Loon cam 2009

It’s back…the Loon Cam from the Minnesota Bound website.

The concept is quite simple.  On a lake in northern Minnesota there is a floating platform with a nest and a hidden camera.  You can go to this website: MN Bound and follow the link to the Loon Cam (there is also a blog where updates are given about the loon’s activities).  Here you can watch as mama loon lays her eggs and sits on them.  Eventually you could even watch the new baby loons hatch (last year I got to see the cute baby loons).  This might sound as exciting as watching paint dry but it’s an amazing opportunity to watch something in nature that we would not normally get to watch.

So here you go…Loon Cam 2009.

Enjoy!

-edh-

That time of the year

About this time of the year I start feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Holy Week is bearing down on us; there are classes to prepare for; Sunday worship to prepare for; I have a funeral this week and that is all among anything else I usually do doing the week.  I expressed this feeling to my wife this past Saturday.  And…when I started feeling overwhelmed one would think I would turn to God for help, but often times I try to work harder to make sure I handle everything alright, but this week God has had a sense of humor and thus has humbled me.

Later in the day on Saturday (after I expressed my feeling of being overwhelmed) my wife and I discovered we had an unwelcome visitor in our basement.  My suspicion was a chipmunk or squirrel.  On Sunday after worship we went downstairs to check things out.  And there it was…a squirrel.  I chased it around for a while and was getting close to chasing it out the door, but it decided it wanted to stay.  The next few days entailed me searching the basement high and low for the pesky thing. I would see evidence of it once in a while and actually saw it once, but it quickly ran and hid.  I set a rat trap, but it just sprung the trap and took the bait.  Smart little creature.  Eventually, on Thursday, the squirrel let down it’s guard and got caught in the trap.  No more squirrel.  As frustrating as it was, when I look back on the last few days, it was kind of funny.

Now…today…I went over to the church to get the mail.   I dropped off the church mail in the office and brought mine to my office.  As I was walking back to the parsonage I realized my pocket felt a little lighter.  Yup…I locked my keys in my office for the very first time.

“Yes God…I get it.  You are in control.”

Today is my day off and I am enjoying my weird little circumstances from the past week and I am smiling.  And you know something…I am not feeling too overwhelmed right.  God is indeed in control…

…and praise be to God!

But please God…no more squirrels.

-edh-

Getting peed on

I went to text study this morning at Shalom Hill Farm, as I do most Tuesdays (O.K…some Tuesdays) and I experienced a first…

…I got out of my car and was greeted by the dog they have out there.  Nice little dog.  Wags its tail, but doesn’t get overly excited and jump on you.  Since I have a allergy to dogs I don’t pet the little guy.  Maybe it took offense to this finally because when I turned around (I am not sure why) I saw the little creep (notice my tone changing) lift its leg…and…pee on the bumper of my car.   Not the tire, but the bumper.  By the time I got over there to shoo it away,he had finished his business…and I a swear…I saw a little smirk on his face as he walked away.

I went inside (with my bumped dripping) and saw a couple colleagues.  I told them the story (which they got a kick out of) and soon I began to laugh along.  Of course…immediately…we went into “pastor mode” wondering if there is a sermon illustration in there some place.

<More laughing ensued>

I suggested a baptismal illustration; of God peeing on us and claiming us as his own.

<More laughing ensued>

Then I suggested, “I think I might have to flush that one out some more.”

<And more laughing ensued>

Moral of the story…well…maybe there isn’t one…except that if you pee on my bumper, I will talk about you on my blog.

<I needed a good laugh today>

God bless!

-edh-

Coffee shop ponderings — The “Rocco’s” of this world

Welcome to this weeks edition of coffee shop ponderings.  Today I start off with an unusual spectator across the street…a raccoon.  Along main street Jackson there are a series of trees growing along the sidewalk as if a remnant of the forest survived humankind’s invasion.  Directly across from Coffee Choices is one such tree, but this one contains a scared little raccoon.  My guess is that he came out when all was quite…exploring an otherwise scary world, but before he had a chance to retreat to his own safe haven, our scary world closed in around him, forcing him to find refuge in a tree.  My bet is that he will be there all day…or until the “coast is clear”.

 

But I can’t help to wonder what Rocco (that’s what I am calling the raccoon…kind of dorky, I know) is thinking as he looks down on our world.  It’s a world where he is not accepted or welcome, even though we are the ones invading his habitat.  Rocco is not free to walk among us.  He is not free to partake in our freedoms.  We have pushed him and “his kind” to the fringes.  And as I think of Rocco, I cannot help but to think of the way things are in the Church.  There are people in our churches who hide who they are for fear of rejection.  There are people who conceal their shortcomings for fear of being condemned.  There are people who keep their distance as others point and gawk.  And as long as there is this mistrust and haughtiness in the world, the Rocco’s of this world will remain in the trees of life.

 

But things will not always be this way…

 

…we are told in Isaiah 11, “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.”  That is a vision of the kingdom.  That is a world where Rocco has no need of trees.  That is a world where people will not be afraid to be who they are…children of God.  And it is in the promise of this kingdom I will wait expectantly and rejoice in. 

And so…as we wait and rejoice…let’s join together and welcome the Rocco’s of this world.  Let’s make this a “safe” place for all those on the fridges of the Church and of this world.  Because with Jesus…there are no need for “trees” to hide in.

 

-edh-

Loon Cam

Check out this website my mom just told me about.  It's the Minnesota Bound (www.mnbound.com) site.  When you get there click on "Live Loon Cam" link and enjoy.  For some reason I have been fascinated with watching this mother loon sit on a nest (of course I am doing some work in the mean time).  But I wonder, though, if my fascination comes from my discombobulation.  Or…maybe…I am just feeling a little loony right now.  In any case…enjoy.

-edh-

Bird man of Jackson

Believe me…I don't embrace this title, but I can't help but chuckle after our little visitor this afternoon…

Connie and I were in the kitchen getting ready do some grilling for supper when I heard a strange noise by our main door (from the kitchen there is a door that leads to three steps that takes you down to a landing.  A left turn takes you outside and a right turn leads you down into the basement).  When I opened the kitchen door to investigate the strange noise…low and behold…there was a bird trying to get out.  Of course my first response was to slam the door to prevent the bird from coming into the main part of the house.  That reaction caused my wife to get a little excited; thinking someone was trying to break into our house to kill us.  But after I assured her that the bird was not going to peck us to death, I entered the landing area to open the outside door.  That, of course, freaked the bird out and it headed downstairs to the basement.  What happened next can only be described as a wild chase trying to convince my feathered visitor that I meant it no harm.  I can't believe it would not trust me.  Eventually I chased it up stairs where Connie had the outside door open and our flying friend found its way to freedom.

[Later that evening]

Connie and I were sitting on the couch watching the news when we started recalling our wild bird adventure.  She then said, "I suppose you have a blog post for tomorrow".  I hadn't really thought about it but now I did.  Later in the evening Connie said, "I think I have an anology for you about the bird.  The bird is like us trying to find our way to freedom and God is trying to guide us to freedom.  Just like the bird who didn't trust you, we often don't trust that God has our best interests at heart.  But all God wants is for us to enjoy freedom…just like what you wanted for that bird." 

Wow…I think my wife is on to something here.  I think she should have a blog as well. 

-edh-

And he gave me a chicken

Last night Connie and I received one of the most unique and memorable gifts we have received in a long time.  And by the above picture you can guess what we got.  One of our 6 year old Sunday school students, W, gave us a flock of chicks.  We don’t actually have them but he bought them through Heifer International on our behalf.  Some hungry family is going to benefit from this wonderful gift.  Something that will provide them with food and income for years to come.  Often we receive and give gifts that end up collecting dust, end up in the garbage or wear out over time.  This gift will possibly save lives and last a long time.

I know that many of you have probably finished your shopping by now (LOL…yeah right). Well…here’s an idea for you.  Buy a flock of chicks or some other animal for someone and give them a gift that could save someone(s) life.  I am willing to bet that all those involved will be very thankful.

Thank you, W…Connie and I will remember this gift for a long time.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

-edh-

Here they are…

   

Our little visitors from yesterday.  Aren’t they cute?

My smelly problem

No…it is not what you are thinking

Yesterday morning my wife and I were getting ready for our workouts.  She uses our elliptical trainer that’s in the basement and I go for a run along the river trail in town.  As I was getting ready my wife yelled for me to come into the kitchen.  As I arrived to see what the problem was she pointed out the window toward the church and said "look!".  There, by the rain gutter that drains into the tile, were a pair of young skunks wrestling and frolicking in the grass.  I had smelled skunks around the house before but had not seen them – until yesterday.  We stood in the kitchen watched them play and wrestle.  Then they would stop and run down into the underground drain that goes into the tile.  A minute or so later they would re-emerge and continue their frolicking.  It was quite a scene.  I then snuck outside and got close enough for a couple pictures.  They were really cute…

…but of course they cannot stay…

…so when I got to my HOT and HUMID office I called the police and relayed my problem to them.  They told me that I could come and get a live trap and when I catch them I could call them back.  The police then would come and "dispose" of the skunks and then take them out into the country.  I did not like the term "dispose" because I knew what he meant.  The officer did warn me that if they were to "dispose" of our cute, uninvited guests that it would smell for quite awhile.  I did not like that either.  So I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Cue my brilliant idea…

…I stuck a hose down the drain tile and turned on the water.  I figured this would flush them out.  When I returned from turning the water on a skunk was fighting its way past the hose to get out.  Of course I kept my distance and let him/her get out.  Only one came out so followed the "drowned rat".  I "chased" our cute little friend around the church (once again…keeping my distance).  It turned a corner and then I lost it.  I am not sure where it went.  I did hear some rustling in the street storm sewer so maybe it went down there.  Either way…our cute little "drowned rat" is gone…for the time being at least.

After the exciting events in the high humidity (I am dripping with sweat by now) my custodian and I placed a wire mesh down the drain tile to prevent our little visitors from entering it again.  We’ll see if this works.  The rest of my day was spent dealing with the heat in my un-air conditioned office (I did not get out to do visits…I guess the heat index zapped me of all my energy — except for the energy I had chasing a skunk around the building).  I still laugh when I think about that.

Even though I did not get anything really constructive done today I believe I did save one life.  It my not have been a contributing member of this congregation but one more of God’s creatures is alive when I had a chance to kill it.  Of course this attitude may change if they come back and create a nuisance, but for the time being, I feel pretty good about myself…

…but…part of me DOES hope our cute little friends do return to frolick in the grass again because there’s not enough frolicking done in this world.

-edh-