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Young October
And now September has flown away with the hummingbirds, leaving the young and quiet October as sentry to my observed life. We haven’t yet had our first frost, but the mornings are damp and chilly, and I’ve resumed wearing a hat on my morning rambles with the spotted menace. The spider webs are visible on many plants and structures, dew-decked and glistening like ice wheels. The wildflowers are dying back slowly; this morning Jinx and I passed between rows of late chicory, the vivid blue a contrast to the murky air around us. The leaves on the trees are slowly turning. I’m growing a tiny oak tree in a flowerpot…
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Free Stu Scheller!
When Jinx and I stepped outside Sunday morning into the mist, I saw a funnel spider’s web in the grass. It was one of the larger ones I’ve seen in a while, big as a plate and perfectly situated. I knelt down as best I could in the grass and examined the structure. How many hours did it take to build? How successful was it in trapping food for its builder? All those little struts and girders and beams and buttresses and studs and strips and joists…all from the body of the one who erected it and then retreated back into the funnel to await that trembling signal of live…
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First Day of Fall
The summer is gone, and it will never return. Until next year. But that summer will not be the same as this one was, and nothing is ever the same, but there is nothing new under the sun, whether a summer sun or a winter one, and the full moon waters the earth with its silver light tonight. Silver light tonight. Mrs. Orr and I sat and talked for a long time about the forces that are prodding this country and this world down certain paths. It’s difficult to talk about these things, but it has ever been difficult to deliberately choose to defy evil. Hamlet defied augury; Mrs. Orr…
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The Last Monday of Summer
The light was eerie this morning, filtered through a mist that seemed lighter yet more substantial than usual. As Jinx and I patrolled the high ridges and scanned for deer, it was as silent as a shepherd’s crook. The moon was hidden by clouds, but I could sense its power and presence behind the vapor veil, and was reminded that the full moon will be upon us tonight. A corridor of high tulip poplars lines our driveway, and a hoot owl was perched somewhere in them this morning in the darkness. He called his mournful Morse code into the new morning — whoo, whoo, whoo-whooooooo — and I thought of…
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Prayer Request
Please pray for my friend H, whose family is undergoing a severe trial right now. Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for H’s child and entire family during this difficult trial. Pray that Christ will grant grace, faith, and especially immediate healing. Per Christum Dominum Nostrum, Amen. Thank you for praying, friends. ~ S.K. Orr
- Daily Life, I Never Thought I'd Be In This Situation, Jinx, Music, Photographs, Prayers, Quotations, Reflections, Saints
Squinting Towards Armageddon
“I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.” ~ Flannery O’Connor Before I set down the day’s thoughts, I want to express my humble gratitude for the many warm and supportive comments I received on my most recent post (the most comments I’ve ever received, in fact!). When I say “humble gratitude,” I mean exactly that. I am grateful for the kindness, but I am also humbled by the display from you, my readers who mean more to me than you can know. I also wanted to say that I’m somewhat chagrined after re-reading the post, which I had composed at the end of a weary…
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Hardly Worth The Wait
Two weeks without posting, and I asked myself about my own online reticence. Fact is, I simply haven’t been interested in posting here. I don’t think I’m alone in my apathy. The few blogs I read have slowed way down. Family and friends with whom I correspond aren’t taking the time to write. The world is wearisome and worrisome and just not worth the expenditure of emotional calories to keep up with. Some folks enjoy dissecting and analyzing and predicting the trends in the world. I’m not among them. Less than a dozen people regularly read this blog — that’s not even a jury, not even a football team, not…
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A Friend Remembered
Nine years ago today, my friend Roger Hathaway departed this life and entered into his eternal rest. There was no one like him. I’ll see you one day on the other shore, Roger. ~ S.K. Orr
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Backhoe
Backhoe Man and dog walked on around The yellow monster parked nearby Waiting to open up the ground Which would receive the local who’d died. ~ by S.K. Orr
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There Is A Reason
Mrs. Orr and I just finished listening to a concert by Allison Krauss & Union Station, a group we haven’t listened to in years. Their final number in the show was one we’d never heard before, a spiritual number called “There Is A Reason.” I found it so affecting I though I would post it here, with the lyrics below. My favorite part of the lyric is where Allison sings, “I give my heart so easily to the ruler of this world, when the one who loves me most will give me all…” ~ S.K. Orr I’ve seen hard times and I’ve been told There isn’t any wonder that I…