From The Cabin

A Rare Treat

2011-09-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, September 24, 2011 was a rare treat for me. Frances went with me to the Cabin for the day! Here are a few pictures of what we did.

Frances sitting in the swing on the front porch.

Frances asked me to collect these little flowers for her as we rode along in the 4-wheeler.

So delicate and fragile, just like my wife.

These golden colored mushrooms were so unusual...We did not try to eat them, but they sure looked edible

Our Prize For The Day - Ginseng!

Ginseng Berries

Here she is turning her water bottle into a flower vase!

More Flowers - with seeds - can anyone identify these for us?

A Toadstool

More Ginseng...note the yellowing leaves and red berries.

Fall Is In The Air

2011-09-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

A Serene View Near The Cabin Just Off Duckett Ridge Road
Showing the beginning of fall's beautiful colors!

This Shows Dead Leaves Created By Our Unusually Hot Summer

I'm sure you have heard that a few times this week. "Fall Is In The Air" seems to be on everyone's lips around our neighborhood. As for me, I love this time of year! With temperatures dropping into the mid-50s and up to the high 70s I can now get up early and sit outside by the firepit. I look forward to the display of variegated color that will manifest itself in our forests for the next several weeks before cold weather sets in for the winter. I can now squirrel hunt in earnest without sweating and having to fan the gnats and "no-see-ums" that plague our woods during the last few weeks.

So far I have not shot the first squirrel and have hunted twice already. I should have 20 by now. It seems they have fled the country. One mountain boy told me he saw a squirrel the other day but it had a pack on it's back...indicating that this one was only hiking through and not a native of these parts. ☻ ☻ ☻

Thought one of my friends (maybe you?) would enjoy seeing this picture of me putting the finishing touches on ye old outhouse?

First Squirrel Hunt of 2011

2011-08-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 27 was the first day of Squirrel season for the 2011/2012 hunting year. I had a most wonderful time roaming the woods looking for squirrels. Only saw one, but he saw me first, so no meat for the frying pan yet. I did find that the squirrels are "cutting" on pine cones at this particular time of year. There was ample evidence that they squirrels are in abundance, but my skills seem to have failed me yesterday. Eyesight, agility, hearing, are all diminishing as I raced past 73 last month. Ha. But - there'll be another day, and I have lots of patience.

It was also "Free-Hunting" Day in Tennessee. Any resident could hunt squirrels that day with or without a license. I don't know that this brought many hunters into the field. If our game and fish commission are really interested in a way to entice more hunters afield, they should consider lowering the price of the annual license and also lightening up on the required hunter safety class requirements. Note, I did not say "do away with" hunter safety, but I do believe it could be made easier and more affordable.

Can Anyone identify this plant for me?

Here's a slightly better shot.
The berries are about the size of marbles. I did not taste them, because Ginny of "Let Your Light Shine" had posted about the Castor Bean plant and I thought they could be poison.

Do you recognize this plant? Poison Ivy?
Yes, that's my rifle underneath, which I had laid on the ground.

Yes! That's a Wild Turkey Feather!

Time for Lunch!

Barney Creek

2011-08-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last week a great and good friend that Frances and I met in Nairobi, Kenya came to spend time with my wife. She is one of those kind of friends that feels a lot like family. Since the girls wanted to shop, clean house (including painting one room) and cooking, I thought it best to get myself out of the way - so I headed for the mountains! Ha. The Cabin is my escape. There is not much to do here, so I spend a good bit of time reading the good book (the Bible) and wandering through the mountains. Occasionally I will help out with a church project or church "work day". In a manner of speaking - this was not a work day but a day to play. Day before yesterday, I went to Barney Creek to the site of the beginning of the Church of God with International Headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. Today (August 19, 2011) we celebrate 125 years since the church was begun here in the mountains. Now there are churches in more than 170 countries of the world. To stand at this site and reflect on the humble beginnings of this group and realizing what great strides have been taken in those years is awesome. Only 8 people with a determination to take the Bible as their only rule for faith and discipline banded together on August 19, 1886 and formed "The Christian Union" in the Grist Mill of Elder R.G. Spurling. That was 125 years ago. The church moved from here to the home of W.F. Bryant near Murphy, NC - and then on to Cleveland, TN. Today there will be numerous vehicles in a caravan who will visit this site to pray and give thanks to God for the outpouring of the Spirit of the Holy on this small group of believers. This site is only about 8 miles from me when I'm here at the Cabin.

Pastor Paul Fritts and Me

Paul Fritts is the pastor of the Tellico Plains, TN Church of God, where I teach a young adult Sunday School class. He had asked me to come and help him make the Barney Creek site easier for visitors to access. William Wright brought his Bobcat. I met them at Hardees for lunch, then on to Coker Creek to the site on Barney Creek for a day of play.

This wooden sign covers his initials carved by R.G. Spurling
and the date when he built his home and Grist Mill

Your's truly, getting ready to play

William Wright, a third generation COG member
and Pastor Paul Fritts of the Tellico Plains Church

Here is a picture of an old fashioned Altar Call during
Revival at the Tellico Plains Church

Pastor Fritts rests on the stage after much praying

This is one of the youth choirs of the Tellico Plains Church
and the Future Of The Church of God

I pastored this church from March 1, 1961-February 1966 when my wife and two babies headed off to the missions field in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. I was there when the current sanctuary was built and dedicated in November 1965.

Harvest Time Again!

2011-07-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Laurel has bloomed!

Maintenance on the Weed-Eater is a MUST
Especially when you use OLD gas from last year!

Can you see the bear track just above the hog tracks?

Bear "Scat", a term I learned from friends up North

Ol Bigfoot?

Coyote?

A Home Across The Valley

The Rubbing Tree

And What Tracks Are These?

Pumzika Acres has some potential harvest this year! From the looks of things we are going to have a very good hunt for deer, bear, and boar. My friend Ed, and I have used the Kawasaki Mule to scour and search the whole 700 acre farm and have located promising signs of big game. Here are a few pictures we snapped from the top of the mountain.

Memorial Day

2011-06-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

At the cabin we honored the fallen on this Memorial Day by having our children here at the cabin for a day of relaxation. We were sorry to learn that most either had to work or had other plans or were living too far away to come. However, we had son-in-law Curtis who grilled hot-dogs, Frances and Ruthie prepared grillin' beans, chopped onions and sweet relish, (with all the other trimmings) for a feast. We set everything up on the porch. Our solar system ran the oscillating fan! I had succeeded in getting rid of the rats and in cleaning out the mess they had made - and no one even noticed the three inch hole in the wall they had chewed. We had a wonderful time with those who were present, playing in the creek, teaching the kids about butterflies, sassafras tea, and polk salat. After lunch we went for rides in the Kawasaki Mule. Riding finished, we had a great big seed-less watermelon to split open. I almost (almost?) ate too much! What a wonderful day.

Sassafras Tea, Polk Salat, a Hog Wallow and RATS!

2011-05-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is Polk Salat!

More Polk Salat

This is Sassafras. Note the leaves.

More Sassafras to dig. You only use the roots.

This year's turkey hunt proved to be a very interesting time. Twice I drove through Tellico Plains and up the mountain to a friends far near a place called Rafter. No luck on the hunt, but did manage to rescue my friend's barrell of fish food which the bear had rolled off the dock and down into the creek. Then I've been to the cabin three or four times - mostly to ride the Kawasaki Mule. Three trips back, I spotted so much polk salat that I just decided to take a "mess" of it home for Frances to cook. I was not sure she would want to cook it because it is quite a process to make sure that you don't get poisoned on the stuff. She WAS DELIGHTED and made enough from the first picking to serve us four meals of those delicious greens.
In addition, I spotted some sassafras growing right beside the trail and decided I would like some tea. Again, Frances WAS DELIGHTED. I dug enough roots that she made about 3 gallons of tea. For those who may not know, it tastes a LOT like Root Beer without the carbonated water. Today I dug more sassafras and brought home for her to boil and make tea with. Just in case you don't know, it's delicious hot or cold.

My friend, Eddie W. has not been with me to the cabin for about three months, but was available today. He has a great love for the outdoors too. We first drove along the trail where I had collected polk salat before and where I had dug sassafras roots. At the top of the mountain we got hung up on a high spot and had to rock the machine so the wheels would touch the ground. He climbed into the bed of the Mule and jumped a few times while I backed off. Then, do you believe I drove over the same hump in the trail? Well, Yes. And No - we did not get hung up again! Just having a little fun with ya.

After eating lunch we drove down a different trail in a different direction where we saw Polk Salat in abundance. I decided not to pick anymore because it looks like it's about gone to seed. I really don't know that much about it - but I don't think you are supposed to eat it after a certain stage of growth. With my friend along I was a little more brave as we jumped brush and logs and went down trails I had not explored before. What FUN!

Do you see the hog tracks in that mud?

Then for our last trail we drove to the top of a knoll and looked down in front of the Mule and spied a muddy spot on the road with hog tracks in it! It looks like there are tracks all over that section of the mountain. I must go back again and get serious about harvesting a wild hog.

Back at the cabin - I'm having trouble with rats. I'm not talking mice. I'm talking rats. The rats have eaten half a bar of Zest hand-soap; they have chewed up one of my bed-spreads; they have chewed on my recliner; they had started building a nest under the kitchen stove! In the process they had chewed on one of my wicker chairs anc collected bambook to add to their pile of cotton behind the stove. I had set mouse traps to no avail. I finally bought some D-Con and some glue boards. Caught four BIG rats on glue boards and took them out and put them out of their misery - plus four mice. One mouse was found today, already dead. So the D-Con is working. I cannot imagine why, all of a sudden, the rats decided to invade the place. Whew! What a mess. If you have any suggestions - I need help!

New Trails, Briars, and Hangnails

2011-02-17T12:28:00.001-08:00

I drove along this mountain trail which had been a logging road a year ago. Brush and briars are beginning to grow along the trail.

The farther I go, the thicker it gets!

Fortunately for me I remembered to put my cutlass into the bed of the mule. I purchased this "cane-cutting knife" in Guyana, S. America back in the late 1960's. It has served me well both there, in Africa, and now here in the Cherokee Forest!

I would have had to turn around just half-way through - but my trusty cutlass helped me hack this fallen log in two so that I could drive the mule over it!

Somewhere in between fighting with the briars and cutting the fallen log in two pieces, I broke a fingernail. As you can see by enlarging the picture here...the hands also became very rough and dry.

I stayed out in the forest as long as I dared, heading for home just as the sun put a glorious cap onto the end of my day!

What a WONDERFUL day here in the Cherokee Forest in East Tennessee! I arrived at the cabin about 11:00a.m. to the music of a beautiful spring-like day - temperature about 60 - with partly cloudy skies. I could hear the creek gurgling gently in the background, with crows cawing overhead. The sight of the beautiful red cardinal feeding along the lower limbs of brush near the back porch steps seemed to make my steps lighter. Instead of the usual routine of going inside and opening all doors and windows to allow things to air out, I decided it was a perfect time to just sit in the sun on the back porch (which faces south) and soak some rays while sipping a cup of black coffee. I had made this pot of brew at home and poured it into my steel thermos bottle in anticipation of a back country trail-ride on the Kawasaki Mule, so did not have to enter the kitchen to turn on the stove. While sipping the last few drops from my cup, my neighbor from down the creek stopped by to return the pick/mattock he had borrowed from my tools in order to free himself and his car from the grip of that last deep snow. We have a rule between my neighbor and I: He can borrow anything that's outside as long as he doesn't forget where it belongs and will return it as soon as he is finished with it. I think the snow was finished at least a week ago but he had either forgotten the rule or had been too pre-occupied with other things to bring the tool home earlier. ☻

I finally grabbed the trusty little .22 caliber rifle which I had brought along just in case I spotted a squirrel during the ride (we can harvest squirrels until February 28th) and headed out slowly to explore the country. I drove along slowly, dodging mud-puddles in the road, looking for deer, hog, bear, or any game tracks or other signs of the presence of animals available to harvest. After about 30 minutes I spotted hickory nuts covering the ground. In my heart I knew that the squirrels ought to frequently be here, eating gourmet meals - but the evidence of chewed hickory nuts was largely missing. Just as I was about to give up on the idea, one of the squirrels saw me first. I saw him - but it was too late. He quickly scampered across the forest floor and out of sight. Maybe next time!

One Last Attempt To Hunt

2011-01-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the 8th of January, 2011. Tomorrow is the 9th and the last legal day to deer hunt for the season. Since tomorrow is Sunday (and I'm always in Church on Sunday) today was our last opportunity. I woke very early and was considering all the weather reports on TV as well as the WX channel here on the Internet when I finally decided the predictions were in our favor. At about 8:00a, I got a call from my friend, Ed, saying, "Let's go!" It didn't take me but a few minutes to put the mule onto the trailer and head out towards the mountains. It was still partly cloudy as we headed East - and then turned North for about 12 miles - so everything was looking good. Looking good that is until about two miles before our last turn into the woods. We looked up on the mountain to our North and saw that it was covered with a dark cloud and white snow! Should we go on? Yes. Of course. It was not snowing where we were and the temperature was 36 degrees. It didn't take long, however, until temperature began to drop down...35...34...32. Still no snow - to speak of - although there were a few flurries. Determined to take advantage of this opportunity we talked of other things ... keeping an eye on the thermometer ... and the skies. After winding into the mountains for about 12 more miles we noticed that the snow activity had started to pick up a bit. Five miles before destination (the cabin) I stopped and took this picture.

This cabin is just 5 miles from mine. The ground has already begun to look white here - but not too bad we thought.

Once at the cabin, we both bailed out of the truck and started putting on jump-suits, "below-zero" boots and heavy coats and hats. The more I doggedly pressed on with additional clothing, the heavier the snowfall became! Finally, I said the magic word. I said, "Ed, what should we do? Do we want to be safe - or sorry?" He said, "Well...I think I'd rather err on the side of safety!" So --- take off the jump suit and heavy clothes and get back in the truck like someone who had good sense and head for home before we get caught out here and can't get home!

Stamps Baxter--Build Me A Cabin In Gloryland.

2010-12-11T04:49:00.000-08:00

I found this delightful old song this morning posted on youtube by Nexar. It has suffered some criticism by folks over the years who said they did not want "a cabin" but were going to claim their "mansion". Yes, Jesus promised that He was going away to prepare a place for us and that in His Father's house there are many mansions. That's O.K. I suppose. However, who could ask for better than a cabin along the banks of the river of life? Do you think the Lord would let me bring my mule to this Heavenly Cabin so I could ride along the mountain ridges there?

My brother Wil and I came out here to Pumzika Acres and rode the mule for awhile. Then back at the cabin I cooked us an 8oz deer-burger for lunch, topped with mustard, pickles, pickle relish and washed down with hot coffee! And I must not forget the tasty dessert we had by dipping a knife into the jar of Sand Mountain Sorghum Molasses and licking the knife clean. (Don't worry - they were plastic knives.) We had a very good and restful day.

It was so cold that we had to put ski-masks over our faces, and several layers of clothes to stay warm. Here is Wil in the Driver's seat on top of a ridge in the hunting woods. We had not brought a big game rifle because I had forgotten that the bear hunting was going on. Now the hunters send out their dogs, with GPS collars, and they watch the receivers from the warmth of their pick-up trucks until the bear gets close to a road! We learned this by talking to a bear hunter.

This is my Brother Wil, who does NOT like the cold weather! There is a story behind that statement that may be the subject of another blog later.

We found this Holly tree on a ridge-top. The bright red berries caught our eye.

On the way home, it had warmed up to 30 when we stopped here to take pictures of icicles hanging alongside Highway 30 near Webb's store at Reliance, TN.

As we drove south on Hwy 411 toward Benton, TN we saw this special rainbow just over the tree-tops! Since I had a leak in my metal roof at the cabin we had also attempted to repair it with a small can of roofing tar. This rainbow reminded me of the promise of God to us that he would not destroy the earth again with water! Does that include my cabin too? Well...maybe if I take care of it when I first notice the leaks, huh?

The Fridg/Freezer Is Filled

2010-12-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Frances' smile says she is proud of her harvester husband!

Entire top shelf is full of deer burgers, roasts, tenderloins and deer steaks! The price of processing? $46.00 only!

Bottom shelf is full of the previous purchase I made of seafood and beef.

Yessir! I'm one happy harvester (Thanks Mel) who is learning to live green!

Today I drove to Vonore to Keith's Butcher Shop to collect the bountiful harvest I gathered in last Saturday. My wife seemed so proud to have this fresh meat. I had bought $700 dollars worth of steaks and seafood just a few weeks ago and filled up both refrigerator freezers here at home - plus put quite a few steaks in the little freezer here at the cabin. What a THANKSGIVING and soon we'll have deer meat on the table at home for CHRISTMAS. Of course I'll be back here to the cabin for New Year's Day and hopefully will be able to use some of this meat then to feed the great bunch of guys that come for our day out. We'll cook and serve breakfast food, sit around the campfire, play music and sing and also eat until we are stuffed! That's the way to break in a New Year. I'm told that whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you enjoy on New Year's Day - you will do that all year long. That's the way we started 2010 and it must have worked because we've had a wonderful year.

I'm No Longer A Hunter

2010-11-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day November 27 turned out to be! Cold (25 degrees) when we started out, but warmed up to 52 if I remember correctly. We took a break at 9:30 by going to my friends house (who owns the farmland where we hunt) to make a pot of coffee in his electric percolator, while sitting by the gas heater. That was quite comfortable! Then our host decided he needed to go somewhere on business and left three of us to hunt. When we had been on our stands about 40 minutes I shot the little two point buck seen below! NOW I AM A KILLER! [Not to be confused with Jerry Lee Lewis, the original "killer". He called himself "the killer" because he thought he was the ladies man!!! He did have a few falling all over him in his younger days.]

I bought a new mule for the hunt. Kawasaki Mule, 610XC!

Now, I'm ready to go get 'em!

Three of the friends who joined me!

The trail leading into the hunting area.

It has been at least 25 years since I last killed a deer. It's a bit dis-heartening to a person who is so serious about hunting to go year after year after year and keep coming home with nothing to show for their efforts except a few scratches from the briars and a thousand beggar lice hanging on their clothes. Why do you think we call this thing "hunting"? 'Cause that's what we do! We hunt. And hunt. And hunt again! I've often said to my friends, "I'm not a killer. I'm just a hunter." But from yesterday at 12:35p, right after lunch, I became a killer. The .270 Ruger is a deadly weapon. A nice clean shot high on the shoulder and this buck was on the ground. he kicked for about five minutes while my heart ran at break-neck speed. By the time my blood slowed back to normal the deer was not moving and was waiting for me to prepare him for the journey to our Christmas table - via the butcher shop!!! Boys and Girls, I WAS EXCITED! No, I'm Not a Hunter ... I am a KILLER!

Trees had to be cut to allow our machines to reach deeper into the forest.

We located tracks and other good signs of the presence of deer.

My good friend Ed Williams looking for more deer sign.

My Stand, overlooking a beautifully wooded area where there were abundant signs of deer activity.

My harvested deer! Although we had field dressed him on the spot, he felt like he weighed 250 pounds while we were dragging him out to the road. However when we put him on the scales at the butcher shop, only 71 pounds! What happened? ☻

Good friends William and Scott showing off "our" deer!

Ready to make the trip to the check-in station.

Fall Colors

2010-10-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

A colorful shot across a field. I love the one hour drive that I make to the cabin. About thirty minutes of the time I'm in the Cherokee National Forest.

Red is visible alongside the road. Gold, green, yellow also abound.

The last three miles of my ride is on gravel road. This colorful limb hangs over-head.

The view leaving the cabin.

The creek at the cabin is moving ever so slowly.

This is the only tree at the cabin showing any color yet. Maybe there is so little color right at the cabin because the building is down in a low place between two mountains?

Why am I here? Because we have a friend who loves to do things for "Mama Frankie". Kathy came Monday to paint the den, kitchen and hallway of our house. I find that the best thing I can do to relieve stress for them and for me is for me to disappear...so out to the cabin and stayed until about 3:30p when a meat truck passed through the mountains selling meat. I bought $1,400 worth of meat for only $706, including tax. I stuffed as much of the meat into my cabin freezer as the little thing would hold, then was forced to take the remaining meat home. I barely managed to get it all stuffed into the freezer. I won't have to buy meat for at least four months.

O.K. -- so the painting was still going on -- which meant that yesterday morning (Tuesday) I also got up and hurried out the door to escape to the mountains!

Visitors

2010-10-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

I have always loved company. It doesn't matter who they are, when they come, or what the circumstances. We had a saying at our house growing up that if we didn't have a bed we would "drive a nail in the wall to hang company on", meaning that we would make room for them to stay awhile. I can remember many times us three boys giving up our bed and sleeping on a quilt thrown on the floor to make room for guests. But it was always fun! Part of the fun was the good eats - cause Mama always cooked her best for visitors. Part of the joy was that sometimes the visitors had kids my age. Some were kinfolks - but not all. It didn't matter, we just enjoyed visiting with the folks.

And especially do I love company when it's someone I haven't seen in a long while - like this visit Sunday night and yesterday by my 1st cousin, Terry Junius Jones and his lovely wife Trish, who now reside in Alabama. In town, I was awakened from my afternoon nap by their knock on the kitchen door (all strange visitors come to the front door). After a good visit at the house in town on Sunday night - we laid out our plans for Monday by calling my Mom and starting the day at her apartment for breakfast of mullet roe with grits! Junius' career has been commercial fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico. He brought these fresh frozen fish roe up to Mom because he knows how much she enjoys them. And we made her day by visiting with her and allowing her to cook for us. She still loves visitors too.

Then we headed out to the cabin where I cooked deer steaks, baked potatoes, and had cake, cinnamon rolls and muscadines for dessert!

Of course I made a fresh pot of coffee which I poured into a thermos bottle to keep it warm.

Canned biscuits to go with our deer steak - unfortunately I left them in the oven just a minute too long but the visitors bragged on them anyway.

These venison steaks cooked up to perfection! They went down well with the baked Idaho potatoes.

These delicious cinnamon rolls were just part of dessert. A berry cake, made by daughter Ruthie - and muscadines - and scuppernongs topped it off.

Delightful Trish was offering to help clean up the dishes but I insisted that it was my job today.

Took them outside to the fire pit where we had a camp-fire going. We needed the fire as the weather was a cool 41 degrees this morning - and only up to 55 for a high.

Sitting here and re-hashing stories from our past times with Grandpa and Grandma Jones consumed a good portion of our day. We also took the vacuum cleaner apart and put it back together so I could vacuum the floor inside. The gas heater was not working properly so Junius helped me take it out of the fireplace box and into the truck to take to town for repairs. And finally, just as I was finished with the dishes - can you believe it? - the water-pump stopped working. Our last item of work was to remove it and place it in the truck to take to town for replacement. Yes, we had our inconveniences - But we had a GREAT time with our visitors!!!

Visitin'

2010-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up with one of my sick friends on my mind who is in St. Mary's Hospital in Knoxville. He had a need for gastric by-pass surgery. Twice I had been to the hospital to see him in the last three weeks and he was not aware of my presence...but after talking to his dad last Sunday and learning he was now getting up out of bed and able to talk, I decided I would go see him again. On the way I met a mutual friend and together we went to visit and pray with Gary. We had a good visit.

Afterwards, I decided that I would go to the cabin and spend the night. Since this was on Wednesday, I decided to visit the little Baptist church pictured below - which is three miles from my cabin.

This is an old fashioned country church. The people are friendly and welcome all visitors. It was Prayer-Meeting night, so I knew they would be having church. I have now attended the place enough times that they will call on me to sing or testify or combination thereof.

See the two benches on the front of the church? That's where two or three of the men were sitting when I arrived. As I expected, the stood up and welcomed me. More deacons, arrived, the Pastor arrived. I learned that they were in Revival services. As we sat there and talked - all the deacons and the Pastor and the Evangelist took out their cigarettes and smoked. As a child I had been taught that smoking was a sin. I chuckled to myself about that when the Pastor said, "It's time to pray." Cigarettes extinguished, they invited me to join with them under the shed out front for prayer over the time of worship and preaching just ahead.

Under this shed there were 16 elders and deacons taking prayer requests and lifting them up to God in concert prayer. This is very normal in our area for our "holiness" churches but a little unusual for Baptist churches to have these "concert" prayers. Some things in the Baptist church are very different from the way we do things in our church, the Church of God. One of those things is that generally we preach against smoking, drinking, cursing, etc., and etc. while it has been reported to me that the Baptists do not. They even allow drinking (in moderation) among most members.

The preacher was a bit old fashioned in his approach and laid his coat down on the front seat. After he had read his text and prayed, he walked the aisle (as you can see in the picture above) while waxing warm in the old fashioned way of preaching. Wish you all could have heard him. I was surprised to hear the evangelist preaching against long hair on men. I loved it. There were "Amen's" coming from every corner.

I spent a very quiet, very pleasant night at the cabin and rose "a great while before day". I got the picture above as the sun sought me out on the back porch where I was reading my Bible and drinking my coffee. The smell of sausage and canned biscuits mixed with coffee had really permeated the air around the cabin and I could hear birds and see a squirrel playing in the trees. After cleaning some boards off the front porch I swept both porches and enjoyed the great weather! It was 62 degrees at 6:00a.m. and didn't start getting warm until almost 12:00.

After cleaning up the dishes I locked the cabin and went for some walk/ride/picture-taking moments. Above is Possum Grapes. The woods are full of them here this year.

When I saw what appeared to be beautiful fruit from the road, I had to get closer. I thought it might be a fig tree - or even some yellow apples. I stopped the truck and walked over to the tree only to discover that it was not fruit at all - but was what I was taught to call "buckeyes".

If you peel off the exterior hull, this is what you find. If you see "buckeyes" out of the shell and you don't know better, they look just like chestnuts. I need to find and take pictures of a chestnut tree so that you can see the chestnut is covered with sharp prickly outside covering whereas the "buckeye" has a smooth outer hull.

Just as I pulled up to a quiet place and took out my gun, I looked down and saw that someone had been here before me. I do not like to see litter on the forest floor. It's so easy to put that trash in your pocket and carry it home to the trash bag. Don't let me get started on that subject or this blog will not hold all of my words. ☻

Just a few steps further and I saw something I was looking for! See that huge acorn? The squirrels love them! I'll be back soon. Hopefully with squirrel meat for the freezer!!!

A Lazy Hazy Day of Summer

2010-08-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

On my way to the cabin today I was reminded of why these mountains are called "The Smokies". Many mornings, especially in the fall when the temperatures begin to cool down some, the fog makes the hills look as if they are covered in smoke. To me they are beautiful this morning and I know that soon the sun will rise and burn off the clouds to reveal a beautiful day.

Looking to the West, I take in the beauty of the Hiwassee River.

Shortly after arrival at the cabin today I made a pot of coffee, grabbed the peanut butter and jelly, a bottle of cold water from the fridge, and my Bible before stretching out in the new swing! What a wonderful day for relaxing... that is ...until it started to get so hot!

But today I had a solution to the heat! I put together the pedestal fan I had purchased at Big Lot's last week and plugged it into the power source (Five batteries in series with a 2000 watt inverter) and there was instant relief! I'm excited about this because I did not know if the fan would drain the batteries too quickly. To my utter delight the green light, indicating how much power I had remaining, stayed lit the entire six hours that I was there! This will be a pleasant surprise for Frances next time she comes with me to the place.

Here's a view from the other side of the fan!

While I was reading, I looked over into the truck and this beautiful butterfly was spreading his wings in a great display of natural beauty.

TODAY - As I had not taken the lawn mower, nor tried to repair anything, nor attemped to do any kind of work - I decided to drive down a different road instead of passing it by as usual. Oh - am I glad I did! I FOUND A PERSIMMON tree! Persimmons are a real treat for deer and other wild game. I'll be back to this tree in about six more weeks when the fruit begins to ripen! I've looked everywhere for one of these trees - and FINALLY!

Know-How

2010-07-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Above: Two good friends who have some know-how! On your left is Gordon Bloodworth, veteran missionary and President of Discipleship College in Eldoret, Kenya, East Africa. On your right is Jack Darnell, retired military man and retired building contractor.

Did you ever wish for "know-how"? I certainly have. One of the reason's why I tear things up (or perhaps render them useless) is because I tackle projects when I don't have the "know-how". On occasion I manage to tackle and complete one of those projects that I don't know how to do - but I spend far too much money and far too much time in the process. Such was the plumbing project I had to do here at Pumzika Acres lately. I had even hired a professional handy-man and crew who did a tremendous amount of work - but had to leave for other commitments before finishing the task. Frankly, I was dreading the completion of the task. However - God sent someone by to help me! It was going to be a difficult task because of limited crawl space. I loathed the idea of having to crawl around under the house, cutting and re-attaching pipe because I had failed to winterize in time and the pipes froze and burst. From the amount of water - discovered on New Year's day - I just knew I had at least six leaks to find. So procrastination had become my method of dealing with it all. Thank God, it is now in operation! I promise you that I WILL winterize before the first freeze this winter!!!

Jack Darnell, explaining to me how "simple" it will be to attach these pipes and "fix" everything!

Spider, Ferns, Birds & Neighbors

2010-07-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

The birds have now hatched and flown!

Are there two hungry mouths here?

I went to the cabin on Satruday, July 3, with the intentions of doing nothing but relaxing. Spent most of the six hours I stayed there just reading and/or sleeping. Mixed nuts, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with creek-water from my newly purchased Sawyer filter was sufficient nourishment.

Frances had said it might not be the best time to go if I wanted solitude because this was the 4th of July week-end. Some of the neighbors have been known to drink a bit and play loud music - but I decided to go anyway. I was surprised that none of my camp neighbors were there when I arrived. Everything was totally quiet except for the song-birds and a crow now and then. Late in the afternoon one of the neighbors, Eddie the mountain man, came by and told me that Mike, my neighbor across the road, had taken a fall on a construction site, had a concussion and had been in the hospital on life support. Last report he was going to be taken off life support and would recover. Another neighbor, Rick, from a half mile away came by on his 4-wheeler and stopped for a nice chat also.

When I finally got bored I picked up a rag and started to wipe down the lavatory and tub/shower where we had been working on installation of the same, and came across this interesting spider. I do not know for sure what kind he is - but I do know that I don't want him in the shower with me! Don't worry - that one is dead now. Of course I will keep looking to see if he might have had any brothers or sisters.

A Brown Recluse? That board is six inches wide

Found him in the bathtub in the grime which has collected from all the drilling we had done.

In the tub he lookd very big!

I don't recognize this plant. Gotta try and find it in my book. It's just across the creek among the tall grass and weeds

There are hundreds of ferns all around the place.

Ferns are thick here, covering about a 1/2 acre.

We need rain here! No rain in the forecast until Saturday - and then isolated thunderstorms.

Memorial Day - 2010

2010-06-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ruthie, our second-born daughter, (left) called on Sunday and wanted to know if she and her family could go to the cabin for a Memorial Day outing! I'm always glad when the kids enjoy the place and welcomed her to be there - although I had plans to be there working on water leaks and finalizing plumbing installation. As it turned out the plumber called and said that "since it's predicted to rain" he would like to wait until we have a dry day to complete our work because the ground under the house gets wet when it rains. Of course I could do nothing but agree.

It was just the right kind of day for an outing to the cabin. Well, it might have been even more fun if there had not been as much rain, but we had both cabin porches when the rain fell. :D I went up early and opened the doors and windows, lit some candles, did some minor straightening up of things and sat down to wait for the children. We had two or three rain showers but nothing that kept us from doing what we wanted to do.

Son-in-law Curtis Crocket set up a grill on the back porch to burn the dogs and burgers. Ruthie brought lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, mustard, pickles, relish, cole-slaw, chips and dips and drinks. Her two daughters (Lydia, aged 25, and Chloe, aged 5) were there. Lydia's two year old son (Julian, aged 2) was there. Frankie's daughter, Kimberly (aged 27) was there with her daughter, Hailey (aged 3). Kimberly brought two of her friends, Josh and Shay.

It was thrilling to watch the children's reaction when I started throwing pieces of a bun into a stump hole in the creek and they could see the small fish churn the water to eat. Then someone started teaching Julian how to skip rocks on the water. There are plenty of flat rocks available. Hailey and Chloe led the charge in wading the creek. Lydia was right there in the middle of it because she got soaked. Chloe climbed up the roots of the tree right in front of the cabin porch! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Roscoe (Curtis' dog) also had a blast chasing the rocks the children were throwing. Curtis says the dog has broke a tooth catching rocks that way!!!

I was also able to show Chloe what a dragon-fly is. They look very menacing with all four wings and long body which looks somewhat like a stinger - but they are totally harmless. In fact they eat mosquitos.

Grandmother Frances had sent a coloring book, a toy car and a "ring toss" game for the little ones just in case it rained. She didn't want them to be bored. Needles to say, none of the man-made toys were used.

Thank you Ruthie and Curtis for all the hard work you did to make everyone's stay at the cabin pleasant. I believe all had a grand time - including ME! Thank you too, Ruthie, for helping with the clean-up. You are such a sweetie!!!

Wild Hogs

2010-05-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

The trusty lawn-mower / Bush-hog!

Near the picnic table the hog sign is amply evident!

Near the out-house it looks like someone is
trying to plant a garden.

Wild hogs keep tearing up the yard - Bad!
You think I may be able to shoot one?

Yesterday I mowed the grass here at the cabin. When I arrived, I found ample evidence that wild hogs have been rooting up my backyard. The problem is that water collects here and doesn't drain properly. It's near the out-house (toilet for you who don't know what an out-house is) and seems to me that when it rains and makes a temporary "bog", the odor of the wet spot attracts the pigs. I keep thinking that I'll get some time to stay here for three or four nights and in the process can get the opportunity to kill one. That meat would be mighty tasty next time we have a cold winter's morning.

Also I threw a belt on the lawn-mower, so must get it to the shop and have the belt re-installed and tightened a bit. I know. I know. You don't have to tell me I should not use the lawn-mower as a bush-hog, but ... I was trying to follow the suggestion put out by that famous cable guy, "Git 'er done!" I had lopped off some limbs that kept knocking my hat off and was trying to mulch them with the lawn-mower. Put a smiley face right here!

A New Water Tank

2010-05-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

This is the OLD Tank.

Saturday while I was out, Kenny Key (my neighbor here in the mountains) called Frances to say that he had at last come into possession of an empty detergent tank that holds 275 gallons. I had almost given up hope of getting a new one and was considering ways to go about modifying the old tank I had and make it usable. Kenny had promised to get me one "next time they throw one away" at his work but that was last fall and still not tank. These are commercial/industrial cleaning detergent containers that the company he works for uses in maintenance. They are very sturdily made - of heavy gauge plastic, and enclosed by a frame of aluminum metal bars that are 1/2 to 3/4" square. (My old tank was encased in heavy duty wire.) When the detergent is all used up they have no further use for the tanks, so they have become popular among our community of "deer shack" owners. They are ideal water tanks, to which we attach a water hose and 12volt pump to make water available in the kitchen sink and in the bathroom.

Mom talking with Dr. Wendy, her audiologist.

So - after taking Mom to Chattanooga this morning to have her hearing aids worked on - I hooked up the little trailer and went to load the empty tank and take it to the cabin. I called three different men that I thought might help me load the tank since it is a bit on the heavy side...plus it's awkward to move it by one's self. However, since all the men were busy or out of pocket - I decided to tackle the project alone. I packed an apple, an orange, two boiled eggs, three slices of bread and off I went. After fighting off the pack of dogs Kenny has at his home, I was able to drag, lift, pull and push until I had the tank on my trailer.

This is the NEW tank - halfway across the porch. You can see the trailer attached to the truck in the background.

Heading out to the cabin, I ran into a heavy shower of rain - and just decided to go back home and wait until tomorrow. By the time I was back home, the rain had moved on out - so - with Frances' encouragement I loaded up again and headed for the cabin. This time the weather cooperated and I was able to offload the tank and drag it across the front porch and out back where WE will install it later. ☻ I dared not drive the pickup through the yard! Since I was alone I did not want to have to walk that mile to the top of the mountain to call and say I was now stuck in the mud!

This was the raincloud I was facing! Does that make you want to go home? It did me!!!

Now all I have to do is find time and energy to repair the water leaks under the house caused by my negligence during the winter. I failed to take the hose that feeds the house loose from the tank, then the PVC pipes froze and burst. It's really not that bad - but I promise you - I will drain the pipes and put anti-freeze into the toilet bowl before the next freeze.

Turkey Season is Over

2010-05-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

So all you turkey's can come out of hiding now. It's been said by many hunters in one way or another - The wild game can read and they subscribe to the Tennessee Hunter magazine. Therefore they know all the starting dates and ending dates of legal hunts. When you go scouting a few days before the hunt begins you will see plenty of available game. But from day one they take vacation and don't come back until the day after the season closes! It's a joke, I know - but I'm almost a believer now.

On the other hand, it may be that I'm more interested in the scenery than I am in the hunt itself. Just being out here gives me an indescribable sense of pleasure. I went up Thursday and spent the night after hunting for a couple of hours. I moved to the back porch of the cabin - and since I remembered I had a new pair of anvil loppers - I decided to cut back a few pieces of brush that were blocking my view into the forest behind the cabin. So - here was some of the results of my work.

I picked up a book I had bought a couple of years back called "Trees of the Carolinas". From it I decided that this is a wild cucumber tree. It has a beautiful bloom on it.

The above two shots show a wild cucumber tree. The blooms are beautiful white, similar to a magnolia tree. Both pictures are of the same tree.

This is a picture of a young plant just coming up out of the ground. These are very near to the back porch. There was a huge one just off the front porch but, alas, this year's rains have washed it down stream.

I also decided that we have several varieties of beech trees around the cabin. One is called the "Blue Beech" or locally called "Musclewood" or "Ironwood". We have beautiful flowering mountain laurel as well. The are just ready to burst into full bloom. Sorry but no pictures of the "Musclewood". Next time.

It was a lovely day in the mountains, so I pulled up an old rough table, pulled out my laptop and the "Truck Bible" for a good two hours study session. Each morning I always spend time reading the Bible and praying. For several years I read 12 chapters each day and 20 on Sunday. Following that discipline I was able to read the Bible through four times in a year. Nowadays, I'm back to reading 3 chapters per day - and 5 on Sunday. At this rate I will read the Bible through in one year. How long does it take? I'm an average reader and it takes me fifteen minutes to read three chapters. Of course some are longer than others - but we're talking averages here. If you have never read the Bible through, I highly recommend it. If you have the self-discipline that it takes, it will be an exciting adventure. I'm still learning something each time I go through.

May I give you a couple of hints? One thing, don't worry about pronouncing every word correctly. Most people have that problem. Secondly, when you are reading along and suddenly realize that you are not understanding what you are reading, do not fall to the temptation to go back and try to get the sense of your reading. Just focus on where you are at that moment and go forward. A good slogan that works in my mind is: Ever forward; Never backward! Thirdly, you will need to keep a record of where you are. There are many printed froms available for checking each chapter as you read them. You can start your own record. I keep my "Bible Reading record now on my laptop. I simply type in the passage I've read today - and insert the date beside it.

This is the view from the woods, looking at the back porch. Since my friends Jack and Sherry Darnell were here I have opened up more of the woods behind the cabin.

This is the view looking away from the cabin. After an hour of reading and studying I got up and walked this trail around the perimeter of the property. What a wonderful place God has given me to rest. Thanks for letting me share it with you.

Friends - Jack and Sherry Darnell

2010-04-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of having two very special friends with me for a day here at the Cabin. Jack and Sherry Darnell. What a wonderful thing friends are. The Bible says, in Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." This visit certainly brightened our faces as we reminisced about "the good old days" of our times together. This picture was taken as we were leaving our home in Cleveland for the trip out here to the woods.

In 1959, I was a lonely Church of God pastor's kid who had joined the US Coast Guard and had been sent to Point Cadet Loran Station in Biloxi, Mississippi. I was only 19 years old and was just learning to live so far away from home. I still did not own a car, but had a bicycle which I rode to work. First thing I did was to find the Church of God and met the pastors, Charles and Eloise Matthews. In those days the COG was just extended family. Very soon Brother Matthews (we called everybody at church Brother and Sister) suggested he would go to Tennessee and pull my 8X35 house trailer down so that my wife and 3 month old daughter could also be with us. In just a few days after we got settled in, here came Jack and Sherry with a trailer and their spot was next door to ours - maybe 8 feet away from trailer to trailer. Imagine our delight when we learned that Jack and Sherry were Church of God and that his Dad was also a Church of God Pastor. That made us brothers and sisters. They were/are "true blue" friends.

We were only together for one year there - but what a bond was created in that short time. I was there the first time Jack got up to preach his first sermon. I remember saying (out loud) "Amen!" when he had made a good point. I was trying to be helpful. Really I was. But upon hearing my loud "Amen", Jack lost his place in his notes!!! :D Later, after I was fresh out of the CG Jack and Sherry came to Tellico Plains, TN (my first church) and he preached for us. How great it was to have them as friends. And by now he had learned to ignore my outbursts of attempted encouragement. It doesn't really surprise me that he has turned out to be a prolific writer.

Above is a picture of a buck deer which I snapped as we were on our way out of the mountains. There were three deer - and every one of my pictures were made in a rush, so turned out too fuzzy to post. I decided to post this one though, because, as you can see, it is a BIG buck! I think he was an eight-pointer!

Hustle and

2010-03-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here at the cabin it is so restful. There are times when I want to "get away" from the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced life of the city. For ten years of my life I lived in a city of two million plus population. For the next ten years I was in and out of metropolitan airports all over Europe and Africa and America. I do NOT miss it. Here, I'm watching bumble-bees hang suspended in the air. I'm watching the birds catch insects. I'm watching honey-bees suck nectar from spring buds and butter-cups splashed over a greening lawn. I feel a cool breeze on my cheek and listen to the quietude of the mountains as the music of the wind-chime plays rich tones on the corner of the front porch. There are those who would not like this simple life-style but God knew that I loved it, therefore he gave me a choice spot here in the Cherokee Forest that I have named Pumzika (You Rest) Acres.

I was thinking ... Over the past fifty years I have gained some skills which could be useful - especially in small country churches. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to offer yourself to small churches and them not have to feel any burden to give you an offering? Just go to a church, maybe park nearby, pull out the multi-media equipment, bless that pastor and church for a service or two - or a week if they wanted it. Take the Pastor and wife out to eat (and pay for their meal). Pull out the hammer and saw if needed...the paintbrush...help with cleaning the church and making it ready for worship on Sunday. All at no charge to the pastor and church. No obligation. Sure - there would be times when a pastor would not want your help. Others might fear "the strangers". However I'm convinced it would be a blessing to many. I know what something like that would have meant to me when I pastored small churches and could not afford a guest speaker. I have a great friend (Jack Darnell) who, with his wife, Sherry, does this. He also does "chalk talks" and draws pictures for churches, youth groups, and for seniors in retirement centers.

However -- Another part of the plan though would be to teach the people the Holy Bible. In the Bible we are taught that we must learn to give if we are to receive. Scripture teaches in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." This applies to everyone, regardless of the ability of the individual. I love giving. I have been embarrassed a few times when the offering plate came by because of the small amount I was able to give. I've never believed that God expected that I should give more than I could reasonably expect to receive. I certainly don't promise to give more for a car that I can reasonably expect to receive. I don't promise to pay more for a house than I can reasonably expect to receive. Could it be that the violation of the principles expressed in those last sentences is why we in America are having the current financial crisis? People, businesses, and the government have over-extended! Just as I believe that the government and big corporations should proceed with sound financial planning, so I believe that giving to the Lord's work is to be well thought out, planned, and consistent with sound financial principles.

For us (Frances and me) we placed a priority on tithing when we first married. From whatever amount we made we "paid" our tithes to the church where we were members. We have never suffered because of that practice. In fact, we believe God's Word is true when it says in Malachi 3:10, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." We never expected an immediate return on our investment in God's work. There were times when we had troubles financially. What I did was take an extra job. At other times (like when I first started in ministry) Frances worked as a school-teacher so that we would be able to have adequate food on our table.

A Day Out In The Sun

2010-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

This is the road to the cabin near the spot which I call "Cell-phone Hill" because this is the area where you can usually get good cell phone connection. Snow must have been very deep here and the shade of the trees prevented the sun from melting it. I'm glad I was not trying to negotiate the hills while that snow was falling for this is a one lane road with steep drop-offs of 100 to 200 feet in places!

The view from the front porch showing the recently built new bridge. This is three miles from the last utility pole, so there is not much traffic.

This is Loss Creek. It runs by the front porch. Three years ago there was a footlog we had fun crossing and trying to maintain balance on. A couple months back the rain swept that log out of sight - has now broken two more trees and this tangled mess of branches is the result.

A view of the cabin from the road. When I was trying to sell the idea of our buying this cabin, this is the view I showed Frances which won her over. When she saw it I saw the look on her face change and I knew we were going to own this lovely get-away! She is not near as fond of it as I am but does enjoy going out there and taking family or friends for a day-trip.

I topped off the lunch with this fresh "red grapefruit" from Florida, bought at our local foodstore. I had opened a can of rice and chicken and set it on the gas stove eye...then poured it into a bowl. I had some sliced bread, and and apple plus a whole pot of fresh coffee to drink with my peanut butter wafer cookies.

This picture is the view from the backporch! Here is where my son-in-law Rick Durham and I saw three turkeys scratching in the leaves on a visit this past fall. Turkey season opens April 1st and I had so looked forward to doing some hunting. Now - it seems - I will be having cataract surgery during that time and may not be allowed to shoot the shotgun.

This is the view OF the backporch. Well, actually the corner of the porch where I sat to eat lunch and to enjoy the warmth of the sun beaming down on me. I had a heavy corduroy coat with fleece lining that I had to use to cover my knees because the sun began to burn them through my clothes. I've got a rocking chair on the other end of the porch, but I chose these chairs because I worked on the Sunday School lesson using my laptop.

WhatFun! It was a gorgeous day in East Tennessee. The sun and blue sky overhead were wondrous to behold. I'm sure that the earth, trees, creeks and all the critters were also glad for this reprieve from the cold we've had in recent days. Yesterday was the first time I've been here for about two weeks and it felt so goooooood!

Turkeys

2010-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

Ed Williams walked off the porch of the old cabin out of boredom. The sandwich, boiled egg and banana he had eaten had left him feeling strengthened and ready for adventure. The fellow he had ridden into the Cherokee Forest with was not very talkative anyway. His friend Fred had gone inside to tune up that old box guitar which had been laying here during the recent cold snap. It was noisy and disturbing. As he walked along the trail he thought, "I must get away from this noise..." Quiet began to envelop him and his eyes began to take in the wonder that is the Cherokee mountains of Eastern Tennessee. The creek looked placid now. A few days before it had been a raging torrent of water and rocks and broken limbs and trunks from trees near the bank. The ground was still wet with decayed leaves soaked and softened. Clouds still hung like a blanket overhead, so his footsteps hardly made a sound. Just as he passed the cane-break, he thought he saw a flicker of movement out the corner of his right eye. Suddenly, there they were! Three turkeys, scratching in the leaves, clucking and purring softly. "Oh My!" His heart suddenly began pumping rapidly. "Turkeys - and I don't have my shotgun!"

His face was glowing when he returned to the cabin porch. "Hey Fred! Turkeys!" He was out of breath. In just a minute I was following him to the area toward which he motioned. Alas, the Turkeys had disappeared. However, I have hopes that they will return. On the first day of turkey season, which is a day in the last week of March, I plan to be in that area with all my calls, camo, blind, and vest full of trinkets designed to make a turkey hunt profitable. Ed's excitement made it worth the cost of the annual lease fee which I paid in January for the 5 acres.

The picture above is one we snapped at the last minute as we were leaving. It shows the new porch which my son-in-law Curtis Crockett and I built onto the cabin last fall.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

This is the correct way to start off a new year...or a new month...or a new week...or a new day. (Just in case you are wondering!)

By the way - I do know how to spell "helpers". It's only my fingers that seem to be dyslexic at times.

Christmas Is Past - New Year's Day Is Coming!

2009-12-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is a picture befoe we started the new back porch.......Looks like I'll have to wait till later for you to get a good view of what it looks like now. I'll just tell you that it comes all the way to the end of the house now!

What a wonderful Christmas we have had this year at our house in town (Cleveland). Our children and grand-children were with us for a few hours of love and laughter. True Christmas joy filled the air as grand-children and great grandchildren played with toys - and the adults went back for one more helping of dessert! Since then I've filled up the water tank here at the cabin in anticipation of our New Year's Day men's outing. We are anticipating about 30 men. Don't know for sure - but look forward to the cooking and eating - then playing of musical instruments and singing. Look for a new post and pictures the first week of 2010.

Since the last blog I've added a porch to the back of the house. The under-pinning was sinking and so with the help of my two sons-in-law who live here - we strengthened that first. Then we took apart some of the boards that had been our bridge and used them to build the frame and support structure for the back porch. It's great to have it. Rick and I were sitting on the back porch one rainy day a few weeks ago and saw three wild turkeys come scratching along in the dirt about 50 yards away. Too bad the season was not open!

I just MUST spend more time up here in 2010. With Frances having the major heart surgery last March it was not possible to be here as much as I would have liked. I need to be here so I can keep the mice out...learn more about the nature of this creek...learn more about the drainage of the back yard...and observe more of nature in general. It's so therapeutic for me.

Until then ---

Wayne Gay

2009-07-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

I first met Wayne in the mountains while with my friend and hunting buddy (Ed Williams). We were out exploring the area near Pumzika Acres, looking for wild game signs. It appeared to both Ed and I that Wayne had consumed a little too much "mountain dew". He was a quiet and gentle soul for the most part, but was bold enough that as soon as he learned that I was a "Preacher" he let me know that he knew what was right and did not need me nor anyone else telling him what he needed to do to "get right with God." On that first day I did not press the claims of Christ on Wayne. I refused to get involved in any challenge to my beliefs. He would have relished a debate on the subject of eternal security, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues, or divine healing, or tithing or any other religious subject. My personal observation was that he really wanted to make this change but because of pride and drink he would not do it. I finally said, "You know Wayne, I perceive that you don't need anyone to tell you what's right and what's wrong. You don't need anyone to tell you that you need to repent. As you have said, you don't need to be told that you are a sinner. You already know those things. All you need to do now is to call out to Jesus and ask him to forgive you and receive him into your heart and make things right." I invited him to go with us to the little Baptist Church on Sunday. Later, at the Church, I told the church about meeting this man and asked them to pray for his soul's salvation. His wife spoke up and said, "That's my husband".

Now - More about this issue of "tithing". The last time I saw Wayne alive he was with Betty and we had stopped in the road between the church and my cabin. Today, Wayne said, "You know what's wrong with these churches today? The preachers won't preach if you don't pay them." Betty chimed in with, "Preacher he don't believe it's right that we have to pay a preacher." "That's right!" says he, "Jesus didn't never get paid!!" "Why" says I, "Of course he did! Jesus had so much money he had to ask one of his followers to carry it... Judas Iscariot. Why... Of course, Jesus had money. He paid taxes didn't he?" Again, knowing that argument will never win a soul to Jesus, I politely took my leave of them and promised myself that I'd discuss that with him at some future date. That date never came because of a tragic accident.

On June 27, 2009 I received a phone call from Betty Gay, the wife of Wayne Gay, saying that Wayne had drowned in a farm pond, trying to rescue his grandson from drowning. Both Wayne and his grandson died. Oh the emptiness in my soul because I did not "press" more for Wayne to make a change. Could I have done or said anything differently that would have caused him to repent of his sin and accept Jesus as His Savior? I honestly don't know. It is my hope that in the last few minutes Wayne Gay called out from the depths of his spirit to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Savior. If he did, then "...Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved". Acts 2:21

Power and Fire internet radio show 2/24/2009 | The Baptism Of The Holy Ghost - Part 5

2009-03-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Power and Fire internet radio show 2/24/2009 The Baptism Of The Holy Ghost - Part 5

Click on the above and listen to the radio show conducted by one of our mountain friends, Reverend Lloyd and wife Betty Yearwood. I was their guest by special request.

A Little Snow

2009-02-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

The snow we had here in Cleveland on the 20th was melted and gone on the 23rd when I took this picture about three miles this side of the cabin. In a way I wished that I had been there for the snow - but on second thought gave thanks to God that I was safely at home in town and in a warm comfortable house.

The back yard showing snow!

Looks like a road, but it is not - it's just the remains of the snow.

In this photo you can tell that the snow was almost gone. So life in the mountains is very slow at this time of the year.

Visiting Different Churches

2009-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

This is a true story!

This post is about what I have come to call my "drop-in" visits to churches. It will include some churches in my own denomination and some in other denominations. There will be some humor, some analysis, and perhaps what could be called criticism. However, I want it to be clear from the start that I have utmost respect and high regard for the people who carry on the teaching and preaching in these churches and especially do I respect the pastors in these churches.

I'm not really sure - I may have blogged about this previously. I'll check before completing this project. I read today (January 13, 2009) from someone else the following:

"Would I be intrigued enough to return to the Sunday meeting? Would I feel welcomed and a sense of identification with the community vibe? Would I be interested in learning more about the Jesus the teacher was speaking about? Would I feel like people cared if I was there and helped me know what to do being a first time guest? Would I know where to go and what to do next to find out more information about the church? Would I desire to get connected in a smaller group of people in the church as the bigger meeting isn't the place for true community to happen? Would I want to get to know the people there more?"

Actually the motivation I had for "drop-in" visits was not the same as the above but it did tell me lots about why some of our churches growth or lack thereof. My schedule in those days was not always full because I was serving as Field Director for our Church of God in Africa. I needed some days without specific committments so I could rest up after (or before making) one of my long gruelling trips to minister for two to seven weeks at a time on the dark continent. Monday through Friday I was in my office at General Headquarters and many week-ends were scheduled for fund-raising in local churches in several states.

One of the most memorable of those visits was my visit to a small church near our headquarters city. I went in about 10 to 15 minutes late (deliberately) to let the people have enough time to do whatever it was they were going to do under "normal" circumstances. On this particular day, the Sunday School lesson was about the passage of Scripture in John 4 where it is said of Jesus, "And he must needs go through Samaria." and the disciples could not understand why he wanted to go through that region since it was dominated by Samaritans. The male Sunday School teacher explained it this way -- "You see? It's just like today...you take these people over here at General Headquarters, they would never come by our little church. They think they are too good or too important or too busy to stop by a church like ours. But - if JESUS was here, he would come by and visit with us!" On and on he went for what I know was at least a full five minutes (seemed like half an hour) criticizing the people at General Headquarters.

When Sunday School was over and the teacher had been seated, the Pastor came to the pulpit and shortly noted that "I see (looking straight back at me) we have a visitor today. Brother we'd like to hear you testify today if you're saved."

I got up and said, "Yes, Brother, I'm saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost, a member of the great Church of God, married to one wife and pay my tithes regularly! O, and by the way, I am from over at General Headquarters but I just felt compelled to come by and visit you today!"

Christmas At The Cabin

2009-01-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Some of the children enjoying the sunshine and the swing the day after Christmas.

We had a wonderful deer roast cooked in a dutch oven over the camp fire by our champion deer hunter, son-in-law Rick Durham.

Jason is grilling! We all loved the results.

Inside the cabin we had a meal with the Rob Davis family from Colorado. These are friends we met the first week after we moved to Nairobi, Kenya in July of 1989.

As you can see, we were not counting calories.

Mama Frankie was the taste tester!

In this photo, Renee, a great grand-daughter is seen crossing the creek which flows past the front porch of the cabin via foot-log.

Two big red ribbons were the only Christmas decorations. Thank God for all the great weather we had (into the low 60s with plenty of sunshine.)

Kimberly, Renee, Riley, Pappy (Rick) and Hailey seem to enjoy skipping rocks on top of the water.

Revised: Deer Hunt With Rick

2008-12-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

This is the deer that son-in-law Rick Durham killed today at about 2:00pm, EST on land leased from Bowaters in Rhea County, just North by Northwest out of Dayton, Tennessee. Rick and I left home at 5:30am, and drove to the hunting sight by daylight. In fact, it was still dark enough that it was difficult to orient oneself with the surroundings without the aid of my trusty compass. You can see the compass I used today, pinned to the hat I'm wearing.[Photo]Rick's grandaughter (my great-grandaughter) Hailey Huff wanted to see the deer but was afraid of it at the same time.[Photo] This is Rick Durham, Big Game Hunter! This is an Eight Point, healthy, hefty buck. We were hunting an area where the timber cutters had "clear-cut" and my thoughts actually were something like - "Aww...we'll never see anything here because we are too exposed. Any deer (if there are any) will see us long before we see them because there is not enough "cover". ("Cover" means trees, brush, bushes to hide behind) Boy! Was I wrong!?! We had not walked 75 yards from the truck until we spotted four deer moving out of a valley - headed towards a hill with a clump of trees. Rick suggested that I sit close to the edge of the hill so that I could see the valley and the other side of the hill. He would go back toward the truck and walk down the road toward the area the deer had disappeared into. This seemed the right thing to me, for the chances were the deer would hear and see him and turn back the way they had come from, thus bringing them back into my gun sights. But alas -- the deer chose to continue their direction -- and this buck walked out into the road right in front of Rick. When I heard him shoot, I heard and saw the deer run back towards me. At first I thought maybe he had missed the deer and now was going to be my chance. However, the deer was favoring his left front leg. Altho it seemed to have plenty of stamina, it ran down hill about 100 yards, turned to go back up the hill, and collapsed between two fallen trees. That was around two pm. We made it home at dusky dark (about 5:30p) and then took the deer to the CDE meat processors where a young man skinned the dear and prepared it for cutting, giving the skin and the head to Rick to have mounted. We should have deer meat in about one week.It was a GREAT day of hunting for me. This morning I was totally new to the area so moved into the woods just about 200 yards away from the road. I saw a massive rub on a tree in the middle of the trail, so decided to sit down and listen. I heard crows, pileated woodpeckers, english sparrows, and what I believed to be turkeys. Then I heard what sounded like cows bawling in the field blending in with the tromping of animal feet. I eased up from my seat and walked another 50 yards closer to the noise I was hearing when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a doe. I quickly and as quietly as possible sat down again, eyes straining, ears alert. After about 30 minutes the doe came closer to me to examine my presence. When she was about 30 steps from me she finally decided she did not like what she saw and bolted off in the direction from which she had come. I sat another 30 to 45 minutes until something caught my attention out of my left eye, just 90 degrees to my left. Upon looking I saw one of the largest buck deer I've ever seen in the woods. When I finally got him into focus on my scope (which took only fleeting seconds) the buck lifted that magnificent head (I believe he was an 11-pointer) before with one lightning quick bound he was behind the thick pine trees beside the trail. I waited, and waited, but never saw nor heard this deer again. Whew! My heart was pounding for several minutes after seeing that buck. My conclusion is that I'm not a killer. I'm just a hunter who enjoys the hunt. Now don't mis-understand......if I had the opportunity - - - - -

Deer Hunt - November 22, 2008

2008-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

Fred's bruise over the left eye!

Fred and Chub O'dell with freshly pulled turnips

Ed Williams, William Wright, Chub O'dell

Two of O'dell's grandsons examine the lake.

In a state of euphoria I heard the alarm sound at the un-godly hour of 4:00am. I quickly shut it off and sprung from the bed into my insulated clothes and quietly but hurriedly heated the home-made chicken soup Frances had prepared for me the night before and packed it in a thermos, together with apples, bananas, licorice and cookies and into the cooler. Finally I grabbed coat, gun, international orange hat and vest and placed them in the truck. Ed Williams was ready and waiting when I arrived at his house at 5:00am. We chatted about everything and nothing as we drove through the dark roads to Chub O'dell's farm about four miles out of Tellico Plains.

Chub and his wife Christine were both in the kitchen cooking a mountain man's breakfast of eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, with home-made preserves for the 16 hunters who were hunting today. Chub and his family (children, grandchildren, nephews, cousins) were all very polite and cordial with each other and with their elders and made Ed and me feel right at home. There was lots of laughter and expressions of gratitude from all the diners.

After all had been fed the 16 hunters all loaded up in separate vehicles and drove to a part of the farm I had not been to before. Half of us were posted on "stands" while the other half were taken to the top of the ridge where they began their slow walk down to where we all were posted. This was to take advantage of the deer who would see and hear the hunters walking down the mountain, become nervous, move ahead cautiously through the woods and, hopefully, walk into range of one of the hunters at the bottom of the mountain on "stands". Actually these were not stands in the common understanding of the term. It was just a tree or a log or a place where the hunter chose to stand waiting on the deer. Hey - it worked! Three deer walked right into range of my gun about 30 minutes before the walkers came down the mountain. Trouble was the three were does. It is illegal to kill does at this time. Still - it was exciting for me to see them. One was so close I was tempted to shake hands with it!!!

I must tell you about the turnips. As Chub and I were reminiscing about times when I was his pastor back in the '60's, I was reminded of the time we had walked so far and were so thirsty and hungry. We came up to one of his Aunt's homes and she had about 25 or 30 turnips laying on the back porch. She offerred one to us to eat. I had never eaten a raw turnip before that I knew about - but that day I peeled and ate a big one. I discovered I LOVE turnips. Wow. What a sweet tasting vegetable. As I was telling that story to Ed and others, we were passing Chub's turnip patch so he jumped into the patch and pulled up one and threw to me to eat! YES! It was good - but somehow not as good as that one was about 40 years ago.

My Thoughts On "The Shack"

2008-11-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

After reading "The Shack", a book recommended by one of my very good Friends who teaches Theology, I must make the following observations:

1. The shack is opposed to guns! Not only am I NOT opposed to guns, I am a member of the NRA and a strong believer in man's right to self protection. For me, one of man's responsibilities which I believe is taught in the Holy Bible is the duty a man has to "provide for those of his own household." Failure to provide the basic necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing) is condemned in Scripture in the strongest terms. I believe that the protection of his family is one of the things God has charged mankind with.

2. The shack is of feminist views, portraying God as a big, fat, happy, black woman. I have nothing but the fondest feelings for the character traits ascribed by the author of "The Shack" to the person of God. I have nothing against women who are qualified being in positions of leadership. I see women Judges in the Old Testament and women pastors and evangelists in the New Testament. I see nothing wrong with the idea that God may be of a different ethne than most of us have always thought. However, gender is something else again. The God in my Bible is definitely not a female.

3. The shack presents views opposed to authority. For example on pages 123 and 124 it states, “We’ve been seduced into this pre-occupation with authority” and again, “…There would be no need for hierarchy!” I will not quote all the scripture references that may be pertinent but suffice it to say that the Bible teaches us to be subject to authorities, to kings, to religious leaders and to one another. To advocate that we do not need heirarchical systems would be like advocating that we build an automobile with a most powerful engine, powerglide clutch, well greased ball-bearings and strong axles with the capability of driving at high rates of speed - but including no steering mechanism. I submit that the heirarchy is the steering mechanism in any system, without which we are destined to a cataclysmic pile-up!

More Progress

2008-11-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Things are beginning to take shape on the room addition here. It is now "slow work" and since we have reached jobs such as electrical wiring and plumbing it is difficult to tell when progress is made. Son-in-law Rick was up and glued the cold water lines together on Friday. I've tried to run wiring so we will have a light switch in the bathroom and over the shower. In addition I need to put a light in the bedroom where there were no 110volt outlets. Maybe you're wondering about electrical wiring - since you know that we are 3 miles from the nearest utility pole. I'll run these lights with the solar powered battery operated 110v inverter. These things work wonderful as long as your batteries stay charged. When the sun does not shine a full day's worth of sun (like now) we have to use the gas-operated generator more often. As long as the generator is running we have lights and also have a battery charger boosting the batteries.

Also bought a 6x9 flooring remnant for the bathroom floor. We put it down on the living room floor so it can get soft and pliable before we put it in place. Do you believe it has a mind of it's own and "walks" all over the place? :D! I know it sounds strange but it does move whenever we turn on the pump or the generator or if we walk on it -- it scoots on the living room rug.

I don't think I've reported here that I was trying to straighten a corner of the "fireplace" and pulled it off the wall. Thank God the gas heater was not burning. I broke one of the kerosene lanterns in the fray and spilled kerosene on the floor. I had left it off the wall until this past Tuesday night. I was thankful to have a propane bottle with some gas left in it after our summer cook-outs, for I was able to attach a propane heater to the bottle to keep warm - that is until Monday night/Wednesday morning about 2:00a when the little tank ran out of fuel. That morning, my neighbor came by to say hello so I took advantage of his expertise and we put the heater back on the wall and it's operating again.

There's more to say - but it's boring. Maybe later.

This is Fall

2008-11-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today, while taking a break outside by the camp-fire ... I heard the sound of the wind in the tops of the trees and noticed that it began to rain leaves! The places I had raked up and cleared completely were soon covered again. I laughed to myself while ruminating and pondered that maybe the leaves falling at this time of the year is why the old timers called this fall. :) Leaves fall. Limbs fall. Man climbs ladder to rake leaves off the roof. Man falls. So this is fall. Oh well. Truly - this is a most spectacular time of the year if one loves the outdoors. It was just right this morning for a camp-fire. Trouble was I wanted to stay close to the fire but cannot get any work done that way. Then around noon it had warmed up to about 68 degrees which was so cozy that I stopped putting up paneling, picked up the guitar and grabbed a root-beer to drink while sitting in the sun and playing a little. What a wonderful day!!! These pictures were made today.

New Refrigerator

2008-10-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Great News! Now that winter's almost here, I have bought a new propane operated refrigerator. It must be doing a great job. The whole cabin is cooler. (I'm laughing out loud) OK - here's a picture.

What's Going On At The Cabin #2

2008-10-04T19:44:00.001-07:00

Colby and Chelsea (two of Ruthie's grandchildren - my great-grands) spent a good amount of time placing these stones carefully in the creek to form a beautiful waterfall. I was so pleased that the wanted me to "come and see" what they had done.
Our three year old Chloe pushing two year old Colin on his "4x4"
Frances with the cake spatula - or is that a knife?

The children loved playing in the creek! This is my grandson, Terry Crockett, with my great grandson, Colin Crockett who was celebrating his second (?) birthday.
What Retired People Do?

This was a wonderful Cake which Frances and my children had made with a map of Africa on top showing an African carrying a cross on the Continent.
My first cousin, Terry Junius Jones, born just three months after me. It was great having he and his wife with us for three days!
My sparkling little sister, Donice Brown just before departure. Isn't that a great smile?
Jonathan Brannen, my Brother Lowell's son.
Me in my first pair of "Over-Hauls" together with my great grandson Julian Cartwright and Julian's parents, Lydia and David. Lydia is Ruthie's first-born.

What's Going On At The Cabin

2008-10-04T19:04:00.001-07:00

I'm having difficulty getting the pictures to cooperate with me tonight, but this is of Ed Williams and me as we had raised one of the walls.
From another angle, you can see the tub/shower combination just fits inside the five foot room.
This is the lavatory and sink before removing it from the trailer.
The commode, and lavatory were purchased used for only $75 - bought through the Tennessee Trader. The people were re-modeling their home and wanted to change the colors from gold to white.
This shows the roof on. Yes, it's sheet metal, and yes, it's sharp on the ends as my hands can testify. Also here you can see the door I've hung which will access this room from outside plus the two foot by two foot window on the end of the room.

The pictures tell the story...as I am adding a five foot by twelve foot room which will eventually contain a shower, commode, and lavatory. I ache in every joint and have pains in muscles I did not remember I had. Yes, the pains are real, and so is the dream of having some (emphasize 'some') city conveniences here in this remote area of the "hunting woods" surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest!

Other: We had a great Labor Day with our children, grand-children, and great-grand-children together with the brothers and sisters who live in Tennessee. Thirty two of us altogether - according to Frances. What a time we had!

The children surprised me with a retirement cake and gifts. We also celebrated my first cousin, Terry Jones' 70th Birthday with a cake for him and gifts. He was as surprised as I was at all this attention. Too, we celebrated birthday #2 for Colin Crockett. It was a day full of creating memories for the children that I hope they long remember.

July 4th, Number Two

2008-07-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

July 4th, 2008

2008-07-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

"Oh, say! Does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" I had bought two small flags and hung them out front on the sign-board at Pumzika Acres as preparation for the 4th of July celebration. We had a wonderful time with our kids and their kids and with Frnaces' brothers and sisters and theirs who could come. Thank God we live in a free country where we can celebrate. I know what it means to live in a place where freedoms are restricted. One of the things I missed while living in Kenya, one of Africa's free-est countries, was the feeling of total freedom to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it in the way I wanted to do it. Yes, there is a difference, even in the way the people talk - or should I say "Don't talk" about their country's leadership. When they do rise up and speak out against personal injustices they are often over-run immediately by the powers that be. If they criticize the president (yes, I've seen this even in Kenya) they sometimes wind up arrested and find themselves lost, literally lost, in the prison system. During our stay in Kenya we read in the Daily Nation of the arrest of a preacher who had spoken out on Sunday in his pulpit against some things that he saw wrong with his government, and especially in the president's office. He would remain in jail from days to weeks to months before finally the order would be given for him to be released. During our early time in Kenya (we arrived in 1989) the president would read an article in some magazine or newspaper and -- finding it not to his liking -- consequently would declare the magazine "seditious material" and have the editor arrested. Furthermore, anyone who had bought one of the magazines had better destroy it because if you were caught with a copy of that particular issue you would be subject to arrest. It was a requirement that all businesses had to have a picture of the president, Daniel Torotich Arap Moi, on display in their businesses. One paper reported of the arrest of a person who had a picture of the former president, Jomo Kenyatta, displayed more prominently than his picture of President Moi. Under such ruthless leadership the common people really suffer. Here in America the most common among us have the right to dissent. Freedom of speech. Freedom of the Press. Even the right to keep and bear arms is ours. Yes, we are attacked on every side by those who would like to do away with our freedoms - but I think it is important that we NOT forget the great freedoms we have. At one time while we were in Kenya our family group would have been meeting illegally because the law was issued that no more than twelve people were allowed to assemble in one place. We had twenty-eight people at the cabin Friday, therefore we would have been illegal. More treacherous sitll, because we had guns in our possession we would have been arrested. A person could be arrested for having even one bullet in his/her possession - even without a gun - so if you found a bullet you would not put it in your pocket or purse. Why are those governments so repressive? Because they are afraid. Fear hath torment.

Oh, How I do thank God for the "land of the free and the home of the brave!" Faith in God and faith in my country gives me confidence to move into the future without fear. Get a grip on your faith in God and you will not live in fear, even if you live in a repressive and restrictive country. Sin will torment you. Sin will cause you to live in fear. If you repent, that is, if you will be genuinely sorry for and will turn away from your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, You will forgiven and can find the assurance of eternal life. Oh what freedom that is!!!

In the words of one of my favoriet songs, "I trust in God, wherever I may be! On mountain bleak, or on life's rolling sea. Let come what may, from day to day! My heavenly Father watches over me."

Bridge Complete!

2008-06-18T04:38:00.001-07:00

I arrived at the cabin yesterday to find gates which had barred the road removed. At the edge of the bridge is a sign showing a curved arrow. It is really the most awkwardly placed bridge I've ever seen over a creek, but this is what the "Federal People" (to use what the construction crew called them) insisted on. It seems it has something to do with the EPA. Here are a few pictures.

Progress On The Bridge

2008-06-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ed and I stopped in Benton at the IGA and bought chicken tenders from the meat section and four cans of IGA biscuits to take with us to the cabin. I fried two big skillets of chicken and baked the biscuits for the crew who are working on the bridge. It has been moved now and looks much stronger already. It is also much wider than the old bridge. Chub, the forman said, "Should be finished by next Wednesday, Lord willing."

Work In Progress!

2008-05-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

Last time I was at the cabin the O'dell Construction Company were building the bridge. It was different than I had imagined it would be. I thought they would possibly build piers on both sides of the creek, then build the bridge in place. However, they put down three dump truck loads of gravel, then started bolting together pieces of curved heavy metal which appear to be 3 feet by six feet in length. I'm told that once this is complete they will take out the old bridge and then lift this one with heavy equipment and put it in place over the water. After that, they will fill in with dirt and rock, and finally pour concrete on both sides. I'll try to get more pictures and show you the progress as it goes along.

They're Tearing Out My Bridge

2008-05-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Monday the Forest Service sent a crew to Loss Creek to start replacing the old wooden bridge. The foreman told me that they were putting an iron-bar gate across the road on both sides of the creek -- so looks like things will be messy around the place for a few weeks. They have given me a key to the gate, so as long as it's crossable I can still get to the cabin.

As it turns out, the foreman of the crew was a teen-ager when I pastored my first church in Tellico Plains. He is the one who taught me to take off my shoes and slip up on a squirrell; how to tell the difference between a male squirrell's bark and a female squirrell's bark; and led me around on his Dad's farm near the community of Rafter. What a pleasure to have Chub O'dell and his two sons (William and Wesley) come down to the cabin and join Eddie and me for lunch. Also working with them was another man who was a youngster when we were at Tellico Plains: Kenneth Woods. Frances had sent a huge bowl of chicken & rice and garbonzo bean soup, plus I had two cans of store-bought biscuits with half a jar of molasses, so there was enough to share with everyone. We had a very FUN day.

Pictures next time.

Reflections On My Pocket Knife

2008-05-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

I love carrying a pocket knife. A man’s pocket knife is a wonderful instrument, useful for all sorts of good things from cleaning fingernails to cleaning squirrells. However, it can be a dangerous instrument in the wrong or in-experienced hands. I have two scars from accidental cuts on my body which will be with me throughout my lifetime – both self inflicted. The first caused by lack of understanding, the second caused from carelessness. These scars are mine mainly because I did not realize the danger which I held in my hands.

Dad was so proud to have a son. He wanted me to be his little man. He was determined to teach me all the “manly" things to do. Therefore, when I asked to borrow his pocket knife, he handed it to me with the instruction, “Now son, be careful. It’s sharp!” When I started whittling on the stick I had picked up, I was bracing one end against my chest and drawing the knife towards my body.
“Hold it, Son. That’s the wrong way. Turn the stick over…Always whittle away from your body.” So, holding the stick tightly in my chubby little left hand, so that the long end of the stick was pointed toward my body, I turned it over, and – starting from the part closest to my body – began with a mighty push of the knife towards my fist ...... slashing a deep gash at the base of my thumb.

Following Dad’s teaching, I cannot really remember how long I have carried a pocket knife in my pocket. I remember having several different ones before reaching the age of 10. Knives are used for cleaning finger nails. They are handy for making a tooth pick when out hiking in the fields and woods. They are helpful for opening cardboard boxes, cold drinks, and even potted meat. “Always keep your knife sharp” was Dad’s advice. Naturally they become dull after much use. But Dad always kept his knife sharp, thus he always said, “Be careful, it’s sharp.”

The second scar I gave myself was many years later after I had been in full time ministry for several years. I had been squirrel hunting and had killed three. We were at a minister’s retreat at Fall Creek Falls and one of the men who had hunted with me suggested that we should clean the squirrels before returning to camp. My pocket knife was not sharp because I had been cutting wire with it the previous week and had not re-sharpened the blade. I borrowed Paul Fritts knife and it was razor sharp. Moving from my dull knife to my friends sharp knife, I placed the leg bone of the squirrel across the knife, blade and leg between my thumb and index finger, applied pressure, and cut clean through the bone and meat on the squirrel and deep into my right thumb! I quickly wrapped it in my handkerchief and headed for camp and the first aid station.

Back at the camp we found that not a single person at this camp had so much as a band-aid or piece of gauze. One of the Hurst twins (Can’t remember if it was Arville or Barney) who said, “Here, Brother Fred. Hold it in the sink and let me help you get that bleeding stopped.” I closed my eyes and held it under the water in the kitchen sink. The water stopped – and the man poured a whole box of kitchen salt over my bleeding thumb and wrapped it back in my handkerchief. This slowed the blood some but soon it continued to drip out of the handkerchief, we decided to drive down to Pikeville (about 15 miles away at the bottom of the mountain) and get a doctor to sew it up. The bleeding did not stop until the last of 8 stitches were applied and the thumb was wrapped in gauze and medical tape.

Now I’ve told you all of these things in order to tell you that all of you carry an instrument that is so sharp that it can and does deliver wounds that will last for a life-time. This instrument is the tongue. When used correctly it is a powerful instrument for good. When used incorrectly or perhaps carelessly it can produce permanent scars. Perhaps that is why the Psalmist prayed thusly:

Psalm 141:3
"Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."

Two Days in April '08

2008-04-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 21, 2008, Frances and I loaded up the picnic cooler and headed for the mountains. We did nothing but relax. Played two games of checkers and two of chinese checkers, each winning one game at both. I did not ask for a third game to break the tie for fear that she would win! The temp got down to 42 outside but stayed nice and warm (71 degrees) inside. Frances seemed to enjoy herself somewhat - although I knew before we left that she was just going for my sake. (Is that where I'm supposed to use the "LoL"?) I had bought 3 small eye of round steaks which I cooked for us on Tuesday for lunch. I cooked them in the bacon grease left over from our breakfast of bacon and eggs. She insisted on boiling two potatoes for lunch to add to the meat. I baked a pan of biscuits, on each of which I had put a half pat of butter. Mmmmm Yummmm! She had brought some of her sister Elizabeth's home-made strawberry preserves plus I keep some Sand Mountain Molasses. What a fun two days.

Just an informative note - I've learned recently that young people do not know what Molasses are. The people who sell them told us recently that they have changed the label on their molasses jars and now you can buy it in the food stores as Sand Mountain Syrup! Same great product! Since the name change they are selling more.

Another Trip To The Cabin

2008-04-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 12, Ed and I loaded up our shotguns and turkey calls and headed out for the cabin. This time we also pulled the mower, not to mow with, but to pull the wagon full of dirt we wanted to use to fill in the boggy spots in the yard. Upon arrival we decided to hunt for an hour and a half first - then return to make yard improvements. We found no turkeys - but we had just as much fun. Plus, guess what? We didn't have the job of plucking and cleaning and cutting th meat from the turkey either. (Laugh A Little, will you?) You know how it is...when you aren't successful at something you make excuses, so there!

After we loaded one trailer full of dirt and scattered it, Ed said something like, "Fred, that's all the joy I want for today! One of my first rules for cabin visitors is that whatever they do there they MUST enjoy it...so I asked Ed if he would assist me by just standing by to see that the house didn't fall while I worked on sturdying the underpinning. I managed toget the floor jacked up a little more. Now I'm getting closer all the time to getting the foundation sure! Maybe my next visitor will enjoy crawling around on his back and helping level the floor!?! Ya think?

The Widget

2008-04-11T04:10:00.001-07:00

HuH?

Pray That It Drains!

2008-04-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. You pray for it to rain when the wells are dry and springs are slowed to only a trickle. So if you can pray for it to rain why not pray for it to drain? I had a man come and dig a trench (as I reported to you sometime ago) across the driveway to drain the surface water back into Loss Creek. The drain is getting a good work-out now! My good friend Ed Williams took a shovel outside to "trench" the swampy place just outside the back door - and it's working! So Please, let it drain. Thanks Ed.

An Encounter In The Mountains

2008-03-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was at the cabin sitting on the porch. It was right after the time change and our clocks had “sprung forward” one hour, giving us an extra hour of daylight in the evenings. As I sat there pondering, the thought occurred to me that I should try and find the nearest Church of God, since, after all, I am an Ordained Bishop in this organization.

So – up and out of my rocking chair – I shut off the water pump powered by the solar powered batteries, un-hooked the hose pipe that is attached to the 50 gallon barrel of water, put out the camp-fire, closed the blinds, shut off the propane gas, pad-locked the door and started out “ramblin’” in my pick-em-up truck to where I thought I had remembered seeing the church. However, when I arrived at the road leading to the Norwood Hill area, which is where I had remembered the church sign being, I did not see the familiar Church of God sign. Was I turned around? I wondered…for I have a habit of becoming be-wildered. So I just drove in the direction I thought I remembered the church to be. Well…when I arrived at what I thought was the building, I noticed that the main part of the sign (about 4 feet by 4 feet) was missing. Across the top of the frame though was a sign in red letters “Leonard Evans Memorial”. “Hmmm,” I thought. Some thing is not right here. I drove up into the parking lot anyway and got out of my truck as it was a beautiful spring day. As I stepped down from my truck I noticed that there were two 500 gallon gas tanks beside the church. “That’s not right,” I mused. I walked over to the church door and tried the door-knob. Locked… Just as I thought.

As I turned and started back to my truck I first heard and then saw a red late model Buick start up, back out of a drive about 100 yards away and head furiously towards where I was. This made me delay getting all the way into the truck, so standing on the bumper step with the door open I waited until a very country appearing woman got out of her car and said in an almost demanding manner, “Can I help you?”

“Nah,” I said. “I’ve bought a cabin near here and was just out knocking about, gettin’ acquainted with my neighbors.” I continued, “I thought this was a Church of God church here but I must have been mistaken. Do you know where the Church of God is located near here?”

“Yes! This is whur it wuz. But they done took up and left. Tuk ever-thang with em too. They lef 7 good members out here too, includin me and my husband.”

I don’t really remember just exactly how we first got to talking about it but I must have mentioned to her that I had started my pastoral career in Tellico Plains, about 15 miles or less from where we were standing. Maybe because of the “Leonard Evans Memorial” I mentioned that Lucinda Evans was a member of mine. One of the most faithful and godly women I had ever known was Lucinda Evans. Well, Leonard Evans was one of her many children. Although I had not known Leonard, I mentioned Lucinda’s sons Jack and Lewis Evans whom I had known as the boys who lived in Tellico Plains and that Lewis was the one who really took care of his mother.
“Welllllll, my husband, Gene Wallace, is Lucindy's gran-son and he is sittin right thar on th porch. Go up and speak to him if you want to.”

“O.K., I believe I will.” So I drove up to the yard, walked up on the porch and introduced myself. After a string of general niceties were spoken I mentioned that I worked for the World Missions department of the Church of God. I was not prepared for what happened next.

“Well, said he, I know one thing! They ain’t nothing but a bunch of liars, thieves, and whore-mongers!” There followed a continual volley of words which echoed off the hills like rifle shots, full of “vengeance is mine and I will repay”. This man was so full of hurt and pain and sour words that it was hard for me to listen to. While he talked he mentioned two men whom he kept calling Mr. Van Hoos and Mr. Green. “I’ll never call them brother again,” he growled, “Nothin but thieves and whore-mongers. I caught im twice, right down thar at that church!”

“I’m sorry, Brother. I can see that you have been hurt and that it’s been a painful experience for you. But you know what? It’s not good for you to be so full of this hurt. I’ll pray that God will take this bitterness out of you. You know the Bible says that we should be careful lest a root of bitterness spring up and thereby many be defiled. -- By the way, Who is this Mr. Green you keep talking about? And you say he’s connected with the missions department?”

“Why it’s Mr. Green. He’s over the mission department!”

“Whoaaaaa.,” said I, “Mr. Green is not over our mission department. I work for the missions department and our leader is named Vaughan.”

“Well, this is Mr. Dewayne Green.”

“Oh. I see. You mean the state of Tennessee office and he is head of the state evangelism department. I do know him! Anyway – I’m truly sorry that you’ve had all of these unpleasant experiences. You know what Jesus said? He said that we should love our enemies, and pray for them. He said that we should bless those who persecute and say all manner of evil against us falsely and that we should rejoice and be exceeding glad. I think God wants you to have gladness in your hearts and not this hurt and pain. Do you mind if I pray for you before I go?”

After praying that God would forgive those who had done wrong, no matter who they were, I prayed that God would take away the pain from this couple and let the peace of Jesus settle on their spirits and cause their words to become sweet and encouraging words to all whom they would meet.

As I took my leave and got back into my truck I thought of how many times I have been hurt and how easy it was to become critical of others and how gratifying it seemed then to spread the news of all the wrongs which had been done against me. I also remembered a couple of occasions when God sent someone along to minister His love and forgiveness to me and I hope I have helped this couple today to reflect on their current behavior and learn to forgive. After all – forgiveness is a requirement if we expect to be forgiven. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Blocks Delivered

2008-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Rick, Jason, and I all loaded up 16 concrete blocks, 6 2X6's, a 30 ton jack, lots of food and water and took them to the cabin where we spent the night. I had dreams of getting the floor properly leveled and made solid, however it did not happen. It got so cold Friday night that no one wanted to get out Saturday morning to do any work. Of course the first priority at the cabin is that a person must relax and have fun.

We saw turkey's going to roost Friday evening just about a quarter mile away from the cabin. That was exciting and we talked about our proposed hunt when April 1st comes. Timber is being cut all around us and this is causing all the wild game (turkey, bear, deer, wild hogs, etc.) to seek new places of protection. This may be good for hunters like me who are not as savvy about where the game has been feeding and bedding. While they are hunting new sources of food and bedding they are more likely to happen across the trail in front of me.

We shut down the generator at 10:00p.m. and used the old kerosene lanterns for light as we prepared for bed. I had bought the generator with hopes that I could use it to give the batteries being supported by solar power an extra charge during these winter months, but alas, our batteries will no longer hold a charge. Looks like all five batteries will have to be replaced. Oh well, I'm prepared now to keep the new ones charged.

Maybe next time the weather will be warmer and we can get some essential sturdying of the sub-structure of the cabin done. That is if anyone can have fun doing it. (I'm laughing out loud)

Cleaning House

2008-01-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday was house cleaning day here at the cabin. Brought the vacuum cleaner from home and, with my good friend's help, moved couch, sofa, chairs, etc so we could give the floor a much needed cleaning. It's amazing how much better it looks since the one ka-zillion bugs and wasps have been sucked out of the windows and floors! Also we re-arranged the furniture, took down a picture of an old "out-house" and hung my cow horns on the wall in it's place over the heater. Additionally we moved two other pictures and re-hung them in new places. Next we will start the bed-room...but this time the cord was not long enough to reach te bedroom. No. There is not a 120V plug in there. But there will be. Story of my life - power is not available where you need it ... so re-wire ... move the power closer to where the need is greatest.

The Generator Is Working!

2008-01-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

During our January 1st outing we had to work inside the cabin without the aid of electric lights due to the fact that the solar panel had not sufficiently charged the 5 Lucent batteries which provide power for the 750 watt inverter. In winter there is simply not enough sun to keep a full charge, so after about two hours the lights went out. I knew then that I JUST HAD to have a small generator so the batteries could be re-charged. One of our visitors runs a business where he sells and services new and used small engines and he told me he would give me a special break on the price. Therefore on Tuesday I drove over to his shop and purchased a new Snapper, 3500 watt, generator. When we arrived Barry Goodner (owner of the shop) had already filled it with oil, so we filled it with fuel, and there in the shop it cranked on the first pull of the rope.

Putting it into the pick-up required two men. It is a bit heavier than I wished for -- but the work it does is well worth it. Now I'll have to rig up a couple of "two-by's" for a ramp so that I can load and unload it alone.

Somehow between the time I picked it up and the time I arrived home it got turned over and spilled gasoline all over the back of the truck. Arrrgh! However, I was able to straighten it up, re-fill the tank, tie it with a bungee cord so as to prevent tip-over again and get it here to the cabin. Yesterday we tried it for the fist time at the cabin. It cranked on the first pull of the rope. What a sweet sound to my ears. My emotions soared as I plugged in the machine to the electrical system and all three 100 watt lights came on. The small apartment sized refrigerator was handled easily. "Hmmm..." I thought. Now Ican run power tools like skil saw, drill, etc. for making some repairs here and there...and can finally get the floors vacuumed!

Ed, and Rick and I sat inside enjoying the lights, pickin' and grinnin' and tellin' tall tales for the full break-in time on the generator. We also opened cans and heated up some chili and some noodle soup. I did not make coffee -- but drank Postum instead. I've lost my taste for coffee and that's a shame. What's a cabin without the smell of coffee?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

Seven of my African friends and ten friends from Tennessee joined me at the cabin for New Year's Day! Ed Williams brought his accordion and my brother Lowell brought his new Christmas present, a Fender "Starcaster" guitar. Well, I think "Starcaster" is the right name. We had a wonderful time of singing traditional southern gospel, interspersed with a few African choruses.

For a 10:30a.m. brunch we had grits with bacon and eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits, "Sand Mountain" syrup, coffee and hot tea. This was all served up in royal style on royal paper plates! Also, my son-in-law, Curtis, cooked hot dogs and chicken on his new portable gas grill. (The dogs were great Curtis! Sorry - but I was too stuffed to try the chicken.)

After brunch for those who were still hungry we had made a dutch oven full of chili which stayed in the fire a little too long - but that did not seem to deter everyone from eating. It only took me an hour to scrape the burnt mess out of the bottom of that pot! My personal thanks to my friend Ed Williams for doing more than his share of cooking and cleaning up. Thanks to Mike, Ed's son, for cooking the three pounds of bacon. Also to my sons-in-law, Curtis and Rick Durham for their cooking skills and their helpfulness with the clean-up. I must add a big Thank You to God for making it possible for us to have this place to relax.

And I must tell you about the African's reaction to guns. At first about half of thm did not want to shoot any gun at all. Peraps that is because I started them out first with the .30 calibre Marlin. When they heard the loud report of the first shot ringing in their ears they all jumped back, with that wide scary eyed look and began to protest the noise. But then when I changed to the .22 and demonstrated the ease with which it can be shot they all finally joined in. Some even liked it...and one loved it! Wish all of you could have been with us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!

Up-Date

2007-12-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

As the last year and a half has passed I've discovered that the cabin has a bog just out the backdoor, between the house and the outdoor toilet. There are two low places that get somewhat swampy after it rains the least bit. So - Monday, the 10th, I hired my neighbor from the cabin across the road (Number 17) to come in with his backhoe and dig a ditch which will (hopefully) allow the surface water to drain into the creek. For this job I had to buy three joints of six inch by twenty feet culvert pipe. Do you know that these culvert pipes now cost $50 plus tax per foot? Even tho this has been a very dry summer, the little rain we have had has caused the bricks which covered the path to the privy to begin sinking down into the soft soil. My cabin also needs re-inforcement of the under-pinning; which I hope I can start sometime after Christmas.

Meantime, Ed Williams and I continue to pretend to go hunting. I say "pretend" because we do not go quietly into the woods. We talk as we walk. Once in a while we will creep stealthily up on a deer or hog track which we spot in a soft muddy place - or we will "shush" each other to listen to squirrells bark. This last Monday was a bear/hog hunting day, so after we had supervised the ditch digging and laid the culvert into the ground we put on our international orange hats and vests, strapped rifles onto our shoulders and hiked out into the woods. What's the purpose of the international orange? It's so other hunters know that we are not a bear or deer or hog.(Or maybe, just to give the game animals a fair chance to spot us before we spotted them) I'm amazed at the stamina that Ed still has at 79 years of age. We walked up a logging road that went straight up the hill - I believe it was at least 60% grade (felt more like 80%) and tho I am 10 years younger I know that I was as winded at least as much as he was. Of course Ed walks two miles almost every day of his life. He did confess after we returned to the cabin porch that he would not need to walk his two miles now!

We enjoyed our meal that day for both of us had worked up an appetite after our two mile (which felt like ten) hike into the forest.

It's Hunting Season

2007-12-03T10:49:00.001-08:00

Dear Season was a 9 day hunt beginning the Saturday before Thanksgiving and ending the Sunday after the big "Turkey Day". I only managed two days of hunting during that time. Really only a day and a half. But - I thought - how good God is that I did not have to unload all things needed for a campsite, nor put up a tent, nor suffer from the cold. I have this wonderful cabin where I have a bed already set up, a gas stove just ready to light, with cooking pots hanging on the wall. All I have to take is clothes and food. I am so THANKFUL. On the last day of my hunting I got terribly sick, head and stomach both upset, but I'm still thankful because that has been two weeks ago and I have not had a full cup of coffee since then. I'm not saying I've quit coffee - but so far I just don't want it.

Saturday morning (Dec. 1st) I went to the cabin and spent the night. I did not realize it but there is a bear/hog hunt on right now or I would have taken a rifle. The road was heavy with traffic with hunters and their dogs. One of them told me that his group had already killed two bears and a deer this year. It's quite a site to see. Son-in-law Rick came up and spent most of the day with me but left about 5:00p. It was a very quiet and pleasant night. I felt so cozy inside the cabin with the gas heat on and sleeping in my sleeping bag. I cooked beef tips for lunch Saturday, plus had bananas, grapes, raw carrots, jello, oranges, plus cookies for dessert. Sunday morning I fried bacon, two eggs, cooked grits, and had decaf coffee before going to Church at the Towee Church about 3 miles from the cabin.

A youngster about 14 years old (Colby Goforth) was there that morning to sing Southern Gospel style. I've never heard better. I think he will do well if he pursues this as his career. He had professionally done soundtracks, played on a boom box with the church's microphone laid down in front of it. Just 32 total people present (according to the old-fashioned Sunday School board which hung on the wall up front) - but you would have thought he was singing to a concert crowd. I liked this kid. He sings with a group known as The Master's Messenger's. Yes, they also asked me to sing, so I did one of David Beatty's songs, "It's Different Now".

When I got home Sunday afternoon I found Frances wrapping gifts for the children and grand-children. The table was full, the counter was full, and gifts were sitting in the floor. Our daughter had come Saturday and took her Mom to Wal-Mart to Christmas shop and Frances talked of what a great time they had together shopping. I went to bed at 10:00 and she was still happily busy wrapping. She showed me a child's tea-cup set that we had bought one of at a "tent sale" for $10 - she found at Wally World for $4! LoL. With all our bunch (daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, we have 24 to buy for. It's fun for Frances - but I don't like shopping. That is - unless we are goiong to the sporting goods and/or tool store.

What do I want for Christmas? Really? Well, I think Frances is working on that. What I really want is to find out what Frances wants for Christmas......well......in fact she has already told me and I'm working on that. Isn't it exciting? I just love all the joy I see in other people's faces. I love the music, the decorated trees, the gayly wrapped packages, the gifts I give and yes, the gifts I receive. I also love the Christmas story, which is the story of Christ. There is a new "rap" Christmas "Carol" out there this year called "Christmas with a Capital C" It makes a statement about some of our traditional values which I like. You should hear it.

You can hear it by clicking on <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAckfn8yiAQ> .

Wildwood Flower

2007-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewnfWoSQz3o

Found this on You-Tube. In fact there are lots more of these things posted there. I don't know how to pull the song off You Tube and put it on this blog, but this music is so great. I know that Daddy and Uncle Fred would have had a blast.

By the way - Lowell, does Steven have a Blog?

The Old Man Still Sings

2007-09-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

I found the following quote from Leonard Ravenhill's book, Meat for Men, on a blog by a friend, Corky Alexander. It says something I've been poring over in my mind as I approach retirement. I've even asked two or three people whom I know have great ability in the field of music writing to help me by writing a song with that title: "The Old Man Still Sings", so coming onto this quote was like finding a nugget of gold in a forest stream.

"THAT literary genius, Robert Louis Stevenson, though hounded by handicaps and pinioned with pain, turned tragedy into triumph. His battle with tuberculosis lasted years; then came the master stroke -- blindness; later came sciatica with such an iron grip that the moving of a muscle was excruciating pain. In this derelict condition, Stevenson, the writer, was ordered to bed, and there the doctor strapped up his right arm to immobilize it. Writing meant agonizing pain. Days later the doctor came, only to be staggered at Stevenson's determination to work. The wellspring within was gushing forth. Then the doctor speculated, "Bitter things will be written and dark shadows of pain translated into verse." How wrong he was! Under this duress, the brilliant author of Treasure Island gave the world the glittering book, A Child's Garden of Verse. When a man can carry Stevenson's load and still sing, he is worthy of any man's admiration."

I am thinking at this moment that I may just save this blog in draft form and come back to it to change, correct, refine and polish it for some time. So...What I really want to do is write the song about those who taught us to sing and to laugh...even in painfully bad times. Of course we all have those bad times or maybe I should call them "blue days". I'm not sure when I first became aware of them, but have known for a long time that I did not always feel so chipper. For example, one of my pet peeves has been song leaders at church who want us to jump like a jack-in-the-box from the first word of the first chorus or song that they lead. I don't feel like singing - sometimes. If I do sing on those days, I'd rather sing the "blues". This genre of music seemed to be popular among African slaves when they were first bought and brought to the America's. Some of it became known as "soul" music. Why sing if one is blue? Well, it was better than moanin' and complainin'! Let me explain it as I experienced it.

Long ago when just a lad, when I was feelin down and sad,
And just to be honest I didn't know why, but felt like I just wanted to cry.
When a voice from above me, looking down,
Said, "Son! just lift up your head and sing

Cause if in life I've learned anything
It's that when you feel down you should stand up and sing!
And the old man would sing - of his Heavenly Father!
He'd sing of His Love, of His Grace, and of Hope bye and bye!
Yes, the old man still sings, of our Heavenly Father!
And soon I'm gonna join him, In the Sweet Bye and Bye
(More to come in the future on this song)

In his unique way my Dad made a lot of other people feel good about themselves and about life by his "singing attitude". My observation is that when the blues remain hidden in our souls it turns into depression. But when the sad feelings are brought out into the open, in the light of God's son-shine, they can then be easier dealt with.

Today is September 29, 2007 and I've decided to put this on the Cabin page. Early this week I had a particularly rough day and felt that some of my colleagues had really mis-interpreted some of my suggestions and treated it with great condescension. I was physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of that day. I decided that what I needed was a "coke" - for "everything goes better with coke", right? Upon opening the fridge door and seeing that there were none left, I shouted to Frances that I was going to the store to get a coke. "OK", she responded. "Would you also pick up a birthday card for our grand-daughter Gracie?" "Sure!," I said. While standing at the card counter, a beautiful young lady whom I assumed to be in her late 20's or early 30's approached me and asked, "Is your name Brannen?" When I answered that I was, she said, "Well, I'm Melissa, John Colbaugh's daughter, and I want to tell you something that your Daddy used to tell me. When I was young I was very shy. Your Dad worked with my Dad at the Monroe (Louisiana) church and I would always walk timidly into the church hallway with my head down. Your Dad would get up from his chair in the office and come out into the hallway to meet me. He would bow his body and meet me head on until his head bumped my head lightly and say, "Hold up your head, Melissa! You have NOTHING to hang your head down about!"

When I returned to the house I told Frances that I had just had a message from my Daddy and also from my Heavenly Father!

Who Am I? Where Have I Been? Where Am I Going?

2007-09-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

This morning, I am writing from Maggie Valley, NC where Frances and I stayed last night. I am on the Internet from the MicroTel Inn - an experience that would not have happened even a few short years ago when there was not even a FAX machine available. At least, if it was available, I was un-aware of it's existence or purpose before December of 1988. It may have existed but was priced out of range of us "common folks". This is consistent with the book I'm reading now entitled, "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. Friedman says that the Phone, FAX, Personal Computers and the Internet have caused the world to become "Flat" at lightning like speed. What he means is that now the things which were only available to the rich and powerful are now made available to everyone through these modern technological developments.

Let me share my earliest experiences with the FAX and the Personal Computer... In December 1988 we were visiting family in Monroe, Louisiana. One day we took the women out to the mall to shop. Dad and I wandered into a Radio Shack store because of my interest in amateur radio and all other kinds of gadgets. When we looked at a strange "phone" and enquired about it, the salesman said that we could write with a pen or pencil on one sheet of paper and that the phone/fax on the other end would print out whatever had been written. I remember asking, "Can you demonstrate this by calling from one fax machine to another?" It was shocking, awesome, wonder-ful to see this thing operate. When the girls finished shopping and we showed them what we had discovered, Frances and I decided that day that we had to have one of these machines to take with us to Africa. It was astounding that we could call a number at home and then transfer a letter via "fax" that would be printed out 10,000 miles from where we would be living.

As for the Personal Computer, the only one I had seen prior to that time was a Commodor 64 which we had bought for Tabitha as her graduation present from high school. That grand machine stored 64 kilobytes of memory. It amazed me that by connecting that computer to a "dot matrix" printer with a color ribbon we could print out a picture that actually looked something like the picture on the box!!! About a year later, just before we left to go to Kenya, East Africa, the Missions Department decided to buy us a personal computer. It was un-believably full of memory storage capacity. It had 20 mega-bytes of memory. "Fred, that's all you'll ever need for Kenya!" said the chief accounting officer in our missions department.

I just read my sister's blog about her visit to Flat Rock, NC, home of the famous poet Carl Sandburg. I'll let him speak for me this morning with a quote: "It is necessary now and then for man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; To sit on a rock in the forest and ask of himself, 'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?" In a paraphrase of an old commercial from TV, "We've come a long way, baby!"

That's one of the main reason's I bought the cabin at Pumzika Acres in the Cherokee Forest. I really look forward to going there more often for that kind of reflection when I retire. For now, we are on our way to "The Cove" and a three day retreat with our Assistant General Overseer, Dr. Tim Hill, and his "Covenant Ministry Team". I'll give ya'll a report after it's over...but for now gotta get up and get going as we still have another hour of driving to get to our destination.

This afternoon we are in the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove near Asheville, NC. Here in the quietness of our room (which is deliberately designed with no TV set) I tried the question that Carl Sandburg said should be asked of oneself ocassionally by asking Frances to tell me who she is. After talking for 30 minutes or more I observed that she had not told me who she is, but had told me about her children, her brothers and sisters, her Mom, her friends. I am about to conclude that asking who a person is may be one of the most difficult questions of life. When Frances began to indicate that she felt I was picking and being irritating - I decided we needed a bucket of ice. Now Frances is stopping me (has stopped me in the last 10 minutes at least three times) to read to me what Billy Graham has said in some of his observations about life and death. Is this an indication that it is easier to read what someone else has said than to come up with our own observations?

Exegetical & Hermeneutical & Theological Mis-givings

2007-09-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you who will read this Blog are aware, I spend lots of time in my pick-em-up truck - on the road to or from missions services in some of our Church of God churches. One of my favorite things to do as I travel is listen to the AM radio, especially to Gospel radio broadcasts. On a recent trip from Franklin, Indiana I tuned in to a station where I heard the following:

"My text today comes from Matthew 20:1 'For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.' The speaker then mentioned his conjecturing thoughts about this householder with a vine-yard. Now the key to understanding here is to pronounce this as two words; Word number 1 is VINE, and word number 2 is YARD. So that's not a vineyard. It's a vine yard. "Vines all over th place. Well," he allowed, "the man probably had 20 or 30 apple trees - and maybe some pear trees - and coulda even had some peach trees here - but the bad part was that these here vines was a coverin' the trees and a killin' th' fruit. And that's whats wrong with a lotta Christians today. God has planted some good fruit trees in their lives - but they keep a lettin' them vines choke out th' fruit from their lives!!!" Thirty minutes of program time, and most of it was consumed with this theme about the vines that grows in Christians apple and pear and peach orchards. "When there are too many vines you don't have an orchard - you've got a vine yard!" Whoop! I'd like to hear T. Tommy Thompson get hold of that and preach it!

That reminds me of a few other choice exegetical efforts I've heard over the years. One of the recent ones was a preacher in East Tennessee as my friend Dr. E.L. Williams and I drove along together. The preacher read from the scripture where four men carried a lame man up on the housetop, tore away part of the roofing, and let their lame friend down through the roof in front of Jesus. The passage is found in Mark 2:2-3 "And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. [3] And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four." The preacher read it this way "...which was BORNED of four." His comment that followed almost made me lose my teeth! "Now", said he, "This here man was borned of four. Now I don't understand how that could happen, but the Bible said it and I believe it. Of course we all know he only had one Mama, but the Bible says he was borned of four! But let me tell ya. These men wasn't all bad. At least they had enough sense to get the lame man in front of Jesus! And that's what you oughta do. You need to get people in front of Jesus! That's what somebody done fer me. They got me in front of Jesus!"

Visitors

2007-09-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

My first cousin (who is just three months younger than me) and his new wife of two years were here to visit me when I returned from my most recent trip to Franklin, Indiana. Terry Junius Jones re-married just over two years ago to a very nice lady named Tricia. Of course, I brought them to the cabin - and - as I thought, he enjoyed it. While I'm not sure how much Tricia enjoyed the rustic nature of things here, one could easily tell that she is enjoying the attention that Terry (whom I have always called Junius) is giving her.

We reminisced about our childhood days in hunting camps with Grandpa and Grandma Jones who used to build a semi-permanent spot somewhere in Gulf Hammock near Yankeetown, Florida, and then basically lived there during the whole of hunting season. The frame of their temporary "home" would be of small trees and "saplings" from 2 inches to 6 inches in diameter, then palmetto fans were cut and tacked and/or tied to the poles to protect the old kerosene stove used to cook on and the few pots and pans necessary for the cooking. Grandma and Grandpa both hunted for deer and turkey - but also would occasionally kill a squirrel, rabbit, or quail.

We talked of the time I had tried to follow Junius across a fallen log across a creek, slipped and fell, but managed to lock my legs around the log which caused me to wind up head-down with my .410 gauge shotgun hanging down, almost touching the creek. I held so tight to that log that I had leg cramps after Junius was able to pry the gun from my white-knuckled hands and help get me up-right. I remember inching my way laboriously along to finally get across the creek. Junius remembered a time when myself and some others had gone through the woods ahead of him and he heard shooting and shouting in the direction we had gone. When he arrived he was surprised to find us shooting at "Coots" (ducks) way out on a pond. My memory was that we killed two of the coots and Daddy waded out into the pond and collected them, then we tied their feet together and hung them over the radio aerial on the old '41 Chev to take them back home to Tennessee. I don't remember whether Mama cooked the coots or not...but she might shed some light on that one. We talked about Yankeetown, Grandpa's boat - the May Bee, "Cousin" Manuel and Alice Jones, and many other things. "Cousin" followed by their first name was the correct way of kids addressing their parents' first cousins.

Frances went with us. We stopped in Benton at the IGA Foodliner to buy groceries (or so I thought) but wound up buying from the delicatessen. So for lunch it was chicken and salad and potatoes and didn't even have to heat up the stove. After lunch I put on my inevitable pot of coffee. We had also taken a watermelon in a cooler - mmmm - so ripe it split ahead of the knife...know whut I mean??? Wow! Good stuff!

Whoa! It's time to go meet Junius and Tricia and Donice & husband for breakfast.

Pumzika

2007-08-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

We had been on the missions field in Kenya, East Africa for almost three months and our shipment of household goods (which was supposed to have arrived the week after we first landed) still had not come. I called headquarters to find out what happened. "Sorry. The shipment got delayed because we tried to economize by changing your shipping plans." As a consequence of this delayed shipment my 50 year old wife and myself were sleeping on a four inch sponge on the floor of our apartment. We were cooking and keeping house out of my backpack. For two weeks, even for three......camping out is fun for me. I had had to call headquarters through a phone which actually worked sometimes, to find out that my funds were not sufficient to pay for the new car I had already taken possession of by virtue of my personal check! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
That night I decided that I would get up the following morning and call headquarters to tell them to stop my shipment wherever it was. My intent was to go back home to the US. I said to Frances, as we lay down on the sponge to sleep, "Frances, I'm sorry for the horrible mess I've gotten you into. But in the morning, I am calling headquarters to tell them we are coming home!" Her response was, "Oh Fred, you know I wanted to be here just as much as you did."
I was boiling with anger inside. I knew that what I was feeling was not a fruit of the Spirit. So I prayed and asked God to help me. I whined, I cried, I complained, I tried to forgive ...... but then I would wake up mad. Why would they treat me like this? Why did they act like they needed me so urgently, but now were acting as if it was my fault that I had left for Kenya before adequate funds had actually built up from the itineration we had done in over 50 churches? It was an awful feeling. The lump in my throat, the load on my shoulder, the growl in my stomach all told me that my world had fallen apart.
During the wee hours of the next morning as I drifted in and out of sleep, I dreamed. In the dream I was on the platform in an African Church. A young girl, about 9 years old, dressed in a beautiful white pinafore dress which stood out around her knees, with her hair braided with two "dog-tails" attached, came out to me with a lei of flowers in her hands. As I bent over to allow her to put these flowers around my neck she kissed me on the cheek and said, "PUMZIKA!" [Pronounced poom-zee-kah, with emphasis on the middle syllable] at that moment I sensed that I was waking up - and that an unusual sensation of relaxation - beginning at the top of my head and coursing down and through my body all the way to my feet - was taking over my body and my spirit! Whew! Oh! I can almost feel it now - even as I type.
I shook Frances awake at 5:30 a.m. and said, "Frances, I don't know what this means. I just know that everything is o.k. and we are not going home. Every thing is alright!" PUMZIKA. Meaningless to me - except that I knew God was giving me peace over this situation. We had had no classes in language. Besides we were told there were 23 languages and 17 tribal dialects in the country.
Next morning, I was riding around with Jack Morris, outgoing missionary, as he oriented me to the location of some of our churches. I asked, "Jack...in all of the 23 major languages and the additional dialects making forty languages in this country - have you ever heard anything like PUMZIKA?" I shall never forget his answer. He said, "Yes, Fred. That is a Kiswahili word, and it is in the simple imperative form, meaning simply, YOU REST!" Now I am not a sissy, but The tears coursed down my cheeks. It over-whelmed me that God showed me His compassionate and loving care for me with such a revelation in the language of the country to which we had been sent to minister.
That is why this cabin, this deer-hunter's shack, this spot which God recently helped me to acquire has a sign in front called PUMZIKA ACRES.

Pumzika

2007-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

(This was the original version of this story, which I had saved as a draft, and could not find this morning! It contains the picture of me on the porch of the cabin.)

"Oh, God!" I prayed, "Please, God! I know that the anger and resentment I am feeling towards my leaders and towards my church is not right. This is killing me, Lord! Please give me victory in this situation." We were now in Kenya, trying to adjust to the drastic move we had made from being pastor of a quiet country church to now being missionaries in a city of 2 million people on the extreme eastern side of the continent of Africa.

I had been pastoring "the best church in the movement" (that was a phrase used by Brother Brady Hux, one of the older members of the Cedar Hill, Tennessee Church of God and after 7 years of being the pastor there I had come to agree with Brother Hux. After all, they had a beautiful sanctuary located on the banks of the Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee in the heart of bass-fishing, deer-hunting, coffee-drinking people who were mostly like us. The church owned a 5 bed-roomed 2 story brick parsonage with central heat and air which we called home. The church owned a 15 passenger van. All bills were paid and no monthly payments had to be met except the electricity, water, and insurance which were easily paid out of the surplus funds. All of the pastors expenses to state and general meetings were paid. Since this was an urban area and members had farms and gardens the people kept the pastor's two freezers full of beef, pork, and garden vegetables. I had begun to say from the pulpit that I planned to stay in that church until time for me to retire. I would tell the people frequently from the podium how much I loved them and thanked them for loving me and my family and allowing us to be their pastor. They talked like us, they dressed like us, they looked like us! I spoke and read and understood the language used in East Tennessee as much as the members of the church did. But here in Africa it was "difficult" to say the least.

When God had shown us un-mistakably through dreams, through His Word and confirmed it all through circumstances by both colleagues and leaders above us that now was the time for me to fulfill the desire God had placed in me at the age of 16 years to minister among the Bantu tribes of Africa, we said, "Yes! Here we are God!"

Now, only three months into our assignment I was angry and upset and ready to go home. I had carefully arranged my shipment of some essential furniture and personal items to be sent by air-freight and had been told by the company it would arrive withing three weeks of our landing in Nairobi - but someone had a better idea and set out to "help expedite" our shipping plans after I had left the US -- which had resulted in our shipment being delayed and we were still sleeping on a sponge on the floor of our apartment, living and cooking out of my back-pack carried with us on our initial trip. Further, I had called the General Director and after approval from my boss on the phone, had just written a check for $25,000 to pay for our new Peugeot station wagon, only to receive an overseas phone call the next day from the accounting department, saying that my funds would not support that check. I had been hit with the hard cold fact that I had written a check based on a verbal agreement. My leaders had dis-appointed me.

Before sleeping on that fateful night I had apologized to Frances for getting us into this "mess" and promised her that next morning I was going to call the leaders at Headquarters and tell them to stop my shipment - and that we were not going to remain on the field. I felt betrayed. I felt I had been lied to. I was filling up with hurt and anger and bitterness. I knew that these feelings were not righteous ones, therefore my prayer, "This is killing me, Lord! Give me victory!"

Let me say that I do not believe that everything I dream comes from God. In fact I urge caution when people tell dreams they have had and try to apply it as though it were from God. I've seen too many of what my Dad used to call "Pork and Bean Dreams". However, sometime in the wee hours of the next morning after I had decided I would just go home, I dreamed that I was on a platform in an African Church and was being welcomed to Africa. I can still see the lovely child of about 9 years with her beautiful hair tied into "dog-tails" and her beautiful stand-out white pinafore dress, looking into my face with a captivating gleeming white smile, while reaching up to place a lei of flowers over my neck, kissing me on the cheek and saying, "PUMZIKA!" I had never (to my knowledge) heard that sound before. I only knew that when she said, "Pumzika!", I felt the sweet relief of blessed assurance that all was well.

When I awoke I shook Frances awake and said to her with tears streaming down, "I don't understand this. I don't know what it all means. But - we are not going home. I know that all is well!

Next morning, while the former overseer was taking me around the city to see the location of churches and to help orient me to the places I would need to know about I asked him, "Jack, in all the 23 languages of Kenya, and all the additional dialects that make up the 40 languages spoken in this country, have you ever heard something that sounds remotely like, Pumzika?" I shall never forget his answer. He looked across at me and said, "Yes, Fred. That's a Kiswahili word in the simple imperative form and it means simply, YOU REST!

So now -- if you come to see me and I talk to you about "Pumzika Acres" you will know that this means "Restful Place". It's something God did for me that I never want to forget nor to allow my friends and family to forget.