend of mine.....which obviously sparked my interest. Dave decided to turn his farming operation into an entertainment venue with a corn maze and corn cannon to offset the sluggish corn demand. I feel bad for farmers, I really do, and I guess it is possible that demand may go up as more refineries come on line.......but I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket.

Here's a thought. Since our terribly conservative state is quickly heading down the gaming/entertainment path.......maybe we should take a lesson from my old friend Dave and put a few slot machines in the corn mazes too!

Indiana INDOT Irony

Evidently today is International Walk to School Day and INDOT is encouraging Hoosier children to heed the call and walk to school. The idea is to promote physical activity in our youth and decrease traffic congestion among other things.

I see two problems with this. 1) it is still dark across much of the Hoosier state when kids would be walking to school-thank you very much daylight savings time! I guess it's a good thing the day doesn't fall any later in the year. This all seems contrary to promoting physical health for our kids.

The other problem with walking to school is one created by the state too. My understanding is that school corporations are required to have a minimum number of acres when constructing a new school that essentially removes the building from walkable neighborhoods. Then school corporations, in order to maximize assistance dollars, draw bizarre district boundaries for their schools not regarding neighborhoods, but to enable them to capture a disproportionate number of low income kids to upper income kids. Seems like this only encourages more driving-therefore traffic congestion!

In a recent school building and redistricting project in our community-this very thing happened. In fact, we can physically see our old neighborhood school at the end of our street, about 7 blocks away; but our children attend a new school about 1 1/2 miles away-no way to walk to that one. It split our proud neighborhood in half.

So I'm sorry, INDOT, our kids couldn't possibly walk to school today-like a high majority of other Hoosier children. It is disingenuous to make charges like this. Don't throw traffic congestion and "Get in Shape Indiana" hogwash our way until the state starts "walking" the talk.

an oldy but goody

I have two or three favorite movies of all time. Arsenic & Old Lace, Tommy Boy and recently making my list is 300. It is a tradition with me to watch Arsenic & Old Lace about this time of the year.

If you're not familiar with the Frank Capra film starring Cary Grant, you need to go out and rent it. It's about two elderly women who do mercy killings and bury their victims in their basement. Their nephew, Cary Grant, learns about it and tries to protect his aunts by committing his brother, who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt. It takes place on Halloween in Brooklyn in 1944. A great comedy.

My wife rented it and had it waiting for me Friday night. We popped popcorn, lit the candles and it was as good the 50th time I watched it as the first. Get it in black and white though, don't go for the new-fangled color rendition. It just isn't as appealing. And geesh, I hope the photo isn't copyrighted......but it's not like I'm not singing its praises! Go rent it!

our very own Nature Center

Well, we are an outdoorsy kind of family. Our kids enjoy heading to the state park nature center near our home and we have tried to create a little bit of nature around our yard-which isn't far from a small river that runs through the town. We even had a turkey in our tree once!

We keep particularly accurate tabs on the birds that come to visit the feeders. Both our kids probably are more able to identify bird species at 5 and 7 than their mom, but she's learning. We have kept records for about 3 years and it is interesting to see how some species show up for a weekend or two and then are gone until the exact time the following year. The Red-Breasted Nuthatch made an appearance this weekend, exactly a year off from last. Two Brown Creepers are regular visitors over New Years each year.

The kids like to do nature crafts too........so, a few weeks ago, while mom was out of town, the kids and I got an idea to turn our mostly unused back room into our very own Nature Center. Mom had hoped it would be her craft room. We are busy collecting books and pictures and displaying jar after jar of shells, fossils and cool rocks we've collected from our travels.

All in time for birding season to begin again. And I am taking a tip from a reader, to head to the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refuge to watch the cranes come back this fall. Mom sorta has a craft room......she has to work around sticks and stones and dead things.

a little more fall....

lookout tower at Brown County State Park

Not an Actor

The sun was bearing down on this poor 93 year old Sunday. Folks would ask me questions about my life and I'd have to admit I forgot. Occasionally I'd forget some important parts of my life, while trying to keep the crowd entertained-but my granddaughter would straighten me out. The worse part was when my other wife showed up with the kids.....folks wondered who was THIS woman? And how could a 93 year old have kids 5 and 7 years old? I don't know that my second wife's family was too happy to share the spotlight. Then my parents showed up.

Now, I don't know if I've gotten any better at educatin' the public than when I gave a discussion about my time in the Civil War last year, and subsequent dying in Tennessee; but the crowd seemed to enjoy it regardless. What is this guy talking about?

The Tri-Kaps in our little town did a cemetery walk this past weekend and asked if I would play an older gentleman. I had my arm twisted into participating in a similar event last year for another group.......a good friend and I were a couple of brothers who fought and died in the Civil War, it was kinda cool. And knowing many of the Tri-Kaps, felt that it was good to help this year in their worthy cause. When I got to my station (grave) the granddaughter of the old man was already sitting and waiting for the performance. I enjoyed talking with her.....but quickly realized when I started my schpeel, I had several other facts floating around in my head. So I would stop and think, now, where am I, oh yeah. Hey, I'm not an actor, well, I am a politician-is that the same?

fireworks & cornshalks

My birthday is in October and I would often have friends over when younger and our favorite thing was to have fireworks wars. No one ever lost an appendage, but I did have a close call with a Roman candle while stuck in a tree once. We used gramp's farm and woods as the war zone.

One year gramps put out corn on one section of ground and felt that he could hand pick it-didn't need to bother with a combine. So, I helped pull the ears off, threw them into a wagon and cut the stalks down. Gramps came back later and placed all the stalks into massive cornshalks. Then he and gramma took their annual fishing trip to Tomahawk Lake, Wisconsin. It was the same weekend as our fireworks war. The cornshalks made for great hiding places and launching sites-because they were large enough to climb inside and supported your weight to climb on top........well, for 11 year olds.

So a friend of mine drops some "ammunition" into the shalk.....and it erupts into flames. The four of us formed a bucket brigade from gramp's barn-several hundred feet away. I was concerned that it would catch the rest of the field on fire-of course, it didn't. The charred remains of the cornshalk had to have made gramps wonder, but he didn't say anything. Grampas are good at keeping secrets from moms and dads.

that time of year again!

Slow moving farm machinery! Remember those signs? I think there are a few of those left on the county roads. It is that time of the year again, the beans are coming out of the fields in break-neck speed and corn should be following soon. I haven't caught what the expected yeilds will be this year, due to the drought conditions earlier in the summer; or if the deluge in late summer will help in any way.

My grandfather had two requirements of me in his later years. I was his chauffer in the spring to check the progress of spring planting in the surrounding countryside. He always swore that the farmers who planted on Sundays, when they should have been in church, were certain to lose their crops to natural disaster. Never mind gramps didn't go to church until late in life. Then there was the harvest tour.........we would head out to see the condition of the fields about this time of year........and which farmers were lax in getting their beans out of the field.

I wonder if I'm going to be the old guy in the passenger seat someday, pointing out who the lazy farmers are and who is on the ball. Probably.......I kinda do that even now. Meanwhile, slow down, there may be a combine ahead.

Does this disturb you?

It should.

Yet again, I find cause to ponder on the political activism running rampant in some churches. I received a disturbing letter over the weekend from a local church. It appears they are having a "community event", but wanted to let me know, as an elected official, that I should be sure to register at the front table so that they could announce the names of the elected officials and candidates (since this is a municipal election year) in attendance. They wanted me to know that they expected 900 people and that they would also be conducting voter registration. Of course, they say it is for both parties.

Unfortunately churches like this are turning Christianity into almost a prostitution of the cross, attempting to influence political leaders with selling themselves and their voters, or whatever crowd they can get to show up to their event. But they see nothing wrong with it. How it must make Christ feel?!

I'll be blunt (as if I haven't already been). They are contributing to the reckless abandonment of the Christ model by wrapping the cross in the flag and seeking influence with men who will acknowledge God with their mouths, but not in their hearts or lives. And what is tremendously worse, is that those same men find themselves controlled by men of deplorable moral standing.

Let the church concentrate on changing hearts, not influencing voters or politicians. Again, a good read is "Myth of a Christian Nation". I plan to respond to my invitation to this church event, declining the invitation, but want to do so in a constructive way......this blog is just my rant.

We are (d)One

Leaving Notre Dame stadium Saturday, after being a part of history, my friend pointed out the back of a fan's t-shirt and said, "whoa, for a moment, I thought that said WE ARE DONE".

Geesh, poor Notre Dame. Now, I'm not a raving Notre Dame fan.......certainly was more so in college than now, but I've always been for the home team-be it Purdue, IU or Ball State (almost upset Nebraska this weekend!). And since IU didn't have much of a football program to speak of, and Purdue was IU's arch enemy in basketball.....that led me to Notre Dame: awesome school, awesome football program, in the Holtz years.

I got to the stadium very early and was able to soak in the atmosphere, catch the team practicing and ponder my place in the universe with touch down Jesus at my back. A very telling song played during practice......"Living on a Prayer". I really did love being there, and you could tell the crowd was desperate for a win and the glimmer of hope in the first half set the fans on fire.

But that was the end of it. As we left the stadium my friend said "it seems that even touchdown Jesus is frowning".......I thought, no, like the reaction of most fans, He had his hands in the air saying what's up with the Irish? I sincerely wish the team well, Notre Dame is a great school with tradition unparalleled here in the Midwest, and much of the country for that matter.

A great school deserves a great football program. Go Irish! on to Purdue!

Easing into Fall

Well, this weekend Fall will officially arrive. This time of the year is by far my favorite. And Indiana is spectacular when aglow in autumn splendor. Drive down a country road this fall, wherever you are...........stop, get out of your car and breath in deeply. Man, there is nothing like it. Now, be certain you aren't too close to a hog farm, but, hey, whatever trips your trigger.

Favorite time of the day in the fall is just before dusk........when the temperature has dropped and you feel the crispness of the air, but catch the full radiance of the sun landing on each painted leaf and fields of the ripened harvest. No better time in Indiana than this.

Enjoy!

It's Official!

No, the guy in this picture is not me......I wish! He has been my inspiration. Let me give some background. I went through a profound change late last fall regarding my role in our community, some basic beliefs and about the direction God would have for my life. This lead to an interesting challenge-The 2007 Self-Challenge-I called it.

Always having been a scrawny guy, I felt the nudge to begin to transform myself physically as well. To be honest, some of it had to do with creating a distraction from what was going on around me. I had tried everything before-including forcing down Heavy Weight Gainer 2000 during college. None of it worked. My goal was to gain 18 lbs. of lean muscle.

Well, it's official. While visiting the doc today I learned I had gained exactly that 18 lbs.. Now, before some of you start sending me hate mail, remember, it was no fun growing up being called squirt. I'd like to say I've gained an even 20 lbs of muscle, so, I'm going for 2 more by the end of the year.

My belief in this is that God used some trying times in my life, to say this to me........not only can I change your heart, your mind, but I can change you physically as well. Believe me, this is a miracle. And a BIG THANKS to some of my buddies out there who have encouraged me in this!

night on the (small) town

Maybe I should let me wife tell this story, but it certainly is in keeping with the spirit of this blog...so, here goes.

Our little town has an operating downtown, old time theater that still shows first run films. Because of some professional services I provided the old couple who owns the building, they gave my wife and I a handful of free passes when we were first married. We went a couple years and never paid for a movie. In fact, after I proposed to my wife, the theater owners were the first folks who knew because they were on the way back from our walk on which she accepted. Once we were snowed in when we lived in our apartment downtown-only the downtown Chinese restaurant and the theater were open (they were snowed in too), so we ate Chinese and took in a show. There was one other couple there, who also ate Chinese......same story.

The other night my wife and her friend went downtown to catch the film. They got there only a few minutes late to find the ticket booth closed. She inquired if it was too late and the older lady said, "no one showed up, so we aren't showing the film". After a few minutes on the sidewalk, the owner's son said, "if you want to see it, I'll run it for you". So they opened the theater for my wife and her friend. Then a little old man showed up who, evidently, waits to see if someone else is going so that the owners don't open the theater just for him. Now that's good, small town service you wouldn't get at your mega-plexes!

for whom the road Tolls

When the Toll Road was brand new-look at all the traffic!

I'll give points to Governor Mitch on his ingenious Toll Road "sale". It may not have been the most conventional way to stuff state coffers with lots of dough (gambling is becoming more traditional), but he did bring some "out of the box" thinking we don't often get from state officials.

Now the merits of his out of the box thinking are fair debate fodder. Is it possible that the state could have better managed the road and thus received greater revenue under a new system? Possibly. Is it likely that all of our proceeds from the lease will fleet away in a "stumble over ourselves for economic development" attitude? Nearly guaranteed. Our state elected leaders are going to have to show great restraint in spending the dough from the toll road; otherwise we'll have some very state of the art infrastructure that will all need massive reconstruction in about 30 years-without the ability to pay for it.

Time will tell. Genius and outside the box thinking is only good when there isn't the need to save your butt politically and the genius can be appreciated by consecutive leaders. Otherwise, in this case, it could be just like a kid in a candy store.

the Carny

The wife was out of town last weekend, so I braved it and took the kids to a small town festival, about an hour away, our family had never had the pleasure of visiting before. This is always an adventure. Now, I don't want to seem to be picking on this little town, but, boy, talk about a small town festival! There were four or five food booths set up on main street and about the same number of craft booths. I will admit, I was impressed with the enormous turn-out for the mud volley ball tournament and the tractor pull. Tractor pulls are done right, here in the Hoosier state.

But, it was the carnival rides that the kids wanted to experience. Their eyes both immediately landed on this streamlined mini train.......which, I could imagine my dad riding in the 1940's. No, I'm being quite serious. So I paid the outrageous sum for the two kids to climb into the engine and second car and the carny (fella who stopped and started the train) sounded the whistle, which appeared to be a siren scavenged from another ride, and off they went. They had the train all to themselves.

While I was waiting for the kids to finish their adventure, the carny struck up a conversation with me about where the rides were going next in Indiana, then their circuit through the Michigan festivals and how they should be done by the end of October. Then he gave me the low-down on what had happened at the festival the night before and how he and two of his buddies "went lookin' for a troublesome young buck" who threatened a girl with a knife. Having nothing more to say to him, than "hmmm, wow." he continued to tell his great tale of finding the kid in the alley and threatened to drag his sorry butt (I cleaned this up) to the sheriff and they'd give him "a good beatin'". Hmmm....wow. I said again.

Meanwhile, I had noticed the kids' adventure seemed to be declining, the magic had now gone from their eyes-I mean, it had been about 10 minutes at this point going in circles. The carny noticed this too, so he thought to reignite the joy by sounding the siren again. He turned to me and continued his fantastic tale from the dark alleys of this town of about 600 Hoosiers.

Soon I began to feel a little sorry for the troublesome buck. I'm not so sure that I'd want to have a run-in with three carnys in a dark alley-although I saw no sign of the bearded woman or yak girl in and among the carnival grounds. I did notice that my little girl had her arms stretched out wanting out of the little train. My son sat with his chin in his hands-at this point the carny rung the little bell on the front of the engine and said "whoo who!"

Finally, the carny's story ended. And so did the magic train ride........about 12 minutes, I'd guess. The next little girl got on, her ride lasted about 2 minutes. I wish the carny well...and I hope the young buck learned a lesson, never mess with a carny, or dare to engage in a conversation with him for that matter.

the Old Michigan Road

Old Michigan Road through a downtown district

Trivia: what was the very first state commissioned road? Did you know that the Michigan Road did not go to Michigan, but to Lake Michigan at Michigan City? Did you know that the road was originally intended to head directly north from Logansport but to avoid the Kankakee marsh, it went to Rochester north to South Bend, then west? Did you know that in portions of the state, land for the Michigan Road was purchased in huge chunks from Native Americans, but in the northern part of the state, it was only a 100' swath of ground?

The Michigan Road was probably one of if not the most important transportation routes in the fledgling State of Indiana. Being the first commissioned road by the Indiana State Legislature in 1826; the Michigan Road became a key thoroughfare in opening up the state to settlement. It connected Madison on the Ohio River to Michigan City on Lake Michigan via the new state capitol. It was used by the pioneer and as a path for freedom for the runaway slave; it was the trail down which the Native American was removed from their lands.

Fortunately, much of the road and its roadside architecture still exist from those early days; however, very little has been written about the road and thorough research has not been completed. It's time to understand, document and celebrate this important part of our Hoosier Heritage. The Michigan Road winds its way through fifteen counties and more than two dozen communities. It connects the north with the south and touches all of the topography we recognize as home in Indiana. What better way to honor our State's upcoming bicentennial than to designate this state treasure a Hoosier Heritage Trail. Let the road tell the history of our State through its geography, its people, and its architecture. Through our forests, small towns, cities and farms this one road has the ability to showcase what it means to be a Hoosier and how our State was built.

Counties through which the Michigan Road passes
LaPorte, St. Joseph, Marshall, Fulton, Cass, Carroll, Clinton, Boone, Hamilton, Marion, Shelby, Rush, Decatur, Ripley, & Jefferson

Cities & towns through which the Michigan Road passes:
Michigan City, New Carlisle, South Bend, Lakeville, LaPaz, Plymouth, Argos, Rochester, Fulton, Logansport, Burlington, Michigantown, Kirklin, Indianapolis, Shelbyville, Middleton, St. Omer, Greensburg, Slabtown, Smyma, Napolean, Dabney, New Marion, Bryantsburg, & Madison

Poor planning

I come from the mindset that we need to be extremely careful in using our land. Once it is built upon, we can never really get it back for agricultural or natural purposes. I have heard that within 40 years Indiana will have no measurable agricultural land left. This should be alarming, should you consider the availability of land for purposes of growing food. Unless we don't care if our children and grandchildren starve.

Now, not that this is just a Hoosier phenomenon, but it does seem that we here in the Midwest have a little different mindset when it comes to land use. We too quickly think of land as an infinite resource. It is not. I think along with this is the whole "my land is mine to do what I want with, to heck with you". I consider myself more of a steward of the land I own; that it will be passed on. This is more Old World thinking-unlike the idea of a limitless wilderness the pioneers sought to tame. This is called sprawl in the 21st century.

Recently our county adopted a new land zoning ordinance. Unfortunately the committee who wrote the ordinance was comprised largely of special interests/developers. We are actually taking a major step backward in our ordinance from the one adopted in the 70's. Of course, it's political. The one "advancement" of the document is that if you (as a non-farmer) live in the country-you have to reserve a strip of ground 30 feet wide on your own property so as not to interfere with farming operations-the farmers demanded this. It seems its ok for them to tell you what you can and can't do with your property-but don't tell them, if they want to split it up into 1 acre housing tracts-for some reason, that's ok.

Too bad, really, that we are so selfish in our own interests that we can't consider the next generation or those to come. Republicans are the worse when it comes to this, when in fact, to be truly conservative, they should be most concerned about the liberal waste of ground. Seems that Republican values somehow stop at the property line. In fact, a more fiscally responsible way to operate county governments is through more restrained ag land development. I thought the most telling thing of a lack of commitment to farmland preservation was a statement on an ag related state website that said they "would not take a position on farmland preservation". Shouldn't they be on the forefront?

We'll learn someday.........when it is too late of course.

eve of 9/11

do you remember the eerie calm the morning of September 11th, six years ago, after the nation realized the gravity of the event unfolding before our eyes?

do you remember where you were? do you remember the feeling when your eyes would meet those of a stranger on the street? do you remember how we said we would never be the same?
are we really different today?

I remember being asked to co-host a local radio talk show the day before the first anniversary of 9/11. We talked about it, but just briefly.........but I publicly speculated that Americans had indeed forgotten the commitment to "change". Remember that? how we would never be the same? But we are today, even more selfish in our ambitions and greed, than we were before 9/11. Can you disagree?
I love this country........so much so that I weep for her. We are blinded to our own greed and see corruption and lack of integrity as acceptable paths to success. When you bow your head to pray tomorrow, remembering September 11th..........search your soul. Check your priorities, reach out to someone, heal strained relationships. And instead of asking God to bless us, pray for brokenness.

more of God's creation....

Report from Dad's Feild

What's this? This strange little creature was hanging out on dad's grape vines. Anyone know? My brother thought it was an albino tomato worm. An entomologist he is not. I thought since it looked like a tomato worm, but was orange, that maybe it had ripened.

trip to the feed mill

Here's another one of those great memories stemming from horses and small towns. The feed mill-or grain elevator. Gramps would ask if I wanted to go with him to pick up feed for the horses, which he got from our small town's grain elevator. If it was cold, I'd ride in the front cab of the truck soaking up his cigar smoke. If it was warm enough, I got to ride in the back of the truck along the country roads. I remember the trip being an adventure in manhood. I got to stand around with the old farmer types who talked politics and local goings on with their tall thermos of coffee in one hand and the screw off cup in the other. The old place had wide, worn wood plank floors and smelled of sweet oats and tobacco. I even kept Gramp's hat he got from the elevator (see post below).

A few years back, my dad asked if I could pick up birdseed at the elevator in the town I live now. Sure. I walked in the door and overheard someone from the back ask "Barry, did you want a cappuchino". I grinned thinking-I guess some things have changed.

These icons of our agricultural roots are disappearing quickly. They provide a place for community to happen within our rural farming towns, that would be sorely missed. Their forms are simple, but rugged against the skyline of Indiana. We should hope that at least a few of these come along with us into the future. I know the one from my boyhood still exists. I think I'd like to go there again, just to soak it up.

Hay Bailing

Gramps had nearly 40 head of horses at one time. His farming operation really existed for the horses. I remember discussions about money between gramma and gramps when she'd buy herself a new dress, which was rare, she'd say "you spend more on feed for those horses in a day than I do on clothes in a year". Gramps resorted to heavy chewing on his cigar, knowing he had no defense.

So, much of his fields were put out to hay or pasture for the horses. My cousins and I grew up with hay bailing and making hay "forts" in the barn loft. Something all too wonderful about hacking up hay dust after a hard day's work unloading wagons. Until recently, I only had one "most memorable hay bailing story". So now I'll share both.

Somehow one Saturday, when I was about 15, gramps had 4 wagons of hay to unload into his hay barn and all his help had left. This left just me. I think he thought that the rain would hold off. But as the day went on, the rain clouds began to build and I was the one guy who could help. I was the "stacker" which means gramps threw the bails off the wagon-and I had to stack them, by myself-and gramps liked to bail the hay tight-which means heavy. That was a long, tiring day for a scrawny 15 year old. And I missed a date that night. But I guess I'll always have that memory.

Then, after a long hiatus from bailing hay-about 17 years, a buddy of mine had heard my longing for the good 'ol hay bailing days, and invited me to participate on his gentleman's farm. There was a wagon that needed unloaded after a meeting we had scheduled. I thought, sure, even though I was feeling a little tired, that would be great. We started late and didn't finish until almost midnight. I don't remember unloading and stacking with gramps to be that hard, nor that hot. I was drenched. He offered me a cold beer, which I should have passed up since I don't typically imbibe anyway. I paid for it in the morning..........but got the day off work.

Now, those of you who have never had the joy of bailing, this probably doesn't mean much. But for you Hoosiers out there who have paid your dues & done your time....I hope this brought back some fond memories. Probably made you itch a little too.

the Most Sacred site

I have a strange little quirk, that until now, only my wife knew about. If for any reason we are in Indianapolis, I make a pilgrimage to Monument Circle and walk, or at least drive around the circle............for good luck. That's right, it has almost become a superstition for me.

I'm not sure what started it; I made several trips to Indy while in high school and went to the circle. If ever there was something done right in Indiana, this is it. The sculpture and architecture is amazing, the approach and views from the circle are breathtaking. Monument Circle, at the center of Indianapolis and the center of our state is like the heart and soul of our great state, preserved and celebrated in a fantastic public arena.

Now, what many of you might not know, Monument circle was originally intended for the governor's mansion. In fact, when Indianapolis was laid out, they built the first governor's mansion there. Governors would later refuse to live there, the mansion became vacant and animals would run through the unkempt yard and house. This sounds a little more Hoosier, doesn't it?

As a monument to our soldier's, the pioneering spirit of our forefathers and representations of our native creatures, the circle is one place every Hoosier should go and reflect.

meet me for coffee at............

Change: it happens, get over it. Change isn't always for the best, but because it generally happens slowly we hardly recognize it and what the new norm is - whatever it is - seems not so bad. And then we think back. Those were the days! And in some places, they still are.

Diners, cafes', hometown restaurants, mom & pop shops - whatever you want to call them and wherever they are across Indiana seem to be disappearing in increasing numbers. And with their fading also is removed a sense of the community that they once provided. A new sense of community may be found in other establishments or venues, but make no mistake-it just isn't the same. So what have we lost and are continuing to lose? Maybe more importantly, should we do something about it?

I am the proud son of a diner family-a truckstop more specifically. My grandparents traded the farm for a café in 1950. A few years later the state came through and demolished the place for road expansion forcing my grandparents to relocate the business. In 1996 my dad & mom closed the doors. It sold, then closed, then sold again and stayed closed. Fond memories, hard work and good neighbors-that's what it was. Our community lost something more than a piece of history the day we walked away. A place to gather, be seen, talk and stay informed, lend support, laugh and sometimes cry together. We lost "community".

There are a handful of locations around our great state where a few mom & pops heroically beat the odds of fast food and chains. Or, maybe the chains just haven't reached them yet. Whatever the case-these places should be celebrated as one of the most important vestiges of Hoosierdom. They are everything that is still good of our culture and a link to our past that made us who we are today. And in their absence may show us what we are becoming.