MORE SILLY

I came to bed a while ago
Yet I am still awake
For the waves against the shore go
Whoosh and crash when they break,
And the bullfrogs like to bellow
In the reeds down by the lake,
And those crickets in the meadow-
What an awful din they make.
But worst of all is the obnoxious crow,
Whose life I’d like to take.
I wish they’d all be quiet so
I can sleep for goodness sake.

* * *
If I could finish a task
Simply by wishing it so
Then people would surely ask
Me to help them shovel snow.
They’d want help with other things too
Like picking crops and fixing leaks,
And in a moment I could do
What would normally take me weeks.
Ah yes, my fortune would be made
If I only had that power-
For I’d insist on being paid
By the job and not the hour.

* * *
There’s a thin line between ripe and rot.
Is this fruit good or is it not?
In order to find out if it is
I’ll feed a piece to my little sis.
By her reaction I can tell
Far better than by sight or smell
If it’s good or if it’s not-
If it’s ripe or gone to rot.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is the classiest candy? Suppose you've been invited to a party at the White House- You're standing in the rose garden surrounded by a veritable whose who of the nations leaders and newsmakers. The President sidles up to you to get your advice on some matter of national importance. You reach into your pocket and offer him...what?

What is the classiest candy?

QUESTION OF THE DAY

If you had to go by an opposite gender name for the rest of your life, which would you choose? You can not choose a name that could go wither way like sam or pat, or which is spelled the same, but pronounced differently, like Ivan.

SILLY

I watched a robin eat a worm
And thought I’d do the same
But when I felt that critter squirm
I heaved and out it came.

* * *

I carved a boat from granite,
And, boy, did it look grand!
But when I pushed it in the lake

It didn’t float like I had planned

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Of all the mice that have ever lived, from the present day all the way down to the first mouse, have more of them been killed by animals and men or have more died of other causes like starvation, disease, or drowning? Which side carries the balance?

Sarah and I have a drawer in our kitchen, which the mice seem unusually atracted to. I once caught 5 mice in as many days in that drawer. I had to throw the trap away because it was covered in gore- dried blood, fur, and other matter. It was too disgusting to handle with my bare hands so I threw it out. It was a good trap though. I finally wrote a letter to the mice and left it in the drawer, and they haven't been back since. If you are have having problems with mice I would invite you to use the same letter which I have posted below.

Dear Mr. Mouse et al,

I'm sick of your leavings,
And midnight thievings!
You're a nasty pest!
An unwelcome guest!
You belong out-of-doors-
Not here in my drawers-
So get out of my house
You filthy mouse!

I'm afraid you simply don't belong
But please, oh please, don't get me wrong,
I think you mice
Are perfectly nice
When you stay where you ought to be
Which is to say
You ought to stay
Out of my house and pantry.

Sincerely,

Your Unwilling Landlord, Mr. Tate

WIND AND STORM

"What lies beyond the waves may
Cause my heart to fear.
Will I survive the day?
Must I leave what's known and dear?
A ship that's in the harbor is still
And safe from harm, but...
It was not built to be there.
It was made for wind and storm!"

Ian White

IN THE MORNING

Jarudet sang the following song to his wife, Larkin, when he asked her to marry him.

In the morning
When the grass is wet with dew
In the morning
I'll walk the fields with you
In the morning
When birdsong fills the air
In the morning
I'll tell you if I dare
How I've loved you
Since before I knew your name
How I've loved you
And hoped you'd feel the same
And I'll tell you
When the morning sun appears
Yes, I'll tell you
Of all my hopes and fears
And I'll ask you
To walk close by my side
And I'll ask you
If you would be my bride
In the morning
We could start a whole new life
In the morning
If you would be my wife
In the morning!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

This will be a recurring post on the WING AND WAVE. Thought provoking questions to start your day-

If you had to dress like Richard Simmons or wear a full Football uniform (Pads, helmet, cleats, the whole nine yards) for the rest of your life which would you choose?

SEASONS

Winter’s back is broken.
Spring’ll soon be here.
We’ll hear the frogs croakin’
When the pond of ice is clear.

When summer replaces spring,
Long and hot will be the days.
Dogs’ll sleep and birds’ll sing
In the lazy summer haze.

After the summer, fall comes next,
When the southbound fowl calls,
And the fallen leaves collect
In the ditch and along the walls.

When winter takes up residence
Nothing’s able to grow,
Except the drift along the fence
And the piling heaps of snow

* * *
The ice has melted
The streams are fat
Tumbling down
Kersplunk! Kersplat!

* * *
The squish and suck of mud and muck
Sound beneath my feet
While the plips and plops of fat raindrops
Drum a steady beat.

* * *

Spring is waxing
Winter’s waning
No more snow
But now it’s raining

Summer’s waxing
Spring is waning
Towards the sun
The crops are straining

Fall is waxing
Summer’s waning
Nights turn cold
The leaves are changing

Winter’s waxing
Fall is waning
Until the spring
Jack Frost is reigning

* * *

The bloom of the bloodroot
Is one of the first signs of spring to show.
I’ve seen it in the past
Poke its way up through the thawing snow.
For the bloodroot spring is coming,
But it is coming much to slow.

* * *

It’s a colorless winter day
And for months it will remain this way.
Days on days of white and gray-
White and gray!

There’s nothing to do but wait ‘til spring
When the land’ll thaw and the birds’ll sing,
And oh! The colors spring will bring-
Spring will bring!

* * *

A full moon shines
Through shivering pines
Casting a steady glow
On me as I talk
With her, and walk
Through shadow-dappled snow.

The woods at night
Are black and white
And strangely silent as though
They’re not quite sure
Of me and her-
Are we friend or are we foe?

* * *

The trees ‘round here are crazy,
Or so I have been told.
They dress up when it’s hot out,
And go naked when it’s cold.

* * *

Upon waking at first light,
And peering out through the window,
I noticed the lower field
Was made strangely uniform
By a broad expanse of white,
A foot or more of snow,
The ragged field concealed
By last night’s winter storm.

* * *

The woodland deer,
On wintry nights,
Do pity man and mouse
For missing out
On starry skies
By sleeping in a house.

Both man and mouse ,
On wintry nights,
Do pity woodland deer
Who go without
A cozy nest
Or a fire’s warmth and cheer.

* * *

A wind out of the north
Has turned the lake from calm to mean,
With white-cap crested waves
Dividing troughs of brownish green-
Like rows of snow capped mountains
With their valleys in between.

oozing Sap

When climbing in the pines
You must beware of oozing sap.

Many are they who’ve stepped in it,
And never did come back.

We find them later in the trees
Caught in their sticky trap

With, “Tell them all I loved them”
Pinned upon their pack.

Ill Designed

This part of the forest is thick.
It hems in closely all around.
Its branches mingle in the sky-
Roots interweave underground.
The forest edge absorbs the wind,
It does not penetrate here,
Where the sun is strained through layered leaves,
And the way is made unclear,
By a forest wall- a wall of trees
Closing in on every side,
And through these dense and tangled woods
There are no paths to meet my stride.
So over, under, ‘round, and through
I make my way as best I can
Through woods that are ill designed
For the passage of a man.
Yet the woods are interrupted
Somewhere up ahead I know
By the edges of a field
Where trees give way to meadow.
And through the meadow runs a brook-
Broken free from the forest ranks,
And like fabric along a zipper
The fields run along its banks.
It runs for a mile or two,
And along its course I’ll roam,
Before it intersects the road
That will lead me back to home.
And though that way is less direct
Than returning the way I came,
In terms of time it’ll take
It is really about the same,
For woods as dense as these
Are slower, though shorter in span,
Due to the fact they’re ill designed
For the passage of a man.

A LULLABY FOR BOWDEN AND LUCY

When the night is closing in
And the light is growing dim
I'll set my sights on Him.
God is with me!

I am precious in His sight
And protected by His might.
He'll watch through the night.
God is with me!

And in the morning when I rise-
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes-
I'll sing unto the skies
God is with me!

Even when I'm far from home,
In a land where I'm unknown,
I am not alone-
God is with me!

For wherever I may go
My Lord is there also.
It's comforting to know
God is with me!

And I will follow Him always,
And in the coming days
I'll often sing in praise
God is with me!

Do you want a receipt with that?

Sometimes when I buy small food items such as a candy bar, soda, or bag of chips the clerk will ask me if I want a receipt. I always tell them; "The only way I'm returning this is if I throw up in your store, and then I won't be expecting a refund." Sometimes they laugh nervously. Sometimes they laugh sincerely. Sometimes there is an awkward silence. Most often they say something like "Well, we don't want that to happen, do we?" I don't know... Maybe I should stop saying that.

John G. McFee

Do you remember John G.
McFee
From down by Endicott?
He walked along the brook
To look
For a picnic spot.
“I hung my hat in a tree”,
Said he
“Because my head grew hot.”
“I don’t recall which tree it was
Because
Sadly I forgot.”
The trees look all the same up there-
Up Where
My head grew hot.”

Well, later on that day
I may
Have found a hat in a tree
And written inside the brim
By him
Was “John G. McFee”.
I put it on my head
And said
It looks far better on me
Now when I wear it around the town
He frowns
And glares suspiciously
He says “I once had a hat
Like that.
It looked far better on me.”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUMMER?

Camp Maranatha is looking for High School and College students who are seeking something more than a typical summer job. Do you long to invest yourself in the Lord’s service? Would you enjoy living and working with like-minded young people in the beauty of the San Jacinto Mountains? Do you feel that the Lord is calling you to use your gifts in His service? If you answered “yes” to the above questions, you should consider joining Camp Maranatha’s 2006 summer staff.
Ever since the camp’s beginning in 1951 our summer staff has played a major role in the camp’s ministry. They have come from all around the country to serve the Lord through serving others. Over the course of the summer you will develop important work experience, make friends, and be stretched in your relationship with God. The summer staff experience isn’t just about work either. We also make time for staff activities, Bible study, devotions, and just hanging out and enjoying each others company in the beauty of God’s creation.
So, what are you doing this summer? If you have a heart for the Lord, and are looking for an exciting and rewarding summer work experience, Camp Maranatha is the place for you. For an application or for additional information about working on the 2006 summer staff contact Camp Maranatha today!

WE HIRE ATTITUDE AND TEACH SKILLS!

CAMP MARANATHA

PO BOX 1736, IDYLLWILD, CA, 92549

951-659-2739

camp_maranatha@juno.com

Trees

The trees 'round here are crazy
Or so I have been told.
They dress up when it's hot out
And go naked when it's cold

* * *

All trees, like people,
Begin as fragile shoots.
The condition of the tree
Is evidence of its roots.

* * *

I'm sure glad I'm not a tree
Whose scenery is never changing.
I think roots would slow me down
When I wanted to go a ranging.

* * *

"Have you ever stood on a moon dappled limb?
Up near the top where the trunk tapers slim?
Where you cling to the bark with a white-knuckle grip
As it pitches and rolls like the deck of a ship?

Have you ever slept in the riotous trees?
Have you been rocked to sleep by the force of the breeze?
Have you laid out your roll in the quiet recess
Of a woodpecker's hole or an old robin's nest?

Have you ever sat where the mourning grieves?
Looked out on a view that's framed by the leaves?
Where the comings and goings of things here and there
Are plain to your sight from so high in the air?

I have" Jarudet the Widjiwat

... on which side of the lake is best

Those who live in Vermont, as me and mine do,
Hold the eastern shore is the better of the two,
But even we concede- New Yorkers have the better view.

Do you think?

If all the creatures in all the seas
Jumped all at once in perfect sync,
And for a moment they just hung there
In the air above the drink-
I wonder, in that moment,
How much would the ocean sink?
And would the ocean sink?
Hmmm.... I wonder. Do you think?

If only rocks were edible! I wish that it were so!
Instead of to the market to the quarry I would go!

I'd boil up some granite and nibble on some slate.
Pickled quartz and limestone steaks I'd heap upon my plate.

Bowls of pebbles and chips of shale laid out like finger food!
I think I would like marble best if it were chopped and stewed.

Metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary
Mix 'em in a pot- you'd have a rocky recipe!

The one concern I'd have is what would happen when
The rocks which I had eaten come out the other end?

They say the fields are wet with dew,
But I know otherwise.
Fish were dancing in those fields
'Til just before sunrise.

I've seen 'em do it lots of times
When they think no one's awake-
All silver in the moonlight
In the fields down by the lake.

Schools of yellow perch and sunfish
Mix with walleye, trout and bass,
And with every dip and twirl
Water spatters on the grass.

They always stop their revelry
Just before the crack of dawn,
Wiggle their way back to the lake,
And just like that, they're gone.

Aboard the "Sadie P."