Sunbob's Room

Occupy: a Lamentation

2011-12-30T14:16:00.000-06:00

I have been watching and following the Occupy movement in America this fall and even participated a couple of times in my home town activities. I have been thinking more of this lately and have been troubled by the criticism that the movement doesn't have a clear goal - a single message. The criticism didn't resonated as valid with me but I couldn't articulate why.

I think I have finally figured out why this objection to the movement didn't work for me. It appears to me that we are in the early stages of protest - we are still in the lament. Before anything is changed one must recognize that there is a problem. Before you go to the doctor you must acknowledge the pain. I am no theologian but I am a spiritual person and I recognized that I had heard this refrain before. It finally registered for me that this is much like what the Hebrews expressed in the Book of Lamentations.

Lamentations 1:11 (NIV)

11 Allher people groan
   asthey search for bread;
theybarter their treasures for food
   tokeep themselves alive.
“Look,LORD, and consider,
   forI am despised.”

It would appear that we are just now starting to vocalize the lament and declaring the pain that so many of us are experiencing. This is the necessary first step to change.

It is only by coming together in our pain and suffering that we will be able to move on to the next step of change - correction. We don't know for sure where that next step will take us but we are starting to realize that the step must be taken.

This is why I can support the Occupy Movement even when so many want to dismiss it because there is no clear, sound bite message. "No direction, no plan" is the argument. Well, there is a clear message - our people are in pain. Too many of our people are being left behind as this country of ours moves forward and I cannot accept that. I cannot accept that people are without jobs when companies are showing record cash surpluses. I cannot accept that people who have worked all of their lives and contributed to their retirement plans and paid their Social Security taxes for 40 and 50 years are being told that their will be nothing for them when their time comes.

We are living in very difficult times for our country and for all of us on this planet. I don't claim to have the answers - I must leave that to greater minds, but I do know that we must do something. That is what the Occupy protests are saying to me. That is the message.

My hope and my prayer is that the voices will be heard and action will be taken.

Ron Paul wins the student mock election in Polk County, IA

2011-12-23T10:19:00.000-06:00

Kudos to the Polk County Auditor for this opportunity to teach our children how the voting process works. Here are the "official results" of the Mock Election held at area high schools last week.

Looks like Ron Paul could have a very strong showing on January 3rd in the real caucus. I also see that Obama would beat all of the Republican contenders in a head to head. In the past this could be a good indicator of what the parents are thinking. I wonder if it will hold true this year.

Mock High School Election
Friday, December 16, 2011

VOTING DETAILS - OFFICIAL RESULTS

RESULTS AS OF: 12/16/2011 4:07:20 PM
Select Contest or Candidate for Precinct Voting Details

Democrat

Republican

Non-Partisan


REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Michele Bachmann	867	( 12.94%)
Newt Gingrich	595	( 8.88%)
Ron Paul	2101	( 31.35%)
Rick Perry	1384	( 20.65%)
Mitt Romney	1504	( 22.44%)
Rick Santorum	250	( 3.73%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	4404	( 67.14%)
Michele Bachmann	2155	( 32.86%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	4106	( 64.01%)
Newt Gingrich	2309	( 35.99%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	3396	( 52.23%)
Ron Paul	3106	( 47.77%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	3749	( 58.27%)
Rick Perry	2685	( 41.73%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	3526	( 54.83%)
Mitt Romney	2905	( 45.17%)


PRESIDENT
Vote for 1	PRECINCTS REPORTED
	41/41
Candidate Name	Votes

Barack Obama	4202	( 66.23%)
Rick Santorum	2143	( 33.77%)

Homes for the Holidays

2011-12-07T12:35:00.001-06:00

Each year, just before Christmas, Slumberland teams up with local social service agencies to give out beds to children in need. This morning I had the honor of helping load out 80 sets to go to homes in the Des Moines area.

We teamed up with LSI to find the homes and Knights of Columbus did the deliveries. We met at the Ankeny store and all shared a pancake breakfast donated by IHOP. This truly is a community effort.

Eighty children received a new mattress, foundation and frame. For most, if not all, this will be their first new bed. For some, if past years experience holds true, this will be their first bed. Over the years I have heard many stories of children who had been sleeping on the floor on a pile of blankets or maybe they could have the sofa. To know that you have a bed to go home to shouldn't be a luxury but unfortunately for all too many this is the case. I'm glad to be a part of putting a dent in that in our neck of the woods.

Peace.

Lunch time in Rural Iowa

2011-11-18T21:32:00.001-06:00

Carharts and John Deere caps, these people obviously work for a living. This scene was in the Lincoln Cafe in Belle Plaine, IA but it was repeated all over the state. This is life in rural America.

These are real people living their lives. I just sat in the corner and watched and listened.

There were the construction workers filling up on the "all-you-can eat" Walleye special.

"You want another plate of fish there, honey?" "Nah. I guess I've had enough. I could come back about 2 for more though." "Your welcome to darlin', but you know you'll have to pay for it again."

There is the man who joined his wife, young daughter and mother. "I don't have much time", is his greeting. "That's okay," replys his wife, "I've already ordered your lunch." And as if on cue the waitress comes to the table with his burger and fries. It only took a few minutes for his little daughter to find her way onto his lap to be greeted with a hug. "You gonna go to the basketball game tonight and watch Sissy play? Grandma can't go so you can cheer in her place." "Yea, but you won't be as loud as Grandma", chimes in the mother. "Hey", Grandma rises to her defence, " I've gotten better. But the game has changed from my day. You couldn't push and shove when I played. You couldn't even touch the other player." "Yea, and you only went half court" Sounds like Grandma played in the days of 6 player girls rules. Three in the back court and three in the front court. So here we have a table of three generations of girls basketball.

Girls basketball is very popular in Iowa and has been for generations. In many schools I dare say it out draws the boy's game. The Girl's State Basketball Tournament (and I capitalise it out of respect) is an annual event in this state. Whole towns will shut down and make the caravan trip to Des Moines to see their team play.

On the other side of the room two couples of retired farmers are enjoying their lunch and talking of the weather and the corn prices (the two topics dearest to an Iowa farmers heart). It's mild for mid-November and they don't mind too much. It's easier on the bones. But they really need some snow to protect the fields from the wind and to provide the moisture for next years crop. It seems like farmers are never entirely happy about much of anything. But maybe the price of corn. This year's harvest may not have been a record but the prices were darn close. In all it was a good year for most of them.

This is small town Iowa. These people work hard. They are not the one percent.

Peace.

I joined in the Occupy Iowa demonstration today.

2011-10-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

Occupy Des Moines moved to the Bank of America building downtown, today. I went down this afternoon to join in. There were about 30 people there. This is the first time I have gone down there to join in the action. I was impressed by the diversity. These weren't just hippies and students. These were plain old normal people.

Here are a couple of photos of the demonstration. I was standing with a small group on the adjacent corner. While I was there we had a number of cars drive by and honk in support. Even the trolley driver rang his bell quit loudly in support. I didn't hear or see anyone that had an openly negative response - just support or calmly going by without any display.

I was struck by the image of the protesters standing in front of the bank building and having the empty shops at street level with "For Lease" signs in the windows.

I have read many articles and opinions about what is going on with these demonstrations. The common criticism is that there is no clear demand so there isn't really anything going here. I think those people are missing the point. I think what is going on is that there is a growing number of plain old people who are finally internalizing the fact that we are in deep trouble in America. We know that times are tough, and that many companies are struggling and many people are unemployed. We have been waiting for the government to respond and make things better. And it isn't happening. Reality is setting in. America is in trouble and there isn't an easy fix. So there isn't a single slogan. There isn't a single message because there isn't a clear path out. But, also, the normal Joe like me looks at the news and looks around and I don't see that anything is even being tried. For me the message is,
"please, can we get to work doing something?".

My traditional close for these posts comes from the days when I first started writing in 1972. Back then the message was clear - we wanted to end the war in Viet Nam. Today we are at war again, and that would be good to bring our soldiers home. But we are also at war with ourselves, and for that I continue my prayer for. . .
PEACE.

Another Wednesday

2011-10-12T22:14:00.000-05:00

It is Wednesday night again and this week the Rev did the cooking for Wednesday Night on the Hill. Four different versions of her egg strata. We served about 25 people tonight and it looks like the sausage and mushroom version was the winner.

The ham dish was a hit and so was the turkey. Looks like the veggie tray was a unique taste.

We are settling into a small but regular group that comes together to share a meal. Now we need to see if we can help it grow this winter.

Peace.

Wednesday Night on the Hill

2011-09-14T23:28:00.001-05:00

We kicked off Wednesday Night on the Hill. The Rev asked me to cook burgers and brats for the meal, again.

Now for those who don't understand - the Rev started Wednesday Night on the Hill last fall as a way to bring more of the congregation together outside of Sunday morning. We have a meal and then people can go off to the various groups and meetings or just come for the meal and then go on with their lives. But the youth groups meet, the choir has their practice and various committees are encourage to meet on Wednesday.

I grilled burgers and brats last year for the kick-off so I got to do it again. This year I wanted to do something a little special so I went to Penzeys Spices to see what I could find. I told the man at the spice shop that I was cooking burgers for the church and I asked, "What can I do to make those burgers special?" He smiled and said come with me. He took me to their "Chicago Steak Seasoning". This a blend of salt, Tellicherry black pepper, sugar, garlic, onion, lemon peel and hickory smoke flavor. Wow, was he right on. All I really did was sprinkle the burgers and let them set for a couple of hours before I grilled them and they were great. Last year everyone ate the brats and hot dogs, but this year the burgers flew out the door. I only had 4 burgers left over and a dozen brats. Nobody even touched the dogs.

I have a lot of fun cooking this meal. Last year I got to do it about once a month. I hope to do the same this year but if more people step up and want to cook, I'll definitely let them in. I have to do it at least once more though because I have been tweaking my meat loaf recipe. Last year I served meatloaf and tator tots and everyone loved it. But this year I will have a secret ingredient, Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub. I've tried this twice now at home and it makes great meatloaf. I'll share how it goes when the time comes.

Peace.

Patty Pan Squash

2011-09-09T22:47:00.000-05:00

Well look what we found in our CSA box this week. That is a patty pan squash at the top sitting next to what I'm pretty sure is a Zephyr squash. Those are both summer squashes and very tasty. Then, could that be 2 kinds of eggplant or maybe just one type that has grown differently. I'm thinking it is two varieties. And then I saw the first muskmelon of the year. I can't wait to cut that open. Each fall the trucks come up from Muscatine in the southern part of Iowa full of melons. But this one was grown locally.

We continue to get more garlic, carrots and peppers. The Rev isn't big on garlic and was wondering what we would be able to do with all of them, but I assured her we could put them downstairs and they would last all winter. I think we can probably do the same with the carrots.

I'm not sure how many more boxes we are going to be getting, it's getting late in our season but this has been a fun ride this summer. We haven't talked it over yet, but I will be voting to do this again next year.

Enjoy the last days of summer and welcome autumn - the best time of the year. Here it comes.

Peace.

We are home and it is done. The celebration...

2011-09-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

We are home and it is done. The celebration of a life lived very well.

The funeral for Flo was this morning in Belle Plaine. Last night was the viewing.
I made it through last night and was doing fine today.
I choked up a little when Christy read her poem to end the funeral service - but I was okay.
Then when 16 members of the local American Legion saluted as they passed the casket to leave the church, that got to me as well - but I was okay.
I was one of the pallbearers and as we carried her casket from the church to the hearse, passing through those 16 soldiers saluting her again, I almost lost my composure - but I was okay.
We went out for the graveside service and listened to the ministers final words and I was okay.
But then they gave her a 21 gun salute and as the bugler started to play taps, Max started to cry. It was as if that gave us all permission to let go because it wasn't just me but several around me just started to bawl.

Flo was a remarkable woman. I knew that but I didn't realize how many other lives she had touched in that small community.

Go in peace my friend.

Happy Birthday Buddy Hackett

2011-08-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

Buddy Hackett would have been 87 today.

Here is a clip from the Tonight Show with Buddy just being Buddy.

This is an amazing video of a robotic bird...

2011-08-25T00:08:00.000-05:00

This is an amazing video of a robotic bird. Thanks to TED for sharing this work. How a bird flies has fascinated us for centuries. I am inspired by these people who have made a working machine to copy a bird's flight.

And if you haven't discovered TED yet - check it out, it is worth your time.

http://www.ted.com/talks/a_robot_that_flies_like_a_bird.html

I was introduced to a new liquor tonight...

2011-08-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

I was introduced to a new liquor tonight. It is called Sheridan's. It is a combination of a coffee and whiskey mixture on one side of the bottle with the other side of the bottle containing cream. It comes from Dublin. Apparently it is not available in the US but you can get it in the duty free shops on a cruise ship. The Rev and I were at a dinner tonight and our hosts brought this out. Very nice. This is Bailey's kicked up a notch. 15.5% alcohol so not tremendously potent - but very tasty.

We had a great evening of good steaks and fine wines. Very nice.

Just hangin out with Christy. We just put...

2011-08-18T00:03:00.002-05:00

Just hangin out with Christy. We just put a pot roast on the stove to slow cook and Christy fixed up a salad. Cucumbers and tomatoes from her garden with a peach balsamic vinaigrette.

View or comment on Dave Sundberg's post »

Carrots, potatoes and eggplant. . . Oh my.

2011-08-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

Carrots, potatoes, eggplant, squash, cucumber, garlic, beets, onion, tomatoes. That is the CSA box this week. I decided to take a picture of the whole box this week.

Oh and I forgot to mention the eggs, but they are actually an addition to our weekly box. Rick at Small Potatoes has been disappointed with the production of his fields this year. He sent an email to us today apologizing for the meager harvests. This summer has been tough with torrential rains drowning the young plants followed by hail storms beating them up, and then intense record heat drying them out and baking the soil into pavement. But I don't think he needs to apologize. It has been more than enough for the Rev and I. In fact we have had to work at keeping up. What a problem - having to force ourselves to eat fresh, delicious, and healthful organic produce each and every day.

It has felt a little strange as I zip right past the produce department at HyVee each week as I do my shopping. There really isn't much more to get in that area. Just bread, a little meat, milk and butter from the dairy department and beverages is all I need and I'm good.

I have to add that I discovered a spice shop in our neighborhood and have added fresh spices to the pantry. Penzys is the shop and although I just found them this past week, I am very impressed with my initial choices. I think I may become a regular at that shop.

Well it looks like we are getting a break from the intense heat and just going to settle into our normal hot August weather for a few days. That will be nice.

Enjoy the state fair. Peace.

Garlic and Summer Squash this week

2011-07-29T21:43:00.000-05:00

Carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, beets and summer squash were featured in our CSA box this week. Fresh basil and parsley joined a couple of chilli peppers to round it out. I fixed the squash for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I can't wait to use the garlic.

I picked up a trick from my daughter over the weekend that I am going to try - she roasts her beets and then stores them in the refrigerator to use later. She said to roast them in their skins and then the skins come right off. I have to try this.

The Rev and I are eating mostly vegetables now this summer. Tonight dinner consisted of potatoes, squash, carrots and wax beans. Some of the fresh parsley on the beans and squash made for a very nice (and filling) meal. We didn't even miss not having any meat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not becoming a vegetarian, but when the veggies are this fresh, it is hard not to pig out on them.

Peace.

Dark Red Norland potatoes

2011-07-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

Check this out. Our CSA box last Friday was great. I already have a pan of potatoes, zuchinni, and carrots ready for the grill when I remembered I needed a picture for this site.

Dark Red Norland potatoes were the featured item this week. The first potatoes of the season. They were small, firm and tasted wonderful. All I did was sprinkle some olive oil on the veggies in that pan and seasoned them with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast them on the grill and you are good to go.

We also found a beautiful onion, a small eggplant, and three beets. I haven't sliced the beets yet but I think at least one of them is a striped beet. I've never had those before so I'm looking forward to that. I will probably just slice them up and boil them, at least the first time.

Peace.

Feeling Good

2011-07-13T17:37:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen this already, you are in for a treat. This is from the Clark Retirement community in Michigan.

Who says we can't have fun.

Enjoy,

CSA comes through again

2011-07-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

It is Friday and another box from Small Potatoes Farm (CSA). The snow peas, kohlrabi, bok choy and lettuce are continuing to look good. This week added a bunch of radishes and a carton of raspberries. The Rev grabbed the berries as soon as we got home and gave them a very positive review. Some of the snow peas and some bok choy went into the wok for dinner. I do enjoy that combination.

Half the year is gone. I hope you have a pleasant Independence Day week-end celebration.

Peace.

This week's CSA box looks good

2011-06-24T17:59:00.000-05:00

Look at this from our CSA, Small Potatoes Farm. This is what was in the box today. Bok choy, kohlrabi, romaine lettuce, snow peas and collard greens. I can't wait for the Rev to get home so I can make a stir fry with the snow peas and bok choy - she will love it.

I will use the lettuce in my sandwiches this week. I even got turkey and a couple of tomatoes at the store just to set it up. And I'm starting to become a fan of the greens.

I took on the kale

2011-06-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

Here it is Thursday and I still haven't tried the red Russian kale from last week's box, so tonight was the night. I decided on a simple sauté.

First I fried four slices of bacon and took that out to drain on paper towels. I probably didn't need four slices of bacon, but hey - is it possible to have too much bacon? Really? Then into the pan went the kale along with some garlic scapes, spring onion and some sliced mushrooms. The only seasoning was some kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. I let that all sauté in the bacon grease until the mushrooms and the onion were done and let that be my guide. I finished the dish with a sprinkle of red wine vinegar and served it over steamed white rice.

I must say, I was very pleased. This is a dish I could serve to guests. I wondered about the kale - what it would be like. I think it was done - it sure tasted good. It had a very solid, chewy texture, almost leathery but not tough. It just didn't have the mushy texture that I was expecting given how it looked in the pan. I was expecting that mushy texture that you can get with a green like spinach but the kale definitely held up well to the pan. Of course I sort of cheated here - you really can't go wrong cooking with bacon fat. I will do this again.

Rumor has it that the CSA box tomorrow will include more snow peas and will also bring young broccoli and maybe even some bok choy and kohlrabi. Looks like there will be more stir fry on the menu next week.

We are officially in summer on the calendar but someone forgot to get Mother Nature the memo. Barely into the 60's today and tomorrow won't be much better. Oh well, we still have July and August to go through.

Peace.

Snow Peas and Parsley - CSA comes through

2011-06-17T23:14:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and time for another box from the CSA farm. In addition to those great eggs I keep telling you about - look what arrived today. Red Russian kale , lettuce , snow peas and parsley.

A handful of the snow peas already went into the skillet tonight along with some bok choy for a stir-fry. The Rev was very pleased and so was I.

The lettuce looks wonderful and I'm sure is destined for salads and maybe I can even steal some for sandwiches for work next week. I'm also sure I can find a use for the parsley - can you imagine using fresh parsley that was just harvested this morning? Oh my, how fresh can you get?

Now, what to do with kale? I'm not sure what to do with that. I did buy some bacon at the store today - maybe I can fry up some bacon and saute the kale in the bacon fat, then crumble the bacon on top. I wonder how that might work? I'll have to try that this weekend.

Peace.

Collard Greens and Garlic Scapes

2011-06-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

We got a shipment of early produce from the Small Potatoes Farm today. Eggs - yes, asparagus - yummy, leaf lettuce - the Rev was looking forward to that,. . . and then I found collard greens and garlic scapes - what in the world is this???

I'm a Minnesota Swede, what do I know from greens and scapes? Oh well, let's try this out. Off to the web to look for recipes. I found out that garlic scapes were the green tops of garlic plants. Apparently they have a mild garlic flavor. Collard greens are in the cabbage family and very popular in southern cooking. I could find all sorts of recipes for greens and in the southern style almost all included something like ham hocks or the sort. Well, I don't have ham hocks and I'm not really into that so I kept looking. Then I found a Bobby Flay recipe for sauteed kale (those are greens also). Olive oil, a couple of cloves of garlic and finish it with vinegar. Now this is more my speed. And if this has garlic in it already I'll bet I can include the scapes.

So off I went creating my first batch of sauteed greens. I coarse chopped the collards and the scapes and threw them in the pan. Served as a side dish with panko coated chicken breast and a small baked potato - dinner was on the table in no time. The Rev and I agree, the greens were a hit, the best part of the meal. They had a great, fresh taste, no over powering garlic flavor and the vinegar finish just accented the greens.

I think I am going to like this arrangement with the CSA farm. I can't wait for more of the vegetables that I am used to eating but in the mean time, I'm learning to enjoy some "greens" that otherwise I probably would have never tried.

Peace

Hubert Humphrey

2011-05-27T22:36:00.001-05:00

On this day in 1911 a great statesman was born, Hubert Humphrey. He was raised in a small town in South Dakota and came to prominence as a senator from Minnesota. The "Happy Warrior" was a politician that probably wouldn't have fit in well in this congress. He was known for his ability to work both sides of the aisle and to get things accomplished. But most of all he cared about the people of America.

This is a quote from a speech he gave in 1948. Too bad we can't hear him today:

“We have forgotten that we are our brother's keeper, we have forgotten about each other. We are the victims of neglect, we've neglected cities and farms and people, the children and the elderly, and we have had as a measure of our success that those who already have too much will get some more, that's right, rather than those that have too little shall get enough. And the real test of a progressive, a liberal, and the real test, if you please, of a man of spirit, of faith is that he sees to it that those who have little get enough.”

Hubert H. Humphrey May 27, 1911 - Jan 13, 1978

Rick Perlstein in the New York Times says it better than I ever could.

Peace.

Too Close to Home

2011-05-23T22:50:00.002-05:00

Joplin, Missouri may be 350 miles from our parsonage in Central Iowa but the devastation brought by that tornado last night has hit too close to home. In my email in-box this morning was a message from a colleague in Wichita, KS that the Slumberland store in Joplin was destroyed. Fortunately all of our staff and their families are safe.

So then I get home and I find a report from the UM Reporter that one of our UMC churches was destroyed and another badly damaged. Fortunately, they are also reporting that all of the UMC pastors and their families are safe. As of this writing on Monday night, the death count is reported as “116 and rising”. I am thankful that all of my “associates” are safe but I can’t help but feel that dull pain in my heart for what has happened in Joplin.

At least for now, all we can do is pray for those fine people. Individuals and volunteer teams are urged not to self deploy at this time. Only professional emergency responders are being allowed to enter the damaged zone. There will be a large number of volunteer opportunities available after the area is secured. I’m can’t speak for the Rev but I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a special offering next Sunday. Nor would I be shocked to hear that the mission trip this summer has been rerouted to Missouri.

Our prayers are with the people of Joplin, MO tonight. May God look over them and bring them . . .
peace.

Harmon Killebrew died today

2011-05-17T23:25:00.001-05:00

Harmon Killebrew died today.

A legend of my youth died today. Every kid who played baseball in my neighborhood wanted to be Harmon Killebrew. He was the greatest in our minds. Growing up in Minnesota and even later in South Dakota. Killebrew was our idol. We all wished we could hit a baseball like him.

Good bye sir, you will be missed.

Peace

My $5 Rice Cooker

2011-05-05T23:54:00.002-05:00

So here’s the story. Two weeks ago our church had a garage sale to raise money for the youth mission trip. Of course the Rev had to go and she dragged me along. (Well, maybe dragged isn’t fair - I went along). She bought some toys for the new grandson and a rack of bins to store them in. But I found an old rice cooker - $5.
Now I’ve never had a rice cooker before, if fact I’m not sure I even knew they existed. But what the heck, I like rice and I like the idea of a new toy. So I bought it.
It is a Zojirushi model NHS-18. Now you have to understand that I knew nothing about rice cookers when I bought this thing so this is a learning curve. Well, it didn’t have the manual or anything else so the first thing I did was go on-line and I’ll be darned if Zojirushi doesn’t have a great website and I could download the manual.
So I’m off and running making my first batch. The manual says to use 2 cups of rice and fill the pan up to the “2“ mark with water. So that is what I did for my first batch. It came out hard and under done. What the hey? Then I discovered that a “cup” for a rice cooker is actually 3/4 cup in normal measures. I also found that various sites suggested a ratio of 1 part rice to 1.5 or 2 parts water. Okay, I can do that.
So the second batch has two - 3/4 cup portions and I very carefully measured three - 3/4 cup portions of water. This time the water was up to the “2“ mark on the pan and I’m thinking I’ve got it right. Nope - the rice is better but still not done tender and fluffy.
The third night I got it closer to right. I put in two (3/4 cup) portions of rice and four portions of water. This came out pretty good. The rice was still a little sticky but very tender and a great flavor.
I have to say I really like this idea now of cooking rice in this cooker. You just put in the the rice and the water and walk away. The cooker does everything. This thing is great. You just push down on the “cook” lever and when the rice is done it pops up to the warming setting and holds the rice until you are ready to serve it. That makes it very easy to just put on the rice then go outside to grill the steaks and then serve everything when you come in.
So tonight it was time to actually do a meal in the cooker. I did get a steamer tray with the cooker and the manual said I could steam things like vegetables and shrimp. So tonight I tried shrimp. I picked up a new bag of rice and a pound of fresh shrimp at the store today and tried it out. This was so easy. I put 2 measures of rice and 4 measures of water in the bottom and put the shrimp on top in the steaming tray. Put on the lid, pushed the lever down to cook and let it do it’s thing. Thirty minutes later I had cooked rice and shrimp steamed to perfection. It was glorious. I chopped up some bok choy and sautéed that with some Kikoman teriyaki sauce added the shrimp and I had a great meal.
I am hooked on this cooker. I still don’t have the rice perfect but it is very good. I also picked up some brown rice to experiment with. All of the web sites say that is harder with this model of cooker but I’m going to play with it. I’ll let you know how it goes.
We have been getting some nice spring weather finally - Enjoy and. . .
Peace.

Easter?

2011-04-21T00:05:00.000-05:00

Don't forget the Easter Egg hunt on the church lawn after the first service.

(Yes, that is sarcasm).

Peace.

UltimateBet domain seized by the FBI

2011-04-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

As you may know, this site started as a place to report on the weekly private poker tournament called "Holdem Affair" hosted by UltimateBet.com. Go back in my post histories and you will be able to read about our regular Saturday night adventures. We were the first, private, invitation only online tournament back in the day when playing online was legal in the US.

I haven't played for about 3 years and I'm not sure that the Holdem Affair is even still going on. But for sure it isn't anymore. The FBI has sized the sites of the three major online poker sites. UB is one of them. Here is the story http://poker.gamble.co.uk/news/ultimatebet-seized-fbi.asp

Just for fun I tried to go to ub.com and this is what I found:

I guess I don't really agree with what our government is doing here. I know that for some, online gambling is a problem. But for those of us in the Holdem Affair, it was a social event. I don't think the $5 buy-in was a strain for anyone and it was a great way to make friends from all over the world. How else am I going to meet someone from Sweden or the Mariana Islands? Well, I guess I have to officially say good-bye to Guran and Taipan as well as Marti in Texas and all of the others that I called friends.

Peace.

Paul Simon: The Afterlife

2011-04-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I have wanted to buy a song but I heard this on the music at our store of all things and couldn't get it out of my head. Paul Simon has done it again.
Enjoy.

Wednesday Night on the Hill

2011-03-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

It was a meat and potatoes night at Walnut Hills Wednesday night. I love cooking for the church family and last night I went with comfort food. Meatloaf and Tater Tots. It was a hit.

Here is the recipe that I used - "Meatloaf for 50". It was very easy and tasted great. Then I threw in 2 packages (5 lbs. each) of tater tots as my side dish. The oven did most of the work and I got the credit. I love those deals. I'm getting this reputation as this great cook. If they only knew.

But really, this is what fellowship is all about as far as I am concerned. Sitting down and sharing a meal - there is little better.

As it seems the world gets crazier and crazier, it is good to share a good meal with friends.

Peace.

Farm Fresh Eggs

2011-03-18T18:07:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not rushing the season. That is not a collection of Easter Eggs. I just got back from picking up our fresh eggs. The Rev and I have bought a share in "Small Potatoes CSA", a local farm. This will be our first experience with the concept of CSA - Community Supported Agriculture - and we are looking forward to enjoying the produce this summer.

What you see in the picture is the first benefit of this collaboration, fresh eggs. These are from real chickens that run free on the farm. They are not housed in a barn and crammed together. And they are from different breeds thus the different colors. I get a kick out of that alone but let me tell you, these eggs are good. This is actually our second batch and the first batch has me eating eggs again.

I don't know if it is just because these eggs are so fresh or if it is because the chickens are allowed to run free, but I am convinced that they taste different. The flavor is richer and the texture is smoother than any store-bought eggs I have eaten. These eggs actually have me getting up earlier in the morning so I have time to fix a couple for breakfast. And that, folks, is saying something. Anyone who knows Sunbob knows I am NOT a morning person. For years my morning routine was to sleep as late as possible, give myself just enough time to fix a strong cup of coffee, then rush off to get to work. This morning I got up early even though I had the day off from the store.

I have read on other web-sites that the way to test an egg's freshness is to put it in water. A fresh egg will lay flat on the bottom. As the egg ages the air pocket in the egg gets bigger and the large end of the egg starts to raise up. Older eggs will actually stand on end in the water. The eggs are still good to eat but they are getting to the end of their shelf life. If the egg floats to the surface it is time to throw it out.

Well, you know me, I had to test these eggs. I tested two of them and they laid perfectly flat on the bottom of the glass. Just to be sure of this test, I took a couple of the eggs from our first batch that have been in the refrigerator for two weeks and tested them. Both of those eggs were starting to lift and rested at about a 45 degree angle on the bottom. I haven't tested any store bought eggs so I'm not saying anything about them.

As I said earlier, the Rev and I are looking forward to this summer. We will be getting periodic shipments of fresh produce from the farm as the crops are harvested. I really don't know much about the concept of CSA but we will be learning this summer. The basic idea is that you buy a share of the output of the farm. You share the harvest and you share the risks. Here is a link that says it better. I will try to post about our experience this summer.

Peace.

Dual Monitor system

2011-03-16T20:09:00.000-05:00

I have a new toy. I have been putting together a new system and now I have two monitors. You might call this an "economy" system. A local business was upgrading their workstations and sold off their old computers and monitors. Thirty-five bucks got me a Dimension 2400 (no operating system) and a 15" LCD monitor. I couldn't pass it up.

The Dell has a Pentium 4 cpu and came with 500mb of RAM. The first thing I did was upgrade the RAM to 2 GB from my old box. Then I dropped in my wifi card. No OS is not a problem for me because I prefer Linux anyway. This time I went with Ubuntu 10.10. I fired it up and everything worked right the first time.

But the D2400 has on-board video and only one video outlet. That meant I couldn't plug in the second monitor. Newegg to the rescue. I found a Radeon PCI video card with both VGA and DVI outputs for only $40. Add on a $12 DVI cable and I just upgraded my video from a 33mhz clock to 333mhz and digital output to boot. The DVI cable is going to my 20" LG monitor and the VGA to the 15" Gateway. The last add-on was to pop in my CD burner from my old system as the Dell just had a player.

I fired everything up and Ubuntu found everything the first time. All it took was some minor tweaking of the displays and I am off and running with my new toy. I know this isn't cutting edge technology. Actually it is several years old but that's what is fun for me. I'm not a gamer so I don't need cutting edge speed and power. I use my computer to feed my internet news addiction, email my friends, track my sales, and write the occasional blog post. I figure I should be good for a couple more years at least. All for less than $90. What I really enjoyed was playing with the hardware and setting everything up.

Now I get to learn how to use a computer with dual monitors - multi-tasking is my dream (yea, right).

Peace.

The King's Speech

2011-02-18T22:52:00.000-06:00

The Rev and I went to see "The King's Speech" tonight. What a great movie.

The story is of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

Colin Firth plays King George VI and Geoffrey Rush plays Logue. Firth's portrayal of the stuttering prince who is afraid to be king is amazing. Rush is wonderful as the tutor who prepares Bertie to give the very important speech meant to inspire and unite all of Great Britain in war. Of course, as we are walking out of the theater my first thought is to find the original speech that the real King George VI gave in 1939. What is the internet for, if not to find arcane information such as this. Well, if you are interested - here it is, the original Gramaphone recording.

Peace

Jubilation

2011-02-11T10:44:00.000-06:00

There is jubilation in the streets of Egypt. Hosni Mubarek has stepped down.

Omar Suleiman says:

"President Hosni Mubarak has waived the office of president."

Now the hard work. Now the people of Egypt need to put together a new government, a new Egypt.

Kudos to Egypt, this was essentially a non-violent revolution. Kudos to Mubarek, he left peacefully. My fears yesterday were unfounded.

Let us all hold Egypt in our prayers as they set out now to build a new nation.

Peace

Egypt's Mubarak refuses to quit

2011-02-10T15:48:00.001-06:00

The president of Egypt has just addressed his people. They were expecting him to step down and end the protests. He didn't. He blamed "outside forces" for the revolt and has declared he will not submit to those pressures.

The protestors in Tahrir Square are furious. Live blog feeds and tweets from the square show that what has so far been a peaceful protest may well now turn violent. Tweets are calling for the execution of Mubarak. CNN is showing video of people leaving Tahrir Square and marching presumably to the media center or possibly the president's residence.

The Vice President is now addressing the nation pledging to God and the people that he will work to resolve the problems. He is telling the people to go home, go back to work, and not to listen to the satellite news stations that are fomenting this unrest.

I am afraid that this is going to get ugly now. I suspect that the key will be what the military does now. So far they have not taken sides and have been welcomed by the people as brothers. I would not be surprised to see a military coup. The next 12 to 24 hours are going to be vital to the future of Egypt.

I always close my posts with this prayer . . .
PEACE

Zach Wahls addresses the Iowa Senate

2011-02-07T18:35:00.000-06:00

The religious right in my state is on a mission to impose their beliefs on the citizens of Iowa. A couple of years ago the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the ban against same sex marriage was an unconstitutional discrimination against a specific group of citizens in our state. It is now legal in Iowa for two people to marry regardless of their gender.

Now this group is proposing we amend our constitution to specifically ban same sex marriage. They wish to impose their religious beliefs upon all Iowans regardless of their beliefs. I think it is important to note here that the court ruling had no impact on anyone's spiritual beliefs, it only addressed the secular aspect of marriage. Churches are still free to believe what they wish, to codify or condemn as they choose. But this group wants to make all Iowans conform to their interpretation of The Bible.

I'm not a theologian so I am not going to argue the theology in this issue. I will note, though, that this is an issue that is not settled in the Christian world and many who are skilled in theology are debating this issue. I do find it interesting that this is a group that at other times has fought hard for "seperation of church and state" when the state has attempted to impose restrictions upon the church but apparently finds it perfectly acceptable for them to impose their church beliefs on the state.

The amendment has passed in the house but is not getting anywhere in the Senate. It is in committee right now and the public has been invited to comment. Last week a young man who is a University of Iowa student addressed the senators. Here is a link from youtube.

Zach did an excellent job of taking this from an intellectual exercise and putting a face on this bill. Yes, real people are effected by this issue. Not monsters, not freaks - just plain old people trying to live their lives as best they can.

I am proud to report that I attend a church where all are welcomed. Sadly that is not the case at all churches. I pray that all can find God's love, and as always I pray for PEACE.

Egypt in revolt

2011-02-02T23:50:00.001-06:00

I have been glued to the CNN reporting from Egypt since Monday. The people of Egypt are revolting against Mubarek and the leadership in Egypt. This is history in the making and the media coverage has been mesmerizing.

This is the first time that I know of that modern communication technology has played such an important role, not just in the reporting but also the organization of the protests. The internet, Twitter, Facebook, cell phone, texting - all of this has contributed to the story.

The reporters are saying that this is not an organized protest of one group but an uprising of the people of Egypt. Early on, the marches were impromptu gatherings organized via the internet. Some of the earliest reports came out from bloggers in Egypt. Blog posts and Tweets are still some of the most fascinating reports coming out of Cairo and Alexandria.

Sadly, what was for 8 days a peaceful protest, today turned violent. We see images of Anderson Cooper being attacked, pictures of Egyptian citizens who have been beaten and shot. It is clear that Mubarek can not stay in office but there is no clear path out for him or his country.

I guess all this old bearded PH can do is pray, as always, for PEACE.

A Day in my Life

2011-01-17T09:09:00.000-06:00

I just discovered this youtube video that is spot on. I have sold beds for 20 years and I guarantee this lady comes into the store everyday. I only wish I could actually say some of the things this guy is saying. Enjoy.

We Did Get Some Snow

2011-01-11T13:42:00.000-06:00

Well, we did get some snow. It came down slowly and with very little wind so it didn't feel like much of a storm. I ended up going out 4 times yesterday and now have been out twice today. I went out early this morning so the Rev could get to the church and then just now for what I hope is the final pass.

I really don't mind this type of snow storm. It came with plenty of warning and just slowly and calmly dropped snow on our lives. It was a little bit deceptive in that it never looked like much when you looked out the window. Just a light snow falling, very pretty in fact. But it parked over us for about 30 hours, so it ended up dropping a significant amount.

This the type of snow that makes living in the north enjoyable. No one really needed to be injured by this storm. It just came in and made everything white. Our neighborhood will look clean and bright for a few days now, that should be nice.

Peace.

Our First Real Snow Storm This Winter

2011-01-10T10:28:00.001-06:00

Looks like Des Moines is going to get hit by our first real snow storm of this winter season. We had a light snow for Christmas - just enough to make it white and then it melted by the new year. But right now we are on the front edge of a slow moving storm that is predicted to dump up to 6 inches of snow on my driveway.

I think Stan here has the right idea. Actually I have already been out once this morning and blew off the driveway and sidewalks. It really wasn't much and I expect that I will be out at least once more if not twice before this is done. Thankfully I have the next three days off, so I can stay home and enjoy an Iowa winter storm. The Rev went off to the church this morning. I asked her to keep an eye on the weather so she doesn't get caught there. She has meetings scheduled tonight so we will see what actually happens.

This is far better than the record snows of last winter. I'm hoping it stays that way.

I pray your winter weather is mild and your homes warm. But most of all, as always, I pray for peace.

The Rev was at her best on Christmas

2011-01-02T23:16:00.000-06:00

The Rev was particularly good this Christmas eve. Of course this is a special time for the church but I must say she was on this Christmas. I finally got a picture, thanks to Jim for getting me this image.

Advent is a very special time of the year. The Rev is busy but she was at her best this season. I have to say I am very proud to be the PH at these times.

May the new year bring prosperity and joy to your life and as always I pray that it brings you

PEACE.

They Still Keep Watch

2010-12-25T01:11:00.000-06:00

Yes, the shepherds still keep watch over their flocks in Bethlehem.
Even today. . . well at least last February. I took this photo from the tour bus as we entered Bethlehem last February.

May the story of Christ and his birth bring joy to your soul today and all of 2011. Merry Christmas from the Rev and Sunbob.

And it is our prayer this Christmas season that for even the briefest moments. . . You may find PEACE.

The Children's Christmas Pageant at Walnut Hills

2010-12-13T09:02:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the big day. The day of the Christmas pageant at Walnut Hills. Erin Crawford from the Des Moines Register did a wonderful job of bringing you the story. I will let her tell the tale.

The snow has finally found Des Moines. Now it really feels like winter. The Rev and I hope this Advent season you be able to some . . .

PEACE

We had a great Christmas Staff Party

2010-12-03T23:16:00.003-06:00

Okay, I have to admit it. I love to entertain. I love to have people over and cook dinner for them. We had the Rev's staff over tonight and I served dinner for 15 people. It was great.

I must admit the dinner wasn't too extravagant but I would like to think it was substantial. I did a roasted pork loin that I had cured over night with a Chinese 5 Spice rub. I also did a beef rib roast. This was a good cut of Amana boneless prime rib roast so I didn't do anything more than brown it and roast it correctly. It is amazing how good, good beef can taste if you don't over due the preparation.

Then I did roasted sweet potatoes with a pecan and whiskey sauce compliments of the Foodnetwork. This was a total success. We did this for Thanksgiving and it was such a success I had to do it again. I even did a double batch so I could take it into the store tomorrow for the potluck. I will say one thing about the recipe. It says to lightly roast the pecans at one point and both times I have prepared it I have totally destroyed the pecans. Just skip the toasting and go right into making the sauce and it turns out great.

I love putting out appetizers before a meal. It is one of my favorite things to do. This time I had an olive selection that included pickled mushrooms. This is the third time I have done that and the third time that I was the only one eating it. I think I need to learn to leave that out of my offering. I also put in the humus with flat bread and again that was a hit. I have this reputation with the Rev's staff for making this great humus. It is very simple. I buy the classic Mediterranean style humus. Then I drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with some paprika. This is how I had it when we were in Jerusalem and I really like it that way. Several people tonight complimented me on the humus. I served three kinds of cheese with crackers. The Widmer cheddar was the real hit. I had a good Gorgonzola which was okay and a Crescenza-Stracchino that wasn't as popular. I thought it was amazing but the guests didn't choose it as much. I guess that shows that this group prefers the cheeses they are familiar with.

The wine that was a real hit with me was the Vouvray 2008 from Monmousseau. This was a blanc de blanc that the guy at the wine shop was very excited about and I would agree with him. It was a very affordable wine (about $10 per bottle) and very pleasing. My guests enjoyed it. I also had Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Savignon. All pleasing wines but he Vouvray was the hit.

I must say it was a great night. All of the guests had a great meal and a great time. The Rev and I agree that we needed to bring them all over some night for games and do it again. Maybe not the whole meal but another night together. We had a great time.

The Rev and I had a great night with friends. I hope this holiday season you are able to say the same.

Peace.

New Orleans Lower 9th Ward Coming Back

2010-11-14T23:47:00.000-06:00

The Rev and I were in New Orleans this week for a wedding. While we were there we visited the 9th Ward. This is the part of New Orleans that was virtually wiped out by Katrina in 2005. I've written a lot about the flooding in Cedar Rapids so you know I wanted to see how they were coming along in New Orleans. After Katrina, the Rev went on two mission trips to the area to help out and actually had scheduled a third trip when Cedar Rapids got hit. The lessons learned in the south went a long way in making things a little easier in our area so we were very interested in seeing how far New Orleans had come in five years.

I'm glad to say that we saw much to feel good about. One of the coolest things we learned about is a program called Make It Right. Brad Pitt has been instrumental in getting this initiative up and running. It is fascinating the work they are accomplishing and how they are going about it. Go to their site and check it out. They can tell their story far better than I can.

Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of work to do but you can see that this area is going to return. One concern is bringing back the local businesses. The neighborhood cafes and gas stations. There are no stores on the corners to buy groceries or get a sandwich. The residents are coming back but the shops are lagging. This will be the next step. Let's pray that the shopkeepers will be able to afford to rebuild as well so that the residents in the lower 9th ward don't have to drive across town just to pick up a bottle of milk. You need all of that for the community to return.

Peace.

Linux Mint 9

2010-11-09T01:34:00.000-06:00

I have been playing with my desktop computer and I think I have now learned just enough to be dangerous. Which means, of course, I’m going to talk about it. I have made the leap and taken this box to the world of Linux.

I have been playing with Linux for a couple of years but always in a dual-boot set-up. This an old box so it still had Windows XP on it. I never made the transition to Vista but I did keep it up to date with all of the security patches and even had Service Pack 3 installed. As we get down to the end of the life span of XP, I had several options.

- Do I spend $150 and go to Windows 7? That would entail a clean reformat of my hard drive and a full installation of the operating system. I have done this before so that didn’t really scare me. But the idea didn’t excite me, either. My netbook has Windows 7 and I am very pleased with how it runs, so I am not really a Win7 hater. So I downloaded the little program from Microsoft that would check my computer and tell me if I could upgrade to Win7. It said I could upgrade but I didn’t have enough machine to really take advantage of everything Win7 had to offer. So, basically I could shell out a C-note but I would still be limited in what I could do.

- Do I get a new computer? I would love a new, more powerful computer. Like I said, this one is getting old. And what guy doesn’t like a new toy? But, I don’t really have 6 or 7 hundred dollars just laying around. Somehow I don’t think the Rev would go for that.

Or. . . do I look for something entirely different? As I said at the top, I have been playing with Linux for a couple of years but never really got serious about it until this summer. So I figured it was time to give it a serious trial. I had installed Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron in a dual boot set-up and was pleased with that. It seemed to work okay on my computer and had enough programs to do what I wanted to do most of the time. So I started to use it as my main platform. Instead of just playing with it, I put it to work. And what I found was that it worked just fine. About the only time I really needed to boot into Windows was when I needed to use Quicken to pay some bills. Quicken just doesn’t run in Linux and even using Wine didn’t work very well. But all I really used Quicken for anymore was Quicken Billpay. I have used Checkfree since the early days when it was a stand alone start-up, before Intuit bought it. I really like the convenience of online bill payment. But when we moved to Des Moines we switched banks and they offered free online billpay. No more $10 per month for Checkfree. I signed up for that service pretty quickly.

That, I discovered, was the last road block keeping me from dumping Windows. So now I started to look seriously for a Linux flavor that I liked. I first upgraded to Ubuntu 10.04 Maverick Meerkat. That is a great program. Everything just worked. It has OpenOffice to replace Microsoft Office. I could use Firefox and Chrome for browsers just like I did in Windows. I even found that I liked Presentation better than Powerpoint for creating my slide show from our vacation.

Now I was hooked on Linux. So I started looking around at others. Puppylinux is a wonderful little program you can run off a disk on even the most basic computers. I downloaded Fedora 13 and tried that from a live cd as well. Very nice.

But I kept reading about these guys that were taking the latest Ubuntu version and tweaking and polishing it up. They call it Linux Mint. It was supposed to be the best distro for a newbie like me who had grown up on Windows and really wasn’t into programing. So I downloaded the image and burned a disk to try it. It had all of the power and strength of Ubuntu in a really slick, user-friendly package. It was like being used to driving a Toyota and being handed the keys to a Lexus. Everything seemed familiar and much like what I had become used to only it was nicer and smoother and full of pizazz. I know - that isn’t tech speak, but I don’t claim to be a techie. I’m just an old furniture guy trying to get another year or two out of his computer.

So two weeks ago I did it. I reformatted my hard drive. I wiped off all remnants of Windows from my machine and I installed Linux Mint 9 “Isadora” on this old box of mine and I haven’t looked back once. I have been playing with setting this up exactly how I want it. And you want to know the best part? There are literally thousands of programs to do everything I want to do and they are all free. And they are easy to install. The hardest part is choosing.

So you will see a new gadget on the right side of this page. It is a link to Linux Mint. If you are interested in trying something new, check it out. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Peace.

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT the promised land

2010-10-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes it's just New Jersey."

I didn't get a chance to watch the Rally To Restore Sanity today. I had to work. But I found this clip from the rally.

John Stewart's Great Speech

It took a comedian to give a great presidential speech.

Enjoy.

and Peace.

Grandpa Sunbob

2010-10-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

It was 2:30 on Friday morning when the phone rang.
"You have a grandson." My daughter was proudly stating four of the most exciting words that a father can hear. I have a grandson, a new and healthy baby boy.
"I'm so glad you are awake."
Of course I was awake. I couldn't sleep knowing that my daughter was having her baby.

She had called about 4:30 the previous afternoon to tell me her water had broken and Nick was taking her to the hospital. I was at work. When my boss heard the news he pointed to the door and simply said "GO". I started to explain that I didn't want to leave the store short-handed but he would none of it.
"You will be no good to us here and your daughter will need her father. Go."

So off I went. The Rev was already on the road as she had a meeting in Iowa City that evening. As it turned out, I was only 20 minutes behind her on the highway. When I got to Cedar Rapids, my daughter and I agreed that it wasn't necessary for me to go to the hospital. She was in good hands and I would just make her nervous and get in the way. She would call when she needed me. So there I was, unsuccessfully trying to get some rest. Waiting for news, when the great phone call came.

The Rev and I agreed to let them all get some rest so we actually waited until about 8 that morning before we went in to see our new little member of the Sunbob clan.

Maxwell David is his name. Seven pounds three ounces of beautiful little boy. He appears to healthy and my daughter came through without any complications as well. All is good.

So now I have a grandson. After raising daughters, I will get to do some boy things now. I hope he enjoys fishing because I'm already making plans.

Wow, now I get to learn to be a grandfather. I hope the Lord will guide me to be a good one.

And wouldn't it be great if, some time in his life, Max will be able to find . . .
PEACE

Chilean mine rescue - Amazing

2010-10-13T00:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here watching the rescue of the miners in Chile. What a great scene. An amazing story. Seventy days trapped underground and they are now coming out alive and well.

You have to give Chile credit for how they have handled this tragedy. I don't think many people had a dry eye when that first miner hugged his son. And then we had Super Mario come up on the second trip and I think he hugged everyone in sight.

Now we are waiting for the third miner to pop out of that hole. Here he comes - his wife is waiting. There is the "Fenix 2". Easy Carmen - let him get out of the capsule. And look at that smile. . . . . Now she can hug him.

This is such a great story on so many levels. A story tremendous faith and determination. It was the determination of this Chilean president that these miners would be rescued. He is succeeding. And for me the real story is the faith of these miners. It was 17 days before anyone outside of that mine knew they were alive. Repeatedly, the families and the miners have spoken of their faith in God. They are all saying that it has been their faith that has kept them going.

Let's all pray for the continued success of this rescue. As of right now, they have 30 more to go. This will take most of 2 days to finish. A lot can happen in 2 days.

In a world where everyone seems to be at war - it is good to have an example of
Peace.

365 Days of Poetry: Over the Hill and Through the Dale

2010-09-23T12:59:00.000-05:00

365 Days of Poetry: Over the Hill and Through the Dale

Yep. Sunbob is getting old. I turned the big six oh today. I'll let Christy have this space today.

Peace

Wednesday On The Hill

2010-09-16T13:13:00.001-05:00

“My name is Hanna”. The bespectacled little lady with the huge smile had just returned from shuttling in a pan of freshly barbecued hamburgers and was bringing back the pan for me to fill again. “Thank you Hanna, I really appreciate your help.” - “No problem”, she said over her shoulder as she ran back into the church to rejoin her friends.

It was the first night of Wednesday On The Hill. This is the Rev’s plan to reclaim Wednesday night as church night in our congregation. She asked me to fix dinner for everyone for the kick-off. Last Sunday she invited everyone to join together for dinner before they ran off to choir practice, youth group, committee meetings or just on to live their lives. She told them all that I would be fixing the meal - “and he’s a good cook” she proclaimed. Thanks my love - no pressure there now is there?

“So how many am I cooking for?” I asked the Rev. “I don’t know, it’s the first time”, was the honest estimate. So we decided that we would prepare for 100 and hope for the best. Burgers and Brats on the grill was to headline the menu. I found a recipe for a pasta salad on the web that looked good so that became our side dish. The Rev added fresh veggies and rice crispy bars to the presentation. A quick run to the store for Kettle Baked chips (3 flavors, of course) and assorted cookies and we had a menu.

I started early Wednesday morning and decided that this was a pretty pedestrian menu so I toasted all of the hamburger and brat buns. I had to have something that was “special”. Then it was off to the church about 2:30pm to get ready to go by 5:15 - the scheduled start time.
I was told the church had a grill that I could use to prepare the burgers and brats. Hmmm, a gas grill - I’m a Weber kettle/charcoal guy myself. Oh well, let’s give it a go. I lifted the lid and discovered, of course, that it had not been cleaned since it was used last June. I had suspected that might be the case so I had brought my grill brush. No problem - I had that grill ready to go before too long. I opened the valve on the gas tank and hit the ignition button. Thank you Lord, it fired the first time. Okay let’s throw on some burgers and see what this thing will do. Five minutes a side is the usual time on my grill so I checked them in five and found that the left side of the grill was hot and working just fine (though a little slow) but the right side had barely cooked the surface. I eventually developed a system of starting on the right and working the burgers to the left - then I used the very right side as a “warmer” to hold the finished burgers as I progressed. I cooked all afternoon.

By 4:30 people started to arrive. They would stick their heads out and say “It smells great - I could smell it all the way out in the parking lot”. It was about this time that I met Hanna. I finished up about 5:10 - 80 burgers and 36 brats. I hoped it would be enough. The Rev was going to have her meal after-all.

We figure we served about 75 people, young and old, last night. All of the brats disappeared but we did have some burgers left-over. The pasta salad was a hit although we had made about twice as much as needed. Six bags of chips was the right amount and two trays of rice crispy bars were gone. Several of the ladies commented on the toasted buns - they liked the touch.

By 6:00 everyone was off to their meetings, practices and groups. One young man offered to help with the clean up so he and I packed up the left overs, cleaned the dishes and wiped down the tables. By 8:00 I was home in my recliner and totally exhausted.

Yes, I was wiped out but it felt great. I had never cooked for that many before and we had pulled it off. This is something that I can do. And I enjoyed it. The sound of people talking and eating together was great. This was community - this was fellowship. It may be just a few hours on a Wednesday night, a brief break in the routine of life, but this is church. This is good.

May you also find a break in your routine this week - and as always I pray that you find . . . Peace.

Block by Block awarded $1.35 million grant

2010-09-11T09:36:00.003-05:00

OMG - I just found this announcement. Remember Block-by-Block? This is the program in Cedar Rapids that is helping rebuild the flooded communities "block by block". Well, they have received a $1.35 million grant from the state of Iowa to support their efforts. Here is the story on the Iowa UMC Conference site.

If case you have not followed this site - this program is very dear to me. I have written before of their efforts. It also holds a special place in the heart of The Rev as she helped in getting it started. Courtney, Clint and all of the staff and hundreds of volunteers have done marvelous work in rebuilding after the flood. I see on their website that they are up to 21 blocks now. Here is a link to a Google map of the blocks.

Two years ago this was just a dream. But this shows what can happen when people work together. Two groups came together to form this effort. Matthew 25 was a small neighborhood outreach mission of the United Methodist Church. They were directly effected by the flood and had to rebuild their location. Four Oaks is a large, well known family services agency. The two heads checked their egos at the door, sat down and hammered out a program - and it works.

If you want to know more about Block-by-Block here is a link to their website. Check out the list of donors and funding sources - this is truly a combined public and private effort that deserves everyones support.

Peace.

Iowan to receive the Medal of Honor

2010-09-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

The White House Friday announced that Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, 25, of Hiawatha, Iowa, will be awarded the nation's highest medal for valor for his actions in Afghanistan, and he will come to the White House to receive the medal himself.

This is the lead from the CNN report on Salvatore Giunta. I wish I could say I knew this young man but, even though he went to school at Kennedy HS - one block from my home in Cedar Rapids, it was after my girls graduated. All of Eastern Iowa - heck, all of Iowa - should be proud.

We can argue all night about whether or not we should even be at war in that part of the world but I am thankful that most Americans recognize the sacrifice our sons and daughters are making for this country. I came of age during our little escapades in Viet Nam and the attitudes were different then. The war was unpopular and unfortunately so were the poor men that had to fight it. I think that is one lesson that my generation learned. Now when our troops return home, they are treated with the respect they deserve instead of being shunned and ridiculed. I never had to serve but my brother was in the Navy during Viet Nam. I was in school and then working on campus at ISU during those days. I worked with some of the returning vets back then - it was not one of our shining moments.

So let's be proud of this young man, and all of the other men and women who have gone off to fight this war. I wish they didn't have to do this and I pray we will end this soon - but these people have earned our respect and our thanks.

Peace.

The Wilderness Experience

2010-09-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

If you have Google Chrome as your browser you have got to check this out. http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

And if you don't have Google Chrome - WHY NOT??????
Now you have a good excuse to try it.

Enjoy,

Ames Flood

2010-08-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a tough day in Ames. It just hasn't stopped raining in central Iowa and the water has to go somewhere. Here is a picture from the Des Moines Register showing a part of the ISU campus near Squaw Creek. That is the football stadium in the center of the picture and at the top is Hilton Collesium, home for the indoor sports events as well as concerts and conventions.

Unfortunately one young lady was swept up in the flood waters and drowned. The city was closed yesterday when two major highways into the city were topped by the flood waters. It is reported that the water supply has been contaminated so that is gone as well.

Memories of Cedar Rapids two years ago has me depressed today. I know all too well how many of these people feel.

My prayers are with them all. And in those prayers is the hope they will find. . .

Peace.

We had a raccoon in the yard

2010-08-06T01:19:00.000-05:00

Well, we have moved to West Des Moines. The Rev is settled into her pulpit and I am back on the sales floor,this time at Slumberland. I think we are going to like Des Moines. It is a beautiful city with a lot happening. We are still learning our way around, of course, but what we have seen so far is very nice.

But not everything has been pleasant. Our home is nice but no one told us about our nocturnal visitor. We discovered after a couple of nights that we had a local raccoon that had decided our back patio was a great location for his personal latrine. I stayed up one night to see if I could scare it away but I missed him. I can tell you though that he came between 3 AM and 3:30.

I wasn't looking forward to this battle but as it turned out, it was a simple solution. I went to Home Depot and found a product called "Critter Ridder". I just spread the granules around the patio and I haven't seen the raccoon since. I can't believe it was that easy but it worked.

Guess I have to recommend Critter Ridder. It worked very well for me.

Peace

Peace to This House

2010-07-04T16:29:00.000-05:00

It is official - we have arrived. The Rev had her first service at our new church. We are now officially off and running.

In all, things went well. The Rev preached on the lectionary passages from Luke that described Jesus sending out the 70 disciples to share God's peace. It fit well with her message introducing herself to this new congregation.

We have been working hard these past few weeks getting moved to Des Moines and getting ready for this day and this new chapter in our lives. We have moved into the parsonage and Rev is in her new office. It is good. Now the real work begins.

Luke tells us that Jesus' message from the 70 was "The Kingdom of God has come near you". May Jesus' message be felt in your lives as well as ours.

Peace to this house.

Freedom Day

2010-07-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

I have blatantly stolen this post from one of my favorite blogs - 365 Days of Poetry.

Peace

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010

Tending the Seeds

setting the trowel down
dirt still under my nails
I revel in my work
neat lines of green beginnings
new life sprouting up
with a future and purpose

so that it makes me wonder

setting the quill down
ink still under their nails
did they revel in their conviction?
neat lines of traitorous text
new life declared
with a future and purpose

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Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T23:45:00.002-05:00

What a day. Father's day. This was a day to remember for me.

It started early this morning at the church. This was the day that the Rev would say good-bye to our congregation as we prepare to move on to the next chapter in our life. I watched from my seat in the pew as she gave her sermon - "Amen" - a lump started to form in my throat as she said good-bye to those wonderful people who have loved us and supported us for the last five years.

My eyes started to fill when a church elder came up to present her with the gifts from the congregation. They rose as one and gave the Rev a standing ovation - they are sending her out with pride to serve a new congregation.

And I totally lost it as I watched the choir sneak out of the loft and gather behind her as she prayed. With mischievous grins they readied themselves for the special anthem they had secretly rehearsed just for this day. "Amen"

That would have been enough.

But it was Father's day. My daughters took me out to dinner at The Olive Garden. My new son-in-law greeted me with a copy of the new Tom Petty CD. Then a beautiful card and leaf etching from one of my daughters graced the table. The other daughter remembered I had lost my favorite Leatherman tool in the flood. A new and better version now has taken it's place in my pocket. We had an excellent meal and I enjoyed the company of my family for the afternoon.

That would have been enough.

But then I open my browser and there in my blog reader inbox is a link to a poem. http://365daysofpoetry.blogspot.com/2010/06/mukluks-or-loafers.html

Yes, it was a very good day.

Peace

My Last Day

2010-06-19T23:11:00.004-05:00

Today was my last day as the Sales Manager at Smulekoff's. The Rev is being sent to a new church in Urbandale, IA and I am going with her.

I have been at Smulees for four years now as a manager. We have gone through a lot, especially the past two years. I've talked quite a bit about that in this site. Let me just say that it wasn't easy turning off my computer and shutting the door to my office the last time.

Smulekoff's has been good to me. I hope they can say the same about me. I'm very proud of the staff that allowed me to lead them. They have worked hard to recover from a disaster that has killed all too many businesses in our community. But they are doing it. I have to admit, I wasn't very good at saying good bye. All I could really say was thank you.

Now the Rev and I are setting out to write the next chapter in our lives. I am excited about the move and the opportunities that will come from this. A new city, a new congregation and new friends await. I wonder what will be written on these pages over the coming years. We will just have to find out.

But for now, as always. . .

I bid you Peace.

KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories

2010-06-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories

Yes, It has been 2 years, today since "the flood". And yes, it is still on our minds. I was interviewed today for the local news. You can see the story from the link at the top.

I had a good time doing the story. It isn't easy going through the memories but it's good once in awhile to talk about it. It's necessary for all of us - not just our staff but all in the community - to think about it and talk about it still.

The psychologists that study these events tell us that this will be the toughest time. It has been long enough that you think you should be over it but you aren't. I mentioned this idea to my staff before we opened today. I told them that they might encounter customers that were off balance and grumpy and they may not even know why. It was only a couple of hours later that one my sales people reported that I was right on with my observation.

But life goes on in Cedar Rapids. We are improving and growing each day. There is more activity downtown and progress is being made. We know it will be a five to ten year recovery, I just wish it was 5 or 10 years down the road.

Peace.

Yes, there was life before computers

2010-06-09T23:19:00.004-05:00

My daughters like to tease me because I can remember life before the personal computer. When I started college in 1968, one of the important tools of a budding science student was a slide rule. Those of you who don't remember a day when there wasn't, at least, a pocket calculator, may not realize that there was once a time when people actually made complex mathematical computations on a piece of paper and we used something called a pencil.

Well, memories of those old days came flooding back tonight when I was cleaning out my library. I got onto the shelf that held some of my old textbooks and I found a book that was vital to any student who had to go beyond the basic add, subtract, multiply and divide to solve a mathematical problem.

I found my old copy of a book called "Standard Mathematical Tables". This was an amazing collection of computations that were already done for you. Square roots, sines, tangents - and far more complex calculations that this old biologist didn't have to master.

Of course, today anyone can do these calculations in a spreadsheet in a fraction of the time. It is amazing what we can do now with computers and the internet.

I'm going to resist the temptation to wax nostalgic about the "old days" because, quite frankly, I wouldn't want to go back to those days of computing and calculating by hand. My job would be so much more difficult than it already is. I can imagine what it would be like trying to get sales reports out to my staff each Monday. I am very thankful for that box on my desk that creates those reports for me. But it was fun to page through that old book and remember a time when a slide rule was a high tech device.

One thing that hasn't changed over all those years - my wish for you.

Peace.

Scientists have created the first synthetic cell.

2010-05-22T23:48:00.005-05:00

Craig Venter and his associates have succeeded in artificially creating a new DNA sequence, implanting the DNA into a bacterium and then booting that sequence so that the bacterium is replicating. They, in essence, have created a new life form from scratch. The first synthetic cell.

The video is of his announcement. I will let him do the explaining because I don't have anywhere near the knowledge base to fully understand how they did it. I will say, though, that this is amazing stuff.

This is already upsetting some people. I have read some that are claiming that these scientists have created life and are playing God. Dr. Venter has been very clear to point out that they are NOT making the claim that they have created life from scratch. What they have done is created a new life form (a new species) from an already existing life form. I think we all understand by now that the specific DNA code sequence in each life form is what makes us a unique individual. What these scientists have done is create a unique DNA sequence from bottles of chemicals and implanted that DNA sequence into a bacterium cell that has had it's original DNA removed. What is amazing is that the cell then replicated itself - it multiplied.

The implications here are enormous. One can only imagine what will follow from this. Think of it this way - who could have imagined what has followed when the first computer was created. I think we will find this to be an even greater event in the history of mankind.

Initial applications are looking into creating new vaccines and creating cells that could capture CO2 from the atmosphere that could then be refined into fuel. That will just be a beginning. I think this will be a breakthrough on the par of the discovery of electricity or the creation of the written word.

I hope we do not succumb to the 21st Century version of the people who tried Galileo for heresy and actually burned Giordano Bruno at the stake for believing that the Earth orbited around the Sun. These people exist, they are already writing and making their accusations. This breakthrough is not a refutation of God. I would prefer to argue that this breakthrough was accomplished by people created by God and inspired by God.

Many will be fearful of this new technology. But I prefer to remember that God does not give me more than I can handle - but He often times has a higher opinion of me than I have of myself.

Peace.

Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 Review

2010-05-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

This will be my first attempt at a product review. I want to say up front, I make no claim to be a computer expert so this will not be a technical review of this new computer. My intent is to share my experience for other plain old people like myself.

I have been playing with this mini for about a month now and I really like it. I think I have succeeded in setting it up the way I want it.

Just a brief description of the hardware. This one has the Atom N450 processor, with 1 GB of RAM. It has a 160 GB HDD, a 6 cell battery and the operating system is Windows 7 Starter.

First of all, I am impressed with Windows 7. Just turn it on and walk through the start up and you are off and running. Windows 7 immediately found my wifi connection, logged on and was updating before I even realized what it was doing. It couldn’t have been simpler. This also came with some extra trial software that I didn’t want - more about that later.

The key board is almost full size and just fine for my use. I’m not a high-speed touch typist so I’m not terribly picky. I find the keyboard has a nice feel to it. The keys have a solid feel though some may find them to be a bit stiff.

I’m very impressed with the battery life. The 6 cell battery along with the N450 processor give this little guy a good 8 hours of battery life for my uses. I just plug it in at night and it is good for the day.

Since I use this little guy mainly for web use, I have done some set up to make it work for me. That is where the work comes in. My use for this mini is to have it in my lap in the evenings so I can check the news sites and do my general, recreational surfing. And in this case, I am using it to write this blog post.

Here is how I have set this up:

First I removed the McAfee anti-virus program that was pre-loaded. I have been using AVG on my computers for several years now and have been very pleased with that program on my desk-tops. I use it here and find it works just as well.

Since this is not going to be a business computer, I had no need for MS Office. That 60 day trial may be nice, but I don’t need the programs and definitely don’t want the expense after the 60 days are up. Especially since it didn’t include Outlook.

I replaced it with OpenOffice. That gives me the programs that I want without the expense. I also chose not to install the database program since I have never used it on my other computers. Right now I am also playing with a word processing program called AbiWord that I think is ideal for a mini like this. It is a small program but has all of the features that I want for basic text creation. I’m writing this in AbiWord right now. And I just found how to add a hyperlink, so it hasn’t failed me yet.

Now comes the real meat of the set-up. I want to go online, what browser should I use? I started with IE but wasn’t impressed. It isn’t all that fast with this processor and only 1 gig of RAM. Also, it takes up so much screen space with it’s task bars and headers. I soon discovered that the 10.1“ screen on this little mini is a limitation that has to be considered. With IE, I found that I didn’t get to see much of the web page that I was most interested in seeing.

I had seen some others suggest that Google Chrome is the way to go so I tried it out. I have to agree - Chrome is the choice for a browser when you have a mini like this. The minimalist screen and the smaller footprint makes it the better choice. Chrome has become my browser of choice. Then all I had to do was hide the taskbar on the bottom and I was set.

Oh, that reminds me - since I dumped Office, IE and most of the pre-installed garbage I had no use for that funky taskbar that was at the top. First I tried just hiding it but it would jump out and get in the way when I was trying to go to the buttons at the top. Then I tried moving to the left or right but it still just got in the way when I didn’t want it around, So finally, I just dumped it. There is the option of turning it off or deleting it. I chose to turn it off on the off chance that some day I might want it back. I am not impressed with that little feature.

Well, all in all, I am very pleased with my Mini 1012. It surfs well and I can write the occasional text document without any problem. I’ve used it to play mp3 files and it works well for that as well. I doubt it would be a good gaming station but I’m not a gamer and it isn’t built for that. In all, I would definitely recommend this to the general user interested in a small, portable net computer.

Hope you liked my first attempt at a product review. I don’t imagine I will be doing a lot of this kind of thing but who knows?

Peace.

My First Bat of the Spring

2010-05-01T01:03:00.005-05:00

I had a visitor tonight. As I was getting ready to go to bed I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. Something had just flown by me. I checked it out and I had a bat in the house.

Nothing to get terribly excited about. We have, over the years, had these guests maybe five or six times. So I knew what to do. I just went to the closet and got an old towel. Then I had to find were it had gone. I finally found it clinging to to the wall above the closet door in the back bedroom. It had gone for the dark room I suspect.

Well, I just snapped the towel at it to knock it to the floor. Then I threw the towel over it. The little guy wasn't very happy with me as I wrapped it loosely in the towel to pick it up. He was clicking away very furiously. But I was able to take him to the door before he escaped the towel and off he flew into the night.

Each summer we have a pretty good number of the little fellows flying around our backyard. Sometimes it is fun to watch them go to work on the insects at night. I never have figured out how they get into our house but I've read it doesn't take much of an opening.
Oh well, no harm - no foul. I want them in my neighborhood, just not in my house.

Good night all and Peace be with you.

The Language of God

2010-04-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

There is so much dissension and confusion in our world today. It seems like you can't pick up the newspaper, watch the evening news on TV, or check out the news feed on your computer without seeing that some group is fighting with another group. The political scene is down right depressing. It seems nobody wants to work with the other side to make things better - they just want to fight.

The same seems to be true in the Christian community. It seems Christians are clashing over the smallest of differences and we miss how much we see alike. I found this ad from the United Church of Christ that reminds us that God is still speaking.

I hope that we can listen.

PEACE

Some Flooded Homes are Coming Down

2010-04-20T16:41:00.003-05:00

Spring has arrived to middle America and the work crews are out in full force. The road crews are fixing the streets, new homes are being started, and it is now time to bring down those homes that will not survive the flood. It has taken almost 2 years of negotiations and I'm not sure that they are really done with all of that - but some of the houses in Time Check are going away.

I went out today to see the action. For some this is a relief. It marks the end of that episode in life and frees the person to move on and start anew. For others, this is very sad as they watch their home for decades laid to rest. For all it will bring closure to an ugly time.

Yes, it has been almost 2 years but there is still a great deal of work. Our church still has work mission teams coming. In fact, we have had teams for almost a month now and the schedule is full through mid-summer. There is still a great deal of work to do. Block-by-Block is back in full swing and Habitat for Humanity has scheduled a blitz build for June. Of course, our church is by no means the only one involved in the effort - probably not even one of the largest. I just speak of my church because that is what I know.

With so much happening in the world - earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Mexico - a volcano in Iceland, and all of the other natural disasters that occurred, it is hard to keep a focus on our recovery. But this will be a long term project, 5 to 10 years is what we were told 2 summers ago. I can see they were correct.

Well, I'm off to fix dinner - the Rev will be joining me tonight.

PEACE

Emanicpation Act - 1819

2010-04-13T10:40:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite blogs is the Times Archive blog. Rose Wild goes through the archives of The Times (this is London, folks) and finds interesting, sometimes topical news reports from the past. Today the topic is - the emancipation act of 1819. This act of Parliament emancipated the Catholics. Here is what the Times had to say:

" The people of England - the intelligent, the reflecting, the mind-gifted majority of the people of England - have, through their representatives in Parliament, passed the great Bill for Catholic emancipation."

So began The Times's leading article on April 1, 1829. The historic vote had gone through Parliament on the Bill's third reading, with a majority of 320 to 142.

The Times went on to describe the dissenters in Parliament and in the general population.

"The out-of-doors resistance to this masterpiece of state policy may be resolved into two descriptions of men - whatever was least conversant with the living world, among the clergy; and of the laity, whatever was most ignorant, low, and brutal."

This seems to be so odd for us because we in the US think of emancipation as a slavery issue.We see that word - emancipation - and think of our own Civil War and the social struggles that we continue to battle today. Unfortunately this emancipation did not come in time to circumvent the strife this land still battles with between Catholic and Protestant believers.

Is it just the nature of the human existence that we must feel superior to those who do not look like us, or think like us, or believe like us? We see this on so many levels. In politics, our newspapers are full of the battles going on right now between those who sit on the left side of the aisle and those on the right - those who are trying to do something and those whose only response is "No". In our churches, we hear of division about so many issues. Those who like the traditional service and those who want a service more relevant to today's world. Those who struggle with beliefs that aren't exactly like their own.

All over the globe we have one local group trying to overcome their neighbor. I started to list some examples but there are so many and in every corner. In the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, South and Central America, Asia, Indonesia - it doesn't matter where you look. Sure, you might say that Europe and North America are exempt today because there is not open "warfare" going on but anyone living in these regions knows that the battles are just suppressed - under the surface.

Enough of this rant. I don't know the answers, I just wish it didn't have to be this way.

Spring has arrived to the heartland. I'm going out today to enjoy the sun and warmth. And to all, I bid you

PEACE.

This is for you Coca-Cola fans

2010-04-10T00:03:00.002-05:00

Okay, I don't do this very often - posting a link like this. But this was just way too cool not to share.

Does this remind anyone of Candid Camera?

Peace

IDF to seal off West Bank for the duration of Passover - Haaretz - Israel News

2010-03-28T23:18:00.003-05:00

Israel has closed the border between east and west Jerusalem for Passover.
IDF to seal off West Bank for the duration of Passover - Haaretz - Israel News

This effectively prohibits Christians from going into the old city for Easter. That's right folks. About 50,000 of the Christians living in the Holy Land are Palestinians and they live in the West Bank. And if you have family that lives in west Jerusalem, sorry - you can't be with them. It doesn't matter that you were born and raised in west Jerusalem, and your church is there - you can't go.

This a very confusing and complex part of the world. I don't claim to have a solution - I can't even claim to understand the problems. I just wish the holiest city in the Judeo-Christian world was open to all Jews and Christians during our most holy days.

As always, but especially this week. . .
I pray for Peace.

The Rev in Jerusalem

2010-03-14T22:36:00.002-05:00

There were two moments on our trip to the Holy Land that were very emotional for me. I've already spoken of how I was moved we stood in the waters of the Jordan River and remembered our baptism. The other time was when it was the Rev's turn to do the devotional. I got to hear the Rev preach in Jerusalem.

I had the role of reading the scripture but that also meant I was up front and couldn't back away to get a picture of the event. Well, Brian just sent me one of his shots. This is the one shot that I didn't get that I wanted of that trip. Thank you Brian.

We were at the site of the pool in Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame beggar. The theme of water and frustration and yet, the healing that could come out of that situation was not lost on the Rev. She told a story of a woman in our town whose home was destroyed by the flood waters. This lady had received money from FEMA to rebuild her home and had hired a contractor to do the work. Unfortunately that contractor quit coming after only a couple of days and she was very desperate when some youth from our church came to her door. They were canvassing in the flooded neighborhoods, looking for people who needed help. This lady couldn't believe that a group from a church she had never attended - that didn't know her at all - would be interested in assisting her. She was skeptical at first but agreed to let them assist her.

The Rev tells the story better than I but, to make this story short, we rebuilt her home and for the first time in her life, this lady allowed God into her heart. She was welcomed into our congregation and was baptized last fall.

Healing comes in many ways. I am reminded by these stories that it is my task as a Christian to share God's love whenever and wherever I can. Then stand back and leave the outcome to Him.

God's peace to you all.

A Great Night at TCR

2010-03-12T13:00:00.002-06:00

The Rev and I joined up with our daughter and took in the Theater Cedar Rapids production of "The Producers" last night. It was great. We all agreed it was a wonderful night.

The Rev has been taking me to plays at TCR since we came to town so many years ago and we have always enjoyed the productions. I have always been amazed by the quality of the performances given that these are local people and we are a small town in the heartland.

This night was special because this is the first production in the refurbished theater. The Iowa Theater has been the home of TCR for many years now but it was destroyed during the flood. Unlike our local government, TCR decided to rebuild and return to the downtown. They did a beautiful job of rebuilding. The theater is gorgeous. They revamped the lobby area - keeping the original feel but modernizing it and making it more patron friendly. The seating in the theater appears to be smaller but there isn't a bad seat in the house, at least not on the main floor where we sat. Thanks TCR for coming back downtown.

Peace.

The Sea of Galilee

2010-03-02T10:48:00.005-06:00

The sea of Galilee, the lake so important in Jesus' life. This is where he found the first of his disciples. This where he took the boat out into the water - away from shore - so he could preach to the crowd. This is where the story says he fed the multitudes with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread.

In all of our travels this was one site that we knew was real. This is the lake of the biblical stories. It hasn't moved - it hasn't even changed all that much. Though the boats are a little more modern, fishermen still go out each night and return in the morning with their catch.

We ate lunch at a fishing Kibbutz on the shores of this lake. The traditional fish of the lake is called St. Peter's fish. We know it in here as Tilapia. I grew up on a lake in Minnesota, and grew up eating fish. I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity to eat fresh fish from the Sea of Galilee. I didn't take a picture of my lunch but this picture gives you a very good idea what I was served. Several people at my table where put off by the whole fish presentation but I was familiar with this. This is how we ate Sunfish and Crappies when I was a kid. The fish was prepared in the traditional (I believe kosher, but I may be wrong on that) manner. Simply scaled, gutted and gilled. Grilled over the fire with only some seasoning. It was delicious.

I hope all of you will be able to enjoy lunch today.

And my grace at the table will include a prayer for

PEACE.

Via Dolorosa

2010-02-28T08:01:00.003-06:00

We walked the "way of the cross" when we were in Jerusalem. We took the path that is identified with the journey of Christ to the cross. But it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't the respectful preservation of the past. It wasn't a beautiful walk through history.

It was the market place.

It was a run of a gauntlet of aggressive shopkeepers wanting to sell you their wares. This was quite disconcerting during the experience. It wasn't until afterwards as some of us were talking that the thought arose that this was probably a more accurate portrayal of Christ's experience then our naive expectation. I had not thought of it before, but most likely, Jesus was marched through the center of town to his execution. The environment He walked through was probably the ancient version of the market we endured.

Well, I'm off now to return to my pew in the comfortable environs of my own church. I know today, I will remember to pray for
PEACE.

Walking in the footsteps

2010-02-25T05:25:00.002-06:00

The Rev and I are hardly world travelers but we have had a couple of opportunities to travel in ancient lands. One of the things that intrigues me the most about this is the chance to walk were others have gone before. When we were in Ephesus a couple of years ago, I was moved by walking up the road that had felt the feet of Paul and the chariot wheels of Anthony & Cleopatra so many years before.

On this trip, I had hoped that I would be able to walk in the footsteps of those names I had grown up reading about in church. It isn't easy in the Holy Land to find such places. This turf has been fought over, conquered, re- conquered, liberated, and occupied for so many centuries that finding a spot from the biblical times is not easy. We did find a couple of places that are thought to be from those days.

The first is a section of paving stones that is thought to be from a main street in Jerusalem from the Roman period. It is entirely possible that Jesus and/or some of the disciples trod on these very stones.

The other place we found is a set of stairs going up to where the palace of Caiaphas is thought to have been. It is thought that these were the steps Jesus used when he was arrested.

The Holy Land is an interesting place to visit as a tourist or pilgrim. I am used to visiting historic places and seeing the preserved site or reconstructed ruins. That is sort of the way we do things in America. When we find a site of historical importance, we fence it off and try to preserve it in it's original condition or at least a recreation of that state. Of course, our sites are not as ancient and have not been revered for as many years. In this area, in earlier times, the way of marking a cite was to build a church on it. It took some getting used to - the experience of going to a place and being told, this is the church that commemorates the site of such and such event.

I understand the need. This land has been fought over for centuries. Many of these churches have been built, destroyed, re-built and destroyed again and again.

I was reminded time and again how hard it is for us as a people to find. . .

PEACE

Back in the USA

2010-02-19T22:31:00.003-06:00

Well, we made it back home. Actually the trip home went off without a hitch. All three flights on time, the bags were in CR and the landings smooth. Couldn't ask for anything better. Of course it was a full 24 hours from the time we entered the airport in Tel Aviv to the time we left the airport in Cedar Rapids but hey, that's life.

I have about 400 pictures to go through and some video so it will be awhile before I get media out.

The Rev and I had a great time. We have so many stories to tell. . .
- Rev preaching at the pool of Bethesda
- Praying at the Western Wall
- Sunbob eating fish from the Sea of Galilee
- an Ash Wednesday service in an ancient chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (never again will I be able to receive the ashes without remembering that experience.)
- Entering the Garden Tomb (yes, it is still empty). Then taking communion at the site.
- Remembering our baptism in (yes in) the Jordan River.

I went to Jerusalem expecting to see "sites". What I didn't expect was getting to meet some of the people. I have a whole new perspective on the Palestine/Israel conflict.

More to come as I debrief.

Peac

Visiting the pools at Bethesda

2010-02-17T09:28:00.004-06:00

More exploration today. It is Ash Wednesday and that played into one of my highlights for the day. We took the imposition of the ashes from the bishop in an ancient chapel within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I will never experience another Ash Wednesday service without remembering this experience.

The highlight for me for today, though, was visiting the pools at Bethesda. That its because it was the Rev's turn for the devotional. How do I explain what it felt like to hear her preach in Jerusalem? It was great for me to watch her do her thing.

From a land that struggles so hard with the concept,

I wish you PEACE.

We are in the Holy Land

2010-02-16T14:01:00.002-06:00

We finally made it to Jerusalem and are enjoying our tours of the Holy Land.

Yesterday we learned a lot about the Palastinians and the conflicts over here. We have visited the West Bank as well as the Golan Heights.

The highpoints for me today occured on and in the water. We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. This is one of the real places that we can be sure of. We visit all of these sights and you really wonder just how real they are - but the Sea of Galilee is real. We stopped the boat away from shore and were served communion by the Bishop. It was an amazing event.

Later we visited the Jordan River. The photo at the top is from the place that is identified as the site were John baptised Jesus. Whether this is really the spot or not didn't deminish the impact for me. When we stepped from the bank, into the waters of the river, to remember our baptism was a very emotional experience for me. Surely something I will remember and carry with me the rest of my days.

I will have many more pictures when we get home and I can sort through them. I have gone through 2 sets of batteries already and the video camera battery is almost done as well.

To all of you my wish and prayer is for the one thing that seems to elude this very special land. . .

PEACE

I took the Rev to Paris for Valentines Day???

2010-02-14T07:16:00.002-06:00

Well, not intentionally. We set out on Friday to get to Tel Aviv to go on a Holy Land trip. We were routed through Atlanta and that got snowed in so we have been routed through Paris. I'm not exactly sure even what day this is - we have been living in airport terminals but we are going to get to Jerusalem tonight and will join up with our group for the rest of the week.

I just had to have a post from Paris on this site. My first experience with an internet cafe. Pretty cool really.

Let's just tell everyone that I was really cool and took the Rev to Paris for Valentines Day.

Peace.

Lights in City Hall

2010-02-04T23:58:00.003-06:00

Last night when I left work there were lights on in the City Hall on Mays Island, third floor. This building has been abandoned since the flood and the city council has been fighting about whether or not they should return to this building. I haven't seen any lights in this building for about a year and a half.

Ron Corbett, our new mayor, ran on a platform of returning the city government to this building. I wonder what is going on.

Oh well, I don't claim to have any inside information about this. I just work downtown and have a vested interest in the recovery of the downtown district. Personally, I don't see any reason to not return. We have returned to our building just across the river, so I really don't understand why the city can't return to City Hall.

Same Sunbob, But Different

2010-01-19T11:10:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's time to officially take this site in a new direction. Actually I have been doing that for almost a year and a half but just wasn't ready to make the changes official. I see now that it is time. I see that Mediacom has changed their web hosting protocols and I have lost the archives of my original site. The original Poker Room is no longer. It is time to move on.

This site started in 2005 as a vehicle for reporting on the activities of a weekly on-line poker tournament. Holdem Affair was the original private, invitation only tournament on a UltimateBet.com. The tournament is still played every Saturday night, but I haven't played in quite some time. They are a great bunch of people and I still love them. It is just that my life has changed and I rarely have the time or the interest to play poker anymore.

So I have given the site a new look and a new title. Well, really all I did was take poker out of the title. I am still the same old Sunbob - I just don't think about poker much anymore, much less talk about it.

My world is really consumed by my work and my family. A lot has happened in the past 18 months. The store were I work was flooded by the Cedar River in June of 2008 and I have been working hard to recover from that assault. This past summer has been just as full but in a much more positive way. My wife was ordained as a full elder in the United Methodist Church. The Rev is an amazing woman - I am proud to say that we have been married for 35 years. Then, if that wasn't enough, my daughter was married Labor Day week-end. Yes, 2009 was a better year.

I will continue to post, if fact I want to post more this year. I am just going to make this more personal - my musings and ramblings, maybe even a rant or two, as we go through life.

One thing will never change, my wish for you. I wish you . . .
PEACE

Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir

2010-01-12T22:11:00.007-06:00

The mezzo-soprano had just finished her rendition of "Stand By Me" and in that brief period between the end of the song and the applause from the audience one usually hears rustling and coughing but this time you heard nothing. Total silence - almost as if everyone in the audience needed to catch their breath. Then the silence was broken by a stage whispered - "WOW".

Welcome to the Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir. Fifty-four voices of amazing talent. This group came from Lincoln, Nebraska on a cold and snowy night to share their music with us at St. Paul's. I'm sorry to say that the choir out numbered the audience but that didn't deter them. They still put on an amazing performance.

The Rev and I have sat through many performances of groups coming through - some good, some not so good. This was one of the finest. This was a very entertaining mix of classical music, spirituals, and even more diverse music from other lands.

We joined the group afterwards for coffee and cookies before they went off to spend the night in homes from members of the church. Tomorrow they are off to Marshalltown as they work their back home to Nebraska. I wonder if anyone in Marshalltown knows what they are in for.

Peace.

I'm Feeling Old Today

2010-01-08T12:33:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling old today. Last week I wrenched my left hip and was walking with a limp for a few days. Nothing bad, no major problems requiring medical treatment – just a “hitch in my giddy-up” as my grandfather used to say.

Then, yesterday we had a snow storm and my driveway was snowed in. The young man next door was out with his snow-blower taking care of his drive and the “old lady” next to him. I went out and asked if he was for hire. Chad was great and was happy to do my drive as well. That reminded me of earlier years in this house when I was the young man with the snow-blower doing all of the drives.

This just led up to me feeling very old as I went to bed last night. And it got me thinking. . . .

I guess you just might be getting old if:

You know how to run a mimeograph machine. (Or even know what they were.)
You know how to use a Dictaphone. (The cylinder or big belt kind – not those new fangled ones with the cassette tape.)
You know how to use a slide rule.
You don't think of The Beatles as Paul McCartney's first band.
You know what a “party line telephone” is.
- Heck, you remember when a “long distance call” was a special event.
- You remember dial telephones (your really old if you remember crank telephones)
As a kid, you called your buddy Gaylord -“Gay”- and nobody thought anything of it.
As a kid, you went out to play and all your mom said was “Be home when the street lights come on”.
Remember the noon whistle from the fire station?
Have you ever used a crystal set?
- Remember when transistor radios first came out?
You remember when the hockey goalie didn't wear a mask. (Heck – you played in the goal without a mask).
You remember listening to a World Series game in school and it was the teacher that brought the radio.

Enough of this. Yes, I'm getting old. And you what? I like it.

Stay warm, and may you find

PEACE

My Day Off and No Coffee???

2010-01-05T10:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's my first day off in a week. I woke up this morning and all I wanted was a good cup of coffee to get me going. I have some great freshly roasted coffee that I just bought at Roasters and what do I find? I have no filters. No, I am not going out this morning just to buy coffee filters - it's below zero out there and thats too cold for me.

So - what can I do? My solution was to do my very coarse variation on the press pot way of making coffee. I don't have a press pot but I do have a good Pyrex large measuring cup. I took my coffee mug du jour and found it holds 16 ounces. So I put 16 ounces of water on to boil. Then I measured out 1/4 cup of my whole beans and ground them to a coarse grind. When the water came to a boil I took it off the burner and waited for the rolling to stop. Then I added 3 tablespoons of my grounds to the water. I seem to remember in my pre-coffee addled mind that a 6 oz. cup takes 1 tablespoon of coffee. Hmmm, there is still a bit of ground coffee left. Oh what the heck - let's throw in another tablespoon of coffee to the pot. I let it steep for 4 minutes and then poured it through my tea strainer into my mug.

Hey, I even got a bit of crema on the top. That's cool. So, how does it taste? Very nice - very strong, but also smooth and not bitter at all. I think that fourth tablespoon of coffee wasn't probably necessary but this is pretty good.

Nope - I just took another sip and think this will do just fine. Looks like I will make it through the morning now. I'll go out this afternoon to run my errands and hopefully I'll remember to get some coffee filters.

Stay warm today - it is definitely winter in Iowa.

PEACE

This has been a very strange Christmas

2009-12-27T14:30:00.001-06:00

What can I say – this has been a very strange Christmas but a very good one.

The strange part came mostly from the weather. Leading into the week, the reports were for a major winter storm. All of the forecasters were saying leave early and come back late. We were going to get hit by a major storm that would shut down Iowa. Well, it didn’t really happen. At least not around here. This was the Christmas that reminded us that weather prediction is still an inexact science. This was a storm that just didn’t want to follow any of the usual patterns. As a result, the predictions were way off. Let me be clear – I am NOT faulting the meteorologists. They did their best. All of the potential for what they were warning of was there. It just didn’t materialize where they expected it and in the way they predicted. Instead of snow, we had rain. Two degrees colder and that rain would have been a foot of snow. Anyway, we had a white Christmas without any major inconvenience. Very nice for my home town.

The good parts were many. Christmas eve I started with a 4:30 children’s service at our church. The Rev was in charge of this service so I really wanted to be there. What a treat. There must have been at least 60 little ones up front for the children’s message. The excitement and spirit of these little tykes was infectious.

This was the high point of the season. The Rev had been building to this night all Advent season. She had gone in with a plan to tie all of the services of Advent together and she pulled it off. When we went in on the first Sunday of Advent, we were greeted by an empty chancel area. The pulpit was gone, as was the Lord’s table and the baptismal font. There was nothing but a pile of old lumber and a couple of old saw horses.

As we progressed through Advent, each week we saw more. The next Sunday we found the beginnings of the stable. Then we saw more coming into shape. By Christmas Eve we found the stable complete with a manger and straw spread around. The Rev had set out to give us all the opportunity to experience Christmas anew and she succeeded, at least in the eyes of many of us in the pews. I heard many very positive comments in the lounge after the services. Of course I don’t hear many of the negative comments but if something really bombs, people are usually not shy about who hears their comments. Well done Rev – I’m very proud of you.

Speaking of proud – Christmas Eve was a night to remember for me. After being very emotional in the Rev’s service at 4:30, I went to hear my daughter sing at her church at a 7:00 service. This was mostly a more “conventional” hymn service – well that’s what I thought I was going to anyway.

The highlight for me was hearing my daughter sing “Oh Holy Night”. This is one of her showcase pieces. The choir director has written an arrangement just for her. She is featured and backed by the rest of the choir. This night was divine. I have to admit though, I made the mistake of closing my eyes so i could concentrate on the music. I was carried away by the music. Tears started to form in my eyes it was so beautiful. And then, at the end – when she hits the high note in the final chorus – I totally lost it. I was sobbing. Yes, I was totally embarrassed – but also very proud and very moved.

Then this hairy, smelly old goat herd came wandering into the sanctuary looking for his lost she-goat Ellie. It was Pastor Paul. I had heard that he would occasionally go in character to deliver his message but I had never seen him in action. Well what a treat. Paul did an excellent job of telling the story of the shepherds and what it really meant when they came to visit baby Jesus. I have seen many speakers use gimmicks like this to make a point and many times it comes off hokey. This one was right on. Paul did a great job of portraying the character and using the character to communicate his message. Then he finished by actually finding his goat Ellie. A real she-goat in the sanctuary, that was a first for me.

It has been a great Christmas – I hope it was for you as well. As we all look forward to the new year and a new decade may the Lord, whose birth we just celebrated, bring you

PEACE.

Block by Block Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T11:26:00.004-06:00

Kurt Warner, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, is a Cedar Rapids native and has been active in supporting the recovery in our hometown after the flood of 2008. He couldn't be in town yesterday but his family was out spreading a little Christmas cheer.

Readers of this blog will recognize Block by Block. You will know that I am very impressed with the work of Block by Block and the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub that organizes this effort.

Yes, folks the recovery continues. It has been a year and a half since "the flood" but it will take years to fully recover. Please keep this community in your prayers.

Merry Christmas and as always . . .
PEACE

Merry Christmas Char

2009-12-18T22:46:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas Char from Dave Sundberg on Vimeo.

I had a lot of fun the other day. I went in to the church and we did a video for one of our members that is stuck at home. This craziness is compliments of the staff at the church.

Enjoy

An Unexpected Christmas Gift

2009-12-15T21:07:00.004-06:00

I want to tell a story. A story about myself. A story about how I can misunderstand a very simple situation.

A very wonderful lady in our church died this past week. This lady made a point of saying hello to me every Sunday. I appreciated the recognition and the effort she went to each week to acknowledge my existence. What I misunderstood was her motivation. Let me explain.

Each week, after the service, this lovely lady would seek me out and tell me that I had been sitting in the correct pew. On those rare occasions that I sat in another part of the sanctuary, she would find me and comment that I hadn't been sitting in my regular place.

Now, I understood that she was trying to be sociable and supportive. She had been one of the first to welcome me to the new church when the Rev and I were assigned to this parish. And I had heard many times, that she was one of our supporters within the congregation. What threw me was how she said it.

I misinterpreted her statement that I was sitting in the correct pew. I took it as a statement that she was checking up on me and making sure I was attending the services regularly. When she said, "You were sitting in the right pew this week", what I heard was , "Good boy, you were at church today."

Well, the past few weeks have taught me that I am not as good at reading people as I like to think I am. You see, very few people knew that she was ill. She didn't go into the hospital until the very end. When the doctors finally got a chance to examine her, she was past being able to recover from her illness. But more importantly for my learning at least - they also discovered that she was well into the early stages of dementia.

When I heard this I understood that, for the past few years, what I had taken as admonishment was actually gratitude. She was thanking me for sitting in the same place each week because then she could find me. What so many of us took as mild rigidity was merely her efforts to put some order back into a life that was progressively becoming disordered. She needed me to be in that same pew each week to bring a little piece of stability to her Sunday morning.

I hope that I will be able to learn the lesson that this wonderful woman has offered me. I need to put this on my Christmas list and cherish the gift she has offered me.

I hope that this Christmas season will bring unexpected gifts to you as well. And as always, I pray you will find. . .

PEACE.

Christmas Cantata at Lovely Lane UMC

2009-12-08T11:12:00.004-06:00

"Tis the season", as they say. The season for holiday parties. The season for holiday parades. And the season for Christmas music at church. The Rev and I took a break last Sunday from duties at St. Paul's to hear our daughter sing at her church.

Here is a brief - 2 minutes - clip, (I hope) of that performance. I've never done this before so I'm not sure if it will work.

We had a great time seeing old friends again. This is the church that sent the Rev out into the pastoral world. The church were we raised our family. We still have a lot of friends at this church. To be frank, I hadn't realized how much this church meant to me until I went up for communion.

Then we got to listen to the choir and hear our daughter sing. This was a great day.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year when I remember what it really is all about. I find my self getting caught up in the activity and the stress and tend to forget we are celebrating the birth of Christ. It is important for me to take these breaks to find my center again.

I hope that you are able to find your center, and not forget that, for those of us who try to follow Christ, this is not "the holiday season" - This Is Christmas.

Merry Christmas. And may this season bring you

PEACE.

This is NOT a Halloween Horror Story

2009-10-30T16:17:00.004-05:00

It seems to me that it is a stock joke to refer to the Post Office and it's workers whenever you want to give an example of poor customer service. How many times have you listened to a comedian tell some horror story of trying to get something accomplished at the local Post Office? Well I want to tell of a different story.

Let me give you the set-up. The Rev and I are planning a vacation this next summer. After nearly two years of dealing with the aftermath of the flood, we want to get out of Dodge. In fact, we want to go far, far away. That means I need to get my passport renewed because it expires February 1, 2010.

I'll admit it - I've been dragging my feet. I just didn't look forward to the hassle. I imagined I would have to go down to the Post Office, get in line, and deal with a bored office worker who's only goal was to get through the day so they could escape to their home.

Well, I'm very happy to tell you that was NOT my experience when I finally went out today to get this off my task list and get the Rev off my case. This ended up being a very pleasant and enjoyable interaction with a very lovely and competent lady at our main Post Office. Her name tag said she was Kim and I'm sorry now to say that I did not get her last name.

I had gone online and visited the State Department's website about passport renewal so I had what I hoped were the proper forms all filled out. I had my old passport and I was ready to mail everything in to start the process. I just needed two passport photos. The site said that many post offices were able to take the photos and when I checked our Post Office website it said they provided that service so off I went to the post office. I figured I would just get the photos taken then I would step off to the side and prepare my package to be sent off to the Passport Processing Center.

When I got to the post office I was relieved to see a sign that assured me they could take my passport photos, but I couldn't see where that might be done. I must have looked a bit lost as I stood away from the counter checking out the area because Kim called to me from the counter and offered to assist me. I told her that I was renewing my passport and needed photos.
"No problem - I can do that for you." "Let's see what you have there.".
I emptied my envelop of forms and materials on her counter and she took over. She checked my form to make sure it was complete and signed. She took my photo, she got me a mailing envelop to send it in and pointed out the address where it needed to go. She reminded me that I needed to include a check for $75 to the State Department. In short, she walked me through the whole process and she did it with humor and a smile.

Kim didn't just do the minimum. All I really asked her to do was take my photo. Kim took it upon herself, as a professional should, to see to it that everything was in order and sent off correctly. When I left, I didn't have that nagging feeling that I left something out. I knew it was done and done right. Kim sold me more than 2 passport photos and postage for a letter.

I'm thinking Kim may reappear in one of my training sessions with my sales staff. She is an excellent example of excellent customer service.

Tomorrow is Halloween. Enjoy. And when the day is done I wish you -
PEACE.

Block By Block

2009-10-16T18:17:00.002-05:00

I haven't written about the flood recovery in a couple of months. That doesn't mean that it is over. Not by a long shot. Today I want to introduce you to a community effort that is really making a difference in the Time Check area that I spoke of last spring. That effort is called Block by Block.

Block by Block is a program created by a coalition of the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub, Four Oaks, and the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church. Here is how they describe it on their website.

~ ~ ~

What is the goal of Block by Block?

More than a year after the historic flood on June 13, 2008, there are still hundreds of Cedar Rapids homes uninhabitable or unoccupied. This has led to safety issues and larger concerns; what will happen long-term to affected neighborhoods and the people who live there?

The community needs a visible, immediate sign that there is organized progress.

Block by Block is a solutions-based, relationship-building approach that identifies and assists neighborhoods that want to come back to life. The program builds on the tremendous work already done by blocks, providing resources to make each property on the block fully habitable. Once an area is identified and a construction plan is set, private dollars, paid oversight and volunteer labor will rebuild the neighborhoods one block at a time.

The Block by Block development strategy is designed to create hope and encourage all property owners on the block to either reinvest in their property or arrange for a solution other than abandonment.

The goal is to complete eight blocks by the end of the 2009 calendar year. Limiting factors may include block participation, funding and weather-related delays. The real solutions come from within the block and work outward; each neighborhood moves forward by working together, communicating their needs at neighborhood meetings and supporting each other to bring back their block.

~ ~ ~

The money to start this program came from private funding. The initial seed money came from

John & Dyan Smith $1M

Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation $700K

United Methodist Church $200K

The goal is simple - go block by block to coordinate and support residents to reclaim their neighborhood. Nobody is required to participate and each homeowner is responsible for their own renovation. But the focus and the support has been a great asset to the homeowners. As you might imagine, participation has been very high in each block. I see on their website that the initial goal was to complete 8 blocks this first summer. I have been told that number has grown as the success of the program has become clear and many more blocks are wanting to be a part of this program.

There is still a great deal of work ahead before we can claim to have recovered from that flood last summer. But it will be programs like this and efforts of groups from within our community that will make that recovery happen.

Please keep our community in your prayers and as always, I wish you

PEACE

I Guess I Didn't Really Want That Bottle of Coke

2009-10-13T20:48:00.003-05:00

As I headed out the door for my meeting at church today, I told my self I should stop on the way and get a bottle of coke to get me through the meeting. No problem - I thought - I'm running a little late but I drive right by the Kwik Shop on the way, I'll stop there.

As I came up on the corner for the store I couldn't believe all of the traffic. No way was I going to be able to turn left into the Kwik Shop. No problem - I thought - I'll just go across the street on the right to the pharmacy - I can get a Coke there.

Ah yes, this is much easier - a right hand turn into the parking lot and there is even a parking spot right at the door. I went in and selected my bottle of Coke Zero. This is now my drink of choice - real Coke taste with zero calories. Off I go to the counter to check out. When I got up front I found just one register open and there was a line of 5 people ahead of me. Bummer - I'm gonna be late for my meeting if I don't watch out. Oh well, the line will move quickly - I thought. Then I hear over the loudspeker - "Manager to the front please - manager to the front counter." Wait a minute, this line isn't moving. Off to my right I see the pharmacist. He has come up from the pharmacy counter in the back of the store.

"My computer is down, is yours working?"

"Mine's down also", said the clerk. "I tried to call you but the phones are dead too."

Then the clerk turned to us in line and told us he couldn't do anything until they fixed the problem. Oh well, I guess I'll just put this coke back and go to my meeting. I don't have time to wait - I'll be late. So I put the coke back and drove downtown to the church.

It wasn't until I got to the church that I realized that I was half an hour early - cool, I have time to run over to the grocery store, it's just two blocks away. So off I went and this time I had no problem buying a coke. They didn't have a Coke Zero in the case but a Classic would do just fine. I grabbed my coke, paid for it, and got back to the church just as the rest of the people were starting to arrive. Hey, this is going to be alright - I thought.

As I was settling in I grabbed my coke and then I noticed that it didn't seem to be as full as they usually are. Oh well, maybe it was just a little glitch in the bottling - no problem - I thought.

I went to open the bottle and that was when I realized why the bottle looked to be a little short on volume. The seal on the bottle had been broken - someone had opened this bottle, taken a swig, and then put it back in the case.

Well, I guess I didn't really want that bottle of coke after all.

True story.

May all your bottles be full and your lines empty.

PEACE.

A New Beginning

2009-09-07T22:48:00.004-05:00

In my last post I celebrated the 60 years that my parents have been married. Well today I want to recognize a new beginning. The marriage of my daughter Katie to her Nick. Last Saturday the Sunbob clan descended upon the little town of Hopkinton and two families were united.

It was an outdoor wedding and Mother Nature couldn't have been kinder. The temperature was a very mild 78 with just enough breeze to keep us cool and keep the bugs away. It couldn't have been better if I had programmed it on a computer.

As you can see, the mother of the bride was looking great as well. I haven't seen the Rev looking that happy in a long time. Many people have asked if she presided at the service. Well, that was the original request from the bride but my love decided that she wanted to be the mother of the bride for this occasion and not the pastor. We had the very gracious and capable services of the groom's aunt for that duty. Kim did a wonderful job. And that was not an easy task when you realize that there were at least four other pastors in attendance.

And I am proud to report that I was able to pretty much keep it together throughout the service - at least until the reception when I got to dance with my daughter. I'm afraid that was when I really started to get emotional. This is my baby - and she isn't a baby any more.

Let's just say I fully approve of this marriage and wish them both, all of the love and happiness that I have been fortunate to have found.

It has been quite a summer. An ordination in June, the celebration of 60 years of marriage in August, and now the beginning of a new marriage. Unlike last year, this has been a great summer. What a difference a year makes.

Enjoy.

60 Years Together

2009-08-18T10:55:00.005-05:00

The Sunbob clan had a great time last weekend. We all got together to celebrate my parent's 60th Wedding Anniversary.

All five of the sons descended upon the homestead and brought along our families to boot. We couldn't remember the last time that everybody was together in one place at the same time.

Here you are - 4 generations and all you are missing is one daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Here are the sons in ascending order, left to right, youngest to oldest. Yes the bearded one is me. It's not easy getting all of us to stand still long enough to take a picture. We have too much fun when we are together. I must say, that one of my true pleasures is being with those four. Unfortunately our lives have scattered us around the country and it takes an event like this to get us all together.

But the real pleasure was honoring my parents. I am very fortunate to have two excellent parents. I don't really know how to put it into words. I guess I'll just say that their love, caring and support has been a great gift throughout my life. I can only hope that some day, maybe when the Rev and I celebrate our 60th anniversary, someone will be able to say the same about me. If I succeed in accomplishing that - it will be a tribute to these two.

Peace

I Am Because We Are

2009-07-14T22:05:00.003-05:00

The sanctuary was rocking tonight. We are hosting a mission team from Christ United Methodist Church in Rockford, Il. 99 strong - youth and adults - and they know how to travel in mission. Usually with a group like this you will find a youth pastor, a few adults and little else from home. But this group brought a church - complete with pastor, music director and band, AV system (video and sound) and all any group would need to be in service to God and the community.

The Rev and I really enjoyed being in worship with them tonight. They go out during the day and work hard rebuilding our community and at night they gather in the sanctuary to worship. The worship service was full of energy and great music. We sang, we danced in the aisles, we prayed and we rejoiced in the community of faith. The message tonight centered around the south African philosophy of ubuntu - I am because we are. The pastor did an excellent job of sharing this message of the importance of the interconnected community with her western audience that has been raised on individualism. I thought this message was especially suited to a group who has interrupted their lives to travel to another state to do the dirty work of reconstruction.

Kudos to this group from Illinois. You brought an energy and life to that old sanctuary the likes of which it has not hosted in a long time.

Peace

Returning to the scene of the crime

2009-07-12T23:28:00.003-05:00

This was a great Sunday for the Rev and me. Rev was invited to preach at Lovely Lane, the church we had attended for almost 20 years and that sent the Rev out to minister.

This is the church that raised our children. I think our daughters spent as much time there as they did in our home. Our older daughter is still a member of this church - refusing to follow Mom to her new church, even though it is just as close to her apartment across town. This is where she sings in the choir and where she feels grounded in Christ.

This is also the church that listened with us when the Rev was first getting that stirring that she needed to follow Christ in a new way. They supported us and, as is the tradition in our denomination, when the time was right, they stood up and said, "this woman has the calling and we are sending her out to serve God." They supported us with their words, they supported us with their love, and they even opened up their purses and supported us with their donations. This is a very special place in our family.

Needless to say - preaching here is not easy for the Rev. The pressure she puts on herself is enormous. It doesn't mater that I remind her that she is loved here and with that love comes forgiveness. The Rev will settle for nothing but her best effort for this congregation.

Well, I'm here to tell you that she did not disappoint - herself or me. She did a wonderful job telling her story of her journey to ordination and thanking this congregation for the very real and important part they took in making that happen. I don't know if they needed to hear it, but I am thankful they gave us the opportunity to share it.

Some Sunday's are very special. This was one of those days.

Peace.

A summer's day drive in Iowa

2009-07-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the rev and I took a drive in the country. It was a beautiful day for a ride. The temperature was mild and the sky was full of those puffy clouds that look like suspended balls of cotton.

Our destination was "Hoptown" were our daughter will be married this fall. We wanted to visit the historical site were she plans on having the service. This was my first visit and what I found was a pleasant site of an old college long since closed, in a small Iowa village. This will be a very nice setting for the "momentous day".

What I really enjoyed most was the drive getting us there. We took the back roads into the village. It was a newly repaved county road that wound through the hills of northeast Iowa. We wound through the corn fields and the bean fields. The beans still look to be very early but the corn was definitely doing well. Much higher than the old "knee high by the fourth of July" standard that the rev and I grew up with. Now if the prices could just recover a bit, it looks like the farmers, at least in that area, could have a good year.

We wish all of you a pleasant Independence Day and in the true spirit of this day . . .

We wish you peace.

Pictures of the "EVENT"

2009-06-16T17:25:00.010-05:00

Christy, our in house photographer, came by today with pictures from the ordination. We spent the whole morning going through her collection of images. Here is our pictorial study of the big day.

This is quite an event and like all such events - it starts with the procession.

Then, of course, we sang some hymns.

Then we heard the Bishop preach.

Finally the Rev is at the rail.

And here is the big moment, the laying on of hands.

Finally, it is time to move on.

And here is the Rev - wearing the stole for the very first time.

The Rev and I want to thank all of you who have helped and supported us this past seven years. There are so many names and so many pictures that there is no way I can put all in this simple blog. But please know that you are appreciated.

And as always we both wish you
PEACE.

It Is Done

2009-06-07T22:10:00.003-05:00

It is done.

We made the trip to Ames. We marched into the hall, the bishop laid on his hands, then a bunch of us laid on our hands and it is done. The Rev is now officially an elder in the United Methodist Church.

It was a great two days. Both of our families were well represented. The Rev's mother escaped from her nursing home and joined the two sisters and the brother to be on hand. Three of my brothers made the trip and brought my parents along as well. And of course both of our daughters were in the audience and very proud of their mother. In addition, a large group from our church hopped in their cars after Sunday morning services and made the two hour journey to Ames to be there for the celebration.

I was on stage with her as well as three of our former pastors. I managed to keep it together and didn't cry even once. All I can say is that the Rev and I were both deeply moved by the support.

This has been a wonderful day in the life of our family, I hope that you too will have great days ahead in your life.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;
may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you

PEACE.

Big Weekend Ahead

2009-06-05T17:39:00.003-05:00

We have a big weekend coming up. I will be collecting my daughters tomorrow morning and we will be off to Ames to join the Rev. Sunday afternoon is a big day for this crew. That is the day that my wife will be ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

This will be the culmination of seven years of hard work for her. Going back to school at 50 isn't an easy decision. But she set out and did the work. Then there was the probation. Four years as a probationary elder. Well now she has jumped through all of the required hoops. Sunday will be a big day in our family.

I can't put into words how proud I am of what she has accomplished. This was a path that I considered for myself but my phone didn't ring. I wasn't the one that was called to service. Mine is a different path. I will have to leave that to my spouse and I will be the PH (Pastor's Husband).

Actually it appears this will be a big weekend for our extended families as well. My parents and my brothers are coming in from Minnesota and Carol's mother, brother and both sisters are making the trip as well. There are even rumblings that there will be a contingent from our church as well. I don't think the Rev has any idea of the support she will be receiving. It will be a very interesting day on Sunday. I'll try to tell that story when we get back home.

Peace.

Sunbob's Room

Occupy: a Lamentation

Ron Paul wins the student mock election in Polk County, IA

JAMIE FITZGERALD

Polk County Auditor

Homes for the Holidays

Lunch time in Rural Iowa

I joined in the Occupy Iowa demonstration today.

Another Wednesday

Wednesday Night on the Hill

Patty Pan Squash

We are home and it is done. The celebration...

Happy Birthday Buddy Hackett

This is an amazing video of a robotic bird...

I was introduced to a new liquor tonight...

Just hangin out with Christy. We just put...

Carrots, potatoes and eggplant. . . Oh my.

Garlic and Summer Squash this week

Dark Red Norland potatoes

Feeling Good

CSA comes through again

This week's CSA box looks good

I took on the kale

Snow Peas and Parsley - CSA comes through

Collard Greens and Garlic Scapes

Hubert Humphrey

Too Close to Home

Harmon Killebrew died today

My $5 Rice Cooker

Easter?

UltimateBet domain seized by the FBI

Paul Simon: The Afterlife

Wednesday Night on the Hill

Farm Fresh Eggs

Dual Monitor system

The King's Speech

Jubilation

Egypt's Mubarak refuses to quit

Zach Wahls addresses the Iowa Senate

Egypt in revolt

A Day in my Life

We Did Get Some Snow

Our First Real Snow Storm This Winter

The Rev was at her best on Christmas

They Still Keep Watch

The Children's Christmas Pageant at Walnut Hills

We had a great Christmas Staff Party

New Orleans Lower 9th Ward Coming Back

Linux Mint 9

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT the promised land

Grandpa Sunbob

Chilean mine rescue - Amazing

365 Days of Poetry: Over the Hill and Through the Dale

Wednesday On The Hill

Block by Block awarded $1.35 million grant

Iowan to receive the Medal of Honor

The Wilderness Experience

Ames Flood

We had a raccoon in the yard

Peace to This House

Freedom Day

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010

Tending the Seeds

Father's Day 2010

My Last Day

KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories

Yes, there was life before computers

Scientists have created the first synthetic cell.

Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 Review

My First Bat of the Spring

The Language of God

Some Flooded Homes are Coming Down

Emanicpation Act - 1819

This is for you Coca-Cola fans

IDF to seal off West Bank for the duration of Passover - Haaretz - Israel News

The Rev in Jerusalem

A Great Night at TCR

The Sea of Galilee

Via Dolorosa

Walking in the footsteps