Camel Tracks in Shadeless Sun

Unexpected Garden Joy. Liz and I are small town people. We didn't grow up on a farm. Our knowledge of plants, herbs, trees, shrubs, is surprisingly small. When we got our first home, the previous owners left two small box gardens. To keep from throwing out good lumber and soil, we decided to try an kitchen herbs garden in one good box. Then the "wow" began. How pleasant it is to watch things grow under your care, to spray misty goodness on your little budding stalks, to eat fresh aromatic basil...

The Philosophy of Mowing Lawns One of my male duties in American culture, apparently, is to mow the grass. It's not my most favorite job. A green lawn does look nice, tamed wilderness, prevents erosion, provides symmetry with the neighbors lawns, and avoids public shame. But if our same acreage was covered in shrubs, California style ground cover, succulents and low bushes, or even rock gardens, that would be much more beautiful, creative, and reflect each owner's style and personality more cle...

Motos Are Great in Africa I love driving motorcycles in Africa. It's a completely different experience and culture than in the United States. In the US, motorcycles are a second vehicle, a luxury hobby, a power tool for high speed fun. It's considered dangerous, cool, rebel, a weekend group ride. Engines are massive. A serious bike starts around 600ccs. In Africa, motorcycles are the middle class family's economic necessity -- for serious daily work commutes, for taking the kids to school,...

The Joy of Linux. An IT friend had a pile of Red Hat Linux books on his desk. When I asked him about it, he handed me a stack with some install CDs and DVDs. After a week of exploring and devouring the manuals, I wanted to try it out. A second network admin friend gave me an desktop pre-loaded with Ubuntu Linux. Everything was free, no monthly or annual licenses. Anything could be customized to my preference and style. The security features were much more comprehensive than what I was used to i...

I'm at a loss, floating in ennuie, malaise, fugue. What is important has shrunk astronomically. But strange how the act of letters spilling out of my mind and dropping to the screen makes a small but real creation-buzz in me. Looking back at the day, I accomplished appallingly little. I'm embarrassed to admit that. But what I did do, made my soul stretch out to the sun a little more. Keyboarding outside under the maple tree shade, organizer, journal, Bible, phone, and large glass of iced l...