vertrees
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Florida’s ‘nature’ rebounds from political hot air
We wisely delayed our Florida visitation, hoping that the EPA and the fumigators would have the air purified. The presidential speech-making thing left a lot of vitriolic atmospheric corrosion, you know. Some of those rich guys have enough money to buy the White House, which, …Read More
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Carrol Vertrees: Memories brighten the day when losses bring storm clouds
Another piece of my teen years left us recently. It probably is normal for people as old as I to get a bit nervous when this begins to happen with regularity. The eternal timekeeper is out there, in no hurry, knowing that he will get …Read More
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Carrol Vertrees: Gain strength from life’s struggles
One of the tenors sitting beside me in the choir probably thought I was napping during the sermon! Come on! I was meditating. I was awake enough to hear some eloquence from the pulpit when the pastor talked about our emphasis on life after death. …Read More
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Carrol Vertrees: A park could spark fond memories of Gary
It died young, before it became a teenager, but nobody was thoughtful enough to give it a funeral. Maybe the Gary Sheraton will get the memorial it deserves, like being blown to smithereens and allowed to rest in peace. More likely this decrepit eyesore will …
Carrol Vertrees: Postal service delivers on a lifetime of hope
I read the other day that when the famous Hope diamond was donated to the Smithsonian, it was mailed from New York to Washington in a brown paper parcel. How’s that for confidence in our postal service? And when I was a farm kid, Sears …
Carrol Vertrees: Christmas glow can warm hearts year round
I probably won’t be around the next time Christmas falls on Sunday, but I suppose the celebration will go on without me, and my church choir will sing with its usual joy. One gift that I cherish is the opportunity to put on my choir …
Carrol Vertrees: Do good works and reap rewards
A woman hit other Black Friday shoppers with pepper spray so they would get out of her way. A man collapsed with what turned out to be a fatal heart attack, and a couple of early morning shoppers stepped over him without even slowing down. …
Carrol Vertrees: Take note of hymns’ sweet sounds
Old hymns like “In the Garden” and “Church in the Wildwood” are not sung very often in many of our mainline churches. That is a serious mistake. Maybe the hymns aren’t sophisticated enough. I am not sophisticated either, and I am glad. “In the Garden” …
Carrol Vertrees: Today’s newspapers look, feel different
Many of today’s newspapers are shorter, narrower and leaner than they were in my working days, victims of the economic virus. To purists like me, that is sad. Many of us would be better off if we were narrower and leaner. Many of us can …
Carrol Vertrees: Sewing machine hums even without making a stitch
It is resolution day again, and I feel absolutely giddy just thinking about mine. About Wednesday, though, withdrawal pains or pangs, may hit, forcing me to reconsider, so I should hurry. But now in the glow of the annual new beginning, I feel the urge …
Carrol Vertrees: Life’s joys put pain, suffering in context
Lee Trevino, a witty golf champion, was knocked out by lightning when he stood under a tree with his golf bag during a storm. Later, he said, “Every golfer should carry a one-iron because even God can’t hit a one-iron.” This humorous reference that golfers …
Carrol Vertrees: Hard for some to find joy in this ‘Bleak Midwinter’
“In the Bleak Midwinter” is a hymn of eloquence, reminding us of the gift that was delivered to a frozen world centuries ago. The words by Christina Rossetti are gripping, year after year in this unique season. They shine through the winter bleakness. It is …
Carrol Vertrees: Laughter, friendship help rehab process
I don’t know how other old houses feel when they are being rehabilitated. Appreciative, maybe, knowing that special people care for them. That’s how I feel about the rehab place where smiling people are helping me get better after surgery. It is going well, but …
Carrol Vertrees: Newspaper shorts columnist’s name by a letter
It could be worse. I could be a boy named Sue, the kid made famous in a song by Johnny Cash. But even his name created only a gender problem — nobody had a problem spelling Sue. The fellow who ruled in Burma years ago …
Carrol Vertrees: Pogo’s words apply to Black Friday, too
The folks who want to be president of our great country try to say what we want to hear, sensible or not. We fall for it. You know, our problems are caused by the other guy’s policies — “I will save you.” We need plain …
Carrol Vertrees: Chilhood days go on and on — only in our memories
It was only a small bowl of oyster soup, but it made our dinner for two special. The aroma awakened a sleeping memory that took me back to life on the farm — a long time ago. There were pearls in those oysters! Memory gems. …
Carrol Vertrees: Vaccines deliver medical ingenuity
I cannot leap even a low building in a single bound, but I feel super anyway after getting my flu shot. Old folks, of which I am one, should get those shots. Younger ones, too, but they should not be forced to do it. Some …
Vertrees: Plenty to see here on Earth, no matter what time
Here we go again, tinkering with our clocks, but out there in the world of stars and other stuff, it won’t make any difference. It means, though, that I must rise an hour earlier if I want to watch daylight chase out the darkness. An …
Carrol Vertrees: Sadness comes watching friends slip into darkness
Our friend Vic is gone. The best man at our wedding. A true scholar. He was my friend from the first minute we met on our little campus decades ago. The last time we saw him he was able to reminisce with clarity and joy, …
Carrol Vertrees: Farm kid’s reverie buzzes with simplicity
I never quite caught on to the birds and bees story, but I am probably not the only one who grew up in a kind of ignorance. It is getting late, too. Birds fascinate me, but it is the busy, buzzing bee that really stirs …
