Watered Garden

When we lived in Charleston, SC, we would go to the ROA and wonder why Ohioans thought they had humidity at all! The only time I really enjoyed the ROA was when we stayed somewhere other than in a tent. I have NEVER liked tent camping, and to make it worse, there were those VIP's and WC who were always clean, neat, with pressed clothes, coiffured hair and full makeup in place, smiling sweetly at the sweating masses of non-green-namtagged peons, suffering in the sun and rain and humidity. No offence to those of you who actually worked during the ROA and sweated right along with the rest of us. There were a chosen few, however, who seemed to enjoy special privileges and never worked or got dirty. WG

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —" I was watching Red, White and Boom last night on TV and wondered if the men who drafted and signed this document would be proud, ashamed, or horrified at what we have become. I hope some good things would make them proud. I fear some things would shame them. They pledged their, "lives, fortunes and sacred honor." Where is the honor these days? Where is the heart of this great country? WG

Nice analogy, the triage room. Waysider.

One thing I was taught right off the bat by one of the medical WOW's was that they were the household. I was the family but not that special. The household was special. My former boss, God bless him, correct that in a big hurry! There were definitely different classifications within TWi. Not so in God's eyes. WG

Must clarify that CG was in Europe when I saw the dog. They were going to ship it to him or something. However, if he trained the dog it had been trained a bit too well. Probably was confused and resentful of its confinement too. Dogs who've been trained to do something need to do it, IMO. Well not necessarily rip the throat out of everyone around them, but he was used to being busy and now he wasn't, if you understand what I mean. WG

I am sooo lame when it comes to cool stuff on the computer, but let me say this from the bottom of my heart: Happy Birthday! May each day be better than the last. May each hour bring you peace and joy. May God tenderly enfold your heart in the hollow of His hand. WG

Johnny I just thought it was Tick Junior because the WC person who did the tour TOLD us that was its name and lineage. I didn't know and frankly didn't and don't care all that much. It was one of the few dogs that has scared me with a look from behind bars in a pen. Unfortunate that a good hunting dog had been trained in such a manner. They also said it was Dr. Wierwille's dog and that only CG could handle it now that he was gone. WG

I thought the picture of you and Nico was wonderful! I am usually a big dog fan, but after Sophie passed, I got a cocker spaniel puppy. We've had a cocker spaniel before. We want to do some traveling and it is easier to find pet friendly places to stay with a smaller dog, and also, quite honestly, I am just not ready for a labrador retriever again. Every time I see a picture of a yellow lab, especially one with a pink nose, I tear up. The new pup, Bodacious Buckeye, is a black and white tricolor, meaning she also has tan on her, particularly a mostly black face with tan "eyebrows" Mr. Garden thinks she looks like a Rottweiler working undercover. She is a lot of fun, but a lot of work. So much energy! IF I could only teach her to use it to wash dishes, etc. WG

I guess somebody's happiness was a snarling dog, not a warm puppy. The only other folks I've ever heard of in Ohio (other than probably the military and police) who need guard dogs on patrol are in SE Ohio guarding marijuana fields. :unsure: WG

As I mentioned on another thread we joined a church that was a church plant from another church we had attended for a couple years. We never joined that church. There wasn't any particular pressure to do so, and the only difference was you got to go to business meetings and vote for stuff. Big whoop. We attended a small group and sang in the choir. I did NOT want to join this new church, but all the other charter members had and at the weekly meeting that served as an elder board, they started bugging my husband, who was a member (I was not; the minister said they only wanted "people with talent who could bring something positive" to the group, when I asked him why the e-mail he sent to MY address was only addressed to my husband). Anyway they wanted this membership packet filled out. After two weeks I did so and I have regretted it ever since. Oh, and about the deliberate and somewhat rude exclusion from the task force? I am a somewhat outspoken female individual. It is only recently I found out that this domination believes women are inferior to men and should remain silent for the most part (cooking and cleaning, looking after kiddies, serving God by serving their husbands are acceptable activities, but keep your mouth shut otherwise). I was crushed and disappointed by the nasty reply I got to my e-mail. There are other men who serve on this committee minus their wives, I learned only recently; I had thought I was the only exclusion. But I do think the former pastor was making a point. I still faithfully attend this church, participate in VBS etc. But I feel hoodwinked; had I know this particular outfit put women down like that I would have smiled sweetly and promised to serve with joy and thanksgiving, but not with that kind of commitment. The associate pastor who took over the church is young and kind but firm and blunt. He has done wonderful things for my son and his fiancee/wife and I see real change there. But by now I'm just not interested in giving too much of myself. It's all I can do to hang onto my belief in God. I'm just telling you this to say "Be cautiously optimistic. Know what you are getting into. As others have suggested on this thread, have some in-depth conversations with the pastor. If they have small groups, which are now all the rage in many churches, attend a couple of meetings and get to know people. God will tell you if things are a bit "off." Good luck. WG

TJ was indeed "Tick Junior". I'm glad to hear he was such a wonderful, humorous fellow. Hard to believe that if he was glaring at you out of a cage, growling that low deep growl some dogs learn to growl from their b*lls, telling you in no uncertain terms he knows where your carotids are located. But he was undoubtedly trained to be that way. Scarey. WG

I would visit a LOT of churches. Make sure you know every jot and tittle of their doctrine before you commit.

The problem with all of that is it's just not true! God is so much bigger than TWI, or any other two-bit ....y-assed ministry purporting to be the ONLY ones who have the truth! And believe me, there are a lot more of them out there than I would have ever dreamed of! Fooledagin, don't let that lie continue to influence your life. Adopt a new credo: .... happens" is a good start. WG

Another vague, really vague memory.... I once had a friend in the 7th WC who told me something about them trying to breed Dobermans and that the first litter came along right before something like the ROA and the mother got so upset she ATE HER BABIES! I had heard of rabbits doing that but dogs???? Just too weird. I don't think he was using the best breeding stock. No idea what happened to any of them other than Tick Jr, whom I mentioned before. The same friend also told me of a very expensive German shorthair CG or somebody got VP. He took it to Rome City and it got into the hen house and killed a bunch of chickens. So he shot it. Know how to cure a dog of chasing/killing chickens? Remember that chapter in Romans where it talks about being tied to a dead body? Tie a dead chicken around a dog's neck for a couple days, and it will won't want to go near them again. Honest. I did not make that up. WG

It's absolutely true that some were threatened with death, not necessarily "I'm gonna KILL you if you don't straighten up" but "if you leave TWI, whether of your own volition or we decide you are no longer worthy of fellowshipping with us, at that very moment the spirit within you dies, and shortly thereafter, your phsyical body shall die also, because it is impossible to live outside the Body of Christ." These very words were spoken in a branch meeting by a 18th WC grad shortly before we left. From the portentous manner in which he spoke them, I think he copied these words straight from the horse's azz, er, mouth, i.e. the MOGFODAT himself. Hasn't happened yet. WG

Apparently, Mr. G**r thought someone might launch an assault on Intl HQ. I remember seeing the dog that was shipped to him. It was penned up on the hog farm at RC when we visited there, awaiting reunion with its master. It was one of the German Shorthairs, normally a good breed of hunting dog, and had such a look in its eye, it gave me the shivers. Our guide told us nobody but CG could handle it. That dog did some serious snarling, making steady eye contact the whole time. There was no doubt in my mind it wanted to bite the azz off every one of us. I thought it was strange. One usually sees dobies and German Shepherd dogs and Rotties trained as guard dogs. However, I think you can train a dog to be a guard dog without making them unremittingly vicious. I mean what good is it if it attacks everyone except the trainer? What if it gets loose and bites the mailman or a child or the trainer's wife? This just smacked of weirdness to me. At the time, I thought the dog might be possessed! WG

Seth, I should have said if you are thirsty all the time that is a sign of elevated blood glucose. Also if you can't eat or have no appetite. So I misspoke myself, sorry. Occasional blurry vision is also a sign of elevated glucose. Hopefully you just have a bug. There are some nasty ones going around right now. Anyway you are in my prayers. If you do have diabetes, there are a kazillion resources out there to help - including me. WG

HB from WG!

I'm so glad I never met him.

Are you thirsty? Can you eat normally? If you answered "no" to either of those questions, get your blood glucose checked NOW! I suffered from several of the symptoms you described as a diabetic before I was diagnosed. WG

The "believing family" class I took was video. He said that it was the father's decision as head of the household, when his child was mature enough to be sexually active. My jaw dropped to my toes. I still to this day cannot picture THAT conversation between father and child. WG

our insurance, Geico, does not hold deer-car incidents against us. We still have to pay the deductible but they are aware that you just can't reason with the critters, and they still think you are invisible and they are invincible. Our first truck-deer was 12 point buck vs. Dodge Dakota. Neither party survived that one. One guy actually cracked to my dad, upon hearing of the fur stuck in the radiator, "Looks like you need a bumper sticker that says "The buck stopped here!" WG

Mr. Garden has had several close encounters of the Bambi kind, the last with the Ford Ranger, which resulted in relatively minor damage to both parties. It's not fun at the time. You told it well. Hang in there! WG

My understanding is that in China it is against the law to own a pet dog. If you have one, it will be killed in front of you and you will be fined. Repeat this, and jail time awaits (and they kill that dog in front of you, too). The government believes dogs are unsanitary and pollute the ground with their excrement. China is very very overpopulated. Couples are permitted one child each in an effort to forcibly reduce the population. Those who give birth to a second child in the hospital risk that infant suffering a fate similar to the dogs'. My take is that this is a thoroughly godless country. A church I formerly attended had a girl go spend a couple months there one summer as a student - she was not under any circumstances to mention God or the Bible or anything even close. This too is a big time crime. During the Great Leap Forward under Chairman Mao, (the closest to a god they have right now), missionaries were hunted down, roped, and dragged through the streets by CHILDREN singing songs of praise to the government and Mao, to soccer fields where they were executed en masse. And then there's Tienenman Square..... It grieves and upsets me to think of all the people in this country out of jobs, which have gone to China, where inferior goods are produced for pennies just to save Big Business a buck or two. I used to live in North Carolina in mill country. I knew someone who worked at mills, sewing washcloths. They had standards. Now I buy towels and washcloths at J. C. Penney which were manufactured in China, and they fall apart in less than a year. WG

Dearest Robes, First of all, my deepest sympathy to you and your family. You are in my prayers. I would just guard against well meaning people who can be a little judgmental. Hang around and listen to what people say who come to offer their condolences. I know this isn't very specific but it's what came to mind. I don't know of any book chapter and verse where it says suicides go to hell. Good grief! Right now, people are going to need comfort and love and understanding. It's not much but I'm no scholar, and I just really wanted to say I care and I'm praying for you. WG