Odd and Ends

Some odds and ends from the past week.....

I don't just post poems, pictures and thoughts. Sometimes I share odds and ends I've read over the past week. Here are a few from this past week.

They hang from trees and may be the ultimate treehouse. I would have killed for one of these as a kid, and they definitely go into the "If I ever win a zillion dollars, I'd buy one category. They are called "Free Spirit Spheres" and are every kid's dream treehouse, I think.

I am a political junkie from childhood. Blame a mother that was involved in state politics, but I have sucked up politics since I was 5 (which happened to be the John Kennedy elections). In the last couple of years, I've largely surrendered my news addiction, except for presidential politics, which I follow nearly every day. This article from the Washington Post, about mudslinging, is a thoughtful delight. Among other things it has this quote: "No finer Americans ever faced off for the presidency, yet partisans on both sides immediately went negative." I won't tell you who they are talking about. You'll have to read the article to figure that out, but it could probably be said of the candidates in most presidential elections. How sad.

I am reading a book called The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg. Despite the very pop culture sound of the title, it's about spiritual disciplines, and is makes those disciplines very accessible. Good reading, as in a pleasure to read, and good for you too. It was suggested to me by John Adams, a friend and pastor of Easly SC's First Baptist Church.


Christine of the Epiphany blog sent me an "Arte and Pico" award, a blog award for creative expression that merits recognition. This is given one creative blogger to the next, so it's one of those "from your peers" kinds of awards that actually means something. One of the tenets is that the winner sends it to others. giving my your own readers a chance to find other creative souls on the web, so here are a few places I like to visit that I am sending the award to.I send the award on to Chris Griffith's Blog at Bree, an elder at my church, who is also a songwriter and artist and who often posts the progress of his paintings on his blog; To Post Secret, where I have been inspired to write many a poem, and where I am constantly reminded of the need to be compassionate because you never know who is hurting, and how; and to Claire Grant of Three Beautiful Things, who writes down three beautiful things in her life every day, and reminds me of the power of gratitude in our life. This is one of the places where you could go on and on, but these three are ones that I visit regularly for inspiration and deserve to have you, dear reader, to visit them as well!

Finally, it's the 4th of July here in the states, and for many of us, that means fireworks. I loved this gallery of fireworks photos from a site in Edinburg, Scotland.