Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

I'm not sure what this is.  I'm not sure whether it is country or gospel, but because it came out of a reflection on Matthew 10:16 it is probably the latter.  So, to steal a lyric from John Hiatt, I don't think Ronny Milsap's gonna ever record this song.  Of course, if the Milsap people want to talk with our publisher, that might be OK.  Listen here.

First Among Mortals

EDO's cross country team took second at the Utah State Cross Country Championships yesterday.  They lost to their regional rival, and perennial powerhouse, Millard (the New England Patriots of Region 2 Cross Country).  But, they partied on the return trip to Parowan with no regrets and plenty to celebrate.

A Helping Hand

 

I've had a few minor opportunities to put up wood at 420 Grand, but there was still a lot of work to do.  Tony has offered to help, and today he came through in a big way.  He brought his trailer, his maul, his saw, and a lot of free labor.  In just a couple of hours we had at least a cord cut, split, loaded, and tagged.  And all it cost me was a couple of home-made cookies.  Full disclosure:  Because VSO made the cookies, it actually cost me nothing.

I Cannot Tell a Lie

There is an old cherry tree on the south side of 420 Grand that has been carrying some large dead branches for the past year or so.  Normally ladders and chainsaws don't go well together, but I was able to get the worst of it cut out without climbing more than about eight feet up.  There is still a lot of clean-up to do, but at least most of it is on the ground.

Crossing the River

In traditional country, gospel, and bluegrass music, the end of life is often symbolized by the crossing of a river, usually the Jordan.  The symbol is, obviously, from the Old Testament, but it is useful for each of us as we consider the human condition.  This year, Grandpa passed away, giving all of us at Rural Ways another reason to think and talk about crossing that river.  So we wrote a song about it.  Listen here.

Beautiful and Goofy

I was in Utah on Saturday and Sunday.  It was a beautiful early fall weekend.  We went out to the Breaks first, all three of us.  Later, EDO and I went to Bowery Creek for a steep scramble up the ridge.  The girls were beautiful, too.  And goofy.

Them Apples

The orchard at 420 Grand includes a very large apple tree that provides shade to most of the back yard.  This year it produced thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of apples.  Most of them were wormy drops, but some of them went to Utah for the girls to turn into pies.