…until you can watch a home game without wearing your winter parka.  I love an outdoor stadium. Afternoon games, evening games, just love ’em.  April games-I’ll go, but it’s just not the same when the yellow shirts are going up and down the steps calling “Hot Chocolate here!! Git’cher Hot Chocolate here!!”

I learned a lot watching baseball. Not a lot about baseball, just a lot about everything.  I mean, think about your job. What if every one of your errors was counted and published every day, like a baseball player?  I mean, as a baseball player at bat, you can fail 6 or 7 times out of 10 and still be thought an outstanding player.

Quotes from the Great Game and the players:

“Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in blackjack.” – Adam Morrow

“Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.” – Satchel Paige

“…I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball.” – Ron Shelton

“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” -Frederick B. Wilcox

“Okay you guys, pair up in threes!” – Yogi Berra     (OK, some are just funny!)

“It’s getting late early” – Yogi Berra  (I feel like this every October)

“If you don’t think too good, don’t think too much.” – Ted Williams

“Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” – Babe Ruth

And with that, I think I’ll go see if there’s a game on.

Pitchin’ and Swingin’ for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

….pretty much means you’re not a terrorist. Where was I going with this? Aww, nuts-I hate it when my train of thought jumps the tracks.  Maybe it’s because the train and the tracks are getting old.

Maybe I have an excuse.  This time of year is when we unpack the summer clothes we had in storage, and replace them with the winter clothes we hope we don’t have to wear again until fall. Having to be up out of my comfortable chair/couch kind of throws my system out of sorts on a weekend. And…finished and filed the taxes for last year. Checks in the mail, whole enchilada finished for the year. Have sort of a love/hate relationship with taxes.  Love that I get the opportunity to earn a living, hate that I have to summarize the year past in a few numbers.  When I look at the income/outgo numbers, I never feel I did as well as I thought I did.

Then, when I go online to check the news, I get reminders of all the things that people think I need help with. I don’t need reminders at this age – generally, if it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t work!  I also seem to be at the age where I get ads for the little blue pill. Today the ad was for the little blue pill in a single pack.  Great- I’m being judged for my health issues and activity level. Grrrrr.

I still get a daily newspaper, but not the ones from the TC. When I did subscribe to them, I could count on two points of view- from one, a middle of the road view. The other paper was referred to as “the Red Star of the North” by most of the folks that didn’t happen to live in the TC.  I look for a  “Dragnet” approach to the news-“Just the facts, Ma’am”. Most of the time, I get disgusted with the news articles; they’re more of an editorial/soap opera than the news.

Well, I think I need to go become one with the couch.

Subscribing to the Good and True,

Billy Acre

In case you’ve never heard of it, “Open Source” is a term commonly used for software that is developed and shared among computer users. The users collaborate on the changes and releases, and everyone seems to have an input.

(apologies to The Simpsons)

There are libraries (electronic, of course) full of arguments for and against open source, but we’re not covering that issue here.

We are going to discuss that phenomenon known as “Open Source Opinion”. Open Source Opinion (or OSO) is that belief system that takes whatever blurb that sounds good or feels good without judging the content. Sometimes justified by the statement ” I swallow the meat and spit out the bones”. Dude-do you just swallow the un-rotten meat and spit out the bad?  The whole thing is bad.

We can judge whether something is good or bad-we do it every day. Every day we judge whether we can beat the red light, or if we can pull out from the stop sign before the traffic reaches us. The problem, as I see it, is we are indoctrinated from an early age that to judge is bad. We never learn how to determine the facts, aren’t taught logic, and if you disagree you must be a “hater”.

If you actively identify with a group, I would suggest that you understand the fundamental facts and truths of that group, and be able to identify conflicting statements. If you don’t agree with the group, and can’t convince anyone to change, don’t identify with that group anymore. (D’oh!! – Homer Simpson)

If you find yourself collecting opinions from here and there, like gathering flowers in a meadow, ask yourself this: Can any group that claims to be “PP”,  incorporate items from “OO” without becoming “POOP”?

Can you stand up to the OSO?

Identify with the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Somewhere the sun is shining. Somewhere the clouds are white cotton balls chasing each other across the sky. Not here-in the gloomy gray overcast, the clouds are dragging their weary behinds across the dirt brown landscape. The tree buds don’t have enough color to show up, and even the last of the snow has turned a tan color. The house furnace is burnin’ the BTU’s in the morning, but the only reason you turn on the car heat is to keep the fog off the windshield. And then it gets too warm, but if you turn the heat off the windshield fogs up.

Well, yeah.

Weekend’s coming. Spring must be coming, too. The ads are full of the “Home & Garden” shows held pretty much every weekend from now till almost May. Oh, it isn’t the shows that tell me spring is coming-it’s that the shows are all held in the local hockey rink that’s been defrosted for the season.

And that pretty much wraps it up for today.

Draggin’ buns for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

 

 

Monday may have gotten the better of me, but I want a rematch! I think Monday cheated!

Random thoughts:

Hard to believe we once had a phone ATTACHED TO THE WALL! When it rang, we’d pick it up and answer WITHOUT KNOWING WHO WAS CALLING!

 

I used to get a call from (I believe) an Elderly Lady looking for Henry.

Me: Hello?

Elderly Lady: “Is Henry there?”

Me:”Nope, no Henry here.”

E.L. “Well, where is he?”

“I don’t know. There’s no Henry that lives here.”

E.L. “When will he be back?”

“I don’t know-I think you have the wrong number.”

E.L. “Why did you answer the phone if it’s the wrong number?”

“I’m not sure now. But Henry isn’t here.”

E.L. “Could you tell me where he went?”

This could go on for a half hour or longer. One day, I had a brilliant idea.

“Hello?”

E.L. “Is Henry there?”

“Oh, you just missed him! He’ll be back in 15 minutes, so you should call then.”

E.L. “OK” and she’d hang up the phone. When she called Henry in 15 minutes, she’d get the number right and actually talk to Henry. I can only imagine the conversation, E.L. asking Henry where he went, and Henry wondering what she was talking about.

 

You ever wonder what the kids think when we talk about “hanging up” the phone, or “dialing” a number?

Calling for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

 

He is Risen Indeed!

Those two phrases; statement and response; open Easter morning just as surely as the sunrise. Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week, two thousand years ago, guarantees those that believe in him their own resurrection day!

I can say those words, and wish you a “Happy Easter”, without giving it a second thought. Perhaps you missed it, or the News Media didn’t give it any space in their coverage, but 67 Christians were killed while celebrating Easter in Pakistan.  Or have you heard of the Amadiyyan Muslim in Glasgow, Scotland who wished Christians a Happy Easter on Facebook, and was later murdered by another Muslim who didn’t share the same feelings of tolerance and love. (Search for Asad Shah on the net for more information).

Would we still be as willing to wish each other “Happy Easter”, or more accurately “Happy Resurrection Day!” if we thought someone might take offense and attack us or our loved ones? Would we be as brave, would we share the Good News with strangers? Would we proclaim as boldly as Paul, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel….” even though it would cost us our wealth and life?

Tomorrow, when we go back to work to make a buck or two, keep Pauls’ words in mind.

Proclaiming the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Today, bracketed between Good Friday and closing of the Lent season, and Easter, feels like every other Saturday. People are buying groceries, running errands, washing the car (or maybe not-might rain), and in every way acting like this is any other weekend.  The only difference might be the festivals organized for today; I believe there are several Easter Egg hunts this morning and afternoon, some organized by commercial groups and others run by local churches.

The What, Where, When, and How questions are easily answered-just read the newspaper community calendar section, or look at the ads placed in the paper. In order to get the biggest attendance, the folks sponsoring these events make sure everyone has the opportunity to hear about it many times over. Don’t want anyone to miss out on the good times!

But Why?

I read online compilations of business articles-they give me an idea of the latest and greatest fad in the business world. Lately, articles about “Purpose” seem to be more common, and the idea that creating a great sense of “Purpose” will guide a modern company through treacherous times. Of course, the articles give many examples of companies that lost or changed their “Purpose” and then shipwrecked. Solemn advice is given about following  the  founder’s original “Purpose”; but three pages later, the article discusses determining if it’s time to adapt your “Purpose” to the changing world.  Congregations follow the same advice, adapting teaching and structure for “Purpose”.

But Why?

Isn’t that the hardest question? Isn’t that the question on every tongue? Every time your heart hurts, isn’t that question you want answered?  So why (sorry) isn’t that the focus of our meditation following Good Friday? Seems to me that instead of giving something up for Lent, our time would be well spent contemplating the “Why” of Good Friday; the “Why” of the time spent in the grave.

Why?

For “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (John 3.16)

Contemplating the Good and True,

Billy Acre

 

….with a loud voice, and breathed his last.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed His last, he said “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

…were waiting for me on my driveway this morning. Took all morning to clear a path for everyone’s cars. Couldn’t use the snowblower-the snow was so wet and heavy it would come out of the chute and land on the snowblower. Grab a shovel, huff, puff, toss the snow. Repeat. Finally left for work around noon-tow trucks were still pulling cars from the ditches along the four lane.

I am really ready for spring. Can’t wait until fishing season starts. I mostly shore fish locally; lots of panfish around here. I used to love running a boat for fishing and chasing around the lakes. Now with zebra mussels and what-have-you weeds almost requiring that you sterilize the boat and trailer before moving it between lakes, well, I just don’t have that much time.  Maybe if I had a cabin on a lake, but you’re talking some real money there. I mean, that’s just for taxes and government fees-to actually buy a cabin on a lake, you’d have to win a lottery or something. The folks I know that have a cabin inherited it, and share the cost between family members.

I heard the DNR came out with a new rule for Mille Lacs walleye fishing this year-all catch and release, with no live bait allowed. How bad is the walleye population if you can’t even keep a walleye if you catch one? As far as I remember, the DNR has been pushing walleye production on that lake since Hector was a pup. They are even so desperate that the statehouse is trying to require the DNR to negotiate with the Indian tribes to stop using gill nets during spawning season. (All together now–You have got to be kidding me!!!!). There are so few walleye in that lake that anglers can’t keep any–but the tribes can gill net thousands of pounds of fish during spawning season!!!!!  

OK, let’s talk about something else before I start getting grumpy.  How about that guy in Winona who filled out an ATM deposit envelope  with his name, account number, and amount, then sealed and deposited the envelope without having put any money in it. He then started withdrawing the nonexistent money from his ATM account. He figured he had a good plan, except for the bank having his name, address, and a video of him pulling this stunt.

Remember, kids, only the government can spend money they don’have.

Balancing the books for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Moderate snowstorm today. Not bad, heavy snow at times, but I’ve seen worse.

HOWEVER,

I have rarely seen driving this bad. To the folks I shared the road with today–HANG UP THE PHONE AND DRIVE!!!!!! Lots of cars off the road / spun out / can’t decide which lane they want so they take both-at 35 miles per hour or less.

Really, if you aren’t able to handle driving in less than ideal conditions, take some lessons. There are folks who will gladly teach you. You’ll have more confidence, and sales of blood pressure medicine will go down.

Ranting for the Good and True,

Billy Acre