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Tell Him Now...

If with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing, if you like him or you love him tell him now.

Don't withhold your approbation till the parson makes oration and he lies with snowy lilies on his brow,

For no matter how you shout it, he won't really care about it, he won't know how many teardrops you have shed.

So if some praise is due him, now's the time to slip it to him, for he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead.

More than fame and more than money is the comment kind and sunny, and the hearty warm approval of a friend,

For it gives to life a savor and it makes you stronger, braver, and it gives you heart and courage to the end.

If he earns your praise, bestow it, if you like him, let him know it, let the words of true encouragement be said.

Do not wait till life is over and he's underneath the clover, for he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead.

~Berton Braley~

Washing Clothes Recipe

Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook with spelling errors and all.

WASHING CLOTHES

Build far in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.

Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bawlin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles

1 pile white,

1 pile colored,

1 pile work dark britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and bawl, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew up a cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

(May you remember to "count your blessings" when you are weary from your work...)

If Not You?

If not you, who? If not now, when?

I first heard those words spoken by a famous minister. The words always stayed with me.

There is so much in our world that we wait on the "other" person, the government, the church, the activists, the schools, and many others to do. No, we can't do it all, but we sure can do more.

There is so much that we "wait" to do. We procrastinate.

Ten years ago, I heard Rev. Rodney Jackson say in a church service, "the church ought to be emailing the world everyday." I had to ask myself those words.

If not you... who? If not now... when?

Yes, a lot needs to be done and someone has to do something about it.

(From MountainWings on 3.4.10) www.mountainwings.com

Stan Hutchins, our dear friend and contributor to this website, passed away on 23 March 2010. He was a wonderful photographer and very generous to me in sharing his work on this website. I loved his e-mails and enthusiasm. He was the first and best promoter of scottcity.info. Thank you, Stan! You are missed so much...

Four Pounds

"There's only four pounds of pressure in the tires," Steve said. It was our first full day in Alaska, and we were leaving for an all-day ATV trip through the Alaskan backwoods to a glacier.

Steve explained that having only four pounds of pressure in the tires helped the tires to bounce over rocks, logs and hills without the tire being damaged. Since the ATV sat on the tires and we sat on the ATV, the four pounds helped keep us from being damaged. For six hours we bounced over rocks, drove through rivers and streams, and bounced over hills. I understood the four-pound principle the rough way.

As people, we need four pounds. Life comes at you hard. Rocky stuff, hilly stuff, stuff that nearly drowns you and takes your breath away often faces you on this journey. We need four pounds.

We are often overinflated. We are puffed up, stiff necked and stuck up. When a rock or hard experience gets in our path, instead of giving and easily rolling over it, we hit it like we have iron instead of four pound tires.

The resulting impact shatters us. Much of our psychological pain is due to wounds to our ego.

It was one of the greatest and most thrilling adventures that I'd ever experienced. I would not have made it overinflated. Perhaps to rise higher, we need to let some of the air out.

~A MountainWings Original~ www.mountainwings.com