It’s here! Every place you go there are people sniffing and snuffling because the cold and flu season is upon us. The virus that causes this malady is moving around in our house, making person after person miserable. Spreading the Sickness We avoid the kind of contact that is sure to pass the “bug” along, but it seems to make its way through the very air that we breath. Some recent research has lead scientists to believe that the virus just keeps reattaching in our sinuses and throat, and the more of the viruses we have attached in those places, the sicker we are. New medicines are trying to deal with the common cold from that angle. ...

When we lived at about 7000 foot altitude, our tomato plants would survive only if given special treatment. Mid June one year it snowed just a few miles from us. Tomatoes don’t seem to like that! They also don’t respond well to cold, a dry climate, and the harsh sunlight of higher altitude. Leaves wilt quickly in the relentless sun and dry heat. A Struggle In order to keep our tomato plants alive, we grew them in a 5 gallon bucket that we drug into the house at night when the temperature dipped. During the day, we could position the fragile plants in the shade to cut the sun stress on them. It was our youngest kids daily job to water and tend them so they didn’t succumb to the elements. Sometimes they looked pretty sad and wilted before being rescued. ...

It seems to be age appropriate. We get in the car to take a short outing and one of the younger kids would invariably ask, “Where are we going?” or “How long will this take?” It may not seem like such a big question, but what does knowing the answer change? Our eight-year-old really had no other option since he can’t stay home alone. The Big Event Even many world events really don’t matter for long. Who wins hockey’s Stanley Cup, the Super Bowl, World Cup Soccer, or the World Series makes little impact on the majority of humanity. But at Easter Christians everywhere acknowledge a pivotal point in history that literally affects EVERYONE! That event is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. ...

Snow Storm In 2001 a spring snowstorm hit our area in Colorado providing picture-postcard vistas. Many folks in the Denver area were suffering from power outages while we were able to enjoy the great beauty as the sun came out the next day. The heavy wet snow stuck to everything including power lines. The weight caused power lines to sag and some supporting poles snapped like matchsticks. It is expensive and challenging to build structures strong enough to hold back all the possible forces of God’s creation. Looking at the damage is a good reminder of how a gradually building force can be so destructive. ...

I had just purchased coffee in a covered Styrofoam cup and crawled back behind the steering wheel in our van. Not planning ahead well, I started on the next leg of our trip only to realize that I hadn’t transferred the hot drink to my insulated metal road cup. So, I asked my wife to pour it from one cup to another for me as I drove back towards the interstate. ...

As we stood on the shores of the Great Salt Lake at sundown, we marveled at the brackish water that rolled roughly into shore. The water is so salty that large life doesn’t dwell in it. Small, specialized creatures are all that can be found. Wow! One impressive tiny fragile animal is commonly known as a sea monkey. You can buy them in egg form along with their miniature habitat tanks in many stores. Their eggs can survive extremely harsh dry conditions for long periods of time and still hatch. ...

It all started as a good deed. I stopped by the flower shop on my way home and picked up a bunch of carnations. Wanting to surprise Bonita, I quickly trimmed the stems and looked for a place to get “rid of the evidence.” It is at that point that I lost my mind and ran them down the new garbage disposal! The stem mistake Did you know that carnation stems are kind of woody in texture? The clog was so bad our plumber worked several hours with a rooter device to get it open. One friend commented, “so you are human after all?” As a reminder of my human frailties, God allows humbling things to happen to me. ...

I am somewhat of a classic science fiction lover. For pleasure reading, I like being transported to impossibly faraway places, where the writer suggests I believe the existence of creatures that I know in my heart don’t exist. In allowing myself this indulgence I get a glimpse into the mindset and hopes of this age. I also like the adventure that takes me where I will never go. Aliens both evil and benevolent punctuate most science fiction these days. In the Si-Fi context, an alien is an intelligent being from another planet. (Humans would be aliens when we land on Mars someday) Science fiction aliens come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some look like us while others are so totally different we find them impossible or revolting. I am often amazed at how alien many deep-sea creatures are. ...

I spent a couple of hours doing something I probably shouldn’t have. In the quest to complete our yard project, I needed to retrieve some large rocks from the gully bottom near our house to extend our terrace wall. I debated the best method and decided to take on the one affording the most exercise. That entailed CARRYING the 100-pound rocks up a steep, sandy hillside! Wish I Could Brag Now I would like to be able to brag that I did this with little effort. On the contrary, I was so exhausted after my little weight lifting exercise my legs wobbled, my arm was scratched, and I felt as though I had run a marathon (although I have never run one so I am just guessing). So much for boasting! ...