Sweet William Now

Hands, Work, Prayer

2012-03-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

I work with my hands, my body, my mind, and my spirit. I use simple machines and tools to do simple tasks. I work with customers who choose not to do tasks I’m hired to do. My business is doing their task. My product is a tended yard and grounds. I hope to make them a simple pleasure to see. It requires care and effort in the outdoors where most care not to labor. In the labor I make

Wanderer

2012-03-03T12:42:00.001-05:00

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who settest the solitary  in families: We commend to thy continual care the homes in  which thy people dwell. ‘Solitary’ puzzles me. Commentaries offer interpretations; I like wanderer. I identify with the literal notion and a feeling of rootlessness. God places the wanderer in families. Families, maybe not so much kinships’ bio-families, rather, again via

1Man/1Mower

2012-02-22T07:42:00.002-05:00

My work is customer driven piecework one yard at a time. My perceptions are a gleaned from 3 years work. They offer context to serve clarity. Payment I hope for payment upon completion. I accept cash, check, or PayPal. If you choose PayPal please add $10 for PayPal transaction fees. I do not expect payment if I cannot, or do not, complete your task. Service Relation I work for you. I

Audience

2012-01-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

When I was 14 I was awarded a book prize for creative writing, Modern Library’s, Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural. It was presented in front of the entire school. I'm educated and I've had some training. I’ve been told over the years, You write well, or You should write your stories down, or Have you ever thought of writing for teenagers? or You have something to say. I think,

Haiku

2012-01-22T13:10:00.003-05:00

Spice is a lady, and was so on our transport. Tessa, in the wagon first, was possessive of a bone she had and was unwelcoming to Spice. The v-tek and I, somehow, managed to put Spice in the crate, Tessa makin’ a growlin’ rowdy fuss 'bout the bone all the while; shout out to CM for the crate; coulda' been a little come to jesus meetin' right off. Spice seemed to harrumph,

Random 4

2010-04-02T09:30:00.008-04:00

There musta been a gazillion hats hanging from its' ceiling rafters; all types. It was called The Mad Hatter. I have no clue how they got there. All sorts of people hung out there. It did not wear its class on its sleeve; it hung it from its ceiling.This in contrast to The Raveled Sleeve, which catered to prepped-out southerners in entry-level Wall Street banks and investment houses. This place

a Rummagin'

2010-03-25T12:19:00.012-04:00

Wife and I recently 'tended a church rummage sale. In years past it's been a great one, which means lotsa excitin' energy in the air, lotsa people scurryin' 'round clutchin' lotsa stuff, and lotsa buyin'. It's well sorted, organized, and priced. We've 'bout always found somethin' we like.My rule is: buy what I like and what I think I need.I found a towel rack. It lay next to a rolling pin

I Became a Secretary

2010-02-18T10:23:00.010-05:00

I liked shop. I got really good grades in shop; aka, "industrial arts." I got mediocre grades in other academic subjects; I excelled in shop. Industrial arts linked an academic narrative with hands-on learning to a machine I could manipulate and produce an object that help the prospect for use and admiration. Shop was a requirement for males, just as home economics was for females, in the public

Random 3

2010-02-09T09:48:00.006-05:00

I'm the father of two, a boy, 24, and a girl, 20. I'm a daddy, which is to say, I feel like a daddy even though I'm the non-custodial bio-parent who never left town. I wanted to be married; it's a mystery, maybe a calling. It may have had something to do with my enchantment with my parents’ black & white wedding photos that I used to look at as a boy. The photos are as much of the setting, the

Family Illness, continued

2010-01-31T11:02:00.008-05:00

Granny's life is at risk; she seems to me to be in a place she said she never wanted to be. Certainly it's changed forever. I can't foresee how it will be as it used to be for her or for any of her loved ones.I walked to the hospital. Her family was gathered around her bed. Granny was tired; she moved her bruised hand when prompted. She closed the right eye she could open. She sleeps. Her right

Family Illness

2010-01-28T11:29:00.006-05:00

We have a trauma in the family; Granny's life's at risk; a bleed from cerebral amyloid angiopathy. My interior life has moved into slow motion. It's not sticky or muddy; it's constricted. The sun is bright, the sky blue turning grayish from an approaching snow storm. It's cold in the room where I write. TV's still a content of redundancies of programs I've never liked. I feel danger; there's no

Stuck!

2009-10-19T14:11:00.007-04:00

I'm checked, blocked, mired, stuck. Betwixt and between, at sixes and sevens, caught, snagged, snared, stuck. I'm the fly on tape zizzing my wings going nowhere wearing myself down. Worse? I'm doing it to myself. I just hate that. Oook.

My Twin Towers

2009-09-11T11:11:00.023-04:00

I watch the twin towers growing up into the skyline as I attend New York University. My twin towers grew slowly into my skyline. Philippe Petit walks his tightrope from one twin to its other. It was a sensation. I take my twin towers for granted. The twin towers were my destination. I rode my bike to and around them on lower Manhattan's sunny streets and avenues. They loom over me. Their plaza

Fresh and Soul

2009-08-31T09:46:00.013-04:00

What does fresh have to do with soul?The American Heritage dictionary of the English Language defines soul as,The animating and vital principal in human beings, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion, and often conceived as an immaterial entity. By the same source, among multiple definitions fresh is defined as, Recently made, produced, or harvested, and as Having just

Random 2

2009-08-07T09:51:00.010-04:00

I'm from Connecticut. My mother's birth family, Savage, lived in CT since 1649 and some still do. The Savage clan had a farm in Berlin. My father's family, Collins, had lived in CT since the late 19th century. They were railroaders. Some were active in local CT politics. His Uncle was a Mayor of the City of Hartford. His brother, James F. Collins ran for Congress but lost; my father financed his

Pothole Story ~ A Story of Failure

2009-08-07T09:49:00.005-04:00

Once upon a time, on a Monday, a man was walking down a road. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he found himself at the bottom of a big, dark place. It was scary! After several hours, he figured out that he had fallen into a very large pothole. He wasn't able to get out on his own--actually it required a lot of help to get out, but eventually he did get out. It was awful.The very next day--

America's Cup '62 ~ "Weatherly" vs. "Gretel"

2009-07-26T09:01:00.028-04:00

A long time ago, September, 1962, in what now feels like another era, my family attended an America’s Cup Regatta race on Narragansett Bay, off Newport, RI. I was 11. We were on “R.I.P” our family cruiser. It was a Huckins, descendant of WWII PT-boats. It had twin diesel engines and balls of power.There were hundreds of vessels, all shapes and sizes, everyone bobbing, straining for binocular

Stewardship into Day-to-Day Living

2009-07-15T18:14:00.009-04:00

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. Stewardship is action. Stewardship is doing. Stewardship is transformation.Stewardship is weaving my day to day living with my beliefs.Be an ambassador for Christ: 2 Corinthians: 16-21Give of my treasure to the Body of Christ or a ChurchWork towards the

Random 1

2009-07-14T08:01:00.007-04:00

I was born into my family hierarchy as a follower. I am the youngest of three. My father called my older brother #1 son, a la Charlie Chan, and called me #2 son. I don't recall he ever called our oldest sister #1 daughter. My dad would've seen Charlie Chan and I suspect he'd have liked the character. My dad was the oldest in his family, and my mom was the oldest in hers. I speculate that, as all

Random Sweet William

2009-07-13T20:14:00.015-04:00

I am the youngest child of three.I am from Connecticut.I am a father of two.My first wife picked me up in a bar; I sense on a dare.My second wife picked me up in a church.I sing in church choir from time to time.I attended private schools for almost all my education.I made toys with artist William Accorsi; Google him.I love New York City; I'm glad I lived there.I drove a taxi in NYC.I have a BA

Iraqi Oil and China

2009-06-30T12:48:00.002-04:00

Today the NY Times publishes an article about how China is aggressively bidding on Iraqi oil reserves.I have always intuitively believed the Iraq Was was about oil. Yes, it's been about Saddam Hussein, Al Quaeda, and WMD's too, but economics always play a role in the weave in the fabric of international policy and international relations.Let's face it Iraq has a lot of untapped and inefficiently

Facebook

2009-06-29T08:36:00.006-04:00

I've taken my FB page down, for now. It's like looking in the mirror; it's boring. And it's a conceit to "use" it a marketing tool. And, yes, as a marketing tool it's effective, it's a diary, and it's a small one. But only if a person chooses to read it. For anyone else, except the IRS and the NSA, who cares?If Melville or London used FB it would've turned out to be fascinating. In the end maybe

Mow Low ~ Mow High?

2009-06-13T08:59:00.006-04:00

To mow too low is to stress the grass. Many lawn problems are the result of a low mow. Grass shorn too close to soil is more likely to succumb to poor rainfall or drought, foot traffic, inadequate sun, or insects. Grass shorn too high from soil leads customers to believe a provider is working to increase income. Ideally a mow should shear 1/3 of the grass leaf.

Showery Days

2009-06-12T09:02:00.006-04:00

Grass is a plant; it has roots. Lawns need about 1" of rain, or watering, a week. Deep water penetration helps roots grow down. Shallow water penetration helps roots grow sideways. Soil composition makes the water amount vary and shapes what direction roots will grow. If soil has a lot of clay water tends to run off. If soil is sandy water tends to soak in. Grass roots seek water and will grow

1Man/1Mower at 8 Weeks

2009-06-08T15:00:00.006-04:00

I decided to venture into 1Man / 1Mower becauseI can work outdoorsI like to mowI like to use and learn about the machinery and its vocabularyHealth is an asset I can rely upon now and lawn care helps me sustain physical activityI felt I could grow into the work and study of it over the next 10 to 15 years.The 8 week results are in and it's a start, we all have to start somewhere, but there's lots

Wind Blows Where It Chooses, And You Hear the Sound of It

2009-06-07T13:33:00.008-04:00

When I was thirteen my birth family's house was next to a bird sanctuary. In winter storm the wind blew. I could hear it because it blew through the sanctuary. At times the experience was a memorable winter sound & sight, trees and wind melding into a bluster whooshy sway. This I recall from wind deep in the night.The winter nights were often punctuated by my father's drunkenness. He'd sit and

In Praise of Praise

2009-06-06T10:30:00.003-04:00

. . . there are few things in middle age as wonderful as having streets lined with people who cheer you just for running by.I used to be a runner. If I ran a marathon I'd want some cheering. I'd need some cheering. I cannot imagine doing anything and not receiving some sort of recognition, thanks, or remuneration in return. It's only natural to want some praise.

Muses

2009-06-02T09:27:00.009-04:00

"I love your blog, it's a little wordy, but it's how I keep up with you!" Tara enthused. Me? I can't believe I've more than 2 readers, in a good month maybe 3. My blog breaks every design suggestion for increasing readership. Question does my blog count my logging on as a visit? If so I alone maintain the 80 / 20 principle. 80% of visits are from me. I can only shake my head.Here are 7 citations;

Can't Keep From Singing

2009-05-28T19:16:00.007-04:00

I'm in my church choir and I can't keep from singing.One of my natural gifts is musical. I'm blessed with pitch discrimination and tonal memory. I'm also blessed with rhythm memory but this isn't so strong. My pitch and tonal gifts are in the 90th percentiles.This natural gift was measured by the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation http://www.jocrf.org/. This foundation is the place to test what

348

2009-05-25T10:36:00.010-04:00

348 was my Selective Service lottery number. It was pulled on December 1, 1969. Buttons were fashioned soon after and sold in shops in Greenwich Village; have something to proclaim, say it & wear it on a button, like a campaign button. I picked up a yellow one with black 348 Gil Sans numbers on it. I wore it on my calf length winter army-surplus brass buttoned wool coat. It felt authentic and it

Wealth

2009-05-08T08:45:00.007-04:00

Print Ridder says,"Never measure wealth by money."Wealth is an abundance of valuable material possessions or resources.Capital is an abundance of money. It is a resource.Wealth is not money.Stewardship is not money.Stewardship is what we do with resources.

Stewardship & Fresh

2009-05-01T10:24:00.003-04:00

Stewardship is helping us see our abundance.Stewardship is connecting us to what is authentic and healthful.Stewardship is facilitating, creating, and therefore revealing authenticity in every person.Stewardship is connecting us to our human nature.Stewardship is connecting us in a faith community that we sense is helping us to see abundance.Stewardship is connecting us to the I AM of the natural

Fresh

2009-04-29T12:09:00.014-04:00

I've just read about a book, "Fresh" by Susanne Freidberg, a professor at Dartmouth College. "Fresh" is published by Belknap, 408 pages, $29.95. She also posts at the NY Times Freakonomics blog. Just what is "fresh"? What does Prof. Freidberg sense contemporary culture means by the word fresh? How is that meaning applied by marketers keen to use it, keen to sell it? There was a time in my

Saint George Island ~ Leisure

2009-04-24T15:42:00.014-04:00

Leisure is thankful, being thankful, the abundant resources in our lives when many lose or have never known it. Leisure is how do we do thankful. We're heading down through flat western Georgia peanut, walnut, pecan country, below the southern Appalachian mountain chain terminus to the gulf. It's breezy warm day cool night and all sound of high and low water tides

Sign of the Times

2009-04-16T10:39:00.009-04:00

I'm fortunate, at the age of 58, to have the resources to begin to do work I've never done before. It's a paradigm shift for me. I call the work 1Man / 1Mower. It's yard work. I enjoy it, people pay $$$$ in return for my labor, I get exercise, I work outdoors, and I'm learning new stuff. So it's a positive personal 5-Star paradigm shift.I've been letting my grass grow, waiting, so to mow it high.

Regina caeli laetare

2009-04-15T21:42:00.007-04:00

I had some work at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. I blew leaves and weeded. I worked with Tonya. We were maintaining a garden bedthat's to be redesigned and replanted in the fall. It was the day after Easter Sunday.After a bit all I could hear was the Regina caeli latare, by the Venetian, Antonio Lotti (1667 - 1740), which the choir at St. James Episcopal, Knoxville, TN., performed

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Eight

2009-04-09T12:30:00.012-04:00

Finally, and most importantly, what is your relationship with Christ? What is your relationship with prayer? With scripture? With worship and the sacraments? With the reality of your own sin?Wow, question eight packs a wallop. And it's six questions, and so six answers, in one!Well I'm a sinner, no question. I miss the mark more than I hit it. I've often failed to do what I ought to have done.

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Seven

2009-04-08T09:53:00.005-04:00

What is your relationship with what you believe to be your purpose in life?I've been putting an answer off to this question. I could go on, blah, blah, blah, and the answer feels difficult . . . as if from a deep place inside me. And to go inside, takes a deep breath, a sort of summoning, and insight.I'm reminded of when I begin to exercise. I always just have to begin and overcome my inertia.

BoA's 9.9% Fixed Interest Rate: Dust in the Wind

2009-04-07T09:31:00.010-04:00

Dust in the wind.All we are is dust in the wind.Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.It slips away and all your money won't another minute buy."Dust in the Wind" is a fine tune by Kansas centered on the biblical notion that we come from dust and we all will return to dust. You may see & listen to the YouTube video here.The Bank of America (BoA) is the bank behind my American

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Six

2009-03-31T19:14:00.012-04:00

What is your relationship with people of color or different ethnic origin of your own? I've written about this a bit in a SweetWilliamNow entry called Odetta. In my family the American negro was a particular category. Ethnic origin, well, it's a little different, but often not so much. My birth family was white Anglo-Scotch-Irish; not a hint or a whiff of color in our wood pile. My parents were

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Five

2009-03-28T20:26:00.005-04:00

What is your relationship with the poor, the sick, the suffering? I define "relationship" as the condition or fact of being related; connection or association. And when I see and read the word "the" in front of poor, sick, suffering, I intuitively sense an association of "class", as in a class of people. This is intimidating because relative to a "class" of people I know I fall short. So for me

Judd Viburnum

2009-03-28T09:14:00.011-04:00

The viburnum is blooming, a sure sign of spring. We've two of these shrubs on a small terraced like mound flanking the upper and eastern property line along Amber.This year there are abundant multiple clusters of blossoms. Each cluster, called a cyme, is the size of an infant's fist and is comprised of multiple small five-petal blossoms. Each bud is deep pink and blossoms out to a velvety

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Four

2009-03-25T17:40:00.007-04:00

What is my relationship to my body, my emotions, and my mind?I take my body totally for granted. I take my emotions as the thermometer and barometer of my mind. I take my mind, and by mind I mean my ability for reason, analysis, and warehouse of experience, memory, as my partner and governor with and for my emotions.I'm blessed with good health, cardio-vascular stamina, hand/eye coordination,

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Three

2009-03-09T09:52:00.007-04:00

I think money is like a sixth sense without which I can't make a complete use of my other five senses. I work to feel alive and to feel the joy of my senses. I work for money, yes, money drives me, yes, but as an end in itself, money to acquire and hold, no. I think acquiring money for its own sake is immoral; not that I don't see and feel the allure of it. But creating and hoarding money is

Checklist for Lent ~ Question Two

2009-03-09T08:54:00.011-04:00

What is my relationship to my work? Am I a slave to my work?I'm not a slave to my work. I place my work in a context of study, exercise, reflection and renewal, and thanksgiving. I try to keep work in balance with the other four; sometimes work takes more time, sometimes less time. I've taken forty years to arrive at this conclusion. I'm blessed in that I have enough education and God-given gifts

Checklist for Lent ~ Question One

2009-03-07T10:41:00.016-05:00

What is my relationship with the most significant persons in your life? Truth to tell I'm not sure I can answer this question in my mind, let alone in a public blog entry. It seems daunting.I'd begin by naming who they are. My wife Angela, my children Townsend and Caroline, Angela's child Karen, and my sister Tara. So that's good news! I can list significant people.I'm reminded of the Buddha's 5

1 Man / 1 Mower

2009-03-06T19:17:00.008-05:00

This year I begin 1 Man/1 Mower.1 Man/1 Mower is a lawn care service; trim, mow, and blow.I like to mow, it's something I know how to do, and I like to be outdoors.I know I'll be outdoors, not in an office.I know I'll be getting exercise.I know I'll be driving an old '84 brown Ford 150 truck; it's a V-8, 302 cubic inch engine. I test drove it today. I forgot to check the windshield wipers.Ron

Born into Rebellion

2009-03-05T17:46:00.015-05:00

I was born to rebel but it wouldn't happen 'til later. I was a born follower in my birth family hierarchy. Follower was my niche, a survival skill and tool. I'm the youngest of three. My sister is the oldest. My Father called my older brother #1 son and I was #2 son, literally ala Charlie Chan. My dad didn't call my sister #1 child or #1 daughter.Sulloway summarizes Born To Rebel,Why are

Lords Prayer ~ SMS Style

2009-03-01T15:08:00.012-05:00

dad@hvn, ur spshl.we want wot u want& urth 2b like hvn.giv us food& 4giv r sinslyk we 4giv uvaz.pls don't test us,pls save us.bcos we kno ur boss, ur tuf, & ur cool 4 eva.ok.tks b 2 my nees lee.

Lent List

2009-02-27T15:57:00.145-05:00

The Lent List is a series of questions, which, if you read aloud, listen, inwardly ponder, and write your answers, are a spiritual reflection of your soul. If you only read them all, if that's all you do in 40 days, then that's good enough. If you read and consider one question that's good enough. If you read, consider, and try to write one answer that's good enough. If you read, consider, and

Stewardship & "Lape"

2009-02-24T13:20:00.015-05:00

I want to be a caring steward of the abundance in my life. I spend time thinking about stewardship. This doesn't mean I want to make money. It means I want to earn a living with the blessings and abundance that have been given to me. I want to deploy and employ my God-given gifts and talents. It's been a lifetime learning this.I like church life. In church life, and with any ministry by a parish

iPod Therefore I Am

2009-02-21T19:11:00.016-05:00

iPod Therefore I Am is an essay by Peter Aspden that appeared on January 23, 2009 in the Financial Times. This essay is smart.The title iPod Therefore I Am is an update on Rene Descartes revelatory summary of self-consciousness, I think therefore I am. In "Wisdom of the West" the philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, Descartes' famous formula 'I think therefore I am' is typical of this

Addicted to Love . . .

2009-02-13T11:01:00.036-05:00

"The lights are on, but you’re not homeYour mind is not your ownYour heart sweats, your body shakesAnother kiss is what it takesYou can’t sleep, you can’t eatThere’s no doubt, you’re in deepYour throat is tight, you can’t breatheAnother kiss is all you needWhoa, you like to think that you’re immune to the stuff, oh YeahIt’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough,you know you’re Gonna

Abundance

2009-02-06T10:38:00.011-05:00

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease,

Bailouts Redux . . .

2009-02-04T09:18:00.014-05:00

Can we stop with the tax evasion, and can we please stop with the "honest mistakes"? An apology is fine, I'm heartened by it, but it's not an excuse, which is what the "honest mistake" sounds like. The apologies, the give-backs, the repayments in hindsight that should have been made in the first place, feel like excuses. These all fray and tear at our trust. The ponzi schemes simply rip up trust.

Apple Tree

2009-02-03T10:44:00.104-05:00

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. (Song of Solomon, 2:3)  During Christmas Season we sing "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree," often on the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. I find the hymn's music and lyrics simple, tender, and emotionally rich. The title is a

Men Only!

2009-01-29T11:30:00.025-05:00

I see the signs. My eyesight is one. It's fraying. It started with my glaucoma. I'm losing my aim. In the Sloan Waterless Urinal has a little bee embedded in the porcelain. You can see for yourself in the men's room at West Town Mall. I read that in Europe flys replace bees. Yes, I still see the bee target. Years ago I read a news item about reducing airport maintenance costs, particularly

Butternut

2009-01-28T09:42:00.012-05:00

Butternut, cucurbita moschata, is winter squash. "Winter" means it's in season in fall and winter and it has a tough exterior. It's a gourd, native to the Americas, and folks have been eating it awhile, some say since 5,500BC. I don't understand this guesstimate.I don't care for squash so I rarely choose to it eat. My mother grew up on a farm. She liked summer and winter squashes. I recall being

Shoes

2009-01-27T13:56:00.013-05:00

"If you know how rich you are, you are not rich. But me, I am not aware of the extent of my wealth. That's how rich we are. I did not have three thousand pair of shoes. I had one thousand and sixty." Imelda Marcos was Ferdinand Marcos' wife. He was America's go-to guy in the Phillipines during the Viet Nam War. He was America's guy for 31 one years. He turned the Philippine government,