What'll It Be?

Stepped out. Thought: NBA; didn't wake up 'til 10, crashing after dealing with the landscape issues. Wasn't much ado, the town quiet.

Didn't want to go pub but did, for coffee. Had a pot going. No pool.

Then went to diner after close for WiFi. Their router wouldn't. Next somewhere else to get speeded up. Checked a few things out.

This'n most enjoyable. Back home went here:

Most dread liege,
The good I stand on is my truth and honesty:
If they shall fail, I, with mine enemies,
Will triumph o'er my person; which I weigh not,
Being of those virtues vacant. I fear nothing
What can be said against me.

Hank 8-5.1

Scheduling

The landscape problem slowly resolving. Involves more than what I can trim and prune. The pittospori are goners. They get blasted. Northern exposure. They were stressed last summer after a spring trimming before the sun achieved position beyond the due westerly latitude. Winter one better; the way it goes. They need to be removed. That will take a backhoe and getting estimates. An ash tree, frost damaged years ago, has to be pruned. This isn't the best time for that neither and will entail some risk. Waiting on consultation with compliance inspector concerning that. She did give me another two weeks as it takes some doing to get those estimates and a make a hire looking to get done next week.

In an older plat, the newer localities xeriscaped, what was planted fifteen years ago are now costly propositions. The shrubs shield the block wall but the taller they get the more water is required; may install an awning instead. Probably another code issue. Drape some burlap? Don't think so. Simple solution, though. Zounds... then some kid with a match. Batiked burlap? A graffiti citation!

Really, haven't been out much since last summer. Very internalized. I remember telling a friend that I knew I was depressed when I didn't water my plants regularly. The cacti have survived. Last year I quite enjoyed the blooms. This one - just glanced.

Something I planned on doing. Contemplated going to the Botanical Garden to see Chihuly's show earlier this spring in tandem blooming. Some pictures. A series, riding the light rail through central Phoenix and finishing up on Mill Avenue in Tempe afterwords. That passed too.

Look; Don't Touch

Hector est finie. Doucement. Sobrement. Heureusement.

Truly a well-heeled fellow at high table!
"Where the blazes is Wasilla?"

the coroner of Bath delved of her Fellow.
"A piece north of Knik Arm, if I'm not mistaken."

Temporal Issues

The secret of all good writing is sound judgment.

So said Horace. I change the title again. Won't worry about singularity or appeal.

I do so honor of Susan Boyle. Haven't seen the video of her final performance. Am going to find it now and patch it. I suppose many people have done so as well... what do you know? No embed. Understandable. The link will do.

Notice carefully that sound judgment

must precede the exercise of initiative.

That's Charles Gow. I had to make a choice this evening as to whether to go to church with the Friends or the Baptists - and from there the place; either Love close to home or North Phoenix where my membership remains. They have a spa at the latter, so that's a consideration because I've gotten out of shape again. And a dear woman who does a Bible Study. Last time I was there I mentioned I'd find something out for her with regard to her County Jail ministry that might ease her access. Someone at Love Baptist is in the Sheriff's office. Am reminded to do that again. I can't get involved much more than that, just to the extent of resourcing one with the other if they're not already familiar with each other. The Friends are not as familiar to me as are the people at North Phoenix... thither I pulled myself together after a day making arrangements about the landscape. Glad to hear the pastor speak upon John 17; I've been lax about my discipleship. Very much so. May The Lord have mercy on me.

Inspection

After a period of much reading and poesy, was startled to get cited by city for dessicated vegetation out front. Way behind on yard work and conserving water, have got to get reoriented. Have until Friday to comply. Will probably need a hauler. Must say I've been oblivious, often thinking about move to maintenance free digs, but have been waiting on market stability and increased demand. Chop-chop!

Much moved by Susan Boyle, as are many. A wonderful savant and I hope she's well protected. I suspect Simon Cowell's feigned detachment (He had to see her audition tapes, no?) a racket conducive to his business interest. I've not investigated how or when he "signed her up" but he had better take care. Saw she went to a facility and am as concerned as the next person.

I'd hope someone passes along something I read in the comments after the finals video was released. That Diversity will be forgotten while she will be cherished. Well, yeah - they'll be broke up sooner than later. I found them boring. Otherwise, haven't a clue.

Well, need to disengage from metaphysics and I thought this might help in addressing chores. Say you're going to do, and get it done. Marker of sorts.

Trouble is, doing this takes time away from the housework too!

Competition

Ugh-oh... after feeling very pleased to have defaulted to a positivist and comfortable name for the blog, I saw, upon searching out the phrase, that it's been taken by a fellow in New York. So I'll be finding another one. Soon as I get around to it.

Also secured this. Will get around to that as well.

I'm going to surmise that the pastor in New York convenes with the American Baptists; the church where I presently have membership does so with the Southern Baptists. I have belonged to churches of both conventions and find it most grievous that the fissure has not been resolved. It was over Toby the manservant.

Toby was a slave whose "owner" committed to a mission in Africa in the early 1840s. When his submission went before the mission board in Boston, the principals were not amenable to his having Toby along in that circumstance. Hence, in a huff, slave-owning Baptists, who accommodated themselves with a perception of sanction for bonded service (to put a fine point on it) in Scripture, reconvened in satisfaction of their misperception, for, if salvation is of the Jews, then He who brought His people out of slavery is Lord, no?

Which brings us to a crux!

Is a Christian but a Jew liberated from all these misguided authorities? As a Baptist, I'd volunteer that there's something to that; must one become a God-fearing, convicted Jew before "becoming" a Christian? I think so.

Well, I look forward to finishing the book mentioned. Off the top of my head I'd say, in a historical sense, that it was so-called Greco-Romanism which perverted Christianity with its neurotic conflicts and violent disputations - which led to dhimmis being enslaved in dreadful fear of manic ghazis. Sound familiar?

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Before Aardvark

Finished The Lunar Men several weeks ago. It was related how many of the things we take for granted, even as I sit here and tap an electronic keyboard and think of Dr. Franklin and his kite, were just beginning to be understood. That's always an intellectual challenge, to understand how things are, and what exactly they are in a premise along with, "How goes it, compadre?" A contact switch sends a binary pulse of electrons to relay in the processor, etc., but the sum of the parts and persons, all powered up, tends toward a will to more power, doesn't it? That's how I'd reduce the striving, and, well, I'd rather not.

Contemporaneously to those fellows, Dr. Johnson was compiling his dictionary. (Henry Hitchings has done up a read about that.) Very nicely done. A single-minded individual he was. He found it a drudge, but he accomplished what he set out to do. Oats! Used to be Quaker. Now Sprouts has got some excellent blends in the barrels. How low-tech can you get?

Golly if I haven't gone through several books (Love the free downloads.) since my last post, including one about bibliophilia!

So, replete of this, what have I got to say?
I'd rather not.