Author: Sandy

Risk and Armadillos

On By SandyIn Animals, People, Storms, WeatherLeave a comment

Life is risky. No one gets out of here alive except by flaming chariot or other act of God. When we get out of bed, we take risks. We could slip in the shower or trip on the rug. We could be electrocuted by a kitchen appliance. It’s a miracle I reached this age when you consider my early life was spent without a single GFCI plug!

Each time we walk out the door, we take risks. The sun exposure we get walking outside can lead to death by skin cancer. The car we drive to work could be involved in a fatal accident. I grew up with an inordinate fear of quicksand and falling pianos. Those were the good old days.

Recently, I read some alarming posts about leprosy, also known as Hansen Disease. The rate of human infection in my state in 2025 was a record 36 cases — up from 29 in 2015. The current suspect — the armadillo. It appears that about 95% of humans have a natural immunity to Hansen Disease and/or the bacteria that cause it. It also appears that about 1 in 6 armadillos may carry that bacteria, but it is not transmitted by brief or casual contact. It takes a bit of exposure to get it.

I was born and raised here, and I can count on two hands the number of times I have seen a live armadillo in the wild. I have spent a good portion of my life tramping through the woods. Armadillos aced the class in How Not to be Seen. They are nocturnal, and they burrow. When I have seen them, it was usually by the side of the road, but more often, I’ve seen them dead on the road.

There are no reported deaths in the state or even in the U.S. from Hansen Disease. While a disease of Biblical horror, antibiotics can successfully treat it. Yet someone will inevitably make noise about killing all the armadillos or possibly clearing or draining the land where they live. People have short memories and don’t seem to recall the many times man has decided to fix a problem, and the solution proved to be catastrophic. Here’s a brief reminder – cane toads in Australia, mongoose in Hawaii, kudzu in … everywhere! (Kudzu in the U.S. is a variety developed to provide inexpensive fodder for livestock and to prevent erosion but went on to eat the South.)

While rare and difficult to contract, leprosy is serious and the increase in leprosy is worth research and monitoring. This is already being done and has been for years. While the experts come up with definitive answers and recommendations, here are some facts to consider.

Deaths by Leprosy — There have been zero deaths by leprosy (Hansen Disease) in the U.S.

Deaths by Shark Bite — Claude.ai looked at the past 10 year and came up .2 deaths per year or approximately .01 deaths per million residents in my state. When you consider that visitors to the state are about six times the resident population, it is safe to say that the rate per million people is substantially smaller.

Deaths by Alligator Bite — Approximately 1 fatality per year and .04 deaths per million residents. Alligator mouths are full of bacteria, so sepsis is common. Same caveat about visitors, who likely are less informed about sharks and alligators than are residents.

Deaths by Lightning — Down from 10 per year to 4 per year or .17 per million. I have apps on my phone that tell me when lightning is within 20 miles of me. They send notifications every afternoon in summer. During meetings. It’s annoying, but education may be saving lives.

Deaths by Melanoma —600 deaths per year or 26 per million in my state. This does not count deaths by non-melanoma skin cancers.

Deaths by Vehicular Accident — 3,184 deaths per year or 136 per million. Caveat about visitors applies.

Deaths by Heart Disease — 50,000 deaths per year or 2,137 per million

You could almost certainly avoid deaths by leprosy, shark bite, alligator bite, lightning, melanoma, and vehicular accident by never walking outside your door. But the risk of all of those together is less than 1/10th the risk of death by heart disease. So don’t let fear rule your life. Go outside. Enjoy nature. Be heathy and active.

If while enjoying fresh air, exercising, and absorbing Vitamin D, you are fortunate enough to see a live armadillo, do not hug it. Do not pet it. Do not give it a kiss. Do not hunt it. Do not eat it. He is not your enemy. He is not your pet or your food.

Please leave the poor armadillos in peace. Their lives are hard enough.

Note: I asked Claude.ai to come up with the figures. He provided links. I read some but not all to verify. If you don’t believe the statistics, please do your own research. It’s Sunday. I’m taking it easy.







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One

On By SandyIn Doing things differently, PeopleLeave a comment

My Taller Half (MTH) was on his way to see the doctor in The Big City last week when he pulled over to text me.

The lumber mill has reset to one.

Nooooooooooooo! was my reply – with one of those message effects for emphasis.

I followed this with “How high did they go? You should call sometime and ask and also if everyone is OK.” I’m a real poet in text.

We were both brokenhearted. The Days without an Accident sign had been climbing for years.

MTH called to express his concern. He learned that they hit five years the day before … and then the power went out.

“You mean, there was no accident?”

“Nope.”

“Was she pleased you called? Can they reset it?”

“She was, and they will reset it tomorrow.”

The next time he went to TBC, he texted me again. “1829!!!!!!!”

That is an exact quote.

I really love this place!


Daily Bread

On By SandyIn Faith, Love, TrustLeave a comment

It is one of the evils of rapid diffusion of news that the sorrows of all the world come to us every morning. I think each village was meant to feel pity for its own sick and poor whom it can help, and I doubt if it is the duty of any private person to fix his mind on ills which he cannot help. (This may even become an escape from the works of charity we really can do for those we know.) A great many people now seem to think that the mere state of being worried is in itself meritorious. I don’t think it is. We must, if it so happens, give our lives for others; but even while we’re doing it, I think we’ re meant to enjoy our Lord and, in Him, our friends, our food, our sleep, your jokes, and the birdsong and the frosty sunrise. — C. S. Lewis, Letter to Bede Griffiths, December 20, 1946

If in 1946, Lewis believed the arrival of the morning paper caused anxiety, I wonder what he would think of life in 2026. News arrives in notifications on phones that we carry with us everywhere. It arrives on our computers, our televisions, and radios for those who still use them. News is everywhere, much of it is heartbreaking, and often, we cannot tell the difference between real news and manufactured news. It is difficult to handle without becoming hardened.

We should pray about these things. We might even feel a responsibility to pray for every tragedy in the world. We should lift up those in need of care to God regularly, but do we believe God’s intel is worse than ours? Do we need to specify each disaster or every individual human who is sorrowing? Does the person who is prayed for the most win? God doesn’t require us to worry about all problems of the world. He wants us to seek Him and trust Him.

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Luke 12:22–31 (ESV)

We are taught to pray Give us this day our daily bread. Daily bread is more than food. Daily bread is all we need to live, all the daily concerns of our live – food, shelter, safety, job, finances, medical care, and the general welfare of our family and our neighbor. The good things in our lives are gifts from God, and it is right that we pray for these, and perhaps more importantly, that we give thanks for these daily. C.S. Lewis suggested that we are meant to enjoy the Lord and, in Him, our daily bread. — including friends, jokes, birdsong, and the frosty (or balmy) sunrise.

Put down the phone, close the laptop, turn off the news, and by all means, pray. Then call a friend, check in on a neighbor, touch grass, enjoy a meal, tell a joke, laugh, watch the sunrise. Praise God for every good and perfect thing, and trust that He will provide and will work everything for good for those who love Him.

Moving Pictures

On By SandyIn Doing things differently, Growing Older But Not Up, Love2 Comments

I have a sink full of dirty dishes waiting for me, but MyTallerHalf (MTH) insists that I need to head over to Life in Pixley to talk about his stellar selections of movies this weekend. I am happy to oblige.

I should mention first off that Pixley does not have a movie theater, though an old marquee downtown shows that wasn’t always the case. When we want to see a movie in a theater, it involves crossing county or state lines. Usually, we watch films at home,

I should also mention that our tastes in movies vary quite a bit. We are of one mind that The Lord of the Rings — both the books and the movies — is vastly superior to all other choices. Otherwise, I tend to prefer romantic comedies, light fantasy, and science fiction if it isn’t too bleak,. I don’t mind a bit of violence if it is necessary and the ending is uplifting. I love The Patriot, Braveheart, and Gladiator. I hate Pulp Fiction. I tend to become emotionally involved with a movie, and when I’m watching, I get pulled into the story. I don’t like distractions or interruptions. I also don’t enjoy sad movies. Life is hard, and I do not need reminders. I can take a little of the bittersweet — think Steel Magnolias — but most of the time, I think bittersweet is best left to chocolate.

MTH loves the darkly emotional. He revels in the poignant. He enjoys a good tragedy. This makes him a deeper, more complex individual than I am. I like The Secret of Roan Inish. Nothing lifts the spirits like seals, selkies, Irish music, and a couple of nice kids fixing up the cottage for their grandparents. That’s entertainment!

Watching movies with MTH is not a passive activity. This was one of the most difficult hurdles I have had to face in being his wife. He watches a movie with his iPad opened to IMDb. He sometimes stops the movie to tell me some anecdote about the making of it or something about the actors. Sometimes, he asks me to back it up to look at some obscure detail. The topic of whether the actors are still alive is always addressed. We are at that age where obituaries are beginning to get a bit personal.

To be honest, I hated this at first. But after a few years of this, I find myself asking the questions for Mr. IMDb to research. I learn a lot from him. Instead of viewing something quietly side by side, we are engaged with both the movie and each other. MTH makes watching a movie an interactive event.

This weekend, we watched two movies, both of his choice. The first was Stalag 17. I’ve heard about it all my life, but I have never watched it. War movie. Ick. He was right. It was a terrific film, though not at all like Hogan’s Heroes as I expected. Five stars!

Tonight, we watched Hoosiers in memory of Gene Hackman. I was not happy at the prospect. Sports movie. There are a lot of great sports movies, but rarely would they be a top pick. He already convinced me to watch Field of Dreams, and I liked it, but Slap Shot was depressing. I was not optimistic, but MTH was right again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was cheering the team on throughout the film. Underdog overcoming adversity, decent guy helping others, a budding romance — what’s not to like?

I love watching movies with MTH now. I love his passion and perspective. I love the way he catches things I miss. I am even slowly, grudgingly learning to appreciate a few movies outside of my comfort zone. Just spending time with him is a pleasure.

Epilogue

I woke up at 4:00 a.m., and MTH was not beside me. I padded out to the living room, where he sat staring at his phone.

Are you okay?

Yes, I’m just watching this movie with Buster Keaton in it. It’s amazing.

Buster Keaton? Oh, brother!

But I sat down and he screencast it to the television. We both spent the next hour talking and laughing while watching a film made 100 years ago. In those moments, all was right with the world … or at least, in Pixley.


Snow Day Part Deux

On By SandyIn Doing things differentlyLeave a comment

MyTallerHalf (MTH) was trying to reach our local StuffMart to see if his prescription was ready. He tried and tried but couldn’t get through, so he thought he would get some news from the Pixley PD. He called PPD and was forwarded to the county sheriff’s office and was informed that the roads are fairly clear but PPD is closed today for snow. Five inches of snow. And we’re the county seat!

I love this place.

Snow Day

On By SandyIn Faith, Growing Older But Not Up, Storms, WeatherLeave a comment

The excitement has been building for days. Forecast models began showing the possibility of snow across the Gulf Coast. I have been dreaming of experiencing a really good snow since I was a little girl. I wanted White Christmas complete with sleigh bells. I wanted to build a snowman, to ride on a sled, to throw a snowball, and make snow angels. Every corny Christmas movie scene was attractive to me, and I wanted to experience it all — just once. But as the decades rolled by, I was becoming resigned to the fact that I probably would not.

MyTallerHalf (MTH) is less enthralled with snow than I am. He has seen it. He has experienced it. The sound of snow crunching under his feet sets his teeth on edge. Be sure to make the snow angel first thing, warning me by his tone that it is the last thing I should do. Apparently, they never tell you in the movies that the snow melts, and your back ends up cold and wet.

Our dog shares MTH’s sentiments. I had imagined her barking and leaping to catch snowflakes on her tongue. Instead, she did her level best to avoid any contact with them. Not everyone sees the wonder.

I have been glued to James Spann’s YouTube channel, worried about my citrus trees and the strawberries I had just planted, yet expectant. Day by day, it seemed more certain that it would snow clear down to the beaches. At first, it was half an inch, then one inch, then two. When they reported an improbable six to eight inches, the excitement was palpable.

Yesterday afternoon, it began. It started with a few flakes so small they reminded me of dandruff. I am not completely new to snow. I have seen a few flurries. I remember it snowing in Orlando in 1977. It melted when it hit the ground, but I made a tiny snowman on my mother’s car. I was in college during Snow Jam ’82. The amount of snow on campus was disappointing, but Atlanta was shut down for days. I have seen snow in Montreal when I visited a cabane à sucre with friends. A few flakes fell, and there were mounds of dirty snow frozen solid along the edges of streets and paths. No snow angels, snowmen, or snowball fights were to be had, though we did ride in a wagon pulled by a horse with sleigh bells. That was lovely.

The snow kept coming, faster and harder, with fat flakes easily seen. At first, they dusted the ground, then there were patches of white, and after a couple of hours, there was a proper blanket of snow across our yard. It was so quiet. So perfect. The snow continued to fall.

The world was not completely silent. The birds were frantic. They seemed to sense the oncoming storm and continued to chirp and to empty our feeder as the snow fell. Neighbors, young and not so young, trampled the snow in the street in front of our house. Occasionally, the silence was interrupted by sounds of conversations, laughter, or an excited shout. Some had never seen snow in their lives. Some were reminiscing of past snows. There were no traffic sounds. Everything closed for the storm.

It was still snowing when I went to bed. When I woke up in the middle of the night, it was no longer snowing, but the ground was a thick blanket of white. Inside, it was cozy and warm. Outside, our lilies were covered in snow. MTH said it looked like 4-6″, and that seems about right. It will be a cold day. The snow will not melt right away. I thought of snowmen, snowballs, and snow angels. These are things I will probably not experience in my life, but I am content.

I experienced a really good snow, in Pixley, no less, and like every good and perfect gift, I know it came from our Father. I am still smiling, and I am sure He is smiling, too.

Heaven Bound

On By SandyIn FaithLeave a comment

Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South) is one of my favorite writers. Today, he shared a fan letter that asked why he talked about Heaven all the time but never about hell, so he shared a story of the DMV and an anecdote from his grandfather. It made me want to share my view and an anecdote as well. Maybe it’s because the DMV in our state, in my experiences over the years and in many parts of the state, isn’t really a horrible place.

Hell is horrible. I don’t know if I would call it a place. The intricacies of time, space, and matter are tough enough to comprehend from an earthly perspective, but to attempt to understand it from an eternal perspective is impossible for me. I don’t know if it is a fiery pit, or if a fiery pit is the closest description that the human mind can grasp. I don’t think you can describe hell without first understanding Heaven.

In the Old Testament, people couldn’t be in the full presence of God without dying. Even when God came down to be with Moses, His full presence was hidden. God does not allow sin in His presence because His very nature will not allow it. Sin cannot exist in His glorious light. It burns away. We cannot carry a speck of it with us to Heaven. This is why we need the Savior, someone to take away our sin, someone whose act paid for our sins. Because of Jesus, we can spend eternity in the unveiled presence of Almighty God.

My Taller Half (MTH) and I talk about Heaven frequently. The prospect is getting closer every day. One way we talk about Heaven goes something like this.  When I get to Heaven, I want God to explain why X. The other will say, But when we get to Heaven, I doubt we will remember or care about X.  Or, I really want to see this truly evil person stand before God and get what is coming to him. The other will reply, But we are sinful people, too, and if not for Jesus, we would get what was coming to us. When we stand before God, we will be faced with the reality of our own sin and the price paid for them by Christ. After our sorrow, our minds and hearts will be filled to bursting with love, gratitude, and joy for His grace and mercy.

Hell is the opposite of Heaven. We cannot carry a speck of God there. It is a place where souls will be separated forever from the eternal light. Everything good will be gone. No rest. No food. No enjoyment of earthly pleasures. No kindness. No love. No amusements. No comfort of any kind. Only things that are not of God can be there. Just darkness. Emptiness. Loneliness. Anger. Bitterness. Hate. I was going to say regret, but I don’t believe there will be regret. For regret, you need to have at least an inkling of some better, brighter situation, better choices you could have made — some idea of good. Even the memory of good will be gone, because all good comes from God, and hell is complete separation from God. If hell is a literal fiery pit, the fire will shed no light nor bring any warmth — only endless burning.

Now for the anecdote. There once was a man. He was a good man in many ways — heroic, self-sacrificing, hard-working, generous, and compassionate. He had a very hard start in life by our standards, and one way he coped was to drink. When he drank, he lost the ability to control his violent emotions, and he said and did things to the people he loved that left terrible scars.

When he was in his mid-50s, the man had a serious heart attack. He nearly died, did die for a time, meaning his heart stopped while he was being treated. Once his situation was stable, his doctor told the family that if he didn’t change his ways, he would be dead within the year. His family, knowing his nature, began to consider his funeral.

But to their surprise, he did change. This is not to say he was suddenly perfect. He did not go to church before the heart attack, and he did not go after, but he stopped drinking. He stopped smoking, though he had smoked for over 40 years and failed attempts to quit many times. He stopped his brutal ways. He suddenly began to pay attention to religious television and radio, and he read his Good News for Modern Man. In his last days, decades later, a pastor visited him regularly and spoke with him about Christ, and he understood and believed.

But why the change? The man shared with his wife why things were different. During the heart attack, he had a near death experience. But the experience wasn’t of bright light and loving family members greeting him at the Pearly Gates. It was hell, and it scared the hell out of him. I don’t know if he shared any of the details with her, but he believed he was in hell or had a vision of hell, that he was hell bound, and he didn’t want to go there. On the surface, the changes were simply out of fear of death and what comes after. I believe it was grace. God offered the man favor he did not earn and answered the prayers of his wife and children in a Dickensian way.

I don’t spend a lot of time thinking of hell. I have no fear of going there, because I have God’s promise of salvation through his Son. I’d rather share the light and love of heaven than the fear of hell, though maybe some people need a vision of what hell might be. C. S. Lewis wrote a novel called, The Great Divorce. It is not about marriage or the ending of one. The title is a response to William Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Lewis’s story is not scripture nor meant to be an authoritative commentary on heaven or hell, but there are truths to be found in his tale. It is short, it is thought provoking, and it is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it.

Take it with you on your next trip to the DMV.

Thanksgiving

On By SandyIn Faith, Food, Love, PeopleLeave a comment

It is popular to tear down traditions. People do it with glee. There isn’t a holiday on the calendar that hasn’t been derided by some group or another. Thanksgiving is a popular target. From PETA to groups that decry the cruelty of colonialism to atheists who claim there is no One to thank, people love to tear it down. They even love to tear down the family. “A real family is made of the people you love.”

The family is God’s creation. God commands us to honor our parents. He doesn’t say to honor our parents if they deserve it. God says children are a blessing. Yes, even the ones that drive us crazy! God gifts us with our family. Sometimes He gifts us with new people, friends and neighbors, giving those who have no one a place where they are appreciated and belong. That’s a good thing. But that does not mean we can abandon father and mother, sister and brother. Yes, every family has a member or two who are difficult, perhaps even more than difficult. Some of them may be (and I am beginning to hate this catch word) toxic, and in some cases, distance can be helpful for a time. Perhaps that difficult person is you. Or me.

But God created the family. He created it for our good. He created it to be a place where people look out for each other, where the unlovely are still loved, where the unkind are shown kindness, where charity and mercy are practiced daily. Everyone loves people who are nice to them, who agree with them, who are easy and fun and supportive. Family is the training ground where we learn to love the unloveable, to forgive what seems unforgivable, and to spread God’s grace and mercy and peace to flawed humanity.

Thanksgiving is a time of gathering. We gather as friends and family. As neighbors and congregations. Thanksgiving is a time of working out differences. Of good-natured arguments over food or football. Of sharing with and caring for those in need. But mostly, Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings and to be grateful to God for all His good gifts. And while we should be thankful every day, the food and the customs of this day connect us as a nation, connect us to past generations and to the future.

So yes, we can talk about conspicuous consumption or the value of the turkey as a main dish or pumpkin as a dessert. We can argue about politics or climate change. We can bluster about Commanders or Cowboys. But then we can bow our heads and spend a few moments thanking God for all that He as given us, to ask His blessing on those in need, on our nation, on friends and neighbors, and on the flawed people He has gathered together called our family. We can thank Him for His faithfulness when we were unfaithful, for being a Father to the fatherless, for loving us and forgiving us when we were unlovely. We can thank Him for sending His son Jesus to atone for our sins and for adopting us into His family by grace through faith.

My Taller Half and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving from Pixley. May the Lord bless you today and always.

Extraordinary moments

On By SandyIn Faith, Love1 Comment

Tall Cat wanted to go outside, but when I opened the door, he stopped, looking out to see if there were any threats, looking in to see if there were any treats. I couldn’t stand there all day, so I shut the door. My Taller Half (MTH), who was busy making breakfast in the kitchen, called out “he’s only window shopping.”

By the time I turned on my computer in the office, Georgy Girl by The Seekers was playing in my head.

You’re always window-shopping
But never stopping to buy

I was just getting up to go thank MTH for the ear worm when I heard him whistling Georgy Girl from the kitchen. The song popped into his head, too, without him realizing why.

We share a common song bank from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Nothing surprising. It was just a simple moment. Nothing out of the ordinary. But in that instant, we were on the same wavelength, and I felt a rush of contentment, knowing there is no one else for me, no where else I would rather be. I was home.

People are always chasing the Big Thing — important jobs, fat bank accounts, faster cars, bigger houses, monumental events, over-the-top romance. More, more, and more. But people on the whole aren’t that happy. And because they aren’t happy, they chase the Next Big Thing or turn to alcohol or drugs or some other substitute to dull the pain.

The secret is to understand that life is a gift from God. When you know Him, when you are grateful for His good gifts, your eyes are opened to the extraordinary all around you. Those who seek Him have the opportunity to find joy everywhere. Alone or in marriage. In poverty or prosperity. In perfect health or in a sick bed. You can even, like the Apostle Paul, find freedom in a prison cell.

It is a simple concept but not easy. It takes discipline to look for those ordinary extraordinary moments of joy and contentment and thank God for them. In His grace, God sends a Helper through Christ to strengthen and encourage us in our faith. The more you look for things for which to be grateful, the easier they are to find. Reach for your inner Pollyanna and find reasons to be glad.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV)

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Wishing you joy and contentment this day.